| | | 15/11/2023 Social cohesion hits 16-year low, Russian oligarch asset flight, Braverman hits back at Sunak |
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| Martin Farrer |  |
| | | Morning everyone. The rising cost of living is eating away at Australians’ treasured way of life, but it’s also costing the country in togetherness. According to our top story this morning, a national measure of social cohesion is at its lowest ebb since it began to be tracked 16 years ago. We’re also looking at how banks are making such huge profits despite those economic strains, the role of PwC in helping a Russian oligarch avoid sanctions, and Suella Braverman’s astonishing personal attack on Rishi Sunak as Britain’s political bloodletting continues. |
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 | Australia | | Go Matildas | It’s originally a German name meaning strength in battle but now it’s synonymous with the women’s national football team, whose exploits at the World Cup have made Matilda word of the year. | Cohesion index | Relentless cost-of-living pressure, rising interest rates, uncertainty about the direction of the economy and growing concern about inequality has undermined Australia’s sense of social cohesion, according to authoritative new research. | Bulking out | The proportion of GPs bulk billing all of their patients has halved over the course of just one year as the cost of providing care to patients continues to grow. | Renewable bonus | The extreme heat forecast for this summer is expected to lift electricity demand to new heights but regulators are confident extra renewable generation capacity of around 2,000MW added since last year will reduce the risk of blackouts. | Brassicas beware | Gardeners in Melbourne and Sydney should look out for a “plague” of cabbage moths that look like a “cute little butterfly” but threaten to chomp through crops of cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and kale. |
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| World | | ‘Tory chaos’ | Sacked UK home secretary Suella Braverman has launched an astonishing personal attack on Rishi Sunak, claiming he betrayed her after agreeing a secret deal for rightwing policies in exchange for her support. The prime minister was also accused of abandoning the “red wall” voters who switched from Labour to the Tories in 2019 by bringing David Cameron back into his cabinet (pictured). The Conservatives appear divided about the return of the man who represents more centrist opinion, while columnist Marina Hyde says it shows there’s nothing like rewarding failure. | Gaza battle | Another 200,000 people have fled northern Gaza in the past 10 days, the UN has said, as fierce fighting between Hamas militants and the Israeli army continues. A dozen film-makers and artists have withdrawn their work from the Amsterdam film festival after its organisers condemned a pro-Palestine protest on opening night. | Trump travails | Donald Trump advised the Republican candidate in the Georgia senate race to accuse an opponent of child abuse to turn around the contest, according to a new book. One of his former lawyers in the state, Jenna Ellis, has testified in the former president’s election interference case that she was told he was “never going to leave the White House” after his 2020 election defeat. Plus, Trump’s Truth Social platform has lost $73m since its launch. | Hockey arrest | A man has been arrested over the death of British ice hockey player Adam Johnson whose throat was cut by a skate blade in a match last month. | Flower tattoo mystery | A woman with a flower tattoo found dead 31 years ago in Antwerp has been identified as that of a British national, Rita Roberts, after an appeal covering 22 murders in Europe. |
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| Full Story | | How the big four banks are making huge profits As the big four banks report huge profits despite the cost-of-living squeeze on many housholds, our senior business reporter Jonathan Barrett discusses the great divide in Australia’s economy. | |
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| In-depth | | Russian oligarchs were able to move assets to Cyprus after the Ukraine invasion in contravention of EU sanctions, according to a special investigation into a data leak from the island nation. Specifically, the investigation also shows how PwC, one of the big four accountancy firms, helped Russia’s “richest” oligarch Alexei Mordashov attempt to transfer £1bn in a public company on the day he was placed under EU sanctions. And it also reveals that a leading German journalist received nearly A$1m from companies linked to an oligarch close to Vladimir Putin. |
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| Not the news | | Today we’re showcasing some of the standout images from the 2023 Nature Conservancy photo contest. In a stunning gallery of prize winners, there are dancing wolves in India (pictured), cactuses in Argentina, sharks in Australia, and, in overall first place, a German newt underwater. |
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| The world of sport | | Cricket World Cup | Glenn Maxwell is expected to be fit for tomorrow’s blockbuster semi-final against South Africa after his draining 201 not out against Afghanistan. For the Proteas, it’s all about the ghosts of 1999. | Football | The highly rated Adelaide United teenager Nestory Irankunda has signed for Bayern Munich for an A-League record transfer fee, the 17-year-old saying his move to the Bundesliga is a “dream come true”. | AFLW | The AFLW is hoping for breakout season this year and Swans star signing Chloe Molloy is the league’s most powerful asset in the key Sydney market. |
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| Media roundup | The Fin Review reports on the mystery of mortgage holders finding billions of dollars to pour into offset accounts despite the cost-of-living crisis. The unnamed “international peering network” Optus said contributed to its network meltdown was its Singaporean parent company Singtel, the Sydney Morning Herald says. Victoria’s government and Melbourne airport bosses are at loggerheads over whether Tullamarine should have an overground rail link or a more costly underground station, the Herald Sun reports. Territorians are “sick and tired” of eye-watering late-booking air fares such as $2,000 one-way to Brisbane, NT News says. |
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| What’s happening today | Apec | Albanese attending summit meeting in San Francisco from tonight. | Sydney | Sean Turnell, who was held prisoner by the Myanmar military junta, launches his book An Unlikely Prisoner. | Arts | Aria music awards take place in Sydney. |
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| Brain teaser | And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow. | |
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