25/08/2023

Catholic church’s ‘horrendous’ legal tactic, penguin chick catastrophe, Putin speaks on Prigozhin death

Paul Gallagher

Good morning. The Catholic church has been able to permanently block a claim made by two Indigenous survivors over alleged abuse committed by a priest after arguing that his death meant a fair trial couldn’t take place. Lawyers for the men say the Catholic church’s legal strategy is “horrendous”.

Australian scientists fear the consequences of a waning political appetite for the surveillance and monitoring of Covid, despite “waves of mutations” and with so much still unknown about the disease. Plus: new research shows the devastating effects of the loss of Antarctic sea ice on thousands of baby penguins.

Overseas, Vladimir Putin has broken his silence to confirm the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who he says made “some serious mistakes”. And the clock is ticking down to Donald Trump’s formal arrest this morning in Georgia, where his mugshot will be taken as he faces racketeering and conspiracy charges over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Australia

Covid concerns | Political support for ongoing surveillance of Covid-19 is “fading”, warns an Australian virologist who developed a method for rapidly isolating and characterising variants.

‘Horrendous’ | Lawyers for Indigenous abuse survivors have called for reforms to address the Catholic church strategy of seeking to permanently block cases where alleged paedophile priests have died.

Cleaner cars | The Albanese government’s promise to introduce a fuel efficiency standard for cars has been “overwhelmingly” supported by a public consultation process, Labor says.

‘Proceed with caution’ | The Law Council is sounding the alarm over Labor’s proposed overhaul of counter-terror laws, warning that the changes may stifle “political dissent”.

Cooking with gas? | Sydney councillors have voted to investigate how to change the council’s local planning rules to ban gas connections in new builds. But is it even enforceable?

World

A fighter of the Wagner private mercenary group visits a makeshift memorial for Yevgeny Prigozhin in St Petersburg.

Yevgeny Prigozhin |Vladimir Putin has confirmed the death of the Wagner mercenary chief; after Prigozhin humiliated Putin with Wagner’s mutiny, the question was how he survived so long.

On thin ice | Thousands of emperor penguin chicks across four colonies in Antarctica likely died because of record-low sea ice levels that caused a “catastrophic breeding failure” late last year.

Russia-Ukraine war | Ukrainian forces have marked their independence day with a raid into occupied Crimea, where troops landed on the western tip of territory and raised the Ukrainian flag.

‘Two great injustices of our times’ | Amnesty International says 19 people found dead after wildfires in Greece appear to be victims of catastrophic climate change and the lack of legal migration routes.

Donald Trump | The former US president is expected to surrender at the Fulton county jail in Georgia on charges over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, after a possible shake-up of his legal team.

Full Story

A worker removes from the exterior of Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco in July.

The end of Twitter and the future of digital journalism

Once a popular social media platform for celebrities, politicians and journalists, Twitter – or X, as it has been renamed – has seen its followers and advertisers leaving in droves. Among those leaving are media organisations such as NPR, PBS and, most recently, the ABC, highlighting the transformation under way for digital journalism internationally. Gabrielle Jackson talks to Lenore Taylor and Mike Ticher about what the end of Twitter means for the future of the media.

In-depth

Sign in front of Queensland’s Parliament House

Queensland Labor MPs on Monday were expected to vote to suspend the state’s Human Rights Act – for a second time – to allow for the indefinite detention of children in adult police watch houses. The law change was tacked on to an unrelated child safety bill on Wednesday, allowing it to pass through parliament with no committee scrutiny. So why can the Queensland government just change the law to suit itself?

Not the news

Composite of Jessica Zhan Mei Yu and their book, But the Girl

Jessica Zhan Mei Yu’s observant debut But The Girl follows a young Malaysian-Australian writer as she unpicks her preconceptions of an artist’s life, postcolonialism and Sylvia Plath.

The world of sport

Eddie Jones with Wallabies players before the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia

Rugby union | Australia faces different challenges at this year’s Rugby World Cup, but the Wallabies of 2003 know best how Eddie Jones can make a team sing.

Football | A ruthless bear who can do no wrong: a love letter to Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou; Nike to release “limited quantities” of Women’s World Cup goalkeepers’ jerseys for sale after outcry.

Formula One | Lewis Hamilton is warning that Red Bull could go the entire F1 season undefeated, as Max Verstappen eyes his ninth win in a row.

Opinion | The Matildas were dubbed one of the queerest teams at the Women’s World Cup. Imagine if men’s sports could get there too, writes Bec Shaw.

Media roundup

The Australian government is trying to chart a careful course in the South China Sea as it considers joint naval patrols with the Philippines while simultaneously bidding to improve relations with Beijing, reports the Age. Queensland’s former chief scientist has called for a ban on all future oil and gas production in the Lake Eyre basin, saying it would be “ecologically reckless”, reports the Australian. The Mercury reports on why discovery of lithium in a Tasmanian mine could prove a boon for the state’s future renewable energy aspirations.

What’s happening today

New South Wales | The Hands on Heart Youth Voice National Conference continues.

Victoria | Apublic hearing is scheduled for the inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework.

Northern Territory | The coronial inquest continues into the death of the anti-domestic violence campaigner Kumarn Rubuntja.

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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.

Quick crossword

Cryptic crossword

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