What we learned today, Saturday 9 July
With that, we’ll wrap up our live news coverage for today. Here’s a summary of the main developments:
- World leaders are reacting to the assassination of the former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, as his body was transported to Tokyo from the western city of Nara where he was shot. Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Abe in Canberra on Saturday, calling him a “true patriot and a true leader” who was instrumental in furthering Australian-Japanese relations.
- A total of 77 deaths from Covid-19 were announced by health authorities across Australia on Saturday, including 33 in New South Wales.
- A man has been charged after a nine-year-old girl was shot outside a home in Sydney’s south. The child was rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries as the state’s anti-bikie and organised crime squad hunted for the alleged gunman.
- Queensland has recorded its first case of Hendra virus since 2017 after a horse tested positive in Mackay.
- A pilot has died following a helicopter crash north of Windsor, in Sydney’s north-west, this morning.
- Australia’s economy needs a shake-up to ensure “cosy monopolists” don’t dominate the market, with the new minister for competition, Andrew Leigh, pledging to legislate tough new penalties of up to $50m for anti-competitive behaviour.
- The former UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has described himself as a “serious candidate for serious times” as he kickstarted his campaign to become the UK’s next prime minister, with as many as 15 Conservative MPs expected to run for the party’s leadership.
-
Elon Musk has withdrawn his $44bn bid to buy Twitter after a dramatic few weeks of speculation that his deal to take over the company was falling apart.
- Australian Nick Kyrgios will take on Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men’s singles final on Sunday after the Serb defeated local Cameron Norrie overnight.
- The Sopranos actor Tony Sirico, who played Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri on the hit TV show, has died aged 79, his family has announced.
Have a great evening.
Updated
Helicopter pilot dies in crash in Sydney’s north-west
A pilot has died following a helicopter crash north of Windsor, in Sydney’s north-west, this morning.
Emergency services responded to a call in remote bushland off Tuff Hill Lane in South Maroota shortly before 11.50am today.
The response included police officers attached to Hawkesbury police area command, PolAir, police rescue, ambulance helicopter, Rural Fire Service, SES and the Westpac rescue helicopter.
Responders had to make their way through difficult terrain and flood-affected bushland.
In a statement, NSW police said the helicopter was alight upon the arrival of emergency crews. The fire was extinguished by Rural Fire Service.
Once the scene was deemed safe, Police Rescue located the body of a man – believed to be aged in his 60s – in the wreckage. He is yet to be formally identified.
He was the sole occupant of the aircraft.
A crime scene has been established and will be held under police guard overnight, with a recovery operation and investigations to continue tomorrow.
JUST IN: A helicopter has crashed in isolated bushland north of Sydney.
— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) July 9, 2022
Emergency services are attending the crash site in Sackville North.
MORE: https://t.co/f9kvmXBgKQ#9News pic.twitter.com/NY13LUX8Ub
Updated
National Covid summary
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 77 deaths from Covid-19:
ACT
- Deaths: 1
- Cases: 1,120
- In hospital: 138 (with 5 people in ICU)
NSW
- Deaths: 33
- Cases: 11,434
- In hospital: 1,894 (with 61 people in ICU)
Northern Territory
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 354
- In hospital: 20 (with 1 person in ICU)
Queensland
- Deaths: 8
- Cases: 5,315
- In hospital: 719 (with 15 people in ICU)
South Australia
- Deaths: 4
- Cases: 3,246
- In hospital: 245 (with 8 people in ICU)
Tasmania
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 1,511
- In hospital: 89 (with 2 people in ICU)
Victoria
- Deaths: 20
- Cases: 8,776
- In hospital: 667 (with 34 people in ICU)
Western Australia
- Deaths: 11 (this includes historical cases going back to May)
- Cases: 5,538
- In hospital: 252 (with 8 people in ICU)
Updated
Ukrainian soldiers have arrived in the UK for combat training, as citizens in occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have been urged to leave ahead of a counter-offensive.
Read all the latest on the war in our Ukraine live blog:
Updated
Australia has another 37,294 cases and 76 deaths. This is the highest daily death count since February, The Reff is steady at 1.09. There are 4,024 people in hospital (up 47) - the highest number of hospital patients since February, and 134 people in ICU (down 7).
— Professor Adrian Esterman (@profesterman) July 9, 2022
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd on the assassination of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe.
A message from our President & CEO, @MrKRudd, on the passing of Shinzo Abe: pic.twitter.com/PbzqfbzeuY
— Asia Society (@AsiaSociety) July 8, 2022
Expeditioners needed on Australia’s research stations in Antarctica
Is Australia’s current wintry spell not cold enough for you?
Mechanics, communications techs, cooks, cleaners and housekeepers are in short supply on Australia’s research stations in Antarctica and on Macquarie Island.
Applications for a total of 12 expeditioners willing to take on “the opportunity of a lifetime” close on Sunday, reports AAP.
While conditions on the frozen continent and remote Southern Ocean might be a tad less than comfy, the pay is handy.
At least six months’ work is available from October at one of five locations in the far south, where the thermometer can plummet to almost -60C during winter.
However, successful applicants can pocket between $132,000 and $155,000 a year. Employer contributions to super can top 15%, and 20 days of recreation leave is paid out on return to Australia.
Australian Antarctic Division organisational psychologist Maree Riley says the mechanics are needed to support projects such as the inland traverse for the Million Year Ice Core, a project to extract some of the world’s oldest ice from the polar cap.
This is a great opportunity for specialised mechanics to support Australia’s science and research efforts.
Our workshops deal with everything from Hägglunds all-terrain vehicles to traverse tractors responsible for pulling mobile stations deep into the Antarctic continent.
Each job carries a huge responsibility, but where else can you visit a penguin colony on your day off?
Additional communications technical officers with a range of experience across radio and satellite technologies are also needed for the year ahead to maintain the link between expeditioners and home.
This season will also see a limited trial of several station support officer roles.
Projects manager Robb Clifton says the positions will focus on cleaning, housekeeping, kitchen and other duties.
Updated
Diphtheria cases put spotlight on northern NSW once again
Following news this week that two children from northern New South Wales have been diagnosed with diphtheria, a disease-fatigued nation is asking: what next? There is also little surprise among many that once again, a region considered the “anti-vax capital of Australia” should be the one incubating a bacteria not seen in Australian children this century.
One of the unvaccinated children, a two-year-old, is being treated in the intensive care unit of a Brisbane hospital, but in the child’s northern rivers community, there is little urgency to vaccinate.
Medical centres in the region contacted by the Guardian say they have not noticed any increase in vaccination bookings or requests for information, while some parents say they are attentive but not worried.
Diphtheria is now extremely rare but was once a leading cause of death among Australian children until the introduction of school vaccinations in 1932. It is just one of 17 vaccine-preventable diseases targeted by the national immunisation program for children and adults.
However, as of March 2022, just 87.3% of children aged five in the Northern NSW health district were up-to-date with their vaccinations, the lowest rate since September 2016 and well below the national average of 94.3%. Within that district, the Byron shire reports 68.2% of one-year-olds are fully immunised, compared with 94.9% across the country.
Read more:
Updated
Mobile and internet outage causes widespread disruption in Canada
A major outage of mobile and internet networks caused widespread disruptions across Canada on Friday, affecting banks, police emergency lines and customers in the second outage to hit one of the country’s biggest telecom providers in 15 months.
Customers gathered at coffee shops and public libraries to access alternate networks, while financial institutions reported problems with everything from automated machines to cashless payment systems.
Rogers Communications said its technical teams were working to restore services as quickly as possible.
Read more:
Updated
‘Mr Abe understood instinctively the values that Australia and Japan share’
Anthony Albanese earlier paid tribute to Shinzo Abe, saying he was still in shock at news of the former Japanese prime minister’s assassination.
The friendship Abe offered Australia was “warm in sentiment and profound in consequence”, Albanese said on Saturday.
“Japan has lost a true patriot and a true leader. And Australia has lost a true friend.
“No one was more committed to furthering relations between our two nations.”
Abe, 67, was shot and killed while campaigning near a train station in the Japanese city of Nara on Friday. A man was arrested at the scene.
Albanese said Abe, who visited Australia five times as prime minister, had been instrumental in delivering several historic agreements and elevated relations between the two nations to a special strategic partnership.
“Mr Abe understood instinctively the values that Australia and Japan share of democracy and human rights and the shared interest we have in bolstering the global rules-based order,” Albanese said.
Read more:
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull pays tribute to ‘great friend’ Shinzo Abe
Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is speaking to ABC News 24 about his memories of Shinzo Abe as the world mourns the assassination of the former Japanese leader.
Turnbull praises Abe’s commitment to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He says:
Shinzo Abe was a really great friend to Australia. He and his wife are great friends to me and Lucy. He was sincere. He was authentic. He had a vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and he saw Australia as a key partner in maintaining that stability in our region. We worked very closely together on a number of initiatives.
The Quad, the quadrilateral dialogue, with Japan, India, Australia and the United States, getting out of and running. We couldn’t have done that without him. And of course the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the biggest new trade deal in the world, which Donald Trump walked away from in 2017. Everyone thought it was dead, without America, how could we possibly do it without America? In Sydney, in January 2017, Shinzo Abe and I concluded that we could do it without the United States, and we would do it, and we did.
That trade deal, now called the CPTPP is there with the 11 members, the UK is going to join, other countries are going to join. It is a remarkable example of how Japan and Australia can work together and make history and protect our region and our values of free trade, democracy, openness, freedom.
Of Abe’s character, Turnbull says:
He had great determination. He was a great communicator. He was very eloquent, very persuasive, he was sincere and authentic. You knew you were dealing with a real person, he was not somebody putting on an act, as so many politicians are. He was very calm.
It is a shocking event. Of course Shinzo Abe has not been prime minister for two years, but he has been an enormously influential voice in Japanese politics, and of course more globally. He was a well-respected voice in our region and our world. He will be missed. There will be times in the months and years ahead when we will wish that Shinzo Abe’s wise counsel and determined voice is still with us.
Updated
Queensland reports first case of Hendra virus since 2017
The first case of Hendra virus in Queensland since 2017 has been detected in an unvaccinated horse in Mackay, Biosecurity Queensland has confirmed.
The positive test result was confirmed yesterday and the horse has been euthanised after it “rapidly deteriorated”, the agency said.
Biosecurity officers are trying contain any potential outbreak, as well as working with public health officials to see if any humans had contact with the infected animal.
Biosecurity Queensland’s chief veterinary officer, Dr Allison Crook, said other animals on the property were being traced and assessed.
We are working with the property and horse owners to ensure the risk is contained on the property.
Unfortunately, in this case, the deceased horse had not been vaccinated for Hendra virus.
Hendra virus infection can occur throughout the year, so it’s important that horse owners take steps to protect themselves and their animals at all times.
Crook said public health officials were “ready to provide any assistance, counselling, information, testing or treatment that may be required”.
If a horse becomes sick, owners should contact their veterinarian immediately. People in contact with horses need to remember to continue to practise good biosecurity and personal hygiene measures even if a horse is vaccinated against Hendra virus.
The virus was first detected at stables in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra in 1994 but the last case in the state was in 2017.
In horses, symptoms include fever, raised heart rate, breathing difficulties and some neurological signs such as a lack of coordination and twitching that in most cases leads to death.
In humans, symptoms are similar to influenza and can include inflammation of the brain that can lead to convulsions. Some seven people have been known to have contracted the human-form of the disease that has killed four people.
Updated
‘Cosy monopolists’ face bigger fines for anti-competitive behaviour
Australia’s economy needs a shake-up to ensure “cosy monopolists” don’t dominate the market, with the new minister for competition, Andrew Leigh, pledging to legislate tough new penalties of up to $50m for anti-competitive behaviour.
With stagnant wages growth and high inflation identified as key priorities for the new Albanese government, Leigh says preventing “excessive market concentration” will be a key focus of his role to encourage more competition to the benefit of both workers and consumers.
In his new role as assistant minister for competition, charities and treasury, Leigh told Guardian Australia:
One of my favourite barbecue games is let’s go through the Australian economy and name more than a handful of industries where there is more than just a couple of dominant players. Whether it’s banking or baby food or beer, the Australian economy is characterised by a few firms dominating the market.
According to a study undertaken by Leigh and fellow economist Adam Triggs last year, in more than a fifth of Australia’s industries, the two biggest firms control at least half the market.
Read more:
Updated
Queensland records first Hendra virus case in five years
Queensland has recorded its first case of Hendra virus in five years after a horse tested positive in Mackay, AAP reports.
Biosecurity Queensland says the result was confirmed on Friday and the horse was euthanised after its condition deteriorated rapidly.
The Hendra case is Queensland’s first since 2017.
Updated
ACT records one Covid death and 1,120 new cases
Health officials in the Australian Capital Territory have recorded one death from Covid and 1,120 new cases.
The death was of a woman in her 70s.
ACT is the sixth jurisdiction to release its Covid numbers on Saturday, taking the total deaths across the country to 77. That includes 11 deaths reported in WA that dated back to 30 May.
ACT COVID-19 update – 9 July 2022
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) July 9, 2022
💉 COVID-19 vaccinations
◾ Aged 5-11 years (1 dose): 80.6%
◾ Aged 5-11 years (2 doses): 69.1%
◾ Aged 5+ years (2 doses): 97.4%
◾ Aged 16+ years (3 doses): 77.4% pic.twitter.com/C9dqEtGlkV
Updated
What's happened so far on Saturday
There have been a few news developments so far on Saturday, particularly on the international front. Here’s a recap of what we’ve covered so far today:
- World leaders are reacting to the assassination of the former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, as his body is transported from the western city of Nara where he was shot to Tokyo. Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Abe in Canberra on Saturday, calling him a “true patriot and a true leader”who was instrumental in furthering Australian-Japanese relations.
- A man has been charged after a nine-year-old girl was shot outside a home in Sydney’s south. The child was rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries as the state’s anti-bikie and organised crime squad hunted for the alleged gunman.
- The former UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has described himself as a “serious candidate for serious times” as he kickstarted his campaign to become the UK’s next prime minister, with as many as 15 Conservative MPs expected to run for the party’s leadership.
-
Elon Musk has withdrawn his $44bn bid to buy Twitter after a dramatic few weeks of speculation that his deal to take over the company was falling apart.
- Australian Nick Kyrgios will take on Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men’s singles final on Sunday after the Serb defeated local Cameron Norrie overnight.
- The Sopranos actor Tony Sirico, who played Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri on the hit TV show, has died aged 79, his family has announced.
Hopefully that’s brought you up to speed with the day’s events. You have me, Elias Visontay, bringing you news now through the afternoon.
Updated
Passing on the live news duties now to my colleague Elias Visontay.
Go well everyone.
South Australia records four Covid deaths and 3,246 new cases
South Australian health officials have reported four deaths from Covid and 3,246 new cases.
The deaths were two women in their 90s, a man in his 80s and a man in his 90s. All had tested positive for the disease.
SA is the fifth state to report Covid numbers today, bringing the total deaths recorded so far to 76. That includes 11 deaths reported in WA that dated back to 30 May.
South Australian COVID-19 update 09/07/22.
— SA Health (@SAHealth) July 9, 2022
For more information, go to https://t.co/XkVcAlWPSN pic.twitter.com/vz3pP4u3lP
Updated
Here’s former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe speaking to the Australian parliament in 2014. Abe was assassinated yesterday.
“Today is a day that we bring new life to our special relationship.”
Updated
Western Australia records 11 Covid deaths and 5,538 new cases
An update from health officials in Western Australia says there have been 11 deaths from Covid reported in the past 24 hours, but they date back until the end of May.
There were 5,538 new cases to 6pm last night and there are 252 people in hospital and eight in ICU.
Those who died were five women and a man in their 90s, two men and a woman in their 80s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 50s.
Updated
Sydney Opera House sails to shine red and white to honour Shinzo Abe
The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, says the Sydney Opera House sails will “shine brightly in red and white” on Sunday evening in honour of the former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated yesterday.
Yesterday, Japan tragically lost one of its finest leaders.
— Dom Perrottet (@Dom_Perrottet) July 9, 2022
Tomorrow night, the sails of the @SydOperaHouse will shine brightly in red and white, in honour of the life of Shinzo Abe.
NSW stands together with our friends in Japan.
Updated
Albanese: Abe instrumental in building Japan-Australia relations
Anthony Albanese also summarised some of the assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s most important work.
Mr Abe was instrumental in delivering several historic developments between Japan and Australia.
Among them was the ratification of the Japan Australia Economic Partnership Agreement, which created new opportunities for Australian businesses in Japan.
He was a tireless champion for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which has brought huge benefits to Australia.
He elevated our bilateral relationship to a special strategic partnership. Under his longstanding advocacy, the closer links between the two nations we have, increased defence cooperation including through the recently signed reciprocal access agreement.
Mr Abe understood instinctively the values that Australia and Japan share of democracy and human rights and the shared interest we have in bolstering the global rules-based order.
His vision transcended political cycles. It was eight years ago yesterday – the 8 July 2014 that he addressed both houses of the Australian parliament. An historic address.
He spoke frankly about the horrors of the second world war and conveyed with the greatest sincerity condolences towards the many who lost their lives. Four years later, in 2018, he was the first Japanese leader to visit Darwin and to lay a memorial wreath while he was there.
Mr Abe was a great statesman who made a difference. His vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific has a profound effect on regional and global security and informing the Quad.
Updated
Albanese: Abe death ‘mightn’t be the last’ political assassination
Anthony Albanese has described the cruelty of the loss of the former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, and expressed fears that such a sudden loss of a world leader “mightn’t be the last”:
Mr Abe was not destined to be prime minister in easy times but even as the world shifted beneath our feet, Mr Abe faced all of the challenges with a strength of character and an unbending resolve.
He did not flinch, he did not weaken. And that is the cruel paradox of the tragedy that unfolded yesterday. That someone of such courage, with such strength of character, could be taken away with an act of extreme cowardice.
It is not the first time we have seen this grim occasion play out, and I fear that it mightn’t be the last.
Albanese said the shooting of Abe was an “attack on our democracy” but it wouldn’t undermine the “precious democracy” he had helped to protect and build.
The precious democracy that you have built is stronger than this. The values that we share and that hold our societies together are stronger than this.
A hand that is raised in violence can never overpower what so many hands have built in peace. Likewise, this low act of cruelty will not overshadow a life that was lived with such high purpose.
For Mr Abe’s family and to his loving wife, I extend the sincerest condolences of the Australian people along with the warmth and their enduring gratitude.
While the people of Japan deal with this profound loss, they know this. Mr Abe’s life was one of consequence.
He made a difference and changed things for the better, not just in Japan but in our region, in particular, but also around the world, and that is by any measure a life truly well lived.
To the broader Japanese family, your Australian friends share in your sorrow and we share in your grief. We stand with you in this time of sadness.
Updated
Anthony Albanese pays tribute to Shinzo Abe as 'a true patriot and a true leader'
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking to reporters about the shock of the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe:
It is hard to believe we are speaking about Shinzo Abe in the past tense. I have had a little while to process the information but, like I think many people around the world, I am still in shock at this news.
Japan has lost a true patriot and a true leader. And Australia has lost a true friend. Friendship that Mr Abe offered Australia was warm in sentiment and profound in consequence.
During his time as prime minister no one was more committed to furthering relations between our two nations. He visited Australia no less than five times as the prime minister of Japan.
Updated
Albanese and other Quad leaders say they will redouble peace efforts after Abe assassination
Anthony Albanese has joined US president Joe Biden and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in releasing a joint statement on the assassination of Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
India, the US and Australia have a foreign policy partnership with Japan, known as the Quad.
Here’s the statement. Albanese is expected to give a media conference in the next few minutes.
We, the leaders of Australia, India, and the United States, are shocked at the tragic assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Prime Minister Abe was a transformative leader for Japan and for Japanese relations with each one of our countries.
He also played a formative role in the founding of the Quad partnership, and worked tirelessly to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Our hearts are with the people of Japan – and Prime Minister Kishida – in this moment of grief.
We will honour Prime Minister Abe’s memory by redoubling our work towards a peaceful and prosperous region.
Updated
Queensland records eight Covid deaths and 5,315 new cases
There have been eight deaths from Covid recorded in Queensland in the last 24 hours, the state’s health authorities have said.
This brings the total deaths announced so far today to 61, following the announcement of 20 deaths in Victoria and 33 in NSW.
Today we have recorded 5,315 new COVID-19 cases.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealth) July 9, 2022
Sadly, we have reported 8 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Full details ➡️https://t.co/rKHIwrGADi pic.twitter.com/fHL1end02Q
Updated
Melbourne landmarks to go red and white to honour Shinzo Abe
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has announced that landmarks in Melbourne will be lit red and white in honour of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated yesterday.
Tonight Melbourne will be lit up to honor Shinzo Abe.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) July 9, 2022
Major landmarks in the city will be red and white to remember the life of Japan’s longest serving Prime Minister.
Updated
Girl shot: man, 34, charged with shooting with intent to murder
Police say a 34-year-old man has been charged with shooting with intent to murder after a girl, 9, was shot outside a Sydney home.
AAP is reporting the man was arrested late last night in Oatley, a suburb across from Connells Point, 20km south of Sydney, where the shooting took place.
The man will face Parramatta bail court today.
The girl was given first aid at the scene by police until NSW paramedics arrived to rush her to hospital, where her injuries were said not to be life-threatening.
Detective acting chief superintendent Grant Taylor said the force’s Raptor squad deployed “immediately” to find the alleged offender.
This shooting was a dangerous, ungainly act of violence that resulted in a child being rushed to hospital for surgery.
We’re expecting a media conference from NSW police this morning.
Updated
NSW appoints flood recovery co-ordinators as 239 homes deemed uninhabitable
Floodwaters across dozens of local government areas are finally receding, and the NSW government has this morning announced two dedicated recovery co-ordinators.
AAP reports that former detective Dean Betts will oversee efforts in Greater Sydney, while fellow Resilience NSW director Mel Gore will take charge of operations for the state’s Central Coast, Hunter Valley and mid-north coast.
Emergency services minister Steph Cooke said:
These appointments will help to ensure flood-affected communities receive support in a timely and efficient way.
More than 1,000 government personnel are on standby to help with the clean-up.
Cooke said the immediate priorities are damage assessments of homes and businesses, and making sure any displaced people can get emergency accommodation.
From 2,285 premises already examined, 239 have been deemed not habitable and a further 973 require repairs.
Government will also open recovery centres across Greater Sydney, the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley and Central Coast in the coming days.
There are 37 local government areas across NSW under natural disaster declarations, while SES commissioner Carlene York has signed “transition to recovery” handover orders for those covering Camden, Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Penrith and Sutherland.
Updated
Collaery case: ‘only stress if you’re being shot at’
One of the biggest stories of the week was the announcement from the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, that the government would drop its long-running case against lawyer Bernard Collaery.
My colleague Christopher Knaus, who has followed this story closely in recent years, has written this detailed account of how the case unfolded, from the moment when police rang Collaery’s doorbell in 2013.
Updated
Latest on Russia’s war in Ukraine
In Kyiv, it’s 2.30am. You can find a summary of the major events of the past day on our just-closed live blog as Russia’s invasion continues.
Skies clearing
If you’re in New South Wales and are looking up and wondering what all that blue stuff is...
Mostly clear for much of #Australia heading into the weekend, with several exceptions:
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) July 8, 2022
A cold front for southwest #WA 🌧️, showers also for #Vic and #Tas. Flooding is ongoing for #NSW, with hazardous surf conditions 🌊
Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/GgIVmU6Lj6 pic.twitter.com/G1gwR8hlNR
NSW records 33 Covid deaths and 11,434 new cases
There have been another 33 deaths from Covid in NSW in the last 24 hours, health authorities say, with 61 people in intensive care.
That death toll is the highest since 28 June, when 40 deaths were recorded.
COVID-19 update – Saturday 9 July 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 8, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:
- 96.7% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 95.2% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/iN2W0d9jmD
Updated
Victoria records 20 Covid deaths and 8,776 new cases
Victorian health authorities have reported that 20 people died with Covid in the past 24 hours. Five people are on ventilators.
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 8, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAcOZP#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/Ii2XHebARi
‘A number of shots fired’: more detail on nine-year-old girl in hospital
A little bit more about the shooting in Sydney last night that put a nine-year-old girl in hospital.
Emergency services got the call at 5.50pm last night after reports of “a number of shots fired”.
Police were first on the scene and gave the girl first aid before NSW paramedics arrived.
Officers attached to St George police area command established a crime scene. A woman and two other children were present at the time of the shooting but were uninjured.
Updated
Girl, 9, in hospital after Sydney shooting
A nine-year-old girl is in hospital after being shot outside a house in Sydney’s south last night.
AAP is reporting that police went to a home at Connells Point, 20km south of Sydney’s city centre, after reports of shots fired.
The girl was taken to hospital under police escort. Her injuries were not life-threatening, police said.
A woman and two other children were present at the time of the shooting. A burned out car was later discovered in the nearby suburb of Oatley.
We’re expecting a police press conference later this morning.
Updated
Prime minister Anthony Albanese tells Japan: ‘We mourn with you’
After the shocking assassination yesterday of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest serving prime minster, Anthony Albanese described him as one of of Australia’s closest friends on the world stage.
Shocked and saddened by the tragic death of former Japanese PM Abe Shinzo. He was a great friend and ally to Australia. Deepest sympathies to his family and the people of Japan. We mourn with you. pic.twitter.com/ms9Va9OPN4
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 8, 2022
Updated
Penny Wong takes ‘first step’ to stabilising China relations
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong has met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia for an hour.
That’s the first face-to-face meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers since 2019. Wong said it was the “first step towards stabilising the relationship” but admitted substantial differences remained.
Here’s our full story from late lat night from Katharine Murphy and Paul Karp.
Updated
Morning all
Morning all and welcome to Saturday. I’m Graham Readfearn and you’re here at the start of the Guardian’s live news coverage for the day.
The weather is turning brighter and rain is easing in the east of the country as families and businesses start clearing up after flooding in western Sydney.
Yesterday was one of horror and turmoil in Japan and the UK. Here’s a summary of what happened:
- World leaders have expressed their shock at the death of Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe. Prime minister Anthony Albanese said he was shocked and saddened. “We mourn with you,” he wrote.
- Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong met her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Bali – the first time the nations’ foreign ministers have met since 2019.
- Wong discussed “bilateral, regional and consular issues” and said the meeting was a step to stabilising the relationship between the two countries.
- The race is on in the UK’s Conservative party to replace Boris Johnson, who resigned as party leader but hasn’t gone from the top job.
- After the terrible milestone of 10,000 Covid deaths was reached last week, a further 35 were declared by health authorities across Australia yesterday including 13 in Queensland.
- Almost 42,000 cases were recorded yesterday and 141 people were in intensive care with the disease.
- Health minister Mark Butler said expanding mandates for mask-wearing would be difficult, but he said people should wear them in crowded spaces.
- As the NSW flood clean-up started, another eight local government areas were declared eligible for disaster assistance taking the total to 37 areas.
Onwards.
Updated
