Morning everyone. With the AFL preliminary finals expected to be close this weekend, you wouldn’t bet anything on who might win – especially where you only have a 15% chance of winning. That’s just what many punters have faced this season in betting series promoted by the league. We’re also looking at how the Australian Electoral Commission is struggling to get Twitter to take down misinformation about the Indigenous voice to parliament, and the UK appears to be dismantling key planks of policies aimed at hitting net zero targets.
Australia
Exclusive | The mother of a young girl who suffers from muscular dystrophy is hoping that a new national bio-databank storing blood test and skin biopsy samples will help develop new treatments – and, if not for her, for children in the future.
One-way bet | The AFL has been promoting bets that have an 85% fail rate while taking a cut of the losses, drawing criticism from politicians and harm reduction advocates who want such ads banned.
Covid-19 inquiry expected | Anthony Albanese is widely expected to announce an inquiry today into how Australia handled the coronavirus pandemic, but it will stop short of a full royal commission-style investigation, according to reports.
AEC battle | The Australian Electoral Commission has struggled to get Twitter to remove posts that it says are inciting violence against staff and promoting disinformation about the electoral process ahead of the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, documents reveal. Meanwhile, the Albanese government has been urged to remove the “professional news content” exemption from its crackdown on misinformation on social media, amid concerns that coverage of the voice and Covid-19 has spread false information and lies.
Voice rally warning | A Coalition frontbencher has warned fellow no voters against attending anti-voice rallies promoted by a pro-Kremlin activist, arguing the events are a “shameless” attempt to push “wacky and extreme causes”.
World
Green rollback | The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has dismayed many of his own MPs and green campaigners by rolling back some of his government’s key net zero commitments such as pushing a ban on petrol and diesel cars back by five years to 2035. Boris Johnson earlier spoke out against Sunak’s plans, warning his successor that he “cannot afford to falter now”. Sweden’s government has also been criticised after unveiling a budget that will dramatically increase carbon emissions.
Europe’s dirty air | Europe is facing a “severe public health crisis” due to dangerous levels of air pollution, according to an investigation by the Guardian which has found 98% of Europeans breathing highly damaging polluted air linked to 400,000 deaths a year. It comes as we launch our new Europe digital edition where you can find news, analysis and features about the continent.
Caucasus ceasefire | A ceasefire has been reached a day after Azerbaijan launched a new military offensive against the local Armenian government in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, potentially averting a wider war but threatening the area’s ethnic Armenian enclave.
Hijab crackdown | Iran’s parliament has approved a controversial new bill under which women face up to 10 years in prison if they continue to defy the country’s mandatory hijab rules.
‘Like a wolf’ | Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump aide turned crucial January 6 witness, says in a new book that she was groped by Rudy Giuliani, who was “like a wolf closing in on its prey”, on the day of the Capitol attack. A Giuliani spokesperson strongly denied the claim.
Full Story
The horrifying allegations against Russell Brand
Today we look at the accusations of sexual assault and rape against the comedian Russell Brand – which he strongly denies – and how his many YouTube followers believe his “alternative” views mean there is a conspiracy to bring him down.
In-depth
With the question of how Australia can meet its climate targets an ever-present one in the political debate, the calls for the building of nuclear power stations continue to grow – driven by News Corp papers. But as our environment editor Adam Morton points out, the small reactor technology – SMRs –being pushed doesn’t exist and is being driven more by delay and denial about renewables rather than evidence.
Not the news
With voting in our bird of the year poll abut to open, my colleague Imogen Dewey delivers this paean to the peregrine. She explains why she will be voting for the predator – “a 300kmh shard of death” – and the intriguing story of how she was drawn to her favourite bird by what is now her favourite book, JA Baker’s 1967 classic, The Peregrine.
The world of sport
Champions League | Bayern Munich have defeated Manchester United 4-3 in the Champions League.
AFL | The preliminary finals this weekend could produce a romantic, nostalgic grand final between Collingwood and Carlton. But plucky upstarts GWS also have a claim to romantics if they can beat the Pies, writes Geoff Lemon.
Football | Australian players have become a key part of Edinburgh’s oldest football rivalry with no fewer than eight born on these shores who are representing Hearts and Hibernian.
Media roundup
Fires burning on the outskirts of Sydney are a taste of the summer to come with temperatures just short of the September record, the Sydney Morning Herald says. The Shepparton News is on the spot to report on the shooting of fugitive Shane Turvey after Victoria’s biggest manhunt for eight years. Daniel Andrews government’s plan to build 2m homes comes under the microscope in the Fin Review, with an opinion piece saying it is on-brand but high-risk. A video of a saltwater crocodile with a turtle in its mouth being chased by a shark has earned a Brisbane family a million views on their travel webpage, the NT News reports.
What’s happening today
Canberra | The ACT’s outgoing prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, begins legal action against the inquiry into the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann.
Economy | CoreLogic releases a report on loss-making house sales.
Music | Aria award nominees announced.
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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.
