Good morning. Russia has launched deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities in retaliation for the Kerch bridge explosion and the attacks seem to have largely targeted civilians.
At least 11 people are reported to have been killed and scores more injured after Russia launched a massive wave of strikes targeting cities across Ukraine, in what the Kremlin said was a response to an attack on the Kerch bridge linking Russia and Crimea. Vladimir Putin has warned of even more “severe retaliation” in the event of further Ukrainian attacks. The US and the UN have condemned the strikes, which Joe Biden said demonstrate Putin’s “utter brutality”, and the UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said “constitute another “unacceptable escalation of the war”.
Australia binned almost 20% of its national Covid vaccine supply last month due to dwindling demand, while leading epidemiologists and doctors have warned the country will face another wave of cases in November when existing immunity wanes. More than 95% of eligible Australians have had two doses of a Covid vaccine since the rollout began in February last year, while 72% have received a third shot and only 40% a fourth.
The Albanese government is being urged to scrap “concerning” exemptions given to political parties to use voter data, as part of a review of the federal election. In the wake of last month’s massive Optus privacy breach, Digital Rights Watch Australia has warned that voter information kept by political parties – which is exempted from the Privacy Act – is at risk of a future damaging data breach. The organisation says cyber-attacks on political parties in 2019 narrowly avoided causing “unimaginable damage”.
Australia
The Victorian government is facing calls to establish an independent watchdog to scrutinise “barbaric and archaic practices” such as solitary confinement in the state’s prisons in an effort to prevent human rights abuses.
The Australian singing legend John Farnham, 73, is on the long road to recovery after his 12-hour, life-saving cancer surgery in August, his sons say.
First home buyers could save tens of thousands of dollars under the NSW government’s proposal for an optional land tax, the government says, but housing experts say the “vanilla” plan falls well short of the “revolution” it had promised.
The world
A second mass-stranding of whales in just days could mean about 500 of the mammals are likely to die on New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands. Because of the isolation of the Chatham Islands and an active shark population, it is considered too dangerous to refloat stranded whales.
Gunshots and explosions have been heard in the Iranian Kurdish city of Sanandaj as the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini continue. The British government yesterday announced new sanctions against the Iranian morality police.
Donald Trump’s lawyer Christina Bobb was instructed to certify that all sensitive government documents stored at Mar-a-Lago subpoenaed by a grand jury had been returned, though she had not herself conducted the search for the records.
Italy’s Uffizi Galleries are suing the French fashion house Jean Paul Gaultier after the company’s allegedly unauthorised use of images of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus on range of clothing products.
Recommended reads
The material your underwear is made from is just one important consideration when picking out the perfect pair. The right blend of fibres, the right cut to match your outfit, and specially designed period underwear can all make a big difference in finding women’s underwear that’s comfortable and durable. Here are expert’s tips to find comfort and avoid twisted knickers.
“After my miscarriage, it was hard to find reliable online support for an issue shrouded in silence – that’s about to change,” writes Isabelle Oderberg. Miscarriage Australia is a site that includes information for women, men, LGBTIQ+ people, friends and family of those affected. You’ll find details on what comprises a miscarriage, why someone miscarries, types of miscarriage and so on. There are referrals to support services. “It has been far too long in coming.”
Listen
Vladimir Putin has been hinting he could use nuclear weapons since the beginning of his war in Ukraine. But now the Russian president’s rhetoric has ramped up alarmingly. How seriously should we take his threats? And how will the west, Ukraine, and the rest of the world react? Andrew Roth speaks to Michael Safi in today’s Full Story.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Formula One’s governing body will conduct a thorough review of its procedures in using recovery vehicles on track after an AlphaTauri driver, Pierre Gasly, narrowly missed a crane deployed during the Japanese Grand Prix while driving at 200km/h.
Media roundup
Public sector parents in NSW will now be able to claim 14 weeks of parental leave, regardless of whether they are the primary or secondary carer of their child, under an overhaul of parental leave, reports the Daily Telegraph. And Australians prefer spending cuts over tax increases as the best way to repair the federal deficit, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Coming up
Telstra will hold its AGM.
The disability royal commission hearings continue.
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