Morning everyone. After being devastated by the Black Summer fires, the greater glider – Australia’s largest gliding marsupial – is facing a new threat. This time it’s from state-sanctioned logging in New South Wales and we’re reporting on calls from activists to have the operation stopped. We also have the extraordinary story about a woman with a worm in her brain.
Plus, the countdown starts now for 4 March when Donald Trump will face federal court for election subversion, and the consequences of that unwanted Spanish World Cup kiss are still unfolding.
Australia
‘Oh my God’ | When a 64-year-old woman from south-eastern New South Wales had suffered three weeks of abdominal pain and diarrhoea, followed by a constant dry cough, fever and night sweats, she was admitted to her local hospital. Doctors found a 8cm-long parasitic roundworm “alive and wriggling” in her brain in a case believed to be a world first.
‘Not a single success’ | Whistleblowing laws have not resulted in “a single successful case” protecting a single person since they were introduced, according to an analysis of 78 court rulings by the Human Rights Law Centre.
Logging accusation | A New South Wales government agency has been accused by conservationists of allowing a logging operation that is “smashing into the middle” of a forest that was home to a large population of greater gliders, an endangered marsupial species.
Misconduct complaints | Federal police received 28 allegations of misconduct by parliamentarians, their staff or “official establishments” in the year after Brittany Higgins’ allegations first became public knowledge.
‘He would be proud’ | The little-known story of an Aboriginal man who was a driver for 11 prime ministers and played cricket with Don Bradman for St George is set to become more familiar next month when Canberra’s Kingston foreshore is named after Alf Stafford.
World
Trump trial date | Donald Trump’s criminal trial for trying to overturn the 2020 election results will start on 4 March next year, the presiding federal judge ruled, scotching the former president’s hopes of delaying the case for years.
UK travel chaos | Thousands of travellers in and out of the UK were delayed for hours and 500 flights were cancelled due to a computer failure at the national air traffic control systems that could last days.
‘Flying blind’ | Climate experts are “flying blind” into the future because their scientific models are not keeping up with the kind of “crazy” extreme weather that has been seen around the world this year, they have warned. Our writers ask if humanity has “finally broken the climate”.
Abayas ban | France is to ban girls in state schools from wearing abayas, sparking a fresh row over secularism and women’s clothing.
Elton’s fall | Elton John has been treated overnight in hospital following a fall in France, but the singer was discharged and is back at home.
Full Story
The public Catholic hospitals refusing abortion access in Australia
Science reporter Donna Lu talks to Jane Lee about the devastating impact of the refusal of public Catholic hospitals to give women abortion access.
In-depth
Noise-cancelling headphones appear to have become ubiquitous in our daily lives, with more and more people going about their day with their listening devices blocking out the rest of the world. Silence is a big business too, with the market expected to more than triple to $45.4bn by 2031. But while we might prefer to zone out, it might be having unforeseen social and physical costs, as Donnu Lu discovers.
Not the news
Burned-out cars dot the roadside up in Kimberley in Western Australia and have long been accepted as part of the landscape. But now the maverick musician Jon Rose, building on his acclaimed project Wreck, has taken an old 1975 Mazda ute and transformed into a wall-of-sound instrument and canvas for Gija stories as part of a 12-stop production travelling from the Kimberley to Perth, writes Rosamund Brennan.
The world of sport
US Open tennis | Defending champion Iga Świątek (pictured) has been in action on day one in New York, where Australia’s Daria Saville has also beaten 17-year-old Clervie Ngounoue to reach round two. And we’ve got Novak Djokovic coming up later. Follow our live coverage here.
Rubiales saga | The Spanish football federation has asked Uefa to suspend it from international competitions because of “government interference” over demands to remove its beleaguered president, Luis Rubiales, after he planted an unwanted kiss on Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso. Meanwhile, he could be investigated for possible sexual assault and his mother has reportedly gone on a hunger strike over the “bloodthirsty hunt” of her son.
AFLW | For Australian women’s sport to benefit after the Women’s World Cup, leagues have to show commitment to the product beyond symbolic gestures, writes Danielle Croci.
Media roundup
Farmers fear Sydney’s booming dog population will mean there won’t be enough vets working in rural areas, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Victoria’s law banning the Nazi salute will come into effect soon after a sitting of parliament last night, the Herald Sun reports. Onlookers rushed to help a woman after she was bitten by a dingo in the latest attack in K’gari, the Courier Mail reports.
What’s happening today
Voice | Anthony Albanese speaks in Perth this morning at an event hosted by Seven West media.
Sydney | Closing oral submissions in the defamation case by former soldier Heston Russell against the ABC.
Business | Parliamentary inquiry into economic dynamism featuring Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon and Qantas.
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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.
