Good morning. Global outrage rises as Russian military targets civilians in Mariupol, while western officials are warning of “serious concern” that Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons on Kyiv. In Australia, major flooding is continuing in some parts of NSW, and frustrations grow as flood victims miss out on relief payments.
Russian shelling has “completely destroyed” a children’s and maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukrainian authorities have said. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called the bombing of the 600-bed complex an “atrocity”, and says countless children remain trapped under the rubble. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmitryo Kuleba, accused Russia of “holding 400,000 people hostage” in Mariupol, a city in which continuous shelling has killed more than 1,170 residents in recent days. The EU has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on another 160 Russians connected to Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, the UN has urged Ukraine to remain “compassionate and humane” to men attempting to leave the country, despite the imposition of martial law.
Britain fears Russia could be setting the stage to use a chemical weapon in Ukraine, after Kremlin officials alleged without firm evidence that the US had been supporting a bioweapons program in the country. Western officials said at a briefing on Wednesday “we’ve got good reason to be concerned about possible use of non-conventional weapons” by Russia, reflecting the experience of chemical weapon use during the Syrian civil war. The concern arose partly because Russia’s foreign ministry had been engaged in “setting the scene” by making “false flag claims” about a biological weapons program operating inside Ukraine.
Residents from flood-ravaged northern NSW have criticised a federal government disaster relief package that leaves out several shires declared disaster zones. The federal MP for Richmond, Labor’s Justine Elliot, said it was “astounding” and “disgusting” that residents would be ineligible for two $1,000 payments during “a humanitarian crisis”. As Katherine Murphy writes, Scott Morrison’s tour of Lismore has once again revealed several of his “core crisis characteristics”: “passivity and blame shifting”. Meanwhile, thousands of flood victims in NSW and Queensland could also be excluded from insurance claims due to “policy fine print”, rights experts have said, with big discrepancies in coverage between major insurers.
Australia
Western Australia has recorded half as many Covid-19 cases in the past week as it has during the entire pandemic. But despite the sharply rising case numbers, intensive care cases remain low so far, with epidemiologists suggesting vaccination rates have helped greatly.
Australia’s $200bn Future Fund has banned investment in Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems, which stands accused of manufacturing the type of cluster munitions reportedly used by Russian forces in the Ukraine. The company has denied producing or selling such weapons.
Both Labor and the Coalition are poised to make major defence spending commitments, with national security looming as a key election issue. Scott Morrison is expected to commit $38bn for additional personnel, while Anthony Albanese will commit to spending 2% of GDP on defence.
The number of non-melanoma skin cancers in Australia continues to rise steadily each year, despite successful sun-safe education campaigns, new research has found. The increase in cases of 2-6% each year for the past three decades was driven by those aged 55 and above, according to the study.
The world
Pro-gender equality rallies in Pakistan have been met with counter-protest “hijab marches” by thousands of women promoting Islamic values. International Women’s Day events have attracted significant opposition in recent years, with organisers facing death threats and abuse.
Venezuela has released two American citizens held on terrorism charges. The US broke diplomatic ties with the Maduro government in 2019, but analysts suggest rapprochement amid energy insecurity concerns tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
South Korea’s two main presidential contenders are neck and neck, according to exit polls. Conservative Yoon Suk-yeol battles Democratic party opponent Lee Jae-myung to succeed former human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in.
Recommended reads
It’s a common prejudice that art is regarded “as heterosexual until proven otherwise”. The exhibition, Queer: Stories from the NGV Collection, is keen to dispel this, through a sensory explosion of classical paintings, video works and objects of striking juxtaposition, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen writes. “It’s a dazzling and sometimes overwhelming kaleidoscope of the myriad ways in which sexuality and gender can be experienced and expressed.”
“If the community had not gone in there with their private boats, hundreds of people would have died.” As the extensive cleanup from flooding in northern NSW begins, so too does the debate about who is best resourced to act as “first responder” in major natural disasters, Calla Wahlquist writes. And while there are “cultural, practical and constitutional issues” surrounding the deployment of the army in instances of flooding or fires, is the Australian defence force the answer?
“How can I help my child worry less about all that’s happening in the world?” It’s a common concern for many parents, amid wars, natural disasters and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As Sarah Ayoub writes in the parenting column Sharing the Load, providing your children age-appropriate information “means carefully addressing their present and future state of mind in response to the bad news cycle.”
As a self-confessed internet “laggard”, Luke Heggie is late to modern culture. But as curator of this week’s 10 funniest things on the internet, he’s unearthed everything from the Beautiful of Ridge Forrester playing frisbee, to the Bo(w)l(e)d by John Howard.
Listen
Vladimir Putin has united Ukraine. After two weeks of of unimaginable horror, one stark outcome of Russia’s invasion of its neighbour is that it has galvanised and unified a once-divided land. On this episode of Full Story, eastern Europe correspondent Shaun Walker explains how the Kremlin’s war has united Ukraine.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
“Every October, otherwise functioning adults will bail you up with seven-way trade scenarios.” The AFL pre-season is always a busy time, but that has nothing on the trade season, as Jonathan Horn explains. “In many ways, the players are peripheral. They’re names on a whiteboard. They’re bargaining chips. They’re shopped around for chickenfeed.”
A new season, a new hope. That’s one of the enduring attractions of sport. But for supporters of at least 10 NRL clubs, there’s not too much to get excited about in 2022, Nick Tedeschi writes, with Panthers, Storm and Roosters still the benchmark.
Media roundup
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned of a “new economic era” in which Australians will have to accept higher costs of living due to geopolitical fallout from the Ukraine invasion, the Financial Review reports. Less than 2% of WA’s population are accounting for nearly half of all Covid-19 hospital admissions due to not being vaccinated, the West Australian claims.
Coming up
Ukrainian chargé d’affaires Volodymyr Shalkivskyi will address the National Press Club.
Cricketing great Shane Warne’s body will arrive back in Melbourne ahead of the state funeral in his honour.
And if you’ve read this far …
It’s a scientific conundrum that had “never been looked at”. We’ve long known that sharks can be remarkable apex predators. But is it true they never sleep? Well if you’re not an “obligate ram ventilator”, like the draughtsboard shark is not, then it turns out you can grab some shut-eye; as has now been proven by Australian scientists.
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