Good morning. We lead today with news that 60-day prescriptions have not led to the predicted wave of pharmacy closures across Australia. Despite the doom and gloom warnings from lobby groups, there’s been a significant boost in applications to open new pharmacies since the announcement.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about the use of solitary confinement in youth detention centres after the deaths of two disabled First Nations boys who experienced extensive periods of “separation” while in overcrowded and understaffed facilities in Queensland.
And London’s high court has ruled that Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is not in fact Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin.
Australia
‘It creates problems’ | A report has raised concerns over the use of solitary confinement in youth detention, detailing the cases of two First Nations children who died after extensive time in isolation.
Serco’s algorithm | The Greens have called for the scrapping of a security rating system used in immigration detention centres, after a Guardian Australia investigation that found the tool was “abusive” and “unscientific”.
Pharmacies | The government received 87 applications to open new pharmacies in the months after 60-day prescriptions were announced – 50% more than in the same period the year prior.
Pay negotiations | Despite the company’s increased profits, Coles workers have labelled their latest pay offer “insulting” – as staff say they can’t afford to shop from their own workplace.
‘No longer a novelty’ | The uptake of electric vehicles in Australia is booming with the industry recording a 120% rise in sales over the past year, according to a new report.
World
Cryptocurrency | Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin, is not the Australian computer scientist Craig Wright (pictured), a high court judge has ruled, ending a fractious two-month trial in London.
Gaza crisis | Democrat Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish politician in the US, has called for new Israeli elections and says that Benjamin Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace; a freed Israeli hostage has described the “psychological warfare” used by his Hamas captors.
Russia-Ukraine war | Pro-Ukrainian battalions made up of recruits from Russia have launched a fresh incursion into southern Russia in a cross-border raid intended to sow chaos ahead of Russian elections.
Mass outages | Much of west and central Africa – including Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana and Burkina Faso – has been left without internet service, as operators of several subsea cables reported failures.
Lost contact | SpaceX’s Starship – the largest and most powerful rocket ever built – flew around globe for first time, but was destroyed during its return to Earth after nearly completing its third test flight.
Full Story
The future of Australia’s alliance with the US
Fresh speculation has erupted over Australia’s plan for nuclear powered submarines – and whether it will ever happen. Has the government made a strategic mistake in the region by tying itself so closely to the US? What could the upcoming presidential election mean for Australia’s defence plans? Jane Lee talks with Mike Ticher and Patrick Keneally about what’s next in the US-Australia relationship.
In-depth
The state political landscape looks increasingly grim for Steven Miles’s government amid housing pressures and the cost-of-living crisis. Labor’s most vulnerable seats are in regional Queensland, but its majority is underpinned by its dominance of Greater Brisbane, where it holds all but four seats. Ben Smee predicts that Labor could find itself under attack on two fronts on Saturday – falling behind the Greens across Brisbane and battling to keep its heartland seats from the LNP.
Not the news
Memoir is a self-conscious, reflexive mode by definition but in The Cancer Finishing School, this feels doubly true. As a “doctor-writer”, Peter Goldsworthy (pictured left) is both physician and patient; observer and observed, all at once. The result is a very personal story told with remarkable objectivity. His account of being diagnosed with, treated for and recovering from myeloma is rich and compelling, says Adele Dumont.
The world of sport
AFL | Geelong’s new seat-less terrace at the newly refurbished GMHBA Stadium lets AFL fans stand up for revived tradition.
Football | David Squires on … Western Sydney Wanderers’ seven stages of grief; a new A-League entry will be known simply as Auckland FC, with the nickname of the Black Knights.
Rugby union | Former Auckland Blues halfback Billy Guyton is the first professional rugby union player confirmed to have died with CTE.
Cricket | English county side Leicestershire have cancelled Will Pucovski’s deal after the Australian batter suffered another concussion.
Media roundup
The AFL is keen to scan the brains of players when they are drafted, as one of a series of measures to reduce the risks associated with concussions, reports the Age. The Great Barrier Reef is being hit by its fifth mass coral bleaching event in the past eight years with 200-year-old corals left devastated, reports ABC News. Sydney scientists kept two human livers alive outside the body for a week – and in a world-first have tested powerful new gene therapies on the donated organs, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
What’s happening today
Queensland | Opposition leader Peter Dutton is scheduled to address the Australian Pharmacy Professional conference on the Gold Coast.
ABS | The Australian Bureau of Statistics is set to release its latest criminal courts data, covering the 2022-23 financial year.
New South Wales | A public hearing is scheduled in the NSW parliament’s inquiry into the planning system and the impacts of climate change on the environment and communities
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
