Happy International Women's Day. It's Tuesday, March 8 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here
Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove has weighed in on the situation in Ukraine, telling the ABC's 7.30 program there's "no way" Russia can sustain its invasion of the country.
"Even if militarily Putin manages to bombard the cities into submission, that the Russians then take control, he's going to be facing an insurgency, which probably would be resupplied from the west," he says.
"Even an army of — people have estimated 600,000 — couldn't hold the country down.
Sir Richard was head of MI6 from 1999 to 2004, having begun his service as a spy there in 1966.
He says he can't see the situation "doing anything but deteriorating really seriously into an even bigger crisis than it is at the moment".
What else is going on
- Thousands of people in Sydney's south-west have been ordered to leave their homes and more are on high alert with an east coast low causing significant rainfall over Greater Sydney and its surrounds. Authorities have warned it is expected to continue for an extended period (you can follow live updates on the situation here)
- Thousands of expired COVID vaccinations have been binned from a single medical centre alone on the NSW-Victoria border with other clinics facing similar predicaments, despite more than a third of eligible Australians still to receive a booster dose. Albury-based GP Priya Kondappan says it's difficult to watch the doses thrown away after spending months trying to secure supply
News alerts you might have missed
- There are 2,089 new cases of COVID-19 in SA, but the number of people in hospital has dropped below 100 for the first time since early 2022
- Severe thunderstorms are expected to hit SE Queensland tomorrow, while a severe to extreme heatwave continues to affect the state's north
What Australia has been searching for online
- Japanese encephalitis. Multiple cases have popped up in Australia recently, and an autopsy has confirmed a man in Victoria has died from the mosquito-borne virus. We've put together this resource on how to protect yourself and particularly young children as best as possible.
- Nathan Cleary. The Penrith Panthers have confirmed their star halfback won't play the first three weeks of the 2022 NRL season, which starts this Thursday, after he underwent shoulder surgery during the off-season.
One more thing
Poutine. It's the Canadian comfort food sent from heaven (not to be confused with the very Australian chips, cheese and gravy combination best served in a styrofoam box).
This seemingly-innocent mess of deliciousness has led to threats being made to a French restaurant, which has now pulled the customer-favourite dish from its menu, because it shares its name with the French spelling of Russian President Vladimir Putin's surname.
The French restaurant company, Maison de la Poutine, said in a statement that it sends "its most sincere support to the Ukrainian people who are courageously fighting for their freedom against the tyrannical Russian regime."
Le Roy Jucep in Quebec, where poutine is said to have been first created in the 1960s, also announced recently it was renaming the dish as "fries-cheese-gravy" as a stance against Mr Putin's invasion of Ukraine (still not to be confused with the Australian version, which substitutes the traditional cheese curds topping for a good handful of grated cheddar).
You're up to date
See you tomorrow.
ABC/wires
