Morning mail: Porsche driver in court, childcare under threat, the perfect Anzac biscuit
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Version 0 of 1. Friday: Man who allegedly fled the scene of a crash that killed four police faces 10 charges. Plus, chewy or crisp? How to make the perfect Anzac treat Good morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 24 April. Top stories A driver who allegedly fled a crash site where four police officers were killed is due to face a Melbourne court today. Richard Pusey, 41, is expected to appear in the Melbourne magistrates court to face 10 charges, including speeding, reckless conduct and drug possession. Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King and constables Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney lost their lives on Wednesday after a truck crashed into them on the Eastern Freeway in Kew, where they had pulled over Pusey. Scott Morrison and Victoria police have led tributes for the four. Charity-run childcare services fear they will “fall through the cracks” of the federal government’s assistance approach and may have to close their doors. Eight hundred and fifty-nine childcare services have applied to the education department for exceptional circumstances funding. In far western NSW teachers are hand-delivering lessons to predominantly Aboriginal children without reliable internet access. In places like Wilcannia, fewer than three in 15 households are equipped for online learning. And the Morrison government has denied police access to the Covid-19 contact tracing app, reassuring the public it would be “a public health tool” that only health authorities could access. German’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, has warned European leaders that the coronavirus pandemic is “still at the beginning” as EU nations begin to outline lockdown exit plans. France’s Emmanuel Macron has announced schools will reopen from 11 May, with some German states pushing for the reopening of shopping centres. Around the globe the number of infections continues to climb, with more than 100,000 people returning positive tests in Turkey, and 20,000 in Peru – South America’s second highest tally behind Brazil. Meanwhile, a Hong Kong study has suggested China’s infections may have been four times higher than reported, approaching 250,000. The US may never restore funding to the World Health Organization, the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has said, after Donald Trump accused the peak global health body of “severely mismanaging and covering up” the Covid-19 outbreak. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has cautioned that what started as a public health emergency is turning into a human rights crisis, as authoritarian states respond disproportionately. And experts from the WHO have warned that deaths from malaria could double across sub-Saharan Africa if countries distracted by the coronavirus fail to maintain anti-malarial initiatives. Australia Administrators for Virgin Australia have asked for a month-long exemption from personal liability for the airline’s debts, with creditors seeking repayment on nearly $5bn worth of outstanding loans. A federal court judge will hear the matter today. Malcolm Turnbull’s publishers have already declared his memoir a bestseller, claiming that nearly 45,000 copies had been snapped up, with additional print runs planned for an additional 30,000. By comparison, Tony Abbott’s memoir, Battlelines, sold some 14,000 copies. The world Dozens of tornadoes and severe storms have ripped through several states in the southern US, leaving dozens feared dead and hundreds of thousands without power from Texas to Mississippi, while Louisiana faces extreme flooding. The largest survey of global insect numbers has found a “shocking” decline of nearly 25% over the past 30 years, with accelerated reductions across Europe, according to the journal Science. Habitat destruction, pesticides and light pollution are believed to be driving the losses. The oldest brother of the former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has died of coronavirus. Don Reed Herring was a Vietnam war veteran who was admitted to hospital with pneumonia in February while the senator was on the campaign trail. Cyber security experts have identified a bug within the built-in Mail app for iPhones that leaves users’ emails vulnerable. Apple have announced a patch, to be released with the next iOS update. The bug affects all versions of iOS, from six upwards. Recommended reads It’s a biscuit etched into the antipodean psyche. But should the humble Anzac biscuit be crunchy or chewy? Hard, or soft? The Department of Veteran Affairs has very strict rules – so don’t be going full Maggie Beer and adding lemon zest. But in the secrecy of your own kitchen, writes Sharnee Rawson, you can experiment as much as you like. When the pandemic is over, society might look very different. Maybe that means the introduction of a universal basic income, maybe better investment in healthcare; or maybe it means you’ll never look at your bins in the same way, writes Brigid Delaney. “There are things you never want to do again: sanitise your hands, queue up outside a supermarket for groceries, wear latex gloves secured at the wrists with rubber bands.” Using trophy animals as power symbols didn’t start with Tiger King – US presidents have been doing it for centuries. From Calvin Coolidge’s pet hippopotamus to Teddy Roosevelt’s black bear, writes Chris Flynn, excess has been a feature of the White House. And a lot of that started because of Thomas Jefferson’s nemesis: a French naturalist. Listen On today’s episode of the Full Story podcast, Guardian Australia’s senior business reporter, Ben Butler, looks at whether Virgin Australia will survive, and what it means for the future of air travel if it doesn’t. Full Story is Guardian Australia’s news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app. Sport The mbattled Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle has resigned after a difficult two and a half years in charge. Castle’s tenure came under pressure when a group of 11 former Wallabies, led by the World Cup-winning captain Nick Farr-Jones, signed a letter calling for a change in RA’s administration. Uefa has confirmed that countries will not be banned from European competition if they abandon their current football seasons, advising nations to determine final placings “based on sporting merit”. The governing body has still expressed a preference for completing seasons where possible. Media roundup The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has become embroiled in a war of words with the NSW Teachers Federation, writes the Sydney Morning Herald, accusing the union of wanting to keep children home from school indefinitely. Crossbench senators have suggested they’re open to industrial relations and tax reforms in an attempt help the post-Covid-19 economy, states the Financial Review. And the ABC reports that an Australian-made ventilator that costs a 10th of the price of existing models has been manufactured in just four weeks. Coming up The boards of Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association are expected to meet to discuss player pay. Benjamin Glenn Hoffmann, the alleged gunman behind a deadly shooting attack in 2019 that killed four people, will appear in court in Darwin. And if you’ve read this far … It’s not the blue cheese, it’s the coronavirus. As Google experiences a doubling of search enquiries for the topic “weird dreams”, Poppy Noor asks a psychotherapist whether there’s something in the phenomenon. “Normally our dreams are processing ancient memories or things that have just happened,” she says. “We have so much more to process right now in terms of experience and feelings.” |