Morning mail: truck driver charged, Covidsafe app explained, sexting in lockdown
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Version 0 of 1. Monday: A truck driver has been charged over the Melbourne freeway crash that killed four police. Plus, sexting is having a heyday Good morning, this is James Murray bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 27 April. Top stories A truck driver has been charged with four counts of culpable driving over the Melbourne freeway crash that killed four police officers last week. Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney died when a truck hit them while they were dealing with a Porsche driver in an emergency lane on the Eastern Freeway at Kew. The 47-year-old truck driver, from Cranbourne, was in hospital until last night. He is due to appear in the Melbourne magistrates court today. More than 1 million Australians are reported to have downloaded the Covidsafe tracking app to help identify, trace and isolate the contacts of infected people. Based on source code from Singapore’s Tracetogether software, the app logs the bluetooth connections a person’s phone makes with the phones of those they have come into contact with. For the app to be successful, just under half the population would need to use it. The family court has decided to fast-track Covid-19-related cases after reporting an increase in urgent applications for hearings during lockdown. Australians with drug problems have also found life harder under lockdown. Rising substance abuse during the pandemic and restrictions on treatments available are pushing an already over-burdened rehab system to breaking point. And Queensland and Western Australia are due to relax some physical distancing measures. WA’s premier, Mark McGowan, said up to 10 people would be allowed to gather outdoors and indoors, and non-contact recreational activities will also be allowed to resume. Donald Trump has declared his controversial media briefings are not worth the effort after he faced widespread ridicule for saying disinfectant and heat and light therapy were potential cures for Covid-19. “What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately,” he tweeted. In the UK, a vaccine trial volunteer has had to quash rumours she had died after a fake article circulated on social media. The NHS is feeling the strain of the virus, with more than 2m operations cancelled and only half the sickest patients going on a ventilator, as the death toll from coronavirus in hospitals topped 20,000. Meanwhile, France, Spain and Italy are preparing to loosen restrictions as the rest of Europe looks on to see how some of the first and hardest-hit countries might safely emerge from crippling lockdowns. The independent MP Zali Steggall has asked the auditor general to investigate a government scheme to underwrite gas, hydro and coal power. The underwriting new generation investment scheme promises public support for new dispatchable power generation projects to increase competition in the electricity grid. Steggall, who entered parliament last year on a climate action platform, said the scheme’s focus on fossil fuels was questionable. The government is pushing for greater investment in “fast-start” gas power to assist with the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Australia A study by NSW Health’s Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance says children are unlikely to transmit Covid-19 between each other or to adults. The government has used the findings as it seeks a return to classrooms across Australia despite warnings from teachers’ unions. The opposition has warned that the pandemic is not a time to introduce ideological policy changes such as tax cuts for companies. The Labor senator Kristina Keneally said there was no evidence a lower tax rate for big business would lead to economic growth. The world Trump’s coronavirus response coordinator, Dr Deborah Birx, has downplayed the president’s suggestion that disinfectant and ultraviolet could be cures for Covid-19. Dr Birx said she had “made it clear” to the president that injected disinfectant “was not a treatment” but added: “That kind of dialogue will happen.” Jair Bolsonaro has become engulfed in a new political crisis after federal police accused his son of being a key member of a “criminal fake news racket”. The Brazilian president’s government is already reeling due to his dismissive reaction to coronavirus. Kim Jong-un’s train has possibly been spotted at an elite North Korean resort. The news comes amid conflicting reports about the leader’s health and whereabouts. Recommended reads Quarantine has meant less sex for anyone who is single or doesn’t live with their partner – but that hasn’t stopped people from getting risque online. Ginger Gorman writes of a group of women who use their Facebook group chat to discuss things like parenting and food, as well as sharing videos of themselves exploring more sexual themes. One member won herself piles of virtual applause for filming her naked torso slowly getting covered in Ice Magic. The search for a coronavirus vaccine is very much under way, with labs all over the world competing to find a solution to the pandemic. But how will it be distributed once it is found? There are fears it may end up going to the highest bidder rather than the people who need it most. During the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, wealthy nations negotiated large advance orders of the vaccine, effectively crowding out poorer ones. Finding a vaccine to counter the Ebola virus was complicated by the fact that pharmaceutical companies couldn’t see a way to make a profit for a virus that mainly affected some of the world’s poorest nations. Christopher Knaus talks to a global coalition of experts worried about what they describe as “vaccine nationalism”. Listen In today’s episode of Full Story, the Médecins Sans Frontières coordinator Luis Encinas talks to the Guardian’s Spain correspondent, Sam Jones, about how the coronavirus has transformed the country. In a varied career Encinas has treated patients in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, in Sierra Leone as Ebola took hold, and now in Spain, battling Covid-19. Full Story is Guardian Australia’s news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app. Sport Wuhan Zall’s Jean Evrard Kouassi talks about his football team’s triumphant return to the city where coronavirus first emerged. The Ivorian spent 104 days away from Wuhan an involuntary exile that ended after the city’s lockdown was lifted on 8 April. The election campaign to be World Rugby’s top dog is now over and voting has begun to decide between Bill Beaumont and Agustín Pichot. The secret vote takes a fortnight to complete, with the frontrunner, Beaumont, facing stiff competition after his campaign ended up being backed by a convicted killer condemned by Amnesty International. Media roundup The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the 181 Australians just returned on a mercy flight from Argentina. Passengers cheered when Qantas flight QF7028 from Buenos Aires landed in Melbourne about 7.30pm last night. The Age has a story on the clash between governments and schools in Victoria as the pressure to restart mainstream education increases. And in the Courier-Mail, residents of the remote Diamantina shire are outraged at councillors who voted to give themselves a huge pay rise even as millions of Australians struggle with job layoffs. Coming up The AAP board meets to decide whether to close or sell the newswire. A hearing resumes for the actor Craig McLachlan, who is accused of indecent assault. Sign up If you would like to receive the Guardian Australia morning mail to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. |