Good afternoon. Police have dropped charges against more than 100 climate protesters two years after they blockaded the port of Newcastle – the largest coal port in the world.
Dr Elizabeth Manning, a neuroscientist from Newcastle who faced two charges, including one carrying a $22,000 fine or two years in prison if prosecuted, said the action against the protesters had been “undemocratic”.
Climate Defenders Australia, a legal group representing the bulk of the protesters, said despite charges being dropped, “Australia leads the world for arresting climate protesters. That statistic alone is alarming – but it captures nothing of the long, anxious road that follows for those who then have to navigate the criminal justice system”.
Top news
-
Pauline Hanson echoes Trump as she lashes out about ‘fake news’ reporting on lavish London hotel
-
Man dies after suspected dog attack at rural property in Sydney suburb
-
Houthi strikes kill dozens in Yemen, officials say, as Saudi Arabia warns of further attacks
-
‘Orange elephant in the room’: Pauline Hanson’s political rise is inspiring racism, inquiry hears
In pictures
Two former Iranian footballers, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, said they were proud to have been granted Australian citizenship after being called traitors at home for refusing to sing the national anthem before a game.
What they said …
***
“The ability to compose viral genomes using generative AI now exists; the governance to safely steer it does not.” – Prof Tom Inglesby and Dr Moritz Hanke
Scientists have made the first viruses designed by artificial intelligence in a milestone that raises hopes for new medicines but also concerns over how to ensure the technology remains safe.
Podcast
Can the government really get ahead of the curve on AI? – Australian Politics podcast
On Wednesday, the Labor government announced environmental and energy safeguards on new datacentres in Australia. Our political editor, Tom McIlroy, speaks with Dr Andrew Charlton, the assistant minister for science, technology and the digital economy, about the government’s push for national standards on datacentres.
Before bed read
Is becoming overwhelmed by feelings of nostalgia a bad thing?
Advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith says there’s a difference between longing for the past and assuming it was better.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: EGIS. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
