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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Josh Taylor

Afternoon Update: Qantas posts record profit; Malka Leifer sentenced to 15 years; and Republicans feud over Trump

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has announced the airline’s turbulent pandemic years have given way to a record $2.47bn full-year underlying profit.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has announced the airline’s turbulent pandemic years have given way to a record $2.47bn full-year underlying profit. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Good afternoon. Qantas has reported a record $2.47bn full-year underlying profit, backed by strong travel demand and high ticket prices, while the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has flagged governments will have to grapple with road user charges for electric vehicles in the coming years. Republicans also feuded over Donald Trump on Fox News, while Trump sat down for a rival interview event on X.

Top news

Sisters Nicole Meyer (L), Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich speak to the media outside the Victorian county court after ex-headmistress Malka Leifer was sentenced to 15 years in jail.
(L-R) Sisters Nicole Meyer, Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich speak to the media outside the Victorian county court after ex-headmistress Malka Leifer was sentenced to 15 years in jail. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images
The statue of former Tasmanian premier William Crowther, which will be removed from Franklin Square in Hobart.
The statue of former Tasmanian premier William Crowther, which will be removed from Franklin Square in Hobart. Photograph: Anthony Corke/AAP

Full Story

Penguins on ice in Antarctica. Scientists say more research and funding are desperately needed to find answers for the fall in the region’s sea ice.
Penguins on ice in Antarctica. Scientists say more research and funding are desperately needed to find answers for the fall in the region’s sea ice. Photograph: Natalie Thomas/Reuters

Where did all the Antarctic sea ice go?

The floating sea ice around Antarctica is hitting record lows. Scientists have said the dramatic loss of ice this winter is unprecedented, and some are worried they could be witnessing the start of a slow collapse of the delicate southernmost ecosystem.

Guardian Australia environment reporter Graham Readfearn and oceanographer Dr Will Hobbs tell Laura Murphy-Oates about why this melting is happening, and the major knock-on effects for the rest of the planet.

What they said …

Chris Christie speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News on Wednesday in Milwaukee.
Chris Christie speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Photograph: Morry Gash/AP

“I’ve had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT.” – Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie to fellow candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during the Fox News debate on Thursday.

In numbers

$2265bn - the amount of investment needed to decarbonise heavy industries and transition our energy system

Before bed read

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner paramilitary chief who launched an armed mutiny in June, was onboard a private jet that crashed near Moscow, killing all 10 onboard.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner paramilitary chief who launched an armed mutiny in June, was onboard a private jet that crashed near Moscow, killing all 10 onboard. Photograph: Razgruzka_Vagnera/UPI/Shutterstock

There will be much said and written in the coming days about the apparent death of Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash just two months after his attempted “march on Moscow”. But aside from the immediate questions about how the crash occurred and who might be responsible, there is also the question on what will happen now to the Wagner Group he led?

Daily word game

Screen Shot 2023-02-24 at 1.10.21 pm

Today’s starter word is: OKES. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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