Afternoon. Peter Dutton has outlined the Coalition’s nuclear policy without disclosing its cost. The federal opposition is proposing to build seven nuclear power plants and two small modular reactors, mostly in Coalition-held electorates.
The plan has been panned as more expensive than firming up renewable energy and guaranteed to increase emissions due to increased reliance on fossil fuels until nuclear power is ready, which the Coalition claims could be as soon as 2035 in contrast to expert advice.
Top news
Justin Stein found guilty of murdering schoolgirl Charlise Mutten | Stein murdered his partner’s nine-year-old daughter before dumping her body in a barrel by a river and trying to pin the killing on Charlise’s mother, a jury has found. Police located Charlise’s body on 18 January 2022, near the Colo River, north-west of Sydney, with close-range gunshot wounds to her face and lower back.
Office of Labor MP Josh Burns vandalised | The federal MP has warned that the “escalation of violence” in Australia over the war in Gaza will “end up in disaster” after vandals smashed, defaced and set fire to the front of his Melbourne electorate office.
Bird flu detected at NSW farm | The NSW government has confirmed that bird flu has been detected at a Hawkesbury egg farm. The detection has been confirmed as the High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI), which is not the same strain as the current Victorian outbreak. It is understood at this point to be a separate spill-over event, potentially from wild birds.
Election fought on immigration could cause ‘civil unrest’, former official warns | The major parties should prioritise calm and rational conversations on net migration to prevent the next federal election from descending into “Trump-style name-calling and civil unrest”, Abul Rizvi, the former deputy secretary of the immigration department, has warned.
More than 550 hajj pilgrims die in Mecca as temperatures exceed 50C | At least 320 of the dead are from Egypt and Saudi officials report treating more than 2,000 people for heat stress.
China renames hundreds of Uyghur villages and towns | Research published by Human Rights Watch and the Norway-based organisation Uyghur Hjelp documents about 630 communities that have been renamed by the government, mostly during the height of a crackdown on Uyghurs.
Microplastic discovery in penises raises erectile dysfunction questions | The revelation comes after the pollutants were recently detected in testes and semen. Male fertility has fallen in recent decades and more research on potential harm of microplastics to reproduction is imperative, say experts.
Weightlifting at retirement age keeps legs strong years later | People naturally lose muscle function as they get older, and experts say faltering leg strength is a strong predictor of death in elderly people. But new research suggests that lifting heavy weights three times a week around the age of retirement could dramatically preserve leg strength long into the later stages of life.
LA bans phones in class | The Los Angeles unified school district board passed a resolution banning mobile phones from classrooms. As the second-largest school district in the US, the vote makes it the largest district to approve such a ban.
In pictures
Our beautiful planet under threat
A lonely swamp tree stands in the water of Nikli Haor – one of the largest freshwater wetlands in Bangladesh. It was one of several stark images to feature in this year’s Earth Photo awards. Click here to view gallery.
What they said …
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“We are getting very close to the moment of deciding on changing the rules of the game against Hezbollah and Lebanon. In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely beaten.” – Israel Katz, Israeli foreign minister
The escalating rhetoric came after the release of video footage from a Hezbollah surveillance drone’s overflight of the northern city of Haifa, which included images of sensitive sites and civilian neighbourhoods.
In numbers
A new global study reveals dirty air is second only to malnutrition as cause of death among under-fives. See the infographic here.
Before bed read
Is there a liquid chicken stock worthy of the purchase? Taste tester Nicholas Jordan sipped a dozen chicken and “chicken-style” liquid stocks and bone broths, and discovered few products taste good. Check out his rankings.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: RES. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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