Morning everyone. One of the most controversial immigration measures introduced by the Coalition saw Australians accused overseas of terrorism have their citizenship cancelled. One such person, Ahmad Merhi, has languished on death row in Iraq ever since but now has hope after the citizenship ruling was declared invalid – along with the rulings for 18 other people.
Meanwhile, a group of amateur palaeontologists in Queensland may have discovered a fossil providing the missing link for several new dinosaur species, and could you go 26 months before filling your rubbish bin?
Australia
‘Rock chicks’ | A group of female graziers from outback Queensland who hunt fossils in their spare time have uncovered the remains of a 100m-year-old dinosaur that palaeontologists are likening to the Rosetta Stone for its potential to unlock the discovery of several new species of prehistoric marine creatures.
Citizenship ruling | The Department of Home Affairs has overturned a decision to cancel the citizenship of a former Sydney man on death row in Iraq after it ruled the law used to strip him of his Australian citizenship was invalid. Almost 20 other rulings have been reversed as well.
Milk fears | An exponential growth in Australians donating or selling breast milk online is putting infants at risk of disease, a bioethicist says, calling for human milk to be defined as a “tissue” and regulated in the same way as blood.
Lehrmann move | Bruce Lehrmann is contemplating suing the ABC over its decision to live broadcast a statement made by Brittany Higgins outside court after his trial was aborted in October.
Wheel kindness | A woman who pursued a cyclist in her four-wheel-drive car after a road-rage incident was released on parole after her victim pleaded for her to be shown compassion in an “extraordinary” statement to a Brisbane court.
World
Drone attack | A drone attack has set an oil storage tank on fire at an airfield in Kursk, the Russian region’s governor has said, a day after Ukraine appeared to launch audacious drone attacks on two military airfields. Monitors say Russian oil tankers are turning off their trackers to avoid sanctions.
Murdoch deposition | Rupert Murdoch will give a deposition next week in the defamation lawsuit against Fox News that it allegedly purposely promoted false claims that voting tech company Dominion rigged the 2020 US presidential election.
Ambulance blues | Ambulance workers in England and Wales are going on strike on 21 December in a dispute over pay, unions have announced, as the wave of planned industrial action in Britain – which includes rail walkouts – continues.
China protest | Students at a university in eastern China have staged a protest against a Covid lockdown as many in the country remain under some form of restrictions despite government steps to ease its zero-Covid policy.
Full Story
Imprisoned for being HIV positive
People living with HIV still face criminalisation in more than 80 countries. We hear from two people who faced criminal charges in the US, including Lashanda Salinas, whose former partner accused her of exposing him to the virus.
In-depth
An Adelaide woman has set a remarkable record after going more than two years without filling her general rubbish bin. With careful composting and re-using of everyday waste, Alice Clanachan managed to last 26 months without troubling the garbos. “I could have gone a bit longer, but it’s getting hot,” she said.
Not the news
Rhonda Burchmore has been singing and dancing on our screen for 35 years having started on Hey Hey It’s Saturday. As she prepares for a series of shows singing Christmas classics in Melbourne, she tells us about three treasured objects: a homemade dance costume from when she was six, her Dyson vacuum cleaner, and recording of her early TV appearances (sadly mostly lost, she says).
The world of sport
World Cup | Morocco have added to the upsets in Qatar by knocking Spain out of the tournament with a dramatic penalty shootout win. You can follow Portugal v Switzerland here – the game began with the shock move to bench Cristiano Ronaldo.
Eddie Jones sacked | Eddie Jones has been sacked as head coach of the England rugby union team after a dismal run of results. The Australian was in charge for seven years in which time he took the team to a World Cup final.
Big Bash | The Sydney Thunder will not make star recruit David Warner their captain even if his lifetime leadership ban lifts by the time he joins this summer.
Media roundup
Reaction to the RBA’s eighth successive rate rise is everywhere this morning. The Courier Mail says the big four banks have wasted no time in passing on the rise, while the Canberra Times looks at how much the average mortgage repayment has increased in the capital. The Australian claims an exclusive that the government has “issued a list of demands to the NSW and Queensland governments to impose their own coal price caps”. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the renovation of the Quay Quarter Towers building at Sydney’s Circular Quay has been named “world building of the year”. And the Adelaide Advertiser reports on why a real Christmas tree is going to cost you a lot more this year.
What’s happening today
Washington talks | The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the defence minister, Richard Marles, are in Washington for more security talks with the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin.
Outback Wrangler case | A police officer is in a Darwin court charged with 32 offences, including conspiring to destroy evidence in a helicopter crash.
Aacta awards | The Aacta awards for cinema and TV start at 7.30pm in Sydney.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
