Good morning. Sydney residents are on alert with the “rain bomb” that soaked Brisbane and triggered record floods in northern NSW expected to bring a “life-threatening” amount of rain today. The Bureau of Meteorology warns a severe thunderstorm and gusty winds could develop by this evening across the city, south coast and southern tablelands.
As the storms head south, the national flood death toll stands at 10 after the bodies of two people were discovered yesterday – a 76-year-old man at Glen Esk, Queensland and an 80-year-old woman in Lismore, NSW. Among the death and damage, stories of hope and community strength are being shared online as local people offer shelter, share supplies and search for stranded residents. The north coast town of Ballina is facing a one-in-500-years flood as the flood peak was expected to coincide with high-tide overnight. As NSW prepares for damaging weather, the clean-up effort has begun in Queensland – where an estimated 15,000 properties were damaged – and in Lismore, which suffered through the worst floods on record. And the national disaster recovery and resilience agency has defended its decision to omit Lismore from its priority areas for flood mitigation funding just three months ago despite it being one of the most flood-prone areas in Australia.
Russia is targeting civilians with missile strikes in an attempt to demoralise the population, the government in Kyiv said on Tuesday. Two Russian missiles struck the TV tower in the Ukrainian capital, knocking out some access to news and broadcasts and reportedly killing five and wounding another five. A huge armoured column is rolling towards Kyiv, raising fears Russia may pulverise civilian areas in its attempt to seize Ukraine’s capital after missiles killed at least 18 civilians in the country’s largest second city. Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed to the EU to “prove that you are with us” and help “light win over darkness” in a passionate address to the European parliament after Ukraine’s membership application.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has tested positive to Covid-19 but says he will continue all his responsibilities. Morrison said he was isolating at home in Sydney and “continuing to follow health guidelines”. “While in isolation I will continue to discharge all my responsibilities as prime minister … focusing on our emergency response to the devastating floods in Queensland and New South Wales, and ensuring we stand with each and every one of the affected communities both now and as the waters eventually recede,” he said.
Australia
Labor has questioned whether Peter Dutton’s GoFundMe for flood-affected communities has breached Queensland fundraising laws, where individuals are required to seek state government approval for one-off fundraising appeals. The Labor frontbencher, Andrew Leigh, raised questions and highlighted the need to reform Australia’s “outdated” fundraising laws.
The United Australia Party is facing questions over a Senate candidate, Sean Ambrose, who appeared to defend Putin in a tweet on Saturday. The allegations come just days after the United Australia party disendorsed a candidate in Melbourne for his pro-Putin views.
The ABC has awarded its former head of news, Gaven Morris, a contract to advise on the relocation of some staff to Parramatta in Sydney’s west, just weeks after he left the national broadcaster.
The NSW Liberal state executive is trying to negotiate a plan for branch preselections before Friday to avoid federal intervention. Some members have proposed so-called fast-tracked plebiscites in all remaining seats where there is a challenger, including those of ministers Sussan Ley and Alex Hawke.
The world
A US bill to enshrine the right to abortion in federal law was blocked by Senate Republicans on Monday. Democrats knew it would not pass but wanted the votes recorded nonetheless.
The Queen has recovered from Covid nine days after she caught the virus, and will host two virtual audiences with foreign ambassadors on Tuesday.
Wildfires in drought-stricken Argentina have sent a giant ash cloud across southern Paraguay. Residents have been warned to stay inside to avoid breathing in the smoky miasma.
Recommended reads
Covid means Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade will take place in front of a ticketed crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The parade will also be live on the ABC, where festivities will be hosted by a lineup that includes national drag treasure, Courtney Act. One object indispensable to Act’s Mardi Gras look is a nameless device for sticking crystals on your face – a makeup choice that, “really adds a big bang for its buck,” she says. She tells us about the oomph-adding properties of a little sparkle, as well as the story of some other important personal belongings.
Elly Varrenti knew about empty nest syndrome, but her’s child’s departure after a week after getting his year 12 results in 2020 hit her for six. “We used to talk, my son and I. I’d tell him stories at night well into his teens. We’d go for walks and he’d disclose all sorts of things. Sometimes he’d even hold my hand. Today I watch him lurch from day to day, from child to adult. And I watch him fall over. Once very badly. He nearly died. I nearly died watching him nearly die.”
It’s the start of the month, which means we have the latest drop of must-reads from Guardian editors who share the new local books they’ve already read and loved – or can’t wait to get their hands on. This month features Loveland by Robert Lukins, Son of Sin by Omar Sakr, and The Idea of Australia: A Search for the Soul of a Nation, by Julianne Schultz, among others.
Listen
Record-breaking floods across Queensland and New South Wales have seen communities cut off, homes and businesses inundated and lives lost. In today’s Full Story, Guardian Australia’s Queensland correspondent, Ben Smee, and reporter Christine Tondorf explain how the flooding has played out on each side of the border – including a series of heroic rescues and sudden escapes.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The list of international sports governing bodies suspending Russia is growing, with Fifa and Uefa acting in unison to suspend Russian teams from international football competition, and World Rugby placing immediate suspensions on Russia and Belarus.
Media roundup
The Advertiser reports Labor has nominated the South Australian steel city of Whyalla as the site for its $593m hydrogen power station, saying the plant would drive new jobs and industry for the state. Tasmania’s Environmental Protection says a foul-smelling, thick black discharge released from a TasWater water treatment facility into a river is activated carbon used in the water treatment process to remove taste and odour, according to the Mercury.
Coming up
Ongoing coverage of the flood crisis in Queensland and New South Wales.
And if you’ve read this far …
Turns out it’s not just Australia with terrifying spiders. Irish scientists have published images of a false widow spider feeding on a bat, the first time the behaviour has been seen.
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