Good morning. China’s foreign minister is urging Australia to approach the diplomatic relationship anew. A new poll shows female voters continuing to drift from the Coalition. And a major investigation has shed new light on one of Silicon Valley’s most famous exports.
A leaked trove of confidential files has revealed the inside story of how the tech giant Uber flouted laws, duped police, exploited violence against drivers and secretly lobbied governments during its aggressive global expansion. The unprecedented leak to the Guardian of more than 124,000 documents – known as the Uber files – lays bare the ethically questionable practices that fuelled the company’s transformation.
The leak spans a five-year period when Uber was run by its co-founder Travis Kalanick, who tried to force the cab-hailing service into cities around the world, even if that meant breaching laws and taxi regulations. During the fierce global backlash, the data shows how Uber tried to shore up support by discreetly courting prime ministers, presidents, billionaires, oligarchs and media barons.
The Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, has urged his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, to treat China as a partner, accusing previous governments of treating it as an opponent or threat. Among Beijing’s grievances were the Morrison government’s call for a full investigation into the origins of Covid-19, the Turnbull government’s package of foreign interference laws perceived to target China, and the ban on China’s Huawei from participating in Australia’s 5G rollout. On the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Bali on Friday, Wang expressed hope that Australia could “seize the opportunity, take concrete actions and come to a correct understanding of China” and accumulate “positive energy” towards it, according to a summary published late on Saturday by China’s foreign ministry.
The Albanese government could face decisions on whether to approve up to 27 coal mining developments, based on applications lodged under national environment laws. An analysis by the Sunrise Project, a climate activist group, found 13 greenfield coalmines and 14 extensions of existing mines had been referred to the federal government for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Not all proposals are likely to come across the desk of the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek – some are paused, others still require approval from state authorities – but the analysis of fossil fuel proposals suggests it could be a significant issue in this term of parliament.
Novak Djokovic has been crowned the Wimbledon champion after beating Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to take his 21st grand slam title. Wimbledon is his second most successful grand slam, yet Djokovic has now won a startling seven singles titles, equalling Pete Sampras’ count. Djokovic is also the fourth man in history, after Björn Borg, Sampras and Roger Federer, to win four consecutive Wimbledon titles. “He is a bit of a god,” said Kyrgios. “I am not going to lie, I thought I played well.”
Australia
More women than men voted against the Morrison government and women have continued to drift from the Coalition since the election, according to a new poll.
All Australians over 70 with Covid will be eligible to take antivirals from Monday, after the health minister, Mark Butler, expanded access to the treatments.
The Greens will seek to amend Labor’s integrity commission legislation to protect whistleblowers and lower the bar for investigations, in a test for government cooperation with the crossbench. On Sunday the Greens justice spokesperson, David Shoebridge, revealed the party in the Senate would adopt a suite of amendments requested by transparency experts to align the Labor proposal with the crossbench bill championed by independent MP Helen Haines in the last parliament.
The price of food has continued to rise, with new data showing that every supermarket aisle has been hit by hikes, not just fruit and vegetables. The soaring prices have led researchers to call on the federal government to help subsidise growers, amid concerns it’s costing some lower socioeconomic families 40% of their income to buy a week’s worth of healthy food.
The world
The key diplomatic body in the Pacific has been dealt a devastating blow on the eve of its first in-person meeting since the pandemic, as Kiribati announced it would be withdrawing from the Pacific Islands Forum.
Gunmen used automatic rifles and powerful handguns to kill 15 people and injure a further eight in a mass shooting at a tavern in Johannesburg’s Soweto township in the early hours of Sunday.
Japan’s ruling party has won a comfortable victory in elections overshadowed by the assassination of the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe. Exit polls showed that the Liberal Democratic party, which Abe led until he resigned in 2020, had secured more than half of the 125 seats being contested in the 248-seat upper house.
Sri Lanka’s main opposition parties have hurriedly moved to form an all-party unity government a day after the president and the prime minister said they would resign from office after mounting public pressure.
Recommended reads
Being self-confident is the command of our time. At some point in the past decade, women’s media seemed to shift from celebrity mockery and dieting advice to talking about “empowerment”. Along with the ascent of social media came a tide of feminism that prioritised self-care and welcomed imperfection. On the surface, we are living in a golden age of female confidence. But how much are we really feeling it?
Italy’s longest river, the Po, was once called the “king of rivers” by Virgil (“fluviorum rex”). The poet Guido Ceronetti once wrote: “You need to understand the Po to understand Italy,” but now – as northern Italy faces its worth drought in 70 years – the river is also a prism through which to glimpse the country’s ecological emergency.
Striking a balance between protecting your data, ensuring your personal security and getting the most out of dating apps can be tricky. Here’s some advice on the dos and don’ts.
Listen
As airlines and airports struggle with staff shortages, travellers are increasingly experiencing severe delays, lost luggage and cancelled flights. For already vulnerable travellers in particular, these chaotic scenes have led to a shortage of basic services – including wheelchairs.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
One weekend of startling rugby results does not necessarily change the world, writes Robert Kitson. Equally, there has never been a day to compare with Saturday. A clean sweep of wins for Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland against the southern hemisphere’s top four teams is unique in the game’s history, despite the south hosting all four of the fixtures.
Media roundup
The NSW government has abandoned plans to install a third flagpole on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the Aboriginal flag to instead permanently replace the state colours atop the iconic landmark, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
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