Good morning. A senior US defence official says Russia has moved nearly 100% of its troops into a position needed for an invasion as the UN chief warns: “The world is facing a moment of peril.” Ukraine has urged millions of its citizens in Russia to leave immediately.
Nato has accused Russia of attempting to “rewrite the entire global security architecture”, saying the Kremlin is using “force and ultimatums … to redraw borders in Europe”. The EU approved wide-ranging sanctions that go beyond the UK and US response, including leading Russian military figures, state “propagandists” and parliamentarians. The former US president Donald Trump has called Vladimir Putin’s decision to declare independent states within Ukraine “genius”, praising as a “smart move” the call to send “the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen” into the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s parliament is set to unveil state of emergency laws that will allow citizens to carry lethal firearms, with Ukrainians reportedly rushing to buy guns and ammunition at weapons stores across the nation.
The Australian government will implement a raft of sanctions against Russia, insisting there “must be consequences” for Moscow’s military actions and recognition of separatist-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine. Scott Morrison unveiled the “first tranche” of sanctions on Wednesday, bringing Australia in line with its US, UK and European allies’ initial responses. Australia’s sanctions would target specific Russian individuals, corporations and industries in the hope of pressuring the Russian government to stop “behaving like thugs and bullies”, Morrison said. Here’s what they’re designed to do and what their impact might be.
One-in-five major coal, gas or oil facilities emit significantly more greenhouse gases than previously estimated, a report by the Australian Conservation Foundation has documented. Regulatory failure at state and federal level has allowed some fossil fuel projects to emit more than 20 times what was previously approved, the report claims, with authors of the 18-month research project concluding that the excess emissions were “supercharging our climate problem”. Global research has suggested climate change is responsible for moving twice as much water as previously calculated away from warm regions and towards the poles.
Australia
Disability recipients cut off from NDIS payments are claiming a campaign of defunding by “stealth” after new figures revealed a 400% spike in appeals over the past six months.
A single business in Barnaby Joyce’s electorate has received a half a million dollar NBN upgrade, Senate estimate documents have revealed. A spokesperson from Joyce’s office confirmed that the then backbencher wrote a letter of support for the business in question, a company in which his partner, Vikki Campion, is a shareholder.
Former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty says she will avoid “divisive conversations” as the host of the ABC’s interview show, One Plus One. Batty endured several confronting media encounters as a campaigner against domestic violence.
The world
France’s parliament has extended the legal limit for abortion from 12 to 14 weeks after an epic wrangle that lasted more than a year. President Emmanuel Macron had voiced his opposition to the move but members of his party helped carry the vote.
US health officials have revised the recommended time between receiving Covid-19 vaccines, suggesting a delay of up to eight weeks – rather than the previously advised three to four – could provide better lasting protection.
Asteroid strikes that prompted mass extinctions could have been exacerbated by the season, scientists have claimed, with research suggesting that strikes in early springtime might have decimated animal numbers emerging from harsh winters.
Recommended reads
Three days on from the spectacular shutdown of Sydney’s train system, questions are still being asked. Amid a fury of claim and counterclaim, Michael McGowan and Tamsin Rose pose five key questions, including, “What led to the shutdown?” and, “When will normal services resume?”
Scott Morrison has warned that if Mike Cannon-Brookes’ bid to fast-track the shutdown of coal plants succeeds “electricity prices go up”. But is the prime minister right? “There might be some truth to it,” the energy expert Tony Wood tells Graham Readfearn, but only presuming no alternative energy solutions come online. And with $20bn worth of plans for a green energy rollout, it’s unlikely Cannon-Brookes would sit on his hands.
Real wages in Australia “completely tanked” in 2021. While the public sector is often a buoy during economic downturns, state and federal government decisions to cap wages growth during the pandemic exacerbated the stagnation. And ongoing misinformation isn’t helping, Greg Jericho argues: “If there is one constant in our economic debate, it is that employer groups and certain members of the Coalition will continually warn that we are about to experience a wages breakout due to unions’ exaggerated pay claims.”
The internet can be a scary place. Which is why this week’s curator of our. 10 funniest things on the internet, Eliza Reilly, has plumped predominantly for babies and/or animals. “Oh, bear. Why are you doing this?”
Listen
It’s Australia’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter. So why is Mike Cannon-Brookes making a multibillion-dollar bid for the polluter? On this episode of Full Story, environment reporter Adam Morton unpacks the big money attempt at shareholder activism.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
World No 3 Alexander Zverev has been kicked out of the Mexican Open, after a violent outburst in which the Russian repeatedly smashed his racquet against the umpire’s chair and called the official a “fucking idiot”.
“There are thousands of things that go into a clean sheet.” For Premier League goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, some of the best games he’s played are the ones in which he goes completely unnoticed. So why is punditry so poor at analysing the performances of goalkeepers, Cameron Ponsonby asks.
Media roundup
Raising top teacher salaries to $130,000 could help attract high-achieving students, a leaked federal government review has suggested, the Age reports. Steven Marshall is planning a $500m pre-election hospital spending spree, according to the Advertiser. An extra $450m is also being allocated to tackle South Australia’s Omicron wave. And Chinese police have begun work restoring law and order in the Solomon Islands, the ABC writes, after ongoing riots.
Coming up
Anthony Albanese offers a pre-federal election glimpse into his life outside politics, in an interview with Women’s Weekly.
Alan Joyce is set to reveal Qantas’s half year results.
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