Good morning. She’s based in Tasmania, but it has been revealed that One Nation has employed Pauline Hanson’s daughter, Lee Hanson, in a lucrative – and taxpayer-funded – job as senior adviser to a NSW senator.
High-stakes talks between the US and Iran over ending Tehran’s nuclear program have finished for the day – against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s massive buildup of US military firepower in the Middle East.
Hillary Clinton has told US lawmakers that she has no information about Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activities. And: experts are sounding the alarm as research reveals ChatGPT Health is failing to detect medical emergencies.
Australia
‘There’s been distress’ | The families of dead Australian soldiers whose graves were bulldozed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza have urged the government to do more to hold Israel accountable.
Health fears | ChatGPT Health regularly misses the need for medical urgent care and frequently fails to detect suicidal ideation, a study of the AI platform has found, with experts now sounding the alarm.
Exclusive | One Nation has employed Pauline Hanson’s daughter as a senior adviser to a NSW senator, handing the Tasmanian Senate candidate a taxpayer-funded role worth as much as $180,000 a year.
Weekly Beast | The Australian spat the dummy and threw a 4,000-word tantrum at a press council ruling as the former ACT prosecutor Shane Drumgold waits for just one: sorry, Amanda Meade writes.
Asbestos risk | Indigenous Australians whose traditional lands at Wittenoom have been contaminated for decades by asbestos waste have launched a $1.5bn legal claim against the WA government.
Anti-protest laws | Lawyers for protest groups have argued a Minns government law which effectively banned marches in Sydney’s CBD made its own objective of enhancing social cohesion “worse”.
World
Iran nuclear talks | Talks between the US and Iran in Geneva over the future of Tehran’s nuclear program ended on Thursday with mediators Oman claiming “significant progress”, and predicting talks will reconvene next week in Vienna. But the brevity of the second session of the talks appeared ominous, with no immediate evidence the two sides had drawn closer together on the fundamental issues of Iran’s right to enrich uranium.
Epstein files | The World Economic Forum president has quit after criticism of his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Elsewhere, declassified emails show how a model scout connected the disgraced financier with a constant stream of young women. Hillary Clinton has meanwhile testified to US lawmakers that she has no information on Epstein’s criminal activities, and accused Republicans of a “fishing expedition”.
Russia-Ukraine war | The Ukrainian wing of the Base – a far-right terrorist organisation with suspected links to Russia – is continuing to claim multiple murders in Ukraine after brazen attacks.
Rupert Murdoch | The real-world drama that is said to have inspired the hit HBO show Succession is set for its own four-part series when Netflix releases Dynasty: The Murdochs next month.
Mafia arrests | Italian police say they have uncovered a Camorra plot to infiltrate a Naples hospital, stage fake crashes for insurance payouts and spirit corpses away to profit from private ambulance transfers.
‘Greenland bounce’ | Denmark’s PM, Mette Frederiksen, has called a March election amid gains in recent polling over her handling of Trump’s repeated threats to invade Greenland.
Full Story
Back to Back Barries: the politics of no sympathy for ‘IS families’
Tony Barry and Barrie Cassidy examine the divisive political debate over the future of the 34 Australian women and children languishing in a Syrian detention camp. They also discuss why capital gains tax is becoming a real pressure point for Labor, Anthony Albanese’s careful words for One Nation voters – and why there’s a proliferation of polls.
In-depth
About 460km from where his mother and sister remain trapped in a Syrian detention camp, Yusuf Zahab – trafficked from Australia into Islamic State territory at around the age of 12 – is believed to be held inside Iraq’s opaque prison system. Zahab, who is now about 23, and has never been charged with a crime or faced a court, was transferred to Iraq this month from Syria – and now faces an uncertain future.
Not the news
Tonight, the Newcastle Art Gallery (NAG) is throwing open its doors and filling the road and park with giant fluffy doughnuts, live music, dancing and art in a free-for-all street party that has been 16 years in the making. Now the largest public gallery in NSW outside of Sydney, the NAG is unveiling its “divisive” $48m expansion with a blockbuster opening show that marries big names with local artists.
Sport
Football | From Women’s World Cup euphoria to Olympic despair: how did the Matildas get here? And: David Squires on … the spectacular own goal that united the world.
Cricket | South Africa are closing in on the T20 World Cup semi-finals after thrashing the West Indies in nine-wicket win.
Winter Olympics | Norway’s all-conquering Winter Olympians have a message for us all – and it’s not what you think, Cath Bishop writes.
Media roundup
Australia’s leading environmental legal service could be stripped of funding amid criticism over high-profile courtroom defeats, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Palaeontologists hope ancient whale fossils found on the Victorian coast will be a window to evolution, ABC News reports. And Woolworths has been forced to tweak its AI-powered virtual assistant after customers reported odd attempts at “banter” from the chatbot, the Age reports.
What’s happening today
ACT | Public hearings are scheduled on environment law reforms at Parliament House in Canberra.
NSW | A coronial inquest into the death of Tammy Shipley in custody continues in Lidcombe.
Business | The Coles first-half results are expected to be released today.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
