Yahoo Finance Morning mail: Colin Powell tributes, Juukan Gorge findings, and jeans myths
Good morning. Tributes have been paid to the former US secretary of state Colin Powell, who has died aged 84. An inquiry has said the destruction of Juukan Gorge was shocking, but not unique. And as millions see the light at the end of the lockdown tunnel in Australia, we’ve got some myth-busting fashion advice.
The former US secretary of state, Colin Powell, has died from complications from Covid, aged 84. Powell was America’s first Black secretary of state and played a pivotal role in attempting to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving under George W Bush. He was fully vaccinated against Covid but had a compromised immune system having been treated for blood cancer. Tributes have poured in, including former president Bush, who called Powell “a great public servant ... He was highly respected at home and abroad”, and current president Joe Biden, who hailed him “a dear friend and patriot of unmatched honour and dignity”.
Facebook says the United Australia party’s page does not violate the social media giant’s community standards despite carrying prominent content from Craig Kelly, whose accounts have been banned for breaching the company’s misinformation policy. Responding to questions by Labor’s Tim Watts, Facebook’s director of policy in Australia and New Zealand Mia Garlick said the company had “removed additional accounts that appear to have been created with the purpose of evading this enforcement”. But this did not extend to the UAP’s accounts because the page does “not currently” violate community standards on repeat offending “due to the difference in purpose of the banned accounts (to specifically represent Mr Kelly) and the purpose of this page (to cover the United Australia party more generally, including other candidates)”.
The Rio Tinto blast that destroyed Juukan Gorge was one of “countless instances where cultural heritage has been the victim of the drive for development and commercial gain” and reflected “failures” at every level of government, according to the inquiry’s final report. Urgent legislative change is needed to stop the destruction of Aboriginal heritage across Australia, the report said. Inquiry chair Warren Entsch and most of the committee recommend a new national Aboriginal cultural heritage act to set the standard for all other state and territory legislation and a new independent national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage council to act as a “specialist voice” on heritage protection.
Australia
Plastic makes up 84% of the rubbish found on Australian beaches, with almost half coming from Australia, according to analysis of 20m pieces of beach trash found over a decade by more than 150,000 citizen scientists.
More than 40 Victoria police staff have been stood down and face losing their jobs after refusing to have the Covid vaccine, as the state prepares to end lockdown on Thursday night.
The Northern Territory chief minister has told US senator Ted Cruz “you know nothing about us” in a Twitter spat after Cruz criticised the NT’s vaccine policy.
The world
Prominent global voices have urged US president Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to meet before the UN Cop26 climate talks to search for common ground.
Five people killed in Norway last week were all stabbed to death, and not shot with arrows as initially suspected, police have announced.
Facebook is creating 10,000 jobs in the EU as part of its push to build a “metaverse”, where people lead their social and professional lives virtually.
The Haitian prime minister was forced to flee an official ceremony on Sunday after a heavily armed gang arrived.
Recommended reads
Jeans and a white T-shirt have been a wardrobe staple since Marlon Brando, who liked his jeans so tight he had them sewn and taped to his body during the 1947 Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire. But while jeans may not date, an individual pair requires the right kind of care and attention to enjoy the same longevity. We spoke to jeans experts for tips on how to keep your pair in good shape, and bust a few myths – including if you should put them in the freezer.
Hotel quarantine will not longer be required in New South Wales for fully vaccinated returning Australians from 1 November. While good news for many, it stung for Andrew Thomas and his 10-year-old daughter who were already on their way back home when premier Dominic Perrottet made the surprise announcement. “Had we known the change in policy even 10 hours before we did, we would never have boarded our first flight in London. Not least because of the money we’d have saved.”
Michelle de Krester’s new novel Scary Monsters is a two-headed creature: two stories, two front covers. It gives the reader the choice as to where to start: in France in the past, or in a dystopian Australian future. To begin Scary Monsters, you must turn your unfavoured half of the book upside down. It’s a tidy, hardworking metaphor, summed up in the words of the character Lili: “When my family emigrated, it felt as if we’d been stood on our heads ... Events and their meanings came at us from different angles.” And so De Krester brings us a disorientating, angular novel, writes Beejay Silcox.
Listen
How easy is it to fake a Covid-19 vaccination certificate? Apparently quite easy, according to experts who claim to have hacked into the apps responsible for displaying certificates in under 10 minutes. In today’s Full Story, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to software engineer Richard Nelson and reporter Josh Taylor about the key flaw that’s undermining this whole system.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The framework of Sport Integrity Australia’s investigation into allegations of misconduct in football is expected to be formally announced this week. The investigations comes after Matildas player Lisa De Vanna made historical allegations of sexual harassment, indecent assault, grooming and bullying. The scope of the investigation is expected to encompass harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination and include men’s football.
Media roundup
The NSW government will spend $480m on 75 extra refuges for women and children fleeing domestic violence, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. NSW could also be in line for a new drug policy after the resignation of Gladys Berejiklian and former deputy premier John Barilaro, who were opposed to a bill that would see users caught with a small amount of drugs referred to health and social intervention services, says the Daily Telegraph. There are “grave fears’’ for a four-year-old girl who has gone missing from a Western Australian campsite over the weekend, reports the West Australian.
Coming up
News from NSW’s Icac hearings into former premier Gladys Berejiklian.
And if you’ve read this far …
UK motorist David Knight was baffled when he received a fine for driving in a bus lane. Knight and his wife laughed when they saw the photographic evidence of their alleged infraction and found a woman with the word “Knitter” on her T-shirt, which the computer had mixed up with Knight’s registration plate, KN19TER.
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