September 21, 2024

Afternoon Update: Tony Armstrong calls out racist abuse; lions escape Sydney enclosure; Netanyahu ahead in Israel poll

Tony #Tony

Good afternoon. Racism is in the headlines today, with the ABC notifying police over a racist email sent to Indigenous sports presenter Tony Armstrong. The presenter publicly shared the offensive email on Twitter last night.

Separately, the AFL racism review is back in the spotlight after a partner of a former Hawthorn player said she would not take part in the culturally “unsafe” investigation. Alastair Clarkson, who was Hawthorn coach at the time and denies wrongdoing, started work today in his new role as North Melbourne coach.

Vigils for Cassius Turvey, the Indigenous teenager killed in Perth, will also be held tonight across the nation.

Top news Tony Armstrong has shared a tweet condemning a racist email he had received. Photograph: Twitter

  • Tony Armstrong | The matter is now with the police after Armstrong called out a racist email.

  • AFL racism review | A Gunditjmara and Bunitj woman known as Amy, who is the partner of a former Hawthorn player, said in a statement: “The question the AFL should be asking itself is not ‘Did these things happen?’ but ‘How did these things happen on our watch?’” The woman claims Hawthorn demanded she terminate her pregnancy.

  • Zoo lions scare | Five lions at Sydney’s Taronga zoo escaped out of their enclosure this morning, forcing staff and visitors to hide in “safe zones”. One cub was tranquillised, but otherwise the lions “calmly made their way back” to their enclosure.

  • Missing men | Two men are missing in New South Wales flood waters as the Riverina town of Gundagai braces for its worst flooding in 33 years. The pair were riding in the back of a ute that was swept off the road while being driven across a spilling causeway about 50km from Boorowa on Monday night. There are 95 active warnings across the state, and Victoria has 74 flood warnings in place.

  • Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen will be able to form government after the nation’s election. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

  • Denmark elections | The incumbent prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, will likely get another term after the left-leaning bloc maintained a slim majority. Frederiksen’s Social Democrats won 27.5% of votes, the party’s best election in more than two decades.

  • Netanyahu ahead in Israel elections | Exit polls indicated the former Israeli PM – currently facing a corruption trial – may be able to form government, but his opponent, prime minister Yair Lapid, said nothing is final “until the last envelope is counted”. The polls showed Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, which includes the far-right Religious Zionists, would capture 61 or 62 seats, giving him the majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

  • Bolsonaro breaks silence | Brazil’s far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro refused to congratulate or recognise the victory of his leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, two days after the results. Instead, he thanked the 58 million voters who had backed his failed campaign, adding that “peaceful protests will always be welcome”.

  • North Korea missile | This time a missile landed close to South Korean territorial waters and crossed the Northern Limit Line for the first time. It was one of at least 10 missiles the North Koreans fired off its eastern and western coasts this morning.

  • Full Story In Full Story, Adam Morton discusses Peter Dutton’s nuclear energy plan and why it looks like an excuse for delay on renewables. Photograph: Martin Ollman/Getty Images

    Why Peter Dutton’s nuclear power plan doesn’t stack up

    The Coalition are mounting a case for nuclear power as Australia moves towards renewable energy – a proposal they didn’t make in power, and based on expensive and unproven technology. Is it just an excuse to delay action on renewables? Adam Morton, our climate and environment editor, discusses in this 21-minute episode.

    What they said …

    “Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?”

    This is one of the new taglines online gambling companies must include in their ads starting early next year, under changes put forth by the federal government. It ditches, what independent MP Andrew Wilkie dubbed, the “pretty useless ‘Gamble Responsibly’ message”.

    Sign up to Guardian Australia’s Afternoon Update

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    Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In numbers An inquiry into hate crimes has begun after 88 men were killed between 1976 and 2000. Photograph: Antoun Issa/The Guardian

    Today was the first sitting of a landmark inquiry into the unsolved deaths of LGBTQ+ people in NSW. Less than half of those 88 deaths were regarded as unsolved, the inquiry heard.

    Before bed read Glaucoma can lead to loss of vision if not diagnosed and treated early. Photograph: Julian Claxton/Alamy

    We know that a poor night’s sleep can affect our mood and judgment, but a decade-long study has revealed that it can also increase the risk of glaucoma – a common eye condition that can lead to blindness. A pertinent piece to read before shutting your eyes (pun intended).

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