Latest news with #BrokenJustice
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Five Great Reads: the ‘monstrous weight' of Trump's ego, violent beauty norms, and chasing a meteor
Hello, and happy Saturday. I'm here with some of the best reads from around the Guardian this week. Take your pick, and settle in – maybe you're still trying to unpack Trump's comments about turning the Gaza strip into the 'riviera of the Middle East', or maybe you're more in the mood to read about the meteorite that landed in a Cotswolds cul-de-sac. Maybe you just want to leave it all behind, and allow yourself 32 minutes to boil an egg. I won't judge. Betteridge's law of headlines suggests any headline ending in a question mark can be answered: 'no'. That doesn't make this piece about a 'lively new book' on the occult Elvis any less fun. What do you mean, the 'occult Elvis'? Apparently the king of rock'n'roll claimed to be a faith healer from Jupiter's ninth moon. The book's author, Miguel Conner, decided to chase it all up after an ayahuasca ceremony. 'My thesis is that he was the greatest magician in western civilisation,' he says. Make of this what you will. How long will it take to read: Four minutes. Writing on Donald Trump's 'Gaza power-trip' this week, Simon Tisdall does not hold back. 'Trump's incoherent rambling does not amount to groundbreaking thinking, as Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggests, let alone a plan,' the Observer's foreign affairs commentator wrote. 'The fundamentalist aim lurking beneath his mock concern is an enlarged and consolidated Israel occupying and 'owning', through some bizarre form of US lend-lease, all of Gaza and possibly the West Bank. It means death to hopes of a Palestinian state … [and] smells like ethnic cleansing.' How long will it take to read: Less than three minutes. Further reading: There's plenty of news, analysis and comment on the developments around Trump's remarks, and a great piece on the astonishing power of Elon Musk. Most importantly though, remember what's happening on the ground in Gaza – this is a gut-wrenching testimony from a humanitarian surgeon. As a clinical psychologist in Melbourne, Bianca Denny is used to speaking about taboo topics – increasingly, she has found these discussions are about gender-based violence. She understands the importance of keeping the conversation going – from personal experience. 'Personally and professionally, I understand the frustration when a person signals their intent to leave a relationship or change a behaviour, and then does not do so. This can be demoralising for those who initiated those difficult conversations or offered other support,' she wrote. The big thing to realise, she says, is that multiple attempts to leave 'are not failures, but instead opportunities to strengthen resolve, develop coping strategies, and build capacity'. 'Enduring an abusive relationship is akin to being caught in a rip; it is impossible for the distressed swimmer to navigate towards the safe waters so easily spotted from the shoreline.' How long will it take to read: A few minutes. Further reading: Our new Broken Justice series looks at how the criminal justice system can deliver poor outcomes for victim-survivors of sexual violence and often retraumatises them in the process. Hard issues – but these stories lay out a thoughtful pathway to think about them. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion Guardian columnist Zoe Williams chatted with the only female director nominated at this year's Oscars – Coralie Fargeat – for the very glossy, very gruesome film The Substance. Emerging from under my jumper, where I spent most of the film delightedly shrieking, I left the cinema unsure how deep her message about female beauty really went. But I can't deny her points, that 'Every culture has its own standard of what is valued. But it's always the same violence. 'And it's a trap,' Fargeat says. 'The whole world [would need] to change to make you at ease. I truly believe that it's a fight you can't win on your own.' How long will it take to read: Four minutes. Further reading: Apparently science is finding 'women can have a dark streak too'. Catherine de' Medici would have something to say. And Margaret Thatcher. Still, this look at female narcissism is interesting, especially if you've just spent several hours watching Margaret Qualley plunge alarmingly big needles into Demi Moore's spine. Well – it's a meteor. But Helen Gordon's long read about the space event that transformed an English market town is full of fascinating and much less obvious information. For example: meteors can go at 15 times the speed of a rifle bullet. And 'fresh' meteors, to use the collector's parlance, are 'especially prized', because as soon as they enter the Earth's atmosphere they start changing dramatically. So when this fireball was spotted incoming in 2021, scientists raced to find it – and enlisted the public to help. Notable quote: 'If you find something that might be a meteorite take a photograph of it in situ; record the location; only handle it wearing gloves; put it into a sealable plastic bag or some aluminium foil. Email us!' How long will it take to read: Eight and a half minutes. Enjoying the Five Great Reads email? Then you'll love our weekly culture and lifestyle newsletter, Saved for Later. Sign up here to catch up on the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture, trends and tips for the weekend. And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters.
The Guardian
30-01-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: rape ‘effectively decriminalised', no survivors from US plane crash, Marianne Faithfull dies
Morning everyone. The probability of a rape victim seeing her abuser convicted and punished is less than 1%, a prominent lawyer has said, meaning the crime is 'effectively decriminalised' in Australia. As we launch our investigative series Broken Justice, a rape survivor describes her struggle in the justice system. Officials say they are expecting no survivors from a collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in Washington DC as Donald Trump tries to blame diversity programs. And the Albanese government faces a fight to get some key legislation passed as parliament returns, while 'Swinging Sixties' musician Marianne Faithfull has died aged 78. 'Stay strong' | The investigation into the Dural explosives find continues today as the Daily Telegraph rejected criticism that its reporting had compromised police efforts. The discovery of the possible antisemitic plot – added to a spate of attacks in recent weeks – has made parents in the Jewish community (above) fearful for children as the new school year begins. Broken justice | Few alleged offenders are found guilty; many victims are retraumatised. Benita Kolovos looks into the obstacles to sexual assault survivors finding justice in Australian criminal courts. As part of the Broken justice series, a survivor writes: 'We go to police as a sign of strength to ourselves. A desire to go back to the scene of the crime, and this time, to win. Unfortunately, however, few end up winning.' Last chance | Labor is on track to pass the centrepiece of its Future Made in Australia plan, but other legislation is either up in the air – such as its plan to cap political donations – or faces very little chance, such as hiking tax on super balances over $3m. Homeless spike | The number of Australians experiencing long-term homelessness has surged almost 25% in just five years, according to new figures described as 'grim' by a peak advocacy group. Upping the Antic | The Liberal party's moderate wing is set to lose more influence in federal parliament with an Alex Antic-backed candidate tipped to take the Senate seat once held by Simon Birmingham. Hostage release | Three Israelis (including Arbel Yehud, pictured) and five Thai citizens held in Gaza have been freed, although their release in Khan Younis was delayed by a chaotic crowd. Trump low | Donald Trump has begun his term with an approval rating of 47% – making him the first president to have sub-50% reading at this stage of his presidency. Robert F Kennedy Jr's hopes of becoming health secretary were strained by another day of bruising hearings on Capitol Hill in which he avoided saying the Covid vaccine was effective. 'Foreign power' | The Swedish government has pointed the finger at a 'foreign power' after an Iraqi refugee on trial for Qur'an burnings was shot dead. Holy mess | John Perumbalath, the bishop of Liverpool, has bowed to pressure and quit amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Asteroid watch | A 100 metre-wide asteroid has triggered global planetary defence procedures for the first time after telescope observations revealed it has a 1.3% chance of colliding with Earth in 2032. 'A wonderful life' | Marianne Faithfull, whose six-decade career marked her out as one of Britain's most characterful singer-songwriters, has died aged 78. Newsroom edition: from Musk's Doge to Dutton's Smoge, the Coalition eyes public service cuts Bridie Jabour talks to editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor and deputy editor Patrick Keneally about the threats to the public service from Peter Dutton and finding facts during an election campaign. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ Donald Trump appeared to blame diversity policies for the Washington DC plane crash when he turned a media briefing on the disaster into a rant about the failures of the Biden administration. Follow the story live. Officials in Washington DC said they do not expect to find any survivors after a domestic passenger jet with 64 people on board collided over the Potomac River with a military helicopter carrying three soldiers. Passengers on the American Airlines flight included two world champion Russian figure skaters. Here's a visual guide to what happened. In his new book You Must Remember This, Sean Wilson writes about dementia from the point of view of Grace, an elderly sufferer whom we see at different stages of her life – young girl, teenager, wife, widow. It is at times a 'hauntingly beautiful' book, writes Joseph Cummins. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Women's Ashes | Australian spinner Alana King produced a performance worthy of the big occasion at the MCG as her 4-45 helped dismiss England for 170 before her batters closed the gap to just 114. Geoff Lemon writes that Australia could play with three lucky-dip winners from the crowd and still come out on top. Cricket | A century on debut by Josh Inglis and a first double ton from Usman Khawaja helped Australia tighten the screws on Sri Lanka, who were later reduced to 3-44 in the series opener. Europa League | The junior European competition reaches its group-stage climax this morning. Follow the action live. A rabbi tells the Sydney Morning Herald some of his community are too frightened to go outside and have considered leaving Australia. The Age reports 'thousands' of extra police have been deployed in Melbourne after a spate of antisemitic attacks. A 'monster tropical low' has dropped a metre of rain in north Queensland and is now menacing the south of the state, the Courier Mail warns. There's excitement at the NT News after Peter Dutton said the territory would be a perfect place for Donald Trump to visit. New South Wales | State government response due to interim report of cannabis regulation inquiry after drug summit. Canberra | Australian Electoral Commission media briefing on upcoming federal election at 11am. If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters Prefer notifications? If you're reading this in our app, just click here and tap 'Notifications' on the next screen for an instant alert when we publish every morning. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
The Guardian
30-01-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australia news live: Greens to push for 50c bus and train fares; Frydenberg blames Albanese for antisemitism rise
Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I'm Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it'll be Rafqa Touma to wrap up the week. The former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has accused Anthony Albanese of failing to set red lines that could not be crossed as antisemitism attacks began ramping up in Australia. The former MP said the prime minister's failure to act had 'emboldened' people to hate. It comes as the investigation into the explosives found in a caravan in Dural along with a list of Jewish targets continues. More coming up. While one in five women over the age of 15 has been sexually assaulted in their lifetime, almost 90% will not report to police. Of those who do make a report, only a quarter will see their perpetrator charged. These are the statistics behind our latest investigation, Broken Justice, looking at how the legal system fails rape victims. Coming ahead of a report by the law reform commission to be tabled in parliament next week, we also hear from a survivor who explains why the system seems stacked against women who seek justice. Transparency advocates are urging federal politicians to support the Albanese government's proposed electoral reform changes, warning public trust could be further eroded without it. With the federal parliament preparing to resume for a fortnight next week, the legislation is in doubt. More coming up – as well as some details on the Greens' new policy for national 50c public transport fares. Share
