Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 28 July. Top stories One Nation's Malcolm Roberts is the latest senator under scrutiny over dual citizenship after a spokesman reportedly said on Thursday he was "choosing to believe he was never British". Following the resignation of two Greens senators from parliament and the National party's Matt Canavan from cabinet, Roberts, who was born in India to a Welsh father, has given contradictory statements about his citizenship status. On 25 October last year, a spokesman for Roberts told Guardian Australia he had only ever held one citizenship. Roberts later retracted this statement, accusing the Guardian of inaccuracy. But then Buzzfeed unearthed documents proving Roberts had travelled on a British passport as a child. Appearing on Sky News late on Thursday, Roberts said he had written to British authorities on 1 May 2016 and followed up with an email on 6 June – three days before nominations closed for the federal election – to renounce his citizenship, Fairfax reported. However, he did not receive formal acknowledgment from the UK until December, and has yet to make public the document that may show whether he was or was not a dual citizen at the time of election. The premature death of Dr G Yunupingu could have been prevented if recommended funding models for dialysis services had been in place, his doctor has said. With a new funding model for services in remote communities under consideration, Dr Paul Lawton urged swift government action to assist in Yunupingu leaving a legacy. "Every person from a remote community … when they end up in renal failure and have to start dialysis, the first thing people want to know is when and if they can get home and if they can receive treatment close to home," Lawton said. "Dr Yunupingu was no different." US defence chiefs have pushed back strongly against Donald Trump's unexpected and unplanned ban on transgender people serving in the military, saying the policy would not be overturned until they received formal direction to do so, and information on how to implement it. General Joseph Dunford, America's top military officer, said all transgender personell would continue to be treated with "respect". However, many transgender people in uniform have reported anxiety about their future: "Everybody is hurt, everybody is scared," said Rudy Akbarian, 26. Australian babies are prescribed antibiotics at some of the highest rates in the world, risking possible long-term side-effects and speeding up antibiotic resistance, which has been described by the World Health Organisation as a "global health emergency". Of comparable countries, only Italy had a higher rate, and Australia's rate was almost 500% that of Switzerland and 150% that of the UK. Toxic chemicals used in firefighting in Australia over the past few decades are being scrutinised for the damaging health effects on people who live in areas where they have been used. This week it was confirmed that seafood is being contaminated in two creeks in the Northern Territory that are popular fishing spots, including for the local Indigenous community. NT health minister Natasha Fyles said: "Current research is inconclusive ... but the potential for adverse health effects can't be ignored." Some of the levels found in the Territory were worse than those detected at the notorious Williamtown airbase, near Newcastle, a known contaminated site.
Sport Alastair Cook's 82 not out dragged England to 171-4 on a rain-affected first day of the third Test against South Africa at the Oval. With the series poised at 1-1, England went in with three debutants and struggled against the miserly Vernon Philander (2-17) in particular. In an extract from his forthcoming book, The Death and Life of Australian Soccer, Guardian Australia football writer Joe Gorman delves into Socceroos great Mark Viduka's profound connection to Croatia. "For his devotion to his club and respect for the elders of his community, Viduka represented all that was good and right about Australian soccer. He stood at over six feet tall, with shy eyes, a small grin and a floppy haircut. He possessed unshakable balance, a combination of poise and power not seen before or since." Thinking time |
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