Monday, July 10, 2017

Morning mail: PM pledges quick post-Brexit deal with UK

Morning Mail

Morning mail: PM pledges quick post-Brexit deal with UK

Tuesday: Turnbull meets Theresa May in London and says trade deal will progress as soon as Britain quits EU. Plus, Donald Trump accuses James Comey

Turnbull and May
Malcolm Turnbull meets Theresa May in London.
Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Eleanor Ainge Roy


Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 11 July.

Top stories

Malcolm Turnbull and Theresa May have announced they are prepared to sign an ambitious trade deal after Brexit, with Turnbull saying he hoped the deal could progress as soon as Britain was able after leaving the EU. "Australians are fleet of foot, we don't muck around, we are very simple. So we will move as quickly as the UK is able to move." The UK is unable to complete its own trade deals before leaving the EU in March 2019, but ministers can lay the groundwork for an agreement.

On Turnbull's first official visit to the UK, he and May both showed a relaxed demeanour, having known each other for decades after first meeting while at university. The two prime ministers visited the scene of last month's London Bridge terrorist attack to thank emergency workers who tried to help victims, including the two Australians who died. Later, Turnbull said when Britain institutions were attacked, Australia felt attacked as well. "There are no two nations in the world that trust each other more than the UK and Australia," he said. "We are family in a historical sense, we are family in a genetical sense. We are so close, and that trust is getting stronger all the time".

Donald Trump has accused former-FBI chief James Comey of leaking classified memos of Comey's discussions with the president. "James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media," the president tweeted at 6.40am on Monday, appearing to follow reports by Fox News. "That is so illegal!". Comey's defenders are likely to object that not all the memos he kept were classified, and there is no proof he released one in the classified category. Comey told a congressional hearing last month that he had decided to keep a written record of his dealings with Trump because he thought the president "might lie about the nature of our meeting".

Labor has extended its lead over the Coalition on the two-party preferred measure, 54% to 46%, in the latest Guardian Essential poll. The entrenched gap between the major parties appeared to narrow slightly in the weeks just after the May budget, but has widened again over the past fortnight – a time when internal divisions inside the Turnbull government have deepened over same-sex marriage and other issues.

Theresa May has suspended a British Conservative MP who casually used the N-word at a function this week. Anne Marie Morris was recorded using the word at the East India Club while discussing Brexit. Politicians from across the spectrum expressed their disgust at Morris's words, including Tory MP Heidi Allen, who said an apology was not enough and the party must show zero tolerance towards racism.

Scientists have warned Earth's sixth mass exinction is already under way.
A "biological annihilation" of wildlife in recent decades is more severe than previously feared, according to new research. Scientists analysed both common and rare species and found billions of regional or local populations had been lost. They blame human overpopulation and overconsumption for the crisis and warn that it threatens the survival of human civilisation, with little time left in which to act.


Nadal and Müller
Gilles Müller, right shakes hands with Spain's Rafael Nadal after beating him in a Wimbledon marathon. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Sport

Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has been beaten by Gilles Müller after an epic showdown at Wimbledon overnight. Nadal lost losing 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 to the 16th seed Müller, a 34-year-old from Luxembourg. Britain's hopes remain high, with Andy Murray progressing and Johanna Konta (born and brought up on Sydney's northern beaches, not that it matters) reaching the quarter-finals, the first British woman to do so for 33 years.

It is being called the biggest game in rugby league history, such is the hyperbole that surrounds all things State of Origin. Those claims lack historical perspective, but there is absolutely no doubt that tomorrow's decider at Suncorp Stadium is an affair of immense proportion, not least for the two coaches involved, writes Nick Tedeschi.

Thinking time

Australian actor Eamon Farren was offered a part in the new Twin Peaks via a voicemail message from his agent. "She was saying David [Lynch] had got in touch, and if I wanted to do it there was a role in the new Twin Peaks for me." Of course Farren got on a plane and flew straight to a forest "to make a cool thing with some cool people", playing Richard Horne – one of the most powerful embodiments of evil in the show's history. "It was a gnarly ride," Farren says.

Women dressing up as men dressing up as women - female queens are a new-ish addition to the drag scene, writes Rebecca Nicholson. They embrace camp glamour to playfully subvert gender and femininity, and are peeling away layers of gender identity by traversing gender boundaries, as well as putting on outrageously entertaining performances, often in the face of prejudice and misogyny, even within queer culture.

The figures in the latest greenhouse gas emissions report "quickly made it obvious why the government has held off releasing them", writes Greg Jericho. "They stink. And as every report since June 2014 has shown, the end of the carbon price has led to an increase in emissions. . Whatever else you want to say about the Direct Action plan of the government, it has utterly failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." But what is the government's plan to fix it?

What's he done now?

Donald Trump has been on Twitter defending his daughter Ivanka's role at the G20, after claims she was unqualified to sit in for him at meetings with world leaders. Trump tweeted on Monday: "When I left Conference Room for short meetings with Japan and other countries, I asked Ivanka to hold seat. Very standard. Angela M [Merkel] agrees!"

Soon afterwards, he argued: "If Chelsea Clinton were asked to hold the seat for her mother, as her mother gave our country away, the Fake News would say CHELSEA FOR PRES!"

Media roundup

The ABC has a long read, The Afghan Files, which reveals what it calls "deadly" secrets of the Australian Defence Force's special forces, including incidents of troops killing unarmed men and children.The Canberra Times speaks to problem gambler Laurie Brown, who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to the pokies. She says it is "disingenuous" for Mark Parton, the ACT opposition's gaming and racing spokesman, to compare his loss on the horses to a gambling addiction. The West Australian splash says the WA police are "going rogue" in their push for a better pay deal and have launched a fresh wave of industrial action, saying they will issue warnings instead of fines for minor traffic offences. .

Coming up

Lawyers for the Seven Network will return to court today seeking orders, including costs, against Amber Harrison after she abandoned her case against the media firm. Harrison is expected to respond by phone to the proceedings, which began over her alleged breaking of a confidentiality agreement in relation to her affair with Seven boss Tim Worner.

Political strategist Lynton Crosby will speak about the changing political landscape – from Brexit to Trump – at a British Chamber of Commerce lunch in Sydney.


Support the Guardian

It might take a minute to catch up on the news, but good journalism takes time and money. If you already support Guardian Australia, your generosity is invaluable. If not, and you value what we do, please become a Supporter today. Thanks.

Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396

No comments:

Post a Comment