 | Morning Mail: Two Australians held on Christmas Island | Wednesday: Border Force wrongly detained dual citizens. Plus, North Korea claims to have tested an intercontinental ballistic missile |  |  The Christmas Island detention centre. Photograph: Scott Fisher/Getty Images
| Eleanor Ainge Roy
| Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 5 July. Top stories Australian Border Force illegally detained two Australian citizens and sent them to Christmas Island in an episode reminiscent of the Cornelia Rau and Vivian Solon cases of more than a decade ago. The government detained the men, who are New Zealand-born but hold dual Australian citizenship, under section 501 of the Migration Act, which allows for detention and deportation if the minister or a delegate judges that a person who is not a citizen fails the "character test", usually because he or she has committed a criminal offence. When the error was realised the men were released from detention. Border Force has been plagued by controversy since its inception as the "operational arm" of the immigration department in 2015. Prof George Newhouse, principal solicitor of the National Justice Project and the lawyer who acted for Rau and Solon, said: "While we don't know the details of these two new cases, whoever they are and whatever they are alleged to have done, they are Australian citizens. To wrongfully detain two citizens on Christmas Island is a worrying sign that the department may be out of control once again." North Korea claims to have conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, a development that, if confirmed, could move the regime closer to being able to strike the US mainland and dramatically strengthen its hand in negotiations with Washington. Missile analysts who are studying the deployment said it appeared the missile had the range to strike Alaska but not other parts of the continental US. On Twitter Donald Trump urged China to act to "end this nonsense once and for all" and in a joint statement Russia and China condemned the launch and proposed that North Korea declare a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests.
Austria has announced it is ready to use soldiers and tanks to stop migrants crossing its border with Italy, as Brussels urged Europe to help Italian authorities manage an "unprecedented" arrival of people from north Africa. The Austrian defence minister, Hans Peter Doskozil, said four Pandur armoured personnel carriers had been sent to the Tyrol region on the Italian border and 750 troops were on standby. Austria and Italy are both part of the EU's border-free Schengen zone, which eliminates passport checks at the frontier. The Austrian defence minister, Hans Peter Doskozil, said troops would be indispensable if refugees continued to cross the Mediterranean in record numbers, with arrivals already 20% higher than at this time last year. The union representing workers at Victoria's Heyfield sawmill says it will fight to increase the native timber supply after Daniel Andrews' government bought the business for more than $40m. The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union national president, Jane Calvert, says the reduction of the timber supply by almost half in January by the state-owned VicForests puts jobs at risk. But conservationists have urged the Victorian government to reduce its native logging by a quarter to save the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum.
Channel Ten's billionaire shareholders Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon have signalled their intention to take over the besieged network, seeking a review of a joint bid from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. But any changes to media law that would allow Murdoch and Gordon to bid for Network Ten are on hold until parliament resumes on 8 August. Sport |  | Peter Sagan of Slovakia, left, sprints as Britain's Mark Cavendish crashes in the fourth stage of the Tour de France. Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP
| At the Tour de France the world champion, Peter Sagan, has been disqualified after causing a crash 200m from the finish line that may have ended Mark Cavendish's tour. Cavendish said he is "not optimistic" about his recovery. The Manxman's directeur sportif at Dimension Data, Roger Hammond, described the move that led to Sagan's expulsion as "a flick of the elbow which was completely outrageous". He added: "No one comes out of it well. This is a sad, sad day for the sport, Sagan is a hero and an idol of mine, but a precedent has to be set."
On day two of Wimbledon tennis greats Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are through to the next round in a day dubbed "Quitter's Tuesday" after both of their opponents retired early. In a media conference Djokovic joked that he and Federer might start warming up on centre court to give the crowd some action. Thinking time Some 1,500 years after it was first mixed Roman concrete stands strong, while modern versions decay – why? The roman concrete recipe which included volcanic ash and seawater actually becomes sturdier over time, scientists have discovered, which is the result of the seawater reacting with the volcanic ash. The finding opens up "a completely new perspective" on how modern concrete could be made more resilient, the research team said, which could change how the modern building industry makes and uses concrete.
Labor fatally wounded itself on climate policy by sending mixed signals, the Greens were opportunistic and the Liberals caved to the right wing. Labor frontbencher Mark Butler offers his analysis of why Australia has suffered a decade of disappointment on emissions reduction while other countries have reached bipartisan accord and chased ambitious targets. It didn't have to be this way, he says in this extract from his new book, Climate Wars. We asked Guardian readers to share their experience of being a doctor or medical student in Australia, specifically the unrelenting pressure, inhumane working hours and brutal competition that is driving health professionals to the brink of suicide. Responses reveal a toxic mix of bravado culture, antisocial shifts and the feeling of not being able to show weakness and fragility in a profession that is expected to treat the most vulnerable members of our society. Media roundup
The Daily Telegraph has a front page of imaginary news as it speculates what it would be like if Shorten had just marked 100 days as prime minister. It speculates on job losses and rent hikes as it tries to try to rub off some of Shorten's shine while the Coalition flounders in the polls. | | | It also occupies a world where the NSW Blues are on track to win three Origins in a row. The Adelaide Advertiser has an exclusive on one family's fight to have youth sentencing laws changed, so repeat offenders convicted of serious crimes can be tried as adults. The Australian reports on the possibilities for a new, world-class academic health science centre in central Australia to tackle chronic Indigenous health problems such as diabetes, and the ABC has a long read on Australians' growing fondness for audiobooks. Coming up Married teenagers Alo-Bridget Namoa and Sameh Bayda will appear in court on charges of planning a terrorist attack in Sydney. The former Coalition minister Ian Macfarlane, who now lobbies for the Queensland Resources Council, will speak to the Queensland Media Club at lunchtime. 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 |
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