Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 18 August. Top stories At least 13 people are dead and dozens injured after a van crashed into a crowd of people in Barcelona's popular Las Ramblas area. Spanish police have called it a terrorist attack, and Islamic State quickly claimed responsibility. Reports said the vehicle sped down the centre of a 1km-long road late on Thursday afternoon, running over everyone over in its path. Mobile phone footage shows panicked, screaming tourists fleeing through the narrow streets of Las Ramblas, a popular tourist area. The centre of Barcelona was locked down, with metro stations, shops and restaurants closed, and thousands of people were confined indoors on police orders. Police said two people had been arrested. Spain's King Felipe tweeted: "All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will be for everyone once again." It is the latest attack in Europe to use a vehicle, after similar atrocities in Nice, Berlin and London, part of the changing strategy of Islamist extremists. Follow further developments through the day on our live blog. Donald Trump has lamented the removal of "beautiful statues and monuments" commemorating the Confederacy, saying he was sad to see America's history "ripped apart". Calls to remove Confederate statues have escalated since the violent events in Charlottesville at the weekend. In a string of morning tweets, Trump compared the statues of Confederate leaders such as Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson to monuments of the US founding fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Efforts to remove Confederate monuments were given renewed energy in June 2015 after the killing of nine African Americans in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Some of the white supremacists in Charlottesville claimed they were demonstrating in protest at the push to remove the city's statue of Lee. The deputy leader of the National party, Fiona Nash, has joined the queue of federal politicians under scrutiny over dual citizenship after referring herself to the high court on the basis she has British citizenship by descent. Nash joins her party leader, Barnaby Joyce, and a fellow Nationals minister, Matt Canavan, as the Turnbull government's political crisis over the issue intensifies. Nash made a short statement to the Senate on Thursday evening, just before the adjournment, confirming the likelihood of her dual citizenship. She also made it plain that like Joyce, but unlike Canavan, she intended to remain in her leadership and cabinet roles. Nash said she had sought advice on Monday from the UK Home Office and had been advised that "on the basis of the limited facts I had provided I was a British citizen by descent, through my Scottish-born father". Including glitter in an envelope responding to the postal survey on same-sex marriage risks spoiling your vote, Australian Bureau of Statistics officials have warned. At a Senate inquiry in Canberra on Thursday officials defended the ABS's capacity to conduct the postal survey of 16 million Australians, despite conceding the Australian statistician learned of the exercise only 10 days ago and had no input into its design. Jonathan Palmer, the deputy statistician in charge of the survey, assured Australians they could be "confident" their opinion would be counted if they posted the survey on time without "extraneous material" in the envelope. Australia's unemployment rate fell to 5.6% in July from 5.7% in June. Data shows employment grew by 27,900 jobs in July and jobs growth has continued for 10 months in a row – the longest positive monthly streak since 2010. Economists say the labour market appears a bit more "robust" than it was during its soft patch last year, helping to "cushion" workers from the economy's record low wages growth of 1.9%. A National Australia Bank economist, Tapas Strickland, said it was likely the unemployment rate could decline further. Sport Victoria Azarenka, the two-time Australian Open tennis champion, says she may not be able to play in the US Open as she is locked in a custody dispute with the father of her eight-month-old son. Azarenka, a former world No 1, said: "No parent should have to decide between their child or their career." Two of the AFL's form teams, the Crows and the Swans, meet in Adelaide tonight in what might prove to be a preview of this year's grand final. Join Adam Collins from 7.20pm AEST (7.50pm AEST bounce) for our goal-by-goal live blog. Thinking time |
Around the globe conservationists struggle to get their causes heard by a public overwhelmed by the scale of important projects in dire need of funds and attention. But behind the the scenes there is another desperate struggle, with many young conservationists stuck in a cycle of unpaid internships, crippling student debt, short-term work for little or no pay, dismissive attitudes and entry-level job requirements that include expectations of considerable field time and experience. On Thursday Pauline Hanson got what she always craves: to surf the persistent vacancy and hollowness of the contemporary political discussion, and the febrile 24/7 news cycle, to project herself gratuitously to centre stage, Katharine Murphy writes. The objective is to be watched; and to be mocked and shunned and shamed and scapegoated by her parliamentary colleagues. The most dispiriting thing about Hanson's burqa stunt was that in George Brandis's angry rebuke, she got what she wanted. Enough thinking time, how about drinking time? Chad Parkhill unpacks the travel DNA built into every cocktail, from London's Hanky Panky to Melbourne's Japanese Slipper. In this edited extract from his new book, Around the World in 80 Cocktails, he explains how apartheid and prohibition jumped into the shaker with midori and rum. And he shares some recipes to try for your weekend indulgence. What's he done now? With the terrorist attack on Barcelona still unfolding, Donald Trump offered condolences to Spain and and offered the country US help, tweeting: "Be tough and strong, we love you!" But he went on to revive a debunked anecdote he used on the campaign trial about a US general dipping bullets in pig's blood to fight Islamic militants in the Philippines more than 100 years ago. "Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!" Trump tweeted. Media roundup Every major newspaper in Australia splashes with images of Pauline Hanson wearing the burqa in parliament yesterday, with the Sydney Morning Herald using three vertical images of Hanson's distasteful "reveal". The NT News says a proposed $20m apartment building would spark life into Darwin's sleepy city centre, and the ABC examines Australian scientists' research on finding long-lasting love – revealing that your use of language, the colour of your clothes and even the type of chair you prefer to sit in could all be influencing your love life. Tip: a sturdy chair will make you feel more safe and secure in your relationship.
Coming up A state funeral will be held at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney for the NSW Labor right figure Johno Johnson, with the former premier Bob Carr to deliver the eulogy. Lastly, thank you …
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Bystanders react after the van attack in Barcelona. Photograph: David Armengou/EPA 
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