Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Thursday 10 August. Top stories The US defence secretary, James Mattis, has warned North Korea that it risks the "end of its regime and the destruction of its people" if it attacks Washington or its allies, as an eruption of brinksmanship from both sides rattles the region. Mattis's reminder to Pyongyang that the allied militaries "possess the most precise, rehearsed and robust defensive and offensive capabilities on Earth", capped an unprecedented 24 hours of sabre-rattling sparked by Donald Trump's surprise threat to rain "fire and fury" down on the Pyongyang regime. The defence secretary, however, couched his remarks in the language of traditional deterrence, making clear that such overwhelming force would be used in the event of a North Korean attack. The US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, also made a stop-off in Guam in an attempt to cool growing tensions, and told worried Americans they could "sleep well at night", and shocked allies there was "no imminent threat of war" However Tillerson also defended Trump's use of bellicose language, which has been heavily criticised in the US and around the world as reckless. "What the president is doing is sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong-un can understand, because he doesn't seem to understand diplomatic language," Tillerson said. The intervention of senior administration figures to mitigate or reinterpret impromptu declarations from the Oval Office has become a recurring theme of the six chaotic months of the presidency. While Tillerson was in the air Trump took to Twitter to air his thoughts once more on the issue, though in less provocative language: "My first order as president was to renovate and modernise our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before," Trump tweeted. "Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!" The family of an Iranian asylum seeker who died on Manus Island have formally requested his body be brought to Australia for an inquest, saying foul play could not be ruled out. Hamed Shamshiripour's body was found on Monday in forest near to the refugee transit centre on Manus Island. The 31-year-old, whose acute and worsening mental health issues had been raised within the highest ranks of the immigration department, had been missing since Saturday. Police have said his death was suicide, but his family in Iran has demanded an autopsy followed by an inquest. People applying for Australian permanent residency or working visas have described how they have met the government's required English language standards not by improving their language proficiency but by learning to outsmart the computer. With even native English speakers failing the oral fluency section of the test, tutors are now coaching students on "giving the computer things to make it happy". So less focus on grammar and more on exaggerating "tonation in an over-the-top way". Is g'day OK? The housing boom might be coming to an end as investors look elsewhere but it appears that the market will need to cool for a while longer before first-home buyers will be able to return in force, Greg Jericho writes. Figures released this week by the Bureau of Statistics reveal that over the past six months the growth of housing finance has stalled. The drop-off in the growth of housing finance was rather sudden – after going backwards during 2015, housing finance grew strongly in 2016, reaching a peak monthly growth in October of 1.6%. Postmortems have solved the mystery of why two men suddenly dropped dead at dinner, a case that has intrigued France this week. When discovered by police, the two men showed no sign of being attacked or robbed, and were found to have died part-way through a rich meal of roast beef, canned beans, camembert, baguette and wine. The local mayor, Patrice Leriget, told journalists the dinner scene looked "as if time had suddenly stopped", with one of the men still seated at the table in front of his food. On Wednesday the mystery was solved, when postmortems revealed the older man had choked on a piece of beef rib and died, while his dining companion had a heart-attack from the shock of the scene. At the local Au Bon Coin bistrot, the owner said the men regularly dined together and were like father and son. A neighbour said: "They hadn't any enemies and led simple lives. They were certainly not the sort of people to be picked off by the mafia." Sport The Australian women's rugby team, the Wallaroos, lost their opening World Cup Game with Ireland 19-17 in Dublin. Favourites England beat Spain easily, France routed Japan and Canada thrashed Hong Kong. The USA beat Italy 24-12 The World Athletics championships continues and the Isaac Makwala story also took another dramatic twist when the Botswana athlete – who was barred from running in the 200m heats and the 400m final due to sickness – was allowed to run a specially convened 200m time-trial. He has now qualified for the final. Mo Farah, winner of the 10,000m, has qualified for the 5,000m final. He said: "I'm a bit tired, but it's all good. It was a tough run from the 10k. I can just go back and rest up. You have to pick yourself up. That's what it takes. Get in the zone." Thinking time |
The moon's magnetic field lasted at least a billion years longer than previously thought, researchers have revealed, shedding light on an enduring lunar mystery and expanding the possibilities in the hunt for habitable worlds beyond Earth. Nowadays the moon has no global magnetic field, and scientists have long puzzled over when the magnetic field disappeared, and why. The findings are important when it comes to the hunt for extraterrestrial worlds that might host life, because it is now possible that small planetary bodies cannot be written off as unlikely to have long-lived magnetic fields, which are key for retaining an atmosphere and water – essential elements for life. The people camping in Martin Place in Sydney, have been labelled many things; a threat to public safety, an eyesore and a health risk. But our reporter Christopher Knaus spend a bit of time in Martin Place and writes that attempts to reduce them to an obstacle, or inflate them to a threat warranting a heavy-handed police response, begin to appear ridiculous. They are people, complete with flaws, hopes and fears, who have simply found a way to have their voices heard. David Marr writes on Tony Abbott and the opposition to marriage equality. "Tony Abbott stood at the doors of parliament on Wednesday morning and declared in the tones of a desert prophet: 'And I say to you if you don't like same-sex marriage, vote no. If you're worried about religious freedom and freedom of speech, vote no …'." Marr says the "argument resonates with Australians" but argues: "Abbott and his mates aren't talking freedom. It's time this was said absolutely clearly. Freedoms are something we can all enjoy. These people are talking about the rights of institutions. They want the church to have the power to dictate for all Australians the laws of marriage." What's he done now? More than ever today Trump's Twitter feed reads like an internal monologue, most recently featuring sniping at Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who has said Trump has unrealistic expectations of Washington's political process. Congress left for a five-week recess last week after failing to pass a repeal of Obamacare. "Senator Mitch McConnell said I had 'excessive expectations,' but I don't think so." Trump tweeted. "After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?" Media roundup Hobart's Mercury says prisoners are in lockdown after protesting at conditions in Risdon prison, with armed guards patrolling and reports of tear gas being used. The Australian devotes its front page to the war of words between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, while the Canberra Times has a meaty splash detailing how the first shipment of local meat flew out to Singapore on Wednesday night, in what could be a game-changer for ACT producers. The ABC has a long read revealing youths have been allegedly bashed and sexually assaulted in a Brisbane adult prison, according to the Human Rights Commission, with prison guards being investigated over the alleged incidents.
Coming up The House of Representatives and the Senate sit on Thursday with question time at 2pm. The Indigenous leader Noel Pearson will address the National Press Club in Canberra at 12.30pm. He is expected to respond to the prime minister's decision to defer any official response to the referendum council's recommendation to constitutionally enshrine a voice for Indigenous Australians in federal parliament. 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. |
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A propaganda poster is displayed during a rally in support of North Korea's stance against the US, on Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang. Photograph: Kim Won-Jin/AFP/Getty Images 
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