Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 26 September. Top stories North Korea's foreign affairs minister, Ri Yong-ho, has threatened to shoot down US bombers in international airspace, claiming that Donald Trump had declared war on his country with a weekend tweet. Speaking to journalists outside the United Nations, Ri said: "Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make counter-measures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country. The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then." Ri's threat came after a week in which tensions between the US and North Korea escalated rapidly, with an exchange of insults between Trump and Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, and culminating in Trump's Sunday tweet and a sortie by US B-1B heavy bombers off the North Korean coast. Read more about North Korea's fiery foreign affairs minister here. In his first address to the UN last Tuesday, Trump had also warned that if the US and its allies were attacked, he would "totally destroy" North Korea. The latest Guardian Essential poll has good news for the yes campaign in the marriage debate, showing a rebound in support for changing the law. Among those who have already returned the postal survey, 72% voted yes compared with 26% who voted no, the poll found. It found that 58% of Australians supported a change in the law to allow same-sex couples to marry, up three points from last week, compared with 33% who opposed it and 9% who were undecided. The Equality Campaign said it was encouraged by the poll but urged caution "because a lot of highly motivated yes voters got out early and voted". The poll also confirmed Labor's election-winning lead over the Coalition at 53% to 47% in two-party preferred terms. Senior Labor heavyweights are pushing for a Queensland election before the end of the year, fearing a surge in popularity for One Nation. "There are those within the party pushing for it to happen soon, looking at the Newspoll figures, worried it will increase," one Labor figure says. "So you have to weigh up – can we turn that around? Do we risk more seats heading that way?" Another senior source says: "Hanson doesn't have to win every seat, she only needs to win a small number and she can derail things." The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, is on leave until Friday. Her party is hoping that when she returns, "she will either call the election, or announce she won't call it until next year". Emails seeking donations for no campaign group Marriage Alliance may breach the Spam Act, according to a leaked internal memo that reveals the media authority believes some emails appear to have been sent without recipients' consent. "There is some prima facie evidence to suggest that at least some of the messages have been sent without consent," an Australian Communications and Media Authority memo states. It notes that the Spam Act prohibits commercial emails and SMS messages "unless pre-existing consent has been given". A ground-breaking nerve implant has restored conciousness to a man who has been in a vegetative state for 15 years. Stimulation of the vagus nerve allowed the patient to track objects with his eyes and respond to simple requests such as turning his head. The treatment challenges a widely accepted view that there is no prospect of a patient recovering consciousness if they have been in a vegetative state for longer than 12 months. Angela Sirigu, who led the work in Lyon, France, said: "He is still paralysed, he cannot talk, but he can respond. Now he is more aware." Sport Richmond's Dustin Martin has won the 2017 Brownlow medal, polling a record 36 votes at Monday night's ceremony. Last year's winner, Geelong's Patrick Dangerfield, ran him close with 33 votes but was ineligible after being suspended for a dangerous tackle. The shortest-priced favourite in Brownlow history, Martin becomes the sixth Tiger to win the AFL's most prestigious individual award. |
More than 12% of NRL players are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and Indigenous rugby league festivals such as the Murri Carnival and the Koori Knockout are not just a chance to catch up with friends and family and reaffirm connection to community, they are "saving the game of rugby league", writes Joe Gorman. Thinking time "Games not only mean different things to different people," writes Van Badham. "They speak to the spectrum of moods and feelings in the individual human heart." And gamers are everywhere – from the secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Sally McManus, to Jordan Raskopoulos, of the musical comedy act Axis of Awesome, who lives in a home she describes as a "Nintendo museum". Badham talked to six devotees to find out what gaming meant to them. Australian workers rejoice, full-time employment is growing more strongly than any time in the past six years, writes Greg Jericho. With the retirement age gradually rising, there are now more people over 65 working full-time than ever before – and it is likely to be a sign of things to come. For the first time Malcolm Turnbull's government is on track to reach the goal set by Tony Abbott at the 2013 election of creating 1m jobs in five years, with hopes this will lead to an increase in real wages and households' standard of living. Black athletes from Muhammad Ali to Tommie Smith have stood against oppression before – but Donald Trump is the most powerful spur to dissent the US has ever seen. Will the wave of protests in the NFL help take him down or just fuel his culture war? Dorian Lynskey looks back at a history of protest from African-American athletes and explores what has informed the latest demonstrations. What's he done now? Donald Trump has continued his war of words on NFL players who have dropped to one knee during the national anthem. Trump tweeted six times in eight hours about the players' defiance, using the hashtag #standforouranthem. "Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!" Media roundup The Fairfax newspapers splash with Malcolm Turnbull's criticism of gas companies, saying the gas crisis is worse than feared and energy policy has been a "failure". The Courier Mail has dedicated its front page to the Queensland premier's campaign to get Thor actor Chris Hemsworth to the movie premiere in Brisbane, having sent the heart-throb a personal invitation to attend the screening as her "date". The ABC follows up last night's 7.30 report on the dismissal of Channel Seven cadet Amy Taueber after she complained about sexual harassment in the workplace. The story includes audio of the meeting where the young reporter was ordered to leave the building without having the chance to respond to allegations against her. Coming up Clive Palmer's personal assistant, Sarah Mole, is expected to face questions in the federal court about whether she booked a luxury cruise for the former federal MP's fugitive nephew, Clive Mensink. The governor general, Sir Peter Cosgrove, is to attend a dawn service in Zonnebeke, Belgium, to commemorate the centenary of the first world war battle of Polygon Wood.
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US bombers over the Korean peninsula last week. Photograph: Steven Schneider/AFP/Getty Images 
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