Morning Mail: dementia prescriptions reveal crisis point, Trump rejects debate rematch, fire ants threaten koalas
Morning, everyone. Australia is at the forefront of the dementia crisis, a neuroscientist warns today, as new figures show that the number of people taking medication for the disease has increased by almost 50%. Ministers are fighting to save the government’s stalled environment agenda from left and right, and there are fears for a koala population after the discovery of fire ants in the area.
Overseas, Donald Trump says he won’t debate Kamala Harris again – and we report on the conspiracy theorist being blamed by Republicans for the former president’s pet-eating rant.
Australia
Ant alarm | Fire ants have reached protected koala habitat and a koala priority area in south-eastern Queensland, with experts warning of the danger the highly invasive pest poses to native wildlife.
Dementia crisis point | The number of dementia medication prescriptions has jumped by almost 50% in Australia in the past decade as more people seek out therapies that may slow the disease’s progression.
Development dance | Anthony Albanese is rejecting demands from the Greens and Senate crossbenchers to subject development projects to climate-impact assessments and remove forestry’s effective exemption from environmental protection law as the government’s green agenda comes under fire from left and right.
Seat struggle | The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is locked in a struggle with Bill Shorten’s old union, the Australian Workers’ Union, to pick the next candidate for the safe Labor seat of Gorton, potentially leaving Anthony Albanese to make the final decision.
Cold snap | Much of south-east Australia will experience a blast of cold weather this weekend as a cold front that brought hailstorms to Victoria moves into NSW. Sunday’s temperatures could be 8C below the September average.
World
Pet theory | Republicans are blaming the influence of Laura Loomer (pictured), a rightwing conspiracy theorist, for this week’s botched debate performance by Donald Trump. The former president says he won’t debate Kamala Harris again, while the singer Linda Ronstadt has blasted the former president as a “rapist” as he prepares to hold a rally in an Arizona hall named after her. He and Kamala Harris plan rallies in swing states where voters have been giving their verdict on the debate. Follow it all live.
Russian counter | Russia says its forces have recaptured 10 settlements after it launched a counteroffensive in the Kursk region to push out Ukrainian troops who stormed across the border five weeks ago.
Netanyahu zero | The former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has used a new book to hit out at Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, for taking “zero responsibility” for the surprise attack by Hamas on 7 October.
‘Too rightwing’ | A granddaughter of Italy’s wartime dictator, Benito Mussolini, said on Thursday she was leaving Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party because it was too rightwing.
One more step | Two astronauts have completed the first commercial spacewalk in one of the boldest attempts yet to push the boundaries of privately funded spaceflight. Watch the video here.
Full Story
Could Albanese’s social media ban for children do more harm than good?
Chief political correspondent Paul Karp speaks to Reged Ahmad about why the government is trying to regulate the internet and whether it can legislate young people off social media.
In-depth
From a winner celebrating Yankunytjatjara land to Adelaide sunsets, and from the women’s fight against fundamentalism to the pink cockatoo, we have an arresting gallery of some of the finalists from the 2024 Bowness photography prize aiming to capture the essence of contemporary Australia. Enjoy.
Not the news
Liane Moriarty, the bestselling author of Big Little Lies, has said she doesn’t want to be known as a mystery or thriller writer. Her new work, Here One Moment, about a plane passenger who appears able to predict the deaths of her fellow travellers, has an element of mystery. But Adele Dumont reckons the book is “disappointingly orderly” and lacks the interaction of characters that distinguish her other work. “For a book with such a macabre premise, it is disappointing that the end result is best described as beige,” Dumont says.
The world of sport
NRL | The finals season is upon us and Alex McKinnon assesses the chances of the eight contenders, from the Storm’s smooth predictability to Newcastle’s rank outsiders.
Formula One | McLaren will give Lando Norris priority over his Australian teammate, Oscar Piastri, in the championship battle with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the team has confirmed.
Football | Mikel Arteta was saluted by the Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke for taking “the team to another level in an Arsenal way” after the manager signed a new contract until 2027.
Media roundup
Renewables hit a record share of generation on Monday, the Financial Review reports, but they might be about to plateau for now. The Daily Telegraph shares pictures of some of Australia’s “worst hoarder houses” and their “eye-watering” price tags. Tasmania’s minority Liberal government has handed down a budget full of cost-of-living relief, the Mercury reports. The Broncos have called in a team of investigators to examine the performance of their coach, Kevin Walters, the Courier-Mail reports.
What’s happening today
Welfare | We are expecting the final report into the robodebt scheme.
Canberra | There will be a hearing in the parliamentary inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles.
Sydney | There will be a case management hearing in Asic’s case against The Star executives over money laundering breaches.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
