WIKILEAKS DUMPS CIA DOCS

WikiLeaks has released a new trove of documents allegedly taken from the CIA. The thousands of documents reportedly show the agency can bypass the encryption used to protect messages on popular apps including Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram. Dubbed “Vault 7”, the documents also reveal a program that collects live audio recordings from smart televisions. Early indications appear to support the authenticity of the documents.

IT’S A GAS

Gas and energy are making headlines across the media today, but for different reasons.

The oil and gas industry is shaping up for a fight with the government over tax measures that could be in the budget, The Australian reports. Treasury is reviewing the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association’s submission to the review, which says a royalty-based scheme, which is different to the way the tax currently works, would be “regressive”.

Over in the Australian Financial Review, there is a warning from AGL that manufacturers on Australia’s east coast will be short of gas over winter. AGL says the LNG industry in Queensland needs to be able to sell its wares to the local industry instead of exporting it.

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Man who allegedly pretended to be doctor worked in NSW hospitals for over a decade

Australian women display ‘tremendous resilience’ in face of gender inequality, Kate Jenkins finds

Service station owner tells of alleged backpacker rape victim’s fear

AUSSIES COLLAPSE, KOHLI ATTACKS SMITH

India has levelled the series against Australia, with an impressive comeback in the fourth day at Bangalore, bowling the Aussies out for 112 in just 36 overs. It was a fiery day on and off the field with Indian captain Virat Kohli using a post-match press conference to all but accuse Australian captain Steve Smith of cheating. When Smith was given out LBW he looked towards the change rooms while considering whether to challenge the decision — an act that isn’t allowed. Kohli alleged that it wasn’t an isolated incident and had happened throughout the match.

“There are lines you don’t cross on the cricket field. I don’t want to mention the word, but it falls under that bracket.”

“Cheating?” he was asked by a reporter.

“I didn’t say that, you did.”

Bring on the third Test in Ranchi next week.

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Perth: The Barnett government says it will release its policy costings today ahead of Saturday’s state election. Costings have been a controversial issue in the campaign, which Colin Barnett has defended against accusations of being “boring”. 

Sydney: The NSW Women of the Year awards will be presented at a breakfast this morning. International Women’s Day breakfasts will be held across the country.

Canberra: The first public hearing into the Centrelink online debt compliance fiasco will hear from the Australian Council of Social Services, Community and Public Sector Union the Australian Tax Office and Department of Human Services officials today. 

Canberra: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is speaking at the Australian Financial Review‘s Business Summit.

Canberra: Westpac is the last of the big four banks to face the House of Representatives Economics Committee hearing today, and the Australian Bankers’ Association will also appear this afternoon. Yesterday’s hearings with the ANZ and Commonwealth banks had a few interesting moments, with CBA boss Ian Narev telling MPs house prices weren’t seen as overpriced by young Australians. He also warned against “tinkering” with policies to make houses more affordable.

THE COMMENTARIAT

With great female minds idling on the sidelines, how much progress have we lost? — Julia Gillard (Guardian Australia): “…even though the disparity between the number of girls and boys in primary and secondary school has narrowed significantly in many countries, girls’ enrolment and performance in science and math programs still fall far behind boys’.”

Neglecting the environment is a bad investment that will burden future generations — Kelly O’Shanassy (Sydney Morning Herald): “Despite successive State of the Environment reports warning of the woeful trends and the need for more investment, federal government spending to protect and restore nature in Australia is at its lowest level in more than a decade and is expected to decline further.”

TODAY IN TRUMP

Donald Trump has falsely accused his predecessor Barack Obama of freeing 122 detainees from Guantanamo Bay who later went on to engage in militant activity. In fact, the vast majority were released under the presidency of George W Bush.

Trump also surprised a group of visitors to the White House, while Housing Secretary Ben Carson had his own surprise, comparing slaves brought to America with aspirational migrants.

THE WORLD

The Republican Party’s plan to repeal and replace President Barack Obama‘s signature healthcare reforms is off to a rocky start, with divisions emerging over a bill proposed by leaders in the House of Representatives. Hardline conservatives have called the plan “Obamacare lite”, while other Republican legislators are worried changes denying health insurance to their constituents could put their own jobs at risk. — Washington Post

Hungary will detain asylum seekers in “container camps” built from shipping containers while their applications are processed. Far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban called immigration a “Trojan horse” for terrorism and said migrants were a threat to Europe’s Christian identity. — BBC

WHAT WE’RE READING

The American Health Care Act: the Republicans’ bill to replace Obamacare, explained (Vox): “Two big questions — how many people it will cover and how much it will cost — are still unresolved: It will likely cover fewer people than the Affordable Care Act currently does, but we don’t know how many.”

Vault 7: CIA hacking tools revealed (WikiLeaks): “Code-named “Vault 7″ by WikiLeaks, it is the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency.”

In conversation: David Letterman (New York Magazine): “If I still had a show,” says the 69-year-old, dressed in a baggy sweater and cargo pants and sitting high above midtown Manhattan in a conference room at his publicist’s offices, “people would have to come and take me off the stage. ‘Dave, that’s enough about Trump. We’ve run out of tape.’ It’s all I’d be talking about. I’d be exhausted.”

This stunningly racist French novel is how Steve Bannon explains the world (Huffington Post) The top Trump aide’s repeated references to The Camp of the Saints, an obscure 1973 novel by French author Jean Raspail, reveal even more about how he understands the world. The book is a cult favorite on the far right, yet it’s never found a wider audience. There’s a good reason for that: It’s breathtakingly racist.”

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