This was published 7 years ago
Reports of breakthrough in one of Australia's coldest cases, the Claremont serial killings
Every Monday to Friday I'll be delivering a personally-curated newsletter. Call it the double espresso of news – the morning news kickstart for busy people who want to know what they need to know before they get going.
By Latika Bourke
1. Claremont murders
Cold cases don't come colder than the West Australian Claremont murders.
In 1996 and 1997 three young women, Jane Rimmer, Sarah Spiers and Ciara Glennon vanished in Claremont.
Claremont murder victims Ciara Glennon (left) and Jane Rimmer (right). Investigations into the disappearance of Sarah Spiers (centre) are ongoing.
Twenty years later police stormed a house in the suburb of Kewdale in the early morning and, according to ABC reports, took a man into custody over the serial killings. [WA Today]
The man, aged in his 50s, has never been previously linked to the case. [ABC]
2. Abbott v Bernardi​
Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi.
​Now why would Tony Abbott be speaking out against his supposed political bedfellow Cory Bernardi?​
Abbott is pretending that if Bernardi were to split, it would be the fault of Malcolm Turnbull and not his own failures to keep the Liberal tent together by doing some of the things the conservatives asked, like sticking to the pre-election policy of repealing the Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act?
After yesterday's story claiming "Bernardi is on the brink" of breaking away, today's follow up stories featuring surprise, surprise Tony Abbott are even less subtle.
The former PM, who likes to fashion himself as the party room's leading conservative, tells his favoured News Corp papers that it's up to Turnbull to stop Bernardi from defecting, which, it's worth keeping in mind the South Australian has not once publicly confirmed. [Dennis Shannahan/The Australian]
If Bernardi goes, Abbott's already waning prospects at ever being restored to the Liberal leadership are over, that is, if Abbott is deluded enough to think that the conservatives are still a bloc and support him. They aren't and they don't. Not since Nick Minchin left the Senate has the right wing really properly existed.
Face in the crowd: Tony Abbott in the party room at Parliament House in November.Credit: Andrew Meares
Mathias Cormann is probably the closest thing to a viable leader of the right but his preference for self advancement has prevented him from reaching a Minchin-like status.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Special Minister of State Scott Ryan. Credit: Andrew Meares
Friends of Scott Ryan have in the past tried to promote the Victorian as a next Minchin but after his work in not just backing Turnbull but orchestrating the change, that suggestion is now laughable.
In truth the right is hopelessly adrift and this began after Tony Abbott's election to the leadership in 2009.
Eric Abetz departed the party room meeting by Tony Abbott's side after Abbott lost the leadership ballot.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Tony Abbott's caucus amounts to about Eric Abetz, Kevin Andrews and the Sydney MP Craig Kelly. Cue, snickers.
And did you notice the silence of the Member for Deakin Michael Sukkar and his close friend, junior minister Zed Seselja when it briefly looked like the Coalition might be considering a carbon price again? Those two right-wing rising stars were M.I.A. during that debate mainly because they are on their way along the promotion train.
The conservatives began unravelling under Tony Abbott as they had to sit by as he promised big government programs like the Green Army and his paid parental leave scheme, not when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister.
Peta Credlin with Tony Abbott in 2012.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
If Abbott is genuine about wanting to keep the party together, some self reflection wouldn't go astray.
An excellent read in The Guardian on why Bernardi should jump from Katherine Murphy, with a very interesting suggestion that the right-wing Rebel online media outlet might be branching out in Australia. [The Guardian]
In other politics news:
Scott MorrisonCredit: Andrew Meares
Scott Morrison's projected surplus is all down to a Wayne Swanesque (that's not a compliment!) accounting trick via a reclassification of Future Fund earnings, reports David Uren. [The Australian]
Be careful, every email and SMS you write and send in a personal capacity could soon be used against you in civil court cases under draconian new data retention measures being considered by the federal Attorney-General George Brandis. [Bianca Hall/Fairfax]
Plenty of end-to-end encrypted self-destructing applications out there to circumvent this sort of thing.
3. Aleppo Iran and Russia's victory says Assad
The regime has claimed back Aleppo. [BBC]
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad says regaining control of the city is as much Iran and Russia's victory. [Reuters]
The Red Cross says 34,000 people have now been evacuated from Aleppo. [BBC]
And the UN is warning that Idlib could be the "next Aleppo". This Reuters report contains quite a chilling quote from a European diplomat who says evacuating the citizens and rebels from Aleppo to Idlib would suit Russia as it would "put all their rotten eggs in one basket." [Stephanie Nebehay, Suleiman Al-Khalidi]
Russia says its airforce prevented the breakup of Syria. [Russia's Tass News Agency]
Russian President Vladimir Putin.Credit: Pavel Golovkin
Speaking at the Defense Ministry's final board meeting, President Vladimir Putin said Russia is "stronger than any potential agressor." Putin said Russia had much to do to take nuclear weapons to a higher level. [Tass]
A nice piece on Vox with a bunch of questions you might have about Russia but are too embarrassed to ask. [Matthew Yglesias]
Meanwhile Donald Trump just tweeted this. [ITV]
4. Berlin hunt intensifies
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to the media to say she hoped the perpetrator of Monday's fatal truck attack at a Berlin Christmas market would be caught soon.
An alert showing Tunisian national Anis Amri.Credit: Police
The government believes their suspect, Tunisian Anis Amri, is the attacker as his fingerprints were found in the truck cabin. [Reuters]
In London, Prime Minister Theresa May urged Britons not to be cowed by terrorists and go about their normal business this Christmas. [BBC]
5. Prince Charles' warning
Prince Charles reads his Christmas Thought for the Day for the BBC.Credit: BBC
Quite a political statement from the second-in-line to the throne. Prince Charles has warned the populist movements on the rise across Europe and the United States have "deeply disturbing echoes of the dark days of the 1930s."
Unsurprisingly Prince Charles is being criticised by UKIP for criticising popular politicians with popular (ahem populist) policies. [My report/Fairfax]
6. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
And that's it from me for this year. I'll be resuming Double Shot in late January in time for the inauguration but if you're around next Thursday do join me for an Ask Me Anything Facebook Live on Thursday 8pm Australian time to discuss what's easily been the biggest year in news of my journalistic career and lifetime.
Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon in
Today I'm heading up to Borough Market to collect the goose and ham for what I'm hoping will be a lovely first London Christmas, complete with carols at St Paul's, some paleo Christmas cake and my annual date with Love Actually before heading to Raja Ampat - a remote batch of islands off Indonesia - via Australia for a few days in the New Year for some scuba diving.
For as long as I have some phone signal I'll be keeping up with the news and you can follow me on Facebook for more, but as I've requested a kindle from Santa this year to read War And Peace while abroad you may lose me to Tolstoy at some point. Apologies in advance!
And finally a huge thank you for your readership this year. Starting Double Shot this year was the brainchild of the Sydney Morning Herald's former editor Judith Whelan when we first discussed my move to London and I've loved compiling it from day one. It's also been a daily enjoyment receiving your emails, tweets, Facebook messages and thoughts back in return. So stay safe, have a very Merry and relaxing Christmas and see you in 2017.