Australia declines to follow EU in forcing airlines to pay passengers for delayed and cancelled flights

The Albanese government has bowed to pressure from Qantas and other airlines advocating against laws that would force them to pay cash compensation to passengers whose flights are delayed or cancelled.The omission of a compensation scheme in the government’s draft aviation customer rights charter follows claims from airlines such as Qantas that compensation rules – which exist in the European Union – would force them to preempt costs and increase air fares. The charter was released on Sunday.When the government announced it would introduce an airline passenger charter of rights – to fall under a forthcoming industry ombuds scheme – it left open the door for the interim ombudsperson, Pauline Sullivan, to determine if a compensation scheme should be in the charter she was tasked with drafting.However, such a scheme is not included in the draft charter, which is now open for public consultation until the end of February

Woolworths says it has more than 40 competitors in Australia – we went looking for them

Australia’s biggest supermarket chain, Woolworths, has described the sector as “fiercely competitive”, naming dozens of retailers it says it is vying with for a share of the grocery market.The country’s other dominant supermarket, Coles, describes competition as “generally strong” and accelerating.The claims have been made amid growing calls for government-backed measures to increase competition and help alleviate cost-of-living pressures.In its submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry, Woolworths provided a list of more than 40 competitors, ranging from a specialist cheesecake maker to newsagents and online delivery services, as proof of the robust conditions it says it faces.Guardian Australia decided to test that claim by buying and pricing groceries from those stores, and checking for accessibility, to see whether they are really viable alternatives to the major chains

‘We’re figuring out cool ways of storytelling’: how TikTok is changing the way we watch musicals

When Jorge Rivera-Herrans released part of Epic: the Musical last Christmas, he managed to push Taylor Swift off the top of the US iTunes album charts. So there is a lot at stake when the final instalment of his musical retelling of the Odyssey is released on Christmas Day.Rivera-Herrans’s project has already been an extraordinary success, with more monthly listeners on Spotify (1.6m) than veterans such as Morrissey, Liam Gallagher, or the Sex Pistols, and 119m plays on the platform in the past 28 days alone.“I wanted to have sword fights and the ocean, and I wanted to have gods and monsters, and spells and love and lust and revenge,” he told the Observer

The god illusion: why the pope is so popular as a deepfake image

For the pope, it was the wrong kind of madonna.The pop legend, she of the 80’s anthem Like a Prayer, has stirred controversy in recent weeks by posting deepfake images on social media which show the pontiff embracing her. It has fanned the flames of a debate which is already raging over the creation of AI art in which Pope Francis plays a symbolic, and unwilling, role.The head of the Catholic church is used to being the subject of AI-generated fakery. One of the defining images of the AI boom was Francis in a Balenciaga puffer jacket

Usyk v Fury II: How the world heavyweight title fight unfolded

Usyk and Fury practically sprint from their corners to meet each other in the center of the ring and Fury is already looking more aggressive than in round one of the first fight, pumping his jab with urgency. Usyk bursts into the pocket and lands a right hand upstairs. The 55lb weight difference looks even starker under the lights than at the weigh-in. Fury targeting Usyk’s body with straight shots. Both fighters opening up, eschewing the typical feeling-out period

Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury to retain unified heavyweight championship – as it happened

And Oleksandr Usyk has done it! The Ukrainian has retained his unified heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury. All three ringside judges handed down scores of 116-112. Here’s a look at how they scored it round by round. (The Guardian had it 115-113 to Usyk.)That’s all for tonight