Good morning. It turns out new Covid restrictions for workers in south-western Sydney are not as tough as first announced. It’s “Freedom Day” in England, according to Boris Johnson, but he won’t be enjoying the eased restrictions after being forced to isolate. Plus: a massive data leak uncovers the global abuse of Israeli spyware by authoritarian governments to hack phones of activists and journalists.
The New South Wales Gladys premier Berejiklian has expanded the list of workers who can leave three south-western Sydney areas from only health and emergency workers to everything from retail, manufacturing, transport and couriers, to teachers and childcare workers. The relaxing of the rules comes after health authorities announced 105 new local cases on Sunday, and the fourth death from the current Sydney outbreak – a woman in her 90s. From today, all non-essential construction and building maintenance work will stop. In Victoria, 17 Covid cases were recorded, including…