Raf Epstein on a week that’s left him ‘punch drunk’

In an Ebola treatment centre in eastern Congo, young children are being cared for by people in protective suits – isolated from the love and comfort of their families, who can only watch on from a window. For paediatrician Rupa Narra, it was unlike anything she’d experienced in 16 years working in global health. Some of her patients were too young to understand why their parents couldn’t hold them in what would be their final hours. And as health workers confront the outbreak, the international support they once relied on has been stripped away. Today, Médecins Sans Frontières doctor, Rupa Narra, on the children caught up in the Ebola crisis and what happens when the world retreats from helping contain it.

You can see it in the drawn faces of the politicians lining up to speak about Helen Haines this week – Canberra has been shaken to its core. ASIO and the Australian Federal Police have been liaising with parliamentarians – some of whom say they no longer feel safe after the alleged attack, which left the beloved Victorian independent fighting for her life. But some of the same politicians offering their condolences have been responsible for the increasingly ugly, even violent, rhetoric on the floor of parliament – their words contributing to the very environment that’s made them feel unsafe. Today, Independent MP Allegra Spender on her own experience, the hypocrisy in parliament, and why she’s calling for change – regardless of what the driver’s motivations are found to be.

In France, thousands of arrests have been made and partial curfews imposed across the country, after a weekend of protests that spiralled into violence and looting. The protest movement, which began four weeks ago with students demanding better conditions at high schools, culminated in half a million people protesting the rising cost of living on the weekend. In some areas, shops were looted, and buildings torched. Protests have also broken out in other parts of Europe – including Spain, Belgium and Italy. The French President Emmanuel Macron, has now demanded a full security review and “new operational methods” to end the rioting. Today, writer Sarah Wilson from Paris, on how the protests turned violent, and what it all means for the future of politics in France, and across Europe.

Yesterday afternoon Independent MP Helen Haines was returning to her electorate office in the regional Victorian town of Wangaratta, when she was struck by a white Toyota LandCruiser. Witnesses described seeing the car make a u-turn, and then ram Haines against a vehicle, before reversing and hitting her a second time. A local barbershop owner ran to the driver’s side of the vehicle, removed a knife from the man’s pocket, and wrestled him to the ground. The alleged attacker, who has now been identified as 43 year old Tarrawingee man Brendan Nugent, was then arrested by police at the scene. Helen Haines was taken to hospital in a critical condition, and has lost her leg in the attack. The AFP and Victorian police are investigating, and identifying potential charges, with the AFP saying it appears to be an “isolated incident”, with no known threats connected to the matter. Meanwhile the head of ASIO is warning that elevated levels of grievance, intolerance and polarisation have continued to create a "permissive environment of violence" Today in a special episode, columnist and broadcaster Waleed Aly on our changing attitudes to political violence, and why this moment should be a turning point for politics and for all Australians

The Greens are in crisis mode after one of their senators was accused of inappropriate conduct towards women. On Monday the party held an emergency meeting after an explosive statement from Jordon Steele-John, denying the allegations and accusing the new party leader of lying. An internal Greens investigation is underway. But what could be more politically damaging than the claims against Senator Steele-John, is the Greens alleged coverup of misconduct claims against him. Today, journalist Rachel Withers on the investigation, the secret dossier to contain the crisis, and what the events of the last week tell us about the Greens.