TRANSCRIPT
- ASIO chief warns of ‘real’ threat of foreign-backed assassination plots in Australia.
- New York voters weigh Zohran Mamdani’s historic bid against Andrew Cuomo’s comeback.
- And in cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin to miss Big Bash League following knee injury.
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Australia’s top spy has warned three unnamed nations after revealing there is a “realistic possibility” a foreign government could attempt an assassination on Australian soil.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess told the Lowy Institute that while he would not name the countries involved, “they know who they are”.
"ASIO assesses, there is a realistic possibility a foreign government will attempt to assassinate a perceived dissident in Australia. This threat is real. We believe there are at least three nations willing and capable of conducting lethal targeting here. Please note, I said, attempt to assassinate ASIO and our law enforcement partners are acutely alive to this threat and are working around the clock, using all our powers to protect Australians from this threat.”
He also said that while the war in Gaza led to an increase in anarchist extremism, nationalist and racist violent actors account for most ASIO investigations into ideological extremism.
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New York City’s voters are deciding the outcome of a generational and ideological divide that will resonate across the country as they choose the next mayor to run the nation’s largest city.
Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary earlier this year, faces former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, who is trying to land a massive upset.
A victory for Mr Mamdani, who leads in the polls, would give the city its first Muslim mayor and its youngest leader in generations.
If Mr Cuomo comes out on top, he will have staged a remarkable political comeback four years after resigning as governor over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations.
Mr Cuomo is confident of victory.
"If you watch the polls, they've all been moving to us. I've been on the street. I feel it from people. I can tell you this - I've voted a lot of times, first time I ever walked into a polling place and the polling place cheered for me."
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Former US vice-president Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84, succumbing to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.
The Republican served alongside President George W Bush for two terms between 2001 and 2009, and was a driving force behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq, claiming Saddam Hussein possessed so-called "weapons of mass destruction."
He clashed with other high-ranking members of the administration and defended interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects that included waterboarding and sleep deprivation.
Professor at American University's School of International Service, Garret Martin, says his legacy is controversial.
"Dick Cheney's legacy is fundamentally divisive. Because he was very much a proponent of some of the more controversial policies of, you know, the George W. Bush administration, whether you're thinking about sort of enhanced interrogations or torture, essentially. If you're thinking about sort of surveillance, domestic spying on Americans and of course, his most hawkish line on the war in Iraq and being largely unapologetic about it."
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The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has risen to 40.
The powerful storm has unleashed heavy rains and floods across the central region, submerging homes and forcing thousands to evacuate.
Although Kalmaegi has weakened since making landfall, it continues to lash the country with winds of 130 kilometres per hour.
Floods in Cebu City have subsided, but power is still out in many places and telecommunications services are intermittent.
Cebu resident John Patajo says the rising floodwaters forced his family up on to the roof of their house.
"We initially stayed on the first floor, but when the waters rose, we went to our second floor. Yet, the waters kept rising so we decided to head up to our roof."
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And in cricket...
Indian star Ravichandran Ashwin will miss the entire Big Bash League because of a knee injury, delivering a major blow to both Sydney Thunder and Cricket Australia.
The Thunder confirmed on Tuesday night that Ashwin would no longer play in the tournament following surgery.
He was the first Indian Test star to play in the competition and one of its biggest ever drawcards.
In a statement, the star said he was gutted to miss out and is focusing on recovery to come back stronger.
