TRANSCRIPT:
- Bangladesh's former Prime Minister is sentenced to death
- Victoria's Opposition to vote in a leadership contest
- Matildas star Mary Fowler opens up about her mental health struggles
Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity after a court found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising.
Cheers broke out in the packed courtroom as the judge delivered the verdict ((Mon)) amid tight security.
The 78-year-old was absent for the trial after she fled to India last year, but released a statement saying the tribunal was rigged and the verdicts were politically motivated.
Outside her former home in the capital, Dhaka, protesters clashed with riot police, as they called for justice to be served.
“By any means we will bulldoze Hasina’s house, and then, and only then, we will leave.”
The United Nations found up to 1,400 people may have been killed, and thousands more injured, during last year's three-week protests - most of them by gunfire from security forces.
The ruling comes ahead of the first elections since Hasina's overthrow last August.
Her Awami League party has been barred from contesting, prompting fears the verdict could stoke fresh unrest ahead of the vote.
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The UK government has announced major changes to its asylum system, which include cutting protections for refugees, and threatening visa bans for countries that refuse to take back irregular immigrants.
In addition, refugee status will become temporary and is to be reviewed every 30 months.
Refugees will also be forced to return to their home countries once those are deemed safe.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood hopes the changes will discourage migrants from crossing the Channel from France on small boats.
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France and Ukraine say they have entered a new phase of defence cooperation, after President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his nation will supply Ukraine with major long-term military capabilities.
These include up to 100 Rafale fighter jets, drones, guided bombs and future SAMP/T air-defence systems.
Mr Macron says Russia is blocking peace and escalating its aggression in Ukraine.
"Russia alone, today, has chosen to continue this war and even intensify it. I remind you that since last March, you have clearly reiterated your willingness to make peace, everything is ready for peace. Russia alone refuses to make it so. And the intensification of strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructures is further proof of this aggression and cynicism."
Mr Zelenskyy says the deal is essential as Ukraine prepares for another winter under renewed Russian strikes.
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Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin is expected to face a challenge to his leadership this morning, just 12 months out from the state election.
Mr Battin was informed by a delegation of party MPs yesterday that he has lost the support of the party room - the news confirmed by phone conversations with other MPs.
Kew MP Jess Wilson is tipped to run against him.
If successful, the former federal Liberal staffer and Business Council of Australia executive would become the first female leader of the Victorian Liberals.
Mr Battin has been in the job for less than a year, but has seen support for the Liberals slip in recent polls despite the third-term Labor government facing a crime wave and soaring debt.
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Liberal leader Sussan Ley has refused to say how much taxpayer money the Coalition would be willing to spend supporting coal-fired power under its new climate policy.
Over the weekend, the Liberal and Nationals parties formally abandoned net zero by 2050 targets, saying they wanted to refocus the energy system to bring prices down.
A key plank of the policy would see the Capacity Investment Scheme created to boost renewables - operating under what the Coalition calls "technology agnostic" rules.
This could see a Coalition government underwriting coal-fired power, but in an interview with SBS, Ms Ley declined to provide details on how much might be spent.
"So this is not about intervention. This is about us saying we need to expand supply. So this is a capacity mechanism, or the Capacity Investment Scheme that this government has. It's about expanding supply now. Right now, they've said the only projects they'll underwrite are renewables and batteries. The problem is that the grid really does need base load and dispatchable power, so we're saying we would add those forms and be completely technology neutral."
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And in football, Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has praised star forward Mary Fowler for her courage after she revealed the truth about her mental health challenges in her book "Bloom."
The 22 year old detailed the depths of her despair after moving to France as a 17-year-old to play for Montpellier while feeling under pressure to perform.
Montemurro praised her resilience, saying it's important that mental health can be talked about openly.
Fowler is currently recovering from a long-term knee injury and is expected to return to the field in January.
And if this story has raised concerns for you, you can find 24-hour support at Lifeline on 13 11 14.
