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In this bulletin;
- A major human rights group report indicates global democracy has been set back 40 years;
- A third Australian dies on Japan's ski slopes, in a horror season across the nation;
- And Western Sydney upsets A-League Women leaders Melbourne City 1-nil.
Human Rights Watch are warning the US President has attacked key pillars of his country's democracy, citing the administration's immigration crackdown, threats to voting rights and other policies.
Their latest annual report indicates global democracy is now back at 1985 levels, according to some metrics.
Human Rights Watch Executive Director Philippe Bolopion outlined some of the factors undermining democracy.
"It's actually incredible to see how the Trump administration has really undermined all the pillars of US democracy, all the checks and balances on power. These days still, you know, sort of undermining the trust in elections, the sanctity of elections, going after the judiciary and judges going after journalist."
Mr Bolopion added that 2025 in many ways felt like a tipping point, a particularly dangerous moment for human rights organisations and for the human rights movement.
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A third Australian has died while skiing in Japan this ski season, with a 27 year-old Melbourne man reportedly suffering a medical episode on the slopes this week.
The incident follows two horrific accidents in recent days; 22 year-old Brooke Day died in hospital on Sunday after becoming caught in a ski lift and suffering critical injuries.
Earlier this month, 17 year-old Rylan Henry Pribadi died by asphyxiation, after coming into contact with a rope marking the course boundary on the snow.
Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency announced at least 30 people have died in snow-related accidents over the last 15 days across the nation.
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A 12 year-old boy and paramedic are reportedly among 5 people killed in the latest strikes on southern Gaza on Wednesday - according to Gazan health officials.
21 Palestinians were reportedly killed in strikes across the strip in the past day, including two infants.
The Israeli military says strikes took place after what it called "terrorists" opened fire in the north of the Strip and seriously wounded a soldier near an area known as the Yellow Line.
It is a designated territory controlled by Israel under a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The military says it conducted precise strikes in the area in response to what it called a "blatant violation" of the truce.
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Melinda French Gates says her ex-husband, Bill Gates, needs to answer to serious allegations found in the latest batch of Epstein files released by the United States Department of Justice.
Media groups and investigators are combing through the roughly three million pages released by the Trump administration last week.
In a series of 2013 emails written by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he claims Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection and sought to give his then-wife, Melinda, antibiotics without her knowing.
A spokesperson for Mr Gates has rejected the claims as absolutely absurd and completely false.
But, in an interview with NPR, Melinda Gates says she feels a deep sadness after the release of this information.
"Unbelievable sadness and again, I'm able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say 'My god, how did that happen to those girls?', right? You know, I left my marriage. I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave my marriage. And so it's just sad. It brings back memories of some very very painful times in my marriage, but I have moved on from that. So whatever questions remain there of what I can't even begin to know all of. Those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things not me."
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And in sport,
Western Sydney has upset A-League Women leaders Melbourne City 1-NIL to record their third straight win.
City, which has lost two consecutive games for the first time since January 2024, now has just a one point lead at the top after 13 rounds.
The result lifts Western Sydney off the bottom of the table and to within four points of the top six.
And they remained in 10th spot after the late game on Wednesday night at Leichhardt Oval saw Brisbane defeat Sydney FC 3-1, condemning the Sky Blues to 11th and last place.
