Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Russia mocks the United Nations with its invasion of Ukraine; Sudan's army chief says he is hopeful for a peaceful solution to the country's conflict; The Lionesses off to a winning start in the Nations League with a 2-1 win against Scotland.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Russia mocks the United Nations with its invasion of Ukraine
- Sudan's army chief says he is hopeful for a peaceful solution to the country's conflict
- The Lionesses off to a winning start in the Nations League with a 2-1 win against Scotland
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Russia mocks the United Nations by defying the UN charter every day with its invasion of Ukraine.
Minister Wong addressed the UN General Assembly today, saying support of Ukraine is key to standing against state-based aggression.
She says Russia abuses its power as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to carry out its war with limited scrutiny and accountability.
"With its special responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia mocks the United Nations every day it continues its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, just as Russia mocks the international community with its cynical games on food security that leave millions hungry. Promising grain to vulnerable nations, yet at the same time destroying Ukrainian grain silos along the Black Sea coast."
Ms Wong also used her address to highlight the need for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
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New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says revenue raised from higher Sydney Harbour Bridge tolls will help to fund broader toll relief for residents across the state.
Tolls on Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Tunnel will increase for the first time in more than 14 years, with tolls increasing by 6.8 per cent from the 29th of October.
The cost of using the bridge will rise from $4.00 to $4.27 during peak times, weekdays between 6.30- 9.30am and 4-7pm.
Off-peak charges will go from $3.00 to $3.20, and from $2.50 to $2.67 at night.
All extra revenue will go to funding the government's toll relief budget package which caps weekly toll costs at $60 for about 720,000 drivers.
Chris Minns told Sky News that the increase was only fair considering huge toll increases in Western Sydney.
"But it hasn't been lifted, as you said since 2009. To put that in perspective, a trip from Campbelltown to the city has gone from $12 to $34 return a trip over the Harbour Bridge has gone from $4 to $4. So there needed to be some fairness between those that live in the east and the west and any money we raise will go back into toll relief."
The toll relief package is estimated to save motorists in the most tolled suburbs an average of up to $540 a year.
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Sudan's army chief says he is prepared to work toward a peaceful solution to the country's conflict that has killed thousands and displaced millions of civilians.
War between the army and the rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces broke out in mid-April over plans for a transition to civilian-led democracy and the integration of the RSF into the army.
Army leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says he believed stalled peace talks mediated by Saudi Arabia and the United States in Jeddah could still succeed.
"Our preferred path is the path of the negotiations that we have in Jeddah and we are optimistic that they will achieve a positive result."
The RSF leader also said on Thursday that he was ready for a ceasefire and political talks.
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Striking film and television writers are hopeful that a deal with Hollywood's major studios might be close which would end a months-long stalemate over pay and the use of artificial intelligence.
Talks have continued for a third straight day, after negotiators for the studios and striking writers held discussions for more than 10 hours on Thursday, failing to reach an agreement.
Producer and Writers Guild member Al Septien says he wants to get back to work, but only under a fair contract.
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New findings suggest galaxies from the early universe are more like our own Milky Way than previously thought.
A team of international researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope say their study flips the entire narrative of how scientists think about structure formation in the universe, rewriting cosmic evolution theories.
They discovered that galaxies like the Milky Way are 10 times more common than what was believed based on previous observations with the Hubble Space Telescope.
Many of these galaxies formed some 10 billion years ago.
Experts suggest these galaxies might be the kind where life can develop given the nature of their formation history.
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England have got their Nations League campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 win against Scotland.
Just over a month after their World Cup final defeat to Spain, the Lionesses earned an inaugural win in the competition.
Lauren Hemp doubled the lead before Scotland pulled one back just before the break through Kirsty Hanson.
The visitors had plenty of good opportunities to level in the second half but were unable to capitalise on their chances and were kept out by keeper Mary Earps.
