TRANSCRIPT:
- New Caledonia delays a new voting rule that sparked deadly riots in the territory;
- Social media giant X loses a legal bid to avoid local anti-discrimination laws;
- Australian Olympic champion Chelsea Hodges forced to retire.
Stolen generation survivors and their families are gathering today to hear Victoria's police chief formally apologise for the role the force played in removing children from their communities over many decades.
The apology is part of a series of reforms stemming from the force's response to Victoria's truth-telling inquiry, the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
The inquiry is creating an official public record of the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal people in Victoria.
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Two more government flights have been organised to repatriate Australians out of New Caledonia.
The flights were scheduled to take off from the French territory this morning following more than a week of riots that have left at least six people dead.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has told Channel 9 that despite reports stranded Australians are getting conflicting messages from D-FAT, officials are doing their best to bring everyone home.
"DFAT will be looking at all of the available information on the ground. The safety of Australians will be paramount in their minds, so we support the work that they're doing... And DFAT does a great job in helping Australians overseas, but sometimes people are in dreadful, dreadful circumstances and you just want to get help to them as quickly as you can."
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France will delay a voting change in New Caledonia that triggered the deadly riots.
French President Emmanuel Macron has given a speech in the capital Noumea after meeting with local political leaders, promising to hold off on the change to allow thousands of French residents who have lived in the territory for more than 10 years to vote.
He says the ultimate aim is still to sign the measure into law - but the president says it won't be done by force.
President Macron says it will happen only if peace returns and a broader pact on the island's future can be forged.
"My wish here with the ministers and the government is to be at the side of the population so that as quickly as possible we have the return of peace, calm and security. That is the main priority."
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A company that tried to foreclose on the iconic Graceland estate in the United States is now being investigated for fraud.
Naussany Investments & Private Lending had tried to auction off Graceland, alleging that Elvis Presley's late daughter Lisa Maree had used the building as collateral for a loan that was never repaid.
But a Tennessee judge blocked the sale after the notary
public listed on Naussany's documents said she had never met Lisa Marie or notarised her signature.
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Elon Musk has suffered another legal defeat in Australia.
The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal has ruled that X - formerly known as Twitter - has to answer to the state's anti-discrimination laws despite being based in America.
The ruling stems from a complaint from the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network, who alleged the platform should be responsible for posts on its site vilifying Muslims because it is a publisher.
The content originated on a far-right conspiracy blog, before being subsequently posted on X.
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The Australian Border Force has burned and sunk dozens of fishing boats it says entered the nation's waters illegally.
Operation Sovereign Borders Commander Rear Admiral Brett Sonter says more than 200 boats have been seized in two operations in Australia's north, with 48 of those sunk and 1000 fishermen arrested.
Cabinet minister Jason Clare has told Channel 7 the destruction of the boats serves as a warning to fishermen who want to flout the law.
"Illegal fishing is a serious thing. Anyone coming into our backyard and stealing things out of your backyard is serious. You've got Indonesian fishermen lured out into the high seas, into our backyard, to steal things like shark fins or sea cucumbers. The only way to stop it is to burn their boats. Send a message that if you do this then you will lose the most valuable thing you have got, your boat."
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Bird flu has been detected at a second Victorian farm.
The case of avian influenza was confirmed at a property in Terang, 200 kilometres southwest of Melbourne.
The site is linked to an egg farm in Meredith, 130 kilometres away, because both farms share management, staff and machinery.
A mass culling of 400,000 chickens is currently taking place at the Meredith farm, after a number of poultry died from the same virus.
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The N-B-A has closed its investigation into Australian player Josh Giddey, who had been accused of an improper relationship with an underage girl.
Police in Newport Beach, California, announced in January they wouldn't pursue charges, saying they were "unable to corroborate any criminal activity."
E-S-P-N has now reported that the N-B-A is closing its own investigation.
The 21-year-old was not suspended during the inquiry, continuing to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder side during their run to the Western Conference semi-finals.
