TRANSCRIPT:
- A man killed in a boat capsizing off the Queensland coast;
- Brittany Higgins loses her defamation battle against ex boss and former senator Linda Reynolds;
- Retired West Coast player Mitch Brown comes out as bisexual
A man has died after a boat overturned in waters off Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
Queensland Police say the boat was struck by a wave around 5am this morning, throwing its occupants into the water.
Four people onboard managed to get to shore through treacherous waves - one helped by the lid of an esky - but the boat driver was not able to.
His name has not yet been released to the public, but Chief Inspector Jason Overland of Sunshine Coast Police says he was a notable person in the area.
"It's my understanding that the captain of the vessel was a well-known charter boat operator and was taking people out on fishing tours, and has been doing so for some time. So, yes, it's a loss to the community."
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Police are still combing through dense bushland in Victoria's high country for a man accused of killing two officers in cold blood and wounding another as they tried to serve a search warrant.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says ASIO and the Australian Federal Police have joined local officers and investigators in the hunt for Desi Freeman, a 56 year old Porepunkah local known for having views consistent with the sovereign citizen movement.
Police are urging the town's 1000 residents to remain indoors and those in nearby areas to stay away.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush has also urged residents not to help Freeman evade police.
"Don't support this person. He's very dangerous... He does not deserve anyone's assistance."
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The Iranian ambassador has left the Middle Eastern nation's embassy in Canberra after being declared persona non grata by Australian officials.
Ahmad Sadeghi is the first ambassador to be booted by the federal government since World War II, following revelations from ASIO that the Iranian government had directed at least two attacks on Jewish premises and was suspected of involvement in others.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government is also now drafting laws to list Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation.
The moves have been welcomed by many, including the Iranian Women's Association, with Nos Husseini telling SBS she and her family in Australia have experienced first hand attempts by the Iranian regime to instil fear in the community.
"Members of my family in Iran have been harassed and targeted and interrogated and even imprisoned because of our outspokenness and our activities here in Australia. And there have been attempts to silence us. Our personal cars have been tampered with, decapitated animals have been sent to my parents' doorstep here in Australia, here in Melbourne as a means to silence us."
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Australia's defence minister has held talks in Washington with US Vice President JD Vance.
It's understood the meeting between Richard Marles and Vance also included US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Marle's visit to the US has come amid a Pentagon review into the AUKUS pact, and is the most senior face to face meeting between the two nations since Donald Trump's return to the White House - even as Anthony Albanese is yet to secure a meeting with the President.
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Heavy rain has set off a landslide on a famed Hindu pilgrimage route in India's northern region of Jammu, killing at least 30 people.
The landslide is said to have taken place near the shrine of Vaishno Devi on the pilgrims' route.
The extent of the disaster however remains unclear.
The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, says authorities are still trying to restore phone services in the region where communication is reportedly "almost nonexistent".
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Briefly in other news,
Brittany Higgins has a lost a high profile defamation battle against her former boss Linda Reynolds.
The ex-senator has been awarded $315,000 damages after WA Supreme Court Justice Paul Tottle found alleged sexual assault victim Higgins defamed her in social media posts.
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In Victoria, a student has died in a school bus rollover near Geelong, with at least 9 others taken to hospital.
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And Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has announced plans to introduce a child sex offender register in the state for the first time ever.
Legislation has been introduced to Queensland parliament to establish the registry under Daniel's Law, named after the 13-year-old who was abducted and murdered in 2003.
"Because I back Queenslanders, and I'll choose parents over paedophiles. And there will be safeguards in place, but the vast majority of people just want to keep their kids safe. And they've got every right to do that."
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To sport and in AFL news,
Former West Coast defender Mitch Brown has become the first AFL player in history to publicly identify as bisexual.
He's made the declaration in an interview with the Daily Aus.
BROWN: "I played in the AFL for ten years for the West Coast Eagles, and I am a bisexual man."
REPORTER: "That's a really big thing to say."
BROWN: "Yeah."
Brown's statement comes at a pivotal moment in the game as it reckons with its internal culture.
Adelaide's Izak Rankine has become the latest player to be banned for a homophobic slur, and the AFL itself says it's determined to stamp out discrimination.
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