TRANSCRIPT:
- The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says she will continue her husband's work.
- Victorian power blackout sparks a push for an inquiry into network reliability
- Queensland calls for the relocation of the Australian Institute of Sport from Canberra to the Sunshine State.
The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, says she will continue her husband's fight for a free Russia, and has called on supporters to battle President Vladimir Putin with greater intensity.
In a video message she also said President Putin "killed" her husband, and that she will work with Russian people to create a new "free" Russia.
Ms Navalnaya has also accused the Russian authorities of hiding her husband's body.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied any Russian government involvement in Alexei Navalny's death.
He says an investigation into Mr Navalny's death is being conducted in accordance with Russian law.
"It is underway and all necessary actions in this action are being carried out, but so far the results of this investigation have not been public and in fact they are unknown."
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Russian military sources say their forces have completed their takeover of Avdiivka by eliminating the last pocket of resistance in the eastern Ukrainian city.
It comes just days ahead of the second anniversary of its full-scale invasion of its neighbour on February 24, 2022.
Ukrainian forces had confirmed they had pulled out of the devastated city, which had a pre-war population of around 32,000.
The fall of Avdiivka is Russia's biggest gain since it captured the city of Bakhmut in May 2023.
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Former immigration department deputy secretary Abul Rizvi says it is "almost inevitable" there will be unauthorised boat arrivals in Australia.
39 men arrived by boat near the remote Western Australia community of Beagle Bay last week.
Mr Rizvi has warned politicians to be careful with debates arising from the situation and their rhetoric surrounding boat arrivals, saying it could encourage more arrivals.
He says it is important not to overstate the situation.
"I think we've got to remember we've got a very, very big coastline along the west. The sea between Australia and Indonesia is huge. The number of fishing boats that look almost identical to an asylum seeker boat is huge. The chances of a boat being missed is always there, despite the efficiency of our navy. One or two boats will get through - that's just almost inevitable. I think we just need to accept that rather than just getting into this hysterical panic."
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One of the biggest power blackouts in Victorian history has prompted a push for an inquiry into the reliability of the state's transmission network.
Last week around 530,000 homes and businesses lost power when storms swept across the state, bringing down hundreds of power lines.
Most customers had their power returned within 24 hours, but tens of thousands spent several nights in the dark and some still remain off the grid.
Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto has accused the state government of failing to act on previous network reliability warnings and flagged plans to set up a parliamentary inquiry.
He says the storms are becoming more frequent and people are suffering unnecessarily.
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Sydney's asbestos-mulch scandal has spread to Canberra with the potentially contaminated product sold for at least nine months in the capital.
An ACT landscaping business is continuing to contact customers after the product, sold as cottage mulch, was confirmed to have originated at Sydney's Greenlife Resource Recovery.
More than 40 sites that used Greenlife's product, including schools and supermarkets, have had bonded asbestos found in their mulch.
Some 24 companies and 27 addresses in and around Canberra bought the product from ACT landscaping supply company Stonehenge Beltana between March and November 2023.
The ACT Environment Protection Authority says it has acted to prevent further sale.
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The Queensland Premier has thrown his support behind calls to relocate the Australian Institute of Sport from Canberra to the Sunshine State ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
Premier Steven Miles has questioned why Queenslanders had to travel to the nation's capital to train, saying they made up the majority of Australia's Olympic and Paralympic teams at each Games.
Mr Miles says Queensland offered superior weather, lifestyle and economy that could offer jobs alongside training.
An independent review into AIS facilities was released to the federal government this month and found the infrastructure should remain in Canberra while being revitalised.
