TRANSCRIPT
- A gunman kills 15 people at a university in Prague;
- Defence Minister Richard Marles defends the federal government's Red Sea taskforce rejection;
- A decision by the European Court of Justice is set to bring a major shake-up in the world of football.
A gunman has killed at least 15 people and seriously wounded 24 others at a university in Prague.
Police say the shooter was a student at the university and his father has been found dead in a nearby village.
Czech police say they were responding to the shooting at Charles University, before reporting the shooter had been eliminated.
Interior Minister Vit Rakusan says investigators don't suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups.
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A United Nations report has described practices used in Australian prisons as inhumane, degrading and in certain cases even torturous.
The scathing report into Australia's treatment of prisoners has been delivered by the UN, despite initial attempts to block the inspection.
A UN subcommittee on the prevention of torture tried to enter the country in October 2022 but they were forced to push back their trip as they were denied access to several facilities in New South Wales and Queensland.
According to the report, children had been handcuffed and shackled on a routine basis, without consideration on whether such measures were necessary.
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Out-of-control bushfires in Western Australia have lead to the injury of two men and the destruction of homes.
An emergency warning has been issued for the Western Australian suburb of Parkerville as the blaze continues to threaten lives and homes.
The two men have been transported to a hospital by paramedics, although neither of them faces life threatening injuries.
Footage from social media shows a home covered in flames as fire crews continue their efforts to contain the blaze.
WA Premier Roger Cook says the weather is not on their side and this will be another challenging period.
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Defence Minister Richard Marles says Australia will continue to play a significant role in all major global events.
It comes as the federal government has turned down a request by the United States for a warship to support efforts in the Red Sea of protecting commercial ships from attacks by Houthi militants.
The Red Sea trade route is one of the world's largest, but recently ships going through the area have been subjected to attacks, forcing companies to take different directions in a costly decision.
Mr Marles says that despite this decision, Australia will be there when it matters.
"As events happen around the world, we will participate in them. We will make sure that Australia's flag is there where it meets our national interests. It's what we're doing in Ukraine, for example. But in terms of where our focus needs to be, it has to be in our region."
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The amount of damage from ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper is slowly being revealed in northern Queensland.
Authorities have confirmed more than 1,400 homes have been damaged and 3,500 are still without power.
Those without insurance coverage will be eligible for a $50,000 federal government grant to cover the cost of repairs.
That’s on top of emergency disaster payments that have already been made available.
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt has called for the community to support those who are suffering.
"This is a time that we all need to band together. Whether we're insured, uninsured. Whether we live in the northern beaches, whether we live in other parts of Australia. And I thank people from the rest of the country for chipping in donations and other things as well. But we'll stand with the far north Queensland communities as long as it takes to get them back up on their feet cause it's a bloody beautiful part of the world."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to visit the flood-affected areas to see the scale of the disaster for himself.
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A judge in the United States has exonerated a man who spent almost 50 years in prison for murder.
71-year-old Glynn Simmons is the longest serving inmate in the US to be declared innocent.
He was released in July after after more than 48 years behind bars because key evidence in this case wasn't given to his lawyers.
Mr Simmons is eligible for $260,000 in compensation from the state of Oklahoma for wrongful conviction.
He is currently living off the proceeds of donations while being treated for cancer.
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In football, a court decision has blasted wide open a potential return of the European Super League.
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice has ruled that both FIFA and UEFA have acted against European Union competition law by attempting to sanction the participating teams.
The European Super League was to be formed by several major clubs in mid-2021 from across the continent, independently from the governing bodies.
But they were eventually forced to give up on the new tournament after mounting pressure from FIFA, UEFA, the fans and government officials.
Joan Laporta, President of Barcelona, one of the three clubs alongside Juventus and Real Madrid who continue to support the idea of this independent league, says the courts decision opens new opportunities for football.
"We believe that, as of this moment, a historic opportunity is now open to try to show some of the serious problems that currently jeopardise the future of viability of the vast majority of clubs."
