TRANSCRIPT
- Western Australia's Opposition Leader denies bullying allegations
- One dead in Kenyan protests against government plans to raise taxes
- Veteran utility Kurtley Beale gets a surprise recall to the Wallabies squad
Western Australia's Opposition Leader Shane Love has denied bullying his former Nationals colleague Louise Kingston, who has quit the party over the allegations.
Mr Love says he doesn't know what he allegedly did to Ms Kingston and that he had tried to contact her but received no response.
He has suggested that the allegations are the result of "a difficult and bruising pre-selection process".
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A Sydney bartender who uploaded hundreds of photographs of people he knew onto a porn website has been sentenced to jail for 9 years.
38-year-old Andrew Thomas Hayler had pleaded guilty to 28 charges over an offence involving 26 women between July 2020 and August 2022.
This woman, one of those affected, says the group is relieved the case is now over.
"It felt very healing, all being together, and sitting down together and being able to hold each other's hands and hug and all of those things. It was very supportive. It was healing - and it was closure, I think."
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China and Australia have agreed to give each other access to multi-entry visas for tourism and business.
The announcement has been made by China's Foreign Ministry in what is being seen as another sign of improving ties between the two countries, following Premier Li Qiang's milestone trip to Australia.
Since 2023, China has been easing entry requirements for visitors from some countries to facilitate travel for business and pleasure, following three years of harsh COVID-19 restrictions that had largely shut its international borders.
In Australia, previously Chinese citizens could apply for visas of up to one year to visit the country, or up to 10 years for frequent travellers.
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One person has been killed and at least 200 people injured across Kenya during protests against government plans to raise taxes.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has alleged the 29 year old's death is result of a police shooting.
Five rights groups - which include Amnesty International and the Kenya Medical Association - have said in a joint statement that police were firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi, and that the presence of spent cartridges implies the use of live rounds.
Rights activist Khalid Hussein says the man's death is evidence of disturbing official conduct.
"It's really shocking to learn that we are living in a country where youth are losing their lives for merely exercising their constitutional rights. And they were doing so peaceably. They were not armed, as everyone saw. This was one of the most peace processions we have ever seen in this country. And despite that the police had the guts to use excessive force and kill innocent youth."
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Former detainees abused at Tasmania's youth detention centre have reached a settlement in their class action against the state.
Their suit alleged 129 children were abused between 1960 and 2023 at Ashley Youth Detention Centre, formerly called the Ashley Home for Boys, with detainees allegedly subjected to naked strip searches, isolation and beatings as punishment.
The in-principle settlement is understood to be in the order of $75 million.
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A new survey has found most people in Australia want to see the federal government strengthen its commitments to climate change.
The People's Climate Vote, the world’s largest standalone public opinion survey on climate change, has found that 74 per cent of Australians want stronger federal government pledges on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while just over half say they're more worried about climate change than they were last year.
The report has also found Australia is in the top 5 countries where the proportion of women who wanted stronger climate commitments was larger than men.
Climate Council of Australia Senior Researcher Dr Wesley Morgan says that's consistent with other findings.
"So it's often women who are leading the response when there are disasters in communities in Australia. And so it's not an accident that it's women who are concerned about these impacts that they're seeing around them. So we're seeing people who have been made homeless by flooding. We've seen people who've been made homeless by fires in Australia, and so that's not a surprising result."
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Kurtley Beale is one of two First Nations players named in the Wallabies squad for the tests against Georgia and Wales.
His shock recall to Joe Schmidt's much-anticipated first Wallabies squad-naming since replacing Eddie Jones as coach means the veteran 35 year old utility could be headed to the 100-Test club.
But Dylan Pietsch's call up has come as less of a surprise.
The 26-year-old winger has shown his versatilty this season with the Waratahs, and says he's honoured to join Beale on the list of Indigenous players to have played for the Wallabies.
"Being the 15th, there's only been 14. Being the 15th would be really cool, and hopefully I can get that, not only just for me, but hopefully what it can create for other people and other Indigenous players within rugby. I think that's my goal."
