TRANSCRIPT
- Harvey Weinstein's 2020 sexual assault and rape conviction overturned by New York's highest court.
- Muslim community leaders accuse police of stoking Islamophobia in Sydney.
- High-flying Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan sets a record for the longest ski jump.
Entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction for sexual assault and rape has been overturned by New York's highest court.
The landmark case is recognised for launching the #MeToo movement and highlighting the challenges of holding powerful men accountable.
In a bitterly divided 4-3 decision, the state Court of Appeals said the trial judge made a critical mistake by letting women testify that Weinstein assaulted them, even though their accusations were not part of the charges he faced.
The court said the trial judge compounded the error by letting Weinstein be cross-examined on a broad range of "loathsome" conduct, including bullying and fits of anger toward associates, that portrayed him in a "highly prejudicial" light.
#MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke says it's particularly devastating for the victims.
"Many people, many survivors and those who love and support survivors probably thought that that original verdict meant that there was going to be a change, that it marked a change and marked a difference in how this justice system was going to move and operate. And I think that we felt, and a lot of us felt, that we were on a road to seeing a different America and this moment makes it feel like we were wrong."
The 72-year-old has been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York.
He is not expected to be freed immediately, as he also faces a separate 16-year prison term in California after being convicted there last year for the 2013 rape of an actress at a Los Angeles hotel.
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Muslim community leaders have accused police of stoking Islamophobia in the community by saying Islam was the motivation for the stabbing of a bishop in western Sydney.
This follows a counter-terrorism operation in connection with the stabbing which has seen the arrest of seven children with charges laid against five of the boys.
Police undertook 13 raids at homes across southwestern Sydney on Wednesday, arresting associates of the 16-year-old alleged stabber that authorities have accused of what they call a "religiously motivated" terrorist act.
Muslim community leaders have rejected this choice of terminology, with Rita Jabri Markwell of the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network telling SBS it implies that Muslim Australians may be prone to acts of violence.
"Terrorism is defined as politically motivated violence. So the most accurate language is to say that something's politically motivated. But, there's been a decision over the years to link it to religion which means the Australian public might be worried that any Muslim as a result of their religion is going to suddenly become violent."
The Australian Federal Police has told SBS that it "takes pride in its ongoing relationship with culturally and linguistically diverse communities and keeping people safe through proactive community engagement".
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Twenty-nine whales have died but over 100 have been rescued after a mass stranding at a beach south of Perth in Western Australia.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions says the surviving whales, which were spread across 500 metres of the beach, were helped out to sea where another two pods were sticking together offshore.
Up to 160 pilot whales beached themselves at Toby Inlet near Dunsborough, more than 250 kilometres from Perth, on Thursday.
Regional Wildlife Officer Pia Courtis says they're now removing the bodies of the 29 dead whales and monitoring the status of those who were rescued.
"Currently at the moment we're in the stage of removing them off the beach and taking measurements and samples. So we've got vessels out on the water and we've also got a spotter plane up in the air that's doing searches every couple of hours just to see where they are. And, so far, so good. They haven't made it back to shore but we'll keep monitoring them."
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In sport,
High-flying Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan has set a record for the longest ski jump when he flew a distance of 291-metres on an improvised ramp at an Icelandic ski resort.
Kobayashi had originally aimed for the 300 metre mark, but after reaching 291-metres he decided to end his attempts.
The venue in Iceland was a temporary ski jump that was specially-built for the attempt by Red Bull and will now be dismantled.
The 27-year-old ski jumper was very pleased with the result.
"Today is an amazing day. I fly 291 metres, break the world record. It's amazing day."
But according to FIS, the international governing body for ski jumping, Kobayashi's jump will not be considered a world record because it did not take place under competition conditions and in line with their regulations.
The current world record holder in ski jumping will remain Austria's Stefan Kraft with 253.5 meters.
