TRANSCRIPT
- Two men who murdered Indigenous teenager Cassius Turvey receive a life sentence
- The US brokers a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Australian teenager Rocco Zikarsky one of four Australians selected in the NBA draft
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Two men have been sentenced to life in prison over the killing of Aboriginal schoolboy Cassius Turvey in Western Australia's Supreme Court.
The judge said the 15-year-old boy was robbed of his life in a brutal act which can never be made right.
Jack Brearley and Brodie Palmer will need to serve at least 22 and 18 years respectively before they're eligible for parole.
Cassius' mother Michelle spoke outside court after the sentencing.
"The first thing that came to mind when Jack Brearley was sentenced to life was how he said my son had learnt his lesson after he had bashed him in the bush ... Well, he learnt a life lesson now."
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The US Supreme Court has issued a ruling that curbs the ability of lone judges to block the powers of President Donald Trump nationwide.
In a 6-3 ruling stemming from the bid to end birthright citizenship in the US, the court says nationwide injunctions by individual district court judges likely exceed their authority.
Critics say the decision will embolden Mr Trump's aggressive use of executive orders to further his agenda.
Donald Trump, however rejects concerns about the concentration of power in the White House.
He says the ruling is a giant win.
"So thanks to this decision, we can now promptly file to proceed with these numerous policies, those that have been wrongly enjoined in a nationwide basis, including birthright citizenship, ending sanctuary city funding, suspending refugee resettlement, freezing unnecessary funding, stopping federal taxpayers from paying for transgender surgeries and numerous other priorities of the American people."
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a peace deal facilitated by the US to help end decades of deadly fighting in the region.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took part in the signing ceremony in Washington, along with the foreign ministers of the two African nations.
The conflict has been described by the UN as "one of the most protracted, complex and serious humanitarian crises on Earth".
With roots in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, it has displaced seven million people in the Congo, and escalated earlier this year with M23 rebels seizing major cities in the eastern part of the DRC.
DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner says the deal offers a rare chance to turn things around with real change on the ground.
"With this peace agreement, we open a new chapter, one that calls not only for commitment, but for the courage to see it through. By signing this agreement, we reaffirm a simple truth. Peace is a choice, but also responsibility. To respect international law. To uphold human rights and to protect the sovereignty of states."
A senior New South Wales Labor staffer has told an that inquiry Premier Chris Minns characterised the Dural Caravan plot as terrorism during a press conference because of a briefing provided by police.
The Premier's Chief of Staff James Cullen is among five government political advisers appearing before the inquiry that is examining what the state government staffers knew about an apparent terrorist plot, which investigators later revealed to be a hoax.
The inquiry is examining what the government knew about the caravan plot and when, amid concerns parliament may have been misled before passing controversial hate speech laws.
Mr Cullen told the hearing the premier described the event as a terrorist attack because it was the language used by police in a briefing, despite police also alerting the public there were “alternative lines” of inquiry.
"Potential mass casualty event was not a term thrown around lightly at all. That was a very serious thing that was introduced by police in those briefings. I think that there has been a bit of a squashing here after the fact. The potential for that caravan with that explosives and so ignited could have been devastating and that had to be treated seriously."
Australian teenager Rocco Zikarsky will start his NBA career at Minnesota, after being recruited with pick No.45 in the draft.
Rising talent Zikarsky, who is 2.2 metres tall, was one of four players from the NBL's Next Star program to declare for the draft.
The 18-year-old from the Sunshine Coast was overlooked on the first night of the event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
But Zikarsky was snapped up with the 15th pick of the second round.
Fellow Australians Tyrese Proctor, Alex Toohey and Lachlan Olbrich were drafted soon after.
