Key Points
- A couple found A couple is found dead in Far North Queensland
- Calls for an independent inquiry into death of disabled indigenous man
- New South Wales wins game one of State of Origin
TRANSCRIPT
A husband and wife have been found dead with gunshot wounds inside a home in northern Australia.
Police say a nine-year-old girl raised the alarm before the bodies of the married couple were found inside a home at Mount Sheridan, in Cairns.
Detective Alina Bell says investigators do not believe the little girl was present or witnessed any of the incident that occurred.
"Police have established that the male and female were known to each other and there is no ongoing threat to the public. The male and female did not have a domestic violence history. There was no history of mental health issues."
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Pressure is growing for an independent inquiry after the death of a disabled Indigenous man in police custody.
The death of the 24-year-old man is being probed as part of a death in custody investigation by Northern Territory authorities - but Amnesty International Australia has called for it to be conducted independently from NT Police to ensure impartiality.
The 24-year-old man died after being restrained by two plain clothes police officers who reportedly pinned him down after responding to an alleged shoplifting incident at the store.
Assistant Police Commissioner Travis Wurst has told reporters the man was acting aggressively and lost consciousness after being placed on the ground by the officers.
But Senator Lidia Thorpe and the First Peoples Disability Network says the man was disabled, on the NDIS, and under state guardianship.
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The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, says the new U-S backed aid model in Gaza is a distraction from Israel's ongoing atrocities in the enclave.
At least three people were killed and 47 injured when Israeli forces fired shots at thousands of people lining up for aid at a new distribution centre.
Phillipe Lazarrini says the new U-S Israeli system does not abide by humanitarian principles, calling it undignified, chaotic and unsafe.
The UN says the new system may allow Israel to use food as a weapon to control Palestinians.
Speaking to SBS, UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram says this is not how aid should be distributed.
"Having been in Gaza and being part of a distribution that works where vulnerable families get the aid in a dignified in principled manner, seeing this level of chaos and danger to civilians is heartbreaking. This is, to us, not how it is done and it's an inevitable consequence of what is simply an unworkable plan."
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.
The meeting has taken place as Kyiv seeks further military support amid a recent escalation in Russia's bombing campaign, despite US-led efforts to end the war.
For the second time in a week, President Donald Trump has engaged in rare public criticism of Vladimir Putin, describing the Russian leader as “playing with fire” by being slow on ceasefire talks.
In response, the Kremlin has said they are grateful for Trump's peace efforts and will announce the next round of talks with Ukraine soon.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t like to comment (on Donald Trump’s latest critical statement about Russian President Vladimir Putin). It is clear that the American side and President Trump personally who put in tremendous effort for peace settlement, want to settle the conflict quickly. And I am repeating once again that we are thankful for President Trump’s mediation efforts.”
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There are fears that Donald Trump's recent crackdown on U-S universities has put millions of dollars’ worth of funding for Australian research at risk.
The US President is stripping billions in grant money from Harvard University after the school pushed back on the administration's demands for unprecedented oversight over the curriculum, research and admissions.
As the US's largest research partner, the Australian Academy of Science estimates that up to $386 million in funding for Australian research is at risk.
However, UNSW professor Richard Holden has told the National Press Club that the crackdown could be a chance for Australia to step and be a world leader in research.
"With the US stepping back from its leadership role, Australia has a chance to step up in coming months and years. Many leading US researchers may be looking to move their labs, their families and their lives abroad. If we act decisively, Australia can be as or more attractive a destination for those researchers as Europe."
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New South Wales has scored the first State of Origin win of the year with an 18 by 6 victory over Queensland Maroons.
The Blues dominated the first half and carried strong momentum throughout the game.
The Maroons were unable to make a comeback, as they faced back-to-back handling mistakes.
New South Wales Captain Isaah Yeo says the win is a tribute to the team's preparation and training.
"We trained really well, we had discussions about it, it's obviously one thing doing that, another thing putting it out on the field and I just thought we did that really well tonight, we obviously made it hard for ourselves a couple of times in that second half, but I just thought the way we started the game, and the way we executed it when we had opportunities, I was really proud of the boys for that."
The next game will be held in Perth on June 18th.
