TRANSCRIPT
- Former Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama arrested on allegations of abuse of office
- A court in the United States has ruled Donald Trump can be prosecuted over plotting to overturn the 2020 election
- Country music star Toby Keith has died at the age of 62
Former Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been arrested on historic allegations of abuse of office.
The charge stems from accusations that in September 2011 he recklessly abused his position as PM by waiving through a tender bid for hospital engineering services.
Mr Bainimarama's ex-attorney general and the country's former health minister have also been charged.
The trio is due to face court today.
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A court in the United States has ruled Donald Trump no longer has presidential immunity and can be prosecuted over plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
The former president is expected to appeal against the ruling.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has charged Donald Trump with conspiring to overturn the election result.
The legal proceedings have delayed a trial which had been set down to start early next month.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo as part of his fifth visit to the Middle East since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
Mr Blinken hopes to press ahead for a potential ceasefire deal as well as post-war planning.
His visit also follows concerns in Egypt about Israel's stated intentions to expand combat in Gaza to areas on the Egyptian border that have displaced Palestinians.
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The fate of thousands of sheep and cattle stuck on a vessel off Perth remains in limbo as animal advocates raise concerns a fresh application to export them could be made.
More than 16,000 animals have been packed aboard the ship since January the 5th, when it sailed for the Middle East from Fremantle before being ordered to abandon its voyage due to Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry rejected the exporter’s request to again send the livestock towards the Middle East, citing health and welfare concerns.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt says he'd like to see the matter resolved as quickly as possible.
"They have the responsibility to come up with a proposal for what is done with these livestock now. But the department has made clear that they stand ready and willing to assist the exporter with whatever decision and whatever proposal they come up with. And in fact, my department has been working with the exporter and a range of meat industry bodies within Australia to develop some possible options for the exporter to consider. So, I certainly would like to see this matter resolved as quickly as possible, but ultimately that rests in the hands of the exporter."
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Federal Police have charged two men over the alleged importation of over 90 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The drugs with an estimated street value of 80 million dollars originated in Guatemala and arrived in Brisbane disguised in a coffee grinder.
The AFP tracked the shipment to a home in Sydney where they arrested two men last week.
AFP commander John Tanti says the interception's a blow for the syndicate.
"Had the import been successful, it would have made members of the syndicate rich, but it would have caused havoc on the streets of Australia. Thanks to the vigilance of ABF and the tenacity of AFP investigators. I'm pleased to say that this has not happened. criminal syndicates go to great lengths to conceal their activities, but it is impossible to hide from the AFP."
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Country music star Toby Keith has died at the age of 62.
Keith sold tens of millions of records after rising to fame in the early 1990s with songs such as Should've Been a Cowboy which topped the country music chart.
In June 2022, Keith announced he'd been diagnosed with stomach cancer.
