The antisemitism Royal Commission hears concerns over a video targeting a prominent Jewish leader; Nigel Farage quits as an MP amid donation allegations; a ban on Russian athletes competing at the Olympic Games is lifted.
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- The antisemitism Royal Commission hears concerns over a video targeting a prominent Jewish leader
- Nigel Farage quits as an MP amid donation allegations
- Ban on Russian athletes competing at the Olympic Games lifted.
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YouTube has been questioned at the Antisemitism Royal Commission over a video questioning whether a prominent Jewish Australian was a victim of the Bondi terror attack.
The inquiry has heard that the video about survivor Arsen Ostrovsky has been allowed to remain online despite a review at the highest levels and suggestions it constitutes a clear breach of YouTube's rules.
YouTube's community guidelines prohibit hatred against people who are victims of a major violent event, including by denying the event happened.
But senior manager of government affairs and public policy, Rachel Lord, has told the Commission that the clip did not violate YouTube's policies.
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The Opposition is calling for a boost in defence spending in response to China's ballistic missile test in the South Pacific earlier this week.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticised China for the move, labelling it a 'provocative act', while Defence Minister Richard Marles says the incident reinforces the need for closer ties in the Pacific.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor says he supports strong partnerships in the region, but that the government should also increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP.
"This was an act of provocation, intimidation, and it is unwelcome. We want to see a peaceful and stable South Pacific. This is not the way to a peaceful and stable South Pacific. Uh, we've asked the government for a briefing on this. We look forward to receiving this, uh, but the truth is, we want to see a South Pacific free of the interference of the PLA and the CCP."
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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced he will quit his seat in Parliament and seek re-election after being linked to allegations over millions of dollars’ worth of donations.
Farage has been facing a parliamentary standards investigation about undeclared and potentially rule-breaking donations, including a multi-million dollar gift he received from a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire.
A finding of wrongdoing could lead to Mr Farage being suspended or expelled from Parliament.
He says he decided to make the first move by triggering a by-election for his seaside seat of Clacton in eastern England.
"I’ve done nothing wrong. Now, I've decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions. This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. It's a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment to frankly, tell them where to go. And that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by election. I will fight to win."
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Two people have died and around 48-thousand have been evacuated in Southern China, as Typhoon Maysak continues to impact the region.
Search and rescue efforts continue for at least sixteen people who remain buried after a landslide in the western province of Gansu.
In South Asia, monsoon rains have caused landslides in Bangladesh, killing eight people, and at least sixteen people have died in rain and flash floods across India.
Nitin Sonar is among those rescued from flood waters in the western peninsula state of Maharashtra.
"The water level has been increasing (since the morning) because it has been raining continuously for the last two-three days. As soon as we called the rescue team, they responded very well. They reached the spot in an hour and rescued everyone."
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NATO has announced billions of dollars in arms deals ahead of US President Donald Trump's arrival in Türkiye for the 2026 summit.
The trans-Atlantic military alliance has showcased a series of military projects worth billions of dollars in an apparent attempt to appease the US leader, who has previously branded the alliance a 'paper tiger' that would cease to function without US arms and leadership.
Among them is an agreement for Swedish manufacturer Saab to supply up to 10 new GlobalEye surveillance aircraft for a 10-nation consortium.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says the projects are money well spent.
"We cannot continue as we did, being over-reliant on the United States. We need this much stronger Europe in a stronger NATO, and we can only get there when we work together seamlessly as one, using and leveraging each other's strengths. And that's what we are doing."
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The International Olympic Committee has lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, marking a significant step towards Russia's reintegration into the Olympic fold ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Russia had been suspended in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
The IOC says the decision is provisional, and that it has not ruled yet on whether Russia can display its flag, colours or have its anthem played at the Games.
