TRANSCRIPT
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra removed from office.
The hunt for a man suspected of killing two police officers continues in Victoria.
And in sport, Roosters thrash Storm 40–10.
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Thailand’s Constitutional Court has dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, ruling she breached ethics in a phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen.
The judges voted six to three that her conduct undermined national interests, bringing an abrupt end to the term of the country’s youngest premier and dealing another blow to the Shinawatra dynasty.
The June call, leaked just weeks before a deadly border clash, showed Ms Paetongtarn addressing Hun Sen as uncle and criticising a Thai army general.
She argues it was a tactic to ease tensions.
After the verdict, she told reporters she would respect the court’s decision, while calling for unity.
“All parties: government, opposition and the people, everybody should come together building political stability and bring back the strength of our politics. Don’t allow a swiftly political change like this one to happen again.”
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A massive manhunt is continuing in Victoria’s high country for fugitive Dezi Freeman, accused of killing two police officers earlier this week.
The 56-year-old has been on the run since Tuesday after fleeing into bushland following a fatal confrontation at a property in Porepunkah, about 300 kilometres northeast of Melbourne.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, aged 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, aged 35, were both killed.
Search efforts by hundreds of officers have been hampered by blizzard conditions, with winds of up to 115 kilometres an hour, thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail.
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Australia’s leaders have condemned rallies linked to white-nationalist extremists, warning of potential violence as anti-racism and anti-immigration groups prepare to face off in capital cities on Sunday.
The demonstrations, organised by a group called March for Australia, are demanding an end to what they describe as mass migration.
Security experts fear the protests could turn violent, with terrorism researchers cautioning that the rhetoric risks dividing communities and inflaming tensions.
Authorities say they will closely monitor events nationwide to prevent clashes that could destabilise social cohesion.
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The United States has announced it will deny visas to Palestinian Authority officials seeking to attend next month’s United Nations General Assembly, where Australia and several allies are expected to recognise a Palestinian state.
The Trump administration says it refuses to “reward terrorism”, a move that further aligns Washington with Israel.
The Palestinian Authority, which was not involved in the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas in Gaza, condemned the decision as a breach of international law and the U-N Headquarters Agreement.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar thanked the US for what he called a bold step, while UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric urged Washington to reconsider so all parties can be represented at the summit.
“We obviously hope that this will be resolved. It is important that all member states, permanent observers, be able to be represented, especially I think in this case with the, as we know, the upcoming two-state solution meeting that France and Saudi Arabia will host at the beginning of the GA."
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Hundreds of Indonesians have taken to the streets of Jakarta after a ride-share driver was killed by a police vehicle during clashes near parliament.
The death of Affan Kurniawan has triggered some of the largest protests since President Prabowo Subianto took office, with demonstrators demanding police reform.
Schools sent pupils home early and banks asked staff to work remotely as crowds gathered outside parliament and police headquarters.
One ride-share driver, Pendy Nasir, says the law must apply equally to all.
"Whoever is at fault, please take action. Whether it's the authorities or anyone else. What I mean is, don't let this law only be sharp at the bottom not at upper level."
Protesters defied calls for calm from President Prabowo, who expressed condolences and ordered a full investigation.
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Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has blasted his players after what he called an embarrassing collapse against the Sydney Roosters, just a week out from the N-R-L finals.
Marking Bellamy’s 600th game in charge, the Storm surrendered a 10–0 half-time lead at AAMI Park before crashing to a 40–10 defeat.
It was the worst second-half performance in the club’s history, with only five completed sets, 25 missed tackles and seven tries conceded, four of them to winger Mark Nawaqanitawase.
The result ends Melbourne’s hopes of securing the minor premiership, which will instead go to Canberra when they host the Wests Tigers on Saturday.
