Key Points
- Police arrest, release two people as day four of search for Dezi Freeman is underway
- Man faces court charged with murdering a mother, wounding her child
- Australia’s Alexei Popyrin is out of the US Open after defeat by the world number one
TRANSCRIPT
Victoria Police have taken two people into custody as part of an investigation into the fatal shooting of two police officers in Porepunkah.
A 42-year-old woman and 15-year-old boy were arrested at a property in the regional Victorian town overnight.
The pair were interviewed and released pending further enquiries.
The search for 56-year-old Dezi Freeman continues its fourth day, and an investigation is ongoing.
Mr Freeman fled into bushland near Porepunkuh in the state's northeast on Tuesday, after he allegedly killed Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.
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A man has been charged over the alleged kidnapping and murder of a Western Sydney woman earlier this year.
Police allege the 29-year-old man facilitated a gunpoint abduction of the 45-year-old woman from her Bankstown home in Sydney's southwest in front of her two sons, aged eight and 15.
The younger boy was allegedly beaten over the head with a baseball bat during the attack, and the woman was found dead in a burnt car soon after.
Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi says police believe the accused is a key figure in a Victorian organised crime group, and the woman was targeted due to her partner's alleged involvement in a drug cartel.
"We established that a dispute arose amongst the drug syndicate where an allegation was made that the deceased's husband had stolen a large quantity of drugs. A 29-year-old male was tasked to resolve this issue and recover those drugs."
The man was refused bail and is due to face court later today, charged with murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm over the attack.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Richard Marles had a productive meeting with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, amid confusion over whether a formal meeting took place.
The Minister for Defence has returned to Australia after a last-minute visit to Washington DC on Sunday.
He met with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller.
While he posted a photo of himself with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Pentagon official said there was no formal meeting, describing their face-to-face as a "happenstance encounter".
Prime Minister Albanese has dismissed the debate over whether the two met, telling Chanel 9 the meetings were all positive.
"He met the vice president; he met the defence secretary. He met senior people in the Trump administration, and that's a good thing. And then he came home. That's a good thing, and it was very positive. The meetings, Richard got back yesterday morning, straight into parliament, straight down to the job."
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Tensions between the United States and Venezuela are rising, after the US military sent ships into South American waters, marking a significant naval buildup in the Southern Caribbean.
Military officials say the ships are being sent in response to concerns large drug operations are taking place in Venezuela.
It comes amid US President Donald Trump's crack down on drug cartels, as a part of a wider effort to limit migration and secure the US southern border.
Venezuela's Ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada has denounced the move, saying it is politically motivated.
"We don't believe at all that they are there to fight in drug trafficking, at all... This is a narrative which is being fabricated just for the purpose of producing and justify an intervention against a legitimate president in a Latin American country."
The Trump administration contends President Nicolás Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela and has accused him of being involved in trafficking drugs into the US.
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Liberal senator Jane Hume says Bob Katter must face consequences, after he threatened to punch a journalist during a press conference.
The Independent senator had been voicing his support for a controversial planned anti-migration rally when he became irate in response to a question from Channel 9 journalist Josh Bavas about Mr Katter's Lebanese heritage.
Senator Katter approached Mr Bavas with a raised fist, calling the reporter a racist.
Senator Hume has told Channel 7 such aggression is entirely unjustified.
"We know that Bob Katter is a colourful character, but colour is no excuse for inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour. There has to be consequences for this. You should always be able to feel safe and respected at work, journalists, and politicians. The idea of threatening violence is entirely unacceptable. There must be consequences."
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In tennis, defending US Open champion Jannik Sinner effortlessly took out Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-2 6-2 to make the third round of the Grand Slam tournament.
World number one Sinner was expected to face a tricky test against Popyrin but powered through without trouble after just over two hours on court.
"It was a very, very solid performance, I feel like we both didn't serve very well today. We had a lot of rallies from the back of the court. Where today I felt quite comfortable and obviously very happy to be in the next round."
Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, survived a second set scare to beat the Netherlands' Suzan Lamens 6-1 4-6 6-4.
The second seed has looked like a top contender after picking up her sixth major at Wimbledon and clinching the Cincinnati tune-up tournament this month.
