NSW MP Gareth Ward allegedly raped political staffer after Parliament House event, trial hears

Independent MP for Kiama has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a 24-year-old in 2015 and an 18-year-old in 2013

New South Wales independent MP Gareth Ward allegedly raped a political staffer in his home in 2015 after he invited the man to stay over following an event at Parliament House, a court has heard.

Ward, who at the time of the alleged offending was the Liberal MP for Kiama, is facing an expected four-week trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre after being charged with five criminal offences.

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Blow to Minns as turf club votes down plan to sell Sydney racecourse to NSW to build 25,000 homes

Premier says he is ‘disappointed’ after Rosehill decision and ‘it feels like a golden opportunity has slipped through our fingers’

The Minns government has had a major hole punched in its strategy to boost housing in Sydney after the Australian Turf Club members voted not to sell Rosehill racecourse, earmarked for a major housing development.

The New South Wales government had offered $5bn for the site, and proposed it would accommodate 25,000 new homes and a proposed Metro stop.

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Could the French Pedophile Doctor Joël Le Scouarnec Have Been Stopped Earlier? – The New York Times

  1. Could the French Pedophile Doctor Joël Le Scouarnec Have Been Stopped Earlier?  The New York Times
  2. Victims in French Le Scouarnec child abuse trial shocked at public indifference  BBC
  3. Former surgeon faces 20 years in prison as France's largest child sexual abuse trial comes to an end  NBC News
  4. French court to sentence former surgeon who abused children for decades  The Guardian
  5. French court to rule on paedophile surgeon Le Scouarnec who abused children for decades  France 24
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ABC doing ‘all the heavy lifting’ as commercial networks abandon local kids’ TV drama

Just $1.75m spent on genre across free-to-air networks as advocates warn of ‘broader erosion’ of cultural investment

Australian commercial television networks have all but given up on creating local children’s drama, advocates say, with just $1.75m spent on the genre across all commercial free-to-air networks in 2023-24.

But that’s $1.75m more than the previous year, according to the latest report card by the communications regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma).

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Uganda accused of ‘state bigotry’ and attacks on LGBTQ+ people

Report from Human Rights Watch criticises Museveni regime for arbitrary arrests and detentions, violence and extortion since draconian new law enacted

The Ugandan authorities have “unleashed abuse”, perpetrating widespread discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ people in the two years since the world’s harshest anti-gay laws were enacted, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The government’s policies in Uganda had encouraged attacks and harassment against people and organisations seen as being supportive of gay rights, said researchers from the rights group.

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Family of some Bondi Junction stabbing victims see ‘major issue’ in police handling of information after attack, court hears

NSW police assistant commissioner tells inquest media guidelines ‘not always rigid’ and individuals might use discretion in ‘extraordinary circumstances’

The family of some victims of the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack believe there is a “major issue” in the way New South Wales police officers treated confidential information after the incident, a court has heard.

Joel Cauchi, 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others at the Sydney shopping centre on 13 April 2024 before he was shot and killed by police officer Amy Scott.

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Young scientists say they may abandon research as their career options shrink amid Trump cuts – The Boston Globe

  1. Young scientists say they may abandon research as their career options shrink amid Trump cuts  The Boston Globe
  2. The New Dark Age  The Atlantic
  3. MAGA’s assault on science is an act of grievous self-harm  The Economist
  4. Scientists have lost their jobs or grants in US cuts. Foreign universities want to hire them  AP News
  5. ‘Every Revenue Source Is at Risk’: Under Trump, Research Universities Are Cutting Back  The Chronicle of Higher Education
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How China Could Counter U.S. Intervention in War Over Taiwan – War on the Rocks

  1. How China Could Counter U.S. Intervention in War Over Taiwan  War on the Rocks
  2. Exclusive: China flexes military muscle with East Asian naval activity, sources say  Reuters
  3. China improves ability to launch sudden attack on Taiwan, officials say  Financial Times
  4. Systems collapse could knock out Taiwan without a fight, military magazine says  South China Morning Post
  5. Chinese dinghy crossings may be ‘systematic,’ minister says  Taipei Times
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‘We carry on with the sadness’: new projects honor life and legacy of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira

Friends and colleagues of Phillips, killed in the Amazon in 2022, completed his book, which coincides with launch of investigative Guardian podcast

Three years after the British journalist Dom Phillips and the Brazilian activist Bruno Pereira were murdered in the Amazon, two major new projects will celebrate their lives and work – and the Indigenous communities and rainforests both men sought to protect.

Friends of Phillips have completed the book he was writing at the time of his death – How to Save the Amazon – which will be published in the UK, the US and Brazil on 27 May.

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Hong Kong’s baby pandas finally get names. Meet Jia Jia and De De – CNN

  1. Hong Kong’s baby pandas finally get names. Meet Jia Jia and De De  CNN
  2. Hong Kong’s first giant panda twins named Jia Jia and De De, Ocean Park announces  Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
  3. Jia Jia and De De chosen as names for Hong Kong’s twin panda cubs  South China Morning Post
  4. Hong Kong Pandas  Columbia Missourian
  5. Hong Kong welcomes twin panda cubs Jia Jia and De De  KITV
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Poorest 750 nations face ‘tidal wave’ of debt repayments to China in 2025, study warns

Vulnerable countries to pay record $22bn this year, mostly relating to loans issued under Xi Jinping’s belt and road initiative

The most vulnerable nations on Earth are facing a “tidal wave” of debt repayments as a Chinese lending boom starts to be called in, a new report has warned.

The analysis, published on Tuesday by Australian foreign policy thinktank the Lowy Institute, said that in 2025 the poorest 75 countries were on the hook for record high debt repayments US$22bn to China. The 75 nations’ debt formed the bulk of the total $35bn calculated by Lowy for 2025.

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New Zealand teenager dies after tackle game linked to viral Run It Straight challenge

Police confirmed the 19-year-old died in hospital on Monday night after he suffered a critical head injury

A New Zealand teenager has died after playing a tackling game, believed to have been inspired by a controversial new high impact collision sport trending on social media.

Police confirmed the 19-year-old died in hospital on Monday night after he suffered a critical head injury while playing a tackle game with friends in the North Island city Palmerston North on Sunday.

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Tuesday briefing: Trump’s statements about Putin have changed. Will his actions catch up?

In today’s newsletter: As the US president becomes more disillusioned with Vladimir Putin, a look at how his stance towards the Russian leader is – and isn’t – shifting

Good morning. Nobody is more surprised than Donald Trump, but he is starting to think that Vladimir Putin is not a straight shooter. “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,” he wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. “He has gone absolutely CRAZY! I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”

As ever with Trump, a part of you admires the chutzpah: the idea that Trump has long been troubled by Putin’s imperial ambitions is, of course, an absolutely warped version of the real history. But – even if Trump also criticised Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, grumbling that “everything out of his mouth causes problems” – there does seem to be a sense that the US president is becoming more seriously disillusioned with Putin as a partner, and seeking ways to avoid blame for the consequences.

Israel-Gaza war | The UK must impose sanctions on the Israeli government and its ministers and also consider suspending it from the UN to meet its “fundamental international legal obligations”, more than 800 lawyers have said. Signatories to a letter to the prime minister include former supreme court justices, court of appeal judges and more than 70 KCs.

UK news | Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade descended into chaos on Monday evening after a car collided with pedestrians in the city centre, injuring nearly 50 people. A 53-year-old man was arrested at the scene of the incident, which is not being treated as terrorism.

The race report | Senior figures in British business have described a chilling effect on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, saying they are being “rebranded” to avoid attracting unwanted political attention.

Cost of living | Food inflation in the UK has risen for the fourth month in a row, figures show, driven by increases in the cost of fresh produce, including steak. The annual rate of food price rises hit 2.8% this month, after a 2.6% rise in April.

Gender guidance | Formal guidance on how organisations should implement the supreme court ruling on gender may not be fully signed off for months, officials and MPs have said. The warnings come amid increasing worries about the capability of the government’s equalities watchdog following criticisms of its chair, Kishwer Falkner.

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Victims of Le Scouarnec slam lack of action in France’s landmark child sex abuse case – France 24

  1. Victims of Le Scouarnec slam lack of action in France’s landmark child sex abuse case  France 24
  2. Could the French Pedophile Doctor Joël Le Scouarnec Have Been Stopped Earlier?  The New York Times
  3. Victims in French Le Scouarnec child abuse trial shocked at public indifference  BBC
  4. French paedophile doctor tells court ‘I want no leniency’  The Telegraph
  5. France Surgeon Child Rape  New Castle News
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North Korea detains 4 officials over failed warship launch – Axios

  1. North Korea detains 4 officials over failed warship launch  Axios
  2. How North Korea Botched Its Warship Launch  The New York Times
  3. Failed Launch and Damage of the Second Guided Missile Destroyer  Beyond Parallel
  4. Kim Jong Un’s New Warship Capsizes at Launch Due to ‘Absolute Carelessness’  WSJ
  5. Partially Sunk North Korean Frigate Recovery Effort Seen Underway In Satellite Image  The War Zone
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