Australian police drop domestic violence charge against PNG government minister in Sydney

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Petroleum minister Jimmy Maladina was charged after police were called to a Bondi property in July 2024 and found a woman with facial injuries

Australian prosecutors have dropped an assault case alleging a member of the Papua New Guinea cabinet assaulted a woman.

Petroleum minister Jimmy Maladina, 58, was to face a hearing on Thursday over the contested allegation that he assaulted a 31-year-old woman known to him in an eastern Sydney home.

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Israel launches first ground offensive since Gaza ceasefire collapse, partially recapturing key area – CNN

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  1. Israel launches first ground offensive since Gaza ceasefire collapse, partially recapturing key area  CNN
  2. Why did Netanyahu end the Gaza ceasefire?  The Associated Press
  3. Palestinians killed in new Israeli Gaza strikes, says Hamas-run agency  BBC.com
  4. Israel continues to strike Gaza with babies and mothers among those killed  NBC News
  5. As Israel resumes war in Gaza, families of hostages fear the worst  The Washington Post
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Sales of Vietnamese doll plunge over face marking like China’s ‘nine-dash line’

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One version of Baby Three doll appears to bear a mark resembling the shape of the ocean border on which China bases its illegitimate claim to most of the South China Sea

Regional tensions over the South China Sea have tanked the sales of a popular children’s doll in Vietnam after it was put under investigation and accused of being unpatriotic because a design marking appeared to resemble China’s “nine-dash line”.

The Baby Three doll is Chinese-made and had reportedly been hugely popular among children and Gen Z in Vietnam earlier this year. Between September, when it first gained popularity, and December the dolls reportedly generated US$1.6m in sales.

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French citizen Olivier Grondeau freed after imprisonment in Iran, Macron says – Yahoo

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  1. French citizen Olivier Grondeau freed after imprisonment in Iran, Macron says  Yahoo
  2. Iran releases French tourist held since 2022, Macron says  BBC.com
  3. Iran releases French citizen imprisoned for more than 880 days  The Guardian
  4. Iran Releases French Citizen After 2 Years in Detention, Officials Say  The New York Times
  5. French man returns home after nearly 900 days in Iranian prison  Euronews
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Indonesia passes controversial law allowing greater military role in government

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Activists in world’s third-largest democracy warn the legal changes signal a return to military dominance in civilian affairs that characterised Suharto years

Indonesia has ratified controversial changes to its military law allowing armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts, a move that analysts fear could usher in a resurgence of the military in government affairs.

Activists in the world’s third-largest democracy have criticised the revisions, warning they signal a return to Indonesia’s “New Order” era, when the country was led by former authoritarian ruler Suharto, who stepped down in 1998.

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Malaysia approves a new search for MH370 wreckage in the Indian Ocean – NPR

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  1. Malaysia approves a new search for MH370 wreckage in the Indian Ocean  NPR
  2. New search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 approved more than a decade after disappearance  Fox News
  3. Malaysia green-lights new MH370 search in Indian Ocean  BBC.com
  4. MH370 News: Scientist says ‘bright pixel’ in new data could be the lost Malaysian plane  The Economic Times
  5. Malaysia agrees terms for restarting MH370 wreckage search  Reuters
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Women in business held back by mobile data’s cost in developing world – report

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Nearly half of female entrepreneurs surveyed by Cherie Blair Foundation for Women do not have regular internet access

The cost of a mobile data package is all that is holding back many female entrepreneurs in developing countries, according to recent research.

While social media marketing is reported to be crucial by female business owners who have access to it, 45% of women in business in low- and middle-income countries said they did not have regular internet access because of the expense and connection issues.

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Australia in discussions to avoid ‘devastating consequences’ of US aid cuts for Pacific nations

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Exclusive: Penny Wong says diplomats are consulting US government and ‘engaging with countries in our region’ to determine need for additional support

The Australian government is consulting Pacific nations to assess the “devastating consequences” of the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid and considering what additional support it can provide ahead of next week’s federal budget.

In a letter to a Liberal MP concerned the freeze could cause “irreversible” damage to Pacific communities, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said Australian diplomats were discussing its impact with US government officials.

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‘Operation Pursuit’: Inside the High-Stakes Arrest of Rodrigo Duterte – The New York Times

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  1. ‘Operation Pursuit’: Inside the High-Stakes Arrest of Rodrigo Duterte  The New York Times
  2. Philippines defends ex-President Duterte's transfer to ICC in Senate inquiry  Reuters
  3. Philippine ex-President Duterte appears by video link at International Criminal Court hearing  The Associated Press
  4. Filipino Evangelicals Celebrate—and Protest—Duterte’s Arrest  ChristianityToday.com
  5. Situation in the Philippines: Rodrigo Roa Duterte in ICC custody  the International Criminal Court
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