Victorian Liberal party shapes up for ‘nastiest, most toxic’ state council in years amid leaks and infighting

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State party’s deep divisions on show as sexist messages force resignation of director days before annual meeting

Timing is everything in politics. It’s a principle worth recalling when nine-month-old messages are made public just two days before the Victorian Liberals’ annual state council meeting.

The messages, taken from a WhatsApp group involving a small handful of party headquarters staff, are undeniably sexist and inappropriate. In them, Victorian Liberal party director Stuart Smith mocked the party’s women’s council, saying it could only make decisions at a meeting “after two men told them they had to”, and joked that upper house MP Bev McArthur had dementia.

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Jessica has 77 half-brothers and sisters through the same sperm donor. She wonders how many more there could be

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Queensland woman says its time for clinic to destroy 30-year-old samples as state and federal health ministers meet to push for reform

Queensland woman Jessica Hamilton has 77 half-brothers and sisters. But this week she learned that number could grow even further – swelled by new births.

In 1995, the year she was born, Queensland Fertility Group told Hamilton’s mother that she could expect to have between three and five siblings to other families.

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U.S. influencer who filmed himself wrestling wild crocodiles in Australia is under investigation: “Dangerous and illegal” – CBS News

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  1. U.S. influencer who filmed himself wrestling wild crocodiles in Australia is under investigation: "Dangerous and illegal"  CBS News
  2. U.S. influencer under investigation in Australia over controversial crocodile videos  NBC News
  3. Steve Irwin’s father condemns ‘reckless’ content creators amid outrage over videos of US man wrestling wild crocodiles  The Guardian
  4. Real Tarzann: US influencer Mike Holston investigated over wild croc wrestling  BBC
  5. Calls for travel ban on risky influencers after croc encounter  Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Europe’s far-right leaders attack ‘hate-mongering left’ after Charlie Kirk murder

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Viktor Orbán claims death of Turning Point USA’s founder was ‘result of international hate campaign’ as prominent figures pay tribute

European far-right leaders have lauded Charlie Kirk, the influential 31-year-old conservative US activist who was fatally shot on Wednesday, with several also claiming his death was a consequence of violent leftwing rhetoric.

The European parliament briefly descended into chaos as far-right MEPs demanded a minute’s silence to honour Kirk, a rising star of Trump’s Maga movement, who was hit in the neck by a single bullet as he addressed students at Utah Valley University.

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Festival axes German orchestra over concerns about Israeli conductor

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Belgian organisers are accused of ‘naked antisemitism’ after cancelling performance by Lahav Shani

A Belgian classical music festival has axed a leading German orchestra from its programme over concerns about its Israeli conductor, drawing accusations of antisemitism from Berlin.

Flanders Festival Ghent announced it had cancelled a concert by the Munich Philharmonic scheduled for 18 September, citing insufficient clarity over Lahav Shani’s attitude to the Israeli government.

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European Parliament calls for recognition of State of Palestine – Euronews.com

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  1. European Parliament calls for recognition of State of Palestine  Euronews.com
  2. Von der Leyen’s tougher line on Israel sparks Bavarian conservative backlash  politico.eu
  3. European Efforts to Punish Israel Face Barrier Over Arms Needs  Bloomberg.com
  4. Former EU diplomats urge bloc to suspend cooperation agreement with Israel  The Guardian
  5. EU Leader Calls to Sanction Israel as U.S. Progressives Push to End Arms Sales  The Intercept
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A new world order isn’t coming, it’s already here − and this is what it looks like – The Conversation

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  1. A new world order isn’t coming, it’s already here − and this is what it looks like  The Conversation
  2. Xi’s new world order won’t run the global economy just yet  Financial Times
  3. No New World Order Here  Foreign Policy
  4. US, China, And The New Multipolar World Order  Outlook India
  5. What China Wants With Global Governance  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine
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