Good afternoon. Heatwave warnings have been issued in all mainland states today, with scorching conditions forecast ahead of the weekend.
Almost 20 schools were closed in western parts of New South Wales due to heatwave warnings, with the temperature in Sydney’s west forecast to reach 44C tomorrow. In South Australia, the local Country Fire Service warned of “unprecedented fire conditions” with temperatures expected to soar into the mid-40s in some parts. And large parts of Victoria, including Melbourne, are under a severe weather warning for damaging winds.
Top news
Detective gives evidence in Lehrmann trial | Det Sen Const Sarah Harman, an ACT police officer who investigated Brittany Higgins’s sexual assault allegation against Bruce Lehrmann, told the court Higgins was “hysterical” to learn that the media might report on the allegation. Harman also said she received “pushback” from Parliament House to retrieve CCTV footage of the night of the alleged rape, which she found to be “incredibly frustrating”. The trial is in its 12th day. Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
US issues criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas | The US has issued some of its strongest criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war against Hamas with the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, noting a “gap” between Israel’s intentions to protect Gaza civilians and “actual results”. “It remains imperative that Israel put a premium on civilian protection,” he said. Meanwhile the International Federation of Journalists says that 68 journalists – 61 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese – have been killed since Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel, a number that has surpassed those of any conflict in three decades.
Nick Kyrgios joins OnlyFans | Kyrgios has announced he is setting up a free-to-access OnlyFans page as a way to interact with the public in a new way. “Gaming, tattoos, my intimate side – it’s all on the table and I’ll be bringing fans along for the ride!” he said.
New text service to counter family violence | A new SMS service has launched today for those experiencing family, domestic or sexual violence – with people now able to text 1800RESPECT to receive specialist counselling and support services. The minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth, said people who text the service would receive automated safety information “immediately” before connecting with a counsellor to SMS back-and-forth.
Coles caught raising prices on ‘locked items’ | The supermarket giant has apologised after prematurely raising prices on popular items it had promised would remain “locked”. Prices on 20 items were raised before the end of their promotional period, including dishwashing tablets, chopped tomatoes, corn flakes and pregnancy tests. The apology came after consumer advocacy group Choice submitted a complaint to the competition regulator.
Donald Trump Jr again postpones live Sydney appearance | Donald Trump Jr’s tour to Australia has been postponed for a third time. Turning Point Australia has notified that the Sydney event, scheduled for this Sunday, will no longer be going ahead on this date. No new date has been announced.
Erdoğan hails ‘new era’ of friendship on Greece trip | Greece and Turkey have sought to put years of tensions behind them with a friendship accord signed during a historic visit to Athens by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Hunter Biden indicted on tax charges | Biden was indicted on nine tax charges in California, the second indictment against the president’s son, adding fuel to a scandal that Republicans have been seizing on in the lead-up to the 2024 election.
In pictures
West Bank settler violence – a photo essay
A recent Human Rights Watch report says settler violence in the occupied West Bank has doubled since the 7 October attacks. Photographer David Lombeida stayed with Palestinian families facing threats and abuse from settlers encroaching on their land. Click here to view the photo essay.
What they said …
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“It may seem extreme to take actions like these, but it’s nothing compared to the extremity of the fires, floods and famines that are coming if we don’t take emergency-speed action.” – Mark Conroy, Extinction Rebellion spokesperson
About 15 Extinction Rebellion activists disrupted traffic in Melbourne this morning as part of a climate protest. The protesters staged a roadblock at the Montague Street exit of the West Gate Freeway at about 7.30am.
In numbers
The federal government has announced a consultation on winding down Australia’s use of cheques by 2030.
*Correction note: In yesterday’s Afternoon Update, we published a statistic that incorrectly noted there were 110 endangered Indigenous languages spoken in Australia. The correct number is 109.
Before bed read
“My parents and my parents-in-law are making inappropriate comments about my three-month-old baby,” a reader has written in to our advice columnist, Eleanor Gordon-Smith. “They comment a lot about her being chubby, about her having small lips, praising her for having white skin and making other fat-shaming, racist, quite inappropriate remarks.”
What to do? Escalate or “let them go”? Read Gordon-Smith’s reply.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: TRIG. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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