Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
Kamala Harris has said she is looking forward to formally accepting the presidential nomination of the Democratic party after she earned enough support from delegates, including hundreds from her native California.
According to an unofficial Associated Press tally, Harris had 2,668 delegates, well beyond the simple majority of 1,976 needed to clinch the nomination on the first ballot.
Less than 36 hours after Joe Biden announced he was stepping aside, the Harris campaign confirmed in a statement that she had received the support needed to be crowned the Democratic party’s nominee in a virtual nominating process next month.
The news followed a second record-breaking day of fundraising while, in another win, Beyoncé has reportedly approved the Harris campaign’s use of her song Freedom.
Top news
Queensland premier rules out AI election material after LNP’s attack ad | Steve Miles has criticised a TikTok video posted by the Liberal National party depicts Steven Miles dancing beneath text that reads: “POV: my rent is up $60 a week, my power bill is up 20%, but the premier made a sandwich on TikTok”. Miles said on Tuesday the video, which was marked “AI-generated”, “represents a turning point for our democracy”.
Charges laid after alleged ‘pump and dump’ shares scheme | Four people have been charged after an alleged scheme to artificially increase the price of Australian shares before dumping them, facing a maximum penalty of 15 years’ prison. The group allegedly announced their stocks to a public Telegram group named the “ASX Pump and Dump Group”.
Police allege Brisbane daycare hit-and-run death was planned | Queensland police allege that a man and his girlfriend planned the hit-and-run death of his ex-partner. It is alleged Kiesha Thompson, 23, was deliberately struck by a four-wheel drive on the footpath while walking home after dropping her daughter at daycare on Friday. Tyler Scott William James and Larissa Rita Mae-Leigh Sant have been charged with murder as a domestic violence offence and murder respectively.
Man charged with allegedly trafficking 17-year-old from Indonesia | A Sydney man has been charged with trafficking a child from Indonesia to allegedly engage in sex work, the Australian federal police say. The AFP said they also removed seven potential victims from sexual exploitation in Australia in an investigation that led to the charges.
Violence against women a ‘national emergency’ in England and Wales | Crimes including stalking, harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence affect one in 12 women in England and Wales, with the number of recorded offences growing by 37% in the past five years and the perpetrators getting younger.
Body-cam video shows US police officer fatally shooting Black woman | Authorities have released shocking video that shows a white police officer in Illinois shooting a Black woman in the face, killing her. Sonya Massey, 36, had called police because she thought someone was trying to break into her home.
Punks launch ‘invasion’ of holiday island favoured by elite | Punks from across Germany have set up a summer-long protest camp on the North Sea holiday island of Sylt to demonstrate against economic exclusion, environmental degradation and the presence of the far-right in one of the country’s most exclusive areas.
Hugo awards organisers reveal thousands spent on fraudulent votes | The prestigious awards for science fiction and fantasy writing has revealed that 377 votes – about 10% of all votes cast in this year’s awards – had been cast by individuals with “obvious fake names and/or other disqualifying characteristics” in an attempt to help one finalist win.
In pictures
Australian Life photography competition 2024 finalists
Cultural burning in the Northern Territory, raising sheep in Rouse Hill and vampires in the lounge room. Take a tour across Australia with this beautiful and dramatic selection of photographs from the Australian Life photography competition 2024.
What they said …
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“At first I thought, there was no way I could breakdance at my age.” – Hitoma Oda
Hitomi Oda, 68, is one of the 10 members of the Tokyo-based senior breaking group Ara Style Senior, who were inspired by the inclusion of breaking at this year’s Paris Olympics.
In numbers
RSPCA Tasmania has shut down the state’s biggest puppy farm over animal welfare concerns including 70 charges relating to alleged overbreeding.
Before bed read
Paris Olympics: 10 Australian athletes you might not have heard of … yet
From a debutant kitesurfer to a taekwondo fighter who works at a sandwich shop, here’s a selection of athletes flying under the radar at the Games.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: HEX. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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