Good afternoon.
Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has accused her colleague Matthew Guy of assaulting her at a community event, throwing the party into turmoil just five months out from the state election.
Sources close to Guy, the opposition’s former leader turned public transport spokesperson, said he vehemently denies the allegation and is considering a defamation legal action against his colleague.
CCTV footage of the alleged incident at a Macedonian community event in Sunshine on 23 May shows the pair seated together at a busy function.
Victoria police confirmed they are investigating reports a man assaulted a woman at the function.
Top news
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Fortescue class action: female workers claim sexual harassment at remote mine sites
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Teen found not guilty of plotting terror attack on Peter Dutton after court hears of ‘edgy joke’
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Yosemite visitor dies after being swept over 180 metre waterfall
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Australia’s housing market loses steam with prices falling in Sydney and Melbourne
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McKinsey paid $1.6m to ‘guide’ Australian climate policy despite working for fossil fuel companies
World Cup 2026
World Cup hosts Mexico won their third straight group match, with 18-year-old star Gilberto Mora and 41-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa (pictured) playing their parts on a day with six matches.
South Africa celebrated their first World Cup knockout berth with jubilant scenes after Thapelo Maseko’s second-half strike secured a 1-0 victory over South Korea, who still have a chance of advancing as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
Earlier Morocco edged Haiti in a thriller, Bosnia and Herzegovina eliminated Qatar, Switzerland beat co-hosts Canada, and Brazil smashed Scotland 3-0.
The Socceroos are in action against Paraguay on Friday and have had two injury setbacks ahead of the game.
In pictures
Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has declared a state of emergency after the country was struck by powerful back-to-back earthquakes that collapsed dozens of buildings and killed at least 32 people in the capital, Caracas, with experts warning the death toll could rise significantly. Follow updates in our live blog.
What they said …
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“I was not blackmailed, but you know, as you look at these emails, you know, it looks like Mr Epstein’s brainstorming was going in that direction.” – Bill Gates
The Microsoft founder told US members of Congress that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had sought to “blackmail” him over his extramarital affairs, according to a transcript of the testimony.
The tech pioneer testified behind closed doors before the House oversight committee on 10 June regarding his friendship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes.
Podcast
Decoding America: Is Trump making JD Vance the fall guy of his war?
Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy examine the on-again, off-again talks to end the Iran war and why Donald Trump says it’s now all up to his deputy to deliver an outcome.
Jonathan looks at the latest Kennedy to run for public office and asks: are Americans tired of political dynasties? And will Trump get his reflection pool finished in time for 4 July celebrations?
Before bed read
When wildlife photographer Mohammed Almuntasir uploaded 18 seconds of footage to YouTube, he thought little more about the small, pale cat seen digging a hollow in the sand in the remote dunes of south-west Libya.
As it turns out, the video, posted in 2017, was the first material evidence that the sand cat (Felis margarita), the world’s only felid adapted to true desert conditions, existed in the country.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: AFF. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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