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Sydney’s Kings Cross will be home to New South Wales’s first drug checking service, which will remain open for four months as part of a research pilot project.
The service will be offered to people who are already registered and who inject heroin, other opiates and methamphetamines, rather than use MDMA or other “party drugs” recreationally.
About 100 clients will be able to have their drugs checked by a chemist who will operate at the Kings Cross medically supervised injecting centre. The final results will be presented to the state government, which recently rejected calls to implement drug testing at festivals.
Top news
Ex-ADF chief to advise government on response to Gaza aid worker killings | Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin will engage with Israel and the Israel Defense Forces on their responses to the attack the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong announced this morning. Binskin served as ADF chief from 2014 to 2018 and was vice chief of the ADF and chief of the air force.
Man charged with murder after woman’s body found near Ballarat | A 21-year-old man will appear in Ballarat magistrates’ court on Tuesday after the remains of 23-year-old Clunes woman, Hannah McGuire, were found in a burned out car on Friday morning. Two Sebastopol men, aged 21 and 22, were arrested on Sunday. The 22-year-old was released, while the 21-year-old was charged on Monday afternoon.
Two charged in Nigeria over alleged sextortion that led to Australian teenager’s suicide | The teenager had been engaging online with an unknown person who allegedly threatened to share personal photos of him with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. “We’ve seen a huge spike in sextortion cases, which are up nearly 400% in the last 18 months,” The commander of NSW’s state crime command’s cybercrime squad, Det Supt Matthew Craft said.
Residents return to evacuated homes after floods | The NSW SES received about 5,000 calls for help over the weekend. About 800 people, in 300 homes, were still under evacuation orders on Monday morning, though that figure was expected to fall throughout the day. In the Sydney region, floods damaged more than 60 homes and left 17 uninhabitable.
NRL will not recognise Jennings’ 300-game milestone due to ‘past conduct’ | White Ribbon has backed the NRL’s decision not to celebrate the 300-game milestone for Sydney Roosters centre Michael Jennings due to his past conduct, which includes a ban for performance enhancing drugs and a finding in a civil case that he abused his ex-wife, a claim he denies.
Sophie Molineux handed Australia contract | The all-rounder’s successful return to international cricket has been recognised by Cricket Australia with a central contract for the blockbuster 2024-25 season, which features a T20 World Cup, an ODI series against India and the Women’s Ashes.
UN nuclear watchdog condemns drone strike on nuclear power plant | The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog agency has condemned a drone strike on one of six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, saying such attacks “significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident”.
Investigation after Boeing engine cover falls off | US airline regulators have launched an investigation after an engine cowling on a Boeing plane fell off during takeoff and struck a wing flap. The Southwest Airlines flight 3695 rose to about 10,300ft (3,140 metres) before landing safely 25 minutes after takeoff.
More than 90 dead in Mozambique ferry disaster | The converted fishing boat, carrying about 130 people, including many children, ran into trouble off the north coast as it tried to reach an island off Nampula province, officials said on Sunday.
In video
Drone footage captures flooded bridges and roads in parts of south-west Queensland
Footage shows flooding near the rural township of Charleville after a weekend of heavy rain in parts of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. Communities across the region have been affected by flooding, with some isolated by road closures.
What they said …
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“I believe if you’re not willing to own up publicly to either having a sponsored pass or giving someone one, then maybe you shouldn’t have one,” – independent senator David Pocock.
Today marked the opening of a Senate inquiry into lobbying and the access to Australian Parliament House by lobbyists, with 14 witnesses and organisations giving evidence.
In numbers
Qantas has announced sweeping changes to its frequent flyer loyalty program in what the company said was one of the biggest expansions the carrier had made to the scheme in its 35-year history.
Before bed read
On the lam: Woody the escaped merino shorn after community-wide chase
A sheep found wandering the streets of a small New South Wales town has undergone a dramatic transformation, shedding just over 10kg of wool after three years on the run.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: LETS . You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.
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