Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
Some astonishing scenes coming from New York today, as police moved to dismantle pro-Palestinian protest encampments established in universities and colleges.
Earlier, New York City police entered Columbia University in an apparent effort to disperse protesters who had seized and occupied a building after a two-week-long encampment on the campus. A police spokesperson confirmed that flashbang grenades were used to disperse the crowd, with no immediate reports of injuries.
Authorities have since confirmed that all protesters have been removed, with police now focusing on the nearby City College of New York (CUNY) where a protest sit-in remained active. Arrests have begun following a large police presence on campus.
Read our latest coverage of the US campus protests here. Below, we look at the movement’s presence in Australia.
Top news
Government pledges almost $1bn to help women leave violent relationships | The commonwealth said it would deliver a range of new measures to tackle factors that exacerbate violence against women. The measures include a “leaving violence payment” of $5,000 to help meet the costs of leaving a relationship along with services, risk assessments and safety planning.
Two charged after woman’s body located in North Bondi yesterday | Two men will face court on drug-related charges after the body of a woman was located in North Bondi yesterday. Emergency services were called to a unit in North Bondi around 9.20am yesterday after reports a woman was found unresponsive, and the body of a 19-year-old woman was located. No charges have been laid over her death.
Qantas passengers’ personal details exposed | Potentially thousands of Qantas customers have had their personal details made public via the airline’s app, with some frequent flyers able to view strangers’ account details and possibly make changes to other users’ bookings.
Trump threatens to prosecute Bidens if re-elected unless he gets immunity | In a sweeping interview with Time magazine, Donald Trump painted a startling picture of his second term, warning that Joe Biden and his family could face multiple criminal prosecutions and hinting he may let states monitor pregnant women to enforce abortion laws.
Australia expelled two Indian intelligence operatives in 2020 | Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, Asio, has previously alleged that a “nest of spies” from an unnamed country had sought to cultivate politicians, monitor diaspora communities and obtain classified trade information. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that two officers from the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s foreign intelligence service, had been expelled from Australia in 2020.
Saudi Arabia activist sentenced to 11 years in prison for ‘support’ of women’s rights | Manahel al-Otaibi, a young women’s rights activist in Saudi Arabia, was secretly sentenced to 11 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court after being arrested for “her choice of clothing and support for women’s rights”.
Live music venue the Zoo to close after 32 years | The Brisbane institution will call last drinks in July, with the owner listing a “perfect storm” of forces that have led to its closure, including cost-of-living pressures and declining alcohol consumption among young people. The 500-capacity room is one of Australia’s oldest music venues.
Smith left out of T20 World Cup as Australia shift towards new era | Chair of selectors, George Bailey, said this was an “experienced” squad that “covers the scenarios the panel believes will factor in the West Indies” but Smith had not done enough to win a place at the top of order.
Healthy hospital staff posed as ‘fake’ patients for Victorian minister’s visit | Staff members at a regional hospital posed as “fake patients” to make their urgent care clinic appear busier, an investigation has found. The health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas said the deception included a staff member arriving to the clinic by ambulance.
In pictures
Australian university students are camping out in support of Gaza
Protests in support of Gaza have spread to about 50 US universities and are now in four Australian universities, with students committed to permanently occupying university land until their demands for divestment are met. Here is everything you need to know.
What they said …
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“If we were to purposefully design something to increase heart risk, we probably couldn’t do much better.” – Prof Garry Jennings, the chief medical officer of the National Heart Foundation of Australia speaking at a Senate inquiry into vaping laws.
On Wednesday, a Senate committee heard from peak health bodies, academics and the pharmaceutical industry ahead of the next round of vaping reforms being put to a vote before parliament.
In numbers
House prices have set a record high for a sixth consecutive month, after rising an average of 0.6% nationwide in April. The Western Australian market was especially hot, with Perth facing a 2% increase in April, taking price rises to over 20% over the last year. Regional WA values jumped 1.3% for the month.
Before bed read
I live in an uninhabitable ‘boy room’ – can a comedian save me from myself?
Rachel Coster’s TikTok show, which documents the extremely messy dwelling spaces of New York’s young men, has clearly struck a nerve with the Guardian’s Matthew Cantor.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: NOR. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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