Good afternoon. Pressure is mounting on state and federal governments to act on disturbing reports of the treatment of children in youth detention facilities.
Children in South Australia are self-harming just so they can get a break from their cell, where they’re being held for up to 23 hours a day. And in Queensland, at least one child has been kept in solitary confinement for more than 500 days. The shocking revelations have prompted the Australian children’s commissioner to call on governments to ban solitary confinement for youth detainees.
Meanwhile, unrest in France has entered a third consecutive night. Store fronts have been smashed, cars burned and there have been fiery clashes between protesters and police.
Top news
Daryl Maguire charges will take years | It could take up to two years for prosecutors to bring a case against the disgraced former Liberal MP, after the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption recommended he be referred to the director for public prosecutions over misuse of his office while a member of NSW parliament. The state’s Liberal party is declining to expel Gladys Berejiklian despite yesterday’s Icac findings showing she engaged in “serious corrupt conduct”.
Universities should be free | … according to most Australians. A poll commissioned by the Greens found that 59% think higher education should be fully funded by the government and 68% think student debts are too high.
Brisbane man dies in e-scooter accident | A man hit his head after his scooter clipped a gutter and died at the scene. Paramedics found his body in Fortitude Valley at 3.30am. His death is one of a growing number of e-scooter rider fatalities around the country. At least one rider a day is taken to hospital in Queensland after an e-scooter accident.
Google to end news access in Canada | Google will remove news links from search results in Canada after the nation passed a law requiring tech firms to negotiate deals to pay news publishers for their content. The prime minister, Justin Trudeau, accused tech giants of “resorting to bullying tactics to try and get their way”, adding “it’s not going to work”.
France unrest | More than 400 people have been arrested as protests rock France after the police shooting of a 17-year-old boy of north African origin. As many as 40,000 police officers were deployed to respond to the protests. The officer at the centre of the crisis has apologised – through his lawyer – to the teenager’s family. Watch a video of the unrest.
Heat stress on hajj pilgrimage | More than 2,000 people suffered heat stress during the pilgrimage after temperatures soared to 48C. Over 1.8 million Muslim worshippers performed the days-long hajj, mostly held outdoors at the height of the Saudi desert summer.
Microscopic ‘Louis Vuitton’ bag sells for more than $90,000 | A cost-of-living crisis for many, but not for all. Someone has splurged US$63,750 at an online auction for this microscopic “handbag” created by New York-based art collective MSCHF.
Genocide warnings in Darfur | A UK parliamentary group has been urged to push for sanctions on Sudan and pressure the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to cut ties with the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. The group, which is engaged in a violent power struggle with the Sudanese armed forces, is accused of carrying out atrocities in Darfur. According to Unicef, 140,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in neighbouring Chad since April.
In pictures
Check out the best photos of the month from across the country.
What they said …
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“She chose a bum, basically. He was a bad guy. She has paid a big price for that.” – Peter Dutton on Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire
In numbers
And 79% support a ban on gambling promotions at stadiums, according to a survey by the AFL Fan Association.
Before bed read
The consensus is that it’s harder to make new friends as we age. But three women in India – all over 50 – who met online and have now formed an unshakeable friendship prove that wrong.
“We can open our hearts to each other. We all know we can say anything because we understand each other so well. It’s not every day you come across such kindred souls.”
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: LIFE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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• This article was amended on 3 July 2023 to remove a quote mistakenly attributed to the American poet Dorothy Parker.
