Good afternoon. Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson says he was blindsided by an allegation of racially aggravated harassment made against Australian captain Sam Kerr, and only found out about the charge this morning.
Kerr will face trial in the UK, likely in February next year, allegedly relating to an incident in January 2023 where she is accused of using insulting, threatening or abusive words against a police officer responding to a taxi fare dispute.
Kerr has pleaded not guilty and the Football Australia chief executive, James Johnson, says he is “trying to get to the bottom of it … There is a process that is under way in the United Kingdom and that process needs to run its course.”
Top news
ICC asked to investigate Australian ministers’ alleged complicity in Gaza war | Anthony Albanese has dismissed a letter to the international criminal court by a Sydney law firm requesting an investigation into the alleged culpability of Australian government ministers in relation to Israel’s actions in Gaza. The letter, which the PM said had “no credibility”, was reportedly endorsed by more than 100 Australian lawyers. Meanwhile, Hamas negotiators are under pressure to produce a list of hostages to be released as the first step in a phased ceasefire agreement with Israel. And the UN says there is “convincing information” that Hamas raped and tortured Israeli hostages.
Private health insurance premiums go up | The federal government has approved private health insurance premium increases amounting to an average of 3.03% this year, but already one major insurer – NIB – has said their prices will rise by 4.1%. Medibank, meanwhile, announced a 3.31% increase.
Climate protesters block West Gate Bridge | Three people have been charged after climate activist Deanna “Violet” Coco and others allegedly used a truck to cause traffic chaos on Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge. Extinction Rebellion said in a social media post the protest was designed to coincide with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Melbourne.
Coalition reshuffles shadow cabinet | An underwhelming result in the Dunkley byelection has prompted a Coalition reshuffle. Luke Howarth, a conservative, and Melissa McIntosh, a member of the centre right, have been promoted to the shadow cabinet.
Elle Macpherson makes runway return in Melbourne | The Australian supermodel appeared in a fashion show for the first time in over a decade, walking down the runway in an oversized blazer by Aje during the opening of the Melbourne fashion festival.
NBN reveals plan to turbocharge high-speed tiers | NBN has launched a proposal to provide five times faster download speeds for customers connected to the NBN network via fibre to the premises (FTTP) and hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) technologies. NBN aims “to introduce the accelerated speeds within the next 12 months”.
EU fines Apple $3bn | An EU investigation found Apple had limited competition from music streaming services such as Spotify. The fine is nearly four times higher than expected as the European Commission attempts to show it will act decisively on tech companies who abuse their dominant position in the market for online services. Spotify lauded the decision, while Apple said it intends to appeal.
China sets modest GDP target | … of 5%. The premier, Li Qiang, tells the annual gathering of the National People’s Congress that the global economy and problems closer to home are presenting hurdles for China’s post-Covid recovery.
Greenlandic women sue Denmark for contraceptive ‘violation’ | A group of 143 women allege they were fitted with coils without consent or knowledge between 1966 and 1970, when some were children. The women are demanding a collective payment of close to 43m Danish kroner (A$9.6m) for what they describe as a violation of their human rights.
What they said …
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“We should be able to look to our public broadcaster with confidence as one of the beacons of our democracy that we can rely on and I think that there are too many of the ABC audience … that have a sense of unhappiness and unease about the state of play at the ABC.” – Kerry O’Brien, former ABC host
O’Brien added that the ABC was “in danger of losing its way”, on the eve of Ita Buttrose’s departure as chair of the national broadcaster.
In numbers
Before bed read
Need to get your creative juices flowing? Get moving. A few minutes’ exercise can unleash creativity – even if you hate it.
“Do not believe any idea that was not born in the open air and of free movement,” Nietzsche warned in 1888. And now scientists are not just confirming the link between exercise and creativity, but unpicking precisely how it works. Read the story.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: DOM. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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