Hello and welcome to today’s Afternoon Update. After 19 days of events, the 2024 Paris Olympics wrapped with the closing ceremony officially handing the baton to Los Angeles for 2028.
The ceremony, naturally, had Tom Cruise jumping off a roof at a packed Stade de France. And Australia’s Olympic breaker and viral sensation Raygun broke out some of her moves in the streets of Paris to celebrate the end of the Games, as athletes and politicians praised her for having “a crack”.
It was Australia’s most successful games ever, placing fourth in the medal tally, with 53 medals including 18 gold, 19 silver, and 16 bronze.
Top news
Wieambilla massacre was ‘suicide by cop’, inquest hears | Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth Train ambushed and killed two police in an act of “suicide by cop” as a result of their shared paranoid delusions, an inquest into the 2022 incident heard.
Linda Reynolds’ husband gives evidence | Robert Reid is giving evidence in Liberal senator Linda Reynolds’ defamation trial against Brittany Higgins. He told the court he only found out about the alleged rape in his wife’s parliamentary office when the story broke in the media.
Amber Haigh’s body may have been dumped from a Pajero, court hears | Amber Haigh never made it to Campbelltown on the evening she was allegedly last seen alive, the crown has submitted in its closing submission to the murder trial.
Pilot killed in Cairns helicopter crash | The owner of a helicopter that crashed into the roof of a large hotel, killing its pilot, says the flight was “unauthorised”. Hundreds of people were evacuated from the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Cairns, in the accident’s aftermath.
Former teacher charged with historical sex offences | Stephen Patrick Andrew Kayser, 68, appeared in Brisbane magistrates court charged with 49 historical offences. The former teacher was accused of dozens of child sexual offences allegedly involving almost 20 children almost 40 years ago.
‘Raygun’ breaks out the kangaroo hop | Breakdancing Olympian Rachael Gunn has joyfully thrown down some choice moves on the streets of Paris after her performance in the competition went viral. Watch the video here.
Horses can plan ahead and think strategically, scientists find | Horses are far more intelligent than scientists previously thought, according to a study analysing the animal’s responses to a reward-based game.
‘They are trying to exterminate us’ | Thailand’s conservative establishment is seeking to exterminate politicians who promised reform, according to the former leader of a popular party that was banned by the courts last week.
US accelerates strike force to Middle East | The US has ordered a strike group of fighter jets and navy warships to accelerate its deployment to the Middle East, as the region braces for possible attacks by Iran and its allies.
What they said …
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“Haters are going to hate” – Tanya Plibersek on Rachael “Raygun” Gunn.
The federal environment minister said “the rest of those people are sitting on their couch mucking around on social media” while Gunn had represented Australia at the Paris Olympics. “She’s an Olympian.”
In numbers
In Paris, Australia won 18 gold medals – one better than the prior joint best performances at Tokyo three years ago and Athens in 2004.
Before bed read
Brat summer is over, officially. What killed it? A bank, Madeleine Gray writes.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: SHOE . You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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