This is The Loop, your quick look at this morning's news.
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By Kelsie Iorio
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Aussie contortionist breaks Guinness World Record for foot archery
By Kelsie Iorio
A Gold Coast circus performer and contortionist has broken the Guinness World Record for shooting the longest bow and arrow bullseye using her feet.
Shannen Michaela has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records after nailing a bullseye from 18.27 metres, breaking the previous best of 12 metres.
Here's how she does it:
Singer-songwriter David Crosby dies aged 81
By Kelsie Iorio
Rock singer and founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash David Crosby has died at the age of 81.
Variety reported the news citing a statement from Crosby's wife.
"It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away," Variety quoted his wife as saying.
NSW Labor candidate Khal Asfour steps down
By Kelsie Iorio
Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour has pulled out of the state election race over what he's described as a "vicious smear campaign" against him.
The Daily Telegraph today reported Mr Asfour charged ratepayers for a health spa treatment in Tokyo and claimed cash for luxury clothing and alcohol spent overseas.
A spokesman from Mr Asfour's office said the mayor had acted within the local government policy and is "vehemently denying any wrongdoing".
Here's the full story:
Florida can punish local officials for restricting guns, top state court rules
By Kelsie Iorio
Florida's highest state court has ruled local governments and officials can be punished if they try to pass gun restrictions that are tougher than state laws.
Florida passed a law in 1987 stating that state gun control law preempts, or overrides, any local gun control measures.
The local governments' lawsuit did not challenge that law, only the state's ability to impose penalties.
But by a 4-1 margin, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the argument by local officials.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody called the ruling a "big win" on Twitter and said the state's attorneys had "fought hard to make sure local governments can't trample on" the gun rights of Florida residents.
Edward Guedes, a lawyer representing the three counties and dozens of municipalities and local officials challenging the law, says his clients are "disappointed by the decision, because we believe it sets a dangerous precedent for hometown democracy in Florida".
The lawsuit came in the wake of a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, that killed 17 people.
Who will replace Jacinda Ardern?
By Kelsie Iorio
Candidates to replace Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand's prime minister are expected to start to emerge today, ahead of a leadership vote on Sunday.
If a candidate is unable to secure two-thirds of the available votes from Labour Party politicians, the leadership contest will go to the wider membership.
The winner will become prime minister until the next general election.
Ardern's term as leader will conclude no later than February 7 and a general election will be held on October 14.
Former COVID minister and current Minister of Education and Police Chris Hipkins and current Minister of Justice Kiri Allen have been flagged as possible candidates by political commentators in NZ.
Federal public servants allowed to work Australia Day
By Kelsie Iorio
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says allowing federal public servants to work on Australia Day gives more flexibility after a directive by the former Coalition government was revoked.
Before last year's election, Scott Morrison announced a rule which would have forced APS staff not to work on the Queen's Birthday and Australia Day public holidays under future enterprise agreements.
Mr Albanese says it’s up to employers to make their own decision for staff.
“Some employers are doing that — saying (if) you want to work on Australia Day, you can have another day off and I think that's fine to have some flexibility in the system,” he told KIIS FM.
Reporting by Chantelle Al-Khouri
Bali accepting direct flights from China after almost three years
By Kelsie Iorio
Bali is preparing to welcome its first direct flight from China in almost three years, with a chartered flight scheduled to arrive on Sunday with more than 100 people on board.
Flights from China to Bali were suspended in February 2020 as the pandemic first hit, and today the first direct flight will arrive from Shenzhen.
Chinese tourists have already flown to Bali via Singapore or other countries, but Bali tourism officials hope Sunday's flight will be the start of more such flights now that China is opening up.
In 2019, China accounted for almost 1.2 million arrivals a year into Bali, only slightly less than the number of Australians.
Their loss contributed to Bali's devastating economic downturn.
Reporting by Indonesia Correspondent Anne Barker
Tennis Australia boss defends scheduling
By Kelsie Iorio
Tennis Australia's CEO has defended the scheduling of late matches at the Australian Open following this morning's contest between Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis (ICYMI, the match started after 10pm Melbourne time and ran for almost six hours).
Both players were frustrated at having to play so late, but tournament boss Craig Tiley has told Channel Nine the possibility of one match running long shouldn't change the entire schedule.
"We've had years where finish every night at 12 or before, but you've also got to protect the matches," he said.
"If you've just got one match at night and there's an injury, you don't have anything for the fans."
Over one million march against France's proposed changes to retirement age
By Jessica Riga
More than 1.1 million people have marched through French cities to denounce President Emmanuel Macron's plans to raise the retirement age.
Protesters are trying to force President Macron and his government to back down on a pension reform plan that would see most people work an extra two years to the age of 64.
Macron argues that the overhaul is "just and responsible".
But unions say there are other ways to finance pensions, such as taxing the super-rich.
During a news conference at a French-Spanish summit in Barcelona, Spain, Macron said that "we must do that reform" to "save" the pension system.
"We will do it with respect, in a spirit of dialogue but also determination and responsibility," he added.
As Macron spoke, riot police pushed back against some protesters throwing projectiles on the sidelines of the largely peaceful Paris march. Some other minor incidents briefly flared up, leading officers to use tear gas.
Paris police said that 38 people had been detained.
Emboldened by the high turnout, French unions announced new strikes and protests for January 31.
Reporting with Associated Press
The FIDE World Chess Championship will be held in Kazakhstan
By Kelsie Iorio
Chess fans, unite.
The International Chess Federation has announced the 2023 World Championship match will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, later this year.
"Reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen officially confirmed that he would not defend his title as Classical World Champion against his challenger, the world’s number three Ian Nepomniachtchi," FIDE said in a statement.
"Chinese Grandmaster Ding Liren, the runner-up in the Candidates tournament and current #2 in the world ranking, received the unexpected opportunity to play for the highest recognition in the chess world.
"With no defending champion and two challengers, the event promises to be one of the most thrilling and open championships of recent times."
All Quiet On The Western Front leads BAFTA nominations
By Kelsie Iorio
The nominees for this year's BAFTAs are out, with the German remake of All Quiet On The Western Front leading the pack.
Organisers say the film's 14 nods equals 2001's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon as the non-English language film with the most nominations in BAFTAs history.
The last non-English language movie that won the BAFTA for best film was Netflix's Roma in 2019.
The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All At Once each secured 10 nominations.
Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic came in third with nine nominations, including best film and a leading actor recognition for Austin Butler, and Tar starring Cate Blanchett scored five nods, including best film, director, original screenplay and leading actress.
'Finishing at 4am isn't ideal', Murray says
By Kelsie Iorio
Andy Murray has also acknowledged tennis must look at avoiding late-night finishes after his remarkable Australian Open victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis.
As we know, the match didn't finish til after 4am Melbourne time this morning.
The former world number one thanked fans for staying til the end, but says it's not good for officials, staff, spectators or the players themselves to be on the court at that hour.
"Finishing at 4am isn't ideal. Because I don't know who it's beneficial for," Murray told reporters after the match.
"A match like that, and we come here after the match and we're discussing the time rather than it being like epic Murray-Kokkinakis match, it ends in a bit of a farce.
"Some people need to work the following day and everything. If my child was a ball kid for a tournament, they're coming home at five in the morning, as a parent, I'm snapping at that."
This is an absolute no from me
By Kelsie Iorio
Mm. Nope. Nuh uh. No thank you. Big no.
Look at the SIZE of this cane toad found near Airlie Beach.
Department of Environment and Science rangers had been clearing a trail at Conway National Park in the Whitsunday region when they discovered the mighty amphibian.
Ranger Kylee Gray says the 2.7-kilogram "Toadzilla" measured just over 25 centimetres in length, and that at that size, it could eat things like reptiles and even small mammals.
What do you make of this take on the Australian Open's scheduling?
By Kelsie Iorio
Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis didn't leave the court til after 4am Melbourne time this morning.
Is that just too late?
Important to note — this year's Australian Open has been impacted by both rain and extreme heat, which has thrown the scheduling into disarray for some matches.
Man shot by police in Tenterfield
By Kelsie Iorio
An internal investigation has begun after police shot an armed man at Tenterfield in far northern New South Wales.
The 48-year-old man walked into Tenterfield Police Station just before 6pm last night, where he allegedly pointed a firearm at officers before he was shot.
Police and paramedics tried to revive him but he died at the scene.
A critical incident team of homicide detectives will now investigate the circumstances of the shooting, including the use of police firearms.
US Supreme Court report fails to identify who leaked abortion ruling draft
By Kelsie Iorio
The US Supreme Court has released a report on the leak of a draft version of its ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision — but the report has failed to identify who was behind the disclosure that rocked the nation's top judicial body.
US news outlet Politico published the leaked draft ruling last year, prompting an internal crisis at the court and driving abortion rights supporters to stage rallies around the country.
The report said that after examining the court's computer devices, networks, printers and available call and text logs, investigators found no forensic evidence indicating who disclosed the draft opinion.
"Whether or not any individual is ever identified as the source of the disclosure, the court should take action to create and implement better policies to govern the handling of court-sensitive information and determine the best IT systems for security and collaboration," it stated.
The draft opinion, authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, was only marginally different than the final decision issued on June 24.
The ruling upheld a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and ended the recognition of a woman's right to an abortion under the US Constitution.
Several Republican-governed states moved rapidly after the ruling to enact abortion bans.
Reporting with Reuters
Short statement released on behalf of the Hutchins family
By Kelsie Iorio
Actor Alec Baldwin and armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are set to be charged over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Baldwin's movie Rust.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced involuntary manslaughter charges overnight after more than a year of investigation into the October 2021 shooting on the film's set outside Santa Fe.
Lawyer Brian J. Panish has published this statement on behalf of the Hutchins family in response to the news:
"We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life. Our independent investigation also supports that charges are warranted. It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law. We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution, and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law."
Baldwin's attorney Luke Nikas said the decision to file charges against the actor represents "a terrible miscarriage of justice", and lawyers for Guiterrez-Reed said in a statement that the investigation was "flawed".
Murray advances, Kokkinakis out after late-night marathon
By Kelsie Iorio
It took almost six hours, but Andy Murray is through to the third round of the Australian Open after defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6,7 7-6, 6-3, 7-5.
It's now officially the longest professional match of Murray's career — of most people's careers, probably — not finishing til after 4am local time.
"I'm aware I don't look particularly happy when I'm playing a lot of the time, but that's when I'm my happiest on the inside," Murray said in his on-court interview after the marathon match.
That's the end of Thanasi Kokkinakis's Australian Open run for this year, with Nick Kyrgios's knee injury ruling the Special Ks out of the doubles tournament as well.
