Good morning, it's Thursday, June 30. Here's what you need to get going today.
One thing to know right now: R Kelly has been sentenced
Here's what happened:
The former US R&B singer was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the Brooklyn federal court.
The 55-year-old — real name Robert Kelly — was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking in September last year.
Prosecutors described Kelly's actions as systematic sexual abuse, in some cases involving teenage girls.
Several women who testified against Kelly during the trial spoke about how he had promised to mentor them and help them attain stardom, only to subject them to degrading sexual treatment and physical harm.
Many women said the abuse led to ongoing mental health problems.
“You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel,” one unnamed survivor told Kelly who kept his hands folded and his eyes downcast.
One thing you’ll be hearing about today: NSW teachers are on strike
Here's the lowdown:
Thousands of teachers across NSW are on strike today, protesting pay and staff shortages.
Public and catholic school teachers are taking part in a 24-hour strike, with a mass rally being held at state parliament in Sydney.
It's the first time teachers from government and Catholic schools have taken strike action together.
The NSW Teachers Federation described the government's 3 per cent pay offer as "an insult" that falls below inflation.
The union is warning the government that it won't be able to fix the teacher shortage unless it provides more attractive salaries.
This is the third lot of industrial action by teachers in seven months.
News while you snoozed
Let's get you up to speed.
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong has raised the ongoing detention of Australian citizen Chau Van Kham with Vietnam's president, prime minister and foreign leader after a UN body found he was arbitrarily detained and "forcibly disappeared".
- The only survivor of the group behind the 2015 terrorist attacks on the Bataclan theatre and other sites in Paris has been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
- The European Commission has proposed a ban on the sale of flavoured heated tobacco products as part of its plan to fight cancer and in response to a significant increase in the volume of such products sold across the EU.
The news Australia is searching for
- Sri Lanka vs Australia: A late run-out has taken the polish off a solid first day from Australia's men's cricketers in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Sri Lanka was dismissed for 212 and Australia were 3-98 in reply.
One more thing: stay across the NATO summit in Madrid
In case you missed it, NATO leaders are at a summit this week in Spain's capital.
Here are the key moments:
- After a sideline meeting, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said free trade negotiations with the EU will resume in the next few months, after securing a commitment from the President of the European Commission. Mr Albanese said negotiations had stalled after a diplomatic fallout with the French government and concerns about his predecessor's position on climate change.
- Turkish president President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he's hopeful grain exports from Ukraine will soon be granted passage through the Black Sea. Russia has bombed several ports on the coast and forced wheat and other cereals to be exported overland by rail and truck.
- US President Joe Biden announced a hefty boost in America's military presence in Europe, including a permanent US base in Poland, two more Navy destroyers based in Spain, and two more F35 squadrons to the UK.
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NATO leaders branded Russia the most "direct threat" to alliance security.
That's it for now
We'll be back later on with more.
ABC/wires
