Good afternoon. Thousands have marched across Australian cities to mark Invasion Day, with calls to address Indigenous incarceration rates and Palestinian solidarity at the forefront of protests.
Speakers at events in the major capital cities also highlighted anger and despair over ongoing deaths in custody, which remain at a record high, and the forced removal of First Nations children from their families.
The veteran Indigenous rights activist Gary Foley said this year’s marches were historic “because of what’s going on in another part of the world”. “We have invited our Palestinian brothers and sisters to be here today as an act in solidarity,” he said at the Melbourne rally.
Two AFL clubs – Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs – added to growing calls for the date of Australia Day to be changed from 26 January. “The 26th of January represents a day of immense sadness and sorrow for many in our community,” Port’s statement read.
Top news
Australia welcomes thousands of new citizens | More than 22,000 people from more than 150 countries took the citizenship pledge on Australia Day. In the 75 years since Australian citizenship was introduced, more than 6 million people have taken the pledge.
Thousands without power after cyclone hits Townsville | The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, said on Friday there had been minimal property damage and no lives lost after Kirrily weakened to a tropical low. But more than 10,000 people in Townsville and Burdekin were still affected by power outages on Friday afternoon.
Israel braces for interim ICJ ruling | Israeli officials are bracing for an expected interim ruling from the international court of justice on South Africa’s allegation that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians, an emergency measure that could expose Israel to international sanctions. Meanwhile, the heads of the CIA and Mossad will meet Qatari officials in coming days for talks on a second potential Gaza hostage deal and pause in fighting.
BHP ordered to pay damages for Brazil dam collapse | A Brazilian judge has ruled that mining companies Vale and BHP and their joint venture Samarco must pay 47.6bn reais (A$14.7bn) in damages for a 2015 tailings dam burst. The dam collapse in the south-eastern city of Mariana caused a giant mudslide that killed 19 people and severely polluted the Doce River, compromising the waterway to its outlet in the Atlantic Ocean.
South Korean female politician attacked with rock | A South Korean governing party lawmaker was treated for lacerations at a Seoul hospital after being attacked by an unidentified man who repeatedly struck her in the head with what appeared to be a rock. The motive of the attack was not immediately clear.
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas takes legal action | The US swimmer Lia Thomas, who rose to global prominence by becoming the first transgender athlete to win a NCAA college title, is taking legal action against World Aquatics in a bid to compete again in elite female sport – including the Olympics. Thomas has not swum since World Aquatics introduced new rules in 2022, which prohibit anyone who has undergone “any part of male puberty” from the female category.
Alabama executes Kenneth Smith using nitrogen gas | Alabama has carried out the first execution of a death row inmate in the US using nitrogen gas, an untested procedure which the prisoner’s lawyers had argued amounted to a form of cruel and unusual punishment banned under the US constitution.
UK government sued over air pollution | The mother of a nine-year-old girl who became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited on their death certificate has launched a high court claim against the government. Her lawyers said she hoped the action would further her broader campaign to establish the “right to clean air”.
Astronomers discover giant ancient stars in Milky Way | A mysterious group of giant elderly stars at the heart of the Milky Way are emitting solar system-sized clouds of dust and gas, astronomers have discovered.
What they said …
***
“It makes me so confused as to why Australia says ‘lest we forget’ on Anzac Day, but ‘get over it’ on Invasion Day. Both are a day of mourning, but only one is respected.” – Ky-Ya Nicholson Ward, young Indigenous leader speaking at the Melbourne really
In numbers
Check out The Killing Times project that documented and mapped massacres that spread with colonisation.
Before bed read
Kelly Eng’s first-person piece on her experience in community tennis might just have inspired me to pick up the racket again.
“With its weathered club houses and diehard players, community tennis is the beating heart of the game. Believe me, I know. My career in low-level tennis hasn’t just yielded plastic trophies and a photo frame – it gave me two decades of joy and the following life lessons.” Read more.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: NOD. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know. Sign up for our Morning Mail newsletter here.
