Good afternoon. Bruce Lehrmann faced cross examination today in day three of his defamation trial against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson.
The network’s barrister, Matt Collins KC, played extensive CCTV footage of Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins socialising at a bar on the night she alleged he raped her at Parliament House. Lehrmann has always denied the rape allegation and pleaded not guilty in a criminal trial that was later aborted.
In Friday’s hearing, Collins asserted Lehrmann had tried to get Higgins drunk, to which Lehrmann replied, “no, I wasn’t”. Read the full report.
Top news
Sydney school strike for Palestine | Hundreds of school students have defied politicians to attend a rally for Palestine at Sydney Town Hall. The protest comes a day after a similar student rally in Melbourne. “I want to use my voice for those children in Gaza who are not able to pursue their education and whose basic human rights have been stolen from them,” said Jaseena, a year 12 student who attended the protest.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire | Clocks have ticked past 7am in Israel, when a truce with Hamas was due to begin. The agreement is intended to lead to the release of dozens of hostages held by militants as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Just after 7am local time, sirens in Israel had warned of potential rockets, but there was no immediate confirmation of any attacks. Earlier, Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, had said the military will resume fighting in Gaza “with intensity” for at least two more months once the “short” temporary pause ends.
Banks vow to block transfers to suspect accounts | Consumer groups have long lobbied for institutions to crack down on scams by rejecting transfers if the name and bank details of recipient don’t match. A similar measure was introduced in the UK in 2020 and it resulted in a 35% reduction in misdirected payments in the first year.
Calls for urgent royal commission into domestic violence | Advocates are calling for a national royal commission after the deaths of four women in one week. Leesa Hooker, a family violence researcher at La Trobe University, said a royal commission examining the issue at a national level would be a “fabulous start”. “It is a crisis,” Hooker said.
Giant red pumpkin sculpture unveiled on Mornington Peninsula | Australia’s first big polka dot pumpkin by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has been unveiled at Pt Leo Estate on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The three-metre-wide red-and-black gourd has been installed with a view of the sea, its design a famed example of the globally renowned artist’s work.
Labor criticised over ‘lack of urgency’ on environment laws | Australia’s major conservation organisations have taken the Albanese government to task over what they say is a lack of urgency on environmental reform. In a 6 September letter to environment minister Tanya Plibersek, released to Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws, the groups also expressed serious concern about some of the reforms under consideration.
Taiwan says Australian warship sailed through sensitive Taiwan Strait | Taiwan’s military says it kept watch as an Australian warship sailed through the sensitive and narrow waterway that separates the island from China. The incident comes after a maritime altercation between Chinese and Australian warships off Japan’s coast last week that injured navy divers.
Violent protests in Dublin | Buses and trams have been torched and a shop looted during riots in central Dublin after a stabbing attack outside a school left three children injured. A crowd chanting anti-immigrant slogans clashed with police hours after the incident. The garda commissioner, Drew Harris, said a “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology” was behind the disorder.
In pictures
Mozambique’s Mário Macilau wins James Barnor prize
This year’s winner of the James Barnor prize, which supports photography talent on the African continent and among the wider African diaspora, is Mário Macilau. Here is a selection from three series of his work in Mozambique.
What they said …
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“There are no plans from the government to introduce across the public sector a four-day working week and we’ll continue to negotiate with the public sector union.” – Jacinta Allan, Victorian premier
The Community and Public Sector Union has made a formal pilot program for a reduced-hours, four-day work week across various worksites a key part of its enterprise bargaining negotiations with the government.
In numbers
Pollution caused twice as many premature deaths as previously thought.
Before bed read
“My recently widowed sister wants me to confront her husband’s unfaithful past. What to do?” – a reader asked our advice columnist, Eleanor Gordon-Smith.
Gordon-Smith wrote in reply: “Attending to old wounds can turn us into forensic examiners of the past, picking up previous slights with tweezers, illuminating and studying them.” Read the full advice column.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: HEAL. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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