Good afternoon. The Australian academic Yang Hengjun has been given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court, after five years in detention on espionage charges.
Penny Wong said in response that the government was “appalled by this decision”, and had summoned the Chinese ambassador to lodge Canberra’s objection.
Yang’s detention in China has been a key point of friction between the Chinese and Australian governments. Read the full story.
Top news
Ben Roberts-Smith appeal begins | The former soldier’s attempt to overturn the grim findings of his defamation case against the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age has begun. To be successful in the appeal, the Roberts-Smith team will need to persuade the court that Justice Anthony Besanko made an error in reasoning when he found the soldier to be complicit in the murder of four Afghan men.
Police investigate stabbing of Queensland grandmother | Queensland police have arrested three juveniles in relation to the stabbing death of a 70-year-old woman in front of her granddaughter. Vyleen White had finished grocery shopping with her six-year-old granddaughter at Redbank Plains near Ipswich about 6pm on Saturday when she was stabbed in the chest by a man in the centre’s underground car park. White died at the scene a short time later after attempts to revive her failed. The young girl was unharmed.
Public health leaders call for health levy on sugary drinks | Leading Australian public health organisations are calling for a 20% health levy on sugary drink manufacturers. Research by the Australian Medical Association found the levy could raise $1bn each year to fund health initiatives, and slash the amount of sugar Australians consume each year by nearly 2.6kg.
The Philippines threatens force to quell secession attempts | The Philippine government is ready to use “authority and forces” against attempts to divide the nation, a security official has said, after the former president Rodrigo Duterte threatened to separate some southern islands from the rest of the archipelago. Duterte’s alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr disintegrated this week over disagreements around efforts to amend the constitution.
Everything you need to know about Indonesia’s election | On 14 February, about 205 million people will be eligible to vote in Indonesia, making it one of the world’s biggest election days. Who’s running and what are they key issues? Read this explainer.
Kylie wins inaugural Grammy for best pop dance record | It’s Kylie’s second ever Grammy win, beating fellow Aussie Troye Sivan to the award for her song Padam Padam. Meanwhile, rapper Killer Mike was detained after winning three awards and Taylor Swift announced a new album at the ceremony. And check out this photo gallery of the best red carpet pics.
Parisians vote to triple parking costs for SUVs | In a referendum on Sunday, which was closely watched by other capital cities, 54.6% voted in favour of special parking fees for SUVs. However, the turnout – at about 5.7% of Paris’s registered voters – was lower than green campaigners had hoped for.
In video
AFP grilled over undercover operation involving autistic 13-year-old boy
In a tense exchange, the Greens senator David Shoebridge accused the Australian federal police of “radicalising” the boy, who had an IQ of 71, calling it an “obscene abuse of power”. The AFP deputy commissioner Ian McCartney defended the controversial operation, saying it was “a decision I didn’t take lightly”. Click here to watch the video.
What they said …
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“What’s missing from the government’s package is relief for those genuinely struggling the most, and who don’t benefit from these tax cuts.” – Grattan Institute report
A new analysis from the Grattan Institute has called on the government to “urgently” raise jobseeker and rent assistance.
In numbers
It’s a grim finding after a 12-month investigation by our chief investigations correspondent, Christopher Knaus.
Before bed read
“I don’t want you to watch me die.”
At the age of 20, Ruaridh Nicoll was sent half a world away by his dying father. Now, with a son himself, he returns to that remote corner of Queensland to imagine his lost, younger self – and wonder at the remarkable decision his dad made. Read Nicoll’s first-person reflection.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: RESH. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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