Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Natasha May

Afternoon Update: Kamala Harris’s big moment; Gina Rinehart urges government to ‘drill, baby, drill’; and whale in Sydney Harbour freed

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Good afternoon. The Democratic national convention has wrapped up in Chicago, with Kamala Harris formally accepting the party’s presidential nomination. In her acceptance speech, Harris forcefully rebuked Donald Trump, warning of the “extremely serious” consequences of electing him again. She urged voters to be “guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish”.

Harris said she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself” but also spoke of Gaza, saying “the scale of suffering is heartbreaking”. The convention ended without a Palestinian American speaker on the main stage, a key demand of the uncommitted movement.

Despite the rumours that Beyoncé was going to perform, there was no surprise musical guest – neither Queen Bey nor Taylor Swift.

Top news

  • Whale freed in Sydney harbour | A humpback whale has been freed after being entangled in ropes in Sydney Harbour. The young adult whale, between 10 and 15 metres long, was spotted about 1pm on Thursday by a tour group, who alerted the volunteer organisation Orrca.

  • Safework investigating Swillhouse | SafeWork NSW is investigating the Sydney bar and restaurant group Swillhouse after a series of allegations by staff of harassment, discrimination and unsafe workplaces. On Friday, a SafeWork NSW spokesperson said: “The allegations of serious work health and safety issues highlighted in recent media reports relating to Swillhouse Group are concerning.”

  • Global surge of water-related violence | Israeli attacks on Palestinian water supplies in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip accounted for a quarter of all water-related violence in 2023, as armed conflicts over dwindling resources surged globally, according to new research.

  • Iceland volcano erupts for sixth time since December | A volcano in south-western Iceland has erupted for the sixth time since December, spewing lava through a new fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula. Live video images showed orange lava bursting out of a long fissure, illuminating billowing smoke rising up into the night sky.

What they said …

***

“What is really keeping women living unsafe in their homes, unable to leave – it’s because the family court system keeps women bound and weighted down to their abuser.”

Lara Glasson, the secretary of Domestic Violence Advocacy Australia, told a parliamentary inquiry that the family court system was an “inaccessible and unsafe place” for victims to go to for support.

Before bed read

‘I’m a tyrant!’: pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter on freakish fame, fighting Disney and writing the song of the summer

After 14 years in obscurity, she has now been streamed by billions, censored by the BBC and toured with Taylor Swift – and she’s still only 25. But the Espresso singer says the public aren’t making life easy.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: MACH. 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, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.