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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Antoun Issa

Afternoon Update: thousands march in Invasion Day rallies; Israel braces for ICJ ruling; and trans swimmer takes legal action

People participate in an Invasion Day rally in Brisbane
People march in an Invasion Day rally in a steamy hot Brisbane. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

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

Prime minister Anthony Albanese, partner Jodie Haydon, governor general David Hurley and wife Linda pose with newly sworn citizens
Prime minister Anthony Albanese, partner Jodie Haydon, governor general David Hurley and wife Linda pose with newly sworn citizens. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
The village of Bento Rodrigues near Mariana in the south-eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais after the dam collapse, which left 19 dead.
The village of Bento Rodrigues near Mariana, Brazil after the dam collapse, which left 19 dead. Photograph: Felipe Dana/AP
  • 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
Transgender US swimmer Lia Thomas is taking legal action against World Aquatics. Photograph: Josh Reynolds/AP
  • 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.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah has spent the decade since the death of her daughter Ella campaigning on air pollution
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah has spent the decade since the death of her daughter Ella campaigning on air pollution. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA
  • 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 …

People gather outside the Victorian parliament for an Invasion Day rally
People take part in an Invasion Day rally outside Victoria’s parliament. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

***

“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

415 – the number of massacre sites identified in Australia

Check out The Killing Times project that documented and mapped massacres that spread with colonisation.

Before bed read

A community tennis court in Hobart
A community tennis court in Hobart. Photograph: William Caram/Alamy

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

Wordiply screenshot

Today’s starter word is: NOD. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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