TRANSCRIPT
- Brittany Higgins breaks her silence following the ruling in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial.
- The United States House of Representatives approves a multi-billion dollar military aid package for Ukraine.
- Stefanos Tsitsipas defeats Serbia's Dusan Lajovic in the Barcelona Open.
Brittany Higgins has broken her silence to welcome the judgement in Bruce Lehrmann's failed defamation trial, saying it is "time to heal".
In findings delivered on Monday, Justice Michael Lee found that on the balance of probabilities Bruce Lehrmann did rape the then 24-year old in March 2019.
In a post on her personal Instagram account, Ms Higgins thanked Justice Lee for his 'trauma-informed approach'.
She said after five years of criminal and civil trials it is now time to heal.
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Picturesque Bondi Beach will be the fitting backdrop for a candlelit vigil to honour the victims of Australia's worst mass killing in years.
Six people died and six remain in hospital after 40-year-old Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney's eastern suburbs on the 13th of April.
Hundreds of people are expected to gather in Bondi early this Sunday evening.
It's a setting best known for its throng of tourists, busy beaches and families out for the weekend.
But from 5.30pm, a more sombre scene will take shape as mourners gather to reflect on the victims of the deadly rampage.
A first-time mother defending her baby, the daughter of a millionaire advertising guru and an on-duty security guard were among the six people killed in the attack.
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New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says a coronial inquiry into the deadly Bondi Junction stabbing attack will help the government understand how to better manage mental health resources.
The inquiry will look into both the police response to the attack and the killer's interactions with mental health agencies in New South Wales and his home state of Queensland.
This comes after Joel Cauchi, a long-time sufferer of mental health problems, was shot dead by police after carrying out the country's worst mass killing in recent years, taking the lives of six people.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says the inquiry will help provide insight into whether the state's mental health budget could be better managed.
"The New South Wales government spends about $2.7 billion a year on mental health funding. To put that in perspective, that's about half as much as we spend on the New South Wales police force. We have to answer the question over time as to whether that money is going in the right areas and it's being spent most effectively. I need to do that with evidence and I'm confident the coronial inquiry will help direct the government's policy changes."
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The United States House of Representatives has passed a $148 billion ($95 billion USD) legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with broad bipartisan support.
Some hardline Republicans voiced strong opposition to further Ukraine aid, arguing the United States cannot afford it given its rising $34 trillion national debt.
They have repeatedly raised the threat of ousting Mike Johnson, who became House Speaker in October after his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was ousted by party hardliners.
Mr Johnson says he believes the passing of the bill is the right thing.
"Our process in the end ensured that each member was able to consider the individual supplemental elements on their own merits, which is exactly how the house is supposed to work. I know there are critics of the legislation. I understand that, it is not a perfect piece of legislation. We're not insured that in a time of divided government and in a time where there are lots of different opinions, but there's no question whatsoever that the House has made many strong improvements to the Senate bill, and the product that we've sent over there is much better."
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A man has died after setting himself on fire outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials say he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
The man burned for several minutes in full view of television cameras outside the courthouse, where the first-ever criminal trial of a former U-S president is being held.
Witness Fred Gates describes the shocking display.
"I was talking to this young man, this Trump supporter guy, and we were having a nice conversation. And then we turned around and we saw this guy take out these two cans. And before he doused himself, he threw a bunch of fliers into the air. Then he took one can and doused the left hand side of himself. Then they took the other can and doused the right hand side. And then he pulled out a lighter and just lit himself on fire."
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Stefanos Tsitsipas has secured a hard-fought 5-7 6-4 6-2 win over Serbia's Dusan Lajovic in the Barcelona Open to set up a final with Norwegian third seed Casper Ruud.
Fifth seed Tsitsipas is chasing his second title of the season after he dismantled Ruud 6-1 6-4 to win the Monte Carlo Masters last week for the third time in four years.
The two will meet again in the showpiece match today after Ruud beat Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in the other semi-final one day prior.
