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The former foreign minister and former New South Wales premier Bob Carr says he intends to sue New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, for allegations made about Carr’s closeness to China as debate about Aukus ramps up.
During an interview with New Zealand’s national broadcaster RNZ on Thursday morning, Peters said Carr was “nothing more than a Chinese puppet” after Carr criticised the pact on a visit to Wellington in April, calling it “bullshit”.
Carr labelled the comments “entirely defamatory” and said he would be taking legal action.
New Zealand is considering whether it should involve itself in pillar two of the military pact between Australia, the UK and the US, which involves developing and sharing advanced technologies. New Zealand has not been offered the chance to join pillar one – nor would it accept, due to its anti-nuclear position.
Debate has been mounting as to whether it should join the pact, which China – the country’s largest trading partner – views as hostile.
- Club patrons advised to replace ID documents after leak | Hundreds of thousands of residents in NSW and the ACT are being urged to replace their ID documents after more than a million records, including names and addresses, of club and pub patrons were leaked in a data breach.
- Surfer dies after being found with stab wounds | A 22-year-old is believed to have been stabbed moments after leaving a Coffs Harbour beach. He was found in Park Beach Reserve at about 6.40am this morning and was taken to hospital but died shortly after.
- Specialist police team to target Alice Springs youth crime | More than a dozen additional police officers will be sent to Alice Springs after a series of violent brawls that led local authorities to impose a three-week curfew on the Red Centre. A team of 18 officers will form the Alice Springs Territory Safety Division, tasked with targeting youth crime, high-visibility policing and rapid response to public order situations.
- Parents who share photos of children online more likely to be approached for sexual images of them | A new report has found parents who share photos of their children online are more likely to be offered cash for sexually explicit images of their kids, with the federal government warning about the dangers of “sharenting”. The Australian Institute of Criminology on Thursday said “sharenting” – publishing information or photos of children online – “may place some children at risk of exploitation and harm”.
- Sydney teenager who allegedly wanted to stab non-Muslims denied bail | The youngest member of a group of teenagers accused of conspiring to plan a terror attack has been denied bail on the grounds that he posed an “unacceptable risk” to society. The 15-year-old had his head in his hands as he heard magistrate James Viney’s decision, which means he could remain in custody for more than 12 months, awaiting trial.
- Perth woman allegedly assaulted by freed detainee confronts minister over removal of man’s ankle bracelet | A Perth grandmother allegedly assaulted by a freed immigration detainee has asked the immigration minister why the man’s ankle monitoring bracelet was removed weeks before the alleged attack. Ninette Simons, 73, and her 76-year-old husband, Phillip, were allegedly violently assaulted by three men during a home invasion on 19 April, during which Ninette was beaten and $200,000 in jewellery was stolen.
- UCLA chancellor condemns ‘instigators’ who attacked pro-Palestinian camp on campus | The University of California in Los Angeles was reeling on Wednesday after a late-night violent attack by counter-demonstrators on a pro-Palestinian protest encampment, as the state’s governor condemned law enforcement’s slow response to some of the worst violence seen since students across the US intensified their protests in support of Gaza.
- Wisconsin police kill student who came to middle school with a gun | Wisconsin police shot and killed a student who officials say came to a local middle school with a gun. The student never got into the school, but as a precaution the entire district was put on a lockdown late Wednesday morning.
- Trump trades New York worries for hit of adulation from his Maga faithful | On a day off from his criminal trial, the ex-president hit the campaign trail – and ran through his familiar litany of falsehoods and complaints.
Main image: Composite: AAP/Bianca De Marchi/Photo by Hakan Nural/Anadolu via Getty Images
