The infrastructure minister, Catherine King, has alleged in a speech to parliament that Liberal backbencher Tony Pasin filmed a conversation between them on a GoPro, asking that her claims be referred to the parliament’s powerful privileges committee for investigation. On Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for Pasin denied the allegations. Making the claims in the House…

The investigative reporter and former foreign correspondent Linton Besser has been named the new host of ABC’s Media Watch. The multi-award winning journalist will take over the Monday night media program from Paul Barry, who will step down on 2 December after 11 years. “We will put a blowtorch on our ourselves, on our own…

Two of the first people convicted under laws that outlawed shows of Nazi symbolism have had their guilty verdicts overturned after a judge found their public salutes could not be definitively linked to the fascist German regime. Nikola Marko Gasparovic, 46, Dominik Sieben, 25, and Marijan Lisica, 46, were accused of performing the salute at…

A major storm swept across the US north-west, battering the region with strong winds and rain, causing widespread power outages, closing schools and downing trees that killed at least two people. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks through Friday, and hurricane-force wind warnings were in effect as the strongest atmospheric river – a…

ABC Sydney’s Mornings presenter Sarah Macdonald has revealed on air that her contract won’t be renewed in the lead-up to an announcement of a major overhaul of ABC Radio on Thursday afternoon which will include the return of Fran Kelly to daily news. “Well, here’s the news from me in terms of disappointment,” Macdonald said.…

China has renewed efforts to curry favour in Pacific island nations, a new report has found, after charting a “resurgence” in Beijing-backed aid and infrastructure funding. Over the past decade, China has lavished billions of dollars on Pacific island nations, part of ongoing efforts to build influence in competition with the US and its allies.…

Donald Trump is likely to choose the Johns Hopkins surgeon and writer Martin Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Makary raised concerns about a number of public health issues during the Covid pandemic, touting the protection from natural immunity and opposing Covid vaccine…

A vehicle has been set on fire and 10 cars have been vandalised with anti-Israel graffiti in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, sparking outrage and condemnation from politicians including the prime minister. New South Wales police said they had discovered the graffiti on the cars and the door of an apartment complex in Woollahra after they were…

The Charity Commission’s report on the Captain Tom Foundation is highly critical of the conduct and actions of its founders, Hannah and Colin Ingram-Moore, who it said had directly and inappropriately benefited financially from their links to the foundation. Here are three examples of how the Ingram-Moores’ failure to manage conflicts of interest – not…

People in the UK who are diagnosed with the two most lethal forms of cancer die sooner than those in many other comparable countries, a new study has found. Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed the UK ranked a lowly 31st out of 43 countries for how many people survive…