TRANSCRIPT
- Australians welcome the beginning of 2025
- 2004 cabinet papers reveal the Timor Leste bugging scandal
- And in Tennis, Nick Kyrgios plays a singles match at the Brisbane International
New Year's Eve revellers have largely been praised for their behaviour at the nation's largest fireworks shows,
More than a million people swarmed the main vantage points around Sydney Harbour to watch the fireworks.
This man says it is his first time seeing the fireworks in Sydney.
"It was incredible, great way to start the year, great way to end the year. Beautiful. Best fireworks in the world honestly."
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Former Prime Minister John Howard says he believed security agencies were working in the national interest despite allegations they spied on a foreign government.
The National Archives of Australia has released more than 240 cabinet papers from 2004, showing important decisions made by then prime minister John Howard and his ministers.
Australia's intelligence agencies were accused of bugging the cabinet room of Timor Leste's government in 2004, allegedly gathered information as the Timor Sea Treaty was being negotiated.
The treaty would decide how the two countries would share in lucrative proceeds from seabed petroleum.
Mr Howard says trusted Australia's security agencies.
"What I said, and what I repeat to your viewers, is that I had such confidence in our intelligence agencies that I believe they would always act in a manner that promoted Australia's national interest. And if I may, just to follow that, would that include, if required, in the national interest, an action like that? Well, I said, what I said. I always thought they adhere to the national interest."
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A new report from the United Nation's human rights office finds Israel's sustained attacks on Gaza's hospitals have damaged the healthcare system to the point where it is on the brink of total collapse.
The report documents the targeting of hospitals, the killing of hundreds of medical workers, and the destruction of critical life-saving equipment, concluding that in certain circumstances the attacks could "amount to war crimes".
Israel has consistently denied committing war crimes in Gaza.
The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the report.
Spokesman for the UN High Commissoner for Human Rights, Jeremy Laurence says people should feel safe visiting a hospital.
"The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were not enough, the one sanctuary, where Palestinians should have felt safe, in fact, became a death trap. Under certain circumstances, the deliberate destruction of healthcare facilities may amount to a form of collective punishment, which is also a war crime."
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About a dozen nuns have showed off their martial art skills to hundreds of cheering wellwishers at the long-awaited reopening of their nunnery in Nepal.
The institution has reopened, five years after the COVID pandemic forced it to shutdown.
The group of kung fu nuns, aged from 17-30, are members of the 1,000 year-old Drukpa lineage, which gives nuns equal status as monks and is the only female order in the patriarchal Buddhist monastic system.
The nunnery is unusual as Buddhist nuns are traditionally expected to cook and clean and are not allowed to practise any form of martial art.
This nun says she joined the order to help others.
"I really want to become a nun. I have seen that nuns are doing lots of different works and they also perform the kung fu. And you know I am very happy. I am really attached with them and I really want become a nun, to help others."
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In Tennis, Nick Kyrgios has appeared in his first singles match since mid-last year at the Brisbane International
The 29-year-old played for two-and-a-half hard hours against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
In the end, the Aussie lost 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 as his wrist injury flared up.
Kyrgios says his wrist is likely to remain an ongoing issue.
"The reality kind of set ends, that's the best of three matches with my wrists, like physically a grind. It's arguably one of the hardest things to do in any sport is win a grand slam in men's tennis. I almost need a miracle and I need the stars to align for my wrist to hold up."
