Labor defends news payment plan as Meta, Google reject tax
US tech giant Meta has condemned Labor's plan to tax large digital platforms that fail to pay for using Australian journalism as "government-mandated transfer of wealth".

US tech giant Meta has condemned Labor's plan to tax large digital platforms that fail to pay for using Australian journalism as "government-mandated transfer of wealth".

Thousands mourned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, calling for revenge against the US and Israel. His coffin, alongside those of family killed in an airstrike, was paraded through the city. The funeral serves as a show of strength amid ongoing war negotiations.

Queensland mental health organizations fear funding cuts due to inadequate state government indexation rates. Eating Disorders Queensland reports a 60% demand increase and a 160-person waiting list, while the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health warns of reduced services and increased hospital strain.

Ali Abdullah-Highfold, an Indigenous Australian at the South Australian Museum, has spent 28 years helping hundreds of First Nations people find lost family history using archival records. The demand is high, with some waiting years for access.

A person abseiled down a prominent Melbourne bridge tower early this morning, spray-painting a graffiti symbol and offensive words. Police have closed a lane, causing traffic delays, and are in a stand-off with the trespasser.

US military prosecutors are preparing to try Encep "Hambali" Nurjaman for the 2002 Bali bombings, potentially next year. Prosecutors aim for 202 life sentences, but victims' families and advocates are skeptical due to past delays and concerns over CIA torture used to obtain evidence.

A 584-page judicial report has found that three of the "Croatian Six", jailed for 45 years for an alleged 1979 Sydney terrorist plot, may be innocent. The inquiry cited "procedural irregularities and police misconduct" in the original investigation, recommending the convictions of Maksimilian Bebic, Vjekoslav Brajkovic, and Anton Zvirotic be quashed. The Yugoslav secret police are alleged to have framed the men.