Leadership tensions at Rex airlinesElias VisontayRising tensions have emerged among the leadership at Regional Express airlines, where major shareholder and former chairman Lim Kim Hai is pushing to remove four directors from the board.On Friday morning, Rex posted an announcement to the ASX advising that Lim had given notice under the Corporations Act to remove John Sharp, the former Nationals federal transport minister chairman of Rex who has in recent years made headlines with his colourful criticism of Qantas and aviation policy.Lim has also demanded the removal of Ronald Bartsch, who is also a director of Dovetail aviation, the electric aviation outfit Rex is hoping will provide a solution to its future fleet sourcing issues for regional aircraft. Lim also wants Jim Davis, a former CEO of Rex, and Lee Thian Soo gone.A special shareholder meeting will now be scheduled to vote on Lim’s demands to remove the four directors.ShareUpdated at 03.22 BSTKey eventsJordyn BeazleyLA second Blockade Australia protester has received a jail sentence after he suspended himself above a railway track in Newcastle.21-year-old Sam Gribben, who is from Bellingen, appealed his one month jail sentence and has been released on bail. He’ll face court again next week.Gribben’s sentence comes after another 21-year-old, Laura Davy, appealed their two month jail sentence on Monday after they were convicted for securing themself to a piece of machinery at a Newcastle coal terminal.Blockade Australia has been disrupting the railway and port in Newcastle with daily actions since 25 June. The protesters are calling for a change to the economic and political system to achieve meaningful climate action.More on Davy’s sentence here:ShareLuca IttimaniConcerns greyhound racing inquiry powers are ‘politically constrained’ and ‘inadequate’The greyhound racing watchdog in New South Wales will lead an inquiry into the industry despite concern from advocates the probe’s powers are “politically constrained” and “inadequate” to address allegations of rampant animal abuse.The state’s racing minister, David Harris, announced a new acting commissioner of the NSW Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC), Lea Drake, would lead the inquiry.Harris said he wanted the industry to continue operating but would push Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) to focus on improving animal welfare and its governance.He said on Thursday:
The industry is showing that they have made progress. This is about ensuring that they stay focused.
Dog injury rates have reached their highest point since independent reporting began in 2018, according to GWIC’s latest quarterly injury data release.Read the full story here:ShareUpdated at 05.37 BSTArmy private and husband appear in court accused of preparation for espionageAs we noted earlier, a Russian-born Australian army private and her labourer husband have been arrested on espionage charges after allegedly working to steal sensitive defence information.Australian federal police arrested 40-year-old Kira Korolev, a member of the defence force, and 62-year-old Igor Korolev, a self-employed labourer, in Brisbane on Thursday.Kira Korolev’s matter was heard in the Brisbane arrest court on Friday under the charge of preparing for an espionage offence.Korolev did not appear and was denied bail by Magistrate Ross Mack, with her matter moved to the Brisbane magistrates court to be heard on 20 September.Igor Korolev, with short grey hair and light stubble, appeared in court under the same charge, wearing a green long-sleeve T-shirt, jeans and no shoes while sitting in the dock alongside a Queensland police officer. No bail application was made. with Korolev remanded in custody to appear in the magistrates court on 20 September.The preparation of espionage offence carries a maximum sentence of 15 years behind bars, but a higher charge of espionage could be levelled later as more information comes to light. It carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.ShareUpdated at 05.19 BSTNSW doctor charged with sexual assaultA doctor has been charged after allegedly assaulting two female patients at a medical centre in a south-Sydney suburb in June, NSW police have said.They will allege a 28-year-old woman was indecently assaulted during a consultation on Tuesday 4 June this year, and a 19-year-old woman was also sexually assaulted during a consultation at the same medical centre on 26 June.After making inquiries, police arrested a 45-year-old man at the medical clinic and he was taken to St George police station on Friday, charged with sexually touching another person without consent and sexual intercourse without consent.He was refused bail and will appear at Sutherland local court today.Police are continuing to investigate.ShareUpdated at 05.15 BSTTamsin RoseMinns announces drug rehab funding and four-day summitDrug reform will be the focus of a four-day summit to be held later this year in New South Wales after the premier, Chris Minns, fulfilled one of Labor’s key election commitments as part of a $33.9m package to tackle the complex issue.The premier also announced funding for 12 new drug and alcohol centres, to be run by not-for-profits, in regional and rural areas including Shellharbour, Orange, Wagga Wagga, Nimbin and Queanbeyan.The centres form part of the government’s response to the damning 2018 special commission into ice addiction, which recommended the complete decriminalisation of drug possession.NSW premier Chris Minns. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAPMinns said the summit would bring people together to find “new ways forward”.Read more about it here:ShareUpdated at 05.06 BSTScam callers impersonating officers from The Rocks police station in SydneyThe callers have been attempting to obtain personal details over the phone, New South Wales Police said on Friday.They issued the warning after receiving “numerous calls from concerned community members” reporting phone calls and voice messages that requested they provide their personal details, and suggested they had been victims of a scam or online fraud.Sydney City Police Area Command was investigating the source of the calls.Police advised the public to take precautions to reduce the risk of being scammed over the phone by not disclosing personal details to cold-callers, especially not banking details, PINs or account passwords, and to contact police immediately to report the incident if you believe you have been the victim of a scam.ShareUpdated at 04.24 BSTRussian-Australian man charged with espionage appears in courtBen SmeeA Russian-Australian man charged with espionage-related offences has appeared briefly in a Brisbane court.Igor Koralev, 68, is charged with one count of “preparing for an espionage offence”. He was assisted in the Brisbane arrest court by a Russian interpreter.His wife, Kira Koralev, 40, a Russian-born private in the Australian Army, is also charged with the same offence.It is the first charge under federal laws introduced in 2018.Igor Koralev made no application for bail and his case was adjourned until 20 September.ShareClive Palmer’s car museum gets green lightThe mining magnate has received approval to build Australia’s biggest car museum just weeks after the project appeared to have stalled.Palmer’s display of vintage vehicles, worth more than $200m, is now set to be on show at a property west of Brisbane.Palmer slammed the brakes on a planning application to build the ambitious project at his Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast in June after locals claimed it would be an “eyesore”.Instead, he set his sights on a property near Lowood, a 90-minute drive from Brisbane.The local Somerset Council on Wednesday officially approved the project that will feature more than 1,000 cars and 300 motorcycles, in 11 display buildings alongside 10 accommodation units, a cafe and a gift shop.The museum’s floor area is 43,000sq m, about the size of four NRL fields.Somerset Mayor Jason Wendt told AAP:
We are hoping it provides a tourism boost for the region.
The project is expected to start in 2025.ShareUpdated at 04.13 BSTJosh ButlerAnthony Albanese has met with his counterpart from Tuvalu, Feleti TeoThe pair held their first face-to-face meeting in Brisbane this morning. Teo was elected in February. We understand the pair’s discussions centred on the Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union, expected to come into force later this year – which focuses on assisting the Pacific island nation as it faces challenges from climate change.The discussions also went to broader issues in the Pacific, including Australia’s investments in regional policing and defence issues, as well as climate and economic factors. Albanese and Teo also discussed Tuvalu’s progress toward establishing a new diplomatic mission in Canberra.Prime minister of Tuvalu Feleti Teo is greeted by Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Darren England/EPAWe might hear more about the meeting later today.ShareUpdated at 04.06 BSTJordyn BeazleyPrue Car addressed ceremonyThe deputy premier of New South Wales, Prue Car, joined the vigil alongside the federal member for Greenway – which takes in Lalor Park – Michelle Rowland, and the state member for Blacktown, Stephen Bali.Car said:
To say we express our love and condolences to the family doesn’t seem nearly enough.
We all join together as a community to help this family heal and go forward.
We offer our support to this community. Our love, and our support, through the most trying of times. We love you, and we’ll do anything to support you.
The mayor of Blacktown City Council, Brad Bunting, also spoke of the power and need to come together:
We gather here this evening to be able to come together, to be able to heal. We do that best as a community, and we do that best together.
The crowd then took turns one by one to lean into the smoke ceremony, cleansing in the rising smoke.Lalor Park residents during the vigil for the three young children that died in a house fire. Photograph: Thomas Parrish/AAPShareUpdated at 03.35 BSTJordyn BeazleyCeremony to mourn deaths of three children in Lalor ParkMore than 300 people hung their heads for a minute of silence in Sydney’s west on Thursday night.The Lalor Park community had gathered – alongside emergency services personnel and members of parliament – to mourn the death of three children after their father allegedly set their home ablaze in an alleged domestic violence incident on Saturday night.The silence was broken by a person on a keyboard at the front of the crowd who began to play Amazing Grace. A woman then began to sing, and slowly, it built to a harmony as some members of the crowd began to sing too. Rising gum smoke from a smoking ceremony hung in the air.“Blessed are those who mourn together for they will be comforted,” a local pastor told the crowd in prayer.At Thursday night’s vigil, Natalie, from Common Groundz Community Cafe which sits opposite the park where the vigil was held, spoke on behalf of the family:
I’d like to thank all of the community and those who couldn’t make it tonight for their love, support, prayers, and donation during this difficult time.
1/2ShareUpdated at 03.23 BSTLeadership tensions at Rex airlinesElias VisontayRising tensions have emerged among the leadership at Regional Express airlines, where major shareholder and former chairman Lim Kim Hai is pushing to remove four directors from the board.On Friday morning, Rex posted an announcement to the ASX advising that Lim had given notice under the Corporations Act to remove John Sharp, the former Nationals federal transport minister chairman of Rex who has in recent years made headlines with his colourful criticism of Qantas and aviation policy.Lim has also demanded the removal of Ronald Bartsch, who is also a director of Dovetail aviation, the electric aviation outfit Rex is hoping will provide a solution to its future fleet sourcing issues for regional aircraft. Lim also wants Jim Davis, a former CEO of Rex, and Lee Thian Soo gone.A special shareholder meeting will now be scheduled to vote on Lim’s demands to remove the four directors.ShareUpdated at 03.22 BSTBiden’s slip ‘unfortunate’ says AlbanesePrime minister Anthony Albanese has described a gaffe by US President Joe Biden, who called Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy “President Putin”, as “unfortunate”, AAP reports.Biden made the slip while introducing the Ukrainian president at the NATO summit in Washington, as he comes under increasing pressure to step down from the upcoming US presidential election due to concerns about his cognitive fitness.Albanese steered clear on whether the US president should step aside from the race but sympathised with Biden, telling Brisbane radio station 4BC:
Everyone from time to time, I think, has made a slip – it clearly was on his mind who President Zelenskiy is fighting … But it certainly is unfortunate.
Calls have been growing for the Democrats to put up another candidate to run in November’s election against former president Donald Trump, after Biden’s lacklustre performance during a debate in June.Albanese said whether Biden stepped down or not was a matter for the US, but that the president was “on top of his game” when the pair met in Washington in 2023:
[Biden] chaired a meeting of the entire cabinet … I had a long meeting with him in the Oval Office. We had a couple of dinners, including the official state dinner.
He certainly was on top of international affairs, the Aukus defence arrangements and our relationship, which is so important between Australia and the United States.
Anthony Albanese and Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May 2023. Photograph: Susan Walsh/APShareUpdated at 02.50 BSTFull Story podcast explores anti-protest lawsAppropriately, given what’s happening at Burrup Hub at the moment, today’s episode of Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast Full Story explores why anti-protest laws won’t deter climate activists from taking direct action.Our climate and environment editor Adam Morton said on the episode that the new anti-protest laws have:
…happened in a piecemeal way, but it feels like a concerted movement to try and crack down on this rising movement of climate and environmentally concerned people who feel like the traditional ways of protesting, like marching in the streets, just isn’t doing what is required given the scale of the problems that we face.
Guardian Australia’s Editor, Lenore Taylor says:
I think more and more draconian crackdowns, limiting rights to protest … isn’t going to stop them because they are responding to an existential crisis. And in their minds, there’s no other way to do it.
I think politicians should think about how to help people give voice to such genuinely held views within the political system rather than feeling like they have to go outside of the political system and disrupt things just to get heard.
You can find the episode here, or on any podcast app you already use:ShareUpdated at 02.31 BSTQueensland state MP announces sudden resignation with ‘full and frank’ health updateAndrew MessengerIpswich West MP Darren Zanow has announced his imminent resignation from Queensland parliament due to early-onset rapid developing dementia at the age of 52.The LNP MP announced this morning that he has been diagnosed with microvascular ischemic disease.The disease – observed by MRI and PET scans – is marked by a build up of plaque in the small blood vessels of the brain, signalling the early onset of dementia.Zanow said in a statement:
Observed in a person of my age, it is likely to signal that a more rapid onset has begun, and subsequent medical tests have proven this to be true in my case.
There is no proven treatment available to slow the debilitating effects of my condition and the prognosis for me requires that I must turn my attention immediately to the needs of my daughter Lola, who is aged 7, and to those of our wider family.
The former farmer and concrete and quarries businessperson won a by-election for the safe Labor seat on 16 March with a 17.8% two party preferred swing, one of the largest in a decade.Ironically, he only discovered his condition the day he was sworn in, 16 April.The former business owner said he had “no other choice” but to resign at the 26 October state election:
I am making this full and frank account in the hope that as my family and I come to terms with the short years of shared time that remain, we will have privacy.
Ipswich West MP Darren Zanow has been diagnosed with early-onset rapid developing dementia. Photograph: Darren England/AAPShareUpdated at 02.26 BSTAdeshola OreInvestigation into Melbourne factory fire ‘isn’t going to be quick’Firefighters battled a large explosion at a factory in Derrimut factory on Wednesday morning. It came after another fire at the same site resulted in the death of one person last October. There were no injuries from Wednesday’s fire and it was declared under control within four hours.Fire Rescue Victoria’s deputy commissioner for community safety, Josh Fischer, says there were no indication the fire was suspicious:
This is going to take some time. This isn’t going to be a quick investigation.
The Environment Protection Authority’s west metropolitan manager, Steve Lansdell, says after the October fire the agency issued regulatory notices to the factory focused on stormwater management and containment:
We actually saw some of those controls help initially in the incident, but obviously with the scale of the incident and the work there… there’s ongoing work with that.
The factory fire in Derrimut, in Melbourne’s west. Photograph: EPA VictoriaShareUpdated at 02.06 BST