Trump blocks release of full Mueller report

Donald Trump has used executive privilege to block the release of the un-redacted Mueller report.

The full and un-redacted report was subpoenaed by the Democrats but The Attorney-General, Mr Barr, a Trump appointee, refused to comply with the order.

Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York says the refusal to comply with the subpoena proves the President’s “blanket of defiance” to congress’ constitutional rights.

 

High Court decides whether Indigenous men are to be deported

A High Court case will commence today to decide whether two men with indigenous heritage born overseas will be deported after both served a sentence over 12 months in Australia.

One man, Brendan Thoms, has lived in Australia since he was an infant and was born to an Indigenous Australian mother, the other moved to Australia at the age of five.

Lawyers for the two men write in submissions to the High Court saying Aboriginal people cannot be alien to Australia, regardless of citizenship.

Council to spend $20M each year on green spaces and bushland

In local news, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has announced that Brisbane City Council will spend up to $20 million each year from its “future fund” to buy bushland and create new parks.

The council’s City of Brisbane Investment Corporation began with $135 million in assets in 2008 and has now expanded to $273 million in a decade which provided $20 million in dividends to the council.

Labour promises Pat Rafter Arena upgrade

The Labour government is promising a $17 million dollar upgrade to Tennyson’s Pat Rafter Tennis Arena if it is elected.

An expansion to seat 7,500 people is planned, as shadow infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese says the tennis centre will struggle to grow due to the limitations of the facilities in place.

He noted events at the tennis centre inject $26 million into Queensland’s economy each year, highlighting the value of sports tourism.

Female mine workers surveyed about hygiene product use

Looking across the nation, female workers at central Queensland mine sites have been surveyed about their use of feminine hygiene products, being asked if they had used products including absorbent underpants, menstrual cups and a urination device known as a “she-wee”

Employer Anglo American says the survey is part of an audit of female equipment and facilities, but the miners’ union claims it was a move by the company to reduce toilet breaks.

School shooting near Columbine leaves 8 injured

In international news, a school shooting at a school near Columbine High School in Colorado has left eight students injured after being shot at and two schoolmates are in custody, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Tony Spurlock says the two suspects were students at a STEM school in Highlands Ranch, a charter school near Denver, and they got deep inside the school and engaged students in two separate locations.

Reuters journalist free after 500 days in Myanmar custody

Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar have been freed after over 500 days in custody.

The journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe OO, were jailed after being convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in jail, which raised questions about Myanmar’s progress toward democracy, sparking an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates.

Reuters’ editor-in-chief Stephen J Adler, released a statement saying the reporters have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world.