Australia

In a statement to the media, the Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison has said the foreign investment proposals from Chinese and Hong Kong bidders "were contrary to the national interest."

China's State Grid Corp and Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings (CKI) were attempting to buy a 50.4% controlling stake in Ausgrid, which is New South Wales's electricity distribution network - the largest in the country.

Horton was the target of online abuse just hours after taking home the gold medal in the men's 400m freestyle final over comments he made calling Chinese runner-up Sun Yang a "drug cheat".

The Chinese swim team issued a statement, calling Horton's claims a "malicious personal attack" on Yang.

These are the words of the woman who is now one of Australia's most powerful politicians, newly-elected senator Pauline Hanson.

Hanson was confirmed elected to the Australian Senate last week, along with three other members of her One Nation party, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

The MOU was signed between Australian High Commissioner Sue Langford and Samoa's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao. 

Demonstrators gathered in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to express shock at footage showing indigenous boys being tear-gassed.

The video also shows a boy wearing a "split hood" while cuffed to a chair.

Australia's Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has called for an investigation.

However, he rejected calls for a broader national inquiry.

Around 700 people rallied in Melbourne and 300 in Sydney, according to Reuters.

Footage of the abuse first emerged on national broadcaster ABC's Four Corners programme.

Theresa May described the move as "very encouraging" and insisted it showed Brexit can work for Britain.

In a phone call to the new PM, her Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull said he urgently wanted to open up trading between the two countries.

Liam Fox, the new international trade secretary, said he was already "scoping about a dozen free trade deals".

But Britain cannot sign any deals while it is still an EU member.

Mrs May said: "I have been very clear that this government will make a success of our exit from the European Union.

Valufitu Fiu Uolilo escaped from Tafaigata prison, where he was serving a two years sentence for causing actual bodily harm with a weapon, last August.

Valufitu was first discovered to have been in New South Wales in October, but his arrest was last week confirmed by the police commissioner, Fuiavailili Egon Keil.

RNZI reports the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) cancelled a severe weather warning for New South Wales, but flood warnings remained in place for many rivers around the state.

The wild weather prompted evacuation notices for Northern Lismore, Chipping Norton, Billinudgel, Ocean Shores, Golden Beach, New Brighton and Coffs Creek last night.

State officials said emergency services had received more than 8000 calls for help and carried out more than 250 flood rescues over 48 hours.

According to Voice Australia — a group helping Vietnamese asylum seekers — 42-year-old Nguyen Dinh Quy was sentenced to 24 months in jail and his 39-year-old wife Huynh Thi Kieu was jailed for 27 months for leaving Vietnam without official approval.

Their fellow accused Tran Thi Lua, 37, and 35-year-old Nguyen Minh Quyet were also convicted and jailed for 30 and 24 months respectively.

About WST$45.4 million of this funding relates to bilateral programmes while a further WST27.3 million will be provided through regional programmes including the Australia Pacific Technical College and other Australian Government Agencies such as the Australian Federal Police under the Samoa Australia Police Partnership.

The new budget was announced earlier in May, by the Australian Government and Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, Sue Langford said her country was proud to continue supporting Samoa’s development needs.