The transfer of land in Western Australia to traditional owners is “damn tokenism” by the government because there’s a lot more they could do with a “true conviction” Pastoralists and Graziers Association President Tony Seabrook says. The Western Australian government is preparing to hand over control of eight per cent of the state's territory to traditional owners. The area, known as the Aboriginal Land Trust, covers 20 million hectares and includes 284 parcels of land, 142 permanent Aboriginal settlements and five pastoral leases. “The issue about the pastoral lease is that is a worry because these are actual pastoral leases, and they should not be put into a situation where they cannot be transacted,” Mr Seabrook told Sky News Australia host Caleb Bond. “That is really bad news, but it’s only a small proportion of the pastoral leases that are there. “One of the big issues here is, and I’m led to believe that no matter what happens in this Trust, it still doesn’t give communities or anyone in them free title over their land, and you’re not going to care for anything or treat it the same way as if it was yours. “Once again, it’s just damn tokenism, and when I see the parlous condition – what’s going on up in the Kimberley in particular … there’s a lot more that a government with a true conviction and a bit of courage could do.”

Sky News contributor Kosha Gada says former US president Donald Trump giving a closing statement in his fraud trial despite the judge not allowing it down to the belief the case is a “show trial.” Mr Trump defended himself during the closing arguments of his fraud trial on Thursday despite Judge Arthur Engoron initially refusing to let him speak. “A lot of people considered this really a show trial in many ways, starting from the premise of what the indictment is about all the way to how its been conducted,” Ms Kosha told Sky News Australia host Caleb Bond. “Trump is going to Trump - where if he thinks it’s a show trial, that isn’t going to amount to much anyway. “He just decided that he was going to take his six minutes and say whatever he wants to say to move the conversation and suck up the oxygen as he does very well.”

Liberal Senator Alex Antic says corporates have been “weaponised” for a “bigger global push” for environmental, social, and corporate governance. Woolworths Group, which also owns Big W, has said it will not be selling any special Australia Day merchandise in 2024. “I think, ultimately, this comes from a bigger global push,” Mr Antic told Sky News Australia host Caleb Bond. “We’re seeing this sort of language of ESG coming out of the World Economic Forum … the place where billionaires tell millionaires how to make the rest of us live. “The corporate sector has now been weaponised for a greater push, a societal change push, where what we’re expecting out of corporates now is them telling us how to live.” “Controlling the corporate sector is the way of the future, and until people push back on it until consumers show their displeasure as they did with Bud Light and as they did with Gillette prior to that … it’s going to continue.”

Independent MP Zali Steggall has reached out to the federal government and asked for a briefing on the UK and US strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The US and the UK mounted a series of attacks on the Houthi rebels, who have been causing serious disruption in the Red Sea. Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed that Australia did provide operational military personnel. “I am cautious in respect to this, and I’m asking the government for more information on it because I am concerned,” Ms Steggall told Sky News Australia. “I don’t want to see an escalation of conflict at this time.”

Independent MP Zali Steggall says every year in the lead-up to Australia Day, there’s a “culture war” that develops. “I think it’s really a shame,” she told Sky News Australia. “We need to find a way to actually come together as Australians and actually find a way where we can celebrate what we are now but also our past and recognise the price of that sharing of our land.” Ms Steggall’s remarks come after German supermarket giant Aldi joined Woolworths in refusing to stock Australia Day merchandise this year. The decision by the supermarket giants is dividing shoppers.

Racing Dreams host Tim Gilbert has spoken to the co-owner of Magic Millions, Harvey Norman’s Gerry Harvey, at the Magic Millions 2024. “When you get those elite mares … we always look for that elite mare, and when you get one, then you can get a million dollars with a foal every year – 10 foals, 10 million, one mare – they’re hard to come by,” Mr Harvey said. “They call them the ‘blue hen’. “It’s like you’re chasing the ‘blue hen’, and you’re chasing the great stallion. That’s the dream. “When you’re in this business, the racing dream is the ‘blue hen’ or the great stallion, and you can work all your life, and you might not get one of either. “And so that’s the great challenge.”

Harvard University is being sued for violating Jewish students’ civil rights, with students saying an “anti-Semitism cancer” is growing on the campus. New York City law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres (KBT) filed the lawsuit on Wednesday and accused the institution of "hiring professors who support anti-Jewish violence" and "ignoring students' pleas for protection”. KBT has cited Title V in their suit, which prohibits any institution that receives federal funding from discriminating against those based on their colour, race or national origin. The suit alleges Jewish students face “severe and pervasive” anti-Semitism which has created a “hostile environment” and has made students feel “unsafe against their abusers”. KBT has also requested punitive relief for damages caused to Jewish students in the lawsuit. “Jewish Harvard students have been damaged and continue to sustain substantial damages, in amounts to be determined at trial,” the suit stated.

Action for Alice founder Darren Clark says “nothing has changed” in Alice Springs as crime continues to wreak havoc on the area. “What we’ve got here, mate, is total neglect of what people’s responsibilities here,” he told Sky News Australia. “People have all got to sit at the table and actually find out what’s going on with the money. “For people to come out and say things are better, or things have been addressed – it’s total hogwash. “It’s all smoke and mirrors here.”

Microsoft has briefly overtaken Apple as the world's most valuable company. It's the first time this has happened since 2021 as COVID-19 peaked globally. The value of Microsoft's shares has increased significantly since last year. This surge follows the company's investment in ChatGPT maker Open AI. Apple in the meantime is dealing with weakening demand for its products, including the iPhone.

United States President Joe Biden has confirmed that Australia supports the US and the UK launching strike attacks against the Houthi rebels. This comes after the Houthi rebels stepped up attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. In a statement from the White House, it is confirmed that the US and UK successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen. Support for the strikes comes from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands. The strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea.

Queen Elizabeth always felt “immortal”, says Italian jockey Frankie Dettori. Dettori was a close friend of the late Queen and he sat with Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan to discuss how the pair met and to reveal the final days of their friendship. “You always feel she’s immortal,” Dettori said. “When it does happen, it’s a shock because I felt she was immortal.” Dettori had known the Queen for 30 years and said every time he met her he was a "nervous wreck". “She had this aura, she had the ability to make you feel, to make you feel good.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin warns Hamas is “genocidal in character” and is seeking to destroy the state of Israel. South Africa has taken Israel to the United Nations' International Court of Justice over accusations of genocide in Gaza. The African nation alleged Israel knew of the number of civilians it was killing and had shown an "incontrovertible" intent to commit genocide. “Israel is bombing where it needs to take out Hamas fighters and Hamas infrastructure, but the measures it has gone to, to limit civilian suffering are virtually unprecedented,” Mr Ryvchin told Sky News Australia. “It is literally telling the Palestinians and telling Hamas which neighbourhoods, which parts of Gaza it intends to strike in order to allow civilians to leave and to minimise the displacement and toll of the civilian population.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin expressed his disappointment in David Pocock after the Senator voiced his support of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the United Nations’ top court. South Africa has taken Israel to the United Nations' International Court of Justice over accusations of genocide in Gaza. The African nation alleged Israel knew of the number of civilians it was killing and had shown an "incontrovertible" intent to commit genocide. Senator Pocock voiced his support for the case and urged the Australian government to publicly support the ICJ process. Mr Ryvchin said the Senator’s comments are “deeply unfortunate” but sympathised with Mr Pocock’s intentions to limit civilian casualties in Gaza. “What Senator Pocock should be doing in his concern for civilian life is calling immediately and unequivocally and consistently for the surrender of Hamas and the release of 130 hostages,” he told Sky News Australia. “That is the way this war will end immediately and that is the way the civilian toll suffered on both sides can be brought to an end.” Mr Ryvchin also revealed that the Executive Council of Australian Jewry will be reaching out directly to Mr Pocock to make their views known to him.

Dr Anthony Fauci has admitted the social distancing laws forced on Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic “sort of just appeared”. The revelation came this Wednesday during a closed-door interview with the House Select Committee on Coronavirus Pandemic. In the committee hearing, Fauci would also admit the lab leak hypothesis, which was regularly suppressed, was not a conspiracy theory. The committee, headed by Brad Wenstrup, is investigating government officials' actions, including Fauci's, during the pandemic. The investigation looked at officials who suppressed questions surrounding the origins of COVID-19 from the lab leak in Wuhan, China.

Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges. The US President's son is facing nine charges, relating to his alleged failure to file and pay income taxes.

An Alice Springs woman says she will leave the town after her car was stolen. They entered through the backdoor and took her keys from her handbag on the kitchen bench. The youths who stole her car early on Thursday morning were later seen joyriding through Alice Springs CBD. "My car was brand new, two months old and ... the window has already been smashed," Lily Huynh said. It has been 12 months since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Alice Springs.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a briefing with his cabinet about how best to respond to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. The virtual cabinet meeting is currently underway. The meeting follows an earlier National Security Council gathering. The Times newspaper is reporting the US and UK are preparing to launch military strikes against the Iranian-backed militants. Houthi rebels claim their attacks are meant to send a message to Israel to stop its conflict in Gaza.

Another Melbourne tobacco store has gone up in flames. The incident marks the second time in 24 hours a tobacco store has been set alight. Reportedly, a car was rammed into the shop before being set alight. The blaze occurred around 4:20am on Friday morning. It took firefighters almost 30 minutes to control.

At least four people have escaped a house fire in Melbourne’s west. The incident occurred at Wantirna South just after 11pm Thursday night. Around 14 fire trucks and 50 firefighters attended the scene. Reportedly, nobody has been injured. The cause of the fire is still yet to be determined.

The driver of a Kia sedan who was hit and killed by a truck in Melbourne on Thursday has been identified. Father of two, Yunesh Naidu was exiting a shopping centre just 1km from his home when the tragic incident occurred. The 52-year-old was crushed by a 30-tonne truck. It is alleged the truck ran a red light before the collision. The 27-year-old truck driver stopped at the scene and is being questioned by police.