‘I had a very bad feeling': Cheng Lei's Chinese imprisonment unveils new documentary
Sky News presenter Cheng Lei describes her 'darkest moments' of her time being unfairly locked up in a Chinese prison.
'From the very early days, I had a very, very bad feeling,' Ms Lei told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
'The fact that I wasn't allowed any contact and that they went through everything in my life gave me this idea that whatever it was, they were going to pin something on me, and that's partly because I'm an Australian citizen.'
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Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Double demerit points come into force: Everything motorists need to know for the King's Birthday long weekend
Double demerit points will kick in from Friday across parts of the country for the King's Birthday long weekend, as police come out in force to crack down on road safety. Police are urging motorists to take extra care while driving over the next couple of days, as the number of lives lost on Australian roads continue to climb. While double demerit point schemes differ depending on the state or territory, police will be rolling out patrols to ensure road rules are being followed. Here's everything motorists need to know this long weekend. New South Wales In New South Wales, double demerit points will come into effect from 12am on Friday and remain in place until 11.59pm on Monday. Police will be targeting speeding drivers and motorcycle riders, as well as motorists who hit the roads under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Officers will also crackdown on fatigue and distracted driving in a bid to prevent road trauma throughout the long weekend. Victoria Victorian police have revealed the number of lives lost has already surged to a "16-year high", with 135 deaths on the state's roads so far in 2025 - a 13 per cent increase on this period in 2024. The last time Victoria recorded a similar road toll was in 2008 when 137 lives were lost. Victoria has also suffered its worst May on record since 2004, with 36 deaths recorded this year. Police have warned "speeding and distracted motorists will be a key focus" this public holiday long weekend, which is considered to be a "high-risk period" on the state's roads. The road safety blitz, dubbed Operation Regal, will start at 12.01am on Friday and end at 11.59pm on Monday. While Victoria does not enforce a double demerit point scheme, police stressed 7,000 road and traffic infringements were handed out on the same weekend last year. Road Policing Command Acting Assistant Commissioner David Byrt highlighted winter presents extra challenges for motorists given the roads are often slippery and there is poor visibility. "Whether you're travelling across the state this weekend or heading to the alpine regions, please take extra care on the roads and be sure to drive to the conditions," he said in a statement. "We're approaching the halfway point of the year and the amount of trauma we've experienced is extremely concerning. "These road trauma numbers of course represent actual people. People who have been killed, or whose lives are changed forever, simply from travelling on our roads." South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory do not impose a double demerit point scheme. All states will enjoy a long weekend for the King's Birthday, with the popular Dark Mofo musical festival also underway in Tasmania from Friday. Hobart Police Inspector John Toohey has asked motorists to be mindful of vulnerable road users, like pedestrians, during busy event periods. "This year already, three pedestrians have died on Tasmanian roads, with a further 14 seriously injured," he said in a statement ahead of the long weekend. "We're asking everyone to stay alert, avoid distractions such as phones or headphones, and only cross at designated crossings. "With many festival events taking place at night and in low-light conditions, we're hoping to see responsible behaviour, that is, people looking out for each other, obeying traffic signals and being visible in the dark." The ACT The double demerit points penalty will apply in the Australian Capital Territory this long weekend. Queensland Queensland does not observe the King's Birthday in June, as the public holiday is held on October 6. The state's double demerit point scheme operates a little differently to other jurisdictions, as the penalty applies to motorists who repeatedly commit specific offences in a 12-month period. "This doesn't just apply during holiday periods, but at any time of the year," the Queensland government website has stated. While it is not a long weekend in Queensland, motorists are always encouraged to take care as normal road rules apply. Western Australia Similarly to Queensland, Western Australia does not mark the King's Birthday until later in the year in late September. Therefore, double demerit points are not in effect this weekend.
7NEWS
6 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Tobacco tax to stay high despite black market fears
A tobacco tax that's helped drive Australian cigarette prices to world-leading highs won't be lowered despite suggestions it has aided a rampant black market. Treasurer Jim Chalmers ruled out changing the tobacco excise on Wednesday, dismissing NSW Premier Chris Minns' call that lower prices could help curb surging levels of illegal tobacco in the community. Tobacco prices have been driven by a federal excise topping $1.40 a cigarette in March, excluding shop mark-ups, with the average pack of 20 costing about $40. Tobacco tax revenue peaked at $16.3 billion in 2019-20 but has dipped to a projected $7.4 billion this financial year, which experts say illustrates cigarette prices becoming unaffordable and smokers turning to the black market. Ruling out a change to the excise, the treasurer said the revenue decrease was for both good and bad reasons. 'More people are giving up the darts, but more people are also doing the wrong thing (and) I'm not convinced cutting the excise on cigarettes would mean that would be the end of illegal activity,' Chalmers said. 'I respectfully disagree with Chris ... I don't think the answer here is to make cigarettes cheaper for people, the answer here is to get better at compliance.' Earlier in the week, Minns said police had better things to do than tobacco enforcement and the 'commonsense option' would be for the federal government to acknowledge the excise was not working. He pointed out the excise had increased from $16 to $28 per pack in six years but total revenue was going backward as consumers fled to the black market. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey insisted he would raise the issue with his federal counterpart despite the flat rejection. 'We can't ignore the fact there's an interaction between the federal exercise and the emergence of illegal tobacco,' he said. Increased scrutiny on illicit tobacco came as police on Tuesday announced the arrest of seven people over 20 million untaxed cigarettes and other drug imports.
AU Financial Review
6 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Entain boss Dean Shannon to depart ahead of AUSTRAC remediation
Dean Shannon, chief executive of the British bookmaker behind Ladbrokes and Neds, will step down at the end of the month in an attempt to improve the business relationship with the financial crimes watchdog. London-listed Entain faces hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for alleged breaches of Australian anti-money laundering laws between 2018 and last year.
