Yahoo's live news blog for Thursday, July 4 has concluded.
We started with the news US President Joe Biden is reportedly considering pulling out of the upcoming election after a disastrous first presidential debate. Read more here.
A woman in Queensland has also been charged with five counts of attempted murder.
Police in the NT have found human remains in their search for a 12-year-old girl feared to have been snatched by a crocodile.
And former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been committed to stand trial on two rape charges.
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Tom Flanagan
Human remains found in search for missing child
Police in the NT have now confirmed human remains have been found in the search for a missing 12-year-old girl.
The child is believed to have been taken by a crocodile 360km southwest of Darwin while swimming with family.
Tom Flanagan
'Never seen one that big': Shark encounter stuns bystanders
Here's a moment this paddle boarder won't forget in a while.
Bystander Chris Willis was able to capture video of the encounter as a shark approached at Torquay Beach on the Fraser Coast.
“I’ve been here 32 years and I’ve never seen one that big so close before,” Chris told the Fraser Coast Chronicle.
It's believed the shark was a mako and was hunting stingrays.
Source: Chris Willis via Fraser Coast Chronicle
Tom Flanagan
Woman claims Lehrmann said 'it's OK' during sex assault
After a night out together a woman woke up to find Bruce Lehrmann sexually assaulting her while telling her "it's OK, it's OK", a court has been told.
Former Liberal Party staffer Lehrmann has been committed to stand trial on two rape charges following two days of hearings into the reliability of the alleged victim's evidence.
Lehrmann is accused of raping the woman twice during the morning of October 10, 2021 after they met at a strip club the previous night in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.
Bus passengers branded 'a disgrace' after attack on Chinese teen
Prominent Chinese commentator Hu Xijin says it's "a disgrace" passengers on a busy bus failed to intervene when a 16-year-old Chinese student was attacked with a metal rod in Auckland.
Jason Luo lost three teeth in the unprovoked attack with only an elderly Chinese man trying to intervene before the female attacker was able to exit the bus and flee.
Luo said the bus driver failed to help or stop the bus when asked. Police are trying to determine if the attack was racially motivated and have yet to identify the woman involved.
Jason Luo pictured after the attack. Source: RNZ
Tom Flanagan
How man nearly missed out on $1 million jackpot
A Melbourne man who landed $1 million on Monday's Weekday Windfall draw says he initially left the newsagent without a ticket.
"I was so close to not putting a ticket on because I really couldn’t be bothered," he told lottery officials.
“I went to the newsagency to buy a ticket, but they were too busy, so I walked out.
“But then this thought came over me and I just knew I had to buy a ticket. I’ve been playing the same numbers for four decades and it’s just within my weekly routine.”
Talk about gut feelings.
Tom Flanagan
Tourist spot to start fining beachgoers who urinate in ocean
Tourists better be careful when heading into the water. Source: Getty
According to one Yahoo employee, "everyone does it".
But is it as common as my colleague suggests? Let us know below.
Tom Flanagan
Girl's shirt found after feared crocodile attack
The shirt of a 12-year-old girl has been found in a creek after she disappeared, with authorities believing she was snatched by a crocodile, the ABC reported.
A search by NT authorities continues in a remote area 360km southwest of Darwin after the girl disappeared while swimming in a creek with family.
Police say her family is "extremely distressed".
Tom Flanagan
Palestine protesters climb onto Parliament House roof
Pro-Palestinian protesters have climbed onto the roof of Parliament House in Canberra to unfurl banners accusing Australia of complicity in "war crimes" and "genocide".
At least four people from the group Renegade Activists ascended the building on Thursday, as police, media and supporters watched from below.
"We declare to the Australian government, we will continue to unmask and resist the US imperial, hegemonic and capitalist interests you devote yourself to," one protester yelled from the rooftop.
Pro-Palestine protesters hang banners from the top of Parliament House on Thursday. Source: AAP
"Australia continues to enable and commit war crimes as lackeys to our powerful friends."
One of the banners stated "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free"
The phrase has been condemned by the prime minister and coalition who claim it supports a one-state solution where Israel wouldn't exist.
Marty Sheargold stepping away from breakfast radio
Popular host Marty Sheargold is quitting breakfast radio, stepping down from his morning Melbourne shift at Triple M.
He previously took a break from the role and says the move made him realise how he needs to spend more time with his family.
He will continue his afternoon show and his podcast.
Marty Sheargold. Source: Triple M
Tom Flanagan
Bruce Lehrmann committed to stand trial on two counts of rape
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been committed to stand trial on two rape charges following two days of hearings into the reliability of the alleged victim's evidence.
The second day of a committal hearing for Lehrmann's charges, that he allegedly raped a woman twice on the early hours of October 10, 2021, was held at Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Defence barrister Andrew Hoare had argued Lehrmann should not face trial on the charges because the alleged victim was too intoxicated to remember giving consent.
Bruce Lehrmann. Source: AAP
"The test that needs to be satisfied is a low one in this case. It is said the threshold is not met in both of these (charges)," Mr Hoare said.
Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald said there was a prima facie case to answer and any questions over the reliability of the alleged victim's evidence should be considered by a jury.
After adjourning for a few minutes, Magistrate Mark Howden returned with a decision that a reasonable jury, properly instructed, could potentially find the allegations proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Mr Howden told Lehrmann, who attended remotely via phone, that he would stand trial on two counts of rape before the Toowoomba District Court at a date to be set by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
"Not as this time, thank you, Your Honour," Lehrmann said when asked if he wanted to say anything or enter a plea.
Lehrmann's bail was continued.
- AAP
Tom Flanagan
State's coldest July temperature on record
While plenty of us have been shivering through some cold mornings of late, just be grateful you're not in Liawenee which plunged to -12.9C on Wednesday – a July record for Tasmania.
On the mainland, SA's Nullarbor recorded its lowest temperature since temperature records began in 1987, dropping to –3.2C, according to Weatherzone.
Adelaide also saw its coldest morning in 18 years, with a minimum of 0.6C.
Liawenee's -12.9°C this morning was Tasmania's lowest July temperature on record. The state is enduring a string of exceptionally cold mornings this week thanks to an unusually strong high pressure system.
Stella Assange has shared a new photo of Julian Assange, with the couple appearing to explore the great outdoors together after her husband's lengthy detention.
"Free!" she simply captioned the photo.
Speaking after his release last month, Stella told media it will take a bit of time for Julian to get back to a normal way of living.
"Julian needs time to recover. To get used to freedoms. Someone told me yesterday who had been through something similar, that freedom comes slowly. And I want Julian to have that space to rediscover freedom, slowly," she said.
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) July 3, 2024
Tom Flanagan
Jay Slater left Airbnb 'alive'
A man who invited Jay Slater back to his Airbnb before he vanished has stressed the British teenager "left the house alive".
Ayub Qassim and a friend took Slater back to their remote rental 40km from a music festival they attended two weeks ago on the Spanish island of Tenerife. The following day he disappeared when it's believed he was trying to return to his accomodation.
Unfounded conspiracies online have speculated about Qassim and his unnamed friend however Spanish police ruled out their involvement, saying they are "irrelevant" to investigations.
Ayub Qassim. Source: ITV
"I let the geezer stay at mine because he had nowhere else to go, his friends had all left him," Qassim told MailOnline.
"I'm doing the geezer a favour and now my face is all over the news. It's a bit mental. I haven't even done anything."
Qassim was previously jailed for nine years over a drug operation in the UK, MailOnline reported.
Tom Flanagan
Taxi driver allegedly assaulted woman during 3am trip
A taxi driver has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman throughout a 45-minute trip taken from Melbourne's CBD.
The incident allegedly took place after a 30-year-old woman got into a cab on Collins Street about 3.30 am on June 27.
Victoria Police will allege the 28-year-old driver sexually assaulted the woman for the duration of the 35km ride to Wantirna South.
It is understood the man also allegedly stole the woman's engagement ring from her finger during the trip.
A Thomastown man was arrested at Melbourne International Airport two days later.
He has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault and one count of theft and will face court today.
- AAP
Tom Flanagan
Woman charged with five counts of attempted murder
A woman has been charged with five counts of attempted murder in Queensland.
Police allege the 32-year-old woman deliberately drove a Nissan X-trail off the Kennedy Highway near Atherton in the early hours of June 26, before crashing into a sign and flipping the vehicle.
There were five passengers in the vehicle including a 43-year-old man and four children aged between three months and nine years.
"It is further alleged that one of the children at the time of the incident was in the car’s boot and not properly restrained," Queensland Police said in a statement on Thursday.
The driver nor any of the passengers suffered major injuries, and they left the scene.
The following day police were called to an Evelyn property to reports a 3-month-old baby girl and a 2-year-old girl sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Police allege the 32-year-old woman assaulted the two children.
She has been charged with multiple offences, including five counts of attempted murder, and one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm whilst armed and assault occasioning bodily harm. She will appear in court later today.
Tom Flanagan
Thanasi Kokkinakis 'earns a rest' after epic Wimbledon victory
Australia's World No.93 Thanasi Kokkinakis has claimed another big scalp at a Grand Slam with a five-set victory over 17th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round of Wimbledon.
The win is yet another successful five-setter for the Australian, with the match also the eighth victory from a player two-sets down at this year's tournament - the most in the first round in Wimbledon history.
Kokkinakis completed a two-day marathon match that was disrupted by rain, beating Auger-Aliassime 4-6 5-7 7-6 (11-9) 6-4 6-4.
It's fair to say fans were in awe of Kokkinakis' resolve once again, describing the victory as "incredible" online.
Read more from Yahoo Sport's editor Sam Goodwin here.
Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer following a seven-day trial at Kingston Crown Court. Kerr, one of women’s football’s highest-profile players, had been accused of intentionally causing “racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress” to PC Stephen Lovell during the incident inside a police station in the early hours of January 30, 2023. That followed a night out Kerr had been on with her fiancee, the U.S. international Kristie Mewis, who
A woman known infamously as the “Bourbon Street Hustler” is being probed as a suspect in the death of beloved Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano. Danette Colbert, a 48-year-old with an alleged history of drugging and stealing from men, was captured on camera with Manzano, 27, out and about in New Orleans on his final night alive, police said Monday. The two were spotted in the Big Easy before heading to a Comfort Suites in the suburb of Kenner, police added. A security camera captured them walking
A teacher has admitted stabbing a seven-year-old girl to death at a school in South Korea, officials say. The female teacher, reported to be in her 40s, has been treated for self-inflicted wounds in hospital following the attack in the city of Daejeon on Monday. The girl was a student at the school where the teacher worked but police said they have not yet established a personal relationship between the pair.
A woman has been charged with animal cruelty after 10 dead animals were found in her home. Detectives executing a search warrant found nine dead sugar gliders (a type of possum) and one dead snake. A "pungent" smell of "noxious air and an odour of faeces, urine and rot […] made personnel cough and gag" as they started the search, a local animal welfare group in Suffolk County, in the US state of New York, said.
Conservative firebrand Steve Bannon pleaded guilty to defrauding donors in a fundraising effort to build a wall along the southern US border in a deal that allowed him to avoid prison.
A notorious conwoman, once the subject of a documentary, has abandoned plans to appeal her latest fraud conviction after a judge delivered a simple warning.