Afternoon Update: Julian Assange on his way to Australia; inflation rises; and financial therapists on money and feelings

Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.

Julian Assange is now Australia bound, after pleading guilty to violating US espionage law, with a judge in the US Pacific island territory of Saipan sentencing him to time already served after 62 months in custody.

Responding to the decision, which ends the US’s 14-year pursuit of the WikiLeaks founder, Anthony Albanese said it was a “successful outcome”, adding that he believed Australians had “overwhelmingly” wanted to see Assange freed.

Jennifer Robinson, an Australian human rights lawyer and member of Assange’s legal team, said she hoped Assange walking free would “give hope to all journalists and publishers who are imprisoned around the world”.

The US Department of Justice has since confirmed Assange is prohibited from returning to the country “without permission”.

Catch up on our live coverage of the trial here.

Top news

• Albanese meets Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele | Australia has said it is eager to support Solomon Islands’ plans to boost its domestic police force. The two leaders also discussed security and labour issues , and their joint statement described Australia as “Solomon Islands’ security partner of choice”.

• Inflation rate rises to 4% | Australia’s monthly inflation rate increased to its highest level in 2024 in the latest indication that the Reserve Bank won’t be cutting interest rates. The significant contributors to the inflation rise were housing (+5.2%), food and non-alcoholic beverages (+3.3%), transport (+4.9%) and alcohol and tobacco (+6.7%).

• PM asks Fatima Payman not to attend Labor caucus temporarily | Anthony Albanese has revealed the Labor senator will not attend caucus for the rest of the parliamentary fortnight, despite earlier suggestions she would face no punishment for her decision to cross the floor and vote in favour of recognising Palestinian statehood.

• Son of accused murderers testifies in Amber Haigh trial | Robbie Geeves, the son of accused murderers Robert and Anne Geeves, has told a court his father having a child with his ex-girlfriend “was not right” and ruptured his relationship with his parents.

• Online tracker of intimate partner homicide launched | The minister for women, Katy Gallagher, announced the tracker in November, maintained by the Australian Institute of Criminology. It is hoped the tracker will allow for more timely reporting and help police and policymakers better understand the scale of the crisis and respond appropriately.

• Nationals senators cross floor to back Greens bill | Ross Cadell and Matt Canavan voted for the Greens legislation giving the ACCC divestiture powers over the major supermarkets, while the Liberals and Labor voted against it. The last time the Greens and the Nationals came together on an issue, the banking royal commission was called.

• Oleksandr Usyk vacates IBF world title | The Ukrainian became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he beat Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia last month – but has been forced to relinquish one of the belts just five weeks after becoming undisputed champion.

• Lily Gladstone, Celine Song offered Academy membership | The Killers of the Flower Moon star and Past Lives director are among the 487 artists and entertainment executives invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This year’s class comprised 44% women (a 4% increase from 2023), and 41% from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities (a 7% rise from 2023).

In video

Australia’s new ‘world-leading’ vaping laws are nearly here, and very watered down

Australia is expected to become the first country to ban the sale of vapes outside pharmacies. But its so-called “world-leading” laws have been substantially watered down. If the Labor party’s anti-vaping bill was going to get anywhere, they had to strike a deal with the Greens.

What they said …

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“No shock to any of us” – Mehreen Faruqi

The Greens deputy leader and spokesperson for higher education has spoken about new research on wage theft at Australian universities that revealed estimated underpayments were on track to exceed $380m.

In numbers

Sydney’s harbourside amusement park Luna Park is up for sale for the first time in two decades.

Before bed read

Anxious about money? Five financial therapists share their advice

Money is emotional. Financial therapists can help make sense of these feelings, from budget plans to money scripts. Five financial therapists have shared their tips with the Guardian’s Madeleine Aggeler.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: TALL. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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