In response to yesterday’s report on a potential month-long shutdown on social networking site Facebook, Institute of National Affairs Director Paul Barker described the move as a mockery of the rhetoric being urged on by the APEC agenda.

“The APEC meeting is all about promoting the digital era to assist business, develop economies, and improve citizen welfare in member countries,” he said.

“It would be a travesty if PNG sought to close down Facebook during the APEC month, making PNG seem rather foolish, as it would be both an attack on embracing technology, undermining the information era and mechanisms for accountability, but also damaging business and welfare.”

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Victoria County Court judge Michael Macnamara last week awarded Mirabella all of her legal costs for her defamation lawsuit against weekly newspaper the Benalla Ensign, on top of $175,000 in damages she was awarded.

The article incorrectly stated she had publicly pushed her political opponent, Indi MP Cathy McGowan, on the campaign trail.

Mirabella’s legal costs amount to $118,600, according to an order released on Tuesday detailing how much money the former Indi member spent on legal counsel for the preparation and duration of her six-day trial in Wangaratta.

The defamation suit had been taken against the newspaper and its editor, Libby Price.

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The 77-year-old is understood to have been surrounded by close family and friends when she died in Sydney Monday night.

Among her many credits were Sons and Daughters, Prisoner, and The Young Doctors.

She also hosted the game show The Weakest Link and starred in Home and Away.

Frances was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2017 before being told it had spread to her hip.

Home and Away actor Ray Meagher, who played her on-screen brother, said: “We had a moment of silence for her on set this morning and she’ll be sadly missed by both cast and crew.”

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Barr appeared to take aim late Monday at Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to President Obama, in a tweet that identified the administration official by her initials: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj”.

Though she later claimed it was “a joke”, she issued a fuller apology Tuesday after more intense criticism was directed toward her and ABC. “I apologise to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” she wrote. “I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me – my joke was in bad taste.”

But Channing Dungey, the president of ABC Entertainment, did not consider the tweet a joking matter.

“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” she said in a statement released just hours after the comedian’s offensive social media rant.

Barr was also dropped by her talent agency, ICM Partners, who announced in a statement that her “disgraceful and unacceptable tweet” was “antithetical to our core values, both as individuals and as an agency. Consequently, we have notified her that we will not represent her.”

Roseanne, in which Barr plays the Trump-loving matriarch of a blue-collar family, had been renewed for a second season on ABC, after a debut season in which it was the top show in Nielsen ratings, and averaged 19 million viewers an episode.

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Gabriel Macht and Rick Hoffman in Suits

Likewise The Walking Dead retains top spot on the Overall TV Shows charts in both territories.

Orange Is The New Black and The Crown both found their way back into the top 10 on the Australian Digital Originals top 10.

Moving back into the Australian top 10 Overall TV Shows this week were Vikings, The Handmaid’s Tale, Suits, The 100 and The Flash.

Suits has also back on the Overall TV Chart in New Zealand.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson at the 2018 UEFA Champions League final (credit: Oleksandr Osipov / Shutterstock)

Sunrise was #2 on the chart as the #1 breakfast product while MasterChef ranked #3.

On the Sport chart, two AFL matches led the list with the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool on SBS at #3.

Mark Downes

Nova Entertainment chief executive officer Cathy O’Connor said yesterday:

“We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the sudden passing of Nova Entertainment’s Mark Downes due to heart failure.

“For the past seven years, Mark has led the technology and infrastructure initiatives at our company and played a key role in industry technological developments as an active board member of Commercial Radio Australia.

“Mark will be sorely missed and our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to Mark’s wife Brenda and his two children Lincoln and Ainsley at this most difficult time.”

The much-loved member of the Nova Entertainment family is believed to have died at home on Monday evening.

Mark was a member of the Nova Entertainment executive team.

The children’s radio station plays music and shows created especially for parents and children up to the age of seven. The station was launched in 2015.

ARN’s chief operating officer Michael Harvey said: “We are excited to welcome Kinderling to ARN. Since it launched in 2015, Kinderling has developed a loyal audience through strong, engaging content and the successful format complements our established brands and content offering, particularly with our core female listeners and Kinderling’s growing audience.”

Kinderling chief executive officer Evan Kaldor said: “Over the last three years, Kinderling Kids Radio has built a reputation as an innovative, fast-growing content and media brand. Our new partnership with ARN enables us to accelerate this audience growth by introducing iHeartRadio’s audience of one million to Kinderling, as well as providing significant crossover opportunities with ARN’s portfolio of shows.”

triple j’s Ben and Liam

The competition gives secondary and tertiary students the opportunity to share in a $15,000 prize pool by creating a video with the theme “You Are Not Alone” to show their support for the fight against suicide.

Ben and Liam came on board for the campaign as the issue was close to their hearts.

“The ‘You Are Not Alone’ campaign is extremely important – those four words can save lives,” said Liam.

“I have loved ones who battle with mental health issues daily. I’ve been lucky enough to have people around me who I trust and I can talk to.”

“In my time working in radio I have meet dozens of people who tell me they suffer from mental health issues but hearing a familiar voice in the mornings makes them feel like they have someone and they aren’t so alone,” added Ben.

Full details about the competition are at at youarenotalonecomp.com.au and for more info on ASPF head to aspf.com.au.

The new services will provide weekly content to meet the needs of new migrant communities, including settlement guide information and community updates. Drawing on expert advice and tips from service providers, each week the SBS Radio Settlement Guide focuses on a facet of daily Australian life that new migrants and emerging communities might find unfamiliar – from how to vote or lodge a tax return to information about water and fire safety, healthcare and housing.

SBS director of audio and language content Mandi Wicks said: “We are thrilled to be expanding SBS Radio services to include more communities who are most in need of information in languages other than English. With our audiences increasingly consuming our content via digital platforms, we believe on-demand content is the most effective way to reach and engage with younger audiences.”

Offering a platform to share their stories and celebrate their culture and people, SBS Radio will connect communities as they navigate life in Australia.

SBS Radio recently reviewed its language services to ensure they reflect Australia’s evolving demographics. The review process involved various consultations and, in conjunction with the 2016 Census, resulted in identifying seven new languages to be provided by SBS Radio.

The commencement of Rohingya and Telugu services will be announced soon.

All content in the new languages will be available digitally via on-demand audio podcasts accessible via the SBS website, SBS Radio app and on all podcast players.