Workers suffering psychological injuries in New South Wales will have their compensation entitlements slashed under a controversial deal between Labor and the Coalition.

The major parties announced on Thursday that they would pass legislation early in 2026 that would freeze premiums for 18 months, saving businesses and charities from a projected 36% increase over the next three years.

The new opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, ended a months-long stalemate by reaching a compromise with the NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, that would increase the “permanent impairment” threshold from the current 15% to 25%.

That means people who suffer psychological injuries at work that render them 25% impaired or less will, in the future, only get two years’ support plus an additional year to transition back to work.

The threshold will ratchet up to 28% over the next three years.

Workers below the threshold will not be eligible for ongoing support under the state’s workers’ compensation scheme – even if they can’t return to work.

Speaking at a press conference, NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said “the compromise” was aimed at getting people back to work and avoiding them being on benefits for life, while making the system sustainable.

He said of the 12,000 NSW workers who suffered psychological injuries from their work, only a relatively small number – around 900 – would be affected by the changes.

Asked what would happen to workers who were unable to return to work after three years, Mookhey said they could transfer to the NDIS or social security, which are provided by the federal government.

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Labor had wanted to increase the so-called whole person impairment (WPI) threshold from 15% to 31% to reduce pressure on the state budget and private premiums.

The Australian Association of Psychologists vice-president, Katrina Norris, previously said raising the threshold of “permanent impairment” to 31% could exclude nearly all workers from making a legitimate mental health claim for lifetime care.

That higher threshold was opposed by the union movement, the legal profession and most medical experts as too harsh. They argued a person with this level of psychological injury would be socially non-functioning – unable to leave their home and feed themselves.

The minister for industrial relations, Sophie Cotsis, said the emphasis would be on getting people back to work. She said the government was currently piloting a scheme in the public sector involving health education and iCare to assist workers back into work.

Mookhey said with the changes he expected the iCare scheme, which runs workers compensation for small business and some of the private sector, would be back to solvency within five years. He was less forthcoming on the impact on the Treasury Managed Fund, which pays for injured public sector employees such as teachers and healthcare workers.

Sloane said the Coalition had done the deal because businesses and the not-for-profit sector needed certainty before Christmas. The new Liberal leader said the scheme needed to be sustainable.

Under the deal, iCare premiums will be frozen at the current rate for 18 months and there will be an additional 12 months of medical benefits and income support for injured workers, who will need to participate in a return-to-work program with retraining, mentoring and specialist case workers.

Those on the return-to-work program will receive 60% of their pre-injury wage, but Sloane was unable to say who would provide this program and how it would work, saying Thursday’s deal was a “high-level agreement” being worked through with the government.

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Employers would not be obliged to take their workers back or provide the reintegration program, she said.

“My priority was to reset negotiations with the treasurer to stabilise premiums for business while strengthening protections for workers with psychological injuries,” Sloane said.

Mookhey said Thursday’s breakthrough “allows us to stabilise the workers’ compensation system and return it to a secure footing”.

“The scheme has been in dire need of modernisation. It has been failing injured workers, employers, the non-profit sector and taxpayers for too long. Continuing to do nothing was not an option,” he said.

The chief executive of Business NSW, Dan Hunter, said “business needs certainty and they need stability on workers’ compensation premiums”.

“The do-nothing scenario was a 36% increase in premiums. Our survey showed that one in five businesses could go broke. This deal and the premium capping will save businesses.”

Thursday’s news was disappointing, the peak union body Unions NSW said.

“Despite repeated evidence that a WPI of more than 21% means a worker has no capacity to work, the parliament looks set to raise the threshold for income support to 25%, before [reportedly] ratcheting up to 28% by 2029,” the acting secretary of Unions NSW, Thomas Costa, said.

“The parliament has failed to deliver meaningful reform. Instead, it has taken a sledgehammer to the entitlements of traumatised and vulnerable workers.”

Under the deal, the state’s chief psychiatrist would develop a new tool for measuring the severity of psychological injuries.

“It is counterintuitive to cut support while at the same time developing a new tool to diagnose the severity of injuries. Why wouldn’t you introduce the new diagnostic tool and then reassess?” Costa said.

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Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado arrived in Oslo early Thursday, hours after her daughter accepted the prize on her behalf.

The Venezuelan opposition leader failed to reach the Norwegian capital in time for the award ceremony held earlier Wednesday.

Here are the key points:

• Maria Corina Machado appears in public for the first time in 11 months in Norway’s capital, Oslo
• Machado’s daughter accepted the award on her mother’s behalf to a standing ovation earlier in the evening
• Machado reportedly secretly left Venezuela by boat before flying from Curacao

Machado waves to supporters, appears in public for the first time in 11 months

The 58-year-old opposition leader spent more than a year in hiding after Nicolas Maduro declared victory in elections last year.

Reports say she first traveled by boat to the Caribbean island of Curacao, which is home to a small US military base.

“I can confirm that Maria Corina Machado has arrived in Oslo,” Nobel committee head Joergen Watne Frydnes told a group of people gathered at the Grand Hotel.

Frydnes added that Machado would meet her family before making an official public appearance.

Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the prize on behalf of her mother at the award ceremony on Wednesday. 

She said they would finally be able to embrace after “16 months of living hell.”

Machado goes into hiding following Maduro’s victory last year

Despite winning the opposition primary, Machado was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election. She then went into hiding in August 2024 after authorities expanded arrests of opposition figures following the disputed vote.

Election authorities and the top court declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner, though international observers and the opposition say their candidate won and have published tallies as evidence.

Nobel organizers awaited Machado’s safe arrival

A large portrait of Machado hung in Oslo City Hall during the ceremony, and the audience applauded when it was announced by Frydnes that she would soon arrive.

He took to evoking Nelson Mandela and Lech Walesa, as he said democracy activists face moral dilemmas “their opponents never display.”

“People living under the dictatorship often have to choose between the difficult and the impossible,” he said.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar

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NEED TO KNOW

• Amanda Seyfried wrote that Charlie Kirk was “hateful” in the comment section of an Instagram post shortly after his death
• Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a campus event in Utah on Sept. 10
• Seyfriend said she would not “f———-“ apologize for her comment and doubled down on her stance in a new interview with Who What Wear published on Wednesday, Dec. 10

Amanda Seyfried is “not f—— apologizing” for calling Charlie Kirk “hateful” after his death.

Kirk, a right-wing political commentator who founded the group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during a campus event at Utah State University on Sept. 10. He was 31.

After Kirk’s death, Seyfried, 40, commented, “He was hateful” on an Instagram post about the shooting. Her comment received backlash at the time, and she later clarified her comments in a Sept. 17 Instagram post.

In a new interview with Who What Wear, The Housemaid star said she refused to apologize.

“I’m not f—— apologizing for that. I mean, for f—- sake, I commented on one thing,” the Oscar nominee told the outlet. “I said something that was based on actual reality and actual footage and actual quotes. What I said was pretty damn factual, and I’m free to have an opinion, of course.”

“Thank God for Instagram. I was able to give some clarity, and it was about getting my voice back because I felt like it had been stolen and recontextualized—which is what people do, of course,” she continued.

Kirk was hosting his signature “Prove Me Wrong” event as part of his American Comeback Tour on the Orem, Utah, campus, when shots were fired on Sept. 10.

Amanda Seyfried attends The Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on December 01, 2025 in New York City.

Mike Coppola/Getty

Tyler Robinson is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, after being accused of assassinating Kirk. Robinson, 22, allegedly told his parents “that he couldn’t go to jail and just wanted to end it,” according to the indictment on Sept. 16.

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Sergeant Ray Ormond of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office previously told PEOPLE in an email that Robinson is currently booked into the “Special Housing Unit,” and that inmates in that unit must wear a suicide prevention smock at all times.

“Our special housing unit does include being on a special watch protocol that includes more supervision and wearing the above smock,” Ormond added.

In the months since Kirk’s death, his widow Erica Kirk has taken over his role at Turning Point USA.

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By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA

Published: 21:52 EST, 10 December 2025 | Updated: 21:52 EST, 10 December 2025

A well-known jewellery chain faces an uncertain future after it was plunged into voluntary administration days before Christmas.

Secrets Shhh will continue to operate as an urgent search to find a new owner gets underway. 

Kate Warwick, Kelly Trenfield and John Park of FTI Consulting were appointed as administrators of the retailer’s parent company, Secrets International Pty Ltd, on Wednesday. 

‘The business is trading as usual as much as possible while the administrators undertake an urgent assessment of the company’s operations, and have commenced a sales process and/or recapitalisation of the group,’ Mr Park said.

Orders placed from Friday onwards will be processed and shipped as normal.

However, administrators can’t guarantee that all orders placed on and before Wednesday will be fulfilled.

‘Redeeming a gift card or store credit is permitted where the customer spends an equal or greater amount,’ Mr Park said.

Secrets Shhh specialises in affordable jewellery made from sustainably-sourced, laboratory grown and simulated diamond alternatives.

Founded in 2000 by Jane Meredith and Dietmar Gorlich, the business grew to dozens of stores across Australia. 

More to come. 

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Popular Australian retailer Secrets Shhh collapses just before Christmas

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President Trump unveils a ‘gold card’ program, promising a new path to US citizenship for ‘for all qualified and vetted people’ willing to fork out $1 million each

01:18, 11 Dec 2025Updated 01:30, 11 Dec 2025

Trump revealed the details surrounded by business leaders in the White House’s Roosevelt Room(Image: AP)

President Donald Trump has unveiled his long-awaited ‘gold card’ – offering legal status and a pathway to US citizenship for individuals willing to fork out $1 million.

On Wednesday December 10 a website accepting applications went live as Trump kicked off the program surrounded by business leaders in the White House.

Just minutes before its launch Trump took to Truth Social to say: “THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT’S TRUMP GOLD CARD IS HERE TODAY! A direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people. SO EXCITING! Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invaluable Talent. Live Site opens in 30 minutes!”

Trump sees the new version as a way for the U.S. to attract and retain top talent

READ MORE: Three women rushed to hospital after their car was crashed into during police chase

READ MORE: Woman dubbed ‘Satan’s puppet’ drank neighbour’s blood after brutal murder

It is meant to replace EB-5 visas, which Congress created in 1990 to generate foreign investment and had been available to people who spend about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people.

Trump’s visa is on offer for individuals who can stump up the full amount, while corporations will have to fork out up to twice the amount per foreign-born employee. Trump sees the new version as a way for the U.S. to attract and retain top talent, all while generating revenue for federal coffers.

The president said all funds taken in as part of the program will “go to the U.S. government” and predicted that billions would flow into an account run by the Treasury Department “where we can do things positive for the country.”

The president said all funds taken in as part of the program will “go to the U.S. government” (Image: AP)

The new program is actually a green card, effectively offering permanent legal residency with the chance for citizenship. “Basically, it’s a green card but much better,” Trump said. “Much more powerful, a much stronger path.”

The president made no mention of requirements for job creation for applying corporations or on overall caps on the program, which exist under the current EB-5 program. Instead, he said he’d heard complaints from business leaders who had been unable to recruit outstanding graduates from U.S. universities because they were from other countries and lacked permission to stay.

“You can’t hire people from the best colleges because you don’t know whether or not you can keep the person,” Trump said.

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The pictures are striking – US forces sliding down ropes on to the deck of an oil tanker in the Caribbean.

Their dawn operation painted a vivid portrait of the Trump administration’s approach to the Maduro government.

Officials framed it as the execution of a warrant on a vessel they linked to sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

But the imagery of armed troops seizing control of the bridge was anything but routine.

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0:40

Moment US seizes oil tanker off Venezuela

Instead, it underscored the White House’s preference for visible demonstrations of muscle over diplomacy.

From Iran to North Korea, Trump has relied heavily on sanctions and show-of-strength tactics.

Venezuela, long mired in economic collapse and political turmoil, is a prime target for that strategy.

Critics argue that such high stakes on the high seas risk escalating tensions without offering a path to political transition in Caracas.

By targeting an oil shipment, rather than another suspected drug boat, Washington has signalled its willingness to disrupt exports.

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4:30

Are US strikes on Venezuela about drugs or oil?

Trump seems determined to shut down the main source of funding for Nicolas Maduro’s embattled government.

Nine months ago, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all goods imported into the US from any country buying oil or gas from Venezuela.

This is more aggressive and will be viewed in Caracas as a direct threat to the country’s economy and sovereignty.

Read more: Is this what the beginning of a war looks like?

The interception of the tanker raises more questions about international maritime law and the reach of US enforcement powers.

In the space of four months, the US has bombed 23 boats, killing 87 people, accusing the occupants of being “narcoterrorists”.

This will fuel speculation that airstrikes could be imminent, Trump having posted two weeks ago, that he had closed the airspace.

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These are the key developments from day 1,386 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Published On 11 Dec 202511 Dec 2025

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Here’s where things stand on Thursday, December 11:

Fighting

• Ukrainian sea drones hit and disabled a tanker involved in trading Russian oil as it sailed through Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) official said.
• The Dashan tanker was sailing at maximum speed with its transponders off when powerful explosions hit its stern, inflicting critical damage on the vessel, the SBU official said. No information was available on possible casualties from the attack.
• The attack marks the third sea drone strike in two weeks on vessels that are part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” – unregulated ships which Kyiv says are helping Moscow export large quantities of oil and fund its war in Ukraine despite Western sanctions.
• Three people were killed and two wounded by Ukrainian shelling of a hospital in the Russia-controlled part of the Kherson region in Ukraine, a Russia-installed governor claimed on Telegram. All those killed and injured were reportedly employees of the medical facility.
• Ukrainian forces are fending off an unusually large Russian mechanised attack inside the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, Kyiv’s military said, including “armoured vehicles, cars, and motorcycles”.
• Russian drones have hit the gas transport system in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, a senior Ukrainian official said, in an area which contains several pipelines carrying US liquefied natural gas to Ukraine from Greece.
• Russian air defences shot down two drones en route to Moscow, the city’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Peace deal

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had agreed on key points of a post-war reconstruction plan and an “economic document” in talks with United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.
• “The principles of the economic document are completely clear, and we are fully aligned with the American side,” Zelenskyy said. “An important common principle is that for reconstruction to be of high quality and economic growth after this war to be tangible, real security must be at the core. When there is security, everything else is there too,” he said.
• Zelenskyy also said work was proceeding on the “fundamental document” of a US-backed 20-point plan aimed at ending the war. He said two other associated documents dealt with security guarantees and economic issues.
• The leaders of Britain, France and Germany held a call with President Trump to discuss Washington’s latest peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine, in what they said was “a critical moment” in the process.
• French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump and the European leaders discussed how to move forward on “a subject that concerns all of us”.
• There will be another meeting on Thursday of the leaders of the so-called “coalition of the willing” group of nations backing Ukraine, said the French presidency, adding that this meeting would be held via videoconference.

Military aid

• The US House of Representatives has passed a massive defence policy bill authorising a record $901bn in annual military spending, including $400m in military assistance to Ukraine in each of the next two years and other measures reinforcing the US commitment to Europe’s defence.

Politics and diplomacy

• Trump again expressed concern that Ukraine had not had an election in a long time, putting additional pressure on Zelenskyy to hold one.
• Zelenskyy said he had discussed with Ukraine’s parliament legal and other issues linked to the possibility of holding an election during wartime, and urged other countries, including the US, not to apply pressure on the issue.
• Wartime elections are forbidden by law in Ukraine, but Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, is facing renewed pressure from Trump to hold a vote.

Regional security

• Following a report from the head of Kyiv’s foreign intelligence service that Russia and China were taking steps to intensify cooperation, Zelenskyy said there was a “growing trend of the de-sovereignisation of parts of Russian territory in China’s favour”, primarily through Moscow’s sale of its “scarce resources” to Beijing.
• “We … note that China is taking steps to intensify cooperation with Russia, including in the military-industrial sector,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

A report from the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleh Ivashchenko. There were many details regarding the foreign policy situation surrounding Ukraine and the economic situation in Russia – specifically, the dependence of its companies and state system on… pic.twitter.com/xV5fvx6RvR

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 10, 2025

Sanctions

• The US has extended a deadline for negotiations on buying the global assets of Russian oil company Lukoil by a little over a month to January 17. Trump imposed sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft, Russia’s two biggest energy companies, on October 22 as part of an effort to pressure Moscow over its war in Ukraine, and Lukoil put its assets up for sale shortly after.
• Russian prosecutors asked a Moscow court to seize the assets of US private equity fund NCH Capital in Russia, the Kommersant newspaper said, citing court documents. Prosecutors accused the fund’s owners of financing Ukraine’s military forces.
• European Union ambassadors have greenlit the bloc’s plan to phase out Russian gas imports by late 2027, three EU officials told the Reuters news agency, clearing one of the final legal hurdles before the ban can pass into law.

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The US House has approved a sweeping defence bill that bolsters Europe’s security, in what appears to be sharp rebuke to Donald Trump’s mounting threats to downgrade Washington’s ties to traditional allies and Nato.

The bipartisan vote came just days after the publication of a White House national security strategy that said Europe faced “civilisational erasure” and made explicit Washington’s support for Europe’s nationalist far-right parties – rattling EU leaders and opening up a seismic shift in transatlantic relations.

By contrast, the House’s $900bn Pentagon is notable for its pro-Europe orientation and its clampdown on Trump’s authority to reduce troop numbers, move equipment or downgrade Nato-linked missions.

The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – which now advances to the Senate – carries a robust $8bn more than the funding Trump requested in May.

It leans hard into European defence, barring troop levels on the continent from falling below 76,000 for more than 45 days and blocking the removal of major equipment.

“President Trump and congressional Republicans are restoring American strength, defending our homeland, standing with our allies, and ensuring the United States remains the most powerful and capable military force the world has ever known,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said ahead of the vote.

In the national security strategy published last week, Trump lambasted Europe as an over-regulated, censorious continent lacking in “self-confidence” and facing “civilisational erasure” due to immigration.

The document openly supported far-right European parties, questioned the continent’s commitment to peace and indicated that its security is no longer a top US priority.

Trump’s administration accuses European nations of taking advantage of American generosity and of failing to take responsibility for their own destiny. The strategy document was welcomed at the weekend by the Kremlin, which said it “corresponds in many ways to our vision”

This week the president of the European Council of national leaders, António Costa, warned Trump’s administration against interfering in Europe’s affairs.

“Allies do not threaten to interfere in the domestic political choices of their allies,” the former Portuguese prime minister said. “The US cannot replace Europe in what its vision is of free expression … Europe must be sovereign.”

But the passing of the NDAA indicates the House is explicitly moving in the opposite direction – deepening US resources for the Baltic states and hardening Nato’s northeastern flank, in a move that amounts to one of the strongest congressional assertions of Europe’s strategic importance in years.

With support from the administration wavering, the bill also doubles down on Ukraine – setting aside $400m in security assistance to sustain a baseline of support even if emergency funding stalls.

Trump has vacillated between appearing supportive and dismissive of Ukraine since taking office at the beginning of this year, but his recent peace drive on terms that seem beneficial to Russia has worried allies.

The NDAA also adds to traditional security priorities. It places fresh limits on any reduction of the 28,500 US troops in South Korea, a signal to Seoul amid uncertainty over America’s long-term military commitment in east Asia.

The NDAA authorises Pentagon programs, but does not fund them. Congress must separately pass funding in a spending bill for the fiscal year ending in September 2026.

In addition to the typical NDAA provisions on defence acquisitions and competition with rivals like China and Russia, this year’s bill focuses on cutting programs reviled by Trump, such as diversity, equity and inclusion training.

The White House has backed the 3,086-page text, and Trump has said he will sign the NDAA into law once it reaches his desk.

With Agence France-Presse and Reuters

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Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared in Oslo, Norway after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, waving from the balcony of the Grand Hotel after months in hiding.

Machado made the covert journey despite a travel ban, and has mostly laid low since Venezuela’s disputed presidential election in 2024. She last appeared in public in January.

From a balcony on Wednesday with a crowd cheering below, Machado placed her hand on her heart and sang with her supporters, before walking outside to greet them in person.

Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the award on her mother’s behalf earlier in the day.

The Nobel Institute awarded Machado the Peace Prize this year for “her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy” in Venezuela.

Afterwards, Machado went the outside to greet her supporters, who waited behind metal barricades on the street.

“Maria!” “Maria, here!” they shouted in Spanish, as many held their phones aloft to record the historic moment.

At one point, Machado climbed over the barriers to join them.

Reuters

Maria Corina Machado jumps over barricades outside the Grand Hotel in Oslo to greet cheering supporters.

Her appearance was preceded by speculation that she would travel to Norway for the award ceremony.

The Nobel committee shared audio of Machado declaring, “I will be in Oslo, I am on my way.”

After her Peace Prize win, Machado made a point to praise US President Donald Trump, who is open about his own ambitions for the Peace Prize and is locked in ongoing military tension with Venezuela.

On Wednesday, Trump announced the US military had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. His administration alleges the vessel was under sanction and was involved in an “illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations”.

The Venezuelan government accused the US of theft and piracy.

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Former Bolivian President Luis Arce was arrested as part of a corruption investigation linked to his time as economy minister, officials said on Wednesday.

Arce’s detention comes only a month after he left office and less than two months after centrist candidate Rodrigo Paz won the October runoff election.

The election campaign this year was dominated by economic concerns as Bolivians expressed a desire for change, with many having grown disillusioned with the country’s Movement Toward Socialism party, widely known as MAS.

Bolivians chose to elect Paz this year, and with that, brought about an end to two decades of socialist rule in the Latin American country.

Here are the key points:

• Former President Luis Arce arrested in La Paz
• Vice President Edmand Lara says case concerns alleged embezzlement of public funds
• Probe linked to Arce’s period as economy minister under Evo Morales who governed between 2006 to 2019
• Investigation concerning alleged transfer of public funds to political figures
• Ally Maria Nela Prada insists Arce is innocent

In a video posted to TikTok, Vice President Edmand Lara confirmed the news about Arce’s detention.

Lara went on to say Arce would be the first of many targets as the new government seeks accountability. 

“Those who have stolen from this country will return every last cent,” Lara said, before ending his video by wishing “death to the corrupt.” 

Arce detained as part of corruption probe

According to officials, the corruption probe is from the period of time when Arce served as economy minister during the socialist presidency of Evo Morales, who was in office from 2006 to 2019.

Arce became president in 2020 and ended his five-year term last month. He did not seek reelection this year because his presidency faces numerous challenges.

According to media reports, Arce is accused of authorizing transfers from the public treasury to the personal accounts of political leaders.

One alleged beneficiary was former lawmaker Lidia Patty, who was arrested last week for allegedly receiving close to $100,000 for a tomato cultivation project.

Sources in the prosecutor’s office told AFP that Arce will have to answer to charges of dereliction of duty and “economic misconduct.”

Allies reject allegations

Maria Nela Prada, Arce’s minister of the presidency and closest ally, agreed the charges seemed to stem from his period as economy minister.

Speaking outside the headquarters of a special police force dedicated to fighting corruption, she insisted on Arce’s innocence. “Of course he’s innocent, I can confirm that,” she said.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar

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