News live: Ley walks back call for Rudd’s sacking after Trump meeting; China claims Australia trying to cover up illegally entering its airspace

<p>Follow today’s news live</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/22/sydney-weather-nsw-heat-bom-forecast-wind-warnings-australia">Sydney set for ‘blistering’ weather as record heat shifts east and BoM warnings for winds to blast Melbourne and Victoria</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p><strong>Brittany Higgins</strong> has dropped her appeal against the Western Australia supreme court decision that she defamed <strong>Linda Reynolds</strong> in a series of social media posts, according to reports.</p><p>In August the state supreme court judge <strong>Paul Tottle</strong> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/aug/27/brittany-higgins-defamation-trial-verdict-linda-reynolds-victory-ntwnfb">ruled that </a>the former defence minister’s reputation was damaged by a 2022 social media post from <strong>David Sharaz</strong>, which Higgins responded to, and an Instagram story published by Higgins in July 2023.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/oct/22/australia-news-live-weather-nsw-qld-heat-record-melbourne-destructive-wind-rex-airlines-bid-albanese-washington-sussan-ley-labor-coalition-ntwnfb">Continue reading...</a>