Former Speaker, and soon-to-be ambassador to Ireland, Trevor Mallard’s decision to issue Winston Peters with a trespass notice from Parliament cost taxpayers’ more than $23,000 in legal fees. Answers to written Parliamentary questions…

Warning: This story discusses themes of suicide and mental health that some readers may find confronting and triggering

There is something South Australian mum Tanaya Pichugin-Falciani wants you to know and it's this – suicide is not a selfish act, it is one of pure desperation.

It was a harrowing day in May, six years ago, when Pichugin-Falciani tried to take her own life.

Then 20 years old, Pichugin-Falciani had ended a toxic relationship. She was trying to co-parent her son, had just started a new job and found herself drowning in a wave of emotional and mental distress.

All of her problems seemed to come to a head and she remembers just wanting the pain to end.

READ MORE: Aussies told they don't need qualifications to ask 'are you okay?'

"People can think that I was being selfish in leaving my son behind but, in my mind, it was the most selfless thing that I could have done because I felt like I was the problem for my son," Pichugin-Falciani said.

"I felt like I was a problem for everyone around me and taking myself out of the picture is how I would help everyone. 

"Suicide is not selfish. It's the way we are trying to help everyone around us. We're not in the right frame of mind. We are just desperate, so desperate."

Pichugin-Falciani suffered catastrophic injuries from her suicide attempt and was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition.

"I was put into surgeries and my family were told they didn't know if I was going to come out of those surgeries alive," she said.

It was about a week later, when doctors finally allowed her to remove the bandages from her face, that Pichugin-Falciani said she had a moment of realisation.

"I looked at my face and I was thinking, 'These are all your injuries, but you're still here.' That was definitely my wake-up call. From then on, I knew that I had to fight."

Pichugin-Falciani, who is a proud Ngarrindjeri and Narungga woman, said the roots of her depression and mental distress were complex and had taken time to untangle.

Pichugin-Falciani's birth mother, a First Nation woman who also had children at young age, struggled with substance abuse. She had her own battles with her mental health and developed schizophrenia.

As a baby, Pichugin-Falciani was placed in foster care alongside her two brothers.

Although her foster parents were loving and generous, Pichugin-Falciani found herself rebelling in her teenage years as her feelings of abandonment, and the effects of intergenerational trauma, took hold.

Abusive relationships also took a toll, as did the pressures of being a single mum.

Looking back, Pichugin-Falciani said she believes something as small as an acquaintance or workmate noticing something was wrong could have made a difference in her case. 

"If someone at the childcare centre noticed that I wasn't getting back on time and getting lots of late fees, if they had asked if I needed support, or if one of my bosses asked me if I was ok and let me know that there was support out there, I might not necessarily have been in that situation," she said.

"Today's society is so shut off, sometimes you do literally need to ask, 'Are you okay?'"

In the years following Pichugin-Falciani's suicide attempt, she has met her husband and had three more children.

Her feelings now when she thinks of her survival are of "absolute relief".

"My son was just a little baby at the time. It hurts my heart, it brings me to tears, that I almost wasn't here. 

"So much has happened since then and I would have missed out on all of it. 

"I'm very, very thankful." 

But the road to recovery had not been easy, Pichugin-Falciani said, adding that looking after her mental health was now about vigilance.

"I have worked extremely hard and been extremely determined to make the life that I have now.

"After (my suicide attempt) I learned a lot of information which could help my mental health get better, and I'm showing up to the appointments.

"I am seeking help when I feel like my emotions and feelings are too much."

It's the advice that Pichugin-Falciani now gives to others who are struggling. 

Pichugin-Falciani said she hopes her story will help give courage to anyone who needs it to take the difficult step to ask for help.

'I don't want to have this conversation again'

Social media strategist Craig Mack is someone who knows how difficult it can be to ask for help.

The 44-year-old Sydneysider decided to become an R U OK? Day ambassador in 2017 after hearing of yet another suicide within the LGBT community.

"I was having a conversation with, I think the ninth person in about 18 months who had lost a friend of theirs to suicide," Mack said. 

"They were saying the exact same things that I've heard people saying my entire life; that their friend basically seemed really happy, and you would never have known."

The story resonated on a personal level with Mack, who had himself made three attempts to take his own life, the last of which was 10 years ago.

"I've lived with managing depression since I was about 16," he said. 

"It's not a story I ever thought I would tell publicly, but the conversation with my friend triggered something and I thought if I've got the experience to be able to help in some way I should, because I don't want to have this conversation again." 

Like Pichugin-Falciani, childhood trauma played a part in Mack's mental health issues.

"There were bikie gangs and police raids – learning how to roll joints at six was one of my chores."

While Mack said his "dark, twisted sense of humour' had allowed him to turn the damaging chaos of his upbringing into popular dinner party anecdotes, he had also since been through a lot of therapy to help unpack the effect it had on his mental health.

Mack likens the ups and downs of his mental health journey to a rollercoaster ride. 

"Rather than fighting the ride, sometimes it's about accepting it," he said. 

"There are times when I can feel the cloud roll in and there's things that I can do to push it back and I know that I can, and then there's other times when it's like there's no point fighting. 

"Just know that every emotion is temporary.

"I think one of the biggest learnings that I had was accepting every emotion is valid and okay.

"There's a strange kind of power that comes with that and knowing that nothing is permanent.

"The flip side that I find challenging is when you're surrounded by the cloud it can seem almost impossible sometimes to put your hand up and ask for help."

It is here, Mack said, that the key message of today's R U OK? Day about encouraging others to check in with the simple question becomes so important.

"If people make the offer to listen, it might not be the first time that they open up but when someone is ready and feels comfortable they will," Mack said.

It was important for people to remember that they didn't need to be an expert to check in with someone, just a friend.

"You don't need to have the answers, you don't have to be the therapist," he said.

"Sometimes it's just about listening and then mentioning the supports that are available, or suggesting a visit to a GP."

If you, or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to these organisations:

Lifeline – 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au

Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467, suicidecallbackservice.org.au

Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636, beyondblue.org.au/forums

MensLine Australia – 1300 789 978, mensline.org.au

Electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs has agreed to pay $650 million to settle a two-year investigation by 33 states into the marketing of its high-nicotine vaping products, which have long been blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced the deal Tuesday on behalf of the states plus Puerto Rico, which joined together in 2020 to probe Juul's early promotions and claims about the benefits of its technology as a smoking alternative.

The settlement, which includes numerous restrictions on how Juul can market its products, resolves one of the biggest legal threats facing the beleaguered company, which still faces nine separate lawsuits from other states. Additionally, Juul faces hundreds of personal lawsuits brought on behalf of teenagers and others who say they became addicted to the company's vaping products.

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The states' investigation found that Juul marketed its e-cigarettes to underage teens with launch parties, product giveaways and ads and social media posts using youthful models, according to a statement.

“We think that this will go a long way in stemming the flow of youth vaping,” Tong said at a news conference at his Hartford office.

“I’m under no illusions and cannot claim that it will stop youth vaping,” he said. “It continues to be an epidemic. It continues to be a huge problem. But we have essentially taken a big chunk out of what was once a market leader, and by their conduct, a major offender.”

The $650 million will be paid out over a period of six to 10 years. Tong said Connecticut's payment of at least $16 million will go toward vaping prevention and education efforts. Juul previously settled lawsuits in Arizona, Louisiana, North Carolina and Washington.

The settlement total amounts to about 25 percent of Juul’s US sales of $2.82 billion last year. Tong said it was an “agreement in principle,” meaning the states will be finalising the settlement documents over the next several weeks.

Most of the limits imposed by Tuesday's settlement won't immediately affect Juul, which halted use of parties, giveaways and other promotions after coming under scrutiny several years ago. The company currently makes up about one third of the US retail vaping market, down from 75 percent several years ago.

READ MORE: One third of primary school staff say their students vape

Teen use of e-cigarettes skyrocketed in the years following Juul’s 2015 launch, leading the US Food and Drug Administration to declare an “epidemic” of underage vaping among young people. Health experts said the unprecedented increase risked hooking a generation of young people on nicotine.

But since 2019 Juul has mostly been in retreat, dropping all US advertising and pulling its fruit and candy flavours from store shelves.

The biggest blow came earlier this summer when the FDA moved to ban all Juul e-cigarettes from the market. Juul challenged that ruling in court, and the FDA has since reopened its scientific review into the company's technology.

The FDA review is part of a sweeping effort by regulators to bring scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar vaping industry after years of delays. The agency has authorised a handful of e-cigarettes from Juul's competitors for adult smokers looking for a less harmful alternative to cigarettes.

While Juul's early marketing focused on young, urban professionals, the company has since shifted to pitching its product as an alternative nicotine source for older smokers.

READ MORE: Vape in schoolboy's bag exposes Australia's black market dilemma

“We remain focused on our future as we fulfill our mission to transition adult smokers away from cigarettes — the number one cause of preventable death — while combating underage use,” the company said in a statement.

Juul has agreed to refrain from a host of marketing practices as part of the settlement. They include not using cartoons, paying social media influencers, depicting people under 35, advertising on billboards and public transportation and placing ads in any outlets unless 85 percent of their audience are adults.

The deal also includes restrictions on where Juul products may be placed in stores, age verification on all sales and limits to online and retail sales.

“These are some of the toughest mandates at any point on any industry,” Tong said, “which is incredibly important because at the end of the day this is about protecting our kids and protecting all of us from a very significant public health risk.”

Juul initially sold its high-nicotine pods in flavours like mango, mint and cream. The products became a scourge in US high schools, with students vaping in bathrooms and hallways between classes.

But recent federal survey data shows that teens have been shifting away from the company. Many teens who vape now prefer disposable e-cigarettes, some of which continue to be sold in sweet, fruity flavours.

Overall, the survey showed a drop of nearly 40 percent in the teen vaping rate as many kids were forced to learn from home during the pandemic. Still, federal officials cautioned about interpreting the results given they were collected online for the first time, instead of in classrooms.

READ MORE: More than $1 million worth of illegal vapes seized in Melbourne's south-east

In flood-stricken Pakistan where an unprecedented monsoon season has killed hundreds of people, the rains now threaten a famed archeological site dating back 4500 years.

The ruins of Mohenjo Daro – located in southern Sindh province near the Indus River and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – are considered among the best preserved urban settlements in South Asia.

They were discovered in 1922 and to this day, mystery surrounds the disappearance of its civilisation, which coincided with those of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

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The swelling waters of the Indus, a major river in this part of the world, have wreaked havoc as heavy rains and massive flooding unleashed devastation across much of Pakistan.

At least 1343 people have been killed and millions have lost their homes in the surging waters, with many experts blaming the unusually heavy monsoon rains on climate change.

The flooding has not directly hit Mohenjo Daro but the record-breaking rains have inflicted damage on the ruins of the ancient city, said Ahsan Abbasi, the site's curator.

“Several big walls, which were built nearly 5000 years ago, have collapsed because of the monsoon rains," Abbasi told The Associated Press.

He said dozens of construction workers under the supervision of archaeologists have started the repair work.

Abbasi did not give an estimated cost of the damages at Mohenjo Daro.

The site's landmark “Buddhist stupa" — a large hemispherical structure associated with worship, meditation and burial — remains intact, Abbasi said.

But the downpour has damaged some outer walls and also some larger walls separating individual rooms or chambers.

Abbasi said the civilisation at Mohenjo Daro, also known as “Mound of the Dead" in the local Sindhi language, built an elaborate drainage system, which has been critical in flooding in the past.

Though the floods have touched all of Pakistan, the Sindh province has been among the worst hit.

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On Monday, army engineers made a second cut into an embankment at Lake Manchar, Pakistan's largest freshwater lake, to release rising waters in hopes of saving the nearby city of Sehwan from major flooding.

The water from the lake has already inundated dozens of nearby villages, forcing hundreds of families to leave their mudbrick homes in a hurry, many fleeing in panic.

Meanwhile, rescue operations continued yesterday with troops and volunteers using helicopters and boats to get those stranded out of the flooded areas and to nearest relief camps.

Tens of thousands of people are already living in such camps, and thousands more have taken shelter on roadsides on higher ground.

Ghulam Sabir, 52, from the outskirts of Sehwan, said that he left his home three days ago after authorities told them to evacuate.

“I took my family members with me and came to this … safer place," said Sabir, staying by the roadside where he has set up camp.

He echoed complaints of several other villagers — that no government help had reached them yet.

Sabir said he did not know whether his home had collapsed or not.

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Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif urged Pakistanis in televised remarks to generously donate to flood victims, most of whom are relying on government help to survive.

Sharif has also repeatedly asked the international community to send more aid to the flood victims.

He insisted that Pakistan is facing a climate-change-induced tragedy.

In a statement yesterday, the UN refugee agency said it handed over thousands of tents and other emergency items to the Sindh government, meant for those affected by the flooded areas in the province.

Multiple experts say that since 1959, Pakistan has emitted about 0.4 per cent of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, compared to 21.5 per cent by the United States and 16.4 per cent by China.

Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called on the world to stop “sleepwalking” through the crisis.

He plans to visit flood-hit areas on September 9.

According to Pakistani officials, Guterres will travel to Sindh but it's unclear whether he will visit the archaeological site.

READ MORE: DNA analysis solves mystery of bodies found at bottom of medieval well

China's ambassador to Australia says a meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be on the cards, with Beijing willing to reset relations.

Ambassador Xiao Qian says he's been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to see how both countries could work towards a top-level meeting, but there's still work to be done.

"For both sides to move forward … let's meet each halfway as exactly where halfway between," Qian told 9News.

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"We can talk about those but we need efforts from both sides."

The ambassador would not be drawn on whether any meeting would be held at the G20 meeting of leading industrial nations later this year.

He says the new Labor government provided an opportunity to reset the Canberra-Beijing relationship after a period of heightened tensions.

Australia has joined other western countries in backing a UN report into China's mass detention of the Uyghurs.

READ MORE: Liz Truss prioritises energy, economy and health as new UK PM

Australia has been trying to stem Chinese influence in the Pacific after the Solomon Islands and China signed a controversial security agreement.

It has triggered concern that China may build a naval base there, just 1700km from the Queensland coast.

Last month in a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra, Xiao claimed China has no interest in meddling with Australia's foreign policy, and denied there were moves afoot to set up a military base in the Solomon Islands.

He also said the West should see China "as a partner rather than a rival".

READ MORE: Chinese cities rush to lockdown in show of loyalty to Xi's 'zero-Covid' strategy

It's been a busy few days since the United Kingdom Conservative leadership run-off result was announced for Liz Trussell.

That's not a typo; Trussell is the woman behind the @Liztruss Twitter handle who has been flooded with best wishes from Tory voters and even the prime minister of Sweden.

Much like @peterdutton (not the Australian politician), @johnlewis (not the British department store), and @theashes (not the cricket series) before her, Trussell is not the new Conservative prime minister of the United Kingdom. That's Liz Truss, who has the Twitter handle @trussliz.

READ MORE: Liz Truss appointed UK prime minister in 70-year first

https://twitter.com/thor_benson/status/1566896521701892097

But Trussell is taking it all in her stride, politely requesting Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson "get the meatballs ready" in response to Andersson's congratulations, and expressing excitement at the prospect of meeting "Queen Liz".

"Just getting ready to head up to Balmoral! Looking forward to meeting the Corgi's," she replied to another tweet. 

Trussell also wholeheartedly agreed with a right-wing news site that she was the "best person for the job" and declared "Me & Queen Liz would deffo be besties", to one of several calls to sub in for Truss.

As with anyone else in the political spotlight, Trussell was also forced to shrug off some harsh, albeit misdirected, criticism, in this case from Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas:

https://twitter.com/CarolineLucas/status/1566762432453820419

Trussell has suffered a few cases of mistaken identity in the past; in August she defended her failure to be interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland by pointing out no one had asked her.

But things kicked off in earnest when her political namesake took the stage on Monday to claim the Tory leadership after a two-month run-off.

Immediately criticised for a "lack of class" for failing to shake hands with unsuccessful candidate Rishi Sunak, she seemed to have a fairly solid excuse: "Sorry I was in Nandos".

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https://twitter.com/Darlingbuds/status/1566760977672159233

The non-politician, who doesn't have a Twitter bio and hasn't revealed much of herself online (beyond a dislike for delayed committed and an interest in social causes in Reading and Oxford), even created her own hashtag: #InTrussellWeTrust

https://twitter.com/Liztruss/status/1566814296138457088

As the nation eagerly awaits the incoming prime minister's plans to tackle the energy crisis before winter, Trussell has revealed little of her own policy agenda, with one key exception: strong support for granting citizens of the UK "maccies all day breakfast".

https://twitter.com/alanb717/status/1566825834761125896

Twitter users were quick to make comparisons with former victims of Twitter mistaken identity, such as the computer science educator who cheerfully fields customer service complaints from the John Lewis department store and Ashley Kerekes, an American who is "not a freaking cricket match!"

https://twitter.com/stuartgibson/status/1566807146544746496https://twitter.com/johnlewis/status/1545578198494240768

Warning: This story contains graphic and violent content. A convicted murderer who was jailed for life for torturing and killing an Auckland teenager has been denied leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. Toko (Ashley) Shane…

Boris Johnson has given a speech full of energy and pomp as his final act as prime minister of the United Kingdom before heading to Scotland to formally offer his resignation to the Queen.

He urged his supporters to get behind his successor, Liz Truss, who will be appointed prime minister during her own audience with the Queen a short time after Johnson.

Truss was chosen on Monday to take over the top job in a leadership ballot against Rishi Sunak two months after Johnson announced his intention to step down in the wake of controversies that saw his party's support for him decline.

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Truss, who was foreign secretary under Johnson, had been widely tipped to win the ballot ahead of ex-treasury chief Sunak after winning the support of many Tories with a promise to roll back state intervention and slash taxes.

In the end, she convinced 81,326 of about 170,000 paying Tory party members to vote for her to Sunak's 60,399.

In his final address outside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, Johnson was bombastic, unapologetically verbose, poetic and strange.

"This is it, folks," he said.

"The torch will finally be passed to a new Conservative leader.

"Through that lacquered black door, a new prime minister will shortly go to meet a group of fantastic public servants."

His final speech as prime minister had the feel of an election pitch rather than a swan song.

He pointed to the remarkable speed of Britain's vaccine rollout.

"That is government for you. That's this Conservative government."

Johnson energetically touted the country's future energy independence, particularly singing the praises of offshore wind power and nuclear reactors.

In two consecutive sentences, he likened himself to a booster rocket launching a spaceship out of the atmosphere, and to an ancient Roman statesman.

"I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere, and splashing down in some obscure and remote corner of the Pacific," Johnson said.

"Like Cincinnatus, I will retire to my plough," he said.

READ MORE: Liz Truss wins leadership race to become new UK prime minister

He thanked his family, including his dog Dylan and cat Larry, the chief mouser to the Cabinet Office.

"If Dylan and Larry can put aside their differences, then so can the Conservative party."

Larry has served under three prime ministers.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned the following article contains images of a deceased person.

A good friend of deceased Aboriginal woman Constance Watcho believes she saw a bag in a Kangaroo Point unit that was later used in news coverage of her death.

Watcho's remains were found at the bottom of a cliff at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane in September 2018, but no one has been charged over her death.

The 36-year-old mother of 10 last accessed her bank account in November 2017 after being released from prison on parole a few days prior.

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Anne Mickelo told an inquest on Wednesday that she spent time with Watcho between her release from jail and when she went missing.

She said Watcho was upset because she believed her partner had been sleeping around while she was in jail and the couple had been arguing.

Watcho was known to couch surf and sleep rough, and had been staying at an apartment in Kangaroo Point with partner Sam Sobczak, the inquest was told on Monday.

Two other men lived in the unit, Paul Maclay and Dallas Bandman.

READ MORE: Dead body found near where missing jogger was kidnapped in US

When she saw stories of the discovery of the remains in the news, Mickelo told the court she had seen the same bag featured in the coverage in a Kangaroo Point apartment where Dallas lived.

On Monday, the inquest was told that Maclay directed police to the location of Watcho's remains in September 2018.

All three men are expected to give evidence during the five-day inquest in Brisbane Magistrates Court.

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Most of Watcho's body was found in a sports bag but her lower legs and arms were found nearby.

Forensic pathologist Andrew Reid on Monday told the hearing that it would have taken a degree of skill to separate Watcho's remains in the manner they were found.

It wasn't done "randomly or recklessly", and the lower limbs were dissected at the knees and elbows as opposed to being "chopped off", Dr Reid said.

There had been an open missing persons investigation prior to the discovery of the body after Watcho's brothers, from Cherbourg, reported her missing in February 2018.

The Government is lauding its new $53 million plan to tackle the current youth crime spike that is prompting calls for harsher consequences for persistent offenders. But with the complex task of unpicking entrenched social issues…