The World Today

When authorities uncover child pornography rings and make arrests, it's sometimes said by those around the offenders that they displayed no tell-tale signs of their hidden crimes. But there's also evidence that suggests those who access child porn might also be perpetrators of domestic violence. That's prompting calls for more support services for partners of child porn offenders.

Electricity has been returned to most homes in South Australia after a series of storms, although thousands of residents, including the entire town of Port Lincoln, remain without power. Heavy rains overnight across the state have led the State Emergency Service to issue a major flood warning for the catchment of the Gawler, Torrens and Onkaparinga rivers. Many grape growers in the Barossa Valley have seen their vines flooded.

With primary producers set to start harvesting their winter crops in the coming weeks, there is concern that the continuing rainfall will either damage grain or that boggy conditions will prevent farm machinery from getting into paddocks. Either way, it's set to have flow-on consequences for those who rely on agriculture for a living.

The child abuse Royal Commission is inquiring into the serious failings by child care institutions to create and keep accurate, transparent records. Foster care leavers regularly have difficulty in accessing their own personal records, including documents relating to their experiences of child abuse.

Australia's independent industrial umpire is open to the idea of replacing weekend penalty rates with higher hourly rates in the retail industry. The Fair Work Commission president, Iain Ross, has pushed the option at a retail summit in Melbourne.

World powers have expressed the deepest despair at the appalling tragedy unfolding in Syria. The United Nations has described the situation in Aleppo as a humanitarian catastrophe, unlike anything seen since the Syrian war began more than five years ago. The US says it's now on the verge of ending talks with Russia unless it agrees to stop fighting.

There are claims today that Russia boycotted the multinational criminal investigation, as well as the Dutch safety board inquiry, into the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. The interim report released by international prosecutors this week stopped short of naming Russia or individual service personnel. But now there are fresh allegations that Vladimir Putin may have personally known that a mobile ground-to-air BUK missile platform was sent across the border to support rebels cornered on the battleground in east Ukraine.

A new investigation into alcohol treatment has revealed that only three per cent of people are taking up medical options to treat their alcohol dependency. Australia-wide the economic burden of excessive alcohol use is said to be more than $30 billion. Yet a new study published today has revealed that drugs like naltrexone and acamprosate are being overlooked, even though they've been shown to be effective to treat alcoholism and they're subsidised by the Government.

Wall Street shares in Deutsche Bank fell seven per cent on continuing fears about the stability of the Germany banking giant. Ten hedge funds investing in Deutsche reduced their exposure, as the bank continues to fight a US$14 billion fine from the US Justice Department. But analysts says the concerns are overblown, amid fears that Deutsche could be 'the canary in the coalmine'.

It's been revealed that the board of directors of the RSL's Queensland branch has received tens thousands of dollars in allowances and benefits without having to account for how they were used. An audit of the RSL's spending, obtained by the ABC, reveals the RSL was advised its practices were at odds with tax law. The branch has since voluntarily repaid more than $300,000 in back taxes. It comes after news earlier this week that the RSL's New South Wales branch is preparing for an independent forensic audit following questions about possible fraud and financial misconduct.