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has been recommended for approval by Federation Council staff, with opposition based on existing alcohol outlets spurned. or signup to continue reading A motion approving the development at Maxwell's Corner is to be presented to the council's meeting on Tuesday, November 26. The council's manager planning and development Terri O'Brien recommends the be subject to various conditions, despite 19 objections and a In her agenda report, Ms O'Brien responds to concerns raised by the community, which included economic impact on existing traders, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and anti-social behaviour. She acknowledged multiple submissions noted Howlong hotels and an IGA supermarket already sell wine, beer and spirits and commercial impacts are not a planning consideration under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. "It is therefore not appropriate to further comment on this issue," Ms O'Brien stated. On the matter of traffic, Ms O'Brien referred to a Transport for NSW review that found the bottle shop "would not result in any adverse impacts on the local road network and that the proposed development would be suitable for the site". A social impact assessment, which found the alcohol outlet would "not negatively impact on the surrounding area", was also cited. Among those who objected to the council in March was then Howlong Community Progress Association secretary and now Federation Council mayor Cheryl Cook. She raised concerns about the block on the corner of Sturt and Hawkins streets, which is used by trucks travelling to Corowa, Albury and Victoria. "The BWS site significantly increases the chances of minor and major collisions, as trucks and cars need to quickly adjust to vehicles quickly entering and exiting from parking access to the BWS," now Cr Cook wrote. Like other objectors she noted the proximity to the Under the conditions of approval, the BWS would be open from 10am to 8pm on public holidays and from Sunday to Thursday and begin trading at the same time but close at 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Construction of the shop will be permitted to occur between 7am and 5pm from Monday to Saturday with no building occur on Sundays and public holidays. Other mooted conditions relate to dust control during erection, providing off-street parking, making a developer contribution of $19,600.45 and following noise control measures in relation to plant such as cool room equipment. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement

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Sensory Santa event brings holiday cheer in a calming atmosphereBillionaire Elon Musk called Canada’s prime minister an “insufferable tool” on his social media platform today. Musk’s comments were in response to Justin Trudeau likening Kamala Harris’s defeat in the U.S. presidential election to an attack on women’s rights and progress. This afternoon, Trudeau met with provincial and territorial premiers to discuss Canada’s approach to negotiations with the U.S. Canada is facing a threat of a 25 per cent tariff hike from incoming president Donald Trump, who defeated Harris in the November election. Earlier this week, Trump taunted Trudeau on social media, referring to the prime minister as the governor of what he called the “Great State of Canada.” The post was an apparent reference to a joke Trump cracked at his dinner with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago estate nearly two weeks ago, where the president-elect teased that Canada could join the U.S. as its 51st state. Speaking on Tuesday night at an event hosted by the Equal Voice Foundation — an organization dedicated to improving gender representation in Canadian politics — Trudeau said there are regressive forces fighting against women’s progress. “It shouldn’t be that way. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. We were supposed to be on a steady, if difficult sometimes, march towards progress,” Trudeau said, adding he is a proud feminist and will always be an ally. “And yet, just a few weeks ago, the United States voted for a second time to not elect its first woman president. Everywhere, women’s rights and women’s progress is under attack. Overtly, and subtly.” In a post on X on Wednesday, Musk responded to a clip of Trudeau’s remarks, saying, “He’s such an insufferable tool. Won’t be in power for much longer.”S&P/TSX composite rises on morning of Christmas Eve, U.S. stock markets also up

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Pakistani security forces pushed a protester off a 25-foot tall stack of shipping containers as they were accused of opening fire on supporters of at a huge demonstration in Islamabad. The former prime minister’s aides claimed dozens of people died and hundreds were injured during chaotic scenes on Tuesday night in the heart of the capital city. In one video circulating online, security forces approach a man sitting in prayer on top of a pile of three shipping containers. A riot-gear-clad officer pushes him over the edge of the platform, where he clings on briefly with his fingers before a further shove sends him head-first towards the pavement. It was not clear if the man survived the plunge, as officials from Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) said that hospitals were being told to cover up casualties by the country’s powerful army. Protesters had planned to hold a sit-in across the streets of Islamabad until the government frees Mr Khan from prison, where he has been held since August. The legendary cricketer and former prime minister was jailed on a slew of 150 charges including corruption stemming from his four-year term in office. Mr Khan claims that the charges are orchestrated by Pakistan’s army, which oversaw his removal from power after a series of fallings-out. The army often interferes in politics and has ruled Pakistan directly for nearly half of its 77-year history. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s government disputed the demonstrators’ version of events, saying that 600 arrests had been made but nobody had been killed. Officials said police dispersed protesters, led by ’s wife, who had broken through security barricades. Ali Rizvi, Islamabad’s police chief, denied that live ammunition was used during the operation, which he said was conducted alongside paramilitary forces. He said the arrests on Tuesday brought the total over the past three days to 954. He said weapons, including automatic rifles and tear gas guns, were seized from the main protest site, the historic square of D-Chowk, where thousands had gathered. It was cleared in a matter of hours, he said. Ali Amin Gandapur, a top aide and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province who was a part of the protests and fled the site when the police operation began, accused the authorities of using excessive force. He claimed hundreds of protesters had suffered bullet wounds. Zulfi Bukhari, ’s media adviser, said: “With great responsibility I am stating that both public hospitals have been told by both the Interior Minister and agencies not to give any information about the dead bodies in the hospital’s mortuaries. “There are roughly around 40 dead bodies. Hospitals are neither giving them to their families nor processing any paper work. Even those who are critically injured are not being allowed to shift to another hospital. “The last 24 hours have been one of the darkest [days] in our history.” The Telegraph was not able to verify the death toll. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences reported two civilian deaths and 60 injuries. One doctor in an Islamabad emergency ward told the that he had treated more than 40 injured patients, and that seven had died. “All records of dead and injured have been confiscated by authorities. We are not allowed to talk,” he said. Pakistan’s information minister and an Islamabad spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the allegation that protesters had been shot by security forces. “Both ’s wife and I were attacked directly,” Mr Gandapur told a press conference in the city of Mansehra, located in his province about 80 miles from Islamabad. “We were peaceful, but the government responded with bullets.” ’s wife, Bushra, who was leading thousands of protesters, escaped unhurt. “Until returns to us, we will not end this march,” she earlier told a throng of supporters. “I will stand till my last breath, even if no one else does, because this is not just about my husband, but about the future of our country.” But Mr Bukhari later said that a sit-in protest had been called off, citing what he called “the massacre”. At least six people, including four paramilitary soldiers and two protesters, had been killed in the protests, which began on Sunday, before the overnight clashes. Visiting protest sites on Wednesday, Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister, said Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies had successfully cleared protesters from the sites across the capital. He called on ’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to provide evidence of the firing of live ammunition by security forces, and said it had not provided any details of deaths of its supporters. Geo News and broadcaster ARY both said security forces had raided the main protest site in pitch-dark in central Islamabad, where electricity was cut and a barrage of tear gas was fired. The protesters were almost completely dispersed, they added. On Wednesday, city workers cleared debris and moved away some of the shipping containers authorities had used to block roads around the capital. Several damaged vehicles were left behind, including the remains of a truck used by Bushra Khan that appeared charred by flames, witnesses told Reuters. The PTI had planned on staging a sit-in until the release of , who has been in jail since August last year. The protests were triggered by on a slew of charges, ranging from corruption to abuse of power during his four-year tenure as prime minister. His supporters believe the charges as politically motivated. Despite facing more than 150 cases, continues to command a devoted following. “Pakistan’s protests have no winners,” said Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars. “The country remains burdened by worsening political confrontations that distract from its economic and security crises.”Canadian dollar up as stock markets rally ahead Christmas