A minute's silence held for the Queen during Australian memorial service.

Aussies have paused for a minute's silence to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II during a national memorial service in Canberra. 

The minute's silence was observed by 700 guests at Parliament House, including political leaders past and present, judges, military chiefs and other dignitaries. 

Speaking at the service, the prime minister said the Queen, who visited the country 16 times, connected with "every part of Australia". 

"So many Australians have shared their memories – of a kind word, a gesture of respect, or a thoughtful act of grace in an always-busy day," he said. 

"With Prince Philip at her side, the Queen embraced the scale of this vast nation: the breadth of our continent, the depth of our people’s hearts, the warmth of our humour."

A minute's silence has been marked across Australia in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

PM Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley signed a condolence book ahead of the start of a national memorial service at Parliament House.

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— Australian Associated Press (AAP) (@AAPNewswire) September 22, 2022

Albanese concluded his address saying "perhaps the greatest tribute we can offer her family and her memory is not a marble statue or a metal plaque. It is a renewed embrace of service to community, a truer understanding of our duty to others, a stronger commitment to respect for all".

A 1954 painting of the Queen by eight-time Archibald Prize winner Sir William Dargie is the centrepiece of the service.

The painting is surrounded by Australia's floral emblem, the golden wattle, and some of her favourite flowers, sweet peas and dahlias.

Former Australian Idol contestant Anthony Callea is performing at the service.

Both houses of parliament will sit on Friday to speak on a condolence motion for the Queen and pay tribute to King Charles III.

- With AAP. 

Former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has responded to claims of racism during his time at the club, refuting any wrongdoing.

The racism claims, described as "sickening" by the federal government, were detailed in an independent report commissioned by the club and published by the ABC yesterday. They include one player alleging Hawthorn coaches told him and his partner to terminate a pregnancy and separate so the player could focus on football.

The allegations have cast doubt over the coaching futures of Clarkson and Chris Fagan, with the AFL set to outsource an investigation into claims which centre on the pair's time at Hawthorn.

"The health, care and welfare of our players, staff and their families were always my highest priorities during my time at Hawthorn," Clarkson said in a statement yesterday. 

"I was therefore shocked by the extremely serious allegations reported in the media earlier today.

"I was not afforded any due process and I refute any allegation of wrongdoing or misconduct and look forward to the opportunity to be heard as part of the AFL external investigation."

Clarkson will delay starting his fresh appointment as North Melbourne coach, which was scheduled to begin on November 1, while Fagan has taken leave from Brisbane.

Alastair Clarkson has responded to the shocking allegations made in the Hawthorn report.

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— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) September 21, 2022

Meanwhile, Indigenous AFL champion Eddie Betts said he was saddened but not surprised to learn of the racism claims, saying some of the allegations reminded him of the Stolen Generation.

"This could happen at any football club," Betts told Fox Footy last night. "And I think that every football club should do a review like this."

"It was a tough read guys, but I wasn't surprised to be honest"

Eddie Betts on today's shocking revelations.

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— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) September 21, 2022

Betts, who has publicly detailed his own experiences of racism in the AFL system and in life, praised the unnamed players' bravery in speaking up as part of the Hawthorn review.

"It was a tough read, reading that today, but I wasn't surprised, to be honest," he said. 

"Aboriginal people, we're not surprised as well, (because) we face these issues in many systems - in the education system, in the justice system, in the health system... It always comes back to what I've been preaching a lot, and that's education."

Read more: When Amy fell pregnant, the coaches at Hawthorn Football Club allegedly told her to terminate it.

- With AAP. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the country's first mobilisation since World War II and backed a plan to annex parts of Ukraine, warning the West he's not bluffing when he says he's ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia.

In the biggest escalation of the Ukraine war since Moscow's February 24 invasion, Putin ordered the partial mobilisation of reservists, calling up 300,000 to fight in Ukraine. 

"If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without doubt use all available means to protect Russia and our people - this is not a bluff," Putin said in a televised address to the nation yesterday. 

Putin said, without providing detailed evidence, that the West was plotting to destroy Russia, engaging in "nuclear blackmail" by allegedly discussing the potential use of nuclear weapons against Moscow.

He accused the US, the European Union and Britain of encouraging Ukraine to push military operations into Russia itself.

#BREAKING: Vladimir Putin has this morning been condemned for ordering Russia's first partial military mobilisation since World War II. @EdwardGodfrey9 #9News

READ MORE: https://t.co/kzlS02l0zg pic.twitter.com/euq8eNLL5a

— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) September 21, 2022

Meanwhile, Russian security forces have detained hundreds of people at protests against the escalation of war, the civil rights group OVD-Info says.

OVD-Info counted 735 people detained across Russia, saying 260 demonstrators were held in Moscow and 267 in St Petersburg.

In Moscow, people chanted for a "Russia without Putin".

In the capital, authorities warned people against taking part in a demonstration by saying they faced up to 15 years in prison.

- With AAP.

Donald Trump and his adult children have been sued for fraud by New York state's attorney general, who has conducted a civil investigation into the former US president's business practices, court records show.

The lawsuit, filed in a New York state court in Manhattan, accused the Trump Organisation of engaging in "numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation" in preparing Trump's annual statements of financial condition from 2011 to 2021.

It also named the Trump Organisation, the former president's son Donald Trump Jr and his daughter Ivanka Trump as defendants.

#BREAKING: Former US President Donald Trump and his children are being sued by the attorney general of New York, who has accused the family of fraud. #9News

DETAILS: https://t.co/0Ropvv0WX8 pic.twitter.com/9tKc0BliCt

— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) September 21, 2022

The investigation by Attorney General Letitia James has focused on whether the Trump Organisation misstated the values of its real estate properties to obtain favourable loans and tax benefits.

James, who is a Democrat, has said that the investigation uncovered "significant evidence" that Trump and the company fraudulently valued many of its assets.

The Republican former president has denied any wrongdoing and described James' probe as a politically motivated witch hunt, while the Trump Organisation has called James' allegations "baseless".

James' civil probe is separate from a criminal tax fraud probe against the Trump Organisation by Manhattan's district attorney, Alvin Bragg.

- With AAP.

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Feature Image: AAP.