Chris Dawson to stand trial, and what women are talking about today, Friday April 8.

Chris Dawson will stand trial for the murder of his wife Lynette after Australia's highest court dismissed an application for the matter to be struck out.

The former professional rugby league player is accused of killing his wife Lynette 40 years ago following her 1982 disappearance from Sydney.

Dawson, 73, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife.

#BREAKING: The High Court has dismissed Chris Dawson’s special leave application. With this final bid to permanently halt his trial for the murder of Lynette Dawson in 1982 dismissed, the 73-yr-old is expected to stand trial next month. @9NewsSyd @9NewsAUS

— Lauren Tomasi (@LaurenTomasi) April 8, 2022

A last-ditch effort by his lawyers to have the case permanently halted was dismissed by the High Court on Friday.

Similar appeals to have the case struck out have been dismissed by the NSW Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeal.

Justice Stephen Gageler, who heard the application alongside Justice Michelle Gordon, said he wasn't persuaded there were discernible errors in the Supreme Court's judgment.

The primary judge previously refused a permanent stay on the basis that it couldn't be determined a trial judge wouldn't be able to ameliorate the risk of prejudice in a potential juror, Justice Gageler noted when handing down the decision.

Justice Gageler said this decision was in accordance with well established and uncontroversial principles of criminal law.

The trial is due to begin in May and is estimated to run for eight weeks.

Dawson has repeatedly insisted Lynette is still alive.

After a year of dating, Avril Lavigne is engaged to singer Mod Sun.

The pair shared their announcement on Instagram overnight, with pictures of the proposal in Paris. 

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A post shared by Mod Sun (@modsun)

"The day we met I knew you were the one," Sun wrote on Instagram.

"Together forever til our days are done. I had a dream where I proposed in paris. I pulled out a ring + asked you to wear it. I was on one knee as I looked in your eyes. You’re too beautiful for my words to describe. I grabbed your hand + took one last breath. I said “will you marry me?” + she said “yes”."

Lavigne was previously married to singer Deryck Whibley from 2006 to 2010, and Nickelback's Chad Kroeger from 2013 to 2015.

Read more about Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun's relationship here: Avril Lavigne was writing a breakup album. Then she fell in love with her producer.

Happy Friday everyone!

For a long time, I've been aware of some concerning stories about Jared Leto. It goes back to my teen years, when I went through an emo phase and lurked in fandoms adjacent to that of his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars. At the time, I read a lot of things that I didn't really recognise as 'problematic' until much later, because I was 14 and the allure of a dude in a band was strong. 

In the 15ish years since, I have revisited those allegations and learned a lot more about Leto, and criticisms that have followed him around (often very quietly) for decades. Yesterday, I put it all together in this story I'm really proud of: Fan allegations, a cult and Hollywood's reluctance to cancel Jared Leto.

But hey, because it's Friday I need to offer you something a little lighter too!

Thankfully, Mamamia's evening editor Katie Stow has done us all a solid, by writing up this hilarious story about the thoughts she had while watching Luxe Listings Sydney. It's no exaggeration to say I cackled at her critique of an $18 million mansion. Give it a squiz here: "I should have got into crypto." 10 thoughts I had while watching Luxe Listings Sydney.

Morning all, 

Have you ever thought about just straight up walking out of your job?

Well, my colleague Emma Gillman spoke to 15 women who did just that... days after starting. 

You can read about all their stories and what led them to quit right here. 

But first, let's get you across the biggest news stories you need to know about today, Friday April 8.

1. Sydney residents ordered to evacuate from floods for a third time. 

More Sydney residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes, some for the third time this month, as historic flooding is predicted for parts of NSW.

Residents in Camden and Chipping Norton in Sydney's southwest were ordered to leave yesterday afternoon due to rising waters.

In Camden, numerous rescues were in progress yesterday as the Nepean River burst its banks, with at least five people retrieved with State Emergency Service boats, footage aired on the Nine Network showed.

Evacuation orders were also issued for people living in Cornwallis and the eastern part of Richmond lowlands early this morning.

#BREAKING: Thousands of Sydney residents have been forced to evacuate overnight as rising floodwaters threaten homes for the third time this year. #9Today pic.twitter.com/6lqCWVc0tc

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) April 7, 2022

Major flood warnings are in place for rivers in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley and the NSW Central and South Coast.

Flood levels at Menangle are expected to peak over record heights reached in 1988.

A total 24 schools will be closed today, the NSW Department of Education said, with another 13 schools teaching classes at different sites.

2. Australia backs more Russian sanctions as UN suspends Russia from human rights body.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has announced further sanctions on Russia but says she won't go as far as expelling the country's ambassador. 

Senator Payne, who is in Brussels meeting with other NATO countries and allies to discuss Russia's invasion in Ukraine, announced a further 67 Russian elites have been targeted with sanctions over the war.

But she said the country's ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky hasn't been expelled due to concerns for Australians in Russia, among other reasons. 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the latest round of sanctions came in response to "evidence of war crimes" committed by Russia in Ukraine:https://t.co/Pz0wZxepoG

— SBS News (@SBSNews) April 7, 2022

Labor has urged the government to expel all Russian diplomats, barring the ambassador, to hold the Kremlin accountable for reported atrocities.

"It is hard to conceive how the decision can be made to allow these individuals to stay, given the sickening abuses being carried out by Russian forces," Labor leader Anthony Albanese said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly has suspended Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" by invading Russian troops in Ukraine.

The US-led push garnered 93 votes in favour, while 24 countries voted no and 58 countries abstained.

3. PM keeps voters guessing on election amid court decision. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison appears likely to call the election this weekend, as a Liberal party battle continues in the courts.

Morrison is awaiting the result of a special leave application to the High Court by expelled NSW Liberal member Matthew Camenzuli.

Camenzuli who is challenging the federal executive's ability to intervene in the selection of NSW candidates for the election, which is expected to be held on May 14 or 21.

NSW Liberal preselection battle heads to the High Court, reports @ElizabethJByrne https://t.co/RLn0w4GSYc #auspol

— ABC Politics (@politicsabc) April 7, 2022

A federal panel comprising of Morrison, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and former party president Chris McDiven stepped in to save ministers Sussan Ley and Alex Hawke, and backbencher Trent Zimmerman from being dumped as candidates.

The High Court will decide whether to allow special leave to hear the application at 4pm today. 

A successful court action could also put nine other NSW Liberal candidate selections in jeopardy, with a senior Liberal figure telling AAP this would effectively mean "game over" for the Morrison government.

4. Sydney childcare worker accused of assaulting a boy says she was framed. 

A Sydney childcare worker accused of duct taping a young boy with a disability while laughing it off as a joke, says she was framed by a disgruntled manager. 

Jennifer Helen Wood, 33, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault in Sydney in 2017. 

Her lawyer said the allegations led to her dismissal and arose in suspicious circumstances six months after she made several formal complaints about the chief executive of the childcare centre.

@dmsroy A Sydney childcare worker accused of duct taping a young boy with a disability while laughing it off as a joke, says she was framed by a disgruntled manager. https://t.co/VPmUvFvXvg

— SCHOOL KIDS RIGHTS (@EdmJbg) April 7, 2022

The centre's director told Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court yesterday she reported the incident in October 2020 after receiving complaints about Wood from parents. 

The witness said in mid-2017 she watched the four-year-old boy walking out of a bathroom with his hands tied in front of his body, while Wood pushed him from behind.

The judge-alone hearing continues. 

5. Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed as first black woman on US Supreme Court.

Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. 

The 51-year-old appeals court judge with nine years' experience on the federal bench, was confirmed by a 53-47 vote, mostly along party lines but with three Republican votes. 

Jackson will take her seat when Justice Stephen Breyer retires this summer and told senators she would apply the law "without fear or favour".

President Biden congratulated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in the White House as the Senate voted on Thursday to confirm her to the Supreme Court. She was confirmed on a 53-47 vote, with three Republicans joining all 50 Democrats in backing her. https://t.co/AZRjG7s3OO pic.twitter.com/FlUUybHyxG

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 7, 2022

She will be just the third Black justice, after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, and the sixth woman. 

Jackson will join three other women, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan Amy Coney Barrett – meaning that four of the nine justices will be women for the first time in history.

And that's it, you're all caught up. We'll be back to bring you more of the biggest news stories throughout the day.

- With AAP. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is yet to set a date for the upcoming federal election, but we know it'll be sometime in May.

In preparation, Mamamia asked you what the most important issues are when it comes to deciding how you will vote, and perhaps unsurprisingly climate change came out as the number one priority.

In this election special, The Quicky speaks to all three of the major parties, and an independent candidate to find out where they stand on climate change, and what they will do if you vote them in to power. 

READ: 

• What women were talking about on Thursday
• What women were talking about on Wednesday
• What women were talking about on Tuesday
• What women were talking about on Monday

Feature Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty/@BOM_NSW