Morning, it's Wednesday, March 23 and we're already hearing buzz about the upcoming Oscars ceremony.

Why? Well, with less than a week to go, the drama has well and truly begun.

My colleague and Senior Entertainment Writer Chelsea McLaughlin has explained everything that's been going down right here (including a pretty big invite snub).

But first, lets get you across the biggest news stories women are talking about this morning.

1. NSW MP Gareth Ward charged over historic sex abuse allegations.

This post deals with the topic of sexual abuse and might be triggering to some readers.

NSW MP and former Liberal minister Gareth Ward has been charged over the alleged historic sexual abuse of a teenage boy and a man.

The 40-year-old was charged on Tuesday with three counts of assault with an act of indecency, and one count each of sexual intercourse without consent and common assault.

NSW Police allege he indecently assaulted a 17-year-old boy at Meroo Meadow in February 2013, and sexually abused a 27-year-old man in Sydney in September 2015.

Premier Dominic Perrottet, who is on paternity leave, immediately called for Ward to resign from parliament, saying he will take steps to remove him unless he does.

"While Mr Ward is entitled to the presumption of innocence, as any citizen is, the standards expected of an elected member of parliament are not compatible with the seriousness of the charges he is facing," the premier said in a statement.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has called for Gareth Ward's immediate resignation from parliament.

If he refuses - the Premier will move a motion to have him removed. #nswpol pic.twitter.com/9OqlKY3OHL
— Tim Fernandez (@TimFernandezz) March 22, 2022

Ward on Tuesday said he was "totally innocent of the charges brought against me" in a statement provided to the ABC.

"I will be instructing my lawyers to seek to bring this matter before the courts as quickly as possible and I look forward to demonstrating my innocence there," he said.

Ward was granted conditional bail and will appear at Port Kembla Local Court on May 18.

Meanwhile, in other news, NSW Liberal MP Tanya Davies has given a speech attacking COVID-19 vaccination mandates, saying she thinks her own government has gone too far.

Tanya Davies addressed the anti-vaccination rally outside NSW parliament on Tuesday, congratulating protesters for calling "on this government for fairness and for freedom".

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.

You can also call safe steps 24/7 Family Violence Response Line on 1800 015 188 or visit www.safesteps.org.au for further information.

The Men’s Referral Service is also available on 1300 766 491 or via online chat at www.ntv.org.au.

2. 'Brave' Hannah Clarke spoke following attack.

This post deals with the topic of domestic violence and might be triggering to some readers.

An "incredibly brave" Hannah Clarke gave extensive detail of a fiery ambush by her estranged husband just minutes after the attack that took the life of her children and then herself.

At the time, only three per cent of the 31-year-old's body wasn't affected by burns - injuries so severe medical experts at the scene didn't expect her to survive, an inquest in Brisbane has been told.

"It was just amazing the things she was able to tell me and how much she was able to help us," Senior Constable Angus Skaines said on Tuesday.

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Clarke was leaving her parent's Camp Hill home in Brisbane with children Aaliyah, six, Laianah, four, and Trey, three, in February 2020 when Rowan Baxter set it alight.

Senior Constable Skaines said Clarke was incredibly brave as she provided fine details like the spelling of names and giving addresses and dates of birth when he arrived about 8.37am.

Clarke was "amazingly" able to answer his questions, although at one stage said she couldn't stand anymore because it was getting too much, he said.

The inquest before coroner Jane Bentley continues.

You can also call safe steps 24/7 Family Violence Response Line on 1800 015 188 or visit www.safesteps.org.au for further information.

The Men’s Referral Service is also available on 1300 766 491 or via online chat at www.ntv.org.au.

3. Putin critic Alexei Navalny jailed for nine years.

A Russian court has found jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny guilty of large-scale fraud, sentencing him to nine years in prison.

The 45-year-old was already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations related to charges that he says were fabricated to thwart his political ambitions.

Navalny was jailed last year when he returned to Russia after receiving medical treatment in Germany following an attack with a Soviet-era nerve toxin during a visit to Siberia in 2020.

Navalny blamed Putin for the attack but the Kremlin said it had seen no evidence that he had been poisoned and denied any Russian role if he had.

His existing sentence will be incorporated into the one handed down on Tuesday, said his lawyers, both of whom were briefly detained after the hearing.

After sentence was pronounced, President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critic reacted on Twitter: "I want to say: the best support for me and other political prisoners is not sympathy and kind words, but actions. Any activity against the deceitful and thievish Putin's regime. Any opposition to these war criminals."

9 years. Well, as the characters of my favorite TV series “The Wire” used to say: “You only do two days. That's the day you go in and the day you come out"
I even had a T-shirt with this slogan, but the prison authorities confiscated it, considering the print extremist.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) March 22, 2022

Judge Margarita Kotova, who confirmed Navalny had pleaded "not guilty" to the fraud charges, said he would remain under some restrictions for 20 months after his release.

4. Search for victims of Chinese plane crash.

Rescuers are combing heavily forested mountain slopes in southern China, using shovels and torches in their hunt for victims and flight recorders from a China Eastern Airlines jet that crashed with 132 people on board.

About 600 soldiers, firefighters and police marched to the crash site, a patch of about 1 sq km in a location hemmed in by mountains on three sides, after excavators cleared a path, state television said.

It added that the search for the recorders, or "black boxes", of the Boeing 737-800 involved in China's first crash of a commercial jetliner since 2010, would be carried out in grid-by-grid fashion, probably through the night.

Personal items including wallets and bank cards have been found amongst the wreckage of a plane that crashed in Southern China whilst carrying 132 people. #9Today pic.twitter.com/Yp2bfi9oQd
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 22, 2022

Flight MU5735 was headed on Monday for the port city of Guangzhou from Kunming, capital of the southwestern province of Yunnan, when it plunged from cruising altitude to crash in the mountains of Guangxi less than an hour before landing time.

State television has shown images of plane debris strewn among trees charred by fire. Burnt remains of identity cards and wallets were also seen.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Monday appointed an investigator, as the Boeing aircraft was produced in the United States, but it was unclear if the investigator would travel to China.

5. Police are investigating two incidents on MAFS.

Police have confirmed they are investigating two incidents that have taken place on this season of Married At First Sight.

According to news.com.au, NSW Police said a complaint was lodged on Thursday, February 24 about an incident that occurred in November 2021 on a property in Bargo, where the show was filming when contestant Domenica Calarco infamously smashed a wine glass against a table.

A NSW Police spokesperson confirmed the inquiry was ongoing to news.com.au.

Police have been called to examine Married At First Sight after a shocking glass smash incident and a nude photo leak. https://t.co/0YpothHpRu
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) March 22, 2022

Police also confirmed a second complaint was made on March 19, 2022, to officers at the Inner West Police area command about the alleged distribution of an image without consent late last year, according to the publication.

It comes after 123,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for the "e-safety commissioner to immediately take action against [contestant] Olivia Frazer" for sharing an image of Domenica with other contestants without her consent.

Now you're all up to speed. We'll be back to bring you more of the biggest news stories throughout the day.

- With AAP.

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