Afternoon Update: Australia toughens stance as Gaza death toll soars; woman found dead at Bendigo home; and Australians eat too much salt
Good afternoon. Australia has urged Israel to “listen” to its friends, with the foreign minister, Penny Wong, saying theworld will “not accept” continuing civilian deaths in Gaza.
The civilian death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 8,000, according to the local Hamas-run health ministry. Save the Children says the number of children killed in Gaza in the last three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed in war zones since 2019.
All living former Australian prime ministers, except Paul Keating, penned a joint statement expressing solidarity with Jewish Australians. Meanwhile, the New South Wales minister Jihad Dib fought back tears as he made an impassioned plea for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East, describing what is happening in Gaza as “collective punishment”.
Top news
Israel strikes targets in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria |Palestinians in northern Gaza have reported fierce Israeli air and artillery strikes in the last few hours, and Israel says it has struck targets in Lebanon and Syria amid continued tit-for-tat clashes with Hezbollah along its northern border. Another 33 aid trucks were allowed to pass into Gaza from Egypt on Sunday, according to a spokesperson at the Rafah crossing. After visiting the Rafah crossing, the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court called the suffering of civilians “profound” and said he had not been able to enter Gaza.
Woman found dead at Bendigo home |A 44-year-old man has been arrested over the death of a 46-year-old woman found at the home, where two primary school-age children were also discovered. Neither child had received any injuries.
Students return to St Andrew’s Cathedral School |A mass of flowers paved the entrance to St Andrew’s Cathedral school in Sydney as the community reels from the killing of beloved water polo coach Lilie James. Students returned to the Sydney private school grounds today, the first time since the body of the 21-year-old water polo coach was found in the gym bathroom about midnight last Wednesday.
Qantas claims it doesn’t technically sell customer tickets |The airline’s defence to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission legal action says it instead sells a “bundle of rights” that includes alternative options in the event of cancellations. Qantas is responding to allegations it sold tickets to thousands of already cancelled flights, with the ACCC pushing for penalties of at least $250m.
Australia-EU free trade deal collapses |Trade talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Osaka have broken down, with Australia and the EU accusing the other of being unwilling to compromise. The Australian agriculture minister, Murray Watt, said the EU had not offered enough access for beef, sheep, dairy and sugar exporters, while an EU spokesperson said “the Australian side re-tabled agricultural demands that did not reflect recent negotiations”. The Albanese government says a deal is now unlikely in this term of parliament.
Warren Mundine launches tirade over cancelled speaking event |The prominent no campaigner sent an extraordinary series of angry and expletive-riddled text messages to a KPMG partner after the firm cancelled an invitation for him to address staff after his request for a $10,000 fee – which it considered too high. “I have [had] a gutful of KPMG. I’m going to treat you cunts like you treated me!” he said in the text messages.
Victoria has best performing economy in nation |Economic activity in Victoria in the last quarter was 7.7% above the four-year average while equipment investment was up almost 20% on the decade average, fuelling its rise from fifth to first place in CommSec’s latest State of the States report.
Rugby World Cup referee receives death threats |Wayne Barnes, the 44year-old British official who oversaw New Zealand’s loss to South Africa, received death threats, his wife has said. Meanwhile, the fallout from Australia’s disastrous World Cup campaign has led to the resignation of the Wallabies coach, Eddie Jones, after only 11 months.
Trump gag order |A US district judge has reinstated a gag order on Donald Trump in the federal criminal case charging him with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results. The order prohibits Trump from attacking prosecutors, court staff and potential trial witnesses.
Full Story
Bruce Lehrmann revealed as the ‘high-profile’ man charged with rape
Bruce Lehrmann has been revealed as the “high-profile” man accused of raping a woman in Toowoomba two years ago – a charge that he denies. What should we expect as the case proceeds? Listen to this 18-minute episode.
What they said …
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“We have to get the money from somewhere, and where are you going to get $360,000 million dollars from? … None of the politicians in power today will be in power by [the time the submarines are launched in the 2040s]. They won’t have to deal with the consequences of this, some future government will have to deal with it.” – Alexander Downer
The former Liberal foreign minister also accused governments of porkbarrelling by opting to build the submarines in South Australia.
In numbers
The average Australian consumes almost double the recommended daily salt level and it’s costing the healthcare system $10bn a year, according to a report from the Grattan Institute.
Before bed read
‘An alcoholic from the age of 14’: Matthew Perry’s troubled life and foreshadowed death, by Elle Hunt.
“The world might be shocked at his untimely death, but Perry knew that his addiction was going to kill him; he told us in print a year ago, in a book that reached six figures in sales. Indeed, he wrote, his most surprising takeaway was that it hadn’t already.”
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: WORD. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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