TRANSCRIPT
- Seven Australians who were aboard the Gaza aid flotilla have been released from Israeli prison and deported to Jordan
- New Australian Federal Police Commissioner identifies social cohesion as a major focus under her leadership
- In Tennis, Australian Open organisers announce an event that will see professionals like Carlos Alcaraz face amateur players
The new Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police says her leadership will be characterised by a focus on social cohesion.
Krissy Barrett, the first woman to lead the AFP, has amended the agency's mission statement to include "defend" and protect Australia from domestic and global security threats.
She told SBS that they will be targeting individuals, groups or state actors who seek to strike fear within the community.
"One of my five priorities as the commissioner will be very focused on protecting vulnerable communities. And as part of that, looking at how we ensure that our young people in this country are safe and they're free from radicalization. They're free from the vulnerabilities associated with child exploitation and other abhorrent crimes like that."
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Seven Australians are among 131 activists who have been deported from Israel to Jordan, after being detained as part of an aid flotilla attempting to reach Gaza.
The Australians claim they were violently physically abused by Israeli authorities - and had food and water withheld during their detainment.
The aid flotilla of 50 ships and about 500 people was attempting to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and deliver food and medicine to Palestinians trapped in the enclave.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who was also on the flotilla, has criticised politicians around the world saying the detention of her and her fellow activists is a direct result of their inaction.
"We are now many who are safe and released from imprisonment and absurd mistreatment. But many of our comrades from the Global Sumud Flotilla are not, and they need to be released now. And I also want to make it very clear that our imprisonment by Israel is a direct result of our governments. They keep talking about the importance of upholding human rights and international law and to get aid into Gaza. And then when we do their job, while being completely peaceful and abiding by international law, they fail to ensure our safety."
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A second day of talks on a proposed Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal have concluded in Egypt.
Egypt's Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, says the parties looked at maps showing areas where Israeli forces will withdraw from in the first phase of the proposed deal.
The plan also includes the full and unconditional delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through the United Nations.
At a press conference in Cairo, Mr Abdelatty says the US delegation will join the talks on day three.
Also at the press conference, the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Netherlands, David van Weel, says he is taking a positive view of progress made so far.
"This is necessary to ensure that in the future the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are linked to maintain perspective on realising the two-state solution. We agreed that we all need to be involved in the day after in Gaza and we discussed how we can contribute collectively and constructively."
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Three scientists have won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries about how the immune system knows to attack germs and not our own bodies.
The work by Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Dr Shimon Sakaguchi uncovered a key pathway the body uses to keep the immune system in check, called peripheral immune tolerance.
Experts called the findings critical to understanding autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Mr Ramsdell says he found out the news from his wife - and at first he couldn't believe it.
"My phone was still on airplane mode cause I was on vacation. And my wife's phone blew up when we drove through some little town, and I had pulled over to let the dogs go for a walk and hanging out and my wife started screaming, 'oh my God, oh, my God. She said, 'you won the Nobel Prize.' And I said, 'no, I didn't.' And she said, 'yes, you did. I have 200 text messages that says you won a Nobel Prize' and I'm like, 'that's unbelievable."
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In tennis, organisers of the Australian Open have announced the launch of an event that will feature 10 amateur players competing against 22 professionals in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park.
Players will play rock, paper, scissors to determine who serves or receives, and whoever wins the point will advance to the next round.
The winner of the grand finale on January 14, 2026 will take home a prize of 1 million Australian dollars.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley says world number one Carlos Alcaraz will be among the professional tennis players participating.
He says a qualifying draw for the amateur competitors will be held later this year in December.
