TRANSCRIPT
- Health officials say at least 38 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid.
- Tasmanian Labor to move no-confidence motion against re-appointed Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
- The National Indigenous Tennis Carnival kicks off in Darwin.
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At least 38 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip while seeking aid from United Nations convoys and sites run by an Israeli-backed American contractor, according to local health officials.
It comes as the UN human rights office reported last week that some 1400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid since May, with nearly all reportedly killed by Israeli fire.
Another 25 people, including several women and children, have been killed in the latest Israeli air strikes, according to local hospitals in Gaza.
UN Secretary-General spokesman, Farhan Haq, says the duel threat of attacks from Israel and starvation has been catastrophic.
"More people are being killed and injured either along convoy routes or where they are staying. The situation is beyond catastrophic. Hospitals are overstretched. Patients are lying on the floor or in the streets, suffering, as beds, medical supplies and equipment are severely lacking. Starvation continues to happen, and today the Ministry of Health reported five new malnutrition-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to about almost 200 deaths, half of whom are children."
The latest killings come as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce further military action — and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza.
The Israeli military says troops fired warning shots as Palestinians advanced toward them, and that it was not aware of any casualties.
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United States President Donald Trump says special envoy Steve Witkoff made great progress in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting comes two days ahead of a US deadline set for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions.
White House officials say the talks went well and that Moscow is eager to continue engaging with the US.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says more announcements on the matter are expected soon.
"We'll have more to say about that later on today. We'll be confirming it. Ambassador Witkoff is on his way back now. I just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago. We'll have some other discussions throughout the day and there will be some announcements real soon, maybe positive, maybe not, we'll see."
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The Tasmanian Labor Party says they will move a motion of no-confidence in the Liberals when the state parliament resumes on August 19.
It comes after the state's Liberal premier Jeremy Rockliff was re-appointed by Governor Barbara Baker, following a snap election that resulted in a hung parliament.
But Ms Baker also stresses that the parliament will have the final say on who should be the premier.
The state's opposition leader Dean Winter says Tasmanians can be assured that the motion won't lead to a new election, but it will decide if whether Liberals and Labor will form the government.
"Under the Liberals we've seen three early election in a row, and that's gotta change, which means we need to change the way parliament works, and we need to change the government. The crossbenchers have seen the way that the government led by Jeremy Rockliff has been operating now for the past 15 months, in particular, but even longer than that. It's been a lack of consultation, a lack of respect, and only a couple of weeks ago, the Premier was attacking those independents and crossbenchers through the election campaign."
Mr Rockliff and his cabinet will be sworn in next week.
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Controversial MP Mark Latham has been labelled a 'one-trick pony' after fending off a Labor-led censure bid in the New South Wales state parliament.
The censure failed after the coalition opposition, the Greens and minor party MPs voted to adjourn it until October.
The failed motion came after the one-time prime ministerial hopeful used parliamentary privilege in the upper house to reveal details about a police commissioner and an independent MP, and amid several scandals, including taking photos of women MPs without their knowledge.
The government's upper house leader Penny Sharpe says the result is disappointing.
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The National Indigenous Tennis Carnival has kicked off in Darwin on Wednesday, with over 160 First Nations players across Australia joining the game.
This is the 6th year of the Tennis Carnival, and this year, the Carnival was opened by Tenins icon Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
The 74-year-old Wiradjuri woman and 14-time Grand Slam winner says the event means more than just playing tennis.
"I can't believe that this has been going for six years, and rightly says, it's one of the most unique programs that I have ever been in. It's not just about Tennis, it's about education, meeting up with friends, making new friends."
