TRANSCRIPT
- The Greens call for sanctions on Israel after school bombing in Gaza.
- Russia and Ukraine trade blame over a fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
- And in tennis, Australia's Alexei Popyrin to fight for the biggest title of his career in Montreal.
----
The Greens are calling on the government to take stronger action against Israel including sanctions, with plans to bring another motion to Parliament this fortnight.
The minor party says it knocked on 50,000 doors during the mid-winter break, in hopes of increasing public support for action against the Israeli government over its assault on Gaza.
Last month, the government-imposed sanctions on seven Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank and has stressed the need to protect civilian life in Gaza.
However, on Saturday, an Israeli air strike hit a school where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in Gaza City, killing at least 90 people.
Albanese government frontbencher Ed Husic said this morning that messages to Israel are being ignored, and the government needs to be open to applying further sanctions.
And Greens leader Adam Bandt says there are a host of other measures the government should be considering.
"There are things that we could do right now, including stopping the two-way arms trade, recognizing Palestine, putting sanctions on the extremist Israeli government that would actually make a difference. We'll be pushing the government this fortnight to act."
----
Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for a fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Russian media says has now been extinguished.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog says the blaze, in the northern part of the facility, did not impact the nuclear reactors.
Meanwhile, a rare cross border attack by Ukraine into the Russian region of Kursk is continuing.
A senior official told news agency AFP, Kyiv has committed thousands of troops to the unprecedented incursion.
It's a move Ukrainian villager Oleksandr Kokhanyi, who lives on the border with Russia, backs.
"Yes I support it. The fact that they went there, I support that. That's what the Russians deserve. Let them feel what we feel. Let them live in our skin."
----
Police say there is no further threat to the public, after a helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in Cairns, far north Queensland.
The pilot - the only person onboard the aircraft - was killed in the crash and has yet to be formally identified.
Emergency services rushed to the scene before 2am this morning.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, where the crash occurred, was evacuated.
Police say an exclusion zone remains in place, covering the city's Esplanade as well as Minnie, Abbott and Florence streets.
Chief superintendent Shane Holmes says two people were in the room the helicopter crashed into.
"I do believe they were asleep at the time, and there were some windows that may have been impacted as a result of the incident occurring but I'm not quite sure of the extent of their injuries. But I am advised that they're okay."
----
Federal Greens say they will push for a complete ban on gambling advertising, by amending an unrelated communications bill in the Senate.
They argue the legislation is in line with advice from health experts.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says thousands of Australian families have been destroyed by gambling addiction.
"The gambling industry are parasites. They feed on the misery of everyday people and they whisper in the ears of governments - successive governments - to allow them to just keep going on. Just like we stopped advertising for tobacco, it's time we stopped advertising for gambling. It's a test for Labor, it's a test for the Coalition. It's an opportunity to do the right thing."
The move follows comments over the weekend by former prime ministers John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull.
They called for the recommendations from an inquiry into gambling harm to be fully implemented.
The inquiry was chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
----
In tennis,
Australia's Alexei Popyrin will attempt to become the first Australian to win an elite ATP Tour Masters 1000 series title in more than 20 years when he meets Andrey Rublev in the Montreal final.
The world-number-62 Popyrin has extended a brilliant run of upset victories by defeating last week's Washington title winner Sebastian Korda 7-6 6-3 in his semi-final.
And just hours earlier he won a tight quarter-final battle to oust fourth-seeded world-number-six Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 7-6 7-5 after coming within two points of defeat.
Popyrin will be fighting for the third, and biggest, title of his career in tomorrow's match.
