The CIA says Iranian nuclear facilities were severely damaged in US strikes; The Opposition continues to push for Australia's defence spending to be lifted; And in AFL, Star midfielder Matt Rowell renews his contract with the Gold Coast Suns.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
In this bulletin;
- The CIA says Iranian nuclear facilities were severely damaged in US strikes;
- The Opposition continues to push for Australia's defence spending to be lifted;
- And in AFL, Star midfielder Matt Rowell renews his contract with the Gold Coast Suns.
The head of the United States Central Intelligence Agency says Iranian nuclear facilities were severely damaged in US strikes over the weekend.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has issued a statement saying the damage inflicted would take years to rebuild.
The assessment from the spy agency comes after a leaked intelligence report cast doubts over the effectiveness of the strikes, suggesting essential components of Iran's nuclear programme were not impacted.
In the statement, Mr Ratcliff says new intelligence shows the facilities were destroyed, but stops short of saying the sites were eliminated.
—
The Opposition continues to push for defence spending to be lifted, claiming current spending is not adequate to meet the threats of a volatile global environment.
On the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Defence Minister Richard Marles resisted pressure from President Donald Trump to lift military spending, saying Australia would decide its own spending levels to meet its own military needs.
His comments were made after NATO countries agreed to increase defence spending targets to 5 per cent of GDP.
Opposition Defence Minister Angus Taylor says the government must follow suit, and increase defence spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP to ensure it's military is prepared for an increasingly unstable global security environment.
"We need to have the serious capability on the ground to be able to play our role in this more uncertain world. That means getting spending to 3% of GDP, and that was a position we took to the last election, and it's a position we maintain and we will continue to hold the government to account on its failure to fund its own plan."
—
Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian West Bank town on Wednesday, sparking a confrontation that ended with Israeli forces killing three Palestinians.
The Palestinian health ministry says seven other people were wounded in the violence at Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah.
In a statement, the Israeli military confirmed dozens of Israelis set fire to property, with military and police forces dispatched to the scene.
The Israeli military says several Palestinians "opened fire" and hurled stones at the forces, which returned fire.
Five Israeli suspects have been arrested.
—
At least 11 people have been killed in a landslide in northwestern Colombia after heavy rains caused a wall of mud and debris to bury around a dozen homes.
Rescue workers continue their search for survivors in the city of Medellin and the nearby mountainous town of Bello, where at least 15 people remain missing.
Authorities in Bello have transformed schools, community centres and a swimming pool into shelters.
Johana Serana is among more than 1,300 people who have lost or can't access their homes as a result of flooding.
"We don't really know how many more people are buried, this was truly a very severe natural catastrophe. We haven't recovered from everything that's happening. We are sad, we have much sadness in our hearts seeing how a community was lost, seeing how lives were lost."
—
And in the AFL ....
Star midfielder Matt Rowell has renewed his contract with the Gold Coast Suns for another two years as the Queensland team chase a maiden premiership.
The former Number One draft pick turned down offers from Collingwood, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs to stay with the team until at least the end of 2027.
He says he loves the club, and has had opportunities to develop as a player and a person.
