China's former premier dies of a sudden heart attack; The US military carries out strikes in Syria targeting weapons and munitions storage facilities; England face another cricket World Cup defeat.
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TRANSCRIPT
- China's former premier dies of a sudden heart attack
- The US military carries out strikes in Syria targeting weapons and munitions storage facilities
- England face another cricket World Cup defeat
China's former premier Li Keqiang has died of a sudden heart attack aged 68, state media is reporting.
Li, who was premier and the second most powerful man in China until March, died just after midnight on Friday.
The elite Peking University-educated economist was once viewed as a top Communist Party leadership contender, but became increasingly sidelined by Xi in recent years.
Chinese state media says he was resting in Shanghai when he died.
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The United States military has carried out strikes in Syria targeting two facilities used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In a statement, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said the strikes are a response to 19 attacks against U-S personnel in Iraq and Syria since October 17, backed by Iranian militia groups.
The overnight airstrikes targeted weapons and munitions storage facilities.
The US has been increasing protection for its 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 troops in Iraq, amid growing concern that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spread through the Middle East.
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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has pushed back on demands by the Greens to condemn Israel's siege of Gaza as a war crime.
Greens Senator Jordan Steele-John called on Senator Wong to brand Israel's actions as a 'textbook example of collective punishment', but Ms Wong refused, reiterating her call for Israel to protect civilian lives as it defends itself against Hamas.
Senator Wong says the international community must help chart a way out of the crisis towards a two-state solution to the conflict.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton told Channel Nine he thinks the Greens have gone too far.
"The Greens have gone too far. Their hatred of Israel, it seems knows no limits. And Hamas is a listed terrorist organisation. And they're encouraging hatred because I spoke to some Jewish friends yesterday who are actually living in fear in our country at the moment and it's completely and utterly unacceptable and what they're doing is whipping up that hatred. We don't tolerate violence or discrimination against any Australian and the greens at the moment I think are playing political games and they should be rightly condemned for it."
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The bushfire threatening lives and homes near Tara in Southern Queensland continues to rage, with firefighters hoping to gain control this weekend.
There were hopes the dangerous blaze burning west of Brisbane, which has so far claimed at least one life and destroyed properties, would be be contained by Friday.
Fire crews have attended 420 blazes in Queensland this week and remain on high alert across the state.
People at Lake Moondarra are warned it is still not safe to return after being told to leave early on Friday.
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A state of emergency has been declared in the Mexican city of Acapulco, where Hurricane Otis has killed at least 27 people and left four missing.
The Category 5 storm has ripped up trees by the roots and caused extensive damage to houses and hotels on the shoreline, in a city that depends heavily on tourism.
Looting has also been reported as some residents say they have not yet received any form of aid.
A resident queuing at the petrol station, Juan Carlos Garcia, says they are waiting for officials to turn power back on.
“The truth is people are desperate because of the gasoline – some want to leave; others want to work. There is no gasoline. I hope people don’t riot because it’s getting serious now.”
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In cricket,
Another defeat has crushed England's World Cup hopes, as Sri Lanka breezed past the 2019 champions to win by eight wickets.
England captain Jos Buttler says it would now take "a few miracles" for the side to progress in the tournament, after losing four out of five games.
"It's never for a lack of effort, it's never for a lack of hard work, or preparation. You know, look around the room, it's not a lack of talent. A lot of experienced guys who are fantastic cricketers. So absolutely it's a huge frustration. This tournament's gone nowhere near the way we wanted it to. It's been - yeah - a huge disappointment."
The four games left for England include facing table-topping India and bitter rivals Australia.
England is second from last in the table, being kept from the bottom only by the Netherlands.
