The Christmas holiday road toll rises, after a horror smash in the New South Wales central tablelands; A review ordered into Australia's national emergency warning system; Matilda Alex Chidiac returns to Melbourne Victory.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- The Christmas holiday road toll rises, after a horror smash in the New South Wales central tablelands;
- A review ordered into Australia's national emergency warning system;
- Matilda Alex Chidiac returns to Melbourne Victory.
Two men have died in a five-vehicle crash near Lithgow, in the New South Wales central tablelands.
Police say the two men, aged 42 and 49, were trapped in their cars and died at the scene.
More than a dozen other people have been injured in the accident on the Great Western Highway, including a woman and five children aged between 5 and 15.
One of those children has been taken to Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney in a critical but stable condition.
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The federal government has ordered a review of the national emergency warning system after it was criticised in the wake of Cyclone Jasper in Queensland.
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt says he has asked the National Emergency Management Agency to bring the Bureau of Meteorology, state governments and councils together to find out where warning processes may be lacking.
"It might be that the Bureau need to provide clearer information than they are. It might be councils need more training about how to recognise the signals and translate that information from the Bureau into text messages. Wherever the gaps are, I am keen to resolve them because of course we want to make sure that people are receiving the most accurate, reliable information they can."
The review follows complaints by residents at Holloways Beach in Cairns about the warnings they received when Cyclone Jasper hit north Queensland, causing major flooding.
The residents said they only received major flood warnings after already being isolated.
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Residents in northern Australia have been warned to stay inside and keep hydrated amid heatwave conditions this weekend.
Parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia have been put on alert with conditions 8C to 12C above average.
But that is proving a challenge for some residents on the Gold Coast, who are without power, water, or phone reception after Christmas Day storms ravaged the area.
Meanwhile, in Darwin - which has already experienced three nights this week that didn't drop below 29 degrees - these residents are among the many flocking to pools and air conditioning to seek some reprieve.
"This afternoon we're planning on going for a swim."
"We're trying to stay cool with lots of icy poles, finding the shade, swimming activities and some aircon of course."
"Our swimming pool was actually closed today, that's why we came here to escape the heat."
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A major Australian-run tour company will be allowed to resume taking groups on the historic Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, after a court overturned a ban on its operations.
Judge Susan Purdon-Sully from P-N-G's National Court has ruled the decision to cancel its licence was invalid.
Adventure Kokoda, run by Vietnam veteran and former New South Wales Liberal MP Charlie Lynn, had its commercial tour operator licence cancelled in April.
The company had wanted to give its fees directly to campsite owners so they could upgrade facilities to meet hygiene and safety concerns, but the Kokoda Track Authority said failure to pay would be considered breaking the law.
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South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice for an urgent order on Israel's activities in Gaza.
It wants the I-C-J to declare Israel is in breach of its humanitarian obligations in its ongoing crackdown against Hamas.
Israel has rejected South Africa's claims, describing it as "baseless blood libel with no legal merit".
Israel says it is abiding by international law in its war on Hamas.
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The United Nations has been asked to rule on an Indigenous death in custody in a New South Wales prison.
The mother of David Dungay filed a complaint with the UN's Human Rights Committee in 2021, arguing the state government failed to protect her son's right to life - and that successive Australian governments have failed to implement all the recommendations from a 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody.
His mother Leetona has mourned her son's death - and the more than 500 Indigenous deaths in custody since the Royal Commission - at a protest held outside the prison.
"It's very difficult for all of us Aboriginal people, that we have to suffer this pain and grief. And I want all other incarcerations, deaths, parents to come forward, to fight like me, get it to the UN and stop all deaths in custody."
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Matildas midfield ace Alex Chidiac has returned to Melbourne Victory, signing a deal until the end of the 2026 A-League season.
Victory coach Jeff Hopkins says he is thrilled to have Chidiac back for an extended period, with his team currently fourth on the ladder.
The 24-year-old, who was part of Australia's World Cup squad this year, has most recently being playing in Mexico with Liga MX side Tigres U-A-N-L.
