TRANSCRIPT:
- An arrest made in the stabbing death of a young surfer in Coffs Harbour;
- Public servants warned not to take sides following an open letter on Israel;
- Sam Kerr officially left out of the Matildas Olympic side because of injury.
A man has been charged over the alleged murder of a surfer on the New South Wales north coast in May.
The 36 year old was arrested at a correctional facility earlier today.
Homicide Squad commander Danny Doherty says police will allege the man stabbed 21-year-old Coffs Harbour local Kye Schaefer multiple times in the chest and neck in a car park last month.
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Staff who signed an open letter condemning the Albanese government's position on Israel have been warned by senior officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Hundreds of public servants signed the letter to the Prime Minister that demanded Australia immediately cease all military exports to Israel amid its continuing bombardment of Gaza.
The letter alleged that the Australian government is complicit with Israel.
DFAT's Chief People Officer Belinda Casson says staff have been reminded of their duty to remain absolutely neutral.
"The Department did take some action on Friday afternoon to provide some reminders to staff of obligations under the Code of Conduct and the APS values related to impartiality."
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The federal government has confirmed they have not been allowed to offer consular assistance to a Hong Kong-Australian dual national detained under China's new national security law.
Pro-democracy activist Gordon Ng is one of 14 defendants convicted on national security charges in Hong Kong last week.
Madeleine Casey is the assistant secretary of consular operations at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
She's told a Senate hearing that the government has made repeated unsuccessful attempts to see him.
"We have made several representations in relation to Gordon Ng. We have requested at least 14 times consular access but at this stage we have still not been granted access to him. There has been no change in their decision but we will continue to advocate for access to him."
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Access has been restricted to Beijing's Tiananmen Square on the 35th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown that saw Chinese tanks roll into the square before dawn to end weeks of student and worker protests.
An official website for the Square has posted a notice saying the tower would be closed for the entire day.
Small groups of retirees with red armbands - known as "stability maintenance" volunteers - have been keeping watch at neighbourhoods in central Beijing since last week, with guards stationed on pedestrian bridges, a regular practice during politically sensitive periods.
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After a marathon six weeks and seven phases of voting, counting has begun in India's seven stage national election, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a record-equalling third consecutive term in office.
Modi's alliance looks to have a clear majority in the 543-member lower house of parliament, with early trends suggesting they're ahead in more than 150 seats so far.
Modi himself is also currently in the lead in his seat of Varanasi.
But the close of the election has been overshadowed by a deadly heatwave that's already claimed 200 lives, election officials saying they need to reconsider the future timing of the poll.
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Back home, and mortgage defaults are on the rise as borrowers struggle to keep up.
But the Australian Securities and Investment Commission says lenders are effectively abandoning customers who need support in their time of need, and that they need to do a better job with working with those in hardship.
The regulator is investigating several incidents where lenders failed to do so, including one instance where a customer made five separate calls to their lender before a hardship request was processed.
ASIC chair Joe Longo has told a parliamentary hearing it took six months for the lender to respond.
"This is not good enough. Lenders need to do better to help Australians doing it tough."
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The government has signed a five year deal with the pharmacy industry that will see billions of extra dollars poured into the sector.
The latest community pharmacy agreement, signed off by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Pharmacy Guild, will see chemists receive an extra $3 billion in their $22.5 billion funding package.
Community pharmacies had argued they needed more support to dispense medications and cover the cost of a one-year freeze to the PBS co-payment.
Health Minister Mark Butler says this agreement delivers that support - and guarantees cheaper prescriptions for patients.
"The pharmacy now is not just a retail business; it is a full service. It is an integral part of our health care system that Australians have come to rely upon more and more."
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In football news,
Coach Tony Gustavsson has announced who will be heading to the Paris Olympics for the Matildas.
Star goalscorer and captain Sam Kerr has been officially omitted from the eighteen player team as she recovers from an injury, but Caitlin Foord and Katrina Gorry have been selected, despite doubts over their fitness.
Gustavsson says he knows the team will represent Australia to the best of their ability.
"From day one when I met this team I realised this something very, very special in this group and my responsibility as a coach for this team is to nurture that."
