TRANSCRIPT:
- Authorities reassure the public after the fatal shooting of a 16 year old in Perth;
- Pleas for calm as pro-Palestine demonstrations continue on Australian university campuses.
- And calls for better pay in the women's A League competition.
Authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the public after an allegedly radicalised teenager armed with a knife was shot dead by police in Western Australia.
The state's Police Commissioner Col Blanch says the 16 year old teen was shot after stabbing a man in the back at a Bunnings carpark in Perth before rushing at officers.
He says members of W-A's Muslim community alerted police about the teenager's concerning behaviour.
Premier Roger Cook says there are indications the teenager had been radicalised online.
"These situations are never straightforward, these cases are never straightforward, there's always a complex set of circumstances and conditions which sit in the background of that. So it's not just a situation of someone having a linear progression along extremism, there are other issues that contribute to their situation. So we'll continue to get a better idea of all those ingredients to that level of complexity, and be able to provide further detail."
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Hamas negotiators have begun intensified talks on a possible Gaza truce that would bring a halt to the fighting and the return to Israel of some hostages.
A spokesperson for the group, Taher Al-Nono, says meetings with Egyptian and Qatari mediators have begun, and Hamas was dealing with their proposals "with full seriousness and responsibility".
He says Hamas still wants any deal to include an Israeli pullout from Gaza and an end to the war, conditions that Israel has previously rejected - and still does.
But pressure continues to build within Israel with more demonstrations in Tel Aviv urging the government to agree to a deal that brings the hostages home.
This demonstrator, Natalie Eldor, says they want an agreement urgently.
"We need to bring them back. We need to bring all the hostages back, the alive ones, the dead ones. We got to bring them back. We got to switch this government. This has got to end."
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Meanwhile, Australia's Education Minister has urged protesters in Australia to 'lower the temperature', amid escalating tensions during pro-Palestine demonstrations on several university campuses.
Protesters condemning Israel's seven-month assault on Gaza have been encamped at universities across Australia, most prominently at the Sydney and Melbourne universities, where they have been met with counter-protests.
Australasian Union of Jewish Students president Noah Loven says his peers have increasingly become targets of fear, intimidation, and harassment as the demonstrations continue.
Jason Clare says nothing is more important than the safety of students.
"That's why I stress the point, we've got to lower the temperature here. There's always a right to protest in a democratic nation like Australia, but there's no place for fear and intimidation and hate, or antisemitism or Islamophobia, and there is a role to play for all of us here - politicians, the media, religious leaders, community leaders here - to work together here to keep our country together, not let it get torn apart."
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It's been revealed there's a nationwide shortfall in the number of frontline domestic violence workers being recruited.
Only 30 of the 500 staff promised during the last federal election have been hired - but the federal government says it's because of issues at the state level.
Women's Minister Katy Gallagher says that the Social Services Minister, Amanda Rishworth, is working with state and territory counterparts to recruit the workers as soon as possible.
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Authorities have pleaded with residents on the New South Wales south coast to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel, as torrential rain continues to pound the region.
The Bureau of Meteorology has sent an alert to residents warning that six-hourly rainfall totals up to 120mm are possible, even as conditions are predicted to ease in coastal areas from this afternoon.
The State Emergency Service says they are closely monitoring forecasts with flood rescue personnel rostered on for any potential issues.
Zone Commander Allison Flaxman says the agency was focusing on flash flooding where roads could be cut off.
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In football,
One of Australia's biggest stars says the A-League Women's competition has failed to capitalise on the success of the World Cup and needs more investment to keep big players.
Sydney F-C winger and Matildas player Cortnee Vine is one of few full-time professionals in the elite domestic competition, with most juggling other jobs and study.
Vine says there's still a long way to go to make Australia's domestic league competitive with those in the U-K and U-S.
"We are fighting against them to get players to come here. So if we're put in that position, you now need to pay more, because girls aren't going to come for less than what they can get back home, or overseas... It's what everyone wants. No one's going to come unless that's what it is."
