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TRANSCRIPT
An Australian military base in the Middle East has sustained minor damage after it was struck by an Iranian missile.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed an Iranian strike landed near the Australian base at Al Minhad in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday morning’
An accommodation block and a medical facility were damaged by a small fire caused by the missile hitting the road close to the base.
Mr Albanese says there no Australian troops were injured.
“Every person there is safe. I've spoken with the defence minister about this and it's important that we recognize that the Iranian regime is continuing to engage in, frankly, random attacks right across the Gulf region."
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Far-North Queensland is bracing for the impacts of its third severe weather system in less than two months.
Cyclone Narelle is approaching far-north Queensland as a category two system after forming in the Coral Sea, and is expected to make landfall north of Cairns as a category four system on Friday.
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of potentially severe impacts, with the system currently packing sustained winds near its centre of up to 110 kilometers per hour, with gusts up to 155 kilometers per hour.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli says a watch order is in place for the Central Peninsula and Northern Tropical Coast, including Port Douglas, Lockhart River, and Weipa.
"The situation is evolving. It's a serious situation and the window to act is obviously closing, which is why we're doing this well ahead of a large tropical cyclone, the likelihood of that crossing the coast. And we're asking people just to take those final bits of precautions and do the final little bits of work."
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The federal government has announced states and territories will appoint representatives to oversee fuel supply concerns as part of a snap national cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will convene a virtual meeting of state and territory leaders on Thursday, following concerns about high fuel costs and shortfalls in some regional areas.
Mr Albanese said co-ordination between jurisdictions would be essential to handle supply issues, especially for regional areas.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie says a key priority needs to be relieving pressure on trucking business operators in regional areas.
"Our trucking industry is under immense pressure at the moment. They've seen the largest hike in prices for diesel ever. Even at the peak of the Ukraine war, prices went to increased 40 cents a liter. We've seen prices increase 80 cents a liter for our trucking industry."
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The United Nations human rights office says Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings, displaced people and healthcare workers in Lebanon may amount to war crimes.
The Israeli military has been carrying out airstrikes in Lebanon since the Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel from Lebanon early in the expanding war in the Middle East.
Israel's military has said it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, and frames a ground operation it has launched in Lebanon as a defensive effort to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.
UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen Al- Kheetan says the increasing instances of civilian deaths are cause for significant concern.
“In many instances, Israeli airstrikes have destroyed entire residential buildings in dense urban environments, with multiple members of the same family, including women and children, often killed together. Such attacks raise concerns under international humanitarian law. People displaced by the fighting and living in tents along Beirut's seafront have also been hit. And in recent days, at least 16 medical staff have been killed. Deliberately attacking civilians or civilian objects amounts to a war crime.”
Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes have killed at least 886 people in Lebanon and forced more than 1 million from their homes.
The Israeli military was not immediately available for comment on Mr Al- Kheetan's remarks.
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To sport now,
Europe's top football teams have shown the door to two of England's hopes in the UEFA Champions League this morning.
Real Madrid beat Manchester City while holders PSG humbled Chelsea three-nil at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal cruised past German side Leverkusen while Bodo/Glimt's superb run came to an end in Lisbon.
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has praised his team's performance and a few superb moments on the pitch.
"We needed a magical moment from EPS to score a wonderful goal. I won the full strike to give us the lead. And in the second half, we have take transactions, opened the opportunity to go and win the game and the tie. And unfortunately as well, we had four or five situations where we should have probably scored the third one and put the game to bet. But overall, I think we fully deserve to be in the quarter finals."
