Grave fears for 38 Australians still missing after the Nepal-Tibet floods; The home of a former CFMEU boss raided by Australian federal police; Two more Australians advance to the second round of the US Open.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- Grave fears for 38 Australians still missing after the Nepal-Tibet floods;
- The home of a former CFMEU boss raided by Australian federal police;
- Two more Australians advance to the second round of the US Open.
The government says it has grave fears for the dozens of Australians still missing in the Nepal-Tibet flood impact zone.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said five more Australians had been confirmed safe after the catastrophic floods, revising the number of those missing from 43, down to 38.
Labor minister Anne Aly says the government is "very concerned" for those who are yet to be located.
She has told ABC television there are real logistical issues involved, including with communications, which add challenges to locating those who remain missing.
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Israeli special forces have captured a Hamas militant leader in a raid in Gaza City.
Israel's military have said in a statement that members from the Shin Bet intelligence agency seized Hamas' internal security service chief in a joint operation with the military in a Hamas-controlled area of the City.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Hamas leader was responsible for concealing and transporting Israeli hostages captured in the October 7 attack in 2023.
The PM did not name him, but hours after the raid, the Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry identified the officer as Moin Al-Arabeed, saying he was injured and captured by Israel while his wife was killed and some of his children were injured.
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Australian Federal Police have raided the home of a former CFMEU boss, as part of their investigation into corruption in Victoria's building industry.
Channel 9 Newspapers and the ABC are reporting a group of officers and sniffer dogs arrived at the home of former CFMEU official John Perkovic early this morning [[Wednesday 02 Sept]].
Mr Perkovic was dismissed from the union in October last year, after allegations he took up to $3 million in bribes from company bosses were exposed in media reports.
No charges have been laid.
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Pill testing is set to become a permanent fixture at music festivals in New South Wales after a year long trial.
The decision follows a report into the trial in March that found the service effectively reduced harms associated with illicit drug taking at festivals.
The state government says NSW Health will now begin consulting the music festival industry and harm reduction organisations to choose up to 15 events where pill testing will be implemented.
But drug law reform organisation Unharm says pill testing should be extended beyond music festivals, with Chief executive Will Tregoning quoting research that found roughly three quarters of MDMA-related deaths occurred at private residences, and only seven per cent at festivals or dance parties.
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The federal government is continuing to defend its recent tax changes, after predictions of further drops in house prices.
The Commonwealth bank has said it expected Sydney house prices to fall 11 per cent this year, and Melbourne prices to fall 10 per cent.
Nationals Leader Bridget McKenzie says the latest figures are an indication of failed economic management by the Labor party.
But Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has told Channel 7 the government still expects housing prices to grow over time as it predicted, but at a slower rate.
"That's what Treasury have said. They know a lot about this market. They've looked really closely at it. They're not focused so much, as I said, on the, on the week-to-week, month-to-month movements. They're looking at the big picture, and the big picture is that house prices in Australia will continue to grow, but a bit more slowly because of those big tax changes that we've made in the budget."
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It's officially spring - but with a shift in temperature, there's a higher risk of asthma flare-ups.
Nearly 2.8 million people or around 11 per cent of the population in Australia have asthma.
But Asthma Australia says the symptoms and impacts of the chronic inflammatory lung condition vary based on age and gender.
Kate Miranda is the CEO of the organisation.
"Asthma is a women's health condition. There's more women that have asthma. One in five Australian adult women have asthma. It's the greatest burden of disease for girls aged one to 14 years and the eighth leading cause of disease burden overall. More women are hospitalised, and twice as many women die from asthma each year."
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To sport now and in tennis,
Dane Sweeny and qualifier Tristan Schoolkate have advanced to the second round of the US Open, continuing Australia's strong start to the season's final grand slam.
Sweeny was leading Corentin Moutet, when the Frenchman retired injured.
The 25-year-old next faces either Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti, or Britain's Arthur Fery for a place in the last 32.
And Tristan Schoolkate will next play Italian fifth seed Fabio Cobolli, after finishing off American qualifier Nishesh Basavareddy 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 6-4 in a three hour match.
