Hezbollah rejects ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon; Australia's foreign minister backs four New Zealand politicians banned by China over a trip to Taiwan; Poland's Maja Chwalinska books her first Grand Slam final spot in the French Open.
Listen to Australian and world news and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
- Hezbollah rejects ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon
- Australia's foreign minister backs four New Zealand politicians banned by China over a trip to Taiwan
- Poland's Maja Chwalinska books her first Grand Slam final spot in the French Open
Hezbollah has rejected a ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and the Lebanese government.
Iran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace deal with the United States, suggesting it could intervene directly in support of Hezbollah if Israel keeps up or escalates attacks there.
The Iranian backed militant group is demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal from the country, which Israel says it will not do.
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian says the US, Lebanon and Israel agreed all three parties are aligned in their determination to keep Hezbollah out of the equation.
"The negotiations are actively ongoing with the goal of advancing a durable ceasefire and creating the conditions for greater stability and security for both of our nations."
.
A UN peacekeeper has died after being hit with mortar shells near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has identified the dead soldier as Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic of Serbia's 27th Mechanized Battalion.
He says attacks on peacekeepers have become a regular occurrence in hostilities in the region.
"Since March, seven peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) have now been killed following the escalation of hostilities, and several more have been wounded. We reiterate that attacks on peacekeepers must stop. They are a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council Resolution 1701. And as we've been saying, these killings may amount to war crimes."
.
Australia's foreign minister has thrown her support behind four New Zealand politicians banned by China over a trip to Taiwan.
Government MPs Laura McClure, David Wilson, and Maureen Pugh, along with oppositon MP Duncan Webb, have been blocked from travelling to China for one year after visiting to Taiwan on a parliamentary trip last month.
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory, and regards any attempt to conduct foreign relations by the Taiwanese government as an infringement upon China's sovereignty.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia will advocate on behalf of the New Zealand MPs.
"Australian officials will also make representations on this both in Beijing and Canberra, including our view that placing pressure on parliamentarians is not appropriate. We agree with the principle expressed by New Zealand that members of parliament, including the Australian Parliament, are free to make their own decisions about their travel independent of government. Travel by parliamentarians to Taiwan is a longstanding and appropriate practice and consistent with our One China policy."
.
There have been fiery exchanges in Senate estimates between the Greens and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Questioning between senators devolved into a shouting match at different points, requiring the chair to twice shut down the session to take scheduled breaks.
During the session, Senator Wong said the Australia's government was pessimistic about the prospects of a proper investigation into allegations of abuse experienced by participants of a controversial aid mission to Gaza.
But Senator Wong has described their alleged mistreatment as horrific and unacceptable.
.
The aged care minister is defending a tool used to determine funding for older Australians living at home, despite hundreds of complaints.
A Senate committee has heard that more than 1000 Australians have asked for their claims to be reviewed since the Integrated Assessment Tool was rolled out in November.
The outcome cannot be changed once the algorithm has determined how much money they are entitled to - but Aged Care Minister Sam Rae does not agree there is no ability for humans to intervene in the tool's outcomes.
Aged care advocate Peter Willcocks has likened the automated tool to robodebt because assessors can't opt to give clients a higher level of care than what the algorithm says they need.
.
In tennis, Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska has booked a spot in her first Grand Slam final at the French Open, where she will face Russian Mirra Andreeva.
Chwalinska defeated Diana Shnaider in two sets 7‑6(4) 6‑4 in 2 hours and 10 minutes to advance in the competition.
The 24-year-old has also made tournament history as the first qualifier to reach the final.
She says she is excited.
"Yeah, I just want to breathe a little, you know, enjoy it today, and then just recover as much as I can and, you know, just to be able to give my all."
