TRANSCRIPT:
- Police shot in a suspected ambush in rural Victoria;
- Iran's ambassador to Australia expelled after Tehran blamed for two local antisemitic attacks;
- Four men charged over betting on the AFL Brownlow Medal awards.
At least two police officers have been killed in a shooting in rural Victoria.
The incident has taken place in the town of Porepunkah, which is in the state's north-east about 300 kilometres from Melbourne.
Multiple news reports have suggested that the officers were shot at while serving a warrant at the property earlier today on a person described as a sovereign citizen - but Victoria Police are yet to confirm any details.
Premier Jacinta Allan has told state parliament her thoughts are with them.
"Victoria Police and all of our first responders show extraordinary bravery and courage every single day. They are the best of us, and the thoughts of all Victorians are with them today."
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Iran's ambassador to Australia has been expelled after intelligence revealed the Iranian government directed antisemitic attacks in Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has reason to believe Iran was behind two incidents.
"Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but ASIO assesses it was behind the attacks on the Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney on October 20 last year and the Addass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 6 last year."
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says operations in Australia's embassy in Tehran have also been suspended, and its officials moved to a third country.
She says Iran's conduct is unacceptable.
"There is no doubt that these extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil have crossed a line. And that’s why we have declared Iran’s ambassador to Australia persona non grata, as well as three other Iranian officials, and they’ll have seven days to leave the country."
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At least three people have been killed amid strong winds and flooding caused by Typhoon Kajiki.
The deaths have been confirmed in the provinces of Nghe An, Ninh Binh, and Ha Tinh.
Some 10,000 homes in north-central Vietnam have also been damaged in the storm, which has now weakened to a tropical depression and is en route to northern Thailand.
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The parliament of the Marshall Islands has been destroyed by fire.
Fire and police officials say half of the parliament building known as the Nitijela has burned down, while the remaining structure cannot be used.
The blaze has since been put out and it remains unclear what started the fire.
The Pacific archipelago of the Marshall Islands is midway between Hawaii and Australia.
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Scores of childcare workers' clearances will be suspended in Victoria as the state responds to a safety crisis in the sector.
New laws have been tabled in state parliament today to immediately suspend working with children's checks for individuals under assessment.
Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny says there's 173 people in that category as of today, and all will have their checks suspended by the regulator once the laws are enacted.
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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has condemned a series of marches that are scheduled to take place in major cities around the nation this weekend.
The rallies are being organised by a movement called March for Australia, and they're calling for an end to what organisers describe as "mass migration" and the reclaiming of Australia's identity.
The Minister says they are divisive and undermine of social cohesion, a concern shared by some Indian influencers and leaders, a community where migration has increased the most in the past decade.
Founder of Turbans 4 Australia, Amar Singh, has told SBS Punjabi the protests are an attack on Australian multicultural society.
"And I sincerely urge people that are hosting this protest to rethink their position. I also want to warn other people who might be out and about doing the work on the 31st to be careful if this does go ahead, because this sort of hate does not discriminate."
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The number of drowning deaths in Australia has hit a sobering new high.
This year's National Drowning Report says 357 people drowned in the last twelve months - 27 per cent higher than the average over the last ten years.
The report from Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia has also revealed two groups are driving the increase: older adults and people born overseas.
But Royal Life Saving Australia President Alexandra Ash says every Australian, regardless of background, ought to have access to swimming lessons.
"I would like the emphasise the community vulnerabilities that place some Australians at higher risk of drowning. My children are five and eight, and they have the privilege to learn how to swim. It should be a right."
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To sport and in AFL news,
Four men have been charged over suspicious betting activity on the AFL Brownlow Medal after a years-long probe.
They'd previously been arrested three years ago over the alleged suspicious betting connected to the 2021 and 2022 Brownlows.
The allegations relate to the leaking of voting outcomes on some specific AFL matches and subsequent betting.
