Key Points
- Lebanese Prime Minister condemns “war crime” after journalist killed
- State and territory leaders meet today for a fuel strategy update
- Golfer Hannah Green shares her hopes for Chevron Championship
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
Lebanon's Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, says he is pursuing options for taking legal action against Israel over the death of journalists.
Mr Salam accused Israel of possible war crimes, saying the killing of media workers in southern Lebanon are no longer "isolated incidents" but "an established method which we condemn"; and he plans to pursue the matter in the relevant international forums.
Paramedics have recovered the body of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a town in southern Lebanon.
She was employed by Lebanese daily newspaper Al-Akhbar and had been covering the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants that resumed in March.
Ms Khalil fileda report just a day before she was killed, while hiding underneath a house with an injured colleague.
"For the fifth day in a row, civil defence teams are looking for missing people under the rubble of the residential complex that was targeted by Israel in the last minutes before the implementation of the ceasefire in the city of Tyre. At least 23 citizens have been martyred."
Rescue workers reported Israel's military had not allowed them free access to the site where she had been buried under rubble - a claim Israel denies.
The Netanyahu government says it is reviewing the incident, but rejects claims it has targeted journalists.
---
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has played down expectations of tougher fuel restrictions, ahead of a national cabinet meeting today.
This is the third time the Prime Minister has convened a meeting with state and territory leaders since the start of the war in the Middle East.
Mr Albanese says the meeting provides a chance for all states and territories in Australia to receive an update on energy supply chains and to co-ordinate the response to the fuel crisis.
The three-month halving of the fuel excise is set to expire in June - and could possibly be extended if the war continues to disrupt global supplies.
---
Attorney General Michelle Rowland has joined tributes for veteran ABC Radio Sydney broadcaster James Valentine has died at the age of 64.
He stepped away from his role as presenter of ABC Radio Sydney’s Afternoons earlier this year, marking 25 years in the job, after new tumours were detected.
Mr Valentine chose voluntary assisted dying, and his family say he passed away at home, surrounded by loved ones.
Attorney-General Rowland says the federal government also joins those paying tribute to Mr Valentine.
"He was one of those people who you would be really hard placed to find someone with a bad word to say about him. He was someone who loved the craft as well. He made sure that he asked the questions and got the answers that he needed. I think above all else, he was someone who was easy to listen to because he was so relatable. And it just again demonstrates the importance of public interest journalism. The important of the craft itself. And the importance of the fourth estate in our democracy."
---
Mental health advocate Ian Hickie says Australians psychosocial disability will be challenged by changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The government is aiming to reduce the number of people on the NDIS from about 760,000 to 600,000 by the end of the decade.
The reforms are expected to save $15 billion by the end of the decade.
Professor Hickie, from the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre, says he was relieved to hear that mental health and psychosocial disability were not the target of cuts.
But he says he wants to hear how Australians with psychosocial disability can receive support both inside and outside the NDIS.
"So, my concern is as there is a limit on growth in the system that may it unfairly leave those with significant mental health problems; and assumed to push them back to the states. We know from other assessments that there are about 500,000 Australians who have moderate to severe disability due to mental health problems - who are currently not in the NDIS. Now, I not suggesting they should be in the NDIS. But I am suggesting that need appropriate supports like most of which would be provided by states and territories."
---
Australian golfer Hannah Green says she has set her ambitions higher ahead of the year's first major women's tournament, the Chevron championship in the United States.
She is now Australia's number one player, and is ranked fifth in the world after achieving her fourth win of the 2026 season earlier this week.
Green says her success in that tournament last week has changed how she approaches this week.
"Probably coming into this week before last week I was probably thinking a top 10 result would be really good. But obviously now I am more hungry to continue this success that I have had so far. So I don't really know if I am going to say yes, I want to win. Obviously, I do - but it also a really hard task to win back-to-back weeks. I want to make sure that even though I am very confident that I am not getting too ahead of myself. Staying patient is what you have to do to win major championships. So that is what I am going to try and focus on."
