TRANSCRIPT
- Israel's prime minister accuses his Australian counterpart of betraying Australia's Jewish community
- The federal government will spend $1.3 billion on new counter-drone measures
- The AFL launches a new Cultural Diversity Action Plan for Game Development.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Anthony Albanese of betraying Israel and abandoning Australia’s Jewish community.
The remarks came after Israel revoked visas for Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority, following Canberra’s recognition of a Palestinian state and cancellation of an Israeli politician's visa.
In a Tweet from his office, Mr Netanyahu wrote:
“History will remember Albanese for what he is: a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews.”
That politician had been due to meet Australia’s Jewish community, which is reporting a rise in antisemitic attacks since the Gaza war began nearly two years ago.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is calling Israel’s condemnation of the prime minister an unjustified reaction that risked deepening its diplomatic isolation.
The federal government will spend $1.3 billion on new counter-drone measures over the next decade, and the technology is expected to be deployed when Brisbane hosts the Olympic Games in 2032.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy says the counter-drone acquisitions will be a part of the Australian Defence Force’s Project Land 156, that's looking to fast-track the technology’s integration into service.
"The government will announce further counter drone acquisitions in the near future as part of Land 156 including contracts for a system integration partner for the continuous delivery of counter drone capability. This will include command and control capability and advanced counter drone sensors and effectors, giving the ADF more options to protect Australian defence bases."
He says Australia is working closely with Boeing Defence Australia to ensure they take advantage of any export opportunities, in hopes of enhancing the skill base created in this ground-breaking technology in Queensland.
The White House says that the United States can assist with security guarantees for Ukraine and President Donald Trump has directed his national security team to work with Europe.
But Mr Trump has ruled out placing American soldiers in Ukraine and gave no specifics about the security guarantees he has previously said Washington could offer Kyiv under any post-war settlement.
The comments come after seperate talks with Ukraine and Russia.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the US is looking at how to best help Russia and Ukraine move forward.
"The president has definitively stated U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies. The president understands security guarantees are crucially important to ensure a lasting peace, and he has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and also to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well."
There are a wide variety of ways the US could provide air support.
It could be as simple as providing more air defense systems to Ukraine or a more involved U.S. role that includes U.S. fighter jets enforcing some sort of no fly zone.
Australian pharmaceutical giant CSL will cut as many as 3000 jobs and spin-off its flu vaccine arm into a separate business in a bid to save $500 million dollars.
The biotechnology firm announced the shake-up at its annual financial results call where its chief executive dismissed concerns about U-S tariffs, but warned about the impact of falling vaccination levels.
The company, which is the third largest in Australia, also revealed its revenue rose by five per cent during the last financial year and its profit after tax grew by 14 per cent to reach four-point-six billion dollars.
Despite its rising profit, CSL chief executive Paul McKenzie tells investors the global pharmaceutical market had become a volatile environment and the company would need to adapt to meet its financial goals and simplify operations.
And in sport,
The AFL has announced on its site that it's launched a new Cultural Diversity Action Plan for Game Development for four years till 2028.
It comes as part of its commitment and vision for people across Australia to connect with Australia's game, with two key programs: AFL Community Connect and AFL School Connect.
The programs are to be delivered in 21 priority local government areas in partnership with a range of community organisations, local councils, and AFL clubs.
It involves working directly with communities to understand their needs, breakdown barriers to participation, and ensuring the game authentically reflects Australia’s rich cultural diversity.
