TRANSCRIPT:
- Australia's Prime Minister speaks out over the blocking of humanitarian aid in Gaza;
- A gun fired at Sydney Airport amid a morning arrest;
- Another Australian eliminated in the third round of the Cincinatti Open.
The Prime Minister says the limiting of humanitarian aid into Gaza goes against international law.
He has said Israel's actions are indefensible, hours after Australia joined 29 countries in issuing a statement calling for urgent action by Israel to allow aid to enter Gaza.
Israel has denied responsibility for the lack of food in the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of stealing aid shipments.
It's also maintained there is no starvation among the population, although international human rights groups say it has throttled the flow of food to Gaza for months.
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A gun has been fired at Australia's busiest airport during the arrest of a man at one of its terminals.
Australian Federal Police say the police gun was fired before the man was apprehended this morning at Sydney Airport.
The AFP says no-one has been injured, and there are no ongoing threats to the public.
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Four people have died as a heatwave fuels fires in southern Europe.
Regional authorities say one was a man who was killed working on a horse stable on the outskirts of the Spanish capital Madrid.
A man has also reportedly died in a fire in Albania, while a 61-year-old Hungarian seasonal worker is suspected to have died of heat-related causes while picking fruit in Lleida, in Spain's eastern Catalonia region.
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Sudan's top diplomat to Australia is calling on the Albanese government for more assistance for the country.
The Sudanese Chargé d'Affaires in Canberra, Ahmed Abdelatif, has confirmed a list of humanitarian needs has been submitted to the Australian government, amid what has been described by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as the worst famine and displacement crises in the world.
He has told SBS Arabic the suffering of residents is acute.
"Our contacts are ongoing with the Australian government, and we are providing updates on developments in Sudan and providing them with lists of needs. As far as I know, the Australian government is currently considering providing a new aid package to our affected people in El Fasher in particular and in Sudan in general."
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There are fears that Tuesday's interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank will drive property prices even higher.
The central bank cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.60 per cent, the third such cut in six months.
Major banks like the Commonwealth say home prices are already climbing faster than expected this year, helped by interest rate cuts and limited housing supply.
Accordingly Independent M-P Allegra Spender has told Channel Nine action needs to be taken to address these issues.
"I think it is a huge step for a lot of mortgage holders. I think people have been absolutely waiting on tenterhooks for this but the truth is we will have more pressure on the housing market unless we build more houses. That has got to be the focus across the country: how can we make it easier and cheaper to build homes? Because we know supply is absolutely critical to keep a lid on housing prices and we've really failed to do that literally over the last 20-30 years."
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Meanwhile the CommBank has painted a rosier picture of the cost of living crisis with the release of its profit statement for the last financial year.
It's announced a $10.3 billion profit for 2024/25, an increase of four percent from the previous year.
Commonwealth Bank CEO, Matt Comyn, says the result has been driven in part by a growth in lending volume.
He says their data indicates Australians are beginning to regain a sense of financial security after a difficult few years.
"We know many Australians have found the past four years challenging, particularly dealing with cost-of-living pressures. This past year has brought some relief through easing inflation, lower interest rates and tax cuts. Many households are now experiencing a rise in disposable income and the financial gap between younger and older Australians has narrowed. Savings have increased with younger Australians now rebuilding their financial buffers and discretionary spending has also picked up, reflecting growing consumer confidence."
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To sport and in tennis news,
Alexei Popyrin has been beaten by world No.11 Andrey Rublev in the third round of the Cincinnati Open after a three-and-a-half hour marathon match.
The Australian ran out of gas toward the end of the epic tie, losing 7-6, 6-7, 5-7 in a back-and-forth match played in the sweltering Ohio heat.
