Human Rights Watch says Australia has failed to address human rights issues in China, South Africa praised for its case against Israel, Sam Kerr undergoes surgery.
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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin,
- Human Rights Watch says Australia has failed to address human rights issues in China.
- South Africa praised for its case against Israel
- Sam Kerr undergoes surgery.
Human Rights Watch says Australia has failed to take concrete action to address human rights concerns in China.
In its World Report 2024, Human Rights Watch says the federal government has not done enough to raise concerns with the Chinese government.
Australia director at Human Right Watch Daniela Gavshon says she recognises raising human rights issues can be challenging given China is Australia's biggest trading partner.
"We don't think that human rights should be sidelined. We think that human rights is an important part of that. You can't have effective relationships if you don't have countries that are transparent that abide by the rule of law, that can be trusted and relied upon. Those aren't good trade and security partners. So, it's in everyone's interest that China is a rights respecting country and that the other countries that Australia deals with are rights respecting."
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says its approach has been to press China bilaterally and publicly and says the government has consistently raised concerns directly with China at the highest levels, and will continue to do so.
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The White House has strongly defended Israel following South Africa's accusation that the country has commited genocide in a United Nations world court.
South Africa's case against Israel is based on the killing of over 23,000 Palestinians, including 10,000 children, and highlights the blocking of aid and healthcare, destruction of homes, and the repeated expulsion and displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel has vehemently denied all the allegations.
Speaking at a White House briefing, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby defended Israel.
"We have said repeatedly that we believe these allegations, this case is unfounded and that there's no basis for accusations of genocide against Israel. That's not a word that ought to be thrown around lightly. And we certainly don't believe that it applies here."
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The International Monetary Fund says there is still work to do to lift global economic growth, despite expectations the economy will remain resilient in 2024.
According to the IMF, although growth is hovering around three per cent, this is much lower than previous average growth rates of about three-point-eight per cent.
IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack says this means more needs to be done to lift economic growth over the medium term.
“So we've had a relatively resilient global economy so far. We expect that resilience to continue into 2024. At the same time, inflation is coming down, labor markets continue to be resilient. Of course, the news is not all good because this resilience with growth around hovering around 3 percent, both last year and over the expected over the medium-term, that's much lower than previous global average growth rates, which were about 3.8 percent."
Ms Kozack also said the IMF is in discussions with Egyptian officials over economic reforms amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza. She sad the discussions will continue in the coming weeks to operationalise key policy priorities.
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Sheikh Hasina has been sworn in for another term as Bangladesh's prime minister.
It comes less than a week after her ruling Awami League party won a parliamentary election marred by low voter turnout and sporadic violence.
The 76-year-old politician is the first prime minister in Bangladesh's history to be elected to a fourth consecutive, and fifth overall, five-year term.
The opposition party - the Bangladesh Nationalist Party - boycotted the election over fears of vote-rigging.
The BNP has long been advocating for an election under non-party caretaker administration.
But Ms Hasina's ruling party rejected this idea for being what it described as "unconstitutional".
The new prime minister took her oath from President Mohammed Shahabuddin and was joined by her new cabinet of 25 ministers and 11 state ministers.
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In football,
Matildas star Sam Kerr has undergone surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which has devestated her Olympic dream.
The 30-year-old ruptured her ACL while training at Chelsea Football Club's mid-season camp in Morocco earlier in the week.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said the club's star striker had gone under the knife after what she said had been a "simple and innocuous" everyday movement during training.
Ms Hayes said she was "gutted" for her key striker and did not speculate on Kerr's future at the club.
