Defence Force personnel and extra RAAF aircraft deploy to the Middle East; Ruby Princess cruise liner found negligent during the COVID pandemic; Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup will be the first to feature 24 teams.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Defence Force personnel and extra RAAF aircraft deploy to the Middle East
- Ruby Princess cruise liner found negligent during the COVID pandemic
- Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup will be the first to feature 24 teams
Australian Defence forces are being sent to the Middle East as violence in Israel and Gaza escalates.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says the deployment was a precautionary measure that would support Australians in the region in case the security situation deteriorates.
Mr Marles told Seven's Sunrise the Australian government is working with 79 people who are trapped in Gaza, but also encouraged others who are in the region to return home as soon as possible.
"If matters do get worse we want to make sure that we are prepared and that is why we are deploying aircraft in this way. The message that we really want to give to Australians who are in the region is if you want to leave don't rely on this. Take the options that you have got on commercial aircraft and make your departure because this is a very volaitile situation."
There will be three RAAF aircraft in the area, though the government has not identified where they will be deployed or the exact number of troops that will accompany them.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation says it is unable to distribute fuel and life-saving aid to major hospitals in northern Gaza due to a lack of security guarantees.
It called for an immediate ceasefire so health supplies and fuel can be brought into the Gaza Strip.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to introduce new laws overhauling Australia's defence export controls to parliament within weeks.
It's hoped the laws will help kickstart stalled U-S congressional consideration of its AUKUS-related legislation.
Mr Albanese and US President Joe Biden will meet to discuss how to keep the nuclear-powered submarine pact moving forward when they meet on Thursday.
But Nationals Senator Matt Canavan told Channel Nine Australia shouldn't rely on other nations for support.
"I don't think we can bank on any other nation. Ultimately the US is a good friend of ours but we do need to take our own security in our own hands and while obviously we in government's developed the AUKUS programme, it's not our only defence asset acquisition, and I'm just concerned that government is cutting back on the tanks they're acquiring, we can't just put all our eggs in the AUKUS box because maybe something does happen."
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A cruise liner which went ahead with a voyage that would lead to a major COVID-19 outbreak was negligent in its duty of care to passengers, the Federal Court has found.
But a passenger who sought to claim damages for personal injuries and distress as a result of contracting the illness on board has been unsuccessful.
Twenty-eight people died from COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic.
Carnival trades under the Princess Cruises name and is the operator of the Ruby Princess, a Bermuda-registered vessel.
Susan Karpik sought damages for personal injuries, distress and disappointment to the value of more than $360,000.
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Thousands of women in Iceland have gone on a 24-hour strike over gender inequality.
Iceland is regarded as one of the world's most progressive countries in terms of gender equality and has topped the World Economic Forum's gender gap index 14 years in a row.
But in some industries and professions, women earn at least 20 per cent less than Icelandic men and 40 per cent of Icelandic women experience gender-based and sexual violence, according to local research.
Thousands attended a rally in the capital, including this woman.
“I think this day is for all women in Iceland. I am lucky that I am working at a company that has equal payment, both for women and men, but I am here for my daughters and for all other women in this country."
The strike is the first full-day strike since an inaugural women's protest in 1975.
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Ride-share drivers will be given quick access to 10,000 electric vehicles as part of a deal between Uber and BYD that is designed to boost the number of low- emission cars in Australia.
If adopted the partnership will see BYD Atto 3 electric vehicles offered to ride-share and food delivery drivers on flexible loans.
Uber Australia and New Zealand managing director Dom Taylor says the company had been investigating ways to help drivers buy low-emission vehicles since 2021, with a goal to become a zero-emissions platform by 2040.
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And in sport,
Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup will be the first to feature 24 teams.
In a historic change, World Rugby has announced it's made several changes to the sport's calender in an effort to take the game 'to a new era'.
It's also introduced a Nations League competition which would eventually offer lower-ranked sides more opportunity to play against top opposition as it seeks to widen its international reach.
