Political negotiations over stage three tax cuts; President Joe Biden vows the US will respond after drone strike kills US troops in Jordan; and in football, Asian Cup debutants Tajikistan defeat the UAE to move into the quarterfinals.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Political negotiations over stage three tax cuts
- President Joe Biden vows the US will respond after drone strike kills US troops in Jordan
- In football, Asian Cup debutants Tajikistan defeat the UAE to move into the quarterfinals
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has urged crossbencher senators to back in changes to stage three tax cuts when parliament resumes in February.
The changes announced last week will see middle to low-income earners benefit more, while higher-income earners will see a smaller tax cut than they were previously promised.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says the changes to what was legislated in 2018 by the former Coalition government is "major break of trust".
Mr Chalmers says the changes were made to deliver "tangible benefits for middle Australia".
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President Joe Biden says the US "shall respond" after a drone strike by an Iran-backed group killed three American troops in Jordan and injured dozens more near the Syrian border.
They are the first US fatalities after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East amid the war in Gaza.
Speaking at a church banquet hall in South Carolina, Mr Biden vowed to hold the perpetrators "to account" as he called for a moment of silence.
"I want to point out that we had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases. I’m asking for a moment of silence for all three of our fallen soldiers."
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New Zealand has not followed its allies in withholding funding for the United Nations agency accused by Israel of involvement in the Hamas-led massacre on the 7th of October.
The international agency that supports Palestinian refugees, UNWRA, has fired several employees from its 13,000-strong Gaza workforce and is investigating the claims.
The accusations have prompted at least 10 countries - including Australia, the United States and Canada - to either pull or suspend financial support.
But the New Zealand government says it is committed to supporting the critical humanitarian response in Gaza, and has backed a investigation to urgently examine the allegations.
Other countries such as Norway and Ireland say they will keep funding the organisation while it is investigated.
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The Nazi salute will be explicitly outlawed in New South Wales after neo-Nazis held a series of demonstrations in Sydney.
Police broke up a neo-Nazi demonstration on Sydney's north shore on Sunday, the third straight day public safety powers were used to disrupt the group over the Australia Day weekend.
Premier Chris Minns credited police for a great job but flagged the law may need to be strengthened.
While the Nazi salute is explicitly banned in Victoria, it is not as clear-cut in New South Wales where all Nazi symbolism is outlawed but not all items explicitly listed.
Mr Minns says he wants there to be clarity - and he will look at the legislative options to make that happen.
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South Korea's military says North Korea has fired several cruise missiles in waters off its east coast.
It is not yet clear what type of missiles were used - and the number fired.
North Korean state media says the missiles flew above the sea, off the country's east coast and hit an unspecified island target.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says it will be monitoring "additional signs of North Korea's provocations".
The launch comes as North Korea claimed this month that it had tested a new solid-fuelled missile, and its underwater attack drones, which can supposedly carry a nuclear weapon.
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Asian Cup debutants Tajikistan have upset the United Arab Emirates 5-3 in a penalty shootout to advance to the quarterfinals.
Tajikistan keep their dream run alive after the game ended 1-1 after extra time at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Monday (AEDT).
Tajikistan are now only the second tournament debutants since Australia in 2007 to reach the quarterfinals, but this was a much bigger upset for the minnows compared with an established Australian team who made the switch to the AFC.
