Two Australians missing after an earthquake in Taiwan; Israeli Defence Forces say an investigation into the deaths of seven aid workers has concluded; And in sport, AFL's Gather Round resumes today in South Australia.
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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin,
- Two Australians missing after an earthquake in Taiwan;
- Israeli Defence Forces say an investigation into the deaths of seven aid workers has concluded;
- And in sport, AFL's Gather Round resumes today in South Australia.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is working to determine the fate of two Australians reported missing after Taiwan's worst earthquake in 25 years.
As recovery efforts continued on Thursday, a helicopter plucked six people stranded in a mining area to safety, as rescue workers reached 400 people cut off in a hotel in a mountainous national park by air, confirming they are all safe.
Hundreds of aftershocks have struck Taiwan's eastern region, driving hundreds to seek shelter outdoors, as the death toll from Wednesday's 7.2-magnitude quake rose to 10, with the tally of injured at 1099, authorities said.
A helicopter ferried six miners trapped on a cliff to safety in a dramatic rescue after the quake cut off the roads into Hualien's soaring mountains.
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The Australian Government has been briefed on Israel's investigation into the incident killed seven aid workers, including one Australian, in Gaza.
Colonel Peter Lerner says the results of the investigation will be given to the World Central Kitchen, who the aid workers were members of, and will then be made public.
He has reiterated statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said that this incident is unfortunate and claimed there needs to be disciplinary action if mistakes were made.
Speaking to ABC RN, Colonel Lerner has said the results of the investigation have already been provided to the ambassadors of the countries who are involved in the incident.
"The independent investigation has been already presented to the ambassadors of the relevant nations and we will be presenting them to the World Central Kitchen, I expect tomorrow morning and then we’ll be bringing them to the public as well."
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The New South Wales State Emergency Services have issued a warning for people in several areas across the state to remain indoors.
Sydney, Wollongong, Nowra, Batemans Bay and Goulburn residents have been told to avoid all unnecessary transport due to a risk of heavy rainfall and strong winds.
The Bureau of Meteorology has said certain areas could be hit with over 300 mm of rain within the next couple of days.
Emergency crews have made seven rescues across the state since Monday, receiving over 500 calls for help within the last 24 hours, with both those figures expected to rise.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has urged residents to use caution in their movements.
"It's most important that you don't take unnecessary risks at the moment, particularly travelling through floodwaters. There's been seven rescues since Monday by the SES across New South Wales. That number is expected to increase in the coming days so it's crucial important that people in New South Wales understand the risks. That they don't take unnecessary risks. That they listen to broadcasts from the SES and that they're aware of their surroundings."
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Tech giant Amazon has announced its will be making hundreds of its staff members redundant, in the most recent massive layoff incident to hit the tech industry.
The affected workers will be from Amazon's sales, marketing and global services, while a few hundred jobs from its physical stores technology team will also be cut.
It comes as the Amazon Web Services showed an increase of 14 per cent in the company's total revenue, as revealed in its latest financial report.
Amazon says it will help the affected employees find new work and access to health benefits, while providing them with at least 60 days of pay from the end of their employment.
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In AFL,
Over a quarter of a million fans are expected in South Australia during the next few days for the competition's second Gather Round.
200,000 tickets have already been sold before the start of the round, with at least 40,000 people flying into Adelaide yesterday to watch the local Crows lose to Melbourne 63 to 78.
In today's games, Brisbane will face North Melbourne, while Port Adelaide face the challenge of Essendon.
Speaking to Channel Seven, Acting Opposition leader Sussan Ley has said it's fortunate the event is not taking place in Sydney, which is being hit by bad weather.
"I just think this is great for the game, it's great for young people, it's great for girls and women who play AFL, and I'm really pleased it's not happening in Sydney."
