TRANSCRIPT
- The federal opposition has agreed to support the amended stage three tax cuts.
- King Charles' cancer diagnosis casts upcoming Australia trip in doubt.
- And in football, Manchester City's Phil Foden scores a hat-trick to lead his team to victory over Brentford.
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The path looks to have been cleared for the governments amended tax cuts, with the federal opposition signalling conditional support.
The Coalition cabinet has voted to not oppose the Albanese government's changes but will seek to amend it.
This comes as the opposition has consistently condemned the government for breaking its election promise to leave the cuts untouched.
The changes will lower taxes for low- and middle-income Australians too, a move that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says is in response to dire cost-of-living pressures.
The Coalition is now expected to cement its support for the revised plan, with information on the sought-for amendments to come.
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King Charles's planned visit to Australia this year has been cast into doubt following his cancer diagnosis.
Buckingham Palace has revealed the monarch has begun regular treatments for cancer and will postpone public duties.
The King and Queen Camilla were expected to tour Australia in late 2024.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he hopes the visit is still able to go ahead.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has urged men not to delay a visit to the doctor.
"I'm sure all Australians will join me in saying that we wish every best wish to King Charles. There's a message the Palace wants to get out as well and every Australian should hear that message. And that is, particularly for men who are reluctant to go to the doctor, make sure you go and have a check-up because early detection is important. But we send every good wish to King Charles and to his family."
King Charles' cancer was discovered after he spent time in hospital for an unrelated benign prostate enlargement.
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Displaced Palestinians sheltering in Gaza's southern city of Rafah are wondering if there is anywhere else to go ahead of the coming Israeli ground offensive.
The Israeli military has threatened a new assault on Hamas militants in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, which Israel previously designated a "safe zone" for civilians fleeing the violence.
This comes as Gaza authorities say more than 27,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's offensive so far and an estimated 1.7 million people have been displaced by the violence.
The United Nations has responded, saying the humanitarian consequences of a military assault on Rafah will be catastrophic.
One displaced woman sheltering in Rafah, Hanan Abu Gabal, says her family doesn't know what to do.
"Of course we're afraid for our lives. We fled for our lives right in the middle of the battle. A rocket was thrown in the school and we barely made it out alive. Up until today, we have been exposed to shrapnel. We were forcefully displaced from Gaza; they followed us. We were forcefully displaced from Khan Younis; they followed us. And now we've been forcefully displaced to Rafah, but where else are we meant to go?"
Israel's bombardment of Gaza comes after Hamas killed close to 1,200 people in Israel and abducted about 250 hostages on October 7.
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Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has called for Australia to distance itself from China, following the sentence of Australian writer Yang Hengjun.
Dr Yang received a suspended death sentence in China, which may be commuted to life in prison after two years.
He was initially detained in 2019 on espionage charges and has consistently denied the allegations.
Senator Canavan says that Australia needs to diversify its foreign relationships.
“I just think it's another example of how we are not friends with China. That you can't really trust China to do business in a fair way. I want to have as good relations as we can with all countries, including China, but clearly, given the status of the relationship with China we need to develop other relationships to protect our country and our national interests."
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In football,
Manchester City's homegrown hero Phil Foden took the spotlight in their Premier League win over Brentford, outshining superstars Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
Trailing to an early goal from Brentford forward Neil Maupay, City hit back to win 3-1.
A hat-trick from Foden moved the champions two points behind Liverpool at the top of the premier league ladder with a game in hand.
The England midfielder equalised in first-half stoppage time by pouncing on a poor defensive clearance and headed the ball home to put his side ahead soon after the break.
