TRANSCRIPT
- Police treating deaths of three children in a Sydney house fire as domestic-related homicide
- Queensland Opposition leader David Crisafulli pitches his vision of a better Queensland
- Dutch fans rejoice after the Netherlands beat Turkiye 2-1 in the Euro quarter-finals
Police have confirmed they are treating the deaths of three young children in a house fire in Sydney's West as a domestic-related multiple homicide.
Emergency services were called to a home in Lalor Park at 1am this morning.
Two boys, aged two and four, were taken to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition, but they died a short time later.
Fire and Rescue New South Wales extinguished the fire before the body of a third child, believed to be a 10-month-old girl, was found.
A 28-year-old man, that police say was known to the victims, has been arrested following the fire.
Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty says the man was allegedly obstructing efforts to rescue the children and police are holding him responsible.
"We're alleging that this 28-year-old man did certain actions to prevent the rescue of those young lives that were lost. There were acts taken to prevent them from coming in to respond and offer aid and rescue them and that's why we're treating this as a domestic-related multiple homicide. And we'll allege that this 28-year-old man's actions were directly the cause of the deaths of these three young people."
He says the 28-year-old man is currently in an induced coma at hospital and is being treated for smoke inhalation.
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Multiple investigations are underway into the alleged rape of an Australian Defence Force trainee by one of her fellow members.
ABC News has reported that a former ADF trainee had been allegedly sexually assaulted twice, with the alleged incidents taking place in a Melbourne hotel in April 2023.
Victoria Police told the national broadcaster that there is an ongoing investigation into the alleged assaults.
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Queensland Coalition leader David Crisafulli has pitched his vision of a better Queensland to voters as he bids to end nine years of Labor rule in the upcoming state election.
Mr Crisafulli has delivered a speech at the annual LNP state conference in Brisbane to lay out his party's policies 111 days out from the October 26 poll.
He identified cost of living pressures, budgetary issues and youth crime as key agenda items for his party while doubling-down on a commitment to coal.
"The question Queenslanders must answer is, after a decade of a Labor government, are things better or worse when it comes to youth crime, to health, to housing, to cost-of-living, and who's got the right plan for Queensland's future? 19.9 per cent. That's the last yearly rise of Queenslanders electricity bills, three times the national average. And my commitment to you is a maintainence guarantee. We're gonna get that coal-fired power station back up and running and we are going to drive down costs for Queensland businesses and homes."
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declared he is scrapping a controversial Conservative policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda as he vowed to deliver on voters' mandate for change.
The policy, inspired by Australia's own refugee offshoring policy, was described by critics as absurd and inhumane.
Prime Minister Starmer says he'll curb Channel crossings by hiring specialist investigators and using counter-terror powers.
"Look, the Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started. It's never been a deterrent. Look at the numbers that have come over in the first six and a bit months of this year. They are record numbers. That is the problem that we are inheriting. It has never acted as a deterrent."
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The achievements of 10 Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people have been recognised at the 2024 NAIDOC awards.
The awards, held last night in Adelaide, recognise the contributions of First Nations people in their communities and celebrate Indigenous excellence.
The NAIDOC person of the year is Aunty Muriel Bamblett, a Yorta Yorta Elder.
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The Netherlands have come from behind to beat Turkiye 2-1 and book its place in the European Championship semi-finals.
Turkiye got ahead after striking gold with a first-half header in the 35th minute.
However, an own goal from Mert Muldur in the 76th minute, only six minutes after the Dutch team equalised the score, was enough for the Netherlands to triumph.
Dutch fans say they're relieved after a tense game.
"Great, not good for your heart but very exciting. 2-1 and through to the semis."
"It was unbelieveable. The first half we didn't play well. The second half they came better from the room. It's unbelievable, we're playing a semi-finals so they're getting better and better."
The Netherlands will face England in the second semi-final on Thursday after Spain faces France in the first on Wednesday.
