Concerns for the welfare of Australians in Israel as the security crisis deepens; Two Sydney airport baggage handlers arrested over an alleged cocaine smuggling ring; Australia out of contention for the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT:
- Concerns for the welfare of Australians in Israel as the security crisis deepens;
- Two Sydney airport baggage handlers arrested over an alleged cocaine smuggling ring;
- Australia out of contention for the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup.
The federal government says it is trying to confirm the welfare of Australians caught up in the attack on Israel by Islamist group Hamas, which has killed hundreds and injured thousands of people.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australians in Israel should contact their families and reassure them of their safety.
The Minister says the foreign affairs department is working around the clock to determine if any Australians have been killed, hospitalised or taken hostage.
"We are working with local authorities, and I spoke also over the weekend to our head of mission - our ambassador in Israel - and our head of missions in the Palestinian territories."
.
There's less than a week left until Australians head to the polls to vote in the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum - and the latest polling indicates the chances of its success are slim.
Two separate surveys show the 'no' campaign is still ahead, and that Tasmania is the only state with a majority of 'yes' voters.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley has told Sky News she will be unhappy if the no vote succeeds, despite planning to vote no in the referendum.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meanwhile has told Channel 9 he is still confident he can convince voters of the merits of the yes case.
"I'm not going getting ahead of the Australian people. I know there's some arrogance has crept into the no side campaign - but it's a campaign based upon fear. And it's similar to the sort of arguments that were put prior to the Apology to the Stolen Generations. And if people think about that, and the impact that it had, there weren't any negative consequences for anyone."
.
Australian Federal Police say they have thwarted an international drug operation at Sydney airport following a year-long investigation.
Five men from Sydney have been charged over an alleged attempt to smuggle 100 kilograms of cocaine into Australia, a haul worth around $40 million.
Two of the five men are understood to be Sydney airport employees.
AFP Detective Superintendent Kristie Cressy says police allege the workers used their employment at the international terminal and access to freight to facilitate the operation.
.
A ban on mobile phones has come into effect in government high schools across New South Wales, as students return to the classroom for term four today.
The policy - a Minns government election pledge - will affect 320,000 students in 400 public schools.
Each school will be able to decide how to implement the ban, with some exceptions for students who need their phone for health reasons, such as to monitor blood sugar if they have diabetes.
Education Minister Prue Car says the government believes the state-wide ban would help everyone.
"We have done this... to make sure that we can improve the focus and concentration of our young people in front of our wonderful teachers. This will also mean that at recess and lunch when students can no longer be using phones either that they might actually be running around, playing with each other, interacting with one another, talking to one another, actually socialising."
.
Australians most at risk of developing complications from shingles are to be given access to a free vaccine against the virus.
More than five million people will become eligible from the first of November for the Shingrix vaccination as part of the National Immunisation Program.
That includes those aged over 65, Indigenous Australians over 50, along with immunocompromised people 18 and older.
University of Sydney Infectious diseases expert Professor Robert Booy [[boy]] says many people don't realise how debilitating shingles can be.
"Shingles is a viral infection that especially affects the skin of the trunk or of the face. It actually happens because you've previously had chickenpox and then the virus hides for years in your nervous system...Shingles affects one in three Australians during their lifetime. Shingles is a serious medical condition. It impacts on people because not only can it cause acute pain and local tenderness and swelling and blistering, but it can cause long-term pain as well."
.
Australia is out of the Rugby World Cup.
After some dismal results earlier in the competition, Australia's only hope of continuing through to the quarter finals depended on Portugal beating Fiji by more than seven points.
But Portugal has secured a victory against the South Pacific side 24 points to 23 - not enough to secure Australia's survival.
It's Portugal's first-ever World Cup win.
