Reports another group of Australians linked to the IS group have left a refugee camp in Syria; Australian activists detained by Israel set to be released; And in sport, a veteran AFL star prepares to make his 433rd appearance.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- Reports another group of Australians linked to the IS group have left a refugee camp in Syria
- Australian activists detained by Israel set to be released
- A veteran AFL star prepares to make his 433rd appearance
More Australian women and children linked to the IS group have reportedly left Syria.
Media reports suggest the group has already left al-Roj refugee camp.
It is believed the group is on their way to the Syrian capital Damascus where they're expected to board flights to Australia.
Four women and nine children arrived in Sydney and Melbourne earlier in May after spending almost two weeks in the Syrian capital.
Australian Border Force arrested three of the women when they arrived in Australia.
Two are facing charges relating to slavery, and the other has been charged with joining a terrorist organisation and travelling to a declared conflict zone.
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A group of Australians taken by Israel while trying to deliver aid to Gaza are set to be released from detention.
The 11 Australians were among 400 people taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces at gunpoint in international waters on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Australian delegation for Global Sumud Flotilla says the Australians are being taken by bus to Ramon Airport in Israel, where they are expected to board flights bound for Istanbul.
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Israel's Ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman says the Gaza aid flotillas are an unnecessary provocation.
Mr Newman says there is no shortage of humanitarian aid in Gaza, saying there's four times the amount of aid required by the United Nations with 600 trucks entering on a daily basis.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong called in Ambassador Newman over the actions of Itamar Ben-Gvir who was shown on video taunting the flotilla activists as they knelt on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the actions of the minister are not in line with Israel's values and norms and that the flotilla activists will be deported to their home countries.
Ambassador Newman says Hamas has involvement in the flotillas.
"There is involvement of terrorist organisations and Hamas in the flotilla. Not all the innocent people, the naive people who participate in the flotilla understand this. And I would ask those people who really care for humanitarian aid for the Gazan people, okay, fine, why don't you transfer your humanitarian aid through the mechanisms that are set up. There's no limitation, you can do so, the only aspect is that the humanitarian aid is checked, that there's no arms."
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The High Court has pushed back a hearing of a neo-nazi group seeking to overturn the government's hate speech legislation to next month.
The neo-Nazi group White Australia, previously known as the National Socialist Network, has been declared a prohibited hate group under the hate speech legislation passed following the Bondi Beach terror attack.
The National Socialist Network announced its disbandment following the legislation, then it re-emerged as White Australia, with its leader Thomas Sewell lodging the application to overturn the hate speech law to avoid being listed as an illegal hate group.
A decision will be made in early June regarding the application.
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The Australian Indigenous Doctor's Association says the diphtheria outbreak must be treated not only as a disease-control issue, but also as an equity issue.
More than 230 diphtheria cases have been recorded across Australia in mostly Indigenous communities - about 30 times the usual yearly average and the biggest outbreak since national records began.
The Association says the outbreak is occurring due to gaps in access to primary health care, including immunisation follow-up, and a lack of other services in remote and regional communities.
Medical Advisor for the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Megan Campbell, says poor quality housing is a major issue- leaving many without access to what she calls basic 'health hardware'.
"So that means things like having consistent water supply, taps and sinks that work, having appropriate heating and insulation in a house, having appropriate washing facilities as well for things like towels and bedding. So, if you don't have all of those things in your house, and they're not readily reliable with consistent electricity and so on, then it's really hard to keep your skin clean, for instance, and to protect yourself, and protect others, if you've got a respiratory infection and you're sneezing and coughing and so on."
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To sport, and in the AFL, Scott Pendlebury will appear for Collingwood in Saturday's clash with West Coast for what will be his record-breaking AFL match.
The 38-year-old, who has rested for large chunks of games, is preparing for his 433rd appearance.
Coach Craig McRae has hinted Pendlebury will be on the ground from the first bounce.
"You'd think so, wouldn't you. Oh look, I'm excited for what's been put in front of us. It's going to be a great celebration of our club, our history, our past."
