TRANSCRIPT
- Dozens feared dead in Gaza in an incident involving an aid convoy.
- A former immigration detainee released after police admit his arrest was a mistake.
- Queensland's Rugby League to host games in Papua New Guinea.
Dozens of people have reportedly been killed waiting for aid in Gaza.
Palestinian authorities and injured Gazans say they were targeted by Israeli gunfire while collecting aid at the Nabulsi roundabout area in Gaza City.
A spokesman for Israel's military, Avi Hyman, has said there was no knowledge of shelling at that location, with the military later saying dozens of people were hurt as a result of pushing and trampling when aid trucks drove into the crowd in northern Gaza.
"And at some point and we can you see you can surely see this in some of the videos that the IDF have distributed. At some points, the trucks were overwhelmed and the people driving the trucks, which are Gazan civilian drivers ploughed into the crowds of people ultimately killing, my understanding is tens of people. I don't have anything more specific to that. It is unfolding."
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Victorian police have released a former immigration detainee from custody after dropping charges of sexual assault.
Detectives say the arrest of the man was a case of mistaken identity.
The man, who had been released into the community following a landmark High Court ruling, was remanded in custody after not applying for bail in his appearance before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Victorian Police Commander Mark Galliot says he was later returned to court in the evening and freed once police realised their mistake.
"As soon as we became aware of this, we have rectified it on this occasion with further evidence. It is clear the person arrested is not the offender, and for that we are sincerely so sorry that this person has been detained as indicated. We are still piecing this together."
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MPs on all sides of politics have expressed reservations about changing Australia's foreign interference laws to make it apply retrospectively, so a former politician compromised by a foreign spy ring can be charged.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has publicly expressed support for a discussion about retrofitting the laws, which came into effect in late 2018.
Meanwhile pressure remains for the politician at the centre of the scandal to be named.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess says that won't be necessary.
"I'm not going to name the individual and we're a rule of law country not doing it now they are not breaking the law... Personally I don't think they will be stupid enough to repeat what they've done in the past so problem neutralised."
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning Western countries against sending troops to Ukraine, saying it could lead to nuclear war.
Speaking at his annual state of the nation address, Mr Putin has dismissed claims that Russia is intending to attack Europe as "nonsense", but says his country does have the weapons to strike Western targets.
He has maintained that the West provoked the conflict in Ukraine and continues to lie about Russia's alleged intent to attack Europe.
President Putin's address comes two weeks out from the country's election.
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Aboriginal elders from Alice Springs have delivered a report to Canberra that calls for major reforms in First Nations education.
The MK Turner report recommends Indigenous students be taught in language, and a national network of First Nations Language and Literacy Centres be set up.
William Tilmouth, from the organisation Childrens Ground, is part of the delegation.
"We are asking for systemic change, we're asking for structural change, and hopefully that change can be afforded us and we can then it be led by our people, its Aboriginal knowledge, its Aboriginal education in Aboriginal hands."
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Dating apps are now the most common way to meet a partner in Australia, but new light has been shed on how predators are using them to target parents.
Survey results have revealed one in eight parents have received requests to generate child sexual exploitation.
Lyria Bennett Moses is a Professor of Technology, Law and Innovation at the University of New South Wales.
She says parents should be cautious - and not be afraid to contact authorities depending on the situation.
"If a mother on the app is asked, oh, do you have a family photo? The appropriate thing to do would be to block the person making that request, particularly if it's in any kind of suspicious circumstances and move on. But if the request is more explicit for child sexual abuse material, then I would argue that should be reported to the police."
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has told SBS the Government has made clear to the dating industry if the code does not sufficiently improve safety for users of online dating services, it will consider legislative options.
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The Queensland Rugby League has announced it will host games of its statewide competition in Papua New Guinea in a huge boost to the code and the NRL's expansion plans.
The killing of at least 26 men in civil unrest in the PNG highlands in mid- February led to the League holding meetings with key stakeholders over whether the PNG Hunters would host Wynnum-Manly in Port Moresby.
It is set to go ahead on March 9 in the opening round of Queensland's Hostplus Cup.
League Chief Executive Ben Ikin says they're hosting games there because it's safe enough to do it.
