Australia says it will continue to support strikes like those on Yemen's Houthi rebels; Israel says it is not wiping out, but protecting Palestinians in Gaza, and in sport, the Socceroos admit to a problem on the eve of their Asian Cup campaign.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
- Australia says it will continue to support strikes like those on Yemen's Houthi rebels.
- Israel says it is not wiping out, but protecting Palestinians in Gaza.
- The Socceroos admit to a problem on the eve of their Asian Cup campaign.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says Australia will continue to support actions including the strikes on the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Australia's contribution to the strikes has included defence personnel in a non-operational role, who were in the operational headquarters in Bahrain at the time of the strikes.
Greens senator David Shoebridge has criticised the Australian contribution to the strikes, saying they are a death sentence for thousands of people who rely on Yemeni ports for food and medicine after years of war in that country.
He claims joining the strikes shows the government has given up on having a foreign policy independent from that of the United States.
But Mr Marles says ensuring freedom of navigation, which he says Houthi attacks are preventing, is of the utmost importance.
“Australia will continue to support any actions which assert the global rules-based order, which assert the UN convention on the law of the sea, and which assert freedom of navigation on the high seas, be that in the Red Sea, be that in the Indo-Pacific, be that in other parts of the world.”
---
A spokesman for Yemen's Houthi rebels says five of the group's fighters have been killed and six others wounded in strikes.
But the group says the strikes against them by the United States and Unied Kingdom will not go without punishment or retaliation.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea says their actions, which he says are in support of Palestinians in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, will continue.
"The Yemeni armed forces confirm that they will continue to prevent Israeli ships going to the ports of occupied Palestine from navigation in the Arab and Red Seas."
Iran, the primary backer of the Houthis, and Russia have both condemned the strikes.
---
Israel says its war in Gaza is designed not to wipe out Palestinians, but protect them from Hamas.
Israel has presented its defence against charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the Netherlands.
South Africa has brought the case against Israel.
Their lawyers have asked the court to order an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Israel says claims of 23,000 casualties in Gaza since the war started are unreliable.
Addressing the court, Israel's legal adviser, Tal Becker, says Hamas deliberately uses Gazans as human shields, and this is why Israel needs to attack Gaza, in order to defend Gazans.
"The key component of genocide, the intention to destroy a people in whole or in part, is totally lacking. What Israel seeks by operating in Gaza is not to destroy a people but to protect the people."
---
Flood–affected Far North Queensland residents are anticipating further rain across the North Tropical Coast, which could further overwhelm an already under-pressure water infrastructure system.
Heavy rain has again lashed the region, with the Douglas Shire north of Cairns one of the worst hit.
Landslips and rockfalls caused by the latest downpour have forced all roads north of the Daintree River to be closed, with one community recording 234 milimetres.
Port Douglas mayor Michael Kerr explains the situation.
"Unfortunately the pump isn't running to the full capacity so we've asked people to go back to level 4 restrictions and stop using water, so it lasts us as long as it can."
---
One of the biggest hits at the ongoing annual Elvis Festival in the New South Wales town of Parkes is an unlikely impersonator of the late rock and roll star.
Toki Toyokazu has spent his life impersonating Elvis Presley since he saw a video of the star being played at a record shop in his native Japan when he was 21.
Now, 57, he's an Elvis tribute artist, touring the world, and is a regular at the annual Elvis festival in central-western New South Wales.
He's proven very popular with festival attendees, winning an award for his Elvis impersonations at the 2020 festival.
One of them, Karen O'Brien, says Mr Toyokazu's act bridges cultural divides.
"He's got such a wonderful sense of humour and he's just such a friendly fellow and even though he can't speak much English, he certainly communicates very well."
This year's Elvis festival is the 31st edition of it in Parkes, and it runs until Monday and is expected to attract more than 25,000 attendees.
---
In football, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold admits having enough players who are a realistic threat of scoring is still a problem for his side as they head into the Asian Cup in Qatar.
Australia plays its opening match of the Asian Cup against India in Al Rayyan tonight.
The 26-man Australian squad for the tournament features only five players who have scored a goal for Australia.
Arnold says not having enough genuine scoring threats is a problem that dates back to the days of Tim Cahill and Ange Postecoglou, almost a decade ago.
"That's been a concern since Timmy Cahill's retired. I think, even under Ange, Timmy was the main goal scorer there as well. And it's something we've tried to share amongst the team, and amongst the front players- how important it is to have those players getting in he box, and getting those chances to score."
At the other end of the field, Arnold says captain Mat Ryan will be available to play against India.
Ryan missed the last warm-up match against Bahrain with a fractured cheekbone.
