Millions of Australians to vote in the first ever referendum; Tensions in Gaza as Israel warns Palestinians in the region to relocate; The Socceroos take on England in a sold-out friendly at Wembley Stadium.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
- Millions of Australians to vote in the first ever referendum
- Tensions in Gaza as Israel warns Palestinians in the region to relocate
- The Socceroos take on England in a sold-out friendly at Wembley Stadium
Thousands of Palestinian civilians are fleeing northern Gaza following warnings from Israel to evacuate.
Israel's military yesterday gave Palestinians in Gaza 24 hours to relocate to the enclave's south sparking concerns of an impending Israeli ground offensive.
Al Awda hospital in the northern Gaza Strip has also received a two-hour notice to evacuate.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East says the evacuation call is inhumane.
"The call of the Israeli forces to move more than 1 million civilians living in northern Gaza within 24 hours is horrendous. This would only lead to an unprecedented level of misery and further push people to get into an abyss. The scale and speed of the unfolding humanitarian crisis is bone-chilling. Gaza is fast becoming a hellhole and is on the brink of collapse. There is no exception. "
He continued by calling for humanitarian assistance to be provided to civilians at all times.
—
The Gaza Health ministry says over 1,799 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza from Israeli strikes as the death toll continues to rise.
Among the dead were at least 583 children and 351 women, with an additional 6,388 wounded since Saturday.
And Hamas officials say 70 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli air strikes on convoys fleeing Gaza City.
—
Polling booths have opened across some states as millions of Australians prepare to vote in the first referendum of their lives.
Australia will make a historic decision on whether to recognise and enshrine an Indigenous voice into the constitution.
The nation has not held a referendum since 1999, so for anyone under 41 today will be their first time voting on a constitutional amendment.
Voters are being asked to write 'Yes' or 'No' to recognise the first peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice in the nation's founding document.
With the Liberals and Nationals denying the Albanese Labor government cross-party support, and only eight of 44 past votes succeeding, history is against the 'Yes' case.
Historian Frank Bongiorno says the voice vote had taken on symbolic meaning, distinguishing the referendum from many of its predecessors.
—
The White House says North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine.
Speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores drained in its protracted war with Ukraine flared last month, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the U-S believes Mr Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost North Korea's nuclear program.
"Due in part to our sanctions and export controls. Russia has been forced to desperately search around the world for military equipment, as we've been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea. And we now have information that North Korea has delivered arms to Russia for use in Ukraine. Our information indicates that in recent weeks, North Korea has provided Russia with more than 1000 containers of military equipment and munitions."
—
More than a million New Zealanders are expected to cast ballots in the country's general election.
There will be no news about the contest when polls close on Saturday at 7pm New Zealand time due to New Zealand's strict media blackout rules.
Electoral law mandates no reporting of the election or campaigning on polling day.
That means newspapers are printed without stories of policies or campaign happenings, and online websites are unable to publish new content that might influence voters.
Existing media is allowed to stay if it is not updated on election day, and not advertised.
Exit polls are also banned, as New Zealanders are not allowed to ask how people voted.
—
In football, Socceroos defender Harry Souttar says he is excited to see if his team can win at England's national stadium on their first visit.
Australia is seeking to end England's 17-game unbeaten run at Wembley Stadium in all competitions since their 1-nil defeat to Denmark in October 2020.
Souttar says the atmosphere will be buzzing - and he can't wait.
"Just really looking forward to it. When the fixture got released, it was one that the boys couldn't wait for. Just seeing their energy levels from everyone. And we're ready for the game - and yeah, hopefully it's a good result for us."
The match began at 5:30am Sydney time and is currently ongoing.
