- Anthony Albanese to re-emphasise the importance of dialogue with China
- Daily pauses in fighting in Gaza to help aid arrive
- Calls for the neutrality of France's football team to be upheld amidst snap elections
TRANSCRIPT
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will today re-emphasise the importance of dialogue with China- even when Australia and China disagree.
In remarks to be delivered at a formal lunch for China's Premier Li Qiang, Mr Albanese will emphasise the importance of talking through differences, and also the importance of building collaboration in areas of mutual interest.
Mr Albanese's Chinese counterpart will be formally received at Parliament House in Canberra, before the official annual leaders' meeting with Mr Albanese, as his state visit continues today.
The Prime Minister is expected to tell Mr Li during that meeting that Australia and China share an interest in protecting a stable order in the Asia-Pacific region.
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In Victoria, the government has unveiled plans to add 2.5 million dwellings across the state by 2051, with targets for every local government area.
Under the draft, announced by Premier Jacinta Allan, two million homes would be built in metropolitan Melbourne and another almost 500,000 spread across the regions.
Geelong would gain the highest number of new homes - almost 140,000 - with close to 47,000 planned in Ballarat and more than 37,000 in Bendigo.
Ms Allan says there are parts of Victoria that have been "locked up" for too long.
"These targets that we're releasing are in draft form because this is the start of the discussion, with councils, but also with local communities about how we can look at using every lever possible to build more homes for more Victorians, but particularly in the right places."
Victoria has the largest annual population growth of all Australian states and needs more than two million additional homes by the middle of the century.
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The Israeli Defence Force says it will begin daily pauses in military activity in parts of southern Gaza to allow more aid to enter the beseiged enclave - but fighting in the city of Rafah will continue.
The military announced it will pause operations each day between 5am and 4pm along the road leading from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road, and then northwards, until further notice.
International aid organisations and the United Nations have been warning of a growing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
The International Court of Justice ordered Israel in January to ensure humanitarian aid and essential services could reach civilians.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is not ruling out talks with Ukraine but says he will need guarantees that any negotiations will be credible.
The statement from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov comes as more than ninety countries took part in a two-day event in Switzerland aimed at uniting opinions on how to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer says there is desire for a second Ukraine conference with potential involvement from Russia.
Ukarine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says some things are non-negotiable.
"But of course, again, we respect the opinions of others. Our position is very clear: The fundamental principles of international law and UN charter must be laid down at the foundations of the settlement of the peace process. Everything else, we can talk (about)."
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Muslims around the world are marking Eid Al Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, as the annual Hajj pilgrimage comes to an end.
This year close to two-million people made the holy journey.
Iman Ahmad Kassem in Sydney says it is a very significant day for his community.
"This is the day of sacrifice. It commemorates the willingness of Abraham, the Prophet, peace be upon him, to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah's commandment. So that was a lesson for Abraham to put Allah first, to put God first in his life. And this is a message for us as well, to put members of our community before ourselves, to give up selfishness to dig deep to sacrifice some of our time, and some of our love."
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In sport, France's football federation is urging for the neutrality of the national team to be respected amid heightened uncertainties over snap parliamentary elections.
France are launching their Euro24 campaign against Austria this week with players being pressed almost daily last week about their opinions on the upcoming elections.
The French football federation says it does not want the national team, Les Bleus, to be politicised as they prepare to launch the Euro 24 campaign.
France was thrown into political uncertainty recently when President Emmanuel Macron announced snap elections after he was beaten in the European Union vote by Marine Le Pen's far right party.
