TRANSCRIPT
- Early results in Brisbane by-elections show Labor party losing major ground
- UNRWA says one third of children under two facing acute malnutrition in Gaza
- The Cowboys defeat the Knights in a stunning comeback
The Labor party appears set to lose one of its heartland seats in Brisbane, following the results of two by-elections that indicate voter preferences ahead of the upcoming state elections later this year.
In the seat of Inala, projections showed Labor's Margie Nightingale gathered 55.5 per cent of the votes with the Liberal National Party [[LNP]] candidate Trang Yen trailing with 44.5 per cent.
Meanwhile, in Ipswich West the L-N-P appeared more likely to come out on top as early preference count showed Liberal National's Darren Zanow ahead with 53.3 per cent.
The early results in the by-elections come after Friday's opinion polls that revealed Queensland Premier Steven Miles is set to face an uphill battle in October's state elections.
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The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA is reporting that one third of children under two in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition, a 15.6 per cent increase from January.
In a post on social media, the aid agency warns that malnutrition is reaching unprecedented levels in the Palestinian enclave as Israel continues to block the access of aid trucks.
UN officials are also reporting that doctors in Gaza are no longer seeing normal sized newborns but are seeing a rise in the number of stillborn births.
United Nations Fund for Population Activities Representative for the State of Palestine, Dominic Allen, says he is terrified for the one million women and girls of Gaza.
"The doctors are reporting that they no longer see normal-sized baby. They are not seeing a normal-sized baby, they don't see them. What they do see, though, tragically, are more stillborn births, more stillborn babies and more neonatal deaths, and [which are] caused in part by again malnutrition, dehydration and complication."
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A category one tropical cyclone has formed over the Gulf of Carpentaria east of Groote Eylandt and is expected to move southeast.
The Bureau of Meteorology says it's expecting tropical cyclone Megan to strengthen into a category two system by Sunday morning and into a category three by Sunday evening.
The Alyangula community on Groote Eylandt and people across the Queensland border are being urged to prepare their properties.
Northern Territory Police Superintendent and incident controller Sonia Kennon says authorities are doing everything they can do ensure the community is prepared.
"The communities are reporting that they have adequate supplies, and the government is making sure that those communities has access to food stocks to support life, if in fact that they are isolated for any period of time. At this stage, there are no evacuations anticipated, it is factored into all the planning that continues to occur, our preference is that the residents of those communities are to be able to remain in their local communities in the first instance and so to evacuate them would occur as a last resort."
Cyclone Megan is the second tropical cyclone to hit the region in as many months.
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Dozens of climate protesters were removed from a busy intersection yesterday as climate activist group Extinction Rebellion took to the streets of Melbourne.
Around three hundred protesters joined the rally through Melbourne's busy C-B-D on Saturday before arriving at the intersection outside Melbourne's Flinders Street Station.
Following police orders, the rally organisers warned those in attendance that anyone who did not want to be arrested should leave the busy intersection, leaving around 40 protesters remaining.
Police then removed the protesters one by one.
Leading the protest was serial climate protester Deanna “Violet” Coco, who is currently out on bail after being jailed for her role in a protest on Melbourne's West Gate Bridge earlier this month.
She says there are more important things in the world than her freedom.
"I'm mobilised with the extinction rebellion because at the moment, on the ground, in the movement, extinction rebellion, I believe is the only movement that has a theory of change that can actually get us out of this mess. And that is our first demand to tell the truth, declare a climate and ecological emergency. "
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Two people are in hospital after being struck by a display car at Westfield shopping centre in western Sydney.
New South Wales Police say a teenager was sitting in the SUV when it accelerated forward and hit a glass panel before reversing into a department store.
A man in his fifties has suffered minor head injuries and another in his thirties has suffered chest injuries, but were taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Police say officers spoke to a 14-year-old boy who later left with a family member.
SafeWork New South Wales is investigating and a crime scene has been set up.
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To Rugby League now.
North Queensland's Chad Townsend kicked a field goal to secure the Cowboys' 21-20 defeat of the Newcastle Knights.
In a match featuring some missed chances and hard-to-watch errors, both the Cowboys and the Knights showed they have a way to go to justify featuring in pre-season top eight predictions.
The Cowboys' come back from 12-0 down at half time proved enough for the team to seal a memorable win.
Chad Townsend spoke to reporters after the match.
"Still trying to get my breath back. Yeah unbelievably gutsy performance from us, I think we deserved it. We hung in there and we fought, we trained for that all pre-season and we made a lot of strides in the Summer. We worked really hard and you know, it's just a W [win] at the end of the day that's all that matters at the end of the year and you know, very happy to get a win today."
