TRANSCRIPT
- An Australian tourist has been injured in an armed assault in Afghanistan
- Victorian Labor members demand guarantees the government won't sell public housing land
- Melbourne Victory will go up against Central Coast Mariners FC in the A-League Men's grand final
An Australian tourist has been injured in an attack in central Afghanistan.
A spokesperson for the Taliban has said four people have died and another four have been injured in the incident which occurred when several armed men open fire in the streets of Bamyan on Friday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and trade says it is providing consular service to the injured tourist, but no further information has been given at this time.
Taliban interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani has confirmed the deaths.
"There was a shooting against civilians in Bamyan city. Including one Afghan, three foreign nationals were killed. Also including three Afghans, four foreign nationals were wounded. The security forces have begun searching for the killers, with four suspects already been arrested regarding this incident."
The incident occurred near a UNESCO world heritage site.
This comes after the Taliban government has opened the country to a small number of tourists in an attempt to boost the economy following their military takeover in 2021.
**
Victorian Labor members are demanding the state government promise not to sell off public land as part of plans to demolish Melbourne's 44 high rise public housing towers.
A motion moved at the Victorian Labor State Conference has made it policy for the party branch to push the government to do everything it reasonably can to keep the land in public hands.
This comes after former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced last September the plans to knock down the towers for redevelopment.
The redevelopment plans would see over 10,000 residents relocated.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the conference Labor was the only party serious about affordable housing.
"All of this in spite of the opposition that we've faced from the Liberals and from the Greens, the Liberals have a pathological problem with affordable housing always have. And while the Greens political party may talk about housing, the only thing they want to build is a profile. They vote against building more homes in the parliament. And then they protest against housing in their own electorates."
**
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan has condemned the actions of pro-Palestinian protesters at the start of the Labor party's two-day conference.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Moonee Valley Racecourse to criticise Labor's federal policy on the conflict on Gaza, with dozens of activists later breaching security.
They then proceeded to enter the area where Labor MPs, including Ms Allan and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, were preparing to give speeches and bang their hands on the doors of the locked conference room.
In a post on X, the Victorian premier said the protesters brought violence and anti-Semitism to the conference.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman told AAP the protesters left without incident and no arrests were made.
This came as six pro-Palestinian motions were debated by Labor members on Saturday, with some calling on the government to recognise a Palestinian right to self-determination, cease arms trading with Israel, and calling for sanctions on Israeli settlers involved in violence in the West Bank.
**
Israel's military says it has recovered the body of another hostage along with the three previously reported yesterday.
Spokesman Daniel Hagari says the body of 53-year-old Ron Benjamin was rescued during a joint IDF and ISA operation.
Mr Hagari says Benjamin was cycling near Kibbutz Be'eri on the 7th of October when he was murdered and his body taken to Gaza.
"Ron was brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Mefalsim Intersection, and his body was kidnapped to Gaza. His body, and those of Itzhak, Shani and Amit - may their memory be blessed - were recovered and identified yesterday and brought to Israel for burial."
This comes as bodies of Palestinians killed by different Israeli strikes in central Gaza arrived at Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah.
At least five people were killed in an Israeli strike in Nusairat refugee camp, medical officials say.
**
At least fifty people have been killed by flooding in central Afghanistan following another bout of heavy rain.
The flash flooding comes after 315 people died and 1600 people were injured last week after devastating flooding destroyed villages in northern Afghanistan.
Local officials say 2000 houses were destroyed and 4000 more have been damaged.
The United Nations say Afghanistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
One local resident says there is no food or water for people to eat.
“The rain increased and it became heavy. It was better that at least we were present at the house when the flood came. It destroyed a lot of people's houses. It ruined their goods, in the city and on the land. And everything, the property and cattle and sheep, it destroyed them all, the villages, trees, everything."
**
To football now, Melbourne Victory will go up against Central Coast Mariners Football Club in the A-League Men grand final after delivering a victory on Saturday night.
Victory's Chris Ikonomidis scored an extra-time goal in the 99th minute equaliser to secure the win over Wellington Phoenix.
Central Coast Mariners Football Club also secured a spot in the finals after a tense second leg of their semi-final round against Sydney Football Club ended in a tie, the Mariners won the first leg of the round 2-1.
Melbourne Victory midfielder Bruno Fornaroli spoke to Channel Ten after the win.
"Tonight was tough, like you say, it's beautiful to see a ground like this, full, sold out. But I think we deserve it, we played very good. From the start, we control the game. Unlucky in the eight, eight minutes, you know it was a little bit weird, but look I think we deserve to be in the final"
The Grand Final is set to take place at Industree Group Stadium, home of the Mariners, on Saturday, the 25th of May.
