TRANSCRIPT
- Police commend two young girls for their bravery
- Penny Wong commits more money for communities in landslide-ravaged Papua New Guinea
- Ash Barty makes a return to Wimbledon
Two girls are being hailed for their bravery for raising the alarm after their mother was allegedly shot dead in a car by a neighbour in north Queensland on Wednesday.
The girls aged 11 and 12 fled the car and alerted a 66 year old male neighbour who came to the woman's aid after the shooting in Mackay.
Detective Acting Superintendent Emma Novosel says the girls acted courageously.
"I want to acknowledge and commend their bravery for actually managing to remove themselves from such a dangerous situation and raise the alarm. It's incredibly brave and I can't even begin to imagine the trauma that they must be experiencing."
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Israeli tanks backed by warplanes and drones have advanced deeper into the western part of the Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
Residents say the tanks moved into five neighbourhoods after midnight, with heavy shelling and gunfire hitting the tents of displaced families in the Al-Mawasi area, further to the west of the coastal enclave.
Eight people have reportedly been killed in the latest incursion.
The military action comes amid an apparent public rift between Israel's political and military leadership over the conduct of the Gaza war.
In an interview with Israel's Channel 13, the Israeli Defence Forces chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, has appeared to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stated aim of eradicating Hamas in Gaza.
"This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear — it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public, if we don't bring something else to Gaza then at the end of the day we will get Hamas."
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A luxury cruise ship has rescued scores of migrants from the sea off the coast of the Spanish Canary Islands.
Spanish authorities and the cruise operator say 68 migrants had been trying to reach the islands in a fishing boat that had stalled in rough seas.
They say six people died in the attempt.
Their deaths follow the release of a report earlier this month that confirmed nearly 5000 migrants have died in the first five months of this year trying to reach the Canary Islands.
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Three senior Australian ministers have visited the landslide-hit Enga province of Papua New Guinea.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy, and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles have all made the difficult journey to the site of the disaster that killed an estimated 2000 people in May.
Their route via a defence plane out of Port Moresby, then a helicopter, has underscored the extreme challenge of getting help, food and basic supplies to the area, where tribal fighting and violence has also complicated aid efforts.
Senator Wong has already confirmed Australia is providing an additional $2.2 million which will help fix badly damaged roads and reconnect communities that have been completely cut off since the landslide.
She has told community members Australia will keep standing by their side during the recovery.
"Because we understand, I look around here, I see sadness and I am so sorry for your loss, but I also see hope, I also see hope, and we will be with you as we make that hope real."
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The Coalition's nuclear energy policy has continued to come under fire from all quarters, including from within the National and Liberal parties themselves.
An internal rift is emerging as the major parties prepare to campaign over Australia's energy future, with some Liberals suggesting there will be a big contribution from renewable energy, while leading Nationals have said they want to restrict wind and sun-generated power.
Liberal senator James Paterson says his party supported renewable energy.
But earlier this week, Nationals leader David Littleproud has said the coalition should send a clear policy that large-scale renewable projects would be restricted.
"A vision for our country where Australians will once again own some of their generation of power in this country. It is about a vision for regional Australia, one that is not covered in solar panels and wind turbines and transmission lines."
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New figures show the theft of alcohol and groceries are increasing.
The latest crime data from Victoria Police shows offending has increased across the state in the 12 months to March, with a significant increase in retail thefts.
Police believe cost of living pressures are behind much of the increase.
Deputy Commissioner Brett Curran says as rents and mortgage rates have climbed, so too have theft offences, with 50 per cent of offenders first-time shop stealers.
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Australian tennis star Ash Barty is making a surprise return to Wimbledon.
Tennis Australia has confirmed the former 2021 singles champion is returning to the court for this year's invitational doubles.
Barty will partner with Casey Dellacqua for the match.
The pair reached the finals of four Grand Slam doubles tournaments when they played together previously.
