Sixty-five Ukrainian prisoners of war killed in a military plane crash; A warning to be on alert for symptoms of the measles; And in sport, Australian Leyton Hewitt is inducted into tennis' hall of fame.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Sixty-five Ukrainian prisoners of war killed in a military plane crash;
- A warning to be on alert for symptoms of the measles;
- And in sport, Australian Leyton Hewitt is inducted into tennis' hall of fame.
Russia has accused Ukraine's military of shooting down an aircraft carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on their way to be exchanged.
The Russian Ilyushin-76 military transport plane crashed in the southern Belgorod region near Ukraine.
Ukraine's military has since responded, accusing Russia of putting the lives of prisoners of war at risk.
The local governor of Belgorod says emergency workers are investigating the incident.
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A United Nations official has described the situation in Gaza as "tragic" after visiting the city.
This comes as Palestinians gathered at the site of an Israeli air strike on Rafah in southern Gaza on Wednesday, and helped recover bodies from the rubble.
The area on the border with Egypt is crammed with more than half of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people, displaced by the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian Territory, James McGoldrick, describes a lost sense of hope for those who remain there.
"The visit yesterday in Kerem Shalom and in Rafah itself was actually quite tragic because you see yourself that we are struggling to catch up with the massive numbers there. And as a result of that, the people themselves are really struggling to get through this. And there's the -- the shock is actually starting to wane now and people start to see themselves -- a resignation that this is what we're going to have to face for some significant time."
Mr McGoldrick has also addressed reports of a possible strike on an United Nations Relief and Work Agency training centre in Khan Younis, that he says was sheltering 10,000 people.
He says a UN medical team has been sent to the area to assess the situation.
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A health alert has been issued for measles after a traveller with the highly infectious virus arrived in Sydney.
New South Wales Health says the person arrived at Sydney International Airport after returning from India, where there have been ongoing measles outbreaks.
While health authorities say there's no ongoing risk to the public at the locations the person visited while infectious, they have encouraged people to be on the lookout for symptoms such as fever, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough.
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The finalists for the Australian of the Year Awards have arrived in Canberra ahead of tonight's annoucement of the winners.
From community leaders to unsung heroes, medical researchers and youth advocates, the 34 nominees from around Australia have come to the nation's capital for a range of events.
Among the finalists are Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer, who were named joint nominees for New South Wales in recognition of their cancer research.
The pair helped to pioneer an immunotherapy treatment for melanoma, which has helped to save thousands of lives.
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Australian former tennis player Leyton Hewitt has been inducted into the tennis hall of fame.
Hewitt is the 47th inductee.
Hewitt is a US Open and Wimbledon champion, a two-time Davis Cup title winner and has twice lifted the trophy at the ATP Finals.
In 2001, he became the youngest man to rise to world No.1, at age 20 and eight months
Hewitt says joining the hall of fame is a unique privilege.
"As a 15 year old coming here and qualifying for the Australian Open for the first time, I always dreamt to just be able to play once here at the Australian Open and to end up playing 20 years in a row. And now to get this incredible honour and be alongside all the greats who I looked up to in Australian tennis over so many years."
