TRANSCRIPT
- The clean-up continues after deadly floods in New South Wales
- An Israeli air strike in Gaza hits the home of a doctor, killing nine of her 10 children
- Melbourne Victory book a spot in the A-League grand final
Recovery crews face a mammoth task to assess damage to tens of thousands of homes, as waters recede from deadly and record-breaking floods.
An estimated 50,000 people in more than a dozen towns across the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast regions remain cut off and many emergency warnings are still in place despite most river levels falling.
Five people have died in the floods.
Taree resident Jordan Brown tells SBS the recovery will take some time.
"When we first came in it (the floodwater) was about waist deep. So it is just... It's a horrible feeling. It feels surreal. I know that it has hit me pretty hard. My family they are all pretty down in the dumps, but our community. I know it is a resilient community. So it is going to bounce back eventually. I don't know how long it will take, but it will happen."
**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed the return of more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers in the second stage of a major prisoner swap with Russia.
Russia’s Defence Ministry says it received the same number of prisoners from Ukraine.
Once the third stage is complete, the exchange will be the largest prisoner swap of the war.
The arrangement was agreed to last week in a meeting in Istanbul - in the first direct peace talks since the early weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
President Zelenskyy says he expects more to be released in the next 24 hours.
"We continued the exchange today. Another 307 of our warriors have been returned home – privates and sergeants. Most of them are from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There are also members of the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service. Of all these people, 273 were taken captive in the Donetsk region, many as far back as 2022. In total, over these two days of exchanges, 697 Ukrainians have returned home."
The exchange came hours after Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured.
**
The UN’s special rapporteur for the Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese has condemned the killing of an entire family of a Khan Younis doctor in an Israeli attack.
The attack hit the home of Alaa al-Najjar, a paediatrician at the southern city’s Nasser Hospital, setting it on fire, and killing nine of her 10 children, according to the head of the hospital’s paediatrics department, Ahmad al-Farra.
Meanwhile, a group of former world leaders, including Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos, are calling for urgent action to stop the war.
"We urge President Trump to change course and suspend U.S. Arms transfer to Israel now. I think that would help very much to push a solution, as Mary mentioned, a long-term solution."
Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli strikes have killed 79 people in last 24 hours.
The war’s death toll has now surpassed 53,900 since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people.
**
Hundreds of people packed Melbourne's Federation Square for the first day of Korea festival.
The two-day festival is the biggest Korean cultural event in the city and aims to deepen Australia and Korea's cultural connection.
For Melbourne's Korean community, the Korea Festival is an opportunity to share their vibrant culture.
This attendee tells SBS, it's nice to have people from other cultures participate.
"So many people from like all different cultures can come to celebrate Korean culture and learn about our culture. I think that's really nice."
The festival also showcases Korean pop culture and fans of the hit Korean series Squid Game can play popular games from the show.
The festival first took place 11 years ago, providing people with the chance to experience Korean art and cuisine.
**
In the A-League, for the first time the grand final will be a Melbourne derby.
Victory will take on City on Saturday, after the team defeated Premiers Auckland FC 2-nil in New Zealand.
Victory coach Arthur Diles says the players really delivered on the night.
"I saw 11 guys out there at any given moment, they were putting their body on the line. We've used the term and phrase of 'kill or be killed' in this final series. And we've taken that mentality with us everywhere we go. We knew there was no second chance last week. Maybe if there is a downfall. And they haven't told me this - the squad - but I have a feeling that they thought that we have next week, regardless of tonight. Tonight, they knew there is no next week if we don't win the match. And that showed a mentality, which we got. It showed quality and it definitely showed belief."
