TRANSCRIPT
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects Hamas' ceasefire demands
- Two bomb blasts have killed at least 26 people and injured dozens in Pakistan
- Ricky Ponting is calling for a limit on the number of Twenty20 leagues international players can appear in annually
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a proposed ceasefire plan by Hamas.
The counter-proposal would see militants exchange remaining Israeli hostages who Hamas captured on October 7 for Palestinian prisoners.
But Mr Netanyahu says Israel must have absolute victory, which means completely eliminating Hamas.
The plan was created in response to a proposal sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and backed by the United States and Israel.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the issue is also dividing the Security Council.
"Governments are ignoring and undermining the very tenets of multi-lateralism, with zero accountability. The United Nations Security Council – the primary platform for questions of global peace – is deadlocked by geopolitical fissures. This is not the first time the Council has been divided. But it is the worst. Today’s dysfunction is deeper and more dangerous.”
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Two bomb blasts have killed at least 26 people and injured dozens in Pakistan's Balochistan province raising further security concerns on the day of parliamentary elections.
The first attack was at the electoral office of an independent candidate, killing at least 14 people.
While the second blast left 12 people dead, near the Jamiat Ulema Islam religious party office.
As millions of people in Pakistan head to the polls today there has been rising tension after militant attacks in recent months as well as the jailing of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is considered a front runner for the election...and is chief of the Pakistan Muslim League.
Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is also running as part of the Pakistan's People's Party.
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Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape will address Australia's parliament today, becoming the first Pacific leader to do so.
Mr Marape is in Australia for a second time in a brief period after signing a security pact allowing $200 million for policing measures in December.
He will receive a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House before addressing a joint sitting of senators and MPs, and meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
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First Nations organisations are demanding governments live up to their promises on Closing the Gap, after the Productivity Commission released a scathing report.
The report is the first of the Commission's three-yearly review into the National Agreement on Closing the Gap targets.
It has found progress to implement the agreements reforms was weak and recommended governments embrace power-sharing and greater accountability.
C-E-O of the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Denise Bowden, says the findings are depressing and predictable.
She spoke to SBS about what she thinks needs to be done.
"Obviously, a mechanism that triggers the action part of implementing these Closing the Gap targets, so that we don't continue to constantly talk about it, [so] we're not spending our resources on collection of data and statistics, that we already know the picture and how it's been painted and this is not news."
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While the federal government is closer to passing its industrial relations bill, the Coalition says it will be damaging for businesses.
Workers would soon have the right to disconnect and not answer calls or emails outside of paid hours.
The Coalition's Michaelia Cash says the 'right to disconnect' would make it harder for businesses to interact.
"Businesses across Australia, here we go again welcome to 2024 the Albanese government just like in 2022, again in 2023 and now at the very beginning of 2024 giving you a slap in the face."
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Ukrainian authorities say at least five people are dead and dozens hurt after Russian missile and drone attacks on several cities in Ukraine.
Four people died when a block of flats was hit in Kyiv's south-west and a man died in the southern city of Mykolaiv.
Ukraine says Russia fired 64 missiles and drones with the country managing to intercept 44 of them.
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In cricket, Ricky Ponting has called for a limit on the number of Twenty20 leagues international players can appear in annually to protect Test cricket from further decline.
The Australian legend has added a second coaching job to his ever-expanding workload, signing to lead Washington Freedom in the US-based Major League Cricket.
Despite being heavily involved in T-20 franchises, Ponting still wants to see international cricket thrive.
"It is going to be the biggest challenge for the game going forward, how we manage the growth of these domestic competitions and slotting them all in with international duty and even domestic competitions overlapping one another. That's the biggest challenge we've got with the Big Bash, for instance. Our little window (in Australia) is just being gobbled up more almost every year to the point with the BBL finals this year where most of the overseas and better players are not playing in the BBL to fill contracts elsewhere."
