TRANSCRIPT
One of the country's main refugee advocacy groups is warning the new directive from the Immigration Minister could cause refugees unimaginable harm.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles yesterday [[fri]] replaced the controversial Direction 99 with a new Direction, known as Direction 110.
This means, from the 21st of June onwards, more weight will be given to community safety in determining decisions by tribunals on visa cancellations.
It comes in response to several high-profile criminal cases involving people who Direction 99 allowed to stay in Australia, that have put pressure on the government.
But the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre says Direction 110 is a knee-jerk response, and a senseless decision.
It says it causes a risk of families being separated, and refugees being sent back to persecution.
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Several rivers in and around Sydney are still threatening to flood, despite heavy rain easing.
The deluge of the last few days has caused the dam that supplies most of Sydney's drinking water, Warragamba Dam, to spill.
This poses flood threats downstream for places like the Nepean River, in Sydney's west, and the Hawkesbury River, north of the city.
Minor flooding in Sackville North in north-western Sydney has prompted the State Emergency Service to direct some people to evacuate or risk being trapped without power and other essential services.
The trough that has caused all the recent rain is heading south today [[sat]], but, although it may cause showers in Victoria's east, the area is unlikely to face the brunt of the rain system.
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At least 28 more Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with tanks advancing to the edge of Rafah.
The dead include eight after an air strike on Khan Younis, just north of Rafah, and three in another strike on a school building in Gaza City, that was being used as a shelter.
It comes as the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has put Israel on a global list of offenders who have committed violations against children.
It includes killing, maiming, and denying aid access, although no specific allegations have been made against Israel.
But Israel's Envoy to the U-N, Gilad Erdan, says the designation brings shame to the U-N.
"I am utterly shocked and disgusted by this shameful decision of the Secretary-General. Israel's army is the most moral army in the world. So this immoral decision will only aid the terrorists and reward Hamas. And I have to tell you another thing. The only one who is blacklisted today is the Secretary-General."
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The United Nations' World Food Programme says the threat of famine is again looming in Sudan due to the war in the country.
The programme is expanding its emergency assistance in Sudan, saying it is now trying to reach five million people there by the end of the year, which is double the amount of people it was trying to reach at the start of the year.
Michael Dunford, the programme's Regional Director for East Africa, says the situation is historically bad.
"We've got record levels of malnutrition, record levels of hunger, and on a daily basis the situation is getting worse. The most recent figures that we have suggested that there were 18 million people acutely food insecure, but those figures date from December. We are going to have new figures coming out in the next week, ten days, and the likelihood is we will see a substantial increase in the number of people who are suffering as a result of this conflict."
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Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's ready for peace talks to end the conflict in Ukraine- but only if can get agreements that are in Russia's interests.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and Russian forces have been making advances in eastern Ukraine in recent months.
Russia is a nuclear power, but Mr Putin says there will be no need to use atomic weapons to win the war in Ukraine.
Amidst renewed emphasis from western countries on sending weapons to Ukraine to help them fight Russia, Mr Putin says he reserves the right to supply long-=range weapons to countries who are under pressure from the west.
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In tennis, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz will play German Alexander Zverev in the French Open men's singles final.
Alacaraz has beaten the man who will become world number one next week, Italian Jannik [[yannick]] Sinner, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, in his semi-final.
Alcaraz, who won Wimbledon last year and the U-S Open in 2022, says he likes his burgeoning rivalry with Sinner.
" I hope to play many, many more matches like this one against Jannik, but yes it's one of the toughest matches that I've played, for sure.
Zverev has beaten Norwegian Casper Ruud [[rude]] 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in his semi-final.
