TRANSCRIPT
- At least 200 Palestinians killed by Israeli air strikes in a densely populated area in central Gaza.
- The federal opposition says the government will fail to meet their 2030 energy target.
- Spanish driver Fernando Alonso sets the fastest lap ahead of the Montreal Grand Prix.
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At least 200 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes on Saturday as Israeli forces rescued four hostages from the same area.
Israeli air strikes killed over 200 Palestinians in the densely populated al-Nuseirat area in central Gaza.
In the same area, Israeli forces also conducted a hostage rescue operation in the area through it is not immediately clear the operation was linked to the air assault.
Four hostages were rescued by Israeli forces and were taken to hospital where they are said to be in good health.
Shahar Mor Zahiro is the nephew of one of the hostages currently being held in Gaza.
He is among scores of protesters and hostage family members demanding the government accept a hostage deal.
"Welcome back to us, we embrace you, our hearts are with you and your families. The only way to bring them all home is through a hostage release deal, and the time was up long ago. There is currently an opportunity in terms for a hostage release deal. The only way to save lives and bring them all back home includes an Israeli commitment to ending the war, take the deal, agreed to end this war, save lives and bring them all back home."
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Opposition energy spokesman Ted O'Brien says the government is set to miss its 43% emission reduction target by 2030.
The Opposition has revealed its intent to not stick to the initial target set by the Paris Agreement, with party leader Peter Dutton saying there is no chance of reaching it.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has accused the Opposition leader of attempting to pull Australia out of the Paris Agreement and for purposely stalling to reveal its own energy policy.
But Mr O'Brien says the government has its own explanations to share with the Australian public.
"There's no doubt that the Labor party has set Australia up for embarrassment because it cannot achieve its 43 per cent target. Now that's on the government. The government needs to explain. Still to this day the government does not know how it's going to achieve its target, how much it will cost or who's going to pay. It's time they come clean, and they answer those questions."
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The Queensland government is investigating concerns around members of the state's parole board.
Some members of the board were reportedly not properly appointed, potentially making some the board's decisions open to legal challenge.
Premier Steven Miles says the government is investigating the allegations.
"The initial advice is that even if that's the case they won't affect the parole that has either been denied or approved but we will wait for that further advice and take rectification action if that's necessary."
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The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross says there's a pressing need for world leaders to negotiate solutions to an array of escalating global conflicts.
I-C-R-C President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger made the comments in Geneva in an interview with China Central Television.
She says the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine are particularly concerning and called for political negotiations.
"What we could see with Ukraine was a food insecurity on the rise in many parts of the world, notably in the Middle East and in Africa. What we see now in Gaza is a lot of potential of escalation across the region in different parts of the world. So, it is very urgent that the political leaders come together and find a way out, and that way out will be through political negotiations."
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In formula one, Spanish driver Fernando Alonso set the fastest lap in the second free practice session ahead of the Montreal Grand Prix.
The Aston Martin driver was not affected by the rain which set for a dangerous terrain and completed his lap in a little over a minute and 15 seconds.
Daniel Ricciardo had the fifth best lap of the day, with both Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen dealing with vehicle issues.
The main qualifying session is set to take place later today, with the main event set for Sunday night.
