TRANSCRIPT:
- Police investigating a far-right attack on an Indigenous camp in Melbourne;
- Almost a dozen UN employees missing after a militant raid in Yemen;
- The Socceroos preparing to meet New Zealand later this week.
Police are investigating an attack by far-right demonstrators on an Aboriginal protest camp in Melbourne.
Victoria Police say no arrests were made on the day but inquiries are ongoing following the incident at Camp Sovereignty, which took place after an anti-immigration rally.
The marches that took place around Australia have been labelled a 'neo-Nazi con job' by a range of leaders, with opposition immigration spokesman Paul Scarr saying he believes it's important for fringe elements to NOT get a foothold in the legitimate immigration debate.
State premiers like South Australia’s Peter Malinauskas have said the rallies were driven by a vocal minority and did not reflect the state’s values.
"97.6 per cent of South Australians have an immigrant heritage. I'm proud of mine, and I think most South Australians are proud of theirs. And people who are protesting today are naive to this state and this nation's own history."
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There are fears hundreds of people may have been killed after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.
Initial reports put the death toll at nine, but the country's health ministry says accurate figures are yet to be gathered in an area of scattered hamlets with a long history of earthquakes and flooding.
Nevertheless, the Taliban-run Bakhtar state news agency is reporting at least 250 people have died in the earthquake, and that rescuers are combing the rubble of homes in a desperate hunt for survivors.
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To Yemen, and Houthi militants have seized employees of two UN aid organisations after raiding their offices in the nation's capital of Sanaa.
It's believed 11 employees from the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund have been detained.
The motives behind the incident remain unclear, but militants have previously accused UN employees of spying for the United States.
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An independent trial of more than 60 age verification tools has found some of the technology could successfully prevent young people from accessing inappropriate content.
The trial had been launched after the government announced a social media ban for people under 16, which will come into effect in December.
The ban had prompted some to express concern over potential privacy breaches - but members of the Age Check Certification Scheme has found the systems - that included estimating someone's age based on physical features and hand movements - were generally secure and could handle prickly issues including AI-generated spoofing and forgeries.
Federal Communication Minister Annika Wells says she's more convinced than ever that what they're asking for with age verification is more than fair.
"It's a fascinating space, this is emerging technology, it's moving very quickly. But these are some of the world's richest companies; they are at the forefront of AI. They use the data that we give them for a bevy of commercial purposes. I think it is reasonable to ask them to use that same data and tech to keep kids safe online."
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Tibetans in Australia have accused China of repeatedly intimidating and repressing community members in Australia.
26-year-old Yangkyi Sangpo has told a group gathered for Tibet Lobby Day at Parliament House that the diaspora is constantly intimidated and threatened by the Chinese Communist Party.
Shenphen Ringpapontsang has a similar story, saying Tibetans travelling back to see family on holiday are threatened by Chinese officials for acts as basic as selling traditional food at community events.
"These are very obvious and overt attempts to curtail our freedoms here in Australia, despite being so far away and far removed, and, we thought, in safety, from the Chinese Communist Party."
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A Chinese woman accused of spying in Australia has pleaded not guilty to the charge of reckless foreign interference.
The woman has entered the plea during her appearance today in the ACT Magistrates Court, where she's also won a bid to have her name suppressed.
Police allege the Australian permanent resident covertly collected information about a Canberra Buddhist association for China.
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To sport and in football news,
Socceroos midfielder Ajdin Hrustic says it's going to be his job to teach his younger team mates what it means to play for Australia.
Hrustic has played 31 games at the national level, which makes him the third-most experienced player in the 25 man squad named for Australia's two upcoming games against New Zealand, the first of which is on Friday.
Seven of the 25 have never played for the Socceroos before, but Hrustic says he's confident the new players will be fast learners.
"Look, the first thing is that they have to know what it means to wear the green and gold- how important is for the country, for the nation, and what it means. But I'm sure they are going to pick it up very quick."
