Key Points
- Severe weather pattern behind New South Wales tornadoes
- Ley reiterates apology to Indian community for Price comments
- Hewitt ban to be delayed for Davis Cup match
Residents in western New South Wales have reported a rare sight in severe weather overnight: not one but two tornadoes.
The Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed one tornado was observed west of the town of Young, while the other was near Caragabal, a small village located over 40 kilometres away from Grenfell.
The Bureau's Angus Hines says the phenomenon was the result of severe weather patterns that were observed across the state.
"These were caused by those severe thunderstorms, mostly over the central west slopes plains and district. Tornadoes are often too small to be seen on weather instruments like rain radars. But at least two tornadoes have been confirmed with video footage from yesterday."
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Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has offered another apology to the Indian Australian community as she tries to undo the damage caused by comments from Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Senator Price has been ejected from the party front bench after refusing to back down on her statements about Labor's policy for Indian migrants to Australia.
The Opposition Leader has since sought to reiterate Coalition support for the Indian diaspora, which makes up the second-largest foreign-born community in Australia.
She's offered these remarks at an announcement of new construction for senior housing in Tasmania today.
"May I take this opportunity as leader of the Liberal Party to apologise to all Indian Australians and indeed others, who were hurt and distressed by the comments that were made. And which I said at the time should not have been made. And may I reaffirm my strong support for all our migrant communities."
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Victorian police have extended an olive branch to community members suspected of helping fugitive Desmond Freeman, who remains on the run two weeks after allegedly shooting dead two police officers.
Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly says there may be scope to offer indemnity from prosecution for the 56 year old's local supporters, given there have been no confirmed sightings of the fugitive since he first fled.
He says their focus is on capturing Freeman and not necessarily those who may be assisting him.
The Superintendent says the million dollar reward being offered for information leading to Freeman's arrest is another incentive for people to come forward - and that strategy is already paying off.
"We have had over 1,000 pieces of information provided. And what is occurring now is investigators - with intelligence analysts and with specialist mapping and other expertise - are going through those reports. And we are following down every avenue of inquiry possible in the attempt to safely locate Desmond Freeman."
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Victoria's Opposition party has condemned the rollout of the newly-imposed machete ban, a move the government says is designed to combat a spate of violent attacks in the state.
The state Liberal National Party says it supports machetes being made less accessible to the general public but does not like how the ban is being managed.
State MP, Nick McGowan, says the bins where the public can deposit machetes, can be opened, something Shadow Police Minister David Southwick says is unacceptable.
"When the government wastes 13 million dollars on 45 machete bins, then something clearly doesn't stack up. And what Nick McGowan has discovered is they're not even secure bins. The fact that you can buy a tool from Bunnings to actually open them up and take the machetes out of them shows just how hopeless this government really is."
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Flags will be lowered across the United States in honour of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who has died after being shot at a university speaking event in Utah.
Donald Trump has confirmed the order in a post on his Truth Social site, saying all American flags will be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening.
Meanwhile the US House of Representatives has stood for a moment of silence and prayer led by Speaker Mike Johnson - though the bipartisan moment was almost instantly interrupted when Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert demanded a spoken prayer.
Democrats in the chamber quickly yelled back at her, pointing to a school shooting that happened in Colorado and urging her to support gun control legislation.
"For what purpose does the gentlelady from Colorado rise?"
"A prayer... out loud."
Democrats yelling back at Boebert
"Wait a minute. The House will be in order. The House will be in order."
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To sport and in tennis news,Lleyton Hewitt will be allowed to captain Australia in this weekend's Davis Cup match in Sydney, despite being hit with a fine and a ban for offensive conduct at a previous tie.
The suspension of the 44-year-old grand slam great will instead start in two weeks.
He was found guilty by an independent tribunal of pushing a 60-year-old anti-doping chaperone against a wall after Australia's semi-final defeat by Italy in Malaga last year.
The official has since said he will never volunteer at a tie again.
