At least 17 killed in Russian attacks on Kyiv; Government to consider Noel Pearson's call for First Nations funding overhaul; And in AFL, Essendon's interim coach Dean Solomon rules himself out of the top job.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- At least 17 killed in Russian attacks on Kyiv
- Government to consider Noel Pearson's call for First Nations funding overhaul
- Essendon's interim coach Dean Solomon rules himself out of the top job
At least 17 people have been killed and 44 others injured after Russia launched another overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region.
The two-hour barrage is the latest in a series of large-scale Russian attacks that have become increasingly frequent.
Ukrainian authorities say none of the incoming ballistic missiles were intercepted, as Moscow exploits Ukraine's shortage of U-S-made Patriot interceptor missiles.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the attack shows Russia is escalating the war.
"This is a signal that Russia gives us and to the world that they don't want to stop... they want to continue and increase escalation using the ballistic missiles. And we have our estimation... that they will increase the production of such ballistic missiles."
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Hundreds of vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, with negotiations between Iran and Oman inching forward.
Regional officials say Iranian and Omani negotiators were able to finalise the draft deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and are awaiting a final approval from Iran’s supreme leader.
The proposed deal would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, in a significant concession to Iran.
US officials have repeatedly said they would never accept any arrangement that lets Iran control access to the world's most important trade route for energy supplies.
A fifth of the world's oil and natural gas traditionally travels through the Strait, and its closure has driven up the price of fuel and basic goods across the globe.
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The United Nations human rights chief has expressed alarm over a surge in executions in Iran since March.
Volker Turk says at least 56 people have been executed on national security-related charges, including 27 linked to anti-government protests earlier this year.
He says more than 100 others are at risk of execution, while executions for drug related offences are also continuing at an alarming rate.
Mr Turk says capital punishment is being used to instil fear and suppress dissent, and has urged Iranian authorities to halt all executions.
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Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says the government will take seriously a call from activist Noel Pearson to overhaul first nations funding.
Mr Marles has made the comments while visiting the Australian Defence Force's northern-most base in the Torres Strait.
Mr Pearson argued during a speech at Garma festival on Saturday state and territory Indigenous affairs departments should be abolished, wanting the commonwealth to have full responsibility for supporting remote communities.
Mr Marles says Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy will consider Mr Pearson's comments thoroughly.
" It is an important contribution that Noel Pearson has made, and we want to take the time to to go through it in in a thorough and detailed way, and and Minister McCarthy has made clear that she'll do that."
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Northern Territory traditional owners have won a major victory in their long-running fight to overturn a controversial water license.
The license was granted to Fortune agribusiness in 2020 to develop a large fruit farm on Singleton Station south of Tenant Creek.
The 30-year license would have allowed the company to extract up to 40 billion litres of water every year once fully developed.
But on Wednesday [[5 August]], the High Court found it was unlawful because Aboriginal cultural values were not considered, and native title holders had been denied procedural fairness by decision makers.
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Energy Minister Chris Bowen says he is willing to use federal powers to force State and Territory governments to comply with a mandate for AI data centres to use renewable power.
Speaking at the National Press Club, Mr Bowen criticised Queensland and the Northern Territory after they refused to support the planned federal rules at a meeting last week.
The planned mandate would require data centres to offset their electricity use with investments in renewable energy.
Mr Bowen says he will not allow states to ignore climate impacts, and has vowed to block investments threatening the government's emissions targets.
"While I always prefer to work with my state and territory colleagues, the Commonwealth will not be standing by and letting a race to the bottom of states falling over themselves to attract data centres at the cost of household bills, reliability, or emissions. We will use all the power available to the Commonwealth, including Commonwealth legislation, to ensure that Australian households and Australian energy reliability is put first even if some states have different ideas."
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To sport now, and in AFL, Essendon interim coach Dean Solomon has ruled himself out of taking on the team's senior coaching role full-time.
Solomon has led Essendon to one win from nine matches since Brad Scott was sacked in late May, but was widely tipped to enter the race to become the club's permanent coach.
But the 46-year-old officially pulled out on Wednesday.
The club has released a statement, saying the decision reflects Solomon's long-standing commitment to doing what is right for the Essendon football club.
