The federal government insists a US military base is not planned for Western Australia; At least six people killed in a school shooting in Thailand; and in sport, Members of the 2016 Rugby Sevens Women’s team reunite
TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- The federal government insists a US military base is not planned for Western Australia
- At least six people killed in a school shooting in Thailand
- And in sport, Members of the 2016 Rugby Sevens Women’s team reunite
The federal government has pushed back against claims the US plans to establish a military base in Western Australia.
It follows a report in The Australian newspaper this week which said as many as 2,300 Americans would be sent to the HMAS Stirling facility near Perth, instead of the 1,200 initially flagged by the government.
Defence Minister Richard Marles insists there has been no change to the government's plans under the AUKUS agreement.
He says the US would have a "rotational presence" at the facility, not a base, but did not provide details on how long those rotations would last.
"It's the establishment of a rotation. It's the Submarine Rotation Force West. To be clear, it's not, it's 1,200 personnel. There are civilians, contractors, families, which, which make up the larger number, but , it's 1200 personnel. This is not a concept that we're unfamiliar with in this town, have the Marine Rotation Force Darwin."
--
The Philippines and Australia have reiterated their shared commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro Junior say they have spoken about the importance of maintaining the rules based order during meetings in Darwin.
It follows heightened tension in the South China Sea, with Philippine fishers and navy crews clashing with the Chinese Coast Guard several times in the contested sea in recent months.
Teodoro Junior says international law must be respected.
"Transparency is fundamental to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and all processes under that convention are made under a framework of transparency. And if you want to have a rules-based order, you want governance and you want transparency."
--
At least six people have died, and at least 15 injured in a shooting at a school in Thailand's Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok.
Thailand's Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee says two students and two teachers are among those killed.
Thai police say the suspected shooter is also dead, with reports he shot himself.
They say at least two of those injured are in a critical condition.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has expressed condolences for the victims of the school shooting.
--
Officials have issued evacuation orders for nearly 260,000 residents in Japan's Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures, as Typhoon Dolphin hit the southwestern region of the country.
Strong winds, heavy rain and high waves have also caused more than 500 flights to be cancelled in the country, and at least 6,700 Kumamoto residents remain in evacuation centres, following an earthquake in the prefecture last week
Authorities say car manufacturer Toyota had suspended work at nine factories.
The Category One typhoon has recorded wind gusts of up to 198 kilometre per hour.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says temperatures are expected to reach 36 degrees celcius.
--
At least 11 civilians have been injured after Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked southern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi officials say those wounded in Thursday's attack on Najran Province included seven Saudis, two Egyptians, a Pakistani national, a Yemeni citizen and a four-year-old child who suffered burns.
The attack comes as the five-month war between the United States and Iran continues to reshape regional security, with the Iran-backed Houthis becoming increasingly involved in the wider conflict.
The group has threatened to close the Bab el-Mandab Strait and has claimed attacks on Saudi oil tankers in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, a senior Saudi official says the Houthis and Iran-backed Iraqi militias could soon launch coordinated attacks on Saudi energy facilities, ports and airports.
--
The Opposition says it will push for stronger measures against gambling inducements and stricter advertising restrictions in amendments to the government's gambling reforms.
A two-day Senate Inquiry this week heard evidence relating to VIP perks used by betting companies and their impacts on problem gamblers, with former NRL player Luke Batemen advocating for a complete ban on inducements.
Deputy Liberal Leader Jane Hume says the Coalition will wait for a report from the Inquiry into the government's proposed changes before it finalises its amendments.
But she says there are a few changes they're already clear on.
"We are concerned though about the level of inducements, ... and there was a lot of evidence about that this week. And most importantly, we don't want to see the already stringent measures around gambling advertising, particularly during children's television programming hours reduced. We want to make sure that that is stricter, not more lenient."
--
And in sport,
Members of the 2016 Rugby Sevens Women’s team have reunited for the first time since winning gold at the Rio Olympics, a decade ago.
Australian co-captains Shannon Parry and Sharni Smale joined Charlotte Caslick, Alicia Lucas, Evania Isa’ako, Emilee Barton, Ellia Green and Chloe Dalton at the reunion at Sydney's Allianz Stadium.
They then gathered with players and staff from both the Men's and Women's 2016 Olympic squads at a reunion lunch at Rugby Australia.
Ms Caslick says the team's achievements in Brazil still feel like yesterday.
"We probably as a group didn't realise the impact that we were making at the time, but now ten years on being able to look on and see everything that's happened in women's sport at the back of our gold medal victory and 2016, it's just really nice to reflect as a group."
***
