Key Points
- Internet and phone services cut, being restored across parts of Gaza
- Seven people arrested over stabbing attack on 12- and 15-year-old Melbourne boys
- Queensland runner Gout Gout says he has no regrets over his semi-final result.
TRANSCRIPT
The Gaza Strip has been hit by a telecommunications blackout as Israel advances in Gaza City.
Internet and phone lines were cut off for several hours, signalling a potential escalation in ground operations in the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli forces control Gaza City's eastern suburbs and in recent days have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa areas, though the health ministry says at least 85 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across the entire Strip in the past 24 hours.
Some Palestinians sheltering around Gaza City hospitals say they have no transport options - and that information on the safety of roads south is short anyway, because of the blackout.
Mohammad Nabhan, displaced from the north, says the assault has left civilians with nowhere safe to turn.
“The situation is much more difficult than you can imagine… There is no safe place, not in the south nor the north. We have no one but God.”
The Palestinian Telecommunications company has confirmed its services were interrupted as main networks routes were cut, but internet and phone services are now beginning to be restored.
---
Police have confirmed the arrest of seven people today, over the stabbing deaths of two young teens in Melbourne.
All seven are being interviewed by Victoria Police detectives after being picked up in dawn raids.
Assistant Commissioner Martin O'Brien says the arrests have followed almost two weeks of diligent and thorough police work investigating the deaths of twelve year old Chol Achiek and 15 year old Dau Akeng.
The pair died after being ambushed by masked males armed with machetes while walking home at Cobblebank in Melbourne's outer northwest on September 6.---
Queensland has become the first Australian state to ban pill testing, with the state parliament approving a bill to make any pill testing operations illegal.
The legal crackdown follows state government moves to scrap $1.5 million in public funding for testing services run by CheQpoint sites in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, forcing them to close in April.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls says the Crisafulli Government has a zero-tolerance approach to illicit drugs.
But Opposition Health spokesperson Shannon Fentiman has told parliament the benefits of pill testing are well known, a sentiment she shared on her instagram account before the vote.
"You would not believe what is happening here at the Queensland parliament... Here in Queensland, we know pill testing saves lives. Doctors, experts, people with lived experience know that this service saves people's lives."
---
US President Donald Trump has unexpectedly revealed his government is apparently in negotiation with Afghanistan's Taliban government.
Speaking at a press conference at the end of his state visit to the U-K, he has told media his government wants to regain control of Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase, which is close to the borders of China and Pakistan.
“We gave it to them for nothing. We're trying to get it back by the way, OK. That could be a little breaking news - we're trying to get it back. Because they need things from us - we want that base back. But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons."
Trump has repeatedly attacked former President Joe Biden in the past for handing over Bagram.
The base was the largest American military base in Afghanistan during the U-S 20-year campaign there.
---
New South Wales has announced it is converting eight thousand buses to electric power, with the first of 11 depots currently transitioning to green energy.
There are currently 13 buses running on electricity across Sydney, with 40 to be on the roads by the end of the year - with 229 on the way by 2028.
Chargers are being installed at the Brookvale depot on Sydney's northern beaches, which is the first of the state's depots to undergo the transition.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says there will be multiple benefits in this move.
"You will see whisper-quiet buses on Sydney streets, particularly on the Northern Beaches which is a fantastic addition. Zero additions, a far nicer trip to work and brand new buses. So thanks to Custom Denning, a Western Sydney firm that is pumping out these wonderful buses."
---
To sport and in athletics news, Australian runner Gout Gout has pledged to come back bigger and better after his thrilling run to the 200 metre semi-finals at the world championships in Tokyo.
While the 17-year-old failed to qualify for the final of the men's race, he has still made history as the youngest man ever to represent Australia at a world title event.
He says he's taking this result as a learning experience for his future career - and has loved every moment.
"This are my first majors and I'm just happy to be here and taking little step by little step. So I'm just really excited for more to come, and I can't wait for the next Olympics and next world championship."
