TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- Donald Trump says US cities could be 'training grounds' for the military
- The US-led plan for ending the war in Gaza continues to provoke strong reactions
- And in tennis, Alex De Minaur goes down to Jannik Sinner again at the China Open
Donald Trump has flagged further military action in cities across the United States, telling a gathering of generals that places he regards as dangerous could be training grounds for troops.
Although the military is designed to handle foreign threats, the President has outlined his vision of using it for domestic purposes.
"Together with many of you in the room, we've brought back the fundamental principle that defending the homeland is the military's first and most important priority, that's what it is. Only in recent decades did politicians somehow come to believe that our job is to police the far reaches of Kenya and Somalia while America is under invasion from within. We're under invasion from within."
The gathering consisted of admirals and generals from conflict zones in the Middle East and elsewhere who had been summoned for a lecture on race and gender in the military.
In keeping with the nonpartisan tradition of the armed services, the military leaders sat impassively through Mr Trump’s remarks, a contrast from when rank-and-file soldiers cheered during Donald Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg in the summer.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu has presented the terms of the U-S led Gaza peace plan to his cabinet, to mixed reactions from government ministers.
Israel's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, says the plan is an historic missed opportunity that will end in tears, telling the Jerusalem Post it is "an act of willful blindness that ignores every lesson of October 7.”
The Post says his party - the Religious Zionist Party - is expected to meet to determine its next move and will then announce its position.
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Some Australian Palestinian advocates have criticised a US-led proposal for the end of the war in Gaza, despite the federal government supporting it.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the peace plan, which he says he discussed with other world leaders during the past week while in the United States and United Kingdom.
But Australia-Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni says the plan offers no justice or peace.
Mr Mashni argues there are no security guarantees for Palestinians because Gaza would be disarmed, while Israel would be allowed to keep its weapons.
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Some economists maintain a November interest rate cut is still possible, despite the Reserve Bank leaving rates unchanged at their September meeting.
A widely-anticipated decision saw the central bank leave the cash rate on hold at 3.6 per cent, after three previous rate cuts this year.
Reserve Bank governor Michelle Bullock says the board was concerned that, following strong economic activity and consumer price index figures in the lead-up to the meeting, inflation was now likely to exceed their latest forecasts.
Pradeep Phillip, from Deloitte Access Economics, says the Bank is clearly being cautious.
"We should not see this as a signal that the rate cut cycle is over. What it tells us is that there are some green shoots in the economy. The Reserve Bank wants to see how strong they are. We know that inflation has fallen substantially, but we also know from the most recent monthly inflation numbers that the September quarter figures could be slightly higher."
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Emergency services in Indonesia are racing to find 38 people feared trapped beneath the rubble of an Islamic boarding school that collapsed in East Java.
Three people have been killed and dozens injured at the Al Khoziny boarding school in Sidoarjo.
The disaster mitigation agency has alleged the building's foundations could not support construction on its fourth floor.
Local search official Nanang Sigit says rescuers cannot use heavy equipment for fear of causing further damage.
"Today, our target is rescuing one victim who's able to communicate verbally with us. However to reach this target we need to prioritise safety. Our challenge with collapsed buildings are the instability of the building materials which could collapse again on survivors or even rescue teams."
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To sport and in tennis news,
Australia Alex De Minaur has been eliminated from the China Open by Jannik Sinner.
The Italian has eliminated the Aussie 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the tournament - which means Sinner has now won all eleven of their professional matches.
Sinner now faces the number 52-ranked player in the world, 19-year-old Learner Tien, in the final.
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