TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- Israel and US agree to a plan for ending the war in Gaza
- Pressure mounts on Optus after their latest triple zero bungle
- And in tennis, an historic opportunity for Aussie Alex De Minaur at the China Open
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have together agreed to a new plan to end the war in Gaza.
The United States President and Israeli Prime Minister have spoken after Mr Netayahu's visit to the White House.
Mr Netanyahu has declared the plan is a critical step towards both ending the war and setting the stage for what he has described as 'dramatically' advancing peace in the Middle East.
"I support your plan to end the war in Gaza which achieves our war aims. It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas' military capabilities and its political rule and ensure Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel."
Hamas says it has not yet seen the plan.
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A consumer group says Optus should be forced to accept outside technical help to restore public faith in the *telco's ability to manage triple-zero calls after two recent outages on its network.
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network wants Minister Annika Wells to use licensing powers to mandate independent technical oversight of emergency and network reliability systems at Optus.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the government is holding the telco to account with a thorough investigation under way by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, says any potential breaches of consumer law arising from the latest outage will also be investigated.
"We did last week get in relation to totally different conduct, a serious penalty in relation to the Australian consumer law against Optus. $100 million penalty. I only raise that to say that the Australian consumer law certainly applies to telecommunication carriers. And if they represent for example that services have qualities and features that they don't have. That is a question for the Australian consumer law."
(*telco = telecommunications company)
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The United States President has flagged another round of tariffs, this time on films that are not produced in the United States.
Donald Trump says he wants to impose a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced overseas that are then sent into the U-S, a repeat of a threat made in May that would upend Hollywood's global business model.
The step signals Mr Trump's willingness to extend protectionist trade policies into cultural industries, raising uncertainty for studios that depend heavily on cross-border co-productions and international box-office revenue.
Hollywood has increasingly relied on overseas production hubs in places like Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, where tax incentives have attracted big-budget shoots for films ranging from superhero blockbusters to streaming dramas.
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A failed political candidate has been accused of performing a Nazi salute just after he was released over allegedly performing the same act at an A-F-L game.
39 year-old Queensland man Tylere Baker-Pearce allegedly performed the salute during the opening of the Brisbane Lions match at the Gabba on September 13th.
The incident earned the footy fan a lifetime ban from all major sporting facilities in the state and criminal charges for the public display of a Nazi salute, an offence punishable by up to five years in prison.
Police allege Baker-Pearce failed to learn his lesson and performed the salute a second time on the day of the semi-final, minutes after being released from the Brisbane watchhouse on the first charge.
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The Prime Minister has arrived in Abu Dhabi on the final leg of his overseas tour, just a day before Australia's free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates is due to take effect.
He has toured the Lulu Hypermarket as part of his visit, one of the major supermarkets in the UAE that Anthony Albanese has suggested could make its mark in Australia.
Australia and the UAE signed an Economic Partnership Agreement in 2024, a deal the government says will lay the groundwork for closer economic ties.
Mr Albanese says the deal is a comprehensive one.
"It means that 99 per cent of Australian exports into the UAE will be completely tariff free. It also opens up the potential for increased investment from the sovereign wealth funds that are so large here in the UAE. Both of those activities mean jobs in Australia."
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To sport and in tennis news,
Australian Alex De Minaur will play world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the China Open.
De Minaur has made it to the final four after his quarter-final opponent, Jakub Mensik, was forced to withdraw from their match with a leg injury.
Sinner recently lost world number one ranking, but De Minaur has never beaten him in ten career meetings at the professional level.
The most recent was a straight sets trouncing at the Australian Open back in January.
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