Australia on the verge of recognising Palestine as a state

SBS Australia

2 days ago

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TRANSCRIPT:
Australia on the verge of recognising Palestine as a state;
One killed in an earthquake in Turkiye;
Australia triumphs over South Africa in their first T20 match in Darwin. The federal government is considering announcing its intention to formally recognise the state of Palestine as early as today. A high-level federal government source has confirmed to SBS World News that Cabinet is set to meet in Canberra today, with the expectation amongst senior ministers that it will sign off on statehood. France has already announced its intention to recognise a Palestinian State at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York in September, while the UK has moved to support recognition of Palestine if Israel fails to meet a series of conditions. Australia is expected to follow the same timeline of moving to formal recognition at the UN talks in September. Israel's Prime Minister has spoken with U-S President Donald Trump about a new military offensive in Gaza City that he says will be finished quickly. Benjamin Netanyahu says it is the best way to move forward. "Israel's security cabinet instructed the IDF to dismantle the two remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central camps. Contrary to false claims, this is the best way to end the war and the best way to end it speedily." The PM's announcement has been met with alarm and condemnation by the international community. The U-K, China, France and Slovenia are among the member nations to condemn Israel's actions at an emergency U-N security council meeting, which Palestinian Permanent Observer to the U-N, Riyad Mansour, says he wishes was the start of something more. "While this is okay, it is not sufficient. You have to act. You have do something about it. You have stop it." At least one person has been killed in an earthquake in Turkiye. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya says the elderly woman died shortly after being pulled out alive from the debris of a collapsed building in Sindirgi, in the country's northwestern province of Balikesir. Officials say the earthquake measured 6.1 in magnitude and caused about a dozen buildings to collapse. The shocks of the earthquake have reportedly been widely felt, some from 200 kilometres to the north in Istanbul, a city of more than 16 million people. The Victorian government is under pressure to bring forward anti-hate laws which are due to come into effect next month, after around 100 neo-NAZIs marched down Melbourne's main street at the weekend. Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has released a statement saying the police did what they could to maintain public order during the march - and the state's anti-vilification statute will give them even more powers. The state's Opposition leader Brad Battin says her government has lost control over the matter. But Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny says that's far from the truth. "We are working on additional powers so police will be able to unmask these cowards, these cowards who are hiding behind these masks and who are walking our streets in the middle of the night." Early findings from an upcoming Diversity Council Australia report suggests social class can hinder people's careers. The early data indicates Australian workers face a "class ceiling" that leaves some with less chance for job progression, confounding the nation's image as an egalitarian society. It's found only 44 per cent of disadvantaged workers have been offered career-development opportunities in the past year, compared to 76 per cent who were privileged due to their social class. The study also found that one in four marginalised workers felt valued and respected in their teams, compared to 41 per cent of privileged workers. The federal environment minister has apologised for an escalating marine crisis in South Australia, saying authorities have been too slow to respond to the algal bloom that's killing vast swathes of marine life. Tens of thousands of marine animals have been killed since the bloom was identified off the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia in March, and has since spread along the coastline. Murray Watt says that the official response could have been better - but he says the government's recently announced jointly funded $28 million package will make a positive difference. To sport now and in cricket, Australia have beaten South Africa in the first match of a three-game Twenty20 series in Darwin. South Africa lost by 17 runs in the clash at Marrara Oval. Josh Hazlewood was the hero for Australia, claiming 3 for29, while veteran legspinner Adam Zampa finished with 2 for 32 from his four overs. Tim David hammered eight sixes in a powerful 83, telling Channel 9 next time it will likely be a teammate who does the heavy lifting.
"We went pretty hard today but you know there are not going to be that many occasions when that many of our batters miss out, I don't think. So it will be someone in the next match who will get us the runs and over the line."