Harbour Bridge rally given green light from court
NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks.
Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza.
Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster.
Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning.
In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest.
"It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said.
In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge.
A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard.
Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after.
Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found.
Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short.
"While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said.
"(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented."
The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly.
The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up.
Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel.
An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters.
The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said.
"This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP.
"Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue."
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation.
Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.
A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather.
NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks.
Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza.
Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster.
Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning.
In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest.
"It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said.
In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge.
A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard.
Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after.
Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found.
Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short.
"While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said.
"(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented."
The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly.
The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up.
Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel.
An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters.
The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said.
"This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP.
"Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue."
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation.
Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.
A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather.
NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks.
Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza.
Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster.
Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning.
In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest.
"It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said.
In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge.
A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard.
Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after.
Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found.
Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short.
"While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said.
"(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented."
The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly.
The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up.
Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel.
An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters.
The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said.
"This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP.
"Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue."
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation.
Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.
A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather.
NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks.
Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza.
Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster.
Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning.
In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest.
"It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said.
In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge.
A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard.
Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after.
Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found.
Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short.
"While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said.
"(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented."
The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly.
The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up.
Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel.
An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters.
The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said.
"This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP.
"Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue."
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation.
Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.
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Australia news LIVE: Albanese defends Allan's WFH push; Trump threatens higher tariffs on Australian medications; Rio Tinto mulls sick leave overhaul
Key posts 1.59pm Flying to Sydney from NZ? You might not need to fill out a paper form any more 1.39pm Union alarm as mining giant mulls sick leave overhaul 1.20pm Today's headlines 12.50pm Taxpayers pour $50 million into Gina Rinehart-backed lithium miner 12.20pm Trump threatens DC takeover after staffer known as 'Big Balls' assaulted 11.18am Trump coming after 'utterly core' Labor agenda: Butler 11.16am Butler 'very concerned' about Trump's 250 per cent tariff threat 10.59am Albanese praises 'very constructive' call with Palestinian Authority Hide key posts Go to latest Quick explainer: What is a tariff? By Alexander Darling Good afternoon, Alex here in Melbourne taking over from my colleague, Daniel. While there's all this discussion about US President Donald Trump's tariffs coming into effect today, here's a crash course in what that word means. A tariff is a tax which countries impose on goods and services imported from another country. 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By Alexander Darling Good afternoon, Alex here in Melbourne taking over from my colleague, Daniel. While there's all this discussion about US President Donald Trump's tariffs coming into effect today, here's a crash course in what that word means. A tariff is a tax which countries impose on goods and services imported from another country. They are often used to protect domestic industries offering the same goods and services as well as raising revenue. Loading Often importers will pass the costs of tariffs onto their customers in the form of higher prices, making the imported goods more expensive and less attractive to consumers. As an example, US importers will pay a 10 per cent tariff on Australian goods, meaning an order that used to cost $1 million will now cost them $1.1 million. 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Earlier this year, the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund took a $200 million stake in Arafura Rare Earths, a company aiming to mine and process crucial raw ingredients needed to make high-strength magnets in the Northern Territory. 12.20pm Trump threatens DC takeover after staffer known as 'Big Balls' assaulted US President Donald Trump suggested he may use the National Guard to police the streets of Washington, DC, in his latest threat to take over running the city that serves as the seat of the US government. 'We have a capital that's very unsafe,' Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. 'We have to run DC.' Trump, who has threatened a federal takeover of the city multiple times, renewed those threats after a young staffer who was part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency was assaulted over the weekend. Musk, the billionaire former adviser to Trump who once spearheaded the DOGE effort, said the man – Edward Coristine, known by the nickname 'Big Balls' – was beaten and received a concussion. 'It is time to federalise DC,' he wrote. A spokesman for DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to comment. Violent crime in the first seven months of 2025 was down by 26 per cent in DC compared with last year while overall crime was down about 7 per cent, according to the police department. 12.09pm Australian gold exports hit record high By Shane Wright The great musician Prince may have said that all that glitters ain't gold, but he wasn't singing about Australia's extraordinary golden trade performance of the past year. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released this morning revealed that in June, the country exported a record $5.7 billion worth of non-monetary gold. There was a spike at the start of the year as gold exports from Australia and several other nations to the United States soared on concerns among American investors about Donald Trump's trade policy. So large were our exports that Australia ran a trade surplus with the US for the first time since Harry Truman was president (and Vera Lynn, Bing Crosby and Tony Bennett dominated the music charts). The trade surplus has come to an end, but Australia is still exporting record amounts of gold. In 2024-25, the country exported a record $46.9 billion worth of the shiny stuff, a 42.4 per cent lift on 2023-24. It's almost double the value of gold exports in 2022-23. By contrast, the nation's single large export – iron ore – slid by 15.5 per cent last financial year to $116.5 billion.
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Sky News AU
an hour ago
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Man who has lived in the US for 40 years faces deportation to Australia despite having no ties to the country
A man who has lived in the United States for four decades has been detained by immigration officers and told he could be forcibly removed not to his native Iran, but to either Australia or Romania - countries with which he has no known ties. Reza Zavvar was arrested just metres from his home in Maryland five weeks ago by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and he is now being held in a privately operated detention centre in Ohio, facing an uncertain future far from his family. The Iranian-born man moved to the US in 1985 at the age of 12, but despite living, working, and building a life in America for over 40 years, he never obtained US citizenship. He was the only member of his family not to do so. Zavvar previously held a green card, but lost it in 2004 after two minor marijuana-related offences which dated back to the 1990s. Despite this, he was granted a non-expulsion order preventing his removal to Iran, allowing him to remain legally in the US. Fresh court documents reveal the Department of Homeland Security is attempting to deport him to either Romania or Australia. Why those countries were selected remains unclear as Zavvar is not a citizen of either, nor has he ever lived in the two countries. 'Being in a grey area with lots of question marks, it's torture,' his mother, Firouzeh Firouzabadi, told 9News. She said he was taken into custody while walking his dog and that she hasn't seen him since. The Australian government has expressed concern and confusion over the decision, saying it had not been consulted. 'We consider any application for a visa in its merits, we have not been contacted by the US government about this matter,' a spokesperson said. Immigration lawyer Ava Beach added, 'Australia doesn't seek to be a place where America deports people to who aren't Americans. How they picked those countries is a mystery to me.' Zavvar's case has raised questions about a controversial deportation tactic reportedly expanded under President Donald Trump's administration, one that allows ICE to target long-term residents with old or minor convictions and send them to third countries with little or no personal connection. 'This is not something we've seen involving Australia before,' said Mahsa Khanbabai, a board director with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, who spoke to ABC News. 'Normally, what we've been seeing is that the Trump administration is targeting countries where they feel they have some leverage, that they feel they can push around and bully. Australia is not a country that we would normally consider to be in such a position.' ICE has defended the move, calling Zavvar a 'criminal illegal alien' and pointing to his past conviction for attempted possession of a controlled substance as justification for deportation. 'ICE continues to try and find a country willing to accept this criminal illegal alien,' said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. The US government insists it is following through on promises to tighten immigration enforcement with around 40 per cent of those currently in ICE custody having a criminal record, according to recent DHS figures. Meanwhile, Zavvar's family and supporters are rallying to fight the deportation, launching a petition and fundraising campaign to cover legal costs. 'After 40 years of living in the US, Reza knows no other home,' his sister Maryam wrote online. 'He waits in a privately run detention centre, thousands of miles from anything familiar, while bureaucrats decide his future.'
