Latest news with #Australia
SBS Australia
17 minutes ago
- General
- SBS Australia
'Good opportunity': Opposition says Anthony Albanese should visit Israel
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being pressured to visit Israel as Australia strengthens its language against the Middle Eastern nation for blocking aid into Gaza. Albanese was publicly invited to visit Israel by President Isaac Herzog after he criticised a blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza. The new Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Albanese should take up the invitation and travel as soon as possible, when there were no domestic issues like the NSW flood recovery. Australia has joined a growing chorus of nations strengthening rhetoric against Israel as the death toll in Gaza eclipses 54,000, according to the local health authority. More than two million people face starvation with a lack of basic supplies, and the strip largely reduced to rubble following the nearly 20-month-long war. Aid was stopped to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages after a ceasefire broke down earlier this year. Albanese branded Israel's blockade as unacceptable and said its explanation for blocking aid was "completely untenable and without credibility". "Australia and Israel have always had a very strong relationship, which has deteriorated significantly under the Albanese government since Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023," Cash told AAP. "This is a good opportunity for the prime minister to reset the relationship." Cash is set to meet Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon in the next week. Federal Labor president and former treasurer Wayne Swan said he was sure Albanese would consider Herzog's invitation. "But you know, the behaviour of Israel at the moment is pretty outrageous when it comes to the blockage of aid into Gaza," he told Nine's Today Show on Friday. "Now, of course, we've got additional settlements going into the West Bank, so the behaviour of the Israeli government is pretty provocative at the moment. "But I'm sure the prime minister will do everything he can constructively to work with all those involved for a swift end to this conflict." Canada, France and the UK have warned of "further concrete action" if Israel doesn't halt its military campaign and lift aid restrictions. A ceasefire deal brokered by the White House and signed off by Israel has renewed hope. The proposal hasn't been fully detailed publicly and has been submitted to Hamas. It comes ahead of a major international summit, which will debate Palestinian statehood in New York in June. Australia hasn't confirmed who it will send as a representative. Israel has criticised any push for Palestinian statehood as rewarding Hamas' terrorism, a point that has been reiterated by some Jewish groups in Australia as well as the Opposition.
News.com.au
21 minutes ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Titans lock in Kini until at least 2030
NRL: The Gold Coast Titans fullback Keano Kini has signed a new contract, which will keep him at the club until at least 2030.
News.com.au
21 minutes ago
- General
- News.com.au
‘They're definitely playing': Massive boost for Broncos with Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan set to play after Origin heroics
Broncos coach Michael Maguire has declared prop forward Payne Haas is 'definitely playing' after his herculean performance in the front row for NSW on Wednesday night despite barely training due to a quad injury. Haas was named man of the match in the game one win on the back of 138m, 27 tackles and zero misses after being in doubt for the Suncorp Stadium showdown. The machine in the middle didn't train with the team for the first few days of camp but played like a man possessed to help the Blues take a 1-0 series lead. There would be no shame in him wanting to rest up after a bruising battle on Wednesday, but he and front row partner Pat Carrigan are both set to take on Manly in a rare trip to Brookvale. 'They're definitely playing,' Maguire said. 'I'll wait and see (how many minutes they play) depending on how they're playing. 'Payne played a lot of time the other night and so did Patty. The amount of work they did for both teams was exceptional, so I'll just manage that as the game goes.' Maguire was thrilled to see the Blues win in enemy territory after he guided the team to a famous series victory last year, although he didn't want to gloat too much given he's now coaching the biggest club in Queensland. He has other things to worry about this weekend, with Maguire making a couple of key changes to the spine with Cory Paix starting at hooker and Jesse Arthars moving to fullback. Reece Walsh is still a week away as he recovers from a knee injury, with Arthars switching roles with Selwyn Cobbo, who will play on the wing after missing out on the Maroons side. 'They'll probably interchange a little bit, but Jesse has got a lot of energy with what he's doing,' the coach explained. 'Being able to utilise both he and big 'Selly' in a different way is something that I'm going to look at.' The Broncos start the round in eighth spot, but there is plenty of focus on a team that has lost three on the trot since their epic upset win over the Bulldogs. They were fantastic that night but haven't replicated that form, with Brisbane coming off a 30-26 loss to the Dragons that few saw coming before last week's bye. Effort and team cohesion have been questioned since then, but Maguire is confident his players can turn things around with ease. 'To be honest, it's pretty easy. And the players can actually see that,' he said. 'It's about individuals working hard with each other. There was a great bond with this group and that's why I've really enjoyed coaching the group. 'But you've got to be able to use that in games because the momentum of games is what it's about. When it swings on you, you've got to be able to make sure you come together, which I can see the boys doing.'
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- General
- The Guardian
NSW MP decries anti-Chinese violence in Sydney
Speaking in NSW parliament after a violent attack on a Chinese couple in Sydney, Chinese Australian MP Jason Yat-Sen Li says 'racism doesn't need to be proven in court to be real in people's lives'. Li argued for tackling the root causes of youth crime: 'poverty, disengagement and trauma to young people and their families'. Li said he and the member for Hefron, where the incident took place, had met with the attorney general, the minister for police, police command and as well as representatives from youth justice, housing, education and multicultural groups
News.com.au
25 minutes ago
- General
- News.com.au
Family's heartache at funeral for tradie executed in Condell Park in suspected case of mistaken identity
A young innocent tradie who was gunned down in the driveway of his family home as he got out of his ute has been remembered as a 'cheeky' man who was 'fierce and full of heart'. John Versace, 23, was shot at 10 times outside his parent's Condell Park home in Sydney's south-west on Monday night, in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. The young plumber, who worked for his dad's business, was farewelled in a traditional Maronite ceremony at St Charbel's Parish in Punchbowl on Friday morning. The funeral heard about Mr Versace's close relationship with both his father and his mother, as a eulogy was read out. 'More than father and son they were best friends,' a speaker said. Mr Versace also 'never walked past his mum without kissing her, hugging her or spinning her around and telling her that he loved her.' 'She didn't just raise a boy but raised a man…a real one. A cheeky one. 'Fierce…and full of heart.' The funeral also heard how Mr Versace was 'raised in love and strength with good value'. He also 'loved football' and 'shared that passion with his family and friends'. 'He was affective, protective and full of love.' Mr Versace's mother is from Lebanon and his father is Italian, with the family deciding to farewell the young plumber at the Lebanese Maronite Church next to his former school. His coffin was taken to the church in escort of about a dozen motorcycles. Police are still trying to determine how Mr Versace was so brutally caught in the crossfires of Sydney's gang wars. The 23-year-old had no major criminal past and no known links to gangs. 'What I can say in this very early stage is that the victim and the holdings that we have on the victim and his family is that he is not known to police,' Superintendent Rodney Hart said. 'He does not have a criminal record. His family members do not have criminal records. And he, at this stage, I believe, has one traffic offence.' Police said they possess 'good quality' CCTV footage that shows the 23-year-old victim - arriving at his home where he lived with his parents and two sisters. Moments later, a silver hatchback parks across the driveway and a hooded male dressed in all black exits the rear driver's side door armed with a small Glock-style hand gun. Superintendent Hart said a taskforce had been established to further investigate the incident. 'We believe that this has the hallmarks of a targeted execution – very brutal, very distressing,' Hart said. 'So, I want to reassure the community that we are treating this not as a random attack, but what I will ask from our community here is – please, anybody that has any information to assist the investigators to please call Bankstown Police Station or Crime Stoppers.'
