Border crossing to stay closed, Israel says, as US alleges Hamas ceasefire violation – Reuters

Posted on by
  1. Border crossing to stay closed, Israel says, as US alleges Hamas ceasefire violation  Reuters
  2. Rafah crossing to stay closed, says Netayahu, amid rising tensions over Gaza ceasefire – Middle East crisis live  The Guardian
  3. Live: Israel continues deadly attacks on Gaza, closes Rafah crossing  Al Jazeera
  4. 'We're turning the tide on Gaza starvation crisis' - UN aid chief  BBC
  5. News Wrap: Israel says Rafah crossing will remain closed until hostage bodies are returned  PBS
Posted in Uncategorized

October heat records broken in WA; police use pepper spray on Melbourne protesters – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed

Asked about the hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza approved for visas in Australia and whether the ceasefire changes anything, Tony Burke said he’s not sure all of those approved for visas are still alive.

He says some will choose to stay in Australia, and others may end up with other options they might take up.

And there will be some people who we don’t hear from again. And there’s some on that case list that we haven’t heard from for a very long time. A significant number of them are part of split family groups, where some of the family is, in fact, here in Australia and they’re wanting to join.

You need to remember, our humanitarian program that we run around the world isn’t limited to places where there’s an active war. There is decency that Australia shows to people from around the world … there are Israelis who have been approved for humanitarian visas as well. I’ve got no intention of cancelling those either. We’re a decent country. We are talking about people where all the checks have been made. And some of them won’t choose to come here, some of them won’t be alive any more …

Probably the most significant change in response these days is the majority of people now get sent straight back to their country of origin. So, you used to really only see people going back to Indonesia or off to Nauru for processing. But the majority of cases now are going straight back to country of origin.

We had one very recently where, within 72 hours, we had everybody back to their country of origin. There was one in May, for example, where it was a mixed boatload of people from different countries and we had to, you know, from three different sorts of citizenships that people had come from. It was more complex but we still made sure we returned people directly straight back to the countries of origin.

Continue reading...

Ukraine war briefing: Repairs begin in bid to restore power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – The Guardian

Posted on by
  1. Ukraine war briefing: Repairs begin in bid to restore power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant  The Guardian
  2. Work underway to restore power at Ukrainian nuclear plant as UN announces rare local ‘ceasefire zones’  CNN
  3. Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant repairs begin in Ukraine as ceasefire zones set  Al Jazeera
  4. "Complex repair plan" underway to restore power at Ukrainian nuclear plant, U.N. watchdog says  CBS News
  5. Ukrainians disappointed after Trump-Zelenskyy meeting fails to immediately secure Tomahawk missiles  The Hill
Posted in Uncategorized

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 18, 2025 – Institute for the Study of War

Posted on by
  1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 18, 2025  Institute for the Study of War
  2. Russia seeks to normalize relations with U.S., curb support for Ukraine - ISW  Ukrinform
  3. OPINION: Russia’s War on Ukraine Enters a New Grim Phase  Kyiv Post
  4. The War in Ukraine: Situation Report, October 2025  SLDinfo.com
  5. Local View: Moscow's bargain a threat, not an offer  Duluth News Tribune
Posted in Uncategorized

David Littleproud urges Barnaby Joyce to stay in the Nationals amid speculation of a jump to One Nation

Posted on by

Nationals leader says maverick MP still ‘has a contribution to make between now and when he retires’

The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has urged Barnaby Joyce stay in the party after the maverick MP announced his intention to quit and consider “all options” – prompting speculation of a possible defection to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

The former deputy prime minister announced on Saturday he would not stand for his New South Wales seat of New England at the next election. He cited an irreparably broken relationship with the Nationals’ leadership, but would see out the rest of the parliamentary term.

Continue reading...

Guardian Australia’s Ben Smee joint winner of Queensland journalist of the year award

Posted on by

The Guardian’s Queensland correspondent and three SBS journalists win top award for investigation into children locked up in police watch houses

Guardian Australia’s Ben Smee and a team from SBS have been named joint winners of the coveted journalist of the year award at Queensland’s annual media awards – the Clarions.

Smee, the Guardian Australia’s Queensland state correspondent, and SBS journalists Jennifer Luu, Jodie Noyce and Chloe Angelo, won the top award for their exclusive investigation, In the Box: Inside the Isolation Cells where Australian Kids are Imprisoned. Smee also picked up two other awards at a ceremony on Saturday night.

Continue reading...