TRANSCRIPT
- Pro-Palestinian protesters in Melbourne call for a ceasefire
- Flood force thousands from their homes in Scotland
- Joel Kelso becomes the first Australian in nine years to secure a place among the Moto3 winners
Thousands of people have gathered in Melbourne for a pro-Palestinian rally.
Protests in major cities this weekend have called for a ceasefire, as Gaza health authorities say at least 4,137 Palestinians have died due to ongoing Israeli bombing.
This follows an October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel which killed at least 1,400 people in the country.
Greens leader Adam Bandt says the numbers at the Melbourne protest should send a message to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
"There is a global push for peace, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets around the world, to say 'stop the war on Gaza' and 'stop the invasion', or a humanitarian crisis is going to turn into a humanitarian catastrophe."
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The Coalition's Defence spokesman Andrew Hastie has urged "moral clarity" in Australia's position on the Middle East conflict, repeating calls for the Prime Minister to visit Israel.
Mr Hastie has told Sky News Anthony Albanese should use his trip to the United States to also visit Tel Aviv, and show his government is united on the issue.
He says Israel is in a difficult position and needs to protect its borders and citizens.
"We in Australia, though, remain committed to the two-state solution where both the Palestinian people and the Jewish people can live peacefully side-by-side in the Middle East. And that's still my hope. But the next few weeks and months are going to be very difficult, and we've seen too many voices out there making a moral equivalence between Israel-Hamas, and I think that's just disgraceful and false. And that's why I'm calling for clarity about what's at stake here, and really, moral clarity about what has happened so far."
The Prime Minister has resisted pressure from the Coalition, including leader Peter Dutton, saying he has no plans to meet with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will be urging support for AUKUS legislation while visiting the United States.
Mr Albanese will meet with President Joe Biden and will seek progress on the plan for Australia to acquire nuclear submarines, after the legislation for the pact has faced hurdles in Congress and under strict U-S trade restrictions.
Mr Albanese says the nuclear submarine deal is "absolutely critical" to Australia's future.
"And I'll be having important meetings with members of congress, and senate, about the legislation that's required to ensure that AUKUS can continue to forge ahead, but also so that Australia can benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act as well. As we move to a clean energy economy, Australia is in a strong position."
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Floods have forced hundreds of people from their homes in Scotland, as Storm Babet continues to batter the United Kingdom with powerful winds and rain.
At least four people have died and hundreds of homes have been damaged, as the U-K's rail network and some airports face ongoing disruptions.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency has warned residents to brace themselves for more potential flooding.
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And in car racing,
Joel Kelso has become the first Australian in nine years to secure a place among the Moto3 winners.
The 20-year-old navigated wet and wild conditions at Phillip Island to finish third, behind winner Deniz Oncu from Turkey and Japan's Ayumu Sasaki.
The Darwin-born rider says he's "over the moon" with the result.
