In this bulletin;
- Northern New South Wales residents hoping for the best but preparing for the worst of Cyclone Alfred;
- The UN hails a new proposal for Gaza's reconstruction;
- And in sport, Football Australia defends delays on a promised security taskforce.
Evacuation centres have been established on the Gold Coast, in anticipation of Cyclone Alfred that is expected to make landfall in the next day or so.
The region - along with Brisbane and Queensland's hinterland - is expected to face the brunt of the strong winds, with Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner predicting at least 20,000 properties could be impacted by the category two storm.
But the danger stretches far further afield, from Double Island Point in Queensland to Yamba in northern New South Wales, south of Byron Bay.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says they will be ready when the cyclone crosses the coast.
"The SES, the Bureau of Meteorology, emergency services in New South Wales have been working hard to pre-position, and ensure we're in a position where we can get emergency service workers on the ground ready to go. But it's still a huge ask for the New South Wales community, particularly those that live on the Northern Rivers, to prepare for the worst. We hope for the best, but we have to prepare for the worst."
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Western Australia Police have charged a 16-year-old boy over an alleged online threat to a mosque in south-west Sydney that he was "about to christ church 2.0 this join[t]".
In a statement, police said the teenager had been charged with creating false apprehension to the existence of threats of danger.
This comes as the Grand Mufti of Australia has called for laws to protect all religions and sects equally, following the alleged online threats.
Dr Ibrahim Abu Muhammad has told SBS Arabic beliefs should not be used as a basis for targeting people.
"It is very important that people are not targeted simply because they belong to a certain faith or religion, so we say that it is very important that laws are issued to protect religions and that there is no selective protection for a certain group, but rather we want protection to be general protection for all Australians who live on this good land."
The Grand Mufti has confirmed to SBS Arabic this morning that he has received calls of solidarity from several communities, including Jewish and Christian groups.
New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies President David Ossip has released a separate statement saying no Australian should have to fear for their safety when atttending their place of worship.
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Hamas has welcomed an alternative proposal for the reconstruction of Gaza by a group of Arab leaders at an emergency summit in Egypt.
Egypt’s plan foresees rebuilding Gaza by 2030, with the first phase involving the removal of unexploded ordnances and clearing more than 50 million tons of rubble, as well as hundreds of thousands of temporary units to house Gaza’s population while reconstruction takes place.
The proposal also involves Hamas ceding power to an interim administration of political independents until a reformed Palestinian Authority can assume control.
The draft plan have been given a lukewarm reception by Israel and the White House - but UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says there is no sustainable future for Gaza that is not part of a viable Palestinian state.
"Any transitional arrangements must be designed to achieve unified Palestinian governance, within an agreed and limited time frame... There can be no recovery without an end to the occupation, no justice without accountability for violations of international law and no sustainable reconstruction without a clear and principled political horizon."
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To sport,
A taskforce Football Australia promised to set up to tackle anti-social fan behaviour following a Melbourne derby pitch invasion has yet to be established.
FA chief executive James Johnson said at the time the taskforce would ensure Australia was a world leader in stadium security.
But more than two years on, several A-League clubs, and representatives from other professional leagues, say they have yet to see the taskforce's complete findings.
Football Australia has released a statement that says plenty of work has been done - and that they take the safety and security of all fans, players, and officials seriously.
