Pressure on Putin, Syria clashes & what Albanese told Xi
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Police 'scrambling' as pro-Palestinian Sydney Harbour Bridge march gets green light
Police are "scrambling" to alert motorists about a pro-Palestinian march over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday after the event secured a tick of approval from NSW's highest court. Following the Supreme Court ruling on Saturday morning, NSW Police acting deputy commissioner Peter McKenna urged those planning to take part to act safely and peacefully. He said the "whole gamut" of officers would be deployed to monitor the demonstration. "We are there to keep everyone safe ... we will have police right along the route and we'll be making sure this is done as safely and peacefully as possible," he told reporters. "Anyone who thinks they're going to come along and hijack this protest or do the wrong thing, police will take swift action." Disruption 'in the nature of peaceful protests' Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a prohibition order sought by police over the planned protest, organised by the Palestine Action Group, which is expected to draw thousands. The application on behalf of the NSW police commissioner sought to prohibit the march on public safety grounds. However, Rigg said in her judgement that arguments it would cause disruption were not sufficient. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. Rigg noted there was significant support for the march from hundreds of organisations including Amnesty International, various churches, the Jewish Council of Australia, the nurses and midwives association and other trade unions. NSW Police took court action to categorise the march as unlawful and unauthorised, arguing that closing the bridge with less than a week's notice was unreasonable. A prohibition order would not have banned attendance at the protest, but would have meant participants would lack legal protection against offences like blocking roads or traffic. The Supreme Court decision means those attending Sunday's protest will be provided these legal rights. Outside court, Palestine Action Group Sydney spokesperson Josh Lees said: "This will go down, I think, as one of those moments in history when the people of the world and in our case, the people of Sydney and NSW, stood up to be on the right side of history." The group had called for a "march for humanity" over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in response to mounting evidence of "widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease" in Gaza, according to the United Nations. 'There to keep everyone safe' Police on Saturday implored those planning to take part to act peacefully and respectfully, warning them they would be closely monitored. Protesters are expected to march from the CBD to North Sydney, with the bridge closed from 11.30am to about 4pm. Police Minister Yasmine Catley urged people to avoid the city if possible. "Make no mistake there is going to be massive, massive disruption ... there will be significant delays," she said. "But we believe police will be able to handle the protest on the bridge so long as people are peaceful, that they listen to what police ask them to do and that they are sensible." What happened in court? On Friday, NSW Police argued the force would not be able to create a safe environment for the rally and raised the possibility of a crowd crush. Lachlan Gyles SC, who represented NSW Police, told the court: "This is really unprecedented in terms of scale, the level of risk, the lack of time to prepare." He accused Lees of ignoring his duty of care to public safety. Under cross-examination, acting assistant police commissioner Adam Johnson raised the possibility of a crowd crush. "I'm personally concerned about that," he said. LISTEN TO "We (Palestine Action Group) want to work with them to facilitate a march over the bridge that is safe and peaceful," he said. Felicity Graham, the group's barrister, told the court it would be safer for police to authorise the protest, as people would march regardless of the decision. "A prohibition order may well increase the number of people who attend the protest, and exacerbate the potential for unrest and violence," she said. Outside the court, Lees said on Friday the group was open to delaying the rally. "We put forward a whole proposal for 24 August, we would have our march over the Sydney Harbour Bridge that would march identical routes to the World Pride March in 2023," he said. Graham also said that the growing support for the march, which includes members of parliament, organisations, and high-profile figures, should be considered. Rigg reserved her decision under Saturday morning. The bridge has previously been shut, including for a reconciliation rally in 2000, which attracted more than 250,000 people. — With additional reporting from the Australian Associated Press
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Evening News Bulletin 2 August 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT: A woman stabbed to death in rural Victoria; Donald Trump's name removed from an impeachment exhibit at a museum in the US; Australia's Sarah Gigante keeping pace with the leaders of the Tour de France Femmes. A man is being interviewed by police after the stabbing death of a woman in regional Victoria. Police say the man they arrested was known to the woman. Officers had been called to a home in Coleraine, in regional Victoria, about 340 kilometres west of Melbourne just after 1am this morning following reports a woman had been attacked. A worker has been killed and five others remain trapped underground after a collapse at a copper mine in Chile. The collapse is understood to be the result of an earthquake that trapped the miners as they worked on the Andesita project, a new 25 kilometre tunnel complex extending from the El Teniente mine on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains. The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5.0 earthquake in an area of central Chile where the mine is located. But authorities are yet to determine if it was a naturally occurring earthquake or whether it was caused by mining activity. A US museum has removed Donald Trump's name from an impeachment exhibit in Washington DC. The Washington Post says the exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History now has a label that notes that only three presidents have seriously faced removal: Andrew Johnson in 1868; Bill Clinton in 1998, and Richard Nixon, who would have faced impeachment had he not resigned in 1974. Trump was impeached twice in his first term in office. New South Wales Police say they will respect a court decision to allow a pro Palestinian protest to take place on the Harbour Bridge on Sunday. The Force had previously argued that the rally would cause disruption on the bridge, an argument rejected by Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg who ruled those arguments were not sufficient to bar the demonstration. Acting deputy commissioner Peter McKenna says they will be working with the protest organisers to ensure it goes ahead smoothly. "Nothing changes for us in the fact that people who come in to do the right thing and have a safe protest, then we will facilitate that. We will work with them. But if people come in to commit any type of offences, anti-social behaviour or anything else that puts the public safety at risk, then we will have no hesitation to take action. So nothing has changed in that space." A handful of Labor Party members have staged a silent protest at the Victorian party's conference. They've held up images of Palestinian flags on their devices as Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles delivered a speech to the group, which centred largely around thanking Labor members for their efforts to secure the party's thumping federal election win. "This is the largest number of seats that we have ever won at a federal election. (claps) Proportionally, it is the single biggest defeat of Australia's conservative movement ever." While passed motions do not bind governments or the federal party, votes by rank-and-file members are set for this afternoon on the AUKUS defence agreement and Middle East. Labor's official platform backs Palestinian statehood but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has not set a timeline for implementing the policy and recently declared it not imminent. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled a new economic partnership between the federal government and Indigenous organisation the Coalition of Peaks at the Garma festival in north-east Arnhem land. The PM has called the Partnership an example of the government's commitment to the Priority Reforms of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. "We must end the stalemate that arises when native title organisations with little in the way back of us, or legal or commercial expertise, are expected to negotiate with multinational companies. This is why the first priority for our economic partnership will be to reform the funding model for prescribed body corporate. So that it delivers meaningful participation for communities and timely decision making for investors." Data released on Thursday revealed just four of 19 targets are on track to be met. Another four goals are going backwards - namely adult incarceration, children in out-of-home care, suicide rates and child development. Australia's Sarah Gigante has kept pace with the Tour de France Femmes leaders, despite France's Maeva Squiban claiming a solo victory in the seventh stage. Gigante has come home in 16th place for the second day running, 1 minute and 11 seconds behind the winner. The result means the AG Insurance-Soudal rider has slipped a place to eighth in the general classification, 1 min 14 sec behind yellow jersey wearer Kimberley Le Court Pienaar. But she says she has a game plan and is sticking to it. "I know they're going to put me under pressure on purpose. So it's hard but yeah, I know what's coming."
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Garma Festival hears NT government 'is not listening', should learn from Indigenous leaders and not play 'cheap politics'
After a politically turbulent week in the Northern Territory, the prime minister has joined Indigenous leaders in remote Arnhem Land to call for unity at the 25th edition of Garma Festival. Notably, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro — who has pushed ahead with a tough-on-crime rhetoric, despite backlash from elders, legal experts and paediatricians — was not in attendance. In an emotional address at Garma on Saturday, independent Mulka MP Yiŋiya Mark Guyula said the NT government was "making costly mistakes" by ignoring advocates. He said the cultural festival had become "critical" for the survival of Indigenous Territorians, and it was "about healing the people", living together in unity, sharing to find a pathway forward, and working together to achieve harmony. In just over a week, the NT's Country Liberal Party (CLP) government has: Mr Guyula accused the NT government of pursuing policies that disproportionately impacted vulnerable people and treated Aboriginal people like they are "animals". He said prisons and watch houses were keeping detainees in "inhumane conditions" for extended periods, which caused trauma and taught Indigenous inmates "a criminal culture, not our culture". "Since the CLP government came to power, 11 months ago, there has been a 30 per cent increase in Aboriginal [being incarcerated] — the jails are full," Mr Guyula said. "On Thursday, I watched the government pass another bill on urgency with no consultation of leaders and elders, no consultation of communities, no consultation of legal experts." The Indigenous MP said he had moved to censure the government — a formal parliamentarian process to express dissatisfaction — for not consulting with Aboriginal elders, but on Thursday the government rejected the motion. Mr Guyula told the Garma crowd that Indigenous clans "understand each other, so that we know how to help one another", and urged all sides of politics to do the same. "The government approach at the moment, of aggressive actions, does not address the underlying issues. "We have answers, but the government needs to listen and work with us. "We are fed up with the disrespect and we are fed up with being told, 'We know what's best for you'." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed the remote NT leader's words, and said "the privilege of government is the chance to serve this nation and to change it, to leave it for the better". In his Garma address on Saturday, he said the federal government hoped to deliver policies that would help rebuild remote Indigenous communities. "But it's also about pushing back against those who only ever talk in terms of cost or waste or problems, without solutions — those who choose the cheap politics of division, over the patient work of lasting change," the prime minister said. Mr Albanese said anyone looking "to turn the grace and generosity of a welcome to country, or what flag you stand in front of, into a political weapon" was misguided. "The way forward is to invest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," he said. "Trust in their aspirations and draw from their knowledge, because when we lay these strong foundations together, there is no limit to what we can build together." While addressing the festival on Friday, NT Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Steve Edgington was asked what the territory CLP government had done to improve outcomes for Indigenous people since it was elected last year. "We want to increase opportunities for leaders in those communities to make decisions when it comes to funding and how services should be delivered." The minister pointed to the housing shortage as a root cause of youth crime, and said the lack of available accommodation had driven poor health, education and employment outcomes. When asked if the NT government had consulted with Aboriginal groups about the youth justice reforms that passed parliament this week, Mr Edgington said he "doesn't have the data in front of him".
