Aid trucks enter Gaza as Netanyahu denies starvation policy
Federal MPs to debate removal of emissions targets
Mavi Garcia becomes oldest Tour de France Femmes stage winner A convoy of some 100 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom border crossing, after Israel announced it would be halting its military operations for 10 hours a day. Jordan and the UAE have conducted airdrops into Gaza in the last 24 hours, after Israel announced a series of aid measures in response to growing international condemnation that it is responsible for starvation in Gaza. The World Health Organization says malnutrition rates are on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, with 74 malnutrition-related deaths this year in Gaza - 65 occurred in July]. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist there is no starvation in Gaza, instead blaming the UN and aid groups for failing to deliver aid - even as he conceded some of the restrictions imposed by Israel will be lifted to allow in a minimum amount of aid.
"We've just announced that formally. Here are safe corridors . And the UN has no excuses left. No excuses left, stop lying. Stop finding excuses, do what you have to do, and stop accusing Israel deliberately of this egregious falsehood. There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation Gaza."
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce says he looks forward to the debate over emission reduction targets that will be triggered when he introduces his private member's bill today that proposes repealing Australia's emission reduction targets. The newly reformed Coalition has yet to determine its position on net zero targets, with differing views held by MPs. Over the weekend, the W-A Liberal Party supported a motion to abandon a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, increasing the pressure on federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to drop the policy. Mr Joyce says in his view, emission reduction targets is not the way to go.
"We are de-industrialising. We are making it weaker. We are making ourselves more vulnerable. And on the way to doing that - we are just absolutely devastating regional communities. They are just besides themselves. It is really important that people in urban areas understand what is happening in regional areas. You have got to have some empathy. And more to the point. It doesn't work. You can't run a nation on intermittent power.'
A new report has found one in five Australian households are struggling to pay their energy bills, with renters more heavily affected. The report by Energy Consumers Australia shows many of the hardest-hit households are not accessing, or aware of, available retailer or government assistance programs aimed at helping to ease energy costs. About a third of households reporting hardship had not contacted their retailer about difficulty paying bills - and almost half said they had not applied for government support.
The recommendations for change include the introduction of stronger minimum energy performance standards for rental properties.
Independent MP Zali Steggall says the issue of misinformation in political advertising must be dealt with once and for all. She has urged the federal government to back her private member's bill* - or reintroduce its own lapsed legislation on the issue. Ms Stegall's bill would ban material in political advertising that is misleading or deceptive. It would also allow the Australian Electoral Commission to receive complaints and give it enforcement powers to remove content. Ms Stegall says the growing risks posed by AI content and deepfakes underlines the urgent need to act.
"We protect consumers against being scammed out of their money when it comes to misleading and deceptive advertising. We must do the same when it comes to politics. We cannot have a situation where elections are hijacked by third party campaigners and bad faith actors that can put any level of misinformation out there. And there is no recourse. We also know AI is growing in power and ability to make a very misleading message."
In cycling, veteran Spanish rider Mavi Garcia has won the second stage of the Tour de France Femmes. At the age of 41, Garcia has made history as the oldest stage winner of the race. The Liv-AlUla-Jayco rider launched her decisive move with 10 kilometres remaining, opening a gap of around 20 seconds on the chasing pack. She held on through the explosive final climb, crossing the line three seconds ahead of her pursuers. Garcia says the win means a lot to her. "I have had really hard times last year and now I feel it is different. It is more motivation for me. And now I believe more. In the training, I was really really good condition. But in the races never arrive. Not only the victory, but not my good feels - and also a lot of crashes, and a lot of things happen. And now, I don't know it is really good nowadays." Lorena Wiebes sprinted to second place, with Kim Le Court Pienaar of Mauritius finishing third and taking the overall leader's yellow jersey.
Dutch star Marianne Vos, who wore the leader's jersey after winning Saturday's opening stage, finished fifth and surrendered her overall lead to Le Court Pienaar.
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Perth Now
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US envoy visits Gaza aid operation the UN calls unsafe
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7NEWS
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A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. "This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP. "Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue." More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages. A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. "This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP. "Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue." More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages. A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. "This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP. "Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue." More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages. A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. "This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP. "Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue." More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.
