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Australia says Lebanon must be included in the Middle East ceasefire and has led a group of other countries in expressing deep concern about “the worsening humanitarian situation and displacement crisis in Lebanon”.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the government “firmly believes” the ceasefire must apply to Lebanon, despite Israel and the Trump administration saying that was not part of the deal with Iran. Trump, after initially remaining silent, said Lebanon was “a separate skirmish” and not part of the deal.
Overnight, Israel carried out its largest attack on Lebanon since its war with Hezbollah began, killing at least 254 people and wounding 837, an assault that prompted Iranian officials to warn Tehran could withdraw from the ceasefire agreed with the US this week. Follow live updates on the Middle East crisis here.
Top news
‘No direct recording’ of moment Queensland police fatally shot First Nations man, inquest told
Man fighting for life after alleged hammer attack in Sydney hospital
Hundreds search for wolf that escaped from zoo in South Korea
In pictures
Thousands of little corellas that have been terrorising the inhabitants of Kangaroo Island have been culled, but authorities say it won’t be enough to fix the problem. The birds, which are not native to the island, have covered a local school in faeces, torn up infrastructure, damaged crops and caused mental distress to residents with their screeching.
What they said …
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“This is a time for vigorous debate at the highest levels. Not for infantile name calling.” – George Clooney
The long-running war of words between George Clooney and the White House has ignited again after the Oscar-winning actor criticised Donald Trump’s threat to Iran that “a whole civilisation will die tonight”.
In a speech on Wednesday, Clooney said the US president had committed a war crime with his threat. In response, the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, told the Independent: “The only person committing war crimes is George Clooney for his awful movies and terrible acting ability.”
Full Story
Will Albanese find fuel security in Singapore? – Full Story podcast
Political editor Tom McIlroy talks to Reged Ahmad about Albanese’s trip to Singapore – Australia’s biggest fuel supplier – and how it might aid the government in keeping petrol prices under control.
Before bed read
It is a humble dish that’s relatively simple – and is not even traditional Korean cuisine – but KFC, AKA Korean fried chicken, is part of a national obsession that has gone global, both physically and culturally as part of the K-food wave. Seoul-based journalist Raphael Rashid explores how Korea came to be dubbed only half-jokingly as the Republic of Fried Chicken.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: GENE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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