Good afternoon. Police have urged two people who allegedly fled from a fatal crash in Sydney’s south-west to come forward.
The two boys who died when the car they were travelling in hit a tree are yet to be identified, though it’s believed they are aged between 10 and 15. At a press conference today police asked the driver and front-seat passenger to present to a police station so they could “work out exactly how this tragic situation unfolded”.
Meanwhile, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is in Beijing, where he has said he is looking forward to “constructive dialogue” with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, later today. In a press conference earlier Albanese described the country as “our most important trading partner”. Read our political editor Katharine Murphy’s analysis on the PM’s visit.
Top news
Prosecutors confident ex-president ‘didn’t have the goods’ | On Monday, the fraud trial enters its final, fateful leg. Trump himself will take the stand. The stakes are high – he is fighting for the future of his empire.
Israel launches major strike on Gaza | Gaza was rocked by a series of huge explosions on Sunday evening and communications with the coastal strip were cut. It comes as the Israel Defence Forces indicated that Israeli troops were reportedly planning to enter Gaza City in force perhaps within the next 48 hours.
Antisemitic acts ‘have exploded’ in France since Gaza conflict | France has recorded more than a thousand antisemitic acts since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, the government said. Police confirmed there had been 257 antisemitic acts in the Paris region alone and 90 arrests.
Netanyahu reprimands minister over ‘nuclear’ comment | The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has disciplined a far-right member of his cabinet, who appeared to voice openness to a nuclear strike on Gaza. In an interview, Amihai Eliyahu was asked about a hypothetical nuclear option and replied: “That’s one way.”
Victorian tourist town in mourning after crash kills five | Police say the driver involved in the accident at the Royal Daylesford hotel on the weekend was breath tested and no alcohol was detected. It comes after the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, expressed her condolences for those who died in the crash.
Robert De Niro court battle lifts veil on celebrity assistants | The Oscar winner’s former aide has claimed a toxic workplace culture while De Niro’s partner has labelled the assistant a “straight-up nasty bitch”.
Queensland extends local fire bans | Local fire bans have been extended in parts of Queensland due to the heightened fire conditions. There are now 27 LGAs where fire bans are in place.
Infrastructure projects face axe amid $33bn in cost blowouts | Major cuts to projects will be needed due to at least $33bn of cost overruns and to help fight inflation, the infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said. Some of the 250 projects that have not begun construction in the $120bn pipeline will need to be cancelled or delayed.
Full Story
Speaker Johnson, Israel, government shutdown and Virginia
The new speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, faces the tough task of uniting a fractured Republican party and preventing a quick-approaching government shutdown. Jonathan Freedland and Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post discuss what we have learned about his approach to the job from his first week with the gavel.
What they said …
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What I’m saying to the government, is that they need to be advocating loudly, publicly, and through every private diplomatic channel, to ensure that this doesn’t continue.
On ABC radio this morning the independent senator David Pocock was asked whether he believed Israel’s response to Hamas’s attacks has been proportionate. Citing reports, Pocock said it was not acceptable that 40% of casualties were children in Gaza and called for an “urgent humanitarian pause” at the very minimum. Read more here.
In numbers
Westpac has recorded a dramatic lift in its net profit, hitting $7.2bn – a 26% lift from the previous year. The bank’s chief executive, Peter King, described the results as “very strong”. Read more here.
Before bed read
Chinese influencers, particularly in the e-commerce industry, are increasingly turning to digital clones to pump out content 24/7. Video platforms are featuring an increasing number of clones – putting jobs at risk.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: REC . You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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