Good afternoon. Organisers of a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney this Sunday are vowing to press ahead despite the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, moving to block the protest.
Minns says protesters have “proven they’re not peaceful”, but rally activists decry what they say is a “targeted political campaign to silence and criminalise dissent”. The NSW Greens have also criticised the Labor premier for trying to block demonstrations, saying he was pouring fuel on community divisions and that “peaceful protest is a fundamental act within a mature democracy”.
In response to the political pressure, NSW police have launched Operation Shelter to “capture all intelligence available to us in relation to community sentiment, potential protest activity and potential demonstrations that might take place in the future”.
Top news
Australian woman killed in Hamas attack | Galit Carbone, a 66-year-old Australian woman living in Israel, was reportedly found dead outside her home in the Be’eri kibbutz in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip border after the attack. Meanwhile, Gaza-born Australians are desperately trying to contact family and friends in the bombarded Palestinian enclave.
Qantas, Virgin asked to help get Australians in Israel out | Anthony Albanese has announced two government-assisted Qantas flights to repatriate Australians will depart from Israel on Friday. The announcement comes after the federal government asked Qantas and Virgin for urgent help with repatriation as the death toll in the region mounts. It is believed about 12,000 Australians are in Israel, although many of these are dual nationals who may not necessarily wish to leave.
Number of dead and displaced rises | The Israeli death toll from the weekend’s incursions has risen to at least 1,200, while the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza is now at least 900. Meanwhile, the UN says more than 260,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip as heavy Israeli bombardments continue.
Biden says Israel has ‘duty to respond’ | The US president, who has historically been a staunch ally of Israel, said at least 14 Americans had been killed and condemned Hamas for an “act of sheer evil”, as the first plane carrying US ammunition landed in Israel. Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, says he has released Israeli troops of “all restraints” as the military prepares for a ground invasion of the besieged territory. The Palestinian envoy to the UN described Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and vow to impose a complete siege on the territory as “nothing less than genocidal”.
Skirmishes on Israeli borders with Lebanon and Syria | There have been three days of clashes along the Israel-Lebanon border, with three Hezbollah fighters and three Israeli soldiers dying in recent days. The Israeli military said it also responded to artillery fire from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, with one observer group saying the fire came from “Palestinian factions working with the Lebanese Hezbollah”.
Qantas chairman to retire | Facing mounting pressure to step down, Richard Goyder has revealed plans to retire before the company’s next annual general meeting in late 2024. Unions have criticised the exit as too slow.
Cal Wilson dies aged 53 | The standup, writer and actor, who co-hosted The Great Australian Bake Off and appeared as a guest on Thank God You’re Here, has died after a short illness in Sydney. An outpouring of tributes from other comedians and media personalities appeared beneath the Instagram post announcing Wilson’s death. “This is so tragic and my heart goes out to Cal’s family,” wrote actor Rebel Wilson.
Parkinson’s disease detectable before physical symptoms show | Australian researchers have developed a way of highlighting changes in the brain that mark the progression of Parkinson’s disease years before physical symptoms show. The study’s lead researcher, Prof Kevin Barnham, said Parkinson’s disease is often thought of as an illness of old age, when in fact it starts in midlife and can go undetected for decades.
More charges for George Santos | US federal prosecutors added major allegations to the indictment charging the House Republican George Santos with fraud and lying about his campaign finance disclosures, presenting evidence that he stole donors’ identities and charged thousands of dollars to their credit cards without their knowledge. The congressman is set to appear in federal court on 27 October.
Californians will soon be able to delete all personal online data | In a US-first law, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, signed the Delete Act, which strengthens existing regulations so users will be able to scrub info from a single page.
What they said …
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“All we have to do is vote yes and we can change history in this country for the better.” – Pat Farmer, former Liberal MP
The ultramarathon runner has finished his epic 14,000km journey to Uluru to boost support for the yes vote. And Australian of the Year winners have signed an open letter saying a no vote would be a “shameful dead end”.
In numbers
Officials from the Flight Attendants Association of Australia gave evidence at a Senate inquiry into Labor’s closing loopholes bill, taking aim at Qantas and Jetstar for paying cabin crew through 17 different entities.
Before bed read
Pizza, pie and spanakopita – here are three vegetarian Greek recipes to bake.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: AERO. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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