Posted by Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be running through of the top stories you need to know about this morning before my colleague logs on to take you through the day.
The family of Zomi Frankcom, the Australian aid worker killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, have backed calls for a war crimes investigation into the incident. Two Australian experts in international law have said there are grounds for a war crimes investigation into her death in the bombing alongside six other aid workers.
Speaking to the Nine newspapers, family members said they would support the calls for an investigation. “It should never have happened,” said Frankcom’s brother Mal and other family members.
They said that the response by the Israeli government so far had been “disappointing” and added: “The lives of humanitarian workers should always be protected.” It comes as the families of three British aid workers killed alongside Frankcom paid tribute to their loved ones as “heroes”. Stand by for more reaction to this.
Anthony Albanese will give the strongest signal yet that the government will extend energy price relief when he uses a speech in Sydney today to declare that small businesses and families will be “front and centre” in the May budget. In an address to the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia, the prime minister will say that the cost of living measure has “helped people under pressure – and it helped fight inflation”, signalling the support of up to $650 to 1m small businesses and 5m families will probably be rolled out in the May budget.
Albanese will also speak about the need to encourage uptake of rooftop solar, and take aim at the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, for trying to enlist small business into his “politics of negativity and conflict”. More coming up.
Today was supposed to be the day we learned the verdict in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation saga. Instead, a little-known former Seven producer will give testimony in the federal court that could potentially change the outcome. We have a deep dive into what we know about the claims of Taylor Auerbach, who will be the star witness in the federal court in Sydney today when Channel Ten re-opens its defence of Lehrmann’s defamation action.
Key events
Stephanie Convery
Thanks so much to Martin Farrer for kicking us off this morning. I’m Stephanie Convery and I’ll be with you for the better part of today’s news blog. Hope you’re all caffeinated and breakfasted, as it is promising to be a busy one.
Thunderstorms, heavy rain and possible flash flooding for eastern Australia
Two weather systems are colliding to bring thunderstorms, heavy rain and possible flash flooding across eastern Australia, AAP reports.
The troughs are passing over each other causing the wild weather in Queensland’s south and northern NSW, the Bureau of Meteorology says. Rainfall totals up to 200mm are forecast across both states in coming days.
In Queensland, residents are being told to prepare for flash flooding. The Darling Downs, Granite Belt and Maranoa in Queensland’s southwest are forecast to get thunderstorm activity on Thursday with widespread rainfall totals between 20mm and 50mm.
Isolated falls that increase the risk of flooding could be up to 100mm in towns from Charleville to Goondiwindi and over to the Gold Coast.
A flood watch has been issued for dozens of catchments across the state’s south-west including the Paroo River, Wallam and Mungallala Creeks and Moonie River. The bureau said floodwaters could rise on Thursday night.
For residents near the Moonie and Condamine rivers, it marks just a few months since river levels rose, flooding homes in a January emergency.
The weather system will move south into northern NSW developing into a low pressure system, bringing widespread rain of 30mm to 50mm and up to 100mm in some areas.
The bureau’s Miriam Bradbury warned the weather system will bring severe storms with heavy rain, strong winds and high sea swells.
The New England and Northern Rivers regions are anticipating the first wave of wild weather before the system tracks further south to the Hunter, Sydney, Blue Mountains and Illawarra on Friday.
NSW State Emergency Services are preparing for the worst with residents urged to get ready for the storms.
A flood watch is in place for the Mid North Coast, Sydney region, South Coast and parts of the north west. Major flooding is possible on the Hawkesbury Nepean River from Friday.
Relatives of British Gaza victims echo ‘disappointment’ of Zomi Frankcom’s family
The description by Zomi Frankcom’s family of Israel’s response to her death as “disappointing” has been echoed by families of three British vounteers killed in the same incident in Gaza on Monday.
James Kirby, a 47-year-old former Army sniper, and John Chapman, 57, worked in the charity’s security team and died alongside fellow British military veteran James Henderson, 33.
Adam McGuire, a relative of Kirby, said he was “one of those characters who, once you met him, was hard to forget”.
But he said the family was “disappointed” by Benjamin Netanyahu’s response on Tuesday, adding: “We hope from James’s side and possibly the other six that this is the turning point. We hope we can get a ceasefire and humanitarian aid can get into Gaza.”
As in Australia, the incident has increased pressure on the UK government to take a tougher stance on Israel’s use of force in Gaza. Ministers in Rishi Sunak’s government are under pressure from their own MPs and peers to stop arming Israel.
There’s also an increasing pushback against UK support for Israel with a poll finding that arms exports to the country should be stopped.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be running through of the top stories you need to know about this morning before my colleague logs on to take you through the day.
The family of Zomi Frankcom, the Australian aid worker killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, have backed calls for a war crimes investigation into the incident. Two Australian experts in international law have said there are grounds for a war crimes investigation into her death in the bombing alongside six other aid workers.
Speaking to the Nine newspapers, family members said they would support the calls for an investigation. “It should never have happened,” said Frankcom’s brother Mal and other family members.
They said that the response by the Israeli government so far had been “disappointing” and added: “The lives of humanitarian workers should always be protected.” It comes as the families of three British aid workers killed alongside Frankcom paid tribute to their loved ones as “heroes”. Stand by for more reaction to this.
Anthony Albanese will give the strongest signal yet that the government will extend energy price relief when he uses a speech in Sydney today to declare that small businesses and families will be “front and centre” in the May budget. In an address to the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia, the prime minister will say that the cost of living measure has “helped people under pressure – and it helped fight inflation”, signalling the support of up to $650 to 1m small businesses and 5m families will probably be rolled out in the May budget.
Albanese will also speak about the need to encourage uptake of rooftop solar, and take aim at the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, for trying to enlist small business into his “politics of negativity and conflict”. More coming up.
Today was supposed to be the day we learned the verdict in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation saga. Instead, a little-known former Seven producer will give testimony in the federal court that could potentially change the outcome. We have a deep dive into what we know about the claims of Taylor Auerbach, who will be the star witness in the federal court in Sydney today when Channel Ten re-opens its defence of Lehrmann’s defamation action.