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Ticker

Weather

World

Super typhoon batters Philippines

Thousands of people have been evacuated from northern Philippine villages and schools and offices were closed in the archipelago and neighbouring Taiwan as one of the strongest typhoons this year threatened to cause flooding and landslides on its way to southeastern China. Super Typhoon Ragasa had sustained winds of 215km/h (134mph) and gusts of up to 265km/h (165mph) and was centred east of the island town of Calayan off Cagayan province, Philippine forecasters said.

AP

Health

Australia

Calculator to help GPs in bulk-billing push

Peak medical bodies have welcomed plans to make it easier for doctors to find out the impacts of bulk-billing, while also warning that care needs to be sustainable. The federal government announced a calculator would be available online from Monday to work out the implications for clinics of bulk-billing. The tool was launched as part of efforts to increase bulk-billing to nine out of 10 appointments by 2030, with the federal government to spend $7.9 billion to expand eligibility.

AAP Newswire

Middle East

Australia

Australia recognises Palestinian state

Palestinian officials have praised Australia’s formal recognition of the battle-scarred nation, despite pushback from Israel and others including some in Donald Trump’s party. The federal government joined the UK and Canada to officially acknowledge Palestinian statehood in the hope of breathing new life into efforts toward a two-state solution. “We recognise the legitimate and long-held aspirations of the people of Palestine of a state of their own,“ Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in New York.

AAP Newswire

Emergency

Australia

Telco ‘cowboys’ not held to account after prior outage

Optus will be held accountable after a serious triple-zero outage, as the role of private companies in delivering emergency calls is reconsidered. Pressure is continuing to mount on the telco giant after it experienced a major outage that has been linked to up to four deaths, including that of a newborn baby.

AAP Newswire

Gaza

World

Palestine recognition angers Israel

Britain, Canada and Australia have all recognised a Palestinian state in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution, prompting a furious response from Israel. The decision by three major Western nations, which have been traditional allies of Israel, aligned them with about 140 other countries also backing Palestinians’ aspiration to forge an independent homeland from the Israeli-occupied territories.

Reuters

Lebanon

World

Father, children among dead in Israeli strike

An Israeli drone strike has killed five people, including three children, in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon’s health ministry says. Israel has frequently targeted what it calls Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered truce between Lebanon and Israel which took effect in November following more than a year of conflict sparked by war in Gaza.

Reuters

North Korea

USA

Kim open to US talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says there is no reason to avoid dialogue with the US if Washington stops insisting his country give up nuclear weapons but he will never trade away the nuclear arsenal to be free of sanctions, state media has reported. In a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly on Sunday, Kim said: “Personally, I still have fond memories of US President (Donald) Trump,“ KCNA reported.

Reuters

Aviation

Europe

Chaos continues after cyberattack

Some of Europe’s biggest airports ar battling to restore normal operations after hackers disrupted automatic check-in systems, with Brussels asking airlines to cancel half of its upcoming flight departures due to persistent problems. Hackers on Friday targeted check-in and boarding systems provider Collins Aerospace, owned by RTX, disrupting operations at London’s Heathrow - Europe’s busiest airport, Berlin Airport and in Brussels.

AP

Charity

Australia

Pastor’s plea to mend plight of starving children

Anthony Albanese has made a splash in New York but another Australian leader is also making waves with his message of compassion for children in conflict zones. Pastor Bill Crews is visiting the United Nations as one of three UNICEF Global Faith Envoys to encourage religious communities to give charitably for children suffering in wars and famines.

AAP Newswire

Tribute

USA

Thousands gather to farewell Kirk

President Donald Trump has hailed slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “martyr for American freedom” and vowed at his memorial service to carry on his work, while again accusing what he called the “radical left” for Kirk’s murder. “The violence comes largely from the left,“ Trump said. The memorial, organised by Kirk’s conservative youth advocacy organization Turning Point USA, drew tens of thousands of mourners dressed in red, white and blue who filled State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

AP

Gaza

New Zealand

Luxon tight-lipped on Palestine

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is staying tight lipped on whether New Zealand will follow its allies in recognising a Palestinian state this week. Australia, the UK and Canada have now all formerly recognised a Palestinian state in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war. Other nations, including France, are expected to follow suit this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

RNZ

United Nations

Australia

‘Unprecedented threats’: UN protections for aid workers

Slain humanitarian aid workers have been remembered as Australia announced protections for those who risk their lives in war. Australian Zomi Frankcom was among the 674 aid personnel killed in conflict zones in 2024 honoured at a ceremony in New York as world leaders met at the United Nations on Sunday.

AAP Newswire