Midday News Bulletin 29 October 2024

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Source: SBS News

Israel bans the UN's Palestinian refugee agency....a mining company to explore legal action after Indigenous concerns stop operations in Western Australia's Pilbara region... and Manchester United sack manager Erik Ten Hag


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TRANSCRIPT

Israel has passed a law banning the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in the country.

The vote has passed the Knesset, Israel's parliament, 92 votes to 10, after a fiery debate between supporters of the law and opponents, the latter, mostly members of Arab parliamentary parties.

The bill prohibits not only stops the UN agency from conducting any activity or service inside Israel, but also strips its staff of their legal immunities.

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A mining company is exploring legal action after the West Australian government declined to approve its proposed operations in the Pilbara.

The state's Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Tony Buti, has declined consent because of concerns for two Indigenous sites identified in a 2023 heritage survey in the Karijini National Park, within the native title area belonging to the Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation.

But Equinox says the heritage surveys that identified the sites were methodologically flawed and lacked independence.

It has issued a statement saying it is surprised and disappointed by the decision.

"Our infill drilling program was meticulously designed to respect all cultural heritage considerations by avoiding the newly identified ethnographic sites outlined by the WGAC. We are actively seeking clarification on the cultural evidence presented, as these ethnographic sites were not previously raised by earlier heritage surveys."

***

A second child has died after a crash in rural South Australia.

The fifteen year old girl had been taken to hospital in a critical condition after the three-car crash about five kilometres south of Nangwarry, a town located just over 350 kilometres south-east of Adelaide.

The crash occurred when a Holden sedan collided with an emu, and a second car - a Toyota station wagon - braked to avoid the collision, causing a Nissan ute to crash into the rear of the Toyota.

Police say a five year old boy died at the scene.

The children’s deaths are the 71st and 72nd lives lost on South Australian roads this year.

***

Public servants in Queensland have been told there will be no job cuts, in one of David Crisafulli's first acts as the state's new premier.

The newly sworn in leader has emailed the state's 250,000-strong public service to reassure them he will not repeat the actions of the last conservative Premier Campbell Newman, who sacked around 14,000 people during his 2012 to 2015 term.

He has said he wanted to avoid the mistakes made by Newman's government, having seen the impact of job losses in the past on the productivity and morale of the public service.

Labor had claimed Mr Crisafulli would swing the axe if elected, citing LNP's economic plan it released days ahead of Saturday's election that revealed changes to save almost $7 billion on consultancies and contractors.

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Sexual assault and domestic violence victims will no longer have to endure early cross-examinations in Victorian courts under a proposed legal shake-up.

The state government is introducing laws into parliament today that would eliminate the need for victims to give evidence more than once, at committal hearings as well as trials.

The Justice Legislation Amendment Bill would also allow children and people with cognitive impairments to give pre-record video evidence, which is already done in sexual assault cases.

Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes says the changes are about reducing the stress and trauma associated with giving evidence in court processes that deal with allegations of family violence, rape, and stalking.

***

Iranian dissisdent Jamshid Sharmahd has reportedly been executed in Iran.

Sharmahd had been sentenced to death in February 2023 on a disputed terror charge of planning a 2008 attack on a mosque that killed 14 people.

The 69 year old is one of several Iranian dissidents abroad in recent years either tricked or kidnapped back to Iran as Tehran began lashing out after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Sharmahd had been targeted by Iran prior to his kidnapping. A 2010 U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks identified Sharmahd as having been targeted by Iran in California, with an operative trying to hire a hitman to kill him.

U-S State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says they are checking the details of the reported execution carefully.

"I saw those reports just before I walked in here. I don't have a specific reaction to that report. I want to be able to find out more about it. But we have long made clear that we oppose the way Iran carries out executions often for - often in a way that fundamentally violates human rights."

***

In football, Manchester United has sacked manager Erik Ten Hag.

The Dutchman had been in the job since April 2022, but his side's struggles in the English Premier League had made his position tenuous for a while.

A two goals to one loss to West Ham at the weekend, which dropped them to 14th on the English Premier League table, proving the final straw.

Ten Hag lost 35 of his 128 games in charge at Manchester United.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel says the club has fallen so far behind its main rivals, it had to act now on Ten Hag, rather than wait until the end of the season.

"So far behind Man City, so far behind Arsenal, and so far behind Liverpool. You want to win the Premier League, you have got to match what they have. And we are far behind. So, we need to start this process now, and not in the summer."

Ruud van Nistlerooy will be fill-in manager.

British newspapers The Sun and The Daily Mail are reporting the club is targeting Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag's permanent replacement.


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