Morning News Bulletin 22 October 2024

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Source: SBS News

In this bulletin, police investigate the discovery of Hamas graffiti on Sydney beaches; a US envoy holds talks in Beirut in the hope of negotiating a ceasefire; and in sport, the AFLW to play in Darwin this week for the historic Indigenous Round.


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TRANSCRIPT
  • Police investigate the discovery of Hamas graffiti on Sydney beaches
  • A US envoy holds talks in Beirut in the hope of negotiating a ceasefire
  • The AFLW to play in Darwin this week for the historic Indigenous Round
A police investigation has been launched after the discovery of graffiti that references Hamas on some of Sydney's most famous beaches.

Radio station 2GB has reported multiple buildings near Bronte, Tamarama and Bondi were spray-painted with the name of the proscribed terrorist organisation some time on Sunday night.

It's understood that council officers have covered the graffiti, and plans are already underway to paint over the words.

**

United States envoy Amos Hochstein has held talks with Lebanese officials in Beirut on conditions for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Diplomacy has so far failed to cool down Israel's conflicts with its two most dangerous and heavily armed regional militia foes - Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian Gaza Strip - which are grinding into a second year.

But the United States government is hoping for a new push for peace in the Middle East following Israel's recent killing of Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas and architect of the attacks on Israeli towns in 2023 that precipitated Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.

Lebanon's speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, has told the Al-Arabiya broadcaster that Mr Hochstein's visit is "the last chance before the US elections" to reach a truce.

**

The New South Wales government has hailed the banning of mobile phones in the state's schools as a huge success.

An Education Department survey has concluded the ban has overwhelming school administration support, with 81 per cent of principals agreeing students' learning had improved, 87 per cent believing students were less distracted in the classroom, and 86 per cent concluding socialising had improved.

Education Minister Prue Car says students are clearly paying more attention in the classroom and to each other.

"As the premier said, when we introduced this - came good on this election policy - there were some sceptics, including the Coalition opposition. But the data doesn't lie."

**

King Charles and Queen Camilla return to Sydney today for the final part of their royal tour.

The couple is to attend a fleet review of the Australian Navy on Sydney Harbour and a community barbecue later in the day.

King Charles is also due to meet Australians of the Year Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer to discuss their world-leading research on cancer treatments, while Queen Camilla visits a Sydney library.

It comes off the back of a somewhat heated day in Canberra that saw Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe protest against the monarchy during a parliamentary reception.

"You are not our king. You are not sovereign. You are not our king. You are not sovereign. You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us - our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want treaty."

**

Four in five working Australians are more concerned about living costs than job satisfaction, a new survey has found.

The research by tech company SafetyCulture suggests female employees are especially concerned about the impact of the cost of living, with 85 per cent focused on price spikes compared to 75 per cent of men.

Across both genders, 79 per cent of the more than 2000 employees and managers who took part in the study flagged increasing prices as their biggest worry, over any workplace dissatisfaction.

But that dissatisfaction is still prominent in the findings, with 76 per cent of Australian workers unhappy with some aspect of their job, primarily because of unreasonable expectations leading to burnout and slow responses to resolving issues or risks.

Chief product officer Sam Byrnes says the survey shows bosses need to take notice of how economic conditions are affecting staff.

**

Police have launched a renewed appeal for information in the suspected murders of three Indigenous children in northern New South Wales over three decades ago.

The remains of four year old Evelyn Greenup and 16 year old Clinton Speedy-Deroux were found in bushland near Bowraville in 1990, but the body of 16 year old Colleen Walker-Craig has never been found.

Detectives hope the new appeal will produce a breakthrough in the case.

Colleen's mother, Muriel Craig, says she shares that hope.

"I want to know. I don't want to leave this earth without knowing where she is. I want to have something of hers so that I know she came home. I just want people who know things to come forward."

**

To sport, the AFLW is to play in Darwin for the first time as part of a historic Indigenous Round.

The city will host the annual Dreamtime match between Essendon and Richmond after the Indigenous Round opens in Cairns on Thursday.

With just two rounds to go until finals, Hawthorn's Mattea Breed says the round is about celebrating Indigenous culture - and so much more.

"It's really important I think not only for myself as an Indigenous woman but I think being able to celebrate my culture and other cultures as well, and have it put on a stage like this and have a lot of other clubs celebrate it. I think it's really special."

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