TRANSCRIPT
- A powerful airstrike kills 15 people in central Beirut
- Dozens of delegates from developing countries walk out of a meeting on climate finance at COP29
- The Wallabies hands a debut to winger Harry Potter ahead of their match with Scotland
A powerful airstrike killed 15 people in central Beirut, with another 13 killed northeast of the capital, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, as Israel escalates its offensive against Hezbollah.
Eight victims, including four children, died in Chimstar village, and five more were killed in Bodai – both in the Baalbek district.
In Beirut, an eight-storey building was hit with four missiles, including bunker-busting types designed for underground targets, a security source reported.
Israel has previously used such weapons to target senior Hezbollah leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah, killed in southern Beirut in September.
At the strike site in Beirut, Hezbollah MP Amin Sheeri says no senior leader was in the building.
“We confirm to the Israeli enemy, the false claims it’s making that there was a targeting of a military figure or a figure of the jihad or the resistance, in this building, is a false claim. Everything about the matter is that at 4:00 in the morning, people were sleeping, children, women, it was a targeting of civilians for more killing, and we confirm that there was no figure from the military, the jihad or the resistance in this building.”
The Israeli military has not commented.
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Dozens of delegates from developing countries, including island states, have walked out of a meeting on climate finance at COP29 in Azerbaijan.
The European Union, the US and other wealthy nations raised their offer of climate funding for developing nations to $460 billion (US$300 billion), in a bid to unlock increasingly tense negotiations already a day into overtime.
It was not clear if the revised offer would be enough to lead to a deal, but negotiators from developing countries and island nations aired frustration over a process they said was not inclusive, and temporarily walked out.
Evans Davie Njewa, the chair of the Least Developed Countries, says talks will be suspended until they see their own interests on paper.
"NJEWA: We want a goal that is ambitious, want a goal that is a good share of public money, grant-equivalent and an allocation for LDCs and SIDs specific.
REPORTER: But this could crash the talks.
NJEWA: No, no, it will not crash. It will rebuild. It will rebuild. No, no, It will rebuild."
Meanwhile, nations agreed on rules for a global market to buy and sell carbon credits, that proponents say will mobilise billions of dollars into new projects to help fight global warming.
The agreement was clinched roughly a decade after international talks on forming the market began.
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Officers attached to Marine Area Command have arrested three climate activists from the water at the Port of Newcastle.
Two men – aged 27 and 60 – and a 26-year-old woman were taken to Newcastle Police station where they are assisting police with their inquiries.
The climate activists were taking part in a four-day 'protestival' at the world's largest coal port, where a flotilla of kayaks was launched into Newcastle Harbour.
Earlier in the month, the NSW Supreme Court sided with the state's police commissioner to reject an application to demonstrate due to safety concerns.
Maritime NSW then established an exclusion zone for Newcastle Harbour from Thursday night to Monday morning, but that was deemed invalid by the NSW Supreme Court and revoked.
**
In sport, the Wallabies will be handing a debut to winger Harry Potter, as one of six changes ahead of Monday morning's match with Scotland.
Potter is set to become Wallaby number 989 on the left wing, while Joseph Suaalii will return to the starting line-up at outside centre.
The Wallabies are hoping to continue their top form since two wins of the tour so far, as the match marks the third leg of a Grand Slam bid.
Wallabies winger Harry Potter says they had several attempts to do it over the years.
"I think we've had ten attempts to do it over the years. And I only ever want to manage the Grand Slam once - bloody hard thing to do when we are only half way there. So we are aware of it but as I'm sure you've already heard from the boss we are taking it one week at a time."
