As it happened: Paul Keating slams Labor over AUKUS claims; ACCC survey finds consumers losing trust in supermarkets

Speaking on ABC News on Friday evening, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner insisted it was effectively evacuating parts of Lebanon.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese and Syrians have fled across the border from Lebanon into Syria since the beginning of the week amid intense Israeli bombardment that Israel says is targeting Hezbollah militants and weapons.

Lerner claimed the IDF was taking “extensive steps” to limit civilian casualties.

“The activity of calling people to evacuate, broadcasting it, distributing it on media and social media, is effective. We’ve seen the traffic jams coming out of southern Lebanon,” Lerner said.

“Of course, it is a huge challenge. We’re committed to limiting civilian casualties on one hand, but on the other hand, taking out where Hezbollah have positioned those capabilities.

“Don’t take it up with Israel why we are conducting the strikes against their weapons and tools of terror Hezbollah has accumulated as the most significant terrorist army in the world. Take it up with Hezbollah.

“They need to evacuate. They shouldn’t have even been in these areas in southern Lebanon.”

A 21-day hiatus could give Hezbollah the chance to regroup, Lerner said.

It was up to the government to dictate their terms for a ceasefire, and it needed to result in Israelis being able to return home along the border of Lebanon after a year, he suggested.

With Reuters, AP

During the campaign, Ishiba emphasised the need to increase Japan’s defence capabilities and floated the idea of creating an Asian NATO-style collective security agreement to better deter aggression from countries such as China and North Korea.

A record nine candidates contested the LDP’s election after outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said last month that he would not seek a second term. Kishida’s approval ratings had sagged due to a party slush-fund scandal and sticky inflation. Ishiba is all but certain to be approved as prime minister by parliament in a vote expected on Tuesday.

Bloomberg

The rare pointed criticism from a serving Victoria Police member in a radio interview comes as Victoria’s police union ramped up industrial action last week to demand better pay and working hours.

Yesterday, crime statistics were released for the last financial year and showed older teenagers were driving child offending rates to levels not seen since 2010.

O’Loughlin, who is stationed in Melbourne’s affluent bayside suburbs, said she found it “frustrating” to continually arrest youth offenders “that are showing little to no remorse” only for them to get bail.

Asked if she had a message for the premier, O’Loughlin said it was the same as what she told Police Minister Anthony Carbines recently: “Pay us what we’re worth.”

“I’d love to see the premier come and speak to members of our community in Bayside and Glen Eira – the ones that are getting hit hard at the moment – and actually speak to them face-to-face and see what it’s like to have your home invaded.”

On Friday afternoon, Star shares were trading at 25¢, a drop of 44 per cent.

The share price collapse is the result of various regulatory and financial failings since it was disgraced for extensive anti-money laundering and counterterrorism failings in 2022.

New boss Steve McCann fronted investors on Thursday, after spending most of September convincing the company’s lenders to issue a new $200 million loan. Before securing the new loan, The Star had just $130 million in cash and was on the brink of a liquidity crisis. But it’s far from out of the woods.

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He sympathised with Qantas passengers who might face delays.

“It’s completely understandable but that’s a problem for Qantas, not a problem for our members, because our members only have a window to negotiate their wages and that’s when their agreement expires,” he said on Friday.

“Anyone that’s got any frustrations, please take it up with Qantas.”

He described the airline’s offer, of an annual three per cent pay rise, as a “slap in the face” particularly after wage freezes and redundancies during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Qantas made a net profit of $1.25 billion in the 2023/24 financial year, down 28 per cent from the previous year.

About 1100 aircraft maintenance workers, which is about 45 per cent of the airline’s engineers, are covered by the agreement under negotiation.

AAP