Midday News Bulletin 25 October 2024

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TRANSCRIPT
Two dead after a truck slams into a house in Victoria
Donald Trump says he will fire the special counsel prosecuting him for January 6
Youth and experience to fire for the Matildas in their friendly with Switzerland
Two people have died after a truck crashed into a house in regional Victoria.
Police say the truck veered off the Princes Highway and slammed into the house at Tower Hill near Warrnambool in the state’s west just after 7 this morning.
The male truck driver has been taken to hospital where he is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The two victims of the crash have not yet been identified.
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Australia has announced it is providing a further $10 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia’s assistance will be delivered through United Nations partners to address immediate and emerging needs, including access to food, shelter, healthcare and other critical services.
The Minister has also repeated Australia’s call for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and in Gaza.
She says all parties must uphold international law and protect civilians and humanitarian workers.
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Donald Trump has confirmed he will fire Special Counsel Jack Smith if he takes back the White House in November’s presidential election.
The declaration has come during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, who asked whether Mr Trump would first pardon himself or terminate Smith.
The Special Counsel is currently prosecuting the former president for his alleged incitement of the January 6 Capitol storming, as well as the mishandling of classified documents.
“As described in the indictment, it was fuelled by lies. Lies by the defendant, targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government, the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”
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King Charles has acknowledged the “difficult past” of the Commonwealth in his address to CHOGM in Samoa, as debate around past trans-Atlantic slave trade practices continue amongst the attendees.
All three candidates vying to replace outgoing Commonwealth secretary-general Baroness Scotland have called for reparations to countries that were affected by slavery and colonialism.
The UK Prime Minister’s official spokesman had earlier insisted Sir Keir Starmer would not be discussing the issue this week – but BBC News has now reported officials are looking to begin conversations on the issue through a communique.
The monarch says he accepts the painful aspects of the past continue to resonate – but that the Commonwealth should move forward in a spirit of unity.
“Few of our forebears could have imagined the Commonwealth of today: our free association, of proudly independent nations, alive with opportunity, stands in proud defiance of the discrimination of the past… Let us learn from the lessons of the past. Let us be proud of who we are today.”
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Queensland’s leaders are making their final pitches to voters ahead of Saturday’s state election, with the latest polls suggesting Labor is on track for defeat after almost a decade in power.
Premier Steven Miles has committed to visiting 36 seats in the last few days of the campaign in a last-ditch effort to win votes, while opposition leader David Crisafulli is reportedly relying on winning all three Townsville seats to secure a majority, seats that Bob Katters’ Australian Party currently dominates in.
A Newspoll conducted for The Australian newspaper indicates the opposition leads the Labor government after preferences, despite Labor and Steven Miles clawing back ground in recent weeks.
But former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has told Sky News he remains concerned for Mr Crisafulli’s prospects.
“I’ve been pretty worried in the last seven to ten days because the polls that have come out have shown two things: one, a decline in his personal popularity, his net favourability. It’s quite marked. And also… the most recent polls are showing a primary for the LNP at about 41. Well that’s where the Newman government lost in 2015.”
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To sport,
Interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni says he will trust a mixture of youth and experience in his first game at the helm when the Matildas play Switzerland.
The friendly at Zurich’s Stadion Letzigrund is the first game back for Australia since their horror Paris campaign.
Sermanni says the team was hurt by what happened at the Olympics – and are desperate to get back on a winning track.
He says that will start with the example set by the leaders and experienced players in the side.