TRANSCRIPT:
- Australia part of a moving ceremony to commemorate the victims of MH17;
- US president Joe Biden diagnosed with COVID;
- Multiple players face fines and bans after a sideline brawl in Wednesday night's State of Origin decider.
Labor's national executive is meeting today to decide whether it will continue taking donations from the embattled CFMEU's construction division.
Workplace relations minister Tony Burke says the executive intends to deal with the situation "in a fairly firm fashion".
State branches and the peak union body the ACTU have already suspended ties, following a series of Nine newspaper reports alleging corrupt conduct and organised crime links within the CFMEU.
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A group of Australian mental health organisations say they don't support banning children under 16 years old from accessing social media.
The coalition has vowed to increase the age limit within 100 days of taking office if they win the next election, whilst the government is currently working on a trial of age verification technology.
But ReachOut, Beyond Blue and Black Dog have made a joint submission that says although there are harms associated with social media, the benefits and potential consequences of a ban must be considered.
ReachOut Director of Service Jackie Hallan says a blanket ban isn't the solution.
"We absolutely acknowledge the harms that have occurred through use of social media. But we don't support a ban, because it's likely to be circumvented. It takes the pressure off social media companies and it delays young people's opportunity to learn how to use the platforms safely."
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The major telcos are under mounting pressure to ensure every Australian can connect to triple-zero when the 3G network shuts down from next month.
The 3G switchover will happen from September the 1st for Telstra and Optus users - but the latest industry figures suggest there are still just over a hundred thousand mobile phones that are not compatible with 4G.
Still, communications minister Michelle Rowland says the government is pleased with the transition process.
She's encouraged customers to contact their service providers for further information.
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A report by Human Rights Watch has found Hamas and at least four other Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes during the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
The report has also found that killing civilians and taking hostages were clear aims of the planned attack and not an afterthought.
Belkis Wille is an associate director at Human Right Watch.
"Our research found that Palestinian armed groups involved in the assault that day committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law, the laws of war, that amount to war crimes. These include the deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian objects, wilful killing of persons in custody, cruel and other inhumane treatment, crimes relating to sexual and gender based violence, hostage taking, mutilation and despoiling of bodies, use of human shields, and pillage and looting.“
Hamas has rejected the findings of the report and demanded an apology for what they say are "lies" in the document.
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US President Joe Biden has paused his election campaigning after testing positive to COVID-19.
The White House says he's returning to his home state of Delaware where he will self-isolate.
The diagnosis was announced at a planned campaign event for the United States' largest Latino nonprofit advocacy organisation, Unidos-U-S.
Its C-E-O, Janet Murgula, says this doesn't mean Mr Biden will be leaving the race.
"I was just on the phone with President Biden... He said to tell my folks that we're not gonna get rid of him that quickly. We're gonna have a chance to hear from him directly in the future. He's just really sorry he couldn't be with us."
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The Netherlands has commemorated the victims of flight MH17 that was shot down over Ukraine 10 years ago.
The ceremony has been attended by families of the victims, as well as representatives from Malaysia, Australia, the UK, Belgium, and Ukraine.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has represented Australia at the Dutch memorial site, where 298 trees commemorate each passenger and crew member.
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In rugby league,
Two players from the New South Wales triumphant State of Origin side face hefty fines and a ban after a sideline brawl in Wednesday night's decider against Queensland.
Haumole Olakau'atu and Cameron Murray have copped grade-three contrary conduct charges, which will mean bans of at least two games - three if they contest the suspensions and lose.
Queensland second-rower Kurt Capewell is also facing a total of $6000 in fines from the match, on dangerous-throw and dangerous-contact charges from separate incidents.
Notably, Queensland and Brisbane superstar Reece Walsh escaped sanction after he was placed on report for sliding his boot into Stephen Crichton's face as the Blues centre attempted to score.
