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Australia is leading a new global initiative to protect aid workers in warzones, after the death of Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza earlier this year.

Last year was the deadliest on record for aid workers, with more than 280 killed, and more wounded and kidnapped.

In 2024, more have been killed in conflict zones including Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, and elsewhere.

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Almost 300 aid workers have been killed in Gaza alone since the start of Israel's war with Hamas, including Frankcom.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is meeting with leading humanitarian organisations in New York, including UNICEF, the international Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, World Central Kitchen and the World Food Programme to discuss how best to protect people delivering vital aid to civilians in the world's most dangerous regions.

The federal government then plans to work with other countries to create a declaration of steps to protect aid workers in war zones, with the rest of the world invited to sign up.

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Zomi Frankcom's family said in a statement they supported the action.

"People like Zomi are rare and their bravery and selflessness should be not only celebrated but protected. They can't be brave at any cost," the family said.

"Zomi wasn't naive enough to believe there weren't risks, but to carry out the work she believed so passionately in, she needed to be able to trust that the deconfliction mechanisms in place would protect her."

The family said Frankcom deserved her the right to work for the people she served "in the most desperate moments of their lives".

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"Her aid work made her braver than most, and her work took her to some dangerous situations, but she was driven by a passion and clear purpose to feed and help people who needed it," they said.

"She brought joy and hope and light to communities in some of the darkest hours of their lives."

The family called for an end to the "blatant disregard" for the safety of aid workers and civilians in Gaza, and a ceasefire to halt the conflict.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said 2024 was on track to surpass 2023 as the deadliest year on record for aid workers.

"Australia is deeply concerned by this trend. It signifies that the rules and norms that protect humanitarian personnel are at risk, with consequences for current and future conflicts," she said.

"It also signifies that calls for compliance with international humanitarian law are not being heard.

"Australia felt this deeply with the IDF's strike against World Central Kitchen vehicles in April, which killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues."

She called for the international community to re-dedicate itself to protecting aid workers in conflict zones.

"Gaza is the deadliest place on earth to be an aid worker.

"We want to ensure that their tragic deaths are not in vain and do not continue.

"Now is the moment for the international community to rededicate itself to the protection of aid workers in conflict zones."

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Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, killing 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, as the Israeli military called on residents to immediately evacuate places where it claimed the Hezbollah militant group stores weapons.

Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, jamming the main highway to Beirut in the biggest exodus since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. More than 1,645 people were wounded in the strikes, the Health Ministry said, a staggering one-day toll for the country.

The Israeli military said it hit more than 800 targets Monday linked to Hezbollah weapons sites. It said it was expanding the operation to include areas of the Bekaa Valley, along Lebanon's eastern border.

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Residents of different villages in southern Lebanon posted photos on social media that they said showed their towns that were being struck.

The wave of airstrikes came after a day after Hezbollah fired over 100 rockets into northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa.

Hezbollah's rockets were in response to an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday that killed a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen members, along with civilians including women and children.

Last week, thousands of communications devices, used mainly by Hezbollah members, exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000. Lebanon blamed the attacks on Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny its responsibility.

More than 1240 other people were wounded in Monday's strikes, the health ministry said — a staggering one-day toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week.

The death toll surpassed that of Beirut's devastating port explosion in 2020, when hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse detonated, killing at least 218 people and wounding more than 6000.

In a recorded message to Lebanese civilians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them to heed Israeli calls to evacuate, saying "take this warning seriously".

"Please get out of harm's way now," Netanyahu said.

"Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes."

The Israeli military said Monday evening that it had carried out a targeted strike in Beirut. It did not give details.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told a news conference in Beirut that the strikes hit hospitals, medical centres and ambulances. The government ordered schools and universities to close across most of the country and began preparing shelters for people displaced from the south.

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The Israeli military announced that it hit some 800 targets on Monday, saying it was going after Hezbollah weapons sites.

One strike hit a wooded area as far away as Byblos in central Lebanon, more than 120 kilometres from the border north of Beirut.

The military said it was expanding the airstrikes to include areas of the Bekaa Valley, along Lebanon's eastern border, after targeting more than 300 sites in southern Lebanon.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said residents of the valley must immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah is storing weapons.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said in a statement that it fired dozens of rockets at an Israeli military post in Galilee. It also targeted for a second day the facilities of the Rafael defense firm, headquartered in Haifa.

As Israel carried out the attacks, Israeli authorities reported a series of air-raid sirens in northern Israel warning of incoming rocket fire from Lebanon.

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Earlier on Monday, Israel issued a broad warning urging residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate from homes and other buildings where it claimed Hezbollah has stored weapons.

It was the first warning of its kind in nearly a year of steadily escalating conflict and came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire on Sunday. Hezbollah launched about 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for strikes that killed a top commander and dozens of fighters.

There was no sign of an immediate exodus from the villages of southern Lebanon, and the warning left open the possibility that some residents could live in or near targeted structures without knowing that they are at risk.

The increasing strikes and counterstrikes have raised fears of an all-out war, even as Israel is still battling Hamas in Gaza and trying to return scores of hostages taken in Hamas' October 7 attack. Hezbollah has vowed to continue its strikes in solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas, a fellow Iran-backed militant group. Israel says it is committed to returning calm to its northern border.

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Associated Press journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy airstrikes targeting many areas Monday morning, including some far from the border.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the strikes hit a forested area in the central province of Byblos, about 130 kilometres north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, for the first time since the exchanges began in October. No injuries were reported there.

Israel also bombed targets in the north-eastern Baalbek and Hermel regions, where a shepherd was killed and two family members were wounded, according to the news agency. It said a total of 30 people were wounded in strikes.

The Lebanese Health Ministry put the death toll at 182. It asked hospitals in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa valley to postpone surgeries that could be done later. The ministry said in a statement that its request aimed to keep hospitals ready to deal with people wounded by "Israel's expanding aggression on Lebanon."

An Israeli military official said Israel is focused on aerial operations and has no immediate plans for a ground operation. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with regulations, said the strikes are aimed at curbing Hezbollah's ability to launch more strikes into Israel.

Lebanese media reported that residents received text messages urging them to move away from any building where Hezbollah stores arms until further notice.

"If you are in a building housing weapons for Hezbollah, move away from the village until further notice," the Arabic message reads, according to Lebanese media.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said in a statement that his office in Beirut had received a recorded message telling people to leave the building.

"This comes in the framework of the psychological war implemented by the enemy," Makary said, and urged people "not to give the matter more attention than it deserves".

It was not immediately clear how many people would be affected by the Israeli orders. Communities on both sides of the border have largely emptied out because of the near-daily exchanges of fire.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of transforming entire communities in the south into militant bases, with hidden rocket launchers and other infrastructure. That could lead the Israeli military to wage an especially heavy bombing campaign, even if no ground forces move in.

The military said it had targeted more than 150 militant sites early Monday. Residents of different villages in southern Lebanon posted photos on social media of airstrikes and large plumes of smoke. The state-run National News Agency also reported airstrikes on different areas.

An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen fighters, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children.

Last week, thousands of communications devices, used mainly by Hezbollah members, exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3000. Lebanon blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel did not confirm or deny any responsibility.

Hezbollah began firing into Israel a day after the October 7 attack in what it said was an attempt to pin down Israeli forces to help Palestinian fighters in Gaza. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict has steadily intensified over the past year.

The fighting has killed hundreds of people in Lebanon, dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. It has also sparked brush fires that have destroyed agriculture and scarred the landscape.

Israel has vowed to push Hezbollah back from the border so its citizens can return to their homes, saying it prefers to do so diplomatically but is willing to use force. Hezbollah has said it will keep up its attacks until there is a cease-fire in Gaza, but that appears increasingly elusive as the war nears its anniversary.

Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250. Some 100 captives are still held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.

Israel's offensive has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its count. It says women and children make up a little over half of those killed. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

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1950s Māori All Black Henry Parkinson still aiming high at Kaumātua Games

A knifeman is on the run in Sydney after a fatal stabbing attack at Marrickville in the city's inner west.

Emergency services were called to Marrickville Road at about 7.40pm last night after reports that a man aged in his 30s had been attacked.

Paramedics performed CPR but the victim died at the scene outside a Guzman y Gomez fast food restaurant.

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The attack sparked a frenzy of activity around the victim's body, with the surrounding streets placed into lockdown for several hours to preserve the crime scene.

Several people, understood to be family members of the victim, tried to see his body but were pushed back by police.

At one point, an officer was forced to pull out a Taser in an attempt to keep them away from the scene.

READ MORE:

Witnesses told 9News that emergency responders tried to desperately to keep the man alive.

"We just saw one guy on the floor and the police was helping him," a woman said.

"And then after we came back from Woolies the guy had passed away.

READ MORE:

"It makes me so sad because I'm from overseas and I know that this country is so safe. And to be honest, I didn't expect this kind of thing to happen."

The knifeman is still on the run and police are appealing for help to track him down.

NSW Police said there was no clear motive for the attack and no information on the potential suspect has been released.

Mortgage holders are likely again to be denied any relief today when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its interest rates decision.

Economists are pointing to the resilient jobs market and robust demand as potential risks for delaying inflation's return to the RBA's core target of 2 per cent to 3 per cent.

Experts forecast RBA Governor Michele Bullock will announce the cash rate target is staying at 4.35 per cent when she announces the board's decision at 2.30pm.

READ MORE: Lebanon sees deadliest day of conflict since 2006 as Israeli strikes kill more than 350

About 47,000 new jobs were created in August, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as the labour market remains at historically tight levels despite the relatively weak economy.

This week's RBA meeting also comes after the US Federal Reserve decided to cut rates by 50 basis points last week to 4.8 per cent – still higher than the RBA's current cash rate target of 4.35 per cent.

But that is also unlikely to pressure the RBA into cut, with Bullock last month admitting Australia and the US have different rate cycles.

The vast majority of experts and economists forecast mortgage holders will have to wait until early next year for relief.

Comparison group Finder.com.au spoke to 42 experts and economists for this month's RBA Cash Rate Survey, and every one of them said the Reserve Bank would maintain the current cash rate in September.

And 68 per cent of those surveyed expected the next rate cut during the first three meetings next year, with 44 per cent picking February 2025 as the most likely date.

The current cash rate has been maintained since last November and through six RBA meetings.

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A senior Western Australian police officer allegedly run down by a wanted man has been described as "superman" by his family.

Detective Senior Constable Greg McDougall's first question from his hospital bed was whether his colleagues had caught their suspect.

The veteran of 17 years has 16 broken ribs, a broken arm and a fractured foot but still has a smile on his face.

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The experienced police officer was allegedly mowed down by a Toyota Hilux during a police operation in Belmont on Friday. 

First responders rushed the 46-year-old to hospital in a critical condition. 

His twin brother, Chris McDougall, said it was "touch and go" on Friday night.

"That was our biggest concern, Friday night, getting through the night," he told 9News.

"And Saturday once they got him stabilised he seemed to get a lot better. 

"And every time he woke up he was just so strong. Every time we saw him he always gave us a thumbs up.

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"Yeah, he's so tough. He's superman to most of the family, he really is. The things he's been through."

CCTV captured the shocking scene on Stanton Street.

The detective was on foot, approaching the car, trying to speak with a wanted man inside, when he was struck and dragged.

The alleged driver, Brenden Ross Green, was charged with a number of serious offences, including dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.

Police allege they found one kilogram of methamptemine, with a street value of $1 million, when they searched his car.

The injured police officer's twin said one of his first questions when he woke up was "did we get him?"

His close-knit family has been by his bedside everyday.

"We're basically soul mates, we do everything together, we talk to each other at least three times a day," Chris said.

"He's outgoing, he loves his kids so much, Lily, Georgie and Indy. He's a real family man."

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The man accused of the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump at a golf course in Florida left behind a note saying that he intended to kill the former president and maintained in his car a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was to appear, the US Justice Department says.

The new allegations were included in a detention memo filed ahead of a hearing on Monday at which the Justice Department was expected to argue that 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh should remain locked up as the case moves forward.

The details are meant to buttress prosecutors' assertions that Routh had set out to kill Trump before the plot was thwarted by a Secret Service agent who spotted a rifle poking out of shrubbery on the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing.

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The note, addressed "Dear World", was placed in a box that was dropped at the home of an unidentified person who contacted law enforcement officials after last Sunday's arrest.

It appears to have been based on the premise that the assassination attempt would be ultimately unsuccessful.

The box, which also contained ammunition, a metal pipe and other items, was not opened by the person until after Routh was taken into custody.

The person who received the box and contacted law enforcement was not identified in the Justice Department's detention memo.

"This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster," the note said, according to prosecutors.

"It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job."

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An attorney for Routh didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday morning.

Authorities who searched his car found six cellphones, including one that showed a Google search of how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico.

They also found a list with dates in August, September and October and venues where Trump had appeared or was scheduled to, according to prosecutors.

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A notebook found in his car was filled with criticism of the Russian and Chinese governments and notes about how to join the war on behalf of Ukraine.

Cellphone records indicate he travelled to West Palm Beach from Greensboro in mid-August, and that he was near Trump's golf club and the former president's Mar-a-Lago residence "on multiple days and times" between August 18 and the day of the apparent attempted assassination.

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Heartwrenching footage of 12-year-old Sydney schoolgirl Charlotte before she took her own life has been shared by her family.

The Santa Sabina College year 7 student, who died by suicide on September 9 after what her family says was relentless bullying, was excited about attending her year 6 school formal last year.

Her parents Matt and Kelly have spoken out about Charlotte's death to incite a reform of school bullying policies across Australia.

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Meanwhile, the family of Dolly Everett – who died by suicide at age 14 in 2018 – have offered a supportive message to Charlotte's parents.

The Everetts told 9News their "hearts are with Charlotte's parents" and that her loss is a "reminder of having conversations with young people about bullying".

Charlotte's father broke down on-air while discussing his daughter's tragic death on Monday.

Charlotte's stepdad Matt spoke to 2GB's Ben Fordham Live about his daughter's suicide and revealed how his wife Kelly and the rest of the family are coping.

Matt said his entire family is "broken" but wanted to remain strong to tell Charlotte's story and give her a voice.

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"Her final wish for us to tell her story and that hopefully this would gain some awareness and something positive could possibly come from this," Matt said.

"I get up every morning and talk to whoever wants to talk to me about it, because we need change, Ben, we need to do better for our kids than we're doing today."

Year 7 student Charlotte took her own life on September 9 after struggling with school bullying for years.

Kelly said she had attempted to address the allegations of bullying with her daughter's school, Santa Sabina College, but hadn't been able to nip it in the bud.

The grief-stricken parents said it was clear the bullying contributed to Charlotte's death.

"I would not allow this behaviour to happen in my home," Matt said.

"We as adults need to step in and solve the problem… I'm looking for the schools to have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to these things."

https://omny.fm/shows/ben-fordham-full-show/our-girl-is-gone-charlotte-s-family-joins-ben-afte/embed

Matt said he and his wife are "disappointed" with Santa Sabina College's response to bullying allegations.

In a statement shared with 2GB, the college said the family's claims of bullying are "inconsistent" with their records.

Matt and wife Kelly refute this and want the school to take accountability.

"It has been heartbreaking, [but] having said that Ben I would still welcome the opportunity when the time is right, to meet with the school if they were to reach out to me directly," Matt said.

"I'm not sure, with the responses that have come from the school, that we're going to see change in that school anytime."

"I am here to talk to all the other schools today," he added.

"I'm here to talk to all the other school leaders that we need to have those difficult conversations, and while they are difficult conversations, nothing is more difficult than trying to have this conversation with parents that have lost…"

Both Charlotte's parents said they didn't want any anger or blame directed at the students at Santa Sabina College.

Matt said he wants schools to take bullying seriously and to change policies so no other child takes their own life.

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"If you have shown any emotion having listened to my daughter's story… please organise a meeting and do it today," he said.

He also thanked the local community for rallying around his family during this dark time.

"We have been overwhelmed with support since then, we have had parents rocking up at our house almost every day, bringing food and home cooked meals for us," Matt said.

"Our fridges and freezer at home are full, but our hearts are empty."

In telling Charlotte's story, Matt told Ben he wants her to be remembered for the kind, loving friend, daughter and sister she was.

In the months before her death, Charlotte was loving being a big sister to her little brother Will.

"She was just the most amazing 12-year-old you would ever meet, the kindest and most caring little girl who would put the needs of others before hers," he said.

"They were inseparable," Matt added about Charlotte and Will. 

"Her mum told Charlotte before she even told me and Charlotte dropped to the ground in joy, she said that is the only wish I have for [my] next birthday.

"She didn't need anything else because she had a little brother."

Matt told Ben he was technically Charlotte's stepdad but had been a father to her since he met her mum, Kelly.

The pair were due to get married in a month.

Matt and Kelly want people to donate to Kids Helpline in lieu of flowers ahead of Charlotte's funeral on Friday.

Crisis support is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Support is available from Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

The Brownlow Medal, the AFL's most prestigious individual award, is being handed out on September 23. Check out the best looks from the red carpet here.