Australia news LIVE: Mushroom cook Erin Patterson to be sentenced in hours; Four killed in record Russian attack

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7.20am

Lambie says ‘enough’s enough’ after Bondi clash

By Daniel Lo Surdo

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has declared most Australians are “wearing down” over the domestic clashes regarding the Middle East conflict, after punches were thrown between pro-Israel and Palestine groups at Bondi Beach yesterday.

Lambie said that clashes such as those observed in Bondi weren’t productive, calling instead for the flow of peacekeepers to Gaza as part of efforts to counter deepening humanitarian concerns for the area.

“I think most Australians are just going, enough’s enough, and when you put that violence into it, I think they say that’s it,” Lambie told Nine’s Today.

“I don’t know what that fighting is going to do to those starving kids on that strip to be open and honest with you.”

7.04am

Rishworth calls for ‘simmer down’ after Bondi clash

By Daniel Lo Surdo

Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has called for a simmering of tensions after punches were thrown between pro-Israel and Palestine protest groups in a tense standoff at Bondi Beach yesterday, as demonstrators hurled abuse at one another and police investigate the incident.

Rishworth said Australians were opposed to the “type of physical violence” observed on Sunday, and resisted the import of “hate and violence” onto domestic shores.

Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters clash at Bondi Beach.

“I think everyone has a responsibility to simmer down, or to reduce tensions,” Rishworth told Nine’s Today. “There’s just no place for this type of violence.”

The rival protests broke out after pro-Israel groups took exception to the Palestine demonstrators, who converged on the sand for a paddle-out to support Gaza, with hundreds of pro-Israel supporters lining the Bondi promenade in response.

6.42am

Streetcar cable gave way: initial report

The first investigative report on the deadly derailment of a popular Portugal streetcar said a cable connecting the two cabins essentially snapped.

Wednesday’s crash left 16 dead and injured 21 others. Officials called it one of Lisbon’s worst tragedies in recent memory.

Emergency teams work at the site of a derailed electric streetcar in Lisbon, Portugal on Wednesday.

The report by the Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations released at the weekend said the two cabins had travelled not more than about six metres when they suddenly lost the balancing force provided by the connecting cable.

“The cabin’s brakeman immediately applied the pneumatic brake and the hand brake to try to halt the movement,” the report said.

“These actions had no effect in stopping or reducing the cabin’s speed, and it continued accelerating down the slope.”

A final report containing the facts, analysis and conclusions regarding the causes of the accident is expected to be published later.

6.40am

Ukraine PM’s plea to allies after record attack

By David Crowe

Ukraine’s new prime minister has issued a personal plea to allies to help “close our sky” against missiles and drones after Russia launched its biggest overnight attack of the war, targeting a key government building and killing four people.

Russia fired 13 missiles and sent 805 drones against Ukrainian targets during the record assault, killing a 32-year-old woman and her two-month-old son in Kyiv as well as injuring dozens in attacks against multiple cities.

Smoke rises from a fire at the Cabinet of Ministers building after a Russian strike in Kyiv.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko revealed the damage in a personal video showing the effect of the bombardment and fire, in what she called the first Russian attack on a major government headquarters in the capital.

As she walked through the building, with rescue workers sorting through the wreckage, Svyrydenko stepped up the Ukrainian government’s calls for more pressure on Russia so it would negotiate seriously on a peace deal.

6.36am

What’s making news today

By Daniel Lo Surdo

Hello and welcome to the national news blog. My name is Daniel Lo Surdo, and I’ll be helming our live coverage this morning.

Here’s what is making news today:

Triple-murderer mushroom cook Erin Patterson will be sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court hours from now, after a jury found Patterson guilty of her crimes in July. Prosecutors are calling for Patterson to be jailed for life without parole, which, if handed down by Justice Christopher Beale, would render Patterson only the second Australian woman to receive such a sentence.
Russia’s biggest overnight attack in its war against Ukraine killed four people and set Kyiv’s main government building on fire, in a record assault that deployed 13 missiles and 805 drones in an advance spanning multiple cities. Among the killed were a 32-year-old woman and her two-month-old son, prompting an urgent plea for global partners to increase pressure on Russia and to protect Ukraine against further aerial attacks.
US President Donald Trump faced a mixed reception of cheers and boos as he appeared courtside at the men’s final of the US Open hours ago. Most attendees were stuck in long queues outside the Arthur Ashe Stadium, waiting to clear expanded security checks, when Trump appeared at the grand slam, marking the first time a sitting president has attended the tournament since Bill Clinton in 2000.