Midday News Bulletin 16 November 2023

SBS NEWS OK AUDIO 16X9 DAY.png

Source: SBS News

Joe Biden meets Xi Jinping at the APEC summit; Immigration Minister Andrew Giles introduces a bill to amend the Migration Act and Sam Kerr helps Chelsea to a 2-all draw with Real Madrid.


Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with

TRANSCRIPT
  • Joe Biden meets Xi Jinping at the APEC summit
  • Immigration Minister Andrew Giles introduces a bill to amend the Migration Act
  • Sam Kerr helps Chelsea to a 2-all draw with Real Madrid.
Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping have met on the sidelines of the APEC summit in California hoping to stabilise U-S-China relations after a tumultuous period.

The leaders last spoke a year ago in Bali on the sidelines of the G-20.

Since then, fraught ties between the economic superpowers have been strained by the U-S downing of a Chinese spy balloon and over differences on the self-ruled island of Taiwan as well as other diplomatic incidents.

President Biden says the two leaders haven't always agreed but cooperation between the two major powers is essential.

''We've known each other for a long time. We haven't always agreed, which was not a surprise to anyone. But our meetings have always been candid, straightforward and useful. We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict. We also have responsibility to our people to work together when we see it in our interest to do so. And the critical global challenges we face, from climate change, to counter-narcotics, to artificial intelligence demand our joint efforts."
_
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has introduced a new bill to parliament for the amendment of the Migration Act, which would place tough restrictions on those released from immigration detention.

It comes after last week's landmark ruling by the High Court which determined indefinite immigration detention to be unlawful, leading to the release of 83 detainees.

Among the restrictions introduced by the new bill will be the monitoring of the released detainees via special devices such as ankle bracelets and the requirement to report any changes to their status, such as their address or financial situation.

Any breach of their visa conditions could lead to fines or an additional prison sentence.

Minister Giles says the government is considering further measures to ensure the safety of the community.

"While it is important that we enact this legislation as a priority, further safeguards are being considered. Community protection remains a fundamental priority and the measures included in this bill are fundamental for providing the legislative front Merck support this outcome."
-
Israel says its troops have found an operational command centre and assets belonging to Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza's biggest hospital.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari says the soldiers who entered the hospital after encircling it for days had found weapons, combat gear and technological equipment there and were continuing their search.

“IDF (Israel Defense Forces) troops continue a targeted operation at this time inside Shifa Hospital. We entered into this operation last night, Shifa as a place we knew from intelligence that had terrorist infrastructure and since then we have deepened the operation. We found inside the hospital: weapons, intelligence materials, military technology and military equipment. Additionally, an operational headquarters was located with Hamas communications means and military technology."

The military also released a video they said showed some of the materials recovered from an undisclosed building in the hospital compound, including automatic weapons, grenades, ammunition and flak jackets.
_
Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has announced that the federal government will be cutting 50 high-risk infrastructure projects across Australia.

The move is in response to an independent infrastructure review which found that the $120 billion infrastructure pipeline was facing $33 billion in cost blowouts and delays.

Ms King says the review made 15 recommendations - all of which the government agrees to or agrees in principle to.

She has blamed the coalition for the infrastructure cuts, accusing the former government of over-committing to projects.

"It is clear that the previous government deliberately said about announcing projects that did not have enough funding and they knew could not be delivered it can only be described frankly as economic vandalism."
_
In football,

Sam Kerr's Chelsea have kicked off their Champions League group stage campaign with a thrilling 2-all draw against Hayley Raso's Real Madrid.

Share

Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world