Midday News Bulletin 4 July 2024

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At least four pro-Palestinian protesters have climbed on the roof of Parliament House in Canberra; former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann committed to stand trial on two rape charges in Queensland and in tennis, Thanasi Kokkinakis pulls off an epic five-set shock at Wimbledon.


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  • At least four pro-Palestinian protesters have climbed on the roof of Parliament House in Canberra
  • Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann committed to stand trial on two rape charges in Queensland
  • Thanasi Kokkinakis pulls off an epic five-set shock at Wimbledon
At least four pro-Palestinian protesters have climbed on the roof of Parliament house.

The group has unfurled large banners, one reading "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", with the others alleging the Australian government is complicit in genocide.
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Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been committed to stand trial on two rape charges in Queensland following two days of hearings into the reliability of the alleged victim's evidence.

His defence barrister had argued Lehrmann should not face trial because the alleged victim was too intoxicated to remember giving consent.

But the prosecutor said there was a prima facie case to answer and any questions over the reliability of the alleged victim's evidence should be considered by a jury.

Lehrmman is accused of raping a woman twice in the early hours of October 10, 2021 at Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

The trial will now be heard at the Toowoomba District Court at a date to be fixed.
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A New Zealand woman has been struck and killed by a car during a botched robbery at a beach resort while on holiday in the United States.

Police in Newport Beach California say a scuffle broke out at a shopping mall when two men tried to rob a woman and her husband at a bookstore.

68-year-old Patricia McKay was dragged into the street by one of the suspects and run over and killed by a third man who was driving a sedan.

Police say one of the suspects fired a handgun during the attempted robbery and all three men have now been arrested.

Police sergeant Steven Oberon told K-T-L-A television that despite the murder, Newport Beach is not a dangerous community.

"But whether it's from from out of town or here it's always shocking, when a crime of this magnitude is committed and someone dies as a result. Newport Beach is a very safe community. And when something like this happens it's very shocking, but we are a safe community."
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Israel has approved the biggest seizure of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank in more than three decades in a move considered detrimental to peace hopes.

The Peace Now settlement tracking group has found 12.7-square-kilometres of land in the Jordan Valley was officially declared "state property" in June.

The group says its the largest seizure since the 1993 Oslo Accords.

It says the Israeli government has seized a total of 23.7 square kilometres in the West Bank since the start of the year.

Israel has been occupying the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Since then, it has constructed dozens of settlements across the West Bank, which are deemed illegal under international law.
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The White House denies reports that President Joe Biden is considering dropping out of his re-election bid in the United States presidential race.

Following criticism over his debate performance against Donald Trump, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says his performance was affected by a respiratory infection.

"It was not his best night. He had a cold. He was jet lagged. You heard directly from the president about this. And when we get back, when we get knocked down, when he gets knocked down, he gets right back up. And that's what I would I that's what I would focus on. The president continuing to be very steady and continuing to work on for the American people."
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And in tennis,

Thanasi Kokkinakis has overpowered Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set triumph at Wimbledon.

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