Tamil asylum seekers at the centre of court battle secretly sent to Nauru
The 157 asylum seekers at the centre of a High Court challenge against the federal government’s immigration policy have been taken to Nauru. The group of Tamil asylum seekers, which includes 50 children, left Australia on Friday night to be processed at Nauru, News Corp reports.
The lawyer for the group of asylum seekers, George Newhouse, told Fairfax Media that he was completely unaware of the group’s movements. “I just found out from News Corp like everyone else,” he said.
Gaza ceasefire ends after just hours
A 72-hour ceasefire announced by US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has been broken just hours after it was called. Hamas reportedly shot eight rockets at Israel shortly after the announcement, while Israeli tanks opened fire in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has released a statement saying that an Israeli soldier is feared captured. US President Barack Obama called for the soldier’s release in a press conference on Friday.
It is currently believed that 1,459 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died and over 7,000 have been wounded. More than 400 Israeli soldiers have been wounded, while 64 Israelis have been killed, including three civilians.
World Health Organisation warns that Ebola virus is moving faster than efforts to contain it
The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Ebola virus is spreading across west Africa more rapidly than the efforts to try and contain it. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said: “If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives but also severe socio-economic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries.”