$1m reward to be offered for information related to suspicious death of woman in 2003

The NSW government and NSW police will offer a $1m reward for information related to the 2003 death of Harmony Bryant.

Bryant, then 26, was found severely injured in bushland in Bonny Hills, about 25km south of Port Macquarie, in August 2003. Emergency workers found her vehicle on fire about 200 metres from the road.

She was taken to the hospital with burns to 60% of her body, a broken pelvis and a fractured wrist and left arm. Evidence at the time suggested she fell from a nearby cliff and was aided to her vehicle by an unknown person or persons.

She died in hospital a month later from her injuries.

Investigators at the time found Bryant had booked accommodation the day before the incident for two people, but they were never able to locate the supposed second person. An inquest in 2011 found she died from burns that were caused by a person or persons unknown.

No one has ever been charged over her death.

Human bones found on popular Rottnest Island – reports

Human bones are believed to have been found on a popular holiday island with a tragic past, Australian Associated Press reports.

The remains were found yesterday by workers at Rottnest Island, near Perth, Western Australian, police say.

“The bones, which are believed to be human, were located during construction work on church grounds,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.

An investigation has been launched, and forensic specialists will examine the bones to determine their age.

WA state records indicate 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys were imprisoned there between 1838 and 1931, according to the Rottnest Island Authority. Living conditions were brutal on the island. Overcrowding and a lack of sanitation and nutrition, extreme weather, and physical and psychological abuse contributed to hundreds of deaths.

Most were buried in unmarked graves on the island. After the prison closed, one of Australia’s largest Aboriginal burial grounds was largely forgotten about, the island authority said.

Paterson says it’s ‘clear’ Trump was escalating to de-escalate Middle East conflict

James Paterson added that he believes it’s “clear” that Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and threats that a “whole civilization will die” were ultimately meant to end the conflict. He told RN:

Speaking about it analytically and dispassionately, it’s clear that the US president has been threatening to escalate in order to de-escalate. And it may be the reason that there is a ceasefire agreement, although a very shaky one.

Paterson went on to say there was “no doubt” that Iran did not want to see Trump follow through on his claims.

I’m sure it is the case that the regime did not want to sustain the attack that the US president was proposing to make.

Shadow defence minister ‘reluctant’ to listen to Iran over Lebanon’s inclusion in ceasefire deal

James Paterson, the shadow minister for defence, said he is “reluctant” to listen to Iran on whether or not Lebanon was included in a ceasefire deal announced yesterday as Israel continues to bombard the country.

Paterson spoke to RN Breakfast shortly after the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, released a joint statement calling for an end in hostilities in Lebanon as part of that agreement. He said:

On the one hand, the United States and Israel say that the ceasefire did not include Lebanon, and on the other hand, the Islamic Republic of Iran is saying that it did include Lebanon.

I am personally reluctant to endorse claims made by a country which has sponsored terrorist attacks on Australian soil.

Paterson went on to say an end to the conflict was “obviously” in Australia’s national interest.

Australian charities raise more than $3.4m for humanitarian crisis in the Middle East

Australia’s major charities have raised more than $3.4m over the past month for people in the Middle East facing a growing humanitarian crisis.

Groups including Save the Children, Care Australia and Oxfam said the appeal is meant to support those in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and the West Bank. Kerren Morris, the executive director of the Emergency Action Alliance, said the figures, which include a $2m donation from the Minderoo Foundation, were extremely heartening:

Australians are seeing what is happening in a number of countries in the Middle East and responding with compassion. We recognise this is a time when Australians are also doing it tough and we appreciate how they are recognising the depth of the humanitarian crisis and responding.

The joint appeal is still ongoing, despite the ceasefire.

Penny Wong urges ceasefire to include Lebanon in joint statement with other nations

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, released a joint statement this morning urging an end to hostilities in Lebanon as part of the ceasefire announced by US president Donald Trump yesterday.

Wong, alongside dignitaries from Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Sierra Leone and the UK, said she remained “deeply concerned” by the worsening humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. The group wrote:

Attacks that threaten the safety and security of humanitarian personnel must stop. International humanitarian law must be upheld by all parties to the conflict in all circumstances.

Respect for international humanitarian law is essential to preserving human dignity, mitigating civilian harm, and maintaining the space needed for humanitarian action and access.

Wong added Australia condemns “in the strongest terms actions that have killed UN peacekeepers and significantly increased the risks faced by humanitarian personnel in southern Lebanon”.

Good morning, Nick Visser here to pick up the blog. Let’s see what Thursday has in store.

Li Qiang noted that China-Australia economic and trade cooperation has strong internal momentum and still holds great potential in the long run. Beijing will adhere to expanding domestic demand as a strategic priority, vigorously boost consumption, promote a marked increase in the household consumption rate, and continuously unleash market demand, he said.

Both sides should accelerate the review and upgrade discussions of the bilateral free trade agreement to provide stronger institutional support for cooperation.

The statement said:

There is great potential for China-Australia green cooperation, and China is willing to leverage complementary advantages with Australia to deepen cooperation in such areas as clean energy, electric vehicles, energy storage and carbon reduction, jointly building stronger momentum for the development of the green economy, he added.

For his part, Albanese said the Australian government has always been committed to developing a stable, mature and constructive relationship with China. Under the current international circumstances, the steady development of Australia-China relations is particularly important.

Australia has long adhered to the one-China policy and is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with China, expand cooperation in trade, investment, mining, clean energy and people-to-people exchanges, properly manage differences in the spirit of mutual respect, and advance the Australia-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

Details of PM’s discusing with China’s premier

More details have emerged of the discussions Anthony Albanese held on Tuesday night with the China’s premier, Li Qiang.

According to a statement issued by the Chinese embassy last night, Li told Albanese that Beijing was ready to work with Australia “to expand and upgrade bilateral trade, support enterprises of both countries in conducting cooperation based on market principles, and promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes”.

Despite global uncertainty, China and Australia were important partners, Li said, and should “strive to foster and maintain a positive atmosphere, and consolidate the positive momentum in bilateral relations and cooperation”.

Pointing to the success of talks between Albanese and President Xi Jinping last year, China was ready to “maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen communication and coordination, consolidate mutual political trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, safeguard multilateralism and free trade, inject momentum into the development of the two countries and provide more stability for the region and the world at large”.