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AAP Rolling News Bulletin for March 3 at 0230


Legal: Sanderson (BRISBANE)
A father fell to his death riding a tandem zipline in a rainforest that had been booked as part of a "bucket list" holiday, a coroner has heard.
An inquest into Dean Anson Sanderson's death in far north Queensland was told the 50-year-old first thought staff were playing a prank before he fell up to 25m alongside his wife Shannon.
The tragedy occurred after the Adelaide father-of-three and mine project manager had taken a tandem zipline tour at Cape Tribulation, 140km north of Cairns, on October 22, 2019.
The couple's holiday was part of a goal to see the far north while they still could, Mrs Sanderson told coroner Wayne Pennell in Brisbane on Monday.
"He was enjoying life. He had been through a pretty terrible health situation a couple of years before and I think he saw the world in a different way," she said.

Hanson (CANBERRA)
Pauline Hanson is refusing to apologise for targeting a slur at another senator on the same day she faces a censure motion for inflammatory remarks against Muslims.
Hours ahead of the potential censure for recent comments about there being no "good Muslims", the One Nation leader stormed out of the chamber after calling independent Lidia Thorpe a "bitch" on Monday.
The insult came amid a heated back-and-forth between the two during a debate on US-Israel strikes on Iran, during which Senator Thorpe continuously called Senator Hanson a liar.
She also castigated the One Nation leader for calling the US president "Senator Trump" during her speech.
The two then quietly traded barbs off-mic, with Senator Thorpe heard telling the firebrand, "if you want to talk to me, then make an appointment", before Senator Hanson used the derogatory term.

Legal: Amon (SYDNEY)
A former Liberal MP has testified he would have asked a teenage boy for a kiss before they had sex in a communal car park bathroom.
Rory Amon, 36, returned to the witness box on Monday to defend a slew of child sex charges relating to various acts done to the teen in 2017.
The boy, who was 13 years old at the time, met the future politician through a gay dating app before the alleged rape and sexual abuse took place.
Amon says he drove to the teen's Sydney apartment on July 22, 2017, believing the youth was 17 years old.
On Monday, he told a NSW Supreme Court jury he had met the boy outside the unit complex before being led to the underground car park's bathroom.

IRAN (JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV/DUBAI)
Israeli is striking targets of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militants across Lebanon, after the group ?launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader ?Ali Khamenei.
The projectiles launched by the Lebanese militant group on Monday were the first since the start of US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The Shi'ite Muslim group said it launched the ?attack against Israel ?in response ?to Israel killing Khamenei and continuous Israeli violations against Lebanon.
"The ?resistance leadership has always emphasised that the continuation of Israeli attacks and the assassination of our leaders, youth, and people gives us the right to defend ourselves and respond at the appropriate time and place," Hezbollah said in a statement.
The Israeli military said it intercepted a projectile that crossed the border and several others fell in open areas. No injuries or damage were reported.

Hospital (SYDNEY)
Knowledge of a serious hospital fungal outbreak that claimed the lives of two transplant patients was kept from the relevant minister for more than a month after health authorities discovered it.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park's office was alerted on Christmas Eve to possible fungal-related deaths and illnesses in the Royal Prince Alfred transplant unit, related to the hospital's $940 million redevelopment.
Hospital management had been investigating the matter since early December.
But Mr Park admitted on Monday he was unaware of the two deaths and four illnesses until well after his return from holidays on January 5.
"(The rough date would have been) the first part of February, I don't have a date where I've written something down," he told a budget estimates hearing.

Mideast (GAZA STRIP)
Some Palestinians say they fear the widening war sparked by US and Israeli attacks against Iran could overshadow the fragile situation in Gaza.
The hostilities began just over a week after US President Donald Trump rallied billions of dollars in pledges for the territory's reconstruction and tried to nudge a ceasefire forward.
Residents say they are scared of neglect and deprivation, with Israel in the wake of the weekend strikes closing all crossings into their shattered territory of over two million people.
Palestinians told The Associated Press they were rushing to markets, haunted by memories of painful food scarcity last year under months of Israel's blockade. Part of Gaza, around Gaza City, was found to be in famine.
"When the crossings shut down, everything was suspended from the market," said Osamda Hanoda from Khan Younis.

Actors (LOS ANGELES)
With two weeks to go until the Academy Awards, the 32nd Actor Awards will be the final pre-Oscars showdown for One Battle After Another and Sinners with a host of Australian talent in the running for gongs.
Sarah Snook and Jacob Elordi received nods, with Rose Byrne nominated in the best female actor category for her role in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.
Snook is in the running for best actress in a limited series for her role in the mystery-thriller All Her Fault and Elordi is gunning for best supporting male actor for his haunting performance in Frankenstein.
Formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the newly renamed Actor Awards, hosted by Kristen Bell, is one of the most closely watched precursors to the Academy Awards and is under way in Los Angeles.

Legal: Lomax (SYDNEY)
Zac Lomax's NRL future remains in limbo as his lawyers conduct last-minute talks to secure his release from Parramatta.
Minutes before a NSW Supreme Court hearing was due to begin on Monday morning, lawyers for both Lomax and the Eels asked for more time to carry on negotiations that had run overnight.
Lomax quit the Eels in November in a failed bid to join R360 before the breakaway rugby union competition's launch was postponed.
But his former club blocked his next move, a proposed shift to NRL powerhouse Melbourne for the 2026 season, which started in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The Eels claimed the winger knew he would need their permission before tearing up his $700,000-a-year contract and moving to another NRL club.

In finance ...

Markets Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's share market is trading lower after being the first major bourse to open after the US and Israel bombed Iran during the weekend.
The S&P/ASX200 fell 38.4 points by midday, down 0.43 per cent, to 9,159.4, as the broader All Ordinaries lost 44.5 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 9,391.1.
"Despite weeks of escalating tensions as the US and Iran held talks on the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions, markets had not priced a comprehensive strike," Capital.com market analyst Kyle Rodda said.
Iran's size and relative isolation from the world economy meant the conflict's global impact would likely be lesser than with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said.
"All in all, it's a supply shock that could ripple across the global economy, especially if the war continues to escalate."

Star (SYDNEY)
Cash stockpiles have been dwindling at loss-making casino operator Star Entertainment Group, but the firm is making inroads on refinancing its debt in a high-wire battle to survive.
The group had $130 million in available cash as of December 31, down from $234 million six months ago, according to its interim results lodged on Friday night.
Star posted a half-year operating earnings loss of $7.6 million and suffered a statutory loss of $109.7 million, includin