The Prime Minister Tony Abbott is pushing back against an attempt by members of his own government to legalize same sex marriage. Coalition backbenchers Warren Entsch and / have joined across party group to draft a bill to legalize gay marriage. But a spokesman for the prime minister says the party room debate will only happen if the government supports bringing on a vote in parliament. 

 

The US and Cuba have reached a historic deal to reopen their embassies in Washington and Havana. Relations have been frozen since the early 1960s when the US broke links with Cuba and imposed a trade embargo. 

 

“Well, 54 years ago, ahead of the cold war, the United States closed its embassy in Havana. Today, I can announce the United States has agreed to formally establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cuba and reopened embassies in our respective countries.”

 

Euro zone finance minister say there can be no further negotiations with Greece until after Sunday’s referendum. Greece has made a fresh proposal to euro zone ministers after it became the first / economy to default an IMF payment. Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has called on voters to reject the program put forward by the country’s creditors.