Anthony Albanese launches the campaign on Australia's pitch for a UN Security Council seat; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vows to stay on, after election setbacks for his party in two states; Authorities search for fans who threw bottles at umpires over the weekend.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Anthony Albanese launches the campaign on Australia's pitch for a UN Security Council seat
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vows to stay on, after election setbacks for his party in two states
- Authorities search for fans who threw bottles at umpires over the weekend.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has formally launched Australia’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, saying the role would be used to advocate for online safety, the regulation of AI, and action on climate change.
Candidates are required to secure a two-thirds majority [[from the 193 members]] when the vote takes place in June 2028, to get a seat on council for the 2029-30 term.
Australia last held a non-permanent seat in 2013-14.
Speaking in in New York, Mr Albanese says Australia's approach would be to listen with respect - and protect what matters most.
"Australia's voice on the (UN Security) Council matters, so we can be a part of shaping some of the biggest issues which are facing the world. If elected to the Security Council, we will use our seat to advance the safety and prosperity of Australia, our region, and the world. And the challenge of climate change is another one where particularly for our Pacific neighbours, Australia having a seat on the table will very important."
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay on, after his conservative party suffered a major defeat in two state elections.
The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is projected to come first in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Mr Merz's party has fallen to just five per cent there, its worst state election result since World War Two.
"And today we saw two elections with very different results. We can't sugarcoat the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It's a disaster."
In Berlin, the Chancellor's party has also been beaten, with the left-wing Die Linke projected to come first.
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Police have praised members of the public who came to the aid of a family found with stab wounds in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, on Sunday. Blue Mountains Police Area Commander, Superintendent John Nelson, says passersby performed first aid and contacted authorities after discovering the woman and three children in a car at Valley Heights.
One child was declared deceased at the scene, while the woman aged in her 40s and two other children believed to be under five are in a critical condition in hospital.
The superintendent says it's too early in the investigation to comment on further details, including the identities of the family members and their relationship to each other.
"A crime scene has been established... what I can say is that - I won't confirm whether she is the child's mother. But I can confirm the lady is not known to us."
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New South Wales opposition leader Kellie Sloane says women are being failed by every level of government after a horror weekend of domestic-violence incidents that has seen three women die in separate incidents across the state.
In one case, a 23-year-old woman was found with fatal stab wounds in the city of Wagga Wagga, an elderly woman was found dead at Bondi Beach, and in the state's north, a woman's body was found at Mole River.
Two men have been charged over the first two incidents, while charges are yet to be laid over the third.
In a statement Ms Sloane says these deaths are not isolated, and that according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, a woman was killed every 11 days in 2025 by her intimate partner.
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British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has said he made "mistakes" and broke his silence on the Israel-Gaza conflict, as he resumed his tour solo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The show at Lincoln Financial Field marked his first performance since rapper Macklemore announced he had been removed as one of the tour's opening acts after saying "Free Palestine" at a show early this month.
The tour's other supporting acts subsequently quit to show solidarity with Macklemore.
Speaking directly to fans before opening his show, Sheeran says the situation had placed him in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.
"My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, of children's lives, and the systemic injustice we're seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked. I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims during these terrible times and listening and learning because I do not know enough."
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The AFL has threatened lengthy bans for fans accused of throwing bottles at umpires after Hawthorn's finals loss to Brisbane.
Bottles were thrown from the stands as officials left the MCG on Saturday night, following the Hawks' nine-point defeat which sent the Lions into the grand final.
The AFL says the behaviour was dangerous and crossed the line.
It says it will work with Victoria Police and MCG security to identify those responsible, who face bans of at least five years.
