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TRANSCRIPT:
- The government working on more repatriation flights for Australians in the Middle East
- Anger over a Chinese helicopter threatening an Australian aircraft
- Australia's track cyclists off to a strong start in the World Cup in Perth
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she is dismayed by reports there have been hundreds of empty seats on flights returning Australians home from the Middle East.
She says the Australian government is doing what it can to assist every Australian who remains in the region.
"I'm disappointed with that so we are seeking to work even more closely with the airlines to try and coordinate that. We want every seat filled."
Several more flights are scheduled to depart from the war-torn region in the coming days, with passengers encouraged to keep their tickets and stay in constant contact with their airlines.
**
Israel has carried out a new wave of airstrikes in Tehran after Israel announced a broad-scale wave of attacks on the Iranian capital.
In eastern Tehran, witnesses and state television have described the Israeli strikes as particularly intense, shaking homes in the area.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh has said Tehran now has now no option but to put an end to the presence of the United States in the surrounding area.
He says their acts of retaliation should not be a surprise to the Americans.
"They do have multiple military bases, equipment, (and) assets targeting us. Long range radars, command and control centres (and) the fifth fleet of US, just a few miles away from our coastal coasts in Bahrain, in which 75 per cent of all US marine activities (are) happening there. All of them targeting Iran... And we have to stop the aggressor."
**
US President Donald Trump says there will be no deal with Iran unless it agrees to an unconditional surrender, a week after the United States joined Israel in launching strikes against the country.
In a social media post, Mr Trump wrote that after Iran surrendered and a new leadership was chosen, the US and its allies would help rebuild the country and revive its economy.
He ended the post with the slogan “Make Iran Great Again”.
**
The US Justice Department has released FBI records summarising interviews with an unidentified woman who made allegations against President Donald Trump linked to an alleged sexual encounter.
The woman was interviewed four times in 2019 during the investigation into convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Previously released documents confirmed the interviews but only detailed one meeting, in which she accused Epstein of molesting her as a teenager.
Newly released records show she also alleged President Trump tried to force her to perform a sexual act after Epstein introduced them in New York or New Jersey in the 1980s, when she was between 13 and 15 years old.
Mr Trump has long denied engaging in any inappropriate or illegal activity.
**
A Chinese helicopter has threatened an Australian aircraft in international waters near North Korea by flying too close to it.
The interception of an Australian Defence Force MH-60R helicopter by a People's Liberation Army-Navy helicopter occurred on Wednesday in the Yellow Sea as part of the routine activities of Operation Argos.
The helicopter launched from HMAS Toowoomba was part of Australia's contribution to an international effort to enforce United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
The Australian government has described the altercation as "unsafe and unprofessional", and says it had expressed its concerns to Beijing.
**
Another Australian state has moved to allow women to get the contraceptive pill without a script from a doctor.
Queensland and Tasmania already allow women over 18 to obtain the pill at a pharmacy without a prescription - and now the Victorian government has given the green light for the same process.
Women have been eligible to go to certain Victorian pharmacies to get a resupply of the medication since 2023 under a trial, but it will now be expanded from July 1.
Premier Jacinta Allan says the move will particularly benefit younger women and those in rural and regional Victoria, while the Opposition's Brad Battin maintains the whole thing was their idea.
"The Victorian Liberal Nationals put forward a policy in relation to the pill available over the counter years ago... We've been pushing for this since 2018... It's just sad it's taken so long for Labor to copy our policy."
**
Australia’s track cyclists have begun their World Cup campaign strongly, winning four medals on the opening night at Perth’s SpeedDome, led by gold in the men’s team pursuit.
Liam Walsh, Thomas Cornish, Noah Blannin and Joshua Duffy qualified fastest before lapping Hong Kong in the final.
Cornish also took silver in the elimination race, finishing behind Germany’s Moritz Augenstein.
Australia’s women’s pursuit team also won gold and set a track record of 4:12.827.
The women’s sprint team secured bronze, while the men’s sprint team and Maeve Plouffe in the women’s elimination race both finished fourth.
