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TRANSCRIPT
The Australian Federal Police have arrested a former member of the Australian Defence Force and will allege he was involved in the death of Afghan nationals between 2009 and 2012 in circumstances that constitute war crimes.
SBS News understands the 47-year-old man is Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith.
The AFP says the man is expected to be charged with five counts of war crime-murder, an offence which holds a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett says the man was arrested at Sydney Airport and is expected to face court today.
"It will be alleged the victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their alleged murder in Afghanistan. It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed and were under the control of ADF members when they were killed. It will be alleged the victims were shot by the accused or shot by subordinate members of the ADF in the presence of and acting on the orders of the accused."
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he doesn't know what sort of help Australia has allegedly failed to provide the U-S in its war against Iran.
Australia has again been named by U-S President Donald Trump, alongside Japan, South Korea, and NATO countries, as U-S allies who have not been helpful in this conflict.
Mr Albanese says Australia continues to call for clarity, and the de-escalation of the conflict, as Mr Trump threatens to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, if the Iranians don't open the Strait of Hormuz by 10am tomorrow morning [[wed]] Australian eastern time.
"That's not a question for me, the first one. We want to see a de-escalation. We have called for that. We want to see clear objectives. The objectives that President Trump outlined at the beginning of the process have largely been achieved."
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Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the number of service stations across the country without petrol has reduced since yesterday.
Across Australia, 241 petrol stations are without diesel, 125 of those in New South Wales.
Mr Bowen is praising Australians for not panicking over fuel over the Easter long weekend.
" A big shout out as the PM said to everyone who patriotically over the weekend worked hard to get fuel to where it's needed and to those Australians who went about their business as we encouraged, did what they normally would do, but didn't take more fuel than they need, get the same amount of fuel as you normally get, no more, no less is the right thing to do at the moment. And so many Australians across the board did that. So a big thank you to everyone who did that."
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Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor is calling for more transparency from the federal government on its handling of fuel supply.
Speaking from the Sydney Royal Easter show, Mr Taylor says the government is not doing enough to ease fuel pressures on farmers and agricultural workers hit hardest by fuel shortages.
He says Australians have not been adequately informed on the situation as it develops, or on long-term plans to mitigate future shortages.
"Identify where the gaps are, show us where there's a shortage, and move the fuel to those places. And that needs to be done as quickly as possible. It can only be done if there's complete transparency on fuel in the supply chain, fuel arriving in this country, on ships, fuel being produced in our refineries, as well as fuel on hand. We need to have those details and we need to have them on a daily basis. That is not how this minister has approached this."
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Electric vehicle sales have nearly doubled in Australia, setting a new national record, as the war in the Middle East heightens concerns over fuel cost and security.
New figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reveal motorists bought more than 15,800 new electric cars during March, while sales of petrol and diesel vehicles stalled.
The tally marks the highest number of electric vehicles sold in Australia in a single month.
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A former Sydney nanny will be extradited to Chile to face court over kidnapping allegations, after losing her seven-year battle to remain in Australia.
Adriana Elcira Rivas emigrated to Australia in the late 1970s and worked as a nanny in the eastern Sydney suburb of Bondi before she was arrested by New South Wales Police in 2019, at the request of the Chilean government.
Ms Rivas, now in her 70s, is accused of participating in the disappearances of seven people while working for Augusto Pinochet's secret police force.
She denies the allegations and has argued her extradition to Chile should be blocked because it would result in her being tried for crimes against humanity.
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The crew of NASA's Artemis II [[two]] mission has started the journey home after creating history on their pass behind the moon.
The four astronauts flew deeper into space than any humans have before, cruising through a flyby of the shadowed far side of the moon that revealed new views of the hidden lunar surface.
A total solar eclipse greeted the three Americans and one Canadian as the moon temporarily blocked the sun from their perspective.
Mission Specialist Jeremy Hanson says it was a surreal experience.
"When we were on the far side of the moon, looking back at Earth, it was just so obvious you had this sphere out in front of you, of the moon... You really felt like you weren't in a capsule. You'd been transported to the far side of the moon, and it really just bent your mind. It was an extraordinary human experience. I'm so grateful for it."
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In the A-F-L, Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young has been ruled out of Friday night's Gather Round match against Collingwood in Adelaide.
He's still suffering from the hamstring injury he sustained in the side's first game of the season last month.
Michael Frederick will also be missing with an ankle injury.
