British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as leader of the Labour Party; The Greens call planned NDIS overhaul 'inhuman' piece of legislation; Lionel Messi breaks a World Cup scoring record.
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TRANSCRIPT
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as leader of the Labour Party .
- The Greens call planned NDIS overhaul 'inhuman' piece of legislation.
- Lionel Messi breaks a World Cup scoring record.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as leader of the Labour Party after mounting pressure from within his party.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, Sir Keir became the sixth British prime minister in a decade to stand down early.
Hours later, Andy Burnham was sworn in as the new MP for Makerfield and announced he will stand to replace Sir Keir as Labour leader and prime minister.
Burnham has secured backing from former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who resigned from Starmer’s government last month.
Sir Keir says he will remain prime minister until a successor is chosen, likely before Parliament returns in September.
“I will also give my successor my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago, better prepared for the challenges ahead and better able to ensure the Labour Party secures a second term in office."
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U-S Vice President JD Vance says his talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland have laid a good foundation for a final peace deal.
The United States has waived sanctions on Iran for 60 days after the first talks, and officials report calm in Lebanon after fighting that had prompted Iran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed.
Mr Vance says Tehran has agreed to allow in nuclear inspectors, and to establish mechanisms to handle its assets frozen abroad and manage ceasefires.
He is upbeat about progress so far:
"The fundamental thing we got is, number one, we set up the mechanism to ensure not only the Straits of Hormuz are open, but will stay open. We saw we think about 15 million barrels of oil come out. That's one of the reasons why oil is so low right now. Obviously, that means lower gas prices and gas prices are going to keep coming down. Number two, we actually set up the right mechanism to ensure the regional cease fire, to manage the inevitable conflicts that will come up."
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The United Nations says peacekeepers in Lebanon have recorded the first day without detected fire or interceptions since hostilities resumed in March.
The reduction follows days of intense escalation after the latest ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says it’s the first time since March peacekeepers have detected no fire or interceptions over southern Lebanon.
"Yesterday marked the first day since the resumption of hostilities on March 2 in Lebanon that peacekeepers from our peacekeeping force in Lebanon did not detect any trajectories or observe any interceptions.”
The UN says some displaced families are beginning to return to southern Lebanon, despite widespread destruction and limited access to basic services.
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The Greens have called the government's planned overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme an 'inhuman' piece of legislation.
Under the proposed reforms, more than 160,000 people would be removed from the scheme in an attempt to reign in spending on the program.
The government says those who no longer meet the criteria for the scheme would be redirected into State and Territory-run support programs.
But Senator Jordan Steele-John says the proposed cuts would leave thousands without adequate support.
"A hundred and eighty five billion dollars over the decade, that is the largest cut to a commonwealth program in the history of this nation. These cuts go to far, they go too far, they will cost too many jobs. They put at risk too many lives."
The comments come as Labor is attempting to leverage the minor party's support for it's tax reforms in exchange for extending an inquiry into the proposed changes to the NDIS.
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Two state governments are handing down budgets today, promising cost-of-living relief alongside major infrastructure spending.
In Queensland, Treasurer David Janetzki is expected to unveil record infrastructure spending as the state ramps up preparations for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, New South Wales Treasurer Daniel Mookhey will deliver a budget focused on toll relief, transport, schools and hospitals.
Both governments are under pressure to ease household costs while managing rising debt and slower economic growth.
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And finally...
Lionel Messi has become the highest scorer in World Cup history.
The Argentina captain netted against Austria in Texas, taking his tournament tally to 17 goals.
The 38-year-old had equalled Miroslav Klose’s previous record of 16 with a hat-trick against Algeria last week.
Messi is playing at his sixth World Cup, after making his tournament debut in 2006.
