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TRANSCRIPT:
- The cost of the US-Iran war revealed
- Australia and China agree to cooperate on jet fuel shipments
- Afghan women footballers cleared to return to international competition
The US-Iran war has cost $25 billion so far, an official has disclosed during a US House of Representatives hearing on the Pentagon's budget request.
Jules Hurst, who is performing the duties of the comptroller, told the House Armed Services Committee most of the money was for munitions.
Mr Hurst did not detail what that cost estimate included and whether it took into account the projected costs of rebuilding and repairing base infrastructure in the Middle East damaged in the conflict.
The $25 billion cost is equal to the entire budget of NASA for this year.
In response to Democratic Congressman John Raymond Garamendi's criticisms, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the cost as justified given the US goal of ensuring Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.
"Congressman you should know better, shame on you! Calling this a quagmire two months in. The effort, what they've undertaken, what they've succeeded, the success on the battlefield that creates strategic opportunities, the courage of the President to confront a nuclear Iran and you call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies. Shame on you for that statement. And statements like that are reckless to our troops. Don't say you support the troops on one hand, and then a two month mission is a quagmire."
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Two Jewish men have been stabbed in London, in what police are treating as a terrorist incident.
A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the attack in Golders Green, which left two men aged 34 and 76 in hospital in a stable condition.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood says the designation is based on early findings, though investigations are ongoing.
"While this horrifying attack has now been declared a terrorist incident, the police are continuing to investigate. But the initial circumstances do suggest that the designation as a terrorist incident is the right one. As more of the facts are established in what is very early investigation phase at the moment, we will, of course, be sharing those with the public. There isn't any further information we can give at this stage other than that this horrifying attack has now been declared a terrorist incident."
Counter-terror police are also examining whether the stabbing is linked to recent arson attacks on Jewish sites in London.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the assault is part of a broader rise in antisemitic attacks, describing it as 'not an isolated incident' and warning of growing fear within the Jewish community.
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Two people have died in a light plane crash on the outskirts of Adelaide.
South Australian Police say an aircraft crashed into a hangar at Parafield Airport shortly after taking off on Wednesday afternoon, killing both of those on board.
Chief Inspector Andrew McCracken of Northern District says several others were injured and taken to hospital while more than 50 firefighters worked to extinguished a significant blaze sparked at the hangar on impact.
"At this time, with other people in the hangar at the time, we've got other staff members who've had to be taken to hospital. We have two people, as mentioned, who've died, we have one in a life-threatening condition at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, two in a serious condition at the RAH, one with minor injuries at the RAH, four persons at the Lyell McEwin Hospital with smoke inhalation, and further two other persons were rushed to the Modbury hospital with smoke inhalation as well."
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Australia and China have agreed to cooperate on jet fuel shipments, during Foreign Minister Penny Wong's visit to the country.
Minister Wong is in China as part of a three-country tour that also includes Japan and South Korea.
China has clamped down on fuel exports since March to protect its domestic supply after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted crude and fuel flows.
Ms Wong says the agreement is recognition of Australia's importance to the regional economy.
“The inputs China supplies to Australia, including jet fuel, support the Australian resources sector, which in turn helps to maintain the flow of commodities that are so important in the bilateral trading relationship.”
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US President Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin has offered to help manage Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a potential nuclear deal.
Mr Trump says the Russian President raised the idea in a phone call, offering Russia as a third party to take control of Iran’s uranium, a key U-S demand to limit its nuclear program.
"He told me he'd like to be involved with the enrichment if we, if he can help us get it. I said, I'd much rather have you be involved with ending the war with Ukraine. To me, that would be more important, because we've got we're going to have that look. We're not going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon. They're not going to have a nuclear weapon. They know it, and just about everybody else does. And so we talked about that a little bit."
Under the previous 2015 deal, Iran shipped most of its enriched uranium out of the country, including to Russia, to limit its nuclear capability.
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To sport and in football news, FIFA has cleared the way for Afghan women footballers to return to international competition.
The world body has approved a rule change that will allow the team to compete without the approval of the Taliban, who imposed widespread restrictions after their seizure of power in 2021.
Afghanistan Women United is currently undergoing a selection process, with FIFA to host regional selection camps in England and Australia.
Former team captain Khalida Popal, now living as a refugee in Denmark, says she is overjoyed by the decision.
"It's a historic moment right now that I've witnessed. It's extremely empowering. And it's something that we have been waiting and fighting for such a long time."
