In this bulletin, US country music icon Dolly Parton dies at the age of 80, the US turns back 71 commercial vessels as Hormuz blockade continues; and in Cycling, Tadej Pogacar powers to a dominant Vuelta stage win and extends his overall lead.
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TRANSCRIPT
- US country music icon Dolly Parton dies at the age of 80
- US turns back 71 commercial vessels as Hormuz blockade continues
- And in Cycling, Tadej Pogacar powers to a dominant Vuelta stage win and extends his overall lead
US country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80.
The singer, songwriter and actor was one of country music's most enduring stars, selling more than 100 million records during a career spanning nearly six decades.
Her hits included Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You.
Parton also became a Hollywood star, appearing in films including Steel Magnolias, and alongside Burt Reynolds in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
She won 11 Grammys and was also renowned for her philanthropy, including children's literacy programs around the world.
Parton's nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced her death on behalf of the family.
He says Parton became part of the lives of generations of fans.
"My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television. Your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever.”
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The US military says it has redirected 71 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two for inspection as part of its naval blockade against Iran.
US Central Command says more than 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid have been allowed through.
Shipping data shows traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted.
Maritime data firm Kpler says just two commodity vessels crossed the strait, the lowest daily number in three months, although the true figure may be higher because some ships have switched off their tracking systems.
US President Donald Trump says all mines have now been cleared from international waters in the strait, warning any vessel laying new mines will be destroyed.
It comes as the US imposes expanded sanctions on Iran, which Iran has vowed to resist.
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Artificial Intelligence is expected to be high on the agenda at today's National Cabinet meeting.
The GST, bird flu, and action against domestic and family violence are also all expected to be raised at the meeting of state and territory leaders.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pushing for consensus from the states on his artificial intelligence plan, which includes establishing a set of national standards, and requirements for data centre developers to provide their own energy.
The Queensland and Northern Territory governments remain opposed to the plans, but Energy Minister Chris Bowen says they will proceed with the legislation regardless.
"But we won't let it happen because we will legislate Commonwealth legislation which will apply across the country, which, which will ensure that those data centers only proceed if they're in the best interest of our country."
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Experts say the first confirmed death of a seal in South Australia from bird flu raises concern about the possibility of a mass mortality event impacting Australia's endangered sea lions.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins says there have now been 319 H5 Bird Flu cases confirmed in Australia, including 195 in South Australia.
A long-nosed fur seal was confirmed to have died of the disease in coastal South Australia at the weekend, with a second case being investigated in a seal in The Pages Conservation Park islands near Kangaroo Island on Monday.
Associate Professor at the University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Dr Rachel Gray, says sea lions are at particularly high risk of infection and death.
“The population estimates range from less than 10,000 to sort of upwards of, of 12,000. And the problem for the Australian sea lion in terms of if, if they are hit with mass mortality events is that they actually... They've got a low population size, and it's also quite distributed across the South Australian and Western Australian coast. So there is the potential for specific sites to be really heavily impacted by bird flu."
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In cycling,
Tadej Pogacar has convincingly won stage four of the Vuelta a Espana.
The Slovenian star, who is looking to win this race for the first time, powered away with a whopping 50 kilometres to go in Andorra, and finished two minutes and 39 seconds ahead of the nearest competition.
He now leads by three minutes and 21 seconds overall.
He says his Australian team mate, Jay Vine, played a key role in his success.
"The pace was super high already the first climb, and then the second climb we were going basically all out from the bottom and when Jay (Vine) let me pass on the wheel of Decathlon then I knew, okay, I don't want to be also isolated against all the GC riders because they would all play against me.”
Vine is the highest-ranked Australian, in tenth place overall.
