Donald Trump warns Taiwan against declaring independence; Final preparations ahead of the Eurovision grand final; and in sport, Auckland FC book a spot in the first A-League grand final.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT:
- Donald Trump warns Taiwan against declaring independence
- Final preparations ahead of the Eurovision grand final
- Auckland FC book a spot in the first A-League grand final
US President Donald Trump has warned Taiwan against declaring formal independence, after completing his trip to China.
More details about Mr Trump's meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, after their closed door meeting in Beijing.
Mr Xi reportedly cautioned President Trump in the meeting that mishandling Taiwan could lead to clashes.
China claims the democratically governed island of Taiwan as its own, a contention Taiwan rejects.
The US follows what it calls a "one-China policy", acknowledging China's position but taking no view on Taiwan's sovereignty.
Mr Trump has told Fox News, Taiwan was discussed during the bilateral talks in Beijing.
"No, nothing has changed ... I will say this, I am not looking for somebody to go independent and you know we are supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I am not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down."
.
A report on combating Islamophobia in Australia is still awaiting a formal government response, eight months after it was handed to the government.
The report makes 54 recommendations - including make training programs on Islamophobia mandatory for all parliamentarians and staff; establish a funding program to enhance the safety and security of Muslim not-for-profit institutions, particularly mosques; and implement an overarching anti-racism framework for the education sector.
The Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, says the government is taking too long to respond.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is going through the recommendations and is formulating its response in a way that is thorough.
"We have given proper consideration to Mr Malik's report. And we will respond appropriately. What my government does is respond in a considered way. Already, as we have gone (along), we have made a number of responses - including with the community. They are a community that I have met with on a number of occasions, including with the special envoy. And we will continue to do so."
.
The federal government says the supply of domestic fuel in reserve in Australia is at its highest level since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East.
The government says 3.8 billion litres of fuel contracted for delivery over the next month.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the increased levels of diesel, petrol and jet fuel supply in reserve is the result of government and private sector working closely together.
"We have 44 days worth of petrol, which is two days more than last week's update and eight days more than the day that the Iran bombing began. We have 36 days worth of diesel, which is one day more than last week and four days more than at the end of February, and 35 days worth of jet fuel, which is six days more than last week and six days more than when the crisis began. And as a total, the 6.2 billion litres we have on hand is more than at any time since 2023."
.
The Greens say they are reserving the option to potentially block the federal government's housing tax reforms outlined in this week's budget.
From July 2027, negative gearing will be scrapped for all homes except new builds, while the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount will be abolished for existing properties in favour of a new scheme tied to inflation.
The federal government will be looking to the Greens and crossbenchers for support for legislating the changes, after the Coalition said they were not going to back it.
Greens leader Larissa Waters has told SBS, she will be looking at the detail in the legislation.
"The way we could achieve that - to have cheaper homes for first home buyers could be a big build of public and affordable housing by government. Like governments used to. Unfortunately, this government is not seriously investing in that. So as I said, if this is a small step forward then that will factor into our thinking. People didn't want tinkering, they wanted some bold reform. But the government has been big on spin, but looking at detail - it just really locks in a lot of that inequality."
.
A rehearsal for the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Austria had to be restarted, after a curtain failed to open during the show's opening segment.
The malfunction happened during the opening segment performed by last year's Austrian winner JJ, who won with his song Wasted Love.
The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly with few delays, although stage props for Alexandra Capitanescu's performance of pop metal song 'Choke Me' were not arranged in time, forcing Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski to ad-lib to fill the time.
Australia is among 10 countries - including Israel and favorite Finland - who have places in this weekend's grand final.
SBS Eurovision commentator Courtney Act says the excitement ahead of Delta Goodrem's performance in the final is at the next level.
"And you know what it is? Of all the performances that I have seen on this stage, there has only been one that came with a level of effortlessness, professionalism. There was joy, there were hair flicks, there was piano playing. There was elevation into the sky. And that was Delta Goodrem."
.
To sport, and in football, Auckland FC have booked a spot in the A-League Men's grand final, after a three-nil victory over Adelaide United.
The Black Knights are the first team from New Zealand to qualify for an A-League Men's season decider.
Auckland FC Coach Steve Corica says he is proud of the team and how far they've come.
