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TRANSCRIPT:
- A major fire to limit fuel production at one of Australia's last two oil refineries;
- Harry and Meghan meet with fans in Melbourne on their not so royal tour;
- FIFA says Iran will play in the World Cup this year.
There are fears of significant damage to one of Australia's two remaining oil refineries that caught fire at Geelong, in Victoria, earlier today.
Mick McGuiness from Fire and Rescue Victoria says flames have been contained to the Mogas plant in a 30 by 30 square metre area and no workers have been injured.
The refinery can process up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day, which represents half of Victoria's fuel consumption and 10 per cent of national consumption.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says he'll be getting ongoing advice about how production will be affected by the blaze.
"It will impact on production - at this point petrol, rather than diesel and jet fuel. But we are going to continue to really work closely with Viva the company and really monitor and work together on any impacts."
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Various states are breaking off to ensure their own fuel supply.
New South Wales is now considering creating an emergency stockpile of its own diesel reserves, following a move by Western Australia.
And in Victoria - once the month of free fares in April is over - the government is preparing to introduce half-priced public transport to incentivise commuters to avoid driving.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie has told Channel 9 the federal government needs to coordinate a response to stop states and territories from enforcing their own rules, as they did in the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Prime Minister does need to call a National Cabinet and get everyone on the same page. Because the people who grow your bananas live in a different state to you and the people that produce your beef live in a different state to you."
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The United Nations is encouraging Israel and Lebanon move to a ceasefire deal, as Israel's security cabinet meets over its campaign in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon's health ministry is reporting at least 2,100 people have been killed in Israel's campaign targeting Iranian backed Hezbollah militants, with around one million Lebanese people displaced from their homes.
Deputy U-N Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, says yesterday's meeting between Israeli and Lebanese representatives was a crucial step to end the violence.
But he says peacekeepers are also continually being targeted.
"On the ground, the peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, continues to report ongoing hostilities, including projectiles fired towards Israel and Israel Defence Forces in southern Lebanon, and Israel Defence Forces operations throughout the mission's area of operations, such as airstrikes, armoured movements, and other kinetic activities. Our peacekeeping colleagues continue to report violations."
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The shooter at the centre of a deadly attack on a school in Turkiye has been identified as a 14 year old student.
Local government officials say the eighth grade pupil is believed to have brought five guns from home, before opening fire in two different classrooms at the Kahramanmaras school, killing nine people.
Six people remain in intensive care and three are in a critical condition after the shooting, which has taken place just a day after another attack in Sanliurfa province that wounded 16.
The Turkish Interior Ministry says a motive for the teen's actions is yet to be established - but they have ruled out terrorism.
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A former US fighter pilot has lost his years-long battle against being extradited from Australia to face allegations he trained Chinese soldiers.
Then attorney general Mark Dreyfus approved Daniel Duggan's extradition in December 2024, over claims he breached US arms-trafficking laws by training Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.
The Federal Court has ruled the extradition order is valid.
Duggan had been arrested at the behest of the US in 2022 while at a supermarket in regional New South Wales, where he lived with his wife Saffrine and six children.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Sussex have met with fans in Melbourne today, on a guided Aboriginal heritage walk to see the city's scar trees on Wurundjeri land.
The pair are on a quasi-royal tour which is not affiliated with Kensington Palace, in their first visit to Australia since their 2020 exit from the British Royal family to live in California.
But the fact they are no longer official royals did not take the shine from the experience of seeing Harry and Meghan in person, according to several locals who met them this morning.
WOMAN: "Love Harry and Meghan. Love Harry because of his mother and his connection to the family and I think they're beautiful people."
MAN: "Definitely I'll remember. I had the little one with me before who is only two months and I thought, this might be a once in a lifetime kind of thing."
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To sport now and in football,
The sport's global body, FIFA, is throwing its support behind Iran's participation in the World Cup later this year.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the team should feel safe to play when the cup kicks off in June, despite their country currently being at war with host nation the United States.
He says the association would help the team participate in the tournament, which will be held in Los Angeles.
"Iran has to come, of course. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play."
