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TRANSCRIPT
- Iran says it shot down a second US jet...
- The federal government says fuel outages across Australia are easing...
- And in the NRL Injury rules the Bulldogs captain out of the upcoming game against the Panthers.
Iran's military says it shot down a second US jet in the Gulf, after an F-15 fighter had crashed in the country's southwest.
State TV says an American A10 aircraft was hit over the Persian Gulf.
The New York Times reports the ground attack plane crashed near the Strait of Hormuz and the pilot was safely rescued.
US media reports American special forces have rescued one of two crew members in the F-15 fighter jet that went down in Iran on Friday.
Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari - from Iran's joint military command - says Iran shot down the F-15 jet and little remains.
"Following false claims by the US president about the complete destruction of Iran’s air defence system, an American hostile fighter jet was shot down in central Iranian airspace by a newly developed advanced aerospace defence system operated by the IRGC, under the control of the country’s integrated air defence network. The jet was completely destroyed, and further search operations are still ongoing."
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Energy Minister Chris Bowen says fuel is getting to more petrol stations across Australia - and efforts to improve that will continue over Easter.
In a weekly update on fuel supply, Mr Bowen says Australia has about 39 days' worth of petrol, 29 days of diesel, and 30 days of jet fuel in reserve.
He says the number of petrol stations suffering from a shortage of fuel is declining.
"So the total number of service stations without diesel in Australia, which is where the main pressure has been is 312 out of the around 8,000 service stations. Now that does not mean that there is not still a lot more work to do, so that figure comes down to zero. But industry and government have been working closely together to ensure that we are filling those gaps, which are caused by the very big increase in demand."
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The United Nations mission in Lebanon says an explosion wounded three peacekeepers, the third such incident in a week, as more Israeli strikes hit south Beirut.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon is deployed in the country's south near the border, where Israel and Hezbollah have been at war for a month and where Israeli troops are carrying out a ground invasion.
Spokesperson for the UN mission, Kandice Ardiel says they do not yet know the origin of the explosion.
The three peacekeepers are being treated in hospital.
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Christians in southern Lebanon have marked Good Friday with the traditional prayers and religious processions, as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continue.
Thousands of Christians living along Lebanon's southern border with Israel say they are trapped and terrified, after an Israeli military advance nearby triggered the withdrawal of Lebanese troops from the area.
Many stayed despite Israel's mass evacuation orders for southern Lebanon, hoping their hometowns would be spared despite the expanding conflict between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
This resident of Tyre says Christians are determined to stay, despite the conflict
"We are very tired, not just a little. Every day there are strikes, every day there is a threat. You can’t go out, as you can see. You can’t go out of the neighbourhood. You remain trapped. We are very pressured, but what can we do? We can’t do anything."
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes and about a fifth of Lebanon's population has been displaced, as Israel issued evacuation orders covering around 15 percent of Lebanese territory.
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Flood-hit communities still in clean-up mode after being battered by Cyclone Narelle are on high alert, as a tropical low develops to Australia's north.
The weather system between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands is expected to strengthen into a cyclone by Sunday.
Jonathan How from the Bureau of Meteorology says forecasts show one of the possible paths of the system could see it move towards north Queensland.
The system is forecast to strengthen over the weekend and into early next week before beginning to move from Monday.
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In the NRL, The Bulldogs captain looks set for an extended stint on the sidelines, after an injury in the game they lost 32-24 against the Rabbitohs.
Stephen Crichton Landed awkwardly in a tackle involving Rabbitohs duo Campbell Graham and Jack Wighton in the 43rd minute and went off for the rest of the game.
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo says the shoulder injury is serious and means the Samoa international won't be facing former club Penrith on Thursday.
"It's not looking great in there. They're saying high grade two, grade three possibly AC. That's the initial sort of thoughts on it. So he will be out for a while. It's an opportunity for someone else."
