Talks in Oman about arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz; Telstra confirms its CEO will appear before a Senate inquiry; the NRL plans a party to celebrate the birthday of Jai Arrow, who is battling motor neurone disease.
Listen to Australian and world news and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
- Talks in Oman about arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz
- Telstra confirms its CEO will appear before a Senate inquiry
- The NRL plans a party to celebrate the birthday of Jai Arrow, who is battling motor neurone disease
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is in Oman to discuss arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, with the United States seeking a public pledge of free and secure transit.
After resuming hostilities and declaring an end to the ceasefire, US President Donald Trump says the US and Iran agreed to continue talks.
But Iran's Fars news agency, citing officials, says no negotiations will take place until the US retreats from its positions.
No attacks were reported Friday or early Saturday.
Iran's UN representative Amir Saeid Iravani says if the US violates its commitments, so will Iran.
"Iran remained committed to the faithful implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), provided that the United States fully and faithfully complies with its own obligation. However, should the United States continue to violate its obligation under the MoU, Iran will no longer be bound to fulfill its obligation under the MoU."
Residents in China and Taiwan are preparing for arrival of Typhoon Bavi.
The typhoon continues to slow and weaken on its north-westerly path over cooler seas, but still presents a potent risk due to the sheer volume of moisture it holds within its rain bands, which are about the size of France from end to end.
More than 900,000 people have evacuated from their homes in China, and another 14,000 have done the same in Taiwan.
In Taipei, 71-year-old resident Chiang Fu-Chu says communities that have been evacuated have been warned to expect extreme torrential rain and 10-metre waves.
"Of course I'm scared. It's just that it (typhoon) doesn't seem too bad at the moment. It's much better than the previous ones, which is why I've dared to come out. The wind and rain aren't nearly as severe."
Education Minister Jason Clare says he's confident Telstra will be adequately scrutinised through a number of investigations into an outage that caused nationwide chaos this week.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is investigating, and a Telstra spokesperson says CEO Vicki Brady will appear at a Senate hearing set up to examine failures in the triple-zero system.
At least 639 emergency calls failed to go through during the outage - although many succeeded on calling a second time - and police have not reported any deaths.
Mr Clare says the telco must be held to account.
"You know, this is serious. Telstra have let Australians down. People could have lost their lives. That's why there's an investigation by ACMA. That's why we changed the law. They're liable to some very serious financial penalties for what's happened here, and I assume that that parliamentary inquiry will scrutinise the actions of Telstra over the course of the last week."
Norwegian football fans are geared-up for the team's quarterfinal match against England this morning.
The Norwegian Australian Chamber of Commerce with community members performing the iconic Norwegian row, one of the tournament's most recognisable fan celebrations.
"Row (drum beat). Row (drum beat). Row (drum beat). (Audience claps and cheers)."
The chant pays tribute to the country's seafaring ancestors and legendary longships.
Norwegian Australian Chamber of Commerce president Sophia Toftdahl says the community could not be prouder of the team's achievements as the country plays in only its fourth World Cup - and its first in 28 years.
In the NRL.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett says today is a chance to rally around retired player Jai Arrow and provide support as he battles motor neurone disease.
South Sydney take on Newcastle later today, with festivities also planned by the NRL to mark Arrow's 31st birthday.
The Rabbitohs are hoping to break the world record for the most people wearing a party hat at one time - and fans will be allowed onto to the turf as part of the occasion.
Bennett says the support of fans and other sporting codes has been great.
"He is just one of us. As I said before he got diagnosed and nothing has changed from our point of view. No player is making a big fuss about him, I can tell you. They're his mate and they treat him as their mate. I think it is just important we're ourselves around him. And he has been that with us. It has been well handled. I can't speak highly enough of what people have done. It's going to make his future and the future of his family a lot more secure."
