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TRANSCRIPT
- The Iranian President outlines Iran's conditions for the end of the war in the Middle East...
- Police discover two bodies in search for backpackers missing in floodwater...
- Roosters player Billy Smith is in doubt for Friday’s match against South Sydney Rabbitohs.
The Iranian President has outlined Iran's preconditions for an end to the war in the Middle East, as the conflict continues to escalate.
In a statement on social media, President Masoud Pezeshkian says the only way the war will end is if the United States and Israel recognise Iran's legitimate rights, pays reparations and if Iran receives firm international guarantees against future aggression.
Israel, the United States and Iran are showing no signs of backing down as reports emerge of new Iranian attacks on oil infrastructure in the Gulf and the Israeli military saying it's prepared to continue fighting for "as long as necessary".
Earlier, United States President Donald Trump that US forces would remain in the region until the "job is finished".
The United States says it will release 172 million barrels of oil from its own strategic petroleum reserve in a bid to reduce surging oil prices.
The US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said the plan is part of a broader release of 400 million barrels of oil agreed to be the 32-nation International Energy Agency announced earlier.
The release comes amid concern Iran has laid sea mines through the world's biggest oil shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz, as it seeks to choke global oil supply.
President Donald Trump claims the US had sunk 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the strait, urging oil tankers to continue using the route.
"I think the should. I think that they should use it. (crosstalk) I think, in my opinion, look, we took out just about all of their mine ships in one night. We're up to boat number 60. I didn't realize they had that big a navy. I would say it was big and ineffective. But every one of their ships, just about all of their navy is gone. It is at the bottom of the sea."
Oil infrastructure and vessels continue to be targeted, with Iraqi port officials reporting that two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi oil had been attacked by Iranian boats laden with explosives.
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in southern Lebanon and in the southern suburbs of Beirut as the fighting intensifies.
The United Nations says violence along the border between Lebanon and Israel is continuing to escalate.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says peacekeepers are recording increasing numbers of attacks on both sides of the front.
"I can tell you that today, they're continuing to record a growing number of incidents across the Blue Line, including rockets and projectiles fired from Lebanon into Israel and airstrikes by the Israeli Defence Forces impacting southern Lebanon ... UNIFIL has also observed ground movements from the Israeli Force."
Lebanon’s government says it is caught in a war it did not choose.
The country’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ahmad Arafa, says Beirut’s priority is to end the fighting and protect civilians.
Police have discovered two bodies in the search for a pair of Chinese backpackers who went missing in the flood-affected Gympie region in Queensland.
The 26-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were reported as missing while they were driving from Brisbane North Burnett region.
Police, SES volunteers and helicopters scoured the region from Wednesday morning, later locating the pair's vehicle in floodwater on Tansey Road in the afternoon.
Gympie Mayor Glenn Hartwigg has told SBS the community is still processing the tragic deaths.
"We need to find a way to let tourists know as well because you can come from a country that doesn't suffer from flooding like we do, doesn't suffer from significant creek and river risers. And maybe there is a need for part of that education process when people are arriving, if they are traveling in regional areas, which a lot of the tourists do now, that they need to understand what floodwater means."
The battery recycling industry in Australia claims it could be worth $6.9 billion dollars per year by 2050, and support more than 34,000 jobs.
The Battery Materials Recovery Industry Profile report found failing to establish on-shore processing would also present a safety risk, with the number of batteries in Australia forecast to triple in the next 24 years.
The report, commissioned by Positive Economics found the recycling sector contributed $2.1 billion to Australia's economy last year including $760 million in direct benefits.
But by extracting and processing critical minerals from end-of-life batteries in Australia, that revenue could more than triple.
To sport now and in NRL,
Roosters player Billy Smith is in doubt for Friday’s match against South Sydney Rabbitohs, after being involved in an e-bike accident on Thursday afternoon.
The club is yet to determine whether Smith will be fit to play.
