TRANSCRIPT
- A climbing death toll in Chile, as residents begin to assess the damage of raging wildfires.
- The federal government announces its draft for fuel efficiency standards.
- And in football, FIFA announces locations for the opening ceremony, first match and final of the 2026 World Cup.
----
The death toll from Chile's wildfire disaster is climbing, with at least 99 now reported killed and hundreds more still missing.
Residents have begun to take stock of the damage, with entire neighbourhoods burnt out in the coastal city of Viña del Mar.
President Gabriel Boric has warned the country faces a tragedy of very great magnitude and says Chileans must be prepared for more bad news.
Authorities have imposed a 9PM curfew and have called in the military, while firefighting helicopters battle more than 90 raging fires.
A resident of Viña del Mar, Maria Soledad Suarez, says her husband Sergio has lost his workshop and all his tools, along with their home.
"He (Sergio) always thought there would be a tragedy, an earthquake or something like that, and we would have been left with nothing to eat. So we had three fridges where we would have fruit, in the other chicken and red meat, and in the other vegetables. It was all lost. It was all burnt. There's not a trace of the fridges left."
----
The Federal Government has released its draft plan for fuel efficiency standards, which aims to slice total new passenger vehicle emissions by 60 per cent over the next 5 years.
Australia is one of the only advanced economies in the world without efficiency standards, which force vehicle suppliers to meet an average emissions target for new cars sold.
The standards are expected to force suppliers to import more low and no-emission vehicles.
Transport Minister Catherine King says it's part of an effort to bring Australia in line with other countries, such as the United States.
"This is of course all about choice for consumers, making sure people have the choice to have the most efficient vehicles in our marketplace available to buy when you're wanting to purchase a new vehicle. And that's really good for consumers and consumers' hip pockets, making sure that we're getting those fuel savings as best we possibly can. We know that by 2028 this will save average consumers on each vehicle each year over a thousand dollars. That's an enormous amount of savings."
----
Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson says the legacy of trailblazer Lowitja O'Donoghue will not fade, as the Indigenous community mourns and remembers her life's achievements.
Tributes are pouring across the political spectrum for the Yankunytjatjara woman, who died at her Adelaide home aged 91.
Dr O'Donoghue was renowned as the first Aboriginal person to train as a nurse, as well as for her roles lobbying for Native Title rights and serving as the founding chair of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, known as ATSIC.
Founder of the Cape York Partnership, Noel Pearson, has remembered Dr O'Donoghue as the country's greatest Indigenous leader.
"Her sacrifice for the cause of her people and her dedication to our welfare led to so many good things under her leadership. When she led ATSIC between 1990 and 1996 they were our best years. We gained so much."
The now-disbanded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission gave advice to government and delivered programs and funding to Indigenous communities.
----
Football's governing body has announced in a livestream that the FIFA World Cup final for 2026 will be held in New Jersey's Metlife Stadium on July 19.
The World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first to include 48 teams.
The announcement - which featured star appearances from Canadian singer Drake and US celebrity Kim Kardashian - also revealed the opening ceremony and first match will be held in Mexico's Azteca Stadium.
Mexico's head coach Jaime Lozano says he's thrilled Mexico will be hosting a record third opening World Cup match.
"Very happy and excited about this news. Obviously, June 11th is going to be a massive party in this country but the Azteca, just imagine the energy you're going to feel, how our supporters are going to be buzzing (with excitement) having their national team host an opening match for the third time in history."
FIFA says the tournament's schedule was created in consultation with the coaches of the national teams, in an attempt to keep traveling distances for teams and fans to a minimum.
The tournament runs from the 11th of June until the 19th of July 2026.
