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TRANSCRIPT
Iran has confirmed the death of its powerful national security chief in an Israeli air strike.
Ali Larijani had been considered one of the most powerful figures in the country since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war, and was key to Iran's violent crackdown on protests in January,
The United Nations has condemned the killing, and urged both Israel and the US-Israel alliance to find diplomatic solutions to the conflict.
But Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they have no intention of backing down.
“In the past 24 hours, we knocked out two of the terrorist chieftains, the top terrorist chieftains of this tyranny. Our aircraft are hitting the terror operatives on the grounds, in the crossroads, in the city squares. This is meant to enable the brave people of Iran to celebrate the Festival of Fire."
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An emergency national cabinet meeting will be held in an attempt to address fuel shortages and price spikes triggered by war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the meeting will be held tomorrow in Tasmania over concerns about high fuel costs and shortfalls in some regional areas.
Transport Minister Catherine King is also holding a separate online meeting today regarding fuel security with stakeholders from the transport industry.
Mr Albanese has told an audience at the Australian Automotive Dealers Association breakfast that Australia can expect continuing economic repercussions from the war in the Middle East - but the government is already taking measures to soften the oil shock for Australian motorists.
"Empowering the ACCC to protect motorists from unfair price rises. Boosting fuel supply by releasing 20 per cent of the baseline Minimum Stockholding Obligation for petrol and diesel. Getting more fuels made in Australia, into the Australian market, by temporarily amending the fuel standards. And working closely with industry and states and territories to ensure fuel gets where it is needed most, particularly regional communities."
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Lawyers say an increase in domestic violence cases in the New South Wales court system does not automatically mean there are more just outcomes.
The latest report from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has found less than 90 percent of criminal cases brought in the Local Court were completed within six months in 2024.
Law Society of NSW president Ronan MacSweeney says measures to reduce the backlog, including hiring new magistrates, have been implemented but many courts are still heavily weighed down under an avalanche of cases.
He says delayed justice means victim-survivors face increased trauma and disruption.
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Norway's parliament has voted to establish an independent inquiry into the country's foreign policy links with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Norwegian news agency NTB says that the commission will examine the work of the Foreign Service and other authorities over the past decades, amid ongoing concern about ties between senior figures and the convicted paedophile.
Former Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende resigned as head of the World Economic Forum after his contacts with Epstein came to light.
Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit is said to have maintained a close friendship with the paedophile.
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In sport,
Senegal has been stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title it won in January, with Morocco being announced as the winner.
Morocco are now officially the African champions for the first time since 1976.
The reversal is the result of a decision by the appeal board of African football's governing body, Confederation of African Football.
Senegal had won the AFCON final in the Moroccan capital Rabat 1-0 after extra-time, and walked off the pitch after Morocco were awarded a controversial penalty.
