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TRANSCRIPT:
- Voluntary departures offered to more diplomat families in the Middle East;
- The Prime Minister apologises for calling former Australian of the year Grace Tame difficult;
- Mohamed Toure racing to regain fitness for the Socceroos.
The government says voluntary departures have been offered to the families of diplomats in other Middle East countries, apart from those ordered earlier in Israel and Lebanon.
Australia's embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut remain open, along with embassies in Jordan's Amman, Qatar's Doha and UAE's Abu Dhabi, along with the consulate in Dubai.
But the government says the situation in the Middle East is unpredictable and it has offered to help evacuate the families of diplomats in those three locations, after US President Donald Trump laid out plans for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress.
Defence Minister Richard Marles has urged citizens in Iran to also consider leaving while commercial options are still available.
"We've made clear to Australian citizens who are in Iran that if it is safe to do so they should leave. So that message remains the same. It is a fast moving environment. It is really important people continue to monitor the advice that the Australian government provides."
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The Prime Minister has apologised for comments he made about former Australian of the Year Grace Tame.
The PM had been asked at a forum the previous day to give one-word reactions to various personalities, and he replied 'difficult' when asked about Ms Tame.
But Anthony Albanese says his remark has been taken the wrong way.
He says it is impossible to describe people in one word.
"Grace Tame, you certainly can't describe in one word. She has had a difficult life and that was what I was referring to. And what Grace Tame has done is turn that difficult experience that she had into being a strong advocate for others... If there was any misinterpretation, then I certainly apologise."
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Australia's internet regulator has launched a study into the impact of the country's world-first social media ban on teenagers.
ESafety's evaluation team will follow 4000 children and families over two years, surveying, interviewing and tracking smart phones to gather data about time spent on apps.
The aim is to measure how the policy is being implemented, identify intended and unintended consequences, and provide evidence to guide future decisions.
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Security is to be boosted at Australia's largest mental health hospital after two fatal incidents involving patients that absconded from care.
New South Wales Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson says a new independent oversight body will be established to address concerns about security for patients and the community at Cumberland Hospital, which deals with the most acute cases statewide.
Two round-the-clock security guards will also be added to the facility, bringing the constant onsite number to six.
The Minister says the changes are needed to ensure people can trust in the quality and safety of care being delivered, with official figures suggesting the hospital loses patients at three times the rate of other mental health units.
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Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai has won an appeal over his 2022 fraud conviction.
The Court of Appeals has squashed his conviction and set aside his five year jail term, after he was found guilty of breaching the lease terms of his Apple Daily newspaper's headquarters by concealing the operation of a private company.
His win comes days after a court sentenced the 78-year-old to 20 years in prison on separate national security charges.
"Any incidents like the ones we've seen in recent days and weeks in which that confidence is challenged - and people start to ask questions about whether or not the mental health care that we're delivering is as safe and secure and highly quality as they expect, rightfully creates a response from myself as the Minister and the New South Wales government to make sure that we have the right settings in place."
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The U-S Secretary of State says the United States and China have reached what he has called a strategic stability in their relationship.
U-S President Donald Trump is expected to travel to China at the end of March to meet President Xi Jinping as the US seeks to diversify its supply of critical minerals and pharmaceuticals.
Marco Rubio says there are issues that both sides need to confront, and they agree a global trade war would be deeply damaging to both sides and the world.
"It would be reckless and irresponsible for the United States and China not to have meetings, not to have conversations, and not to have opportunities for our leaders to interact with one another. I just think it's - I don't know anybody who thinks that's a good idea. It would be foolish and frankly dangerous for us not to have a relationship with them, even as our areas of conflict and disagreement remain."
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To sport and in football news,
Mohamed Toure is racing to regain fitness after experiencing an apparent groin injury in an English championship match.
The 21-year-old Norwich City striker was subbed off after just nine minutes, before the Canaries went on to win their clash against Sheffield 2 to nothing last night.
He wants to be available for the Socceroos friendlies against Cameroon at Sydney's Accor Stadium on March 27 and Curacao at AAMI Park in Melbourne on March 31.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic will already be without right-back Lewis Miller and midfielder Massimo Luongo for World Cup matches in Canada and the US.
