TRANSCRIPT
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Kevin Rudd has his support to remain in the role of ambassador to the US
- The US Vice president in Israel amid a still fragile ceasefire in Gaza
- Sean Dyche to replace Ange Postecoglou as the manager of Nottingham Forest
The Prime Minister has revealed he has gifted President Donald Trump a model submarine to mark his official Washington visit.
Anthony Albanese has also given his full support to have Kevin Rudd continue in the role as Australia's ambassador to the United States, after the federal opposition called for him to be replaced.
Reporter: "Are you concerned that this did any damage or change the way President Trump feels towards Australia?"
Albanese: "No not at all..to quote President Trump 'All is forgiven."
Ambassador Rudd was caught in an awkward exchange with the United States president over negative comments he made about Donald Trump before he was appointed by Anthony Albanese to the diplomatic post.
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The Greens party has raised concerns that projects linked to a multi-billion dollar critical minerals deal between Australia and the US could bypass environmental regulations.
Under the deal, Australia has agreed to accelerate, streamline, or deregulate to allow projects within permitted timelines. Mr Trump says he expects rapid development.
But the mining of critical minerals often leads to air and water contamination, habitat destruction, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Greens Foreign Affairs spokesperson David Shoebridge has told SBS, he's worried the Albanese government may attempt to skirt around environmental standards in an effort to appease Donald Trump.
"There's a real concern that if these arbitrary US timeframes for development of critical minerals and rare earth projects are going to be met then the Albanese government may already be intending to abuse existing ‘national security’ loopholes that can bypass federal, state and territory environmental laws."
In a statement, a spokesperson for Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt says "all projects that could potentially impact matters of national significance are required to comply with national environment law".
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US Vice President JD Vance has projected optimism about Gaza's fragile ceasefire agreement.
He says progress is better than anticipated during his visit to a new centre in Israel for civilian and military cooperation.
The centre is where US troops have been deploying to monitor the Gaza truce.
The vice president is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials during his visit, and is expected to stay in the region until Thursday.
Mr Vance has tried to downplay any idea that his visit was urgently arranged to keep the ceasefire in place.
"What we've seen in the past week gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold. And if we get from where we were a week ago to a long-term, durable peace between Israel and Gaza, there are going to be hills and valleys. There are going to be moments where it looks like things aren't going particularly well. But given that, and given the history of conflict, I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today. It's going to require constant effort. It's going to require constant monitoring and supervision."
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A US official has announced that President Donald Trump’s plan for a meeting with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin is on hold.
Both leaders were planning to meet in Hungary's capital Budapest to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.
Following the announcement, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated the country's readiness for ceasefire along the current frontlines.
He says Russia has lost any interest in diplomacy after it became clear Ukraine isn't getting long range capabilities anytime soon.
"The frontline can spark diplomacy. Instead, Russia continues to do everything to weasel out of diplomacy – and as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us – for Ukraine – became less immediate, Russia’s interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically. This signals that this very issue – the issue of our deep strike capabilities – may hold the indispensable key to peace."
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In football,
Premier League side Nottingham Forest have appointed former Everton boss Sean Dyche as their new manager following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou.
Forest have released a statement saying the former Forest youth player has joined the club on a contract running until the summer of 2027.
Postecoglou's reign of just 39 days at Forest makes the Australian the shortest-serving permanent Premier League manager to be sacked mid-season.
