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In this bulletin;
- President Trump says US doesn't have obligation to support NATO countries;
- Coalition urges consideration of fuel excise cut;
- And in football, Iran's men's national team stage symbolic protest against strike on girls school.
United States President Donald Trump says the US does not have an obligation to support NATO countries, raising further questions about US commitment to the mutual defence provisions in the alliance.
Speaking at an investment forum in Miami, Mr Trump expressed his disappointment that NATO was not providing material support for the US in its war with Iran.
"Because we spent hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds protecting them, and we would have always been there for them. But now, based on their actions, I guess we don't have to be. Do we? That sounds like a breaking story. Yes, sir. Is that breaking news? I think we just have breaking... But that's a fact. I've I've been saying that. Why would we be there for them if they're not there for us? They weren't there for us."
European allies were not consulted ahead of the unprovoked US-Israeli attacks last month, with many leaders opposed to the action.
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Federal opposition leader Angus Taylor is urging the prime minister to adopt a coalition proposal to halve the fuel excise for three months.
While the Albanese government has not flatly rejected the idea, treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Tuesday “it’s not something that we have been considering.”
Mr Taylor says the move will potentially save motorists 26 cents a litre.
"For a hard working family that is a tradie family, for instance, they'll be spending up to fifty dollars a week that they won't have to spend if our proposal is put in place. And that's around $16 million every single day that Australians are paying they wouldn't have to pay if this government did it's job and made sure that fuel was affordable for all Australians."
However, the OECD has warned against such measures, saying they will come at a greater cost to the budget than more targeted measures.
Economists say the move would cost taxpayers $6 billion over six months and increase demand for fuel.
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Indonesia has started to implement new regulations to ban children under 16 from access to digital platforms, following similar measures introduced by Australia last year.
After approval in March, Indonesia has become the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children from having accounts on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Indonesia's government says the restrictions will be implemented gradually, until all platforms are in compliance with the measure.
In Jakarta, mother Leni Sinuraya says she understands why the measure is needed.
“Nowadays, when we see kids sitting in a restaurant, they have a phone right in front of them. It’s clear that they’re addicted—they won’t eat unless they’re given a phone, and they throw tantrums if they aren’t. Maybe this is one of the reasons the government sees that children are focused on mobile phones and not talking, mealtime is supposed to be a time for us to chat with the people around us.”
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To sport and in football...
Iran's men's national football team wore black armbands and held schoolbags as their anthem played ahead of a friendly match against Nigeria in Turkiye.
The players held pink and purple bags with ribbons on them, in protest of strikes that killed over 175 people, children and teachers, at a girls school on the first day of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Iran were playing a friendly against Nigeria ahead of the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, with their participation in the tournament still in doubt due to the conflict.
Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, a vice-president of the Iranian football federation, says the players decided to stage the protest as a symbolic gesture of solidarity with the victims.
"Our youth in Minab were bombed twice in a row in a brutal manner. This not only caused grief for families, but the whole country, including our national team players, were all deeply affected. Today, through this symbolic act, they expressed solidarity with the children of Minab. They also sent a message to the world that genocide and the killing of children are profoundly wrong and that it is a grave injustice."
