TRANSCRIPT:
- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince promises President Trump he'll invest a trillion dollars in US
- Australia's scientific research agency slashes hundreds of jobs
- Injured Melbourne Storm player Eli Katoa to miss an entire NRL season
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told President Donald Trump the oil-rich nation will invest between $600 billion and $1 trillion US dollars in the United States.
Ahead of the Crown Prince’s arrival, Mr Trump had announced he had agreed to sell Saudi Arabia F-35 fighter jets, despite internal concerns that the deal could expose sensitive U-S technology to China.
Mr Trump welcomed the pledge, repeating his claim that his policies will attract massive foreign investment.
“And I want to thank you because you’ve agreed to invest $600 billion into the United States, and because he’s my friend, he might make it a trillion, but I’m going to have to work on him, but it’s 600, we can count on 600 billion, but that number could go up a little bit higher. Yes, sir, I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Economists say the US President's target of approximately $32.5 trillion [[US$21.2 trillion]] in investment commitments by year’s end appears unrealistic and remains unexplained by the White House.
Asked if Saudi Arabia could sustain such spending amid low oil prices, Prince Mohammed suggested the strategy aligns with technology development, especially computer-chip production.
**
Politicians in the United States are expected to vote today for the release of government records on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
US President Donald Trump has for months tried to keep a lid on one of the country's most notorious scandals.
But there's been mounting pressure from US politicians, who say the public deserves answers in a case with over 1,000 alleged victims.
The House of Representatives now looks all but certain to approve - perhaps even unanimously - the Epstein Files Transparency Act, compelling publication of unclassified documents.
They will detail the investigation into the disgraced financier's operations and 2019 death in custody, which was ruled a suicide.
**
The Palestinian Foreign Minister has welcomed the United Nations Security Council's adoption of a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.
The resolution authorises an international stabilisation force for the enclave, and envisages a transitional authority to oversee reconstruction, economic recovery, and a process of demilitarisation.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin says the plan is a necessary first step on a long road towards peace.
But she says Palestinian self-determination and eventual Palestinian independence must still be addressed.
"It means that there are other issues that we need to tackle, it means we need to ensure that this is covered by international law, that it's not divorced from the New York declaration, that it truly embodies the issue of self-determination."
Hamas has again insisted it will not disarm, but the Trump administration says the resolution will help disempower the militant group.
**
The weather bureau says a tropical cyclone is likely to form over the Northern Territory by tomorrow.
A tropical low currently north of Darwin has been strengthening as it travels slowly east over warm waters
Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury says the system is expected to intensify and change course in the next 36 hours.
"It's at that time that we would officially name this system as a tropical cyclone, using the name tropical cyclone Fina. From that point, the system may well drop to the south, possibly intensifying to a category two system. However, there are quite a range of forecast scenarios from Wednesday onwards regarding how this system will develop, how strong it might get, and where it will track."
She says rain, storms and showers to be expected and residents should continue to monitor and follow safety advice.
**
The CSIRO has announced it will cut up to 350 full-time research jobs to address long-term financial sustainability challenges.
The agency has issued a statement saying funding hasn't kept pace with rising running costs, and the CSIRO will be refocusing on key research areas.
It said an 18-month review on research portfolios has identified emissions reduction and disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence among its top priorities.
Chief Executive Dr Doug Hilton says the agency will invest between $80 and $135 million in equipment and infrastructure as part of the restructure.
**
And in sport, injured Melbourne Storm player Eli Katoa has been ruled out of the next year's entire NRL season after further testing following brain surgery earlier this month.
The second-rower suffered three head knocks in the space of 90 minutes while playing for Tonga against New Zealand in the Pacific Cup in Auckland.
He required oxygen after he suffered seizure activity on the sidelines, and was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery due to bleeding of the brain.
He was transferred to Melbourne after two weeks and released from hospital yesterday.
Storm football manager Frank Ponissi says Katoa's health is the number one priority.
