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TRANSCRIPT:
- The Houthis launch a second missile attack on Israel
- Free public transport announced in two Australian states amid soaring petrol prices
- The Socceroos prepare for their game against Curaçao
The Iranian-backed Houthi group says it has launched a second missile attack on Israel.
The launch came hours after the group's first attack, targeting what the Iran-aligned group describes as sensitive Israeli military sites in the south.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea says the operations will continue.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue, with Allah's help and reliance upon Allah, to carry out their military operations in the coming days until the criminal enemy ceases its attacks and aggression."
The Houthis' entry into the conflict adds to regional tensions, particularly given their ability to strike targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea.
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Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie says the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz highlights the need for Australia to become more energy self-reliant.
He says proposed fuel security legislation, to be introduced by the federal government on Monday, is sound in principle, arguing action is needed to ensure Australia maintains adequate fuel supplies.
Mr Hastie tells ABC’s Insiders program the uncertainty around how long the Middle East conflict will last underscores the need for stronger, long-term energy security measures.
"Well, I have no problem with electrification. It is a good thing. And it diversifies our supply chain. But in the end, over the medium to longer term, we're still going to need plenty of diesel for trucks, for aviation. We're going to need gas."
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Australians in two states - Victoria and Tasmania - will be able to travel on public transport for free, as fuel costs surge.
In Victoria, trains, trams and buses will be free for everyone from Tuesday and throughout April.
Travellers won’t need to tap on - and all gates will be open to avoid congestion.
Premier Jacinta Allan says the temporary measure will help Victorians deal with rising fuel prices.
In Tasmania, free travel will be available from tomorrow [[Mon 30 Mar]] on buses and ferries.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff says there has been a 20 per cent increase in the use of public transport over the last week, and this latest measure will deliver , as he says, "major cost-of-living relief".
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Lebanon's Minister of Information, Paul Morcos, has condemned the killing of journalists by an Israeli strike.
An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed three journalists who were covering the latest escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV says its longtime correspondent Ali Shoeib was killed in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military says it targeted the journalist, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative without providing evidence.
Meanwhile, Beirut-based pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV says reporter Fatima Ftouni was killed in the same airstrike [[in the southern district of Jezzine]] along with her brother Mohammed, a video journalist.
Minister Morcos says Lebanese authorities are preparing a formal complaint to be submitted to several international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"These acts fall under the classification of war crimes according to the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court in 1998, particularly Article 8, which prohibits targeting civilians, including journalists. We are committed to these rules, and no state, entity, or party can claim that it is not bound by them."
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Those who are critical of US President Donald Trump's policies have taken to city streets across the the US in the third edition of the so-called No Kings rallies.
The previous No Kings rallies attracted millions of participants.
Organisers say this weekend's protests in all 50 US states - and several cities outside the United States - could be the largest single-day protest in US history.
In Washington, hundreds of marchers moved through the streets, past the Lincoln Memorial and into the National Mall, holding signs that read
"Put down the crown, clown" and "Regime change begins at home".
Tina Batten says she felt she had to be there.
"The immigrant abductions are a grave concern to me, the inhumane treatment that's going on. But mostly, I think it's just that Trump does not understand that he's supposed to be a president, and not a king, and not dictator. And we've watched our democracy crumble and I did not believe that I'd ever witness anything like this in this country. This was something that happened elsewhere."
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And in football, Socceroo Aiden O'Neill says the team mood is buoyant ahead of the game against Curaçao in Melbourne on Tuesday.
A late goal from Jordan Bos helped the Socceroos defeat Cameroon 1-nil in their FIFA Series game in Sydney on Friday.
O'Neill says that the team is still celebrating, while also preparing for what will be their last game in Australia before the World Cup begins in June.
"It is a huge game. We've got to - all of us have to put our best foot forward and try to play our best and keep improving as a team as well. Yeah, it is awesome to come back and have this support from everyone before we head to the World Cup."
