Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
Donald Trump has again lashed out at Australia for refusing to back U-S military action against Iran, again broadening his criticism of allies beyond NATO.
The U-S President has accused several allies of benefiting from U-S protection while failing to return the favour, naming Australia alongside Japan and South Korea.
"It's not just NATO. You know who else didn't help us? South Korea didn't help us. You know who else didn't help us? Australia didn't help us. You know who else didn't help us? Japan. We've got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea. We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well."
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has told the ABC that Australia will not take part in offensive operations, while maintaining its alliance with the U-S.
+++
Iran has hit back at Donald Trump’s threats to strike its bridges and power plants, saying they will not stop its military campaign.
The response comes after President Trump warned Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face sweeping attacks on key infrastructure including its energy facilities.
Mr Trump has set a deadline of 10am Wednesday Australian Eastern Standard Time for Iran to comply, warning the country could be taken out in one night if it refuses.
But Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari says the threats will not change the course of the conflict.
"The rude rhetoric, arrogance and baseless threats of the delusional US president, arising from the deadlock he faces and aimed at justifying the repeated defeats of the US military, will have no effect on the continuation of offensive and crushing operations by the fighters of Islam against US and Israeli enemies, and will not repair the humiliation of the United States in West Asia. "
+++
An Australian Army reservist will face court after allegedly working as a drone operator for Ukraine in the war with Russia, in a rare use of anti-foreign fighter laws.
The 25-year-old man from Felixstow, in Adelaide's east, has been charged by the Australian Federal Police with working for a foreign military without authorisation.
Authorities allege the man travelled to Ukraine in May of 2025 and returned to Australia in January of 2026.
It is the first time someone has been charged with the offence, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.
+++
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has an offer to present to Russia in the hopes of negotiating a ceasefire and security guarantees for his country.
Ukraine has launched a series of attacks on Russian oil infrastructure in recent days, attempting to limit Russian oil production in the face of a global shortage.
Mr Zelenskyy wants Kremlin representatives to come back to the negotiating table, Vladimir Putin's government recently announced it has paused negotiations with Ukraine for a ceasefire, to focus on the US and Israel's war with ally, Iran.
(Ukraine to English VO) "If Russia is ready to stop strikes on our energy infrastructure, we will be ready to respond in kind. This proposal has been conveyed to the Russian side through the Americans. We are also working very concretely right now on documents with the American side. As agreed, Ukraine is preparing its proposals – strengthening the document on security guarantees."
+++
Hundreds of thousands of young children will be offered a free, needle-less flu vaccine as states move to reverse falling immunisation rates.
New South Wales has joined Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia in rolling out FluMist, a nasal spray delivered once into each nostril, designed to make vaccination easier and less distressing for families.
New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park says the move aims to lift uptake, particularly among children under five, who are more vulnerable to severe illness but whose vaccination rates have dropped sharply since 2020.
The decline in immunisation rates to just 25.7 per cent in 2025 has coincided with more than 24,000 flu cases in young children across New South Wales last season.
+++
As World Health Day is observed today, doctors in Australia are calling for fertility to be recognised as a shared responsibility between men and women.
Experts say too many people only learn about their fertility when they are already trying to conceive or are experiencing difficulties, highlighting a gap in health literacy.
New national guidelines on male infertility - the first of their kind in Australia - are aimed at ensuring men are assessed alongside women.
GP and women’s health expert Preeya Alexander says women are still far more likely to seek preconception care, despite fertility being a shared concern.
+++
Police will launch round-the-clock patrols on Melbourne’s Chapel Street as part of a three-week crackdown on theft and anti-social behaviour.
Operation Embrace will see specialist public order units, dog squads, mounted officers and the Highway Patrol deployed across the busy Prahran retail and nightlife strip, targeting shoplifters, drug offenders and poor behaviour around nightspots.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Damian Jackson says the operation is designed to send a clear message, after more than 450 arrests linked to similar issues last year.
The move follows a large-scale police operation in Melbourne’s C-B-D earlier this year.
+++
In golf, Englishman Justin Rose says he won't be weighed down by what happened to him last year at the Masters.
45-year-old Rose has finished runner-up three times at the year's first major tournament, including losing a playoff to Rory Mcllroy in 2025.
As the world's best male golfers gather in Augusta in the southern U-S state of Georgia for this year's Masters, which starts on Friday, Rose says missing out sometimes is just part of big-time sport, and one simply has to learn to deal with it.
"You can't skip through a career without a little bit of heartache and heartbreak, no chance, If you're going to be willing to win them, you've got to be willing to kind of be on the wrong side of it as well. The key is showing up. The key is to try to be as free as you can in those moments and yeah, you kind of have to hope a little bit along the way that it's your day."












