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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin,
- Iran rejects a ceasefire proposal as Trump continues to talk tough
- Fuel demand spikes over the Easter long weekend
- And in athletics, US Olympic sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson breaks records at Australia's oldest and richest foot race
Iran has rejected a US proposal for a 45-day ceasefire, saying it wants a permanent end to the war in the Middle East.
The head of Iran's diplomatic mission in Cairo, Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, has declared Iran will only accept an end of the war with guarantees that it won't be attacked again.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency says Tehran conveyed its 10-point response through Pakistan, a key mediator, including proposals on reconstruction and the lifting of sanctions.
President Donald Trump meanwhile has appeared to widen his threat from civilian targets to the whole Islamic Republic if Iran does not accept his terms to re-open the strait of Hormuz.
"They don't wanna cry as the expression goes, Uncle, but they will. And if they don't, then they'll have no bridges, they'll have no power plants, they'll have no anything. I won't go further because there are other things that are worse than those two. And we might have, well, the thing, if I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil. Because it's there for the taking, there's not a thing they can do about it. "
—
Iranian state media is reporting that the head of the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence organisation, Majid Khademi, is dead.
The latest senior figure killed in US-Israeli strikes, Majid Khademi took over the position in 2025 after Israeli strikes killed his predecessor.
The IRGC's Intelligence arm is one of Iran's most powerful security bodies, with a central role in domestic surveillance.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says Mr Khademi was directly responsible for harming Israel.
Hebrew translated to English "The terrorist regime in Iran continues to launch missiles towards the Israeli home front and to murder and harm Israeli civilians. I was informed by the Chief of Staff that the IDF foiled Majid Khademi, head of the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence organization, in Tehran last night, one of those directly responsible for these war crimes and one of the three most senior figures in the organisation."
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South Korea's National Intelligence Service says it believes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter has been positioned as his successor.
Some North Korea experts are urging caution in interpreting images as definitive succession signals.
But Member of the Parliamentary intelligence committee Lee Seong-Kweun says pictures of the daughter, believed to be around 13 years old, is intended to highlight her supposed military aptitude and dispel doubts over a female heir.
Korean translated to English "This is analysed as a calculated effort to project the optics of a prepared future leader, soften doubts about a female successor, and accelerate the construction of a succession narrative."
—
The government says demand for fuel spiked by a third during the Easter break.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says fuel companies have reported demand during Easter was 30 per cent higher than the previous one.
He had previously urged families to stick to their Easter holiday plans but to buy no more fuel than they needed - and in the city to help keep supplies up in the country.
Meanwhile with more than 50 ships on the way to top up fuel tanks, fewer service stations are running dry - with 142 out of 2400 service stations in New South Wales without diesel, and 39 with no fuel at all.
"We continue to see no ships cancelled that have been contracted for Australia, extra orders being delivered and we now have security of supply through April and now into May. But as we've indicated on multiple occasions, we recognise that it's a difficult international environment and there are risks to supply chains as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed."
—
The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission have reached the furthest point that any human has been from earth.
The milestone is a climactic point in the nearly 10-day Artemis II mission, the first crewed test flight of NASA's Artemis program.
Their spacecraft has now entered the Moon's sphere of influence - where lunar gravity pulls stronger than Earth's.
To mark the occasion, the Artemis II crew awoke for their sixth flight day to a recorded message from late Apollo 8 and 13 astronaut Jim Lovell.
"Hello Artemis II, this is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighbourhood. When Frank Borman and Bill Andrews and I orbited the moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity's first up close look at the moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world. I'm proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars, for the benefit of all."
—
To sport and in athletics...
American Olympic gold medallist Sha'Carri Richardson has broken records in her Stawell Gift debut, becoming just the third woman to win the 120m handicap race off scratch.
Richardson won the 2023 100m world title and was second in the blue-riband sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She crossed the finish line at the Stawell Gift in 13.15 seconds, the fastest time in the history of the women's race.
She has told Channel 7 this was a phenomenal race.
"The love, the support. The true enjoyment I had on the track, I know everyone is having here so, I had a great time. Y'all fuelled me. Y'all made this moments happen, so thank you."
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