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- Two more flights from the Middle East on the way, repatriating Australians.
- Canada says recent US behaviour doesn't ruin intelligence-sharing with it and Australia...
- The Australian Formula One Grand Prix ready to go this weekend, despite the world's travel chaos
Another flight is en route to Australia from the United Arab Emirates, carrying hundreds of Australians to Sydney from the Middle East.
Another is due to depart Dubai for Melbourne later this afternoon while a third flight - from Eithad Airways between Abu Dhabi and Sydney - has been delayed.
Ms Wong says there are around 115,000 Australians are in the Middle East, and around 24,000 are in the United Arab Emirates.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she's spoken with both her Emirati and Israeli counterparts, amongst others, to try and find more ways to help Australians stuck in the Middle East.
"We will continue looking at all options we have available to us, engaging partners, and taking action to support efforts to keep Australians safe. I regret the conflict is likely to get worse before it gets better."
UK police have arrested three men on suspicion of helping to spy for China.
One of those taken into custody is reportedly the husband of a serving Labour party MP.
The arrests have been made under the National Security Act passed in 2023, which is intended to allow prosecutors to put spying suspects on trial in a wider set of circumstances.
Security minister Dan Jarvis says there would be "severe consequences" if it is proven that Chinese authorities attempted to interfere with the sovereign affairs of the UK.
The Greens have called on the federal government to work with the broader community to improve the operation of Freedom Of Information laws.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has withdrawn the bill in the Senate, despite the government earlier claiming current Freedom Of Information laws were open to abuse by AI bots, criminals, and foreign actors.
Greens Senator, David Shoebridge, says the current problems with Freedom of Information systems at the moment are the government's own fault.
He has accused the government of being too secretive.
"Yes, I don't doubt that a million hours of bureaucrats' hours were spent last year dealing with FOI. Because Labor is sending bureaucrats in to spend endless hours blacking out documents and finding reasons to refuse to produce them."
Police are investigating after the death of an infant in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
South Australian Police say they were called to a house in Elizabeth Downs on Wednesday night where they found the 9-month old baby unresponsive.
The boy could not be revived despite the efforts of paramedics.
South Australian Police say a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Canada's prime minister has signed Australia up to a powerful global alliance of critical minerals producers during his visit, and urged the two countries to boost their co-operation on a range of fronts.
Between them, Australia and Canada produce about one-third of the world's lithium and uranium, and about 40 per cent of the world's iron ore.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied Australia's new alliance contradicts his government's Future Made in Australia policy, which was introduced in 2024 and will invest 22.7 billion dollars over ten years to maximise the benefits of Australia's move to net-zero emisssions.
Mr Albanese says working with Canada will strengthen that policy, not subtract from it.
"If we work together, then what that does is obviously have an impact- not just on supply, but also on price, and also on value-adding in our respective countries as well. That is one of the ways you avoid economic dependency, when you build that national economic resilience. And the combination of us working together on this, just makes both of the strategies we have stronger."
To sport,
Organisers of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix say this weekend's race is ready to go, despite the international travel chaos caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
As a sport heavily-dependent on international travel, Formula One is particularly vulnerable to the chaos the Iran conflict is causing.
But Australian Grand Prix Chief Executive Travis Auld says everyone has made it to Melbourne for the season-opening race.
“Look, I think there's periods over the weekend where there's a lot of reshuffling required, but Formula One are very professional, very well resourced, very experienced in moving people around the world. And so they quickly got to work. Found ways to get everyone here. Everyone's here that needs to be here. Now they're all getting themselves organised. So come tomorrow, when they're on track, it'll be business as usual.”
