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TRANSCRIPT:
- Australia urging citizens to take commercial flights home from the Middle East;
- Donald Trump meets with major defence manufacturers as the war continues;
- The Matildas getting ready for South Korea in their next Asian Cup game.
The Australian government has continued to urge citizens wishing to return home from the Middle East to take seats on commercial flights.
Some Australians have reported difficulties getting to airports where flights are leaving from, while other passengers have said the planes that brought them back home were often half full.
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite has avoided direct questions on whether the government will sponsor repatriation flights to bring Australians home to safety.
He says commercial flights remain the best option - and that officials are frustrated not all of those flights are being fully booked out.
"Our diplomats in the regions are in constant contact with airline officials to ensure that we're maximising the number of Australians that get onto flights. Our officials are doing hotel visits, they're doing phone calls, and they're doing online town halls for Australians that are stranded within the region."
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US President Donald Trump has met with executives from seven major defence manufacturing companies as the war continues in Iran.
In a post on social media, Trump has said the companies have agreed to quadruple weapon supplies for the US - to underpin strikes he argues have been a major success.
"Their army is gone. They're just about, look, their navy is gone, their communications are gone, their leaders are gone. Two sets of their leaders are gone, they are down to their third set.Their air force is wiped out entirely. Think of it. They have 32 ships, all 32 are at the bottom of the ocean."
Meanwhile Israel has announced a new wave of broad-scale strikes on Tehran, as Donald Trump maintains only Iran's unconditional surrender would bring an end to the escalating Middle East war.
In retaliation, Iran has launched attacks on Israel and its Gulf neighbors, with Saudi Arabia saying it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired at the Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh which houses US military personnel.
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Indonesia has become the first country in south-east Asia to introduce an underage social media ban.
Communication Minister Meutya Hafid says that starting from March 28, children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to have accounts on platforms considered high-risk, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.
The Minister says the government's action is fully justified.
"The basis is clear. Our children face increasingly real threats - from exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly addiction. The government is here so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giant of algorithms."
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A major flood emergency has been declared as torrential rain swamps far north Queensland.
The Northern Territory is also impacted, with hundreds of residents bussed from Daly River to emergency accommodation at a Darwin showgrounds pavilion in early February being evacuated for a second time - this time by helicopter.
Around 200 members of the flood-hit Aboriginal community of Palumpa are also being evacuated to a Darwin stadium by fixed-wing aircraft today.
Acting Commissioner Travis Wurst says the town of Katherine is also at risk.
"We're watching the waters slowly continue to rise. I have had the opportunity to have a look at some drone footage across Katherine. The flooding is widespread but the levees are holding."
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Tens of millions of dollars worth of Sydney property linked to corrupt former state minister Eddie Obeid has been frozen by authorities.
Any properties linked to the Obeid Corporation will be affected by the caveats issued by the New South Wales Supreme Court following a "marathon" probe by the state's Crime Commission.
The agency says it has taken a decade to unravel a complex web of trusts set up to conceal the proceeds from a rigged tender for an exploration licence at Mount Penny.
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The connection between France and Australia on Antarctic science is being celebrated in Tasmania.
After five trips south this summer, French icebreaker L'Astrolabe - led by Commander Antoine Collin - has made its final stop in Hobart now that summer is over.
The ship's visit is coinciding with a conference where researchers from Australia, France and the Pacific have gathered to share knowledge.
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To sport,
The Matildas are preparing for their must win match against South Korea tomorrow in the Women's Asian Cup.
The last time the two teams were up against each other in a tournament setting was four years ago in India, where the Matildas experienced a devastating 1-0 loss at the quarterfinal stage.
That meant Australia exited the tournament earlier than they ever had before.
Steph Catley says her team have worked hard to ensure these past failures aren't repeated.
"That game in particular, we were quite wasteful from memory and didn't finish our chances. And against a team like Korea, they take advantage of theirs and then the game's over. So yeah, we've definitely learned from that moment."
