Australia news LIVE: US looks to set up naval base in Australia to advance AUKUS; Vance criticises Israeli parliament’s vote to annex West Bank; King Charles and Pope Leo pray together in 500-year first

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7.24am

‘It won’t happen’: Trump says West Bank will not be annexed

By Emily Kaine

Israel will not annex the West Bank, US President Donald Trump has told TIME Magazine.

“It won’t happen. It won’t happen. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. And you can’t do that now. We’ve had great Arab support. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. It will not happen. Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened,” Trump said in an interview.

US President Donald Trump said the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.

The US leader’s comments follow a vote in the Israeli parliament yesterday which saw far-right politicians give preliminary approval to a bill that would see Israeli law apply in the West Bank.

One of the conditions of Trump’s peace plan, agreed to by Israel and Hamas, required Israel to agree not to annex any territories in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clear in condemning the vote as a “deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord”, while US Vice President JD Vance called the vote a “stupid political stunt”.

7.08am

King Charles and Pope Leo pray together in Sistine Chapel

King Charles and Pope Leo prayed together in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Thursday, in the first joint worship including an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff since King Henry VIII broke away from Rome in 1534.

Latin chants and English prayers echoed through the chapel, where Leo was elected the first US pope by the world’s Catholic cardinals six months ago in front of frescoes by Michelangelo depicting Christ delivering the Last Judgment.

King Charles III and Pope Leo XIV at the Sistine Chapel.

Charles, supreme governor of the Church of England, was seated at the pope’s left near the altar of the chapel as Leo and Anglican Archbishop Stephen Cottrell led a service that featured the Sistine Chapel Choir and two royal choirs.

Although Charles has met the last three popes, and popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI travelled to Britain, their previous encounters never included joint prayers.

Charles and Queen Camilla are on a state visit to the Vatican marking the deepening ties between the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion, five centuries after their turbulent separation.

Reuters

6.52am

‘Stupid stunt’: Vance and Rubio criticise Israeli parliament’s vote to annex West Bank

By Emily Kaine

US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised the Israeli parliament’s vote to annex the occupied West Bank.

Yesterday, far-right politicians in the Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill applying Israeli law in the territory. Vance, who was in Israel, labelled it a “very stupid political stunt”.

Rubio also cautioned that annexation would threaten US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clear in condemning the vote as a “deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord”.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office also stressed that his right-wing party and coalition partners did not vote in favour of the bill and that it was unlikely to go anywhere without their political support.

“If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt and I personally take some insult,” Vance told reporters.

“The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.”

With agencies

6.51am

US seeks to entrench presence in Australia under AUKUS

By Matthew Knott

The United States is seeking ongoing use of the nation’s biggest naval base as part of the Pentagon’s review into the AUKUS pact – a move that would help project American power across the Indo-Pacific as it prepares for a possible conflict with China.

US Navy Secretary John Phelan attracted attention during a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday by saying that the US wanted to clear up areas of “ambiguity” in the original AUKUS plan.

The US is set to rotate up to four nuclear-powered submarines through Western Australia from 2027 under the AUKUS plan.

Senior Australian officials said they were unsure exactly what ambiguities Phelan was referring to but believed one likely possibility was entrenching the presence of up to four US nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling, near Perth, from 2027.

The location, which serves as the home base for most of Australia’s frigates and submarines, is strategically significant for the US given it is closer to important Asian countries than the US Pacific fleet headquarters in Hawaii and expands its ability to compete with China for influence in the Indian Ocean.

6.51am

What’s making news today

By Emily Kaine

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Friday, October 24. My name is Emily Kaine, and I’ll be helming our coverage this morning. Here’s what is making headlines this morning.

The United States is seeking ongoing use of the nation’s biggest naval base as part of the Pentagon’s review into the AUKUS pact – a move that would help project American power across the Indo-Pacific as it prepares for a possible conflict with China. The location, which serves as the home base for most of Australia’s frigates and submarines, is strategically significant for the US given it is closer to important Asian countries than the US Pacific fleet headquarters in Hawaii and expands its ability to compete with China for influence in the Indian Ocean.
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised an Israeli parliament vote for annexation of the occupied West Bank. Yesterday, far-right politicians in the Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill applying Israeli law in the territory. Vance labelled it a “very stupid political stunt”.
King Charles and Pope Leo prayed together in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Thursday, in the first joint worship including an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff since King Henry VIII broke away from Rome in 1534.