Australia news LIVE: Xi and Putin discuss immortality in hot mic moment with Kim Jong-un; Albanese to visit Starmer as part of AUKUS talks

2 weeks ago 3

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7.16am

Australia to support Afghanistan earthquake victims

By Daniel Lo Surdo

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced the Australian government will provide $1 million in support for Afghanistan following a 6.0 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 1400 people and left more than 3000 injured in the country’s eastern provinces.

It follows the Taliban government’s call for international aid following the quake, which flattened villages and trapped people under rubble, as rescue teams were hindered by mountainous terrain and poor weather.

Civil defence workers, locals and army soldiers prepare to evacuate injured earthquake victims in eastern Afghanistan on Monday.

Australia’s financial assistance will be directed through a humanitarian fund led by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which the government said would prevent the funding from being directed towards the Taliban regime.

The $1 million investment is the first funding announcement from Australia to support those affected by the earthquake.

6.48am

Florida to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates

By Michael Koziol

America’s third most populous state plans to end all vaccine mandates, including for children, with Florida’s top doctor comparing the requirements to slavery and saying they violate the relationship between individuals and their god.

Standing behind a podium that said “the Free State”, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis pledged to protect people’s medical freedom, decrying paediatricians whom he said would not treat children unless they took vaccinations, and querying why a baby would need a hepatitis shot.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, will establish a state version of the Make America Healthy Again Commission.

“We ought to be empowering parents rather than trying to take away the rights of parents,” DeSantis said at a news conference where he also announced the creation of Florida’s Make America Healthy Again commission, a state version of the Trump administration’s initiative.

6.44am

Albanese to visit London for AUKUS talks

By David Crowe

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is planning to visit Britain for talks on the AUKUS pact with his UK counterpart, Sir Keir Starmer, cementing a key defence treaty amid doubts about American support for the plan.

Albanese will head to London within weeks to see Starmer and senior British ministers under draft plans within the prime minister’s office to add the visit to his scheduled trip to New York for a United Nations leadership summit.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will join international talks about further support for Ukraine.

The plans come as the prime minister prepares to join an urgent meeting of global leaders on Thursday (Friday AEST) to build support for Ukraine, while Australian defence planners are also talking to their NATO colleagues about countering threats from Russia.

6.41am

What’s making news today

By Daniel Lo Surdo

Hello and welcome to the national news blog. My name is Daniel Lo Surdo, and I’ll be helming our live coverage this morning.

Here’s what is making news today:

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is planning to visit the UK to cement the AUKUS security deal amid doubts about American support for the plan. Albanese is expected to travel to London within weeks to see his UK counterpart, Sir Keir Starmer, as an additional leg to his scheduled trip to New York for a United Nations leadership summit. It comes as the prime minister is expected to join an urgent meeting of global leaders on Friday to build support for Ukraine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were caught on a hot mic discussing the prospect of immortality as they led other non-Western leaders to watch the Beijing military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Wednesday. The leaders, both 72 years old, mentioned advances in biotechnology and human organ transplants, while North Korean leader Kim Jong-un listened and smiled.
Fifteen people are dead after an electric streetcar in Lisbon, Portugal derailed, injuring 18 others in the worst accident in the city’s recent history. A child is among the injured, with five people in a serious condition. An unknown number of the injured are foreigners. The derailed streetcar, which travels up and down a steep hill in tandem with a corresponding car, was lying on its side on the narrowed road it travels along.