In this bulletin;
- Peter Dutton "disappointed" in Donald Trump's White House clash;
- Paul Tazewell becomes the first black man to win an Oscar for Costume Design;
- And in sport, AFL season opener looks set to proceed despite wild weather.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he was disappointed to see US President Donald Trump publicly berate his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend.
He says President Zelenskyy is a "war hero" who deserves support whereas Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "murderous dictator" with "no regard for human life".
"I was disappointed by the scenes out of the White House, and I believe that President Zelenskyy requires the support of European countries of the United States and countries like Australia as well. "
Mr Dutton also says there is "no need for Australia to send troops" to support a possible peace deal in Ukraine, and welcomed increased defence spending announced by the UK in recent days.
He says President Trump is right in saying Europe needs to step up and take greater responsibility for its own security needs.
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Communities on the east coast of Australia are preparing for the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred later this week.
It is forecast to make landfall as early as Thursday as a category-one or category-two system; bringing with it damaging winds and heavy rainfall.
The Bureau of Meteorology says communities in the path of the cyclone include those in northeast New South Wales and southeast Queensland.
New South Wales Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib says residents should take the forecasts seriously and prepare.
"The Northern Rivers area suffered its own major flooding and quite a difficult situation three years ago. We will do everything we can to work with that community to make sure that our communities well-prepared, well-protected; and can respond to whatever comes our way. It is really important that all members of the public prepare for this event."
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Health Minister Mark Butler says a pre-election promise to expand urgent care clinics is part of a wider commitment to boosting Australians' access to bulk-billed healthcare.
The government has vowed to open an extra 50 clinics by the end of June 2026 if it secures a second term.
Mr Butler says the evidence shows existing urgent care clinics have been successful in alleviating pressure on hospital emergency departments.
He also denied accusations of pork-barrelling - where politicians invest in constituencies seen as most crucial to their election success - saying the additional clinics are split roughly evenly between Labor- and Liberal-held seats.
"The important point though is that these locations have been chosen according to our analysis of hospital presentations in local hospitals, as I said bulk-billing data, and our desire to ensure an even geographical spread."
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The first black man to win an Oscar for Costume Design has taken home the 97th Academy Awards statuette.
Paul Tazewell took the prize for best Costume Design for his work on the musical fantasy film Wicked.
The announcement was met with a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd.
"This is absolutely astounding. Thank you, Academy, for this very significant honour. I'm the first Black man to receive costume design award."
The documentary No Other Land, made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective was awarded best Documentary, while independent film Flow secured best Animated Feature.
The Flow team, led by Latvian director, Gints Zilbalodis has made history with the first Oscar win for the Northern European country.
The Awards were postponed twice due to the Los Angeles wildfires and took place at Dolby Theatre.
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The AFL is still hoping to proceed with Thursday's season opener in Brisbane, despite the possibility of wild weather caused by Cyclone Alfred's approach to the Queensland coast.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon says a final call has not been made yet, but at this stage defending premiers Brisbane and Geelong are still scheduled to face off at the Gabba.
Mr Dillon says contingency plans have been put in place in case the game needs to be moved.
"I've spoken to the Lions CEO last night and again this morning, and the plan is, as it has been, the game scheduled for Thursday night. Now, for every game, we have contingencies, and there are options with byes and the like. But at the moment, the game scheduled for Thursday night and the Lions are working towards that as our Geelong and as our as the AFL and channel Seven and Fox."
