TRANSCRIPT:
- Australia's governor-general to be among the official mourners at Pope Francis' funeral;
- India's PM condemns a deadly attack in Kashmir;
- Todd Goldstein declared ready for Essendon's Anzac Day blockbuster against Collingwood.
Australia's governor general Sam Mostyn is among the dignitaries expected to attend the funeral for Pope Francis this weekend.
Ms Mostyn will join a host of other world leaders and royal figures at the service, which the Vatican has confirmed will take place on April 26 at St Peter's Basilica.
Crowds have also already been steadily gathering in St. Peter’s Square after his passing, with mourners, pilgrims, and tourists assembling in the heart of the Vatican to honour the Argentinian pontiff.
Colombian tourist Maria Marsilva says she hopes Pope Francis' progressive agenda lives on.
"I hope it will be someone like Francis and, if not, that in any case he will make positive changes like him. That would be the ideal scenario, and that he would do many positive things for the youth and LGBTIQ people. That's my point of view, I don’t know if everyone would agree, but this is my personal opinion."
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India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has condemned the deaths of at least two dozen people in a militant attack in Kashmir.
Police say dozens of tourists were shot at close range by militants in the disputed region's resort town of Pahalgam, with 24 bodies recovered at the scene and two others dying en route to hospital.
The Prime Minister has released a statement saying the perpetrators must be held to account.
"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable and it will get even stronger."
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Treasurer Jim Chalmers has pushed back against Coalition promises to increase defence spending.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says if he wins government, the plan is to increase the Defence budget by $21 billion over five years, which he argues is needed in globally uncertain times.
But Dr Chalmers says the Coalition has not explained where the money will come from.
"An extra $57.6 billion over the next 10 years, taking defence spending from 2 per cent to 2.3 per cent at the start of the decade. Now, that is a very substantial increase in defence spending. The difference between what we are budgeting for and delivering; and what the Coalition is proposing - is they're not saying the money is coming from. They are not coming clean on their cuts."
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Santos has been given final approval for its multibillion dollar Barossa gas project, after years of delays and fervent opposition from environment groups.
Offshore oil and gas regulator NOPSEMA has given the project the final approval needed.
The Adelaide-based company will now be able to hook up a floating production storage and offloading vessel at its site 285 kilometres off the coast of Darwin, allowing gas to be transported from the project's six wells in the coming months.
Pipeline work on the controversial project had been halted in late 2022 after a court challenge from three Tiwi Island elders that the company eventually won last year.
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Five men are facing theft charges after allegedly stealing more than $1 million worth of items in a spate of ram raids on high-end fashion stores.
Police allege four luxury stores in Melbourne were targeted in the spree, with the latest raid in the CBD on April 16 leaving shelves bare and clothes strewn on the ground at British luxury fashion house Burberry.
Burglars had used a car to smash the windows at Italian brand Fendi on the same premium shopping strip days earlier.
Roller doors prevented them from entering to steal any designer goods.
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No injuries have been reported from an earthquake on Australia's east coast early this morning.
Geoscience Australia says the 4.6 magnitude quake struck just before 3am near Singleton in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, about 200 kilometres north of Sydney.
But senior seismologist Phil Cummins says the tremor was felt across a much wider range of territory.
"We have about 2600 felt reports and they range from all the way from down near Wollongong to up just south of Port Macquarie. So quite widely felt. And some of that was moderate and strong-shaking."
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In the AFL,
Essendon coach Brad Scott has declared veteran ruck Todd Goldstein ready to step up for the Anzac Day blockbuster against Collingwood, following season-ending injuries to Nick Bryan and Sam Draper.
After Bryan hurt his knee in Gather Round, Draper suffered a foot injury six days later in Friday's win against West Coast.
Scott says Goldstein is ready to bring his best on game day.
"I talk all the time with players about you can't control when your opportunities are going to come, but you can control how ready you are when it does come."
