SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Thank you for joining our continuing live coverage.
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
- Firefighters have responded to a “significant” fire at Viva Energy Group’s Geelong oil refinery, which broke out about 11pm on Wednesday. It is one of two refineries remaining in Australia and supplies more than 50 per cent of Victoria’s and 10 per cent of Australia’s fuel.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said while reports of a two-week extension of the ceasefire were “not true at this moment”, the door was left open while US-Iran talks continue.
- Pakistani officials have arrived in Iran’s capital “as part of the ongoing mediation efforts”, Pakistan’s military said in a statement, accompanied by images of Field Marshal Asim Munir being embraced by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
- The US Central Command said no vessels have made it past US naval forces during the first 48 hours of the blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, and nine vessels have complied with directions to turn around.
- Iranian military commander Ali Abdollahi has warned that Iran would completely block exports and imports across the Persian Gulf region, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea if the US does not lift its blockade, Iranian state media reported.
- An extra $53 billion will be injected into Australia’s defence budget over the next 10 years.
TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — The Israeli military killed four Lebanese rescue workers and wounded six others in three consecutive, targeted strikes Wednesday, paramedic groups said, a stark illustration of the human cost of the Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon a day after the two countries held historic talks in Washington.
The back-to-back Israeli attacks on the southern village of Mayfadoun, near the bigger town of Nabatiyeh, hit the first group of medics responding to a distress call from wounded civilians, a second group trying to assist their wounded colleagues and a third group rushing to aid the first two teams that had been targeted.
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press on the strikes beyond saying it was “looking into” what happened. It has previously accused the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group of using ambulances as cover for militant activities, without offering evidence.
The Lebanese Health Ministry condemned the attacks as a “blatant violation” of international law.
Abou Haidar Hayya, an official with the Islamic Health Committee involved in the rescue operation, said he feared such direct targeting of medics meant that “there are no more red lines in this war.”
Australia will be prioritised to receive additional fuel produced by Malaysia’s state-owned oil and gas company PETRONAS, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said.
“We have obtained an assurance from PETRONAS that once the most domestic requirements are met, there is clearly some excess, and we have given an assurance that the priority will be to Australia,” Ibrahim said.
“We import gas, LNG from Australia, and they have assured of us of this supply and to honour the commitments and the agreement. So we have to also, then to ensure that their requirements beyond what we can make available will be equally honoured.”
Two additional tankers of fuel, carrying 100 million litres of diesel, are on the way to Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed.
The two tankers come from Brunei, which Albanese visited yesterday, and from South Korea.
“That is very important,” Albanese said. “The purchase of more than 570,000 barrels of additional diesel has been done by Viva, made possible because of the decision that my government made early in this global crisis to empower export finance Australia to do that additional fuel can be directed to where it is needed most, including to our farmers
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has responded to the fire at the Viva oil refinery in Geelong, which began last night.
“They are very distressing scenes,” he said. “On a positive note, it is good that there were no workers harmed and no human impact of this fire, which has occurred overnight. I can report that the fire, I’m advised, has been now put out, and I certainly thank Fire Rescue, Victoria and the Country Fire Authority for the work that they have done.
“As for the damage, obviously, there will need to be an assessment of that and the consequences for fuel supply. Clearly, there will be consequences for it, but there will be a proper assessment taking place over the coming short period as well. We think that we’ll continue to work with the company to do what we can to make sure that anything that is offline is brought online as soon as possible.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken about the interdependent relationship between Malaysia and Australia on food security.
“This is a conflict that has caused unprecedented energy supply shocks right across the globe,” he said. “And to meet this challenge, Australia is working in co-operation with our close friends, including Malaysia, Australian resources help to power our region and our farmers help to feed the region.
“Nearly 60 per cent of Malaysia’s wheat and 75 per cent of its lamb and beef come from Australia. And our neighbours know that providing fuel and fertiliser to Australia helps put food on the table in this region, we rely on each other for fuels, including crude petroleum and natural gas.
“Malaysian urea helps Australia grow crops like wheat that we supply here, contributing to Malaysia’s food security as comprehensive strategic partners. We’re working together to prepare and shield our citizens from the worst of the impacts of this global conflict.”
The two nations have agreed to a partnership on red meat processing and trade, which will support the “bilateral halal meat trade”. Albanese said this would boost exports of Australia meat to Malaysia.
Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim has used a joint press conference with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to advocate for a Palestinian state and speak out against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“There is a ceasefire in Gaza, but let us be honest about what that has meant so far – the killings have not stopped,” Ibrahim said.
“The hunger has not ceased. In the West Bank, settlements continue to expand and violence continues to escalate with utter impunity. The world must not avert its gaze and allow a ceasefire to become the silence of the grave.
“What the Palestinian people need is a just and lasting solution, and that means a viable sovereign state. Malaysia will not waver on this matter of principle and conscience.
“I appreciate Australia’s stance on Gaza, calling for an end to hostilities, supporting humanitarian assistance and working towards a lasting resolution that position matters, and Malaysia welcomes that.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is holding a joint press conference with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, in Putrajaya.
The address began with comments from Ibrahim who said: “Malaysia will always be a reliable partner to Australia. We will be mates”.
“Malaysia and Australia share strong interdependence in energy resources, including fuel and LNG. We have existing agreements, and today we reaffirmed our commitment to them. We also signed a joint statement on energy security, reflecting our commitment to stable and resilient energy supplies,” Ibrahim said.
A memorandum of understanding between the two nations to “enhance market access”, alongside an agreement to cooperate on agriculture and irrigation to “ensure sustainable food supply for both Malaysians and Australians”.
China’s economic growth rebounded more than expected in the first quarter of 2026, suggesting limited spillovers so far from the war in Iran and giving policymakers more time to be patient with rolling out additional stimulus.
Gross domestic product expanded 5 per cent from a year ago, the fastest in three quarters, according to a statement from China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday. That compares with the 4.8 per cent median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg and a gain of 4.5 per cent in the previous quarter.
The economic uptick follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent criticism of US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Speaking on Tuesday during a visit from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Xi said: “The international order is crumbling into disarray.”
Industrial output grew 5.7 per cent in March from a year ago, more than forecast but slowing from the first two months of this year. Retail sales fell short of forecasts and increased 1.7 per cent, weakening from the 2.8 per cent expansion in the January-February period.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim have signed a joint statement affirming their commitment to energy trade, as part of their meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
But the statement provides no assurances that Australia has secured extra oil and fuel supplies from Malaysia.
“We commit to promote open and stable trade flows between our two countries, including for essential energy supplies. We will exchange views on energy trade-related matters on a ‘no surprises’ basis, and deepen practical co-operation on energy security for both countries to achieve shared goals.
“We are also committed to working together to strengthen energy supply chain resilience, including by deepening regional co-operation, supporting energy transition and promoting the uptake of renewable energy resources,” the joint statement said.
The two prime ministers are due to hold a press conference shortly.
Defence Minister Richard Marles has announced the fast-tracking of air and missile defence capabilities as he unveils the National Defence Strategy.
“We will accelerate the introduction of air and missile defence capabilities, including new investment in a medium‑range, ground‑based air defence system, recognising the increasingly contested air and missile environment,” Marles told the National Press Club this afternoon.
“This program will commence as a priority from 2026 to enhance protection against advanced aircraft as well as cruise and ballistic missiles,” he said.
