Australia has not been asked by the United States to send a war ship to help reopen one of the world’s most crucial oil corridors, closed by Iran in response to the US-led war.

President Donald Trump has requested a naval coalition made up from different countries to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has shut to give itself leverage in the conflict.

Shipping has been extensively disrupted, sending global oil prices skyrocketing.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government would consider any request to participate in the conflict through the lens of the national interest, but Australia had not been directly asked.

“We’ve not received a request from the United States in respect of the Straits of Hormuz,” he told Nine’s Today on Tuesday.

“We’re not contemplating sending a ship, but we we’ve not received a request.”

It comes as Australia’s leading aid agencies launched a public appeal to raise urgent funds to support relief efforts in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and the West Bank.

“Thousands of people who’ve been killed or injured, millions of people have been displaced from their homes, and tens of millions are living in fear,” Mat Tinkler, chief executive of Save the Children Australia, told AAP.

“We’re asking for the Australian public to show their generosity and goodwill to help people in this terrible situation overseas.”

According to the International Organisation for Migration, almost one million people have been forced to flee their homes in Lebanon as a result of the war.

In Iran, more than 3.2 million people have been displaced, with reports of about 1300 killed and more than 9000 injured since the conflict began in late February.

People in war-torn Gaza and Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and the West Bank are also being impacted as aid lines are cut, severing access to food, clean water, fuel and medical supplies, and refugees cross borders.

Australian donations to the appeal will help the charities provide food, shelter, water, sanitation, medical and school, as well as support families “who are living with basically nothing right now”.

The charities are hoping to raise millions of dollars and say the funds will have an immediate impact.

“All of our agencies are already active in this crisis in the Middle East, so this will give us the confidence to provide supplies … and surge in more relief,” Mr Tinkler said.

The 15 charities behind the joint Middle East Appeal are: Save the Children Australia, Plan International Australia, Oxfam Australia, Australia for UNHCR, ActionAid, CARE Australia, Caritas Australia, ADRA, Act for Peace, Anglican Overseas Aid, Australian Lutheran World Service, Baptist World Aid, CBM, ChildFund Australia and Tearfund.

Australians wishing to donate to the Middle East Appeal are being asked to go to emergencyaction.org.au/middle-east-appeal/ or call 1300 939 000.

The BBC has asked a US judge to dismiss President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over its editing of a 2021 speech in a documentary.

In court documents released on ‌Monday in the $US10 ‌billion ($A14 billion) case, the BBC argued that Trump’s subsequent re-election showed the alleged defamation did not harm his reputation.

Trump has accused the United Kingdom’s publicly funded broadcaster of defaming him by splicing together parts of a January 6, 2021, speech to make it appear he directed supporters to storm the US Capitol.

The documentary ‌was first ‌broadcast in 2024, ⁠shortly before the presidential election Trump won.

It featured one ​section in which he urged supporters to march on the Capitol, followed by another, from nearly an hour later, where he said “fight like hell”.

Trump’s lawsuit, filed in Florida, alleges that the BBC defamed him and violated a Florida law prohibiting deceptive and unfair trade practices.

The BBC has apologised to Trump for ⁠the edit but argues that the lawsuit should ‌be ​thrown out.

As Trump won the election after the documentary’s release, he “cannot plausibly claim that the documentary ​harmed his reputation,” ‌the BBC’s lawyers said in their court submissions.

The BBC argued Trump could not prove ​the 12-second clip in the hour-long documentary that he alleges is defamatory was intended to create a false impression.

“Indeed, nothing better reflects how President Trump’s supporters understood his remarks ​than ​their own statements, and over 100 defendants ​charged with offences related to January 6 told ‌the courts that they interpreted President Trump’s remarks as a call to action,” the BBC’s submission said.

The broadcaster also argued there was no jurisdiction to sue it in Florida as the documentary was not available to viewers there and the lawsuit concerned “a dispute about UK entities’ role in ​a documentary aimed at UK viewers”.

A two-week trial is listed to take place ​in February 2027 if the ⁠BBC’s motion to dismiss is not successful.

The Reserve Bank would be making a mistake if it went with the economic consensus and lifted interest rates, warn economists at investment banking giant JP Morgan.

Money markets and the majority of economists expect the central bank to raise the cash rate to 3.85 per cent on Tuesday amid concerns inflation could get as high as five per cent following a spike in oil prices caused by war in the Middle East.

The turning point in commentary came courtesy of a hawkish podcast appearance by RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser, which caused traders to reprice the chance of a March hike from about one third to more than two thirds.

But JP Morgan economists Ben Jarman, Tom Kennedy and Tom Ryan thought his remarks were more balanced than the market appeared to interpret, highlighting “arguments on both sides”.

The trouble for the RBA is the conflict will cause prices to rise at the same time as it will push down economic growth – a stagflationary event.

This is different to the post-COVID inflation spike, in which the energy supply shock from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine interacted with high global growth, meaning there was less of a risk to employment, which the RBA has to manage as part of its dual mandate.

By assuming the RBA would take a more hawkish approach this time around, markets were ignoring the inherent differences between the two cycles, the JP Morgan trio said in a research note.

“There is … a sense that markets assume central banks will attempt to fight the last inflation war, keen to demonstrate vigilance after 2022’s experience,” the three JP Morgan economists said.

“That episode was somewhat different, however, in that it was not a pure supply shock, with global growth running at five per cent. 

“The implications for growth seem straightforwardly negative if a firmer than usual stance is taken to what is a more conventional supply shock this time.”

While the labour market was still running strong, other indicators such as consumption and capacity utilisation were showing early signs of easing, they said.

Official data is yet to show the impact of the RBA’s first interest rate rise in February.

AMP chief economist Shane Oliver agrees it would be a bad idea to hike rates, given all the uncertainty around the Middle East war.

“We think it makes more sense to wait till May before deciding what to do on rates, but to continue to sound hawkish in the interim,” he said.

But he still thinks the RBA will lift rates on Tuesday.

As do economists at all the big four banks.

“The effect of higher oil prices on headline inflation is large but temporary,” Westpac chief economist Luci Ellis said.

“The RBA Monetary Policy Board will nevertheless feel compelled to react, especially given the hit to confidence and financial markets from the Middle East conflict has so far not been severe.”

In the space of one month, a popular holiday destination faced two fire evacuations and flash flooding in between.

Communities along the Great Ocean Road sweltered through an extreme heatwave and bushfires in early January, followed by flash flooding that swept cars out to sea a week later.

In late January, residents and visitors were again urged to leave becvause of fire danger as state temperature records tumbled.

The Climate Council says the region experienced acute “climate whiplash”, characterised by swings between weather extremes.

Disaster seesawing occurred nationwide during the summer, including in Western Australia, where the Eyre Highway closed because of fires before being cut by floods two days later.

Extremes also occurred outside usual conditions, including record-breaking heatwaves in south-eastern states that were not driven by hot, northerly winds from the desert.

The think tank’s latest report says climate whiplash is accelerating as rising concentrations of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels heat the atmosphere.

Climate Council research fellow Linden Ashcroft said Australian summer weather had always been extreme but extra climate pollution in the atmosphere was supercharging erratic weather.

Changes in temperature differences between the tropics and the poles caused by global warming are understood to be driving climate whiplash. 

Dr Ashcroft said Australia was in the firing line of the redistribution of energy from cold air moving north from the Antarctic and warmer air from around the equator drifting towards the South Pole.

“We’ve got more energy in our earth system than at any other time in human history and that means these events are packing more punch,” the senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne told AAP.

Summer extremes are leaving a trail of destruction, including degraded ecosystems, lost property, dead livestock, higher insurance premiums and stressed council budgets.

The Mid Coast Council in NSW, for example, has applied for disaster recovery funding from state and federal governments 16 times since 2019.

Between 2019 and 2024, insurance companies paid out an average $4.5 billion a year – more than double the annual average in the previous 30 years.

Dr Ashcroft said the horrors of the 2025-26 summer occurred during a La Nina, a pattern in the Pacific Ocean typically associated with cooler, wetter weather.

Australia still had its fourth-hottest year on record despite these cooling conditions.

The threat of an El Nino summer, associated with warmer, drier weather across Australia, concerns Dr Ashcroft, given the extremes experienced under the heating baseline climate.

March and April are typically when the Pacific Ocean system “resets” and it becomes clearer whether El Nino or La Nina conditions can be expected from May.

US President Donald Trump’s proposed meeting with ‌Chinese President Xi Jinping is not at risk but could ‌be delayed as the US administration remains focused on ‌the Iran war, the White House says.

Trump is due to travel to China from March 31 to April 2 for a highly anticipated meeting between ‌the government leaders ‌of ⁠the world’s two biggest economies.

“I don’t think ​the meeting is in jeopardy but it’s quite possible the meeting could be delayed,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

In an interview on Sunday with the Financial Times, Trump said China’s reliance on oil from the Middle East means it ought to help with a new coalition he is trying to put together to get oil tanker traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s threats have throttled global flows of oil.

Trump said “we’d like to know” before the trip whether China will help.

“We may delay,” he said in the interview.

The Chinese ‌foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a ​Reuters request for comment.

Leavitt said should the trip be delayed, the White House would announce new ​dates ​soon.

“The president’s utmost ​responsibility right now as commander-in-chief is ‌to ensure the continued success of Operation Epic Fury, as he’s doing 24/7 here at the White House and here at home. So we’ll look forward ​to announcing those dates very soon,” she said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday any delay to Trump’s month-end trip to Beijing would not be because of disagreements over the Iran war or efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“If the meeting for some reason was rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics,” the secretary said on CNBC.

“The president wants to remain in DC to co-ordinate the war, and travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal”.

with AP

China’s factory output growth quickened in January-February while retail sales rebounded, in a steady start to the year ‌for an economy confronting multiple challenges including the fallout from the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Industrial output rose 6.3 per cent from the same period in the previous year, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Monday, ‌up from the 5.2 per cent growth clocked in December.

It beat a five per cent expansion forecast in a Reuters poll and marked the quickest growth since September last year.

The figures follow data showing China’s exports blew ‌past forecasts in the first two months, powered by surging AI-related technology demand that also lifted upstream manufacturing.

“While risks to the outlook have increased amid geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global trade and energy markets, the latest figures indicate that China entered the year with a firmer growth footing than previously thought,” said Hao Zhou, chief economist at Guotai Junan International.

Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, jumped 2.8 per cent, quickening from the 0.9 per cent pace in December for their biggest gain since October last year. Analysts had expected a 2.5 per cent growth.

The strong impetus was driven in part by the country’s longest Lunar New Year ‌holiday in February. The ‌festivities helped boost total tourism spending ⁠by almost 19 per cent from the same holiday period last year, which was one day shorter.

But domestic tourism spending per trip dipped ​0.2 per cent, suggesting consumers remain cautious.

Data from earlier last week, for instance, showed passenger vehicle sales at home tumbled 26 per cent year-on-year in January-February, hurt by the end of a tax break and scaled-back government subsidies for electric vehicles.

China combines January and February data releases to smooth out distortions from the festival holidays, which can fall in either month.

Monday’s data provided another encouraging sign for policymakers as an unexpected upturn in investment took some of the sting off the challenge of a protracted downturn in the critical property sector.

Fixed asset investment, which includes property and infrastructure investment, expanded 1.8 per cent in the first two months, versus expectations for a ⁠2.1 per cent drop. It fell 3.8 per cent in 2025, the first annual drop in about three decades.

Infrastructure investment, in ‌particular, grew 11.4 per cent, as policy ​support including a new financing tool from banks to fund key investment projects started to take effect.

The overall data, while showing some positive momentum, still suggest a wide gap between robust external ​demand and sluggish household ‌consumption that analysts warn could hamper China’s long-term growth prospects. Last week’s lending data pointed to a continued slump in household borrowing.

Also, worryingly for income generation, the survey-based nationwide jobless rate rose ​to 5.3 per cent in the first two months from December’s 5.1 per cent, the NBS data showed.

“It cannot be ruled out that domestic demand data in March will still face downward pressure,” said Zhaopeng Xing, senior China strategist at ANZ, though he added that the overall data do not support an interest rate cut in the near term.

At the annual parliament meeting that closed last week, policymakers set ​this year’s economic growth target at 4.5 per cent-5 per cent, down from last year’s “around five per cent”. 

The target was met ‌in 2025 largely on the back of a record trade surplus of just over $US1 trillion ($A1.4 trillion), deepening unease among China’s trading partners.

The Australian economy has the runs on the board when confronted with technology challenges, giving one minister confidence that will be the case with artificial intelligence adoption.

While there are real risks to jobs and labour force disruption from AI, some of which is already occurring, there was also upside, federal Assistant Treasurer Dan Mulino said on Monday.

Mr Mulino suggested, for example, Australians could see the creation of large numbers of jobs involving empathy and human connectedness. 

“I would simply say that when it comes to AI and the labour force, there are real risks, and we will see job losses in particular firms and particular sectors,” he told an Australian Financial Review summit in Sydney.

“But let’s not forget the potential for upside, as we’ve seen in the past.”

Previous waves of mechanisation or technology change in the economy had, in the end, driven more labour market participation.

“We might imagine that we can see a plausible, benign outcome on at least some fronts on AI, even if it’s transformative,” Mr Mulino said on Monday.

“But let’s not forget that our economy and our society has proved to be incredibly adept at creating new professions and new skills in the past.”

In recent weeks, hundreds of jobs at Australian tech companies, such as Atlassian and WiseTech and other companies like Commonwealth Bank, have been lost.

Asked if the government might consider some sort of universal basic income payment to provide security in industries where jobs are being threatened, Mr Mulino indicated it was unlikely.

Some unions raised the issue six years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, after millions of workers were forced onto welfare payments to survive.

The Australian Greens have previously advocated for a  universal basic income of about $88 a day.

“My sense is that rather than a UBI, which is going to take our existing … welfare system and then just add massive costs to it, I would rather figure out, are there gaps in our current welfare system where we need to expand it, or maybe provide a slightly better or better designed safety net,” he said.

“I feel that’s going to be better bang for our policy and taxpayer dollar than something universal, is my gut instinct.” 

Last week, Atlassian announced it was cutting 1600 jobs across its global workforce, including 500 in Australia, as AI changes the mix of skills it needs.

In February, WiseTech said it would slash 2000 and Commonwealth Bank flagged it would axe 300 jobs as AI reshaped their workforce needs.

The nation’s biggest oil and gas producer says the US-Israeli war on Iran has created an uncertain environment that will have a wide-ranging impact on global energy markets.

The US-led conflict in the Middle East, now in its third week, has driven a sharp rise in oil prices to more than $US100 a barrel, from about $US71 before, which has in turn raised on-ground petrol prices for motorists and businesses.

“It’s yet another reminder that we are operating in a volatile and uncertain environment,” Woodside Energy acting chief executive Liz Westcott told investors on Monday.

“Today, more than ever, shareholders and stakeholders rely on companies like Woodside to do their jobs responsibly.”

Woodside shares rose by almost 2.5 per cent in morning trading to $31.80.

Woodside posted a 24 per cent slump in bottom-line net profit for calendar 2025 to $US2.7 billion ($A3.8 billion) after the impact of soft commodity prices outweighed record production and reduced unit costs.

Looking ahead, Ms Westcott said global demand for energy was clearly increasing and Woodside was positioning itself to become an international LNG powerhouse.

“The volatile situation in the Middle East has shown that global energy markets can be swiftly and significantly impacted by geopolitical events,” she told the company’s annual sustainability briefing in Sydney.

“At the same time, recent policy and market developments suggest the pace and scale of the global energy transition is becoming less, not more, certain.”

The current conflict, which is also affecting LNG supply flows, has shown countries place high importance on energy affordability and reliability in the context of the energy transition.

At the same time, Woodside remains confident it can bounce off the decarbonisation goals of its customers to sell more LNG, although it acknowledges coal demand continues to grow in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ms Westcott reiterated on Monday that Woodside was optimistic about demand for crude in calendar 2026, despite the shift away from fossil fuels.

Market Forces head of Australian campaigns Brett Morgan said increasing LNG supply to Asia was likely to undermine the clean energy transition by slowing the uptake of renewable energy.

“Woodside is living in a gas-fired fantasy by pushing a false ‘coal-to-gas switching’ narrative in Asia, despite zero evidence of this happening,” he said.

“Gas is forecast to play a small and declining role in the global clean energy transition as the world seeks to achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, yet Woodside continues to greenwash its massive fossil fuel expansion plans.”

In 2025, Woodside met its internal target for a 15 per cent reduction in emissions.

A small town service station owner says his business is in the midst of the worst fuel shortages in more than 25 years.

Nathan Falvo was forced to ration the latest fuel delivery at his petrol station in Robinvale, in Victoria’s far northwest, after running completely dry over the weekend.

Mr Falvo said the shortage had spread to the town’s two other stations, which have also introduced a $50 sales limit.

“Basically the whole town, which is one of the fruit bowls of Australia, was out of fuel,” Mr Falvo told AAP on Monday morning.

“I’ve been here at this business for 25 years and I’ve never seen this happen before. All three stations were out.”

The conflict in the Middle East has caused huge disruption to fuel supply, sending unleaded petrol prices in Australia above $2.20 a litre, and diesel to more than $2.60 a litre.

It comes after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil corridors, after the country was attacked by US and Israeli forces.

The federal government on Friday announced up to 762 million litres of petrol and diesel from companies’ emergency reserves could be released to address shortfalls.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has repeatedly provided assurances Australia has enough fuel and said shortages were down to people stockpiling.

The shortage has had a major impact on the Robinvale community, which is largely made up of farmers and primary producers who rely on vehicles and machinery to operate.

Mr Falvo added that customers had been understanding, though it’s difficult in a region where many rely on petrol cars to commute.

“Some of these workers are doing over 100km round trips per day to get to and from work,” he said.

“We don’t have trains, trams or public transport here … I’ve heard a push towards electric vehicles because of this (shortage) and it’s not possible.”

Several other towns including Wedderburn and Bonnie Doon also ran out of fuel over the weekend, according to Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hocking.

“They are definitely under pressure, and it’s quite widespread throughout rural Victoria,” he told AAP.

Fuel deliveries to farms have also been affected, with some farmers facing a two-week wait.

“It’s a bit of a supply and demand issue, demand is definitely increasing in rural areas and on farms,” Mr Hocking said.

“Melbourne service stations are also seeing unprecedented demand there as well, that’s putting constraints around the availability of trucks that can deliver fuel up to rural areas.”

Regional communities in NSW have also reported fuel shortages, Premier Chris Minns told reporters on Monday.

The NSW government will convene a fuel security roundtable in the coming hours, which will include representatives from transport and logistics, fuel, agriculture, local government, mining, unions and consumer protection groups.

“It’s harder to restock those petrol stations (in regional areas) if they’ve got more than expected out of the bowsers on any given day,” he said.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has been contacted for comment.

Australians and Danes have queued up to catch a glimpse of Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary as they prepare to meet with members of the public in the country’s capital.

Avid monarchist Lyton Martin said he came to Canberra’s War Memorial on Monday morning to make sure the royals felt welcome in Australia.

“The Danish royal family can only make one state visit to each country during their reign, so it’s probably not going to happen again, so … I really wanted to make sure the King and Queen feel welcome and to welcome Mary home to Australia as well,” Mr Martin told AAP.

The Queen’s Australian connection – she is originally from Tasmania – made it extra special, he said.

“We have a touch of royalty in Australia and she hasn’t stepped a foot wrong in her whole time in public life, so she’s definitely very, very special,” he said. 

Henri Hansen is visiting Australia from Denmark, with his trip planned to partly coincide with the royal visit. 

“A big fan of the royals and a big fan of Frederik,” he said.

“Four weeks ago I turned 60 and my only wish for my birthday was there was money for travelling and I just got enough to get down here for two weeks.”

The King and Queen started Monday in the nation’s capital following a state dinner at Government House on Sunday, hosted by the governor-general.

The pair were welcomed with a 21-gun salute and guard of honour as they met with Sam Mostyn, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor.

Ms Mostyn said Australians were filled with joy at the return of the royals. 

She outlined shared interests in climate change and sustainability and said she hoped economic ties would grow as part of the visit.

“On behalf of all Australians, it’s an honour to host you,” Ms Mostyn said at the dinner. 

“You are no strangers to this country, of course.” 

King Frederik said Australia was the couple’s second home, after he met the Queen in a Sydney pub during the 2000 Olympics. 

The pair married in 2004 and were inaugurated in 2024.

“Once upon a time, Denmark perhaps did not resonate widely in Australia. Then something changed,” the King said to laughter around the table. 

“From that moment on, everyone Down Under knew of that Nordic country up over. 

“Whether we come here for a family visit or a state visit, we feel entirely at ease.”

The King and Queen’s appetite during the visit goes beyond sightseeing and fancy dinners, with the duo bringing a delegation of 50 Danish companies to strengthen business ties.

Two-way trade between Australia and Denmark raked in more than $3 billion in 2024, the overwhelming majority of which was imports from the Scandinavian country.

Australia had more than $9 billion of investment stocks in Denmark in the same year, while Denmark had $4.66 billion in Australia. 

The King and Queen toured Uluru and were taken on a walk to the Mutitjulu Waterhouse by traditional owners on Sunday after touching down the day before.

Queen Mary branded the experience in the red centre “a really great start to what will be an exciting visit here”.

Their Australian tour also includes Melbourne and the Queen’s home city, Hobart.