This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happened.
Key events
Live updates
That's all for The Loop this morning
By Tom Williams
Thanks for joining me today. If you're catching up, here are some of the biggest stories which were covered (click the link to jump straight to the post):
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'Significant' IT outage hits some Melbourne hospitals
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Sydney Trains denies speculation it was hit by a cyber attack
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Russian mercenaries claim progress in Bakhmut
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Two dead after alleged $48m heist attempt at Chilean airport
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NBA star Ja Morant won't face charges over gun video
You can keep up-to-date with other news on the ABC's website, by subscribing to our mobile alerts, and by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here.
US regulators investigate Tesla Autopilot crash and steering wheel issues
By Tom Williams
Safety regulators in the US have announced investigations into steering wheels coming off some vehicles and a fatal crash involving a Tesla suspected of using an automated driving system when it ran into a parked firetruck in California.
The firetruck probe is part of a larger investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into multiple instances of Teslas using an Autopilot system crashing into parked emergency vehicles that are tending to other crashes.
At least 14 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles across the US while using the system.
The driver of the Tesla which hit the parked firetruck was killed in the crash and a passenger was critically injured. Four firefighters were treated for minor injuries.
Report claims Australia is expected to buy up to five nuclear submarines in AUKUS deal
By Tom Williams
A report by the Reuters news agency claims four US officials say Australia is expected to buy up to five US Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the 2030s as part of the AUKUS defence pact.
One of the officials reportedly said at least one US submarine will visit Australian ports in the coming years, before a new class of submarines is built with British designs and American technology.
Two officials, allegedly speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that after the annual port visits, the US would forward deploy some submarines in Western Australia by around 2027.
They reportedly said Australia would buy 3 Virginia class submarines in the 2030s, and have the option to buy two more.
As mentioned in this blog earlier this morning, US President Joe Biden is set to host the leaders of Australia and Britain in San Diego next week to chart a way forward for provision of the nuclear-powered submarines and other high-tech weaponry to Australia.
Finance minister welcomes signs of a possible interest rate pause
By Tom Williams
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has welcomed the possibility of the Reserve Bank slowing down further interest rate rises, after the bank's governor indicated yesterday that it was getting closer to a pause.
However, Gallagher says further savings will be needed to avoid further inflation and to ward off "booby traps" left by the former coalition government.
"I don't think it's unusual for people to be wanting to see a pause because of the impact that these interest rates are having," she told RN Breakfast this morning.
Interest rates have risen from historic lows of 0.1 per cent in May 2022 to reach 3.6 per cent this month.
Senator Gallagher also said there was a need for fiscal repair in May's federal budget and a responsibility to lessen the impact of inflation.
You can listen to the full interview here:
NBA star Ja Morant won't face charges over gun video
By Tom Williams
Police in the US say Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will not face charges in Colorado related to the livestreamed video is which he appeared to be displaying a gun in a strip club.
The Glendale Police Department said it looked into the video, which was a stream that Morant showed on his Instagram channel while he seemed to be holding a firearm, and found no proof that a crime was committed.
"The investigation also concluded that no one was threatened or menaced with the firearm and in fact no firearm was ever located," police said.
The NBA has said it was also looking into the incident, but has not announced any sanctions against Morant.
The Grizzlies said Morant would be away from the team for at least two games — those were on Sunday and Tuesday — and Morant later said he decided "to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."
Two dead after alleged $48m heist attempt at Chilean airport
By Tom Williams
Brace yourselves — this story reads like a plot line from Grand Theft Auto.
A security officer and an alleged robber have been killed during an airport shootout in Chile's capital, in what was believed to be an attempted heist of more than $US32 million ($48 million) in cash aboard a plane from Miami.
You can keep reading this incredible story here:
3D-printed rocket's first launch called off
By Tom Williams
A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts was set to blast off for its first launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral this morning — but its flight has been called off with less than half an hour left on its countdown due to some heat concerns.
About 85 per cent of the 33-metre rocket, named Terran, is made of 3D parts, including its engines.
The rocket, made by California company Relativity Space, was prepared for a test flight carrying only a cute memento — the first successful metal 3D print from the company's printers.
Relativity Space says it will "continue to take a measured approach" with its first launch and will share a new launch date soon.
Prince Harry lawsuit against newspaper publisher set for May trial
By Jessica Riga
Prince Harry's lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror newspaper over allegations of phone hacking will go to trial in May, a judge at London's High Court has ruled.
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is one of several public figures whose lawsuits against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) will be considered at the trial.
Judge Timothy Fancourtruled that Harry's case, which alleges unlawful information gathering on behalf of MGN journalists between 1996 and 2011, should be part of the trial.
David Sherborne, a lawyer representing the royal, said Harry would be "the only witness" relied upon in his case – raising the prospect of the prince entering the witness box to give evidence.
Harry's case against MGN, launched in 2019, is one of several he is currently bringing against British newspapers, including a similar lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the now-defunct News of the World and The Sun.
Harry is one of several high-profile figures, including singer Elton John and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, bringing lawsuits against Associated Newspapers alleging phone-tapping and other privacy breaches.
- In some more positive royal news, Harry and his wife Meghan have announced that their daughter has been christened in a private ceremony in California, publicly calling her a princess and revealing for the first time that they will use royal titles for their children.
'Significant' IT outage hits some Melbourne hospitals
By Tom Williams
Eastern Health, which operates various hospitals in Melbourne, is currently experiencing a "significant" IT system failure.
The health provider says the issue has been caused by "a critical core switch outage" that is currently being worked on.
It says there's no evidence of a cyber attack.
A Code Yellow internal emergency has been declared across their health service and hospital systems have reverted to downtime procedures.
Eastern Health operates Box Hill Hospital, Maroondah Hospital and Angliss Hospital in Ferntree Gully.
Sydney Trains denies speculation it was hit by a cyber attack
By Tom Williams
Sydney Trains chief executive Matthew Longland has denied speculation that the city's train system was the target of a cyber attack yesterday.
Trains came to a halt in Sydney yesterday afternoon when authorities said a critical communications system suddenly stopped working.
Longland tells ABC News Breakfast that early reports don't indicate the incident was related to any cyber attack.
"It was a failed component in one of our IT systems. That component has been replaced, and is operating reliably at the moment," he said.
"We're obviously monitoring it very closely. We will undertake a full investigation over the next couple of days, including going through all of the logs of the systems to understand what caused this failure, and the key is about understanding how we can ensure that it doesn't happen again."
Longland said any compensation for Sydney travellers will be the decision of Transport NSW.
Russian mercenaries claim progress in Bakhmut, as UN boss visits Ukraine
By Tom Williams
The owner of Russian military contractor Wagner Group says his troops have extended their gains in the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut, but it remains unclear how long the grinding fight might go on.
The battle for Bakhmut — which some Ukrainians have dubbed "fortress Bakhmut" — has lasted six months and reduced the city with a prewar population of more than 70,000 to a smoldering wasteland.
Wagner Group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose troops have spearheaded the fight in Bakhmut, said they have taken full control of all districts east of the Bakhmutka River that crosses the city. The city's center lies west of the river.
Neither Russian nor Ukrainian officials commented on his claim, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed not to retreat from Bakhmut.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has visited Ukraine's capital Kyiv for talks with Zelenskyy on extending an agreement that allows Ukraine to ship grain from its Black Sea ports and permits Russia to export food and fertilisers.
Investigation prompted by Breonna Taylor's death finds US police discrimination
By Tom Williams
The US Justice Department has found that Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community, after an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor in 2020.
The Justice Department report says the Louisville police use excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants.
It also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, like the street protests in the city after Taylor's death.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said some officers have assaulted people with disabilities and called Black people disparaging names.
"This conduct is unacceptable, it is heartbreaking," he said. "It erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing and it is an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line every day to serve Louisville with honour."
Taylor died after police carried out a no-knock warrant on her apartment and exchanged gunfire with her boyfriend.
NSW paramedics taking industrial action today over pay
By Tom Williams
Some paramedics in New South Wales are taking industrial action today in their fight for more pay.
Paramedics won't process patients' billing information and won't move from their home stations to fill gaps elsewhere.
The Australian Paramedics Association says the NSW government's failure to meet their pay demands has led to the industrial action.
"Paramedics have spent the last three years working through fires, floods and the pandemic, all to effectively receive three successive pay cuts" APA NSW President Chris Kastelan said.
The union has welcomed the government's commitment to hire more paramedics, but said without changing their working conditions, paramedics would continue to leave to work elsewhere.
Tambaroora bushfire burns for a fifth day, as RFS braces for high fire danger
By Tom Williams
Firefighters are preparing for another challenging day battling the out-of-control Tambaroora bushfire near Hill End, in the NSW Central West.
The blaze near Hill End was downgraded to a Watch and Act level early this morning, and has now burnt more than 14,000 hectares.
The Rural Fire Service (RFS) said conditions eased overnight with the temperature and wind decreasing, humidity rising, and fire activity slowing.
However, it warned that could change today as weather conditions were again forecast to meet a high fire danger in the central ranges.
The RFS is battling more than 20 fires across NSW this morning.
From overnight: PM to travel to US for major AUKUS meeting
By Tom Williams
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to travel to the US next week for talks with his AUKUS defence pact counterparts from the US and UK.
The PM has announced he will travel to the US to meet with President Joe Biden after his current trip to India.
A spokesperson for British PM Rishi Sunak has confirmed he will also be travelling to the US for talks.
You can read more on this story below:
Man charged with murder and attempted murder over Melbourne stabbing
By Tom Williams
A 32-year-old man has been charged with murder and attempted murder following a fatal stabbing at a home in Melbourne's north.
The man was arrested on Gilbert Road in Preston yesterday afternoon.
It follows an earlier incident at a property on Willoughby Street in Reservoir where a 29-year-old man was killed and a 65-year-old woman was seriously injured.
You can read more on this story here:
News Australia is searching for: Sydney trains
By Tom Williams
Transport NSW says regular train services are running this morning, following yesterday's glitch which caused major delays across the Sydney train network.
Trains came to a halt yesterday afternoon when Sydney Trains said a critical communications system suddenly stopped working, with train drivers slowly travelling back to the nearest station to let commutters off.
Services restarted more than an hour later when engineers switched over to a backup network.
The disruption left thousands of commutters bottlenecked at stations across Sydney, who then faced more delays on their train rides home.
Sydney Trains says it's investigating the cause of the outage to make sure it doesn't happen again.
One more thing: Afghan broadcaster airs rare all-female panel on International Women's Day
By Tom Williams
Afghan broadcaster Tolo News has aired an all-female panel in its studio with an audience of women to mark International Women's Day — a rare broadcast since the Taliban took control of the country and many female journalists left the profession.
With surgical masks covering their faces, the panel of three women and one female moderator discussed the topic of the position of women in Islam.
"A woman has rights from an Islamic point of view … it is her right to be able to work, to be educated," said journalist Asma Khogyani during the panel.
A survey by Reporters Without Borders last year found that more than 75 per cent of female journalists had lost their jobs since foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021.
The Taliban last year restricted most girls from high school, women from university and stopped most Afghan female NGO workers.
The United Nation's Mission to Afghanistan has called on the Taliban to reverse restrictions on the rights of girls and women, calling them "distressing".
