This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
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's a bit of what was covered (click the link to jump straight to the post):
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Four people have died after a car hit a pole in southern New South Wales
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US pledges another $3.9 billion in weapons aid for Ukraine
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Liberal MPs summoned for a major meeting on the Voice
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Hugh Jackman has detailed his latest skin cancer scare
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Prince George and Camilla's grandchildren to play major roles in King Charles III's coronation
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.
Finance minister says cost of living measures are on the table for May's budget
By Tom Williams
Federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says pressures on the upcoming May budget are getting more difficult.
After 10 consecutive rate rises, the Reserve Bank Board yesterday decided to hold interest rates at 3.6 per cent.
Senator Gallagher says while the decision was a slight reprieve for mortgage holders, many households will still be doing it tough.
She told RN Breakfast there are a range of measures on the table for the budget to help alleviate cost of living pressures.
"We can't do everything that is coming at us right now. That's the reality, because what's coming at us is so great that the budget couldn't sustain it," she said.
"The budget is in pretty average shape, and so some of these decisions we are taking are about what can we do right now to assist people.
"Some of it has to be staged, essentially. We can't do it all at once."
You can listen to the full interview, below:
Klaus Teuber, the creator of Catan, has died aged 70
By Tom Williams
Klaus Teuber, the creator of the hugely popular Catan board game in which players compete to build settlements on a fictional island, has died after a brief illness, according to a family statement. He was 70.
The board game, originally called The Settlers of Catan when introduced in 1995, has sold tens of millions of copies.
A statement from the Catan studio team on social media noted:
"While Klaus' contributions to the board gaming industry are immeasurable, we will remember him most as a kind and selfless human being, an inspirational leader, and most importantly, as a friend."
Prince George and Camilla's grandchildren to play major roles in King Charles III's coronation
By Tom Williams
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles III's grandson Prince George and the grandchildren of the Queen Consort Camilla will play major roles in the coronation of the British monarch next month.
- George, 9, the eldest son of heir to the throne Prince William, will be one of the king's four pages of honour who will accompany him at the grand ceremony on May 6, and join the procession through the nave of London's Westminster Abbey.
- Camilla's four pages will be made up of her grandchildren Freddy Parker Bowles, and Gus and Louis Lopes, as well as her great-nephew Arthur Elliot.
The announcement comes as the Palace also released a new official photograph of Charles and Camilla (above) and details of the invitation which will be sent out to the more than 2,000 coronation guests (see below).
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has told King Charles III in a phone call that his wife Jill Biden will attend the king's coronation.
Authorities are expected to recover Rhiley and Maree Kuhrt's bodies today
By Tom Williams
Authorities are today expected to recover the bodies of a young couple who were killed in a light plane crash in north Queensland.
Rhiley and Maree Kuhrt — both in their 20s — died when their plane went down near Proserpine north of Mackay on Sunday afternoon.
The crash site is in rugged terrain and is difficult to access.
Friends said Maree Kuhrt was 27 weeks pregnant with the couple's first child together, and they were flying to Mackay to attend a pregnancy appointment.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says it's still gathering evidence as investigations into what caused the crash continue.
A former US state governor's ex-chief of staff has been shot and killed during a manhunt
By Tom Williams
Roy McGrath, a one-time chief of staff for former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, has died after being shot.
FBI agents had confronted McGrath after a manhunt was launched when he failed to show up for trial on corruption charges, his lawyer said.
Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed McGrath's death to him. He added that it was not immediately clear if McGrath's wound was self-inflicted or came during an exchange of gunfire with agents.
William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath's wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was "absolutely distraught".
According to an earlier email from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during "an agent-involved shooting" in a commercial area on the southwestern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Buchwald said McGrath was taken to a hospital but did not elaborate.
McGrath, 53, was declared a wanted fugitive after his disappearance, and the FBI said he was considered an international flight risk.
McGrath was indicted in 2021 on accusations that he fraudulently secured a $US233,648 ($346,000) severance payment, by falsely telling the agency's board the governor had approved it.
He was also accused of fraud and embezzlement, and had pleaded not guilty.
Press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders denied scheduled visit with Julian Assange
By Tom Williams
In a dramatic day outside London's Belmarsh Prison, press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has been denied access to WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, who has been locked up there for almost four years.
The NGO said it had "been vetted in advance" and received confirmation that it could visit Assange, but was denied entry when its representatives arrived.
"Without even checking our documentation, we were told that we would not be allowed in," RSF Director of Operations and Campaigns Rebecca Vincent told a media conference.
"The first official that we spoke to said that they had received, quote unquote, 'intelligence' that we were journalists and therefore we would not be allowed to visit.
"We are legitimate as an NGO in visiting him and he has a right to visitors. As Reporters Without Borders, when we do this job, it is always as an NGO, not as journalists."
Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith, was allowed to meet with Assange — the first time Australia's top diplomat in the UK has visited him in Belmarsh Prison.
Jacinda Ardern gives final media interviews, ahead of valedictory speech
By Tom Williams
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has given her final media interviews ahead of a valedictory speech she's expected to deliver in parliament later today.
She said the lowlight of her prime ministership was the "extraordinarily difficult" COVID-19 parliamentary occupation last year, which ended in violent confrontation with police.
Ardern also looked back on New Zealand's worst modern-day mass shooting, the White Island volcanic eruption, and the economic fallout from the pandemic.
She said that toxic culmination of resentment towards her government's COVID-19 policies, including lockdowns and mandates, was "incredibly hard".
"It was extraordinarily difficult. And if I have a lowlight, it was that for a group of people to reach that point," she said.
"Everyone had worked so hard on unity through COVID and to see to see us reach that point ... it was awful.
"We were working hard to get the highest rates of vaccination possible to save people's lives. And we did. Was that a hard path? Absolutely."
Ardern also looked forward in the interviews, revealing two new jobs as she begins her post-political life.
The 42-year-old will continue her work countering online extremism as NZ's special envoy for the Christchurch Call, while also taking up a board seat on Prince William's conservation project, the Earthshot Prize.
ICYMI: Finland has officially joined the NATO military alliance
By Tom Williams
In case you missed it overnight — Finland has formally joined the NATO military alliance in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Russia would be forced to take "countermeasures" as a result of Finland's accession.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further.
Here's some of what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said about Finland joining the alliance overnight:
US pledges another $3.9 billion in weapons aid for Ukraine
By Tom Williams
The United States has announced another $US2.6 billion ($3.9 billion) worth of military assistance for Ukraine, including three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets and fuel trucks.
Ukraine is currently preparing for a spring offensive against invading Russian forces.
The country's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the US could protect its values by continuing to help Ukraine.
"Our cooperation will allow for the new enhancement of your security, for our economy and yours, for jobs in both our countries," he said.
"The main thing is not to lose time, not to lose the chance we have. Act now, help now. Ukrainians act so that Americans don't have to fight — and together we gain new strength for our countries."
The Russian embassy in Washington reacted to the announcement by accusing the US of wanting to drag out the conflict in Ukraine as long as possible, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Happening today: Terence Kelly will be sentenced over Cleo Smith's kidnapping
By Tom Williams
Terence Kelly, the man who kidnapped four-year-old Cleo Smith and kept her for almost three weeks, is due to be sentenced today in the West Australian District Court.
37-year-old Kelly has pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years.
He's expected to receive a discount of up to five years for an early plea which has spared Cleo and her family the trauma of having to relive their ordeal in court proceedings.
Cleo was taken from the family's tent at a campsite about 70 kilometres from the regional WA town of Carnarvon in October 2021.
She was found 18 days later when police stormed Kelly's locked home.
You can read more about the case and what's expected to happen today, below:
Four people have died after a car hit a pole in southern New South Wales
By Tom Williams
Four people — who police say are believed to be a 36-year-old woman and three boys aged 10, 11 and 12 who are related to each other — have died after a car crashed into a pole in southern New South Wales.
Authorities say emergency services were called to the scene around 11:15pm last night, after a car hit a pole and fell down an embankment into a water channel and onto its roof.
It took place at the intersection of Research Road and Toorak Road in Yanco, around seven kilometres south of the town of Leeton.
Police say all four people in the car died before emergency services could reach them, and a crime scene has been established.
Liberal MPs summoned for a major meeting on the Voice
By Tom Williams
The Liberal Party will meet in Canberra today to discuss an Indigenous Voice to parliament, ahead of a referendum later this year on whether the independent advisory body for First Nations people should be enshrined in the constitution.
The party has said it doesn't support the consitutional amendment as it currently stands.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has summoned party members for the meeting, where MPs are expected to land a formal position on the Voice.
Some elected Liberals are calling for a conscience vote, with NSW senator Andrew Bragg and Victoria's Jason Wood saying that is in line with party tradition.
Former minister Ken Wyatt, the first Indigenous person to be elected to the House of Representatives, has also called on the Liberal Party to allow a conscience vote, saying he expects many to back the 'yes' campaign if given the chance.
In an address to the National Press Club this week, shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser questioned the timing of the proposal and urged the Albanese government to delay the referendum.
Leeser also said it was possible the Liberals would not come to a "completely concluded" position.
News Australians are searching for: Donald Trump
By Tom Williams
Donald Trump has been formally charged with falsifying business records at a hearing in New York City this morning.
The former US president has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts.
You can stay up to date with all of the latest on our dedicated Trump blog, here:
One more thing: Hugh Jackman has detailed his latest skin cancer scare
By Tom Williams
Hugh Jackman has announced on social media that he is undergoing more skin cancer tests.
With a bandage on his nose, the actor used a video to urge people to get checked and follow sun safety advice.
The 54-year-old said he expected to get his test results within the next few days.
Jackman had his first skin cancer removed in 2013, and has since had at least six procedures.
