This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
Key events
Live updates
That's it for The Loop this morning
By Peta Fuller
If you're looking to catch up, here's some of what we covered this morning (click the link to jump straight to the post):
- A multi-state heatwave is pushing temperatures to top 35C in both Melbourne and Adelaide today, while large parts of WA will be hard-hit until the weekend
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Actor Raquel Welch has died, aged 82. The star rose to fame in the 1960s with One Million Years B.C. and Fantastic Voyage
- And her tributes have in come from all corners of Hollywood — from Reese Witherspoon to Miss Piggy
- Meanwhile, Nikki Haley has made a thinly-veiled swipe at her former boss, Donald Trump, as she hit the Republican nominee campaign trail
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And World Bank president David Malpass will step down in June. He was appointed by Donald Trump and faced criticism over climate comments
And you can keep up-to-date with other news on the ABC's website, by subscribing to our mobile alerts, and by watching News Channelor listening to local radio here.
McDonald's debuts plant-based McNuggets
By Brianna Morris-Grant
McDonald’s McNuggets are going fowl-free.
Germany will be the first to get "McPlant Nuggets", made from peas, corn and wheat with a tempura batter.
The fast food giant says availability in other markets will depend on customer demand.
Last month they rolled out the Double McPlant burger in the UK and Ireland.
US officials say Chinese balloon blown off course
By Brianna Morris-Grant
US officials say a Chinese balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina was blown off course by prevailing winds.
The balloon, which China says was a research vessel, was shot down after it drifted across Alaska's Aleutian Islands, then Canada and the central United States.
Officials now say its original trajectory would have taken it over Guam and Hawaii.
The US military says it has recovered critical electronics and large sections of the balloon.
Satellite photos released of Ohio train disaster
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Satellite photos have shown the damage wrought after a train carrying toxic materials derailed and caught fire in Ohio.
The train derailed on February 3, forcing thousands of residents in the town of East Palestine to evacuate.
Some residents have since complained of headaches amid ongoing concerns of health impacts and pollution.
A total 38 cars left the tracks and the fire damaged an additional 12.
'Elegant, professional and glamorous': Raquel Welch tributes come in
By Peta Fuller
Who else would be remembered by both Reese Witherspoon and Miss Piggy?
Hollywood icon Raquel Welch died early this morning at 82 after a brief illness, according to her agent, Stephen LaManna.
Writer-director Paul Feig, who worked with Welch on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, called her:
"Kind, funny and a true superstar whom I was pretty much in love with for most of my childhood. We’ve lost a true icon."
US politician Matt Gaetz says sex trafficking case against him is over
By Peta Fuller
Matt Gaetz said the Justice Department has ended a sex trafficking case with no charges against him.
The Republican is known for his strong support of former president Donald Trump and membership in the arch-conservative Freedom Caucus.
Mr Gaetz, who is a representative for much of the Florida Panhandle, insisted throughout he was innocent of any wrongdoing.
He had been one of the subjects of a federal probe beginning in 2020, with several close associates — including a former friend and ex-girlfriend — testifying after coming to plea deals with the government.
UN identifies 'uncontested' leader of Al-Qaeda
By Peta Fuller
A new UN report says Saif al-Adel is a former Egyptian special forces officer with a more than $10 million bounty on his head.
The report adds that "many member states now take the view" that Saif al-Adel operating as the "de facto leader."
Al-Qaeda hasn't formally named a successor for Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was believed to have been killed in a US missile strike in Afghanistan last year.
Haley takes swipe Trump as she hits campaign trail
By Peta Fuller
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley has called on Republicans to move on from "stale ideas" and "faded names," a thinly veiled swipe at her former boss Donald Trump.
Mr Trump has so far responded only sparingly to the moves by Haley, who served in his administration and previously said she would not run in 2024 if Trump did.
His campaign put out a statement on Wednesday containing no words from Trump himself, but linking to press coverage that it said showed Haley as "weak on immigration" and having previously supported changes to the Social Security and Medicare programs.
Rescuers spot utility vehicle used by Queensland miners
By Peta Fuller
The ABC's Julia Andre is in Cloncurry and had this update:
"The parent company of the contractors that those two miners are working for have told the ABC that it is actually a lot more accessible where the two miners are than it was first thought.
"They have actually sighted that light utility vehicle that they fell through into that hole with."
The ABC understands the men had been operating a utility vehicle that fell into a large hole up to 25 metres deep, while working125 metres below the surface.
Rare Titanic footage to be released today
By Peta Fuller
More than a century after the ship hit an iceberg and sank, the images (from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) will be released to the public.
It was shot about three kilometres below the ocean's surface, after explorers found the wreckage in 1985.
Some brief clips of the original dives have been aired, but today will see the release of a longer 80-minute video of uncut footage on YouTube.
Heatwave warning for multiple states as Adelaide, Melbourne top 35C
By Peta Fuller
It's going to be an uncomfortable few days for a lot of Australians, with a heatwave forecast to run until early next week.
All of Victoria, Tasmania, and large parts of NSW, South Australia and Western Australia will be caught up as temperatures soar — in Melbourne, the *overnight* low will be 24C.
Places like Port Pirie in SA will hit 42C today, with 35C in Melbourne and 38C in Adelaide.
BREAKING: World Bank president David Malpass to step down
By Peta Fuller
He'll step down at the end of June after more than four years at the multilateral development bank — but it's not immediately clear why he's departing before the end of his five-year term.
Mr Malpass was appointed by former president Donald Trump.
He has previously been criticised by White House officials after declining to say that he supports the scientific consensus on climate change — he later apologised and reiterated his view that human activity contributes to climate change.
BREAKING: Raquel Welch has died at 82
By Peta Fuller
Actor Raquel Welch has died at age 82, the French news agency AFP has reported, citing her manager.
Welch came to the wide attention of moviegoers for her role in the 1966 sci-fi adventure Fantastic Voyage, followed by her iconic appearance later that year in the prehistoric drama One Million Years B.C.
Although Welch had just a few lines of dialogue in "B.C.," images of her memorable appearance in a fur-skinned bikini made her a bestselling pinup that transformed her into a global sex symbol.
She won a Golden Globe award in the 1970s for the Three Musketeers.
NZ quake aftermath still shaking north island
By Peta Fuller
Aftershocks are being felt across New Zealand's north island, after a magnitude-5.7 earthquake hit near the capital Wellington.
The country is already dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Seismic duty officer at GNS Science Jen Andrews says an earthquake of that size is not unusal in New Zealand:
"With any earthquake of this size we are expecting aftershocks we have accorded a handful... We would always encourage everyone to be prepared just in case we see more activity."
This was the latest this morning:
Angry scenes in US court as man lunges at Buffalo supermarket mass killer
By Peta Fuller
A white supremacist who killed 10 black people at a Buffalo supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without parole, after relatives of his victims confronted him with pain and rage caused by his racist attack.
Anger briefly turned physical at Payton Gendron’ssentencing when a man in the audience rushed at him.
The man was quickly restrained; prosecutors later said he wouldn’t be charged:
Bus driver charged over fatal crash killed teen outside Sydney school
By Peta Fuller
A 54-year-old woman has been charged with dangerous driving causing death, driving in a manner dangerous, and negligent driving and will face court today.
The incident happened outside Macarthur Anglican school in Cobbitty yesterday afternoon, in Sydney's south west.
A 14-year-old boy was critically injured when he was hit by the bus, and died in Liverpool hospital.
News Australia is searching for
By Peta Fuller
- Dugald River: That's the missing miners' location in outback Queensland. Our latest update this morning comes from ABC reporter Michael Rennie, who's at the site and said: "It's understood they're using drone technology to survey the environment of that area. And once it's safe to do so, the plan was to send rescuers in as soon as possible."
One more thing: Disney releases new Little Mermaid trailer
By Peta Fuller
The live-action musical remake has just dropped its second trailer — which includes a first look at a scary Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) and the romantic interest, Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King)
And we get a glimpse at Halle Bailey's singing *the* classic from the film, Under the Sea — and while there'll be a few originals (in part courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda), the iconic songs are making the cut.
It's coming to Australia in May this year.
