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Satellite photos released today show a huge Russian convoy that had been stalled outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv since last week appears to have dispersed.

Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies showed the 65km-long line of vehicles, tanks and artillery is gone and has been relocated.

Armoured units have been seen in towns near Antonov airport, north of the city and some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported.

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In Berestyanka – about 20km west of the airbase – fuel trucks and what Maxar says appears to be multiple rocket launchers are seen positioned in a field near trees.

Southeast of Ivankiv — the end of what was the giant convoy – trucks and equipment are still seen on the roadway.

The caravan was stationed outside the city last week, but its progress apparently stalled amid reports of food and fuel shortages.

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Thanks to satellite imagery from Maxar, the world has been transfixed by the ominous and enormous convoy that had been slowly snaking towards Kyiv.

In the convoy, which sometimes spans three-wide, are Russian tanks, armoured vehicles, towed artillery and possibly up to 15,000 soldiers.

But for days now the convoy's progress had mysteriously slowed to an imperceptible crawl, with US intelligence suggesting the behemoth has been plagued by logistical failures including food and fuel shortages.

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There are also some suggestions parts of the convoy could have come under attack from Ukrainian forces.

What is certain is that it was part of the preparation for Russian forces to encircle and occupy Ukraine's biggest city, home to around 2.8 million residents.

In Kyiv, scores of men have been registering their names with government officials so they can be given guns and weapons to fight the Russians.

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If there's one thing you can count on The Block host Scott Cam knowing, it's how to rebuild.

And when he saw the scenes of devastation emerging from the disastrous flood crisis in Queensland and New South Wales, his reaction was telling.

"I thought, how are they ever going to get back to normal, how are they going to rebuild?" he said.

"I thought, this is an impossible task."

But he knows well enough how community spirit and hard effort can change what's impossible.

And so Cam will join a host of his TV colleagues across three networks and an assembly of music stars tomorrow night for the Australia Unites: Red Cross Flood Appeal fundraising telethon, presented jointly by Nine, Seven Network, and Network 10 from 7.30pm AEDT.

"I was caught up in the bushfires a couple summers back, I know what it's like," Cam said.

"Anything you can do to get involved in that – this is a very important night."

He expects "millions and millions" of dollars to be raised, with Australians digging deep to help out.

And crucially, 100 per cent of the funds raised during the telethon will go to people affected by the floods.

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Cam will be joined by Sylvia Jeffreys, Andy Lee and Peter Overton – along with Seven Network's Natalie Barr, David Koch, Sonia Kruger and Mark Ferguson; and Network 10's Carrie Bickmore, Dr Chris Brown, Amanda Keller and Osher Günsberg.

Generations of artists will also come together to help raise crucial funds.

John Williamson, Tones and I, Baker Boy, Delta Goodrem, Missy Higgins, Hunters and Collectors, Jessica Mauboy, the Living End and far more have contributed their time and talents to the event.

Cam said he was unsurprised by the star quality of the line-up, saying it mirrored what was happening on the ground and in the affected communities, where neighbours were helping each other out and people were rushing to offer what they could.

"I think Aussies do that all the time," he said.

"Look at all the tradesmen who've gone up to Lismore and those areas, who've gone up to help."

And looking at the heroism and Herculean efforts from those on the front lines was a reminder of what was important, Cam said.

"This is a small part of it," he said, referring to the telethon.

"We'll hopefully raise some much-needed money. But it's those people on the ground who are doing the important thing."

With that said though, he reminded people that no contribution was too small if they could afford to give it.

"Every dollar counts," he said.

"Imagine if everybody in Australia gave just $2 – you'd have $50 million."

And for many people caught up in them, the "unprecedented" floods were just the latest disaster in a couple of tough years.

"Those small businesses up there, they've been through two years of COVID, and now this," Cam said.

"I guess what I'd like to say is, we're with you."

Donations to the telethon will help Red Cross teams provide humanitarian support to people and communities smashed by the floods.

This will include enabling volunteers and staff to help with evacuation and relief centres and outreach services, and supporting people and communities to recover and build resilience to disasters

Red Cross will also provide financial assistance to help people and families affected by the unprecedented floods.

If you want to donate ahead of the telethon, you can contribute to Red Cross' existing flood appeal at redcross.org.au/floodsappeal or by calling 1800 733 276.

Australia Unites: Red Cross Flood Appeal will air live this Saturday, March 12, at 7.30pm AEDT on Channel 9 and 9Now, Channel 7 and 7Plus and Channel 10 and 10 Play.

Victorian Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching has died suddenly aged 52.

Senator Kitching suffered a suspected heart attack in Melbourne yesterday, with shattered colleagues paying tribute to the "fierce" politician who served the Senate from 2016 after filling the seat vacated by Stephen Conroy's retirement.

Close friend and former federal Labor leader Bill Shorten revealed he and his wife Chloe had waited with Senator Kitching's husband Andrew Landeryou for the undertaker to arrive after her death.

"I got a dreadful call from her husband saying she was gone," Mr Shorten told Today.

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"So we raced over to this street in Strathmore where she pulled up in the car, where she experienced a heart attack and we waited with her husband until the undertaker's car came, which was terrible.

"She was a fierce and warm person.

"You know politicians think something, but what annoys people is politicians don't actually say what they really think sometimes – she wasn't cut from that cloth."

Mr Shorten praised Senator Kitching's fierce advocacy for anti-corruption laws and her human rights work.

"There's an old saying, you know, who would you want in a fox hole with you when the bullets were flying?" Mr Shorten said.

"And everyone always wanted her in the fox hole. She was tough."

At the time of her death, the former lawyer was the chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese was among those to pay tribute last night.

"The Labor family is in shock tonight at the tragic news that our friend and colleague Senator Kimberley Kitching has died suddenly in Melbourne," Mr Albanese wrote on Twitter.

"My sincere condolences to her family.

"Kimberley will be missed by us all."

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1501850965984817158

Mr Shorten had also shared a poignant tribute online to Senator Kitching.

"With a desolate heart I share the news that Kimberley Kitching has passed away," Mr Shorten wrote.

"Kimberley suffered a heart problem Thursday evening in Melbourne and passed soon after.

"Her passing is an immense loss to Labor and the nation.

"As well as her innumerable accolades she has been a wonderful friend to myself, my wife Chloe and our family.

"To know Kimberley was to be touched not just by her serene intellect but her incredible warmth and vivacity.

"As a Labor Senator she was relentlessly energetic and conscientious recently resulting in international recognition for her human rights work.

"Our hearts go out to her husband Andrew, her family and loved ones."

He included a passage from William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

https://twitter.com/billshortenmp/status/1501854113424117760

Liberal Senator Bridget McKenzie said Kitching was an "amazing Senator".

"You are seeing, from the tributes flowing in from all sides of politics, what a contribution she made," Senator McKenzie said.

"I always enjoyed when Labor and the Coalition were voting on the same side of the floor of the Senate, catching up with her.

"She was an intelligent, inspiring and fierce warrior for our country and will be sorely missed."

Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles said he had known Senator Kitching for more than 30 years.

"Words cannot express the sadness of this moment," he said.

"Kimberly knew what she stood for and she brought a clarity of thought to her role in the Senate that was rare, she was a fierce advocate for all that she believed in.

"The Labor Party, the Senate and the country have lost a unique power."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison also shared his condolences to Senator Kitching's loved ones.

"The death of Senator Kimberley Kitching, at just 52, is a deep and terrible shock," Mr Morrison said in a statement.

"Senator Kitching was a serious parliamentarian who had a deep interest in Australia's national security.

"She had a passion about Australia's national interest and argued for it.

"She demonstrated that her passion for her country was always greater than any partisan view.

"She clearly loved her country and it genuinely showed.

"I came to greatly respect the way Senator Kitching approached the issues.

"Senator Kitching was a practicing Catholic and we witnessed her authentic faith in the life of the Parliament.

"She followed her conscience and was fearless and I admired that.

"She was respected by those on both sides of the Parliament – she was a parliamentarian in the truest sense.

"Senator Kitching was deeply respected by the Coalition.

"To Senator Kitching's family I extend the sympathies of the Government."

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said he was "deeply, genuinely and so terribly upset to hear the tragic news about a dear person and dear friend".

Senator Kitching was born in Brisbane and moved to Melbourne in 1995.

Earlier yesterday, Senator Kitching had shared a message of support for those affected by flooding in Queensland and NSW.

"My thoughts are with those in New South Wales and Queensland who have lost their homes, businesses, loved ones," a post on Senator Kitching's Facebook account read.

"Having grown up in Queensland, I know the chaos floods can cause.

"The footage of community members, flood victims, SES volunteers and ADF personnel stepping up to contribute to the rescue and, in some places, the recovery from the floods, is poignant.

"It reminds me of the camaraderie that defines the Australian character."

Senator Kitching is survived by her husband Andrew.

The Islamic State group has confirmed for the first time that its leader was killed in a US strike in north-western Syria last month and named his successor.

It was the first official comment from the militant group about its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi since US officials said he blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his hideout in the northwestern Syrian town of Atmeh, near the border with Turkey, on February 3.

In an audio message released Thursday, IS spokesman Abu Omar al-Muhajer confirmed the death of the leader, as well as that of the group’s former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in the raid.

Al-Muhajer also said that IS has named a successor to the former leader, identifying him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and saying the late IS chief has chosen him as the next caliph.

There was no immediate information about the new leader and it wasn't known whether he is Iraqi like his two predecessors, both killed in rebel-held parts of Syria.

Last month's US strike was the second time in three years that the United States took out the top IS leader.

None of the al-Qurayshis are believed to be related. Al-Qurayshi is not their real name but comes from Quraish, the name of the tribe that Islam's Prophet Muhammad belonged to.

IS claims its leaders hail from this tribe and “al-Qurayshi" serves as part of an IS leader's nom de guerre.

“He has accepted the leadership,” al-Muhajer said of the new IS chief, without providing his real name.

In the US raid, about 50 US special operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen.

In all, 13 people were killed, including six children and four women. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced from Syria’s civil war.

At the height of its power, after declaring an Islamic caliphate in 2014, IS controlled a third of both Syria and Iraq and ruled over 8 million people.

Since their defeat in 2019, the militants have struggled to mount a resurgence, staging deadly attacks in both Syria and Iraq.

In January, IS launched a complex assault on a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3000 IS detainees and setting off 10 days of clashes with US-backed Syrian Kurdish-led fighters.

The battles killed more than 120 Syrian Kurdish fighters and prison workers, along with 374 militants.