Foreign Minister heads to Washington to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Australian travellers are being warned of significant disruptions as two cyclones bear down on the region, including one off the coast of Fiji.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Vaianu is currently at category 3 and is threatening to pass by the western part of the country, close to tourist centre Nadi.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has urged travellers to be on high alert, warning parts of Fiji could be smashed by strong winds, heavy rain and flash flooding.

BREAKING NEWS: Ben Roberts-Smith to be charged with five war-crime murders

The storm cell could disrupt transport and other essential services, the updated travel advice said.

"Know your accommodation's evacuation plan. If a cyclone is approaching your area, find your nearest shelter and follow the advice of local authorities," the advice on Smart Traveller said.

It urges travellers to contact their airline or travel provider if they are worried about plans being disrupted by the cyclone.

LIVE UPDATES: PM to fly to island nation in bid to shore up Australia's fuel supply

It is expected to pass east of Vanuatu, another popular tourist destination with Australians, but will not make landfall in either nation, Weatherzone

But it is threatening to hit New Zealand by the weekend with Auckland, the country's largest city, in the firing line. 

Fiji's cyclone season lasts from November until April, and the island nation has been struck hard in recent years.

In 2016, Cyclone Winston, a category 5 storm, killed 44 people as it battered the country.

Fiji was hit by three cyclones in 2021, with the most severe — Cyclone Ana — causing millions of dollars of damage and killing one person.

WORLD: Australian flight attendant dies in horror Fiji crash

Another tropical cyclone, Cyclone Maila is currently tracking off the Solomon Islands and could hit Papua New Guinea.

The category 3 storm could still hit Australia, experts have warned.

It is then expected to move towards the Far North Queensland coast by the weekend, potentially making landfall over the weekend or early next week, Weatherzone's Anthony Sharwood said.

"At this stage, it is not known how strong the cyclone is likely to be if and when it crosses the Australian coastline."

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play

• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here

• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Decorated former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has been charged with five counts of war crime – murder following a complex, five-year investigation into the deaths of unarmed Afghan men dating back nearly 20 years.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers arrested Roberts-Smith, 47, at Sydney Airport today over alleged war crimes committed during his Afghanistan deployment between 2006 and 2012.

The Victoria Cross recipient's arrest is the result of a landmark joint AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) investigation into the Australian Defence Force (ADF) that began in 2021.

READ MORE: Witnesses describe moment former decorated soldier was arrested at busy airport

His arrest could kick off the largest and most significant war crime prosecution in Australia's history.

The maximum penalty for the offence of war crime – murder is life imprisonment.

Roberts-Smith has always denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

Here is how it all unfolded.

2006 – Roberts-Smith is deployed to Afghanistan

Roberts-Smith was deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), the first of multiple military postings in the country.

He was later awarded the Medal for Gallantry for his actions in Afghanistan in 2006.

The decorated war veteran returned to Afghanistan four more times, in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

2009 – Afghan men killed in Kakarak

Roberts-Smith was deployed on an SAS mission in the Uruzgan province of Kakarak in April 2009.

While on this mission, the AFP will allege his actions resulted in two possible crimes:

• The war crime of murder, in that he allegedly intentionally caused the death of a person, on or about 12 April, 2009, at Kakarak, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

• The war crime of murder, in that he allegedly aided, abetted, counselled or procured another person to intentionally cause the death of a person, on or about 12 April, 2009, at Kakarak, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

2010 – Heroic actions during battle of Tizak

Roberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for his "most conspicuous gallantry" and "valour" during his fifth tour of Afghanistan in the battle of Tizak on June 11.

LIVE UPDATES: Trump takes shot at Australia as Iran openly mocks him

2011 - Victoria Cross awarded

In 2011, he received the Victoria Cross for his heroism the year prior in Tizak.

This is the highest military honour that can be awarded in Australia.

2012 – Mission in Uruzgan, Afghanistan

His leadership and courage as a patrol commander on more than 50 high-risk operations is later recognised with a Commendation for Distinguished Service.

In 2012, Roberts-Smith conducted operations in Uruzgan, Afghanistan. He has been charged with three separate offences arising from this mission, the details of which are expected to be:

• The war crime of murder, in that he allegedly aided, abetted, counselled or procured another person to intentionally cause the death of a person, on or about 11 September, 2012, at Darwan, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
• The war crime of murder, with another person, in that they allegedly intentionally caused the death of a person, on or about 20 October, 2012, in Syahchow, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
• The war crime of murder, in that he allegedly aided, abetted, counselled or procured another person to intentionally cause the death of a person, on or about 20 October, 2012, at Syahchow, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

2013 – Roberts-Smith retires

Roberts-Smith retires as full-time soldier and forms his consultancy business, RS Group Australia, in 2013.

He was named the 2013 Australian Father of the Year.

2018 – Newspaper investigation into war crimes

Nine newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times publish allegations of war crimes against an anonymous SAS soldier known as "Leonidas" in June 2018.

In August, Roberts-Smith is named in reports after his lawyers unsuccessfully sought an injunction.

Roberts-Smith then sued the publishers of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times for defamation in the Federal Court.

Nine is the publisher of this website.

2020 – Defamation trial delayed, Brereton reports finds 'credible evidence' of 23 incidents

The Brereton report found credible evidence of 23 incidents in which a total of 39 Afghan nationals were unlawfully killed by Australian special forces.

It identified 25 current or former ADF personnel accused of perpetrating war crimes, with 19 former soldiers to face a criminal investigation. In the public version of the report, the names of all soliders were redacted.

Meanwhile, the defamation trial was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 – Defamation trial begins

The defamation trial between Roberts-Smith and media outlets The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times begins in the Federal Court, Sydney, in June 2021.

It takes 110 days in court over 14 months, with 41 witnesses called.

2022 – Trial concludes

The trial ended on July 27, 2022, with Justice Anthony Besanko reserving his decision as a written judgment to be handed down at a later date.

2023 - Roberts-Smith's defamation claims thrown out

Justice Besanko dismissed Roberts-Smith's case against Nine, finding that most of the war crimes and bullying allegations against him were substantially true, with a defence of contextual truth accepted in a domestic violence allegation involving an unnamed woman.

The judge found, to the lesser civil standard of defamation law, that Roberts-Smith had killed four unarmed Afghan men and had broken the rules of military engagement.

Roberts-Smith then filed an appeal.

2025 – Judge rejects appeal

The disgraced war hero's final attempt to appeal his defamation loss was thrown out in September 2025.

The costs of the 110-day trial and the 10-day appeal were estimated to exceed $30 million.

2026 – Roberts-Smith is arrested at Sydney Airport

Roberts-Smith was arrested at Sydney Domestic Airport after he arrived on a flight from Brisbane.

He was charged with five counts of alleged war crime – murder.

The charges, if proved in a court of law, carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, you can contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Rates were initially forecast to rise by 12.7% but the council brought it down to 7.4%.

Multiple states are facing an early sample of winter this week as storms and a cold front sweep Australia's south-east.

Melbourne is facing a week of overcast skies and showers, with temperatures to fall from a top of 27 degrees on Thursday to a top of 17 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, and lows of 10 degrees or just below through the weekend.

Canberra will get as cold as just two degrees on Sunday and Monday, while lows of 9 degrees on the weekend are expected in Adelaide and 7 degrees in Hobart.

READ MORE: Trump says the Iranian people are pleading for him to 'please keep bombing'

Weatherzone said a trough would move across south-eastern Australia on Thursday, with severe thunderstorms expected in southern South Australia, Victoria and southern New South Wales.

"With strong winds aloft, these storms are likely to produce damaging wind gusts, with a chance of destructive winds in some areas," Weatherzone reported.

Gusts of more than 80km/h are expected over "elevated terrain", accelerating to 90km/h to 100km/h in alpine and mountainous regions.

READ MORE: Aussie role highlighted as Artemis II breaks historic record

"After the cold front crosses later on Thursday, a much colder airmass will sweep across the south-east on (Friday), with a secondary trough and low driving a noticeable shift to wintry conditions into the weekend," Weatherzone said.

Snow could fall at heights of just 600m above sea level in Tasmania, while some could also been seen in Victoria, though only above 1000m.

"Cold air thunderstorms with small hail are also possible, marking a notable early-season wintry outbreak for April across southeast Australia," Weatherzone said.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Family and friends are paying tribute to an Australian woman who died in a road accident in Fiji as she celebrated her 28th birthday.

Virgin Australia flight attendant Lucinta Evans was struck by a taxi that had hit another vehicle and veered off the road in Nadi on March 28.

In a heartbreaking post on Instagram, her sister Gabriana Evans said Lucinta was "truly full of life, with a light and energy that touched everyone who knew her".

LIVE UPDATES: Donald Trump says Iran wants him to 'keep bombing'

"Right now, we are all trying to process this loss and ask for some privacy as we grieve together".

Lucinta's cabin manager Lissy Hyde posted a floral tribute to her colleague at the site of the crash.

"I won't be able to look after you anymore on our flights or anything about work. I ask you to look after us from above," she said.

READ MORE: Police sergeant found dead in NSW home

"Fly with us my girl, beat us to every destination so we know you're there. You are loved, and we will continue to live life as bright and loud as you."

Her funeral will be held in Sydney on Monday, April 13.

A Gofundme has been set up to support Lucinta's family and partner "during this incredibly difficult time".

"Alongside their grief, they are facing unexpected financial strain after the funeral. This fund is to help ease that burden, giving them the space and time to mourn and heal without added stress," the Gofundme campaign said.

"A portion of the funds will also be used in Lucinta's memory — through road safety advocacy or a memorial plaque — with the hope of raising awareness and helping prevent future incidents at this location."

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play

• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here

• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

The four astronauts aboard the Orion space capsule of the Artemis II made history – again – early this morning.

As of about 4am AEST, they became humanity's most far-reaching explorers, having broken the record for how far people have travelled from Earth.

That record, of 400,171, was set by the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970.

IRAN WAR: Israel hits plant at world's largest gas field

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen marked the moment with a message to the world.

"Most importantly, choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived," he said from the capsule.

Hansen, on behalf of the crew, also asked for a new lunar crater they had observed to be named after mission commander Reid Wiseman's late wife Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.

READ MORE: Inside the mission to recover a downed American airman

The four astronauts embraced as they soared past humanity's furthest reach.

They are expected to surpass Apollo 13's record by more than 6600km as they complete their lunar flyby, which begins this morning.

Australia's crucial role

Former NASA astronaut Dr Terry Hart said it was "a wonderful time for mankind" as the astronauts prepare for the next, crucial stage of their mission that takes them to the dark side of the moon.

"They're going to see the Earth set over the lunar horizon and then about 40 minutes later they'll come out on the eastern side of the moon and they'll see the earth rise," he told Today.

"It's never business as usual. Being in space, it's just such a thrill."

Hart also highlighted the role Australia had played in the mission.

"I should thank you. A very important part of this is Canberra, our deep space network in Canberra, we couldn't do it without you," he said.

The Canberra Deep Space Communication Centre is part of NASA's Deep Space Network, which supports space exploration missions and allows the US agency to remain in contact with spacecraft as the Earth spins in orbit.

The Canberra antennae received the first pictures of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969.

'Enjoy the view'

The astronauts started the momentous day with the voice of Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who recorded a wake-up message just two months before his death last August.

"Welcome to my old neighbourhood," said Lovell, who also flew on Apollo 8, humanity's first lunar visit.

"It's a historic day and I know how busy you'll be, but don't forget to enjoy the view."

READ MORE: Artemis II toilet acts up again as astronauts speed toward the moon

They took up with them the Apollo 8 silk patch that accompanied Lovell to the moon, and showed it off as the crucial flyby approached. "It's just a real honour to have that on board with us," said Wiseman. "Let's go have a great day."

Artemis II is using the same manoevre that Apollo 13 did after its "Houston, we've had a problem" oxygen tank explosion wiped out any hope of a moon landing.

Known as a free-return lunar trajectory, this no-stopping-to-land route takes advantage of Earth and the moon's gravity, reducing the need for fuel. It's a celestial figure-eight that will put the astronauts on course for home, once they emerge from behind the moon Monday evening.

READ MORE: Sons pay tribute to mother-of-eight killed in horror head-on smash

The astronauts will be out of communication with Earth for about 45 minutes at the farthest edge of their trip.

Wiseman, Hansen, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch were on track to pass as close as 6550km to the moon, as their Orion capsule whips past it, hangs a U-turn and then heads back toward Earth. It will take them four days to get back, with a splashdown in the Pacific concluding their test flight on Friday.

Their expected speed at closest approach to the moon: 5052km/hr.

Wiseman and his crew spent years studying lunar geography to prepare for the big event, adding solar eclipses to their repertoire during the past few weeks. By launching last Wednesday, they ensured themselves of a total solar eclipse from their vantage point behind the moon, courtesy of the cosmos.

Topping their science target list: Orientale Basin, a sprawling impact basin with three concentric rings, the outermost of which stretches nearly 950km across.

Other sightseeing goals: the Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites from 1969 and 1971, respectively, as well as fringes of the south polar region, the preferred locale for future touchdowns. Farther afield, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn – not to mention Earth – will be visible.

Their moon mentor, NASA geologist Kelsey Young, expects thousands of pictures.

"People all over the world connect with the moon. This is something that every single person on this planet can understand and connect with," she said on the eve of the flyby, wearing eclipse earrings.

Artemis II is NASA's first astronaut moonshot since Apollo 17 in 1972. It sets the stage for next year's Artemis III, which will see another Orion crew practice docking with lunar landers in orbit around Earth. The culminating moon landing by two astronauts near the moon's south pole will follow on Artemis IV in 2028.

While Artemis II may be taking Apollo 13's path, it's most reminiscent of Apollo 8 and humanity's first lunar visitors who orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 and read from the Book of Genesis.

Glover said flying to the moon during Christianity's Holy Week brought home for him "the beauty of creation." Earth is an oasis amid "a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe" where humanity exists as one, he observed over the weekend.

"This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing and that we've got to get through this together," Glover said, clasping hands with his crewmates.

With Associated Press.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Savannah Guthrie has returned to the US Today show anchor desk for the first time in more than two months since her mother's disappearance, saying "it is good to be home".

Guthrie has acknowledged that she's a changed person and that it's hard to go forward not knowing what happened to Nancy Guthrie, who authorities believe was taken against her will from her Arizona home.

"Here we go, ready or not," Guthrie said as the NBC show opened on Monday morning (Monday night AEST).

"Let's do the news."

Despite an intense search involving thousands of federal and local officers and volunteers, there has been no sign of the 84-year-old mother-of-three since she was reported missing on February 1.

As part of a video message released by her New York church on Easter Sunday, Guthrie spoke about feeling "moments of deep disappointment with God, the feeling of utter abandonment".

But she said the resurrection is not fully celebrated "if we do not acknowledge the feelings of loss, pain, and yes, death".

In announcing her return to NBC's flagship morning show, Guthrie said she was uncertain whether she'll feel like she still belongs.

"It's hard to imagine doing it because it's such a place of joy and lightness," she said just more than one week ago on Today during her first interview since the disappearance.

"I can't come back and try to be something that I'm not. But I can't not come back because it's my family."

Guthrie, one of US morning television's most recognisable faces, has been a co-anchor on Today since 2012. She doesn't anticipate faking her way through the show, which is normally light-hearted with a mix of serious, breaking news.

There had been a great deal of speculation about whether she would return.

"I want to smile, and when I do it will be real," she told Hoda Kotb, who came back to Today to fill in while Guthrie focused on the search.

"Being there is joyful, and when it's not I'll say so."

Nancy Guthrie made occasional appearances on Today over the years, once taking part in a cooking demonstration and surprising her daughter on set.

When Savannah Guthrie returned to her hometown of Tucson in 2025 for a segment recorded for the show, the two visited one of their favourite restaurants and talked about their love of Arizona.

The Guthrie family has offered a $US1 million ($1,440,000) reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will after finding blood near the doorstep of her home in the foothills outside Tucson. The FBI later released surveillance videos showing a masked man on the porch that night.

Volunteers and search teams scoured the nearby desert terrain filled with cactuses, bushes and boulders in the first weeks after she vanished.

But attention has faded from an investigation that was declared to be a top priority for the FBI and local authorities. Investigators have not released new evidence in weeks and say the number of tips has slowed. The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department both said late last week that they had no updates.

Early on, some media outlets reported receiving ransom messages tied to the case. Guthrie said she and her siblings responded to two that they believed were real and offered to pay.

Guthrie said her celebrity status might be the reason her mother was taken but that possibility was "too much to bear".

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Three 14-year-olds have been arrested following a shocking alleged gang attack on a boy in a Geelong alleyway.

A passerby alerted police to a confrontation between teenagers near Little Malop Street and James Street about 5.30pm on Wednesday.

Shocking vision appears to show a group of five teenage boys repeatedly kicking, punching and slapping the boy while another boy keeps watch at the entrance to the laneway.

READ MORE: Body of man, 65, swept away in floods in outback South Australia found

At one stage, a glass bottle is broken over the victim's head.

A good Samaritan rushes to the victim's aid, at which point the fight breaks up.

Two boys, as well as the victim, were spoken to at the scene, but nobody was willing to provide a statement, police said.

Three 14-year-old males were arrested this afternoon in relation to the incident, police said.

They will be interviewed by investigators.

Officers are still working to identify the remaining youths involved, police said.

"We know who they are, we will get them and we will put them before a magistrate or through the appropriate justice process," Inspector Clare Murphy said before the arrests were made.

"As police we see a lot of violence in our community, but what is really disheartening with this is the age of the offenders involved and the viciousness and the language and the brutality of it is really disturbing.

"It's an incredibly cowardly act. It's disgusting."

LIVE UPDATES: 'A test': Trump drops massive NATO bombshell

Wednesday's incident is the latest in what locals say is a regular occurrence of crime that is driving customers away from the area.

"God knows what's going to happen next, you know, that's what I always wonder," cafe owner Asger Hussain Aga said.

Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj said the council was committed to doing what it could to crack down on anti-social behaviour on the city's streets.

"We've gotta take back control of the streets and the only way to do that is if there is consequences for behaviour," Kontelj said.

"At the moment it's too soft, it's too one-handed."

Victoria police said it was "strongly focused" on safety in Geelong's CBD, with a particular focus on Little Malop Street.

"We're well aware of the challenges within the mall area," Murphy said.

"It's a vibrant area for the Geelong community and council and stakeholders and retailers and business owners are working really hard to make that a really attractive environment for people to come in.

"It is really frustrating that we have a small cohort of individuals that really spoil it for everybody else."

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play

• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here

• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Israel says it has killed the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Defence Minister Israel Katz made the announcement on Monday.

"The Revolutionary Guard are shooting at civilians and we are eliminating the leaders of the terrorists," Katz said.

"Iran's leaders live with a sense of being targeted. We will continue to hunt them down one by one."

Katz added that Israel had "severely damaged" Iran's steel and petrochemical industries as well.

"We will continue to crush the Iranian national infrastructure and lead to the erosion and collapse of the terrorist regime, and its capabilities to promote terror and fire at the state of Israel," he said.

More to come.