
Australia news live: Wong heads to US as pressure grows on defence spend; east coast braces for wet and windy weather
Update:
Date: 2025-06-29T21:05:49.000Z
Title: Good morning
Content: The foreign minister, Penny Wong, is set to meet with her US counterpart for crucial talks as America ramps up pressure on Australia to increase defence spending.
She will fly out to Washington on Monday ahead of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with ministers from India and Japan.
Australia's eastern states are in for another lashing of rain as a powerful low pressure system develops off the coast with flood-weary regions a possible target.
And the search continues for a hiker missing on the New South Wales south coast.
We'll be bringing you the latest on all these stories and the latest news today, stay tuned.
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Reuters
an hour ago
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US revokes visas for Bob Vylan after music duo's Glastonbury chants
WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - The United States has revoked visas for members of Britain's Bob Vylan punk-rap duo after they led chants during their set at the Glastonbury music festival in England over the weekend that the State Department and the BBC, who broadcast the event, said were antisemitic. "The @StateDept has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X on Monday. On Monday, the British broadcaster said it regretted not stopping its livestream of Saturday's event, which included on-stage chants of "death, death to the IDF," a reference to the Israel Defense Forces fighting a war in Gaza, and "From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free." That phrase is often taken in Israel as a call for Israel's destruction and denial of its right to exist, although many Palestinians dispute that characterization. Bob Vylan, known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackles a range of issues including racism, homophobia and the class divide in their songs and has previously voiced support for Palestinians. Its lead vocalist, who goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, appeared to refer to the weekend performance in a post on Instagram, writing: "I said what I said." "Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place," he added. The State Department did not immediately give more details as to the names of those who had visas revoked and what kind of visas they were. Bob Vylan is scheduled to play some concerts in the U.S. in November.