Good morning. Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as US secretary of state, has died, aged 84. “We are heartbroken to announce that Dr Madeleine Albright, the 64th US secretary of state and the first woman to hold that position, passed away earlier today,” a statement posted on her Twitter account read. In Australia, prime minister Scott Morrison is set to visit Victoria, and defence minister Peter Dutton is due to make an announcement regarding funding for defence bases nationwide.
The US has concluded that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine based on its assessment of evidence that civilians have been deliberately targeted. “Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centres, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded,” the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said in a statement. Meanwhile, Nato countries are expected to agree to provide special kit to protect Ukraine against any chemical, biological or nuclear attacks launched by Russia.
