This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happened.
Key events
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That's it for The Loop!
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Thanks for joining us today!
If you're just getting caught up, here's some of what we've covered (tap the link to go straight to the post):
- A man has been shot dead outside a Sydney martial arts gym
- The US will crack down on nurses buying fraudulent diplomas after hundreds were caught in Florida
- Elon Musk is speaking at Tesla's 'Investor Day' on robots and sustainable energy
- Actor Michael B Jordan unveils his Hollywood Walk of Fame star
- Both sides are wrapping up their arguments in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial
- Authorities arrest the station master and the Greek Transport Minister resigns over the deadly train crash
- US drug company Eli Lilly will drop its insulin prices from $406.67 per vial to $98.30
- The 'Havana syndrome' reported by American diplomats and intelligence officers is not a foreign attack or aliens
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are being asked to leave their UK home
- TikTok will set default time limits for minors
- My Health will release a mobile phone app to see medical records easier
The Iditarod set to begin with smallest numbers in history
By Brianna Morris-Grant
World-renowned sled dog race the Iditarod is set to begin this weekend with the smallest lineup in its history.
Only 33 mushers will compete in the ceremonial start in Alaska on Saturday local time.
The Iditarod is the most prestigious sled dog race in the world, taking competitors over two mountain ranges, the frozen Yukon River and treacherous Bering Sea ice in frigid temperatures before ending in the old Gold Rush town of Nome.
The small pool of mushers is raising concerns about the future of an iconic race that has taken hits from the pandemic, climate change, inflation and the loss of deep-pocketed sponsors.
Man shot dead outside Sydney gym
By Brianna Morris-Grant
A man has been killed in what police believe is a targeted shooting outside a mixed martial arts gym in Sydney's south west.
Police were called to the Elite Fight Force Gym on Carlingford Street in Sefton just after 6.30 am after reports several shots had been fired.
They found a 40-year-old man with gunshot wound. The man was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
A major crime scene has been set up and homicide detectives are investigating the shooting.
Musk: World 'can and will' move to sustainable energy economy
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Tesla boss Elon Musk has started his company's Investor Day by describing his plan to eliminate fossil fuels from the economy.
Despite presenting two new car models, he focused the start of the presentation on earth without fossil fuels.
"Earth can and will move to a sustainable energy economy and will do so in your lifetime," he said, laying out ways to make the transition including renewable power, electric vehicles, switching to heat pumps and sustainable fuel for planes.
Executives then moved to vehicles, saying the Cybertruck pickup was coming this year and that Tesla aimed to cut next-generation vehicle assembly costs by 50 per cent.
US to crack down on nurses buying bogus diplomas
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Officials in multiple US states are scrambling to stop nurses with fraudulent credentials caring for patients, after three Florida schools were accused of selling thousands of bogus diplomas.
New York regulators told 903 nurses in recent weeks to either surrender their licenses or prove they were properly educated.
Delaware and Washington state officials have yanked dozens of nursing licenses. Texas filed administrative charges against 23 nurses. More actions in additional states are expected.
“The public needs to know that when they’re the most fragile, when they’re sick, when they’re in a hospital bed, that the individual who is at their bedside has gone through the required training,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association union.
Florida attorney Markenzy Lapointe announced in late January that 25 defendants, including school owners and alleged recruiters, have been charged in what they called Operation Nightingale.
Full Interview: Communications Minister Michelle Rowland talks Australia Post review
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says the government wants to ensure Australia Post remains financially sustainable, as it faces a sweeping review.
Check out her full interview with ABC News Breakfast below.
Michael B Jordan unveils Hollywood Walk of Fame star
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Creed star Michael B Jordan has been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He was joined by actor Jonathan Majors and filmmaker Ryan Coogler.
Closing statements heard in Murdaugh murder trial
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Prosecutors say disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh's theft of millions of dollars was about to be revealed — so he killed his wife and son to buy time to figure a way out.
The prosecution wrapped up its closing argument, with the defence to sum up its case later today.
Mr Murdaugh, 54, faces 30 years to life in prison if he is convicted of either murder count.
Once closing arguments are finished, the jurors will get their instructions and begin deliberating what they learned during a trial that has included more than 75 witnesses and lasted more than six weeks.
Greek Transport Minister resigns, station master arrested over crash
By Brianna Morris-Grant
The stationmaster at last stop of the Greek train crash has been arrested and the country's transportation minister has resigned.
Authories haven't released the man’s name or the reason for the arrest, but the stationmaster is responsible for rail traffic on that stretch of the tracks.
Transportation Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned, saying he was stepping down “as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly.”
Karamanlis said he had made “every effort” to improve a railway system that had been “in a state that doesn't befit the 21st century.”
But, he added, “When something this tragic happens it's impossible to continue as if nothing has happened.”
Infant remains found during UK search
By Brianna Morris-Grant
The remains of a baby have been found during the search for a missing child, UK police say.
The parents of the missing baby, Constance Marten, 35, and her boyfriend Mark Gordon, 48, were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence and manslaughter on Monday in Brighton, in southern England, after a tip-off from a member of the public.
The couple had been on the run since the baby was born in early January and the baby was not with them when they were arrested, triggering an urgent police search operation.
- You can read more about this story here:
On This Day: Charlie Chaplin's coffin stolen, CD players for sale
By Brianna Morris-Grant
It's March 2!
Here's some interesting things that have happened on this day throughout history
- 1797: Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
- 1807: The US Congress disallows the importation of new slaves into the country.
- 1882: Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in Windsor.
- 1949: Captain James Gallagher completes the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute, landing in Fort Worth, Texas.
- 1962: Jon Bon Jovi is born.
- 1978: Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from his grave in Switzerland.
- 1983: CDs and CD players are released for sale for the first time outside of Japan.
Elon Musk to unveil Tesla's 'master plan'
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Tesla boss Elon Musk is set to lay out a plan for a smaller, more affordable electric vehicle.
His previous two master plans laid out expansion of new models and battery storage.
We'll have more on that later this morning.
US drug company to drop insulin price from $400 per vial — to $98
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Drug company Eli Lilly will cut prices for some older insulins later this year and immediately give more patients access to a cap on the costs they pay to fill prescriptions.
A Lilly spokeswoman said the current list price for a 10-milliliter vial of the fast-acting, mealtime insulin Humalog is $US274.70 ($406.67).
That will fall to $US66.40 ($98.30).
Lilly CEO David Ricks said Wednesday that his company was making these changes to address issues that affect the price patients ultimately pay for its insulins.
Mysterious 'Havana syndrome' not foreign attack or aliens
By Brianna Morris-Grant
An extensive US intelligence investigation concludes it's "very unlikely" a foreign adversary is responsible for the "Havana syndrome" ailments afflicting American diplomats and intelligence officers worldwide, according to declassified findings.
About 1,500 cases of the mysterious syndrome have been reported across US agencies, first reported by Uofficials in the Cuban capital Havana in 2016.
Symptoms have included migraines, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness.
The US Intelligence Community assessment found no credible evidence that any American adversary had a weapon or device capable of causing symptoms consistent with the syndrome.
An intelligence official said during a briefing they had ruled out extraterrestrials and did not find a common medical explanation.
Harry, Meghan asked to leave UK home in further royal rift
By Jessica Riga
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have been asked to vacate their home in Britain, suggesting a further fraying of ties with the royal family amid preparations for the coronation of his father, King Charles III.
Frogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle west of London, had been intended as the couple's main residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to Southern California.
The Sun newspaper reported that Charles started the eviction process on January 11, the day after the publication of Harry's explosive memoir Spare.
"We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage," a spokesperson for the couple said in statement.
Disclosures Harry made in Spare deepened the rift between him and his family. The book included his account of private conversations with his father, and his brother, Prince William.
After they left Britain, Harry and Meghan had said Frogmore Cottage would remain their base when they visited the UK.
Reporting with AP
'No decisions' made on Australia Post letter deliveries
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says "no decisions have been made" on Australia Post's letter deliveries.
It follows a federal government review of the postal service's business model launched this week.
Ms Rowland told ABC News Breakfast Australia Post "will not be privatised" and rural and regional Australia's needs will be "prioritised".
"But let's be clear, the letter volumes we've seen are in decline," she said.
"These are the facts. Some 97 per cent of letters that go out these days are actually sent by businesses and government.
"And even in those cases they are becoming increasingly digitised and we know that for many businesses, that is certainly their aim.
"So when you have Australians receiving on average about two letters a week now, you need to really have a look at where demand is."
- You can read our full report on the review into Australia Post here:
TikTok to set default time limits for minors
By Brianna Morris-Grant
TikTok says every account held by a user under the age of 18 will have a default 60-minute daily screen time limit in the coming weeks.
Minors will be prompted to enter a passcode and make an “active decision” to keep watching.
For accounts where the user is under the age of 13, a parent or guardian will have to set or enter an existing passcode to allow 30 minutes of extra viewing time once the initial 60-minute limit is reached.
The update mirrors gaming rules imposed on minors in China, where TikTok's parent company ByteDance was formerly based.
New My Health app to be releasesd
By Stephanie Borys
A new mobile phone app is being released today to allow Australians easier access to their medical records.
Under the current system, people can check their vaccine history, pathology results and hospital discharge summaries through the My Health website.
But as of today that information will now be available to people via a new “My Health” app launched by the Australian Digital Health Agency.
Dr Steve Hambelton from the Agency says the app is about ensuring people have easier access to their information.
“We found that consumer views of my health record increased by nearly 300 per cent in last financial year and most of those were on mobile devices so it absolutely makes sense for the digital health agency to release an app,” he said.
Dr Hambelton said the Agency had ensured security protections were in place to protect people's information in the app.
“It's all encrypted, whether it is at rest, in transit or when it arrives on your phone,” he said.
“It's actually got all the security requirements that meet those of the Australian Signals Directorate, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, it’s really locked up as tightly as we can.”
Let's get you set up for the day
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Ukraine may pull troops out of the key stronghold of Bakhmut, following a monthslong offensive by Russia to take the city.
An economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN the military isn't going to "sacrifice all of our people just for nothing".
Finland's parliament has approved legislation allowing it to join defence alliance NATO.
Both Finland and Sweden are now waiting on approval from Hungary and Türkiye, needing permission from all 30 existing members to get in.
And rescuers are still searching for survivors amid the wreckage of two trains in northern Greece.
At least 43 people have been killed in what is now the country's worst ever rail crash.
News Australia is searching for
By Brianna Morris-Grant
- Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has reached the quarter-finals at the Dubai Championships, beating Tallon Griekspoor and extending his winning streak to 19 matches.
The five-time Dubai champ will next face either Hubert Hurkacz or qualifier Pavel Kotov.
