Health News at Your Fingertips

The Australian government has brushed off criticism from the UN secretary general labelling it a “holdout” after Scott Morrison refused to strengthen the nation’s 2030 emissions reduction target.

Communications minister Paul Fletcher hit back at António Guterres after he used an address to a sustainability summit to take an extraordinary public swipe at Australia’s climate efforts.

Fletcher told ABC News Breakfast the “chattering classes of the UN can say what they want” while Australia was “delivering outcomes” like a 20% emissions reduction since 2005. That was a “better performance” than the US, Canada and New Zealand, Fletcher said.

The Nationals senator Matt Canavan said the UN should “read the room” and accused it of being “asleep” as “Europe has got itself into an absolute vulnerable mess because they failed to develop their own fossil fuels”:

It is clear now that what we need to do is restore natural resource production to the free world … For the UN here – they are not only so hopeless on Ukraine … Now they’re actively undermining our peace and security, and we should totally ignore them.

We’ve been covering this this morning but if you want to quickly catch up, check out the article below:

Those hoping to pay their respects to cricket legend Shane Warne can buy a ticket to his state memorial service, reports AAP.

Ticket sales will open from 3pm on Tuesday for the Melbourne Cricket Ground event, which will take place at 7pm on 30 March.

It will be the wider public’s first chance to say goodbye to Warne after his sudden death from a suspected heart attack at the Thai resort island of Koh Samui on 4 March.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is expecting tens of thousands of Victorians to attend the state service:

We’re working very closely with the family to make sure that it is a celebration of his life.

Warne’s family and close friends held a private funeral on Sunday.

About 80 guests, including Warne’s three children and parents, attended the service at the St Kilda football club.

Tickets for the state memorial service will be free and will also be livestreamed on the Victorian government’s website.

The MCG’s Great Southern Stand will also be renamed in Warne’s honour.

The UN secretary general has called Australia a “holdout” after Scott Morrison refused to strengthen the nation’s 2030 emissions reduction target.

António Guterres has used an address to a sustainability summit to take an extraordinary public swipe at Australia’s climate efforts.

“A growing number of G20 developed economies have announced meaningful emissions reductions by 2030 – with a handful of holdouts, such as Australia,” he said.

He said the Paris climate pact’s ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5C was “on life support” but there was still something that could save it.

“Keeping 1.5 alive requires a 45% reduction in global emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by mid-century,” the UN chief said. “That problem was not solved in Glasgow.”

You can read the full report below:

Police believe the death of a man and woman found with gunshot wounds on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is not domestic violence-related, AAP reports.

Two bodies were found in the southern Sunshine Coast suburb of Caloundra West when police undertook a welfare check about 6.30pm last night.

The pair have not been formally identified but the 48-year-old woman is believed to have lived at the Teal Street Address.

The 52-year-old man was from Brown Plains, south of Brisbane, and the nature of their relationship is forming part of the investigation.

Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.