PM

Miner Rio Tinto says it does not accept a claim by the ATO that it owes almost half a billion dollars in unpaid taxes. The company has released an annual report outlining how much it paid in taxes and royalties last year. The report also justifies using Singapore as a trading hub, which the tax office says amounts to tax avoidance.

Finally this evening a tribute to the much loved satirist John Clarke who died in Victoria yesterday at the age of 68. Most ABC viewers well best remember him for his double act with friend Brian Dawe. This is one of their final pieces for 7:30.

The former chairman of the Australian Wheat Board has been fined $50,000 and banned from managing a corporation for five years, following the fallout from the oil-for-wheat scandal. Legal stoushes, investigations and a Royal Commission have dragged on for well over a decade, all stemming from the scandal, which saw hundreds of millions of dollars funnelled to the government of the then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

They're called MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses - and they're transforming university education around the world. One of the newest MOOCs is on Indigenous Australian culture. It's being offered by the University of Sydney and it's among the first of its kind in Australia.

US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to order an airstrike in Syria, saying it was in the nation's vital national security interests. The US has fired cruise missiles into Syria in retaliation for this week's deadly chemical weapons attack.

The Guardian UK reporter Kareem Shaheen is reportedly the only Western journalist to gain access to the site of the gas attack at Khan Sheikhoun. He travelled to Idlib province to see the damage and to assess Russian claims the attack was the result of a strike on a rebel-held chemical storage facility.

Peter Jennings is the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. PM asked him if he thinks the United States will call on Australia to contribute to any further action against the Syrian regime.

The Federal Government and Labor say they support the decision by the US to launch airstrikes in Syria against the Assad regime. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the action sends a strong message that chemical weapon attacks are never acceptable.

A 16-year-old boy is being investigated for possible terrorist links after he was allegedly involved in a violent rampage last night with another teenager in the New South Wales town of Queanbeyan. Police won't reveal exactly what evidence points to potential terrorist involvement, and say they're looking at other possible motives as well. But the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says it's another reminder of the need for strong terrorism laws.

The Rockhampton Mayor says it would be more economically responsible to built a multi-million dollar levee in the central Queensland city, than constantly deal with the aftermath of massive flooding. The city is still in the midst of a major flood event, with waters only expected to ease off during the weekend. Authorities say the clean-up effort will be significant. Queensland Premier has also committed to helping the city pay for a levee, but only if the Commonwealth chips in.