The World Today

The Australian ambassador to the United States, Joe Hockey, has had a reportedly 'productive' meeting with senior White House officials, as Malcolm Turnbull continues to deal with the fallout of his conversation on Sunday with US President Donald Trump. Mr Turnbull has again described the conversation as frank and forthright, but he secured a promise that the US would resettle refugees from Manus Island and Nauru. The Opposition says tweets by President Trump indicate otherwise and that Mr Turnbull should explain why he's confident that the deal will proceed.

The executive director of policy think-tank the Lowy Institute, Michael Fullilove, says that US President Donald Trump's 'unacceptably discourteous' weekend phone call with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull highlights the need for Australia to work harder and more broadly to maintain alliances, both with US congressional and Cabinet members and with like-minded partners in Europe and Asia. Speaking with The World Today's Kim Landers, he says that while the US-Australia alliance will remain strong, Donald Trump does not believe in the global liberal order, is sceptical of alliances and is attracted to authoritarian leaders.

The High Court of Australia has ruled that the election of former One Nation senator Rod Culleton was not valid, ending his hopes of returning to the Senate. Mr Culleton had already been stripped of his Senate seat after bankruptcy proceedings. The court found that Mr Culleton was subject to a conviction that carried a sentence of a year or more at the time of the poll, ruling him out of eligibility for the Senate seat, and that the conviction's later annulment was irrelevant to his ineligibility.

A report released today into small business loans has found that banks aren't being fair when they enter into contracts with small and medium-sized businesses. The report's author, small business ombudsman Kate Carnell, says she's fed up with banks promising but not delivering change. The Government says it wants the banks to implement the report's recommendations, such as making contracts easier to understand. But the Minister for Revenue and Financial Services Kelly O'Dwyer denies that the findings of bad banking practices will reinforce calls for a royal commission into the sector.

Groups representing older Australians have rejected the idea to put an assets test on the family home, saying it's not fair. The peak body for the ageing, COTA Australia, says while the idea sounds simple, in reality it's not. Other groups say the pension is an entitlement.

Seven West Media chief executive Tim Worner has been cleared of wrongdoing after the company's internal review of allegations made by former employee Amber Harrison. In a statement to the stock exchange, Seven said there were no irregularities in Mr Worner's use of a company credit card and could not substantiate allegations of illicit drug use. However, Amber Harrison has described Seven's review as 'superficial, deliberately limited in scope and designed to achieve a pre-determined outcome'.

The new US Secretary of Defence, James Mattis, has arrived in South Korea on his first mission abroad to defence officials in Seoul today before flying to Japan. Secretary Mattis says he wants to hear from the leaders of the two Asian allies about the threat posed by North Korea and wants to discuss a controversial anti-missile defence system.

The British Government's new Brexit policy document outlines 12 guiding principles for its upcoming negotiations with the European Union, but the United Kingdom appears unlikely to get everything it wants.

Research has found the number of big-box liquor outlets like Dan Murphy's and First Choice Liquor has exploded in Victoria since a change in the state's competition laws 15 years ago. Health advocates are pointing to evidence showing there's a link between an increase in these stores and alcohol-related harm, including family violence and assaults. They're calling on the Victorian Government to use its current review of the Liquor Act to make it easier for communities to object to new big-box liquor stores.

The Tasmanian Government says it's working on a way to solve the situation at the state's biggest hospital, the Royal Hobart, where there isn't enough beds to cope with patient demand. Doctors are calling for staff to be involved in the process and the nurses union says at least 80 extra beds are needed.