Australian news and politics live: Albanese heckled by angry bystander, told he’s a ‘weak leader’

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he wants to follow in the footsteps of Donald Trump and “make India great again”.

“The people of India too are focusing on both heritage and development as they move forward at a fast pace with a firm resolve to ensure a developed India by 2047,” he said.

Speaking from the White House alongside Mr Trump, Modi said:

“When America and India work together, that is when it’s MAGA plus MIGA, it becomes MEGA, a mega partnership for prosperity. And it is this MEGA spirit that gives new scale and scope to our objectives,” he said.

The US will increase military sales to India by many billions of dollars, Donald Trump announced during a joint press conference with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The countries are working together to confront the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.

The US is paving the way to “ultimately” provide India with F35 stealth fighters (Russia recently offered to make its stealth fighter jet Sukhoi Su-57 in India for the Indian Air Force), Reuters reports.

One of the nurses caught on camera vowing to kill Israeli patients has reportedly been hospitalised.

Ahmad Rashad Nadir has been admitted for assesment over mental health concerns, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Emergency services attended his Bankstown home just before 9pm after concerns were raised about his welfare.

Speaking about free access to TAFE, Mr Albanese said it was important for care workers and blue collar workers.

But bystanders were still not happy, booing the PM, who ploughed on with his message regardless.

“On this, Valentine’s Day, I can declare that Labor supports, Labor loves blue collar workers and that is why we’re supporting jobs and that is why we are supporting steel workers here.”

Locals who yelled at Anthony Albanese in front of a media contingent at Lake Illawarra in NSW are believed to be staunch opponents to the development of offshore wind farms.

Mr Albanese had called a press conference to announce Carol Berry would replace retiring Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones for the seat of Whitlam.

Anthony Albanese has been heckled at a press conference this morning, with a bystander calling him out as a “weak leader”.

The person yelled out: “Get out of here. We don’t want you. Get out of here Albo, we don’t want you here. You’re a weak leader, Albo”.

He did have some support though, another person joined in to say “ we want you here”.

Anthony Albanese is speaking with the media and says a key issue at the coming election will be the defence and strengthening of Medicare.

“A key issue at the coming election will be the defence and strengthening of Medicare,” he said.

“Urgent care clinics, improving bulk billingwhere we have tripled the incentive. More GP doctors making sure that wehave turned around the neglect that was there under the previous decadeof the Coalition government.”

Australia has dodged a key tariff bullet after Donald Trump announced his plan to introduce reciprocal tariffs on every country that puts duties on US imports.

Helping Australia is the fact it has not imposed a tariff on US goods since the nations signed a free trade agreement 20 years ago.

Clear targets for the US tariff regime include China, Japan, South Korea and the European Union.

Trump’s approach avoids a “one size fits all” approach for more customised levies, he said, though he did not rule out a flat global tariff.

Donald Trump has declared reciprocal tariffs will be imposed on every country that puts duties on US imports.

“We want a level playing field,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The tariffs will not go into effect immediately but could begin to be imposed within weeks as Trump’s trade and economic team study bilateral tariff and trade relationships, a White House official told reporters on a conference call.

“I have decided for purposes of fairness that I will charge a reciprocal tariff meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them. No more, no less,” Trump said.

“In other words, they charge us a tax or tariff, we charge them the exact same tax or tariff,” he said.

China has accused Australia of intruding into its airspace, after one of its fighter jets dropped flares near a RAAF P-8 patrol plane in an incident described by the Canberra as “dangerous”.

Beijing claims the Australian fighter jet had “deliberately intruded into China’s Xisha Islands airspace” and put Chinese national security at risk.

“The expulsion measures taken by the Chinese side are legitimate, professional and restrained, and China has lodged solemn representations with the Australian side,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press conference on Thursday.

On Thursday, the ADF denounced the interaction - which occured on Tuesday - as “unsafe and unprofessional”.

The military also revealed it was keeping a close eye on three Chinese warships operating in waters to Australia’s north-east, in what Defence Minister RIchard Marles said was a “coincidence” but a reminder of the complex strategic environment.

Read Ellen Ransley’s full story