Paris terror attacks: Australians urged to stay indoors

The Department of Foreign Affairs is requesting any Australians in Paris stay put, but get in contact with the consulate.

Spectators gather on the pitch of the Stade de France stadium following the friendly football match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on November 13, 2015, after a series of gun attacks occurred across Paris as well as explosions outside the national stadium where France was hosting Germany.

The prospect of Australian peacekeepers – raised in general terms by Mr Turnbull in response to a journalist’s specific question – is a matter for the very distant future, well-informed observers say.

USA secretary of state John Kerry described the attacks as “heinous, evil and vile”, calling them “an assault on our common humanity”.

But it is understood Russian Federation wants to keep the talks confined to a small group of countries, most of which are within the region near Syria.

Leaders of the 20 major economies (G-20), including the USA, China, Japan, Russia, Canada, Australia and Brazil, will discuss climate change and global cooperation to unearth black money, but the talks are set to be dominated by the attacks in Paris and the war in Syria, official sources said. Your battle for freedom is our battle for our freedom.

The post was published about lunchtime on Saturday, as the attacks in Paris were unfolding. The meeting agreed on the need to convene Syrian government and opposition representatives in formal negotiations under United Nations auspices as soon as possible, with a target date of January 1, as part of a transition process to inclusive governance, a new constitution and free and fair elections under UN supervision within 18 months.

“We are the most successful multicultural nation in the world”. Our values of freedom.

“We have strong and capable security sServices”.

Mr Kerry said the USA embassy in Paris is “making every effort to account for the welfare of American citizens in the city”, and the United States stands ready “to provide whatever support the French government may require”. We have – there’s no reason to be complacent.

“There is sadness and there is anger but I can assure you that we shall never surrender to terrorism”.

“Sadly, we know it’s been lone wolf attacks that we’ve been subjected to in Australia but that doesn’t mean we’re not vigilant about other threats as well”. Australia was already the second largest contributor to the US-led coalition seeking to drive IS out of Iraq and Syria.