Around 500 people including tourists missing in floods on the Nepal-China border; Iran and Oman reach understanding on Strait of Hormuz shipping route; and in sport, the Wallabies head to Argentina for a two-Test series.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Around 500 people including tourists missing in floods on the Nepal-China border
- Iran and Oman reach understanding on Strait of Hormuz shipping route
- Wallabies head to Argentina for a two-Test series
Rescue efforts continue after flash flooding in a border area of Nepal and China killed more than 150 people and left almost 500 people missing including tourists.
It's not clear how many Australians are among the missing.
Images show what appears to be the second floors of buildings in hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by.
Local resident, Shoyam Rajbhandari, says the floodwaters hit densely packed areas.
“When I reached the bazaar, in half an hour, the flood came and damaged all the market. People were preparing to go to office then. How many people are missing or dead- we don’t know.”
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Iran says it has reached an understanding with Oman on a temporary route for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely shut for nearly six months.
Under the proposed arrangement, ships entering the Persian Gulf would travel entirely through Iranian territorial waters, while outbound vessels would pass through both Iranian and Omani waters.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says the temporary arrangement could lead to a permanent new route.
"So we called this one temporary because, if this understanding with Oman is implemented, we must then hold negotiations with Oman over a period of 30 to 60 days, including negotiations to reach an understanding on a new permanent and sustainable route."
Tehran says the arrangement would apply only to commercial shipping, with military vessels barred from passing through the strait.
This comes as Qatar's Prime Ministers plans to visit Tehran today with the aim of ending the ongoing US-Iran war which has dragged in regional allies.
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National Cabinet has backed new rules for artificial intelligence and large data centres, alongside a spate of other measures.
At its meeting in Sydney yesterday, leaders agreed large AI data centres should face mandatory standards covering energy, water and land use.
They also backed a national domestic violence risk framework and an extra $125 million for the bird flu response.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia is well placed to benefit from the growth of artificial intelligence.
"There's nowhere on Earth you'd rather be and Australia is well positioned to take advantage of some of the transition that's occurring particularly in artificial intelligence as we go forward, I'm absolutely optimistic that our best days are ahead of us as a nation and one way we assure that occurs is by working together for our common interest."
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The Royal Commission into Antisemitism and social cohesion has finished its public hearings after 62 days of evidence.
The inquiry heard from more than 340 witnesses and received more than 20,000 submissions before wrapping up.
Commissioner Virginia Bell says much of the inquiry focused on the experiences of ordinary Jewish Australians.
"Predominantly, the commission's focus has been on hearing from ordinary Jewish Australians from all walks of life. Added to this substantial body of evidence are the thousands of personal submissions made by Jewish Australians telling of their experience of antisemitism."
The commission’s final report is due to be handed down on December 18.
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Six safety incidents at Sydney Airport are now under investigation after two more close calls.
In one case, a Virgin 737 failed to fully acknowledge an instruction to give way to a Qantas jet, before the Qantas crew stopped and clarified the situation.
Nine days later, a Jetstar aircraft began pushing back towards the path of a taxiing Dash 8 before ground staff intervened.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says neither of the latest incidents posed an immediate collision risk, but all six events since late July are being investigated.
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In sport...
The Wallabies are heading to Argentina for a two-Test series as they look to build momentum under coach Les Kiss.
Australia is continuing to shape its side ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup, with the tour another chance to test combinations and form.
The Wallabies are coming off a mixed run and will be looking for greater consistency on the road.
Utility back Ben Donaldson says the tour will be an important challenge.
"Playing in Argentina, hostile environment, two new cities that I've never played in, I don't think many of the boys would have either so coming up against a good Argentinian side who we've had some great battles with in the past yeah it's definitely vital and leading in to a pretty big year next year."
