More Australian politicians react to a missile launched by China in the Pacific; An increase in the death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela Calls for an investigation into the overturning of Folarin Balogun's red-card ban.
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TRANSCRIPT
- More Australian politicians react to a missile launched by China in the Pacific.
- An increase in the death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela.
- Calls for an investigation into the overturning of Folarin Balogun's red-card ban.
Australia's defence minister says the missile test conducted by China in the Pacific is likely to come up at the next bilateral meetings the countries will hold.
Richard Marles has told Channel 9 the incident reinforces the need for closer ties in the Pacific, which the Prime Minister has been engaging in during his tour of the region.
"When we look at what China has done over a long period, we are seeing them engaging in a very significant military buildup. But it's doing so without providing strategic reassurance, which is to say, it's not really explaining to the world why they're engaging in this military buildup. And that's very different to the way we go about things."
The timing just hours after Australia's agreement with Fiji was signed has been described as a coincidence, because of the level of preparation needed for such a test.
But Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson has still called it an intimidation tactic.
"I think the broader picture here is that China is engaging in behaviour which it knows is threatening, which it knows is co-oercive. One of the reasons why militaries conduct exercises like this is for the demonstration effect. They want others to know they've got the capability to do so."
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed Australia and the Solomon Islands will commence negotiating a new comprehensive treaty.
In a statement, Mr Albanese has said his discussions with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale reflect what he has called a "stepping up" in the bilateral partnership, which includes immediate support such as helping the rebuild after Cyclone Maila, and also giving young people the chance to study.
Mr Albanese is in the Solomon Islands where he will join celebrations marking 48 years since it declared independence from Great Britain.
A day earlier, Mr Albanese signed two agreements with Fiji - a defence deal called the the Ocean of Peace Alliance, and the Vuvale Union, a pact to elevate the partnership to treaty status.
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The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has now passed 3500 people, while almost 18,000 people remain homeless more than a week after the disaster struck the capital and nearby coastal areas.
Venezuela's social vice presidency says at least 12,800 people are staying in 80 shelters across Caracas and La Guaira.
No official figures have been provided for those still missing, although the UN estimates that number could be as high as 50,000.
In the town of Caraballeda, Elizabeth Leon says she has been working with friends, families and volunteers to find more survivors.
"After 12 days, I'm here waiting to bring them out alive—if that is God's will—or their bodies. Their location has already been pinpointed. In the name of God, today we're going to bring them out. Trusting in God that we'll find them alive—that they'll be alive—because the rooms don't smell bad. With faith, trusting in God, that everything will turn out well."
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A police officer has testified at a preliminary court hearing in the US that is seeking to determine if there is enough evidence to try the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The court must decide if 23 year old Tyler Robinson should face trial over the attack on the youth organisation Turning Point USA founder, who was fatally shot on a Utah university campus in September last year.
Robinson has not yet indicated whether he intends to plead guilty or not.
On the first day of the hearing of the week-long hearing, university police officer Chris Bagley testified to what he saw on the day of the shooting.
"I heard an individual talking to Charlie and I happened to kind of glance over the edge of the railing about that time. I could see the right side of Charlie's shoulder, so not his whole body because he was underneath the tent so I could only see probably the right side of his body. He was answering a question, you could ask him a question, and then I heard a shot fired."
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Indigenous intellectual property experts are calling for stronger protections for the traditional knowledge of First Nations people.
Members of the Indigenous Knowledge Panel have spoken at a parliamentary hearing, urging the government to ratify a Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge.
The Treaty requires applicants for patents to disclose the source of genetic resources, like plants and animals, as well as any associated traditional knowledge used in the development of their invention.
Chair of the Indigenous Knowledge Pilot Panel for IP Australia, Chrissy Grant, says ratifying the treaty would go a long way to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples against exploitation.
"For far too long, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have taken, been taken advantage of and taken for granted. In the past, and sometimes even today, that knowledge was give- gained under the guise of consultation, but without FPIC, free, prior, and informed consent."
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Human rights group FairSquare has called for US President Donald Trump's intervention over US striker Folarin Balogun's red-card ban to be investigated as a breach of FIFA's rules on political neutrality.
It appears to be the first time since 1962 that a red card during a World Cup didn’t result in a suspension.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the disciplinary committee is independent and he had no involvement in the decision, but US President Donald Trump has taken credit for getting FIFA to review the red card.
FairSquare spokesman Nicholas McGeehan says he believes the whole saga needs to be investigated by FIFA's ethics committee.
"It's part of a pattern. Who could ever have imagined that FIFA would be in a situation where it's given a peace prize to Trump? Following off the back of something as absurd as that, this seems like small potatoes in some way. I think the reason it's getting such attention is that people are annoyed. People are outraged when the sort of the reputation of FIFA is smeared. But what I think you find is that football administrators get seriously exercised when you start to jeopardise the integrity of the game. And that's why you see people like UEFA are speaking up now."
