Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemns the relationship between Russia and North Korea; The United Nations urges transparency in Venezuelan election; And in sport, Olympic organisers further postpone triathlon events over water quality concerns.
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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemns the relationship between Russia and North Korea;
- The United Nations urges transparency in Venezuelan election;
- And in sport, Olympic organisers further postpone triathlon events over water quality concerns.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says both Russia and North Korea are acting to destabilise the Indo-Pacific region and disregard international law.
Penny Wong says she stands alongside Quad nation allies in condemning both North Korea's missile launches and its security pact with Russia.
The pact, signed in May by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, included a clause that one would provide military assistance to the other during war.
Penny Wong will meet with her South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as Australia works with partners to enforce UN sanctions against the North.
She says Russia and North Korea's behaviour is risky for the world.
"We see Russia behaving in ways which are not conducive to peace, but are escalatory. The continued transfer also from weapons from North Korea to Russia is a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. We continue to reiterate our commitment to the implementation of all UNSC resolutions in relation particularly to the DPRK."
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The UN Secretary-General is calling on authorities in Venezuela to provide greater electoral transparency as thousands of protesters gather to challenge the election results.
Venezuelan security forces have used tear gas and rubber bullets in their efforts to dispel thousands of Venezuelan protesters, who are taking to the streets after hearing that President Nicolas Maduro would serve a third term.
Both Nicolas Maduro and the opposition Edmundo Gonzalez claimed victory on Monday evening, before the National Electoral Council, which is loyal to the ruling party, handed Maduro his third six-year term.
The legitimacy of the election results are under scrutiny from not only the Venezuelan public and the opposition, but also from international leaders.
Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric says there must be transparency.
“We have taken note of the announcement made by the electoral authorities as well as the concerns expressed by political actors and members of the international community. The Secretary-General calls for complete transparency and encourages the timely publication of the election results and a breakdown by polling stations.”
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The federal government has introduced a new visa for migrant workers to remain in Australia to pursue legal action against their employers.
The visa which was quietly introduced last week is the result of years of lobbying by advocates for workers from overseas who say they are vulnerable to exploitation.
If granted, the workplace justice visa will allow a migrant worker with no other legal way to stay in Australia to remain in the country for up to 12 months to fight an active employment claim.
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To the Olympics now,
The men's triathlon event at the Olympic Games in Paris has been further postponed due to ongoing concerns over poor water quality in the River Seine.
Training for the event has been cancelled in recent days after persistent rains caused raised levels of the harmful bacteria E.coli, which can indicate sewage contamination.
Organisers spent over one billion euro on cleaning up the river in preparations for the games, with both triathlon and marathon swimming events scheduled to take place there.
The event has now been rescheduled to take place at 10:45am local time on Wednesday, shortly after the women's event.
