Prime Minister Anthony Albanese embarks on China trip; Australians who fled Gaza due to arrive home; and in sport, the Women's Tennis Association apologises to players for conditions at tour finals in Mexico.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese embarks on China trip
- Australians who fled Gaza due to arrive home
- The Women's Tennis Association apologises to players for conditions at tour finals in Mexico
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has embarked on a trip to China, becoming the first Australian Prime Minister to visit he country in seven years.
Mr Albanese confirmed he will press the Chinese government to resolve the case of detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun during a three-day official visit.
Dr Yang was detained by Chinese authorities in 2019 and faces espionage charges, the basis of which are not clear.
The Prime Minister says the recent release of Chinese-born Australian television journalist Cheng Lei has provided renewed hope for the release of Dr Yang.
"I'll be speaking about his human rights, the nature of the detention and the failure to have transparent processes. Just as we stood up I've raised this issue before. We will always raise the issues of Australian citizens when we meet with international leaders. That is something that we do consistently. And I will do it again."
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Helicopters and security forces have been deployed to help with search and rescue, after a deadly earthquake that struck Nepal.
The 5.6-magnitude quake struck a remote pocket of Nepal; and was felt as far away as India's capital New Delhi, nearly 500 km from the epicentre.
Officials say at least 128 people have been killed, and dozens more injured as troops work to clear roads which were blocked by landslides.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has also flown in on a helicopter with a team of doctors to survey the damage.
The earthquake is the deadliest since 2015 when about 9,000 people were killed in two earthquakes in the Himalayan country.
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Pasifika activists are calling on Australia to take firmer steps to reducing emissions, saying failure to do so is a violation of their human rights.
The push comes ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands, which is due to begin in two days' time, on the 6th of November.
Climate activists say the Pacific Islands are on the frontline of climate change, with the future for many living there becoming increasingly uncertain.
Director of 350 Pacific, Joseph Sikulu, says the emissions reduction targets already set by Australia are not enough.
"We always say that Australia is a big brother nation in the Pacific, and Australia really needs to start acting like that. And one of the difficult things about Australia's presence, especially within something like the Pacific Islands Forum, is that it comes in with a lot of leverage and a lot of power. They should do more to try and push for the betterment of the Pacific and the betterment of our people."
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Australia's own FrogID app is about to hit a significant milestone, becoming one of the most successful citizen science projects in the world.
The app was designed by biologist Dr Jodi Rowley to help identify frog noises through publically submitted recordings of frogs.
It's now expected to reach a million sound recordings by Christmas, and it's passionate researchers say it's just the beginning.
This mother says she loves the app because it's both entertaining and educational for her children.
"They love the iPads, they love all those devices so if that device can teach them about the environment and about frogs, and keep them entertained for five minutes then that's great! So I can breathe."
The FrogID app has already helped identify five new species and produce 20 research papers.
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The Women's Tennis Association has issued an apology, conceding its tour Finals in Cancun is causing welfare and wellbeing issues for players.
It's signalled changes after a series of complaints from athletes.
The tournament brings together the top eight singles players and doubles stars to wrap up what has been a long, gruelling season.
The top 20 players had written a letter to organisers calling for better pay, a more flexible schedule and expanded childcare services.
Officials say a review will look to meet their requests.
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Kris Lees's Kalapour has booked a place in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup by winning the Lexus Archer Stakes at Flemington.
Ridden by legendary jockey Damien Oliver, Kalapour led from start to finish in the 2500 metres Group 3 contest at Flemington.
It was retiring great Oliver's 86th Melbourne Cup carnival winner, in just the second race of what will be his last appearance.
Meanwhile, protestors gathered outside the event in Melbourne to campaign against horse racing.
Elio Celotto, from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, says there is a growing awareness of animal welfare concerns when it comes o the Melbourne Cup.
"We're definitely seeing numbers falling at carnivals like Melbourne cup carnival. We've seen a 30 per cent fall in the last 12 years. And it's exciting time for animal lovers because we're seeing less and less people attending the races and more and more people say no to the cup. All we see from the racing industry is propaganda. We're seeing them trying to tell everyone how well they're looking after their horses, how they're trying to prevent injuries. All they're doing is trying to protect their social licence."
