India's cockroach movement calls off protests as the education minister quits; more than 250,000 people flee wildfires in France and Spain; Australia off to a strong start on day two of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
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TRANSCRIPT
- India's cockroach movement calls off protests as the education minister quits
- More than 250,000 people flee wildfires in France and Spain
- Australia off to a strong start on day two of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Members of India's youth-led 'Cockroach' protest movement are celebrating after successfully pressuring the education minister to quit and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to accept demands.
The movement has been dubbed the largest political challenge of Modi's third term and escalated this week when tens of thousands of protesters marched on parliament and were met with police brutality.
The youth-led movement had been protesting since June after an exam leak forced millions to re-sit and was linked to the suicide of at least twelve students.
As the students and their supporters celebrated in the streets, spokesperson for the movement Saurav Das told reporters the demonstrations will end.
"The Cockroach Janta Party declares that we withdraw the agitation in good faith and understanding that the agreed-upon terms will be executed within the agreed-upon timeline."
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More than 250,000 people in France and Spain have fled wildfires, as winds and high temperatures hinder efforts to contain the uncontrolled blazes.
Around 70,000 people have been evacuated from central Spain, and around 197,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in France.
In Spain, where a state of emergency has been declared, authorities in Valencia have confirmed the death of one person.
Firefighters continue to battle raging wildfires in France's Gironde region, where tens of thousands have fled, and the government has deployed a military cargo plane to fight flames heading toward Bordeaux.
Olivia Pereira is a resident in the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast, where authorities ordered a total evacuation.
"And I'm scared, I'm scared, that's it, I'm scared. Yesterday, when I left my house, I was afraid I wouldn't find it again, even though the fire hadn't started yet. But there's this little thing, the memories are everything, you lose everything."
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The prime minister has praised Labor unity with the party's national conference drawing to a close despite some disquiet after factional leaders ended debate on the Middle East.
The three-day summit in Adelaide ended with a speech by Anthony Albanese, who said the policies agreed to in the party platform would make meaningful differences to voters.
But backbench MP Ed Husic said it was extraordinary his push for stronger criticism of Israel in the party platform was blocked from debate on the conference floor.
Instead, Labor MPs Josh Burns, who is Jewish, and Basem Abdo, who is from a Palestinian background, addressed the national conference and endorsed the party's platform.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says it was a courageous moment for the party.
"Australians see global challenges on a scale unprecedented since World War 2, but this platform shows we can meet them. And in crafting this platform the courageous leadership of Basem Abdo and Josh Burns shows how even on struggles that have divided the world for generations, Australian Labor can come together and find common ground, putting respect for fellow Australians and love and hope for our country ahead of all else."
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A new report has called for the Labor government to embrace manufactured housing to increase supply.
The report by John Curtin Research Centre was launched during the Labor party's national conference.
It argues that Australia's housing crisis is a result of decades of policy failure and chronic under-investment in productive capacity, and recommends the government invest in factory-built houses.
The federal government already announced $39.3 million funding in developing prefabricated housing in May.
Real estate agent Oscar Nicholls from Raine & Horne Lower North Shore is concerned about the potential quality of the homes.
"My only concern is, are they built well? Because it's fine you can put all of those people into the properties, they can buy them. Stimulate the economy all those things. But once you have a property that is not built well and falling apart in two to three years, it kind of defeats the purpose."
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The World Heritage Committee has confirmed it will continue oversight of the Great Barrier Reef, after the committee approved a draft decision from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre during its annual meeting in South Korea.
The Barrier Reef has suffered six mass coral bleaching events in just nine years.
The committee acknowledges the Australian government's progress on protecting the Reef, but recommends it report back on progress to better protect the World Heritage-listed Reef in 2028.
Last month, global sea surface temperatures hit record high.
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Sam Short has won the 400m freestyle, launching the second night of the Commonwealth Games in dazzling style for Australia.
The 22-year-old Queenslander, who's shooting for an ambitious five gold medals in Glasgow, won by more than four seconds in 3 minutes 41.25 seconds.
Behind him, a battle for the silver medal saw Elijah Winnington end ahead of teammate Ben Goedemans by a mere one-hundredth of a second.
Mollie O'Callaghan has also powered to victory in the 200m freestyle final ahead of her teammate, 400m winner Lani Pallister, and Alex Perkins has secured gold in the 50m butterfly, raising hopes the Dolphins' spectacular performance on day one, with six gold medals, is set to continue.
