The search continues for survivors of the deadly Moroccan earthquake; a new report finds Australians on lower incomes are paying more on transport, energy and loans; and in sport, two Wallabies with Fijian connections excited about next week's World Cup match.
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TRANSCRIPT
- The search continues for survivors of the deadly Moroccan earthquake
- A new report finds Australians on lower incomes are paying more on transport, energy and loans
- And in sport, two players from the Wallabies with Fijian connections excited about next week's World Cup match.
Rescuers are racing to find survivors in the rubble more than 48 hours after Morocco's deadliest earthquake in over six decades, with nearly 2,700 confirmed killed in the disaster.
Search teams from Spain, the UK, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have joined efforts to find survivors of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake.
Officials have rejected further international aid, saying it would be too chaotic having so many international teams arriving in Morocco.
Spanish rescue worker Antonio Nogales says the earthquake has had an especially devastating effect in mountain areas that are hard to reach.
"We are in the the town of Imi N'Tala, it's very remote and it took us about 8 hours to get here. There were no rescue groups and we arrived with the police. The destruction is absolute, all the buildings have collapsed. We will begin our search using dogs and try to find survivors."
This comes as Morocco's Ambassador to Australia says that the time is critical to find survivors.
Ambassador Wassane Zailachi told SBS News she has spoken with the government about the need for long term support.
"We will need many friends also to help us with reconstruction. To help with building schools, providing them with you know, supplies, filling up the schools, so, there will be a lot that will be needed later on."
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A new report by Anglicare Australia finds people on lower incomes often face higher living costs because they lack the means to shop more efficiently, such as buying groceries in bulk.
The Poverty Premium report identifies transport, energy and loans among the areas where those earning less pay more.
The report also finds that as well as being disadvantaged at the checkout, poorer people pay more to travel if they're forced to live far away from work and the best credit deals are given to people with the healthiest bank balances.
Many people find themselves in so-called debt spirals trying to juggle upfront costs, and in some cases are forced to skip meals, miss medical appointments or avoid getting insurance - which ends up costing them more down the track.
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Some business leaders say Australia needs more ambitious plans to reduce carbon emissions to avoid embarrassing itself on the world stage as host of climate talks.
The finding is included in a business survey released by the Carbon Market Institute, an independent body for business leaders supporting the transition to net-zero emissions.
Almost two-thirds of respondents support Australia hosting international talks with Pacific partners in 2026.
Survey participants say more robust policies are needed to support the credibility of Australia's climate diplomacy, including a date for phasing out fossil fuels, as well as certainty and more federal spending.
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Russia has confirmed a planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the Russian city of Vladivostok.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Mr Kim's trip to Russia and meeting with Putin will be a full-scale visit.
Mr Peskov says the main topic of the talks will be bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says US authorities will be keen to see what comes out of the meeting.
"We're going to monitor very closely the outcome of this meeting. I will remind both countries that any transfer of arms from North Korea to Russia would be in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. And we, of course, have aggressively enforced our sanctions against entities that fund Russia's war effort. And we will continue to enforce those sanctions and will not hesitate to impose new sanctions, if appropriate."
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In sports, two Wallabies with Fijian heritage have reflected on their admiration for the South Pacific team ahead of their group stage match against them at the Rugby World Cup in France next week.
Mark Nawaqanitawase and Langi Gleeson joined the Wallabies squad as they visited a local primary school, where the students sang the Australian national anthem and happy birthday to Nawaqanitawase, who was celebrating his 23rd birthday.
The Wallabies won their first group stage match 35 to 15 against Georgia in Paris, while Fiji have lost their first match against Wales in a close run game in Bordeaux.
Nawaqanitawase has revealed that he almost switched his playing allegiance to Fiji, while Gleeson, whose maternal family is Fijian, says that the Fiji game was one of the best he has seen so far at the tournament.
"It's probably my second team that I'm betting on. I'm not betting. Yeah, second team that I'm going for. Most of the players, I've played in Drua and the PNC, really good team, and I just back them, my family backs them as well. I don't who they're going to support if we play them this week, but yeah, we'll see how it goes."
