TRANSCRIPT
- Anthony Albanese in Jakarta for the ASEAN summit
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for climate action to be made fairer for African nations
- In tennis, Alexander Zverev is into the quarter-finals at the US Open
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrivied in Indonesia ahead of the key ASEAN and East Asia summits.
The ASEAN summit begins in Jakarta today with Mr Albanese taking part in bilateral meetings with the prime ministers of Laos, Timor-Leste, Canada and Malaysia.
The visit to Indonesia will be the first part of his nearly week-long diplomatic trip to Asia that includes the summits, as well as visits to the Philippines and then India for the G20 meeting in New Delhi.
The prime minister will launch Australia's Southeast Asia economic strategy to 2040 the plan for boosting economic ties and with allies and two-way trade on the trip.
Mr Albanese told Parliament before his departure he considers the plan to be one of the most substantive pieces of work ever done to advance Australia's regional relationships and interests.
"The opportunity that we have to create prosperity and create jobs here, as well as to lift living standards in our region. This is of course tied as well with national security issues. When you lift living standards and provide opportunity, and build those relationships as I have with people like President Widodo, what you do is you strengthen our position."
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Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce says the Voice to Parliament referendum is creating "outrageous" debate and unacceptable statements that need to be called out.
Mr Joyce, who is supporting the No campaign, made the remarks during a panel discussion on Australia's first referendum in 24 years on NITV's The Point.
He told fellow panellists, including former senator Olympian Nova Peris, Reconciliation Australia CEO Karen Mundine and Liberals for Yes Kate Carnell, that Australians could agree that the debate had been inflammatory.
"People are getting away with saying things that are just completely out of order, and I think it's incumbent on all of us, when you hear that is to say, 'No mate, what you just said then was outrageous, right. It's got nothing to do with the debate.' And this is something, this debate has given people almost a, they think they can get away with saying it now, and I think it's incumbent upon all of us to bring it down."
Host Narelda Jacobs made the point that Joyce himself had been at No Campaign events where inflammatory statements were made, without explicitly distancing himself from them.
And you can find comprehensive information about the referendum by visiting the SBS Voice Referendum portal at www.sbs.com.au/voicereferendum
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Russian officials claim Australian drones are being used by Ukraine to attack Russian territory.
Australia has supplied Ukraine with 610 million dollars worth of military equipment- including drones- since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claims Australia is being drawn into the Russia-Ukrane conflict, and claims that the Australian government is trying to hide this from the public.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia last week posted a link on the website X, formerly known as Twitter, to an article in The Age newspaper that Australian-made drones were used in a strike om Russia's Kursk airfield in late August.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the world to make financing for climate action more equitable at the first Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi.
The UN Secretary-General says global financial reforms are needed, with African countries paying as many as five times more to borrow money than other nations, including a debt relief system for African nations in debt distress.
Mr Guterres says that more needs to be done to help the resource-rich region that contributes minimally to global warming, but suffers disproportionately from its effects.
"Africa accounts for just 4 per cent of global emissions, but it suffers some of the worst effects of climate change. Today, I renewed my call for the world to step up climate action to avert the worst effects of climate change, keep global promises to provide essential support, and help Africa make a just and equitable transition to renewable energy."
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In tennis, former U-S Open runner-up Alexander Zverev is into the quarter-finals after defeating Jannik Sinner.
The 26-year-old German's victory has earned him a meeting with defending champion and top seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Zverev's win came after play was interrupted in the fourth set when Zverev alerted the umpire that a spectator had starting singing what he called Hitler's anthem.
"He (a spectator) just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in the world. He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world. It's unacceptable. That's unbelievable."
The man was identified and removed from the stadium.
After a match that lasted almost five hours, Zverev savoured the victory.
"Longest match ever (at the U.S. Open)... well I guess I say I'm back, right? I don't know. This is what I live for. This is what I absolutely love to do. I would have loved to have played a little bit shorter, that's for sure, but last year when I wasn't able to play, this was exactly the moments that I missed. Playing until 1:30am in front of a packed crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, there's nothing better."
