In this bulletin, Australia says climate finance for Pacific nations is on the agenda ahead of the UN climate summit; a funeral held for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; and in football, players and fans react to the Socceroos elimination from the World Cup.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Australia says climate finance for Pacific nations is on the agenda ahead of the UN climate summit
- A funeral held for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
- And in football, players and fans react to the Socceroos elimination from the World Cup
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says Australia is committed to ensuring Pacific climate finance is a key point of discussion in the lead up to this year's UN climate summit.
Fiji and Tuvalu will host events in October designed to set the agenda and resolve negotiating issues ahead of the COP31 summit in Türkiye in November.
Speaking to SBS, Palau Environment Minister Steven Victor says his country has been suffering severe impacts over the last two decades from climate change and is calling on Australia to contribute more to climate finance.
Mr Bowen says the issue will be discussed in coming months.
"We insisted on a pre-COP in the Pacific. We will be talking about the Pacific Resilience Fund. We will be talking about the need for countries like Palau to have more access to climate finance - whether it be through the Green Climate Fund, or the World Bank. That is a key focus of our efforts this year as president of the negotiations. Australia is pleased to play that role."
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Opposition leader Angus Taylor is urging Liberal and National Party members to ignore One Nation's recent polling gains, telling the Coalition's convention in Brisbane to stay focused on rebuilding ahead of the next federal election.
An AFR/RedBridge poll published this week put One Nation on 27 per cent of the primary vote in Victoria, less than five months out from the state election, ahead of the Coalition and Labor.
Several national polls published this week, including the Guardian Essential poll and Newspoll, showed One Nation's primary vote easing by between two and three percentage points.
Mr Taylor says he doesn't feel threatened by the growth in voter support for One Nation.
"Australia has overcome greater challenges than we face today, but the Liberal and National parties are the only ones that can provide that strong plan and strong direction we need as a country. We are the only ones that can do it. And we are all watching and we've all seen the growth of One Nation in recent times. But the truth of One Nation is that it is a one person show."
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Mourners have gathered outside Tehran's grand mosque as the official funeral gets underway for Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The official funeral is expected to last for several days as his body is transported to cities in both Iran and neighbouring Iraq.
The slain supreme leader was killed along with family members at the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.
The government expects to see millions attend the funeral in scenes reminiscent of the burial of the previous Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
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To sport, and in the World Cup, Socceroos veteran Jackson Irvine says the team is heartbroken after losing a penalty shootout to Egypt in their first knockout match.
The game came down to a nail-biting penalty shootout with the Pharaohs prevailing 4-2 over the Socceroos after the scores were locked 1-all in Dallas.
The team were seeking to win a World Cup knockout game for the first time, but Irvine says the team will be stronger for the loss.
"It is the toughest way to lose a game. The boys put in so much hard work. But ultimately we have fallen short of that penalty shootout, but I am so proud of every player, especially the ones that have the heart to step up and take those shots at the end. But every single player has contributed to this. It is another step in a positive direction for this team, and for Australian football to show how competitively we can be on the biggest stage. And I have no doubt that there are players in that dressing room that will be the ones that go take that next step."
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Dressed in green and gold, Socceroos fans woke up early to watch the game at live sites around the country.
In Sydney, these football fans from the Egyptian-Australian community say it was a tense game.
"Look, for me it was mixed feeling. Our homeland playing against the land we're living in, so I'm so happy for Egyptians. So happy for the Egyptians. Hard luck for the Socceroos and best of the luck in the next World Cup. It is the first time for us to reach this stage. So hopefully next time, we're going to win the World Cup."
“I feel amazing. Congratulations to my country. It is amazing to support my country here from Australia; to support my roots.”
“It was predicted for me. I knew it. I woke u. One -and-a-half hours of sleep. I knew straight away we would win and we made it. I could not be more happier."
