Two young boys among 34 Australians missing in deadly Nepal floods; Nepal's cricketers pause in Darwin to pay tribute to flood victims; more than 40-thousand runners prepare for Sunday’s Sydney Marathon.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Two young boys among 34 Australians missing in deadly Nepal floods
- Nepal's cricketers pause in Darwin to pay tribute to flood victims
- More than 40-thousand runners prepare for Sunday’s Sydney Marathon
Two young boys, aged 11 and 14, are among 34 Australians missing after catastrophic flash flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border killed at least 162 people.
A huge wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river near the Himalayan border, sending floodwaters through the region and cutting communications.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the missing Australians are part of separate pilgrimage and tour groups.
"I've spoken this morning to the ambassador for Australia to Nepal, Simon Ernst, and I've also spoken to Scott Dewar our ambassador in Beijing. I've conveyed to them our support. My request that they do everything that they are able to ascertain the welfare of any Australians."
More than 1,000 people have now been declared missing, the majority of which are tourists.
Australia is deploying DFAT personnel, including crisis response experts, as authorities work to confirm whether any other Australians are missing.
Nepal’s cricketers have paused for a minute’s silence in Darwin before their Top End Series match at Gardens Oval.
The national T20 side is currently in the Northern Territory, thousands of kilometres from home as the disaster unfolds.
One Nepali spectator told SBS the tribute meant a great deal to the community.
“It's a wonderful feeling we are far from home and with so much going on back home, at least there is something to celebrate at this moment, our team is going very well so very proud moment for us here.”
“And how did it feel with the minutes silence?”
“It was a beautiful gesture, I guess"
A former senior Queensland public servant has told an inquiry she feared for her family after CFMEU figures allegedly tracked her children’s movements.
Amanda Yeates says union officials knew where her daughter caught the bus and even commented on how she had played at netball.
She says the intimidation became so frightening she changed how her daughter travelled to school and eventually quit her job.
Counsel assisting the inquiry has described the alleged conduct as “disturbing, creepy and inexcusable”.
Victoria’s Opposition Leader has accused the government of secretly taxing commuters to help pay for Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop.
An Auditor-General’s report found an extra one per cent was added to public transport fares from 2025, on top of inflation, without passengers being told where the money was going.
Jess Wilson says the levy amounted to a hidden tax.
"This is essentially a skimming device – 1per cent going to a tax that they were never told about. We live in a democracy, we have public budgets so that people understand what they are being taxed."
Premier Ben Carroll has apologised and promised to scrap the levy, which raised 6.2 million dollars before fares were cut this year.
So-called “pervert glasses” could be temporarily banned from Australia, amid growing fears they’re being used to secretly film people in public.
The Greens will introduce a bill next month seeking a 12-month halt on imports of smart glasses and other wearable recording devices, while tougher privacy laws are developed.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge says people can be recorded without knowing.
"They can be operated free of any legal constraints, at the beach, at the gym, at the supermarket, you're walking down the street and nobody knows they're being recorded. Think about it. You're in the supermarket and your toddlers having a melt down, you're trying to deal with that in the moment you're not looking at whether or not some creep 10 metres away from you is filming you in secret with their glasses."
Independents David Pocock and Kate Chaney are backing a temporary ban, while the government says it’s considering further privacy reforms.
Sydney is gearing up for more than 40-thousand runners to partake in the Sydney Marathon this Sunday.
Tanzania’s reigning world champion Alphonce Simbu headlines the men’s field, alongside Ethiopian defending champion Hailemaryam Kiros.
Australia’s Andy Buchanan will also race, just weeks after losing the national record by two seconds to Haftu Strintzos on the Gold Coast.
“I hated that weekend up in Gold Coast, I raced poorly on Saturday and Haftu came out and ran so so well and broke my record, but that's ok that's what records are there for and I'm still the same person with or without the record - but I'm really eager to get it back"
The 42.2-kilometre course runs from North Sydney to the Opera House, with an elite wheelchair field also competing.
