TRANSCRIPT
- Australia to reopen its embassy in Kyiv next month
- Fiji's government denies finding methanol or illicit drugs in cocktails that hospitalised two Australians
- Australia and India settle for a draw in the third test
Australia's support for Ukraine is to exceed $1.5 billion, with plans to reopen its Kyiv embassy for the first time since 2022.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Ambassador Paul Lehmann and the deputy head of mission will return in January.
Visiting the closed embassy, Ms Wong said Australia always had plans to reopen its diplomatic mission in Kyiv.
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Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister says there were no traces of methanol or illicit substances found in cocktail mixtures after seven tourists were suspected to have been poisoned.
Fiji police say they will continue to investigate the mystery after the tourists, including four Australians, were taken to hospital after drinking cocktails at the five-star Warwick Fiji resort on Viti Levu island on Saturday.
Resort management says it is the first incident of its type in 40 years of trading.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Viliame Gavoka says all affected tourists have recovered.
"The findings that there's no evidence of alcohol poisoning is great news for Fiji especially for a vital tourism industry. We are also pleased to inform you that all the affected tourists have now been discharged from medical care fully recovered. This is a significant relief and we are grateful for the swift medical attention and care provided to the visitors during this incident. No tourist wants to end their holiday in illness and we are sorry that their holiday ended on such a note."
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The United Nations' children agency estimates at least 40,000 children in Vanuatu are in need of humanitarian assistance, following a deadly 7.4 magnitude earthquake.
The death toll from the earthquake has risen to 14, while more than 200 people are receiving treatment in hospital.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has announced a $2 million package of immediate assistance to Vanuatu.
Dr Basil Leodoro is the Health Emergency Response Director for Respond Global.
He says Vanuatu is now facing a shortage of medical staff.
“We've definitely been overwhelmed. In the first few hours, it was very clear this was a major incident with the risk of overwhelming the health services. The emergency department has been working overnight triaging, preparing patients for the operating theatre.”
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The death toll from Cyclone Chido on the French overseas territory of Mayotte remains unclear, with local authorities still searching for hundreds of missing people.
Cyclone Chido, which hit Mayotte over the weekend, has brought what is believed to be the worst storm in 90 years.
Nora Peter, communications coordinator at the International Red Cross, says they estimate the death toll will be high.
"So far what we know is that dozens of people are dead, and we have about 800 injured, but we expect the final number to be much higher than that, because we haven't been able to confirm the whereabouts of more than 100,000 people."
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Festival-goers in New South Wales will soon be able to test drugs before taking them under a 12-month pill-testing trial in the state, starting in early 2025.
Authorities hope the initiative, which is already in use in some other states, will reduce festival deaths.
Premier Chris Minns says the trial's purpose is to reduce harm and save lives, but reiterated it is not an endorsement of drug use.
He urged parents to talk to their children, warning there is no safe level of drug use and highlighting the devastating impact of drug-related emergencies at festivals.
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John Marsden, the renowned Australian author behind the best-selling 'Tomorrow' series, has died aged 74.
The novelist had written more than 40 books, winning many awards for children's and adult fiction including the Lloyd O'Neil Award for contributions to Australian publishing in 2006.
His young-adult novel Tomorrow, When The War Began sold millions of copies around the world and spawned a movie and television series.
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And in cricket..,
After a heavy rain delay, Australia and India declared a draw in the third test.
It leaves the series drawn at 1-1, with two more tests to play.
For Indian fans, the last day was also heart breaking as their 107-test icon Ravi Ashwin announced his immediate retirement after the game.
Afterwards, he said he's had great fun with cricket, thanking the Australian side for being "very fierce competitors".
