Afternoon Update: Anxious wait as Australians remain missing in Nepal, dolphin dies from bird flu, and The Full Monty
Australia’s Nepali community plan vigils to remember the victims of the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster
Good afternoon.
Australia’s Nepali community plan to host vigils to remember the victims of the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster to coincide with a day of mourning.
Nepal police said on Friday that the death toll had risen to 469, with more than 1,300 people still missing, after massive flash floods and landslides tore through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river basins.
As the Nepali diaspora wait for the full scale of the disaster to become clear, families are desperately waiting to hear from missing relatives and friends.
Dr Tilak Pokhrel, president of the Australian Nepalese Multicultural Centre, said community members “just want to say we are with you for those who are affected”. “Let’s work together, let’s pray together, and let’s go through this pain together.”
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, on Friday morning confirmed the number of Australians missing in the floods had increased from 35 to 39 as she unveiled a $5m support package.
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In video
A visual timeline of how deadly Nepal and Tibet flash flood unfolded
Flash floods have devastated the Nepal-Tibet border region after a torrent of mud, water and debris burst the banks of the Trishuli River. Here’s what we know so far, and what probably caused the disaster.
What they said …
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“There’s no principle behind what Labor’s doing here.” – David Shoebridge
Reports this week said the Labor government was preparing to cut the number of refugee arrivals from 20,000 to 13,750 in 2027-28. But after that news was met with anger from Labor MPs and refugee advocates, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, later said the change would not take place. The Greens senator David Shoebridge said the intervention reflects a political party “not acting on any core principle.”
Senior reporter Ben Doherty’s writes: “In this hour of need, contemplating a cut to Australia’s refugee intake is cruel populism.” You can read his comment piece here.
Podcast
Who actually benefits from new datacentres in Australia?
National cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss the federal government’s plan for new AI datacentre development. Meanwhile, the fight between the West Australian premier Roger Cook and the Productivity Commission over his state’s generous GST deal persists.
To discuss this week’s mix of politics and policy, political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to the CEO of the Grattan Institute, Dr Aruna Sathanapally, and economics editor Patrick Commins
Listen to the episode here.
Before bed read
The actor Robert Carlyle reflects on which star he’d devour first on a lifeboat, the famous strip scene at the end of The Full Monty, and how Trainspotting put the Scottish accent on the map.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: POSS. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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