TRANSCRIPT:
- A landmark climate case begins at the International Court of Justice in The Hague
- The French government faces collapse
- An Italian player is in a stable condition after collapsing during the championship game
Vanuatu has urged the United Nations' top court to recognise the harm caused by climate change in its judgement on the legal obligation of countries to fight it and address the consequences of them contributing to global warming.
Vanuatu's special envoy for climate change and the environment, Ralph Regenvanu, spoke before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
"Our peoples have built vibrant cultures and traditions over millennia that are intimately intertwined with our ancestral lands and seas. Yet today we find ourselves on the front lines of a crisis we did not create. A crisis that threatens our very existence and that of so many other peoples who have come in unprecedented numbers to be heard by this court."
While the court's advisory opinions are not binding, they are legally and politically significant.
Australia is among 100 countries giving oral testimony over the next fortnight.
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A river conservationist says its no secret the Murray Darling Basin plan has not delivered on what was promised, as a new report finds billions in taxpayer dollars and three decades of reform policy has failed to stop its deterioration.
The report tabled by 12 scientists from Australia’s leading universities has found the trends of most river health indicators (74 per cent) show no improvement or are worsening.
That includes lower-than-expected river flows at 90 per cent of sites measured, poor use of environmental flows, and a decline in the population of waterbirds.
Craig Wilkins from the Murray Darling Conservation Alliance has told SBS News this is the result of decades of delays and missed opportunities.
"There is no doubt that to turn this requires enornous effort in terms of money, but also policy and action and getting that policy and action right. That's what we have missed so far. There's been delays, there's been missed opportunities, there's been poor choices made and as a result, the river has struggled to return to full health."
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The federal government has announced a $10 million investment for the establishment of a new register for text message senders, in an effort to crack down on scams.
The S-M-S Sender I-D Register is set to be developed by the communications and media regulator, the Australian Media and Communications Authority.
It will enforce telcos to check if the sender of a text message representing a service or company is registered under that name.
If the sender is not on the Register, the regulator will intervene by either blocking the S-M-S message or delivering a warning to the recipients.
The Register is set to be fully operational by late 2025.
**
And overseas,
The French government is all but certain to collapse later this week after far-right and left-wing parties submitted no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
This latest development has plunged the euro zone's second-biggest economy deeper into political crisis, with serious doubt cast over whether the annual budget will be approved.
National Rally leader Marine Le Pen says Mr Barnier, who only became prime minister in early September, had made things worse and needed to be pushed out.
Unless something unexpected rescues him, Mr Barnier's fragile coalition will be the first French government to be forced out by a no-confidence vote since 1962.
**
At least 56 people have been killed in Guinea during a clash between football fans that was followed by a stampede.
The incidents occurred in the nation's second-largest city of N'Zerekore between supporters of the local team and their rivals, Labe.
The fighting among the fans was sparked due to a series of controversial decisions by the referee who sent off two players from the visiting side.
The nation's prime minister Oury Bah has ordered an inquiry into the violent incidents and has offered his condolences to the families of those who died at the scene.
**
And in football,
Italian football club Fiorentina have released a statement following the collapse of their player Edoardo Bove during their Sunday match with Inter at the Artemio Franchi in Florence.
It was the 17th minute of the match when the 22-year-old fell to the floor with medics rushing him off the field to a nearby hospital.
The club has said the player's condition is stable and he is receiving treatment in intensive care while under sedation.
The statement goes on to say that the player is undergoing neurological tests with doctors ruling out any severe damage that may have been caused by the incident.
