World news | The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-04 · by Achol Arok and Nick Visser
The prime minister said he has spoken with Nepal’s prime minister, Balendra Shah, to “extend Australia’s deepest condolences” after the deadly flash floods.
asserted
he → say → floods
In a post on social media, Albanese said Australia “stands by Nepal” and is continuing to provide humanitarian aid “where it’s needed most”.
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it → say → aid
The loss of life and destruction is devastating, and we will keep doing everything we can to find the Australians still unaccounted for.
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we → keep → Australians
Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those Australians who are still missing.
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who → love → Australians
The government said 36 Australians remain missing after two more people were safely located on Friday.
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people → say → Friday
The masterminds behind a major corruption scheme over cleaning contracts for a state rail network have been jailed over their “corrosive” offending.
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masterminds → clean → offending
Five people have been hospitalised after a forklift fire at a commercial site in Brisbane.
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people → hospitalise → Brisbane
Two women were taken to hospital in life-threatening conditions and three men were transported for smoke inhalation.
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men → take → inhalation
Pocock says skilled migrants should be ‘No 1 priority’ as AI boom and housing sector face staff shortages
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boom → say → shortages
Senator David Pocock says skilled migrants should be the “No 1 priority” as new data shows Australia is falling short of the workers needed to power both the nation’s AI boom and housing targets.
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Australia → say → targets
This week, the Powering Skills Organisation, a government-established jobs and skills body, warned that Australia needs 72,000 more electricians and related tradespeople by 2030 to meet project demand.
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Australia → establish → demand
Speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Pocock said:
I don’t understand why Jobs and Skills Australia doesn’t have them as the No 1 priority.
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Australia → speak → priority
When we look at the migration figures, how can we have a shortage of something so critical as tradies to build the houses we desperately need?
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we → look → houses
We have both sides of politics arguing over the number, how big it should be, what it shouldn’t be … we have no plan.
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we → have → plan
Surely, that’s the starting point.
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that → ’ → ?
Pocock warns Australia risks US-style AI datacentre backlash without long-term return
Independent senator David Pocock has warned Australia risks facing similar social licence issues over AI datacentres as the United States unless it puts in place “some sort of mechanism to get a long-term return”.
The comments come after the federal defence minister, Richard Marles, and industry and innovation minister, Andrew Charlton, met with major US AI companies during a trip to meet their American counterparts.
Speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Pocock said:
In the US they are facing massive issues when it comes to social licence.
I’m still concerned the government isn’t answering the bigger question: what’s the long-term benefit of hosting these datacentres here?
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benefit → warn → datacentres
It seems to me these big multinational tech companies are expert at minimising their taxable income here in Australia, paying very little tax, and yet we’ll be hosting this supposedly gamechanging infrastructure.
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we → seem → infrastructure
So, I don’t understand why we aren’t putting in place some sort of mechanism to get a long-term return.
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we → understand → return
A deadline to secure funding to keep embattled housing developer Bathla Group afloat has been pushed out to Monday as creditors absorb a breakdown of the group’s $3.4bn debt, AAP reports.
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AAP → secure → debt
Insolvency advisory Teneo has been scrambling to secure short-term funding for Bathla since it entered voluntary administration in late August.
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it → scramble → August
A creditors’ meeting on Friday was presented details of the company’s debt picture.
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meeting → present → picture
Teneo will continue negotiations with lenders over the weekend to try to secure funding before a staff meeting on Monday to inform Bathla employees if a short-term package has been agreed.
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package → continue → employees
Money to cover payroll had been secured through refunds of bonds held by entities such as Sydney Water, a source close to the negotiations told AAP on Friday.
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source → cover → Friday
“It’s a very volatile situation because there’s no money and time is running out,” said the source, who asked not to be named for commercial privacy reasons.
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who → ’ → reasons
The worst-case scenario if no funding came through was for building operations to shut down, they said.
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they → come → ?
Figures presented to creditors showed Bathla’s total debt at $3.4bn, including $3.08bn to secured lenders, $130m to unsecured lenders, $145m to the tax office and $4m to employees.
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Figures → present → employees
Cyclist Rohan Dennis seeks new judge for driving breach
Former Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has faced court after pleading guilty to driving while suspended, appearing before the same judge who warned him he would be jailed if he breached the ban, AAP reports.
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AAP → seek → ban
Lawyers for Dennis, 36, told the Adelaide district court on Friday that they intended to lodge an application seeking the recusal of Judge Ian Press from hearing the case.
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they → tell → case
Dennis was given a suspended 17-month jail term and banned from driving for five years in 2025 after pleading guilty to a charge over the events leading up to the death of his Olympian wife, Melissa Hoskins.
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Dennis → give → wife
Hoskins, 32, was struck by her husband’s vehicle near their home at Medindie, in Adelaide’s inner north, on 30 December 2023.
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Hoskins → strike → December
He intended to apply for a recusal of Press, Dennis’s lawyer Craig Caldicott said.
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lawyer → intend → Press
Outside court, Caldicott declined to say whether the recusal application was connected to Press’s assertion that Dennis would be jailed for driving while disqualified.
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Dennis → decline → assertion
“It’s appropriate in the circumstances to seek a recusal in this matter,” he said.
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he → ’ → matter
Asked what was wrong with this judge, he said:
There’s nothing wrong with this judge, he’s a very good judge.
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he → ask → judge
He accepted Dennis could go to jail.
uncertain
Dennis → accept → jail
He said:
There’s always a possibility on any matter, you should be well aware that driving while disqualified, he could go to jail.
uncertain
he → say → jail
The prime minister said he has spoken with Nepal’s prime minister, Balendra Shah, to “extend Australia’s deepest condolences” after the deadly flash floods.
asserted
he → say → floods
In a post on social media, Albanese said Australia “stands by Nepal” and is continuing to provide humanitarian aid “where it’s needed most”.
asserted
it → say → aid
The loss of life and destruction is devastating, and we will keep doing everything we can to find the Australians still unaccounted for.
asserted
we → keep → Australians
Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those Australians who are still missing.
asserted
who → love → Australians
…and 55 more, not listed.
