TRANSCRIPT
- Timor-Leste marks 25 years since the UN-backed referendum that secured its independence.
- Indigenous health advocates call for culturally appropriate aged care.
- And in sports, new records set at the Sydney Marathon.
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Australia's Minister for Defence Personnel, Matt Keogh, says he is honoured to have participated in the 25th anniversary commemorations in Timor-Leste.
In the capital, Dili, Mr Keogh says the enduring friendship between the two nations is something that Australia holds dear.
A national commemorative service will be held in Canberra later this week to mark the 25th anniversary of Australian service in Timor-Leste, which helped bring peace and security after Indonesia's occupation.
Ian Martin is the former Head of the United Nations Mission in East Timor.
He told UN News that the UN presence - and help from Australia - was crucial in helping the country gain independence.
"The logistical challenge was huge - that's true; and I think there were people in New York who thought that the Secretary General and his team were crazy to have signed an agreement on the 5th of May that said the UN would carry out the ballot on the 8th of August. We got a lot of help from interested member states, particularly Australia, because it was nearby it was very able to help. Voluntary funding, so we didn't have to wait for a budget and all that kind of thing. But the real challenge was indeed security."
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The Healing Foundation has called for a national approach to support Stolen Generations survivors as they navigate the use of aged care services in older age.
The foundation's chairperson, Professor Steve Larkin, says culturally appropriate and trauma-informed services are important to allow Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants to access a quality of life that has been largely denied until now.
There are still 17,000 Stolen Generations survivors across Australia, all of them aged over 50.
According to the landmark Bringing Them Home Report in 1997, most Indigenous families have been affected, in one or more generations, by the forcible removal of one or more children.
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In their second prisoner swap in two days, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 103 prisoners each today following negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says all 103 Ukrainians returned were from the military - 82 soldiers and privates and 21 officers.
One of the freed prisoners was seen calling his family after arriving back in Ukraine.
"Mum, Misha, I am so happy to hear your voices. Don’t worry, I am in Ukraine now, on my land."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy credited the release of the prisoners to his forces' recent counter-invasion into Russia which experts believe will be used to strengthen Ukraine's negotiating position in future peace talks.
The Russian Defence Ministry says the 103 Russian soldiers exchanged had been taken prisoner during the Ukrainian incursion.
Russia claims its forces have now recaptured 10 settlements in the Kursk region in a counter-attack against Ukraine's forces.
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The head of Myanmar’s military government has requested relief aid from foreign countries, after recent deadly flash floods and landslides displaced nearly 240,000 people across the country.
The army says at least 33 people have died across the country since Wednesday.
The eastern and central regions of Myanmar have been particularly hard hit by Typhoon Yagi, after it tore through Vietnam, northern Thailand and Laos.
Meanwhile, officials in Vietnam say the death toll in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi has climbed to 233, as rescue workers recover more bodies from areas hit by landslides and flash floods.
Nguyen Thi Loan says the extent of the destruction is hard to take in.
"The flood has made our life so difficult. Our rice crop has been destroyed. At home, the electric appliances such as washing machine, TV and fridge were under water. Some houses in the village are even flooded completely."
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In sports, new course records have been set at the Sydney Marathon.
Kenyan athlete Brimin Misoi won the men's race in a record time of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 17 seconds.
Here were the final moments of the race.
Commentator 1: “You can see the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House just ahead of him. He has seen it and he is striding out.”
Commentator 2: “He is going to get it. He is under, he is safe. I think we're home. Great running. We're hearing the crowd, locals cheering him on.”
Commentator 1: “So here he is, Brimin Misoi, brimmin' with confidence. The Sydney Marathon has been run in record time!"
Workenesh Edesa from Ethiopia won the women’s race in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds - slashing almost three minutes off the previous course record.
