Argyle mine to close

A WA mine which makes up to 90 per cent of the world's source of pink diamonds is closing.(ABC News: Charlotte Hamlyn). Next week Rio Tinto's Argyle mine will close and return to the traditional owners…. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-31/rio-tinto-argyle-diamond-mine-closure-prompts-rush-of-demand/12830396

Wadeye's high school graduates celebrate

Wadeye's high school graduates celebrate their success. (ABC News: Henry Zwartz). In the community of Wadeye, 400 kilometres west of Darwin, songs of celebration were sung this week at a high school celebration that was a long time coming. Seven students graduated high school at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College in Wadeye. They are the first cohort to graduate high school in the community in 13 years. Three of the graduates have already landed jobs, including as teacher's aides in community.

Council suspended for $89 million debt

Mayor Lisa Matthews (right), says the reason for the debt is unknown.(ABC Central Coast). The NSW Government has suspended the beleaguered Central Coast Council and appointed an administrator after it revealed an $89 million debt. The suspension comes after the NSW State Government was forced to bail the council out after it was unable to pay 2,000 of its staff earlier this month.

Australian stockpile cash in bank accounts

The nation's biggest lender, the Commonwealth Bank, now has $295.1 billion in deposits from households, a near $31 billion increase on February. Australians have stockpiled cash in their bank accounts since the advent of the pandemic as they wait for the end of the recession.

China claims the Senkaku Islands as the Diaoyu

GETTY IMAGES. American troops in Japan are ready to land on the disputed Senkaku Islands to fight off a Chinese invasion, a senior general has said, in the most explicit US commitment so far to defending the territory. Lieutenant-General Kevin Schneider, commander of US Forces Japan, was speaking after landing on a Japanese aircraft carrier during ten-day military exercises between US and Japanese forces that are explicitly directed at deterring Chinese aggression in the East China Sea. Source: The Times

Hong Kong informers promised anonymity

The national security law was introduced in June after pro-democracy and anti-Beijing demonstrations. KIN CHEUNG/AP. Police in Hong Kong are to set up a telephone hotline for members of the public to inform on anyone who does not abide by the widely condemned national security law. Any intelligence gathered from the hotline will be handled by a newly created police division. Callers have been promised anonymity.

Why Stalin is causing a classroom storm in Russia

History lessons about Josef Stalin's campaign of repression are dangerous to the health of students, Russian authorities have concluded. Andrei Suslov, a history professor at Perm State University in western Russia, wrote a history book that is now being contested by the Roskomnadsor, or Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media. The state authority classified the textbook as "dangerous to the health of children." https://www.dw.com/en/why-stalin-is-causing-a-classroom-storm-in-russia/a-39866244

Wall of Grief, Moscow

MOSCOW: People gather during a memorial as part of a commemoration of victims of the Soviet Gulag repression camps under Stalin's regime, at the national memorial to victims of Soviet-era political repressions titled 'The Wall of Grief' in Moscow, Russia. Photograph: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA

Earthquake off Turkey's Aegean Coast

A powerful earthquake has struck off Turkey's Aegean coast and north of the Greek island of Samos, destroying homes and killing at least 22 people. The 7.0 magnitude tremor was centred off Turkey's Izmir province, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

Three innocents murdered in Nice for insulting Islam

A man prays in the street outside the Notre Dame church in Nice, southern France, after a knife attack took place on Thursday, October 29, 2020. An attacker armed with a knife killed at least three people at a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice, prompting the prime minister to announce that France was raising its security alert status to the highest level. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole).

Mahathir Mohamad comments on terror attack in France

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad leaves after an interview with Reuters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 16, 2020. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng/File Photo. “Since you have blamed all Muslims and the Muslims’ religion for what was done by one angry person, the Muslims have a right to punish the French,” he said.

The Louvre, Paris

The Mona Lisa in a deserted Louvre museum as the Covid-19 pandemic keeps tourists away. Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

A robotic arm takes a sample from a 500-metre coral tower that scientists only recently discovered. Photograph: Schmidt Ocean Institute/Reuters. SYDNEY — Australian scientists found a detached coral reef on the Great Barrier Reef that exceeds the height of the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower, the Schmidt Ocean Institute said this week, the first such discovery in over 100 years.

The “blade like” reef is nearly 500 metres tall and 1.5 kilometres wide, said the institute founded by ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy. It lies 40 metres below the ocean surface and about six kilometres from the edge of Great Barrier Reef.

Cheonan, South Korea

Farmers point laser beams at migrating birds, believed to have been the source of an outbreak of avian influenza in the region. Photograph: Cheonan city government/EP

Nigel Farage praises President Trump

Nigel Farage (right) praises President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Phoenix Goodyear Airport. Chip Somodevilla//Getty Image

Thessaloniki, Greece

TESTING LINE: A photo taken with a drone shows citizens queuing for free Covid-19 rapid tests that are provided throughout the day by Hellenic National Public Health Organization, in Thessaloniki, Greece on Thursday. Photograph: Dimitris Tosidis/EPA

Jeremy Corbyn suspended from Labour Party

Former leader Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended from UK Labour for downplaying a damning report into anti-Semitism within the party. The 130-page report found significant failings in the way the Labour Party has handled complaints of anti-Semitism.

Gina Rinehart, richest woman in the world

The Australian Financial Review released part of its 38th Rich List on Thursday, revealing Ms Rinehart is now valued at $28.89billion - up from $13.81billion in 2019.

Pandani Grove Nature Walk, Tasmania

Credit: u/Nier_Tomato Reddit, Pandani Grove Nature Walk is a 1.5km, grade 2 circuit hike, located in Mount Field National Park, Tasmania. The hike should take approximately 40mins to complete.

Without China in the market, we don’t have one

AWI CEO Stuart McCullough says the campaign is about explaining the fibre's natural benefits to China's highly sophisticated audience. (Supplied: Beyond The Bale). China is now buying 83 per cent of Australia's wool clip, up from 76 per cent — or 423 million kgs — in 2018–19. https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-10-30/australian-wool-trade-reliance-on-china-grows/12821054

Bolivia's National Election

Elected members to Bolivia's Congress and Senate attend a ceremony to receive their credentials after the national elections, in La Paz, Bolivia. REUTERS/David Mercado

Gorki Leninskiye, Moscow

A boy plays near a statue of Lenin in Monument Alley at the State Museum-Reserve in Gorki Leninskiye outside of Moscow, Russia. Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA

Gorki Leninskiye. Moscow, Russia. Former estate of Lenin, now home to his death mask.

Charlie Hebdo mocks President Erdogan

A front-page cartoon in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo which mocks President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sparked furious reactions from Turkish officials on Tuesday. “We condemn this most disgusting effort by this publication to spread its cultural racism and hatred,” Erdogan’s top press aide, Fahrettin Altun tweeted.

US Investment in Australia Stocks

US corporations eclipse everyone else in their ability to influence our politics, through their investments in Australian stocks.

Kevin Rudd's link to Jeffrey Epstein

Kevin Rudd says he was "blindsided" to learn that the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein donated $650,000 to the International Peace Institute - a think tank that he has chaired and vice-chaired for six years. The former prime minister was forced to declare that he had been on a teleconference call also attended by Epstein in 2014 and attended an event while an MP in 2013 in New York where Epstein was also invited but has "no recollection whatsoever" of ever meeting the deceased financier.

SAS Australia: Channel 7's new hit show

SAS Australia: Seven’s hit new show smashes the ratings beating The Block and Junior MasterChef. While the source would not reveal how much contestants earned, the figure is said to be less than $100,000 each. “There’s a flat fee and an additional daily rate you’re paid for each day you stay on.” A spokeswoman for the Seven Network would not confirm or deny salary speculation. “We do not disclose the terms of our agreements with any people, from any of our shows,” she said. Source: Daily Telegraph

Wild horse numbers keep growing in National Parks

Supplied: Russell Kilbey). An environmental group wants to reintroduce aerial shooting in national parks in NSW, 20 years after the last horse was shot. In October 2000, three professional shooters culled 606 feral horses in the Guy Fawkes River National Park in northern NSW. A blanket ban on aerial culling was put in place after it was confirmed at least one horse did not die straight away. The council was seeking a review of the ban because they said alternative method of trapping and removing feral horses were not working. "The ban is actually a failure," Mr Cox said. "Allowing horse numbers to keep growing is not good for the national parks … and with aerial shooting there are ways to make sure that it is quick and the animal welfare issues are addressed."

Tony Bobulinski meeting with Joe Biden

Tony Bobulinski said his main meeting with Joe Biden took place in a hotel late one evening in May 2017. EVAN VUCCI/AP. A former business partner of Hunter Biden claimed last night that he met twice with Joe Biden in connection with a Chinese business deal involving his son despite the former vice-president’s denial of any involvement. Tony Bobulinski said that he was asked to head a deal between several partners including Hunter and Jim Biden, Joe Biden’s brother, with CEFC, a Chinese energy company. Mr Bobulinski told Fox News that Hunter Biden arranged for his father to meet him in May 2017 in Los Angeles while Joe Biden was there for a conference. Source: The Times

Orange County wildfire

California, US. People watch the flames rising from nearby hills as firefighters work to control the spread of the Blue Ridge Fire near homes in Butterfield Ranch, Orange County, south of LA. Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA

Richard Colbeck refuses responsibility for aged care deaths

The minister for age care Richard Colbeck defended his performance during the height of Australia’s coronavirus outbreak in a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian. Australia’s aged care minister, Richard Colbeck, has said he does not feel personally responsible for the nearly 700 coronavirus-related deaths that have occurred across the sector and wants to keep his job in the forthcoming reshuffle.

Backpacker incentives needed

Backpackers are one of the main sources of labour for most Australian horticultural farms, with few reliable local labour sources. (Supplied: Kiah Fowler, File Photo) .....Mrs McShane said incentives, including a pathway to permanent settlement in Australia, could be the last hope to lure workers back to farms. “The only incentive is some sort of visa," she said. "A lot of them come to Australia to get residency, the Government needs to look at fast-tracking residency for them." "If we do not get some talks going for 2021, the pain we're suffering now is nothing compared to what we'll suffer next year." https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-10-28/growers-plead-for-farm-labour-as-food-ploughed-into-mulch/12814450

Keith Raniere found guilty

Keith Raniere, 60, was found guilty last year of sex trafficking, racketeering, fraud and other crimes.Credit...HBO. Keith Raniere promised a path to happiness, seducing wealthy people who felt they lacked a higher purpose in life. His company, Nxivm, offered self-improvement workshops that became popular in Hollywood and business circles. But beneath the surface, Mr. Raniere was a puppet master controlling a cultlike criminal enterprise, prosecutors revealed at his trial. Some women in Nxivm were sexually abused by Mr. Raniere, and even branded with his initials in a secret ceremony. On Tuesday, Mr. Raniere, 60, was sentenced to 120 years in prison for sex trafficking and other crimes, effectively a life sentence.

Australia has moved past coronavirus downturn

The Reserve Bank believes Australia's first recession in three decades is already over and the nation has moved past the worst of the global coronavirus downturn. RBA Deputy Governor Guy Debelle spoke at a senate estimates hearing, revealing to the committee official Reserve Bank forecasts are expected to show the economy started growing again in the three months to September. The financial body will release a new economic forecast next Friday, when it hands down its quarterly monetary policy statement.

Joe Biden confuses Trump with Bush

Beware 4 more years of Bush, warns confused Biden. Joe Biden has been mocked for apparently confusing Donald Trump with one of the Bush presidents. Mr Trump seized on what appeared to be a viral gaffe with glee, referring to it repeatedly yesterday, even though a more natural explanation was that he was being interviewed by George Lopez, an actor, and stumbled over his words.

China's elderly population forecast

China could have 300 million people aged 60 or more in five years’ time, up from 254 million in 2019. TIM GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES. China’s rapidly ageing population could require the abandonment of the country’s two-child policy as pensioners will need more children to look after them, experts have warned.

Vanishing beaches was alarmist and wrong

EU report about vanishing beaches was alarmist and wrong. Contrary to a European Commission report, beaches with space to retreat, such as Slapton Sands in Devon, will survive rising seas, a report from 12 universities says. ALAMY. Beaches will survive by migrating landwards as the sea level rises as long as they are given space to move and not impeded by sea walls and other structures on the coast, the research shows. Source: The Times

Cofid-19 Memorial, Washington

COVID-19 MEMORIAL: A pedestrian views white flags placed in a memorial for people who died with Covid-19, at the DC Armory Parade Ground in Washington, DC, US. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA

Israeli supporters of Donald Trump

While Jews in the United States are expected to vote overwhelmingly for Democrat Joe Biden, Donald Trump is a popular figure in Israel, mainly among American immigrants and activists from Netanyahu’s Likud party. Israeli supporters of US President Donald Trump's bid for a second presidential term stage a rally in Jerusalem on October 27, 2020.Credit: Emmanuel Dunand / AFP

Tattoo artist Asakusa Horikazu

Tattoo artist Asakusa Horikazu poses for a photograph with people who received tattoos from Horikazu and his father, at a Japanese public bath called a "sento" in Tokyo, Japan. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Sochi, Russia

An attendant checks a passenger’s ticket on a Lastochka train. Photograph: Dmitry Feoktistov/Tass

Dubai, United Emirates

Workers clean the exterior of the Museum of the Future in the financial district. Photograph: Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images.

The museum, a centrepiece of Dubai’s Expo 2020, is housed in an award-winning stainless steel structure, topped by a giant torus ‘eye’. The Museum of the Future is an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai.

Crops waterlogged after hail and heavy falls

Three generations of the Cullen family inspect their damaged crops at Coonamble.(ABC Western Plains: Lucy Thackray). Some crops in Coonamble were destroyed on the weekend by a hailstorm while other paddocks in the western region have been waterlogged from heavy falls. Heavy rainfall has left paddocks soaking making the harvest impossible for many and delayed for others.

Mudbrick home and mulberry tree survive bushfire

Bushfire survivors Wendy Wolff and Brett Hawkins under their green Mulberry tree in front of their mudbrick house.(ABC South East NSW: Kate Aubrey)

The 40-year-old mulberry tree shaded the mudbrick home in Upper Brogo, NSW.(ABC South East NSW: Kate Aubrey)

Despite being surrounded by fire, the mulberry tree and mudbrick home in Upper Brogo, NSW, survived.(Supplied: Talia Davis)

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner billboards in Times Square

The couple’s lawyers say the billboards must be removed. ANDREW SCHWARTZ/SPLASH NEWS. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are threatening to sue a group of anti-Trump Republicans after billboards accused them of indifference to Americans who have died of coronavirus. The Lincoln Project, a pugnacious collective of Republicans who have turned against the party, bought two billboards in Times Square, New York.