Morning everyone. Anthony Albanese thinks it will be just good to talk. Business leaders could not hide their glee about a possible rapprochement with Australia’s largest trading partner. The prime minister’s meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in Bali this evening is a significant moment for Australia, and our political editor, Katharine Murphy, is on the spot at the G20 to bring you all the action. There’s concern back home for people in Eugowra, cut off by more severe flooding in New South Wales, and waters are rising in other towns, too. And we have contrasting stories about tech titans Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Australia
Flood disaster | The central west New South Wales town of Eugowra was cut off by rising flood waters last night as family and friends of missing residents waited anxiously to hear if their loved ones are safe. About 200 were airlifted to safety in Orange in more than 100 rescue operations. The BoM also issued flood warnings for Forbes and Bathurst.
Goodwill hunting | Anthony Albanese will sit down with “goodwill” for talks tonight with Xi Jinping and says he is hoping to build “mutual understanding” with the man who rules the world’s most populous nation with an iron fist (and who also met the US president, Joe Biden, overnight). Business Council of Australia chief, Jennifer Westacott, is with the PM and called the announcement of the meeting a “tremendous reset” and the chance to rebuild trade.
Church ‘pressuring’ victims | The Catholic church has been accused of pressuring alleged victims of now-dead paedophile priests to accept “paltry amounts” or risk having their claims permanently blocked.
Super punt | Australia’s biggest superannuation funds are investing huge amounts of workers’ retirement savings in casinos and poker machines, with even the “socially aware” option run by AustralianSuper ploughing cash into pokies operator Endeavour. In total, super funds poured $4.2bn into the gambling industry.
Barrier story | Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island, formed about 1m years ago and was a “necessary precondition” for the southern and central Great Barrier Reef to develop, a new study suggests.
World
Boats entente | The UK government has reached a deal with France to try to curb illegal boat crossings, but experts suspect it won’t work.
Alzheimer’s blow | Hopes of a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease have been dealt a blow by the failure in global trials of a drug called gantenerumab to slow the progression of the condition.
Fair Cop | Chris Bowen will use a speech at the Cop27 summit in Egypt today to criticise the World Bank for not doing enough to tackle the climate crisis, but Australia still lags most developed countries in the climate performance index.
Kherson victory | The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has made a surprise visit to the liberated city of Kherson, making a speech to cheering crowds.
Amazon gift | Jeff Bezos has promised to give away the vast majority of his $124bn fortune to good causes, while fellow tech titan Elon Musk says he has “too much on his plate” after buying and trying to run Twitter.
Full Story
Iran’s protest generation and why they won’t be silenced
Unrest has been spreading across Iran for weeks, in anger at the Islamist regime’s hardline policies. The protesters – many of whom are students or even schoolchildren – are refusing to back down. Michael Safi finds out what motivates them.
In-depth
The east coast of Australia faces “rapidly increased risks” of severe tropical cyclones which will be more intense, dump more rain and shift farther south as the climate heats up, according to scientists. South-east Queensland is among the regions under particular threat.
Not the news
Six giant trolls made from scrap wood and dotted in unforeseen locations around the Peel region of Western Australia form an exhibition called Giants of Mandurah, by the recycle artist Thomas Dambo. Taking inspiration from the fairytales of his Danish heritage, Dambo has created the sculptures as tributes to sustainability, adventure and imagination.
The world of sport
AFL | An umpire is among four people to have been arrested by Victorian police over allegations that someone with inside knowledge of the tallies for the Brownlow medal – won by Patrick Cripps – gave the information to a betting ring.
‘Not ideal’ | England’s Australian coach, Matthew Mott, has criticised the schedule that sees his team begin an ODI series against Australia on Thursday, just four days after their victory in the T20 World Cup final.
Golf | The South Australian premier has attacked “establishment monopolist forces” in golf as he defended his state’s willingness to host the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that one of NSW’s biggest dams is about to spill vast amounts of water on an already waterlogged state, while the Canberra Times has “incredible” footage of the Wyangala dam. The Central Western Daily says that Molong is “on its knees” but “rises in face of utter ‘devastation’”, and also has 60 “incredible images” from the stricken town. It’s a similar story in the Geelong Advertiser which reports that the city is on flood watch after “wild weather”. The West Australian says the state government will hold “crisis talks amid growing anger about treatment of child detainees” at the Banksia Hill facility.
What’s happening today
AGL AGM | AGL Energy holds its annual general meeting in Melbourne with a clash expected between the board and Mike Cannon-Brookes over his attempt to appoint three directors. Climate activists plan to protest outside the meeting.
Santos appeal | Santos is appealing against a judge’s decision to block offshore drilling for a gas project in the Northern Territory.
RBA minutes | The minutes of the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy meeting are due out at 11.30am and could shed more light on the direction of the cash rate.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
