News live: Penny Wong says officials ‘urgently working’ to check on dozens of Australians reported missing in Nepal flash floods

Dfat aware of a ‘number’ of Australians in flood zone

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) said it is aware of a “number” of Australians in the area affected by the flooding, saying officials stand ready to provide consular assistance.

A Dfat spokesperson said:

We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China.

Australians in the affected area should follow the advice of local authorities.

We are aware of a number of Australians in the area and Australian officials are urgently working to confirm their welfare. We are liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators.

Australia’s ambassador to Nepal, Simon Ernst, says he is “deeply saddened” by the disaster in Nepal.

A joint statement issued by the embassies of Australia, Finland, France, Norway, Switzerland the the UK in Nepal, posted on social media some hours ago by Ernst, says:

We are deeply saddened by the devastating flooding in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and surrounding areas.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster. We express our solidarity with the people of Nepal during this difficult time.

We encourage all those in affected areas to follow the guidance of local authorities and official safety advisories as the situation continues to evolve.

Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, says the government is urgently trying to confirm the welfare of Australians in Nepal, after reports dozens of Australian tourists were among those missing in flash floods.

In a statement issued this morning she said:

The loss of life and destruction caused by flash flooding in Nepal and China is devastating. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed or missing and all affected by this disaster.

DFAT officials are urgently working to confirm the welfare of Australians in the area.

Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s ۲۴-hour Consular Emergency Centre on ۱۳۰۰ ۵۵۵ ۱۳۵, or +۶۱ ۲ ۶۲۶۱ ۳۳۰۵ (if calling from overseas).

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has defended national cabinet’s decision to drop strict mandates requiring new AI data centres to be powered entirely by renewable energy.

After a meeting of national cabinet, prime minister Anthony Albanese flagged exemptions for jurisdictions including Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Speaking on ABC’s ۷.۳۰ on Wednesday evening, Malinauskas denied the PM had been rolled by state leaders, adding there was a “genuine desire” to manage the national rollout together.

“It’s pretty clear… to any objective observer that the way we’re going to see these datacentres roll out in an Australian context will be powered by renewables, because that is where the generation can come from,” he told host Sarah Ferguson.

That’s where the very large scale of energy is able to be procured at relatively quick speed… we can get renewables online sooner rather than later…

What you saw today was a nationally consistent position, that gas will have a role to play when it comes to the firming of renewables, which has always been South Australia’s view.

Malinauskas noted that different state energy profiles, such as Queensland’s state-owned generation, meant a federal mandate was unnecessary. However, he said all jurisdictions agreed that operators must construct new generation capacity.

We cannot have datacentres connecting to the grid without bringing their own new generation. Water is also clearly a consideration, but, frankly, energy is the main game. And that is accepted by all states and territories.

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Dozens of Australian tourists are reportedly missing in the deadly flash floods that swept through the Nepal-Tibet border.

According to the Nepal Tourist Board, as reported by Agence France Presse, at least ۲۹۱ foreigners were among the missing.

They include one Australian who was travelling with Kathmandu Holiday Tours + Travel.

However those numbers were quickly updated.

Press Association reported:

The Nepal Tourist Board said the number of missing people had risen from ۳۸۴ to ۴۰۳, with ۳۳ UK citizens among ۳۴۱ foreign nationals unaccounted for.

According to the tourist board, ۲۰۳ of the missing are male and ۲۰۰ female.

Also among the missing were ۴۷ people from the US, ۳۴ from Australia, and ۲۴ from Canada.

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.

An estimated ۳۴ Australians are believed missing amid devastating flash floods in Nepal. We will bring you more on this soon.

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has defended national cabinet’s decision to drop strict mandates requiring new AI datacentres to be powered entirely by renewable energy. More coming up.

Macquarie Group has dealt a further blow to KMPG when the bank said it would reverse a decision to use the embattled consultancy as its auditor and instead will retain the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers. More details shortly.