The World Today

The town of Menindee in western New South Wales is known for its huge lake system, but with the lakes almost completely dry for years, the tourist centre has been struggling to attract visitors. Now locals are rejoicing, as rain delivers some much anticipated relief.

Kurdish forces have attacked the Islamic State group in northern Iraq and retaken the town of Bashiqa, near Mosul. Kurdish Peshmerga commanders say they've made significant advances into IS territory and secured a key part of a highway. But the battle for Mosul is proving costly on both sides.

Authorities in France are making final preparations to close and demolish the so-called jungle camp in Calais. Some 7,000 asylum seekers desperate to cross the English Channel live in the sprawling shanty town, which has hosted scenes of squalor and violence.

In what the United Nations calls a 'disturbing' backslide, Afghanistan, the world's largest supplier of opium for heroin, is expected to boost production by 40 per cent this year. The UN says the country's worsening security situation is to blame, because in the growing Taliban-controlled areas, planting poppies is easy and crop destruction impossible. It is another unwelcome marker for the struggling nation and the western countries that spent billions there trying to eradicate the crop and convince farmers to grow alternatives.

High ranking North Korean officials have held secret talks with former US officials in Malaysia, prompting speculation it might lead to the resumption of official dialogue between the two sides. The isolated communist state is under heavy international sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests.

The author of the recently released book 'Blockchain Revolution' argues that the protocol behind cryptocurrencies like bitcoin won't just transform banking. Alex Tapscott argues that Blockchain will drive more change in our lives than the internet has.

Youth workers are concerned the Royal Commission into the detention and protection of young people isn't doing enough to hear from young people at risk. There were more adults than young people at a royal commission youth forum in the town of Tennant Creek last week. Youth workers say the youth forums are a good idea, but need better planning so more young people go along.

Federal Nationals are calling for the import ban on controversial Adler lever action shotguns to be lifted. They want the weapons reclassified - making them harder to obtain - allowing the import restriction to be overturned. The Prime Minister insists allowing the guns into Australia would not constitute a weakening of laws introduced after the Port Arthur massacre. Labor is accusing Malcolm Turnbull of being willing to trade public safety for votes.

As politicians debate the future of the Adler shotgun in Australia this week one of the arguments for lifting the import ban on the weapon is its potential use in pig shooting. Federal Nationals MP Mark Coulton who represents the seat of Parkes in New South Wales, says the lever-action shotgun would be mainly used by farmers to shoot feral pigs on their properties. Reporter Alison Branley has been taking a look at ways feral pigs are being managed around the country.

The Australian Energy Market Operator has released more details into the chain of events which led to South Australia's blackout last month. It found that more wind farms than first reported failed to ride through the event and disconnected or reduced their output when safety settings kicked in. AEMO is now working with wind farm operators to better understand those 'ride through' settings.