Thousands of adoring fans have flocked to Sydney Olympic Park to see Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi give a speech during his first visit to Australia in almost ten years as both countries seek to build closer ties.

Homebush's Qudos Bank Arena was booked to its capacity of over 20,000 for Tuesday's night cultural event, with fans of the Indian leader flying in from across the country, including on a chartered flight from Melbourne.

"It's like an early Christmas and Diwali for us Indian diaspora in Australia," Sachin Dahiya, who organised the flight, said.

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According to Dahiya, the charter sold out in just two days.

Modi's appearance in Western Sydney is being attended by Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, before the two leaders hold their official bilateral meeting on Wednesday morning, when defence, trade, renewable energy and business is expected to be on the agenda.

The last time Modi came Down Under as prime minister was in 2014, when Australia's Indian population numbered about 400,000. Now, that number sits at 750,000.

Earlier on Tuesday, Modi met with a number of Australian influencers and celebrities, including singer Guy Sebastian.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CskpACErkRs/

Modi's visit comes after the scheduled Quad meeting in Sydney this week of leaders from the US, Australia, Japan and India was cancelled when President Joe Biden pulled out to focus on American national debt issues.

Instead the Quad leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan on the weekend.

India is the world's largest democracy and is forecast to surpass China as the world's most populous nation.

The Indian economy is also set to become one of the world's biggest.

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Global security expert Greg Barton told Today this morning Modi's visit to Australia showed India was willing to engage with the world.

"In the past, it's often fallen back on being neutral for example buying arms from Russia, not taking sides and things like Ukraine.

"Now that's changing … Modi is recognising that India has to step up and be a global partner, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region."

Albanese said ahead of Modi's visit relations between Australia and India had never been closer.

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"Australia and India share a commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Together we have an important role to play in supporting this vision.

"As friends and partners, the relationship between our countries has never been closer."

Modi last visited Australia in 2014.

In other news, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has indicated Albanese will not travel to China unless continued progress is made on the trade and consular front.

The last prime minister to visit Beijing was Malcolm Turnbull in 2016.

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Labour, meanwhile, said it hadn’t used AI in any adverts and didn’t intend to.

Habitat for Humanity sacked its Nelson manager – now an authority has ordered he return.

A Jetstar flight to Townsville was forced to turn back to Brisbane this afternoon after a "chemical smell" was reported by customers in the cabin.

With over 100 travellers onboard, pilots made the decision to turn the flight around in line with "standard procedures".

A spokesperson for Jetstar confirmed to 9news.com.au engineers are now examining the aircraft.

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"We're sorry for disrupting our customers' travel plans after their flight to Townsville had to return to Brisbane due to a chemical smell in the cabin," the spokesperson said.

"Safety is always our top priority and pilots followed standard procedures with the flight landing normally.

"Engineers are examining the aircraft before it returns to service.

"We have organised a replacement aircraft to get customers on their way."

Jetstar confirmed the smell was of hydraulic fluid, left after recent scheduled maintenance.

It's understood passengers have since boarded a replacement flight and are on their way to Townsville. 

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The family of a New Zealandstreet identity who perished in the Loafers Lodge fire has invited the people of Wellington to attend his funeral.

Michael Eric Wahrlich, 67, was confirmed by his sister, Margaret, as one of the residents of Loafers Lodge who died in the fire last Tuesday.

Known as "Mike the Juggler", Wahrlich was well known to the people of Wellington for his happy grin and ability to juggle, while dressed in his signature blue.

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Wilson Funeral Home director Nigel Rowland said he had met with Wahrlich's family, and they had decided on an open funeral for the people of Wellington to attend, with well-wishers invited to write a message on his online tribute page.

The funeral would be held at The Wilson Funeral Home in Newtown, this Friday at 11am (local time).

It would also be live streamed for people to view if they wished.

Wahrlich's sister, Margaret, previously talked to Stuff about the joy her brother had brought the people of the city he called home.

"I am very excited about the pleasure and happiness that Mike brought to the Wellington people with his juggling and his massive smile."

Wahrlich had been born at Wellington Hospital on June 27, 1955.

He was often seen outside the Westpac bank on Lambton Quay.

His sister said the family grew up in Porirua, north of Wellington city.

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He had an older brother and three younger sisters.

"He was juggling at home when we were kids."

She recalled him graduating from juggling two to four tennis balls.

Mike the Juggler was called a "city institution" by Wellington City councillor Nicola Young, and Wellington historian Redmer Yska​ said Mike was an "absolute fixture" of the Wellington landscape.

"He just always seems to be there with a smile on his face just juggling those balls so skilfully," Yska said.

"He never seems to be that serious about collecting money – just that spark of joy on the street."

It was reported he had been busking in the capital for 27 years.

Wahrlich only got out of hospital late last year after he was badly assaulted in Loafers Lodge around May 2022.

Police confirm names of three fire victims

Melvin Joseph Parun and Peter Glenn O'Sullivan, both 64, were also victims of the fire, police confirmed on Tuesday evening.

Parun was a former barrister and the brother of one of New Zealand's most successful tennis players, Onny Parun.

Five people died in the Loafers Lodge blaze and police have said up to a further 10 people remain unaccounted for.

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The formal identification process continued for two further victims, Inspector Dion Bennett, acting Wellington District Commander, said.

"We extend our condolences to their families at this extremely difficult time."

The scene examination will continue until it is finished, Bennett said.

"We are grateful for the public's patience while we carry out critical work at the scene which requires the continued closure of the northbound lane," he said.

A man, 48, has been arrested and has been charged with setting fire to the lodge and to a couch on the third floor.

He appeared in Wellington District Court on Friday.

The man was remanded in custody until June 19 and was given name suppression.

This article originally appeared on Stuff and has been reproduced with permission. 

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A Sydney University trial into preventing mice from destroying crops in New South Wales has yielded "pretty exciting" results.

The world-first study began after a mouse plague destroyed thousands of crops and cost grain growers about $1 billion two years ago.

Wagga Wagga farmer Peter Rayner was "devastated" when he lost a whole paddock of Canola after the plague in 2021.

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Rayner said you could see "little drill holes" showing where they had been taking all the seeds.

In hopes of finding a solution, he allowed Sydney University scientists to spray his wheat crop with oil derived from wheat germ.

The spray worked to ward off rodents by camouflaging the scent of the seeds as mice find their food through smell.

The wheat germ spray reduced damage to his crops by 74 per cent.

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Sydney University PHD candidate Finn Parker said he was in "disbelief" over the results.

"When I finally saw there was a difference and it had worked it was pretty exciting," Parker said.

Mice eat around 100 seeds a day, which means a crop can quite easily be wiped out.

"If you put those odours everywhere on the ground the mice can't pinpoint exactly where the seed is," Sydney University Professor Peter Banks said.

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"If the smell is there and they are digging and getting nothing they have to give up," Banks said.

"We had fooled mice which wasn't a small thing because mice are smart and its not easy to fool mice."

The product was oil made from a by-product of the milling process, which reduced the need for using toxic pesticides.

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A cruise ship passenger has died while swimming in Vanuatu.

A Carnival spokesperson confirmed the guest of the cruise had died in the Pacific nation.

"Carnival Cruise Line is deeply saddened by the death of a guest on Mystery Island, following what appears to be a medical situation whilst swimming," the spokesperson said.

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"Our care team are supporting the guest's family along with other guests during this difficult time," they said.

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The man was fined $18,000 for a similar crime in 2016.

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