the bbc�*s phil mercer went to meet some furry friends in sydney. come through! know a trick or two about making money from dogs. from daycare to vets and grooming, australia's pet industry that grew rapidly during the covid pandemic is worth billions of dollars. across australia there are more pets than people, and dogs are the nation's favourite. there is an appetite in the australian market to have a dog in the house and it's one of the things that make the house a home, it's a family member, some people's only child or extra child, particularly with dogs, the love and fun they give you and the the joy is unmatched. the bond australians have with their pets is strong, despite economic uncertainty. but many animals are abandoned or taken to shelters. thejiji rescue cat cafe in sydney offers the unwanted a second chance. i don't think it is cheap and easy to have cats or dogs. first of all, it's a 20—year commitment, notjust a pretty present. the cost of pets is not cheap. if they got sick, even consultations cost a lot. there are physical and psychological bene

phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. that's all for now. stay with bbc news. marc edwards. less than 48 hours before euro 2024 kicks off in germany, we catch up with the scotland team tasked with spoiling the hosts' opening night party. india qualify for the t20 world cup super 8 but are made to work by the usa. the gold standard for keely hodgkinson. she tops the european championship 800m podium with the olympics just around the corner.

our correspondent phil mercer told us about the significance of the visit.the chinese premier is the first person holding that position to come to this country since 2017. so there's symbolism in lee chung simply stepping off the plane in australia. plenty of symbolism to visiting those two pandas at adelaide zoo suggesting this soft diplomacy that's at play there. also significant that he went to a winery. given that the wine trade in australia was one of those industries hard hit by china's economic sanctions that it imposed on a range of australian commodities beginning back in 2020. but significant challenges lie ahead. we are expecting some fairly robust political talks when the chinese premier meets the australian prime minister, mr albanese, in canberra on monday. national security, china's ambitions in the pacific, china's ambitions in the south china sea and human rights likely to be included in those talks. but for now there is optimism that australia's relationship with its most important trading partner is finally improving after years in the dee

phil mercer in sydney.ned was "horrific." simonjones reports. on the run, but the journey made by the young cow, called beau lucy, is about to come to an abrupt end. police said they'd been trying to capture her for several hours after she'd been running at members of the public. what happened next has been described by the rspca as distressing. the cow is deliberately hit at speed by a police car. as she attempts to get up, she's hit again. i'm thinking, why is there a cow at the top of my road? so, as i come out i've seen the police car come. it“s rammed it and then it got up, carried on running again and it's rammed it again. i think it could have been dealt with a lot more humanely. i think it was quite distressing for everyone. the cow was being kept on staines moor. from there, she was first reported to the police to be on the loose on friday night in the nearby town. she ran for several miles before being struck in raleigh road in feltham. what happened on this road is now under investigation. police

from sydney, phil mercer brings us the background from the last few years.ia and china, its biggest trading partner, have been fought for years. they have been tensions over the south china sea, taiwan and democracy in hong kong. australia pot call for an independent inquiry into the origins of covid—19 —— australia pot call. it infuriated beijing and took it up infuriated beijing and took it up a criticism of the early days of the pandemic. china imposed restrictions on a range of australian commodity export including wine and coal. anthony albanese, he is the australian prime minister elected in may of 2022. he has been on a mission to stabilise relations with china and his efforts appear to be bearing fruit. mr albanese has however cautioned that there will be areas of disagreement with china, especially over events in the south china sea, and human rights. at premier li's visit to australia is significant because it shows that friendly relations are possible. what it means for australia, it must engage in very delicate diplomacy. 0n the one hand it wants

opportunities, with executives from key sectors such as energy and green tech. 0ur correspondent phil mercert position to come to this country since 2017. so there is symbolism in him simply stepping off the plane in australia. plenty of symbolism to visiting those two pandas at adelaide zoo suggesting this soft diplomacy that's at play there. also significant that he went to a winery. given that the wine trade in australia was one of those industries hard hit by china's economic sanctions that it imposed on a range of australian commodities beginning back in 2020. but significant challenges lie ahead. we are expecting some fairly robust political talks when the chinese premier meets the australian prime minister, mr. albanese, in canberra on monday. national security, china's ambitions in the pacific, china's ambitions in the south china sea and human rights likely to be included in those talks. but for now there is optimism that australia's relationship with its most important trading partner is finally improving after years in the deep freeze. the prince and princess of wales have release