An Australian who was rescued after he was stranded unconscious on Mount Everest has been identified as Gilian Lee.

Mr Lee's against-the-odds survival comes amid a horror climbing season, with 11 mountaineers reported dead or missing so far during the northern hemisphere spring.

Few details have emerged since news first broke of the miraculous rescue, which involved a yak and a team of Tibetan alpine specialists who were on the mountain doing repair work.

The team stumbled across Mr Lee at an altitude of 7500 metres on the northern slopes of the mountain on Wednesday last week.

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Facebook posts from an account in Mr Lee's name indicate he was attempting to climb Everest without oxygen tanks.

The day before he was rescued, Mr Lee posted on Twitter that he'd had a "rough night" at Camp One, a waypoint on the path to the top of the mountain located at an elevation of about 6000 metres, due to a persistent chest infection.

Mr Lee's rescuers used a yak to drag him to the safety of base camp, where people embark on the trip to the summit. The Canberra man was reportedly taken to a hospital in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, where his condition has improved according to China Daily.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has refused to provide any other details about his dramatic survival story, citing privacy reasons.

'Every day of delay is a nightmare'

Mr Lee had documented his frustrations in the lead up to his Everest climb on social media throughout May.

"Plans getting worse by the day," Mr Lee wrote on Facebook on May 9. "Lot of wind at the summit from the south side direction."

He wrote that he was based at the Chinese Base Camp, which is less popular than the base camp on the Nepalese side, but that the Chinese rope fixing team who prepare the path for climbers had not arrived.

"Every day of delay is a nightmare," Mr Lee wrote.

And he spoke about the particular challenges of trying to prepare for an Everest ascent without using oxygen cylinders. Mr Lee said that without being able to climb higher than Camp One, he was unsure about acclimatising to the low oxygen levels further up the mountain.

"The science for acclimatisation for non-O2 [oxygen cylinder climbing] is not as well known. Does one really need to hit high high? Last year a higher point worked OK. It's all out of my hands … horrible feeling," Mr Lee concluded.

Climbing without oxygen appeared important for Mr Lee. When a friend queried his decision on Facebook, Mr Lee said that if he were climbing with oxygen "I might as well chop 50 per cent of the mountain height off."

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He said he had summitted another extremely high peak, Manaslu, which is the eighth highest mountain in the world and also in Nepal, without oxygen tanks.

A day earlier, Mr Lee had been more optimistic, writing that his "support and sherpa team are looking strong and committed."

In a post on his blog, he described climbing Everest as "unfinished business" because of a failed attempt that he blamed on "being horrendously let down by the expedition company", which he called an inexperienced, Indian-run company.

"I have put a lot of pressure onto myself. I am running out of $$ to keep chasing this dream," Mr Lee wrote.

"I will never take supplemental O2, as it is just not me. It is like asking Alex Honnold to use a rope in his monumental solo climb up El Capitan. Defeats the purpose of being there in the first place in my opinion. This will be the last throw of the dice."

A mountain under strain

The heavy death toll from this year's climbing season has put the issue of overcrowding on the iconic mountain back in the spotlight.

Climbers have shared photos taken just below the summit, showing them queued up in a tight column, waiting for their moment to push for the summit.

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Canadian adventurer and filmmaker Elia Saikaly said he was unlikely to ever return after the chaos he witnessed as he made the summit last Thursday.

Mr Saikaly returned from his eighth Everest expedition with a sense of abhorrence, saying he had watched people clamber over dead bodies.

"I cannot believe what I saw up there. Death. Carnage. Chaos. Lineups. Dead bodies on the route and in tents at camp 4," he posted on social media after making it safely back to base camp.

"People who I tried to turn back who ended up dying. People being dragged down. Walking over bodies."

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He later told the Ottawa Citizen he was unlikely to make another journey to the summit.

"It's a really messed up thing to be in a position where you have to walk over a dead body," he said. "Do I think I'll go back? I don't think so. Not after this season. It was pretty horrific."

American doctor Ed Dohring, who made the summit a few days ago, told the New York Times it was "like a zoo" up there, with climbers jostling to take selfies and lined up chest to chest.

"It was scary," he said, describing how, like Mr Saikaly, he had to step around the body of a woman who'd just died.

Nepal's tourism authority has responded to the cluster of deaths by saying overcrowding is not solely the problem.

The authority's director general, Dandu Raj Ghimire, said other factors were involved including only very brief windows of fine weather during which climbers could push for the summit.

Other veteran climbers have also pointed to the inexperience of some climbers and the pursuit of profits by climbing companies.

AAP with Nick Bonyhady

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David Pocock's career has always been a mix of rugby, injuries and politics, so it was fitting all three featured during his Super Rugby farewell announcement on Tuesday.

The champion Wallabies flanker spoke at length about the end of his 13-year Super Rugby career, the frustrating and "rare" calf injury threatening his World Cup hopes and his reaction to Israel Folau being sacked for homophobic posts on social media.

Pocock has been ruled out for the rest of the ACT Brumbies season after medical staff decided it was best to turn his attention to the Wallabies' World Cup campaign rather than rushing into a comeback.

Losing Pocock would be a crippling blow for Australia's chances of winning the World Cup for a third time, particularly after Folau's contract was terminated earlier this month.

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Pocock tore his calf on the first day of a Wallabies pre-season camp in January and he has been unable to full recover since, limiting him to just three games for the Brumbies this season.

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He has had multiple injections and has enlisted the help of AIS medical staff to try to speed up his recovery, but even now there are no guarantees he will be available for World Cup selection.

"I think the best thing now is to take the pressure off and actually get it right rather than continuing to do what I was doing," Pocock said. "I'd be very disappointed [if I never play again]. It could be the case, I don't know. But I'll certainly be doing everything I can for it not to be the case. You've just got to deal with things that happen.

"All the specialists we've talked to say it's fairly rare so something I just really need to get right and give it a bit more time than we have.

"A few times I've got back up to 70, 80 per cent and thought I was pretty close. We'll certainly get it right and I'll be based here in Canberra for my rehab and working with doctor, physio, [Brumbies athletic director] Ben Serpell, who I've spent far too much around over the years."

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Pocock is widely regarded as the world's best openside flanker, dominating the breakdown at Super Rugby and Test level since bursting on to the scene as a teenager in 2006.

His body has copped a hammering on the field, putting himself in positions most other people wouldn't dare go. He has carried that mantra off the field as well, taking strong stances on social issues ranging from same-sex marriage equality to climate change.

Many viewed Pocock and Wallabies teammate Folau as polar opposites because of differing beliefs, particularly about homosexuals. For Pocock, though, it was always about the issue rather than individuals.

He described the Folau saga as sad but hoped sport could continue to push boundaries to be more inclusive.

"It's been a really tough situation for rugby. At the end of the day we've got so much more in common than the few things that might divide us," Pocock said when asked if he had spoken to Folau. "As a sport, we want to be inclusive. We want to create a safe place for people so that when they turn up to play rugby they feel like they can be whoever they are.

"I've always said sport is at its best when its inclusive and it's actually challenging society to be more inclusive. Rugby has done a great job over the years of doing that.

"It's been dealt with now … it's really, really sad to see him go but I really hope we can continue with the work that's been done to create a safe place.

"It's a hard situation to come up with a winner. It's just sad.

"We all need to move on and think about how we can play our part in creating a more kind society. We're facing some much bigger issues than that, we're facing some serious issues with climate change and the ecological crisis we're in. We need people to be coming together and taking some meaningful action.

"There are a lot of great things happening, but it just seems like bad news seems to do better than all the good stuff, unfortunately."

A career in politics after rugby, perhaps? "I'm not sure," Pocock grinned. "It's not something I've thought a lot about. It's a pretty hard slog."

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Notorious paedophile Michael Anthony Guider could be assessed for anti-libidinal medication to reduce the likelihood of him sexually assaulting more children when he is released, lawyers for the state government have suggested in court documents.

Guider, 68, killed nine-year-old Samantha Knight after she disappeared from Bondi in August 1986. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2002, telling a psychiatrist that she died from an overdose of sleeping pills, but he now denies having a role in her death. Samantha's body has never been found.

On Monday, barristers for the State of NSW argued Guider should be kept behind bars beyond the expiry of his 17-year manslaughter sentence next week, noting a "real and unacceptable risk" he will commit another serious offence if released.

Guider's legal team opposed the application, revealing he has been seriously bashed twice while in custody, one assault leaving him with short-term memory loss. He fears further assaults after his cellmate – described as his "best friend" – was killed.

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In 2014, when Guider became eligible for parole, the State Parole Authority declined to grant it. He did not apply for parole after that, believing an application to be futile.

Guider was sentenced to two lengthy prison terms in 1996 and 2000 for assaulting more than a dozen children from 1980 to 1996, taking photos of some of his acts. He used sleeping pills on at least four other children after Samantha was killed, the NSW Supreme Court was told on Monday.

In written submissions released by the court, Crown prosecutors David Kell, SC, and Joanna Davidson outlined a range of options that would reduce the likelihood of Guider re-offending.

They include drug and alcohol counselling, electronic monitoring, scrutinising Guider's online activity, arriving at his home unannounced, and "a request or direction to undergo a psychiatric review for consideration for anti-libidinal medication", which limits a person's sexual drive.

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When Guider was sentenced in 2000 for sexually assaulting two young girls, District Court Judge John O’Reilly said it was desirable for Guider to receive the hormonal injection Depo Provera, "or such other substance as may be suitable to control his compulsive paedophilia".

The use of a testosterone blocker was also suggested in a psychiatrist's report in 1996.

Guider's barristers Matthew Johnston, SC, and Georgia Lewer said in their written submissions that their client was a "model prisoner" who had served a "very long sentence" and done everything required of him. He was given a warning once in his 23 years in custody, for feeding birds, they said.

Guider has taken part in day release 20 times between June 2016 and February 2019, accompanied by the chaplain from Long Bay jail. His most recent day release was in October 2018, according to the documents.

Mr Johnston and Ms Lewer said Guider had access to children on his many day releases, "which he avoided", and should be subject to strict conditions in the community instead of being kept in custody. A further period behind bars could undermine the rehabilitation he has made, they said.

Guider has participated in three sex offender treatment programs, completed a university degree by correspondence, and taken part in drug and alcohol interventions and an anger management course.

His barristers said he had relationships with adult women in the past, and "apparently slowly developed a deviant sexual interest" in children after a "highly dysfunctional and traumatic" childhood.

The state has also applied for Guider to be subject to 56 strict conditions for five years after he is released, including a curfew and a ban on viewing pornographic or violent material.

Justice Richard Button will decide if Guider should be kept behind bars before June 6.

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Along with our Great Barrier Reef and America's Grand Canyon, Mount Everest is commonly and justifiably included in the list of the world’s greatest natural wonders. Like the former two, it’s the whole Everest massif, not just its singular, pre-eminent summit that constitutes this wondrous phenomenon. The stellar cluster of adjacent peaks and the glaciers they feed; on the southern, Nepal side, the valleys carved deep by tumbling rivers, cloaked in rich and distinct altitude-graduated vegetation; on the other side, the starkly different, high undulating plateau of Tibet, where aridity lies bare, the bones of the earth exposed to the thin cold air and intensely bright high-altitude light. All add to the richness and complexity.

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The mountain itself is the central jewel, the enduring symbol of human hope, striving and achievement, the primary reason why, especially on the more diverse Nepal side, tens of thousands flock to make the arduous trek up towards points below it to gaze in wonder at the all-round spectacle, and why climbers, and those who aspire to be climbers, harbour the desire to stand on the highest point on earth.

The crowds have brought comparatively great wealth to the Sherpa people, who live in the valleys on the Nepal side. There’s hardly a house where glass windows don’t feature prominently, whereas in other parts of Nepal, adorned by lower but no less spectacular mountains, glass windows are rare or non-existent, the people are poor.

The government reaps a rich reward as well, collecting more than $4 million annually from climbing permits alone. Yet little of this gets put back into managing the burgeoning problem of overcrowding.

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Once the preserve of only hardened climbers relying on their own skills rather than others’ and even forging new and more difficult routes, Everest’s summit has now become a purchasable commodity via dozens of companies offering to guide the two easier routes.

Every season now we see the farcical and deadly situation of hundreds of climbers queuing up the well-trodden line, all reduced to the speed of the person in front with few, if any "overtaking lanes".  Many of them have a bare minimum of experience and all are relying on their guides’ fragile ability to save them in the event of an equipment malfunction, a sudden change in weather or the onset of the often fatal pulmonary or cerebral oedema.

The record numbers of ascents this year have been accompanied by a predictable increase in fatalities, many of them attributable to the overcrowding caused by unregulated numbers of minimally experienced climbers whose main qualifier has been to have deep pockets.

Above Base Camp all human bodily waste simply stays there to be desiccated and blown about with the snowflakes until eventually brought down into the valley entombed in the glacier. Nowhere else on earth is such a natural treasure treated with such disregard for the impact of overcrowding. Rafting down the Grand Canyon is strictly controlled to preserve its natural integrity, numbers on America’s highest peak Denali are restricted and strict environmental guidelines are enforced, similarly popular walking trails around the world, including in Australia, have limits.

But Nepal is a poor country and officials are not inclined to limit numbers on Everest because they say it would result in a loss of revenue. For many years now, experienced climbers like myself have been lobbying the government to make changes.

To me there is an elegant solution that should not result in any loss of revenue but would spread the windfall to mountain villages below lesser peaks across the country. The rules could be changed so that there’s a process of qualification requiring aspirant "Everesters", or those wanting to ascend any of the other increasingly popular 8000-metre peaks, to first climb a designated 6000-metre mountain away from the Everest region followed by climbing a similarly designated 7000-metre mountain.

As well as spreading the economic benefit and seeing more of these these hardy, wonderful people enjoy glass in their windows, it would automatically reduce numbers on Everest and give those who eventually qualified at least a safe foundation of experience. Finally some dignity would be returned to a sullied icon.

Tim Macartney-Snape is a mountaineer and author.  He and Greg Mortimer were the first Australians to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They did so without oxygen.

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Bernard Tomic has denied not giving it his all despite lasting just 82 minutes against Taylor Fritz in another forgettable French Open for the Australian.

The big-serving American made the most of a disinterested Tomic to run away with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 first round victory, the 21-year-old’s most dominant in a grand slam.

World No.84 Tomic raced through his service games at almost comical speed as his main draw record on the French clay worsened to 3-10.

Tomic managed to combine nonchalance and impatience in a first set that lasted just 23 minutes.

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The 26-year-old barely looked up between serves and even tried to concede a winner against his serve on match point, despite his bemused opponent and the chair umpire telling him his delivery had been a fault.

Tomic then shrugged his way through another abrupt post-match press conference, although stopped short of saying he hadn’t given his all.

He did agree with compatriot Nick Kyrgios’ social media post last week that the French Open "sucked", compared to Wimbledon, but said it was just a fact that his game wasn’t suited to the slower surface.

"[I’m] pretty sure I did [try], but, you know, surface is not good for me," he said. "I mean, it’s not difficult. It’s just my game is not built for this surface. Everything I do is not good for it."

His performance – both on and off the court – mirrored last year’s first round exit, although on that occasion he had won seven straight matches on clay to qualify for the main draw.

Slight rain was all that could slow Tomic’s self-driven demise in the first set, while he could only laugh when a trainer was called for him inadvertently early in the second.

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Turning away the help, Tomic returned to court with a wry grin, praying towards the sky saying "I love Roland Garros, I love it".

The comic relief seemed to spring Tomic into action, albeit briefly as the world No.84 found himself back on serve, breaking for 4-4 in the second set.

Fritz dug in though, earning the break after winning back-to-back 22-shot rallies against the Queenslander.

Normal service resumed though as Tomic watched an ace sail by as the American, ranked 42 places higher, secured the set and an early break in the third to all but kill off the first glimmers of a contest.

The grass season awaits the former world No.17, who is slated for qualifying at Queens next month, but with another shrug of his shoulders Tomic said the only concrete plan he currently had was to return to his Paris hotel.

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Times are tough. Your relationship is in the emergency room and the last rites are being read. The person you fell in love with has the capacity and the inside knowledge to destroy you. It is time for drastic interventions.

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Divorce has few victors. Children suffer. Everyone, almost invariably, loses. There may be exceptions to this but if you can consider avoiding divorce in your life, do it.

This is about the moment when your partner is on the brink of being out the door or is at the point of running you out, and it's not what you want. Before you connect again we need to build respect, then protect an then re-connect.

First, if you do not want your relationship to end it is likely you are grieving, hurt and sad. Your partner may want to rush things along to a quick separation. For this reason slow the process down, if you can.

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People who want to end a relationship abruptly are almost always out of the resilient zone. They are feeling agitated and usually ascribing the reason they feel this way to you. Usually they are in the 'flight' mode. Alternatively, they are absent and attributing the reason for feeling deadened to you.

As hard as it is to think about their perspective at this time, it is important. Realise that there is often just as much pain the person wanting to leave. This can be hard to believe, especially if there has been infidelity, and they will often put on the appearance that they are determined to be rid of you. In the dark recesses of their mind, however, a shred of doubt will always linger.

We are going to use that shred of doubt to increase your chances of not getting divorced.

Respect

The first thing to know is that the person you hope beyond hope will care for you and love you is not able to do that for you at the the moment. Even if they don't show it, they are going through their own turmoil and pain. Most likely they are concealing this and instead directing their anger and blame towards you. You may well think, 'Well, let them, it's their fault after all – they're the person who wants to leave!'

If you really don't want to separate and divorce, you need to think clearly and be strategic. This means you may need a lot of support from friends and family as you process your feelings.

First, avoid begging, pleading or cajoling. Make sure that the people you vent to or confide in do not make emotional submissions on your behalf.

There is a part of you that is probably hurting like hell. There is probably another part that is furious. The fragile part of you that is in pain wants to cling on. However, if you chase your partner they will feel suffocated or hunted and shift to the agitated zone. They will begin to feel trapped and that everything has to happen quickly. Needing to cope with this will switch them into the avoidant zone. It is time to stop giving your partner reason to leave you.

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This is going to be very hard, but don't be put off by the challenge. It may be the best thing you ever do.

Stop discussing the relationship for a time

Trying to reason with or persuade a partner who wants to end a relationship rarely works. It is never just a matter of convincing the other person. You may be distressed and upset. They are also likely to be confused, reactive and defensive. This situation involves a powerful cocktail of emotions.

Stop pursing them

Immediately stop anything that your partner might view as trying to keep them involved. This means stopping: frequent phone calls, texts or emails; loving messages of any kind; begging, pleading; describing all the good times in your relationship; following your partner around; encouraging talk about the future; asking for reassurances; buying them gifts or flowers; planning holidays or trips away together; trying to schedule dates together; the surveillance program – no spying on them, checking their phone or computers or their arrangements.

Stop saying 'I love you'. Completely stop. Every time you say 'I love you', you might be reminding your partner that they might not love you.

Get a life

As shattered as you likely are, get a life. While this is a really big ask, you do need ot act as if you are moving forward with your life. Otherwise, you might as well seek legal advice and draw up the documents.

I expect you are asking yourself, 'How can I do this when I feel like crap? I can hardly function, it'a  miracle getting out of bed each day, and things are horrible at home.'

Start to treat yourself better. Start doing things that are out of character compared with the way you have been acting lately. Move gently beyond helplessness into action and power.

Edited extract from The Revolutionary Art of Changing Your Heart by Andrew Fuller, published by Hachette Australia on 28 May 2019, $29.99 Trade Paperback.

Dr Andrew Fuller is an Australian clinical psychologist.

The Australian teenager dubbed "Egg Boy" after he smashed a raw egg on the head of far-right Senator Fraser Anning has donated $100,000 toward helping those affected by the Christchurch mosque attacks.

The money was raised on two Go Fund Me pages set up by others after Will Connolly, 17, egged Anning, who had blamed Muslim immigration for the shooting.

In an Instagram post, Connolly said he had donated $99,922.36 to the Christchurch Foundation and Victim Support. The post did not say whether that was Australian dollars, but if it is, the amount would be nearly NZ$106,000.

The money was transferred "after a huge amount of red tape", Connolly said in the Tuesday evening post.

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"I decided to donate all monies to help provide some relief to the victims of the massacre… it wasn't mine to keep," he said.

"To the victims of the Tragedy, I whole heartedly hope that this can bring some relief to you."

The teenager had egged Mr Anning at a far-right rally in Moorabbin in Melbourne's south-east on March 16, the day after the Christchurch terror attack.

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Senator Anning was criticised around the world for saying Muslims were "not blameless" for the mosque shootings which killed 50 people.

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Will, a 17-year-old student from Melbourne's bayside, cracked an egg on the head of the politician during the Melbourne rally, in response to his comments. He was then tackled to the ground by a group of the senator's supporters.

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Following the incident, police handed Will an official caution, but he was not charged.

At the time, Will's lawyer Peter Gordon said his client was relieved with the "common sense outcome" from police.

"[Will] appreciates that he went about expressing a passionately held view in the wrong way and he acknowledges that," he said.

"He thanks the police and his family and everyone who has supported him through a pretty stressful time for him. He wants to get back to pursuing his year 12 studies."

Latrell Mitchell has always been compared to Greg Inglis during his short but esteemed career so far – and that is the very reason, he says, why he will never play for South Sydney.

In the same week Mitchell joined the NSW Blues camp and whispers emerged he had already agreed to a two-year extension with the Sydney Roosters for around $800,000 a year, the gun centre for the first time gave an insight into why he hasn't seriously entertained persistent links with the Rabbitohs.

"I have always thought about [the move] with GI moving out, but then again, I've been hyped up after 'GI' for most of my career now, and I think if I move there I'd be more of a shadow," Mitchell said. "I am a person that wants to make my own name.

"I know me and GI have the same attributes on the field. Then again, I want to try and be better than Greg. I know he would have tried to be better than his idol. And I know for a fact he would want me to be better than him. That is the way it goes.

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"I want to be myself, be my own man and play my own game. They have a big [Indigenous] fan base. My old boy came down to Souths to have a crack. He got homesick and went home. He has always been a Souths supporter and has always rubbed it in. I don’t know how to explain it."

Like everybody else in the game, Mitchell wanted Inglis to "finish off on a high" before his recent retirement but now wishes him only the best. "I just hope he's doing well off the field," Mitchell said.

Mitchell's future beyond 2020 at the Sydney Roosters has been a huge storyline for most of the season, and after Inglis's shock retirement the young pin-up was heavily linked with a move across to the other side of Anzac Parade.

Even the most rusted-on Souths fan, however, would now understand Mitchell's reluctance to pull on the cardinal and myrtle. The past few months became stressful for Mitchell as he went through a messy split with long-time manager Steve Deacon and linked with new agent Wayde Rushton.

"You can’t put all your trust in one bucket with someone. All that stuff is in the past," he said.

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When the Roosters extension is posed to him, Mitchell did not appear surprised, giving the look of a man who has heard every story linking him at some stage to all 15 rival clubs.

"That's the first time I'm hearing this. How much was it?" Mitchell asked.

When told around $800,000 a year, Mitchell smiled and said: "I would love to see that. I am still under contract with the Roosters until next year. Whatever happens, happens. I will leave it all aside. I don’t need to worry about it."

The only concern for Mitchell right now is winning another series for the Blues. He would have loved the chance to play alongside Luke Keary in what shaped as an all-Roosters left edge with Boyd Cordner and James Tedesco sweeping across the back.

Mitchell was just as excited to link up with good mate and new NSW No.6 Cody Walker, the debutant he's also had the privilege of playing under with the Indigenous All Stars at the start of the year.

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Queensland have their own superstar 21-year-old in Kalyn Ponga but Maroons fans will be fearing what Mitchell is capable of for the Blues.

If they need reminding, Queenslanders need only to go back and watch what he did to the Wests Tigers a few Saturday nights back at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Roosters and NSW skipper Cordner has seen first hand how Mitchell has blossomed spectacularly since he first stormed onto the Origin arena last year and the Blues captain is expecting even more from him this time around.

"There are times in the game when he's the only player in the NRL who can do what he does, and I suppose that's why he's so good. He's a game-breaker," Cordner said.

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At a parliamentary hearing in Ottawa on Tuesday sat two name cards – "Mark Zuckerberg" and "Sheryl Sandberg" – and two empty chairs.

For the second time in less than a year, Facebook's founder and its chief operating officer declined to appear before an international committee of legislators from nearly a dozen countries who are investigating privacy, big data and democracy.

This did not please the Canadian hosts of the committee, who blasted the pair for not appearing, and the panel issued an unusual, open-ended summons: Zuckerberg and Sandberg will be required to come before Parliament should they venture to Canada for any reason.

"If Mr Zuckerberg or Ms Sandberg decides to come here for a tech conference, or to go fishing, Parliament will be able to serve that summons and have them brought here," said Charlie Angus, a member of the left-wing New Democratic Party.

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If they entered the country and didn't appear before the committee, Parliament could hold them in contempt, said Bob Zimmer, a Conservative who chairs the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

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While the threat seemed mostly symbolic, Tuesday's hearing showed again that anger and frustration with Facebook is real – and arguably growing.

In recent years, the company has been dogged by allegations that it is dodging responsibility for the spread of disinformation on the social network and not protecting users' personal information – accusations repeated before the international committee Tuesday.

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The committee – officially called the International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy – is made up of representatives from Canada, Britain, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, Ireland, Latvia and Singapore.

The group first met in London last year. Zuckerberg was invited but did not show up.

Though other technology companies, including Google, were summoned to the Ottawa gathering, it was Facebook's decision to send relatively junior representatives that drew the most outrage.

Zimmer called the top executives' absence "abhorrent".

"Shame on Mark Zuckerberg and shame on Sheryl Sandberg for not showing up today," he said during the hearing, according to CNN.

As the hearing progressed, legislators grilled Facebook's representatives on its handling of disinformation, casting the company as a threat to democratic institutions.

Damian Collins, a British legislator, pressed Facebook on why it had not removed a digitally manipulated video of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that went viral last week.

The company's director of public policy, Neil Potts, countered that Facebook had done something – it downranked the video, making the content less likely to appear in users' news feeds.

In separate testimony, former Facebook adviser Roger McNamee urged governments to close such platforms until they were completely overhauled.

"At the end of the day, though, the most effective path to reform would be to shut down the platforms at least temporarily," McNamee said, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "Any country can go first. The platforms have left you no choice. The time has come to call their bluff."

Though Canadian legislators did not announce any further steps, their anger was evident.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith of the governing Liberal Party mocked Zuckerberg for vowing, in a recent opinion piece for The Washington Post, to keep talking to legislators.

"If he was an honest individual writing those words," Erskine-Smith said, "he'd be sitting in that chair."

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A heavily pregnant 26-year-old woman was walking to work in Sydney's inner east on Tuesday morning when she was allegedly assaulted by another woman who suddenly emerged from an alcove.

NSW Police said there was no provocation for the attack in which the woman was allegedly punched repeatedly in the head by the stranger.

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The alleged assailant, 28, then pulled the victim's hair and rammed her into a power pole on Wentworth Avenue in Surry Hills.

The victim, who is 30 weeks pregnant, fell to the roadway where she was helped by a passerby who attempted to separate the women.

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"The civilian did not hesitate to leap to the rescue of the pregnant woman and we commend his bravery," said Chief Inspector Adam Johnson.

At the same time, a probationary police constable, who happened to be walking by just before 9am, restrained the alleged attacker.

"We would also like to praise the swift response of the probationary constable who saved the woman from further harm," Chief Inspector Johnson said.

Nine News reported the constable, who shielded the victim from a further assault, had only been with the police force for three weeks.

The alleged attacker was taken to Surry Hills Police Station and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

She appeared in Central Local Court where she was ordered to remain in custody.

The pregnant woman was taken to hospital for observation and treatment.

The child's father told 2GB's Ben Fordham the unborn child was unharmed.