Follow the day’s news live
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
46m agoIsraeli embassy condemns flydubai ‘false flag’ conspiracies
1h agoNSW police allege two women targeted in ‘excessively violent’ home invasions
2h agoVictoria set for ‘much more’ rainfall after period of wild weather
4h agoLabor to make it harder for international students to 'course hop'
4h agoMan charged with sexually assaulting woman in Sydney park
5h agoeSafety commissioner says ‘time for new leadership’ after 10 years in role
7h agoOnline gaming 'shortcomings' put children at risk, eSafety report finds
Conspiracy theories circulating online about the alleged flydubai attack have “recast” Jewish people as the culprits, the Israeli embassy in Australia says.
In a statement, the embassy said it “condemns the anti-Semitic ‘false flag’ conspiracy theories” being posted online which accuse Israel of staging the attack.
A false flag is a harmful act carried out with the intention of blaming an enemy for it.
An Omani co-pilot is alleged to have stabbed his colleague during the flight en route to Tel Aviv.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, confirmed yesterday two Australians who were onboard the plane were safe.
Coalition unhappy with news ATO won’t take credit card payments
The Coalition is railing against news the Australian Tax Office will no longer accept credit card payments from 20 November 2026.
The ATO made the announcement yesterday, the first day of the new policy by the Reserve Bank to bar businesses from charging a surcharge on credit or debit card purchases.
Angus Taylor, the opposition leader, said the decision by the ATO was “beyond comprehension” by an “insensitive government”. He said during a press briefing today:
This government that just doesn’t get it. On the day that they impose these surcharges on small businesses, has decided that the ATO won’t take credit card payments because they don’t want the surcharges. I mean, seriously, you couldn’t make it up. None of them have worked in the real world.
This government that just doesn’t get it. On the day that they impose these surcharges on small businesses, has decided that the ATO won’t take credit card payments because they don’t want the surcharges. I mean, seriously, you couldn’t make it up.
None of them have worked in the real world.
Jane Hume, the deputy opposition leader, said the government needed to reverse the ATO shift. She told Channel 7 this morning:
The Coalition is calling on the government to reverse this change that the ATO is imposing on small businesses because, quite frankly, it’s been very clear that this government doesn’t understand small business, and it’s imposing unnecessary costs on them.
NSW police believe two women who were allegedly assaulted and robbed during separate home invasions were targeted in premeditated attacks.
Speaking at a press conference, the sex crimes squad commander, Detective Supt Virginia Gorman, said the three men charged had allegedly planned the offences.
I believe that these men had done some research and they believed that these women might be home alone and they might have money on the premises. So they were specifically targeted.
Gorman described the alleged offences as “very violent”. She said:
Excessively violent for three men armed with a weapon against vulnerable women home alone – excessively. It’s excessive violence. They were armed with a knife. They used duct tape to restrain them. They had duct tape over their mouths. They assaulted the women, punching a woman. You don’t need to do that to overcome a solo female. The violence is over the top for what they’ve done.
Excessively violent for three men armed with a weapon against vulnerable women home alone – excessively. It’s excessive violence.
They were armed with a knife. They used duct tape to restrain them. They had duct tape over their mouths. They assaulted the women, punching a woman. You don’t need to do that to overcome a solo female. The violence is over the top for what they’ve done.
Police said both women were treated for “minor physical injuries”.
Jackie O’s $80m legal fight with ARN Media delayed by months
Federal court justice Wendy Abraham on Friday postponed radio host Jackie “O” Henderson’s two-week trial until late April after a crucial pre-trial hearing was aborted on Thursday.
AAP reports a civil trial between the owner of KIIS FM, ARN Media and its former breakfast star was set to begin on 12 October, but a delay in pre-trial proceedings and the filing of documents have caused a mammoth delay.
Dozens of documents in the 3,900-page court book have been caught up in battles between the two sides over legal privilege.
Henderson is suing the radio giant for unlawful termination of her $100 million contract after refusing to work with her co-host.
Significant rainfall is expected to continue across much of Victoria, which has already been battered by storms and flash flooding.
AAP reports Melbourne recorded one of its wettest October days in several years after the city received up to 25mm of rain within an hour on Thursday afternoon, with other areas of Victoria also hard hit.
More than 200 calls for help were made to the SES, including six water rescues, after parts of Melbourne were hit by the flash flooding. The city was plunged into darkness about 3pm as the system moved through, with the Melbourne (Olympic Park) measuring station recording 47.8mm of rain since 9am on Thursday.
David Crock, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, said the total marked the city’s highest daily rainfall total since April 2024.
Rainfall will continue on Friday and Saturday in Victoria, with a flood watch current for catchments across much of central and eastern parts of the state.
“There is much more to come,” Crock said.
Conditions are expected to ease on Sunday as the low pressure system moves offshore, with conditions predicted to ease from the west.
Anthropic pushes for opt-out model for Australian content
But Australia’s public broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, have strongly criticised AI firms, calling on the government to enact strict new rules to compensate media organisations and protect public interest journalism.
