Good afternoon. Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, has called for “humanitarian pauses” in the Israel-Hamas war to allow essential supplies to “reach people in desperate need”.
The remarks come as Australia sends aircraft and troops to the Middle East to prepare for a sudden evacuation of Australians in case “this gets worse”. The Australian defence force has warned the conflict appears to be only “in its early stages”.
Meanwhile, Unicef says the number of deaths and injuries of children in Gaza is “simply staggering”. At least 2,360 children have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s bombardment, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
In Canberra, Israel’s ambassador appeared at the National Press Club and when asked by Guardian Australia whether the bombardment of Gaza was consistent with international humanitarian law, said his country was “in line and in full compliance”.
Top news
Inflation up 1.2% in September quarter | Fears the Reserve Bank might hike interest rates again rose today upon news of the latest inflation figures. Higher petrol prices are driving the latest inflationary trend. At an annual rate, the headline CPI was 5.4% compared with 6.0% in the June quarter. Economists had predicted the annual rate to come in at 5.3%.
WA prison chief replaced after Indigenous teen dies in custody | Cleveland Dodd, 16, died in hospital a week after officers discovered him unconscious in the youth wing of Perth’s Casuarina prison on 12 October. The corrective services commissioner, Mike Reynolds, has been replaced by Brad Royce, an assistant commissioner from WA Police, the state government announced.
Worst isn’t over in Queensland fire | A bushfire evacuation centre sheltering 200 people has itself had to be evacuated as firefighters battle to create firebreaks to protect the town of Tara – about 300 kms west of Brisbane – from an out-of-control blaze. A spokesperson for Western Downs regional council said the wind changed direction today and the fire was heading towards the Tara township. One person has so far been confirmed dead and at least five homes have been destroyed.
Record levels of illicit tobacco seized | Australian law enforcement agencies have made some of the largest and most valuable seizures of illicit tobacco on record, amid an outbreak of violence linked to the trade and another firebombing of a Melbourne retailer. Separately, a Sydney man has been charged with murder and will be extradited over the alleged shooting of Melbourne gangland figure Gavin “Capable” Preston at a suburban cafe on 9 September.
Polish bishop resigns after gay orgy scandal | The pope has accepted the resignation of bishop Grzegorz Kaszak whose diocese has been rocked by reports of a gay orgy involving a male sex worker in a priest’s apartment.
Trump’s reunion with Michael Cohen in court | Silence filled the courtroom in the fraud trial of Donald Trump on Tuesday local time in anticipation of the arrival of the case’s first star witness. Trump, at his usual place at the front of the courtroom surrounded by his lawyers, didn’t look back at his former employee, Michael Cohen, as he entered to take the stand. During his testimony, Cohen outlined a simple scheme designed to fool people about the size of Trump’s fortune.
Ancient Amazonian rock carvings revealed | Human faces and other figures etched in stone up to 2,000 years ago have been revealed on Amazon riverbanks as a historic drought in the Brazilian region has brought water levels to unprecedented lows.
Hidden landscape discovered in Antarctica | Scientists have discovered a vast, hidden landscape of hills and valleys carved by ancient rivers that has been “frozen in time” under the Antarctic ice for millions of years.
In pictures
The winners of the Ian Parry photojournalism grant awards
The Ian Parry photojournalism grant champions the work of rising photographers. In this gallery we showcase the four recipients of this year’s awards. Mouneb Taim, 22, from Syria, received the Ian Parry photojournalism grant. Alexandra Corcode, 22, from Romania, received the Tom Stoddart award for excellence, while Sahl Abdelrahman and Nikoletta Stoyanova were both highly commended.
What they said …
***
“Heck of a reunion.” – Michael Cohen
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen after testifying against his old boss in a New York supreme court.
In numbers
Before bed read
Vegemite has turned 100. Tristan Lutze looks at how the spread – born out of imitation in the 1920s – has changed the way Australia eats.
‘“He was a brilliant scientist,” Jamie Callister says of his grandfather, Cyril Callister, who was recruited by Melbourne-based entrepreneur Fred Walker to develop a homegrown alternative to Marmite using spent brewer’s yeast from the nearby Carlton and United Breweries. “Today marks the 100-year anniversary of the first jar of his creation coming off the production line.”’
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: MAR. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know. Sign up for our Morning Mail newsletter here.
