Good afternoon. Cairns airport has reopened, but the situation remains desperate for remote communities in far north Queensland that are reeling after Cyclone Jasper.
“There was one lady who got a message out from Cape Tribulation this morning that they are desperate,” said the Douglas shire mayor, Michael Kerr.
“They’ve got no petrol left in the generator. They’ve got no food. They’ve got no water. They are absolutely struggling. They need help. Where is everyone?”
Speaking in Brisbane, Anthony Albanese announced one-off disaster relief payments of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per child, with applications opening from 2pm tomorrow.
And in New South Wales, a giant out-of-control bushfire is burning 20km south of Narrabri, with residents told to shelter from the inferno.
Top news
Dozens of Labor figures condemn Israel’s ‘domination’ of Palestine | More than 50 former and current Labor MPs, including the former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr, have signed a letter condemning Israel’s “domination” of Palestine and demanding Australia recognise Palestine as a state and examine its relationship with Israel.
UN vote on Gaza delayed | A UN security council vote calling for a Gaza ceasefire has been delayed due to US objections over wording. There are also developments in the Red Sea, where the US has announced a multinational force after a series of missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthis targeting ships heading to Israeli ports. The countries participating in the US-led force include the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain. Australia is not on the list, but is yet to rule out a US request for Australian participation.
NT chief minister resigns | Natasha Fyles resigned today after revelations she holds undisclosed shares in a manganese mine. “I made a mistake,” she said. “I am owning up to it, I accept the consequences, that is the right thing to do.” Fyles owns a small number of shares in South32, the company at the helm of a controversial mine in the remote community of Groote Eylandt.
Convicted terrorist to be released | Abdul Nacer Benbrika has spent nearly 20 years behind bars after he was arrested in 2005 as part of the Operation Pendennis terror plot. The Victorian supreme court has imposed a year-long order with conditions requiring Benbrika comply with electronic monitoring, along with deradicalisation and psychological treatment, and bans on who he can associate with.
Cocaine worth $1bn found in Sydney | NSW police were responding to an alleged break-in at an apartment in Ryde, north-west of Sydney, only to discover 722kg of cocaine. Five arrests were made.
Vatican allows priests to bless same-sex couples | Pope Francis has approved a ruling allowing priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples, in a significant change of position for the Catholic church. “It will be possible to bless same-sex couples but without any type of ritualisation or offering the impression of a marriage,” a report from the Vatican’s doctrinal office said. “The doctrine regarding marriage does not change, and the blessing does not signify approval of the union.”
Earthquake in north-west China | At least 111 people have been killed in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in north-west China’s Gansu and Qinghai provinces.
Iceland volcano erupts | A volcano in Grindavik in south-west Iceland has erupted, spewing lava and smoke across a large area after weeks of intense earthquake activity.
Lord of the Rings copyright lawsuit | The US-based author Demetrious Polychron has lost a copyright lawsuit over the publication of his own sequel to the much-loved Lord of the Rings series after opening up a legal battle against JRR Tolkien’s estate. Polychron claimed Amazon’s spin-off TV series The Rings of Power infringed the copyright of his book. A California court dismissed the case.
In pictures
Hann Bay, Senegal: from coastal idyll to industrial dumping ground
Dakar’s Hann Bay used to be known as one of West Africa’s most beautiful, lined with traditional fishing villages, villas and tourist attractions. But for the past 20 years it has been at the centre of the city’s industrialisation. Today it is one of Dakar’s most polluted areas, with canals spilling raw sewage and chemicals on to the beach and into the sea. Click here to see the photo gallery.
In numbers
The black and blue ballerina-length velvet dress by the Moroccan-British fashion designer Jacques Azagury was sold at Julien’s Auctions in Hollywood for a total of US$1,148,080. The garment, which Diana wore at a dinner at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence while on a royal tour with her then husband Charles, had been expected to sell for $100,000.
What they said
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“There was none, absolutely none. These were two 23-year-olds and there was no cover-up. The police were consulted, the Department of Finance was consulted, the DPS [department of parliamentary services] knew. There was no cover-up.’’ – Fiona Brown, former Liberal staffer
The cross-examination of Brown in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson continued today, where she repeatedly denied there was a cover-up of the alleged rape for “political expediency”.
Before bed read
Christmas joy feels more elusive than ever, Paul Daley writes. Look for quiet contemplation instead.
“I know I’m not at all alone when I say that, this year, finding joy feels almost impossible. The very notion of joy raises so many burning questions right now. Can we experience it? (By can, I mean, is it even psychologically/emotionally realisable when the world is so broken?) And if the answer to that question is “yes”, then another question must surely follow: should I feel guilt at the joy I’m going to experience when I know there is so much pain in my global village?”
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: TACK. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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