Good afternoon. A volcanic eruption in Indonesia’s West Sumatra has claimed the lives of at least 11 hikers with another 12 still missing.
The Mount Marapi volcano erupted with white and grey ash plumes on Sunday, stranding and injuring climbers and spreading volcanic ash over several villages.
The search to find the missing climbers was temporarily halted over safety concerns, after a small eruption today prompted the search to be suspended.
Top news
Hospitals overflowing in south Gaza | Dead and wounded are filling hospitals in south Gaza amid what Unicef spokesperson James Elder said was “the worst bombardment of the war right now”. Over 15,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes in the past two months, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said, 70% of whom it added were women and children. Israel said it killed a Hamas commander in an airstrike and claims to have found about 800 shafts leading to Hamas tunnels and bunkers. In Australia, roughly 500 lawyers have signed an open letter stressing Israel’s right to self-defence.
Labor MP Peta Murphy dies after battle with cancer | Tributes are flowing for Murphy, the federal member for Dunkley in Victoria, who has died aged 50. “Peta Murphy was the strongest of local members, the most inspiring of colleagues and the very best kind of friend,” the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said.
Centrelink should consider waiving 100,000 debts, watchdog says | In its second report, the commonwealth ombudsman called on Services Australia and the Department of Social Services to apologise for “decision delays, and for historic unlawful calculations” of social security debts.
Coles and Woolworths ripping people off ‘for years’, says Jacqui Lambie | The independent senator has accused the supermarket duo of operating “like the bloody cartel” ahead of the Christmas period. This comes as the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, called for a freeze on the price of Christmas ham as a staple item these holidays, and with Coles and Woolworths set to face a Senate inquiry over claims of alleged profiteering.
Indigenous custodian condemns approvals for Woodside seismic blasting | Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper has condemned federal approvals granted to Woodside on Friday night for seismic blasting and drilling at a major fossil fuel development in northern Western Australia as a “breathtaking regulatory stitch-up”.
Gold Coast out of running to host 2026 Commonwealth Games | The Gold Coast has scrapped its $700m bid to host a “streamlined” Commonwealth Games after it failed to generate support from the state or federal governments.
Former Hong Kong activist flees for Canada | Agnes Chow, who was jailed over her role in pro-democracy protests, revealed she had moved to Canada and would not return to meet her bail conditions. Chow was one of the best known young faces of the 2012, 2014 and 2019 protest movements against Beijing’s increasingly authoritarian rule in Hong Kong. She ran a pro-democracy group called Demosisto with fellow activist Joshua Wong.
Deadly landslides in Tanzania | At least 47 people have been killed and 85 others injured in landslides caused by flooding in northern Tanzania, a local official has said, with warnings the toll would rise.
Alaska Airlines to buy Hawaiian Airlines | The US$1.9bn deal puts Alaska Airlines on track for a potential clash with a Biden administration that has shown wariness about higher fares in the industry.
Full Story
How to avoid burnout
Many Australians feel overworked and overwhelmed at this time of year. Clinical psychologist and the Modern Mind columnist Gaynor Parkin discusses what you – and your boss – can do to help protect your physical and mental health. Click here to listen to this 18-minute episode.
What they said …
***
“Without a national consensus to raise the age to 14, we will continue to see health inequities, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.” – Dr Jacqueline Small, Royal Australasian College of Physicians president.
The RACP is disappointed there was no national agreement to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 after a standing council of attorneys-general meeting.
In numbers
The comparison site combined data from its consumer sentiment tracker, and data from the Reserve Bank of Australia, to assess the economic strain experienced by Australians.
Before bed read
Caitlin wasn’t notified when her 9am flight was suddenly changed to 6am.
“We missed the flight, so we had to pay a lot more for tickets with another airline. I successfully filed a chargeback for the original tickets despite the agency fobbing off my complaints. But can I get compensation for the more expensive tickets?”
See the response from our consumer advice columnist, Kat George.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: RAND. 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.
