Good afternoon. The US has carried out airstrikes against what it said were two Iranian facilities in eastern Syria, following a spike in attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since 17 October.
American and Iranian officials said they did not seek to expand the Israel-Hamas war into a regional conflict, but each warned the other side of consequences if matters escalated. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin warned of “further necessary measures” if attacks by Iran’s proxies don’t stop, while Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said the US “will not be spared from this fire” if what he described as the “genocide in Gaza” did not stop.
Meanwhile, the federal minister Tony Burke has backed a Sydney council’s decision to raise the Palestinian flag until a ceasefire is declared in the Israel-Gaza conflict, saying people had a right to grieve what they saw happening to Palestinians.
Top news
Body found in search for Paul Thijssen | A body was recovered from the ocean below cliffs in Sydney’s eastern suburbs as police searched for Paul Thijssen after the death of the school water polo coach Lilie James. Thijssen worked at St Andrew’s Cathedral school with James and has been missing since she was killed on Wednesday night. Her family issued a statement today remembering the 21-year-old university student as a “vibrant, outgoing and very much loved” young woman.
Calls for Queensland police union chief to resign | More than 30 community leaders – including a prominent former judge, lawyers, Indigenous elders, academics and others – have called on Ian Leavers to stand down as president of the police union over an opinion piece they say expressed “outward racist ideology”. In the piece, Leavers claimed, without evidence, that a state treaty would result in the justice system favouring First Nations people.
States urged to ban engineered stone benchtops | The workplace relations minister, Tony Burke, has used the recommended ban of engineered stone benchtops to urge state governments to “take action” to keep workers safe. “I don’t believe there’s any section of Australia that will look lightly at the reality of people losing their lives because they went to work,” he said.
Feral horse cull in Kosciuszko national park | Feral horses will be shot from the air after a public consultation process, with the New South Wales environment minister, Penny Sharpe, declaring it essential for protecting the park’s threatened wildlife and ecosystems. A Senate report found the horses posed an extinction risk to native species, including the critically endangered stocky galaxias fish and the southern corroboree frog.
Aldi hit with class action | The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association – one of Australia’s largest unions – has lodged a $150m class action against Aldi, alleging it systematically and deliberately underpaid supermarket and distribution centre workers across the country.
Standoff in pursuit of Maine shooting suspect | Mass-shooting suspect Robert Card may be holed up in a family-owned farmhouse in Bowdoin, Maine, several kilometres from where he is alleged to have carried out a massacre on Wednesday evening. The FBI and Maine state police have been staking out the property since the afternoon local time without yet offering clarity on the situation.
Amazon profits surge | Profits almost tripled at Amazon in the latest quarter as consumers continued to spend heavily despite the sharp rise in interest rates. Revenue at the group rose 13% to A$225.7bn in the three months to 30 September, beating expectations on Wall Street. Profits surged to A$15.6bn, from A$4.6bn a year ago.
Louisiana pastor charged with sexual abuse of teenage girl | Milton O Martin III – a 56-year-old Pentecostal pastor – faces one charge each of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile – colloquially referred to as statutory rape – and of indecent behavior with a minor. Martin is accused of abusing a girl, now 28, who was a member of the congregation.
In pictures
Gaza before and after
Newly released images show entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble after Israeli strikes in the war against Hamas.
What they said …
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“Labor is supposed to be for the working Australians. So I call on the Labor government to really consider their roots and how they can provide some relief now for working Australians.” – Dai Le, independent MP
Influential crossbench parliamentarians have called on Labor to toughen up the petroleum resource rent tax and redistribute stage-three tax cuts to raise revenue to alleviate the cost of living.
In numbers
And First Nations people face a rate 10 times higher than the rest of the population, Homelessness Australia says.
Before bed read
‘My husband persuaded me to swing. I’m desperate to do it again, he’s not – what should I do?’
I think the headline says it all. Read advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith’s reply.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: TINA. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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