Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
The furore surrounding allegations of politicians using personal connections to upgrade flights continued today, with confirmation Peter Dutton’s office asked Gina Rinehart’s company for a lift for the opposition leader on her private jet.
Dutton said his office’s request to Hancock Prospecting for a flight to a Bali bombing memorial service came after the government would not help him get a flight on a special-purpose flight. He said commercial options were not available and a chartered jet would be too expensive.
Just days earlier, Dutton said he had never personally asked Australia’s richest person for help with flights around Australia.
After six days of deflecting, Anthony Albanese denied contacting the former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce or any other airline staff in search of better tickets. Albanese reportedly told 2GB radio host Ben Fordham on Wednesday that it had taken six days to answer key questions over the escalating upgrades saga because his office had been poring over years of correspondence.
Top news
Woolworths employee on $26 per hour confronts board | Jo Wright, who works on the supermarket floor in a New South Wales store, confronted the supermarket’s board during the company’s annual general meeting over the huge disparity between her $26 hourly rate – which she describes as “not a living wage” – and the high salaries of executives.
Optus sold vulnerable customers plans they couldn’t afford | Optus says it has sacked staff after the Australian consumer watchdog launched a federal court case alleging the telco had sold hundreds of vulnerable consumers – including many First Nations customers – phones and plans they could not afford.
Sydney cosmetic clinic clients told to get tested for blood-borne viruses | NSW Health has issued a public health alert warning former clients of now closed Sydney cosmetic clinic Fresh cosmetic clinic to get tested after the public health unit identified that some procedures may have risked exposing clients to viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV.
US Election recap | Kamala Harris reached out to first-time and gen Z voters, warning a Wisconsin crowd about the consequences of a second Trump presidency. Donald Trump arrived at his rally in a garbage truck, seeking to convince voters in battleground state Wisconsin that Democrats believe those who vote for him are “garbage” after Joe Biden’s disputed comments yesterday. Meanwhile, a judge ordered all parties – including Elon Musk – to attend a court hearing in Philadelphia on Thursday in a lawsuit seeking to stop a political action committee controlled by the billionaire from awarding $1m to registered US voters in battleground states before the 5 November election.
World must act to prevent ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Gaza, Guterres warns | The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has warned Israel could carry out the “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza if the international community does not make a determined stand to prevent it.
North Korea missile reaches record height | North Korea has test launched a long-range missile that is theoretically capable of striking the US mainland, in another display of defiance by the regime amid growing warnings over its troops’ participation in the war in Ukraine.
Thom Yorke walks off stage after being heckled by pro-Palestine protester | The Radiohead frontman (above) walked offstage during a solo show in Melbourne on Wednesday night after being heckled by a pro-Palestine protester in the crowd. He returned a few minutes later to perform his final song of the evening.
Scientists discover oldest-ever giant tadpole fossil | Scientists have discovered the oldest-known fossil of a giant tadpole that wriggled around over 160m years ago. The new fossil, found in Argentina, surpasses the previous ancient record holder by about 20m years.
New Zealand bids farewell to ‘hated’ giant hand sculpture | A giant sculpture of a hand with a disapproving face that has ominously presided over Wellington’s civic square for five years will soon wave its final goodbye to the city, prompting relief from the capital’s mayor and sorrow from those who came to love him.
In pictures
Monsters, clowns and swooping magpies at Lithgow Halloween festival – in pictures
Lithgow’s Main Street transformed into a frightful procession as thousands gathered for the town’s Halloween festival. Now in its 11th year, the event has become one of the Blue Mountains region’s largest and this year’s theme was “libre de faire” – meaning free to do. There were witches, Star Wars characters and the Grim Reaper.
What they said …
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“I do feel robbed not being able to vote”
Guam resident Phillip Gilbert says it is unfair to leave territory voters disfranchised. His comments came as a comedian at a Trump rally described Puerto Rico as “garbage”, firing up old resentments.
Most residents of the US territories – Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands and the Northern Marianas – are citizens and pay federal taxes. Many have family on the mainland. But the territories have no votes in the electoral college that ultimately decides the president.
In numbers
Australia’s voluntary food formulation guidelines are inadequate at preventing diet-related diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, a World Health Organisation food scientist has said. Dr Luz Maria De Regil made the comments off the back of a study published in the Lancet Public Health journal on Thursday, which found adopting more rigorous WHO reduction targets could prevent more than 43,900 heart disease cases, 32,400 kidney disease cases and 2,900 deaths over the same period.
Before bed read
‘We were trapped like rats’: Spain’s floods bring devastation and despair
The gratitude that greeted Tuesday’s dawn downpours was short-lived in Utiel. When the longed-for rains finally reached the town in the drought-stricken eastern Spanish region of Valencia, they were merciless in their abundance.
Spain’s meteorological office, Aemet, said more than 300 litres of rain per square metre (30cm) fell in the area between Utiel and the town of Chiva, 20 miles (50km) away, on Tuesday. In Chiva, almost an entire year’s worth of rain fell in just eight hours.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: RIBA. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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