This is The Loop, your quick catch-up of this morning's news as it happened.
Live updates
By Kelsie Iorio
Stay in The Loop
Thanks for reading this morning's live wrap of key news headlines.
We'll be back next week, but in the meantime, you can stay up to date on the ABC News website and by subscribing to our mobile alerts.
If you're just joining us, here's what you need to know:
- The January 6 committee has unanimously voted to subpoena Donald Trump to give evidence about the January 6 attack on the Capitol
- An ex-student who shot and killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the US has been spared the death penalty
- Widespread mandatory COVID isolation officially ends in Australia today, but authorities are still urging people to stay home if they're unwell
- Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says emergency payments will be activated for eligible families affected by severe flooding in the state
- Netflix has revealed a new, cheaper subscription option in an attempt to draw more customers — but you'll have to sit through commercials
By Kelsie Iorio
Just in: Two men charged with importing 'bricks' of heroin from Thailand
Two men from Malaysia are expected to face court today on charges related to the alleged importation of 67 "bricks" of heroin from Thailand, with a total weight of 23.62 kilograms.
The AFP said in a statement that an investigation was launched in April this year after the Australian Border Force received intelligence from authorities in Thailand.
"Police allegedly found videos stored on a mobile phone of the two men unpacking bags of a white crystalline substance which were suspected to be illicit drugs," the AFP's statement says.
"Investigators seized other items allegedly linked to the importations, including a handwritten ledger of delivery addresses, fake names and phone numbers for drug consignments, and a delivery note relating to a consignment of heroin seized by the ABF."
By Kelsie Iorio
Update: Quarantine facility could be used as emergency flood accommodation
Here's Victorian political reporter Bridget Rollason:
Premier Daniel Andrews has also told Virginia Trioli on ABC Radio that emergency payments will be activated for eligible families affected by flooding.
He says people who can't be in their homes can apply for a one-off payment of $560 per adult and $280 per child.
By Kelsie Iorio
Good news break: Meet Nullah the baby camel
Meet Nullah.
Is he not the cutest little poppet you've seen today?
He's Silverton Outback Camels' newest calf, and to celebrate his birth, the local newspaper put out a call for the community to name him.
Of all the names that went into the hat, owner Petah Devine says she's pretty grateful Nullah was drawn.
"It was a perfect name, we love it, it has a lot of meaning," Ms Devine says.
"We had a few Donald Humps; thankfully they weren't chosen."
Nullah was submitted in honour of Afghan cameleers who delivered food, mail and supplies across Australia from the late 1800s — he's specifically named after 82-year-old mosque caretaker Ammin Nullah Shamroze, a direct descendant of an Afghan cameleer, who's known around Broken Hill by his English name "Bobby".
By Kelsie Iorio
Overnight: Cholera detected in the Bahamas
The Bahamas has identified its first case of cholera since 2017.
The country's health ministry confirmed the detection in a statement on Thursday.
There are no reports to indicate any significant risk to Australia at this stage.
Haiti, however, has hundreds of suspected cases.
A senior state department official says there are about 1.2 million Haitians at risk of catching the disease.
By Kelsie Iorio
ICYMI: Need a quick recap of this morning's January 6 meeting? We got you
Yep, it was a big one — and there's a fair bit to break down.
But Joanna Robin in Washington DC and international reporter Rebecca Armitage have us covered with this wrap of the key moments you need to know about:
By Kelsie Iorio
ICYMI: Weather forecasts by state
If you're in NSW, Victoria or Tasmania, this one's for you.
State emergency services say there's more heavy rainfall and potential flooding to continue across Australia's southeast.
Tap below for a wrap of the key forecasts, and make sure you bookmark the BOM for all the latest warnings.
By Kelsie Iorio
Coming up: Neymar could face jail over fraud and corruption charges
Brazillian footballer Neymar will stand trial next week on fraud and corruption charges over his transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.
The complainant, Brazilian investment firm DIS, said on Thursday that it was demanding a five-year jail term.
The other defendants in the trials, which begins in Barcelona on Monday, are Neymar's parents, the two clubs, former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and ex-Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.
The case stems from a complaint by DIS, which owned 40 per cent of the rights to Neymar (who denies these allegations) when he was at Santos.
The company argues that it lost out on its rightful cut from the transfer because the true value of the deal was understated.
By Kelsie Iorio
It's official: No more widespread mandatory COVID isolation
Mandatory COVID isolation pretty much ends in Australia today.
It means most people aren't legally obligated to isolate for five days if they test positive for COVID, nor do you have to register a positive RAT online.
There are a few exceptions across states and territories (for high-risk settings like aged care, for example) but for the most part, the new rule is essentially to stay home if you're sick.
This means that the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment also ends today too.
"To protect the most vulnerable and those in high-risk settings, the National Cabinet agreed to continue targeted financial support for casual workers, on the same basis as the PLDP, for workers in aged care, disability care, Aboriginal healthcare and hospital care sectors," PM Anthony Albanese said in a statement after the last National Cabinet meeting.
By Kelsie Iorio
Overnight: More flood evacuations, warnings remain in place
Hundreds of residents at Rochester in Victoria's north-west have evacuated their homes overnight as the nearby Campaspe River continues to overflow.
Authorities are expecting the river to reach major flood levels this morning and worsen into the day.
It's just one of many areas in the country's southeast dealing with severe weather and flood warnings.
The Campaspe River flood has been described as a one-in-200-year flood event with 700 properties at risk of isolation and 250 expected to be inundated.
By Kelsie Iorio
Overnight: Netflix announces discounted subscription — with ads
Netflix has confirmed it will launch a cheaper subscription with advertising for US$6.99 (about AU$11) a month in November.
The company is aiming to attract new subscribers after a significant loss in customers in the first half of the year.
The US$6.99 cost for the "Basic with Ads" plan is a few dollars less than Netflix's lowest-priced tier without ads.
It's set to roll out in 12 countries to start with:
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- Spain
- The UK
- The US
Chief operating officer Greg Peters said in a statement that he expects the plan to be extended to other countries over time.
"While it’s still very early days, we’re pleased with the interest from both consumers and the advertising community — and couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead," he said.
Netflix says "Basic with Ads" subscribers will see roughlyfour to five minutes of advertising per hour.
By Kelsie Iorio
ICYMI: Des Hasler sacked by Sea Eagles
After weeks of speculation, Manly coach Des Hasler's management confirmed yesterday that the Sea Eagles had terminated his employment with immediate effect.
He's expected to be replaced by Anthony Seibold, who looks set to return to NRL coaching after a difficult stint with the Broncos in 2019 and 2020.
By Kelsie Iorio
Developing: Some early reactions to the Jan 6 meeting and vote to subpoena Trump
By Kelsie Iorio
Breaking: Jan 6 committee votes to subpoena Donald Trump
The committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol has unanimously voted to subpoena former president Donald Trump for testimony under oath.
"The committee needs to do everything in our power to tell the most complete story possible and provide recommendations to help ensure nothing like January 6 ever happens again," committee chairman Bennie Thompson says.
"We need to be fair in thorough in gaining the full context of the evidence we've obtained."
The meeting has just been adjourned, but you can watch it back here.
By Kelsie Iorio
Developing: New footage revealed of Congressional leaders locking down during Capitol riot
By Kelsie Iorio
Developing: January 6 committee to vote on whether to seek testimony from Trump
The latest meeting of the January 6 committee is happening live now, but one of the key revelations so far is that there are plans to vote on whether to subpoena Donald Trump.
Multiple US media outlets have reported the congressional body will decide whether to subpoena the former president who instigated the riots by alleging voter fraud in the 2020 election.
The ABC's North America correspondent Carrington Clarke explains it like this:
The January 6th committee has spoken to many key members of Donald Trump's inner circle, including his daughter and son-in-law, as it's built its case against him.
Although the committee can subpoena the former President, it's unclear whether he will choose to comply.
His former advisor Steve Bannon refused to comply in similar circumstances and was convicted of contempt of congress.
By Kelsie Iorio
Overnight: Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooter spared death penalty
Families of victims have started to respond after a jury's decision not to call for the death penalty for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz in a court in Florida.
Cruz was 17 years old when he killed 17 people in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
The prosecution had requested the death penalty for the now-24-year-old, but jurors instead called for life in prison without possibility of parole.
Ilan Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa was killed in the shooting, asked what the purpose of the death penalty was if not for a case like this.
"I'm disgusted with our legal system. I'm disgusted with those jurors," he said.
"It's pretty unreal that nobody paid attention to the facts of this case, that nobody can remember who a victim is and what they look like," added Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina was also killed.
"I know every day because I see my beautiful daughter's face around our home and in my dreams and I miss her very much."
Debbi Hixon, whose husband Chris Hixon was the school's athletic director and was killed after confronting Cruz during the massacre, said it "does and it should say something to society — that we have to look at who we allow to own firearms, how we address mental health in our communities, and where we give grace when it's warranted."
By Kelsie Iorio
Setting you up for the day
You're reading The Loop, a quick wrap of the news this Friday, October 14. Thanks for joining us.
Making headlines so far this morning:
- The January 6 committee is meeting has just finished after a hurricane delayed the hearing by a couple of weeks, with members voting unanimously to subpoena former president Donald Trump
- A gunman who killed 17 people in 2018 at a high school in the US city of Parkland has been spared the death penalty by a jury, which instead called for life in prison
- More wild weather is forecast today for much of south-eastern Australia, including Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales
