This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happened.
Key events
Live updates
That's it for The Loop!
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Thanks for joining us today!
If you're just getting caught up, here's some of what we've covered (tap the link to go straight to the post):
- Canada is investigating reports citing secret intelligence on Chinese influence in the country's elections
- A man accused of killing Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley is due to face court today
- American jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter dies aged 89
- More than 100,000 fans filled the MCG last night in a record-setting concert for Ed Sheeran
- Jurors in the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh have begun deliberations
- Firefighters in Hong Kong are battling a blaze which has broken out at a construction site in the city's popular shopping district.
- Embattled congressman George Santos is facing an ethics investigation
- Russia and the United States's top diplomats spoke face-to-face for the first time since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine
- The New South Wales lower house will be dissolved today, marking the official beginning of the state's election campaign
- Pulp bassist Steve Mackey dies aged 56
- Qantas says it will create 8,500 new jobs over the next decade
Video shows snowboarder escaping avalanche
By Brianna Morris-Grant
RJ Phipps was hiking up Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington over the weekend with his wife when he took out his camera to shoot a snowboarder and skier.
Within seconds, Phipps watched as the two men were nearly engulfed by an avalanche. He caught it all on video.
The snowboarder, who had been sitting down when the avalanche was triggered, ended up several hundred feet down the ravine and waist deep in snow.
Both people escaped injury. The location of the avalanche was about 4,800 feet up on the mountain.
American saxophonist Wayne Shorter dies aged 89
By Brianna Morris-Grant
American jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter has died aged 89.
After making his debut in 1959, he went on to be a member of two seminal groups — Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the Miles Davis Quintet.
He would release more than 25 albums, win 11 Grammy awards and in 2015 received a lifetime achievement Grammy.
Shorter's collaborations also included 10 album appearances with Joni Mitchell and also with Carlos Santana.
Investigation into China's influence on Canadian elections
By Brianna Morris-Grant
The head of the Canada's spy agency confirms an investigation is underway into reports citing secret intelligence on Chinese influence in the country's elections.
Security Intelligence Service Director David Vigneault says there was no major foreign election interference in at least the country's last two votes.
He made the disclosures before a parliamentary committee on foreign election tampering.
Canada is a member of the "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance with the UK, US, New Zealand and Australia.
Ethics probe into Republican George Santos
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Embattled congressman George Santos is facing an investigation after admitting to lying about his resume.
The US House of Representatives Ethics Committee will investigate whether Mr Santos engaged in illegal activity over his 2022 campaign.
It will also look into whether he failed to properly disclose information required on House statements, violated federal laws concerning his role in a financial firm, and engaged in sexual misconduct toward someone seeking a job in his House office.
The first-term politician from New York state has admitted he fabricated much of his resume.
On This Day: Mad Max and the Nintendo Switch
By Brianna Morris-Grant
It's March 3 — here's some interesting things that happened on this day throughout history.
- 1845: Florida becomes the 27th US state.
- 1911: The original "Blonde Bombshell" Jean Harlow is born.
- 1934: Bank robber John Dillinger uses a wooden gun to escape from Crown Point prison in Indiana.
- 1945: Mad Max director George Miller is born.
- 1986: The Australia Act 1986 commences, making Australia fully independent from the UK.
- 1991: Rodney King is beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers during his arrest. Video of the brutality would go on to spark the 1992 LA riots.
- 2005: Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly non-stop around the world without refuelling his airplane.
- 2017: The Nintendo Switch is released worldwide.
MI5 missed chance to stop Manchester concert bombing
By Brianna Morris-Grant
The UK's top domestic security service MI5 missed a significant opportunity to take action that might have prevented a deadly suicide bombing in Manchester, a public inquiry has found.
Twenty-two people, the youngest aged just eight, died and more than 200 people were injured in a suicide bomb attack at the end of the Ariana Grande concert in 2017.
In the final report of the inquiry, chairman Sir John Saunders said it was "not possible" to conclusively say whether any different action would have prevented the explosion, but there was a "significant missed opportunity to take action that might have prevented the attack".
The report pointed to two key pieces of intelligence that MI5 failed to pass on to counter-terrorism police, and a failure by the security service to act swiftly enough.
- You can read more on this story from Jacqueline Howard in London here:
Top Russian and US diplomats speak for first time since invasion
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Russia and the United States's top diplomats spoke face-to-face for the first time since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to end the war and urged Moscow to reverse its suspension of the New START nuclear treaty.
The Russian foreign ministry said the pair spoke "on the move" for less than 10 minutes at the end of the closed-door session, and did not engage in any negotiations.
“I told the foreign minister that no matter what else is happening in the world or in our relationship, the United States will always be ready to engage and act on strategic arms control, just as the United States and the Soviet Union did even at the height of the Cold War,” Mr Blinken said afterward.
'Peak bizarre': Shorten
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has told ABC News Breakfast former minister Stuart Robert's Robodebt testimony was "peak bizarre".
Former minister Stuart Robert told the Robodebt royal commission yesterday he takes "absolute responsibility" for the implementation for the illegal scheme.
"I thought this was peak bizarre.
"I must say the royal commission has not made its findings, Mr Robert has put his case.
"In supporting the cabinet decision, that's not awarrant to tell fact you don't think you're right, that is not a license to mislead the public.
"I think this is a pretty major issue."
- You can read more on the Robodebt Royal Commission from reporter Alexandria Utting here:
Decrease in drowning fatalities across Australia
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Royal Life Saving Australia says 90 people have drowned in Australian waterways and swimming pools between December 2022 and February 2023.
It's a 17 per cent decrease on the number of fatalites on the previous summer when 109 drowning deaths were recorded.
The organisation says it had hoped for a greater drop in fatalities given the reduction in flood events over the summer period.
The NSW election campaign formally kicks off today
By Jessica Riga
The New South Wales lower house will be dissolved today, marking the official beginning of the state's election campaign.
The NSW government is now in the caretaker period, which will continue until there is a clear election result.
This means the state government cannot make any major policy decisions between now and voting day on March 25th.
Pulp bassist Steve Mackey dies
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Pulp bassist Steve Mackey has died age 56.
Frontman Jarvis Cocker confirmed the news this morning.
"This photo of Steve dates from when Pulp were on tour in South America in 2012," he wrote.
"We had a day off & Steve suggested we go climbing in the Andes.
"Far more magical than staring at the hotel room wall all day (which is probably what I’d have done otherwise). Steve made things happen. In his life & in the band."
Qantas announces plan to hire thousands of new staff
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Qantas says it will create 8,500 new jobs over the next decade.
Chief executive Alan Joyce says aviation needs "a big skills pipeline to power it", announcing this morning they will open an engineering academy in 2025.
They say the academy will train up to 300 engineers each year.
The new jobs to be created include 4500 new cabin crew positions, 1600 pilot roles, and 800 engineers.
A further 1600 in other operational positions.
Coming up today: Rajwinder Singh to face court in Cairns
By Jessica Riga
A man accused of killing Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley is due to face court today.
Rajwinder Singh, 38, was flown into Cairns from Melbourne yesterday after being extradited from India this week.
Queensland detectives have charged Singh with one count of murder.
Police allege Cordingley, 24, was killed almost four-and-a-half years ago near Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, where she had gone to walk her dog.
Singh has maintained his innocence and has told several media outlets in India that he did not murder Cordingley.
Record-setting crowd for Ed Sheeran in Melbourne
By Brianna Morris-Grant
More than 100,000 fans filled the Melbourne Cricket Ground last night in a record-setting concert for superstar Ed Sheeran.
Nicholas Hynes told ABC Radio: "The much-loved English singer-songwriter told the 105,000 people at the MCG it was the largest crowd he'd ever played.
"But an even bigger crowd is expected tonight for his second Melbourne show, with 107,000 fans expected to set a new Australian record for a ticketed concert.
"The massive event wasn't without mishap, with several fans taking to social media to complain about an apparent ticketing system crash as huge crowds queued to enter the MCG."
Jury begins deliberations in Murdaugh double-murder trial
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Jurors in the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh have begun deliberations, weighing whether the disbarred South Carolina lawyer killed his wife and son.
Judge Clifton Newman told the jurors Mr Murdaugh enjoyed the presumption of innocence until the evidence justified stripping him of that right.
The 54-year-old scion of an influential legal family in an area west of Charleston has been charged with fatally shooting his wife Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, at dog kennels on their estate on the night of June 7, 2021.
He faces 30 years to life in prison if found guilty by the jury.
Spread of Tasmanian devil facial tumours causing 'rapid evolution'
By Brianna Morris-Grant
A Tasmanian devil researcher says the discovery of facial tumours in an area thought to be disease free is "completely expected".
"It's not actually really a problem for the devil anymore," Professor Menna Jones, of University of Tasmania's School of Natural Sciences, told ABC News Breakfast.
"The work my team has been doing for the last 25 years shows that when this disease comes through it causes very high mortality.
"But within 2-3 generations the devils are actually starting to adapt to the disease, so we've got rapid evolution."
- You can read more on the story of the disease's spread through the Tasmanian devil population here:
Search continues for men involved in Sydney shooting
By Brianna Morris-Grant
A search is continuing for the gunman responsible for a gang-related murder in Sydney's south west yesterday.
Police say they're looking for at least two people believed to have carried out the "callous" shooting.
Witnesses reported seeing one man jump out of the Mazda and shoot at 40-year-old Taha Sabbagh, before both men fled in the car.
Mr Sabbagh was shot up to 10 times while seated in a car next to his 12-year-old son outside a gym.
Police say they believe the shooting was targeted, but the motive remains unclear.
- You can read more about this story from reporter Heath Parkes-Hupton here:
'Significant turbulence' injures Lufthansa passengers
By Brianna Morris-Grant
A Lufthansa flight from Texas to Germany was forced to divert to Virginia because of turbulence that saw several people taken to hospital.
Lufthansa Flight 469 hit severe turbulence about 90 minutes after takeoff and resulted in minor injuries.
A passenger onboard at the time said: “During dinner service, there suddenly was a wind shear, the plane increased altitude, then we fell 1,000 feet.
“It was like unexpectedly free-falling for five seconds off the top of a rollercoaster, plates and glassware were up at the ceiling, and my purse from the floor flew behind me to the right.”
“I’m glad for the most part we are all OK. This was pretty shocking.
“There was a moment of ‘oh my God, am I going to meet my daughter.’”
Let's get you set up for the day
By Brianna Morris-Grant
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake has struck west of Vanuatu, 33 km below the earth's surface.
The country is already dealing with heavy rain and gale-force winds due to Cyclone Judy.
The US Justice Department has urged an appeals court to reject former president Donald Trump's claim he is automatically immune from lawsuits over the January 6 insurrection.
Mr Trump has argued he was acting in official capacity as president when he told supporters to "fight like hell" before the Capitol riots.
And firefighters in Hong Kong are battling a blaze which has broken out at a construction site in the city's popular shopping district.
Multiple floors of the structure — including scaffolding — were on fire, and burning debris floated in the air.
No casualties have been reported.
