Wednesday, 14 October 2026today, still filling

Severe thunderstorms are moving eastward from Central Australia towards NSW and Queensland, bringing flash flooding, hail and strong winds. The combination of a low pressure trough and tropical moisture has already caused significant damage in Alice Springs and affected parts of both states. The NSW SES received more than 220 call-outs in 24 hours, mostly for fallen trees and roof damage, and rescued two people from floodwaters in Woollahra and another from a trapped car in Mascot.

Prominent Indigenous Elder and businessman Mick Mundine, 79, appeared in Sydney's Downing Centre court facing charges of child sexual assault and indecent assault relating to allegations dating from 1986. Sydney councillor Yvonne Weldon publicly identified herself as the alleged victim, stating she was 15 at the time. Mundine's lawyer said he intended to fight the charges. The matter has been referred to the Department of Public Prosecutions and will next be heard on 28 October.

Gabriel Chacon, a 3rd-grade teacher at Encanto Elementary School in Phoenix, is facing federal charges for distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material involving minors under age 12. The FBI began investigating him in October after receiving a tip from an undercover officer in Australia who was monitoring an encrypted social media chat. During exchanges with the undercover officer, a user claiming to be a Phoenix 3rd-grade teacher admitted to a sexual interest in young boys and sent five videos and a photograph.

Changan's factory-backed distribution operation for Avatr and Nevo brands in Australia says it is considering launching plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and range-extended hybrid (EREV) vehicles 'sooner rather than later'. Andrew Haurissa, head of brand and marketing at Avatr Australia, said the company has PHEV and EREV options under consideration, with more details to be shared in coming months. This marks the first confirmation of non-electric powertrains from Changan for the Australian market, as the Avatr 07L and 06T have so far only been confirmed with all-electric powertrains, and the related Deepal brand currently only offers EVs.

Victoria's fire authorities face a funding shortfall of more than $1 billion over a decade, an audit has found. Fire Rescue Victoria and the Country Fire Authority have ageing fleets, with 57 per cent of vehicles at least 15 years old and more than a third at least 20 years old. None of the three authorities examined is completing all scheduled maintenance, increasing the risk they will not have enough fit-for-purpose trucks to respond to fires and emergencies.

Portable solar kits are becoming part of humanitarian disaster relief as technology improves and costs fall. Mohammed Saber, a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh, has relied on a solar kit given to his family six years ago to power his bamboo-and-tarpaulin home in Teknaf camp. According to Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen of the Stockholm Environment Institute, these all-in-one units are easy to move and recharge without relying on utility companies, making them valuable when climate change drives extreme weather and conflicts disrupt fossil fuel supplies.

Reform UK made scrapping fees at council-owned car parks among its key promises in Sandwell. Questions have now been raised over whether the party will deliver on that commitment.

A five-year-old boy in Telford helped paramedics locate his unconscious mother by using a game he had learned. Spencer told the emergency call handler that his father was 'at work getting pennies', enabling responders to find the address and reach his mother.

Lachie Perrem, 25, was discharged from Fiona Stanley Hospital after a robot vacuum cleaner exploded inside his Brabham home on July 2. He suffered severe burns covering 75 per cent of his body and underwent at least three surgeries, including skin grafts and wound debridement. He was temporarily put in an induced coma and lost his voice. His mother said on the family's GoFundMe page that he still faces ongoing recovery with dressing changes several times a week.

Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, according to two senior Iranian officials. The strategy includes changes in the type and pace of attacks, with Iranian officials saying the aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices. A US military official confirmed that after US strikes destroyed much of Iran's radar capabilities, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has begun using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify potential targets.

Stellantis Australia is recalling 1394 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs produced in 2023 over a software issue in the Occupant Restraint Controller module that could delay side airbag deployment. The fault may cause front door airbag pressure sensors to remain active, potentially increasing injury risk in an accident. Owners should contact their nearest authorised dealership for a free software update.

The WNBL's new season tips off on Thursday, marking a new era for the league as a ninth team, the Tasmania Jewels, is added and star players return. The Jewels will play their first game against the Geelong Venom in front of a sold-out crowd in Hobart. Notable returners include Bec Cole, the two-time championship winner who spent the past year recovering from foot surgery, and Darcee Garbin, a two-time champion returning after giving birth to her first child in December.

A ballistics expert has told a jury that marks on a bedroom door show a gun was fired through it at close range. Former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon is on trial for the murders of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird, both 29, and has pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defence. The defence suggests Mr Davies was killed in a struggle, but prosecutors say he was shot through the bedroom door when Lamarre-Condon heard him attempting to call emergency services.

A four-month-old red heeler named Happy was dragged by a Phoenix light rail train after its doors closed on his leash near Metro Center station. The incident occurred when owner Sarah Bass stepped out of the train and the doors shut with Happy on the other side. Bass said she pressed the emergency stop button but it did not work, and a witness reported Happy was dragged hundreds of feet. A local nonprofit, Dogs Day Out AZ, paid for Happy's emergency surgery.

Snezana Wood has been photographed in Melbourne for the first time since her husband, The Bachelor star Sam Wood, was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, domestic violence and strangulation following an alleged incident in Noosa on 3 October. She was seen without her wedding ring attending her daughter's dance concert and meeting a friend at a cafe. Wood has denied the allegations and is being held on remand at Wolston Correctional Centre.

Origin Energy has told shareholders it has found no evidence that customer data stolen in a July breach has appeared on the dark web, though it acknowledged the risk remains. The hackers accessed names, addresses and dates of birth for roughly 900,000 customers and former customers, along with up to 60 full bank account numbers and around 100 ID document numbers. The company faced earlier criticism for the three-week delay between discovering the possible breach on 2 July and informing customers on 22 July.

Shohei Ohtani will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night. Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani will bat anywhere from second to sixth as the Dodgers trail 0-2 in the best-of-seven series. Roberts characterised the decision as offering rest rather than benching, citing the precedent of Freddie Freeman in 2024.

Micah Parsons, a Green Bay Packers edge rusher, said Jayden Daniels 'probably cost' Dan Quinn his job as Washington Commanders head coach after a botched final play in overtime against the New York Giants. With 50 seconds left in overtime and the score tied at 27, the Commanders reached the Giants' 24-yard line but were slow getting off the next play. Daniels was then sacked with eight seconds remaining, leaving no time for the team to spike the ball and attempt a field goal, resulting in a 27-27 tie. Parsons called the play a costly mistake, saying Quinn's job security was already precarious before Sunday's game.

A hair salon on Shuter Street in Moonee Ponds and an unoccupied renovated house on Deakin Street in Essendon were destroyed by fire in the early hours of Wednesday in Melbourne. Police found singed jerry cans outside the salon and believe the fires were deliberate. The offenders allegedly fled in a light-coloured vehicle. Police said it is too early to determine whether the fires are linked. The attacks are part of a wider spate of firebombings across Melbourne's inner suburbs, with over 150 tobacco store fires recorded in Victoria since March 2023.

Governor Katie Hobbs signed an executive order on Tuesday declaring a state of emergency over diesel market disruptions. The order allows farm-related vehicles to use untaxed red-dyed diesel on public highways and raises weight limits for trucks hauling agricultural goods on non-interstate highways from 80,000 to 90,800 pounds, remaining in effect until 31 December 2026. Hobbs said the move will help lower grocery prices by reducing costs for farmers and ranchers, attributing diesel price instability to Middle Eastern turmoil affecting oil infrastructure and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Jalen Smith, 30, was sentenced to six years in federal prison by Pennsylvania prosecutors on Tuesday for his central role in fixing college basketball games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He recruited players with payments to purposefully underperform, allowing professional gamblers to bet against their teams and defraud sportsbooks. Smith pleaded guilty to bribery and wire fraud charges. This is the first penalty from an investigation into a network of gamblers and college basketball players who profited from fixed games.

Toyota has recalled nearly 6,000 RAV4 plug-in hybrid vehicles sold in Australia after discovering a manufacturing fault in the motor generator electronic control unit. If the electric motor does not operate properly, vehicles may enter fail-safe mode or shut down, causing loss of motive power and increasing accident risk. Toyota will rectify the issue free of charge at dealerships.

Rams starting left tackle Alaric Jackson has been suspended for two games without pay for striking Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb in the face after their teams' overtime game on Monday. The NFL said Jackson's blow was 'an act of unsportsmanlike conduct'. Jackson will miss Los Angeles' games against Arizona and Las Vegas, pending a potential appeal.

Police have launched an urgent appeal to trace Ashley Young, 32, who absconded from HMP Hollesley Bay in Suffolk on Tuesday evening (13 October) after being absent at a roll call. Young is described as white, approximately 5ft 10ins, of medium build, with blue eyes and a beard, and has connections to Kent. Anyone who sees him is urged to call 999.

A federal minister has condemned the closure of Darwin's 300-bed YiSSA Homeless and Short Stay Facility as callous and potentially fatal. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy says the decision is casting people back onto streets or forcing them to return to unsafe situations after the Northern Territory government rejected a $3.5 million federal funding offer. The NT government plans to relocate residents to a shelter 100 kilometres away in Batchelor, a community of 500 people with limited services; only about 30 residents agreed to move.

Malaysia's road transport department has suspended new registrations of the Chery Omoda 5 as a safety precaution after a rear axle failure on 6 October in Johor Bahru. The department will conduct a technical audit of the model's production, assembly line and axle component suppliers. Chery says no similar incidents have been reported in Australia.

Dolly Parton's nephew and security chief Bryan Seaver has filed a court affidavit opposing a temporary restraining order from the singer's longtime manager Danny Nozell. Seaver denies threatening to harm Parton's estate or business, saying text messages cited as evidence were a 'private conversation between two friends who were both frustrated, grieving and discussing strategy' sent around Parton's August death. He claims Nozell did not react with alarm to the messages at the time.

The City of Bismarck has chosen a location for a new fire station in the south of the city, west of Washington Street near Calypso Drive, about half a mile south of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Fire Chief Joel Boespflug said the location was selected through data-driven decision making to improve response times in that area. The station is expected to cost $6.5 million and will add an extra fire engine and equipment, expected to be in service in early 2027.

Multiple world champion mountain biker Jack Carthy, from Haworth, has been named biking ambassador for Bradford City's Greener Bantams Travel Hub sustainability initiative. The 12-time world champion, a Bradford City fan, will help promote cycling in the city and support existing biking organisations. A promotional video shows him riding the scenic route to the club's Valley Parade stadium.

BYD has debuted the Atto 8, an all-electric version of its Sealion 8 SUV, at the Paris motor show. The vehicle will be BYD's flagship model in Europe when it launches in early 2027, offering up to 651km of driving range and fast-charging capability that can charge from 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes. BYD plans to deploy 3000 charging stations across Europe by the end of 2027.

Lindsay Boardman-Bradley's two-year-old son Noah has profound deafness in his right ear, identified through new born hearing screening. After returning to Yorkshire from Australia, she found his hearing loss was sometimes dismissed because he could hear well in his other ear. New polling of 2,000 UK adults shows gaps in understanding: 72 per cent said it is difficult to tell when a child has mild deafness or hearing loss in one ear, and only 31 per cent knew the signs to look for.

Rules, London's oldest restaurant in Covent Garden, has been gifted to the National Trust in an £11 million donation by long-time owner J-P Mayhew. The building at 34-35 Maiden Lane has operated as a restaurant since 1798 and hosted diners including Charles Dickens, Charlie Chaplin, Liza Minnelli, Edward VII and Madonna. The gift includes the freehold and a collection of visitor books, menus, photographs and other historic items.

Rules, London's oldest restaurant, founded in 1798 on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden, has been donated to the National Trust by its owner JP Mayhew, who bought it in 1984. The heritage charity will protect the historic building and its interior, which remains largely unchanged from the 19th century. The restaurant will continue to operate as before under existing catering business owner Ricky McMenemy.

The Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity is calling for the government to extend its planned £10million annual travel fund beyond children with cancer to cover families with seriously ill children of all kinds. One family from Plymouth has spent £12,350 travelling to hospital appointments for their 12-year-old son, who has a rare autoimmune disease and underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2022, and expects the total to reach £15,000 by the time he turns 18.

France will deploy an additional 50 anti-riot police officers to its beaches to tackle small boat crossings to the UK. The government has announced that more than 50,000 crossing attempts have been prevented since the July 2024 general election. The officers will be deployed on days when weather conditions make crossings most likely, equipped with powers to stop large groups from boarding boats.