Good afternoon, and welcome to the Afternoon Update.
US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out airstrikes against Iran as explosions were reported in the sky over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz.
Meanwhile, the Iranian government has sought to play down the scale of the attack.
Officials in Washington said Israeli forces were carrying out military operations against Iran but did not describe the character or scale of those operations. Iranian state media said that drones had been shot down over Isfahan province in the early hours, and showed live shots of morning traffic in Isfahan city after sunrise to show that the situation was calm.
Israel’s N12 news channel reported that Israel had also struck targets in Iraq and Syria, and explosions were reported in both those countries.
Dfat has urged Australians in Israel or Occupied Palestinian Territories to depart if safe, and announced there may be airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions due to the explosions.
Top news
Disability and mental health check for accused terror teenager | A teenage boy facing a possible life term in prison for alleged terrorism over the stabbing of a bishop has shown behaviour consistent with mental illness or intellectual disability, his lawyer told a court today. The teenager did not appear in court during a brief mention of the case today, when he was refused bail at a hearing.
Samantha Ratnam to step down as Victorian Greens leader | Ratnam has been pre-selected to run in the federal seat of Wills, which is now held by Labor’s Peter Khalil on an 8.6% margin. She said she will resign from parliament before the end of the year.
Peter Bol case prompts Wada to reform synthetic EPO testing processes | Athletes who record inconclusive initial doping test results for synthetic EPO may be saved from public shaming, after World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) reforms prompted by the Peter Bol saga. The new guidance expands the requirement for two experts to assess a result before a positive test is recorded and made public.
Boy, 9, among four killed in WA car crash | The crash occurred about 12.30am, when the vehicle left the road and struck a tree, police said. The four male occupants of the vehicle – aged 45, 21, 19 and nine – sustained critical injuries and died at the scene.
Blunt Olyroos suffer damaging defeat in Paris Olympics qualifier | The Olyroos’ dream of making it to the Paris Olympics suffered a grievous blow as Australia’s young hopefuls crashed to a woeful 1-0 defeat at the hands of Indonesia in qualifying in Qatar.
Teenager dies after suspected crocodile attack in the Torres Strait | A teenager has died after a suspected crocodile attack off an island in the Torres Strait, police have confirmed. The formal identification process has begun to confirm the identity of the body, and further testing is under way to confirm the cause of death.
Prince Harry confirms he is now a US resident | Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has formally confirmed he is now a US resident. The acknowledgment is said to underscore the prince’s increasing estrangement from Britain, after he and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, walked away from royal duties four years ago.
Joe Biden’s tale about cannibals bemuses Papua New Guinea residents | The US president’s suggestion that his uncle may have been eaten by cannibals in Papua New Guinea during the second world war has been met with a mixture of bemusement and criticism in the country.
All 12 jurors seated in Trump hush-money trial after two dismissals | A full jury of 12 people has been seated in the criminal case against Donald Trump, bringing the first criminal trial of a former president a significant step closer to beginning. At least one of six alternate jurors had been selected before court concluded on Thursday.
Full Story
Newsroom edition: from alleged political cover ups to violence in Sydney – what happens when media gets it wrong? – Full Story podcast
This week the devastating killings at Bondi junction, the attack at Wakeley and the long-awaited judgment in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial dominated the headlines. Sensitive, traumatic and often violent images flooded people’s feeds.
Bridie Jabour speaks to editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor and head of newsroom Mike Ticher about getting breaking news right, and what happens when we get it wrong.
What they said …
***
“We’ve got a crisis of male violence in Australia.”
Attorney general Mark Dreyfus made the comment while speaking about the recent stabbing attacks in NSW on ABC RN.
In numbers
The comet, whose nucleus has a 34km, has been likened to Halley’s comet because it passes by Earth every 71 years.
Read more about it here.
Before bed read
Taylor Swift’s “subtly detailed” new album, The Tortured Poets Department, splits the difference between 1989’s glossy pop-rock and Midnights’ understatement – and lets her ex Matty Healy have it in no uncertain terms, writes Alexis Petridis.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: DENT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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