Good afternoon.
Authorities have defended the timing of warnings for holidaymakers along Victoria’s surf coast who were hit by an “unprecedented weather event” on Thursday.
Cars were washed into the ocean and campgrounds flooded after the region received 180mm of rain causing flash flooding of the Wye, Kennett and Cumberland rivers. About 400 people were displaced and dozens of vehicles were destroyed.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast more flash flooding across the southern parts of New South Wales and Victoria over the coming days. It comes as 10 major fires still burn across Victoria, with 289 homes among the more than 1,000 structures destroyed.
Top news
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In pictures
Authorities and firefighters say the Victorian fires of January 2026 were unlike anything seen before in terms of speed and destruction wrought. This visual guide and timeline captures how the fires spread and the scale of the devastation.
What they said …
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“Because you’re a leftwing hack. You’re not a reporter, posing in this room as a journalist. And it’s so clear by the premise of your question.”
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, launched a tirade at a journalist who asked about deaths in ICE custody in the wake of the Renee Good shooting in Minnesota.
Full Story
Randa Abdel-Fattah speaks to Nour Haydar about the Adelaide festival
A week after the Adelaide festival disinvited Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from its writers’ week, organisers have issued a complete and unreserved apology to the Palestinian Australian writer. She speaks to Nour Haydar about why she is considering defamation action against the South Australian premier and what this moment represents.
Before bed read
Prepare to be enraged/energised as Alexis Petridis bravely counts down his top 30 live albums of all time. And once you’ve simmered down over the omissions – Nirvana’s Unplugged, Allman Brothers at Fillmore East, and Everything, Everything by Underworld for starters – your weekend listening is sorted.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: TALI. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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