This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
Key events
- BREAKING: Right-wing victory likely in Italian election
- One thing coming up today: Parliament is back (and ICAC is on the cards)
- News while you snoozed: Iranian in viral protest video killed, family says
- News Australia is searching for: Incredible *new* marathon record
- One more thing: Rihanna will headline Super Bowl's halftime show
- Let’s set you up for the day
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Live updates
By Peta Fuller
That's it for The Loop this morning
You can keep up-to-date on the ABC's website, by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here, and by subscribing to our mobile alerts.
We'll be back tomorrow morning to cover the latest updates.
By Peta Fuller
Chalmers: The global situation is getting worse, not better
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has talked about the pressures on the budget, which is about a month away.
He says the expected cost of servicing the country's debt at the end of the 2025-to-26 budget period is at $33 billion — that's $7 billion more than initially expected.
He says while the October budget will include some cost of living relief, the government is dealing with a grim economic picture:
"There's no use pretending that we would be completely spared a global downturn and the global situation is getting worse, not better. There's no use pretending that we don't have an inflation challenge or real wage challenge, and that rising interest rates won't sting."
By Peta Fuller
Cuba holds vote on same-sex marriage
Cuba has held a rare referendum on a government-backed "family law" code that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt.
The sweeping code would also allow surrogate pregnancies and measures against gender violence.
Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel has acknowledged there's resistance to the changes, but he believes the majority will vote yes:
"I expect that most of the population will vote yes. There may be people who vote to punish the government. In other words, they have nothing against the code but they take a position because they're unhappy."
By Peta Fuller
Inquiry into DNA testing in Queensland set to begin today
Last week an interim report came out, which found in some cases, incorrect DNA statements were issued to courts.
Two employees at Queensland's Forensic Unit have been stood down and Queensland Police will now re-examine thousands of major crimes dating back to 2018.
The Inquiry will begin six days of public hearings in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today and is due to hand down its report in December.
By Peta Fuller
Jupiter's getting *really* close tonight
The giant will be its closest to earth in almost 60 years and is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — it won't be this close again for at least another century.
Why? It happens because earth and Jupiter don't orbit the sun in perfect circles — meaning planets will pass each other at different distances throughout the year.
By Peta Fuller
An update on NSW flooding
Assistant Commissioner at the state's SES, Nicole Hogan, told ABC's News Breakfast their areas of concern at the moment:
It's right along that north-west area of the state as well as into that Central West, and also some areas within the south-west. So right along that band, there's been prolonged flooding for quite some significant time.
And we are expecting that to continue for at least the next six to eight weeks, depending on what rainfall we do receive over that period.
And the ABC's Danuta Kozaki says the river at Gunnedah peaked over the weekend at 8.24 metres, with some homes in low-lying areas inundated with water.
The town remains cut off, with supplies being brought in, including food and emergency medicine. Several towns downstream from Gunnedah remain on alert including Boggabri and Narrabri.
The Namoi River at nearby Wee Waa remains at major flood level and is expected to take several days to drop.
By Shiloh Payne
Uganda says Ebola caseload rises to 16
Uganda says its Ebola caseload has jumped to 16 people while a further 18 people likely have the disease, fuelling fears of a spreading outbreak of a strain for a strain that doesn't yet have a vaccine.
The east African country last week announced the outbreak of Ebola.
The current outbreak, attributed to the Ebola Sudan strain, appears to have started in a small village in Mubende district around the beginning of September, Reuters reports.
The first casualty was a 24-year old man who died earlier this week.
By Peta Fuller
BREAKING: Right-wing victory likely in Italian election
A right-wing alliance, led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, looks set to win a clear majority in the next parliament, according to exit polls.
If confirmed, it would give Italy its most right-wing government since World War II and Mussolini's rule.
State broadcaster RAI said the bloc of conservative parties, that also includes Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, have won between 41 and 45 per cent in their exit poll.
That's enough to guarantee control of both houses of parliament.
If confirmed, the result would cap a remarkable rise for Ms Meloni, whose party won only 4 per cent of the vote in 2018, but this time around was forecast to emerge as Italy's largest group on 22.5-26.5 per cent.
As the leader of the biggest party in the winning alliance, she is the obvious choice to become Italy's first woman prime minister, but the transfer of power is traditionally slow and it could take several weeks before the new government is sworn in.
By Shiloh Payne
Canada begins long cleanup after cyclone sweeps homes out to sea
Hundreds of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada are without power from post-Tropical Cyclone Fiona, which swept away houses, stripped roofs and blocked roads across the country’s Atlantic provinces.
Defence Minister Anita Anand says troops will help remove fallen trees, restore transportation links and do whatever else is required for as long as it takes.
It will take several months for Canada to restore critical infrastructure, Reuters reports.
By Peta Fuller
Melissa Caddick's home on the market
The home of accused fraudster Melissa Caddick has today been listed for sale with Sydney Sotheby's International Realty.
The Dover Heights house is a major asset which will help return money to investors who fell victim to Ms Caddick's alleged ponzi scheme.
The sale will take place via Expressions of Interest until the 31st of October, with a private auction to follow if it doesn't sell.
An inquest into her death also resumes today.
By Peta Fuller
One thing coming up today: Parliament is back (and ICAC is on the cards)
It'll be the last sitting week before October's budget — and Labor says its legislation for a federal integrity commission is coming this week.
Victorian Independent Helen Haines wants to make sure it can investigate a wide range of third parties, telling ABC radio:
"The government have indicated now that contractors would be included under third party. But what we don't know is whether other groups, such as lobbyists, such as businesses, such as unions would be included."
By Peta Fuller
News while you snoozed: Iranian in viral protest video killed, family says
You might have seen this video of Hadis Najafi, showing her without hijab and participating in protests in Karaj (about 30 km northwest of the capital, Tehran):
Reuters reports the sister of a woman, identified asthe 20-year-old, hastold a US-based activist that she had died after being shot by security forces.
Overnight, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian also said the United States was supporting 'rioters' and seeking to destabilise Iran.
By Peta Fuller
News Australia is searching for: Incredible *new* marathon record
- Berlin Marathon: Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge has shattered his own marathon world record, winning the Berlin race with a time of 2:01.09, shaving shave half a minute off his previous world best. Is sub two hours next?
- Elon Musk starlink: That's the news from over the weekend that the billionaire is delivering his Starlink internet system over Iran — where access to some content has been restricted due to the protests:
By Peta Fuller
One more thing: Rihanna will headline Super Bowl's halftime show
The singer had turned it down before — she didn't perform in 2019 out of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback's 2016 national anthem protests sparked debate — and this is what Rihanna told Vogue after turning it down:
I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.
After years of Pepsi's sponsorship, February's halftime show will be sponsored by Apple Music.
