This is The Loop, your quick catch-up on this morning's news as it happens.
Key events
Live updates
That's it for The Loop today
By Peta Fuller
Thanks for joining us this morning. If you're catching up, here's a bit of what we've covered:
- Indonesia's quake victims were "majority... children" the region's governor says, as death toll rises to 162
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Controversial republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has had her personal Twitter account reinstated
- Ukraine's narrowly avoided a nuclear disaster, after the UN watchdog calls recent attacks on a nuclear power plant one of 'the most intense'
- NSW's Lachlan River has peaked in Condobolin, with record flood level
- And Joe Biden lays on the dad jokes as he pardons two turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving in the US
You can keep up-to-date on other news on the ABC's website, by subscribing to our mobile alerts, and by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here.
Perrottet: Insurance should be 'people before profit'
By Peta Fuller
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says insurance companies should "put people before profit" and there needs to be "balance" when building but has added:
"We shouldn't be developing on those flood plains where there is high risk," he said.
He also said they were going to rebuild in Eugowra:
"We're going to rebuild in a more resilient way to ensure Eugowra has a strong future and everybody here and that's our commitment to the people today," he said.
PM announces small business grants of up to $50k
By Peta Fuller
Here's what he said:
"This morning, we're announcing a joint Commonwealth-state further support for disaster recovery.
Grants of up to $50,000, the first $25,000 of which can be paid very quickly and a further $25,000 upon receipts being shown.
That is eligible for all small businesses here in this community but also for not-for-profit organisations. This is Commonwealth and state jointly working together."
PM is speaking now about flooding
By Peta Fuller
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is holding a media conference in flood-affected Eugowra.
Victims named after Colorado shooting left five dead
By Peta Fuller
The faces of some of those killed in a US gay club shooting are emerging — including Daniel Aston, a 28-year-old transgender man.
His mother, Sabrina, said her son’s eagerness to make people laugh and cheer started as a child.
"We are in shock, we cried for a little bit, but then you go through this phase where you are just kind of numb, and I’m sure it will hit us again."
You can read more on yesterday's shooting here:
Flood crisis is 're-writing' maps, insurance council says
By Peta Fuller
With 100 warnings in NSW and an emergency declaration in South Australia, floods are still impacting the nation.
And the Insurance Council of Australia says it's becoming more difficult to find policies that cover flood damage in some places.
Residents in flood-hit areas of NSW, such as Forbes and Molong, have reportedly received notification from insurers that their flood protection policies will not be renewed.
Insurance council CEO Andrew Hall says the current crisis is re-writing flood maps:
"People can shop around, you can get insurance to cover the other risks, but you may not be able to get coverage for flood.
Now the issue with flood, it's well known when a flood occurs. And these current events are re-writing flood maps and demonstrating there are parts of these communities that are simply dangerous to be living in."
'Toxic Twitter' activists ramp up pressure on brands
By Peta Fuller
Groups of civil rights activists are urging brands to pull ads after accounts including Donald Trump and Kanye West were reinstated on the site.
Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, a left-leaning media watchdog that's part of the Stop Toxic Twitter coalition, said reinstating Trump was "a real breach" and:
"[Musk] was lying from the beginning," he said.
This month, Musk complained that pressure from the activists had already caused a "massive drop in revenue".
- Reuters
Aged care workers 'burning out' as survey warns 75 per cent say they'll leave
By Peta Fuller
A new survey reveals three-quarters of aged care workers say they'll leave the sector within six months if they don't receive a significant payrise.
The Health Services Union says workers are paid as little as $22 per hour to care for patients with complex physical, emotional and cognitive conditions such as dementia.
Earlier this month, the Fair Work Commission awarded an interim 15 per cent pay rise to 'direct care' employees, but the HSU says it will continue its push for a 25 per cent increase across the entire workforce.
The Union's national president, Gerard Hayes, says those in the roles are "burning out".
One dead, 16 injured after SUV crashes into Apple store in US
By Peta Fuller
The crash happened in Massachusetts, shortly before 11am local time.
Police didn't immediately say if the crash was believed to be accidental — just that there's an "active investigation".
Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said:
"This morning was an unthinkable morning, and people are trying to get through it and process what happened."
NASA capsule visits the moon for first time in 50 years
By Bridget Judd
NASA’s Orion capsule has reached the Moon, whipping around the far side on its way to a record-breaking orbit.
Test dummies are sitting in for astronauts (so don't expect much small talk), in what is the first time a capsule has visited the Moon since NASA’s Apollo program 50 years ago.
The capsule's cameras sent back a picture of the world — a tiny blue orb surrounded by blackness.
“Our pale blue dot and its 8 billion human inhabitants now coming into view,” said Mission Control commentator Sandra Jones.
Search for Indonesia survivors underway as authorities warn death toll will climb
By Peta Fuller
Indonesia's authorities say the death toll is likely to climb past 162, and more than 13,000 people are already displaced.
Rescue workers have been clearing rubble through the night to try and locate more survivors in Cianjur, West Java.
Many people are being treated for injuries outside hospitals as floors are flooded with wounded victims.
This resident has described the moment the quake struck:
"I was working as normal doing reports in the office. Usually we can feel the building moving when someone walks in the building. But just now it was so strong as if someone had pushed me."
Elon Musk’s Twitter reinstates Marjorie Taylor Greene
By Bridget Judd
Elon Musk’s Twitter has reinstated the personal account of far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, which was banned in January for violating the platform’s COVID misinformation policies at the time.
Greene’s reinstatement comes after Musk reinstated the account of former president Donald Trump over the weekend, who was banned in the aftermath of the deadly January 6 riots on the Capitol in 2021.
Mr Trump himself has said he won’t return to Twitter and has not yet tweeted since the reinstatement.
US and Wales draw 1-1 in crucial group match
By Peta Fuller
The US and Wales have drawn 1-1 in their World Cup opener.
The Americans dominated the first half in the key clash in Qatar, but Wales reversed it to have momentum in the second — with Gareth Bale scoring their first World Cup goal in 64 years.
He said:
"Incredible, but I'd have rathered the three points really."
Can't doubt that. Re-cap it all here:
Ukraine narrowly avoids disaster in 'one of the most intense' attacks
By Peta Fuller
UN inspectors are assessing damage after what's been described as "one of the most intense" attacks on Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
Fighting over the weekend rocked the site, with some shells falling near reactors and damaging a radioactive waste storage building, the UN's nuclear watchdog said.
The ABC's Europe correspondent Isabella Higgins said there were warnings it was a "close call" at the power station:
"The plant under Russian control in southern Ukraine has repeatedly been caught in shelling in recent months. The International Atomic Energy Agency says the attacks on the weekend were 'one of the most intense episodes'. Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other."
Gay bar shooting suspect faces murder, hate crime charges
By Bridget Judd
The man suspected of opening fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is being held on murder and hate crimes charges, days after the attack that killed five people and left 17 others injured.
Online court records show that 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich faces five murder charges and five charges of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury in Saturday night’s attack at Club Q.
The charges are preliminary, and prosecutors have not filed them in court. The hate crime charges would require proving that the gunman was motivated by bias, such as against the victims’ actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
Court documents laying out what led to Aldrich’s arrest have been sealed at the request of prosecutors, who said releasing details could jeopardise the investigation.
AP
UK comedian faked shredding stunt (and donated cash to charity instead)
By Peta Fuller
The video that went a touch viral yesterday, streaming UK comedian Joe Lycett shredding 10 thousand pounds (about $17,000), *didn't* involve real cash, Lycett has confirmed.
"The shredder was real but the money was fake... In fact, the 10 grand had already been donated to LGBTQ+ charities."
He'd given former England soccer captain David Beckhaman ultimatum to pull out of his role as an ambassador for Qatar at the World Cup.
And a little language warning on this one:
Bob Dylan's publisher to offer refunds after complaints over $600 'hand-signed' books
By Bridget Judd
Bob Dylan’s publisher is offering refunds for a $600 special edition of his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, after acknowledging that the allegedly "hand-signed" copies were not individually inscribed.
“To those who purchased THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN SONG limited edition, we want to apologize,” Simon & Schuster announced in a statement posted on Instagram.
“As it turns out, the limited edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”
Simon & Schuster’s statement came after days of complaints from customers, who had compared their copies and found the autographs suspiciously alike.
The books had arrived with a letter from Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp, vouching for the signature’s authenticity.
SA Premier to visit Riverland in response to major emergency declaration
By Peta Fuller
South Australia's Premier Peter Malinauskas will travel to the Riverland today, as flood preparations ramp up in response to the declaration of a major emergency yesterday.
A second flood peak for communities on the Murray in late December is a possibility.
"We know definitively that 3,500 to 4,000 properties are going to be inundated with water. That can not be prevented," he said.
NSW has at least 100 flood warnings as Lachlan River peaks
By Peta Fuller
The SES says the Lachlan River has peaked with record major flooding at Condobolin.
Residents in the town of Moulamein in the Riverina have one opportunity to leave on Tuesday under escort, or remain isolated for several weeks.
SES crews are focusing on helping communities downstream along the Lachlan River at Euabalong and the Edward River at Deniliquin.
One thing from overnight: 162 dead, mostly children, in Indonesia quake
By Peta Fuller
The strong, shallow 5.6 magnitude earthquake near Cianjur, southeast of Jakarta, has killed at least 162 people and injured hundreds of others.
The Governor of West Java says the "majority of those who died were children", with many believed to be public school students attending extra lessons at Islamic schools.
The area is known for having a large number of Islamic boarding schools and mosques.
