Hi there, and happy Friday. It's May 27 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here: There's been a boat accident in WA
Up to 28 people were injured when a tourism boat ran into trouble off WA's Kimberley coast.
- There were 26 passengers and two crew on the vessel this morning
- It's unclear what exactly happened to the boat, but the incident occurred as it travelled through the popular Horizontal Falls tourist spot, which often hosts tours through its quick-moving tides
- The Royal Flying Doctor Service deployed six aircraft, six doctors and six flight nurses in response to the incident
- A number of people were taken to hospital. Those with more serious injuries will be transferred to Perth or Broome for further treatment
- Kimberley police say none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening
Speaking of boats, today we heard a lot about that election-day asylum seeker boat
Today the ABC revealed that one of Scott Morrison's final acts as prime minister was to instruct the Australian Border Force to issue a rare statement on election day about the interception of a suspected asylum seeker boat.
The Liberal Party followed this by sending a mass robo-text message to voters in marginal seats, urging them to back the government.
Since then, the new Labor government's Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, has accused the former government of risking lives and compromising national security by publicising the interception of the boat.
The unusual disclosure of operational "on water matters" is now subject to an inquiry by Home Affairs Department secretary Mike Pezzullo, ordered this week by the new government.
News you may have missed
- Ellen's final show. Ellen DeGeneres has brought her talk show to an end after more than 3,200 episodes and nearly two decades. DeGeneres's daytime reign hit a serious bump in 2020 when her show was alleged to be a toxic workplace and three producers exited amid the claims. She said the show was coming to an end as she found a desire for new challenges
- Kevin Spacey: Prosecutors in Britain have authorised new charges against the actor for four counts of sexual assault against three men, as well as a charge of "causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent". The new charges were announced while Spacey was in court in New York City, testifying in a different lawsuit filed by actor Anthony Rapp, who accused the star of assaulting him at a party in the 1980s
Here's what Australia has been searching for online
There were some high-profile entertainment-industry deaths today, which a lot of people were searching for information about:
- Ray Liotta. The American actor known for his leading roles in Goodfellas and Field of Dreams has died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic at the age of 67. He was also known for portraying Frank Sinatra in The Rat Pack and voicing the character of Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Lorraine Bracco, who played Karen Hill opposite Liotta's character mobster Henry Hill in Goodfellas, tweeted that she was "utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray"
- Andy Fletcher. The founding member and keyboardist for legendary English synth-pop group Depeche Mode has died aged 60. In a statement, Fletcher's bandmates said they were "shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness"
One more thing
It's been a sombre day all 'round, with former Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds also laid to rest.
Former Australian captain Adam Gilchrist held back tears as he spoke to the media after this morning's private funeral in Townsville. Here's how he described the ceremony:
The funeral was followed by a public memorial in the afternoon, which about 500 people attended.
Another former Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, shared this light-hearted memory of Symonds:
You're up to date!
Have a great weekend, and see you for more Loop next week.
ABC/wires
