This is The Loop, your quick look at this morning's news.
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By Kelsie Iorio
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Thanks for reading this morning's news wrap.
You can stay up to date on the ABC News website and by subscribing to our mobile alerts.
If you're just joining us, here's what you need to know:
- Two Russians and a Ukrainian have been convicted of murder over the shooting down of MH17 in Ukraine in 2014. A fourth man was acquitted
- Australian man Sean Turnell has been released from prison after spending 650 days behind bars in Myanmar. He's due to arrive back in Australia soon
- US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not seek a leadership position in the new Congress after Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives to Republicans
- Jailed US basketballer Brittney Griner's lawyers say she's been taken to a penal colony in Russia's Mordovia region
- Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny says he's been transferred to a solitary punishment cell in prison
By Kelsie Iorio
Your comments: Who you're repping for Ausmusic T-Shirt Day
Got my Cat Empire T shirt on for the day. — David
Today I'm wearing shirts from any one of the amazing artists on home-grown Australian label Bird's Robe Records. Support Aussie music! — Jono
As it happens, I'm wearing a Metallica tshirt. I should rip it off and put on my Crowded House tshirt. I'm Gonna.. you got to me. — Natty
I leave you with my own contribution — Meanjin/Brissy band Tjaka 😍✌️
If you missed it earlier in the blog, you can read all about Ausmusic T-Shirt Day and all the great work Support Act does here!
By Kelsie Iorio
ICYMI: UK's postal workers to strike before Christmas
Postal workers at Britain's Royal Mail will strike for six days in the run-up to the busy Christmas period in a dispute over pay and conditions, their union says.
The Communication Workers Union, which represents more than 115,000 postal workers at Royal Mail, said in a statement that workers will December 9, 11, 14, 15, 23 and 24.
These latest strikes are in addition to walkouts scheduled for three days later this month and on December 1.
Reporting with Reuters
By Kelsie Iorio
Just in: Uvalde officer who was acting as police chief during mass school shooting steps down
A Uvalde police officer who was leading the city's police department during the hesitant law enforcement response to a school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers has stepped down.
Spokeswoman Gina Eisenberg says Mariano Pargas retired on Thursday after 18 years working for the city.
She said his retirement was immediate but the city is still processing the paperwork.
Pargas is the second police leader to leave law enforcement in the fallout since the massacre in May, when hundreds of officers waited more than an hour to confront the gunman inside a classroom at Robb Elementary School.
Pargas was running the department during the shooting because chief Daniel Rodriguez was out of town.
His retirement comes ahead of a Saturday meeting at which the city council was set to consider firing him.
Pargas could not be immediately reached for comment but has previously told CNN that his lawyer instructed him not to speak publicly, saying "there’s a lot of stuff that I can explain, that I would love to defend myself."
Reporting with AP
By Kelsie Iorio
Update: More wholesome Ausmusic T-Shirt Day content
Who are you wearing? Tell us in the comments ☝️
By Shiloh Payne
Update: Latest on the flooding situation in NSW
Firefighters and defence force personnel are being deployed to Condobolin in the NSW central west today as the town braces for its worst flooding since records began.
Floodwaters in the Lachlan River ar Forbes are holding steady but the flood peak is now moving downstream where it's expected to impact Condobolin over the coming days.
Floodwaters there are already above the record 1952 level and are expected to rise further.
Towns across the state's inland are still being impacted by ongoing flooding and several communities in the state's north remain isolated.
By Kelsie Iorio
Just in: AFP releases statement on MH17 verdict
The Australian Federal Police has just released an official statement after a Dutch court found three men guilty (and acquitted a fourth) over the downing of MH17 in 2014.
It says it acknowledges the verdict.
"The AFP, with international partners, has been investigating the crime since 2014," the statement reads.
"AFP members with experience in explosives, investigations and disaster victim identification were sent to the crash site in 2014 and have never stopped relentlessly pursuing answers for families.
"While the verdict may bring some families a sense of justice, the AFP understands their grief may not be undone by the court’s findings.
"A contingent of AFP members is in The Netherlands today to continue to provide support to families."
By Kelsie Iorio
ICYMI: AMA's ACT branch says territory needs more COVID measures
The Australian Medical Association ACT says COVID-19 recommendations from ACT Health aren't adequate enough amid the latest wave of infections.
The New South Wales and Queensland governments are strongly recommending masks be worn indoors and on public transport.
Last week, the ACT recorded a 41 per cent increase in case numbers compared to the week prior.
AMA ACT President Walter Abhayaratna says Canberra doesn't have the hospital beds for additional COVID infections.
"We really are really very tight already so that last thing we want is unnecessary infections that then lead to hospitalisations that could've been prevented by masks," Dr Abhayaratna says.
By Shiloh Payne
Just in: Ticketmaster cancels next ticket sale for Taylor Swift concerts
Ticketmaster says it's cancelling its planned sale for Taylor Swift's upcoming stadium tour because it doesn't have enough tickets.
The ticketing company says two million tickets to The Eras tour next year were sold during presales on Tuesday, the most tickets ever sold on the platform in a single day.
Ticketmaster cited "extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand" as a reason for calling off Friday's sale.
Reporting with AP
By Kelsie Iorio
Your comments: Who are you wearing for AusMusic T-Shirt Day?
Wearing my flight facilities t-shirt (and matching socks :)) — Sarah
Let's celebrate with an all-time masterpiece.
I ordered a Kate Miller Heidke shirt last week, hoping it'd arrive in time for AusMusic Tshirt Day, but alas - it's still in the mail — So Sad
I don't have your shirt, but I do have this CLASSIC. Will I start singing in the office? Maybe.
Let us know in the comments who you're wearing and we'll keep this little sing-along going ☝️
By Kelsie Iorio
Mid morning check-in: Just joining us? Here's what's going on
Hi Kelsie - I enjoy your blogging, even though I am 3 hr behind. Just for us about to go to sleep/bed are there any news big items that we should aware of (especially us in Perth)?
- Glen
Thanks for your comment Glen! Big night shift? The Loop is really only two hours ahead here in the Sunshine State, but if you're just joining us from anywhere in Australia, here's a quick wrap of some big stuff from this morning so far:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australian Sean Turnell is in remarkably "good spirits" after being released from a Myanmar jail overnight
- US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not seek a leadership position in the new Congress after Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives to Republicans
- Two Russians and a Ukrainian have been convicted of murder over the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine in 2014, but because the offenders remain at large, they're unlikely to serve the life sentences handed down by the court
- In WA, it's been revealed in parliament that not one government minister, including the Corrective Services Minister Bill Johnston, has set foot inside Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre since February, with a Greens MP urging ministers to see its "bleak" conditions for themselves
- And it's Ausmusic T-Shirt Day — keep sharing who you're repping here in the blog comments!
By Kelsie Iorio
Just in: Craig Foster talks World Cup off-field controversies
Human rights advocate and former Socceroo Craig Foster has been chatting with Tony Armstrong (who is wearing his Ausmusic T-Shirt today, of course) live on News Breakfast ahead of the start of the World Cup.
Qatar has been in the spotlight over its human rights record — Mr Foster says it's not the first time there's been controversy around a host country, but it's being treated differently in 2022.
"This is the global game and therefore, you know, all of global politics throughout all of our history has been replicated through the game of football," he says.
"We had a World Cup with Mussolini. We had the World Cup with the military junta who were killing dissidents at that time back in '78 in Argentina. The Olympics have had their own problems in relation to working with authoritarian regimes and the like.
"This is different because human rights in sport and what we call the sporting rights movement has been very prominent in the last 10 years, particularly the last five, and because FIFA now has a human rights policy, which is absolutely wonderful, this is at the forefront of the conversation. So it's a very different World Cup here."
Mr Foster says Australia will likely face questioning of its own over the treatment of First Nations people and refugees among other issues when the women's World Cup is played here.
"I think Qatar 12 years ago would have thought they could just move on without having this scrutiny. I'm delighted this hasn't been the case," he says.
"Many thousands of migrant workers have been killed in Qatar. My message to all the football community — and the personal decision I've made myself is to be involved, albeit I'm donating my fee to bereaved families of migrant workers — is to be involved but not to be silent.
"We are accountable to the game and we're responsible to hold the game to account to make sure that there are higher standards, now and in the future."
By Shiloh Payne
Just in: James Webb Space Telescope spots early galaxies
NASA’s Webb Space Telescope is finding bright, early galaxies that until now were hidden from view, including one that may have formed a mere 350 million years after the cosmic-creating Big Bang.
Astronomers say if the results are verified, this newly discovered throng of stars would beat the most distant galaxy identified by the Hubble Space Telescope, a record-holder that formed 400 million years after the universe began.
By Shiloh Payne
US senators accuse Musk of undermining Twitter
Seven Democratic senators have sent a letter to the US Federal Trade Commission warning that Twitter was acting in disregard of users.
The lawmakers asked the agency to consider enforcement actions against the company and against individual executives where appropriate.
"In recent weeks, Twitter's new Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, has taken alarming steps that have undermined the integrity and safety of the platform, and announced new features despite clear warnings those changes would be abused for fraud, scams, and dangerous impersonation," the lawmakers said in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan.
Elon Musk's first two weeks as Twitter's owner have been marked by rapid change and chaos.
He quickly fired Twitter's previous CEO and other senior leaders and then laid off half its staff earlier this month.
Reporting with Reuters
By Kelsie Iorio
Just in: Penny Wong calls on Russia to surrender citizens convicted over MH17 deaths
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called on Russia to surrender those convicted over the downing of flight MH17 "so they may face the court sentence for their heinous crime".
"The delivery of these verdicts is an important step in efforts to hold those responsible to account," she said at a press conference.
"It delivers the answers families have sought. It delivers confirmation that the Russian Federation have responsibility.
"Separatists had direction from Russia, Russia supplied weapons, training, money and the missile which downed the plane."
She also thanked investigators and her Dutch counterpart for their work in getting the case to this stage.
By Shiloh Payne
Just in: Brittney Griner taken to a Penal Colony in Mordovia
US basketball star Brittney Griner has been transferred to a penal colony about 500km southeast of Moscow, her lawyers said.
Ms Griner is facing nine years behind bars in Russia after being convicted on drug charges.
Her legal team said Ms Griner had been taken to Female Penal Colony IK-2 in the town of Yavas in the Mordovia region.
"We can confirm that Brittney began serving her sentence at IK-2 in Mordovia. We visited her early this week," lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boikov said in a statement.
"Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment."
A US State Department spokesperson said the Russian Federation failed to provide any official notification for moving a US citizen, which they "strongly protest."
Reporting with Reuters
By Kelsie Iorio
PSA: It's Ausmusic T-Shirt Day! Who are you wearing?
It's one of my favourite days! Today is Ausmusic T-Shirt Day — a chance for everyone to bust out their best-loved T-shirt from your favourite Aussie artist and wear it loud and proud to celebrate and support the local music industry.
Our good mates over at triple j have again teamed up with Support Act for Ausmusic T-Shirt Day (Support Act provide crucial support to musicians, who did it extremely tough through COVID restrictions) and it's a great opportunity to support the artists you love by making a donation or buying some merch.
Tell us in the comments — who are you wearing for Ausmusic T-Shirt Day? We'll share them here in The Loop!
By Shiloh Payne
Coming up: Celebrations for school graduates start tomorrow
Schoolies kicks off on the Gold Coast tomorrow as tens of thousands of Queensland school-leavers finish their last day of school.
The Schoolies Hub has been set up at Surfers Paradise beach with one thousand volunteers involved in the event.
There will be a strong police presence in the area over the next week.
By Kelsie Iorio
Watch live: Penny Wong to speak about the MH17 verdict
The Foreign Minister is due to speak to media any minute now. You can watch her address live on the YouTube stream here when it begins:
By Kelsie Iorio
Just in: Buffalo grocery store shooting suspect expected to plead guilty
CNN and other US media outlets have reported that a gunman accused of killing 10 people at a supermarket in the New York city of Buffalo is expected to plead guilty to murder and other charges next week, citing an attorney for the victims.
Police described the supermarket shooting as a racially motivated hate crime.
The white gunman, aged 18 at the time, killed 10 people and injured three others at the Tops Friendly Markets in a predominantly black neighbourhood, before surrendering to officers inside the grocery store.
Reporting with Reuters
