This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happened.
Key events
Live updates
That's all for The Loop!
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Thanks for joining us today!
If you're just getting caught up, here's some of what we've covered (tap the link to go straight to the post):
- Mississippi signs bill banning gender-affirming care for minors
- Cyclone Judy crosses Vanuatu, sparking evacuations
- Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes says the birth of her second child should let her delay prison time
- Ed Sheeran breaks the record for most tickets sold at an Australian gig
- New records reveal police seized dark clothes and gloves from the home of the alleged University of Idaho killer
- A top cyclist is fined for fatally shooting his neighbour's cat in San Marino
- Justin Bieber is cancelling the remainder of his Justice World Tour, without reason
- The suspected smugglers behind the migrant boat that crashed off Italy's coast charged more than $12,570
- The European Space Agency wants to confirm a time zone on the Moon
Thousands stranded as Colombian airline grounds flights
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Struggling low-cost airline Viva Air has suspended operations in Colombia and Peru, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in airports with little support.
The airline, owned by the same group that owns Ryanair, says it grounded its flights after the latest delay by Colombian authorities in approving the airline's requested merger with Avianca, Colombia’s main carrier.
“Viva is a shameless airline,” said Guillermo Noboa, a Peruvian university student who had booked a flight from Bogota to Lima.
“I have to return to Peru to register for the next semester and register for an internship,” he said.
“But now I have no clue when I’ll be able to go back home.”
BREAKING: Trains collide in central Greece
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Two trains have collided in central Greece and rescue teams are evacuating passengers after at least two carriages caught fire.
State broadcaster ERT said "tens of people" were injured after a passenger train collided with a cargo train.
The fire brigade could not confirm the number of injured nor the cause of the crash. It said the incident occurred outside the city of Larissa.
The fire brigade said 17 trucks were trying to put out the flames.
Mississippi signs bill banning gender-affirming care for minors
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Mississippi has signed a bill to ban gender-affirming hormones or surgery in the state for anyone under 18, part of a broad effort in conservative states to restrict transgender athletes, gender-affirming care and drag shows.
The law takes effect immediately.
Other US states, including South Dakota and UTah have signed similar bans, with Tennessee also expected to do so.
Across the US this year, at least 150 bills targeting transgender people have been introduced, which is the highest in a single year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Mickie Stratos — who is president of The Spectrum Center of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, which provides health services and advocacy for LGBTQ people — said the decision to sign the bill “is an act of violence.”
Charlottesville white supremacist fined for prison misconduct
By Brianna Morris-Grant
The white supremacist who killed a woman by ramming his car into protesters at the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally has been fined for allegedly threatening a prison guard and brandishing a "dangerous weapon".
James Alex Fields Jr is serving a life sentence for the Charlottesville killing.
He owes a total of $US81,600 ($121,192) in restitution in the criminal case but prosecutors say victims have not received any money.
Documents describe a series of incidents in prison from 2019 to 2021, including Fields being “insolent” to a staff member or being disruptive, which resulted in having his phone or email privileges temporarily suspended.
The incidents for which Fields was fined include making a threatening remark to a correctional officer and being found in possession of a “dangerous” homemade weapon.
Cyclone Judy crosses Vanuatu
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Evacuations are under way in some areas of Vanuatu as Cyclone Judy crosses the country, bringing heavy rain and gale-force winds.
The category three storm hit the capital Port Vila this morning, with residents reporting minor damage so far.
- You can read the full story here:
Florida shooting spree suspect faces additional charges
By Brianna Morris-Grant
A Florida man accused of killing three people, including a television journalist and a 9-year-old girl, in a shooting spree last week will face additional first-degree murder charges.
Keith Melvin Moses, 19, who was arrested shortly after the attacks last Wednesday in the Orlando suburbs of Pine Hills, had already been charged with murder in the death of 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin.
Moses will now also face first degree murder charges in the death of Dylan Lyons, a 24-year-old TV reporter, and 9-year-old T'yonna Major.
Police have said that Moses was armed with a pistol when taken into custody and has a lengthy criminal record that included arrests on charges of firearms offenses, aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft.
On This Day: Lindbergh kidnapping, Salem witch trials
By Brianna Morris-Grant
It's March 1 —first day of a new month!
Here's some other things that happened on this date throughout history.
- 1692: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba are brought before local magistrates in Salem, beginning the Salem witch trials.
- 1872: Yellowstone becomes the world's first national park.
- 1893: Nikola Tesla gives the first public demonstration of the radio in St Louis, Missouri.
- 1901: The Australian Army is formed.
- 1921: The Australian cricket team becomes the first team to complete an Ashes whitewash.
- 1932: Aviator Charles Lindbergh's 20-month old son is kidnapped from his home in New Jersey.
- 1974: Seven are indicted for their role in the Watergate scandal.
- 1998: Titanic becomes the first film to gross over $1 billion worldwide.
Elizabeth Holmes cites second child as reason to delay prison
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is citing her recently born child as another reason she should be allowed to delay the start of a more than 11-year prison sentence.
The birth of Holmes' second child was confirmed in court documents filed last week.
The start of her original trial was delayed so Holmes could give birth to her first child, a son.
Holmes isn't citing her two children as the only reason she should be allowed to stay out of prison during her appeal.
Her lawyers contend that an array of mistakes and abuses made during her trial make it likely her conviction will be overturned,
Coming up: New GDP and inflation data
By Tom Williams
At 11:30am AEDT this morning the Australian Bureau of Statistics will release its latest data on the country's GDP (gross domestic product) and CPI (consumer price index), and our Business reporters will be right across it.
The monthly CPI indicator is a measure of inflation,and today's data will look at January 2023.
CPI rose 1.9 per cent in the December 2022 quarter and 7.8 per cent annually last year.
GDP grew by 5.9 per cent in the year to September 2022, and the national accounts for the December quarter will be released today.
The final quarter of 2022 saw Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas holiday spending, but also three interest rate rises.
Some economists are forecasting GDP to have risen by 0.7 per cent in those three months.
Ed Sheeran breaks record for most tickets sold at an Australian gig
By Jessica Riga
Ed Sheeran's Australian tour is going from strength to strength, with the British singer breaking the nation's record for the most tickets sold to a single show.
He made history on Friday at the MCG where he played to 107,000 fans.
The previous record was held by Adele who sold just over 98,000 tickets for a single show at ANZ Stadium in Sydney back in 2017.
Altogether, Sheeran has sold more than 200,000 tickets across his two MCG shows.
Police seized gloves, dark clothes from Idaho murder accused
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Newly unsealed court documents detail what police took from the home of Brian Kohberger, the graduate student charged with stabbing four University of Idaho students to death.
The 28-year-old is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths in Moscow, Idaho.
The bodies of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found on November 13, 2022, at a rental home across the street from the University of Idaho campus.
Pennsylvania State Police swabbed Kohberger's DNA and seized a silver flashlight, four “medical-style gloves,” a white Arizona Jean Co T-shirt, a black Champion sweatshirt, a pair of black-and-white size 13 Nike shoes, black Under Armour socks, black Under Armour shorts and black Under Armour boxers, according to an inventory of the items.
The significance of the items, if any, was not immediately clear.
Chalmers: 'Modest but meaningful' super changes
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has told ABC News Breakfast changes to superannuation tax concessions will make super "more sustainable and affordable".
Check out the full interview below.
You can read our full report on the new super changes here:
Top cyclist shoots dead minister's cat
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Cyclist Antonio Tiberi has been fined 4,000 euros ($6,90) for fatally shooting a minister's cat in San Marino.
The 21-year-old rider, a juniors time trial world champion in 2019, reportedly said he was trying out an air rifle and aimed at the cat's head and fired.
The cat belonged to his neighbour Federico Pedini Amati, San Marino's minister of tourism and posts and a former Captain Regent, or head of state, of San Marino.
"The cat didn't bother anyone," Pedini Amati was quoted as saying by Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper.
"It had been with us for a long time. My three-year-old daughter Lucia loved it. You cannot kill a pet and get away with a 4,000 euro fine," he said.
Justin Bieber cancels remainder of world tour
By Jessica Riga
In more music news, Justin Bieber has announced the official cancellation of the remainder of his Justice World Tour.
"Frontier Touring regret to advise that Justin Bieber’s Justice Tour of Australia and New Zealand has been cancelled," the company announced overnight.
"All tickets purchased through the official ticketing outlets will receive a refund directly from the shows ticketing agency."
triple j host Lucy Smith told News Breakfast "there's not been any kind of explicit reason stated why these shows have been officially cancelled."
"We talked about this back in October when he postponed the November and December legs of his Australian shows because of Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
"He's potentially prioritising his health and that's a great thing, however some fans are speculating that he's going to be entering into a new album era so the Justice World Tour won't be relevant to these upcoming shows."
Migrants paid more than $12k for 'voyage of death' before Italy boat crash
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Rescue teams in Italy pulled more bodies from the sea, bringing the death toll from the migration tragedy to 65.
Prosecutors say the suspected smugglers allegedly charged 8,000 euros ($12,570) for each person making the “voyage of death” from Türkiye to Italy.
Aid groups at the scene have said many of the passengers hailed from Afghanistan, including entire families, as well as from Pakistan, Syria and Iraq.
The 80 survivors found say there were around 170 people on the boat when it set off.
Unknown powder in air 'pollen', US lab concludes
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Officials investigating reports of a powder in the air and on vehicles in West Virginia have determined the source: pollen.
Residents across the US state reported seeing the substance late last week, predictably sparking an uptick in conspiracy theories.
Final results from the dust samples collected indicate the material is predominantly pollen, with trace amounts of mineral matter.
The samples were analyzed by West Virginia University’s Department of Geology and Geography.
Spanish island blanketed by snow
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Spanish holiday island Mallorca has been hit with half a metre of snow — with more on the way — as Storm Juliette sweeps the country.
The island is usually known for its warm weather and sunny beaches but temperatures are now dropping as low as -2 degrees Celsius.
The Weeknd becomes first artist to hit 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify
By Jessica Riga
Overnight, Spotify announced The Weeknd has made music history, becoming the first artist to hit 100 million monthly listeners on the platform.
The star is well ahead of other big names — his closest competition is Miley Cyrus, on 82.5 million.
He already has Spotify's most-played song of all time, Blinding Lights, which has been heard 3.4 billion (!) times.
Europe pushes for moon to get its own time zone
By Brianna Morris-Grant
What time is it on the moon?
That's what the European Space Agency wants to confirm.
This week, the agency said space organisations around the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon.
The idea came up during a meeting in the Netherlands late last year, with participants agreeing on the urgent need to establish “a common lunar reference time," said the space agency's Pietro Giordano, a navigation system engineer.
For now, a moon mission runs on the time of the country that is operating the spacecraft.
