Hi there. It's Monday, November 14 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
One thing to know: Huge storms have caused havoc in parts of Australia
Not long after large parts of south-eastern Australia experienced flooding rains, huge storms have led to immense damage, blackouts and even evacuations in some parts of the country.
Here's what has been happening in each affected jurisdiction:
In New South Wales, thunderstorms caused more than 100 millimetres of rain to fall across parts of the state. The highest falls were in the already flooded town of Forbes, which received 118mm. Thousands of people were rescued or evacuated amid serious flash flooding across the state.
In Victoria, the State Emergency Service said it had responded to more than 780 calls, with the spike coming in the early hours of Monday morning. There was widespread flash flooding across large parts of the state and dozens of people had to be rescued.
In regional South Australia, thousands of residents woke up to their third day without power after wild weather hit the state on Saturday. Gusty winds, heavy rain and 423,000 lightning strikes caused widespread damage to power lines across the state, leaving more than 34,000 people still waiting for electricity reconnections this morning.
In the Northern Territory, a violent storm devastated pockets of Alice Springs in minutes on the weekend, catching residents off guard. Damage assessments are being carried out as authorities work to restore services.
Today we heard about a betting scandal engulfing the AFL's Brownlow Medal
It's been a big day for the AFL.
Four men, including an AFL umpire, have been arrested over suspicious betting activity around the league's 2022 Brownlow Medal votes.
"It's alleged that a person with knowledge of the voting tally of these matches distributed the information to a group of people known to them," Victoria Police said.
"Police are investigating how many matches may have had votes released, and exactly how much money was awarded from the bets."
The AFL's general manager of football operations Andrew Dillon stressed there was no "information to suggest that the outcome of the Brownlow Medal was impacted" as the allegations relate to the leaking of results after matches.
The arrested men, aged between 27 and 32, have since been released, but more than one of them are expected to be charged.
News you might have missed
- A freight train derailed in Victoria today, leaving dozens of shipping containers strewn across railway tracks. Sixteen wagons came off tracks west of Geelong between Inverleigh and Gheringhap at about 5:30am, and the pictures (below) were spectacular. Up to 50 millimetres of rain fell in the area in the lead-up to the incident. The SES said nobody was hurt in the incident and there were no dangerous goods onboard
- Turkish police have reportedly arrested a suspect following an explosion in central Istanbul. Six people were killed and 81 others wounded on Sunday when an explosion rocked a busy pedestrian street in Istiklal Avenue in central Istanbul. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called it a bomb attack that "smells like terrorism"
Here's what Australia has been searching for online
- Anthony Johnson. The former UFC and Bellator fighter has died at the age of 38, following a long illness which a Bellator spokesman said lasted for more than a year. Known as Rumble because of his punching power, Johnson had 17 wins by knockout and six by decision in his career. His last fight was in May 2021
- Ronaldo. The Portuguese soccer player has blasted Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag in a TV interview, saying he feels "betrayed" by the club and that senior figures have tried to force him out. The interview is set to be broadcast on Britain's TalkTV but advance clips were released just hours after United's final game before the World Cup
One more thing: Researchers say rats can bop to a beat like humans
Love bopping along to a 'sick beat'? So do rats, according to researchers in Japan.
The scientists say they've discovered that the rodents can bop along in time to music — something which was previously thought to be unique to humans.
How did they figure this out? They put accelerometers on the heads of 10 rats and measured their movements while playing songs like Lady Gaga's Born This Way, Queen's Another One Bites the Dust, Michael Jackson's Beat It and Maroon 5's Sugar.
Here's what it looked like:
"Rats displayed innate — that is, without any training or prior exposure to music — beat synchronisation most distinctly within 120-140 bpm (beats per minute), to which humans also exhibit the clearest beat synchronisation," says Associate Professor Hirokazu Takahashi.
The researchers say the discovery provides insights into the animal mind and the origins of music and dance.
They say further study is needed to figure out if rats can predict upcoming beats, but their work already shows the animals have some level of predictive processing.
You're up to date!
We'll be back tomorrow with more, as the rats continue their takeover.
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