Afternoon Update: Latam passengers describe ‘panic’; Trump’s team begins purge; and a glamour-free night at the Oscars
Welcome to afternoon update.
Passengers onboard Latam Airlines flight LA800 from Sydney to Auckland have described a sudden mid-air drop on a flight that left passengers bloodied, hospitalised dozens and “felt like an earthquake had just hit”.
Lucas Ellwood told the Guardian the experience was “harrowing”, with “panic” onboard until the plane touched down. Fellow passenger Brian Jokat recalls feeling as though the plane was “taking a nosedive”, causing him to think “OK this is it, we’re done.” Fifty people were treated by ambulance after the flight landed safely at Auckland airport on Monday.
Latam said it was working with respective authorities to investigate the incident.
Top news
Mehreen Faruqi has legal win | The Greens senator will be able to use statements from X users on how a tweet by Pauline Hanson made them feel, as well as examples of alleged racially charged statements from Hanson’s 30-year political career, in her racial vilification case against the One Nation leader. Hanson is defending the racial vilification claim and has argued freedom of political speech.
NSW cult leader William Kamm to seek release | A cult leader and self-professed prophet will seek release after being charged with grooming a girl from the age of six. The 73-year-old, also known as “Little Pebble”, was arrested on Monday alongside his 58-year-old partner, Sandra Mathison.
‘Absolute bloodbath’ at RNC as new leadership loyal to Trump purges staff | Donald Trump’s new leadership team at the Republican National Committee started the process of ousting scores of staffers on Monday night, clearing out its ranks as they prepare to bring the committee under the wing of the Trump 2024 presidential campaign, sources familiar with the matter said.
Youth offenders to find it harder to get bail | The New South Wales premier has ruled out raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 as he announced sweeping new laws that would make it harder for teenagers to get bail and would criminalise “posting and boasting” about offences on social media. The proposed changes have been criticised as “knee-jerk law and order responses” that will see more children jailed and push the state further from its Closing the Gap targets.
Murder charge after car park stabbing death | A man has been charged with murder after being accused of a fatal stabbing in a Gold Coast shopping centre car park. Police were called to the Hope Island car park on Monday afternoon after reports a man had been seriously assaulted.
Australian states ranked by economic performance | Western Australia has come first – and Victoria last – in a new report on economic performance. WA leads other states on three measures including low taxes, energy prices and high wages growth. See how other states faired.
Al Pacino says he was told not to name best picture nominees | Al Pacino says he was following the instructions of the Oscars producers when he did not name any of the other best picture nominees while announcing Oppenheimer as the winner of the show’s biggest category.
US-UK strikes on Yemen’s Houthis reportedly kill 11 | Airstrikes carried out by the US and UK have hit port cities and small towns in western Yemen, killing at least 11 people and injuring 14, a spokesperson for Yemen’s internationally recognised government has told the Reuters news agency. US Central Command said it carried out six strikes on Monday, claiming it destroyed an unmanned underwater vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles in Houthi-controlled areas.
Eric Carmen dies aged 74 | The frontman of the power-pop band Raspberries and singer of solo hits including All By Myself, Never Gonna Fall in Love Again and Hungry Eyes, has died aged 74.
In pictures
The story of Gaza’s destruction in 100 lives
The numbers tell a story of continuing devastation: blocked food, destroyed homes and lost lives. In late 2023, Gaza’s population was 2.2 million people, according to Gaza’s ministry of health. By January 2024, 1% of the population had been killed, a figure that continues to rise every day.
Take a look at Mona Chalabi’s visual guide to Gaza’s destruction.
What they said …
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“If you think that consumers are paying a lot of money for the fruit now, you wait for when we are gone” – Guy Gaeta, orchard owner.
Australian fruit and vegetable growers have launched a scathing attack on the major supermarkets, telling a Senate inquiry that low produce prices are decimating family farms. The Senate inquiry, designed to investigate how big supermarkets set prices and use their market power when dealing with suppliers, is holding public hearings across the country.
Before bed read
‘All these normal people, packed into a human lasagne’: my glamour-free night at the Oscars
While the cameras lingered on the stars in Los Angeles, thousands of non-celebrities were whooping it up in the Dolby theatre’s cheap seats. Stuart Heritage was one of them – and he’s written about the experience.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ABBE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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