Australian News

In short:

At 4am AEST on Tuesday, Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to become a category two storm.

Gales with damaging wind gusts of up to 120 kilometres per hour are expected to develop along the coast, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

What's next?

The cyclone is likely to cross the Queensland coast late on Thursday or Friday, impacting residents in the state's south-east corner and in northern New South Wales.

The last tropical cyclone to cross the coast in south-east Queensland was ex-Tropical Cyclone Zoe in 1974.

In short:

The egg industry is warning supply shortages could last until at least 2028.

Analysts and farmers say increased consumer demand and ongoing avian influenza outbreaks are to blame.

What's next?

The price of eggs is expected to continue to rise.

Note that this is a few days old; I forgot to submit it earlier. Here's a couple of related articles that are a few days more recent:

• ABC News: Bird flu wipes out more than half a million Victorian farmer’s hens
• ABC News: How much has the price of eggs increased and who is worst hit?

I guess climate change isn't real /s

In short:

Antony Green is stepping down as the national broadcaster's chief election analyst after more than three decades.

He will continue to work behind the scenes on election-related projects.

Green joined the ABC in 1989 and has provided live analysis of about 100 state and federal elections.

In short:

ASIO has foiled plots by hostile foreign nations to assassinate or harm critics in Australia.

The spy agency's boss also expressed fears in his annual threat assessment that antisemitic attacks had not yet "plateaued".

What's next?

Diplomatic offices are being warned not to meddle in the coming federal election.

For the first time, the ASIO boss has also declassified parts of his organisation's most recent "futures assessment" that outlines threats out to 2030, and that he describes as "an uncomfortable assessment".

See also:

• The Conversation: ASIO boss expects more communal violence in worsening security environment in Australia

This story is getting talked about a lot in Perth this week. A well respected doctor: a week ago was going through a rough patch because he was sad his marriage had broken down. Otherwise had a pretty good life.

Now, through his own stupidity is likely to spend the next several years behind bars. Nobody has any sympathy for him - his high-flying career is likely a thing of the past.

Not that people should need reinforcement on the effects of impaired driving, but yeah - don't do that thing.

Worth mentioning: A young woman a week ago also had a pretty good life going on. Now, she is dead. 😞

Fuck, dude has so.e balls. Much as I think Russias actions are completely repugnant, I'm not that brave.

The government was informed of a glitch that caused more than a thousand people to be cut off from welfare payments but ignored it for more than three years because halting it would harm private providers.

The fuck is this :(

"When your time comes, I want you to remember my face so you can understand you will die the most disgusting death," she says, before adding that she won't treat Israelis.

"I won't treat them, I will kill them," she says.

The man then tells Mr Veifer he sends Israelis to Jahannam as he makes a threatening gesture.

"You have no idea how many Israeli dog[s] came to this hospital and I send them to Jahannam," he says.

In short:

Banks will be told not to count HECS-HELP and other student loans in debt calculations for home loans, and to disregard HELP repayments from serviceability assessments.

APRA will also update lending rules for housing developers to clarify that a block of units does not need to be fully sold off the plan to qualify for a loan.

What's next?

The Coalition is mulling its own move on lending requirements, with a proposal soon to come before shadow cabinet.

In short:

A microchip registry company used by vets and shelters around Australia has stopped operations, with a warning its website might go offline.

The identification data of tens of thousands of pets will no longer work if not transferred to another provider.

What's next?

A vet and cat shelter are urging owners of pets registered with HomeSafeID to transfer to another provider.

https://archive.md/afXxG

In short:

A fire at a factory in St Marys has been upgraded to the highest available alarm.

More than 150 firefighters are containing the blaze in Western Sydney, with the fireground still active.

Two firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion, with nearby residents being evacuated from the area.

The fire, located at the Cleanaway Chemical Waste Recycling Facility in St Marys, is currently contained.

"We've got large quantities of chemicals and gas cylinders that are engulfed in fire and detonating with explosive force.

From February 1, packs sold in supermarkets and places other than pharmacies will reduce from a maximum 20 tablets to 16 tablets per pack.
[...]
In all jurisdictions except Queensland and Western Australia, packs sold in pharmacies larger than 50 tablets will move behind the pharmacy counter and can only be sold under pharmacist supervision. In Queensland and WA, products containing more than 16 tablets will only be available from behind the pharmacy counter and sold under pharmacist supervision.

In all jurisdictions, any packs containing more than 50 tablets will need to be sold in blister packs, rather than bottles.

Several paracetamol products are not affected by these changes. These include children’s products, slow-release formulations (for example, “osteo” products), and products already behind the pharmacy counter or only available via prescription.

These changes have been introduced to reduce the risk of poisonings from people exceeding recommended doses. The overall safety profile of paracetamol has not changed.

Paracetamol is still available from all current locations and there are no plans to make it prescription-only or remove it from supermarkets altogether.

The BOM's Dean Narramore says as the 11am high tide passes, those near swollen waterways should expect a "surge" of up to 30cm.

He's also warned the weather system may bring potentially damaging winds with gusts of up to 90kmh from this afternoon - enough to bring down trees and powerlines, particularly given the wet ground.

The misfired message starts: “Seriously!

“I wonder if any of them realise that they are a doctor and that this is what happens. Oh that’s right … I forgot. Life style [sic] before career,” the message continued.

“God help us in the future. We are going to have a workforce of clinical marshmellows!”

In short:

Two members of the National Socialist Network have been granted bail in the Adelaide Magistrates Court.

The men were among the 16 people arrested on Sunday after a neo-Nazi gathering in the Adelaide CBD.

What's next?

A supporter speaking outside of court was arrested shortly after telling the media he believed the men would "beat the charges".

In short:

Rivers clothing and footwear will close 136 of its stores by mid-April.

About 650 people will lose their jobs, as the collapse of Mosaic Group continues.

What's next?

Fashion experts say while the news is troubling, there could still be some hope for the two remaining brands under Mosaic Group's umbrella if the right steps are taken.

The brand's 45-year history collapsed on Thursday, becoming the latest domino to fall in Australian fashion empire Mosaic Group's portfolio after it went into administration in October last year.

The group collapsed owing creditors $249 million.

Rivers is the seventh brand to be axed as KPMG and FTI Consulting review the business.

In a statement, KPMG's David Hardy said they had been unable to sell Rivers as planned.

"This means the receivers have made the difficult decision to wind down this iconic Australian brand," he said.

In short:

A man behind one of the fires in Sydney's east told police he committed the offence after threats were made to his family related to owed money.

The revelation supports an emerging police theory about criminal organisation links to the recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks.

So far, nine people have been charged by NSW Police with 59 offences under Strike Force Pearl.