Commonwealth's huge backflip on controversial fee, Bunnings facing biosecurity probe, Uber shames state's passengers

Police officers have been bitten and knocked unconscious in a “disgusting” assault in the Northern Territory.

Three officers attended a Milikapiti property just more than 100km by air from Darwin about 6am on Wednesday to arrest a man in relation to alleged domestic violence offences.

However, the three officers were attacked by multiple people during the arrest, with the offenders using improvised weapons and biting the police.

Police say they even tried to take an officer’s gun from its holster, with one officer being knocked unconscious in the serious assault.

Northern Territory Commissioner Michael Murphy has slammed the “disgraceful” behaviour and said officers should be treated with respect.

“The behaviour we witnessed this morning was absolutely disgusting and disgraceful,” Mr Murphy said.

“Assaults on our officers, who are doing their job to keep the community safe, will not and cannot be tolerated.

Read more here from NCA NewsWire.

Australia has sold more than 100,000 electric vehicles in a year for the first time ever.

The data, collected by the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC), is a "clear signal that Australians want modern, sustainable cars that are fun to drive".

“Despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures making it harder to purchase a new car upfront, EV sales have still outpaced previous years. EVs are becoming more affordable thanks to a variety of budget-friendly models, more competition across all vehicle types and government incentives," EVC's Aman Gaur said.

The growth of Chinese EV giant BYD in the country has been a big factor in prices dropping, offering a cheaper alternative to the biggest EV seller, Tesla.

And sticking with the Woolworths strike, the government is ramping up its messaging to the supermarket and union bosses to come to an agreement as soon as possible.

"You'd expect when you've got a dispute such as this which has got national significance that you would have the government through the workplace relations minister taking an active role in that and I know Murray Watt is doing exactly that," Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones told ABC Radio National.

"I know that he has picked up the phone to both the union and the business to encourage them to get back to the table and encourage them to resolve this dispute.

"We want to ensure that Australian have access to their groceries over the coming weeks ahead."

Alcohol retailer Dan Murphy’s is experiencing stock shortages as strikes at Woolworths distribution centres hits its 13th day.

Endeavour Group, which operates Dan Murphy’s and BWS bottle shops, is a customer of the supply chain provider operated by Woolworths.

An Endeavour Group spokesperson said the stock shortages are affecting a select number of stores in Victoria and southern NSW as a result of protected industrial action taking place in Victorian distribution centres.

“We are actively working to replenish those products and are committed to ensuring our customers have access to our wide range of products and quality service during this busy time,” a spokesperson said.

Read more here from NCA NewsWire.

We didn't think we'd be bringing you two panda stories in the same day, but here we are.

Thousands of panda sculptures have descended on Hong Kong as the city's love affair with the Chinese icon grows after the birth of two cubs at a theme park on Hong Kong Island.

First unveiled at Hong Kong's airport on Monday, they will be showcased at several other locations in the coming weeks.

Two men have been charged after NSW Police allege nearly $1.4 million was fraudulently claimed from the state's Department of Education.

Earlier this year police began investigations into allegations a school employee was mismanaging funded intended for maintenance and building works at two schools.

"During the investigation, it was identified the employee had assistance from another man known to him, who was the director of a building company, and helped facilitate the fraudulent claims," NSW Police said in a statement.

The two men, aged 38 and 38, were arrested today and charged with over 60 charges each, including dishonestly obtaining financial advantage. They are due to front court later today.

In some breaking news now, Yahoo Finance has been told by Commonwealth Bank it plans to scrap its controversial $3 cash withdrawal fee just one day after announcing it. The nation's biggest bank faced widespread backlash for the announcement, including from the Albanese government.

Read more here.

A man will face court today after NSW police allegedly found $18 million worth of prohibited drugs stashed inside the door cavity of his car.

Police say 25 kilograms of methylamphetamine and 10 kilograms of cocaine bricks were located after his Toyota Corolla was stopped in Gundagai on Tuesday.

One of the packages allegedly found included a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The 26-year-old man has been charged with two counts of supplying prohibited drug with a large commercial quantity and possessing a DECCD to commit serious criminal activity.

Coles says it will hand out thousands of prizes to customers in the lead up to Christmas, with shoppers able to score cash off their shops in store.

"Offering a total prize pool of $2 million, more than 66,000 lucky customers will have the chance to win instant money off their in-store shop until New Year’s Day," the supermarket giant said.

"Starting today, shoppers who spend $20 or more in-store and scan their registered Flybuys will find out if they've scored an instant win prize at the checkout, helping customers save on their shopping throughout the Christmas and summer entertaining season."

There will be 1,667 $100 prizes handed out, while there'll be 3,333 $50 prizes, 4,999 $20 prizes and 6,6667 $10 prizes that can be won.

“We want to say thank you to our customers for shopping at Coles by spreading some festive cheer – and we can't wait to see the joy and excitement as our customers win," Coles Chief Customer Officer Amanda McVay said.

Move over Moo Deng, there's another zoo animal that's the most talked about globally now.

But sadly for giant panda and viral sensation Fu Bao, it's because there's concerns for her health after she was spotted displaying unusual behaviour by visitors to her panda base including twitching.

The development has blown up on Chinese social media, with the much-loved panda, who recently arrived in China after being the first giant panda born in South Korea, leaving millions eagerly awaiting an update after Fu Bao went in for testing.

In some good news, preliminary observations have note shown any abnormalities.

It seems Woolworths aren't the only ones getting frustrated with the ongoing strikes at the supermarket's distribution centres.

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) says the United Workers Union, who are blocking gates at the centres, should allow workers to turn up to work if they wish.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe at work, and industrial action should not impede on workers wishing to carry out their everyday duties," the ARA's Fleur Brown said.

“If an employee wishes to return to work, they should be able to do so without fear of retribution."

Brown also said that Australians need access to vital food and grocery products particularly in the lead-up to Christmas.

“This is the busiest period for retailers and shoppers which places great demand on the supply of these products with a flow-on effect to many Australians," she said.

The strike has lasted two weeks now with the union and supermarket at loggerheads over conditions and pay.

Here's one you might have missed as it came through yesterday evening. Three teens were hospitalised at a NSW school after science experiment went wrong.

Paramedics rushed to Brisbane Water Secondary College in Woy Woy on Tuesday morning after three year 10 students suffered burns.

The Daily Telegraph understands the experiment went wrong, with ethanol spilling and catching fire.

The three students were taken to separate hospitals in stable conditions. The Department of Education said it was "deeply concerned" over the incident, with the school's science labs being closed off.

We've had our fair share of underwhelming Christmas trees, but it's London's turn now.

Brits have savaged Trafalgar Square's 20-metre tree gifted from Norway, with some left asking where the other half is.

The tree's official X account hit back, saying "haters gonna hate" before reminding people the tree will fill out after spending days in transit.

And the British Embassy in Oslo also hit back, calling the tree "beautiful", while reminding people of the longstanding tradition between the two countries which began during World War II.

People from Western Australia have been revealed as the worst customers for Uber, the rideshare giant says.

Sharing its annual rider ratings rankings, Uber revealed the state's average rating of 4.79 was the lowest across the country. Victoria didn't fare much better with a rating of 4.8.

NSW customers led the state to top spot as the best behaved, scoring on average 4.84.

NT came second, while Queensland and Tasmania tied third.

Bunnings has stripped a Chinese product from its shelves over fears that it could be a biosecurity breach.

A broom imported from China spotted in one of its NSW stores appeared to contain rice plants in its head, sparking fears it could pose a biosecurity threat, the ABC reported.

"I could see these grains in the head of the broom and on closer inspection I nearly fell over because I'm absolutely certain they were rice grains. The biosecurity concerns are just mammoth," former rice grower Keith Rowe, who spotted the broom, told the public broadcaster.

An investigation is underway and a Bunnings spokesperson said the hardware giant is taking it "very seriously".

Labor says a Commonwealth move to slug its customers $3 to withdraw cash is "really unfair".

Housing Minister Clare O'Neil said the move just didn't sit right with the government.

“I just think the government feels this is really unfair to customers, to Australians, especially just before Christmas,” she told Sunrise on Wednesday.

“Everyone’s had a bit of a tough year on the cost-of-living front and last thing they need is a kick in the guts from the Commonwealth Bank right before Christmas.”

Read all about the new fee on Yahoo Finance here.