Tom Flanagan
Oasis add new show to tour, Qantas accused of greenwashing customers: Australia news live
Plus find out what King Charles will omit from his upcoming Australia visit.
Tom Flanagan
·Homepage and Live Editor
Updated
Yahoo's live news blog for Wednesday, October 16 has now concluded. Oasis has added a fifth date to their Australian tour after all tickets sold out yesterday. The pricing structure for the band's shows continue to face scrutiny after seating tickets were being sold for more than $700.
Qantas has been accused of 'greenwashing' and have been reported to the ACCC over alleged misleading claims. It follows similar action against a European airline.
One of Sydney's most famous beaches has been suddenly shut after mystery black balls appeared on the sand.
See below for all of the day's updates.
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER16 updates
Theory behind mystery beach balls
The council for Sydney's famous Coogee beach believe the mystery black balls that closed off the site on Tuesday are the result of an oil spill.
Randwick Council Mayor Dylan Parker said the council was presently analysing the material of the tar-like black balls and should have some clear idea of their make-up within the next two days.
“We’re trying to get an answer as soon as possible,” he said.
“Hopefully we’ll have a clearer indication for the public within a day or the next two days.”
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
Can you be bothered watching the Kangaroos?
Are you experiencing NRL fatigue? Just weeks after Panthers claimed a fourth consecutive Premiership, the Kangaroos are in action but some of the biggest stars are not playing including superstars Reece Walsh, Kalyn Ponga and Nathan Cleary which certainly hasn't helped generate interest for their clash with Tonga.
So what do you reckon? Are you keen for the game or not bothered? Have your say below.
- Tom Flanagan
KFC worker's wild act
First we had McMop, now this.
A KFC staff member has been captured standing on a benchtop without shoes to clean equipment.
The picture was taken at a Queensland KFC by a customer who raised concerns over the store’s hygienic practices. The chain has said the staff member was not following their hygiene standards.
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
Inflation plummets in New Zealand
Australians will be hoping for similar news as New Zealand's inflation fell once again.
Inflation dropped to 2.2 per cent, largely driven by offshore prices, and sets the country up nicely for another interest rate cut, likely to be 50 basis points before the year ends.
While the RBA will be keeping a close eye on our neighbours, governor Michele Bullock has repeatedly warned we are on our own journey and will not be influenced by other economies.
- Tom Flanagan
Driver's rude response to cops
A Sydney driver has lost their licence after they allegedly told cops to "go f*** yourself".
Police say the man was seen driving through a red light in Petersham on Sunday before crashing into a parked vehicle. He was later pulled over by police and he allegedly failed a breath test.
"He was arrested and conveyed to Petersham Police Station for the purpose of a breath analysis where on multiple occasions he refused to do so stating "How about you go f*** yourself", NSW Police said.
"The man was charged with multiple offences including "Refuse Breath Analysis" to appear at court. His licence was Suspended until such time. His dashcam footage was also seized."
- Tom Flanagan
Nedd Brockmann completes gruelling challenge
He may have missed the world record by a couple of days, but Nedd Brockmann is still a champion.
The Aussie icon has soldiered through 10,000 miles despite nursing multiple injuries and he's raised a mighty $2.6 million for homelessness in the process.
Take a look below for a recap of his remarkable feat and we warn you it's not pretty.
- Australian Associated Press
Stairwell romp real cause of train station flood
Public hanky-panky in a Melbourne train station stairwell has been blamed for major flooding that forced late-night commuters to evacuate.
Melbourne Central and Flagstaff stations were evacuated late on Thursday evening after extensive flooding damaged several platforms.
A man and woman had earlier got into a stairwell connecting platforms at Melbourne Central before damaging a water pipe and fire sprinkler, police said.
Police are appealing for assistance from the public after two CBD railway stations were evacuated due to flooding last week.
More info > https://t.co/rzNFJWoJxJ
Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. pic.twitter.com/BEuJGb75Pg— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) October 14, 2024
The flooding triggered an automated evacuation in the two stations, causing significant train delays.
While the flooding was initially believed to have stemmed from an act of vandalism, Transport Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson said vision had proved otherwise.
"I've been advised that Metro (Trains) have reviewed the CCTV footage and it would appear that an amorous couple in a stairwell dislodged the sprinkler," he told reporters at parliament.
"Perhaps a stairwell may not be an appropriate place to find yourself in after dinner."
Police released security footage of the wanted man and woman earlier this week as part of an investigation.
- Tom Flanagan
One in five women in Australia have been stalked, data shows
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released some concerning data today, revealing one in five Australian women have experienced stalking.
“We found one in five women and one in 15 men have been stalked," ABS head of crime and justice statistics William Milne said.
“Women were almost eight times more likely to be stalked by a male than by a female, while men were stalked by a male and by a female at a similar rate.”
Read more about the findings here.
- Tom Flanagan
Tsunami test alerts incoming for Aussies
The Bureau of Meteorology are sending more tsunami and cyclone tests today to users of their app, just weeks after one trial alert caused panic for thousands of Australians.
Many said it wasn't clear enough that message wasn't a test and prompted the Bureau to issue an apology to those who believed a tsunami was due to hit the country's east coast.
The Bureau is conducting routine testing today, Wednesday 16 Oct 2024 from 10am to 6pm AEDT for:
•Tropical Cyclone warnings
•Tsunami warning system
Test products will be marked as 'TEST' and appear for short periods of time on the Bureau's website and BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/wix7HtwQr1— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) October 15, 2024
- Tom Flanagan
Premiers accused of being 'petty' ahead of King Charles visit
State premiers have been accused of "insulting" King Charles by not attending a welcome reception for the Monarch later this week.
The six state premiers in Australia will not attend the reception in Canberra later this week, with MP Bev McArthur of the Australian Monarchist League saying it's not on.
"They should just take off their republican hats, make the short trip to Canberra, say 'hi and thank for you coming to Australia'," she told the ABC.
She went on to call the decision not to attend "petty". Read more here.
- Tamika Seeto
Westpac customers still unable to access money
Thousands of Westpac customers are still unable to access their internet banking after the major bank was hit by a mass outage on Monday and Tuesday. Fed-up customers have said they have been unable to access their money for days, leaving them unable pay for essentials like groceries and fuel.
Westpac, along with its subsidiary banks St George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA, confirmed customers were still facing “further issues” today and apologised for the “inconvenience”. It comes after the four Aussie banks told customers that services had been restored at 4pm on Tuesday.
“We’re aware that customers are experiencing further issues accessing online and mobile banking,” Westpac said in a statement on social media this morning.
“Our teams are currently working to fix the issue. We apologise for the inconvenience and will continue to share updates here.”
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
Senator 'has a problem' with Albo's $4.3m new house reveal
Well there's been plenty of reaction to Anthony Albanese's $4.3m clifftop purchase on the Central Coast.
His cabinet ministers have jumped to his defence but Liberal senator Jane Hume doesn't think the prime minister should be announcing such purchases with millions struggling.
"I have a problem with the timing, and this is tone deaf during a housing crisis," she told Seven's Sunrise.
"The prime minister has every right to make plans for his retirement, but I think there are plenty of Australians and probably some of his colleagues that would like to see it happen sooner rather than later."
We asked Yahoo readers yesterday what they thought, and as of 10am this morning, 55 per cent of 1,460 voters said there was nothing wrong with it.
If you haven't had your say yet, get involved below.
- Tom Flanagan
Airline fined after refusing 128 Jewish passengers
An airline has been fined A$6 million after it refused 128 Jewish people boarding onto a flight.
The fine for Germany's biggest airline Lufthansa stems from a May 2022 incident in which the airline prohibited 128 Jewish passengers from boarding.
According to details released from the ruling, the passengers were wearing “distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men.” They were denied boarding as a group and were unable to connect in Frankfurt to Budapest from a New York flight because of “alleged misbehaviour of a few.”
“No one should face discrimination when they travel, and today’s action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are prepared to investigate and take action whenever passengers’ civil rights are violated,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
'Unusual' omission in King Charles' Australia itinerary
King Charles' visit to Australia is just days away but his trip will look a bit different to previous ones.
"In Australia, we are not going to see evening functions, there's no State Dinner in Australia, which is unusual," Royal editor for The Times Kate Mansey said.
Of course, Charles is currently receiving treatment for cancer and Buckingham Palace is looking to reduce his workload as he pauses his treatment for the trip.
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
Qantas accused of greenwashing customers with ads
Qantas has been accused of greenwashing customers over its sustainability claims.
The airline has been flagged to the ACCC by research and advocacy organisation Climate Integrity and the Environmental Defenders, who submitted a formal complaint against Qantas.
“Qantas is a trusted household name in Australia, and it should not mislead customers and shareholders into thinking Qantas products and services are more sustainable than they really are," Climate Integrity Director Claire Snyder said.
The group believes Qantas' marketing material may breach consumer protection law by misrepresenting the significant adverse environmental impact of the company, which in 2024 reported that it emitted 17.6 million tonnes of CO2 globally.
“A Qantas customer choosing the ‘fly carbon neutral’ option for their flight might think that the climate impacts of their trip have been compensated for or significantly reduced,” Snyder said.
“But this is not supported by science, and therefore distorts customers’ perception of the sustainability of flying.”
The group is hoping for a similar outcome to when Dutch airline KLM were accused of such tactics and were found to have misled customers.
See their ads and Qantas' below.
- Tom Flanagan
Oasis adds fifth Australia date as fallout over ticket prices continues
Oasis have added a fifth date to their Australian tour after their four gigs sold out yesterday. A third Melbourne gig has been added for Tuesday, November 4 due to "phenomenal demand".
The pricing structure of tickets continues to face scrutiny, with tickets varying drastically in price for different sections of the stadium. Yahoo observed some seating tickets at close to $720 on Tuesday.
'Dynamic pricing' was used for the sale of the band's UK tour but Live Nation said "algorithmic surge pricing technologies" were not being used for Australian tickets, the ABC reported.
The ACCC told Yahoo News said while there was potential for such tactics to be misleading, raising prices in a time of high demand was not illegal.
Due to phenomenal demand, a third and final Melbourne date has been added on Tuesday 4 November 2025. If you weren’t successful in the initial pre-sale ticket ballot, you might have another chance! General onsale this Friday 18 October from https://t.co/wDDycDHF9n pic.twitter.com/B2Y6eJbRjN
— Oasis (@oasis) October 15, 2024
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