Authorities have defended the timing of warnings for holidaymakers along Victoria’s surf coast after an “unprecedented weather event” on Thursday caused flash flooding, washing cars into the ocean and flooding campgrounds. The region received 180mm of rain, displacing about 400 people and destroying dozens of vehicles. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast more flash flooding across southern New South Wales and Victoria in the coming days.
Meanwhile, 10 major fires continue to burn across Victoria, with more than 1,000 structures destroyed, including 289 homes. Firefighters have described the January 2026 fires as unlike anything seen before in terms of speed and destruction.
A coalition of faith leaders has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressing “serious concern” over the government’s hate speech bill. The letter comes amid ongoing debates about the legislation.
In other news, a report suggests the death of a man at an ICE detention camp could be investigated as a homicide. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal. Elon Musk’s xAI datacentre in Memphis has been found to be generating extra electricity illegally, according to a regulator. The mother of one of Musk’s sons has sued over explicit images generated by Grok. In Ukraine, a Russian attack destroyed a Kharkiv energy facility.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt launched a tirade at a journalist, calling him a “leftwing hack” after he asked about deaths in ICE custody following the Renee Good shooting in Minnesota.
Adelaide Festival organisers have issued a complete and unreserved apology to Palestinian Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah after disinviting her from writers’ week. She is considering defamation action against the South Australian premier. Finally, music critic Alexis Petridis has compiled a list of the top 30 live albums of all time, sparking debate over omissions such as Nirvana’s Unplugged.
