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Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins, judge finds

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• Coronavirus Public Gathering Note
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Qantas redirects Perth to London route to avoid Israel airspace

Two-thirds of Australians support a tourism tax, new study finds

Woman granted bail after e-scooter blamed for hotel fire

After years of freefall, Qantas is starting to get back its wings

Passenger films US Boeing flight lose its engine cover

Qantas announces revamp of frequent flyer program

How an iPhone stolen in London ended up in China

Media told to avoid 'Radelaide' and 'City of Churches' to describe Adelaide

Tourist on safari in Zambia killed by charging elephant

Melbourne school, travel company charged over diabetic student's death

Australian grandmother dies in Bali after falling down market stairs

Qantas launches new direct flight to Papua New Guinea

Aussies among cruise passengers stranded in Africa after missing ship

Threat of school holiday travel havoc with aviation firefighters to stop work

Airports brace for busiest day of the year

New warning for Australians visiting France

Qantas pilots shut engine down mid-flight

Australia's least-reliable airline revealed in new government data

World's happiest country revealed in global survey

What it's really like to live in the happiest country in the world

Bali-bound flight turned around due to 'abusive' passenger

Airport firefighter strike vote results to be revealed today

Possible cause of horror LATAM flight plunge identified

Innocuous Aussie street tops 'world's coolest' list

Palmer unveils Titanic II design, promises 'authentic Titanic experience'

Instruments 'cut to black' on Sydney-Auckland flight: passenger

Thousands board cruise ship docked in Adelaide as season kicks off

Virgin Australia aims to bring pets onto planes

The strange influenza trend over summer

Former Qantas CEO spotted back in Australia with pet dog

Passengers rocked by 'big bump' after Qantas planes clash at Perth Airport

New airline to fly direct from Melbourne to Turkey

Airport freight worker admits stealing $46K worth of electronics

'Troubling' reason terrorist at risk of reoffending, court hears

Flight cancellations strand Adelaide Swifties

'A little bit of a weather situation': Unstoppable Swift delights Sydney crowd

Swifties descend on Sydney for second half of Aussie tour

Australia's least-reliable major airline revealed

Flight attendant accused of trying to record teen in bathroom

'Not your property': Federal government cracks down on airline slot hoarding

Virgin Australia boss announces shock resignation

Falling maggots, rotting fish force international flight to turn around

Indonesia crowned as Aussies' new favourite travel destination

See the abandoned places reclaimed by nature

Perth council U-turns on $114k trip to Croatia during European summer

Travel data reveals Australia's top 10 towns

Bali's 'tourist tax' in force from tomorrow

Plane forced to make emergency landing in Melbourne

Rockets, feathers and drips: Sneaky ways you're being charged more

Taylor Swift threatens legal action after student tracks her flights

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Travellers to one country will soon have to share bank statements in order to enter, the new rules are set to raise eyebrows for would-be travellers..

British traveller reveals countries she’d never visit - and one will shock you

‘it’s a shame, because i really like the look of all the main cities.’.

US offers sign of hope Julian Assange case will be dropped

Aussies warned over ATM trap in Bali: ‘Be careful’

Virgin Australia announces huge change to frequent flyer scheme

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Halo design out of this world, sa agents get schooled, latest headlines, victorian govt gives advanced rft notice.

VICTORIA’S Department of Government Services (DGS) has given advance notice of a Request for Tender (RFT) for the provision of travel management services to manage approximately 150 state government departments, agencies, and entities.

The Titan of tour savings

TITAN Travel is currently offering significant savings on all 2024 and 2025 tours priced above $1,700 per person.

Qantas reroutes Perth-London flights

QANTAS has been forced to temporarily suspend nonstop flights between Perth and London due to safety issues in the Middle East (TD breaking news Sat).

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• International

March 24 Moscow concert hall attack

By Heather Chen , Andrew Raine , Catherine Nicholls, Antoinette Radford, Maureen Chowdhury and Kathleen Magramo , CNN

Our live coverage of the Moscow concert hall attack has moved here.

Suspects in deadly concert hall attack facing life imprisonment. Here's what we know

From CNN staff

All four suspects in the Crocus City concert hall attack case have been remanded into pre-trial detention until May 22.  

They are charged with committing a terrorist act, according to the courts of general jurisdiction of the city of Moscow, which under the Russian Criminal Code is punishable by up to life imprisonment.

Three of the defendants pled guilty to all charges, according to state media news agency TASS.

All four are from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, and had been in Russia on either temporary or expired visas.

Friday's attack left at least 137 people dead. The attack is Russia's deadliest in two decades .

Catch up on the latest developments:

• Day of mourning: Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Sunday a day of national mourning for the 137 victims in Friday's attack .
• Authorities work to identify victims: Procedures to identify those killed in the attack have begun, the city’s Department of Health said, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. The Russian Investigative Committee said 62 bodies had been identified so far, adding that "for the remaining victims, genetic examinations are being carried out to establish their identities."
• Fighting terrorism in Syria and Turkey: Putin held separate calls with his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar al-Assad, on Saturday and promised closer cooperation in fighting terrorism following the attack, according to a Kremlin readout.
• Russian Embassy says no warnings from US: The Russian Embassy in Washington says it did not receive any warnings about a potential attack in Moscow from the US. Last week, Putin dismissed warnings by the US embassy in Russia that there could be attacks on large groups.
• Putin links attack to Ukraine: Putin said the main suspects arrested planned to flee into Ukraine. Ukraine has denied any connection. The UK warned that Russia was creating a "smokescreen of propaganda."
• Terror alert: France has lifted its terror alert to its highest level following the deadly attack in Moscow, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Sunday.

Here's what we know about the four suspects in the Moscow concert hall attack

From CNN’s Masha Angelova and Josh Pennington

Each of the four defendants charged with committing a terrorist act in the Crocus City concert hall attack was brought to court individually in Moscow on Sunday.

They are accused of committing a crime under part 3, provision “b” of article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (terrorist act), which the Russian Criminal Code states is punishable with up to life imprisonment.

Three pled guilty to all charges, according to state media news agency TASS .

Here's what we know about the accused:

• Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev: The 32-year-old was the first defendant brought to court. Mirzoyev, from Tajikistan, had a temporary registration for three months in the southern Russian city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, but it expired, according to RIA Novosti.
• Saidakrami Rachabalizoda: He appeared as the second defendant, and told the the court that he had Russian registration documents but couldn't remember where they were. He communicated through an interpreter, according to state media RIA Novosti. Rachabalizoda was reportedly born in 1994.
• Shamsidin Fariduni: He was born in 1998 in Tajikistan and is a citizen of the Central Asian country. Fariduni was officially employed at a factory in the Russian city of Podolsk and was registered in the city of Krasnogorsk, according to state media RIA Novosti.
• Muhammadsober Faizov: The fourth defendant appeared nonresponsive in a wheelchair and was accompanied by a doctor to his court appearance, as seen in Moscow City Court’s video shared on Telegram. Faizov was temporarily unemployed, before which he worked in a barber shop in Ivanovo, a city northeast of Moscow, and is registered in that city, according to state media RIA Novosti. He was reportedly born in 2004.

This post has been updated with more information on the charges against the suspects.

Moscow court orders preventive detention for all four defendants in concert hall attack case

The Basmanny District Court of Moscow on Sunday granted the investigators’ motion for detention, as the chosen preventative measure, for all four defendants in the Crocus City Hall attack case.

All four men have been remanded into pre-trial detention until May 22, stated Moscow City Court via Telegram.  

They are all charged with committing a terrorist act, according to the courts of general jurisdiction of the city of Moscow, which under the Russian Criminal Code is punishable up to life imprisonment.

Each of the four defendants was brought to court individually on Sunday.

Three pled guilty to all charges, according to state media news agency TASS. 

The names of the four accused in the case are Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, Moscow City Courts announced via Telegram.

All four are from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, and have been in Russia on either temporary or expired visas.  

The court held closed hearings for each of the accused with no members of the public allowed, TASS reported, citing the court’s press service. 

2 defendants identified in Crocus City Hall attack

From CNN’s Masha Angelova, Michael Bodenhorst and Josh Pennington

The first defendant in the Crocus City concert hall attack case, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, has pleaded guilty on all counts, the press service of Moscow City Court told state media RIA Novosti.

He will be held in preventive custody at least through May 22. 

Mirzoyev is one of two defendants implicated in the attack who are facing possible life imprisonment, as reported by state media.

The suspects — Mirzoyev and Saidakrami Rachabalizoda — appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday on charges related to the attack.

Both individuals are accused of committing a terrorist act and could be sentenced to life imprisonment, according to state media outlet RIA Novosti. The prosecution has requested detention as a precautionary measure for both defendants.

Authorities have petitioned the court to conduct Mirzoyev's hearing behind closed doors to safeguard the integrity of the proceedings, state media news agency TASS reported. 

First suspect apprehended in the Crocus City Hall attack arrives in court

From CNN’s Masha Angelova

The first suspect apprehended after the attack on Crocus City Hall that killed at least 137 people has arrived in court at the Basmanny Court of Moscow. 

Crocus City Hall killings are deadliest since Beslan school siege — these are some other recent attacks in Russia

From CNN Staff

The attack on Moscow's popular Crocus City Hall that left at least 133 dead has become the deadliest attack in Russia since the Beslan school siege in 2004.

Some other recent attacks include:

• September 26, 2022 : Eleven children and four adults were killed when a gunman wearing Nazi symbols opened fire at a school in the western Russian city of Izhevsk. The shooter, who was reportedly wearing a black T-shirt with Nazi insignia and a helmet, died by suicide following the attack.
• April 3, 2017 : At least 11 people were killed in a blast on the St. Petersburg metro. The explosion tore through a train as it was traveling between two stations in Russia’s second-largest city.
• October 31, 2015 : A Russian passenger jet, Metrojet Flight 9268 crashed  on October 31 after departing from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh,  killing all 224 people  on board. US intelligence analysis suggested that ISIS or its affiliates  planted a bomb on the plane .
• December 30, 2013 : A massive explosion at a train station in the Russian city of Volgograd killed at least 16 people, including one police officer, the Investigative Committee of Russia said.
• January 25, 2011 : A suicide bomber attacked Domodedovo Airport , Moscow's busiest airport, killing 35 people and wounding about 100, authorities and state television said.
• March 29, 2010 : Two explosions rocked the subway stations in central  Moscow during rush hour, killing at least 38 people and wounding more than 60 others, spawning widespread public outrage. A website associated with Chechen separatists, who have long fought for independence from Russia, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Rescuers, robotic systems and canine teams are currently on site of Crocus City concert hall

From CNN’s Darya Tarasova and Eve Brennan

More than 300 “specialists” and 154 pieces of equipment are currently on site at the Crocus City concert hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow region, where a deadly attack took place Friday , Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Telegram on Sunday.

The ministry said more than 400 cubic meters of structures had been dismantled by rescuers while specialized robotic systems, canine teams and psychologists from the ministry continue to work.

More than 1,600 calls have already been received on the department’s hotline, the ministry added.

The post was accompanied by a video showing dozens of emergency workers digging through the rubble of the partially burned-down concert hall.

Remember : At least 137 people died on Friday after attackers opened fire on civilians at the Crocus City concert hall, and set the building ablaze. The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, has claimed the attack and  released graphic footage  purporting to show the incident. 

Putin lit a candle in memory of victims of the concert hall attack

From CNN's Eve Brennan and Anna Chernova

Russian President Vladimir Putin lit a candle Sunday in memory of victims of the deadly attack at the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow region on Friday.

Putin also expressed deep condolences following the Moscow shooting, calling it a "barbaric terrorist act" in a video statement released Saturday.

More background: The deadly attack comes barely a week after Putin secured his fifth presidential term. The large-scale attack is damaging for a leader who portrays himself as someone able to guarantee order.

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Passengers on charter from Broome to Karratha forced to sleep overnight in bus after breakdown

News ticker.

Federal Court Justice Michael Lee is delivering his findings in Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson

A week after six people were forced to spend the night in a broken-down bus on the side of a highway in Western Australia's north, a passenger says she has received an apology from the company. 

The service between the towns of Broome and Karratha in the state's north-west is run by Integrity Coach Lines, owned by the Pinnacle Travel Group.

Karen Jones was one of four passengers and said the charter bus bound for Karratha broke down at around 10pm on Saturday, 100 kilometres from the Sandfire Roadhouse on a remote stretch of the Great Northern Highway. 

"The driver let us know that the bus was broken down and we would have to wait by the road until someone came out," she said.

Ms Jones said the two drivers could not get the satellite phone to work and used a mobile phone to call for help before they tried to determine the cause of the breakdown.

"They went outside and they were looking around, trying to muck around with the engine … looking at the fuel," she said.

Some of the passengers then received text messages from the company which told them their journey would be delayed 12 hours.

Ms Jones said the company has since contacted her after the incident to apologise and provided her with a full refund for the fare. 

'Stressful' night spent on side of highway

Ms Jones said one of the drivers informed them no-one from Broome was available to drive out, which meant they would have to wait until the next morning for assistance.

"Surely there was some way they could organise someone to come out and pick us up or do something, but there was nothing," she said.

Ms Jones said the passengers were upset by the delay, with about 10 bottles of water on board, family waiting to collect them, and one woman on a working visa with limited funds to travel. 

Trying to sleep that evening inside the bus was uncomfortable as she was two weeks post-surgery, she said.

"It was quite stressful knowing that you're sleeping on the side of the road with five strangers and in the complete darkness."

Ms Jones said the driver told her the bus broke down because it had run out of fuel, which baffled her.

"How does that happen in this day and age, two-and-a-half hours out of Broome, on a coach that goes up and down all the time and it's run out of fuel?"

A Pinnacles Bus Tour coach arrived the next day around 9.30am, which Ms Jones said provided refreshments and fuel for the bus so it could continue its journey.

Incident was 'unfortunate'

Pinnacle Travel Group sales director Graeme Skeggs said the breakdown was unfortunate.

"There was an unfortunate breakdown on this Perth-Broome service that caused a delay to passengers, however passengers were provided with adequate water and fully assisted by the two drivers at all times, despite the long delay," he said.

Mr Skeggs said refreshments were supplied once the service was operational again on Sunday.

"The challenge of operating in remote areas and the tyranny of distance, being the only Perth-Broome service … when breakdowns occur there is little immediate assistance," he said.

Upon return to Perth this week, the company confirmed the vehicle was undergoing "extensive diagnostics" to ascertain the cause of the breakdown.

Mr Skeggs said he had received no complaints from passengers on the service.

"To my knowledge we have not received any negative feedback from the affected passengers other than any comments that may have been directed to the drivers at the point of breakdown," he said.

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Russia said Tuesday it downed another wave of Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow, Crimea and vessels in the Black Sea, as a skyscraper in the capital's financial district was struck for the second time in days. 

On Monday, Russia said it would intensify its strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure in response to drone attacks across its territory which it has blamed on Kyiv.

"Two Ukrainian (unmanned aerial vehicles) were destroyed by air defence systems over the territory of the Odintsovo and Narofominsk districts of Moscow region," the Russian defence ministry said. 

"Another drone was suppressed by electronic warfare and, having lost control, crashed on the territory of the Moscow City," the capital's high-rise business district, the ministry said.

On Sunday, Russian defences downed drones in that same district, with debris damaging two office towers, blowing out several windows and scattering documents on the pavement below.

"One flew into the same tower in (Moscow) City as last time," mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Tuesday on Telegram.

Sobyanin added that emergency services had gone to the scene and that there was no information on any casualties.

The strike damaged the facade of the building, which houses offices for a number of Russian government ministries, smashing a number of windows.

"We heard a big explosion, there was no panic," local resident Arkady Metler, 29, told AFP.

"Nobody should be scared... we cannot do anything but stick together," said Metler.

In a separate incident, Russian-installed authorities in Crimea said a Ukrainian drone was shot down over the peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014 and a regular target for Kyiv's forces.

"An explosion occurred on the ground, grass and bushes caught fire," Sevastopol's governor Mikhail Razvozhayev announced on Telegram.

- 'In shock' -

In Moscow, some residents were taken aback by the latest explosion in their neighbourhood. 

"After the last attack, everyone was saying 'they don't hit the same place twice'. But when we woke up this morning we were in shock," Anastasia Berseneva, 26, told AFP.

"I'm not sure whether I will move out or not but I'm thinking probably yes."

Shortly after the drone attack, Moscow's Vnukovo international airport was briefly closed, TASS state news agency reported.

The same airport, to the southwest of Moscow, was briefly closed after Sunday's strike, and earlier this month a volley of drone attacks disrupted air traffic at Vnukovo.

Moscow and its environs, about 500 kilometres (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, had rarely been targeted during the conflict in Ukraine until several drone attacks this year.

The Russian defence ministry said Tuesday it also foiled a Ukrainian drone attack targeting patrol boats in the Black Sea.

- 'Act of desperation' -

"During the night, Ukrainian armed forces tried without success to attack with three drones the 'Sergei Kotov' and 'Vasily Bykov,' patrol boats of the Russian fleet," the defence ministry said in a statement.

The three drones were trained on the ships, navigating in waters 340 kilometres (210 miles) southwest of Sevastopol, the base of Russia's Black Sea fleet on the annexed Crimea peninsula.

Tuesday's attacks were the latest in a series of drone assaults -- including on the Kremlin and Russian towns near the border with Ukraine -- that Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.

On Monday, a missile strike on a residential building killed six and wounded dozens in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rig.

Without mentioning a particular attack, Zelensky warned Sunday that the conflict was coming to Russia.

"Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia -- to its symbolic centres and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process," Zelensky said.

The Kremlin on Monday called the recent strikes on the capital an "act of desperation" by Ukraine following setbacks on the battlefield. 

Ukraine began its long-awaited counteroffensive in June but has made modest advances in the face of stiff resistance from Russian forces on the frontline.

On the eastern front, Ukrainian forces had recorded "an increase in enemy shelling", deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar said on Telegram.

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