Australia news live: man who found missing hiker Hadi Nazari shares photos of rescue; Taliban announce death of former Australian hostage | Australia news

from the concern for a long time.</p>\n</blockquote>","elementId":"7dae06a9-fa20-43b5-84b3-efd95857248c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p><strong>Ben Doherty</strong> reported on Omar’s was released in late 2019:</p>","elementId":"d878d531-f02b-4bf2-aada-bd65ca96c7e5"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","prefix":"Related: ","text":"Freed Taliban prisoner Timothy Weeks returns to Australia","elementId":"bbf85b46-5485-49f2-ba6c-c62578e127e2","role":"thumbnail","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/29/freed-taliban-prisoner-timothy-weeks-returns-to-australia"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1736373943000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"17.05 EST","blockLastUpdated":1736379092000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"18.31 EST","blockFirstPublished":1736377221000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"18.00 EST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"18.00","title":"Taliban announce death of Australian ex-hostage who returned to Afghanistan","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 8 Jan 2025 20.20 EST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 8 Jan 2025 14.26 EST"},{"id":"677eeeb38f08580f8d2ebc19","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Circling back to the treasurer, <strong>Jim Chalmers</strong>, on ABC News Breakfast earlier, he was asked about Meta’s decision to scrap factcheckers, which he called “very concerning”.</p>","elementId":"7d53f844-c581-4376-9bdd-f1bd2e8a99da"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"<blockquote class=\"quoted\">\n <p>I think misinformation and disinformation is very dangerous and we have seen it really kind of explode in the last few years and it’s a very damaging development, damaging for our democracy.</p>\n</blockquote>","elementId":"37ee2509-90c2-4cbf-b3e3-71dd43b11d2d"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Labor last year was forced to drop its bill to counter misinformation and disinformation online, due to a lack of support from the <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/coalition\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Coalition</a> and members of the crossbench.</p>","elementId":"30aaf977-593a-41f5-9851-f33dc2123028"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Chalmers said it’s why they have invested in the ABC, SBS and AAP, to counter misinformation.</p>","elementId":"52c263a2-9271-4cb1-a8b5-2eca9fef8983"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"<blockquote class=\"quoted\">\n <p>Misinformation and disinformation is unfortunately becoming bigger and bigger part of our media, particularly our social media.</p>\n <p>We have tried during the course of this parliamentary term to build support for changes on misinformation and disinformation. Unfortunately, the parliament did not find a way to support those kinds of changes and so we’ll have to look for other ways.</p>\n</blockquote>","elementId":"d902553c-14e7-476b-8ad2-b006cf508839"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>You can read more on Meta getting rid of factchecking (and whether you should leave Instagram as a result) here:</p>","elementId":"d8b58dc1-c7dc-4cdf-bb1c-0d4c9a31153f"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","prefix":"Related: ","text":"Meta is getting rid of factchecking. Should you leave Instagram – and what are the alternatives?","elementId":"757f4710-60bd-4df1-a3f5-a30aa325e105","role":"thumbnail","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/09/meta-is-getting-rid-of-factchecking-if-you-want-to-leave-instagram-what-are-your-alternatives"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1736371891000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"16.31 EST","blockLastUpdated":1736374324000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"17.12 EST","blockFirstPublished":1736372363000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"16.39 EST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"16.39","title":"Treasurer says Meta’s scrapping of factcheckers ‘very concerning’","contributors":[{"name":"Krishani Dhanji"}],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 8 Jan 2025 20.20 EST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 8 Jan 2025 14.26 EST"},{"id":"677eea4e8f08580f8d2ebbee","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>A father has been in critical condition with the <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/dec/31/japanese-encephalitis-case-found-in-victoria-prompts-high-risk-warning\">first diagnosed case of Japanese encephalitis in Australia since 2022</a>.</p>","elementId":"bfeaa3ad-c115-41a7-839b-c051a2671808"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p><strong>Stevie Bond</strong> first experienced headaches and a fever in early December when he was taken to Shepparton hospital in northern Victoria, <a href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-stevie-in-the-fight-of-his-life\">a GoFundMe</a> on behalf of the Bond family said. His condition deteriorated rapidly and he was airlifted to St Vincent’s ICU, Melbourne, in critical condition.</p>","elementId":"41488bb6-13ea-4815-80e4-7b55419c5960"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Bond’s “future capacity to live is unknown”, the GoFundMe said.</p>","elementId":"26b161c0-97f6-4d0b-9334-4b897216e5ba"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>St Vincent’s confirmed the hospital is caring for one patient with Japanese encephalitis who is in a critical condition.</p>","elementId":"92916a0d-4b4b-4bce-a7f7-cad6124ed625"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>VicHealth issued an alert of the first human case of Japanese encephalitis in <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/victoria\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Victoria</a> this mosquito season on the last day of 2024.</p>","elementId":"d76bf1e2-4d9d-4acb-96e9-032e9234771c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>“These findings indicate that JE virus is likely circulating in northern Victoria this summer,” the VicHealth alert said.</p>","elementId":"d906ac23-9a19-40bb-8812-27d74b735970"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>The deadly virus is transmitted through mosquito bites. It can cause a rare but potentially serious infection of the brain and is spread to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes, VicHealth said.</p>","elementId":"66099b30-acd3-4e4e-a3d4-873169a35246"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>“This beautiful, kind, loving, funny and much loved man is fighting for his life,” the GoFundMe on behalf of Bond’s family said.</p>","elementId":"fa950a7e-a8c8-4097-88c6-3b500ce98eb4"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"<blockquote class=\"quoted\">\n <p>Doctors have advised Cilla and family that should Steve be able to continue his fight and his brain start to recover, the recovery will take months in ICU and years of rehabilitation.</p>\n</blockquote>","elementId":"bf2f3918-c656-4cd2-b320-333208be42cc"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Here is more on Japanese encephalitis:</p>","elementId":"ac136d6c-17d5-4dee-987f-0bc8c5718e75"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","prefix":"Related: ","text":"What is Japanese encephalitis and why is it spreading in Australia?","elementId":"946b448c-de98-4443-ac9e-65ad4cdb417e","role":"thumbnail","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/08/what-is-japanese-encephalitis-and-why-is-it-spreading-in-australia"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1736370766000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"16.12 EST","blockLastUpdated":1736375529000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"17.32 EST","blockFirstPublished":1736371864000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"16.31 EST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"16.31","title":"Man with Japanese encephalitis in critical condition","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 8 Jan 2025 20.20 EST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 8 Jan 2025 14.26 EST"},{"id":"677e73b98f083025c2f3bd68","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>The Albanese government will today announce a $50m initiative to encourage farmers and freight companies to buy up electric vehicles as part of its plans to decarbonise the economy.</p>","elementId":"63b88f3c-8a92-4521-8c90-4f5a34d21ee1"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>The energy minister,<strong> Chris Bowen</strong>, said a deal between the Clean <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/energy-australia\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Energy</a> Finance Corporation and Metro Finance will offer eligible farmers, freight companies and other small and medium businesses the option to take on cheaper loans to buy electric vehicles.</p>","elementId":"30abfd0b-13e4-485f-9fad-ccfc99d98351"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>A farmer financing a $60,000 electric vehicle, for example, could save about $1,700 in interest over five years, the government said.</p>","elementId":"3d028555-9a15-4002-a447-debe95ae939e"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>More than 4,000 electric vehicles were bought using the financing subsidies as of December 2024.</p>","elementId":"bbb02ab6-9f99-4448-9e31-7fe62d503830"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Bowen said:</p>","elementId":"4b502c82-6da6-41f0-9c06-4f9802211826"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"<blockquote class=\"quoted\">\n <p>Australian motorists deserve more choices of cleaner, cheaper-to-run cars and that’s exactly what the Albanese government is delivering.</p>\n</blockquote>","elementId":"b2ecd511-8cbc-4eec-b485-112478d8cff5"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Electric vehicles made up 9.5% of light vehicle sales last year, rising from 8.4% in 2023 and 3.8% in 2022.</p>","elementId":"6bf08fa1-3728-41c4-a93a-4a2f355ad65a"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1736364393000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"14.26 EST","blockLastUpdated":1736366523000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"15.02 EST","blockFirstPublished":1736365016000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"14.36 EST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"14.36","title":"$50m federal incentive for farmers and truckers to go electric","contributors":[{"name":"Sarah Basford Canales","imageUrl":"https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2023/08/01/Sarah_Basford_Canales.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=66c36b9cb909414f7b8e8c893cfd6bcd","largeImageUrl":"https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2023/08/01/Sarah_Basford_Canales.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5e1ba75fa72eea4b851d7dbb67ae83c4"}],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 8 Jan 2025 20.20 EST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 8 Jan 2025 14.26 EST"},{"id":"677e4a6f8f082152889103ce","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m <strong>Martin Farrer</strong> here to take you through a couple of the best overnight stories before <strong>Rafqa Touma</strong> takes over as your news guide for the day.</p>","elementId":"e41d1871-8a75-4b4c-8f2e-0c6df4f124b8"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p><strong>Hadi Nazari</strong> will be debriefed by rescue teams today after his <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/08/how-missing-hiker-survived-in-kosciuszko-national-park\">remarkable 13-day ordeal</a> lost in the Kosciuszko national park wilderness. The 23-year-old was described as “alert” and able to walk after being rescued yesterday but was taken to Cooma hospital last night for checks. The Riverina district commander, Supt Andrew Spliet, said police wanted to hear from him about how he stayed alive and how he protected himself from the daytime heat. More coming up.</p>","elementId":"eb5239df-61ee-4160-a489-bee45e84667e"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p><strong>Peter Dutton</strong> will hold his first election campaign-style rally in Melbourne on Sunday, according to a report in the Age this morning. It says that Liberals were told an event was coming in the eastern suburbs where the Coalition is aiming to win back the seats of Chisholm and Aston as Dutton responds to <strong>Anthony Albanese’s</strong> whirlwind tour of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia this week. Speaking of which, his Labor government is putting up $50m to incentivise farmers and freight companies to switch to electric vehicles. More coming up.</p>","elementId":"e3c09001-6b5d-4a76-91bb-054f587d8d6d"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"<p>Police watch houses in the Northern Territory are being repurposed as long-term prison cells as the number of prisoners <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/09/northern-territory-prison-population-watch-houses\">reached more than 1% of the territory’s population</a> this week. That is more than five times the national average – and if the NT were a country it would have the <a href=\"https://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/prison_population_rate?field_region_taxonomy_tid=All\">second-highest incarceration rate in the world</a>. We’ll have reaction as it happens.</p>","elementId":"3600b8d8-d28e-4eeb-8740-80c2ceea7c22"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1736364393000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"14.26 EST","blockLastUpdated":1736363963000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"14.19 EST","blockFirstPublished":1736364393000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"14.26 EST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"14.26","title":"Welcome","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 8 Jan 2025 20.20 EST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 8 Jan 2025 14.26 EST"}],"filterKeyEvents":false,"id":"key-events-carousel-mobile","absoluteServerTimes":false,"renderingTarget":"Web"}”>

Key events