Australia news as it happened: 10 shot, four killed in Michigan mass shooting; Optus hit with another Triple Zero outage

That brings us to the close of our live coverage for the day. Thanks for following along.

Here’s a summary of the most significant news and developments across the country and the world today:

• Budget back in the red, but better than feared
  Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed the end of the government’s back-to-back surpluses.
  The final outcome for the 2024-25 budget recorded a deficit of nearly $10 billion.
  This figure was a significant improvement on the March forecast, with extra revenue helping to wipe more than $17 billion from the originally expected deficit of $27.6 billion.
  The improvement was attributed to the strength of the jobs market and higher-than-expected commodity prices, such as iron ore. Chalmers reinforced the government’s commitment to returning bracket creep through broad tax cuts.
  However, the treasurer also confirmed that temporary energy bill rebates, which are currently due to expire at the end of this year, “will not be a permanent feature of the budget”.
• Optus hit by another Triple Zero failure
  The embattled telecommunications company Optus suffered a second Triple Zero outage in a matter of weeks, affecting nearly 5000 customers in the Illawarra region of NSW on Sunday.
  At least nine emergency calls from the Dapto area failed to reach services, forcing one person to forgo emergency help.
  NSW Premier Chris Minns branded the outage as “clearly unacceptable”.
  Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh demanded an immediate investigation into the entire Triple Zero network.
  The outage comes after three people died as a result of a failed Triple Zero network upgrade earlier this month.
• Dramatic police pursuit ends in Melbourne CBD

  A dramatic police pursuit through Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and the CBD concluded with four teenage boys arrested. The stolen BMW was abandoned in Bourke Street Mall
  Police confirmed that a female pedestrian was struck on Exhibition Street and was taken to hospital for observation with non-life-threatening injuries. The four alleged offenders, aged 15 to 17 and from the Bendigo and Yarra Ranges areas, were arrested near the Emporium shopping centre on Lonsdale Street.
  Police have not confirmed initial witness reports that the youths were armed with machetes.

  
  And overseas:
  

• Four people have died in Michigan and a further eight were injured after a gunman rammed a Mormon church and opened fire on the congregation. The shooter was killed by police, and authorities are working to establish a motive.
• Typhoon Bualoi made landfall in Vietnam, leaving at least two people dead and 17 fishermen missing after sinking four boats.
• The state of Oregon filed a lawsuit to block US President Donald Trump’s move to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland under federal authority.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more live coverage.

Washington: The US is considering Ukraine’s request to obtain long-range Tomahawk missiles for its effort to push back against Russian invaders, Vice President JD Vance said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the United States to sell Tomahawks to European nations that would send them to Ukraine. Vance said on Fox News Sunday that President Donald Trump would make the final determination on whether to allow the deal.

“We’re certainly looking at a number of requests from the Europeans,” Vance said.

Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2500 kilometres, putting Moscow in the range of Ukraine’s arsenal were Kyiv to be granted them. Russia would almost certainly view such a move as an escalation in its war in Ukraine.

Trump has denied Ukraine’s requests for use of long-range missiles in the past but has grown frustrated at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to reach a peace deal.

Reuters

Chisinau, Moldova: Moldova’s pro-European Union ruling party pulled comfortably ahead of its Russian-leaning rival in a crucial parliamentary election as final results firmed up on Monday, a relief for the government as it seeks to stay out of Moscow’s orbit.

With more than 99 per cent of votes counted, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) had a share of 49.99 per cent, versus 24.28 per cent for the Patriotic Bloc, which opposes closer ties with Brussels.

The remaining distribution of votes cast suggests PAS could secure the critical majority it needs in the 101-seat chamber to avoid a potentially shaky coalition and keep Moldova’s EU bid on track, a process requiring years of legislative efforts.

Authorities had warned late on Sunday of attempts to stir unrest following the vote, part of a campaign they blamed on Russian-backed disruption efforts if the election did not go in the bloc’s favour.

Moldova – a former Soviet republic of 2.4 million people that has been buffeted by the war in neighbouring Ukraine, alleged Russian interference and energy shortages – has long vacillated between Russia and Europe.

Reuters

About 200 police are still searching the Porepunkah area for fugitive Desmond “Dezi” Freeman.

In an update released today, Victoria Police reaffirmed the force’s commitment to using “every available resource” to find Freeman, following the killings of Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart on August 26.

Key points from the update:

• About 200 police officers are involved in the search, with numbers fluctuating based on “operational requirements”.
• Officers have searched roughly 40 square kilometres of land and hundreds of properties.
• The reward of up to $1 million remains active for information leading to Freeman’s arrest.
• Mount Buffalo National Park remains closed, a decision that is “constantly assessed.” However, there are no longer any restrictions for people travelling through the wider Porepunkah area.

Victoria Police thanked the local community for its support and urged people to remain vigilant.

Anyone who sees Freeman should phone Triple Zero immediately. Do not approach him. Suspicious behaviour should be reported to Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000.

New details are emerging about the dramatic incident in Bourke Street Mall, with a witness reporting that the arrested people were youths armed with machetes who fled into the Myer department store.

A caller named Martin told 3AW he saw “four youths” jump out of a BMW SUV in the middle of the mall with machetes before running from police into the store.

Police have confirmed a number of people were arrested just after 1pm following a pursuit, adding no one was injured and there is no ongoing threat to the community.

The operation has shut down the busy shopping area during the school holidays, with Route 86 and 96 trams suspended along Bourke Street.