As it happened: NSW Police investigate ‘potential terrorist attack’ after caravan of explosives found in Sydney; RFK Jr. grilled in Senate hearing

Thank you for reading national news live. We’re now ending today’s coverage.

Here’s a recap of today’s biggest stories:

• Charges have been laid against some people involved in the explosive-laden caravan found on Sydney’s north-west outskirts. Inside the caravan was a note containing the address of a Sydney synagogue. It’s an escalation in a line of ongoing antisemitic attacks and has been widely condemned by politicians. ASIO boss Mike Burgess said terror threat level won’t be raised.
• Emergency services have pulled at least 18 bodies from a river near Washington, DC after a passenger jet approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport collided midair with an army helicopter. American Airlines said there were 60 passengers and four crew on board and officials say three soldiers were on board the helicopter, which was conducting a training flight.
• All big four banks now believe the Reserve Bank will slice official interest rates when it meets for the first time this year on February 17 and 18. It comes after NAB joined the Commonwealth Bank, ANZ and Westpac in revising its forecast.

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After a run of 33 innings without passing triple figures, Usman Khawaja hits a single down the ground to reach a maiden Test 200 off 290 deliveries.

It’s a wonderful celebration from a much-loved figure of Australian cricket who once upon a time thought his Test days were all over.

Khawaja joins Mark Taylor, Greg Chappell, Dean Jones, Matt Hayden and Jason Gillespie as the only Australian batsmen to score a Test double century in the subcontinent. No Australian male has a double century in Sri Lanka.

The sharemarket hit an intraday record before moderating its gains, coming within a whisper of its highest finish amid growing expectations the Reserve Bank will cut rates in February.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Thursday finished up 46.7 points, or 0.55 per cent, to 8493.7, just 1.5 points from its best-ever finish set on December 3.

The Australian sharemarket hit an intraday record.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

In early afternoon trading the index climbed as high as 8515.7, beating by 1.2 points its previous intraday high on December 3.

Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda said the market was gaining because of the follow-through from Wednesday’s lower than expected inflation readout, a Federal Reserve rates decision and earnings from a trio of the “magnificent seven” tech giants.

AAP

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has apologised for appearing to downplay the Jewish community’s concerns about antisemitism by saying their fears are “not always unfounded”.

In an interview on Thursday morning on Channel Nine’s Today show, Chalmers described the discovery in Sydney of a caravan packed with explosives and containing the address of a synagogue as a “chilling course of events” that was “deeply troubling” and “unsettling”.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

He added that what the incident “shows is that the fears in the Jewish community are not always unfounded when it comes to the potential for these kind of violent acts”.

He said in a separate interview on ABC radio that the Jewish community’s fears were “not always unfounded”.

His comments caused immediate offence among some members of the Jewish community, who felt he was suggesting their concerns about antisemitism had sometimes been overblown.

“I’ve had that relayed to me and I apologise,” Chalmers said.

“My intention was to share and acknowledge the very real and understandable fears and concerns in the Jewish community in light of recent events.

“I could have and should have expressed that more clearly, and I’m sorry I didn’t.”

Departing Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones has taken aim at politicians who take part in culture wars and politicise social issues.

Jones, who has served as an MP since 2015, told ABC News that governments have far more pressing priorities.

“There’s much more important things for us to be focusing on as a government and a nation than these imaginary issues which are weaponised for a culture war which makes not one iota of difference to people’s economic wellbeing,” he said.

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones will retire from parliament at the next federal election.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Jones also said the rise of disinformation was concerning.

“I think as traditional media’s declined, unfiltered, opinion-based, not-fact-checked social media has filled a space … I think that’s incredibly dangerous for democracy and I can tell you as a participant it doesn’t make the job easier in making good policy.”

“But that’s not why I’m leaving … it’s time for someone else to take up the baton.”

Emergency services have pulled at least 18 bodies from a river near Washington, DC after a passenger jet approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport collided midair with an army helicopter, local media reports.

American Airlines said there were 60 passengers and four crew on board PSA Airlines regional flight 5342 when it took off from Wichita, Kansas. It was coming in to land at the airport when it was involved in the collision on Wednesday night (US time).

The plane, carrying 60 passengers and four crew, collided with an army helicopter carrying three soldiers. Credit: X

Three soldiers were on the helicopter, which was conducting a training flight at the time of the crash, officials say.

At least 18 bodies have been recovered from the crash scene so far, according to American broadcaster CBS, citing a police official.

The Washington Post reported that multiple bodies had been pulled from the water. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on social media that “we know there are fatalities”, though he did not say how many.

Jewish MPs Julian Leeser (Liberal) and Josh Burns (Labor) told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing more needs to be done to protect Australia’s Jewish community.

Their comments follow a spate of antisemitic attacks, culminating in an explosive-laden caravan being discovered in Sydney’s north-western fringe, with a synagogue named as a potential target.

Leeser said:“The Jewish community, almost nightly since the beginning of this year, has been subjected to attacks, including very violent terrorist attacks.”

Jewish Australian parliamentarians Julian Leeser and Josh Burns.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“And I think that the community does need more security resources … for our security … outside Jewish community institutions.”

Burns said previously announced $50 million dollars to fund security for Jewish communities was already being rolled out, but that more needed to be done.

“I saw images today of kids walking into school with graffiti out the front that was a direct attack [upon them],” said Burns.

“It’s dangerous and completely unacceptable, so clearly more needs to be done.”

The grey blobs that washed up on Sydney’s northern beaches earlier this month were made of human and animal waste mixed with soap scum.

That’s according to independent testing by scientists at the University of NSW, led by Professor Jon Beves. The same team also led the independent testing of the black blobs that washed up on the eastern beaches last October.

Nine beaches were closed on the northern beaches earlier this month after smelly, marble-size grey balls were found.

Most of the white debris balls found on the northern beaches were marble-sized and shared some physical characteristics with last year’s black grime balls, the EPA said.Credit: James Brickwood

The scientists collected their samples from Dee Why Beach on January 15.

Beves said: “These balls are mostly saturated fatty acids and calcium salts. They have a composition similar to soap scum, or lime soap, that forms when fatty acids commonly found in soaps react with hard water to form insoluble salts.”

Rather than finding sodium or chloride as you would expect in seawater, the chemists instead found a lot of calcium and some iron.

“These results suggest that we wouldn’t have expected the material to form in salty water,” he said.

There were also more than 25,000 different chemicals, including the herbivore faecal marker ethylcoprostanol. This suggests the presence of animal waste, whereas last year’s eastern suburbs balls only had markers for human faecal matter.

South Australia has become the first Australian state to ban nicotine pouches.

The pouches are highly addictive and sold as an alternative to vapes and tobacco. From today, they are subject to the same controls as illicit tobacco and e-cigarette products in SA.

They are intended to be tucked underneath the upper lip, and quickly input nicotine into the bloodstream.

SA Health Minister Chris Picton said it was another step in cracking down on the illicit tobacco and vape market’s targeting of children.

“Big tobacco has been using vapes to try to get kids hooked, and their new weapon is nicotine pouches,” said Picton.

“We won’t allow them.

“We’re not going to let them use other new products like nicotine pouches to get kids addicted.”

Emergency services have pulled two bodies from a river near Washington DC after a passenger jet approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport collided midair with an army helicopter, local media reports.

American Airlines said there were 60 passengers and four crew on board PSA Airlines regional flight 5342 when it took off from Wichita, Kansas. It was coming in to land at the airport when it was involved in the collision on Wednesday night, local time. Three soldiers were on the helicopter, a US official told Reuters.

Two bodies have been recovered from the crash scene so far, according to an affiliate for American broadcaster NBC, which also said four people had been pulled from the water.

The Washington Post reported that multiple bodies had been pulled from the water. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on social media that “we know there are fatalities”, although he did not say how many.

The plane came down in the Potomac River, and emergency services are using boats and helicopters in the search and rescue effort. PSA was operating the flight for American Airlines.

President Donald Trump said he had been “fully briefed on this terrible accident” and, referring to the passengers, added, “May God bless their souls.”

AAP, Reuters, Bloomberg