Indonesia’s Parliament has passed a long-awaited and controversial revision of its penal code that criminalises extramarital sex and applies to citizens and visiting foreigners – such as Australians going to Bali – alike.

A parliamentary task force finalised the bill in November and lawmakers approved it Tuesday.

A copy of the amended criminal code obtained by The Associated Press includes several revised articles that make sex outside marriage punishable by a year in jail and cohabitation by six months.

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However, adultery charges must be based on police reports lodged by their spouse, parents or children.

It also says the promotion of contraception and religious blasphemy are illegal, and it restores a ban on insulting a sitting president and vice president, state institutions and national ideology.

The code maintains that abortion is a crime, but it adds exceptions for women with life-threatening medical conditions and for rape survivors, provided that the fetus is less than 12 weeks old, in line with what is already regulated in the 2004 Medical Practice Law.

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Rights groups criticised some proposed revisions as overly broad or vague and warned rushing them into the new criminal code could penalise normal activities and threaten freedom of expression and privacy rights.

However, some advocates hailed it as a victory for the country’s LGBTQ minority.

Lawmakers during a fierce deliberation session eventually agreed to repeal an article proposed by Islamic groups that would have made gay sex illegal.

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The code would also preserve the death penalty within the criminal justice system despite calls from the National Commission on Human Rights and other groups to abolish capital punishment, as dozens of other countries have done.

A previous bill was poised for passage in 2019 but President Joko Widodo urged lawmakers to delay a vote on the bill amid mounting public criticism that led to nationwide protests when tens of thousands of people took to the streets.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has handed down an eighth-straight interest rate hike, taking the nation's cash rate to a level not seen in 10 years.

This afternoon the central bank decided to lift the cash rate target by 25 basis points or 0.25 per cent to 3.10 per cent.

The last time Australia had an interest rate above 3 per cent was in October 2012, when the median Australian house price was just under $520,000.

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Today's increase means the average borrower with a $500,000 mortgage would now have to find an extra $75 a month to meet repayments.

Since May – when rates were a now-distant 0.1 per cent – that same borrower is now paying an extra $834 a month due to eight consecutive rate hikes.

At the top end of the market, a borrower with a $1.5 million mortgage now has to find an extra $226 a month, having endured a $2501-a-month increase since the RBA began its hiking cycle.

In his monetary statement, Governor Philip Lowe noted inflation remains persistently high despite multiple consecutive rate rises.

"Inflation in Australia is too high, at 6.9 per cent over the year to October. Global factors explain much of this high inflation, but strong domestic demand relative to the ability of the economy to meet that demand is also playing a role," Lowe said.

"Returning inflation to target requires a more sustainable balance between demand and supply."

He said more rate hikes are possibly in store for borrowers, pending data on inflation.

"The Board expects to increase interest rates further over the period ahead, but it is not on a pre-set course. It is closely monitoring the global economy, household spending and wage and price-setting behaviour," he said.

"The size and timing of future interest rate increases will continue to be determined by the incoming data and the Board's assessment of the outlook for inflation and the labour market.

"The Board remains resolute in its determination to return inflation to target and will do what is necessary to achieve that."

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A week ago, Lowe apologised to Australians who believed carefully worded RBA forecasts that hinted interest rates wouldn't begin to rise again until 2024.

"I'm sorry that people listened to what we've said and acted on that, and now find themselves in a position they don't want to don't want to be in," Lowe told an economics hearing committee.

"But at the time, we thought it was the right thing to do. And I think, looking back, (I) would have chosen different language.

"People did not hear the caveats in what we said.

"We didn't get across the caveats clearly enough, and the community heard 2024.

"They didn't hear the conditionality.

"That's a failure on our part, we didn't communicate the caveats clearly enough, and we've certainly learned from that."

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Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said the difference between what people can "comfortably afford" and what they are actually faced with is widening.

"This eighth rate hike since May means that the average home loan rate has jumped from the mid-3s to the mid-6s," Cooke said.

"Put another way, Aussies with a $500,000 mortgage will be paying almost $900 more per month compared to what they were paying in April. 

"To comfortably afford this you'd need to be earning a minimum income of just over $180,000 – significantly more than the average salary."

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Chief economist at CreditorWatch Anneke Thompson said today's hike will strike a blow in the planned Christmas spending of thousands of Aussie households.

"Today's decision by the RBA to further raise the cash rate will place undeniable financial pressure on Australian households," she said. 

"Combined with the Budget's forecast rising prices on everyday goods, housing and energy, and lacklustre wages growth, this latest increase in the cash rate all but guarantees consumer confidence will weaken as we enter the busy Christmas retail period. 

"Data and forecasts released in the latter half of October all point to difficult economic conditions in 2023."

Emmy award-winning US actor Kirstie Alley, star of Cheers and Veronica's Closet, has died aged 71.

Alley's children True and Lillie Parker said the "fierce" actress died after a short battle with "recently discovered" cancer in an announcement posted on social media today.

"She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead," the siblings said.

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"As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother."

Alley had a career that spanned more than three decades.

She starred opposite Ted Danson as Rebecca Howe on Cheers, the beloved NBC sitcom about a Boston bar, from 1987 to 1993.

She joined the show at the height of its popularity after the departure of original star Shelley Long.

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https://twitter.com/kirstiealley/status/1599931870786908160?s=20&t=KKnbEDPxJ-ePn1V2xexH7w

Alley would win an Emmy for best lead actress in a comedy series for the role in 1991.

She would take a second Emmy for best lead actress in a miniseries or television movie in 1993 for playing the title role in the CBS TV movie David's Mother.

She had her own sitcom on the network, Veronica's Closet, from 1997 to 2000, where the portrayed the titular role.

In the 1989 comedy Look Who's Talking, which gave her a major career boost, she played the mother of a baby whose inner thoughts were voiced by Bruce Willis.

She would also appear in the 1990 sequel Look Who's Talking Too.

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John Travolta, her co-star in both films, paid her tribute in an Instagram post.

"Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I've ever had," Travolta said, along with a photo of Alley.

"I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again."

She would play a fictionalized version of herself in the 2005 Showtime series Fat Actress, a show that drew comedy from her public and media treatment over her weight gain and loss.

And in recent years she appeared on several reality shows, including Dancing With the Stars.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Alley attended Kansas State University before dropping out and moving to Los Angeles.

Her first television appearances were as a game show contestant, on The Match Game in 1979 and Password in 1980.

She made her film debut in 1982′s Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.

A young woman has died of meningococcal disease in New South Wales after attending a music festival in the ACT.

The woman, aged in her late teens, is the third person to die of the disease in NSW this year.

9News has confirmed the woman attended the Spilt Milk festival at Exhibition Park in Canberra on November 26, but it is not known if that is where she contracted the disease.

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Days after the festival, ACT Health issued an alert for attendees after they discovered a person in Canberra Hospital with the virus attended the festival.

Anyone who attended the event should be aware of the symptoms and act immediately if they appear.

There have been 29 cases overall so far in 2022.

While meningococcal disease is now uncommon thanks to vaccination, it can occur year-round.

NSW Health said cases tended to increase in late winter and early spring, with a slight surge in recent weeks.

EXPLAINED: Now is peak meningococcal season. Should you get your child vaccinated for all strains?

Children are routinely vaccinated with the meningococcal ACWY vaccine at 12 months, and again as teenagers, as part of the free National Immunisation Program.

Babies can receive the meningococcal B vaccine, the most dominant strain, from six weeks of age. It is free for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies and in South Australia.

People in the rest of the country can receive the vaccine for themselves or their babies at a cost of roughly $110 per injection with three doses required.

Children under five and 15- to 25-year-olds are at the greatest risk of contracting the disease.

Health Protection NSW executive director Dr Jeremy McAnulty said early intervention can be lifesaving.

"Meningococcal disease symptoms can appear suddenly and become very serious very quickly," McAnulty said.

"I urge everyone not to discount symptoms when they appear or assume it may be just a mild infection.

"If you suspect meningococcal disease, don't wait for the rash – see a doctor immediately."

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Meningococcal disease can be fatal within hours if left untreated.

Knowing the symptoms could help prevent premature death or life-long disability.

They include:

• Severe, unexplained limb pain
• Difficulty waking up
• High-pitched crying in babies
• Severe headache
• Upset by bright lights
• Stiff neck
• Red-purple rash which doesn't disappear when pressed with a glass

"While it is a well-known symptom of meningococcal disease, the rash does not always occur, or may present late in the illness," McAnulty said.

"If symptoms rapidly worsen, or if your child is very unwell, call Triple Zero (000) or go straight to your nearest emergency department."

Visit the NSW Health website for more information.

One of the world's enduring zoological mysteries has been solved after the remains of the last-known thylacine – also known as the Tasmanian tiger – were discovered in the back of a dusty museum cupboard.

The remains were found in the collections of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and had been missing for more than 85 years.

In a soon-to-be-published paper, researchers found the old female animal had been caught illegally by trapper Elias Churchill from the Florentine Valley. It died a few months after being sold to Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart in May 1936.

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The animal was skinned and its skeleton "disarticulated" for a newly-formed education collection – but it disappeared among the museum's archives.

"The sale was not recorded or publicised by the zoo because, at the time, ground-based snaring was illegal and Churchill could have been fined," Robert Paddle, paper co-author and comparative psychologist from the Australian Catholic University, said.

"The thylacine only lived for a few months and, when it died, its body was transferred to TMAG.

"For years, many museum curators and researchers searched for its remains without success, as no thylacine material dating from 1936 had been recorded in the zoological collection, and so it was assumed its body had been discarded."

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A thylacine called Benjamin, famously immortalised in grainy black and white video, was previously believed to be the last of the species.

Benjamin died alone in his enclosure after succumbing to exposure at the Beaumaris Zoo on September 7, 1936, however, the rediscovered female is thought to have outlasted him.

The remains, still attached to the five cards created for the education collection, are now on display in the museum's thylacine gallery.

"It is bittersweet that the mystery surrounding the remains of the last thylacine has been solved, and that it has been discovered to be part of TMAG's collection," TMAG Director Mary Mulcahy said.

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The Tasmanian tiger was hunted to extinction upon European settlement as farmers blamed the native carnivorous marsupial for the deaths of livestock.

It became feared and in 1888 the Tasmanian government introduced a bounty of £1 per full-grown animal and 10 shillings per juvenile animal destroyed.

The species was declared officially extinct in 1986.

According to Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, the thylacine was a shy and quiet animal that mostly avoided contact with humans.

The days of the paper receipt may soon become a thing of the past after another two Aussie retail giants announced they will start rolling out completely digitised versions.

National shopper favourites Kmart and Country Road revealed they will each switch to "smart receipts" – effective today – joining the likes of Tony Bianco, Cue, Converse JD Sports and General Pants, who already offer the system.

The smart receipts work by sending a completely itemised and taxcompliant docket direct to customers' bank apps, where there is no risk of losing a paper copy.

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"At Kmart, we're always looking for ways to improve and enhance our customers' in-store shopping experience," Lil Velis-Bowker, Chief Customer Officer at Kmart said.

"Slyp Smart Receipts will allow our customers to process returns more easily but also have a history of their purchases at Kmart so they can re-purchase their favourite products.

"In particular at Christmas – the busiest time of year for us all – we hope the introduction of Slyp will make the lives of our customers a little easier and importantly, helps the environment by reducing our future reliance on printed receipts."

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So far, the only bank app in the country offering the smart receipts is the NAB, but "further payment partners, including major banks, are due to roll out the feature in the coming months".

Millions of Australians will have access to the smart receipt system from today, just in time for the Christmas lead-up.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have an early Christmas gift for their supporters.

A new trailer for their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, was released Monday, along with a schedule for when the episodes will stream.

Volume I will include episodes 1-3 and will stream on December 8, and Volume II with episodes 4-6 will be out December 15.

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In the latest trailer, the couple appear to be offering more insight into how life was for them being a part of the royal family.

"There's a hierarchy in the family," Prince Harry says.

"You know, there's leaking, but there's also planting of stories."

He ends the trailer by saying, "No one knows the full truth. We know the full truth."

The docuseries is directed by Liz Garbus.

Nine (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan.

The Russian Defence Ministry said that Ukraine used drones to attack two Russian military airfields.

In a statement carried on the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti, the ministry said the attacks on Monday (Tuesday AEST) were "in the Saratov and Ryazan regions" but had been intercepted by air defences.

"On the morning of December 5, the Kiev regime, in order to disable Russian long-range aircraft, attempted to strike with Soviet-made jet unmanned aerial vehicles [drones] at the Diaghilevo military airfields in the Ryazan region and Engels in the Saratov region," the report said.

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"The air defence of the Russian Aerospace Forces intercepted these Ukrainian drones flying at low altitude," the Ministry added.

"Three Russian soldiers were killed, four more were injured in the attack."

"As a result of the fall and explosion at the Russian airfields of the wreckage of [the] jet drones, the skin of two aircraft was slightly damaged," it said.

Ukraine has not confirmed that it attacked either airfield.

Recent satellite imagery shows a substantial number of Russian strategic bombers at the Engels airbase in Saratov.

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Meanwhile, several regions of Ukraine have reported interruptions to power and water supplies amid freezing temperatures after about 70 Russian missiles were fired at targets across the country.

The Ukrainian Air Force said the great majority of missiles were intercepted, but some appear to have reached their targets.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia "tried to implement its criminal plan — to plunge Ukraine into darkness and cold. The enemy once again failed in its plan."

"The country's energy system is functioning and remains intact," Shmyhal added.

But he said there were "hits to power facilities in Kyiv region, Vinnytsia region and Odesa region. In some regions, emergency shutdowns were forced to balance the system and avoid accidents. Rescuers are already working to eliminate the consequences of the attack."

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The attacks came as western countries began imposing a price cap on Russian oil aimed at putting pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

G7 countries and its allies including Australia have imposed a price cap of US$60 a barrel for crude oil to stop Russia from profiting as much as it has been on its oil exports.

Two young soccer fans are recovering from severe burns after being hit by flares at Melbourne's Federation Square during the Socceroos' match with Argentina.

Samuel Rogan was watching the clash on Sunday morning when a flare hit his friend's face and then ricocheted, hitting his arm.

The 19-year-old said his "skin was bubbling" after the flare was set off when Australia scored a goal.

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"It felt like someone was just sitting there with a fire torch just on my arm," he told 9News.

"(My mate) is now burnt under the eyelid and lost his eyelashes, and his skin on the wrist is all third-degree burns."

The pair were rushed to the Alfred Hospital and are facing weeks of pain.

"He could have lost his eye," Rogan said.

"I could have lost half the skin on my arm.

"It could have been a lot worse."

Flares have been seen across the world at various sites set up for people to watch their country in the World Cup.

On Sunday morning there were so many flares set off that the screen at Federation Square was not visible. 

About 15,000 soccer fans gathered at Federation Square in Melbourne on Sunday morning.

Rogan warned of the dangers flares pose.

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He said he would not likely return to a similar gathering again.

"When you start throwing stuff, and fireworks, that's when it gets out of hand, and it's just not appropriate, he said.

"I don't think I see myself at Fed Square, rather just watch in my lounge room at home."

The Socceroos were defeated by Argentina 2-1 in the World Cup round of 16 match.

Harold Connell has spend more than three decades spreading Christmas cheer in Melbourne.

As Santa, he has been greeting children and parents at Greensborough Plaza in Melbourne's north east for 33 years.

"I love the people here and Greensborough is the best place," he said.

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The shopping centre stalwart has seen and heard it all over the years, and while there are still plenty of requests for traditional toys, things have changed over time.

"Computers, playstations, they all want them," he said.

"If mum and dad don't have them, they want one."

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Connell is so popular he's been visited by multiple generations, which he says is "magic".

"My sister-in-law has been coming here since her kids were born, so she recommended him, and my kids had a great time," one visitor said.

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