Tropical Cyclone Fina is slowly approaching the Northern Territory coast and is expected to intensify to a category 2 storm.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that Darwin, the Tiwi Islands, Dundee Beach to Warruwi, inland to Batchelor, Cobourg Peninsula, Minjilang, Gunbalanya, Pirlangimpi, Milikapiti and Wurrumiyanga are in the firing line and will feel the impacts of the looming system beginning today and into the weekend.

Gusts of up to 120km/h are occurring and up to 300mm of rainfall is forecast, which is feared to trigger flash flooding in the Tiwi Islands and Warruwi.

LIVE BLOG: 'Shelter' warning issued as Cyclone Fina approaches

The last time Darwin saw a cyclone of this magnitude was Tropical Cyclone Marcus, which made landfall as a category 2 storm in 2018.

As Fina inches closer, here is everything we know. 

What category cyclone is Fina?

Fina is currently travelling as a category 1 storm after it was downgraded yesterday, carrying damaging winds up to 85km/h with gusts of up to 120km/h.

But the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting the system will strengthen to category 2 later tonight.

It is forecast to bring destructive winds with gusts up to 164km/h, which can bring down trees and power lines and damage homes. 

Fina will continue travelling as a category 2 when it passes through Darwin this weekend. 

The system is forecast to worsen to a severe tropical cyclone and a category 3 storm as it moves away from the coast to the southern Timor Sea on Sunday afternoon.

The Bureau of Meteorology, however, warns there is a chance that it could reach category 3 earlier, during late today or early tomorrow.

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https://x.com/BOM_au/status/1991627315554431090

Where is Tropical Cyclone Fina now?

Fina was tracked about 85 kilometres north of Minjilang and 295 kilometres north-east of Darwin.

It is slowly travelling south-east towards the Northern Territory coast and is currently over the Cobourg Peninsula. It will hit the Tiwi Islands tonight.

Fina will continue through Darwin and the Van Diemen Gulf tomorrow, with the capital city set to experience the worst of the conditions then.

Emergency Minister Kristy McBain told reporters this afternoon that Fina has slightly changed track.

"At this stage, the cyclone has actually changed track a little. It's due to move into the Van Diemen Gulf but may still impact around Darwin," she said.

The impacts of the storm, however, are already being felt now with showers and winds lashing the Top End. 

What are the warnings in place?

Secure NT has issued an emergency warning for residents in Cape Don to Minjilang to shelter immediately.

Destructive winds, torrential rain and potential flooding may disrupt essential services like water, electricity and gas.

Residents in Darwin, the Tiwi Islands, Dundee Beach to Warruwi, inland to Batchelor, the Cobourg Peninsula, Gunbalanya, Pirlangimpi, Milikapiti and Wurrumiyanga are under a watch and act warning.

There is a heightened level of threat, and those in the area are advised to take action now and enact their household emergency plan.

Those between Wadeye and Dundee Beach should consider what they may need to do if the cyclone threat increases.

The federal government has already activated its emergency response and deployed officials to the region.

Federal and state politicians have also been working to keep remote Indigenous communities informed.

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What is currently closed? 

Darwin Airport is not closed as of yet, but precautionary safety measures are in place across the precinct.

"The safety of those who work at Darwin Airport, the travelling public, and the wider community remains our highest priority," the airport said in a statement. 

Darwin Airport is monitoring the situation and advises passengers to check directly with their airlines for the latest information regarding their flights.

"Airlines will continue to provide the most accurate and timely information," the airport said.

Virgin has cancelled services to and from Melbourne tonight and services to and from Brisbane tomorrow.

The airline is reaching out to affected passengers and advising passengers travelling on Sunday and early next week to monitor the status of their flight. 

All Qantas flights are currently operating as normal today, but the airline is monitoring the evolving situation to reassess operations tomorrow. 

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has shut four remote schools today: Mamaruni School, Warruwi School, Milikapiti School and Pularumpi School.

Non-government schools in these areas can be contacted to confirm whether they will be open.

Secure NT said carers of school-aged children and vulnerable residents should now be released to attend to their carer responsibilities.

The ferry between Darwin and the Tiwi Islands is also not running due to the weather.

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How to prepare for a tropical cyclone?

Secure NT urges residents to prepare or enact their household emergency plan, secure loose items, and stay informed.

Every household is advised to have an emergency kit, which should include a battery-operated radio with spare batteries, a torch, a first aid kit, a change of clothes, essential toiletries, blankets and sleeping bags, money, important documents, a mobile phone and non-perishable food.

"Depending on your location, you may need to rely on your kit to get through until the emergency has passed or help arrives," the site reads.

"Ensure that your kit is able to sustain you and each member of your family for 72 hours or more."

Anyone in a life-threatening situation should call Triple Zero.

Authorities have also set up an emergency hotline at 1800 888 901.

The Bureau of Meteorology has up-to-date information on its website here. 

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Dozens of memorabilia pieces from late cricket great Shane Warne's personal collection will soon be showcased to the public in an exhibition at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Warne: Treasures of a Legend will launch on December 16 at the Australian Sports Museum, featuring 48 career memorabilia pieces including Warne's iconic floppy white hat, the famous Gatting Ball and worn Test Match shirts and boots.

Getting a first look at the exhibition, Warnie's son Jackson said the Spin King chose to put most of his most-cherished personal items in storage over the years.

LIVE UPDATES: Tropical Cyclone Fina headed for NT coast

"He would occasionally show it for a poker night or if he was selling the house, but we always used to ask 'why didn't you display it?' and he'd always just used to say, 'they know what I did', and I think that's just shows how humble he was," Jackson said.

"But to now to be able to finally share everything that we've all wanted to share with everybody to be here at the MCG is like a fairy tale.

"Shane was very particular, any time he had something of interest, it'd be wicket, bat, ball, whatever it might be, it was stored away, noted, and llocked away safely."

Warnie's 700th test wicket and his unforgettable dancing stump will also be on display at the exhibition, which runs until August 9 next year.

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But one item that couldn't be included was the ball from Warnie's iconic hattrick against England in 1994.

The whereabouts of the priceless piece of cricket history has left even Warnie's closest circle stumped.

"If you know where it is, please let us know. We've been looking for it," Jackson said.

The cricket legend's dad Keith said his son would be "honoured" to know his treasured sporting keepsakes would be showcased at the MCG.

"He absolutely loves the place, as we all know, it was his playground, you might say, and he'd be very pleased to know that it's gonna be displayed at the MCG," Keith said.

Bookings to see the exhibition are essential and can be made through the Australian Sports Museum website.

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A remorseless paedophile teacher who abused multiple boys over almost three decades has been described by a judge as morally and socially worthless.

Keith Athol Bates-Willie, 71, was found guilty by a jury in August of 14 charges including persistent sexual abuse of a child, indecent assault, rape and aggravated sexual assault.

The abuse occurred between the late 1970s and mid-2000s while Bates-Willie taught at Rosetta High School, Kingston High School and Rosny College in Hobart.

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It took place in multiple school settings including darkrooms, during meditation sessions, stairwells, at Bates-Willie's home and in a spa, as well as on a Bass Strait ferry.

Sentencing judge Stephen Estcourt said Bates-Willie had shown no remorse and caused his victims to relive the abuse during the trial.

"(His) acts upon so many of his students … are the acts of a morally and socially worthless person," Justice Estcourt told the Supreme Court of Tasmania today.

"He did not once look at or acknowledge his victims in court during the reading of victim impact statements.

"He has not acknowledged his crimes and that causes me concern."

Bates-Willie, who was charged in 2022, egregiously called his victims liars and copycats, and accused them of chasing compensation, Justice Estcourt said.

Bates-Willie was jailed for 21 years and won't be eligible for parole for 11 years.

His lawyer Jessie Sawyer urged Justice Estcourt to not hand down a "crushing sentence" partly because her client was likely to die in jail without his loved ones by his side.

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Sawyer also said the early abuse occurred in the context of Bates-Willie only just graduating and when he was "finding his place" as a teacher.

Some of the abuse was at the lower end of the scale and although he was in a position of trust it "wasn't as serious" as being perpetrated by a parent or guardian, Sawyer said.

"I reject that submission out of hand, this is one of the most serious cases I have seen," Justice Estcourt said.

Several members of the public present in the courtroom let out audible gasps during Sawyer's submissions.

The 16 witnesses who gave evidence at the trial had provided overwhelming evidence of guilt on all charges, Justice Estcourt said.

Sawyer said a medical report had found Bates-Willie was at a low risk of re-offending.

Justice Estcourt noted the same report concluded Bates-Willie should avoid contact with anyone under the age of 18.

He has been placed on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.

Some of the men charged with the murder of Zain Taikato Fox in Maketū can now be named.

The road to motherhood can be equally joyful and terrifying, and more often than not, entirely unpredictable.

The median age of a first-time mother has crept up to 32.1 years in Australia for 2024 – up from 29.8 in 2000.

Australian mums Liz Walton and Julie Sweet are outliers of this rising figure after giving birth to their first child in their late 40s.

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Exclusive: To Queenslander Adam Kertesz, landing a job has started to feel like winning the lottery, especially when you're up against thousands of applicants for some positions.

For the past 18 months, Kertesz says he has applied for more than 300 jobs – many of them entry-level – without success.

Kertesz, 31, has experience in the hospitality industry, having worked in a five-star hotel in London and at the Gabba cricket ground in Brisbane. 

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He holds a Bachelor of International Relations and Public Policy from the University of Queensland and a TAFE Diploma of Travel and Tourism Management. 

He is also about to graduate with a TAFE Diploma in Travel and Tourism. 

Yet even these qualifications have not been enough to secure him a job, Kertesz told 9news.com.au.

"It's absolutely ridiculous and it's scary," he said. 

"I'm a week away from finishing a diploma of travel and tourism and I'm looking for any employment that is available."

Kertesz said the hospitality jobs he was applying for regularly had hundreds of applicants, and entry-level jobs, which appealed to a broad range of people from different backgrounds, often got thousands of applications.

Last month, Kertesz applied for a casual job with the Port of Brisbane, unloading containers at $38 per hour, with no experience necessary.

He said he was dismayed when he saw the number of people who had applied – 6600.

"When you don't have any money to your name, all you want to do is work," he said.

"But how are you going to get a job when there are thousands of people ahead of you?"

Having spent several years teaching English overseas, Kertesz returned to Australia in 2023 and said he had been applying steadily for jobs ever since.

However, he never expected it to be so hard.

"The government say they've created jobs, and they probably have. But they don't understand how hard it is to obtain employment in Australia," he said.

"It's very, very difficult – it's become like winning the lottery."

Kertesz said he was often being told he did not have enough experience for a job, or he was too old.

"I've applied for well over 300 jobs (online). I've gone out and pounded the pavement, and I'm getting told you need experience, or they want younger people," he said.

Kertesz said he had also applied for jobs at Woolworths and Aldi supermarkets.

He recently had a job interview with Woolworths, which was conducted by an AI bot, a trend previously reported on by nine.com.au.

His application was unsuccessful.

"Some companies give you a first interview, but the interview is with a robot," he said.

"It's absolutely ridiculous. How can a robot determine if you'll be good at the job or not?"

Aside from the Woolworths AI interview, he had only received one other offer of an interview during his current job search, Kertesz said.

"I dressed up and everything for the interview, and I got to the building about 20 minutes early, and then they called me, saying that they are sorry, they had changed their minds and already filled the position." 

Unemployed out of work for longer, report finds

Kertesz's experience comes as a new report was released from Anglicare yesterday, highlighting the grim reality jobseekers face while searching for entry-level positions which are disappearing.

Anglicare Australia's Jobs Availability Snapshot 2025 found that the chances of job seekers finding entry-level work were so low that "even the most determined will be left behind".

The report compared the number of people receiving JobSeeker payments with the number of entry-level positions advertised in August this year.

It found that for every entry-level vacancy, there were 39 job seekers, up from last year's figure of 35.

Chambers said the findings show the need for urgent reform to the welfare system.

"All of this shows that people are being failed by a system that treats unemployment as a personal fault instead of a policy failure," she said.

"Taxpayers are spending billions of dollars on private employment providers whose business model depends on compliance and punishment.

"They profit whether or not people find work.

"Meanwhile, people are stuck in endless appointments and meaningless activities — all while competing for jobs that simply aren't there."

This month, Australia's unemployment rate was sitting at 4.3 per cent in October, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

That figure is down from 4.5 per cent in September.

Australia's unemployment rate hit a record low of 3.2 per cent in October 2022 and has been slowly climbing since then.

Do you have a story? Contact reporter Emily McPherson at EM********@******om.au

The Northern Territory's reprieve from the first cyclone of the season is set to be brief, with Fina set to return to category 2 status, and possibly even category 3, today.

Fina, which has prompted warnings of 300 millimetres of rainfall and 155km/h winds in some parts, dropped to category 1 after pivoting towards the Top End yesterday.

At 9.30pm (11pm AEDT), peak gusts were about 100km/h as the storm tracked south about 360 kilometres north-east of Darwin and 135 kilometres north-north-east of Minjilang, on Croker Island.

The Bureau of Meteorology expected it to return to category 2 strength some time today on its approach towards the Cobourg Peninsula and Tiwi Islands.

Fina was then forecast to head through the Van Diemen Gulf on Saturday and become a severe cyclone on Sunday afternoon in the southern Timor Sea.

But forecasters warned it could also hit category 3 as early as today or early tomorrow.

Bureau spokesperson Jude Scott said the cyclone would continue to move in a south-westerly direction over the next couple of days.

Widespread daily rainfall totals of between 50 millimetres and 200 millimetres were forecast for areas in the warning and watch areas.

"This could be 300 millimetres of rain in the areas closest to the centre of the system," Scott said yesterday.

"An initial flood watch has been issued for the north-west coastal rivers as creeks and rivers will rise in response to the forecast rainfall.

"Darwin is now in the cyclone watch area and that's because there is a risk of gales on Saturday, probably from later in the morning into the afternoon."

She said the impact on Darwin would depend on the cyclone's eventual path.

"If the track hugs the Tiwi Island coast, then the impacts will be less on Darwin.

"If the track moves closer to the mainland north Australian coast then Darwin is likely to see the impacts of the cyclone during Saturday."

The warning zone covers Milikapiti to Maningrida, including the Cobourg Peninsula, Minjilang and Warruwi.

Forecasters warned of wind gusts up to 120km/h over the Cobourg Peninsula between Cape Don and Warruwi last night, with possible destructive winds up to 155km/h today in the same area as the system nears the coast.

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A major archeological find in Western Australia's north-west has helped prove gigantic sharks roamed the state's coast 115 million years ago.

The work of Dr Mikael Siversson from the WA Museum helped rewrite the timeline for one of the planet's most fearsome predators. 

The head of earth and planetary sciences played a crucial role in identifying a species of super shark fossil found in Australia.

His breakthrough discovery in WA's Gascoyne region included teeth that hold the key to a prehistoric world.

"That tooth is 97 million years old, still razor sharp," he told 9News.

The teeth helped Siversson and his research team identify something straight out of Jurassic Park, a group of closely related mega sharks that grew to the size of orcas around Darwin and in Queensland.

"They dominated the oceans for about 23 million years," Siversson said.

Siversson's original discovery was in 1999 in the Giralia Range on Cardabia Station, in Baiyungu country.

It was a major scientific find but the real importance of the discovery only emerged recently.

He said they were the first modern great sharks to evolve into giant-sized sharks, and it happened off the coast of Australia.

"So that's why the Western Australian specimen is so critical to the understanding of this entire group of giant predatory sharks," he said.

His work also identified that colossal sharks swam the oceans 10 million years earlier than previously thought.

All from teeth and vertebrae found in the WA outback.

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NASA has unveiled close-up pictures of the interstellar comet that’s making a quick one-and-done tour of the solar system.

Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas is only the third confirmed object to visit our corner of the cosmos from another star.

It zipped harmlessly past Mars last month.

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Three NASA spacecraft on and near the red planet zoomed in on the comet as it passed just 29 million kilometres away, revealing a fuzzy white blob.

The European Space Agency's two satellites around Mars also made observations.

Other NASA spacecraft will remain on the lookout in the weeks ahead, including the Webb Space Telescope.

At the same time, astronomers are aiming their ground telescopes at the approaching comet, which is about 307 million kilometres from Earth.

The Virtual Telescope Project's Gianluca Masi zoomed in today from Italy.

The comet is visible from Earth in the predawn sky by using binoculars or a telescope.

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“Everyone that is in control of a telescope wants to look at it because it's a fascinating and rare opportunity," NASA acting astrophysics director Shawn Domagal-Goldman said.

The closest the comet will come to Earth is 269 million kilometres in mid-December.

Then it will hightail it back into interstellar space, never to return.

ESA’s Juice spacecraft, bound for Jupiter, has been training its cameras and scientific instruments on the comet all month, particularly after it made its closest pass to the sun.

But scientists won’t get any of these observations back until February because Juice’s main antenna is serving as a heat shield while it’s near the sun, limiting the flow of data.

Named for the telescope in Chile that first spotted it, the comet is believed to be anywhere from 440 metres across to 5.6 kilometres across.

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Observations indicate that the exceptionally fast-moving comet may have originated in a star system older than our own, “which gives me goose bumps to think about,” NASA scientist Tom Statler said.

“That means that 3I/Atlas is not just a window into another solar system, it’s a window into the deep past and so deep in the past that it predates even the formation of our Earth and our sun," Statler told reporters.

NASA officials were quick to dispel rumors that this friendly solar system visitor, as they called it, might be an alien ship of some sort.

They said that because of the federal government shutdown, they weren't able to respond to all the theories cropping up in recent weeks.

The space agency is always on the hunt for life beyond Earth, "but 3I/Atlas is a comet," said NASA’s associate administrator, Amit Kshatriya.

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A Victorian woman is outraged after she was forced to drive her 91-year-old mother to hospital when she was denied an ambulance following a serious fall at home.

Great-grandmother Lois Casboult suffered a brain bleed and broken pelvis after falling at home on Sunday night.

Her daughter Janne McFadyen drove her from Drouin, 90 kilometres east of Melbourne, to hospital in Warragul after attending paramedics and the virtual ED determined she did not need an ambulance.

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"I probably should have jumped up and down more and insisted on an ambulance taking her to hospital, but I didn't," McFadyen said.

"You're at the whim of the medical profession, you think they know everything, you know."

Casboult is now recovering at West Gippsland Hospital, with no date set for when she can return home.

"She's doing alright, she's resting and sleeping a lot, she's in pain if she moves but hopefully she will make a full recovery," McFadyen said.

Opposition spokesperson Georgie Crozier is calling for a review into the incident.

"It's an appalling example of just how broken our health system is," Crozier said.

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The state government maintains Casboult did not require an ambulance and was safe to be transported by family.

Victorian Ambulance Union executive Danny Hill is also backing his members.

"There's categorically no question marks over the treatment of this patient by the crew, they did exactly what they're trained to do," Hill said.

"In this case they even went to the extra step of contacting a virtual doctor."

That's something her family thinks shouldn't happen.

"When a lady's got so many prior illnesses and things it's just wrong, like, you've got to see people in person to give an opinion," McFadyen said.

Ambulance Victoria full statement

Our highly skilled paramedics attended quickly and sought the assistance of the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) and liaised with the treating doctor on a care plan.

Our thoughts are with Lois and wish her a swift recovery.

Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) full statement

Following a thorough review by an emergency physician from the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) in consultation with Ambulance Victoria, it was determined that the patient, Ms Casboult, should attend a hospital Emergency Department for further assessment.

Options for transportation were carefully discussed with the patient and their family, and a decision was made to proceed with private transport. Throughout the process, appropriate clinical care and advice were provided to ensure safety and continuity of care.

VVED has been in contact with the patient's family and have offered support during this time. A formal review of the case will be conducted.

We understand how distressing this situation can be and extend our deepest understanding and compassion to Lois and her family.

The VVED remains committed to delivering safe, timely, and patient-centred care in every circumstance.