Why, hello. You made it to the end of the week. It's Friday, November 26 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of the news you need to know about.
One thing you should know
In a rare decision, the Family Court has gone public about a missing child who hasn't been seen since April.
The baby's mother says she left the 17-month-old with a woman at a Sydney convenience store but she's now been accused of withholding information that could help find the baby.
- Hoang Vinh Le's parents told authorities they gave the woman at the shop $200 to care for the child for one night
- But authorities are yet to verify whether that person exists
- There is a recovery order in place for Vinh to be in the care of his grandmother
- Police are concerned for Vinh's welfare
Today, the Family Court and AFP made the unusual decision to release information about the case publicly — even allowing media to publish details from the court transcript, which is generally unheard of in family law cases — in the hope it may spark assistance from the public to locate Vinh.
Anyone who has any information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
What else is going on
- After days of speculation, fast bowler Pat Cummins has been confirmed as the new captain of the Australian men's cricket team. Former skipper Steve Smith has been named vice-captain, while outgoing captain Tim Paine has announced he'll be taking a leave of absence from "all forms of cricket for the foreseeable future" after sexually explicit texts he had sent to a former Cricket Tasmania colleague became public.
- A building belonging to the Solomon Islands Prime Minister has been set on fire by protesters, with looters breaking in and causing damage. A number of Australian police and defence personnel are already on the ground with more due to arrive soon, to provide what PM Scott Morrison called "stability and security".
News alerts you might have missed
- Tui Kamikamica has been stood down by the Melbourne Storm after being charged over an alleged incident involving a woman outside a Brisbane hotel
- A 17-year-old boy has been charged over the murder of Central Queensland woman Rene Latimore, who went missing from a rural property in August
Not signed up for ABC News alerts and want updates like these in real-time? Head to the ABC News app homepage ➡️ Settings ➡️ Notifications and tailor your alerts to what you want to know.
What Australia has been searching for online
- A new COVID variant. Currently known as B.1.1.529, the new variant has been detected in more than 20 samples taken from COVID-positive people in South Africa. That's not a lot of people in a country of 60 million, but the variant has turned up just as daily cases shot up in South Africa, so experts are worried it could be the most potent strain yet.
- Greg Lynn. The 55-year-old pilot appeared in court for the first time this morning after he was charged with the murder of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay. He's been remanded in custody.
One more thing to end the week
Have you snagged any bargains this Black Friday?
Many use this day as a chance to get some Christmas shopping done for a good price, but consumer groups are warning customers to beware of dud deals and marketing tactics that make you think you're saving heaps (but you're actually paying about the same as what you would have last week).
A six-month Choice investigation tracking the prices of four espresso machines across 13 retailers found "cheaper, or similarly priced, options on various dates in the six months prior – up to 33 per cent cheaper in some instances".
UK-based consumer group Which? also carried out an investigation into Black Friday sales — they have told shoppers to make sure the discounts were "truly genuine" ahead of this year's sales.
"Rather than automatically trusting anchor prices, it's better to check against other shops' prices to try to work out the true value of the item you're buying," Which? says.
You're up to date
Thanks for reading — The Loop will be back next week.
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