Anyone can be stopped and searched by police in Melbourne

Visiting Melbourne in Australia this summer?

Be prepared to be stopped and searched by police. There is no need for you to be suspected of a crime.

A wave of violent incidents in the city - some associated with migrant youths - has resulted in the addition of new "stop and search" powers for police by the state government in Victoria.

Police say the stops will be the equivalent of random breath tests used to catch drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

A “random selection of people using a thoroughfare” by foot or by car could be subjected to a pat-down search - without warrant or reasonable suspicion - at any time across inner Melbourne over the next six months," local media reported.

Police are adamant the stops will be random.

“It matters not your ethnicity. It matters not your race. It matters not your culture, age, any demographic,” Victoria Police deputy commissioner Bob Hill told reporters.

“We focus on the offending type, and we focus on preventing [certain] crimes from occurring in the first place, by a general deterrence approach.”

The expansion of search powers will apply across the CBD, Docklands, Southbank, the sporting and entertainment precinct and parts of East Melbourne and South Melbourne, until May 29, 2026.

During that time, police and protective service officers (PSOs) have the ability to randomly stop and search anyone, including by using an electronic wand or a pat-down.

People may be asked to take off items of outer clothing such as headwear and jackets, and to remove items from bags or pockets. Vehicles can also be searched.

Police have said no racial profiling would occur - but civil liberties groups are incensed.

Airbus failure causes global flight chaos

An Airbus software glitch is causing chaos around the globe, with thousands of weekend flights cancelled.

Airbus said it was ordering immediate updates to 6,000 of its widely used A320 range of jets - affecting more than half the global fleet.

The news came during the busiest travel weekend of the year in the United States and is causing disruption at airports around the world.

Airbus ordered airlines to undertake software modifications on its A320s after it discovered the risk of errors in the plane's flight control systems.

It was among the largest recalls affecting Airbus in its 55-year history. The plane is flown by more than 350 airlines and some 11,300 A320s are in operation.

The fix involves reverting to earlier software and is relatively simple, but reportedly must be carried out before the planes can fly again, a bulletin issued to airlines says.

The world's largest A320 operator, American Airlines, said some 340 of its 480 A320 aircraft would need the fix. It said it mostly expected these to be completed by Saturday with about two hours required for each plane.

Other airlines affected include Lufthansa, United and easyJet.

In Australia, thousands of travellers’ flight plans were thrown into chaos.

Budget airline Jetstar has cancelled or delayed 90 flights while rolling out urgent software updates to 34 of its planes.

French government offers millions to support vine pull scheme

The French Ministry of Agriculture this week unveiled a rescue package for the country’s ailing wine sector that will include a €130 million ($231 million AUD) funding package to support vineyard removal.

It comes comes after grape growers protested in the streets of the southern city of Beziers calling for urgent government and EU support as the sector struggles with a combination of extreme weather conditions, soaring costs and falling sales, news hub the drinks business reported.

The goal of the new support package is to "stabilise the wine market and support long-term solutions".

A ministry statement said: “The government is allocating €130 to fund a new, permanent vine-pulling plan requested by the wine industry in order to rebalance the supply and restore the viability of struggling farms in the most vulnerable regions".

Minister of agriculture, agri-food and food sovereignty of France, Annie Genevard, announced the package to sector stakeholders at a major trade fair, SITEVI, in Montpellier. It also includes a loan component.

French officials have lowered projection for this year’s wine output to 36 million hectolitres, down from the 37.4 million forecast last month and 1% below last year’s harvest, citing a heatwave in August.

The revised forecast, based on the latest harvest results, was 16% below the five-year average.

Genevard has also urged the European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen to “mobilise the European crisis reserve, particularly to finance the crisis distillation of non-marketable surpluses, primarily in co-operative cellars.”

In the statement, Genevard added: “This new very significant financial effort, despite a particularly difficult budgetary context and subject to the adoption of a finance bill, demonstrates the Government’s determination to sustainably save our viticulture and enable it to bounce back."

She insisted it was not “yet another emergency plan to correct a structural imbalance,” but “an investment to give a future” to the wine industry.

The wine and spirits sector supports 600,000 jobs in France, and accounts for €32 billion in turnover, half of which is exports.

The Béziers demonstration on November 15, organised by the Aude winegrowers union, highlighted the plight of French winegrowers.

Damien Onorre, president of the union, told Le Monde newspaper: “For three years, we have suffered droughts and heat waves above 40°C. I have lost 50% of my production over this period.”

Watermans brings tastes of the Levant to Barangaroo

The burgeoning Barangaroo gourmet precinct in Sydney has been boosted by the arrival of newcomer Watermans, an eastern Mediterranean restaurant from The Bentley Restaurant Group.

Operated by leading Australian hospitality operators Nick Hildebrandt and Brent Savage, Watermans has chef Darryl Martin (formerly of Barzaari) at the helm.

Watermans is located within the recently completed One Sydney Harbour Lendlease development in Barangaroo, just metres from Sydney Harbour.

“2025 has been a huge year for The Bentley Group," said sommelier and co-owner Hildebrandt. "We started the year with the launch of Eleven Barrack and we’re ending the year back in Barangaroo with Watermans, right in time for summer.”

The 120-seat venue houses two pergolas wrapped in mature greenery, with a "modern-luxe interior featuring timber veneer finishes, bespoke lighting and an open kitchen with a custom-made wood-fired grill and oven".

Co-owner and chef Savage said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Darryl into The Bentley Group family. The menu for Watermans is inspired by the cuisine of the Levant and highlights the best of Australian produce.

"It has a strong emphasis on vegetable-forward dishes, and it’s been fun to collaborate with Darryl, whose cooking I’ve long admired, especially his work at Barzaari.”

Highlight dishes from the opening menu include: hummus with green zhoug and mint; labneh with salted cucumber, pomegranate and lemon jam; raw tuna with watermelon, yoghurt and fig leaf oil; wood-fired scallop with pomegranate, brown butter and sesame praline; and whole wood-fired flounder with broad beans and smoked tomato savoro.

For meat lovers, there is roasted chicken with with preserved lemon, parsley and green olive; and lamb shoulder with harissa, black lime, cinnamon and toum.

Desserts include halva ice cream, date granita, must vinegar, and brik bougatsa, cherry jam and aniseed sorbet.

Watermans is open daily from noon for lunch and dinner at R1/88 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, Sydney. See https://www.bentleyrestaurantgroup.com.au/watermanssydney

New releases mark a rejuvenation milestone for Henschke

Three new Adelaide Hills white wine releases from the Henschke family represent a resilient return. The wines are from vineyards that were affected by the 2019 Cudlee Creek bushfire that caused more than $200 million in damage.

The new releases are the 2025 Percival's Hill Grüner Veltliner, the 2025 Joseph Hill Gerwürzttaminer and 2025 Green's Hill Riesling, all from what is rated as an exceptional vintage.

"The first release of grüner veltliner, gewürztraminer and riesling from our Lenswood Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills since the Cudlee Creek bushfire in 2019 marks an exciting milestone for Henschke," says viticulturist Prue Henschke.

"Our team has devoted countless hours to regenerating the 45-hectare property, from training over 65,000 vines on newly installed trellises to planting hundreds of native trees and shrubs to create habitats for wildlife, improving the soil with compost, and ensuring our vineyard sits in a healthy balance with the natural landscape.

"It is a pleasure to share these wines and celebrate the rejuvenation of this unique, cool-climate site."

The fire, which broke out in "catastrophic" conditions in the Adelaide Hills on December 20, 2019, started after a powerline was dislodged by a falling tree. It destroyed more than 70 homes. 

Someone will buy wine; win a trip to Antarctica

 Sustainability-driven wine brand Tread Softly is just a few bottles away from planting its three-
millionth tree and to celebrate the milestone it has launched a competition that offers the chance to win a trip to Antarctica. 

The giveaway offers Australians and New Zealanders the chance to win the rare prize. 

Antarctica Awaits will send one lucky winner and a guest to explore the world’s last great wilderness - the icy expanse of Antarctica - aboard a National Geographic expedition cruise.

The 10-day adventure begins in Ushuaia, Argentina, where the winners will prepare for their voyage before boarding the National Geographic Explorer. 

On a trip led by naturalists, biologists, and geologists, guests will experience Drake Passage, hike glaciers, kayak among icebergs, and possibly witness an abundance of wildlife - from humpback whales and orcas to Adélie penguins.

The trip includes return flights, four-star accommodation in both Ushuaia (Argentina) and Puerto Natales (Chile), an eight-day cruise aboard the National Geographic Explorer in a twin cabin that is valued at over $18,000 per person with meals and activities included, as well as $500 spending money, merchandise and Tread Softly wine.

Wendy Rend, brand partnership lead at Australian Geographic says: “It has been a pleasure to partner with Tread Softly and highlight their inspiring work through the Antarctica Awaits experience. It’s always uplifting to see brand’s values carried through so clearly in what they do.”

Since 2019, Tread Softly has planted one Australian native tree for every six bottles of wine sold, contributing to the growth of the Tread Softly Forest within Western Australia’s Yarra Yarra
biodiversity corridor. 

The initiative helps reduce the brand’s carbon footprint. 

The Antarctica Awaits promotion runs until January 31, 2026. For a chance to win purchase a bottle of Tread Softly from Dan Murphy’s, BWS or independent retailers before scanning the QR code on the pack or visiting www.treadtoantarctica.com.