What we learned today, Thursday 26 October
We will now wrap the blog for the evening, thanks for reading.
Here were the major developments of the day:
Communities in Cypress Gardens, Millmerran Downs and Millmerran Woods can return home with caution after the fire in the Western Downs region was downgraded.
Meteorologists are predicting rainfall from November to January to be below average across much of western, southern and north-eastern Australia, as well as two-and-a-half times the likelihood of “unusually high” temperatures.
Bruce Lehrmann has been charged with two counts of raping a woman in October 2021, with the case working its way through early committal proceedings at Toowoomba magistrates court this year.
The Greens deputy leader, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, said the Israeli government is committing war crimes on the Palestinian people.
The young woman found dead at a school in central Sydney has been identified as water polo coach Lilie James.
The head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jan Adams, says she is “paying very close attention” to the security of Australian diplomatic staff in Israel.
Penny Wong has criticised Iran’s “destabilising role” in the Middle East and said she used a call with that country’s foreign minister to urge it to avoid escalating the Hamas-Israel conflict.
Mike Cannon-Brookes, the co-founder of Atlassian, says Australia has the existing technology to be able to achieve its renewable ambitions, speaking at a renewable energy event in Melbourne.
The US president, Joe Biden, gave an address at the official State Dinner in honour of the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, at the White House in Washington.
The Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) has joined more than 200 health journals around the world calling for the World Health Organization to declare the climate and nature crisis a global health emergency.
An Uber spokesperson said “we made a mistake” after the company received a $412,500 fine for breaching the Spam Act over one email sent to 2m customers in January this year.
RBA governor Michele Bullock said Wednesday’s September inflation figures were “a little higher” than the central bank had predicted in its August forecasts.
Civilians in the blockaded Gaza Strip will receive an extra $15m in humanitarian aid from the Australian government.
Hundreds of people have rallied in Perth to call for justice after the death of an Indigenous teenager who self-harmed in the youth wing at an adult prison.
Updated
Queensland police say First Nations man who was shot yesterday ‘struck one of the officers with a hammer’
Queensland police have issued a further statement after the shooting of a 40-year-old First Nations man in Logan Central yesterday.
The Queensland Police Service Ethical Standards Command continues to investigate after a 40-year-old man was shot by an officer in Logan Central yesterday.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the man was wanted for a number of serious matters and police were attempting to arrest him when he struck one of the officers with a hammer and also threatened officers with a screw-driver, resulting in the man being shot.
The man remains in hospital in a stable condition.
Queensland police say all body worn camera footage available will be reviewed and form part of the investigation.
This investigation into the incident is subject to oversight of the Crime and Corruption Commission.
The QPS including senior officers from Logan District, First Nations and Ethical Standards Command have met with family and Elders today.
The man is expected to be charged with one count each of serious assault police officer, obstruct police, and acts intended to resist/prevent lawful arrest, as well as a series of other charges, among them unlawful use of a motor vehicle, enter premises to commit indictable offence, threatening violence and assault occasioning bodily harm whilst armed.
Updated
