Welcome, readers, to the Afternoon Update.
Hurricane Milton has made landfall, with the downgraded but still tremendously powerful category 3 storm slamming into Florida’s west coast on Thursday morning, leaving 2 million people without power.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton brought winds reaching almost 200km/h and created a “life-threatening” storm surge on much of Florida’s coast. Joe Biden described it as as “the storm of the century” as he urged residents to listen to local officials.
Before Milton made landfall, Florida saw dozens of tornado warnings, with authorities confirming “we have lost some life”. Despite the warnings, some Floridians have decided to remain at home.
- Deputy PM addresses allegations made by chief of staff | Richard Marles says he is “satisfied” he had met the ministerial code of conduct after his chief of staff, Jo Tarnawsky, alleged that she was effectively sacked without warning and barred from her office.
- Global petrol price spike to hit Australian motorists | The humanitarian disaster in the Middle East will also hit Australian motorists at the bowser, with oil prices spiking 7% in the past week, Jim Chalmers has said.
- Husband arrested after psychologist found dead near lawnmower | Robert Crawford, 47, was arrested amid investigations into the alleged murder of Frances Elizabeth Crawford. The body of the psychologist and mother of three was found near a lawnmower at her home in Upper Lockyer, west of Brisbane.
- Pilot who died in Cairns hotel crash was ‘affected by alcohol’ | Investigators on Thursday said Blake Wilson, 23, took the helicopter from a far north Queensland airport hangar for an “unnecessary and unauthorised” flight after a night of drinking in August.
- Man who lit Melbourne bushfires embraced ‘depraved ideology’ | A convicted terrorist has been jailed for eight years after he filmed himself pledging allegiance to Islamic State. The footage shows Aran Sherani bragging that he was on the run from police, while holding a knife up to the camera.
- Australian Open doubles down on polarising ‘party court’ | The Australian Open will expand its court-side hospitality in 2025, and patrons will now be served cocktails while watching top players on Melbourne Park’s headline practice courts.
- Saudi Arabia narrowly fails UN human rights council bid | Saudi Arabia has narrowly failed in its bid to win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a blow to Riyadh’s efforts to boost the country’s rights reputation abroad.
- More than 100 raccoons besiege house | Feeding wild raccoons around her home had seemed harmless enough for one US woman for 35 years – until about 100 of them surrounded her home and demanded food. The woman was essentially trapped in her home in Washington and she called the sheriff’s office, saying the raccoons were there day and night.
