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.
Top news
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.
In pictures
Can Peter Dutton lower the temperature?
Or, wonders Guardian cartoonist Fiona Katauskas, is he just getting fired up?
What they said …
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“We’re not going to have a perfect bit of legislation here, but we can’t let [that] be the enemy of the good.” – Chris Minns
The New South Wales premier joined the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, at a social media summit hosted by the two states. The summit is discussing a proposed social media ban for children under 16. Experts have also weighed in expressing that “a ban alone is not going to do it”.
In numbers
It is understood a further 3,350 Australians and their immediate family members are still registered as wanting to depart Lebanon.
Before bed read
Kim Kardashian recommends a full-body MRI scan – should I get one?
The tests are presented as a way to detect early cancers or “silent killers” – but are they a good idea if you’re otherwise healthy? In our new series Antiviral, Guardian Australia’s medical editor, Melissa Davey, helps decipher science from snake oil. Is there a health trend you want examined?
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: POL. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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