Hello. It's Monday, February 28 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news headlines.
One thing to know right now: Queensland's flood death toll has risen to eight
- A man and his dog have been found dead in floodwaters in the Currumbin Valley on the Gold Coast. Police say the man's car was washed away in the early hours of Monday morning
- Earlier we reported a man also died on Brisbane's north side. He was swept away trying to cross a road late on Sunday
- There are fears for several people reported missing, including a person who drove into floodwater at Yatala, south of Brisbane, and a person missing near Esk, west of Brisbane.
In NSW:
The "rain bomb" responsible for the weekend's record-breaking rainfall in Queensland has moved slowly south to the NSW-Queensland border.
- NSW's Northern Rivers region is now seeing unprecedented rainfall, with an evacuation warning issued for the entire region
- More than 500 flood rescues have been carried out in the past 24 hours
- Wilsons River at Lismore is at record levels, reaching 14.37 metres on Monday afternoon. The water is yet to peak
Watch: Residents are attempting to escape the torrent by climbing on their roofs. This Lismore family were sheltering on their roof, 30 centimetres away from rising floodwaters:
What's the latest in Ukraine?
Blasts have been heard in the capital of Kyiv and in the major city of Kharkiv as everyday Ukrainians take up arms as civilian soldiers to repel Russia's invasion.
But while Ukrainian forces were able to hold onto Kyiv and Kharkiv overnight, they lost control of a strategic hydro-electric power station near the Crimean Peninsula.
Here's more from ABC reporter Kevin Nguyen:
Russian forces have occupied Kakhovka, a small city located on the Dnieper River in the Kherson Oblast region, according to the city's Mayor.
Invading Russian troops had, as reported by Reuters, destroyed the dam in the Kherson region which was built by Ukraine in 2017. It had directly supplied the Crimean Peninsula with water channels.
Posting on Telegram, Mayor Volodymyr Kovalenko said Russian troops seized the city's council building and removed all Ukrainian flags from the building.
Kakhovka's Deputy Mayor Vladimir Arnaut also posted a video of himself with chest injuries.
One more thing: The SAGs!
Here are the main bits from this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards:
- The Aussies missed out. Nicole Kidman, Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Cate Blanchett and Murray Bartlett were all up for awards but missed out.
- Squid Game and Ted Lasso were the big winners at the in-person event. Check out the full SAG Award winners.
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Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon made history becoming the first actors from a non-English language series to take home awards at the SAGs.
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As for red carpet looks, we saw statement nails, a pink preppy headband, a vinyl dress and sleeves for days. SAGs red carpet serves dramatic looks
What Australia has been searching for online:
- Sydney Trains: A week on from the commuter chaos that saw train services shut down across Sydney, train services were back on track today, resuming a full weekday timetable
- Russian rouble: The country's economy has taken a pounding since invading Ukraine, with the rouble plunging and the central bank calling for calm to avoid bank runs
That's it for now
We'll be back tomorrow with more of the good stuff.
ABC/wires
