Good morning!
It's Friday, February 4. Let's get your day started with some news.
One thing to know: Joe Biden says IS leader killed himself and family as US forces closed in
A US special forces raid in north-western Syria has resulted in the death of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, President Joe Biden said
Mr Biden said al-Qurayshi did not die at the hands of US troops, but rather chose to blow up himself and members of his family in an explosion that ripped the third floor off the house he was in and flung bodies into the street.
The President said a special forces raid was chosen rather than an air strike to try and minimise civilian casualties due to the terrorist having surrounded himself with "families, including children".
Another thing: Aboriginal leaders say 'they knew' Omicron would spread
As much of the nation begins to look beyond a summer of rising infection rates and hospitalisations, the pandemic has just arrived at the doorstep of many remote Aboriginal communities.
In Yuendumu, the largest remote community in Central Australia, there have been more than 100 cases in recent weeks.
Senior community leader Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves said he was deeply troubled by the response from both the federal and Northern Territory governments.
He said the community asked for COVID-positive community members to be airlifted to quarantine in the Top End, but he said that didn't happen fast enough, meaning the virus spread quickly.
News while you snoozed:
- Novak Djokovic — In his first public comments since he arrived home in Serbia, the men's tennis world number one says he will tell his "version of the story" of his deportation from Australia last month
- Russia — The US has accused the Kremlin of an elaborate plot to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to take military action against its neighbour
- WHO — The director of the World Health Organization's Europe office says the continent is now entering a "plausible endgame" to the pandemic and that the number of coronavirus deaths is starting to plateau
- Buenos Aires — Authorities are searching for the rest of an apparently adulterated batch of cocaine that killed 20 people and seriously sickened 74 others in Argentina's capital
The news Australia is searching for
- BAFTA nominations — Sci-fi epic Dune and Jane Campion's dark Western The Power of the Dog lead the nominations for this year's British Academy Film Awards, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lady Gaga among those up for leading actor awards
- Meta — That's because stocks fell in morning trade on Wall Street as Facebook parent company Meta plunged 24.5 per cent, erasing more than $US220 billion ($307 billion) in market value, the largest drop in history
- Queen Elizabeth — Britain will on Sunday salute the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II ascending the throne
- Endeavour — A James Cook biographer believes a "question mark" still hangs over the Australian National Maritime Museum's controversial announcement that it has found the HMB Endeavour
One more thing: The renter who asked for his landlord's references
When comedian Tom Cashman had his rental application approved for an apartment in Sydney, he decided to run an experiment.
The property wasn't his top pick, so he put a request to the real estate agent before deciding whether to sign the lease.
He wrote to the real estate agent asking if the property owner could provide any references from past tenants.
For now, Tom Cashman is still trying to find a place to rent.
That's it!
We'll be back this evening with a wrap of today's big news.
ABC/wires
