Hello, it's Wednesday, September 21. Here's what you need to get caught up on today's news.
In local news…
Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has taken a leave of absence from the club after allegations regarding Hawthorn's treatment of First Nations players when he was an assistant coach.
The Brisbane Lions have released a statement this afternoon saying Fagan "supports and welcomes the investigation".
"He was not consulted during the Hawthorn sponsored review and looks forward to the opportunity to be heard as part of the AFL investigation.
Meanwhile, North Melbourne said incoming coach Alastair Clarkson would delay his start at the club while the AFL investigates is underway.
In a press conference this afternoon, Hawthorn's CEO Justin Reeves said his club must "face our history" and is confident current players feel culturally safe.
In international news…
In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a partial military mobilisation in Ukraine, starting on Wednesday (today).
"We are talking about partial mobilisation, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces have a certain military specialty and relevant experience," Mr Putin said.
Mr Putin said his aim was to "liberate" east Ukraine's Donbas region.
He also accused the West of "nuclear blackmail", but said Russia had "lots of weapons to reply".
"If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we use all available means to protect our people — this is not a bluff," he said.
The news Australia is searching for
- Weather radar: All that rain the Bureau has been talking about? It's here. Between15mm and 30mm of rain is expected in north-west Victoria, inland NSW, and southern Queensland today.
- Laneway Festival 2023: After three years of COVID cancellations, Laneway festival is making a huge comeback in 2023 with a fresh line-up, including Phoebe Bridgers, Haim and Joji. Dates have been announced for Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.
News you might have missed
- About 230 whales are stranded at Tasmania's Macquarie Harbour. Authorities say about half of them appear to be alive
- Tiwi Islands traditional owners have won a federal court challenge against gas company Santos' $4.7b Barossa project off Darwin
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed that plans are being made for her to meet with her Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
One more thing… ants!
The world's human population is forecast to surpass 8 billion in the coming months. But we've got nothing on ants.
Researchers have made the most thorough assessment to date of the global ant population and the estimated total is a mind-blowing 20 quadrillion.
Or approximately 2.5 million for every human.
Researchers based their analysis on 489 studies of ant populations spanning every continent where ants live
Fun fact: Ants are native to nearly everywhere on Earth, except Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland and some island nations
That's it for now
We'll be back tomorrow with more.
ABC/wires
