In this bulletin;
- Millions told to stay indoors as ex-cyclone Alfred makes landfall
- 17-year-old under scrutiny over airport bomb threat
- James Sicily shines as Hawthorn battle past Sydney in AFL season opener
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Flash flooding and heavy rain continue to threaten coastal communities affected by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is urging millions of people to stay indoors.
"This is a very serious weather event. Please do not go outside if that is the advice for your location. Stay out of floodwaters—do not risk it. These winds are dangerous, and debris can fall, causing serious harm. We've done the preparation with you and will be with you through this."
Although Alfred was downgraded to a tropical low at 6am this morning, severe weather warnings remain in place across southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.
No deaths or major home inundations have been reported in Queensland, but a man is missing in northern New South Wales after being swept away by floodwaters in Megan, near Coffs Harbour.
Thousands remain under evacuation orders.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli says an older apartment building on the Gold Coast lost its roof in the wild weather, but the risk of storm tide inundation has now passed.
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Airport security is under scrutiny after a 17-year-old allegedly forced his way onto a Jetstar plane at Avalon Airport with a shotgun, claiming he had explosives in his bag.
Police say the teenager entered Victoria’s second-busiest airport by climbing through a hole in the fence before boarding the aircraft, which was set to fly to Sydney with 160 passengers on board.
Upon boarding the plane, the teenager was immediately tackled by passenger Barry Clark who overpowered him until police arrived.
Victoria Police Michael Reid praises the efforts of those who stepped-in to control the situation.
"No doubt, this would have been a very terrifying incident for the passengers of that plane and Victoria Police really commend the bravery of those passengers who were over to able to overpower that male."
The teenager has been charged with multiple offences, including unlawfully taking control of an aircraft, making a bomb hoax, and possessing a firearm.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced a children's court on Friday and will remain in custody until his next hearing on the 21st of March.
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Palestinian authorities say Israeli soldiers stormed eight mosques and set one on fire in raids around Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says large sections of the Al-Nasr Mosque were set on fire, with photos showing blackened walls and scorched ceilings.
The Israeli military says it was not aware of the fire.
Ghassan Daghlas is the Governor of Nablus.
"This is the ugly, true face of the occupying government. This is occupation, but as Palestinians, we know the situation. They want to destroy the West Bank, Gaza, and everything. But the important thing is the resilience, the resistance, and staying on our land. We will move, and we will rebuild in the early morning. We will restore prayer to Al-Nasr mosque."
The reports come as thousands travelled from the West Bank into Jerusalem for the first Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan, after Israel allowed a limited group to enter under tight security.
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According to an autopsy report, Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman was in an advanced stage of Alzheimer's and died of heart disease.
His death came just days after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, succumbed to a rare virus spread by mice.
The 95-year-old actor, his 64-year-old wife, and one of their dogs were found dead on the 26th of February in separate rooms of their Santa Fe home.
Heather Jarrell is Chief Medical Investigator at the Office of the Medical Investigator.
"The cause of death for Mr. Gene Hackman, aged 95 years, is hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer's disease as a contributory factor. Autopsy examination and a full body postmortem C.T. examination demonstrated no acute findings of internal or external trauma and showed severe heart disease."
A pathologist determined the last signal from Hackman’s pacemaker was on the 17th of February, suggesting that was likely the day he died.
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James Sicily starred as Hawthorn opened their AFL season with a hard-fought 20-point win over Sydney, signalling their intent as a serious contender.
Dubbed the 'Hollywood Hawks,' they showed grit in a 14.12 (96) to 11.10 (76) victory at the SCG on Friday night.
Will Day shone as Hawthorn built a 25-point lead by half-time before resisting a strong Sydney fightback.
Captain Sicily was dominant in defence and decisive up forward, sealing the win with a late goal in a three-goal final term.
Dylan Moore tormented Sydney’s defence, while Jack Scrimshaw, Jai Newcombe, and ruckman Lloyd Meek were also key contributors.
