Follow our live coverage here.
Follow our live coverage here.
Here’s what’s making news elsewhere this morning:
- The owner of a caravan containing the address of a Sydney synagogue and enough stolen explosives to create a 40-metre blast wave is in police custody. The discovery of the caravan has prompted a further denunciation of antisemitism by NSW Premier Chris Minns and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, with Albanese saying that “hate and extremism have no place in Australian society”.
- A heavy police presence is expected at a Melbourne mosque today as mourners gather for the funeral of underworld figure Sam Abdulrahim, who was murdered on Tuesday morning.
- Fourteen members of a fringe religious group accused of killing an eight-year-old girl by withholding her diabetes medication have been found guilty of manslaughter. They will be sentenced at a later date.
- The Australian cricket team enjoyed a strong performance in the first day of its Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle, with Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith both registering centuries.
Hot, hot, hot again. Maximum of 38 degrees after a night where the mercury barely dipped to 25.
Good morning readers, and welcome to our live news blog for Thursday, January 30.
Among our headlines today is news that an infestation of the shot-hole borer pest along the Mount Eliza escarpment has resulted in the removal or pruning of 42 trees, including large fig trees, drastically changing the landscape along Mounts Bay Road.
So, what’s the next move? Hamish Hastie has the full story here.
Meanwhile, the most popular suburbs for buyers last year have been revealed.
Click here for the full list of WA hotspots.
And finally, some news which will be music to the ears of West Australian rugby fans.
Perth has been confirmed as the opener for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Sydney to host the final.
Optus Stadium was considered as a quarter-final venue, but there were concerns about the fairness of two of the last four teams having to fly across Australia to play in semi-finals Sydney.
Perth will likely be one of the cities to host games in the round of 16 – a new feature in the 2027 World Cup, which will be the first to feature 24 teams, up from 20. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide could also host games in the round of 16.
Optus Stadium was in the mix for the final, but the 60,000-seat venue will instead host the opening game, featuring the Wallabies. The WA venue is not only in a friendlier time zone for Europe, it will also help avoid a probable clash with the NRL grand final on the first weekend of October.
Thanks for joining us today, stay tuned as we bring you more news you need to know.