Brisbane news live: Carer charged over crash that killed two clients
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'Not an accident': Carer charged over crash that killed two clients
A professional carer has been accused of deliberately crashing a car into a tree, killing his two elderly passengers.
The 61-year-old man is under police guard at Sunshine Coast University Hospital after the fatal crash north of Brisbane sparked a homicide investigation.
Police said the man was driving a sedan that hit a tree at Brooloo about 2pm on Monday, killing an 83-year-old Kandanga man and an 85-year-old Gympie woman.
'We now believe that crash was not an accident but a deliberate act,' Acting Superintendent Brad Inskip told reporters yesterday.
'The two victims were related and their relationship with the driver was ... professional – he was employed in a caring role.'
The driver, who suffered serious injuries, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter.
6.59am
Winter is coming
The top temperature takes a dramatic turn in Brisbane today, after the week started with fair days nearing 30 degrees.
But today the mercury is forecast to top out at just 23, and the rest of May is expected to be similar.
A few cloudy days are ahead, with a fairly high chance of rain on Friday and Saturday.
Here's the seven-day outlook:
6.52am
Has the healthy State of Origin rivalry gone too far?
By Christian Nicolussi
Today is game day for State of Origin. But has the healthy rivalry gone too far, asks Christian Nicolussi?
One of the reasons for State of Origin's success is the strength of the ill feeling between NSW and Queensland – but some in the Blues camp are questioning whether there is a point at which the rivalry goes too far.
The question came to the fore after Brisbane newspaper The Courier-Mail ran a photo of Spencer Leniu on its back page with the headline: 'Smash This Blues Grub'.
You can read more here.
6.50am
While you were sleeping
Here's what's making news further afield this morning:
As Nationals leader David Littleproud negotiates a fragile truce with Liberals leader Sussan Ley, one of his own Queensland MPs says he has deceived his colleagues.
Should boys and girls really be going to different schools? The evidence is in, and this is what it says.
A 19-year-old New Zealand teenager has died playing the 'run it straight' viral challenge, in which players compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear.
Donald Trump's ambitious 'golden dome' missile defence system creates opportunities for Australia, says former PM Scott Morrison, who wants the AUKUS pact to expand from undersea into space.
Labor's longest-serving foreign minister, Gareth Evans, has called on the Albanese government to sanction Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and recognise Palestinian statehood within weeks.
6.43am
The top stories this morning
Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' live news coverage for Wednesday, May 28. Today we can expect a mostly sunny day and a top temperature of 23 degrees.
In this morning's local headlines:
The financially stricken Toowong Private Hospital is set to close after administrators brought in only weeks ago found no viable option to keep it open.
But that's not the only problem afflicting Queensland's health sector: thousands of nurses and midwives have voted to strike for the first time in 20 years, saying promised 'nation-leading' wage increases never transpired.
Ahead of the first game of the State of Origin series tonight, Maroons great Fatty Vautin says Tino Fa'asuamaleaui's absence was central to Queensland's 2024 defeat, but this year's campaign will announce him as the team's long-term leader.
And in good news for Queensland, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who sent an injury scare through the Maroons camp, has been cleared to play, and an Origin great has explained what gives him the edge over NSW.
In other news, a report has exposed Qantas safety lapses after a crew member suffered broken bones and another continued to work for days with concussion symptoms after they were injured during turbulence while flying in to Brisbane.
Queensland's energy future will remain based on coal, Treasurer David Janetzki has told a resource industry conference, as he pledged to extend the life of the state's coal-fired power stations.
a Puerto Rico-inspired bar in a heritage space.
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