Australian news live: Ex-girlfriend of Bondi Junction attacker speaks out, hospitals' desperate move

There are calls for people to give blood after it was revealed hospitals had to acquire blood from interstate as they treated victims of the Bondi Junction attack.

“Lifeblood issued several urgent and life-threatening orders in the wake of the incident at Bondi Junction,” a Lifeblood spokesperson said.

“Due to the additional blood needs in Sydney, we brought in blood products from other states."

The spokesperson said donation rates are routinely lower than the local demand for blood.

“In the event of a serious trauma event or emergency, up to 100 blood donations may be needed to save just one life,” they said.

Queensland farmers will be taught the art of negotiating with supermarket giants like Coles and Woolworths amid claims retail buyers use "downright dirty" tactics.

The state government has announced it will upskill farmers, offering practical workshops to help them thrash out better deals.

The news comes after an ongoing Senate inquiry into supermarket prices was told retail supremos were paying primary producers well below market value for goods.

"The tactics retail buyers use to negotiate, although not illegal, are downright dirty," Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers CEO Rachel Chambers said.

- AAP

A woman has revealed she dated Joel Cauchi in 2019 when she was 18, describing their relationship as "perfect".

Cauchi, 40, was shot dead by police on Saturday after embarking on a stabbing spree at Bondi Junction Westfield, killing six people.

Speaking about their relationship with the ABC, Josephine Everson said Cauchi was "the most kind and sweetest person" she'd ever met. The pair had met on a dating site before going on a series of dates.

"He always had this big smile on his face. He was a joyful person... He was always respectful."

She said she was unaware he had been diagnosed with a mental illness.

The family of the teenager who allegedly stabbed a bishop during a livestreamed service has fled their home in fear of their safety.

They've been subjected to intense media interest and threats of reprisal attacks on Islamic religious centres after the stabbing at the Assyrian Christian church.

"I think they've made a decision to move for the time being so they're not the centre of attention about this," NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.

Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday warned against retaliation following the stabbing after thousands of people rushed to the church, clashing with police.

A woman in the US has been jailed for 50 years after pleading guilty to murdering a pregnant teen and cutting her baby out of her womb.

Clarisa Figueroa, 51, lured heavily-pregnant 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez to her Chicago home with the promise of free baby clothes. Figueroa had previously pretended she was pregnant to friends and family.

She dumped Ochoa-Lopez's body and called for paramedics to assist the newborn she claimed was hers. The baby died two months later.

Detectives later learned Ochoa-Lopez had gone to Figueroa's home and found her body nearby.

Read more about the disturbing crime here.

An IGA supermarket in Brisbane is removing self-serve checkouts due to a spike in shoplifting.

Coles and Woolworths have both reported a rise in theft in their stores, with retail expert Gary Mortimer saying more stores could follow suit.

Is this the beginning of the end for self-serve checkouts?

Read the full story here.

The Sydney student who was wrongly identified by Channel Seven as the knifeman in the Bondi Junction attack is planning legal action against the network.

Ben Cohen, 20, has engaged two of Australia’s foremost defamation lawyers in Patrick George of Giles George as his solicitor, and Sue Chrysanthou SC as barrister.

George confirmed he had sent a concerns notice to Seven, the first step in defamation proceedings.

“We await a response from Seven,” he told NCA NewsWire.

Australia has unveiled its uniforms for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Designers have opted for teal as the blazer colour. Over the years the blazer colour has been varying shades of green and often heavily critiqued. In 2012, designers were slammed for presenting the athletes as lawn bowlers.

What do you think of the latest outfit? Have your say below.

Bondi Junction's Westfield shopping centre will reopen tomorrow, five days after the deadly stabbing attack rocked the country.

Shops will remain closed, however the community are invited to pay their respects at the site while counselling services will also be available.

Normal trading hours will resume on Friday.

Read more here.

Remarkable vision is emerging online of Dubai International Airport, where runways appear underwater.

Unverified video shows one plane leaving waves as it moves through the flooded area. See the clip below.

The airport described the conditions as "exceptional" and several flights were diverted as a result.

Dubai received two years' worth of rain in a 24-hour period.

A day after Anthony Albanese offered him Australian citizenship, French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to Damien Guerot and his friend who tried to stop Bondi Junction knifeman Joel Cauchi.

Macron labelled the two French nationals as "true heroes". “Two of our compatriots behaved like true heroes. Very great pride and recognition," he said on X.

Guerot went viral for his attempts to stop Cauchi using a bollard at the top of an escalator.

Ambassador of France to Australia Pierre-Andre Imbert said there were plans to "express our collective gratitude" to them.

The teenager who allegedly stabbed a bishop during a livestreamed church service has yet to be questioned.

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley told Sky News on Wednesday that while police remained at the hospital with the 16-year-old, who lost a finger in the alleged melee in Sydney's southwest, “conversations had not yet taken place”.

Read the full story here.

While some popular Aussie towns have had enough of tourists, locals of one busy spot in Europe are taking their frustrations further.

Residents in Spain's Canary Islands are fed up with the number of tourists flocking there, and are demanding action. An anti-tourism group has protested against the building of new hotels, while some have even embarked on a hunger strike. They says rents have surged to unaffordable prices – a problem locals in Byron Bay have often voiced.

Graffiti has emerged in streets telling tourists to "go home".

What do you think? Have your say below.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has taken a swipe at Greens senator Nick McKim after he threatened Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci with jail time during a fiery Senate inquiry into supermarket control.

Chalmers accused McKim of acting up "for the cameras" and said the Senate had never jailed anyone before.

"And I don't think they're about to," he told ABC Radio on Wednesday morning. The threat came after Banducci failed to answer McKim's question regarding profits, with it later emerging he simply didn't know the answer.

"The difference between the way that the Greens go about this and the way that the Labor government goes about this is [McKim] does what he does for the cameras, and we do what we do for the consumers," Chalmers said.

Read Yahoo Finance's analysis of the tense day in Canberra here.