Queenslanders  in flood zones have been told to stay home, with river levels expected to rise over the coming days as a deadly and “unrelenting rain bomb” begins to move south.

The Brisbane River is expected to peak about 76cm lower than during the 2011 floods, as authorities defend the release of water from Wivenhoe Dam that has put low-lying communities on edge.

Thousands of Ukrainian residents remained underground in Kyiv overnight, as besieging Russian troops vowed to capture the capital in 48 hours and force their President to formally surrender

Aged care residents would receive a fourth Covid jab and a flu shot at the same time under plans being drawn up to protect elderly Australians before winter.