As it happened: Brisbane on Friday, February 14

A man and two women have been charged after three police officers were attacked in Fortitude Valley early this morning.

Police said the officers had been speaking to a group of people involved in a disturbance near Brunswick and Wickham streets at about 4am when they were approached by three other people.

The trio – a 23-year-old Caboolture man, 19-year-old Seven Hills woman, and 18-year-old Torquay woman – were not involved in the disturbance and allegedly launched an unprovoked attack on the officers.

The three officers were taken to hospital for treatment, while other officers charged the alleged offenders with a range of offences.

The Caboolture man and Seven Hills woman were expected to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court today, while the Torquay woman was due to appear in court on February 26.

Thanks for joining us today – we’ll be back on Monday morning. If you’re just catching up, here are a few of the stories making news today:

Fourteen members of a church group wanted to “play God” as they watched a young girl slowly die after withholding her life-saving medication, a judge has heard.

The Crisafulli government has appointed former banker Paul Williams as under treasurer in the lead-up to the LNP’s first budget in June.

A 91-year-old great-grandmother has chased a thief from her home – recovering her handbag, but losing precious jewellery – as Queensland police faced pressure to stop crime in suburban neighbourhoods.

The unedited version of a video in which two Sydney nurses allegedly make anti-Israel threats has been posted to Instagram, with the Israeli influencer who captured the footage saying NSW Police haven’t told him where to send the “critical” evidence.

Opening today, Kangaroo Point Bridge’s first eatery is serving woodfired eggs in the morning, and paella, chilli crab pizza and slow-cooked lamb ribs in the evening. Here’s a first look.

And a prominent whale expert says the kayaker who wound up inside the mouth of a humpback whale in Chile was accidentally scooped up when the animal was feeding – but was in no danger of being swallowed.

A man and two women have been charged after three police officers were attacked in Fortitude Valley early this morning.

Police said the officers had been speaking to a group of people involved in a disturbance near Brunswick and Wickham streets at about 4am when they were approached by three other people.

The trio – a 23-year-old Caboolture man, 19-year-old Seven Hills woman, and 18-year-old Torquay woman – were not involved in the disturbance and allegedly launched an unprovoked attack on the officers.

The three officers were taken to hospital for treatment, while other officers charged the alleged offenders with a range of offences.

The Caboolture man and Seven Hills woman were expected to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court today, while the Torquay woman was due to appear in court on February 26.

A ceremony marking the anniversary of the Fall of Singapore will close CBD streets on Sunday morning, with the Brisbane City Council asking residents to take alternative routes.

Between 9.30am and 10.30am, Ann Street will be closed from Creek Street to Edward Street.

The council said police would be available to help motorists and pedestrians travelling through the city.

It is the 83rd anniversary of the Fall of Singapore, a disastrous loss for the Allies in World War II.

Queensland Police have recorded 15 arsons related to the illegal tobacco trade since January last year, with 19 people charged over the fires in the same period.

Commissioner Steve Gollschewski says police were working with Queensland Health, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and federal agencies including Border Force, the tax office and the federal police, to try to stamp out the off-market sale of cigarettes.

“What we’ve seen in other jurisdictions … is that organised crime has started to become entrenched in that, and that’s when you start to get violence and … really concerning behaviour,” he told ABC Radio Brisbane this morning.

He said police had solved nine of the 15 arsons that had happened since the start of 2024.

Illegal tobacco appeals to smokers because it can cost less than half the cost of a legal packet of cigarettes, Gollchewski said.

“We have seen in human history that every time we prohibit something that organised crime will exploit the … huge demand for it,” he said.

“So, if you don’t like crime, stop buying illegal tobacco.”

Three teenage boys have been arrested over a spate of break-ins in Cleveland this morning.

The boys, aged 13, 14, and 15, are accused of trying to break into cars parked along Anchorage Drive just after midnight.

The 13-year-old from Yamanto was arrested at Anchorage Drive, while the two other boys, both from Cleveland, ran away.

Police and the dog squad searched for the pair, finding and arresting them at another reported break-in at Captains Court.

The 14-year-old was charged with six offences, and was expected to appear in Brisbane Childrens Court today. The 13-year-old and 15-year-old remained in custody and had yet to be charged.

The Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal has granted MPs a $6500, taxpayer-funded allowance to pay for home security systems.

In a determination released this morning, the tribunal revealed it has previously rejected a request for MPs to be given the flexibility to use existing allowances for home security.

The clerk of parliament then proposed a separate security allowance, in response to “the potential safety risks that members and their family face as a result of their role in servicing the electorate, including at public engagements, in transit or in their home”.

While more senior politicians, such as ministers, the opposition leader and speaker, already receive taxpayer-funded security, the tribunal ruled an allowance for other MPs was appropriate.

MPs will be able to seek reimbursement for security expenses of up to $6500 each term, if it has been recommended following a risk assessment undertaken by police or a security adviser.

“The allowance may be used to purchase, install, repair or upgrade home security systems or for other measures appropriate to the member’s personal circumstances, such as, for example, installing security screens and improving line of sight and lighting for CCTV,” the tribunal ruled.

“The allowance may also be used to engage security services by third-party providers, if that is recommended as necessary by a security adviser in its assessment.”

Finally, the Kangaroo Point Bridge is open and, as of this morning, so is the first of its two much-anticipated eateries.

Mulga Bill’s sits on the Landing Plaza on the city side of the bridge, where it meets the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.

Mulga Bill’s opened today for its first service.Credit: Markus Ravik

A 60-seat open-air spot named after the Banjo Paterson poem, Mulga Bill’s Bicycle, it’s hospitality powerhouse Tassis Group’s first all-day eatery, intended to appeal as much to the morning grab-and-go crowd as it does to casual diners in the afternoon and evening.

“We’re trying to make it a great spot for the whole day,” says venue manager Alex Abson. “You have that breakfast trade, which includes takeaway pastries and coffees, and then we’ll roll into lunch and dinner.”

Read the full story.

Revered hip-hop act Bliss n Eso have announced a three-month tour on the back of forthcoming album The Moon (The Light Side).

The Sea Is Rising rappers will play 28 dates across regional and metropolitan Australia on their Party on the Moon tour.

Bliss N Eso on stage.Credit: Edwina Pickles

The tour kicks off in Queensland, and the trio will play the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane on Saturday, May 24 with special guest Ivan Ooze.

“When making this album we constantly envisioned playing these new songs and the electric energy they would create between us and the crowd,” said Bliss.

Presale commences next Tuesday, February 18. The album is released on Friday, April 11.

A stunt performer died on the Brisbane set of a Bliss n Eso video in 2017 after a blank round was fired from a sawn-off shotgun.

Crocodiles are losing their cool over climate change, and researchers say it’s having detrimental effects on the behaviour of the hardy tropical predators.

Saltwater Crocodile on river bank in North QueenslandCredit: Queensland Department of Environment and Science

Research led by the University of Queensland’s School of the Environment has found that crocodiles in northern Australia are heating up as the climate warms, and higher body temperatures mean they’re forced to spend more time trying to stay cool.

The researchers analysed 15 years of information from sensors and trackers on 203 wild saltwater crocodiles on the Wenlock and Ducie rivers on Cape York Peninsula.

PhD candidate Kaitlin Barham, who co-authored the research published in Current Biology, said crocodiles were spending more time at or close to their critical thermal limit of 32-33 degrees.

“[Because they’re cold-blooded], crocodiles can’t regulate their own temperature like birds and mammals, so as their environment is becoming warmer, the animals in our study are also getting hotter and needing to spend more time on cooling behaviours,” Barham said.

“But if their time and energy is dominated by the need to stay cool, activity necessary for hunting, keeping safe from predators or reproducing is reduced.”

Increases in both air and water temperatures were impacting the crocodiles and co-author Professor Craig Franklin said their diving and swimming performance was affected.

“Hotter crocodiles don’t dive for as long which is concerning, because as ambush hunters, they need to wait underwater holding their breath for a wallaby or feral pig to come past,” Franklin said.

Casey Donovan is starring in the crowd-pleasing musical Sister Act, about a nightclub singer hiding out from the mob in a convent, which has opened at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, and runs until mid-March.

Comedian and architecture fan Tim Ross is presenting The Australian Dream? at the State Library tonight and tomorrow night. Rosso will talk about alternatives to the quarter-acre block and share some nostalgic photos and footage.

A 1984 advertisement for Solahart, part of Tim Ross’s show, The Australian Dream?Credit: Richard Gale

Wellbeing, health and spirituality meet at the free Mind Body Spirit Festival at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre all weekend. Browse jewellery, cosmetics, music, books, giftware, clothing, crystals, educational courses and body treatments.

UK rave pioneers The Prodigy are playing the Riverstage on Sunday evening, performing bangers like Firestarter and Breathe.

The Hills of Rivermakers at Morningside is presenting Unicornland, Saturday and Sunday 10am-2.30pm. Kids can take part in interactive unicorn meet-and-greets, bubble shows and face painting. Entry is free, but book online.

At the movies, lovelorn diarist Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) returns in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, with a love triangle involving her son’s schoolteacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a younger man (Leo Woodall).