Twenty people have been confirmed dead after an explosion at a Bangladesh mosque. The explosion occurred on Friday night, 20km south of the nation’s capital. The cause of the explosion is yet to be formally identified, but members of the Fire Service Department said a gas leak may have been the cause.

In international news, the UK has recorded nearly 3,000 new cases of coronavirus overnight. Yesterday’s results mark the first 24-hour period in which cases have passed 2,000 since the end of May. The UK’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock admits the rise is "concerning" and has urged Britons to not become complacent in their fight against the virus. 

The Victorian Government has released its plan to gradually ease pandemic restrictions in the state, which has seen 666 COVID-19 deaths. The road map has announced the dates restrictions will be eased according to the number of new cases, with two different plans for regional and metropolitan areas. The state has recorded 41 new cases and nine deaths in the past 24 hours, the lowest daily increase since June.

A study has found that nearly three-quarters of the Northern New South Wales koala population perished in last summer’s bushfires. The study, commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia, reported an overall 71 per cent fall in the koala population across fire grounds from Port Macquarie to Ballina. WWF Australia chief, Dermot O'Gorman has called for national environmental laws to be strengthened, in order to protect koalas and all threatened species.

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick has released the State Government’s COVID-19 Fiscal and Economic Review. In a press conference this morning, the Treasurer announced the state’s debt levels will hit more than $100 billion by mid next year. This plan is the only major economic update the Government will provide before the state election on October 31.

Former Queensland deputy opposition leader Tim Mulherin has died at the age of 63. Mr Mulherin was elected to State Parliament in 1995 and served as the member for Mackay for 20 years until he retired in 2015. Treasurer Cameron Dick says Mr Mulherin "distinguished himself" during a time of relative obscurity for the Labor party. He is survived by his wife Erin and their children.