Thank you for joining us today. This blog has now closed, read below if you want to catch up on all the news from Friday July 25.

Royalty has descended on Sydney as the future Queen of Norway prepares to begin her studies at Sydney University.

The arrival of Princess Ingrid Alexandra to Sydney was announced on the official Norwegian royal family’s Instagram account, accompanied by photos of the 21-year-old on Sydney Universities famous sandstone campus.

“I’m looking forward to starting my studies at the University of Sydney,” the young princess said.

Read the full article here.

A senior Western Australian police officer has been stood down after being charged with multiple offences.

The officer was charged with four counts of unlawful Use of a Computer System and one count of stalking.

The Western Australia Police Force announced on Friday that the man had since been stood down.

He is due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court on August 6.

“As the matter is before the courts, there will be no further comment at this time,” police said.

Wild weather is set to descend on large swaths of the country this weekend.

A low pressure system interacting with a stream of tropical moisture has created a 3000km band of rain that is spreading across Australia with wet and windy weather set to continue into the weekend, according to Weatherzone.

The large rain band was expected to develop over Australia on Thursday and Friday.

“In the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, falls of 10mm to 30mm were recorded over a broad area of South Australia, Southern Western Australia and central Australia” the weather site said.

“This included 35mm at Munglinup in Western Australia, 25mm at Streaky Bay on South Australia’s West Coast and 24mm at Uluru.

“This was more than a month’s worth of rain at this time of year for Uluru and the monolith’s heaviest daily rainfall in 10 months.”

The main rainband is expected to cross over most states and territories on Friday, before continuing to move east on Saturday, bringing large amounts of rain to parts of eastern Australia stretching from northern QLD down to Tasmania.

Damaging winds are also expected to hit multiple states on Friday through to Sunday.

severe weather warnings were put in place for parts of every state and territory, bar Canberra, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

“A severe weather warning was issued for Queenslands south west on Friday, with strong north to northwesterly winds averaging 50km/h to 60km/h with damaging wind gusts of around 90km/h possible over the Channel Country from late morning,” they said.

Winds are expected to ease below warning thresholds by Friday evening.

In Victoria severe weather warnings for the Grampians, Pyranees and Centra Ranges for damaging northerly winds averaging 55km/h to 65km/h, with peak gusts of around 100km/h are expected for the remainder of the Friday, developing about the central ranges during the late afternoon.

“In the the Eastern Rangers damaging northerly winds averaging 60km/h to 70km/h with peak gusts of around 110km/h are possible from late evening, continuing throughout Saturday morning,” BOM said.

“Blizzard conditions are also possible for alpine areas above 1400m from late Friday evening.”

Conditions are expected to ease in western and central areas by around sunrise, and over the Eastern Ranges during Saturday afternoon.

In NSW severe weather warnings for damaging winds averaging 80km/h to 90 km/h with blizzard conditions are expected to develop over alpine areas above 1900m during Saturday morning.

“Winds over Thredbo Top Station are expected to ease by the afternoon, but may strengthen in lower elevation areas to the east of Thredbo on Saturday afternoon.”

A man has died in hospital after being tasered by police in Perth’s Northeast.

The man reportedly suffered a medical episode after being restrained at a home on Priestley St in Embleton.

Police said they were called to the home about 12.30am on Friday after reports a man had entered a house belonging to people not known to him, before smashing multiple windows.

Read the full article here.

Kiama MP Gareth Ward has been found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault.

The 44-year-old state MP and former NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services was convicted on Friday following an eight-week criminal trial at the Downing Centre District Court.

He was accused of inviting a drunk 18-year-old man to his South Coast home in February 2013 and indecently assaulting him three times in one night, despite his attempts to resist.

Two years later, the long-time MP sexually assaulted an intoxicated political staffer after a 2015 event at NSW Parliament House.

Read more on this story below.

A man charged with allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars in cash left on a Sydney train has been spared jail time.

Police were called to Glenfield on July 2 after they were told approximately $40,000 cash had been taken from a designer handbag that had been left on a train.

A day later police attended a home on Bringelly Rd in Rossmore where 74-year-old Emil Holaj was arrested.

Police recovered $36,500 in cash and Holaj was charged with larceny and dispose property.

He appeared before Campbelltown Local Court on Thursday, and was sentenced to a nine-month community corrections order.

Holaj was also ordered to pay back $3,500 of the sum he took, which he had lost gambling.

A suspicous fire has broken out at a home in Brisbane’s north.

Emergency services were called to a home on Hoolan St, Stafford about 9.45am following reports of a house fire.

The fire has been contained.

Police are investigating the cause but have declared the blaze as suspicious.

Anyone who witnessed the fire or has any dashcam footage has been urged to contact police.

A dog breeder has been charged following an alleged assault at a dog show in May.

Police say a dog breeder and his associates were attempting to gain access to an American Bull Terrier event they had been banned from attending in Castle Hill, NSW on May 3.

The breeder allegedly pushed an employee to access the showing ring. He then displayed a dog breeding banner on the floor.

The breeder then got into a fight with a female staff member who attempted to remove the banner.

“Shortly after, the breeder and his associates left the event,” NSW Police said.

Police arrested a 33-year-old man in Greenfield Park on Thursday.

He was taken to a police station where he was charged with affray, common assault and enter inclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse.

Police say the man is a member of a “notorious” dog breeding group.

The man was granted strict conditional bail to appear in Fairfield Local Court in August.

A man has died in a fire in the central west of NSW.

Emergency services responded to reports of a fire inside a granny flat at the rear of a home on Aberford St in Coonamble about 2.30am on Friday.

Fire and Rescue NSW attended and extinguished the blaze, locating the body of a man inside.

He has not yet been formally identified but the body is believed to be the 34-year-old occupant.

Police say they were called to the same location about one hour before the fire for an “unrelated matter”.

“Officers from Orana Mid Western Police District established a crime scene and have commenced an investigation,” NSW Police said.

The fire is not being treated as suspicious.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.