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The first case of the "highly mutated" COVID-19 variant BA.2.86, colloquially known as Pirola, has been detected in Australia.

Western Australia's health department has confirmed to 9news.com.au it has conducted genomic sequencing on a local case which shows it is "without significant differences" to BA.2.86 variants found overseas that have sparked global concern.

The new variant has so far been detected in 15 countries through genomic sequencing.

READ MORE: What the COVID-19 inquiry will look at – and what it won't

Pirola appears to have evolved from the Omicron subvariant BA.2, which was widely circulating in early 2022.

New mutated versions of COVID-19 pop up frequently, but this one has caught the attention of scientists due to the large number of mutations compared to its predecessor, Omicron subvariant BA.2.

The variant BA.2.86 has 33 changes to its spike proteins – the spikey outer part of the virus that allows it to enter its host.

This is of the same magnitude as the number of changes found in Omicron compared to its forerunner Delta which saw it sweep the world. 

The World Health Organisation classified BA.2.86 as a "variant under monitoring" on August 18.

This is below the classification of "variant of concern", which would prompt the variant to get a Greek letter name like Delta or Omicron.

The United Kingdom has accelerated its vaccination program for health workers and vulnerable groups in response to the spread of the strain there.

Variant BA.2.86 so far isn't behaving significantly differently to previous variants and there is no indication that it causes different or more severe symptoms.

However, the number of mutations has scientists concerned that it may prove resistant to current vaccines which were modelled on other variants.

Vaccine manufacturer Moderna has released research suggesting its latest booster shot helped protect against BA.2.86, despite being modelled on a different variant.

WA Health simply encouraged the public to maintain current recommendations for protecting against COVID-19, including washing and sanitising hands, covering coughs and staying home if unwell.

MPI is tracing animal movements to identify the likely source of the infection.

The victim was left with injuries to his head and face, and a broken tooth.

Ten people have died as two tornadoes ripped through two cities in China's eastern Jiangsu province.

It's the latest deadly extreme weather event to hit the country, which over the last few months has been grappling with severe floods as well as extreme heat waves.

Five people were killed and four were severely injured from a strong tornado that struck Suqian city in Jiangsu province on Tuesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

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The province lies on China's eastern coast.

More than 400 people have been relocated and more than 130 houses were destroyed in the city, CCTV reported.

Separately, an even stronger tornado left five people dead and four with minor injuries Tuesday night in Yancheng – which lies southeast of Suqian city and north of China's biggest city, Shanghai – CCTV said, adding that 129 people have been relocated.

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Tornadoes are not usual in mid to late September in Jiangsu, but rare tornadoes have happened due to recent higher temperatures that have brought strong weather conditions, state media Beijing Youth Daily reported, citing meteorological experts.

Scientists are confident that extreme weather events will only become more frequent and more severe unless the world stops burning planet-heating fossil fuels.

Chief says fire ‘very difficult to fight’.

The NSW Riverina town of Junee once had four banks.

Six years ago, this went down to two – and then ANZ left.

The last remaining bank in Junee – a Commonwealth Bank branch – had been slated to close in March.

But an upswell of protest from the determined town of almost 7000 forced the bank to halt the closure.

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Today, a Senate inquiry into bank closures in regional areas is being held in Junee to hear from residents about the impact losing its last bank would have on the town.

In July, the Commonwealth Bank vowed to keep all its regional bank branches open until the end of 2026.

However, Rhiannon Druce, from the Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory, said there was still a real fear among locals that the bank would not stick by its word.

"It does feel inevitable that it will close," Druce told 9news.com.au.

Have you been affected by a bank branch closure? Contact reporter Emily McPherson at em********@******om.au

For the Druce family business, losing the bank branch would mean having to drive 30 minutes to the neighbouring town of Wagga.

"That poses security risks," Druce said. 

"It also means that you're paying for someone to drive over there and back."

Relying on digital banking was also a problem in regional towns like Junee because of connectivity issues, Druce said.

"It's ridiculous," she said.

"I think everyone in the town has made a pretty logical argument to say that we don't even have proper internet, or constant internet on our phones to be able to be going online and doing our banking.

"With the amount of NBN outages and phone connectivity issues that we have here, I don't think you can turn us to just a digital banking town when we struggle to keep 5G happening."

The Commonwealth Bank has told the inquiry 39 per cent of its branches are based in regional Australia. 

However, the bank has also said it needs to remain competitive in a changing market where customer preferences are moving swiftly towards digital.

The federal government is facing criticism for announcing an inquiry into Australia's response to COVID-19 that won't investigate state and territory decisions during the pandemic.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was important to learn what worked and what didn't in Australia's response to the worldwide health emergency.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most significant global crisis that we have faced in decades," Albanese said.

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"Its impacts are still being felt throughout Australia.

"This inquiry will look at the government's responses and will give advice on what worked, what didn't, and what we can do in the future to best protect Australians from the worst of any future events."

However, the scope of the inquiry does not include "actions taken unilaterally by state and territory governments", meaning it won't be able to investigate the lockdowns and border closures that had such an impact on millions of Australians.

The opposition accused Albanese and the government of running protection for Labor premiers Daniel Andrews and Annastacia Palaszczuk, the only two state leaders who have remained in power since the start of the pandemic.

"The prime minister owes it to the Australian people to have a proper understanding of what happened at a state and federal level in relation to COVID, the policies, the decisions that were being made," Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said.

"If we don't learn the lessons of what happened during the course of COVID, good and bad, by every level of government, how do we expect to go into the next pandemic not understanding what had happened in the previous one?

"It doesn't make any sense."

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While state and territory decisions won't be examined, the 12-month inquiry will examine the federal government's response to the pandemic, given the loss of life, dislocation, stress and expenditure that resulted from COVID-19 policies.

It will be led by an independent panel of former senior public servant Robyn Kruk, infectious diseases expert Catherine Bennett and health economist Angela Jackson.

Key stakeholders and members of the community will be invited to share their views in the inquiry as part of a public consultation.

Albanese defended his decision not to establish a Royal Commission into the pandemic – after promising a Royal Commission "or similar inquiry" before the 2022 federal election – saying he wanted the inquiry to report in a timely manner.

"One of the things we've learned about Royal Commissions is that they can roll on and on and on for year after year after year," he said.

"We've learnt that with the Royal Commission into veterans issues which has been extended."

Albanese also said the object of the inquiry was not to stoke political division or apportion blame.

He praised former prime minister Scott Morrison, who led Australia through the first two years of the pandemic.

"I think Scott Morrison did the right thing by convening the National Cabinet," he said.

"That was a good decision. I believe the (former) federal government got it right in making an early call on the pandemic."

Morrison told the Australian Financial Review earlier this week that he would cooperate with an inquiry into COVID-19, but only on the condition it examined the role of and actions taken by the states as well as the federal government.

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While Australia has had no nationwide investigation into the pandemic, there have been numerous academic and independent ones.

Albanese said it was important to consolidate all potential lessons into one document.

"There could be other shocks as well where some of these recommendations could be relevant," he said.

"We need to be more prepared for this in the future. And that's precisely what this inquiry will be aimed at."

The inquiry will deliver its final report by September 30, 2024.