The Loop: Severe weather warnings for several states, Australia's stunning T20 World Cup semi-final comeback and what makes for a happy chicken?

Happy Friday. Today's date is November 12 and you're reading The Loop, a quick look at the news to get you ready for the day. 

One thing to know right now: Wild weather ahead

Storm season has well and truly made its grand entrance with severe weather warnings in place in almost every state.

Parts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are expected to cop it today, with authorities urging people to be prepared and plan for the conditions.

We're covering updates to warnings, conditions and scenes from around the country LIVE — follow the blog here. 

Here's the forecast for the capitals today: 

• SYDNEY: ⛈️ Showers, possible storm. Max 24C
• MELBOURNE: 🌧️ Rain, becoming windy. Max 14C
• HOBART: 🌦️ Showers developing. Max 15C
• CANBERRA: ⛈️ Showers, possible storm. Max 16C
• BRISBANE: ⛈️ Rain easing, possible storm. Max 30C
• DARWIN: ⛈️ Shower or two, possible storm. Max 35C
• ADELAIDE: 🌦️ Showers. Max 17C
• PERTH: 🌤️ Mostly sunny. Max 27C

One thing you’ll be hearing about today: Farewell, Bert

Entertainer Bert Newton will be farewelled at a state funeral in Melbourne today after his death last week, aged 83.

Due to COVID-19 requirements, only friends, family and colleagues will be able to attend.

The ABC News channel will have live coverage of the event from 10am AEDT, so you can catch that on TV or stream it live on iView. 

Bert Newton's wife Patti said she was thrilled for Bert to be honoured at a state funeral. (Channel Nine)

Here's what else is going on

• Australia has pulled off a stunning comeback in the T20 World Cup semi-final, with Matthew Wade smashing 41 not out from just 17 deliveries, including three consecutive sixes, to win the match
• Sue and Lloyd Clarke, the parents of Brisbane mum Hannah Clark who was murdered with her children in a brutal domestic violence attack, have been named the 2022 Queensland Australians of the Year

Sue and Lloyd Clarke set up anti-domestic violence charity Small Steps 4 Hannah after the deaths of their daughter and three grandchildren. (Facebook)

• The Queen is attending her first public engagement since she was admitted to hospital last month and advised to rest — Buckingham Palace confirmed the 95-year-old would attend a Remembrance Day service, saying she had a "firm intention" to be there
• WA Police have finished their investigations at the Carnarvon house where four-year-old Cleo Smith was found last week, removing any sign of their presence and boarding up the door

News while you snoozed

• Frederik Willem de Klerk, the former president of South Africa and the last white man to lead the country, has died peacefully in his Cape Town home aged 85. He was diagnosed with cancer in March this year
• Russia has sent two nuclear-capable strategic bombers on a training mission over Belarus for the second day in a row in support for its ally amid a dispute over migration at EU borders with Poland and Lithuania 
• Tesla boss Elon Musk has sold about $US5 billion in shares days after polling Twitter users about selling 10 per cent of his stake, amid debate in the US about tax avoidance by billionaires.

News Australia is searching for right now

• Socceroos. Saudi Arabia held the Aussies to a scoreless draw in their first game on home soil in more than two years, with rain belting down in Parramatta for most of the match.
• Single's Day. The world's biggest shopping festival has for years been accompanied by aggressive promotions, but this year China held a more subdued version of its annual Singles' Day shopping spree. 
• Aminata Diallo. French Police have released the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder without charge, but prosecutors say an investigation into an attack on one of her teammates with a metal bar is ongoing. 

One more thing

Free-range chickens have it better than caged chooks — but who decides whether a hen's life is "good"? 

A draft national plan to phase out battery hens in Australia by 2036 is aiming to balance the needs of the food industry against the rights of hens to a happy life — but at the moment, not everyone agrees on what that is.

Stakeholders, such as scientists, vets, animal welfare advocates and more are looking, among other things, at: 

• Animals having room to perform natural behaviours
• Protection from diseases
• Smothering from overcrowding
• Feather pecking.

Australians consume 17 million eggs every day, which are laid by the Australian egg industry's nearly 22 million chickens — that's a lot of lives we can all try and take care of better. 

You're up to date

Stay tuned for more news alerts and updates throughout the day.

ABC/wires