Police investigating the death of a man in an apparent whale collision in Sydney Harbour; Fears for aerospace jobs after Australia retires its Taipan fleet; Collingwood's A-F-L-W side accounts for Essendon, ahead of the men's grand final.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- Police investigating the death of a man in an apparent whale collision in Sydney Harbour;
- Fears for aerospace jobs after Australia retires its Taipan fleet;
- Collingwood's A-F-L-W side accounts for Essendon, ahead of the men's grand final.
A boat will undergo a forensic examination after it was apparently struck by a whale off Sydney Harbour earlier today.
Two men were flung from the vessel off Cape Banks at La Perouse in Botany Bay, with one man unable to be revived and the other still in hospital.
Acting Superintendent Siobhan Munro says that with more whales about than usual the incident was tragic but not unexpected.
"It's a stark reminder about the boating season and how dangerous it can be on our waterways. And as we know, as temperatures rise, people will flock to the water. What I want you to know is that police will be out there on the waterways - including rivers, dams - conducting compliance checks, drug and alcohol testing, and all the things that we do to make sure that the community is safe."
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Victorian MP Will Fowles has issued a statement one month after police confirmed they were investigating an assault allegation against him, which he vehemently denies.
Mr Fowles has made the statement on social media, posting that it has been eight weeks since former Premier Daniel Andrews referred the claim to Victorian Police.
He says he has not been spoken to by anyone regarding the allegation.
The MP says he has written to the speaker of the Victorian parliament to advise he won't be attending parliamentary sitting days "until such time as any investigation concludes" - but he continues to work in his electorate office.
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A state of emergency has been declared in New York City, after a month's worth of rain in less than 24 hours unleashed life-threatening flooding across every borough.
The deluge has stranded drivers on highways, knocked out several subway and commuter rail lines, and shuttered a terminal at LaGuardia Airport.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has urged the city's residents to be careful.
"This is a time for heightened alertness and extreme caution. If you are home, stay home. If you are at work or school, shelter in place for now."
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Environmental campaigners say Australia is in urgent need of a national strategy to deal with hazardous and toxic waste from vaping products.
Clean Up Australia says consumers are confused about how to responsibly dispose of their used products, and as a result, they end up in general waste bins or recycling bins and are increasingly discarded as litter in the environment.
Clean Up Australia chair Pip Kiernan says that's a big problem because the products contain heavy metals that can become highly toxic if mixed with soil and water, or if they enter the food chain.
Pip says it's time for the federal government to force manufacturers, importers and retailers to take responsibility for how to dispose of the vaping waste.
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The European manufacturer of Australia's Taipan military helicopters says the country's decision to retire the fleet could cost hundreds of jobs.
N-H Industries President Axel Aloccio says some 400 Australian aerospace support workers now face redundancy as they are no longer needed until the end of next year, which is when the Taipans were originally slated for retirement.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says Australia's focus is now on moving forward.
"Given we were due to retire these aircraft at the end of next year anyway, there really is now no world in which we would be flying the Taipans again. And given that, we need to be getting the new capability, the Black Hawks, into operation as quickly as possible and that has to be our focus so."
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In the A-F-L-W, Collingwood have taken out their second win of the season, kicking off the men's grand final day with a comfortable 20 point victory over Essendon.
Collingwood will go head-to-head with the Brisbane Lions in the next A-F-L W round.
And that's who will contest the men's grand final this afternoon.
It's been two decades since Brisbane and Collingwood last faced off in a grand final.
The Magpies are seeking redemption after the Lions took out their third premiership in a row - and their second consecutive flag against the Pies - the last time they met in the decider.
"I think we're going to get over. I hope we win by 12 points or more. Anything less, I might need a defibrillator."
"I'm feeling positive that we can win. And I want to see it close, but not a heartbreaking game."
