TRANSCRIPT
- A man to appear in court over the death of a pub bouncer in Sydney's south over the weekend
- Fears a bushfire in western Victoria could continue to burn for weeks
- Australia secures a home victory in the SailGP Sydney Grand Prix.
A man will appear in court today over the death of a security guard at a hotel in Sydney's south at the weekend.
The 31-year-old has been charged with assault occasioning death, with police alleging he punched the man in the head after being ejected from the licensed premises in Sutherland in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The man has not been formally identified.
Patrons at the hotel say they were shocked to hear someone had died.
"I just popped in and saw all the police. But apparently there was some screaming going on in the back lane, some lady screaming at the top of her lungs. And then all of a sudden I've popped out and there's police cars everywhere, and saying someone died in the pub. So basically I know as much as you know at the moment."
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The Victorian government says support measures will soon be announced for communities affected by a bushfire that continues to burn in the west of the state.
At least six homes have already been destroyed by fires in western Victoria, and there are fears the blaze could burn for some weeks.
Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes says residents around the towns of Amphitheatre, Elmhurst and Raglan, near Ballarat, are still unable to return to their homes.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the federal government will do what it can to help.
"We will provide whatever support is requested from Victoria. These are difficult times, and I say to people, listen to the advice of the authorities. We need to make sure that we watch and act when that advice comes through, both here in Victoria and also in Tasmania."
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The New South Wales police commissioner says officers are working hard to find the bodies of a young couple believed to have been murdered in Sydney's east.
In a statement, Commissioner Karen Webb has said she understood there were still unanswered questions, but asked the community to remain patient as police worked to determine what happened.
She says police are "working around the clock" to find Jessie Baird and Luke Davies.
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At least 15 people have been killed by gunmen in a village in Burkina Faso as they gathered for prayers.
A statement issued by the Dori Diocese has described the violence as a "terrorist attack" against Catholics in the village of Essakane, which saw 12 worshippers die at the scene, and three others pronounced dead later while being treated for their wounds.
Diocese vicar-general Jean-Pierre Sawadogo says no further details are available about the attack.
No group has claimed responsibility, but suspicion has fallen on Islamic militants who have frequently attacked remote communities and security forces, especially in the northern region of the country.
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The wreckage of a missing Australian coal ship has been discovered 120 years after it vanished with 32 crew members on board.
The SS Nemesis left Newcastle for Melbourne loaded with coal on 8 July 1904, but then sank in a storm.
More than a century later, the CSIRO says it has stumbled across the wreck while trying to locate cargo containers lost off the Sydney coast.
NSW Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe says the ship was undisturbed.
She is appealing for relatives of lost crew members to come forward.
"We want to know you, we want to be able to tell the stories about what happened to you loved ones. We want to be able to fill in those missing pieces of your family puzzle. There are six bodies that have washed ashore. They're actually buried up in Woronora up in Sutherland, in the Sutherland cemetery there. We want to properly, properly recognise their loss. But also just really be able to you know close the circle for those families who never knew what happened."
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And in sport, Australia has had its first overall win of this year's SailGP in Sydney after a thrilling final in the home regatta in Sydney Harbour.
Captain Tom Slingsby says the victory ranks among his finest moments in the league after the team overcame a slow start to hold off second placed Denmark and third placed New Zealand in the winner-takes-all final.
Slingsby told reporters after the race the win is huge for the team.
"Convinced that it was going to be a really bad one, like bad start in the final you don't usually come back, but the team just sailed so well. I got great information, what marks were favoured, what the other teams were doing, and we were able to set up a bit differently and overtake the Danish, and then they almost got us back, but we managed to hold on."
Australia has now accumulated 66 points, eight more than the second-placed New Zealand, with five events remaining before the season finale in San Francisco in July.
