TRANSCRIPT:
- An Australian man arrested in Bali on drug smuggling charges;
- Looting becomes a concern in flood hit northern New South Wales;
- Australia's Alexei Popyrin through to the second round of the French Open.
An Australian man has been arrested in Bali, accused of trying to smuggle more than one and a half kilograms of cocaine.
Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya says the 43-year-old Sydney man's arrest follows an investigation by anti-drug surveillance teams who allege the man had received two suspicious packages sent by mail from England.
The Police Chief says the man now faces the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment if found guilty of importing or distributing class one narcotics.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said in a statement it is providing consular assistance to the man.
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A retail union says an immediate ban on the sale of machetes does not go far enough after a gang-related brawl broke out in Melbourne's north at the weekend.
The ban was announced by the Victorian government as part of its response to the brawl, which saw four people arrested and one man in hospital with serious injuries.
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association says the ban is welcome but shop outlets also need to be able to lock up all their bladed items, including kitchen knives.
Meanwhile, Victorian opposition police spokesman David Southwick has also welcomed the ban - but says it should have been done sooner.
"The government says it was the police telling them that they couldn't do this any sooner. Well that was obviously clearly wrong. Now we've got a half baked ban on the sale, but we still have a situation where people can carry them. I mean, for what reason should somebody be carrying a machete on the streets of Melbourne."
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Two men have been arrested for allegedly looting properties left damaged by flooding on the New South Wales mid north coast.
Police say the 20 year old and 29 year old men were taken into custody after being stopped and searched in separate incidents in Taree.
Manning/Great Lakes Police District Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Natalie Antaw, says police are performing additional patrols around the clock.
She says extra resources have been assigned to prevent and disrupt further alleged offending.
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Two major banks will help keep Australia's second-largest hospital operator afloat as its struggles with crippling debt.
The Commonwealth Bank has announced it will provide $100 million to support Healthscope, which operates 37 hospitals in every Australian state and territory.
Westpac has also agreed to continue to provide assistance to help receivers sell the business.
Receivers led by McGrathNicol partner Keith Crawford say the intention is to transition all hospitals to new ownership, Mr Crawford saying there are no plans for closures or redundancies.
"It's far too early to predict the outcome of the process. Suffice to say that we do have strong interest in the entirety of Healthscope as a whole, and of course, there is also interest in smaller parcels of assets. But you know what we'll be making sure is that in the next stage of the process, all interest can come forward and be considered. "
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A man has been detained after his car ploughed into a street parade in Liverpool, in the UK.
Merseyside Police say the 53 year old man's vehicle allegedly struck a number of people celebrating their Premier League title success.
The extent of people's injuries remains unclear.
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Southeast Asian leaders have sealed an agreement that sets out a 20-year vision for regional integration.
The declaration, signed during the ongoing ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, outlines a long-term roadmap aimed at fostering peace, prosperity, and unity across the region.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called the agreement a defining chapter in ASEAN's history.
"The future we seek must rest on foundations of sustainability and inclusion... That means closing development gaps, raising the standards of living and investing in the human spirit and potential of all our citizens. This shared blueprint gives shape to that belief."
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Alexei Popyrin is the first Australian through to the second round of the French Open after winning his first match at the event in six years.
The Australian men's No.2 was in charge of his first match against Yoshihito Nishioka, leading 7-5 6-4 1-2 before the Japanese left-hander had to retire because of injury.
The win comes after Sunday's first-day wipe-out with all three Australians exiting - Tristan Schoolkate, Destanee Aiava and Rinky Hijikata.
But Popyrin says there are only good things to come for Australia's talent.
"I am happy that I finally got a win here. And I think it is not a secret that probably clay isn't the best surface for Aussies. But slowly we're starting to see more results and more wins in the first round."
