Authorities this morning are trying to determine whether materials that were washed up on a beach south of Perth is in fact debris from the missing Malaysian Airlines flight. The object is believed to be 2.5 meters long and metallic. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is examining photographs of the object to determine whether further physical analysis is required.

 

Police have questioned AFL star Lance Buddy Franklin after he crashed into four parked cars in Sydney's east last night. A Rose Bay resident posted pictures on Twitter after spotting the Sydney Swan recruit talking to police. Franklin wasn't injured and returned a zero reading when breath tested.

 

A teenager has drowned while fishing with his younger brother at a lake in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Police say the 16-year-old boy went into the water at Wentworth  falls to retrieve a fish and then got into trouble. Police divers recovered his body late last night.

 

And rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, have announced a reconciliation deal after a meeting on the Gaza stripe. They agreed to begin negotiations to form a unity government within the coming weeks.