Sydney police are investigating a fatal home invasion at Badgery's Creek in the city's west. A 69-year-old man died at the scene and a woman also in her sixties suffered a severe head injury. It's believed that three assailants bashed them with baseball bats. 

 

In other news:

 

The Australian electoral commission will ask the federal police to investigate about 8,000 cases of multiple voting in last year's federal election. The commission has told the Senate Estimates Committee it's part of a tough new crackdown on the practice. The committee heard 2,000 people had admitted to voting more than once, and there were some unusual excuses. 

 

Then there is a category of people who, you know, and I mean we admire them for their honesty, who admitted to be intoxicated. They are multiple and it's, well, it's funny but it's not a laughing matter. 

 

Authorities are refusing to give up hope for finding the missing Malaysian Airlines jet despite another setback that the search area, where acoustic pings were detected, has now been abandoned. All the data will now be reviewed to determine where to search next. 

 

An army general is among more than a dozen Ukrainian troops killed when their helicopter was shot down by pro-Russian fighters in the east of the country. The attack happened near the rebel-held town of Slavyansk which has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks.