6:55am

Firefighters battle out of control blaze into the night

Firefighters continue to monitor a major bushfire that tore through thousands of hectares of NSW bushland yesterday, with the dangerous conditions finally easing.

Crews managed to bring the blaze under control overnight, but not before the huge fire burnt through 6700 hectares of land in the Wollemi National Park and Putty State Forest.

The NSW Rural Fire Service downgraded the alert to a watch and act level at around 9.30pm on Wednesday.

The blaze continues to burn in an Easterly direction in the area of Bakers Road and Gibbs Creek Road/Putty Valley Road under strong westerly winds.

Firefighters have been working with residents in the area and are urging people near the fire to continue to use their Bush Fire Survival Plan.

Total fire bans are still in place across much of NSW today, including he Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, ACT, Southern Ranges, Central Ranges, New England, Northern Slopes, North West and Southern Slopes.

6:35am

Flight from hell with ‘demonic’ child

A passenger has documented his nightmarish flight after a “demonic” child screamed for the entire eight-hour trip.

The footage shows the three-year-old climbing over seats and screaming before the flight from Germany to New York had even taken off.

The video was uploaded to YouTube by Shane Townley who wrote: “Watch as this kid runs and screams throughout the entire flight while the mother does little to nothing to stop him. 3 years old on a 8 hour flight from Germany to Newark NJ. He never quits!”

Now most people could understand that being in a plane might be stressful for a young child and it could take him a while to settle down.

But it eventually became clear to passengers that this kid wasn’t going to be happy sitting down and watching a movie, as he continued his rampage for nearly the whole trip.

It is unclear from the video whether the has behavioural issues and there is no indication that the mum informed other passengers that he suffering from any condition that may have resulted in his distress.

At one point the child is seen sitting on top of the seats and banging on the ceiling of the plane as his mum tries to get him to sit down.

Throughout the hourly updates passengers can be seen covering their ears as the child continues to scream at the top of his lungs.

6:10am

Frances Abbott marries Sam Loch

Frances Abbott has married her fiance of three months, Sam Loch, on Valentine’s Day, with the happy couple sharing the news on Instagram.

The daughter of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott posted an intimate black and white picture, saying “Happy Valentine’s Day @samloch Always and forever #locheddown #youmaynowkissthebride #f**kyes.”

Sam Loch said: “The celebratory component isn’t for a couple of months, but we made it official in the eyes of the law today. We’re the motherf**king Mighty Morphin Power Rangers of love.”

The 26-year-old fitness model and personal trainer was pictured in a simple, white strapless dress with sandals and her hair out. Loch wore a plain white shirt with no tie and dark trousers while they proudly showed off their rings.

The couple made headlines in November when they got engaged just two weeks after having met.

—Victoria Craw, read more.

A post shared by @samloch on

5:45am

Police shoot young man near Brisbane

A young man has been shot twice by Queensland police at a home southwest of Brisbane.

Paramedics said the man, possibly a teenager, was taken to the Princess Alexandria Hospital in a serious but stable condition with a gunshot wound to his upper body.

Several media outlets have reported he was a boy of 16 but a police media spokesperson said they had conflicting information, and could only confirm he was a young man.

The spokesperson could not confirm the male lunged at police with a knife inside a Springfield home, before being hit by two rounds.

Police confirmed they had attended an incident at a private residence at Springfield in Ipswich, but would not give further details.

— AAP.

The young man was shot after allegedly lunging at police with a knife. Picture: Ric Frearson/AAP

The young man was shot after allegedly lunging at police with a knife. Picture: Ric Frearson/AAPSource:News Corp Australia