More than 200 police officers are yet to get their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.All constabulary staff, authorised officers and recruits must have had their first shot by the end of the weekend.As of Friday, 98 per cent…

A 20-month-old girl has died after being hit by a vehicle in Broome on Friday night.

Western Australian police said the girl was at her home in Broome about 7.15pm when it was believed she was hit by a visiting vehicle on the family's driveway.

The injured girl was placed in the vehicle and taken to Broome Hospital with her family, but she later died, according to police.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic taken into detention ahead of appeal hearing tomorrow

The death is not being treated as suspicious.

Broome detectives are calling on the public for any information regarding the incident.

A report is set to be prepared for the coroner regarding the infant's death.

Emergency services are at the scene of a fire at SkyCity’s New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland.Fire crews were called to the building in central Auckland’s just after 4.30pm, Fire and Emergency NZ confirmed.Seven…

Novak Djokovic's major legal battle is set to continue on Sunday after court documents revealed the exact reasons why Immigration Minister Alex Hawke cancelled the Serb's visa on Friday evening.

There has been a lot of speculation about why Djokovic's visa could have been cancelled, including that he failed to disclose his travel movements prior to arriving in Australia on his entry form as required.

But court documents for the appeal have today revealed the exact reasons why Mr Hawke decided to cancel the tennis star's visa for a second time.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic to go into detention ahead of appeal hearing tomorrow

The minister's written reasons state that he considers "Mr Djokovic's presence in Australia may pose a health risk to the Australian community, in that his presence in Australia may foster anti-vaccination sentiment".

The minister has said this could specifically lead to:

• "An increase in anti-vaccination sentiment being generated in the Australian community, leading to others refusing to become vaccinated or refusing to receive a booster vaccine."
• "A reinforcing of the views of a minority in the Australian community who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19."
• "People deciding to not receive a booster vaccine."
• "Unvaccinated persons becoming very unwell and/or transmitting it to others."
• "Increased pressure placed on the Australian health system."

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic's tumultuous trip to the Australian Open: A timeline

In his reasoning, Mr Hawke has also said he has considered that Djokovic has shown "an apparent disregard for the need to isolate following the receipt of a positive COVID-19 test result".

The minister has referenced the fact Djokovic attended an interview and photoshoot with French magazine L'Equipe on December 18 despite being knowingly positive for COVID-19.

"Given Mr Djokovic's high profile status and position as a role model in the sporting and broader community, his ongoing presence in Australia may foster similar disregard for the precautionary requirements following receipt of a positive COVID-19 rest in Australia."

It has further been said that Djokovic being in Australia could lead to an increased anti-vaccination sentiment in the country, "potentially leading to an increase in civil unrest of the kind previously experienced in Australia with rallies and protests".

On the issue of Djokovic falsely indicating on his Australia Travel Declaration form that he had not travelled in the 14 days prior to arriving in Australia, the minister said one of Djokovic's agents has provided a statutory declaration saying the incorrect information was her fault.

The minister said he has assumed the declaration to be true.

Djokovic's lawyers will fight these points before the Federal Circuit Court from 9.30am tomorrow, with the hearing expected to finish tomorrow night, ahead of the Australian Open beginning on Monday.

One person has died in a water incident at Goat Island this afternoon. Emergency services were called to a group of three divers who were having difficulty in the water at around 1.35pm, police said. “CPR was performed on one…

Armed police have attended an incident in Napier after reports a person had been seriously injured.A spokeseperson said police were called about 12.05pm to Hillary Crescent, Maraenui in Napier following a report that a person had…

A historic 18th-century mansion in central Brazil has been obliterated by a landslide.

The mansion, belonging to the Ouro Preto City Hall, in the Central Region of Minas Gerais, was around for 250 years before it was destroyed in just moments.

Heavy rain lashed the jungle-covered slope, causing a wall of earth to fall on the mansion.

READ MORE: At least seven dead after boulder crashes on tourist boats in Brazil

No one was injured during that particular incident but the town is mourning a treasured landmark.

However, at least 12 people have been killed by landslides in Brazil's Minas Gerais state since the weekend.

The area has been pummeled by intense rainfall, and authorities are monitoring dams that could burst.

Firefighters in the southeastern state found five people from the same family, two of them children, buried on a hillside near the state capital, Belo Horizonte.

Two hours away by car, in the city of Sao Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo, a 10-year-old girl was also killed when a wall collapsed on her bedroom as she was sleeping, according to a statement from the state’s civil defence authority on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Queen strips Prince Andrew of military titles and royal roles

Another three deaths occurred in the city of Caratinga, and in the city of Ervalia, a 20-year-old died when a landslide collapsed a bar, the bulletin said.

The state had reported two other deaths on Sunday.

It said 145 municipalities were in a state of emergency due to flooding that has already forced more than 17,000 people to leave their homes.

Other states also have been hit by deadly rains in recent months.

The state of Bahia reported 26 rain-caused deaths in November and December, and more than 100,000 have been evacuated in various states during the rainy season.

Parts of Minas Gerais have accumulated more than 400 millimetres of rain in the first 10 days of the year, according to Brazil’s Meteorology Institute.

READ MORE: Brazilian President Bolsonaro in hospital with intestinal obstruction

That's still short of the 950 millimetres of rain recorded in the full January 2020 — the most ever recorded for the month.

The institute forecast that rainfall in the state would only let up after Thursday.

In addition to collapsing hillsides that have claimed lives and closed roads, state authorities said they were concerned about the risk dams could give way.

They were monitoring 42 dams in the state, three of which were considered at high risk, according to a document published Tuesday by the National Mining Agency.

Authorities expressed concern that water was overflowing the retaining wall of the Carioca hydroelectric dam, below which riverside residents had evacuated their homes, including in the town Para de Minas.

In a post on social media, the town's mayor said firefighters used a helicopter to rescue 130 people stranded by the swollen river.

Minas Gerais was the site of two recent tragedies resulting from dam ruptures. In 2019, more than 200 people died when a dam in Brumadinho gave way, and in 2015, the collapse of another dam killed 19 people.

The flood death total did not include the people who died when a towering rock slab detached from a canyon wall in the state's southern region, landing on boaters, killing 10.

Authorities have said that rainfall may have contributed to the rock's collapse, but are still investigating the causes.

A woman has been pulled from the water at Maraetai Beach in Auckland after getting into difficulty. A St John spokesperson told the Herald the woman was taken to hospital at 1.16pm on Saturday. St John sent a rescue helicopter,…

A Queenslander in their 20s has died with COVID-19 while the state recorded 19,709 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said 6087 of the cases were reported by positive rapid antigen test results.

Six people have died after testing positive to the virus, including a person in their 20s.

READ MORE: 'Historic moment': Queensland border checkpoints torn down after two years

Chief Medical Officer Dr John Gerrard said there are 649 people in hospital including 46 in ICU, of whom 14 are ventilated.

"There was an increase in Queensland hospitals of 10 per cent in the 24 hours leading up to 7pm last night," he said.

"We will continue to see this increase over the next two to three weeks."

"It is likely to that there is a good chance of this is the beginning of the final surge before we reach a peak sometime over the next few weeks."

Ms D'Ath addressed COVID-19 outbreaks in residential aged care facilities and among aged care workers.

She added some facilities are locking down due to these outbreaks and asked families to understand why they cannot visit.

"We do ask families to understand why this is happening," she said.

"Any measures those facilities are taking is trying to reduce the risk of exposure of those who are yet to get the virus."

At least one aged care facility has a significant number of COVID-19 cases amongst the staff and has reached out to the state government for support.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic fronting court to decide deportation fate

'Most important symptom to look for is difficulty breathing'

Dr Gerrard said people with the virus should call an ambulance if they have significant difficulty breathing.

"If you're just walking a short distance, or between rooms and your house and you find that you have to stop to take a breath like that after just walking between rooms in your house," he said.

"Then you probably need to come to hospital."

READ MORE: Search resumes for missing nine-year-old girl in Blue Mountains

He suggested people with a runny nose or fever should not call Triple Zero as the health system begins to feel the pressure of surging cases.

Dr Gerrard said if you have symptoms such as "classic flulike symptoms, chills, soft, runny nose" you should assume you have COVID-19.

"We would like you to get tested with a PCR test or rapid antigen test if possible but if for whatever reason, you are finding that difficult, you should just assume that you have COVID-19 and isolate," he added.

Checkpoints torn down

It comes as checkpoints on the Queensland border have been torn down overnight allowing free interstate travel for the first time in almost two years.

But as of midnight (1am AEDT), the Sunshine State re-opened to domestic travel without any restrictions for all states and territories.

Anyone coming into Queensland, either by road or by air domestically, no longer needs to show a border pass or a rapid antigen test.

However, the government will maintain a mandate requiring people to be fully vaccinated to be able to enter events and venues.

READ MORE: Almost 1000 NSW health workers stood down or quit after refusing to get vaccinated

Queensland recorded 23,630 cases yesterday with almost half of the cases reported from positive rapid antigen tests.

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said yesterday there is a steady increase in the state's hospitalisation.

"There's a steady increase of the number of patients in hospital, not an explosive increase," he said.

Tens of thousands of Victorians who lined up to get tested for COVID-19 have been told they will not be given their results, leaving many not knowing if they had the virus.

There are reports that as many as 100,000 texts have been sent by private pathology providers Melbourne Pathology, Australian Clinical Labs and Dorevitch Pathology since yesterday afternoon telling Victorians they wouldn't get their results.

The texts, which were sent to people who lined up to get PCR tests, state that the person's "PCR sample is no longer suitable for processing and no result can be provided".

READ MORE: Victoria's COVID-19 hospitalisations pass 1000 as number of new cases drops

The messages recommend the person take a rapid antigen test or self-isolate for seven days from their first test date.

However, with some of the tests having been done as early as January 5, and notifications that no results would be give handed out on January 14, some people will be left not knowing for sure if they had COVID-19.

The bungle has left many people frustrated, with some reporting they had to line for up three days in a row to have the tests taken.

Tess McLaughlan and her partner were told they would not be getting their PCR test results at 4pm yesterday – exactly a week after they got tested at Albert Park.

READ MORE: Djokovic being interviewed by Border Force ahead of weekend legal battle

She said they had both had numerous COVID-19 symptoms after returning from an interstate holiday.

Ms McLaughlan said that by the time they were told their results were not coming their symptoms had eased and a rapid antigen test was not something they could come by easily.

She is as sure as she can be that she had COVID-19, but no results means she will never know for sure.

"And I won't be able to notify the place where I may have exposed people.

"It's incredibly frustrating and disheartening. For this whole pandemic we've been encouraged to test constantly.

"It feels very much like we've been left in the dark to fend for ourselves in what's turned out to be the scariest phase of the pandemic."

Ms McLaughlan said the lack of results also financially impacted her partner as a contract worker, who was not eligible for the government COVID-19 payment without a result despite having been out of work for a week.

Victoria COVID Commander Jeroen Weimar this morning confirmed that around 90,000 PCR tests had been discarded due to the testing labs being under pressure.

"They have made the decision essentially not to process some very old tests," he said.

"This is something that we understand and that we support."

Mr Weimar said processing tests that were seven days old was "not a practical way of using our resources" and that it was a trade-off that the labs had to make.
"I apologise on behalf of the wider testing system," he said.