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Two people from a sunken fishing boat were fending off sharks in the Gulf of Mexico when a crew rescued them and one other person from waters off the Louisiana coastline, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard launched a search after a relative reported the three people failed to return from a fishing trip Saturday evening.

The 7.3-metre centre-console fishing boat sank about 10 am Saturday and stranded the three people without communication devices, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

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The three were wearing lifejackets and one was showing signs of hypothermia when they were rescued Sunday about 40.2 kilometres offshore from Empire, Louisiana, a small community southeast of New Orleans.

They had been in the water more than 24 hours.

The news release said a Coast Guard boat crew saw two of the people fending off sharks, and both of them had injured hands.

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The crew pulled them from the water, and the two were lifted onto a helicopter. The helicopter crew lifted the third boater from the water.

The two injured people were taken to University Medical Center New Orleans, where they were listed as stable.

The Coast Guard did not release their names and did not specify whether the injuries were from bites, from being scraped against sharks' sandpaper-like skin or from another cause.

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“If the family member had not notified the Coast Guard, and if these three boaters were not wearing life jackets, this could’ve been a completely different outcome,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Keefe, a Coast Guard search and rescue mission coordinator in New Orleans.

The news release said Coast Guard crews in two boats, two planes and a helicopter searched about 3,237.5 square kilometres of water, slightly larger than the size of Rhode Island.

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A 'ghost boat' from World War II has been discovered at a drought-stricken lake in California.

The rusting shell of the 80-year-old Higgins boat, a type of landing craft from the conflict, resurfaced at Shastra Lake, the US Forest Service said on Sunday in a Facebook post.

Officials discovered that the craft has "31-17" marked on its side, which confirmed it was assigned to the transport ship USS Monrovia during World War II.

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The ship was the headquarters for famous American General George S. Patton during the 1943 invasion of Sicily, the US Forest Service said.

"(Former President Dwight D.) Eisenhower also was on this ship at that time, and it went on to a further 6 D-Day invasions in the Pacific."

"It really is quite remarkable how it emerged from the lake with so many stories to tell," officials said.

"Any 'restoration' will be done to preserve as much of the integrity of the boat as possible and will hopefully preserve it in a weathered 'combat fatigue' look, and that is how it is intended to be displayed at a museum in Nebraska."

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The cause of the Higgins boat sinking remains unknown.

Severe drought conditions in the western US states have led to other discoveries.

In July, another Higgins boat surfaced on Nevada's Lake Mead after waters receded.

The vessel had been so far under the waters that in 2006 the National Park Service sent divers to find it.

In Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir in the US, receding waters led to the discovery of five human remains this year.

READ MORE: Giant storm stretching across six states

The past three years have been the driest such period on record in California, state officials said.

The state is now preparing for the increasing probability that it will see a fourth consecutive dry year after the California water year ended in September.

- Reported with CNN

Multiple states are in the path of a major rain band forecast to hit through the rest of the week.

Some areas could see between 100mm and 200mm of rain, as the system moves through New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and south-west Queensland.

Snowmelt in Victoria is predicted to cause flooding.

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NSW also remains on flood alert after heavy rain over the weekend saw rivers rise in western Sydney and the state's Central West and Hunter.

Multiple warnings remain in place across the state, and residents are warned the new weather system will only exacerbate the problem.

"There is still some uncertainty regarding exactly where and how much rain will fall, although all of the main global forecast models are anticipating heavy rain in parts of Tas and Vic in the middle of this week," Weatherzone has reported.

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Thunderstorms have also been forecast in western NSW and south-west Queensland for Thursday.

Meanwhile, Queensland residents have been urged to prepare for an extended cyclone season in coming months.

October to April is the peak time for Australia's most extreme weather, including floods, storms and heatwaves.

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The 2022-23 long-range forecast includes:

• An increased risk of an above-average number of tropical cyclones and tropical lows
• An increased risk of widespread flooding for eastern and northern Australia
• Normal bushfire potential in eastern states, but an elevated risk of grass fires in southern Australia
• Increased risk of prolonged heatwaves in southern areas with higher humidity
• Normal risk of severe thunderstorms, but with possible increase in risk of thunderstorm asthma events if conditions are dry in late spring and early summer

The Bureau issued the long-range forecast today in advance of the November 1 to April 30 cyclone season.

This season there is a greater than 70 per cent chance of at least 11 tropical cyclones, which is the long-term average, impacting the Australian region.

Communities are urged to prepare now as there is an increased chance that the first tropical cyclone in the Australian region is likely to be earlier in the season.

Shocking footage has emerged of a young woman lashing out and spitting at McDonald's staff in Adelaide.

Police are now investigating the incident, which the retail workers' union has labelled "vile and disgusting".

Staff at the Hindley Street restaurant in the city centre were in the firing line on Friday night at around 11.30pm.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE

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"He hit me bro, he hit me in the face bro," the woman says, before she leans over the counter to pick up a handful of items and throwing it at the store's employees.

Josh Peak from the retail workers' union called on authorities to investigate the incident.

"It's disgusting, it's vile, and like this when they are just doing their job," he said.

"It is simply appalling there are some members of the public who think it's acceptable to treat a fast food worker this way."

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Police were called on the night and said they are investigating.

Last month, the penalty for assaulting retail staff was increased.

Those convicted are now facing up to seven years in jail.

Witnesses say there was no security at the store at the time of the incident, which happens to be across the road from the new police station.

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McDonald's Australia said it was supporting all the staff involved.

"The health and safety of our people and customers is our top priority," a spokeswoman said.

"Anti-social behaviour is not tolerated in our restaurants and we expect our people to be treated with respect at all times.

"We will always do our best for our customers, but we won't accept abuse, intimidation, threats or violence towards our employees."

Police are appealing for information.

A pilot has performed an amazing emergency landing at an airport in South Australia after his small plane's landing gear became stuck.

Emergency crews were on standby as the pilot made his nail-biting descent, after dozens of attempts.

The pilot circled multiple times as emergency crews and CFS doused the runway at Aldinga airstrip, south of Adelaide, in firefighting foam.

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After finally bringing the plane down, the pilot scrambled out, unscathed.

The alarm had been raised over an hour earlier, when the pilot of the Beechcraft Baron plane told those on the ground he had no landing gear.

He began to circle, approaching the runway again and again, only to take off again multiple times.

At one stage, the small aircraft headed out over the water, possibly to get rid of some of its fuel and reduce the risk of fire.

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"He would be going through hell at the moment," said one witness.

An hour and fifty minutes after he had first taken off, the plane came in to land and made it successfully.

The pilot was applauded for his handling of the emergency, and thanked responders.

Two people are seriously injured after a motor vehicle incident in a Hawke’s Bay beach town on Monday night.Police and a rescue helicopter were called to Harper Rd, Waimārama, about 7.50pm where they found two people with serious…