Syria's president has dashed any hopes for Syria's reform. In his much-anticipated address to parliament, President Assad labelled those behind the protest(s) as conspirators. He's also refused to lift the 50-year-old state of emergency. Just hours after the speech, there were reports that his troops opened fire on protesters in the city of Latakia.

 

Investigators are trying to work out the cause of a light plane crash in north-west New South Wales in which four people were killed. The plane was (口误) flying from Brisbane when it crashed into a paddock near Moree Airport. A 12-year-old girl and a man were pulled from the wreckage, and now were taken to a nearby hospital in a serious condition.

 

A six-year-old autistic boy has been hit and killed by a train near Geelong south of Melbourne. Police say he'd been reported missing a short time earlier. The boy apparently wandered onto the train tracks. The driver did hit the emergency brakes, but he couldn't stop in time.

 

And the leaders of India and Pakistan have been engaged in some cricket diplomacy. The pair dined together as they watched the semi-final clash between their two nations which India won.