Australia’s prime minister has said the deadly Sydney cafe siege may have been preventable, as the chorus of critics demanding to know why the gunman was free on bail despite a string of violent charges grew louder.

An Australian TV newsreader broke down in tears during a live broadcast when she realised her connection to one of the victims of yesterday's siege at a Sydney cafe.

Three people have died after a siege in a Sydney cafe came to a dramatic end yesterday when armed police stormed the building.

Scotland Yard has passed a file of evidence to Australian police over a prank call to the hospital where the duchess of Cambridge was treated for morning sickness during the early stages of her pregnancy.

The Australian radio station embroiled in the royal baby hoax scandal has said it tried to make contact with the hospital again after recording the prank call.

Police in London have contacted their Australian counterparts about speaking with the two radio presenters who made a prank phone call that led to the death of a nurse.

A man is due in court in the US to face extradition proceedings in connection with a fake bomb alert.

An Irish man attacked in Australia has died in hospital, police said today.

A British backpacker has been found alive in the Australian bush after his desperate father gave up hope of ever seeing him again.

POLICE in Australia were last night searching for an Irishman who went missing along the Byron Bay coastline.

THE parents of Cork native David Keohane have appealed for witnesses to come forward with information to help identify his attackers.

Police in Sydney today discovered six athletes missing from Sierra Leone’s Commonwealth Games team at a house in a beachside suburb, hours after the three men and three women’s permission to stay in Australia ran out.

Detectives investigating race riots that rocked Sydney last week seized a pistol, ammunition, knives and smoke bombs in a series of raids today.

THE parents of an Irish backpacker who went missing in Australia after getting into an argument at a concert have appealed for information on his whereabouts.

Rock band Ash appealed today to concert-goers to help trace a British fan who went missing after one of their gigs in Australia.

The Irish parents of a British backpacker who went missing in Australia after getting into an argument at a concert have appealed for information on his whereabouts.