Every morning as she opens her eyes, Hafsa Nimrah Qaseem sees her son Sufiyan’s smiling face. Read more.

A car with stolen plates evaded police and struck a Highway Patrol vehicle and another car in Delacombe, police say. Read more.

A former Ballarat priest who has pleaded guilty to a string of historic child sexual abuse charges spanning a 22-year period has been forced to listen to his victims relive the horror he inflicted on them. Read more.

Angels come in many different guises, luckily for Ralph the gelding, who was in dire need of divine intervention last Friday. Read more.

Ballarat’s Greg Smith has been involved in more Paralympic gold. Read more.

A sunny start to the day, but another flood warning is in place for this evening, with further rains predicted.

Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered. 

► WAGGA: A Wagga man has been taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Trinity Senior High School and St Michael’s Regional High School alumnus was snatched on August 7 by five armed gunmen in military uniforms.

The Islamic fundamentalists pulled him into a four-wheel-drive on one of the main streets in the Afghan capital, Kabul. More here.

► HUNTER: Police are investigating a fatal single-vehicle crash in East Maitland.

Initial investigations suggest a Ford Falcon, was travelling west on the highway when it left the roadway, crashed through a fence and landed in Wallis Creek. The 47-year-old male driver died at the scene. More here.

► SYDNEY: Disgraced author Belle Gibson was secretly paid $75,000 for appearing on Channel Nine's flagship current affairs show, 60 Minutes, after her global cancer hoax and charity fraud were first exposed. More here.

► RUTHERFORD: Recycler Truegain has shut its doors, leaving angry workers owed money and an environmental legacy of toxic materials including the firefighting foams at the heart of the Williamtown RAAF controversy. Read on.

►  BEAUDESERT: Several Scenic Rim suburbs will be targeted as the state government launches its biggest attack yet on Queensland’s growing fire ant problem.

Suburbs including Harrisville, Warrill View, Rosevale, Mutdapilly, Mount Walker and Peak Crossing have been identified as high-risk areas for the spread of the the damaging South American ant species first detected in Brisbane in 2001. More here.

► ULURU: Three men are stuck on Uluru after ignoring pleas by the site's traditional owners not to climb the Australian landmark.

Late on Monday night, a delicate rescue operation was underway to winch the stranded climbers off the rock. Read on.

► BENDIGO: Up to nine roads in the Central Goldfields Shire remain closed after sustaining damage in recent flooding.

The shire’s operations manager Glenn Deaker said the damage was mostly concentrated in low-lying areas and around bridges and culverts. More here.

► RURAL: The concept of mandatory reporting by beef processors of not only their costs of procuring cattle but the price at which they have sold products is emerging as a key issue in inquiries and market studies looking into competition in the industry. Read on.

► Former Health Services Union leader Kathy Jackson has appeared in a Melbourne court charged with dozens of fraud-related offences over allegations she misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars of union funds. Read on.

► The Turnbull government is set to embark on a major independent review of the nation's intelligence agencies as Australia faces an unprecedented array of security challenges ranging from terrorism to the rise of China and cyber-spying. More here.

►Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Energiser Australia and Officeworks are among major retailers who have adopted a new voluntary industry code designed to reduce the number of Australian children killed and injured after swallowing button batteries. Read on.

► Police, nurses and paramedics have criticised moves by the Turnbull government to include volunteers in workplace negotiations for paid emergency service staff, warning it will affect the level of service provided to the community. More here.

LOS ANGELES: There were tears, politics and passion, long speeches and speeches which were crushed under the merciless weight of an indifferent musical playoff. For the cruel business of television, it was just another night of the long knives for the 2016 Emmys. Read on.

INDONESIA: Killer haze from forest fires that raged across Indonesia last year may have caused more than 100,000 premature deaths in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, according to a new report that suggests a drastically higher death toll than Indonesian government figures. Read on.

NEW YORK: Ahmad Khan Rahami, the suspect wanted by police in relation to the bomb blast in the New York neighbourhood of Chelsea on Saturday night and an earlier explosion in New Jersey, has been captured following a swift manhunt and shootout with police. More here.

1519: Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets off on the 1st successful circumnavigation of the globe (Magellan killed on route)

1854: Battle of the Alma: first major battle of Crimean War. British and French alliance defeat the Russians

1990: Both East and West Germany ratify reunification

2001: In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror".

Facts supplied: onthisday.com

Popular mechanic, Paul Basham has retired following 36 years with SG Chambers in Wallendoon Street. 

He began his career at the family-owned business on August 22, 1980 after having worked as a mechanic in West Wyalong and also spent six years at Toyota in Cootamundra. More here.