Chilling discoveries at home of man who allegedly killed his mother and Australian aunt, & more in News in 5.

-With AAP.

1. Chilling discoveries at home of man who allegedly killed his mother and Australian aunt.

The bizarre world of an ex-Israeli Army officer is emerging after the bodies of his mother and Australian aunt were found buried in a well on the vacant lot next door to his own squalid property.

Nicolhas Gil Pereg, 36, whose real name is Gilad Sarusi, was arrested by Argentinian police for the alleged murder of his mother Pyrhia Sarusi, 63, and his aunt, University of New England Professor of Microbiology Lily Pereg, 54.

The bodies were buried on a lot beside the house his house according to Argentina prosecutor Claudia Rios.

One of the bodies had three gunshot wounds and the other showed signs of being drugged, according to local media. Both were covered in dirt and stones in a two-metre deep well on the abandoned lot in Mendoza, Argentina.

Stories of Pereg's bizarre life are emerging following his arrest, including the name he used when he first moved to South America from Israel in 2007 - Floda Reltih, or Adolf Hitler backwards.

His property, adjacent to Guaymallen cemetery in Mendoza, had no furniture, no running water and dead cats dissected in the yard. It was surrounded by an electric fence.

People who knew him told local media he had terrible body odour, looked filthy and unwashed and was bad tempered and "crazy".

He told people he was Norwegian, so they did not question his name 'Floda Reltih' or realise it was Adolf Hitler backwards.

Dr Pereg was a microbial ecologist with 25 years experience as a researcher in plant and social microbiology.

She obtained a PhD from the University of Sydney in 1998 and later worked for the Institute for Genetics at the University of Cologne in Germany before joining UNE in 2001.

"(Dr Pereg) was held in high esteem by her colleagues and students as a committed and dedicated academic," the statement reads.

"She was acknowledged nationally and internationally as a leading scholar in the fields of soil microbial ecology and plant-microbial interactions."

2. Qld paramedic dies responding to emergency.

The saddest of days at @QldAmbulance as we lost one of our own today. One of our paramedics died in a RTC whilst responding to a critical emergency case this morning. Our prayers are for him, his family, his immediate colleagues and all our entire QAS team at this time.

— Dr Stephen Rashford (@QASMedDirector) January 28, 2019

Queensland Ambulance Service has had its "most tragic day" when paramedics attended one of their own after an ambulance racing to an emergency crashed, killing the driver.

The 32-year-old paramedic was the only one in the vehicle when it rolled several times and smashed into a tree near Mackay, just after 8am on Monday, QAS says.

Bystanders and responding paramedics tried to save the male officer, who was in a critical condition, but he died at the scene in Benholme, acting deputy commissioner Gerard Lawler told reporters.

"It's our most tragic day ... it's a most distressing event for those attending, (we have lost) a colleague, a friend and a loved one, who was highly respected in his profession and no doubt his family," he said.

"Every support is being provided to those who responded ... in these tragic circumstance we have experienced today."

The advanced care paramedic was responding to a code one medical emergency with lights and sirens when the incident occurred.

"It's the highest code and urgency an officer can respond to," Mr Lawler said.

Road conditions in the Mackay area were wet following significant rain in north Queensland.

"The officer was very experienced, he'd worked with the service for about 10 years," Mr Lawler said.

Police are investigating the crash.

3. SAG Awards winners - the complete list.

'Black Panther' takes the top prize at the #SAGAwards, elevating Oscar chances https://t.co/kQHaDIVOvd via @ReutersTV pic.twitter.com/sByUCIG2UX

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) January 28, 2019

The 25th Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards took place on Sunday evening, LA time, with the biggest names in Hollywood walking this year's silver carpet.

The SAG awards, at which winners are determined by actors voting for actors, are one of the major opportunities for Oscar nominees to court voters and build momentum ahead of the Academy Awards on February 25.

Here's the full list of this year's winners:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Glenn Close, The Wife

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali, Green Book

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: Black Panther

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Darren Criss, Assassination of Gianni Versace

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Jason Bateman, Ozark

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: This Is Us

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series: GLOW

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Black Panther

4. MDMA, ketamine found in Sydney festivals.

Scores of people were arrested after cannabis, ketamine, GBH and more than 750 MDMA pills were seized at three Sydney music festivals.

At Hardcore Till I Die on Saturday at Sydney Olympic Park, seven people were charged with drug supply while another 16 were accused of possession.

One alleged supplier was 17. He was allegedly caught with 579 MDMA capsules and is due to face a children's court on February 20.

Mount Pritchard man Beaumont Tran, 25, is behind bars after allegedly being caught with 100 MDMA tablets and a knife. He's due in court on Tuesday.

At Electric Gardens on Saturday at Centennial Park, a Guildford woman, 25, was accused of supplying MDMA and possessing ketamine.

About 60 others charged or cautioned with possessing either cannabis, ketamine or MDMA

Forty-seven on-the-spot fines handed out at the two festivals on Saturday

Finally, at Rolling Loud on Sunday at Sydney Olympic Park, a North Nowra girl, 17, was accused of drug supply. Police allege she had 27 MDMA tablets and stolen goods on her. She's due to face a children's court on March 7.

In total, twenty-six were charged, cautioned or given an on-the-spot fine for drug possession, including for cannabis and MDMA.

(Source: NSW Police)

5. Secret letter released by Australian writer being held in China.

A secret letter written by the detained Australian writer includes an impassioned plea to his supporters to keep fighting for democracy in China https://t.co/SbOQ1eIPUn

— The Sydney Morning Herald (@smh) January 28, 2019

An Australian-Chinese writer detained on espionage charges left a letter written calling for a more democratic China with instructions to release it if he was ever arrested.

Yang Hengjun, who was detained on January 19, is being held in Beijing on suspicion of endangering China's national security.

The letter, written in 2011, has been given to the media by his close friend, Sydney academic Dr Feng Chongyi after it became apparent Mr Yang would not be released anytime soon.

In the letter, Mr Yang urges activists to "maintain belief in China's democratic future, and, when it doesn't put yourself or your family at risk, to use all your means to push China's democratic development to happen sooner".

He implores his supporters to push for "freedom, human rights, the rule of law, and justice to occur sooner" in China.

"If I can come out, I will continue my work. If I cannot come out or disappear again, remember my articles and let your children read them," he wrote.

He also apologises for not being honest about his earlier arrest in China in 2011, explaining that it was not due to a "misunderstanding".

He said he was, in reality, abducted by government agents.

"If I came out and said 'the truth', the authorities concerned would have been intolerable for a while, however, I can no longer return to China anyway, and can no longer continue to spread the tenants of freedom and democracy - which I was already doing with some scope," he wrote.

"I really believe that in China, spreading the philosophy [of democracy] is a vital task.

"I will definitely continue to use my methods to contribute to China's democracy."

Mr Yang has been an Australian citizen since 2002.

The 53-year-old had been living in New York as a visiting scholar at Columbia University, before leaving for Guangzhou on January 18.

He was prevented from boarding his connecting flight to Shanghai with his wife and daughter and is said to be under residential surveillance in Beijing, which is similar to home detention.