Toddler who died in Sydney's west was reportedly left in a hot car, & more in News in 5.

1. Sad discovery in case of toddler who died in Sydney’s west.

Police are investigating whether a toddler died after accidentally being left in a hot car at a home in Sydney’s west.

Emergency services were called to the home in Chester Hill on Sunday afternoon to reports a 22-month-old boy had been found unresponsive.

Paramedics were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police were told the child was found inside a car at the front of the residence by family members when he could not be found inside the home.

The Daily Telegraph reports the boy was left in the car for several hours, with temperatures reaching 34C.

The boy, said to be a twin and the youngest of six children, was reportedly left in the care of someone else while his mother was out.

His grandmother, who lives at the house, was taken to hospital suffering from shock, the paper reports.

Police have established a crime scene and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

2. North Qld awaits next blow in flood crisis.

The extent of Townsville’s flood crisis is all too evident from the air ????

This is some truly devastating video captured by QGAir Rescue 521 today.

????: Queensland Government Airhttps://t.co/k3mfddTVAn#bigwet pic.twitter.com/yCQn11HpF9

— ABC Brisbane (@abcbrisbane) February 3, 2019

A large swathe of Queensland is braced for major flooding, with communities from the north and central coast to the drought-stricken west at risk.

The monsoon trough that began dumping flooding rains in far north Queensland a week ago continues to threaten properties in flood-bound Townsville.

Up to 500 homes in the city have already been inundated and with days of intense rain ahead, there are fears that between 10,000 and 20,000 properties could be at risk.

A day of intense rainfall on Sunday forced the local council to open the floodgates to Townsville’s swollen Ross River Dam after 8pm, releasing almost 2000 cubic metres of water per second downriver.

Residents in many low-lying suburbs were warned to seek higher ground as floodwaters were expected to rise through the night and into the morning.

Townsville residents were on Monday also being warned to stay out of the flood waters due to recent crocodile and snake sightings around the town.

Power to thousands of homes in the north Queensland city has been cut and the main airport closed.

Hundreds of people who’ve been forced from their homes by waist- and chest-deep water are taking refuge at evacuation centres, and with family and friends on higher ground.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the state’s flood disaster is far from over, and weather forecasters have said between half a metre and a metre of extra rain could fall on the east coast in coming days.

A severe weather warning covers communities from Mackay, on the coast, north to Ingham, and right out west, almost as far as the Northern Territory border.

Major road routes are cut, including the Bruce Highway north and south of Townsville, forcing the state government to shore up food supplies in isolated communities, including Richmond.

Eleven of the state’s local government areas have been affected, with five eligible for disaster assistance.

“We have had so many of these natural disasters over a short period of time,” the premier told reporters on Sunday, referring to earlier floods and cyclones over the summer months.

“The flooding event is going to cause a lot of distress to a lot of people.”

In Townsville, authorities have warned people riding out the disaster that even when the rain stops, it could take days for the water to subside so they can go home.

“We are literally in unchartered territory for this city,” Mayor Jenny Hill said.

“The real test will be once we hit recovery.”

3. Actor Carmen Duncan dead at 76.

‘RIP gorgeous, you were all class’ Fans, friends, family mourn death of Australian actress Carmen Duncan https://t.co/FpClKvO8sB

— SBS News (@SBSNews) February 3, 2019

Australian actor Carmen Duncan has died after a battle with cancer.

The 76-year-old, best known for her roles the films Harlequin and Don’t Let It Get To You, died over the weekend, News Corp Australia reported on Sunday.

Duncan also appeared in many Australian TV shows including Number 96, Homicide, Cop Shop, Skyways, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, and Winners and Losers.

Australian singer and TV presenter, David Campbell tweeted: “So sad to hear of the lovely Carmen Duncan passing. She indeed was a beautiful soul. RIP.”

4. Man in court over Brisbane airport scare.

The man who allegedly made bomb threats at Brisbane’s international airport while wielding a knife is expected to face court.

The 50-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly pulled out a knife and placed a metal object on an airport table, claiming it was a bomb, after an argument with a woman.

Commissioner Ian Stewart told reporters on Sunday the accused man had gone to “extraordinary lengths” to create a perception of “risk, threat and fear”.

The man, who was shot with non-lethal bean bag rounds, was charged with a string of offences, including stalking with a weapon and assaulting police.

He is expected to appear before Brisbane Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

5. Healthy lives may stop 200K cancer cases.

More than 200,000 people could be saved from experiencing cancer in the next 25 years if all Australians maintained a healthy weight and exercised enough.

That includes 190,500 potentially preventable cancers linked to Australian’s being overweight and another 19,200 connected to people not exercising for at least five hours a week.

The figures have emerged in new research by the Brisbane-based QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, published in the International Journal of Cancer on Monday.

The results of the study, funded by the Cancer Council and the federal government’s National Health and Medical Research Council, come as more than two-thirds of adults are considered overweight or obese.

Nearly half of Australians aren’t sufficiently active.

The cancers with the highest number of potentially avoidable cases include post-menopausal breast, endometrium, bowel and kidney cancers.

Obesity Policy Coalition executive director Jane Martin says the number of deaths that could be stopped through healthier lifestyles is striking and shows Australia has got a “very serious problem”.

“There are a proportion of cancers that aren’t preventable, but this shows that there are a lot that are,” she told AAP.

“We need to do some broad policy changes to create an environment that makes the healthy choice the easy choice.”

Restricting junk food marketing to children, putting a health levy on sugary drinks and improving food labelling are among initiatives Ms Martin’s group believe could help.

They also recommend funding more effective social marketing campaigns encouraging people to be a healthy weight.

Cancer Council chief executive Sanchia Aranda said both sides of politics need to recognise their responsibility to promote more public education about the benefits of good nutrition and exercise.

But individuals can also take steps to reduce their risk of lifestyle-related cancers, she said.

“Improving your diet can be as simple as eating more fruit, vegetables and whole grains. An easy measure is the two-and-five goal – two fruits and five serves of vegetables every day,” she said.

“When it comes to physical activity, if you can’t commit to five hours of physical activity per week it’s important to remember that every little bit counts.

“So making an effort to be more active each day can still lead to better health.”