Several suspects are still on the run after pelting rocks at a bus on the Gold Coast, causing it to crash into a tree.

The passenger bus, which had a driver and five people on board, was the target of several people on e-bikes who threw rocks at it just before 11.30pm last night on Teemangum Street in Currumbin.

This caused the driver to lose control, and the bus left the road and collided head on with a tree.

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None of the passengers were injured, but the female bus driver was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Police are investigating the incident and are still searching for the people involved.

The company that runs the bus said it was appalled by the act of violence, and that drivers did not deserve the kind of abuse they faced.

"This was a deeply distressing incident for the bus driver and passengers involved, and we are in contact with those affected to offer our support," Kinetic executive general manager for south-east Queensland Tom Kinsey said in a statement.

"Attacks on our drivers and passengers are completely unacceptable. We strongly condemn any behaviour that puts the safety of our drivers, the passengers on board and the community at risk."

Anyone who witnessed the crash, or has any CCTV or dashcam footage is urged to come forward.

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A man has died after falling from the balcony of a unit complex in Sydney's north-west, with police treating the death as suspicious.

Emergency services were told shouting was coming from the balcony of a unit on Crane Road in Castle Hill at around 2.40am.

When paramedics arrived, they found a 44-year-old man with serious injuries in a garden outside the unit.

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They started treating him straight away, but he died at the scene.

Police have begun an investigation and set up a crime scene.

They are treating the death as suspicious.

A report will be prepared for the coroner, and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

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US President Donald Trump's visit to China this week may have been short on immediate deals addressing frictions over tech and trade. But there's little question that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will be viewing it as a resounding success.

Beijing didn't need big tangible outcomes to achieve major wins, like projecting China as an equal to the US on the global stage, and directing the tone of the relationship – including around Taiwan.

Trump's visit appears to have delivered on both.

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The hours the two leaders spent together over Trump's three-day stay were full of great-power bonhomie and effusive praise from the American president, who called the US-China relationship one of the "most consequential" in world history.

Even before the two sat down for talks, Trump told Xi he was sure the countries would have a "fantastic future". Later over a state banquet, the US president said good relations between the two could create a "future of greater prosperity" for the world – a sentiment that jibed with Xi's own toast.

All those soundbites and pats on the back created a fitting backdrop for China's announcement of a new era of "constructive strategic stability" between the two powers – one focused on co-operation and managed competition, rather than the volatile rivalry of last year.

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And the Chinese leader used his face time with Trump to make one thing very clear: the main thing that could derail a good rapport was Taiwan — China's most important "red line" issue.

If Washington doesn't handle that issue well, Xi told Trump on the visit's first day, the entire US-China relationship will be put in "great jeopardy". Beijing claims the self-ruling democracy as its own territory and opposes the US' robust unofficial ties with Taipei.

Comments Trump gave reporters on his return trip aboard Air Force One suggest the president at the very least heard out Xi's concerns, including over the US' regular arms sales to Taiwan. They discussed the subject in "great detail," Trump said, adding that he would "make a determination" on arms sales to the island soon.

Optics as outcome

China's diplomats were well aware of the opportunity the trip afforded them.

They carefully crafted a spectacle of pomp and pageantry, calibrated to impress Trump, from a military gun salute to a rare trip inside the secretive Communist Party leadership compound known as Zhongnanhai.

And the US president reflected back just the kind of optics that China's foreign policy establishment will relish. Trump arrived in Beijing with a phalanx of top American CEOs, who Trump told Xi were there to "pay their respect" to Xi and to China.

Being granted such deference by the leader of the world's most powerful country speaks volumes about Beijing's own status. That plays well for Xi domestically and abroad, where he aims to project China as an alternative leader to the US.

Xi is also expected to remain in the headlines next week as Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China in the coming days.

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A predictable relationship with the US also buys Beijing time to continue its rise across technological, military and geopolitical fronts. US tech controls and tariffs – like those at the center of a tit-for-tat US-China trade war last year – can upend supply chains and hurt companies, slowing that momentum.

That's true for the US too, which learned just how powerful China's leverage is over the world's supply of processed rare earths, when Beijing tightened its grip on these strategically critical materials to fight US tariffs last year.

While the White House's official readout didn't repeat Xi's "constructive, strategic stability" phraseology, top American diplomat Marco Rubio told NBC News in an interview from Beijing that the US agreed with China's emphasis on this "so that we don't have misunderstandings that can lead to broader conflict."

To be sure, a stable US-China relationship can have positive effects for the global economy, just as its frictions can upend trade.

But how that "strategic stability" is defined could also give China license to dispute US actions that it doesn't see as supporting that stability, especially when it comes to the trade and tech issues that raised tensions last year.

Taiwan talk

The takeaway that Beijing is sure to be most focused on in the wake of the trip is around Taiwan.

China's Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan but views the island as an integral part of its territory. Absorbing it into China, by force if necessary, is central to Beijing's vision for its "national rejuvenation" by 2049.

Xi didn't appear to miss a beat in making this point, even subtly. In his toast welcoming Trump to the banquet, the Chinese leader didn't mention Taiwan but drew a parallel between Trump's "Make America Great Again" ethos and his own vision of a "great rejuvenation".

Trump told Fox News' Bret Baier in an interview that aired Friday night that "nothing has changed" about the United States' policy toward Taiwan during the trip. He also said, however, that the two had "talked the whole night about that issue" – and he leaned into China's view that Taiwan's ruling party seeks independence.

"I will say this: I'm not looking to have somebody go independent, and you know we're supposed to travel 9500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down," Trump said.

The current ruling party in Taipei backs Taiwan's sovereignty, but its policy does not seek to change the status quo by declaring independence.

Under the "One China" policy, the US acknowledges China's position that Taiwan is part of China but has never officially recognized the Communist Party's claim to the island.

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How the US handles its unofficial relationship with Taiwan has long been a sticking point for Beijing, which is now watching closely whether Trump advances a US$14 billion ($19.5 billion) arms deal with the island. Congress approved the deal back in January.

In the Fox News interview, Trump said he was holding that deal "in abeyance" and that it "depends on China … it's a very good negotiating chip."

As he flew back to the US, Trump also told reporters aboard Air Force One that he and Xi discussed arms sales to Taiwan "in great detail" and that he would make a decision about arms sales "over the next early short period of time."

A pause on this deal would mark a significant win for China.

The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with weapons for its defence. A 1982 US assurance to Taiwan says the US does not have a policy of consulting with Beijing on arms sales. When asked about that stance on Friday, Trump quipped that the 1980s was "a long way."

In the hours after Trump left Beijing, China too weighed in with its own read on the situation.

"We sensed during the meeting that the US side understands China's position and attaches importance to China's concerns, and … does not support or accept Taiwan moving toward independence," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters, according to state media.

His statement also made another announcement: confirmation that Xi had accepted Trump's invitation to visit the US in the fall – opening up the next major touchpoint, potentially, for the two leaders to extend their period of goodwill.

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The Victorian government's announcement this week that it will fund free meningococcal B vaccines for teenagers has been met with conflicted emotions from families who have lost loved ones to the deadly disease.

The state will set aside $9 million to add the B strain to the existing meningococcal A,C,W and Y vaccines available for Year 10 students under the National Immunisation Program.

Meningococcal B is a contagious bacterial infection that can cause serious injury or death, sometimes in as little as 24 hours. 

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With all other strains routinely vaccinated against, B is now the dominant form of meningococcal disease in Australia and is responsible for around 80 per cent of cases, according to data from the Australian Meningococcal Surveillance Programme. 

Three other Australian states and territories offer free meningococcal B vaccines for teenagers and infants – Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory – while Tasmania will also follow suit from July this year.

With the addition of Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia are the only jurisdictions yet to provide state-funded access to the vaccine. 

Meningococcal B vaccines are available via private script for infants and teenagers, but protection requires multiple doses at $140 per jab.

While the Victorian announcement is a breakthrough for local families, the plan has already drawn criticism for its limited scope. 

The $9 million commitment is currently only funded for a single year, and unlike programs in South Australia and Queensland, it does not yet include infants, who remain one of the most at-risk demographics.

Melbourne mother Norliah Syer-Peterson has been a tireless advocate for the vaccine since her 16-year-old son, Levi, died last September. 

Levi was a healthy Year 10 student who went from having gastro-like symptoms in the morning to being gone within 12 hours.

In December, Syer-Peterson presented a petition with more than 41,000 signatures to parliament calling for the government to fund the meningococcal B vaccine. 

Syer-Peterson said that although it was too late for her son, she felt relieved that other teenagers might now be spared.

The legacy of her "beautiful, caring, fun-loving, sporty, funny, and kind-hearted boy" would continue as a result of the Victorian Government's decision, she said. 

However, Syer-Peterson said the need for free vaccines for infants remained in Victoria. The mother also vowed to continue campaigning for the vaccine to be funded in all states.

The push for a national solution hit a significant roadblock in March this year when the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) rejected a proposal to include the B strain vaccine on the National Immunisation Program for all infants and teens.

While the PBAC acknowledged the clinical need and effectiveness of the vaccine, it maintained that the evidence did not yet justify the cost of a nationwide rollout, describing the disease as catastrophic but rare.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is now calling on the NSW Government to urgently fund meningococcal B (MenB) vaccines as part of its immunisation program, warning that children and young people are being put at unnecessary risk.

RACGP NSW Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman said protecting children should not depend on a family's income or postcode.

"Vaccination saves lives," Hoffman said.

"Patients in New South Wales deserve a strong response, as we've seen in Queensland, South Australia, the NT, and recently, Victoria. We've delayed free MenB vaccination for too long already."

New South Wales mum Stacey Chater lost her son Brayden to a meningococcal B infection in November 2022. 

Brayden was a fit 23-year-old from Dapto who "lit up a room," but his life was cut short when he arrived at Wollongong Hospital already brain-dead from the infection.

Chater has spent three years campaigning for NSW Health Minister Ryan Park to fund the B strain vaccine, but she said her pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

"It's so infuriating," she said. "I just feel like I'm being ignored and it doesn't make sense to me. It's really a no-brainer." 

Despite meeting with the minister and delivering thousands of signed letters to his office, Chater said there had been no progress in NSW.

"New South Wales is looked upon as probably the leading state of Australia, so it's very, very disappointing," she said. 

"It's encouraging to see all these other states making change, but when's it going to be our turn? It just feels like I'm beating my head against a brick wall."

Chater said her message for Park was simple: "Get on board, save our kids lives and just come in line with the rest of Australia."

A NSW Health spokesperson said the rate of invasive meningococcal disease remained low.

"NSW Health continues to closely monitor the pattern of meningococcal B disease in NSW and respond based on the best available evidence, and emerging program developments in other jurisdictions," the spokesperson said.

People who are at increased risk because they have certain medical conditions, as well as Aboriginal babies, are eligible for free meningococcal B vaccines under the National Immunisation Program.

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Two teenagers have been charged after allegedly sending a Brisbane Woolworths store into lockdown.

The girls, aged 14 and 15, allegedly caused chaos at the Woolworths Keperra store at about 3pm yesterday afternoon.

Witnesses claim a manager was allegedly hit with a bottle and an innocent shopper was also caught up in the scuffle. 

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Both girls were taken into custody and charged with multiple offences, including common assault.

A heavily pregnant woman told 9News a glass bottle was allegedly thrown off a shelf and smashed near her.

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Woolworths told 9News it did not tolerate violence or dangerous behaviour in stores.

Footage from the scene captured alarms sounding and a warning to evacuate the store.

The Keperra store re-opened today after a massive clean-up last night. 

Both teens had their matters heard in a children's court today. 

The 15-year-old is set to face court again on Wednesday.

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Today marked the first test of the federal government's negative gearing overhaul at auctions across the country.

Hopes were a little higher this morning among those looking to break into the property market after the federal budget.

First home buyer Matt Beck said: "In the past we may have been competing with a lot of investors, but now with everything that's happened, that may change, slightly."

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Annie Ird said things seemed to have changed already.

"Places that were up for auction are now going for sale, so I feel like people are freaking out a little bit," she said.

Matt and Annie weren't lucky enough today in their bid for an Inner West Sydney home.

The federal government's negative gearing overhaul could now change how buyers behave.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's overhaul of negative gearing is expected to put off investors.

"The investor who is bidding against someone who wants to live in that home as their first home won't have the taxpayer by their side," he said.

Andrew Wilson, chief economist at My Housing Market, said: "I think we'll see fewer buyers. And there should be a transition period between fewer investors and more first home buyers."

New rules mean any property purchased after 7.30pm on Tuesday can only be negatively geared until July 1 next year.

After that, it's for new builds or property purchased before budget night only.

"They are aimed fairly and squarely at providing additional opportunity for young people," Albanese said.

However there has been backlash with claims it won't do much.

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson said: "They're going to increase rents, build fewer homes and kneecap young Australians by taxing their first home deposit when it's invested."

Treasury modelling predicts the changes will slow house price growth by 2 per cent over the next two years but it also warns it could push rents up, adding an average $2 per week.

"I think in the shorter term it will put house prices under pressure. There's no doubt about that," Wilson said.

Friends say father and club member Simon McLarin died after a medical event on the water.