Nichole Schmidt, the mother of Gabby Petito, has taken legal action against the estate of Brian Laundrie, by filing a complaint in Sarasota County in which she asks for monetary compensation for the "wrongful death" of her daughter.

According to the lawsuit, Petito and Laundrie, who had been her fiancé, left New York in July to take a cross-country trip, during which Petito hoped to become a travel influencer by documenting the details of their journey on social media.

Petito was in constant contact with her parents and sibling during the trip, the suit said, and their last communication with them was on August 27.

READ MORE: New claims made in Gabby Petito case

Petito's remains were found in Teton County, Wyoming, in September, a little more than a week after her family reported her missing.

The 22-year-old woman died by strangulation, the coroner ruled.

Laundrie returned to the couple's home on September 1 by himself, left again roughly two weeks later and disappeared.

Laundrie's remains were later found in a Florida nature preserve and a medical examiner ruled he died by suicide.

Nearby, authorities found a notebook in which they said Laundrie claimed responsibility for Petito's death.

READ MORE: Gabby Petito's parents sue Laundrie's parents over killing

"As a direct and proximate consequence of Brian Laundrie's tortious conduct, Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito incurred funeral and burial expenses, and they have suffered a loss of care and comfort, and have suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society and comfort," the suit said.

Ms Schmidt is asking for a trial by jury, and although the lawsuit does not list a specific monetary amount, it does ask for "damages which exceed US$30,000 ($42,384)"

The Laundrie family's attorney downplayed the suit in an email to CNN on Saturday (US time).

"The filing of the wrongful death lawsuit by the Petito family was fully expected," Steven P. Bertolino, an attorney who represents the Laundrie family, told CNN.

READ MORE: Gabby Petito's fiance's cause of death revealed in US

"This lawsuit will most likely not be defended and the Petitos will have gained nothing more than a piece of paper that tells them what everyone already knows, which is that Brian was responsible for Gabby's death as indicated by the FBI."

CNN has reached out to Schmidt's attorney but did not hear back Saturday.

Petito's family also has filed a lawsuit against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, alleging they knew their son Brian murdered Gabby Petito and were working to help him flee the country, CNN previously reported.

In an email in response to the earlier lawsuit, Mr Bertolino said he was confident the case would be dismissed.

If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

For further information about depression, contact beyondblue on 1300 224 636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.

Alina Kabaeva, a woman who has been romantically linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is included in the sixth proposed package of European Union sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, according to two European diplomatic sources.

At this stage, names can be taken off or added at member states' discretion and is expected to be a point of negotiation when any new sanctions package is proposed, an EU Commission source told CNN.

The EU has not officially signed off on the draft proposal.

READ MORE: Why May 9 is a big day for Russia

"Discussions are going on. It's not a piece of cake, but we have to wait and see," one of the diplomatic sources told CNN on Friday morning.

CNN has reached out to Russia's National Media Group, of which Ms Kabaeva is head, for comment on the proposed sanctions.

Kabaeva, who was born in 1983, was first linked to Putin more than a decade ago, while she was a medal-winning gymnast.

Putin, who is divorced, has denied a relationship with her.

In April, the Wall Street Journal reported that US officials had been debating whether or not to place sanctions on Kabaeva, with concerns that such a move might increase tensions further because it could be an extreme personal blow to Putin.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is also among the individuals who are included in the proposed sixth round of EU sanctions, according to two sources who have seen the full documents.

The proposed sanctions are out of touch with "common sense," Russian Orthodox Church spokesperson Vladimir Legoida said Wednesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

READ MORE: 'Seemed like goodbye': Mariupol defenders make their stand

"The more indiscriminate (these) sanctions become, the more they lose touch with common sense and the harder it becomes to reach peace, which is what the Russian Orthodox Church prays for at every service with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch," Legoida said in a Telegram post.

"Only those completely ignorant of the history of our Church can seek to intimidate its clergy and believers by compiling some lists," Legoida said.

The EU has been ratcheting up its economic action against Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Most recently, the bloc has proposed a ban on Russian oil imports, something that would have a major impact on Russia's economy, though Hungary, an EU member state with close links to Putin, is likely to scupper any such plans.

Who is Alina Kabaeva?

Kabaeva and Putin reportedly met when she was a young gymnast, who won multiple medals domestically, at European competitions and at the Olympic Games.

She was awarded the gold medal for rhythmic gymnastics at the Athens Games in 2004.

Widely known in her home country, she was chosen as one of the torchbearers when Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014, an event that took place shortly before Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

Kabaeva has made public statements in support of the Russian military since the start of the war in Ukraine, most recently calling on Russian citizens to rally behind the war effort.

At a recent gymnastics event, she said: "Every family has a history of war, and we shouldn't forget about it. We should hand it over from generation to generation."

According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials say she and her family have become wealthy due to her proximity to Putin, though the Kremlin continues to deny any relationship between the two.

The US Treasury department has refused to comment on the case.

Regardless of her actual relationship with the Russian President, if her name does appear on the final list of EU sanctions, Kabaeva — still relatively unknown outside Russia — and her finances will come under huge international scrutiny.

A 27-year-old man has been found dead on a roadway in Queensland.

Police were called to the scene at about 5.50am after they were told the man was on Sarina Beach Road in Sarina.

Officers said initial investigations indicate the man was walking in a westbound lane when he was allegedly struck by a vehicle travelling in the same direction sometime after 5.30am.

READ MORE: Two dead in horror Mother's Day crash near Brisbane

"The vehicle has then left the scene," police said.

The 27-year-old Sarina man suffered critical injuries and died at the scene.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who has dashcam footage in the area at the time to come forward.

Investigations into the circumstances continue.

"Eat when you can and sleep when you can."

That was the advice a colleague passed on the day I joined the campaign bus dubbed the "Scomobile". 

For the next three weeks, I was part of the travelling media contingent, following the Prime Minister around the country and throwing questions at him every day.

READ MORE: LNP candidate referred to AFP over electoral forms

Life on the trail is very far removed from normality. The days start early with bus rides and flights to mystery locations.

The leaders' teams keep event and travel details close to their chests for security reasons, but also not wanting to give the other side any advantage. 

On Scott Morrison's side of the campaign, the pace is relentless. Usually he does three jobs a day and crosses at least one state border.

You rarely ever sleep two nights in the same hotel.

READ MORE: Can the political polls really be trusted?

https://twitter.com/ElizaEdNews/status/1521972033495908353

For one Channel Nine camera operator who has covered three election campaigns, this one has been the most stage-managed to date. 

Events where Scott Morrison mixes with the public are few and far between. Usually the people he talks to have been invited by local candidates. 

At one lolly shop in the Melbourne seat of Chisholm, a cameraman overheard the selected shoppers being told to "pretend to browse", rather than look like they were waiting for the PM to arrive. 

An advancing team is sent before events to scope out the venues and make sure the Prime Minister avoids walking past signs that read "danger", because the cameras are on him at all times and those pictures are like gold for TV news. 

One sign had to be hastily covered up with a high-vis vest at a business in Townsville, before the PM strolled by.

It read "If you mess up, fess up".

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about early voting

https://twitter.com/ElizaEdNews/status/1521298595705933824

Scott Morrison has made a habit of getting involved in whatever activity presents itself at events.

Whether it be kicking a footy around with kids, sipping a whiskey during an 8am distillery tour, or pressing a big green button to fire up a machine at a manufacturing plant. 

These are the moments camera operators and photographers wait for, and trigger a flurry of shutters and flashes as they try to nail the shot.

The camaraderie between competing news crews is something special. A bond forged in cramped spaces, on long-haul flights and in attempts to get answers out of the two men who want the country's top job.

Only two more weeks of chasing the leaders before the verdict of Australians is known.

The idea of a hole in the middle of your earbuds doesn't sound practical, but Sony has created a truly unique product with its new LinkBuds.

Sony's LinkBuds are the most distinctive headphones on the market, there's not many that compare.

Great sound, promising battery, comfortable and stylish. They can be controlled by a tap of your cheek, offer 360 audio and have water resistance. All of this tech is crammed into just 4 grams a bud – quite impressive!

They look great out of the box, but they're a bit fiddly to pair and setup. You need to download the Sony Headphones app then there's a string of other setup steps to fully optimise them to your device.

All else fails, there's a manual pairing button on the back of the case. Android users shouldn't have any issues, the LinkBuds are Google Fast Pair enabled.

Design

They're the most unique headphones in recent times, a significant leap in design from any other brand. 

The ring-shaped design is unlike any other, almost like mini donuts for your ears – just slightly less delicious. 

The hole in the centre of the earpiece allows you to still be present while listening to music, a podcast, or making calls.

Changing songs, pausing or launching Spotify is as simple as a tap on your cheek, vibrations triggering the earbuds.

The Linkbuds are IPX4 water resistant, which basically means, should you forget an umbrella, you won't need to worry about a few raindrops splashing on your tech – but they may not fair too well in the washing machine.

READ MORE: New 'rollable' TV launches in Australia but it's not cheap

The case the LinkBuds are stored in is lightweight and compact. Both LinkBuds sit snug inside, and can be charged via a USB-C port on the back of the case.

The case itself (tech aside) is made from recycled plastic.

Comfort

The biggest claim by Sony is the LinkBud's "Never Off" design. And I attest – they can be worn all day without issue. I put them in at 9AM, and by 5PM I was still wearing them comfortably. 

Answer my desk phone was still possible with the LinkBuds in my ears, while it didn't feel natural in any way, the "never off" experience was evident. 

There's nothing blocking your ears from taking in any sounds, after 30 minutes you almost forget they're there. 

A silicon loop acts as a support hook, holding onto your outer ear and keeping the LinkBuds from slipping out. In the box you'll find a few different sizes for any shaped ear. I have never had an issue with them slipping out.  

Sound

The LinkBuds are seemingly the opposite of noise cancelling. That said, they still produce huge sound from such a tiny package. Blasting high quality music through Tidal,

But phone calls are on the nose in some circumstances. While in low-noise environments I experienced no issues, calls were clear as day, but making a phone call in a busy supermarket was a struggle for the person on the receiving end. 

The "Speak-to Chat" feature on the LinkBuds enables you to pause music from your voice by simply speaking. Meaning you can start a conversation at any point without have to turn down your tunes – just start talking and it'll pause it for you.

READ MORE: Fortnite comes to Apple devices thanks to Xbox Cloud gaming update

The LinkBuds do support Sony's 360 Reality Audio, but only through select apps and at a cost.

Music service TIDAL charges the user $16.99 a month to experience high Sound Quality through the LinkBuds and other devices. They offer a 30-day trial, and if you're a music buff it's worth it.

High fidelity music tracks are limited to streaming services, you won't get this quality with Spotify.

Despite the donut design, you'll be able to hear everything on offer.

Well, almost…

The LinkBuds, while offering a great audio range, slightly lack in the bass department.

What's in the box, price and availability 

Having only just launched in Australia, the LinkBuds are sure to impress.

What's in the box? In addition to the warranty information and quick setup guide, there's also 5 sizes of ear supporters for different shaped ears and a USB-C charging cable.

Recycled plastic may sound cheap, but they look and feel excellent. The plastics used in the LinkBuds is surprisingly made from car parts.

A pair of LinkBuds can now be picked up for $249 – similarly price range Apple's 2nd Gen EarPods. They come in grey or white and are available now from most retailers or online.

Pros:

• Smart controls

• 360 Reality Audio support

• Made from recycled materials

• Good battery life

Cons:

• No wireless charging

• A bit fiddly to pair and setup

9News.com.au was supplied a pair of Sony LinkBuds by Sony for the purpose of this review.

Police are treating a man’s death in Taranaki as a homicide after discovering his body at a Tāngarākau campground on Saturday.Police received a report at around 7am and arrived at the campground to find the man’s body.Detective…

By Kelvin McDonald of Maori Television NZ’s largest Māori-owned fishing company Moana New Zealand is claiming the government has “seriously neglected” Māori interests in plans to install cameras on up to 300 inshore…

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have ordered all Afghan women to wear head-to-toe clothing in public — a sharp, hard-line pivot that confirmed the worst fears of rights activists and was bound to further complicate Taliban dealings with an already distrustful international community.

The decree says that women should leave the home only when necessary, and that male relatives would face punishment — starting with a summons and escalating up to court hearings and jail time — for women's dress code violations.

It was the latest in a series of repressive edicts issued by the Taliban leadership, not all of which have been implemented.

READ MORE: The Taliban used to blow up Buddha statues – now they guard them for China

Last month, for example, the Taliban forbade women to travel alone, but after a day of opposition, that has since been silently ignored.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it was deeply concerned with what appeared to be a formal directive that would be implemented and enforced, adding that it would seek clarifications from the Taliban about the decision.

“This decision contradicts numerous assurances regarding respect for and protection of all Afghans’ human rights, including those of women and girls, that had been provided to the international community by Taliban representatives during discussions and negotiations over the past decade,” it said in a statement.

The decree, which calls for women to only show their eyes and recommends they wear the head-to-toe burqa, evoked similar restrictions on women during the Taliban's previous rule between 1996 and 2001.

READ MORE: Taliban break promise on higher education for Afghan girls

“We want our sisters to live with dignity and safety,” said Khalid Hanafi, acting minister for the Taliban’s vice and virtue ministry.

The Taliban previously decided against reopening schools to girls above grade 6, reneging on an earlier promise and opting to appease their hard-line base at the expense of further alienating the international community. But this decree does not have widespread support among a leadership that's divided between pragmatists and the hardliners.

That decision disrupted efforts by the Taliban to win recognition from potential international donors at a time when the country is mired in a worsening humanitarian crisis.

“For all dignified Afghan women wearing Hijab is necessary and the best Hijab is chadori (the head-to-toe burqa) which is part of our tradition and is respectful,” said Shir Mohammad, an official from the vice and virtue ministry in a statement.

“Those women who are not too old or young must cover their face, except the eyes,” he said. “Islamic principles and Islamic ideology are more important to us than anything else,” Hanafi said.

Senior Afghanistan researcher Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch urged the international community to put coordinated pressure on the Taliban.

“(It is) far past time for a serious and strategic response to the Taliban’s escalating assault on women’s rights," she wrote on Twitter.

The Taliban were ousted in 2001 by a US-led coalition for harbouring al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and returned to power after America’s chaotic departure last year.

The White House National Security Council condemned the Taliban's Saturday decree and urged them to immediately reverse it.

"We are discussing this with other countries and partners. The legitimacy and support that the Taliban seeks from the international community depend entirely on their conduct, specifically their ability to back stated commitments with actions,” it said in a statement.

Since taking power last August, the Taliban leadership has been squabbling among themselves as they struggle to transition from war to governing. It has pit hard-liners against the more pragmatic among them.

A spokeswoman from Pangea, an Italian non-governmental organisation that has assisted women for years in Afghanistan, said the new decree would be particularly difficult for them to swallow since they had lived in relative freedom until the Taliban takeover.

“In the last 20 years, they have had the awareness of human rights, and in the span of a few months have lost them," Silvia Redigolo said by telephone. "It’s dramatic to (now) have a life that doesn’t exist,’’ she said.

Infuriating many Afghans is the knowledge that many of the Taliban of the younger generation, like Sirajuddin Haqqani, are educating their girls in Pakistan, while in Afghanistan women and girls have been targeted by their repressive edicts since taking power.

Girls have been banned from school beyond grade 6 in most of the country since the Taliban’s return. Universities opened earlier this year in much of the country, but since taking power the Taliban edicts have been erratic. While a handful of provinces continued to provide education to all, most provinces closed educational institutions for girls and women.

The religiously driven Taliban administration fears that going forward with enrolling girls beyond the the sixth grade could alienate their rural base, Hashmi said.

In the capital, Kabul, private schools and universities have operated uninterrupted.

Case numbers of COVID-19 have dropped over the last 24 hours in the eastern states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland as well as in Western Australia.

Thirteen more people have died from the virus across the four states, which is a large reduction in the more than 30 recorded nationally yesterday.

New South Wales

In NSW, there were 8,891 new cases reported and six new deaths.

There are now 1504 people being treated in hospital for COVID-19, 57 of whom are in intensive care.

The number of new cases is down from the 11,671 cases reported yesterday.

FEDERAL ELECTION: Can the polls be trusted?

Victoria

In Victoria, there were 8,744 new COVID-19 cases.

Currently, 491 patients are in Victorian hospitals being treated for the virus, with 38 in ICU and 8 ventilated.

Yesterday, Victoria recorded 9,365 new cases.

https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1523075668107427840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Queensland

The sunshine state reported 4,673 new cases and the new deaths today.

There are now 426 people in hospital with the virus and 12 in ICU.

https://twitter.com/qldhealth/status/1523112477781000192

Western Australia

Over in Western Australia, there were 8,747 cases of COVID-19 reported today and one death.

There are 281 people in hospital with COVID-19 and 8 in ICU.

https://twitter.com/WAHealth/status/1523128066481950720

Police have arrested one person, seized and impounded seven bikes and issued 130 infringements following a road policing operation to monitor a gang convoy taking place in Auckland over the weekend.Revving engines filled the air…