The judge said he wouldn’t let the court be ‘an absolute laughing stock’.

A coroner says there is public interest in examining the circumstances of her death.

Emergency services were called to the scene around 5.30pm.

There are currently 13 prisoners in Auckland Prison’s unit.

The quake struck near Seddon about 5.39pm.

It’s been a bumpy road.

The community has rallied around the family of a two-month-old baby whose skull was fractured during an alleged violent home invasion in Alice Springs.

Baby Antonia was in her mother Nicole Siguenza's arms when their home in Larapinta was allegedly broken into by two teenagers on December 11.

The pair were assaulted with a metal weapon, police say, which left Antonia with serious head injuries, including a fractured skull and a brain bleed.

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Mother-of-five Nicole and Antonia were taken to hospital in Adelaide and a fundraiser has been set up to support the family following the "horrific" incident".

"Dad, Marlon, remains in Alice Springs to take care of their other four children so cannot work at this time," a fundraiser for the Siguenza family reads.

"Christmas plays such a big part to the Siguenza's and we're praying they can all be together soon."

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In-person fundraisers around Alice Springs have also been organised to help the Siguenzas, including a bake sale held last week.

A second fundraiser is being advertised on social media at an Alice Springs brewery next month.

Marlon told ABC his daughter had suffered seizures as a result of the attack.

He said she was "doing better" but remains in hospital.

Nicole suffered bruising but is otherwise OK.

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The offenders, aged 16 and 17, were both apprehended within an hour and half of the alleged home invasion.

They have both been charged with five offences including unlawfully causing serious harm, aggravated assault and robbery, theft and aggravated burglary.

The alleged crime prompted a response from NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, who described it as "totally unacceptable".

"It is far from normal. People deserve to be safe in their homes," she said.

"I'd like to acknowledge also that there are a lot of very angry people in this town who feel frustrated, scared, hurt by what has taken place over recent weeks and they deserve to be angry."

NT Police also announced it would widen a taskforce aimed at reducing crime across the region following the arrests.

Operation Ludlow will now focus on more suburbs around Alice Springs, police said.

Rachael Donnellan has been renting out clothes from her own wardrobe to make extra cash since 2016 but a recent scam slashed her income by $200 per week.

She's one of thousands of Australians who have relied on side hustles to boost their income as the nation struggles through a cost of living crisis.

Almost 70 per cent of employed Aussies are considering or already engaged in side hustles, according to research by Fiverr — and it's not just young people.

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Almost half (45 per cent) of over-55s actively participate in side hustles compared to 81 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds.

A survey from Small Business Loans Australia (SBLA) also found that 55 per cent of Aussies hope to start a side hustle or small business within the next five years, many hoping to supplement their income.

That's what Donnellan wanted when she started renting out Kookai dresses as a hobby and turned it into Hire Melbourne, a thriving clothing hire business she co-owns.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at Google Play.

An alleged Chinese spy who cultivated close ties with Prince Andrew said he has done "nothing wrong or unlawful" as Britain's government faced questions about what it is doing to thwart security threats from China.

British authorities allege businessman Yang Tengbo — known only as "H6" until a High Court judge lifted an anonymity order overnight — was working on behalf of the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that is used to influence foreign entities.

It's the most high-profile case in a series of espionage scandals in recent years that involved suspected or confirmed Chinese intelligence-gathering in Britain's establishment, including in Parliament.

Here's a look at Yang's case:

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Who is Yang Tengbo?

Yang, 50, also known as Chris Yang, is listed as a director of Hampton Group International, a business consultancy advising UK-based companies on their operations in China. He has been photographed with senior UK politicians, including former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, at events.

Yang is reportedly a key member of Pitch@Palace China, an initiative by Prince Andrew to support entrepreneurs.

Yang worked as a junior civil servant in China before arriving in the UK in 2002 to study. He earned a master's degree in public administration and public policy at the University of York before starting his business.

He was granted the right to live and work in the UK for an indefinite period in 2013. Yang told authorities he has spent regular time in Britain and considered it his second home.

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What happened with Prince Andrew?

Details about Yang's case emerged last week at a special immigration tribunal, which upheld a decision by British authorities to ban Yang from entering the UK in 2023. The Home Office said he was believed to have carried out "covert and deceptive activity" for the Chinese Communist Party.

Judges agreed with MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence, that Yang "represented a risk to the national security" and dismissed his appeal.

The tribunal heard that in 2021, authorities found documents that showed how close Yang was to Prince Andrew, King Charles III's younger brother.

One letter from a senior adviser to Andrew told Yang he should "never underestimate the strength" of his relationship with the royal. "Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on," the adviser wrote.

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The tribunal said that when Yang was interviewed by immigration authorities he failed to give a full account of his relationship with the prince, which it said had a "covert and clandestine" element.

Authorities have not made public what information Yang allegedly obtained or was seeking to obtain. But the tribunal cited a 2022 statement by the MI5 director that described the United Front Work Department's aims as buying and exerting influence, amplifying pro-China voices and silencing those critical of the Chinese government's authority.

Andrew has been repeatedly criticised for his links to wealthy foreigners and prompted critics to suggest that those individuals were trying to buy access to the royal family.

What has been said about the allegations?

Yang strongly denied the espionage claims and said he was a victim of a changing political climate that had seen a rise in tensions between Britain and China.

"I have done nothing wrong or unlawful," he said in a statement. "The widespread description of me as a 'spy' is entirely untrue."

Andrew's office said the royal met Yang "through official channels" and nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed.

READ MORE: Mum, daughter 'poisoned' in Fiji land in Australia

What is the UK's relationship with China?

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he is concerned about the challenge posed by China, but stood by his government's strategy of engagement and cooperation with Beijing.

Starmer, who took office this summer, has sought to repair frayed ties and in November became the first British leader to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping since 2018.

Opposition lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith, a leading critic of Beijing, said that glosses over the clear threat China poses. Yang was already a known member of China's United Front Work Department, he told Parliament, and should not have been able to gain access to the royal family without scrutiny.

"The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that's taking place," he said.

In 2022 British intelligence officials warned politicians that Christine Lee, a British-Chinese lawyer, had been seeking to improperly influence members of Parliament for years. A parliamentary researcher was arrested in 2023 on suspicion of providing sensitive information to China.

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Australians are really embracing the Christmas spirit this year, with homes across the county draped in stunning festive decorations and sparkling lights.