A group of North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia's Kursk region, an area of ongoing military operations, Ukraine's military intelligence service announced.

After receiving training in Russia's far east, some troops have now made their way to the western Russia region where Ukraine has maintained a strong foothold since launching an incursion in August.

In a post on its official Telegram account, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said the troops had been spotted in Kursk on Wednesday.

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The intelligence service said the roughly 12,000 North Korean soldiers that have been deployed to Russia are receiving training at five military training grounds in the east.

This comes after CNN geolocated social media videos showing troops arriving at the Sergeevka training ground, close to Russia's border with China.

Thursday's 12,000 figure is larger than had been previously been flagged by US officials. On Wednesday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at least 3000 North Korean soldiers arrived in eastern Russia this month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Ukraine had intelligence about Russia "training two military units from North Korea" involving perhaps "two brigades of 6000 people each."

Ukrainian intelligence services said on Thursday that "several weeks" have been allocated for the coordination of the North Korean troops which includes 500 officers and three generals.

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Moscow 'in contact' with Pyongyang

Ukraine had repeatedly warned that warming relations between Russia and North Korea could see Pyeongyang taking a more direct role in the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did nothing to dispel this suspicion when questioned by journalists at the BRICS summit on Thursday, saying Russia is currently "in contact" with North Korea.

"We have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously," Putin told the press conference in Kazan, Russia.

"But what and how we will do is our business," he added.

Putin's Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov has been tasked with overseeing the troop's training, the Ukrainian intelligence service said.

CNN had previously reported when North Korean recruits were filmed receiving equipment and uniforms at a training ground in Russia's Far East.

The soldiers are thought to have received ammunition, bedding, winter clothing and footwear, and hygiene products from the Russian authorities, the Ukrainian intelligence service reported.

Argentina's police raided the Buenos Aires hotel where ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne stayed before dying last week after falling from a third-floor balcony, a government official said Thursday.

A police special investigations unit went to the Casa Sur hotel Wednesday night on orders from the public prosecutors’ office.

Officers seized items including computer hard drives and footage from hotel cameras, a government official told The Associated Press, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to speak publicly.

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The singer died October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony in the up-market, touristy Palermo district.

According to the autopsy, Payne died from multiple injuries as well as both internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. His body was found in the hotel’s internal courtyard.

Initial investigations suggest that the musician was alone and experiencing a “breakdown” due to consumption of substances that have not yet been determined.

Following Payne’s death, police found substances in his hotel room, as well as several destroyed objects and furniture, according to the public prosecutors’ office.

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The British boyband star had cocaine in his system, according to a preliminary toxicology report published by local press Monday and confirmed to the AP by a source familiar.

Definitive results aren’t expected to be made public for several weeks.

The Casa Sur hotel has become a place for Payne’s fans to pay their respects.

They have left flowers, candles and photos of the singer in a makeshift shrine around a tree at the hotel’s entrance.

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The singer’s father, Geoff Payne, is in Buenos Aires arranging the repatriation of his son’s body, which is expected to be released around October 28.

Payne’s family — which includes his mother Karen Payne and his two sisters Ruth and Nicola — have expressed their devastation over the loss, as have his former bandmates. Artists and celebrities from various countries continue to share their grief.

One Direction was among the most successful boy bands of recent times.

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It announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016 and Payne — like his former bandmates Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson — pursued a solo career.

The singer had posted on his Snapchat account that he travelled to Argentina to attend Horan’s concert in Buenos Aires on October 2.

He shared videos of himself dancing with his girlfriend, American influencer Kate Cassidy, and singing along in the stands. Cassidy had left Argentina after the show, but Payne stayed behind.

Beyoncé will appear alongside US Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Texas, the first joint appearance with the music icon whose anthem has been the soundtrack of the Harris campaign.

The appearance, in which Beyoncé will appear with legendary country singer Willie Nelson, is designed to be one of the biggest closing acts of the campaign.

Since the moment Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket, the vice president's team has been working behind the scenes to negotiate a joint appearance before election day.

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Beyoncé's team did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Her upcoming appearance in the city of Houston on Friday (Saturday Australian time) was first reported by The Washington Post.

Beyoncé all but gave her endorsement to Harris months ago, giving her permission to use her song Freedom as her official campaign anthem, CNN first reported in July.

Beyoncé, who is known for maintaining strict clearance guidelines around her music, gave quick approval to the Harris campaign to use the anthem, which has been the backdrop for Harris ads and when she was onstage at the Democratic National Convention. Harris first walked out to Freedom at her first official stop at her campaign headquarters, two days after she launched her presidential campaign.

At one point, rumours of Beyoncé appearing at the Democratic convention threatened to overtake Harris' acceptance speech. Campaign officials have insisted it was never the plan to have Beyoncé join Harris in Chicago, even as they sent conflicting signals in the moment.

Fans may be wondering whether Taylor Swift — who endorsed Harris last month — will join Harris on a campaign stop in this final stretch to the election.

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"Wouldn't it be great?" one campaign official said of a Swift appearance, declining to answer the question.

It certainly won't happen with Beyoncé in Houston: Swift is scheduled to perform in New Orleans Friday night on the final leg of her "Eras" tour.

Though Friday will be Beyoncé's first time officially rallying with Harris, the superstar has a history of endorsing Democratic candidates.

In 2013, she sang the US national anthem at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama. In 2016, Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z headlined a pre-election concert for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, with her backup dancers dressed in blue pantsuits to honour the woman who could have been the first female president.

"I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and knowing that her possibilities are limitless," Beyoncé said at the time. "And that's why I am with her."

In 2020, Beyoncé endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket, posting on her Instagram to encourage her followers to vote.

In Houston, Harris is expected to address abortion rights as she seeks to draw a contrast with former US president Donald Trump over the controversial issue ahead of election day, a senior campaign official previously told CNN.

During her remarks, the vice president is expected to warn of the threat a second Trump term poses to women's reproductive freedom.

Harris will also place blame on the former president for extreme abortion bans, including in Texas, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She will be joined by women who have been impacted by the restrictive laws.

Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would use presidential powers to end Jack Smith's probe into multiple criminal cases he's brought against the former US president, promising to fire the special counsel who has indicted him on multiple criminal charges.

"Oh, it's so easy. It's so easy," Trump said when asked by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt whether he would "pardon yourself" or "fire Jack Smith".

"I would fire him within two seconds," Trump said.

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Smith was appointed as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee two investigations into Trump regarding his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

The classified documents case was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge, but Smith is appealing.

Trump still faces charges in Smith's election subversion case. After the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, Smith filed a superseding indictment in August that slimmed down the allegations but didn't drop the four charges that were brought against Trump.

Trump faces charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

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If the former president were to fire Smith, that would allow the Department of Justice and Trump's attorney general to drop the charges against him and end the court cases.

Trump, who was convicted earlier this year of 34 felony counts in a separate New York case against him, has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the justice system is being weaponised against him because he's running for president.

But Trump has suggested on multiple occasions he would weaponise the justice system against his political rivals if re-elected.

Trump's comments to Hewitt aren't the first time he's suggested he would fire Smith. Trump, who frequently rails against Smith on the campaign trail, told Breitbart last July that he "wouldn't keep" the special counsel if he were re-elected.

"I wouldn't keep him," Trump said when asked if he would fire Smith.

"Jack Smith? Why would I keep him?"

Trump has routinely on the campaign trail suggested he would weaponise the justice system to go after his political opponents if re-elected.

The former US president has said several times he feels entitled to go after his political opponents because of his own criminal charges and has vowed to appoint a special prosecutor to "go after" US President Joe Biden and his family if he wins back the White House.

Trump has also labelled his political opponents "the enemy from within" as he ramps up his rhetoric against his perceived enemies in the final stretch of the campaign.

Trump has called Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi "the enemy from within" and has claimed they pose a greater threat than foreign adversaries.

Trump has gone so far as to suggest using the military to handle "the enemy from within" on Election Day, saying that he isn't worried about chaos from his supporters or foreign actors, but instead from "radical-left lunatics".

Vice President Kamala Harris has highlighted Trump's comments on the campaign trail as she argues he is "unstable," "unhinged" and out for "unchecked power".

The world is on a path to get 1.8 degrees Celsius warmer than it is now, but could trim half a degree of that projected future heating if countries do everything they promise to fight climate change, a United Nations report said Thursday (Friday morning AEDT).

But it still won't be near enough to curb warming's worst impacts such as nastier heat waves, wildfires, storms and droughts, the report said.

Under every scenario but the "most optimistic" with the biggest cuts in fossil fuels burning, the chance of curbing warming so it stays within the internationally agreed-upon limit "would be virtually zero," the United Nations Environment Programme's annual Emissions Gap Report said.

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The goal, set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, is to limit human-caused warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times.

The report said that since the mid-1800s, the world has already heated up by 1.3 degrees Celsius, up from previous estimates of 1.1 or 1.2 degrees because it includes the record heat last year.

Instead the world is on pace to hit 3.1 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. But if nations somehow do all of what they promised in targets they submitted to the United Nations that warming could be limited to 2.6 degrees Celsius, the report said.

In that super-stringent cuts scenario where nations have zero net carbon emissions after mid-century, there's a 23 per cent chance of keeping warming at or below the 1.5 degrees goal.

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It's far more likely that even that optimistic scenario will keep warming to 1.9 degrees above pre-industrial times, the report said.

"The main message is that action right now and right here before 2030 is critical if we want to lower the temperature," said report main editor Anne Olhoff, an economist and chief climate advisor to the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre.

"It is now or never really if we want to keep 1.5 alive."

Without swift and dramatic emission cuts "on a scale and pace never seen before," UNEP Director Inger Andersen said "the 1.5 degree C goal will soon be dead and (the less stringent Paris goal of) well below 2 degrees C will take its place in the intensive care unit".

Olhoff said Earth's on a trajectory to slam the door on 1.5 sometime in 2029.

"Winning slowly is the same as losing when it comes to climate change," said author Neil Grant of Climate Analytics. "And so I think we are at risk of a lost decade."

One of the problems is that even though nations pledged climate action in their targets submitted as part of the Paris Agreement, there's a big gap between what they said they will do and what they are doing based on their existing policies, report authors said.

The world's 20 richest countries — which are responsible for 77 per cent of the carbon pollution in the air — are falling short of their stated emission-cutting goals, with only 11 meeting their individual targets, the report said.

Emission cuts strong enough to limit warming to the 1.5 degree goal are more than technically and economically possible, the report found. They just aren't being proposed or done.

The report "shows that yet again governments are sleepwalking towards climate chaos," said climate scientist Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, who wasn't part of the report.

Another outside scientist, Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said the report confirms his worst concerns: "We are not making progress and are now following a 3.1 degree path, which is, with next to zero uncertainty, a path to disaster."

Both the 3.1 degree and 2.6 degree calculations are a tenth of a degree Celsius warmer than last year's version of the UN report, which experts said is within the margin of uncertainty.

Mostly the problem is "there's one year less time to cut emissions and avoid climate catastrophe," said MIT's John Sterman, who models different warming scenarios based on emissions and countries policies.

"Catastrophe is a strong word and I don't use it lightly," he said, citing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report saying 3 degrees of warming would trigger severe and irreversible damage.

The report focuses on what's called an emissions gap. It calculates a budget of how many billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases — mostly carbon dioxide and methane — the world can spew and stay under 1.5 degrees, 1.8 degrees and 2 degrees of warming since pre-industrial times.

It then figures how much annual emissions have to be slashed by 2030 to keep at those levels.

To keep at or below 1.5 degrees, the world must slash emissions by 42 per cent, and to keep at or below 2 degrees, the cut has to be 28 per cent, the report, named, "No more hot air… please !" said.

In 2023, the world spewed 57.1 billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gases, the report said. That's 1,810 metric tonnes of heat-trapping gases a second.

"There is a direct link between increasing emissions and increasingly frequent and intense climate disasters," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video messaged released with the report.

"We're playing with fire, but there can be no more playing for time. We're out of time."

At least one person has been killed and four people injured when a train running along Norway's northern coast derailed.

At least 50 people were on board the train, Norwegian media says.

Initial reports suggested that people with minor injuries were found at the scene.

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The train's operator, SJ, earlier said 90 tickets had been sold but it could not immediately confirm how many people were on board when the carriages derailed at 12.38pm GMT (11.38pm on Thursday AEDT).

Police told NTB that a rock slide likely caused the derailment. The VG newspaper carried a photo of a huge rock on the track that had smashed into a train carriage.

The Arctic Circle Express was on its way from Trondheim to the northern town of Bodoe. NTB, citing the Joint Rescue Coordination Center for northern Norway, said there were "between 50 and 70 people on board the train".

"We think all the passengers are out. But we are double checking the train as we do not have a passenger list," police spokesman Bent Are Eilertsen told Norwegian broadcaster TV 2.

One of the passengers, Ingvart Strand Mølster, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that "a rock has hit the train".

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Strand Mølster said no one in his train carriage was hurt, with the exception of one person who suffered a minor ankle injury. Another passenger told the local newspaper Avisa Nordland that people were evacuated out through the windows.

NRK posted a video of the train which had left its mountainside tracks, crashing through trees and down onto the road, which was closed to traffic in the wake of the derailment.

Photos on Norwegian media showed the locomotive and what appeared to be at least two passenger cars. The derailment happened near Bodoe, just north of the Arctic Circle.

A man has been charged with murder over the fatal stabbing of his father in western Sydney.

Emergency services were called to a home in Layton Street, Wentworthville, about 6.30am on Thursday, where they found 64-year-old George Vaz stabbed in the neck.

Despite efforts by paramedics, he died at the scene.

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His 34-year-old son, Shayne Vaz, was arrested and last night charged with domestic violence murder.

Shayne's mother and George's wife, aged 60, who was also at the property, was not injured in the incident.

Shayne was arrested a short time later and taken to Granville Police Station.

Neighbours told 9News they heard screaming coming from the home moments before the alleged attack.

They also said it was not the first time police had been called to the home.

Homicide Squad boss Danny Doherty said the victim had been stabbed "several times".

"It's another sad, domestic-related incident, we believe," Doherty said.

Shayne was transferred from police custody and to a hospital this afternoon to undergo court-ordered forensic testing.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make an online report.

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Western Australia has been named the fastest-growing state in the country following the release of new figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In the last 24 hours, the state hit a population milestone of 3 million residents, with the growth driven largely by immigration.

Net overseas migration – arrivals, minus departures – made up for 64,902 people now calling the state home over the year to March, accounting for almost 75 per cent of the total amount.

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Sunny days and an outdoor lifestyle were the drawcard for David and Gemma Hanrahan, who moved with their daughter from the UK to Western Australia 10 weeks ago.

"The possibilities out here for her, as well as us, and what we've been able to enjoy out here are definitely worth the sacrifice," Mrs Hanrahan told 9News.

"Back in the UK we lived in a town, not in a city, and we wanted to re-create that – somewhere that wasn't as busy, so going somewhere like Sydney wouldn't have given us a lifestyle that I think we wanted."

The family now call Carramar, in Perth's north-west, home.

"You have so much free outdoor space, free activities, you cater for families, it was the best place for us," Mr Hanrahan said.

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The ABS population clock estimates that Western Australia grows by one person every six minutes and eight seconds.

And it's not just immigration making WA busy – there's also a birth every 16 minutes and 44 seconds.

Despite the population boom, WA's birth rate is currently the lowest it's been in two decades.

More than 25,000 babies were born last year, which is a 6 per cent drop from four years ago.

On the flip side of things, there's one death every 29 minutes and 43 seconds in the state, while a resident leaves to live overseas every 14 minutes and 33 seconds.

But WA wasn't always this busy.

The state's population was first recorded in 1829 after a mining boom saw hundreds of gold-hungry hopefuls heading to the shores on the west of Australia.

"The next expansion was around about World War II," Richard Offen tells 9News.

"And by about 1949, we were about 300,000 in Western Australia".

The state's come a long way since then, tipping the 2 million people mark in 2005.

Less than 20 years later, another million's been added to the tally. In the last calculated 12-month period, the state's population grew by 90,000.

That represents a 3.1 per cent growth rate, making it the fastest-growing state in Australia.

Victoria was the second fastest-growing state with a 2.7 per cent population increase in the past year, totalling 184,000 new residents.

Queensland followed with a 2.5 per cent increase and there was a 2 per cent hike in NSW.

The ACT had a 1.8 per cent rise, while South Australia and Tasmania followed with 1.5 per cent and 0.4 per cent population increases, respectively.

The biggest driver for all states was net overseas migration, other than in the Northern Territory, which registered a 0.8 per cent population lift due largely to births.

Overall, Australia's total population is up by 2.3 per cent to more than 27 million.

Western Australia's population boom has left many asking if the state's infrastructure can handle the increase?

Premier Roger Cook says he's hoping to mirror Queensland and to transform more regional towns into hubs and small cities to help cope with the influx.

A public health expert has praised radio star Jackie O Henderson for her decision to open up about her private battle with a drug addiction live on air this morning.

The KIIS FM host was in tears as she made a vulnerable statement about her use of pain killers, sleeping pills and alcohol in a three-year addiction battle that ended with a month-long stay in a rehabilitation centre in November 2022.

Henderson admitted while she was concerned about public judgement, she wanted to use her platform to help others in the same position.

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"I'm not crying because I'm ashamed, I'm just crying because I kept this in for so long and saying it out loud right now to everyone is scary in a way," the broadcaster said as she read the prologue of her upcoming book.

"I didn't know whether I should say this or not.

"No one ever found out and I was really grateful for that, but people will look at me differently and judge me.

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"I think sometimes it's important that we share these things and get rid of the shame that might be attached to it.

"I don't want to get to the end of my career and look back and regret that."

Henderson's admission as the co-host of one of Australia's highest-profile radio shows is likely to have a positive effect, according to Dr Robert Stirling, CEO of the Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies.

"Seeking assistance for problematic drug and alcohol use is a courageous decision," Stirling said.

"We commend Jackie on her bravery and on her recovery.

"It is a positive thing for people with a high profile to speak up about their alcohol or drug use.

"It sends the message that these issues can and do touch many of us."

Stirling said there were a range of world-class drug and alcohol support services across Australia for those seeking help.

"We need to ensure these are properly funded to support those who reach out for help," he said.

"Community drug and alcohol support services have faced chronic underfunding which has left our sector hanging on by a thread. 

"We look forward to participating in the upcoming NSW Drug Summit to raise awareness of these issues and to ensure the government is removing barriers to treatment."

National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline on 1800 250 015 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

A nine-year-old boy has died and his father is fighting for life after the e-bike they were riding collided with a Honda Odyssey on the Gold Coast yesterday.

Emergency services were called to reports of the crash on Robina Town Centre Drive, near Bayberry Lane, in Robina about 6.15pm.

Paramedics rushed the 46-year-old and his son, who had been riding with him, to Gold Coast University Hospital, both in a critical condition.

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The nine-year-old died from his injuries.

His father remained tonight in a critical condition.

The driver of the car, a 47-year-old man, was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition for assessment.

An investigation has been launched and any witnesses – particularly anyone with relevant vision – are urged to contact police.