After being charged with murdering his fiancee's daughter, Justin Laurens Stein asked his mother to retrieve items he dumped in the bush and was incredulous to hear police may have already uncovered them.

Stein is on trial for murder in the NSW Supreme Court over the death of schoolgirl Charlise Mutten, whose body was found in a barrel by the Blue Mountains' Colo River on January 18, 2022.

Prosecutors allege the 33-year-old shot the schoolgirl while she was visiting him and her mother, Kallista Mutten, at a property in Mount Wilson, near where her body was found.

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In a series of prison phone calls played to the jury on Tuesday, Stein tells his mother, Annemie Stein, that he did not shoot the nine-year-old, which she says she believes.

Stein claimed to have witnessed Mutten shoot her daughter just outside the Mount Wilson property and to have heard the girl scream, "mummy no".

In another call, Stein says he needs his mother to "retrieve some stuff in the mountains". 

"You know how I borrowed certain things off my friend to take care of those drones," he says.

"I never got to take them back. I kind of dumped them in the bush. So I need you to retrieve them."

Ms Stein tells him: "I think they found them." 

"What do you mean?" he replies.

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"I've got a feeling that they might already have them," Ms Stein says.

Neither one identifies exactly what they are referring to, but Ms Stein says she can't talk about it over the phone.

Ms Stein was earlier interviewed at Katoomba Police Station and shown images of two .22 and .30 calibre rifles officers recovered from a remote fire trial near the Mount Wilson property.

Prosecutors allege Stein and Mutten stole the weapons from a nearby property in the months before Charlise's visit.

The smaller-calibre rifle contained Stein's fingerprints and a scope which he allegedly purchased from eBay, according to prosecutors.

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"They showed me photographs," Ms Stein tells her son in the call.

"Why do they keep showing me? I don't know. To ruffle my feathers?"

Stein then tells her: "They came to see me because they haven't got a murder weapon, so they haven't got anything."

While being processed into Sydney's Silverwater jail the day after Charlise's body was found, Stein allegedly told a corrections officer he was innocent and blamed Mutten for the shooting.

"Her mum was on ice all week," Stein said, according to the officer.

"I heard a shot and then I heard her screaming out for me. Then I ran back and she shot her again.

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"I keep having flashbacks. I'm not going down for this. I'm not going down for that bitch.

"I've been trying to tell people this for days and no one would listen. Thank you for letting me vent."

The corrections officer, Stacey Sweeney, told the trial on Tuesday that "nine out of 10" inmates she met pleaded their innocence.

The trial continues.

Police hope a $500,000 reward for information could help solve the cold case murder of a pregnant mother-of-six in Brisbane.

Elizabeth Henry as expecting her seventh child when she disappeared from Fortitude Valley before midnight on February 11, 1998.

The 30-year-old sex worker, who was dressed in a dark denim mini skirt and shirt with a small black handbag, was last seen on the intersection of Brunswick and Terrace Street in New Farm.

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Her body was discovered by a jogger about 5am the following day in a cleared gravel reserve off Bygotts Road in Samford. Her clothes and handbag were not found.

"A post-mortem examination revealed she had been violently assaulted with a blunt, heavy object, suffering major head injuries," police said.

"Investigations at the time indicated that Liz was killed at another location and moved to the gravel reserve, where attempts had been made to burn her body."

The case has never been solved despite 300 police inquiries and 100 statements. 

Police have today increased the $250,000 reward to $500,000, which Henry's family said they hoped will spark new leads.

"Her absence continues to be deeply felt and the unresolved nature of the case has caused ongoing pain," Henry's sister Jennifer Schefe said at a press conference today.

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"We are unwavering in our hope that there will be justice for Liz." 

Acting detective senior sergeant Anthony Johns said there were people out there with information about her death, and encouraged them to come forward.

"Liz's children grew up without their mother and her parents have passed away without knowing what happened to her," he said.

"Relationships and loyalties change, and I would encourage anyone with information, big or small, to contact police."

The $500,000 Queensland Government Reward is for information that leads to the apprehension and conviction of those responsible for the murder.

The reward also offers an opportunity for indemnity against prosecution for any accomplice, not including the person who actually committed the murder, who gives information first.

A Perth family still grieving the death of a young woman has suffered a fresh blow.

Teagen Ferguson lived with a catastrophic brain injury for 15 years after being thrown to the ground as a toddler by her father.

Next month marks four years since she died from the catastrophic injuries Terrence Bice inflicted when she was just two years old.

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"This figure was a monster to me. As a child, I was terrified of him," sister Courtney said.

Bice threw little Teagen against the floor because she wouldn't stop crying.

Despite battling 16 chronic disorders, Teagen went on to survive 15 years and her smile was never far away.

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"She'd always be laughing," Courtney said.

"You'd hiccup and she'd laugh, you'd sneeze and she'd laugh."

Bice was sentenced in September to 4½ years' jail for manslaughter.

Tragically, the girls' mum, Kristy Ferguson, died of cancer just two weeks after his sentencing.

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"Since then, it's been quite traumatic and hard because Courtney's now been left without her sister and now her mum," their aunt Tanya Fogarty said.

"The stress and the emptiness and the loss of her missing a part of her and her child, it completely destroyed her," Courtney said.

Bice is set to be released on parole tomorrow after serving 2½ years of the sentence but the reasons for the decision are being withheld by the review board.

"I'm a little bit angry at that," Fogarty said.

"We haven't been offered an explanation as to why he's got parole."

Terrence Bice was convicted and jailed twice for what happened, once in 2005 for aggravated grievous bodily harm and then after Teagen died for manslaughter. 

He will have served 5½ years behind bars.

"We honestly don't feel there's been justice," Fogarty said.

"Even though he has been held accountable by the law – he hasn't really spent enough time for the time that he's taken away from Teagen."

"He didn't just destroy Teagen's life, he did destroy my life too," Courtney said.

A GoFundMe has been set up by the family to help Courtney heal as the 23-year-old has draws on her sister's strength.

"No matter what, she never gave up," Courtney said.

"She always fought and fought and fought and she always did it with a smile too."

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Hundreds of Australians are waiting to return home from New Caledonia after riots broke out in the French Pacific territory last week.

Tylah Carre, one of at least 300 Australians who have been stranded in the capital Noumea, arrived last Sunday for a two-day work trip before the situation escalated.

Many tourists are one step closer to touching down on home soil after the federal government announced this morning it had received the green light to send two evacuation flights.

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People in the area have been under a curfew and obtaining basic supplies has been a challenge.

Carre told 9news.com.au when the riots started to intensify, the situation was "pretty scary".

"The staff at the hotel we're in barricaded the windows in case they came into the tourist area," Carre said.

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"Locals ripped up some fencing to barricade the road towards the tourist area.

"We could hear all the gunfire and bombs going off. One night we left our hotel windows open and in the morning could smell the smoke from the bombs.

"Most of the hotel staff and shop owners left immediately to get home to their families.

"Some stayed which was really helpful to us so we didn't feel isolated and alone."

Carre said many of his fellow Australians have been "going through different emotions" in the past week.

"Most have experienced the same, sounds of explosions and gunshots and the lack of food," he said.

"Many people here are elderly, some have kids and people needing medication from local pharmacies.

"Everyone is scared on varying degrees and just wants to go home."

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Dr Max and Dr Tiffany Winchester were on their first holiday without children since becoming parents when the conflict broke out.

The two told Today they can't wait to get back to Australia and reunite with their kids.

"This was our first romantic getaway as a couple without the kids and we thought it would be okay," Max said.

"This is obviously a struggle now for them and struggle for us being apart."

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Foreign minister Penny Wong said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is prioritising passengers based on need.

"We continue to work on further flights," Wong said.

Carre said he felt grateful to the government for their help with evacuations.

The rioting broke out last week in response to reforms passed in Paris that allow recent arrivals to the French overseas territory to vote in local provincial elections – a move some local leaders fear will weaken the say of the indigenous Kanak people.

The indigenous population accounts for around 40 per cent of New Caledonia's 270,000 total inhabitants, and many have called for independence from France.

Three referendums on the topic have been held since 2018, with the pro-independence vote falling short on each occasion – although it boycotted the most recent poll in 2021.

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A state of emergency in response to the unrest was declared on Wednesday, and France sent an extra 1000 security reinforcements to the territory to quell the violence.

While the worst of the rioting appears to be over, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal yesterday said "we are still a way off a return to normal".

Despite the current situation, Carre said Noumea is a great place with great people.

"I hope New Caledonia can resolve the current issues and get back to being a peaceful and beautiful place," he said.

Australians in New Caledonia who want to leave and haven't registered with DFAT should register online.

Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (within Australia) or +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas).

Facebook Marketplace scammers are giving out random addresses to convince unsuspecting victims to hand over money for items that simply don't exist. 

The fraudsters create numerous listings for furniture or HD televisions then encourage buyers to pay a deposit via bank transfer to secure the item.

To make the sale appear legitimate they provide a real residential address and assure customers they can pay the remaining amount in cash upon pick up.

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One fed-up resident in Perth was forced to erect a sign outside their home after scammers used their Salter Point address to swindle dozens of victims.

"We are not selling any items on Facebook Marketplace – You have been scammed," the sign reads.

"We have had over 20+ people (that we are aware of) come to our house trying to buy TVs and couches.

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"We don't know why they're using our address, and it's very concerning.

"We have reported it to the police and Cyber Crime and you should."

The homeowner then instructs people to report the ad and the associated profile to Facebook.

A reader who wrote to 9news.com.au said they were given the address when they attempted to purchase a 75-inch 4K Samsung TV.

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They were asked to pay a $100 deposit for the television and were provided with a BSB and account number to transfer the funds.

Instead of handing over the cash they decided to look up the details and managed to trace the account to an ANZ branch in Melbourne.

They shared screenshots of the conversation with 9news.com.au to ward off other potential victims.

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According to Scamwatch Australians lost $80.2 million to social media scams last year, up 43 per cent compared to last year.

Scammers can set up fake profiles and can offer items for sale at a significantly lower price.

Scamwatch advises to always research the profile behind the listing to see how long the account has been active and how much activity they've had online.

"Never send money to a person you have only met online," the watchdog says.

People suffering from anxiety disorders could be more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, an Australian study has claimed.

The study, published by brain researchers The Florey, analysed data from 2443 older Australians from Melbourne and Perth, who are part of a recognised cohort for dementia research.

Study leads Dr Yijun Pan and Dr Liang Jin said anxiety and other neurological disorders are linked to an increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease, especially in males.

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"People with anxiety and neurological disorders are 1.5 and 2.5 times more likely to have Alzheimer's disease," Pan said.

"For people with anxiety, males have higher odds than females of developing Alzheimer's disease."

The study also found several medical conditions were linked to a decreased risk of Alzheimer's, including arthritis, cancer, gastric complaints, and high cholesterol.

The p53 protein is known to cause neuron dysfunction and cell death in Alzheimer's patients, but it's also found to lose its function in cancer patients, possibly explaining the link between the two conditions, the study's authors said.

"We need further research to understand whether these diseases interfere with the evolution of Alzheimer's or whether there might be other reasons," Pan said.

"The medications or treatments used for these diseases may possibly contribute to this observation."

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The study did not find a link between Alzheimer's and depression, falls or strokes.

"This is the first study to assess 20 comorbidity associations with cognitive impairment using a single Australian dataset, which allowed us to fully consider how these conditions affect the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease," Pan said.

"We also studied whether age, gender, smoking, education, alcohol consumption, and the APOE gene – believed to be connected to Alzheimer's – affects these associations.

"Our study indicates a new opportunity for biologists to study the links between these 20 conditions with Alzheimer's disease.

"This work also provides valuable epidemiological evidence to clinicians, which may help them to evaluate one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease."

The employers who rated highest had financial stability, career progression, attractive salaries and convenient workplace locations.

Revenue from online gambling is growing around the world, and Australia is right near the peak.

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck Italy's Campi Flegrei super volcano Monday evening, causing mild damage in the town of Pozzuoli, the epicenter, and as far away as the city of Naples, some 20 kilometres away, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

Cracks in walls and falling cornices were reported, Italy's Fire Brigade spokesman confirmed.CNN.

The 4.4 earthquake at a depth of 3 kilometres is the strongest earthquake to hit the highly seismic area in the past 40 years, according to INGV data.

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The quake is part of an ongoing "seismic storm" that has seen more than a dozen events over 2.0 magnitude in the past 48 hours.

The 4.4 tremblor at 8:10pm local time (4.10am AEST) was preceded by a 3.5 earthquake an hour earlier.

The INGV recorded 1,252 earthquakes in the Campi Flegrei area in the month of April 2024, most with a magnitude less than 1.0.

The last major eruption of the supervolcano was in 1538, which resulted in the creation of a new bay on the southern Italian coast.

The INGV has noted an increase of seismic activity since 2022, which could be due either to the building up of magma under the surface or the building up of gases, according to several volcanologists.

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The volcano is about 50 kilometres from Mt Vesuvius, and prone to a phenomenon known as bradyseism, during which the ground raises and falls due to pressure under the surface.

The last major cycle was in 1984, but several volcanologists told CNN that the area is experiencing a new cycle of the phenomenon.

More than 500,000 people live in the red zone directly adjacent to the Campi Flegrei, according to the Italian Civil Protection agency, which has been working this year to update evacuation plans in the event of a major disaster.

Ocean water is pushing kilometres beneath Antarctica's "Doomsday Glacier," making it more vulnerable to melting than previously thought, according to new research which used radar data from space to perform an X-ray of the crucial glacier.

As the salty, relatively warm ocean water meets the ice, it's causing "vigorous melting" underneath the glacier and could mean global sea level rise projections are being underestimated, according to the study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica — nicknamed the "Doomsday Glacier" because its collapse could cause catastrophic sea level rise — is the world's widest glacier and roughly the size of Florida. It's also Antarctica's most vulnerable and unstable glacier, in large part because the land on which it sits slopes downward, allowing ocean waters to eat away at its ice.

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Thwaites, which already contributes 4 per cent to global sea level rise, holds enough ice to raise sea levels by more than 60cm. But because it also acts as a natural dam to the surrounding ice in West Antarctica, scientists have estimated its complete collapse could ultimately lead to around 3 metres of sea level rise — a catastrophe for the world's coastal communities.

Many studies have pointed to the immense vulnerabilities of Thwaites. Global warming, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, has left it hanging on "by its fingernails," according to a 2022 study.

This latest research adds a new and alarming factor into projections of its fate.

A team of glaciologists — led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine — used high-resolution satellite radar data, collected between March and June last year, to create an X-ray of the glacier. This allowed them to build a picture of changes to Thwaites' "grounding line," the point at which the glacier rises from the seabed and becomes a floating ice shelf. Grounding lines are vital to the stability of ice sheets, and a key point of vulnerability for Thwaites, but have been difficult to study.

"In the past, we had only sporadic data to look at this," Eric Rignot, professor of Earth system science at the University of California at Irvine and a co-author on the study, said.

"In this new data set, which is daily and over several months, we have solid observations of what is going on."

They observed seawater pushing beneath the glacier over many kilometres, and then moving out again, following the daily rhythm of the tides. When the water flows in, it's enough to "jack up" the surface of the glacier by centimetres, Rignot told CNN.

He suggested the term "grounding zone" may be more apt than grounding line, as it can move nearly 6.5 kilometres over a 12-hour tidal cycle, according to their research.

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The speed of the seawater, which moves considerable distances over a short time period, increases glacier melt because as soon as the ice melts, freshwater is washed out and replaced with warmer seawater, Rignot said.

"This process of widespread, enormous seawater intrusion will increase the projections of sea level rise from Antarctica," he added.

Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, who was not involved in the study, called the research "fascinating and important."

"This finding gives a process that, as yet, is not factored into models," he told CNN. And while these results only apply to certain areas of the glacier, he said, "this could speed up the pace of ice loss in our forecasts."

One uncertainty to be unravelled is whether the rush of seawater beneath Thwaites is a new phenomenon or whether it's been significant but unknown for a long time, said James Smith, a marine geologist at the British Antarctic Survey, who was not involved in the study.

"Either way, it's clearly an important process that needs to be incorporated into ice sheet models," he told CNN.

Noel Gourmelen, a professor of Earth observation at the University of Edinburgh, said use of radar data for this study was interesting. "Ironically it's by going to space, using our growing satellite capabilities, that we're learning much more about this environment," he told CNN.

There are still many unknowns on what the study's findings mean for the future of Thwaites, Gourmelen, who was not involved in the research, said. It is also unclear how widespread this process is around Antarctica, he told CNN, "although it is highly likely that this is happening elsewhere as well."

A regime change

Antarctica, an isolated and complex continent, appears to be increasingly vulnerable to the climate crisis.

Analysing satellite data and using climate models, they found this record low would have been "extremely unlikely to happen without the influence of climate change."

In a separate study, also published Monday, researchers from the British Antarctic Survey looked at the reasons for the record low levels of sea ice surrounding Antarctica last year.

Sea ice melting doesn't directly affect sea level rise because it's already floating, but it leaves coastal ice sheets and glaciers exposed to waves and warm ocean waters, making them much more vulnerable to melting and breaking up.

The researchers also used climate models to predict the potential speed of recovery from such extreme sea ice loss and found that even after two decades, not all the ice will return.

"The impacts of Antarctic sea ice staying low for over twenty years would be profound, including on local and global weather," Louise Sime, a co-author on the BAS study, said in a statement.

The findings add to evidence over the last few years that the region is facing a "lasting regime shift," the authors wrote.