A Pennsylvania nurse is facing additional charges after prosecutors say she admitted to trying to kill 19 patients in her care, according to the state's attorney general.

Heather Pressdee, 41, was already facing charges after Pennsylvania's Attorney General Michelle Henry said the registered nurse from Natrona Heights confessed to intentionally administering a lethal dose of medication to three patients at the Quality Life Services nursing facility in Chicora, a borough in western Pennsylvania.

She was charged in May with homicide and attempted murder after two men, ages 55 and 83, died and a third was hospitalised, Henry said in a news release.

READ MORE: Queensland bushfires ease as wet weather helps extinguish flames

On Thursday, Henry's office filed additional charges related to the mistreatment of 19 other patients Pressdee treated between 2020 and 2023 at five different care facilities, Henry said in a news release.

The new charges include two counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder and 19 counts of neglect of a care-dependent person, according to the release.

In total, 17 patients who were being cared for by Pressdee died, Henry's office said.

Pressdee's defence team told CNN she is "cooperating" with prosecutors and investigators.

She hasn't entered a plea in any of the charges, attorneys Jim DePasquale and Phil Di Lucente said.

"The goal from the very beginning of these matters was to not have the death penalty imposed. We are in pursuit of that goal," the attorneys said.

In the criminal complaint filed against Pressdee, Henry's office said that Pressdee admitted to "harming, with the intent to kill" all 19 patients named in the complaint whose ages ranged from 43 to 104.

The patients were being treated at numerous facilities, including Concordia at Rebecca Residence, Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation, Quality Life Services Chicora, Premier Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, according to the complaint.

READ MORE: Israel admits airstrike on Gaza ambulance that killed and wounded dozens

"Pressdee would often work the medication cart, administer insulin during the night shift when staffing was lowest and the facilities were quiet," the complaint reads.

"Pressdee often took steps to ensure her victims would expire prior to shift change so that they wouldn't be sent to the hospital where her scheme could be discovered through medical testing such as C-peptide tests."

Pressdee also allegedly administered a second dose of insulin or would use an air embolism to make sure a patient died if she felt that they might survive, the complaint states.

In one instance, staff members at the Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center suspected that Pressdee was killing patients and alerted administrators, according to the complaint.

In response to complaints, Belair suspended Pressdee pending an investigation but later said an internal investigation concluded there was "no identifiable evidence uncovered to support the concerns of Pressdee's coworkers," the complaint states.

CNN reached out to Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center and Guardian Healthcare, which operates the facility, but did not immediately hear back.

Guardian Healthcare told CNN affiliate WPXI that everyone at the facility was "devastated and disheartened that someone entrusted to care for our patients could do something like this."

Attorney Robert Peirce III, who is representing the family of Marianne Bower, 68, identified as "M.B." in the criminal complaint, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in September against Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, where Bower died.

READ MORE: Trump gag order extended in New York, frozen in Washington

According to Peirce, Bower's family initially believed Bower died of respiratory failure but were later approached by investigators who told the family that Bower was given a fatal dose of insulin even though she was not diabetic.

"The goal of the lawsuit is to determine how Heather Pressdee was able to work at 11 different facilities for a year period, where it is acknowledged and admitted by her that at least 17 of her patients passed away," Peirce told CNN.

"In the Belair facility alone, four individuals passed away even though there were multiple complaints from staff members that Pressdee was killing patients.

"Yet, Belair did a small investigation, determined she still could work and then she went to other facilities where more patients were harmed or passed away."

In its statement to WPXI, Guardian Healthcare offered its "deepest sympathies" to those impacted, including Bower's family.

"While we cannot comment extensively about Bower's residency at Belair due to privacy laws and pending litigation, our top priority is always to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents and to employ qualified, caring staff to deliver the care our residents deserve," the statement reads.

"Belair has hiring policies and procedures in place that are designed to vet the qualifications and background of potential employees." 

"Management at Belair or any Guardian site take seriously their responsibility not to employ an individual who has the potential to intentionally harm one of our residents."

Pressdee was arraigned on Thursday for the additional charges. She waived her preliminary hearing and is being held at Butler County Prison without bail, according to Henry's office.

"The damage done to the victims and their loved ones cannot be overstated," Henry said.

"Every person in a medical or care facility should feel safe and cared for, and my office will work tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable for her crimes and protect care-dependent Pennsylvanians from future harm."

Bushfires are easing in Queensland after emergency-level fires tore through massive swathes of land, destroying multiple homes.

The Southern Downs region has been dampened by rain and cool conditions, giving firefighters the break needed to get the upper hand on the bushfire emergency, which has destroyed 20,000 hectares in the region alone.

There are currently 20 fires burning across the state at advice level.

READ MORE: Israel admits airstrike on Gaza ambulance that killed and wounded dozens

Yesterday two fires were burning out of control in Innot Hot Springs and Jumna Dam, south of Cairns.

Both fires have been downgraded to Watch and Act levels, however, it is still not safe for residents to return.

Springsure Farmer Sid Goodwin lost thousands of acres of land and cattle in a fire burning near Carnarvon Gorge National Park.

"We have suffered significant loss on the two properties here, close to 25,000 acres which is just under half. [We also lost] 4000 head of cattle," Goodwin told Today this morning.

"By no means are we on our own here, we have a quite a few neighbours that have also lost similar percentages of their farm I'm sure.

"Once you start losing 50 to 60 per cent of your production, it does cut pretty deep…[but] we are very lucky no one was injured… we've still got our home."

Bushfires in Dalveen, Wallangarra and Jennings have been deemed safe for residents to return to if they proceed with caution, as they are downgraded to Advice level. 

READ MORE: US teacher shot by 6-year-old can proceed with $60 million lawsuit, judge rules

Wallangarra and Jennings were burning at emergency levels earlier this week, with residents previously told to evacuate on Wednesday.

Locals in Palmview, Oak Beach, Innot Hot Springs, Dumgree and Mount Alma, Crystal Brook, Miriam Vale, Bororen, Lowmead, Gin Gin and Herberton have also been warned to be cautious of breathing in the smoke as the wet weather helps extinguish fires across the state.

"Stay inside and close windows and doors. Keep respiratory medication close by. Follow your bushfire survival plan now," the QFES said.

"Avoid driving through smoke if you can. Watch out for firefighters working in the area. Do not fly drones around the fire [as] drones affect air operations."

By 6pm Friday, there were 59 active fires across the state. 

Two people have been charged over an alleged shooting in southern New South Wales.

A 26-year-old man was found with injuries to his hand and shoulder in Maryville Way, Thurgoona, in Albury, at 3.20pm on Thursday.

He was taken to Albury Base Hospital in a stable condition.

READ MORE: Russia drops drones, missiles across Ukraine in aerial attack

A 35-year-old man and 25-year-old woman were arrested in Macksville on Friday after investigations by NSW Police.

Macksville, on the NSW North Coast, is nearly ten hours' drive from Thurgoona.

The man, from Queensland, was charged with ten offences, including shooting at with intent to murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, possessing an unregistered and unauthorised pistol in a public place, possessing an unauthorised pistol, using an unregistered firearm pistol, not keeping firearm safely, acquiring an unregistered firearm, possessing a loaded firearm in a public place, possessing a loaded firearm endangering life in a non-public place.

The woman, also from Queensland, has been charged with two counts of robbery while armed with a dangerous weapon.

Both have been denied bail and will appear in Port Macquarie Local Court today.

The Whitby Goth Weekend is a festival which also features the Bizarre Bazaar Alternative Market of over 100 indoor stalls.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used more and more increasingly to perform tasks more accurately and efficiently.

But while generative AI can automate tasks, reduce human error and even assist medical practitioners, it does have a dark side too.

Cybercriminals are using AI to create fake people online by programming bots to have realistic text conversations as well as generating pictures and audio to trick Australians on dating apps.

We created the below images to illustrate this story using the Adobe Firefly application. Adobe's AI is trained using Adobe Stock images, openly licensed content, and public domain content where copyright has expired. You can read more about their Content Initiative here.

READ MORE: AI voice cloning scams 'will come to Australia' – so how do you guard against it?

The AI bots 'speak' to people who believe they are chatting with a real person and develop a connection over a long period before telling an emotional story to convince the dating app user to transfer money.

The type of scam has been dubbed "LoveGPT", a reference to the popular generative AI tool ChatGPT.

To test how easily an AI image can be generated, we used Adobe Firefly to generate images of people by using various prompts. We chose Adobe Firefly because it is a media product used by Nine. We are not suggesting it is a product prominently used by scammers.

The basic AI generator created these images in less than a minute.

Scammers are also using voice cloning to impersonate real people and send audio messages to further convince their victims that they are real, when they are not.

Avast cybersecurity expert Stephen Kho said ChatGPT was only made available last year but as the technology developed, it made it easier for scammers to trick people.

"Before (ChatGPT) when you talk to a chatbot it's like, 'Ah, this is clearly a bot because they are not intuitive, they don't hold a conversation, they have limited speech,'" Kho said.

"But since then, it has just evolved out of sight."

He said the speed at which the bots respond was now about the same as a person who might be thinking of something to say and then replying.

"It would be very easy to get tricked. It's not even targeting older generations," he said.

"We are all vulnerable because if you are wanting a connection you can be 35, 40 or 60 (years old), it doesn't really matter."

Kho said you could train the AI bots to have a certain personality or be likeable in certain ways.

"The scammers will join dating websites and apps, across all dating apps, and they will create fake profiles," he said.

"So as soon as the scammer has detected you need something… if it's in a dating site they will take you off that dating site and start talking to you and build that relationship."

He said there used to be one person in a call centre running about 20 scams per day but now with so many automated chatbots, they could attempt to scam hundreds of thousands of people at once.

Governments across the globe are trying to create legislation to catch up with the fast-growing technology.

The European Union created the world's first "comprehensive AI law" in June and Australia is working to catch up.

"Australia already has several pieces of legislation regulating AI usage in specific settings or circumstances," the Australian Human Rights Commission said.

"However, the regulatory environment for AI is patchwork, and regulatory gaps likely exist."

How to know if you're talking to an AI bot

Kho said the scam was in its early days and there were things you could watch out for.

"They will take you off the dating app pretty much as soon as possible," Kho said.

"They will say let's talk on WhatsApp or Signal, they'll take you off the site because a lot of these (dating) sites also employ AI detection to look for a fake account, the spam, the bot accounts so the quicker they take you off, the better."

Another way to tell if you are talking to an AI bot is if they refuse to go on a video call because AI-generated videos are not as good as photos, text or audio.

"Then the normal things about scams come in so they try to make it urgent, someone's sick, they want money, they need something from you too quickly because it's urgent, someone is in trouble.

"It's always a recent and emotional situation that arises."

Australians lost a record $3.1 billion to scams in 2022, according to the Australian Competition Competition Commission (ACCC).

One of the best ways to prevent scams is through education, according to Kho.

He is encouraging people to not be embarrassed and tell people when they have been scammed so more people are aware of how it can happen.

If you've been scammed you can report it to Scamwatch, which has more information about Australia's current online traps.

From Tuesday, public drunkenness will no longer be a criminal offence in Victoria.

The move comes four years after the state committed to transitioning from a criminal justice to public health approach to the issue.

So what's changing, why is it happening, and why does it come into effect on Melbourne Cup day? Here's what you need to know.

READ MORE: Melbourne's sobering up centre won't be ready in time for public drunkenness law change

What is changing?

From Tuesday, November 7, public intoxication will no longer be a crime in Victoria.

That means police won't be able to arrest people for being drunk and detain them in police cells.

Instead, they'll be supported to go to a safe space like a sobering up centre.

Police will still be able to arrest drunk people if they're committing an offence.

READ MORE: 'Shame on you': Qantas chairman jeered before huge protest vote

Why is it happening on Melbourne Cup day?

Melbourne Cup day might seem an odd choice of date for these new laws to come into effect.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it wasn't what the Victorian government had originally planned.

The new laws were originally slated to begin on November 7 last year – the Monday after the Cup.

But delays, which the government put down to COVID-19, meant the introduction was pushed back by a year, coincidentally putting it on a collision course with Melbourne Cup day.

READ MORE: What is MyMedicare and should you sign up for it?

What's the reason for the change?

The Victorian government says responding to public intoxication through a criminal approach is "not appropriate and inconsistent with current community standards".

Of particular concern is the disproportionate impact criminalising public drunkenness has on Indigenous people.

The Victorian government's commitment to changing approach came following the 2017 death in custody of Yorta Yorta woman Aunty Tanya Day.

She had been arrested on a train and taken into police custody.

While in a cell, she hit her head and died, with the coroner later finding police didn't properly check on her and didn't adequately look after her.

"Our mother would still be here today if the government repealed the laws criminalising public drunkenness as first recommended over 30 years ago in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody," Day's family said.

READ MORE: Victorians warned to brace for extreme pollen levels

"We are glad the government is finally listening and is implementing these changes… Meaningfully implementing this reform and treating public drunkenness for what it is – a public health issue that demands a public health response – ensures we are keeping the community safe and reducing the risk of people dying in police custody.

"Other states and territories should follow Victoria's lead to prevent any more unnecessary injuries or deaths.

"As our mother's case and all the other similar cases show, police cells are dangerous places for intoxicated people.

"For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people this is especially so, where systemic racism and bias held by individuals means that our people are more likely to die when detained in police cells.

"No person should ever be locked up for being drunk, or for being perceived to be drunk, in public spaces. There should be no role for police or police cells in any public health response."

READ MORE: The international double-whammy making your petrol bill worse

Are there any concerns about the change?

While the changes have largely been supported, there are concerns from some that Victoria isn't adequately prepared for the new legislation to kick in.

The key sobering up centre in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood won't be open on November 7 and, as of late October, doesn't have a concrete opening date.

Instead, its operator will work on the city's streets.

Up to 10 teams – each with a vehicle, nurse and alcohol and drug specialist – will patrol greater Melbourne from Tuesday.

The police union has also claimed the government is unprepared, with Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt saying "We will have a gap between the health service providers and the encountering of intoxication on the street".

"We might be in a position where we are walking away from the scene or where police members leave."

But Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said police are prepared for the changes.

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah says his militia is not deterred by US warnings to stay out of the Israel-Hamas war, further raising fears the conflict would widen.

Israel had already said that it was on high alert for attacks on its border with Lebanon, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to ensure more humanitarian aid and do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza or else there will be "no partners for peace".

Israeli troops have tightened their encirclement of Gaza City, the focus of their campaign to crush the enclave's ruling Hamas militants, who launched a brutal attack on Israeli communities that started the war.

READ MORE: Blinken presses for pause in Gaza fighting on visit to Israel

But ever since that October 7 assault, there have been concerns the conflict could ignite fighting on other fronts, and Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah have repeatedly traded fire along the Lebanon border.

In his first public speech since the war began, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group had "entered the battle" with the past weeks' unprecedented cross-border fighting. "We will not be limited to this," he said, suggesting escalation was possible. Still, Nasrallah stopped short of announcing that Hezbollah is fully engaging in the war.

Blinken, on his third trip to Israel since the war began, reiterated US support for Israel in the war, saying it has the right to defend itself. But he said a "humanitarian pause" was needed to boost aid deliveries to Palestinian civilians amid growing alarm over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

After meeting Blinken, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "refuses a temporary cease-fire that doesn't include a return of our hostages", referring to some 240 people Hamas abducted during its attack. He said Israel was pressing ahead with its military offensive with "all of its power".

Blinken said there had to be a substantial and immediate increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, where "we need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians". Without that, "there are no partners for peace", he said, adding that it was critical to restore the path toward a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

READ MORE: Two more Australians escape Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing

Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, attacked Israeli military positions in northern Israel with drones, mortar fire and suicide drones on Thursday. The Israeli military said it retaliated with warplanes and helicopter gunships, and spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said civilians were wounded in the Hezbollah attacks.

"We are in a high state of readiness in the north, in a very high state of alert, to respond to any event today and in coming days," he said.

Blinken said the US, which has deployed aircraft carriers and other forces in the eastern Mediterranean, was committed to ensuring that no "second or third front" opens in the conflict, referring to Hezbollah.

In his speech, Nasrallah said his militia is not deterred by US warnings, saying: "Your fleets in the Mediterranean … will not scare us."

A war with Hezbollah would be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah is much stronger than Hamas, with an arsenal of some 150,000 rockets and missiles, some believed to be precision-guided weapons capable of striking deep inside Israel.

Israel has promised to unleash vast destruction in Lebanon if all-out war erupts, accusing Hezbollah of hiding its military installation in the midst of residential areas. The two enemies fought an inconclusive monthlong war in 2006. Renewed fighting could also risk drawing Iran, which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah, into the conflict.

More than 9200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, mostly women and minors, and more and than 23,000 people have been wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry said, without providing a breakdown between civilians and fighters.

More than 1400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas' initial attack, when some 240 people were also taken hostage. Some 5400 have also been injured.

Twenty-four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground operation. Since the start of the war, seven Israeli soldiers and a civilian have been killed in different incidents along Israel's border with Lebanon.

A Brisbane mother who is the forgotten victim of the devastating crash that killed a young pregnant couple on Australia Day has spoken of her "constant pain" nearly three years on.

Matthew Field, Kate Leadbetter and their unborn son Miles were killed when they were struck by a stolen car that sped through a red light while the couple was walking dogs in Alexandra Hills on January 26, 2021.

The car was driven by a 17-year-old boy who was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and several other charges.

READ MORE: Furious shareholders revolt against Qantas board

A car being driven by the other victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was also struck by the stolen four-wheel-drive, with the impact causing permanent and debilitating pain.

"I went from being a happy, pretty healthy mum, being very hands-on … to not being able to pick up my child anymore, to dropping things, forgetting things," the 35-year-old told 9News in an exclusive interview.

"I was stationary in my car and was hit head-on by the stolen vehicle.

"From what I understand, if I'd been a couple of centimetres further up the road I wouldn't have survived, just from the velocity of the impact."

She said her injuries had been completely life-altering.

"There's constant pain.

"I have nerve damage through the right side of my body and damage to my spine in three places.

"It's almost been three years and I'm up to surgery number four on my back."

READ MORE: Why a photo of a Coles delivery truck sparked outrage

The victim spoke to 9News the day after her latest surgery, where doctors implanted a device that sends little electric pulses into the spinal cord, to intercept pain signals before they reach her brain. 

It won't fix the damage and is purely to manage the pain – and there are no guarantees it will work. 

"It is really unfair and I hate to say that because in comparison to families that lose their children … that's not fair," she said.

"I've had times where I've had to call my boss the morning before I've had to go to work and just say I can't come in today.

"I just can't physically or mentally and that's really hard."

She believes between the loss of wages, leave and medical bills, the crash has cost her at least $40,000.

Richard Pusey, who was previously jailed for sending offensive pictures of the Eastern Freeway crash that killed four police officers, is wanted by police.

Victoria Police said the 45-year-old was wanted on two outstanding warrants for contravening a court order.

Police are appealing for help from the public to help locate Pusey, who is known to travel across the state by both vehicle and public transport.

READ MORE: Victorians warned to brace for extreme pollen levels

"Pusey is Caucasian in appearance, about 190cm tall with short brown hair, however, is known to make changes to his appearance," Victoria Police said in a statement.

"Investigators have released two images of Pusey in the hope someone may be able to provide information on his current whereabouts."

Pusey, who uses they/them pronouns, was jailed last year for 10 months for using a carriage service to cause offence over the use of the offensive pictures.

Two more Australians have been able to escape war-torn Gaza after being allowed into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing overnight.

On Wednesday, 23 Australians – 20 citizens, one permanent resident and two family members – made it out of the enclave when the Rafah crossing opened for the first time since the war between Israel and Hamas escalated on October 7.

That number has now grown to 25 after two more – one citizen and a permanent resident – made it into Egypt overnight.

READ MORE: 'Shame on you': Qantas chairman jeered before huge protest vote

"Twenty-five individuals supported by the Australian government have now departed Gaza," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is assisting 64 individuals in Gaza, composed of Australians and their families, who have requested our help to depart."

The duo is currently being provided with accommodation in Cairo before flying home.

DFAT also confirmed four citizens and a family member were able to leave the other Palestinian territory of the West Bank overnight for Jordan, and said it was working to help the remaining 64 Australians trapped in Gaza leave.

"We continue to engage closely with partners in the region to ensure the remaining Australians in Gaza who wish to leave are able to do so as soon as possible," the spokesperson said.

"Departures depend on a range of factors, and the situation in Gaza remains challenging and can change rapidly."

READ MORE: Mushroom cook faces court after police lay murder charges over deadly meal

When the first cohort of foreign nationals was able to pass through the Rafah crossing on Wednesday, retired Australian teacher Abdullah Dahlan remained behind because, while he was permitted passage, his wife was not.

Dahlan's wife, Samah, is not an Australian passport holder, but does have a visa.

It is not known if the couple were the two Australians allowed through the border overnight, but Dahlan's son, Shaher, told Today this morning that his father is "in an extremely perilous situation".