Peters says Seymour discovered his Māori-ness the same way Columbus discovered America.

Tributes are flowing for a Sydney school teacher who died after a tragic skiing accident at Perisher.

Jonas Stoebe was leading a snow tour for Year 9 and Year 11 students from Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School, located on Sydney's lower north shore, when he crashed and suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

The 55-year-old died last week, leaving behind a partner and two young sons.

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The school community launched a fundraiser four days ago to support Stoebe's family, which has since raised close to $250,000.

Stoebe is being remembered among the school community as a "cherished member of our Glenaeon family".

"Jonas was more than just an educator; he was a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration to all who knew him," the school posted on Facebook last week.

"With unwavering dedication, Jonas had been part of our school community for 10 years, leaving an indelible mark on countless students' lives.

"Our school community is heartbroken by this loss.

"We extend our deepest condolences to Jonas' family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.

"The impact Jonas had on our school and the lives of our students is immeasurable, and his memory will forever remain in our hearts."

Staff, students and parents have taken to social media to pay tribute to the "great friend" and "incredible teacher".

The drunk man was driving at almost twice the legal speed limit when he hit a pedestrian.

Radio host Harnek Singh was stabbed dozens of times by strangers in his driveway.

Did someone say UFO?

Spotters of flying saucers in south-east Queensland have been warned not to get too excited if they see a strange object in the night sky over the next few weeks.

Thermal drones will be in operation in the wee hours of the morning, taking to the skies to monitor koala and wildlife activity from above over some suburbs in the Logan area, south of Brisbane.

https://twitter.com/TMRQld/status/1703559482175860770

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Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads is collecting the data as part of its work on a planned upgrade of the Pacific Motorway from Daisy Hill to Logan.

The drones will be using powerful spotlights in the hours between 4am and 9am in order to spot the native animals, many of which are nocturnal. 

"Don't worry if you spot one in the night sky – it's only a close encounter of the furred kind!" the department wrote in a cheeky post on X (formerly Twitter).

Ryan Hamilton says his views were not raised in his candidate selection.

Sri Lankan cricket star Danushka Gunathilaka allegedly told a Tinder date not to worry and that the woman wouldn't get pregnant before he stealthily removed a condom during sex.

The 32-year-old sportsman matched with the woman on the dating app on October 29, 2022 and met her for the first time four days later at Opera Bar in Sydney.

The pair later went back to the woman's eastern suburbs home, where he is accused of raping her through the act of "stealthing" – which involves removing a condom during sexual intercourse without the other person's knowledge.

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Gunathilaka has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said he forcefully kissed her and slapped her buttocks on the way home that night, and then choked her two or three times during sex.

"I remember trying to remove his hand from my throat," she said on Monday as the NSW District Court trial began.

"I felt fearful for my life at this point."

The court heard there was no suggestion any sexual activity that took place on the night was non-consensual besides the alleged stealthing incident.

Crown prosecutor Gabrielle Steedman said that just because someone consented to one type of activity did not mean they agreed to others.

In her evidence, the woman that Gunathilaka was adamant he did not want to wear the condom despite her insistence that he do so.

He allegedly told her not to worry, adding: "I won't get you pregnant, darling."

"'Don't you trust me? You should trust me'," the woman said Gunathilaka told her on the night.

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Steedman told Judge Sarah Huggett the woman noticed the used condom on the floor a few seconds after he had stopped having sex with her.

"The complainant says she was in complete shock by what happened," the prosecutor said.

The alleged removal of the condom and his other behaviour on the night showed the cricketer did not care about or respect the woman's wishes, Steedman said.

In an interview with police soon after his arrest at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on November 6, Gunathilaka denied removing the condom, saying he had put on a second one because the first "was not good".

A search by police of the woman's home found only one condom, which contained DNA profiles that matched both him and the alleged victim.

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Gunathilaka's barrister Murugan Thangaraj SC said there were questions around whether the complainant was a credible witness.

When first speaking to her friends soon after the alleged incident and then to a doctor, she made no reference to the allegedly removed condom, he said.

The detail was only mentioned when she spoke to police on November 5, the court heard.

In his police interview, Gunathilaka categorically denied taking off the condom, Thangaraj said.

"Because it was the first time the two of them were having sex, he also wanted to wear a condom," he said.

The judge-alone trial continues.

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

Australia is full of wonderful places and some have names that are easier to pronounce than others. It turns out many of us are turning to Google to find out the proper pronunciation.

Four children, the youngest just nine years old, are missing from Sydney's west.

Three boys – Judah El-Hajj aged 9, Azaiah El-Hajj aged 12, Mikael El-Hajj also aged 12, and Malaika El-Hajj, a 16-year-old girl, were last seen on Earle Street in Doonside about 6.45pm on Saturday.

When family realised they were missing, they contacted officers from Blacktown Police Area Command.

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There are serious concerns for their welfare given their ages.

Judah was last seen wearing blue track pants, a red long-sleeve shirt and black shoes.

Azaiah was last seen wearing blue jean shorts, a blue shirt and black shoes.

Mikael was last seen wearing blue shorts, a black shirt and red Jordan sneakers.

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Malaika was last seen wearing black tights, a black jumper with picture of female on the back and pink shoes.

Police believe the children may be in the Bankstown or Sutherland area.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police immediately.

A Gold Coast man who was filmed surfing with his pet python has been hit with a large fine for taking the reptile out in public.

Earlier this month, 9News reported snake owner Higor Fiuza was often seen catching the waves with his morelia bredli python, named Shiva.

"She goes for a swim a little and then comes back to the board — just cruising waiting for a wave – for the perfect wave," he told 9News.

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The snake appeared to enjoy the water because she usually hissed when she was annoyed, and that was yet to happen while out surfing, Fiuza said.

Fiuza was handed the $2322 last Thursday after footage of the owner surfing with his snake went viral online.

"The man was brought to our attention when he appeared in local media taking his python into the surf," Senior Wildlife Officer Jonathan McDonald, from the Department of Environment and Science, said in a statement.

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Although Fiuza held the correct permit to keep native animals, he was not allowed to take the snake from his licenced premises without a special permit, McDonald said.

"We do not want permit holders to be displaying their native animals in public unless it is done for a specific approved purpose and in a way that best provides for the welfare of the animal, the safety of the public and complies with the relevant codes," he said.

"Taking native pets out in public can cause the animals unnecessary stress, and they can behave in an unpredictable way when they are removed from their enclosures."

McDonald said the department was concerned for the welfare of the snake.

"Snakes are obviously cold-blooded animals, and while they can swim, reptiles generally avoid water," he said.

"The python would have found the water to be extremely cold, and the only snakes that should be in the ocean are sea snakes."

9news.com.au has reached out to Fiuza for comment.