The jacaranda trees of Australia's east coast are set to return with a violet vengeance in 2023, experts from the Botanic Gardens of Sydney say.

In 2022, their purple pom poms popped out much later than usual, and when they finally arrived, their flowering seemed half-hearted, not nearly as brilliant as in years gone by.

The late, not-so-great jacaranda bloom of 2022 was due to constant east coast rain and cloudy conditions, but this year's weather has been completely different and the effects should soon be on display for all to enjoy.

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"This year has been much warmer and drier than last year and jacarandas are pretty tolerant of those sort of conditions," Brett Summerell, Chief Scientist at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney told 9News.

2023 was Sydney's wettest year on record, and plenty of other spots up and down Australia's east coast also saw their wettest recorded year.

But with La Niña and its frequent heavy rains behind us, Summerell says the absence of sodden, saturated soils, plus the warmest July on record in large parts of Australia, should ensure that jacarandas produce their trademark burst of colour in October and November.

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This might surprise quite a few people. Jacarandas in Sydney, Brisbane, and many places along the east coast have retained their leaves this winter, leading many to believe they may bloom late again this year, or not even bloom at all.

That's not necessarily true.

Jacarandas originally come from South America and their schedule is not as regular as the European trees in our cities which tend to lose their leaves in autumn.

Jacaranda leaves turn from green to a pale greeny-yellow in early winter and usually fall at some stage during the winter months, the time of leaf loss dependent on weather, soil, and many other factors.

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As you can see in the picture above taken in the last week of August 2023, the leaves are clinging on to many jacaranda trees, and those leaves still look fairly green.

In addition to being warmer than average, the east coast winter of 2023 has been less windy, which may account for leaves remaining on jacarandas. Whatever the reason, Summerell believes the foliage should drop in the nick of time for a brilliant spring display.

Meanwhile you might be a fan of State of Origin rugby league, but did you know that there's an ongoing argument among botanists over whether Sydney or Brisbane had the first jacarandas?

We'll leave the botanists to battle this one out, but the records show that both cities received their first jacarandas from South America in the late 1850s or early 1860s.

They are now a mainstay of many cities and towns, and Grafton in northern NSW has Australia's main jacaranda festival. This year's purple party is from October 27 to November 5.

Police are searching for a man who was last seen fleeing the grounds of a school in Melbourne's east, which was allegedly set on fire yesterday.

Five classrooms and a canteen were destroyed in the fire at Heatherwood School on Springvale Road in Donvale about 1.30am yesterday.

Detectives believe the northwest corner of the building was set on fire from inside.

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Police said the unknown man was last seen exiting the school and fleeing on foot along Springvale Road.

The man is described as being Caucasian, 180cm tall with a thin build, dark hair and aged in his 30s.

He was wearing a black hooded top, a black and white paisley bandana covering his face and may have been carrying a black Nike backpack.

Police have established a crime scene while investigations into the exact circumstances and cause of the fire continue.

Through a scrum of media, the relief was clear – a weight lifted off the shoulders of three sisters who carried their fight for justice across decades and continents.

Elly Sapper, Dassi Erlich and Nicole Meyer are no strangers to the cameras but as their walks from Melbourne's County Court were captured on Thursday, the lenses were reflecting smiles.

Also in this moment, a feeling of overwhelming emotion as the woman who cast a shadow over their young lives was finally sentenced, her fate sealed with a 15-year jail term.

"We feel overwhelmed and grateful the legal system has recognised and validated the extreme impact of abuse from female perpetrators… Malka Leifer has finally been held accountable," Sapper announced to the waiting press.

"This marks the end of this chapter of our lives and opens the chapter of us healing," Erlich added.

It's been 22 years since Leifer arrived in Australia to teach at Elsternwick's Adass Israel School, in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs.

As principal, she was the most revered member of the close-knit, ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

She was the sisters' teacher, their mentor and then their boss as student teachers.

During a six-week trial, every aspect of their allegations of sexual abuse were examined and their credibility called into question by Leifer's defence team.

In total, 29 sexual abuse charges were put before a jury, the judge dismissing two before they began deliberations.

In April, Leifer was found guilty on eight charges relating to Sapper and 10 linked to Erlich.

But the verdict was not guilty for all charges relating to their eldest sister.

"Her evilness has permeated all of our lives," Meyer told 9News.

"(It's been) 12 years since we walked into the police station and broke the walls of silence in our community and found a voice we didn't know we had."

When the Adass Israel school first heard of Leifer's abuse in 2008, she was stood down.

Within hours, she and her family were on a plane.

The flight that spirited them out of Australia in the middle of the night was paid for by Adass community members.

They were reimbursed by the school.

Leifer continued living with her family back in her homeland, Israel.

It started a fight for justice that would stretch more than a decade.

Once Victorian police laid charges, work began to formally request the former principal's extradition.

But Leifer and her supporters were determined she continue to live outside the Australian justice system.

It was claimed Leifer was mentally unfit to stand trial, but surveillance videos showed her living an apparently normal life.

Israel's deputy health minister was forced to resign over allegations he attempted to obtain a fake psychiatric report to prevent her extradition.

After more than seventy hearings, an Israeli judge found Leifer had been faking her mental illness.

In 2021 she was put on a plane, the first Israeli citizen to be sent to Australia to stand trial.

In sentencing her in Melbourne, the judge noted she had exaggerated or intensified her mental health problems to delay, even frustrate, the extradition proceedings.

"We wondered if this day would ever come," Erlich said.

"This fight was never just for us.

"The voice of survivors cannot be silenced no matter the obstacle."

In a three-hour sentencing hearing, Judge Mark Gamble raked over every aspect of the case.

He noted Leifer had groomed Sapper and Erlich, preying on their vulnerability.

He called the mother-of-eight callous in the way she manipulated and exploited the schoolgirls, who have to live with the devastating impact.

"They were completely innocent victims of the predatory behaviour of Mrs Leifer, and it is she and she alone who should feel guilty," Gamble said.

But Leifer still maintains her innocence.

She appeared via video link from prison and sat emotionless, aside from one solitary tear.

"She has no insight and no remorse, to date she has not sought or received any professional treatment or counselling in relation to her offending," Gamble told the court.

He noted Leifer had high moral culpability, offending over an extended period of time and exploiting a significant power imbalance.

She was sentenced as a serious sexual offender.

Gamble believes through the publicity of the case, she will not have the chance to offend again.

The sisters disagree.

"That statement actually scared us – she had shown no remorse for the entire process," Meyer said.

"I do not believe for a minute she will not re-offend if she has the opportunity to."

It will be up to the parole board to decide if Leifer can be released after her non-parole period of 11.5 years.

She's already served more than five years in custody in Melbourne and in Israel.

As she no longer holds an Australian visa, whenever she does leave prison it will be to go into immigration detention.

Then she'll be deported back to Israel.

She'll be in her 60s by then.

But, if she serves the full term, it'll be another nine years before she sees the outside world.

The sisters call themselves survivors and now they're moving forward.

"We're just really looking forward to a time in our lives when Malka Leifer is not one of the things we're thinking about all the time," Erlich said.

Meyer is already working toward a career in the legal system to support others.

For Sapper, healing looks like continuing to add to her family and letting go of stress.

A 70-year-old man has been charged over an alleged serious assault on an elderly man south of Perth.

Alan White was allegedly punched in the face several times in a car park on Westview Parade in Wannanup about 4.45pm on Friday.

Police allege the 91-year-old grandfather was initially followed into the car park by a man on a motorbike.

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The motorcyclist allegedly kicked him to the ground, before he fled the scene.

"I couldn't work him out. I don't know what his problem was," White told 9News.

"I couldn't understand what he was saying, he wouldn't take his helmet off (or) scarf off.

"I walked away, and the next thing I know I hear a bang when he kicked the side of my car."

Members of the public rushed to help the injured grandfather, who drove himself home, before calling police.

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He was taken to Peel Health Campus via ambulance, where he was treated for his injuries.

Police later arrested and charged a 70-year-old man with one count of Aggravated Assault Occasioning Bodily Harm and one count of Criminal Damage.

He will be appear before the Mandurah Magistrates Court on September 15.

The Powerhouse Museum has lifted the curtain on a new, major exhibition – promising to lead us on a journey across time and memory.

Virgin Australia has become the first Australian airline to provide a tracking service its luggage.

Passengers across more than two-thirds of the airline's domestic network will be able to track their checked baggage from tomorrow via their newly designed app.

The technology has been two years in the making and follows the successful trial in May.

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The tool follows feedback from passengers about the frustration of losing a bag while flying.

"We know the potential of lost baggage is a concern for travellers globally and anticipate today's announcement will give many guests that extra level of comfort knowing where their bag is at every step of the journey,' Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones said.

"We are also proud to be able to launch this new feature while having some of the lowest figures in the market when it comes to mishandled or lost bags, with a mishandled baggage rate of just 1.5 per 1,000 guests – five times better than the last recorded industry average.

"We are a business that intently listens to its people and customers, and we are excited to have many more announcements in the pipeline that we know will make our guests' flying experience that touch more wonderful."

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It comes as many travellers have started taking matters into their own hands by purchasing their own tracking tools, such Apple AirTags.

Earlier this year, Air New Zealand announced they would be gradually rolling out similar technology via their app.

Qantas has indicated it may roll out similar technology later this year.

Three people were shot and killed at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, in what policedescribed as a racially motivated incident.

"This shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people," Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference.

He said the shooter, who is White and is also now dead, left behind evidence that outlined his "disgusting ideology of hate" and his motive in the attack.

All three victims were Black.

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Waters said the shooter, who was in his 20s, used a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.

It's understood the assault rifle was covered in Nazi swastikas.

He left behind writing that led investigators to believe that he committed the shooting because it was the fifth anniversary of when another gunman opened fire during a video game tournament in Jacksonville, killing two people before fatally shooting himself.

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The shooting happened blocks away from Edward Waters University, a historically Black school where students living on campus were told to stay in their residence halls.

The suspected shooter was barricaded in the store after opening fire and leaving "multiple fatalities," Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said.

State Sen. Tracie Davis told CNN the suspect is now dead.

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The circumstances surrounding the shooter's death are unclear. It was not immediately clear if victims were shot inside or outside the store.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson Eric Prosswimmer told CNN the department was "on standby" to treat victims but could not share any information about how many people were hurt.

Jacksonville is located in northeast Florida, about 56 kilometres south of the Georgia border.

Edward Waters University, a historically Black private Christian school that is located less than a mile southeast of the store, issued campus-wide stay-in-place order. The warning said students, faculty and staff don't appear to be involved, according to preliminary reports.

"Our campus police have secured all campus facilities. Students are being kept in their residence halls through the afternoon until the scene is cleared," the alert said.

Davis, whose district includes Jacksonville, called the shooting a "tragic day" for the city in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"I'm offering prayers to the families of the victims and am on my way to meet with (Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters) for answers," Davis posted Saturday.

"This type of violence is unacceptable in our communities," Davis added.

There have been at least 470 mass shootings in the United States so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting in which four or more people are injured and or killed, not including the shooter.

The nation surpassed the 400 mark in July, – the earliest month such a high number has been recorded since 2013, the group said.

The gun violence in Jacksonville marked one of several reported shooting incidents in the US over two days, including in Massachusetts and Oklahoma.

Shots rang out across several cities, bringing a startling halt to normal summertime activities like high school football games and weekend shopping.

In Boston, at least seven people were injured Saturday morning in a shooting that interrupted a popular parade, police said.

A high school football game in Choctaw, Oklahoma, took a deadly turn Friday night after a possible argument led to three people being shot, authorities say.

One of them – a 16-year-old boy – died. And Four people, including a 17-year-old, were killed at an apartment in Joppatowne, Maryland, Saturday morning, officials said.

A 54-year-old man has died after a house fire in Sydney's south-west overnight.

Emergency services were called to the unit in Punchbowl about 10pm, after neighbours sounded the alarm.

On arrival, officers found the unit well alight.

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NSW Ambulance paramedics treated an unconscious man who was found inside the property, but he died at the scene.

Police have established a crime scene and are investigating the cause of the fire.

Anyone with CCTV footage or information about the incident are urged to contact Bankstown police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Popular teething and mouth ulcer remedy, Bonjela will be pulled from supermarket shelves.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has changed its categorisation of Bonjela Teething Gel and Bonjela Mouth Ulcer Gel, which means only pharmacies will be able to stock it.

The gels have been reclassified from a Schedule 1 medicine to a Schedule 2 medicine over concerns about toxicity levels.

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Both Woolworths and Coles have already moved to cease stocking the items.

The changes have come after long-held concerns over choline salicylate.

"The therapeutic guidelines in Australia do not recommend teething gels (irrespective of choline salicylate content) because of the lack of evidence of efficacy and the potential for harm," a TGA spokesperson told 9news.com.au.

"Choline salicylate is an ingredient in a number of teething products such as Bonjela Teething Gel. Other products for the relief of pain, inflammation and discomfort associated with mouth ulcers/sores and new dentures or braces also contain choline salicylate.

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"From 1 October 2023, products containing choline salicylate for oromucosal use will be pharmacy medicines (Schedule 2).

"Substances in Schedule 2 may require advice from a pharmacist for safe use, which should be available from a pharmacy or, where a pharmacy service is not available, from a licensed person."

The spokesperson said the change was made in response to an application to amend the Poisons Standard, which was received in July 2021.

Supermarkets will formally stop selling the products from October 1.

A fire at a fuelling station in Romania caused an explosion that killed at least one person and injured at least eight others Saturday, prompting an evacuation of the immediate area, authorities said.

A second explosion at the station injured at least 26 firefighters, emergency officials said.

The explosions happened at a fuelling station that provides liquefied petroleum gas, a fuel used in household appliances and as a gasoline and diesel alternative in some vehicles.

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They took place in the town of Crevedia, around 30 kilometres north-west of Romania's capital, Bucharest.

Romania's health minister, Alexandru Rafila, confirmed to local media that one person had died.

Several burn victims had been transported to hospitals in Bucharest for treatment, at least one of whom suffered extensive injuries, he said.

Romanian emergency rescue service SMURD said in a press release that a second explosion took place shortly after the first one.

The head of the Romanian directorate for emergency situations, Raed Arafat, said 26 firefighters sustained injuries in the second explosion.

Arafat also said that residents of the area had been evacuated in a radius of 750 metres around the station, and that one LPG tank was still at risk of exploding.

A video on social media showed that the fire spread to an adjacent field and was steadily engulfing a low layer of dry crops.

Several nearby houses and vehicles were damaged by the fire.