At least 10 people have died after a charter plane crashed onto an expressway north of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

The plane, carrying six passengers and two flight crew, departed from Langkawi International Airport and was headed to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia said in a statement on Thursday.

"First contact made by the aircraft with Subang Air Traffic Control Tower was at 2.47pm (4.47pm AEST) and landing clearance was given at 2.48pm," according to the statement.

READ MORE: Renowned British broadcaster Michael Parkinson dies, aged 88

At 2.51pm, the "control rower observed smoke originating from the crash site but no mayday call was made by the aircraft" the statement added.

The plane crashed into a car and a motorcycle, each carrying one individual, reported state newspaper Berita Harian, citing Selangor police head Hussein Omar Khan.

"Forensic personnel are in the process of collecting the remains and will bring them to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang for a post-mortem examination and identification process," Khan said, according to the state newspaper, adding that the Ministry of Transport will conduct an investigation.

Transport minister Anthony Loke said investigations were ongoing.

"No one survived the crash," he said at a press conference.

"Victims (on the road) will also still need to be identified, will update in due time. Forensic confirmation needs to be taken."

Videos and images of the scene taken by Malaysian media showed a burnt section of the highway cordoned off, with smoke in the air.

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Sir Michael Parkinson, the renowned British broadcaster, journalist and author most famous for his interview program, has died aged 88.

A statement was released by Parkinson's family confirming his death.

"After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family," the statement says.

READ MORE: 'The king of the chat show': Tributes to Michael Parkinson

"The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve."

Born in Yorkshire, the son of a miner, Parkinson started his career just out of school in newspapers before moving into television in the 1960s.

He was best known for his eponymous chat show, which first aired on the BBC in 1971.

The first run of the show lasted 11 years, before it returned in 1998. Its final episode aired in 2007, and included appearances from Sir David Attenborough, Sir Michael Caine, Australian actor and comedian Barry Humphries, Dame Judi Dench and David Beckham.

Even though some of his best-known interviews were his less polished, more controversial ones, such as the infamous 2003 encounter with Meg Ryan when he was told to "wrap it up" – and which he later expressed his regret over – Parkinson had no complaints about his career.

"I've loved every minute of it, I've been a very, very lucky man indeed," he said in 2016.

Over the show's four decades on air, Parkinson built a reputation as one of television's great interviewers, highlighted by iconic episodes with the likes of John Lennon, Billy Connolly, and Muhammad Ali. 

The legendary boxer was arguably Parkinson's most memorable sparring partner – and described by the host as his favourite guest. He was interviewed four times on the show in the space of a decade.

He also welcomed plenty of Australian guests onto the show, including – perhaps unsurprisingly given his love of cricket – Shane Warne shortly after the star's Test retirement, and Kerry Packer after the formation of World Series Cricket.

Years after Parkinson had finished, the British presenter conducted the interview in which champion Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe came out as gay in.

Indeed, Parkinson had close ties to Australia, a country he described as his second home when he became the first non-Australian to give an Australia Day keynote address in 2011.

In a 2009 interview with A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw, Parkinson said he easily settled into the country.

"What I liked about Australia was I never had to think 'do I like it or not'," he said.

"From the very moment I arrived here, I enjoyed it."

In the '70s and '80s, he hosted an Australian version of his chat show, Parkinson in Australia, that ran parallel to the British series, and included interviews with Bob Hawke, Bert Newton and John Farnham. 

Later in his life, he admitted that being in the spotlight took a heavy toll on him. In an interview, he said he took to drinking after the death of his father, although stopped short of becoming an alcoholic after seeking health advice.

In 2013 he revealed he had been diagnosed with and was receiving treatment for prostate cancer, which he was given the all-clear from two years later.

Parkinson was knighted in 2008, eight years after he was made a CBE.

BBC Director General Tim Davie described Parkinson as "the king of the chat show".

"He defined the format for all the presenters and shows that followed.

"He interviewed the biggest stars of the 20th century and did so in a way that enthralled the public. Michael was not only brilliant at asking questions, he was also a wonderful listener.

"Michael was truly one of a kind, an incredible broadcaster and journalist who will be hugely missed."

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Tom Coombes was walking home from university when he was stabbed to death.

A man has been arrested after going on an alleged rampage outside a pizza shop in Adelaide.

The man, 33, allegedly ripped the cash register off the counter of Fat Jessy's Pizza Bar in Salisbury at 7pm on Wednesday after throwing a call bell at staff.

He then allegedly threw the cash register at four cars outside the restaurant, including a police car, causing significant damage to multiple vehicles.

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"We just didn't want to run over him so when we saw him come towards the car we stopped and shattered the windscreen, my dog was in the back," victim Nadia said.

Witnesses say the 33-year-old "lost it" after a Fat Jessy's worker asked what he wanted on his pizza. 

No one was injured during the incident.

The man has been charged with five counts of property damage, theft and spitting on police.

A love affair ends in heartbreak amid pride and pain. The nation's front pages sum up the dichotomy of sport. But it was a different story in the UK, which revelled in the Matildas' loss to the Lionesses.

Authorities have confirmed they found "low-level radioactive isotopes" after blocking off a street and raiding a home over several hours in Sydney's south.

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers and hazmat teams raided the unit in Arncliffe about 9am and left the scene with tape declaring it a "contaminated hot zone".

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has confirmed it found the radioactive material, which is commonly used in several industries, at the location.

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"The material was found in suitable and effective containers, with no release of radiation," FRNSW said in a statement.

"FRNSW established a 10-metre exclusion zone around the property as firefighters, in protective clothing, used special detectors to inspect the site.

"They were able to further seal the material without incident."

FRNSW said three people who lived at the address were taken to hospital for observation.

"There was no evidence of exposure… other residents nearby, evacuated as a precaution, have since safely returned to their homes."

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Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and AFB testing confirmed they recorded regular readings and declared the area safe.

The raid saw Kelsey Street blocked off at either end, with residents unable to access the street for most of the day.

Earlier a resident told 9News she was worried about the raid.

"It is a very quiet neighbourhood and it sort of stuff is ridiculous anywhere but you don't expect it to happen right down the street from you," the resident told 9News.

NSW Police, as well as officers in hazmat suits, and Fire and Rescue NSW were on scene investigating the home.

"People in the vicinity of the location are urged to follow all directions from emergency services," AFB said in a statement.

"All appropriate safety measures are being implemented."

Investigations are ongoing.

Wildlife officials are investigating a "disgraceful act" of animal cruelty after a crocodile was found dead in the Ross River mangroves.

The crocodile was found near the Barnacle Street boat ramp in Townsville on August 15 and is believed to have suffered a "slow, agonising death".

A poaching contraption made from a four-metre wired rope, hook and stone was found hanging from its mouth.

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"When wildlife officers attended the scene, they discovered the 2.6m crocodile entangled in the mangroves," DES Senior Wildlife Officer, Tony Frisby said.

"Disturbingly, wildlife officers found a large hook attached to the wired rope, and they believe the hook was baited in a deliberate attempt to target and kill the crocodile."

"This is a disgraceful act."

Wildlife officers are sweeping the area for similar baits and lures, which resemble the equipment used by poachers.

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Crocodiles are a protected species in Queensland under the 1992 Nature Conservation Act.

The maximum fine for the deliberate killing of a crocodile is $32,243.

Anyone with any information has been urged to come forward.

He leaves tomorrow, with his All Blacks teammates, for France.

Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a plan to liberalise rules on cannabis, setting the scene for the European Union's most populous nation to decriminalise possession of limited amounts and allow members of "cannabis clubs" to buy the substance for recreational purposes.

The legislation is billed as the first step in a two-part plan and still needs approval by parliament.

But the government's approval is a stride forward for a prominent reform project of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's socially liberal coalition, though significantly short of its original ambitions.

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The bill, which the government hopes will take effect at the end of this year, foresees legalising possession of up to 25 grams (nearly 1 ounce) of cannabis for recreational purposes and allowing individuals to grow up to three plants on their own.

German residents who are 18 and older would be allowed to join nonprofit "cannabis clubs" with a maximum 500 members each.

The clubs would be allowed to grow cannabis for members' personal consumption.

Individuals would be allowed to buy up to 25 grams per day, or a maximum 50 grams per month — a figure limited to 30 grams for under-21s.

Membership in multiple clubs would not be allowed.

The clubs' costs would be covered by membership fees, which would be staggered according to how much cannabis members use.

The government plans a ban on advertising or sponsoring cannabis, and the clubs and consumption won't be allowed within 200 meters of schools, playgrounds and sports facilities, or near cannabis club premises.

Officials hope their plan will help protect consumers against contaminated products and reduce drug-related crime.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he expects the system to produce "very competitive" prices, "so we think that we can push back the black market well with these rules."

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At present, "we have rising consumption, problematic consumption," Lauterbach told reporters. "It simply couldn't have carried on like this."

The centre-right opposition argues the government is pressing ahead with legalising a risky drug despite European legal obstacles and expert opinion.

An organisation representing German judges says the plan is likely to increase rather than decrease the burden on the judicial system and could even increase demand for black-market cannabis.

Some advocates of legalisation aren't happy either.

"What we're getting from the health minister is overregulation, a continued stigmatisation of cannabis users and a much too tight regulatory corset, which simply makes it impossible for many, many (cannabis clubs) to work," said Oliver Waack-Jürgensen, who heads the Berlin-based High Ground "cannabis social club" founded last year.

He is also on the board of a national association representing such clubs.

Lauterbach rejected the objections.

"The fact that it's being attacked from both sides is a good sign," the minister said.

He added that "approval with much more liberalisation, like for example in Holland or some American states, would have led to consumption expanding," and that those who oppose any legalisation "have no answer" to rising consumption and crime, and a burgeoning black market.

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The legislation is to be accompanied by a campaign meant to sensitise young people to the risks of consuming cannabis.

The government says it plans to follow the new legislation by mapping out a second step — five-year tests of regulated commercial supply chains in select regions, which would then be scientifically evaluated.

That's far short of its original plan last year, which foresaw allowing the sale of cannabis to adults across the country at licensed outlets. It was scaled back following talks with the EU's executive commission.

Approaches elsewhere in Europe vary.

The Netherlands combines decriminalisation with little market regulation.

Dutch authorities tolerate the sale and consumption of small amounts of the substance at so-called coffeeshops but producing and selling large amounts of it, necessary to keep the coffeeshops supplied, remains illegal.

Amsterdam, long a magnet for tourists wanting to smoke weed, has been cracking down on coffee shops.

The Dutch government, meanwhile, has launched an experiment it says aims to "determine whether and how controlled cannabis can be legally supplied to coffeeshops and what the effects of this would be."

In Switzerland, authorities last year cleared the way for a pilot project allowing a few hundred people in Basel to buy cannabis from pharmacies for recreational purposes.

The Czech government has been working on a plan similar to Germany's to allow sales and recreational use of cannabis, which isn't finalised.

Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, has proposed legalising weed but has been turned down by parliament. France has no plans to liberalise its strict cannabis rules.

115 migrant workers found living in six overcrowded and unhygienic houses.