The controversy over the transfer of asylum-seekers onto a barge moored in southern England has deepened, with public health experts warning of the possible risk of infection in living conditions that campaigners have branded as inhumane.

A group of 15 have migrants boarded the boat, named Bibby Stockholm, which is docked in Portland, on the Dorset coast of southwest England.

"Accommodation is offered to individuals on a no-choice basis," Cheryl Avery, director for asylum accommodation at the UK Home Office said, noting that there have been legal challenges to the plan.

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Plans announced by the UK government in April to house around 500 single adult men on the vessel struck a political nerve in Britain, where the Home Office has ramped up hostile policies towards refugees in a bid to reduce the number of small boat crossings in the face of the European migrant crisis.

"We have had a few challenges, but this is part of an ongoing structured process to bring a cohort of up to 500 people on board. There have some challenges – some minor legal challenges – and I can't go into the detail of those, but accommodation is offered to individuals on a no-choice basis," Avery told reporters Monday.

Several groups have flagged safety concerns over the Bibby Stockholm. It was called a "death trap" by the UK's Fire Brigades Union (FBU) on Wednesday. And Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, warned that respiratory infections were more likely to spread in cramped spaces with narrow corridors and doorways.

"Generally respiratory infections, as we've all learnt through the pandemic … are at higher risk in confined settings with poorer ventilation, so the sorts of things we look at is what the ventilation is like," she told BBC Radio 4's "Today" show on Monday.

The agency will visit the barge to assess the "infection prevention control" once migrants are on board, Harries said, adding: "We know that the accommodation complies with marine standards, which is what has been agreed is correct for that particular accommodation."

Last week, the FBU's Assistant General Secretary Ben Selby said the barge had been "retrofitted" for 222 people, not the 500 people the government wants to accommodate.

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"If firefighters were needed to make entry through those narrow corridors when people were seeking to escape from it in the case of a fire, how would they even reach the seat of that fire and make the necessary rescues?" Selby told Sky News.

More people were expected to embark later on Monday, but 20 had their transfers cancelled after legal representatives intervened, the refugee charity Care4Calais told CNN later on Monday.

Use of the Bibby Stockholm is part of a raft of measures by the Conservative government intended to slash the cost of housing migrants in hotels and ease the backlog of unprocessed asylum claims.

The UK government is spending $11.67 million (£6 million) per day on accommodating migrants in hotels, according to UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden.

Dowden responded to the FBU's statement last week, saying the government would "take into account those concerns and that's exactly what we're doing."

'Floating prison'

The number of people risking the treacherous crossing between Britain and France has spiraled so far this year, fueled by war, global inequality and the climate crisis.

In 2022, 45,755 people crossed in small boats, according to UK government data, heaping pressure on an immigration system that critics warn is broken and underfunded.

About 11,500 people were monitored crossing the Channel in small boats in the first half of 2023. Even though the figure represents a 10 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2022, most journeys happen in the second half of the year.

Last month, the UK government pushed through the Illegal Migration Bill, a controversial law that gives it powers to detain and remove undocumented migrants from the country.

The UN's refugee agency condemned the legislation and said it amounts to an "asylum ban," breaching the UK's obligations under international law.

Steve Smith, the CEO of refugee charity Care4Calais, told CNN that the move to house refugees on the Bibby Stockholm was "causing a huge amount of anxiety."

"Amongst those we are supporting are the survivors of torture, people with disabilities and people who have experienced trauma at sea. Housing any human on a 'floating prison' like the Bibby Stockholm is unacceptable. Doing so to people like this is completely inhumane. It is causing a huge amount of anxiety," he said in a statement on Monday.

"This is yet another example of an ill-thought-out, knee-jerk reaction to the Government's own backlog of asylum claims. If it had been properly planned, we wouldn't be seeing last-minute, panicked activity to address the serious fire safety concerns that arise when trying to cram over 500 people into a boat built for just 220."

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Iraq's prime minister has ordered an investigation into how a bear escaped from its crate in the cargo hold of an Iraqi aircraft as it was due to depart from Dubai airport, leaving passengers disgruntled over the delay and causing a stir on social media.

Iraqi Airways said it wasn't to blame for the bear's escape and that the aircraft's crew worked with authorities in the United Arab Emirates, which dispatched specialists to sedate the animal and remove it from the plane.

A video clip circulating on social media showed the plane's captain apologising to passengers for Friday's takeoff delay because of the bear's escape from its crate in the cargo hold.

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Iraqi Airways said on Saturday that procedures to transport the bear were carried out in accordance with the law and with procedures and standards approved by the International Air Transport Association.

The airline said the bear was being flown from Baghdad to Dubai. But a person speaking on the video clip making the social media rounds suggested otherwise, saying the aircraft was an hour late for its trip to Baghdad and that passengers were being asked to disembark until the issue was resolved.

Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, declined to comment.

An Iraqi Airways official confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday that the bear was, in fact, being transported to the Iraqi capital.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorised to speak about the matter publicly, declined to name the animal's owner.

Keeping predatory animals as pets in Iraq — especially in Baghdad — has become popular among the wealthy.

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Authorities have struggled to enforce legal provisions to protect wild animals.

Baghdad's police has previously called on citizens to assist authorities in preventing such animals from being let loose on the city's streets or ending up as exotic meals in restaurant by reporting such cases.

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Perth researchers have whipped up a novel way to boost fruit and vegetable intake in aged care residents, children and even military personnel.

Edith Cowan University is using 3D printing to produce one small meal packed full of nutrients while also reducing food wastage.

It might not look like a substantial meal but the puree it creates is filled with the ingredients of a spinach frittata: eggs, ricotta, feta, onions and garlic.

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It's the culinary revolution of 3D food printing created by researchers at Edith Cowan University and aged care agency Brightwater.

"We want to pack as much nutrition, nutritional value and flavour and pleasure and joy with every single mouthful," chef Amanda Orchard said.

Brightwater Care Group CEO Catherine Stoddart said it's cutting edge technology.

"There are mixes of food that add additional protein, that add additional minerals and vitamins that people don't normally get," Stoddart said.

Produce is chopped, freeze-dried and pureed and the mixture is transferred into cylinders

Aged care residents are the inspiration.

With up to two thirds suffering malnutrition because of chewing and swallowing difficulties, scientists are making texture-modified foods more appealing for the appetite.

Nutritional top-ups with regular meals are just the beginning.

Then researchers hope to feed the masses in 12 to 18 months time.

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"All we have done is try to create beautiful presentation, more nutritious food and a more enjoyable dining experience for them to stimulate their appetite so they can eat more," Dr Liezhou Zhong from Edith Cowan University said.

Researchers are thinking of a bigger picture, not only catering for aged care facilities, but also for schools and the military.

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"We can provide them with high energy, long life, lightweight fruit, vegetables or other food products," Zhong said.

The university is working with the agricultural industry to source imperfect produce to make perfectly edible meals.

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Two youths have been arrested, however, police are still searching for other offenders.

“I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on my worst enemy,” Malcolm King says.

There are reports Ford Rd, in Rotorua’s Fordlands, has been blocked at both ends.

A world-first trial for a drug that researchers hope could slow the progression of motor neurone disease is being run in Melbourne.

For patients living with MND such as Greg Levin, news of the human trial provided much-needed hope.

The small trial is set to open by next year to eligible Australians with ALS, a common type of MND.

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Levin was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at just 63 years old.

"I was at work and I couldn't pick things up from my desk with my arms," he said.

"It's just shattering.

"For a couple of months at least we couldn't function. We were just totally flawed."

While there is no cure or treatment for MND, American company Spinogenix has developed a drug that is showing promise.

They tested the drug SPG302 on mice and found it slowed the progression of symptoms, especially for those with ALS.

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It was also found to prolong life span,by restoring broken neuron connections in the brain.

"It's a pill that you take once a day in the hope that we can restore walking, memory and breathing," Spinogenix chief executive Stella Sarraf said.

"As well, what's most remarkable is that it increased the life span."

The company will recruit 112 patients in Melbourne to test how the drug affects their symptoms.

"The more things we can trial the better," Levin said.

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A former BHP worker has been jailed for more than five years after raping a colleague at a mining camp after a night of heavy drinking.

Ryan John Zabaznow, 37, was found guilty in May of sexual penetration without consent in Newman in Western Australia's Pilbara region on November 18, 2020.

His victim told the WA District Court she woke up to find Zabaznow raping her after she passed out inside her donga.

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He denied it and said his Facebook messages showed the encounter was consensual but the jury disagreed after deliberating for about four hours.

Outside court after Zabaznow's sentencing on Monday, the woman said she was proud her story sparked a parliamentary inquiry into sexual assault and harassment within the WA fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) industry.

"And that it was my voice that spoke for fellow FIFO workers within the industry that felt ashamed alone and too scared to come forward at the time," she told reporters.

"That man not only took away my happiness and my happy-go-lucky personality with what he did, but he took away my career, my goals and my aspirations."

The court was told the pair had been drinking with other FIFO workers at the camp's bar before the assault and continued socialising when it closed.

Zabaznow and the woman shared an intimate conversation about their past relationships before drinking outside the woman's donga with other colleagues.

As the night wore on the woman, who said she drank about 15 mid-strength beers, started to feel unwell.

A friend put her to bed after she vomited and she passed out.

The jury heard Zabaznow entered the woman's room and climbed into her bed after her friend left the scene.

The woman told the jury she woke while Zabaznow was raping her.

She said she was initially not sure what was happening and started to cry.

The attack stopped when two other workers heard "sex noises and moaning" and knocked on the woman's door to check if she was OK.

They found Zabaznow in the woman's bed.

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BHP said in May it took "courage and bravery" for the woman to speak out about her "traumatic" experience and the company continued to support her.

"Sexual violence is completely unacceptable and has no place in our communities or in our workplaces," a spokeswoman said.

"At BHP, we are determined to eliminate it from our workplaces and we are committed to creating a culture that is safe, inclusive and respectful at all times."

BHP sacked Zabaznow in December 2020 after an internal investigation.

Zabaznow was sentenced to five years and two months' jail and must serve three years before being eligible for parole.

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

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Homicide detectives are still trying to work out if a suspected mushroom poisoning, which killed three people, is suspicious or not.

Heather Wilkinson, a local teacher; her sister, Gail Patterson; and Patterson's husband Don Patterson all died after eating toxic wild mushrooms in Leongatha Victoria's Gippsland region on July 29.

A fourth person, Reverend Ian Wilkinson, who is a pastor at Korumburra Baptist Church and Heather Wilkinson's husband, is fighting for life in hospital after also eating the mushrooms at the same meal.

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Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told media today the investigation was "complex" but confirmed a family member was a suspect.

"I would like to say that because the Homicide Squad is investigating this matter, it doesn't automatically mean that the deaths are suspicious," Thomas said.

It's understood the two couples were dining at the home of Erin Patterson, the daughter-in-law of the Pattersons, when they were served the meal.

The home was raided by police on Saturday and the 48-year-old was questioned by police and released pending further investigation.

"She is (a suspect) because she cooked those mushrooms," Thomas said.

Patterson returned to the Leongatha home today, fighting back tears.

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Thomas said the victims' symptoms aligned with those of eating toxic mushrooms known as death caps.

"Lunch was served and the four people left the address," he said.

"Unfortunately late on the Saturday night or early Sunday morning, they came down with symptoms of some type of food poisoning."

Police believe there is "still lots of work to do" for the investigation.

"We need to understand what has caused the symptoms and what has caused the deaths of these three people, and we have a fourth person in a critical condition in hospital," Thomas said.

"We need to understand what has occurred. It's a very complex matter."

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The Victorian Health Department released a warning about death cap and yellow staining mushrooms in April, reporting a spike in the state due to cool and wet conditions.

The health department said it is investigating the incident.

"The department is aware of the situation and our investigations are ongoing," a spokesperson told 9news.com.au.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the patients' family for their loss."

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Human remains have been found on the Mornington Peninsula during a search for missing Melbourne woman Maryam Hamka.

Police said the human remains were found about 10.30am in bushland off Rogers Road during a search in the Cape Schanck area.

The remains have not yet been formally identified, police said, but they are believed to belong to Hamka.

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"Missing Persons Squad detectives have located what appear to be human remains as part of their ongoing investigation into the suspicious disappearance of Maryam Hamka," police said.

Police previously conducted searches of the Cape Schanck area last month.

The area is located about 100km from Melbourne.

Hamka was last seen leaving a Woolworths store in Albert Street in Brunswick at 5.30pm on April 10, 2021.

She was reported missing to police five days later, sparking an investigation into her whereabouts.

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Hamka's family thanked police for their dedication in finding answers.

"After two heartbreaking years, we are relieved that we have found her remains and we can give her a resting place," the family said in a statement.

"We are grateful for the hard work by the Missing Persons Squad to bring her home.

"We now fight to get the justice she deserves."

Toby Loughnane is accused of murdering his former girlfriend inside his Brighton home.

Loughnane is yet to face trial.

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Assistant Commissioner Mick Frewen said officers worked under "very difficult and trying conditions" to provide the family with answers.

"Our heartfelt thoughts are with Maryam's family and friends. The past two years have been an incredibly difficult time for them and their grief remains as raw as ever," he said.

"The investigative efforts by the Missing Persons Squad, Crime Command and other members of Victoria Police have been tireless and extraordinary.

"We know this has been an incredibly difficult and traumatic time for them. We hope that this will bring the closure they need and Maryam can finally be laid to rest."

Police said the coroner had been advised and a post mortem will occur in due course.

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