Dr Iryna Ovchar is being hosted by eye surgeons in Auckland.

Defence Minister Richard Marles has brushed off concerns the US Congress may block Australia's bid to buy American submarines.

A group of Republicans in the US Senate have expressed their fears that selling nuclear-powered submarines to Australia through the AUKUS arrangement would leave their own navy short.

The powerful Republican ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, called for more funding for the US military before they said they would support the sale.

READ MORE: Tanks, howitzers axed in major overhaul of defence spending priorities

His Democratic counterpart Bob Menendez lambasted Wicker's position as "foolish".

But Marles was confident the political back-and-forth was "business as usual" in Congress.

"We are actually really encouraged by the pace at which this is proceeding through the Congress, the attention that it is receiving," Marles told Today.

"So we are still very confident about this."

Marles said he knew there was a commitment to the Australian-US alliance across the political divide in Washington.

It comes as an American warship was commissioned in Sydney today, the first time such an event was held outside the US.

The USS Canberra was designed and built by Western Australian company Austral.

"There is Australian DNA right through this," Marles said.

"The USS Canberra is the story – it tells the story of the alliance and it is a real symbol of the closeness between our two countries."

Australia is set to buy five Virginia-class submarines from the US in the 2030s.

The purchases are a major part of the federal government's estimated $368 billion submarine deal.

READ MORE: Underwater volcano covered with 'up to a million' giant eggs found

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Bluebird offered to match the amount of the winner’s bid.

A man has failed to steal a boy's electric bike after he assaulted him on the Gold Coast.

CCTV released on Friday by Queensland Police shows the man walking along the footpath, then pushing a boy and his bike over on the Gold Coast Highway at Burleigh Heads near Gardenia Grove about 4.20pm on July 11.

Police said the 14-year-old boy was sitting on his bike and talking to friends when the man attempted to steal the bike.

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"The victim held onto his bike and refused to let go," officers said in a statement.

"One of the boy's friends kicked the man twice before grabbing the key from the bike and running off.

"The man chased the friend but was unable to catch him."

The boy has a bruised right eye from the assault.

Officers are urging anyone who has seen the man or the silver sedan to contact police.

"The man is described as having a tanned complexion, about 185cm tall, medium build and was wearing a black singlet and black shorts."

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Matariki in Wairarapa unveils a modern pou honouring a Māori chief and a midwinter dip.

A prominent Russian pro-war blogger who has criticised President Vladimir Putin and his military's mishaps in Ukraine has been arrested, in a move that suggested the Kremlin's patience with dissent has grown thinner in the wake of the Wagner mercenary rebellion last month.

Igor Girkin is a former KGB officer who helped Russia seize Crimea and was convicted of mass murder for his role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine.

He was taken from his home in Moscow by security agents on Friday and charged with "extremist activity," according to state media and a post on his Telegram account attributed to his wife.

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Girkin, who also goes by the nom de guerre Igor Strelkov, is among the best-known of Russia's "milbloggers", a group of war correspondents who support the invasion but have grown increasingly critical of the military's faltering operations in Ukraine.

Girkin had in recent months taken his criticisms to another level, lambasting the Russian state and even Putin himself.

He co-founded an ultra-nationalist political group called the Angry Patriots Club this spring, and told Reuters that Russia was "on the cusp of very grave internal political changes of a catastrophic character".

The day after Wagner's brief insurrection ended, on June 25, Girkin said that if Putin "is not ready to take the leadership over the creation of war-ready conditions" in Russia, "then he really needs to transfer the powers, but legally, to someone who is capable of such hard work".

But the final straw for Putin may have come on Tuesday, when Girkin called the president a "lowlife" and a "cowardly bum" in a blistering post on his Telegram channel.

"For 23 years, the country was led by a lowlife who managed to 'blow dust in the eyes' of a significant part of the population. Now he is the last island of legitimacy and stability of the state," the post read.

"But the country will not be able to withstand another six years of this cowardly bum in power."

READ MORE: Kidnapping victim's 'Help Me!' sign leads to girl's rescue, suspect's arrest

Miroslava Reginskaya, Girkin's wife, said in the Telegram statement attributed to her that agents of Russia's Investigative Committee arrived at their apartment at 11.30am local time on Friday and took him away "to an unknown direction".

State news agency Ria Novosti later reported that Girkin had been charged with inciting extremist activity, citing the Meshchansky Court of Moscow.

"Strelkov is charged with Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public calls for extremist activity)," the court said, according to Ria.

If found guilty, Girkin could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

Another post on Girkin's Telegram account, attributed to his "associates," said that his arrest Friday coincided with an attempt to split the Angry Patriots Club over differing opinions about Wagner and its attempted uprising in Russia in June, which posed the most significant challenge to Putin since he took power more than two decades ago.

Girkin "openly and reasonably criticised the actions of government officials, including the president," the statement from his associates read.

READ MORE: Deputy PM not concerned about Chinese spy ship in Coral Sea

They said that confidence in Russia's "freedom of speech" was being compromised, and that "processes are taking place in our country that indicate the departure of government representatives from basic values".

Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said that Girkin had "overstepped all conceivable boundaries a long time ago," and that his arrest was the result of the Ministry of Defence reasserting control in the wake of the Wagner rebellion.

"This is a direct outcome of [Yevgeny] Prigozhin's mutiny," she said on Twitter, referring to the Wagner boss.

"The army's command now wields greater political leverage to quash its opponents in the public sphere.

"It's unlikely that there will be massive repressions against 'angry patriots,' but the most vehement dissenters may face prosecution, serving as a cautionary tale for others."

'Internal confrontation'

Girkin is a former colonel in Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and served as defence minister in the separatist so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, territory captured by pro-Russian forces in 2014.

It was during his time in the DPR that he contributed to the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, a court in the Netherlands found.

All 298 people onboard were killed.

The court last year found Girkin guilty of mass murder for his role in the incident and he was sentenced in absentia to life in prison.

According to the court, Girkin participated in the conflicts in Chechnya, Transnistria and Bosnia.

Girkin was remanded in custody until September 18 following his arrest on Friday, after the judge rejected his request to be placed under house arrest due to an apparent heart condition.

The prosecution said Girkin was a flight risk citing his connections to law enforcement agencies, Russian media also reported.

In his statement to court, the prominent blogger argued he could not flee abroad, calling the claims "frankly ridiculous".

His detention comes just three days after Russian state media TASS reported that retired Russian colonel Vladimir Kvachkov, an associate of Girkin's, was facing criminal prosecution for "discrediting the Russian Armed Forces".

While TASS did not specify which of Kvachkov's comments sparked the charges, Kvachkov has also been openly critical of Putin, describing his government is "virtually non-existent" in on-camera remarks at an Angry Patriots event following the Wagner rebellion last month.

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence later claimed Girkin's arrest signals there could be growing disputes within the Kremlin.

READ MORE: Chinese hackers breached US ambassador to China's email account

"The issue is not with Girkin himself, who has never acted as an independent figure before.

"Neither have many other military correspondents or military bloggers, or members of Girkin's group.

"These are not independent figures," a representative for Ukraine's defence intelligence, Andriі Yusov, told Ukrainian broadcasters on Friday.

Yusov went on to say it was "paradoxical" that Girkin had been arrested but not Wagner founder Prigozhin.

"Prigozhin was marching on Moscow and shooting down airplanes and helicopters, but Girkin is the one who got detained," he said.

"This is a specific feature of the Putin regime."

"This all suggests that the members of the Kremlin towers are already coming to an active phase of internal confrontation," he added, without providing evidence.

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An urgent recall has been issued for a type of lollipop that comes with a novelty top.

Product Safety said the Novelty Pops which are sold with a spinning top toy are unsafe.

The spinning top should be disposed of immediately.

READ MORE: Kidnapping victim's 'Help Me!' sign leads to girl's rescue

The toy does not comply with the mandatory standards for products containing button batteries.

Children face the risk of choking, suffering severe internal burns or even death if they swallow the button batteries.

Product Safety warns that consumers may be unaware the spinning top contains a button battery.

Consumers can contact Australian International Traders for a refund of the product.

The lollipops were sold in independent supermarkets, retail shops and milk bars across the country, including IGAs, Campbells Cash & Carry, Sweetcraft, The Lolly Bug Shop and The Professors Shop.

The lollipops were available for sale from March 21 to May 10 this year.

READ MORE: One in three button battery products aren't meeting safety standards

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A 13-year-old kidnapping victim was rescued in Southern California after making a "Help Me!" sign to alert passersby, which then led to the arrest of a Texas man.

Steven Robert Sablan, 61, is now facing federal kidnapping charges for the incident in which he is alleged to have pulled a gun on the girl as she walked along a sidewalk in San Antonio, Texas, earlier this month.

"If you don't get in the car with me, I am going to hurt you," Sablan told the victim, according to court documents.

READ MORE: US says our military exercise demonstrates unity to China

Once inside the car, Sablan is alleged to have repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl as he drove her from Texas to California, as outlined in the affidavit.

Sablan was indicted by a grand jury this week on one count of kidnapping and one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges later this month, the US Department of Justice announced on Thursday.

CNN is seeking comment from Sablan's legal representation.

READ MORE: Judge sets May 2024 trial date for Donald Trump in documents case

Police said that while Sablan went into a laundromat in Long Beach, California, on July 9 the girl flashed her "Help Me!" sign from inside the suspect's parked vehicle, prompting a good Samaritan to call 911.

Long Beach Police officers said the girl was "visibly emotional and distressed" upon their arrival.

After running the vehicle's license plate, officers learned that Sablan was wanted on a burglary charge in Fort Worth, Texas, and considered armed and dangerous, according to the affidavit, which also notes Sablan's prior convictions for robbery and drug possession.

A black handgun, later determined to be a BB gun, a switchblade, and handcuffs, were found in Sablan's vehicle, according to the federal affidavit.

If convicted on both charges, Sablan could face a sentence of up to life in prison.

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Deputy prime minister Richard Marles says he is not concerned about the Chinese spy ship that entered the Coral Sea during Talisman Sabre military exercises, which began in Sydney yesterday.

The ship is believed to be sitting off Queensland's coast to watch the exercises, which involve 30,000 troops from 13 nations as part of Australia's largest military exercises over the next two weeks.

Marles told Weekend Today there always seemed to be a Chinese ship watching the exercises, which had been conducted since 2013.

READ MORE: US says our military exercise demonstrates unity to China

"They are acting in accordance with international law and so this is to be completely expected," Marles said.

"For us, it is really about our capability and our capacity and it is very much about our ability to work with other countries, our friends and allies, and particularly the United States."

He said the exercises were not a simulation for a war against China.

"You don't have a capable Defence Force unless you are match-fit and you are not match-fit unless you train," Marles said.

READ MORE: Judge sets May 2024 trial date for Donald Trump in documents case

"It is the most important exercise that we do, in terms of certifying all the capabilities and skills that exist within the Australian Defence Force."

Marles said he was not worried about Republicans in the US Senate blocking legislation to approve the AUKUS nuclear powered submarine deal.

READ MORE: Last survivor of sunken HMAS Canberra relives battle ahead of US naming ceremony

"I have been briefed by exactly what is occurring in the Congress.

"I think this is pretty well business as usual, in terms of the way in which legislation proceeds through the Congress."

The USS Canberra will be the first American naval ship commissioned outside of the country today.

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Authorities determined on Friday that there is “no acute danger” to people in an area on the edge of Berlin where a potentially dangerous animal was spotted, saying they no longer believe that a lioness is at large and calling off the hunt.

A search turned up no sign of such a predator and experts who analysed a video have concluded that it was likely a wild boar, they said.

Police were first alerted to the animal in Kleinmachnow, just outside Berlin’s city limits, around midnight on Wednesday when people reported what appeared to be a big cat chasing a wild boar.

READ MORE: Deputy PM not concerned about Chinese spy ship

The informants also provided the video.

Based on that and a subsequent sighting of their own, police initially concluded that the animal was apparently a lioness.

But it proved elusive in searches Thursday and Friday in the flat, wooded area on the boundary between Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.

Several reported sightings went unconfirmed; in one case on Friday, police only found a family of wild boars.

On Friday, police thoroughly combed woodland on both sides of the state boundary and found no indication at all of a lioness, any wild animal other than wild boars — which are common in the area — or an animal that had been killed, Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grubert told reporters.

READ MORE: Judge sets May 2024 trial date for Donald Trump in documents case

Officials also had experts analyse the video and compare the animal that was depicted with the body structure of a lioness, Grubert added.

Two experts concluded independently of each other that “this isn't a lioness or a wild animal” and that the creature “tends toward a wild boar," he said, adding that the rounded back and thick legs of the animal shown in the poorly lit video did not fit with it being a lioness.

“We will return to the usual vigilant program and we think there is no acute danger for Kleinmachnow or for the south of Berlin,” the mayor said, adding that police would be able to step back up straight away if the situation changes.

Grubert defended the large, 36-hour deployment, in which helicopters, drones and infrared cameras were used and vets and hunters participated, as “appropriate.”

“The danger of a wild animal in Kleinmachnow justifies the deployment,” he said, adding that he would act the same way “if I were in the situation today.”

There was no immediate word on the cost of the operation.

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