A High Court challenge from some of NZs smallest parties has failed

A man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing two women in rural Queensland.

Police allege they found the first woman with stab wounds to her back, neck and abdomen, after responding to reports of an attack at a property in Mount Isa on Saturday.

First aid was commenced by police and the 37-year-old woman was taken to Mount Isa Base Hospital in a critical condition.

READ MORE: Volcano survivor tells of heartbreaking decision to leave parents

Police located a second 37-year-old woman in the carport of the property suffering from multiple stab wounds to her back and arm.

She was taken to Mount Isa Base Hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.

A 38-year-old Townview man was taken into custody at the property.

He has since been charged with two counts of attempted murder (domestic violence offence).

The man will appear before Mount Isa Magistrates Court today.

Police will allege the two women are both known to the man.

Victims of domestic and family violence can find information about support services by contacting 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or online.

If you are in immediate danger, contact Triple Zero.

Lofty Maki was last seen at a Rotorua supermarket on December 6.

Six Gloriavale leavers were employees and not volunteers, Employment Court found.

The final moments of a flight in Far North Queensland were "unexceptional and quite normal" before the aircraft ploughed into a sand dune claiming the lives of all five people on board. 

QBuild workers Wayne Ganter, 63, Henry Roebig, 62, Wayne Brischke, 57, contractor Mark Rawlings, 49, and pilot Stuart Weavell, 36, died when the Cessna 404 crashed on approach at the Lockhart River aerodrome on March 11, 2020.

An inquest into the tragedy is underway in Cairns with coroner Nerida Wilson to examine the training and experience of the pilot during the five days hearing.

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It was a journey Weavell had piloted a number of times before, the court was told. 

That day, the five men had flown from Cairns and the crash happened upon a second landing attempt in poor visibility.

"It has been three years, I'm acutely aware of that," the coroner said opening the inquest on Monday.

"I'm acutely aware, having been the coroner here for a number of years, that this crash has caused enormous suffering, both for the families and the ripple effect in the township of Lockhart River which, as we know, has now suffered two tragedies as a result of plane crashes.

"So let's see together if we can make some meaning. I can't make those promises but I absolutely eternally hope that we can."

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Wilson will also probe the circumstances of the flight, the pilot's training, operator Air Connect Australia's safety procedures, policy surrounding terrain avoidance warning systems, and how similar accidents could be avoided.

Counsel assisting Ian Harvey said final transmissions from the pilot between 9.07am and the time of impact at 9.20am were nothing out of the ordinary. 

"The flight was affected by inclement weather with areas of cloud and rain significantly reducing visibility for a pilot seeking to land at Lockhart River aerodrome that morning," Harvey said. 

"The pilot made a number of broadcasts … quite unexceptional, quite normal and quite appropriate calls for a pilot to make at that particular junction."

Harvey described the fatal flight as continuing in a controlled manner. 

"Shortly before 9.20 that morning, the aircraft impacted the sand dunes … all those on board were fatally injured and due to the impact forces, the accident was not survivable." 

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Harvey said the inquest would hear from fellow pilots and investigators, but it was hoped the hearing could help prevent similar tragedies. 

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation found the aircraft was being flown about 1000ft below the recommended height before it crashed.

It was also travelling at 150 knots – about 280km/h – at the point of impact, a speed "inappropriate" for the position. 

However, the pilot had been in control until the point of impact, and there was no evidence of mechanical problems in the lead-up to the accident.

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The ATSB found the pilot had probably failed to check the Cessna's height and tried to land it solo in very poor visibility.

"Overall, misreading the altimeter by 1000 feet appears to be the most likely scenario, although there was insufficient evidence to provide a definitive conclusion," the ATSB found.

The ATSB said its probe highlighted the importance of terrain avoidance and warning systems in helping pilots in poor visibility.

In 2005, 15 people aboard a Metroliner aircraft travelling from Bamaga to Cairns were killed when it slammed into a mountain at Lockhart River.

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Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia's mainland has been halted amid reports of explosions.

The health ministry in Russia's Krasnodar region, which lies at the eastern end of the bridge, said two people were killed in an unspecified accident on the bridge and their daughter was injured.

The governor of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, announced the closure of the bridge early Monday but did not specify the reason.

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News reports said local residents heard explosions before dawn, but there was no confirmation.

The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, but Governor Sergei Aksyonov said he expected rail traffic on the bridge to resume within several hours.

The Telegram channel Baza, which has ties to Russia's security services, posted photos showing one lane on the bridge's roadway torn up and a black car with its front end appearing to be shattered.

The bridge, which spans the Kerch Strait, was damaged in October by a truck bomb and required months of repairs before resuming full service.

The bridge carries both road and rail traffic and is an important supply artery for Russia's war in Ukraine.

The 19km bridge opened in 2018 and is the main land connection between Russia and the Crimean peninsula.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine's military intelligence department, declined to comment Monday on the incident but said: "The peninsula is used by the Russians as a large logistical hub for moving forces and assets deep into the territory of Ukraine. Of course, any logistical problems are additional complications for the occupiers."

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China's fast fashion retailer Shein is facing a lawsuit in the US that claims the clothing maker's copyright infringement is so aggressive, it amounts to racketeering.

The filing this week claims that Shein is in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, better known as RICO, a law originally crafted to prosecute organised crime.

"Shein has grown rich by committing individual infringements over and over again, as part of a long and continuous pattern of racketeering, which shows no sign of abating," the filing says.

READ MORE: Millions across country warned to brace

In an organised effort to create as many as 6000 new items per day, Shein uses a "byzantine shell game of a corporate structure" to rip off designers, a coordinated illegal operation that can best be combated through the use of RICO statutes, according to the lawsuit.

The suit says the fast fashion retailer violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, alleging that these claims are appropriate because Shein is not just one single entity but rather a "de-facto association of entities".

The USA's RICO laws were introduced in the 1970s to weaken high-profile organised crime groups, including the infamous "Gambino crime family".

If prosecutors can show that there's an organisation of people who commit crimes together on a recurring basis as a group or gang, then any single member can be prosecuted for any of the crimes the organisation may commit. 

The lawsuit is just the latest in a series of difficulties Shein has faced.

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In May a bipartisan group of two dozen lawmakers asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to put the brakes on an initial public offering by Shein until it verified that it does not use forced labour from the country's predominantly Muslim Uyghur population.

The lawsuit, filed by three fashion designers in the US District Court for the Central District of California, alleges "Shein produced, distributed, and sold exact copies of their creative work".

"At issue here, inexplicably, are truly exact copies of copyrightable graphic design appearing on Shein products," the civil lawsuit states.

The designers are seeking unspecified damages and want injunctive relief to prevent further racketeering activity.

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"Shein takes all claims of infringement seriously, and we take swift action when complaints are raised by valid IP rights holders," Shein said in a prepared statement Friday.

"We will vigorously defend ourselves against this lawsuit and any claims that are without merit."

Shein hasn't said whether it plans to go public this year, but there are reports that the company is raising money in anticipation of a US listing before the end of the year.

Shein spokesperson Peter Pernot-Day has said the company takes transparency across its entire supply chain seriously.

But a Congressional report last month unloaded a blistering critique of Shein and another Chinese fashion retailer, Temu.

The report is part of an ongoing Congressional investigation into products offered to American consumers that could be made with forced labour in China.

As part of the probe, the committee sent letters in early May to brands Nike and Adidas, as well as Shein and Temu asking for information about their compliance with the anti-forced labour law.

Shein said at the time that the company's "policy is to comply with the customs and import laws of the countries in which we operate."

It also said it has "zero tolerance" for forced labour and has implemented a robust system to ensure compliance with US law.

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A woman has been taken to hospital after she was attacked by multiple dingoes on K'gari, off the coast of Queensland.

The 24-year-old was jogging near Orchid Beach around 9am this morning when she was surrounded by four dingoes, also known as wongari, and chased into the ocean, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science has confirmed.

Three of the dingoes attacked her in the ocean, leaving her with serious injuries to her legs and arms, before two men in a 4WD rushed to her aid.

READ MORE: Millions across country warned to brace

The men put the woman in the back of the ute and drove to a nearby fenced area where the woman was given first aid before being flown to Hervey Bay Hospital.

One of the men was also injured in the process.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife are investigating the dingoes responsible and will increase patrols of Orchid Beach.

https://twitter.com/QldAmbulance/status/1680729880860987392

Authorities say one of the animals was collared.

Tracking collars have been used on dingoes on K'gari since 2011 to allow rangers to track their movements and monitor behaviour.

Dingoes loiter around Orchid Beach and are unafraid of humans because they have been habituated to being fed.

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A mysterious object that washed up on a remote beach in Western Australia is being treated as hazardous while authorities try to identify what it is.

Western Australia Police said an unidentified object washed up on a beach near Green Head, north of Perth, on Saturday afternoon.

Officers are working with state and federal agencies to figure out what the object is and where it came from.

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"In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation, officers from the Western Australia Police Force are currently guarding the object," police said.

"This measure has been taken to ensure the preservation of potential evidence and facilitate further expert examination.

"The object is being treated as hazardous, until the origin of it can be established.

"People in the area should keep a safe distance."

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Police said the object didn't originate from a commercial aircraft – including MH370, which vanished in March 2014.

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An Australian survivor of a New Zealand volcano eruption is "still bothered" by having to leave his badly injured parents and seek help, a criminal trial has heard.

Jesse Langford, from Sydney, was 19-years-old when he joined his father Anthony, 51, mother Kristine, 46, and sister Winona, 17, on a family trip to New Zealand aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise liner Ovation of the Seas in late 2019.

Jesse would be left with burns to his hands, back and thighs, with his father, mother and sister killed on December 9, 2019 during a day trip to the Whakaari-White Island volcano located off New Zealand's northern coast.

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Langford's video interview with police in April 2020 was played to Auckland District Court on Monday where Whakaari-White Island's owners, ID Tours and Tauranga Tourism Services are accused of safety breaches that resulted in the deaths of 22 people, including 14 Australians.

Like previous Australian witness Annie Yongan Lu, Langford said he was given no indication of any dangers before going on the trip and had only a short safety briefing on the day with no plans for emergencies.

He said his tour group including his family members were caught in a relatively flat and open area on their walk down from the crater when the volcano erupted.

Langford said he was thrown over a mound by the force of an eruption before curling up in the foetal position and covering his head with his hands after being hit in the face by a flying rock.

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"I was being hammered by this sandstorm like in the movies where you can't see two metres in front of you. I was in so much pain," he said.

Once the eruption clouds lifted the island returned to the clear day it was before, except everything was covered in grey ash.

"Dad was sitting up and struggling to breathe while trying to get his gas mask off. Mum was not moving at all," Langford said.

He said he sat with the group for 15 to 20 minutes thinking about what he could do while feeling his whole body shot through with pain.

"I made the decision that I couldn't physically help anyone but I could let people know others had survived… it still bothers me making that decision to get up and walk away," Langford said.

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He said his goodbyes as best he could and then started following the dry riverbeds down to the pier where they had arrived on the island.

"By this time my hands were pretty much degloved… I thought, 'Am I going to die here or I am going to keep going?'" Langford said.

After finding help at the pier and reaching a hospital, Langford fell into a coma for eight days and woke up back in Australia in an intensive care unit.

Winona's body was never found and New Zealand authorities concluded she was probably washed out to sea.

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