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Connor Whitehead was shot dead at a party in Christchurch in November 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a spectacular reception in Sydney last night, normally reserved for rock stars and pop singers.

Health experts have issued a warning of a "threat with even deadlier potential", three weeks after declaring the end of the COVID-19 emergency. 

Speaking at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, World Health Organisation (WHO) boss, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that though life has returned to normal, people must be prepared for "another variant emerging".

"The end of COVID-19 as a global health emergency is not the end of COVID-19 as a global health threat," Ghebreyesus said.

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"The threat of another variant emerging that causes new surges of disease and death remains.

"And the threat of another pathogen emerging with even deadlier potential remains."

Ghebreyesus went on to explain that the world must be prepared for a response to "address emergencies of all kinds".

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"Pandemics are far from the only threat we face," he said. But "when the next pandemic comes knocking – and it will – we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively and equitably."

The warning comes as Australians are told to brace for a "triple threat" from respiratory diseases, including a fifth wave of COVID-19, this winter.

Workplaces, schools and homes are set to be impacted by a spike in coronavirus cases as well as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other illnesses.

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Epidemiologist Alexandra Martiniuk, of the University of Sydney, told 9news.com.au the expected new wave of COVID-19 was not expected to be "massive" but cases were likely to add to already high levels of illness-related absenteeism in workplaces and schools.

"The figures point to a small version of previous waves during the height of the pandemic, but it looks like we're having a growing wave," she said.

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WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains an image of a person who has died.

Four people accused of fatally bashing Indigenous Perth teenager Cassius Turvey have pleaded not guilty to his murder and been committed to stand trial.

Cassius, a 15-year-old Noongar Yamatji boy, was allegedly chased down and attacked with a metal pole as he walked home from school with friends on October 13, 2022.

He suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital 10 days later, triggering an outpouring of grief and anger across the nation, with some Indigenous leaders condemning the alleged assault as cowardly and racist.

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Brodie Lee Palmer, 27, Mitchell Colin Forth, 24, Jack Steven James Brearley, 21, and Aleesha Louise Gilmore, 20, were charged with murder.

They briefly appeared on Wednesday via video link in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court where they entered not guilty pleas.

Brearley and Forth also denied kidnapping and wounding another 15-year-old boy in the days before Cassius was attacked.

The teen was allegedly chased down on October 9 and punched, kicked and stabbed before being taken to a house where he was held for a period of time.

Gilmore pleaded not guilty to detaining the same boy.

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Brearley, Forth, Palmer and Gilmore also pleaded not guilty to assaulting and stealing from a third person on the same day as Cassius was allegedly attacked. Gilmore also denied causing bodily harm to the same youth,

The group were remanded in custody until July 31 for their first appearance in the Supreme Court, when a trial date is expected to be announced.

Brearley was charged in October. Palmer, Forth and Gilmore were charged in January.

Cassius has been remembered as a loving son and a role model to his friends. He had started his own lawn-mowing business and was invited at age 11 to deliver an acknowledgement of country at the WA parliament.

Some members of his family attended court on Wednesday but they declined to speak to media.

For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).

Convicted paedophile and disgraced former entertainer Rolf Harris was cremated at a small funeral service and his death was kept a secret for almost a fortnight after his health declined in the last year.

Harris was jailed in 2014 on 12 counts of indecently assaulting four women and girls dating back as far as the late 1960s. He never apologised to his victims.

The Australian-born artist's death was confirmed last night, with his family stating shortly after the news had not been made public to ensure he could have a dignified funeral.

READ MORE: Detailed timeline of Rolf Harris sex assault case

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"This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest," the family said in a statement.

"They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made."

Harris died of neck cancer and "frailty of old age" at his home in Bray in Berkshire, south-east England, on May 10, according to his death certificate seen by the UK's Press Association.

"We can confirm [the death] has been registered today (Tuesday night AEST)," a Maidenhead registrar told 9News.com.au.

'You have shown no remorse for your crimes': Harris jailed

Once one of Australia and the UK's most well-known entertainers, Harris was jailed for five years and nine months in 2014 by a judge who said he took advantage of the trust placed in him due to his celebrity status.

Justice Nigel Sweeney said Harris "clearly got a thrill from committing the offences whilst others were present or nearby" and the abuse "had a significant adverse effect" on the victims.

"You have shown no remorse for your crimes at all," Sweeney said.

"Your reputation lies in ruins, you have been stripped of your honours, but you have no-one to blame but yourself."

After three years behind bars, Harris was released in 2017 while facing a second trial for seven more charges. Acquitted on three, the jury was undecided on four.

The case was retried for three of the undecided offences, but the jury remained unable to reach a verdict.

The prosecution decided against another trial, and Harris returned to his home near London.

Honours and decades-long career in entertainment before arrest

Harris was born in Perth's eastern suburbs in 1930 and had been an award-winning swimmer as a teenager.

He worked as a teacher and made several unsuccessful attempts at art school before launching his television career with a slot on a BBC show in 1952.

The artist and musician became well known for children's television shows such as Rolf's Cartoon Time and Animal Hospital.

He had a number of hits in the 1960s and achieved international fame with novelty songs such as Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport and Two Little Boys, almost always accompanied by his famous wobble board.

Harris went on to enjoy a 60-year career as a successful television presenter, songwriter and artist, increasingly making his home in England.

There he reached such heights that he was given the chance to paint an 80th birthday portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 and starred in her Diamond Jubilee outside Buckingham Palace in 2012.

But eventually, the abuse he committed caught up with him.

Allegations against Harris were probed by Operation Yewtree, investigating allegations of decades-long abuse by public figures, including the late UK TV entertainer Jimmy Savile.

He was first interviewed by officers in November 2012 but wasn't arrested until March the following year.

He was charged in August 2013. 

It was not until 2014 that he was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of 12 counts of indecent assault from 1968 to 1986.

Prosecutors said he had a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality who used his fame to exploit his victims.

Among the victims was a friend of Harris' daughter, who claimed he molested her when she was 13 to 19.

Harris had said their relationship was consensual, and his relatives and friends supported him throughout the trial.

But a jury convicted him of all charges, and a judge sentenced him to five years and nine months in prison.

Harris was reportedly spat on by another prisoner and transferred elsewhere, before being stripped of his Order of Australia honours in 2015.

The Queen also stripped him of his British titles of Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE) and Member (MBE) of the Order of the British Empire.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which had described Harris as "one of the world's most iconic entertainers" said it would withdraw his fellowship.

– Reported with CNN and Associated Press.

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Exclusive: Authorities are investigating how a 12-year-old girl jumped off Australia's "tallest travelling freefall ride" after a fairground seatbelt malfunction left her thinking she was going to die if she stayed on it.

Holly Brown's leap saw her crash land onto a steel platform six metres below, breaking her foot, but that was a small price to pay, she said, after encountering every thrill-seeker's nightmare scenario: a safety restraint that failed to close.

Holly and her friend, Ava, were the only two riders on the Mega Drop at the Kilcoy Show in Queensland on Saturday, May 13, when the seatbelt system popped wide open just as the ride, which climbs around 30 metres and drops to the ground at 200km/h, began its ascent.

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"At first I thought it was like a joke," Holly said, "but then I realised it wasn't."

Having ridden Mega Drop earlier in the day, Holly said she understood the danger that lay in store if the ride reached the top of the tower and rocketed back to earth with her unfastened.

"I was really scared, like really, really scared."

Holly said she couldn't reach the rollercoaster-style restraint which had released and swung above her head, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

Ava had managed to cling onto hers and pressed it against her chest, but it remained unlocked.

With the situation quickly escalating, Holly said the attendant grabbed hold of the rising platform which lifted him off the ground as he tried desperately to pull the safety harness down.

But, according to Holly and another witness, Danielle Snow, the operator slipped and fell from a height of around three metres.

He then yelled at Holly and Ava to jump off, they said.

"I'd been on this ride before so I knew what was going to happen," Holly said.

"So I thought, 'Well, I either jump and maybe I break a few bones or I go up and die.' So I was like, 'You know what, breaking bones is better than losing my life.' So I jumped."

Holly struggles to recall what happened next.

"I think I blacked out when I was jumping because I don't remember jumping," she said.

"All I remember is just laying in my friend's mum's lap and being in really excruciating pain."

Snow was the woman comforting Holly.

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Horrified, she had watched the drama unfold and Holly's bold leap into thin air.

"I reckon she would have been six to seven metres in the air, and the ride was still going up, when she jumped off it," Snow said.

Snow said Ava, who was now unbuckled and alone, travelled up the tower a little higher before the attendant hit an emergency stop button to halt the ride.

"Ava thought Holly had died," Snow said.

"Because from the height (Holly jumped) … she just assumed that she would have died, that she wouldn't have survived that."

Snow said Ava was stuck up on the ride for another 15 minutes as medical staff treated Holly below.

"(Ava) just went into an absolute panic and I was screaming at her trying to tell her that Holly was okay, but she couldn't hear me."

Ride operators eventually returned Ava safely to the ground.

In the aftermath, Snow called Holly's mum, Katie Sanzo, who at 29 weeks pregnant booked the next available flight and jumped on a plane from Victoria to Queensland to be with her injured daughter.

"I didn't know how bad it was until I landed," Sanzo said, describing a flight where she was gripped with anxiety.

"It was just awful, and it could have been a lot worse."

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Multiple states have been warned to brace for another polar blast sweeping across the country, bringing the threat of hail, blustery winds, rain and snow as temperatures plummet.

The forecast comes after Melbourne recorded its coldest six-day May spell in 42 years, with temperatures failing to climb past 15 degrees between last Tuesday and Saturday.

There's no end to the chilly conditions in sight as a "frigid air mass" is set to cross the country from today.

READ MORE: Convicted paedophile and former entertainer Rolf Harris dead

"(It) will cross the Bight on Wednesday before barrelling across southeastern Australia on Thursday and Friday," Weatherzone said.

Strong, potentially destructive winds will be a hallmark of the system.

"Damaging gusts possible in parts of Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and the ACT from late Wednesday into Thursday, most likely in exposed coastal areas and about the ranges," Weatherzone said.

Australians are urged to stay across weather warnings here. 

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Temperatures will be noticeably cold, exacerbated by these strong winds.

"Daytime temperatures are expected to be around 4 to 6C below average for large areas of southeastern Australia by Friday," the weather service said.

"This cold snap will be exacerbated by wind chill, making it feel more like 10C below average in some places."

Sunny conditions will also deteriorate as the system passes over.

Melbourne and Hobart have rain on the forecast for Thursday, while Sydney will be hit with a "shower or two" on Friday, according to the Bureau of Meterology (BoM).

Canberra also has a high chance of showers on Friday. 

READ MORE: Fifth wave of COVID-19 makes for 'triple health threat'

That precipitation will prove to be frozen gold for the alps, as snow will begin falling over Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and the ACT from Thursday and run into Friday.

Weatherzone added snow could possibly reach into parts of northern NSW.

"The best chance of snow on the northern highlands of NSW will be on Friday morning as the cold air surges north," it said.

"At this stage, snow could fall to around 600 metres elevation in Tasmania, 800 metres in Victoria and about 1000 metres in southern and central NSW and the ACT".

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A new flu vaccine could soon prove to be a game-changer as influenza cases rise in Australia during the lead-up to winter.

A universal flu vaccine known as OVX836 is manufactured in France but will be tested Down Under.

If the trial is successful, the jab could protect people for years at a time and remove the need to get a shot every winter.

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The nationwide trial is being led by Dr Paul Griffin and Queensland's Mater Hospital.

"It gets us better responses from both B and T cells so looks to be one that may work better than the traditional approach," Griffin said.

"It's likely that protection will last longer than a traditional vaccine as well and we won't have to worry about matching it each season."

Researchers are looking for 600 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 60 that haven't had their flu vaccine yet this year.

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The trial will be run in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.

More than 40,000 cases of influenza have been detected in Australia this year and 44 people have died.

Griffin is warning this year could potentially be as bad as he has ever seen.

"We have to change people's thinking, make sure people understand the flu is a significant viral infection," Griffin said.

If you are eligible and would like to take part, registration information is on the Mater Hospital Brisbane website.

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A man has been charged over the alleged stabbing of a worker at a Centrelink in Melbourne's north-west this afternoon.

The 55-year-old employee was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after she was allegedly stabbed in the upper body at a shopping centre on Louis Street in Airport West at about 1.30pm.

"Police located a man nearby who was subsequently arrested," Victoria Police said in a statement.

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Paramedics treated her at the scene before she was transported to Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she is stable.

"A 34-year-old Essendon man has been charged with intentionally cause serious injury, recklessly cause serious injury, reckless conduct endangering life, common law assault and use and possession of controlled weapon," Victoria Police said.

He is expected to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court this evening.

Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen said they were supporting their staff at the service centre.

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"Our hearts are with the injured service officer and their loved ones," Jongen said.

"Thankfully, they are in a stable condition and receiving the best possible care.

"The alleged offender was promptly apprehended by Victorian Police, who we are working closely with."

He said it was a very sad day for their agency whose staff worked to support Australians every day.

"They should be free to do their job without concern for their personal safety," he said.

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