The head of the Wagner private military company said his men will begin withdrawing from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine this week, because dwindling ammunition supplies and mounting losses mean there is "nothing left to grind the meat with".

On his official Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin blamed the lack of ammunition on Russia's military command and said his forces would begin to withdraw from May 10.

"We've taken 95 per cent of Bakhmut. For this last 5 per cent, the 'Red Army' [the Russian Armed Forces] are not playing any role," Prigozhin said.

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"We don't have the necessary ammunition, and no one has communicated with us about getting back to full capacity," Prigozhin said.

"It is better to save our army than to win a battle."

The announcement by Prigozhin – sometimes dubbed "Putin's chef" because his catering companies provided services for the Kremlin – follows the release last week of expletive-laden video footage in which he challenged Russia's military leadership and blamed defence chiefs for "tens of thousands" of Wagner casualties.

Prigozhin, whose Wagner mercenary group has taken on a growing role in the Ukraine conflict as Russian forces falter, has been highly visible on the front lines in recent months – where he has claimed credit for territorial gains, particularly in the battles raging around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

But as Prigozhin's stature has increased, so too have his clashes with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces General Valery Gerasimov, prompting speculation about possible elite infighting in Moscow as Russia's military campaign fails to advance.

In February, Prigozhin accused the two men of "treason" for their alleged failures to support and supply the Wagner group in Ukraine.

His most recent challenge to Russian defence officials comes as Bakhmut remains heavily contested.

In his Telegram message, Prigozhin said Wagner's role in Bakhmut had been to grind down Ukrainian forces while allowing Russian forces to regroup.

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"On October 8, 2022, together with the Army General Sergei Surovikin, it was decided to launch the operation 'Bakhmut meat grinder' – an assault on the village of Bakhmut in order to provoke (Ukrainian President) Vladimir Zelensky to throw in as many forces as possible to hold Bakhmut. In Bakhmut, we grinded (the Ukrainian forces), hence the name – 'Bakhmut meat grinder,'" Prigozhin said.

"The purpose of the operation 'Bakhmut meat grinder' was to enable the units of the Russian army to take advantageous lines of defence, mobilise, re-equip, train personnel and increase their combat potential," he added.

"With regards to the Bakhmut meat grinder, there will be no more meat grinder because there's nothing left to grind the meat with," Prigozhin said.

Chechen leader's invite

Prigozhin's message came as the notorious Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov called on Wagner fighters to join forces with his Akhmat battalion in Bakhmut.

"The Wagner (company) has very good, courageous, necessary, necessary people, necessary to us, because they know the area," Kadyrov said in a video message.

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"If you stay with us, I promise you that we will give you more, create better conditions, than you have today. We will try to make everything top notch for you," said Kadyrov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"You (Wagner fighters) know our commanders. You can contact them – any group, the number does not matter," the Chechen leader noted.

Kadyrov also posted an image of his letter to Putin "to issue combat orders on the removal of Akhmat units from other directions in order to hand Wagner positions in Bakhmut over to them."

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A snake catcher's mission to rescue a hatchling from the bowels of a vacuum cleaner in Queensland ended in success as the young snake was brought out dusty and scared – but very much alive.

Drew Godfrey of Hervey Bay Snake Catchers was called to a resort in Eli Waters after the managers said the snake had been sucked up into the appliance while they were cleaning one of the units.

The video, which can be seen in full on the snake catchers' Facebook page, shows Godfrey first checking to see if the snake remained in the neck of the vacuum, before he pulls out the dust bag and tears it open.

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He's able to pick out the hatchling from the smothering dust and thankfully brings it out wriggling and alive.

Godfrey said it was a young yellow-faced whip snake, a protected species.

"I'm just glad it's okay, I was afraid we were going to open it up to a dead snake," he said.

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Godfrey told 9news.com.au people were beginning to catch up to the importance and value of snakes to the environment and biodiversity – but there were still myths that needed busting.

"It's scarier to think of a world without snakes than a world with snakes," he said.

"I say snakes aren't aggressive, they are defensive."

READ MORE: Prince William's touching nod to late Queen during coronation concert

Even eastern brown snakes were "shy and timid" – otherwise, he said, people would spot them every time they went bushwalking.

"A snake would see you every time you're out in the bush," he said.

He said if people spotted a snake in their home, they were advised to leave it alone and call a snake catcher to deal with it.

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More than 20,000 people danced the night away at Windsor Castle to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III in a star-studded concert.

After the gilded spectacle of King Charles III's crowning in an ancient religious ceremony, coronation festivities took a more down-to-earth turn on Sunday with thousands of picnics and street parties held across the UK in his honour.

The community get-togethers, part of a British tradition known as the Big Lunch, were intended to bring neighbours together to celebrate the newly crowned King even as support for the monarchy wanes. Critics complained about the coronation's cost at a time of exorbitant living expenses amid double-digit inflation.

Thousands of luncheons were organised as part of the celebrations on Sunday, along with a nighttime concert at Windsor Castle featuring Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and 1990s boy band Take That. Charles encouraged residents to engage in volunteer activities on Monday, which was a holiday.

READ MORE: King Charles lives the moment he was born for

The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised royal fans attending a Big Lunch event in Windsor, hours before the coronation concert kicked off.

Prince William and Kate spent time taking photos with the crowds, shaking hands, speaking to those who were out celebrating and even trying a brew in honour of the King.

The King and Queen Camilla were not expected at any of the luncheons but planned to attend the concert that will include a speech by his son, Prince William, heir to the throne.

The King's siblings, Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Anne, the Princess Royal, and their spouses took on lunch duty for the royal family. Edward was in Cranleigh and his sister hit an event in Swindon. The King's nieces, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew, were to join a lunch in Windsor.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted US first lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter Finnegan Biden at the Big Lunch party held in front of his office.

Other guests included Ukrainian refugees and community activists.

As in other neighbourhoods with street parties, Downing Street was decked out in Union Jack bunting for the occasion.

READ MORE: How the UK and Australia's newspapers marked King Charles' coronation

The lower-key events followed regalia-laden pageantry that saw the King and Queen crowned together in Westminster Abbey.

They were presented with centuries-old swords, sceptres and a jewel-encrusted golden orb symbolising the monarch's power in a medieval tradition celebrated with liturgy, song and hearty cheers of "God save the King".

The couple then paraded through the streets in a gilded horse-drawn carriage led by the largest ceremonial military procession since the coronation of Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, 70 years ago.

Some 4000 troops marched in formation through the streets, their scarlet sleeves and white gloves swinging in unison to the sound of drums and bugles from marching bands, including one group of musicians on horseback.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the route in the rain to see it in person. Nearly 19 million more watched on television in the UK, according to ratings released by Barb, a research organisation. That's about 40 per cent fewer viewers than had watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September.

Charles and Camilla said on Sunday in a statement that they were "deeply touched" by the celebration and "profoundly grateful both to all those who helped to make it such a glorious occasion – and to the very many who turned out to show their support".

READ MORE: Prince Harry leaves father's coronation alone after solo attendance

https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1655163828529758209

Not everyone was there to celebrate, though, and criticism continued on Sunday over arrests of more than 50 protesters, including members of a republican group shouting "Not my King" and environmentalists aiming to end the use of fossil fuels.

Graham Smith, leader of Republic, a group advocating for abolishing the monarchy, said he was arrested as he planned peaceful protest and spent 16 hours in police custody.

"These arrests are a direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in the country," Smith said. "Each and every police officer involved on the ground should hang their heads in shame."

The Metropolitan Police acknowledged concerns over the arrests, but defended the force's actions.

"The coronation is a once-in-a-generation event and that is a key consideration in our assessment," Commander Karen Findlay said.

In addition to the lunch celebrations, hundreds of troops marched through the centre of Glasgow on Sunday to celebrate the coronation.

Digging through the red-brown dirty in Victoria's north-east, the gold prospector stops as he spots a black nugget.

Chris Bogusis hadn't happened upon gold, or any other precious metal. Instead, he had accidentally disturbed the burrow of a venomous Australian spider in the remote bush.

The 33-year-old, who documents his adventures on Youtube, has encountered many rare creatures but never a black mouse spider. 

READ MORE: What to do if you encounter a deadly snake, spider or jellyfish

The species has similar toxins to the Sydney funnel-web and is highly venomous. 

"I noticed a big, black squishy thing that was definitely not a rock," Bogusis told 9news.com.au.

"I'm just thankful that when I pushed it, it must have pushed it in butt first by the way it was oriented in the scoop.

"I'd never seen a spider like that before.

"It was very unusual. I didn't see any of the webs, normally when you did up a funnel-web you see the webs and the silk."

Bogusis said the spider was thankfully "quite docile", and let him move it to nearby leaf litter.

"Once I got an identification on it, I moved it out of the way," he said.

"But it was as I was reading about it, I realised just how spicy the animal really was."

READ MORE: Snake season is coming to an end. But where do reptiles actually go?

Bogusis started prospecting full-time about seven years ago after "dabbling" with it growing up.

The former archery coach is no stranger to dangerous creatures working in the bush.

He's stepped on venomous eastern brown snakes and his boxer Fern has even sustained a dry bite, meaning it contained no venom, from one of the reptiles.

"We always wear snake gaiters and 'walk like a herd of elephants' is our mantra," he said.

"Luckily, every time I've stepped on a snake it's been the tail end and their head has been entwined in thick grass."

Somewhat ironically, Bogusis said his most dangerous animal encounter didn't happen Down Under.

READ MORE: Crystal hunter shocked after finding rare ancient shark tooth

It happened while walking through a university in British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, on a freezing cold day.

"I was going for a walk outside my mining partner's place and I saw a lizard on the ground," Bogusis said.

"I thought 'oh geez, that lizard is going to get squished. He looks cold and miserable'.

"So I picked him up and tried to find a place to put him and these three teachers stop me.

"One told me 'that's an orange-bellied salamander. They are quite toxic'.

"I just dead-eyed them and, I can't believe to this day I said this, but I said, 'Oh, it will be fine, I'm Australian'."

After finding a safe spot for the animal, Bogusis shared his photos online and was quickly informed he had just handled one of the most toxic animals in North America.

"As of the 1970s it had killed six people," he said.

"It has one of the same toxins as the blue-ringed octopus and excretes it through its skin."

His adventures have taken him from the wilds of Canada, to the famed "Golden Triangle", an area from Ballarat across to Bendigo and up to St Arnaud.

READ MORE: Why are people still finding so much gold in Victoria?

But he said "95 per cent" of his gold hunting occurs in a remote region in the north-east; one he would prefer to keep under wraps. 

"I found quite a significant chunk of gold not too long ago," he said.

"We hunt for old mines, so there's a lot of historical records we use, and then we basically go out into the bush, into these stupidly remote places, and try and find holes in the ground.

"Occasionally you stumble across a mine holding quite a bit of gold."

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He emphasised the need for caution in easing our few remaining protections.

Changed rules may see more Māori sculptures in New Plymouth

King Tuheitia shared a moment of mutual respect and recollection with King Charles.

Police are appealing for the public’s help to find Auckland woman Honey Ihaka.

Victims as young as five years old are being treated after a mass shooting in a shopping centre in Texas killed at least eight people.

Seven victims are being treated at trauma facilities, officials said on Saturday night (local time).

A Dallas area medical group said children as young as five were receiving care.

The gunman, who authorities believe was acting alone, is also dead.

READ MORE: King Charles lives the moment he was born for

Authorities have not released any details about the slain victims, but witnesses said they feared children had been among them.

Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said that at least nine people were sent to hospitals.

"Of those that we transported, two have since died. Three are in critical surgery, and four are stable," said Boyd.

Witnesses who were at the Allen Premium Outlets on the outskirts of Dallas, told The Associated Press they saw multiple victims, including some who appeared to be children, and that they saw a police officer and a security guard who appeared to be unconscious on the ground.

Dashcam video that circulated online showed a gunman step out of a silver sedan outside the shopping centre and immediately start shooting at people on the sidewalk.

More than three dozen shots could be heard as the vehicle recording the video drove off.

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An Allen Police officer was in the area on an unrelated call when he heard shots at 3.36pm, the police department wrote on Facebook.

"The officer engaged the suspect and neutralised the threat. He then called for emergency personnel. Nine victims were transported to local hospitals by Allen Fire Department," the agency wrote in the Facebook post.

"There is no longer an active threat."

A crowd of hundreds of people who had been shopping stood outside, across the street from the shopping centre, on Saturday evening.

Officers circulated among them asking if anyone had seen what happened.

"The officer engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat. He then called for emergency personnel," the agency wrote in the Facebook post.

READ MORE: 'Slow-moving' cold front sweeps across Australia

https://twitter.com/ATFDallas/status/1654961891461013504

Mass killings are happening with staggering frequency in the United States this year: an average of about one a week, according to an analysis of The AP/USA Today data.

The White House said President Biden had been briefed on the shooting and that the administration had offered support to local officials.

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has signed laws easing firearms restrictions following past mass shootings, called it an "unspeakable tragedy."

'Heard loud popping': Witnesses inside mall speak out

Fontayne Payton, 35, was at H&M when he heard the sound of gunshots through the headphones he was wearing.

"It was so loud, it sounded like it was right outside," Payton said.

People in the store scattered before employees ushered the group into the fitting rooms and then a lockable back room, he said.

When they were given the all-clear to leave, Payton saw the store had broken windows and a trail of blood to the door.

Discarded sandals and bloodied clothes were laying nearby.

Once outside, Payton saw bodies.

"I pray it wasn't kids, but it looked like kids," he said. The bodies were covered in white towels, slumped over bags on the ground, he said.

"It broke me when I walked out to see that," he said.

Further away, he saw the body of a heavyset man wearing all black. He assumed it was the shooter, Payton said, because unlike the other bodies it had not been covered up.

Tarakram Nunna, 25, and Ramakrishna Mullapudi, 26, said they saw what appeared to be three people lying motionless on the ground, including one who appeared to be a police officer and another who appeared to be a security guard.

Another shopper, Sharkie Mouli, 24, said he hid in a Banana Republic store during the shooting.

As he left, he saw what appeared to be an unconscious police officer lying next to another unconscious person outside the outlet store.

"I have seen his gun lying right next to him and a guy who is like passing out right next to him," Mouli said.

Stan and Mary Ann Greene were browsing in the Columbia sportswear store when the shooting started.

"We had just gotten in, just a couple minutes earlier, and we just heard a lot of loud popping," Mary Ann Greene told The Associated Press.

Employees immediately rolled down the security gate and brought everyone to the rear of the store until police arrived and escorted them out, the Greenes said.

Eber Romero was at the Under Armour store when a cashier mentioned that there was a shooting.

As he left the store, Romero said, the shopping centre appeared empty, and all the shops had their security gates down.

That is when he started seeing broken glass and people who had been shot on the floor.

Video shared on social media showed people running through a parking lot while gunfire could be heard.

More than 30 police cruisers with lights flashing were blocking an entrance to the shopping centre,e with multiple ambulances on the scene.

A live aerial broadcast from the news station showed armored trucks and other law enforcement vehicles stationed outside the sprawling outdoor shopping centre.

Ambulances from several neighboring cities responded to the scene.

The Dallas office of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded.

Allen, a suburb about 40 kilometre north of downtown Dallas, has roughly 105,000 residents.

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