Police are calling for the public's help to find a Melbourne woman and toddler who haven't been seen in almost two days.

Shantell, 38, and two-year-old Mya were last seen on Village Drive in Reservoir in Melbourne's north about 6pm on Wednesday.

Shantell is described as Caucasian in appearance with blonde hair, a slim build, and is around 160-170cms tall. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and pink pants.

READ MORE: Gunman on the run after shooting in Melbourne's west leaves man fighting for life

Mya is described as having a slight build, with curly, dark-brown hair and is around 89cm tall.

Police and family have significant concerns for their safety and well-being.

Shantell is known to frequent the Reservoir, Sunshine, St Kilda East and Malvern East areas.

Anyone with information about the pair should contact police.

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Thousands of COVID fines issued by the New South Wales Police and government could be invalid following an unprecedented Supreme Court trial.

The Supreme Court has urged the New South Wales government to withdraw over 29,000 remaining COVID-19 fines, after deciding that the fines issued didn't properly identify an offence.

The court found that the fines issued to people not complying with lockdown orders or social distancing measures weren't specific enough to be considered valid fines, as they did not adhere to the legal definition of a fine or penalty notice.

READ MORE: What stores are open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday?

"The short description identifying the offence was, in each case, insufficient to meet the requirements of the Fines Act (s20)," the court decided.

"The penalty notice not only failed to identify the offence, it did not correctly identify a single element of the offence."

For a fine to be valid, the offence must be clearly stated on the fine, and make reference to the specific act, policy or law that was allegedly broken, according to the Supreme Court ruling.

READ MORE: Stormy Daniels says Donald Trump shouldn't be jailed if found guilty

The unprecedented finding came out of a Supreme Court trial, where two plaintiffs were questioning the validity of the $1000 and $3000 fines respectively.

The decision comes after the New South Wales government withdrew over $30 million with of COIVD fines last year.

The state government said that they will not withdraw the fines despite the individual trial's outcome.

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Māori can stay on the general roll or switch to the Māori role before July 13

Police have ruled missing Queensland woman Lesley Trotter dead after she was reported missing more than a week ago.

A large-scale search was sparked more than 130 police and State Emergency Services (SES) volunteers when the 78-year-old vanished on March 28.

Queensland Police Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham confirmed this morning police believe Trotter has died.

READ MORE: The capital bracing for the chilliest long weekend morning

However Massingham said police do not know where her body is and gave no details on the cause of her death.

"Unfortunately, investigations yesterday afternoon and late into the evening have led us to the conclusion that Mrs Trotter is, in fact, deceased," he said.

"We believe her death occurred close to her unit block on Maryvale Street, Toowong, and we currently have two crime scenes set up in that area."

It is believed Trotter died between midnight on Monday, March 27 and midday on Tuesday, March 28.

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More than 40 detectives are continuing their investigations around the 78-year-old's apartment complex and a neighbouring complex.

Massingham said Trotter often went through rubbish bins outside her property and neighbouring property to sort recycling from general waste.

"We have not ruled out that this activity, in some way, is linked to her death," he said.

Police said rubbish bins from the apartment complex have been seized as a part of the investigation.

Detectives are urging anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage to come forward.

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The conduct of the Australian Federal Police will be investigated to determine whether officers perverted the course of justice in the case of Brittany Higgins' alleged sexual assault.

Fellow Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann was charged with one count of sexual intercourse without consent. He pleaded not guilty and has always maintained his innocence.

The trial in the ACT Supreme Court had to be aborted after one of the jurors obtained information outside the evidence presented in court.

READ MORE: Stormy Daniels says Donald Trump shouldn't be jailed if found guilty

The charges were later dropped by the DPP altogether due to concerns about Higgins' mental health.

Now the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) is investigating whether information from the AFP investigation was leaked to the media.

"Information was referred to ACLEI relating to the AFP investigation of and recent criminal proceedings against Mr Lehrmann in December 2022," the ACLEI confirmed in a statement to 9News.com.au.

"ACLEI has also received information about alleged unauthorised disclosures to the media.

"ACLEI confirms it is investigating these matters. To provide any further comment at this time may prejudice any future investigations or the rights of individuals involved."

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, sensitive information such as Higgins' private diaries, text messages, and notes from psychologist sessions were leaked to the media.

In an email reportedly sighted by the publication, ACLEI executive director of operations Peter Ratcliffe said the watchdog is also probing whether "AFP members attempted to pervert the course of justice by pressuring Ms Brittany Higgins not to proceed with the matter".

Some of Higgins' sensitive material gathered by police during the investigation were reported on in the media despite not being tendered as evidence to court.

9News.com.au has contacted the AFP for comment.

A closed section of State Highway 1 has re-opened after a serious crash.

A Queensland bakery has caused controversy by selling non-denominational 'Easter time buns' instead of traditional hot cross buns.

Riser Bread in Toowong have eliminated the cross from the top of the baked buns and renamed the Easter treat.

But co-owner Tom Cooney has told 4BC he and the two other co-owners had not been "trying to make a huge stand" with the decision when they met to make Easter plans.

READ MORE: The capital bracing for the chilliest long weekend morning

"It's not an attempt at reinvention," he said.

"We thought, 'let's just do an Easter time bun that's non-denominational'. None of us are Christian, feels a bit weird to put a cross on there."

Former Brumby's CEO Michael Sherlock described the bakery's move as "woke madness".

One Facebook user said she thought the bakery must have been joking.

"What the h*ll is going on with people today?" she posted.

https://omny.fm/shows/4bc-breakfast-with-neil-breen/the-brisbane-bakery-who-took-the-cross-out-of-hot/embed

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"What's he done this time?" 

It's not the question you might expect in Donald Trump's hometown. 

But in West Palm Beach it was posed more often than not by passers-by wondering what an Australian news crew was doing in their backyard.

READ MORE: Stormy Daniels says Donald Trump shouldn't be jailed if found guilty

Here though, Donald Trump is a two-time loser.

In 2020 Palm Beach County voted 56-43 in favour of Joe Biden. 

In 2016 Donald Trump lost this area too, 56-41 to Hillary Clinton.

The coastal city is home to millionaires. 

Homes on Donald Trump's side of Lake Worth are in the tens of millions of US dollars.

Back over the other side, main streets are filled with stores selling high end fashion, and homewares.

And the water is lined with yachts most people would need to win the lottery to afford. 

Donald Trump sells memberships to his Mar a Lago club for a reported $300,000 (AUD) as a sign-up fee, with an annual cost of almost $21,000.

The Mar-a-Lago Club's website states memberships put people at the "epicenter of the social scene in Palm Beach, providing unparalleled service and entertainment".

In the political sphere, Donald Trump attracts an eclectic mix.

His Mar-a-Lago "whack-a-mole" speech this week was attended by the rich, by convicted criminals, and a few dozen loyal MAGA supporters.

READ MORE: What stores are open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday?

His grand ballroom was filled with gold painted plastic chairs, mirrors given a gold-sprayed touch and walls where the golden colour was flaking off revealing a much darker green.

Waiters in black-tie suits provided guests packets of chips, including Doritos.

Trump loyalists Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kari Lake, the failed runner for Arizona governor wandered around giving interviews to Trump-supporting media. 

We asked Greene if she would be interviewed by 9News Australia after she compared Donald Trump to Jesus.

"Um, no" was the swift reply as she made a hasty exit from the Trump ballroom.

Some of Donald Trump's less-well known fans are the most vocal in the room.

They had been staking out their place on the bridge in front of his home for days. 

They call themselves "The Bridge People". 

READ MORE: Easter exodus chaos continues on roads and in airports

Only a handful would be there each day waving flags, and shouting Trump's well-worn lines to passers-by.

There, metres from where the secret service watch over the former president's waterfront property, the reaction is mixed

Wait until Saturday or Sunday and a few dozen more loyalists go to Trump's golf club not far away from his home, for a glimpse of the man many claim is "still our President".

They play his rally songs from a truck, and fly flags they say they have spent hundreds of dollars on. 

They tell us the former president normally leaves at 2:30 each weekend day. 

The Saturday before his arraignment it was just after 4pm before his motorcade made a much-celebrated departure.

Local supporter Alan tells me: "he's pissing me off right now".

The temperature was hitting 30 degrees many had been there for four or five hours by the time Donald Trump slowly made his exit – his driver pulling his SUV close to the curb to give a trademark double thumbs up and mouth "thank you" through his darkened window.

But even among the loyalists there is division, Alan, who told us he works in the sheriff's office, said supporter groups are divided.

"We all have opinions", he tells me.

Alan brought his wife and nine-year-old son Collin to the golf club to see Trump.

Staff presented Collin with a golf-club cover with Donald Trump's face and well-worn hairstyle emblazoned on it.

His mother, draped in a Trump-supporting shirt tells me Collin backs Trump of his own accord and shows me pictures of him at Trump events in a suit, being interviewed by Trump-supporting media outlets.

As for Collin, he says he loves the former president and didn't want him to be arrested.

Trump Golf Club staff had made a dash across the Summit Boulevard, an interesting road name given the mountain the former president now has to climb.

They came grasping boxes of MAGA caps, a gift from Trump: "he said he truly appreciates your support", one Club Worker shouted as he dished out hats like lollies to children.

A couple of days later – as Donald Trump made his way to the airport to fly to New York for his historic arraignment, we meet Rose Roque who moved to the US decades ago.

She's met the former President, and sits in a chair, under an umbrella, shading herself from the baking Florida sun.

Rose's daughter excitedly shows us a cup with a photo of her mother with Donald Trump printed on it.

Rose tears up telling me she believes God is watching over him.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to him," she says.

But even standing watching some of these supporters mix, arguments break out over the direction of the United States of America. 

Various conspiracy theories are spouted.

One woman repeatedly shouts "how can communists afford nice cars", referring to drivers who shout profanities about the former President.

This is life in the Trump world where the loyalists only believe what their man says and refuse to listen to anyone else. 

Here the voters, twice, have said Donald Trump is not their President. 

And while he fights legal battles in every corner, Republicans will decide if he gets a third chance to ask his neighbours if he should run the country.

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The world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange has lost its Australian financial licence after an investigation by Australia's corporate watchdog, forcing local investors to wind up their assets immediately.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) revealed it had cancelled Binance's Australian financial services licence following a request from the company.

"ASIC has been conducting a targeted review of Binance financial services business in Australia, including its classification of retail and wholesale clients," the consumer watchdog said.

READ MORE: What stores are open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday?

The review was sparked by Binance's announcement in February that hundreds of retail customers had been classified as wholesale investors – who can be sold high-risk products unavailable to retail clients.

ASIC Chair Joe Longo said the review into Binance's operations in Australia is ongoing with a particular focus on the "extent of consumer harms".

"It is critically important that AFS licensees classify retail and wholesale clients in accordance with the law," he said.

"Retail clients trading in crypto derivatives are afforded important rights and consumer protections under financial services laws in Australia, including access to external dispute resolution through the Australian Financial Complaints Authority."

READ MORE: Easter exodus chaos continues on roads and in airports

The cancellation of the licence is effective immediately.

From April 14, crypto traders won't be able to increase derivatives positions or open new positions with the company.

Binance is also required to close any existing derivative positions before April 21.

After this date, all remaining open positions will be closed.

READ MORE: Stormy Daniels says Donald Trump shouldn't be jailed if found guilty

Binance acquired an Australian financial services licence after it became the majority shareholder of Oztures Trading.

The crypto exchange giant has been operating in Australia for many years despite only acquiring the licence last year.

9news.com.au has contacted Binance for comment on the cancellation of the licence.

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A pilot in South Africa made a hasty emergency landing after discovering a highly venomous snake hiding under his seat.

Rudolf Erasmus had four passengers on board the light aircraft during Monday's flight when he felt "something cold" slide across his lower back.

He glanced down to see the head of a fairly large Cape Cobra "receding back under the seat," he said.

READ MORE: Medical transfer light plane crashes in Queensland

"It was as if my brain didn't know what was going on," he told The Associated Press.

After taking a moment to compose himself, he informed his passengers of the slippery stowaway.

"There was a moment of stunned silence," he said.

Everyone stayed cool, especially the pilot.

Erasmus called air traffic control for permission to make an emergency landing in the town of Welkom in central South Africa. He still had to fly for another 10 to 15 minutes and land the plane with the snake curled up by his feet.

"I kept looking down to see where it was. It was happy under the seat," Erasmus said. "I don't have a big fear of snakes but I normally don't go near them."

Brian Emmenis, who works at Welkom radio station Gold FM and is also an aviation expert, received a phone call to see if he could help.

READ MORE: Why finding a snake in your roof is not always cause for concern

He called the fire and rescue department, which sent emergency responders and a snake handler to meet the plane at the airport.

Emmenis was first at the scene and saw everyone disembark, "visibly shaken," Emmenis said, but all safe thanks to Erasmus.

"He stayed calm and landed that aircraft with a deadly venomous Cape Cobra curled up underneath his seat," Emmenis said.

Cape Cobras are one of Africa's most dangerous cobra species because of the potency of their venom.

The drama wasn't over for the poor pilot.

Welkom snake handler Johan de Klerk and a team of aviation engineers searched the plane for the best part of two days but still hadn't found the cobra by Wednesday and were uncertain if it had sneaked out unnoticed.

READ MORE: Aussies warned to secure pet enclosures as snakes hunt for food

The engineering company Erasmus works for wanted its plane back in the city of Mbombela in northern South Africa. So, he had to fly it back home, a 90-minute voyage with the possibility that the cobra was still onboard.

Unsurprisingly, his passengers decided to look for another way to get home.

This time Erasmus took some precautions: He wore a thick winter jacket, he said, wrapped a blanket round his seat, and had a fire extinguisher, a can of insect repellent and a golf club within arm's reach in the cockpit.

"I would say I was on high alert," Erasmus said.

The cobra didn't reappear on that flight and the plane has now been completely stripped, but still no sign of the snake, Erasmus said.

The theory is it found its way on board before Erasmus and his passengers took off at the start of their trip from the town of Worcester in the Western Cape province, where Cape Cobras are usually found in South Africa. It might have got out in Welkom or might still be hiding somewhere deep in the plane.

"I hope it finds somewhere to go," Erasmus said. "Just not my aircraft."

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