The Labour Party has selected current list MP Helen White to stand in Mt Albert.

An eight-year-old girl who has been missing since October 2018 has been safely returned to the United States after being found in Mexico, according to the FBI.

The FBI says Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez was found safe last month in Michoacán, Mexico, by local authorities. She was taken back to the US by FBI special agents.

Aranza Lopez was kidnapped by her mother, Esmeralda Lopez-Lopez, on October 25, 2018, during a court-supervised visitation at Vancouver Mall in Washington state.

READ MORE: Cartel apologises for murders of US tourists

It was determined that Aranza Lopez had been taken to Mexico.

"For more than four years, the FBI and our partners did not give up on Aranza," said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Seattle field office. 

"Our concern now will be supporting Aranza as she begins her reintegration into the US."

Esmeralda Lopez-Lopez was arrested in Puebla, Mexico, in 2019 and extradited to Clark County. 

In January 2021, Lopez-Lopez was sentenced to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree kidnapping, second-degree robbery, and first-degree custodial interference.

The recovery was made with the help of local and state police in the USA and Mexico.

READ MORE: New super strength beer will not be sold in NT

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Muriwai residents were outraged at the decision to lift cordons for red-stickered houses.

Three massive acts are all performing on the same night.

An asteroid on a possible trajectory to collide with Earth in 23 years' time has raced to the top of the European Space Agency's risk list.

2023DW, as it has been named, is now the most likely extraterrestrial object of substantial size to collide with Earth.

The rock has a one-in-625 chance of hitting our planet on Valentine's Day 2046.

READ MORE: Asteroid the size of a delivery truck coming exceedingly close to Earth

2023DW, discovered on February 26 this year, is about 50m in diameter, but that estimate could change when astronomers get a closer look at it.

For comparison, the asteroid is about the size of an Olympic swimming pool, and would make an almighty splash if it landed in one.

Academics from Harvard, Purdue and Imperial College London created an app showing what the impact of various asteroids would be on certain cities.

If 2023DW crashed into the Sydney CBD, it would likely destroy almost all wood-framed buildings from Cronulla to Palm Beach to Blacktown. 

Glass windows would be damaged from Wollongong to Newcastle.

For those outside that blast zone, there wouldn't be a tremendous impact. The impact would not noticeably change the Earth's axis or shift the planet's orbit.

READ MORE: Mexican cartel apologises for murdering US tourists

So how worried should we be?

We shouldn't be, at least according to the Torino Impact Hazard Scale determined by the International Astronomical Union.

On a scale of one to 10, 2023DW is a 1, which means "the chance of collision is extremely unlikely with no cause for public attention or public concern".

By contrast, a 10 on the scale is of a certain collision "capable of causing global climatic catastrophe that may threaten the future of civilisation as we know it".

Despite this, 2023DW is the most threatening asteroid astronomers are currently aware of. All other asteroids in the system are ranked at zero.

So even in the remote possibility the asteroid strikes Earth, it probably won't land anywhere near you. So you should probably make a reservation or buy some flowers, because you aren't getting out of Valentine's Day.

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Mushrooms sold at Asian grocery stores across Queensland and northern New South Wales are being recalled due to bacteria fears.

The K-mama Enoki Mushrooms (300g) have been recalled by Food Standards Australia New Zealand due to a microbial contamination of Listeria monocytogenes.

"Listeria may cause illness in pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and people with low immune systems," the food safety regulator said in a statement.

READ MORE: New super strength beer will not be sold in NT due to alcohol-fueled violence

"Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund."

The product is originally from South Korea.

It was sold in Asian grocery stores in Queensland and Lismore in NSW.

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A murder investigation is underway after a man was found dead in a Central Queensland home.

Emergency services attended a home on Loch Street, Emerald, after a fight about 11pm last night.

Queensland Police officers found a 58-year-old man dead at the scene.

READ MORE: New super strength beer will not be sold in NT due to alcohol-fueled violence

"The property has been declared a crime scene, with an investigation launched into the circumstances of his death, which is being treated as suspicious," Queensland Police said in a statement.

"An 18-year-old man is assisting police with enquiries."

Queensland Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

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A new super strength beer by Carlton and United Breweries will not be sold in the Northern Territory due to alcohol-fueled violence.

The Victoria Bitter Xtra beer comes in 250ml bottles and has 6 per cent alcohol, compared to 4.9 per cent in a regular VB.

Carlton and United Breweries said the new beer won't be available on shelves in the territory when it goes on sale this week, sparking calls for other breweries to follow suit.

READ MORE: What is happening in Alice Springs?

It comes as police statistics in Alice Springs confirmed domestic violence-related assaults are up by 65 per cent and alcohol-related assaults were up 68 per cent between 2021 and 2022.

There were 1521 assaults related to alcohol in those 12 months.

The new VX beer will cost $16 for a four pack and $60 for a slab in all other states and territories.

READ MORE: The Aussie town Australia Post is refusing to deliver to

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Can you identify a city as seen from space?

Skyscrapers in Beijing disappeared into the haze and air quality plummeted as China's capital was enveloped in a dust storm and heavy pollution on Friday.

Concentrations of the tiny PM2.5 particles that can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream entered a dangerous range on air quality monitoring sites, with the IQAir website showing an air quality index of 1,093, a "hazardous" level, many times higher than what are considered "unhealthy" levels.

Beijing was formerly notorious for its terrible air quality, but conditions had much improved in recent years as authorities took heavily polluting vehicles off the roads and moved coal-fired power plants and heavy industry to the surrounding provinces.

READ MORE: Xi Jinping awarded unprecedented third term as China's president

The capital also used to be known for regular springtime dust and sandstorms caused by winds blowing in from the loess hills along the upper sections of the Yellow River to the west.

Anti-desertification efforts have helped reduce both the frequency and intensity of the storms that had often turned the surrounding air a cataclysmic yellowish-red.

READ MORE: Kim Jong-un brings daughter to live-fire artillery drill, missile launch

Air quality also improved markedly after 2000, when much of China's industry was shuttered under lockdowns and quarantines mandated by China's strict "zero-COVID" policy.

In the face of a sluggish economy, China has been promoting coal-fired power, setting back efforts to cut climate-changing carbon emissions from the biggest global source.

China is one of the biggest investors in wind and solar, but jittery leaders called for more coal-fired power after economic growth plunged in 2021 and shortages caused blackouts and factory shutdowns.

Russia's attack on Ukraine added to anxiety that foreign oil and coal supplies might be disrupted.

China is the top producer and consumer of coal and the biggest source of air pollution and climate changing gasses.

The ruling Communist Party has rejected binding emissions commitments, citing its economic development needs, and Beijing has avoided joining governments that promised to phase out use of coal-fired power.

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