The planning stage of Rotorua Museum’s seismic strengthening and redevelopment is almost over and staff are looking forward to the future, asking locals what they want to see when the museum re-opens. “We’re at a really exciting…

Christmas beetles were once synonymous with an Australian summer, considered a staple alongside the likes of mangoes, cherries, barbecues and pesky mosquitos. 

They were so prevalent in the '60s and '70s, the CSIRO blamed them for the deaths of great swathes of eucalyptus trees.

But keen-eyed Aussies have observed a notable absence in recent years, with scientists unable to provide a definitive answer. 

So, where have all the shiny, shimmering, once-bountiful beetles actually gone?

READ MORE: Eastern states told to brace for yet another day of destructive winds

According to experts at the University of Sydney's entomology department, the answer isn't that simple.

Scientists suspect that the insects' population numbers have been on a decline in recent years, but there's not enough official data to prove it. 

"People remember them being around in huge numbers around Christmas," Associate Professor Tanya Latty, an entomologist at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences said.

"But that just doesn't seem to happen anymore, particularly on the east coast of Australia.

"We just don't have enough information – the data is just too patchy, or too geographically sporadic.

READ MORE: At least 162 dead after quake shakes main Indonesian island of Java

"We need to collect data on Christmas beetle populations in order to understand where they are, and in what quantities."

Climate change and loss of natural habitat are two logical explanations for the bugs' decline, but the fact is, more research is needed to be sure.

"We really need the public's help to track the population of Christmas beetles if we are going to identify which species may be at risk, and where large populations still exist," Latty explained.

And that's exactly what the entomologist is hoping for.

Latty said a new app developed by the University of Sydney – which allows users to instantly capture a picture and location of each Christmas beetle they see – will play a pivotal role in helping scientists understand what happened to the colourful creatures.

"Citizen scientists" can find the Christmas Beetle Count, by downloading an app to their mobile phones or jumping on the web.

"Only with this kind of large-scale baseline data, collected by thousands of Australians around the country, will we be able to figure out if they are really declining, and eventually, why," Associate Professor Latty added.

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

A Sydney man has been charged with allegedly importing 281 kilograms of liquid meth disguised as olive oil.

The Australian Federal Police seized the meth shipment, estimated to be worth $39 million, from a truck in Fairfield on July 30 this year.

Following up on the bust, AFP officers executed a search warrant at a Granville home on September 21, seizing a number of phones and a computer.

READ MORE: Four states on alert as extreme weather batters Australia

The man has been charged and is expected to face court today.

Police alleged the man is linked to an international organised crime group that imports illicit drugs with outlaw motorcycle gangs.

The man suspected of opening fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is being held on murder and hate crimes charges, two days after the attack that killed five people and wounded many others.

Online court records showed that Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, faced five murder charges and five charges of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury in Saturday night's attack at Club Q.

The charges were preliminary, and prosecutors had not filed them in court. The hate crime charges would require proving that the gunman was motivated by bias, such as against the victims' actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

READ MORE: At least five killed, 18 injured in 'hate attack' shooting at US gay nightclub

The attack was halted when a patron grabbed a handgun from Aldrich, hit him with it and pinned him down until police arrived minutes later.

Court documents laying out what led to Aldrich's arrest have been sealed at the request of prosecutors, who said releasing details could jeopardise the investigation. Information on a lawyer for Aldrich was not immediately available.

A law enforcement official said the suspect used an AR-15-style semiautomatic weapon, but a handgun and additional ammunition magazines also were recovered. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Of the 25 injured at Club Q, some were hurt trying to flee, and it was unclear how many were shot, a police spokesperson said.

Questions were quickly raised about why authorities didn't seek to take Aldrich's guns away from him in 2021, when he was arrested after his mother reported he threatened her with a homemade bomb and other weapons.

Though authorities at the time said no explosives were found, gun-control advocates have asked why police didn't use Colorado's "red flag" laws to seize the weapons his mother says he had. There's no public record prosecutors ever moved forward with felony kidnapping and menacing charges against Aldrich.

READ MORE: At least 162 dead after earthquake at Indonesian island of Java

Mayor John Suthers said on NBC's "Today" show that the district attorney would file papers in court Monday to allow law enforcement to talk more about Aldrich's criminal history.

Suthers told the AP there was "reason to hope" all of the hospitalised victims would recover.

The shooting rekindled memories of the 2016 massacre at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people. Colorado has experienced several mass killings, including at Columbine High School in 1999, a movie theatre in suburban Denver in 2012 and at a Boulder supermarket last year.

It was the sixth mass killing this month and came in a year when the nation was shaken by the deaths of 21 in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

This weekend's violence pierced the cozy confines of an entertainment venue long cherished as a safe spot for the LGBTQ community in the conservative-leaning city.

A makeshift memorial that sprang up in the hours after the attack continued to grow Monday, as a steady stream of mourners brought flowers and left messages in support of the LGBTQ community. The shooting site remained cordoned off.

"It's a reminder that love and acceptance still have a long way to go," Colorado Springs resident Mary Nikkel said at the site. "This growing monument to people is saying that it matters what happened to you … We're just not letting it go."

The club was one of two nightspots for the LGBTQ community in Colorado Springs, residents said. Authorities were called at 11.57 pm. Saturday with multiple reports of a shooting, and the first officer arrived at midnight.

READ MORE: Wind blamed for school experiment accident that left two seriously hurt

Joshua Thurman said he was in the club with about two dozen other people and was dancing when the shots began. He initially thought it was part of the music, until he heard another shot and said he saw the flash of a gun muzzle.

Thurman, 34, said he ran to a dressing room where he hid with others. They locked the door, turned off the lights and got on the floor as they heard the violence unfolding, including the gunman being subdued.

"I could have lost my life — over what?" he said, tears running down his cheeks. "We weren't out harming anyone. We were in our space, our community, our home, enjoying ourselves like everybody else does."

Detectives were examining whether anyone had helped the suspect before the attack. Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said patrons who intervened during the attack were "heroic" and prevented more deaths.

Club Q is a gay and lesbian nightclub that features a drag show on Saturdays, according to its website. Club Q's Facebook page said planned entertainment included a "punk and alternative show" preceding a birthday dance party, with a Sunday all-ages drag brunch.

Drag events have become a focus of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and protests recently as opponents, including politicians, have proposed banning children from them, falsely claiming that they are used to "groom" children.

President Joe Biden said that "places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence."

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who became the first openly gay man to be elected a U.S. governor in 2018, called the shooting "sickening."

"My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured and traumatised," Polis said.

The shooting came during Transgender Awareness Week and just at the start of Sunday's Transgender Day of Remembrance, when events around the world are held to mourn and remember transgender people lost to violence.

Colorado Springs, a city of about 480,000 located 110 kilometres south of Denver, is home to the US Air Force Academy and the US. Olympic Training Center, as well as Focus on the Family, a prominent evangelical Christian ministry that lobbies against LGBTQ rights. The group condemned the shooting and said it "exposes the evil and wickedness inside the human heart."

In 2015, three people were killed and eight wounded at a Planned Parenthood clinic in the city when a gunman targeted the clinic because it performed abortions.

Since 2006, there have been 523 mass killings and 2,727 deaths as of Nov. 19, according to The Associated Press/USA Today database on mass killings in the U.S.

A strong, shallow earthquake has toppled buildings and collapsed walls on Indonesia's densely populated main island of Java, killing at least 162 and injuring hundreds as people rushed into the streets, some covered in blood and white debris.

Many of the dead were public-school students who had finished their classes for the day and were taking extra lessons at Islamic schools when they collapsed, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said as he announced the latest death toll in the remote, rural area.

Officials were gathering information on the toll of those injured and killed by the quake in the remote area.

READ MORE: Two children 'seriously burned' in Sydney school explosion

Emergency workers were treating the injured on stretchers outside main hospitals, on terraces and in parking lots. Many included children, some of whom were given oxygen masks, IV lines and were being resuscitated.

"I fainted. It was very strong," said Hasan, a construction worker who, like many Indonesians, uses one name.

"I saw my friends running to escape from the building. But it was too late to get out and I was hit by the wall."

Residents, some crying with children in their arms, fled damaged homes after the magnitude 5.6 quake shook the Cianjur region in West Java province in late afternoon, at a depth of 10 kilometres. It also caused panic in the greater Jakarta area, where high-rises swayed and some were evacuated.

Rescue teams and civilians in Cianjur were looking for others who may have been buried in the debris of collapsed brick houses. The quake was powerful enough to bring down walls, chunks of concrete and roof tiles, some of which landed inside bedrooms.

Shopkeeper Dewi Risma was working with customers when the quake hit, and she ran for the exit.

"The vehicles on the road stopped because the quake was very strong," she said.

"I felt it shook three times, but the first one was the strongest one for around 10 seconds. The roof of the shop next to the store I work in had collapsed, and people said two had been hit."

READ MORE: Three states issued stark warning over 'damaging, vigorous' system sweeping nation

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that the death toll reached 62 and hundreds were injured. More than 5,000 people are being evacuated.

Twenty-five people were still stuck buried in the debris in Cijedil village, said agency spokesman Abdul Muhari.

Several landslides closed roads around the Cianjur district. Among the dozens of buildings that were damaged was an Islamic boarding school, a hospital and other public facilities, the agency said. Power outages were reported.

Ridwan Kamil, West Java governor, said that the local government, national police and Indonesian military were still gathering information.

"Because Cianjur is characterised by many places that are very remote, so we need that data to determine the situation," Kamil said.

Most of the victims and survivors were taken to the government hospital in Cianjur, where emergency tents were erected and workers treated the injured.

READ MORE: Serial rapist known as 'Bondi Beast' identified with DNA technology

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency recorded at least 25 aftershocks.

"The quake felt so strong. My colleagues and I decided to get out of our office on the ninth floor using the emergency stairs," said Vidi Primadhania, an employee in South Jakarta.

Earthquakes occur frequently across the sprawling archipelago nation, but it is uncommon for them to be felt in Jakarta.

The country of more than 270 million people is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire", an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people and injured more than 460 in West Sumatra province.

In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.

“The quality of singers we have in New Zealand is just amazing” says Jo-Anne La Grouw, event co-ordinator and chair of the Lockwood New Zealand Aria Competition. She was excited about the return of Rotorua’s prestigious singing…

Eleven children and a teacher have been injured in an explosion caused by a science experiment gone wrong at a Sydney school.

The victims suffered burns during the accident at Manly West Public School in Balgowlah on the city's northern beaches just after 1pm.

Two of the students in the year five class – who would be aged 10 or 11 – suffered serious burns to their face and chest after the class mixed what's believed to be baking soda and methylated spirits in a test known as "the worm".

READ MORE: Three states in firing line as chaotic weather continues

The experiment took place outside on the sports field, with the strong winds blamed for the mishap.

An 11-year old girl was airlifted to the Children's Hospital at Westmead in the CareFlight helicopter with serious burns.

The other was transported to the same hospital but in an ambulance with a specialist medical care team on board.

Both are now in stable conditions.

"It was meant to be a little science experiment but it got a bit out of hand," one student told 9News.

One mother said it was "very distressing" to see a helicopter land on the school field.

The remaining nine students were all taken to hospitals including Royal North Shore but had "superficial burns", according to NSW Ambulance.

The male teacher was rushed to Northern Beaches Hospital with burns.

"All of them, apart from the two in a serious condition, were walking and were stable with relatively superficial injuries," NSW Ambulance Acting Superintendent Phil Templeman said.

"Today's high winds have impacted the experiment and blown some of the materials around.

"The children have sustained burns to the upper body, chest, face and legs. Thankfully, the majority of the students were not badly injured."

A CareFlight helicopter, over a dozen ambulance paramedics and five police cars all responded to the accident.

Investigations, including by the Department of Education, are under way into what happened.

A Victorian family of five are being forced to live in a tent after black mould spread inside their newly purchased Flowerdale home and caused health problems for the small children.

The Walsh-Baldwins say they feel like they've "failed as parents".

"It's been freezing. The other week we got 190 [millimetres] of rain," Andrew Baldwin told 9News.

READ MORE: Mould, floods, and rental rights: What to do when you find mould in your home

"I can't believe we've got to this point. This kids are getting sick, chest infections are the worst of the problems. They missed a full term of kinder."

Mould expert Dr Cameron Jones, from Biological Health Services, called the outbreak "a disaster".

"I've done moisture testing on the timbers, they're showing levels anywhere from 20 to 30 per cent," he said.

Jones said the safe level was a maximum of 15 per cent.

Heavy rain has contributed to the mould's spread but so have a number of serious building defects, which had not been declared or identified at the time the family purchased the $480,000 home from an owner-builder earlier this year.

The family enlisted the help of popular TikTok building inspector Zehir Khalil, who found issues like inadequate drainage and poor waterproofing contributed to excess moisture.

"It's unbelievable," he said, questioning how a building surveyor issued an occupancy permit for the property.

Angalina Walsh-Baldwin broke down in tears as she spoke of her devastation to 9News.

READ MORE: Nationals candidate Shaun Gilchrist was facing sexual assault and rape charges before sudden death

"The owner-builder has failed their duty of care and just passed the house onto us, knowing that three little kids were moving into this house," she said.

"I don't believe owner-builders are regulated enough."

The family has home and contents insurance but Allianz has denied their claims because the drainage issues were pre-existing.

They say they feel helpless and can't afford to fix the problems, or pay for alternative accommodation.

Allianz' statement can be read in full below:

Allianz appreciates the difficult situation the Walsh-Baldwin family has experienced over the past few months. Their claim, relating to damage to their home, was lodged in late September this year. However the reported damage occurred in May.

The family has been been transparent with us while we've conducted our evaluation of the claim. We evaluated the claim with due diligence, and extended our support by providing temporary accommodation while the inspections by our third-party, expert building and construction consultants were undertaken.

The inspections have now concluded. As we advised the Walsh-Baldwin family, the forensic investigation confirmed that the damage to their home predates the policy inception, and is due to water ingress from an opening not made by recent storms, but inherent defects, faulty design and climatic conditions.

A report of the inquiry into police handling of domestic and family violence found misogyny, sexism and racism have run rife in the service "unchecked" for years.

Judge Deborah Richards said there was "ample evidence" of racism, sexism and misogyny running rife in the Queensland Police Service which "inhibit the policing of domestic and family violence".

The Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence was set up in the wake of horrific domestic violence incidents in Queensland to examine how police handled the events, both before and after the crimes.

READ MORE: Three states in firing line as chaotic weather continues

Over five months, the inquiry has heard multiple substantiated accounts of sexism, misogyny, sexual harassment and racism in recent years, with most instances resulting in officers only facing managerial guidance.

"There is evidence that there is a lack of understanding of the dynamics of, and power imbalance within, domestically violent relationships," Richards wrote.

"The Commission has found clear evidence of a culture where attitudes of misogyny, sexism and racism are allowed to be expressed, and at times acted upon, largely unchecked.

"Where complaints in relation to such treatment are brushed aside or dealt with in the most minor of ways and those who complain are the ones who are shunned and punished.

"It is hardly surprising that these attitudes are reflected then in the way that those police who hold them respond to victim-survivors."

Queensland government accepts all recommendations

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who ordered the inquiry in May, said the report is "raw and confronting" and condemned the way some police members have spoken to victims of domestic and family violence.

She added the report revealed decades of misogyny, sexism and racism in the police service.

"Change needs to happen right throughout the police service," Palaszczuk said.

"This report essentially rips the bandaid off and says there are some deep-seated cultural issues about the way in which some members of the police service interact with First Nations people, how they interact with people from multicultural backgrounds, and how they interact with dealing with women.

"Are women believed? What more can we do to assist a woman fleeing domestic and family violence? How can we treat women better? How can we bring about effective change?"

Palaszczuk said the government supports in principle all 78 recommendations made by the inquiry.

The royal commission heard from victims of domestic and family violence and their treatment by police and to those survivors.

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said: "We have heard you, we believe you, we are taking action."

New leadership and funding boost in light of inquiry

Deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski has been appointed as the special coordinator dedicated to rolling out the reforms recommended by the inquiry.

Some of the recommendations include:

• Better training for officers including a specialist five-day training course and engaging with survivors of domestic and family violence
• Embedding domestic violence and LGBTIQ liaison officers and coordinators in all police stations
• Establish a vulnerable persons unit to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Embed domestic and family violence support workers in police stations.
• Ensuring all police stations have a private and safe area for persons presenting domestic and family violence matters
• Review the recruitment strategy to ensure applicants meet the service's values and have an interest in domestic and family violence policing
• Changes to the way complaints within the police force are handled including establishing a police integrity unit
• Separate the First Nations and Multicultural Affairs Unit and hire more staff for each

The government has allocated a $100 million funding boost to meet these recommendations.

The government has also appointed Linda Apelt to independently make sure the inquiry's recommendations are implemented in the police service.

Premier backs police commissioner to stay in top job

There have been calls for Commissioner Katarina Carroll to stand down in light of the revelations.

But today Palaszczuk firmly stood behind Carroll to remain in the top job.

"To bring about the reform and cultural change needs a strong woman. That strong woman is Katarina Carroll," she said.

"The cabinet has endorsed the commissioner today.

"This is going to be confronting and it is going to take every ounce of her strength to bring about reform. I am confident she is the right person to do it."

READ MORE: Gunman kills five after opening fire in gay club

Carroll welcomed the recommendations by the royal commission and refused to stand down, but vowed to do better.

"The report is a very difficult read. It presents many examples where we should have done better," she said.

"I acknowledge these issues and how they have affected the way we interact with the most vulnerable people in the community.

"I am deeply sorry."

She said she considered standing down in light of the inquiry but the premier's vote of confidence made her stay.

"I am 100 per cent committed to seeing this reform through, working with the recommendations and delivering the outcomes in the intent of the report," she said.

Police commissioner flags changes to leadership amid toxic culture allegations

The commissioner said it is a "failure of the leadership" of the Queensland Police Service that the toxic culture among workers and towards the community has festered over many years.

The report found the Queensland Police Service lacked "integrity" and there was a "pervasive culture of fear and silence in the organisation" which can be blamed on the organisation's leadership.

Carroll responded to this and said the police service was aware of the toxic culture occurring among the ranks and changes to leadership will be undertaken.

"We did not sweep these issues under the table. We knew there were issues," she said.

"It is difficult to stand here and acknowledge our people have done and said awful things.

She said workers who do not stand with the police service's values will need to leave and flagged one officer will be served a notice to stand down in the coming days.

Carroll said she is reviewing other cases as well.

A woman has been rescued from an eight-metre well after trying to save her pet cat in Adelaide's north.

The 20-year-old woman reportedly lowered herself down into the well on a rope ladder to rescue her cat at a property in Gawler West.

She then became stuck which sparked a delicate rescue operation by emergency services.

READ MORE: Three states in firing line as chaotic weather continues

The woman's two-year-old cat named Comet was pulled out of the well in a zip lock shopping bag by Metropolitan Fire Service crews.

The owner was then hoisted out of the well without injury.