An elderly Ashburton man was “savagely attacked” after disturbing an intruder last night and police are still hunting for the offender.Police are asking the public for him after the burglary and aggravated assault which left a man…

A Melbourne woman "hasn't stopped shaking" after realising she was the mystery winner of a $50 million Lotto win left unclaimed for three days.

The Cranbourne woman said she'd heard about the unclaimed money, but thought to herself "it can't be me".

It was only when she found out the winning ticket had been purchased from a local store that she realised she had a chance and decided to look up the numbers.

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"I couldn't believe it when I found out there was only one division one winner in Oz Lotto and that they purchased their ticket from Hampton Park," she said.

"I decided to look up the winning numbers online this morning and cross them out on my ticket one by one. I was left shocked.

"Since discovering the news, I haven't stopped shaking like a leaf.

"I'm shaking and my head is spinning – I can't believe this."

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The lucky Melburnian said she'd only ever won "$15 on a lottery ticket" so $50 million "is out of this world".

"I've been playing for a few years, but I never expected this to happen to me," she said.

"I'll tell my family once the prize lands in my bank account. It's so hard to believe it's true, so I have to see it myself first."

On the eve of polls closing and election results being announced, Herald senior writer Simon Wilson sat down with Bernard Hickey for his podcast The Kākā to discuss the election campaign, the makeup of the new council, and…

Family of Peter Ellis, who made history today when his convictions were posthumously quashed , said they never doubted their brother’s innocence and his battle to clear his name. Speaking to media in an emotional address outside…

Nearly $14 million of taxpayers’ money was deposited into ineligible people’s accounts through cost of living payments, including 85 dead people.Some 108,000 payments – worth $12.6m – have also potentially gone to people overseas,…

On July 6 2022, the New Zealand Herald published a story about David Lyttle’s appeal to the Supreme Court , in which he was seeking to make the Crown prosecutor pay half of the costs he incurred in relation to his trial for the murder…

The Tribesmen and Killer Beez have joined forces in a show of unity to honour one of Ōtara’s “original gangsters” who died this week.The rival gangs had a deeply personal feud which led to a three-week blitz of at least 23…

The threat of nuclear 'armageddon is at its highest since the Cuban Missile Crisis, US President Joe Biden has said.

Biden made the remarks at a Democratic Party fundraiser and they came amid Russian officials speaking of the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the invasion of Ukraine.

"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis," he said.

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"First time since the Cuban missile crisis, we have the direct threat of a nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path they are going."

Putin is "not joking" when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons, the US president said.

Biden said the use of nuclear weapons by Russia was more likely because of their flailing invasion of Ukraine.

"I don't think there is any such a thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon," Biden said.

He said he was trying to find a "off-ramp" for Putin's situation.

The fundraiser is being held at the New York home of James Murdoch, the son of Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

READ MORE: Ukraine president praises Australia for sending heavy weapons

The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis is generally considered the closest the USA and the Soviet Union got to all-out war.

The tensions between the two superpowers were brought to a head when it was discovered the Russians had placed nuclear warheads in Cuba.

The US launched what they described as a "quarantine" of Cuba to prevent any more armaments arriving in the Caribbean island.

The crisis was resolved when the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for a pledge that the US would never invade Cuba.

At the time, Biden himself was 20 years old.

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A well-to-do civil engineer from Sydney's eastern suburbs allegedly gave police a detailed account of killing his wife as they arrested him, a court has been told.

Steven Hastings Barker, 74, is accused of murdering his wife Christine Barker at their Bronte home on Thursday night.

Christine Barker, also 74, was found by police with critical injuries outside the home on Bronte Road about 6pm.

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Police and paramedics treated her, but she died a short time later in hospital.

Her husband was arrested at the scene and taken to Waverley Police Station, where he was charged with murder.

The property in the beachside suburb remained cordoned off the morning after the death, with numerous detectives and uniformed officers at the scene.

Barker was refused bail by a Waverley magistrate on Friday after police prosecutor Sergeant Nicole McMahon said the evidence against the accused murderer was overwhelming.

READ MORE: Biden raises spectre of nuclear 'Armageddon' threat

As forensic and crime scene evidence was analysed, the case against him was only likely to strengthen, she said.

If convicted, the engineer faces life in prison.

Barker's admissions to killing his wife were captured on the body-worn cameras of officers who arrived at the home, McMahon said.

The alleged murder occurred in front of a child who had been inside the home, she said.

Defence lawyer Matthew Bogunovich said his client was not an unacceptable risk to the community or fleeing the state.

Barker had no criminal record, a long employment history and had only been overseas three times despite his considerable means, the court was told.

Thursday's alleged murder occurred after an unravelling in the Barkers' long marriage and the accused killer did not pose a threat to the wider community, Bogunovich said.

Prison would likely be tough for Barker as a first-time offender, but on the balance of the serious charges against him and the strength of evidence against him, there was not enough reason to grant him release, magistrate Clare Farnan said.

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Barker dropped his head into his chest as his bail request was denied.

A small group of supporters went to Waverley Local Court on Friday but declined to speak with media.

Barker will appear at the court again on December 7.

If you or anyone you know is in need or crisis please call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline 131 11 14.

Fisheries crews have freed a mother whale and her calf after the pair became entangled in a shark net off the Sunshine Coast.

This morning's rescue marks the latest in a string of whale entanglements in Queensland's nets during the current migration season.

Onlookers reported the whale and calf had been caught in the netting off Wurtulla since 5am today, according to animal rights group Sea Shepherd Australia.

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Humpback whales migrate south toward Antarctica around this time of year.

A number of whales have been caught in shark nets recently, including a calf on the Gold Coast last week and a humpback off Noosa the week before.

There have been calls for the removal of shark nets up and down the east coast of Australia as they were put back in the water ahead of swimming season.

Queensland's Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said earlier the nets would not be removed until it was deemed safe to do so.

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"We will make no changes unless we are convinced they can be safe and appropriate in Queensland conditions," Furner said.

Data was published recently about the number of endangered and non-target marine life caught and killed in shark nets.

A report on the 2021-2022 season found 325 of the 376 animals caught in NSW were non-targeted, critically endangered species, including turtles, dolphins and whales.

The mayor of Australia's most famous beach has called for shark nets to be removed from Bondi as they create "a false sense of safety".

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"(They) are only 150m long, six metres high and set at a depth of about 10m. They're not there to actually create a barrier between swimmers and sharks, but they sort of help disrupt some of the swimming patterns," Waverley mayor Paula Masselo said.

"Australia has a global responsibility to protect vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered species," Sea Shepherd Australia's Managing Director Jeff Hansen said.