A Chinese-born Canadian tycoon who disappeared from Hong Kong in 2017 was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for a multibillion-dollar string of financial offences and his company was fined $US8.1 billion ($11.78 billion), a court announced.

Xiao Jianhua was convicted of misusing billions of dollars of deposits from banks and insurers controlled by his Tomorrow Group and offering bribes to officials, the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court said on its social media account.

Xiao was fined 6.5 million yuan ($1.4 million) and his company was fined 55 billion yuan ($11.7 billion), the court said.

Xiao was last seen at a Hong Kong hotel in January 2017 and was believed to have been taken to the mainland by Chinese authorities. News reports later said he was under investigation by anti-graft authorities, but no details were released.

The Canadian government said diplomats were blocked from attending his July 5 trial.

“The lack of transparency in Mr. Xiao’s legal process is very concerning, as is the ongoing lack of consular access which prevents us from being able to assess his wellbeing,” said Patricia Skinner, spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada.

Xiao was deemed to be a Chinese citizen, which meant he wasn't entitled to see Canadian diplomats under a consular treaty between the two governments, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

That suggested Xiao might have entered the mainland using a Chinese travel document instead of his Canadian passport. Beijing has in other cases refused diplomats access to citizens of their countries who entered using Chinese identity documents.

“China does not recognise Chinese citizens with dual nationality. Xiao Jianhua has Chinese nationality,” Wang said. “He does not enjoy the right to consular protection of other countries.”

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The Canadian Embassy in Beijing referred a request for comment to the Canadian government in Ottawa.

Tomorrow Group has been linked to a series of anti-corruption prosecutions and seizures of financial companies by regulators.

Friday's announcement said Xiao and Tomorrow Group were convicted of improperly taking more than 311.6 billion yuan ($66.4 billion) from the public and misused entrusted property and money totalling 148.6 billion yuan ($31.6 billion).

Xiao vanished amid a flurry of prosecutions of Chinese businesspeople accused of misconduct.

That fuelled speculation the ruling Communist Party might be abducting people outside the mainland. Hong Kong at that time prohibited Chinese police from operating in the former British colony, which has a separate legal system.

Since then, Beijing has tightened control over Hong Kong, prompting complaints it is violating the autonomy promised when the territory returned to China in 1997. The Communist Party imposed a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020 and has imprisoned pro-democracy activists.

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Hong Kong police investigated Xiao’s disappearance and said he crossed the border into the mainland. An advertisement in the Ming Pao newspaper in Xiao’s name the same week denied he was taken against his will.

At the time of his disappearance, Xiao was worth nearly $US6 billion ($8.73 billion), making him China’s 32nd wealthiest person, according to the Hurun Report, which follows the country’s wealthy.

In 2020, regulators seized nine companies controlled by Xiao.

That included four insurers, two securities firms, two trust firms and a company involved in financial futures. The business magazine Caixin reported at the time that the seized assets totalled almost 1 billion yuan ($213.2 million).

A retired bank regulator, Xue Jining, admitted taking 400 million yuan ($85.3 million) in bribes in a corruption case linked to Baoshang Bank Ltd. in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, which regulators seized from Tomorrow in 2019.

The price of chicken schnitzels is about to get more expensive, with Australia's largest poultry producer Ingham's warning of a price hike later this year.

The company said it would be forced to increase its prices everywhere, from supermarkets and butchers to restaurants and fast food chains.

Soaring feed, fuel and labour costs caused by the war in Ukraine and COVID-19 has snowballed. And the knock-on effect means consumers will have to wear the cost.

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Ben Johnson from The Lord Gladstone Hotel in Sydney said while the business would love to take the hit for customers they have to "keep the doors open somehow".

"No matter how much they raise the prices, we'll always find a way to keep the schnitty and the parmie on," he said.

Chicken remains the most affordable high-quality protein, with pork about double the price and lamb three times as expensive.

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The price rise is the latest in a string of food hikes hitting Australian households.

Shoppers have felt the pinch amid skyrocketing prices for fruit, vegetables and eggs.

Shortages of products such as iceberg lettuce, caused by heavy flooding and supply chain disruptions, saw prices soar in recent months.

Meanwhile Australia faces its biggest beer tax hike in decades, meaning a pint at the pub could soon cost punters up to $15.

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There are calls for the Governor-General to explain why his official program makes no mention of the five times he granted the former Prime Minister additional powers.

David Hurley signed off on the administrative instrument that enabled Scott Morrison to secretly take part responsibility for the Health, Finance, Treasury, Home Affairs and Resources portfolios while he was PM.

But there was no reference to the actions in the Governor-General's diary, which lists in detail his numerous activities, including phone calls, official events, meetings and swearing-in ceremonies.

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The Greens are calling on Mr Hurley to clarify whether the omission was his idea.

"The question is, did he have a conversation with the Prime Minister? Was there a discussion with the government about not disclosing these appointments," Greens Senator David Shoebridge has said.

Earlier in the week, Mr Hurley's office defended his actions, saying he had followed processes and had "no reason to believe" Mr Morrison's appointments would not be communicated.

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A US child who died after swimming was infected with the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria Fowleri, the country's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed.

The CDC's confirmation means this is "the first known death from Naegleria Fowleri in Nebraska's history," according to the state department of health and human services.

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The child, whose age was not disclosed, died this week in Douglas County, its health department said.

The child is believed to have been exposed to Naegleria Fowleri while swimming August 8 in a shallow area of the Elkhorn River.

Symptoms began about five days after that, county Health Director Lindsay Huse said in a news conference.

The child was admitted to a hospital within 48 hours of the on-set of symptoms and died days later, said Dr Kari Neemann, a pediatric infectious disease physician and a medical advisor for Douglas County.

Naegleria Fowleri is an amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds throughout the United States, the Nebraska Health Department said.

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"It can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a brain infection that may result when water containing the amoeba rushes up the nose and reaches the brain," the department said.

"The infection is extremely rare, but nearly always fatal."

A Missouri resident died in July shortly after being diagnosed with a Naegleria fowleri infection after visiting a beach in Iowa. And a child in North Texas died in September after contracting the brain-eating amoeba at a public splash pad.

The CDC conducted further testing to confirm the cause of the child's death this week, the county health department said.

While the odds of infection with Naegleria fowleri are low, health experts say there are precautions people can take when considering swimming in freshwater lakes and rivers.

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"Millions of recreational water exposures occur each year, while only 0 to eight Naegleria fowleri infections are identified each year," Donahue said.

"Infections typically occur between July and September in warmer water with slower flow, Donahue added.

"Cases are more frequently identified in southern states but more recently have been identified farther north," Donahue said.

"Limiting the opportunities for freshwater to get into the nose are the best ways to reduce the risk of infection."

The Nebraska Health Department urged caution when participating in activities in warm freshwater during times of prolonged high temperatures.

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It offered several key points about the risk of Naegleria Fowleri infection:

• Behaviours associated with the infection include diving or jumping into the water, submerging the head underwater or engaging in other water-related activities that cause water to go up the nose forcefully.

• Swimmers can reduce their risk by keeping their heads out of the water and using nose clips or plugging their noses when going underwater. Swimmers should also avoid digging or stirring up the sediment at the bottom of the lake or river.

• People can't get infected by swimming in a pool that has been properly cleaned and is maintained and disinfected. They also can't get it from drinking contaminated water.

• Avoid submersing your head in hot springs and other untreated thermal water.

• Avoid digging in or stirring up the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas.

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Police are seeking more witnesses after an alleged shooting incident at Canberra Airport last weekend.

ACT Police said while many witness statements have been taken, investigators believe there are people who were in and around the check-in area at the time who have not spoken to police.

The terminal was evacuated at about 1.30pm last Sunday, when a man reportedly fired about five shots towards glass windows.

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Police said no shots were directed toward any passengers, staff or other people.

No one was injured during the incident but the airport was evacuated and remained closed for about three hours.

Officers are asking anyone who had family members or friends who used the airport early Sunday afternoon and who witnessed any suspicious behaviour to contact police if they have not already done so.

A similar call is being put out to any interstate travellers who used the airport around that time.

A 63-year-old man from NSW was charged following the incident.

He will remain in custody until the case returns to court on September 5.

An alligator blocking his doorstep was no obstacle for one Texas dad making sure his daughter got to her first day of middle school on time.

Mike Trinh, who owns and operates a seafood restaurant in Houston, thought his youngest daughter Caitlyn was joking when she told him there was an alligator outside their front door, according to CNN affiliate KPRC-TV.

"It's my youngest daughter's first day in middle school," wrote Trinh in a Facebook post describing his close encounter.

"As she's about to go to the car, she runs back saying there's an alligator at the front door. I'm thinking she's playing."

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But his daughter wasn't joking — and indeed there was an unexpected, scaly visitor at the Trinhs' doorstep.

"All my years watching Steve Irwin, I figured I can deal with any wildlife as long as it ain't a stingray," said Trinh on Facebook.

The restaurant owner set about implementing the steps he'd learned from years watching the famed "Crocodile Hunter".

He threw a towel on the alligator's head to calm it down, "so I can take the kids to school," he wrote.

Then he got on the gator's back, held its mouth closed, and enlisted his 19-year-old daughter to tape its mouth shut with duct and jiu-jitsu tape.

Trinh and a friend then loaded the alligator in the back of a truck and released it into a nearby pond, reports KPRC-TV.

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The amateur alligator wrangler said that he's glad his daughters got photos of the encounter.

"I think if [my daughter] told her friends at school, they probably wouldn't believe her," he said, according to KPRC-TV.

"Alligators are common in parts of Texas but have a natural fear of humans and will typically retreat when approached," said the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in a statement shared with CNN.

"However, people who encounter a potential nuisance alligator in a non-emergency situation should call Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Law Enforcement Communications dispatch center."

Feeding and harassing alligators is a Class C misdemeanor in the state.

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