Ukraine's ambassador to Lebanon has insisted a Syrian ship docked at a Lebanese port is carrying stolen Ukrainian grain and urged Lebanon to block the vessel from leaving.

The claim comes just days before the tiny cash-strapped country receives Ukraine's first grain shipment since Russia's invasion began over five months ago.

The Syrian-flagged Laodicea has been anchored at the port of Tripoli since it arrived last Thursday, carrying 10,000 tonnes of wheat flour and barley. Ukraine says the grain was stolen by Russia.

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Ukrainian Ambassador to Lebanon Ihor Ostash urged Lebanon not to allow the vessel to leave the port.

The US Treasury Department sanctioned the ship in 2015 for its affiliation with the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad, a close political and military ally to Moscow.

A senior Lebanese customs official said on Friday that Ukraine's claims that the ship contained stolen goods were untrue and that the vessel's papers appeared in order following an inspection.

Lebanon, already in the throes of a crippling economic and political crisis, has found itself entangled in the fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine.

A judge on Monday ordered the Laodicea not to set sail for 72 hours, following a request from Kyiv.

However, Lebanon's prosecutor general the following day decided the ship could set sail.

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The judge on Wednesday then ordered the ship released following the prosecutor's decision, judicial officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

It was not immediately clear if the ship would sail from Tripoli on Thursday.

The Laodicea is now free to go but that will likely anger Ukraine.

Russia's diplomatic mission in Lebanon praised the move, accusing Ukraine of lying about the cargo and trying to damage relations between Moscow and Beirut.

Ostash at a news conference on Wednesday presented documents and mapping of the Laodicea's journey and cargo.

He said that evidence from Kyiv's security agencies and judiciary indicates the vessel contained stolen goods.

"Of course it's important to understand that we would like to go via legal procedures to … provide all possible evidences and proofs of the Ukrainian side," Ostash said.

He presented a photo of what appears to be the Laodicea being loaded with the cargo in the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula.

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The ongoing fuss over the Laodicea comes as the first grain ship carrying 26,000 tonnes of Ukrainian corn aboard the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni entered Turkey's Bosporus Strait en route to the Tripoli port in Lebanon.

It's the first grain ship heading from the war-torn country since Russia's invasion in late February.

A Lebanese official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the ship is expected to take about four days to arrive in Lebanon from Istanbul after it was searched.

After presenting Kyiv's latest evidence about the Laodicea, Ostash turned to the Razoni, which he said unlike the Syrian ship carried "in a legal way, not stolen, original Ukrainian grain".

Lebanon condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, which angered Moscow and its allies in Beirut.

Ostash praised Lebanon again for taking this position.

The shipments come at a time when Lebanon is suffering from a food security crisis, with soaring food inflation, wheat shortages and breadlines.

Three-quarters of its population lives in poverty.

Earlier this week, a section of Beirut's massive port grain silos, shredded in the 2020 explosion, collapsed in a huge cloud of dust after a weekslong fire, triggered by grains that had fermented and ignited in the summer heat.

The northern block of the silos toppled after what sounded like an explosion, kicking up thick grey dust that enveloped the iconic structure and the port next to a residential area.

A Gold Coast family of five forced to share a single motel room amid Australia's growing rental crisis says they're facing "one of the hardest" moments of their life.

Alexi Bennett and her children have been rejected from rentals more than 200 times after their previous landlord didn't resign their lease.

It's been three months since the family have lived comfortably and Bennett said she struggles daily with guilt.

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It's costing the family $850 a week to share the single room amid a lack of available rental properties.

"You're supposed to be providing for your children and, when you can't, the guilt – it really hits, it really hits hard to be honest," she told Today, holding her six-week-old baby.

"It's meant to be the happiest time of your life and, you know, at this point in time it's one of the hardest and yeah, pretty sad, to be honest."

Bennett said there's "not many options" left for her family.

READ MORE: CCTV released as investigation into Sydney murder continues

"The competition is crazy at the moment," she said.

"I've got to do what's best for my kids and, yeah, this is it at the moment.

"You just got to stay positive and hope for the best and just keep trying, every day is a new day.

"That is all I can keep telling myself and just stay positive."

This week, major real estate agency Ray White broke down renting costs, and showed there's a mismatch between inflationary rental price rises compared to advertised ones, which were much more "aggressive".

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The inflation rental price has increased 1.6 per cent, Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee said in the report.

But advertised rents are reflecting a 13.6 per cent price increase.

The report also showed a substantial decrease in listings for both metro and regional addresses between 2018 and 2022.

NSW Police have released CCTV footage of two people who may have information about the shooting murder of a 22-year-old Sydney man last year.

Shady Kanj was gunned down in Chester Hill, in Sydney's west last August in what police believe is a "targeted attack".

As part of ongoing inquiries, Homicide Squad detectives conducted a secondary canvass of the area in Sydney's west and unearthed the vision.

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It shows a man and woman in a white Audi Q5 at a McDonald's drive-thru in Lidcombe prior to the murder.

Police do not believe the man and woman were involved in Kanj's murder but may have information that could assist with inquiries.

Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty urged the man and woman, or those with knowledge of their identities, to come forward.

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"Detectives have released CCTV in the hope of identifying the occupants of a white Audi captured on the night of Shady's murder, as we suspect they have information of value to our investigation," he said.

"That vehicle is captured at the fast-food restaurant in Lidcombe before the shooting, then again on the corner of Mona Street and Clyde Street at South Granville later that night.

"Given the vehicle travelled in the vicinity of the murder around the time of the shooting, it is possible the occupants saw something suspicious that may further our inquiries."

Doherty said police believe the individuals involved in the murder visited Miller Street before and after the shooting.

"As part of ongoing investigations, detectives returned to Miller Street at South Granville to conduct a further canvass of the area," he said.

"It is believed that those involved in Shady's murder visited Miller Street before and after the incident and may have even disposed of evidence in the vicinity."

The release of the CCTV comes months after police seized a white Lexus hatchback, which was believed to be disguised and used in the murder.

It's suspected the Lexus CT200H hatchback was "wrapped" in black nylon film to disguise its true colour.

The vehicle has since undergone extensive forensic examination.

Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online here.

For a year, US officials have been saying that taking out a terrorist threat in Afghanistan with no American troops on the ground would be difficult but not impossible.

Last weekend, the US did just that — killing al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri with a CIA drone strike.

Other high-profile airstrikes in the past had inadvertently killed innocent civilians.

In this case, the US carefully chose to use a type of Hellfire missile that greatly minimised the chance of other casualties.

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Although US officials have not publicly confirmed which variant of the Hellfire was used, experts and others familiar with counterterrorism operations said a likely option was the highly secretive Hellfire R9X — know by various nicknames, including the "knife bomb" or the "flying Ginsu".

That potential use of the R9X, said Klon Kitchen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former intelligence analyst, suggests the US wanted to kill Zawahiri with "limited likelihood of collateral death and destruction and for other relevant political reasons."

READ MORE: Who was al-Qaeda leader and key 9/11 architect Ayman al-Zawahiri?

What is a Hellfire missile?

Originally designed as an anti-tank missile in the 1980s, the Hellfire has been used by military and intelligence agencies over the last two decades to strike targets in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

The precision-guided missiles can be mounted on helicopters and unmanned drones and are used widely in combat around the world.

More than 100,000 Hellfire missiles have been sold to the US and other countries, according to Ryan Brobst, an analyst at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, a Washington think tank.

"It can do enough damage to destroy most targets such as vehicles and buildings while not doing enough damage to level city blocks and cause significant civilian casualties," Brobst said.

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The US military has routinely used Hellfire missiles to kill high-value targets, including a senior al-Qaeda leader in Syria last year, and al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar Al-Awlaki in Yemen in 2011.

What killed Zawahiri?

The US had multiple options for the attack.

It could have used a traditional Hellfire, a bomb dropped from an manned aircraft, or a far more risky assault by ground forces.

US Navy SEALs, for example, flew into Pakistan on helicopters and took out Osama bin Laden in a raid.

In this case, the CIA opted for a drone strike.

And while the CIA generally doesn't confirm its counterterrorism missions and closely guards information about strikes it conducts, US government officials have said that two Hellfire missiles were fired at the balcony of the building where Zawahiri was living in Kabul.

Online images of the building show damage to the balcony, where the US says Zawahiri was, but the rest of the house is standing and not badly damaged.

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Unlike other models of the Hellfire, the R9X doesn't carry an explosive payload.

Instead, it has a series of six rotating blades that emerge on its final approach to a target, Kitchen said.

"One of their utilities is in opening up vehicles and other obstructions to get to the target without having to use an explosive warhead," he said.

Avoiding civilian casualties

US officials and experts made clear this week that avoiding civilian casualties was a crucial element in the choice of weapon.

Less than a year ago, a US drone strike — using a more conventional Hellfire missile — struck a white Toyota Corolla sedan in a Kabul neighbourhood and killed 10 civilians around and near the car, including seven children.

In the midst of the chaotic US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, American forces believed there were explosives in the car and that it posed an imminent threat to troops on the ground.

It was, military leaders said, a "tragic mistake".

One former US official said the likely choice of an R9X is an example of the administration's effort to find ways to minimise collateral damage and prevent the loss of innocent life.

That missile is a very accurate weapon that strikes in a very small area, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss counterterrorism operations.

An administration official said Monday that the US investigated the construction of the house where Zawahiri was staying in order to ensure that the operation could be done without threatening the structural integrity of the building and also minimising the risks of killing civilians, including members of his family who were in other parts of the house.

The choice of missile is ultimately one part of reducing the possibility of killing civilians or causing other collateral damage.

"I would say this is by far a lower-risk option," said Tom Karako, an expert on missile defence at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Using the Hellfire, he said, "reflects a high degree of caution as opposed to a riskiness".

"It doesn't go far enough."

Melbourne school student and climate activist Anjali Sharma spent most of her day watching press conferences and parliamentary proceedings as the Greens announced their support for the federal Labor government's climate bill.

She told 9News.com.au the legislation is a good first step but wouldn't call it a "win", instead demanding the Albanese government further raise its emissions target.

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"Any action is good action and you're not going to condemn positive moves towards the future we need," she said.

"But we hold the position it doesn't go far enough."

Sharma said the government's push to legislate the emissions target is symbolic and making sure it's met is the real hurdle.

"It shouldn't be about showing off (that) you care… it's about making sure it's met," she said.

The proposed legislation will update Australia's climate obligations under the Paris Agreement, committing to a 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

But Sharma says Australia should be aiming for a 75 per cent emissions target, which she says is what the science calls for.

She added the government also needs to stop the approval of any new coal and gas power plants.

"The most immediate action is for the government to indicate no further approvals will be handed down for coal and gas projects," she said.

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Sharma spoke to 9News.com.au after a school day when, instead of focusing on her classwork, she decided it was more important to tune into the press conferences from Bandt and the federal government, because of the climate change impacts her generation will suffer.

"This is the world being handed to me and my generation," she said.

"You open your social media and the first two things you see are new floods in Kentucky and fires in Spain.

"That's why my generation takes so much time off school. It's not a passion project, we have to take action."

With the grave future ahead, it sparked Sharma to become a part of the School Strike 4 Climate movement filled with students wanting climate action now.

"It's up to us to hold the government accountable," Sharma added.

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Earlier on Wednesday, Greens leader Adam Bandt announced his party will vote with Labor to pass the climate bill.

"People need to be clear-eyed about the importance of this bill and that this government is bringing a bucket of water to a house fire," Bandt said.

Bandt continued his call for the government to stop any new coal and gas projects.

With the Greens' support, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he is "confident" the bill will pass through the lower house.

"This is an opportunity to end the climate wars," Albanese said.

The Coalition has already announced it will not be supporting the climate bill, instead throwing its support behind nuclear energy which Albanese said shows the opposition is "stuck in the past".

Labor has taken aim at Investment NSW CEO Amy Brown's decision in appointing John Barilaro to the New York trade posting and the involvement of then-minister Stuart Ayres in the process.

The fourth hearing of the parliamentary inquiry into the appointment of the former deputy premier to the lucrative trade role occurred just hours after Ayres resigned from cabinet.

Following the hearing, Labor's Penny Sharpe took aim at Brown's evidence and questioned how involved Ayres was in the process.

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"Every single decision that Amy Brown talked about today was guided by Stuart Ayres," she said.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns claimed, "the cover up here is probably worse than the crime".

"They've been taking the public for a ride for the last seven weeks," he added.

Brown concedes Ayres' input carried 'some weight'

As Brown fronted questions for a second time, she revealed Ayres' input into the appointment carried "some weight".

In her opening statement, Brown said: "Any conversations I have with minister Ayres were, therefore, influential on my decision. But, in my view, it did not amount to undue influence because, at all times, I felt the decision was mine, ultimately mine to make."

Labor's Daniel Mookhey later asked, "Surely the minister (Ayres) praising John Barilaro to you, after the applications have closed, would have carried some weight with you?"

Brown conceded it did.

Brown also admitted Ayres wasn't kept at "arm's length" from the decision making and regularly sought his opinion.

"Objectively speaking, arm's length is not a fair characterisation of how the process was (done)," she said.

"A lot of it was actually initiated by me, because I felt the need that I had to keep checking, partly because of this grey area that we were in around public service.

"Broadly speaking, I wanted to make sure he (Ayres) was comfortable."

Ayres resigns, to face conduct investigation

It comes as Ayres today resigned from cabinet and his role as deputy Liberal leader.

Ayres has faced intense scrutiny for any role he had in former deputy premier Barilaro's application for a high-profile trade envoy role to New York, and whether it was consistent with ministerial standards.

Ayres has consistently denied he breached any ministerial standards.

While he will remain an MP for Penrith, Ayres has stepped down as deputy leader of the NSW Liberals, as well as his ministerial roles (his portfolios included Enterprise, Investment and Trade; Tourism and Sport; and Western Sydney).

Premier Dominic Perrottet said Ayres' ministerial roles will be reassigned and announced in "due course".

The premier said the independent review of Barilaro's appointment had raised questions about Ayres' contact with the recruitment process for the New York trade job.

"The draft review that I have seen, relating to those matters with respect to Mr Ayres, raises questions," he said.

"It raises questions in respect to the ministerial code of conduct. I am the custodian as premier of the ministerial code of conduct."

"The issues in the review go directly to the engagement of Mr Ayres with a department secretary in respect to the recruitment process," Perrottet said.

An investigation will now take place into whether Ayres breached the ministerial code of conduct. The premier said he would take action when that investigation is completed.

Ayres had been under fire for his handling of the former deputy premier's appointment, following accusations he used discussions with Brown to promote Barilaro's standing as a candidate.

He rejected that accusation, saying he was only receiving updates of the process.

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When asked directly by reporters whether Ayres had "lied" or "misled" him, Perrottet said he did not believe that was the case.

"What is important is, the information that comes to light is acted on, and that's what I have done," he said.

"I will make this very clear, Mr Ayers denies any wrongdoing at all. He denies any wrongdoing," Perrottet said.

Perrottet stressed that Ayres had denied any wrongdoing.

Ayres became the second NSW cabinet minister to stand down this week after Perrottet sacked Fair Trading Minister Eleni Petinos on Sunday after allegations she bullied staff.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has refused to answer questions on the donation scandal involving his former chief of staff, Mitch Catlin.

Victoria Police confirmed it has received a referral in relation to claims the Liberal Party was possibly involved in a scheme relating to party donations.

Catlin resigned after a report in The Age claimed he had asked a wealthy Liberal Party donor to make more than $100,000 in payments to his private marketing business, in addition to his taxpayer-funded salary.

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Guy insisted the contract – which the report asserted would have required the donor to pay $8333 a month to Catchy Media Marketing and Management – was never signed off.

Today, Guy dodged cameras on his way into parliament and left early.

"Nothing was signed, nothing was agreed, nothing proceeded and nothing followed through. That says everything," he told 9News.

"I haven't spoken to either of the two and I don't intend to. Because nothing was signed."

Catlin had nothing to say for himself as he left his Armadale home in the early hours of this morning.

Victoria Police is now assessing calls for it to investigate. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission says it won't comment.

A South Australian man has been jailed for 16 years after pleading guilty to 50 child sexual offences including paying for children to be abused while he watched over the internet.

The crimes of Ian Ralph Schapel also led to the rescue of 15 young victims and the arrest of five people in the Philippines following an international investigation.

The 68-year-old former public servant was first detained in February 2020 after Australian Border Force officers examined his bags when he arrived in Melbourne on an overseas flight and allegedly found child abuse material on his mobile phone.

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He was charged over the content which eventually led to the discovery of more than 50,000 images and videos of child abuse material on a range of electronic devices at his Adelaide home.

Further investigations by SA police found he had communicated with people in the Philippines to procure several children, the youngest aged three, who were forced to perform sexually explicit acts on camera that he watched live from his Adelaide home.

In February last year, Schapel admitted to 50 offences, including viewing, remotely instructing and recording the sexual abuse of children on 55 occasions between March 2018 and January 2020.

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As part of the international investigation, Philippine authorities executed search warrants at multiple locations in Bislig, a remote area in the country's east, in August 2020.

Thirteen children and two young adults were removed from harm and five women were arrested, accused of facilitating the abuse for profit.

The women were aged between 18 and 29 at the time, and some were mothers of the victims. They remain before the courts in the Philippines.

Australian Federal Police Commander Erica Merrin said the case highlighted the force's commitment to work with partners to protect children around the world.

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"Children are being forced into the most appalling violence and torment on camera by the people who are meant to love and to protect them," she said.

"This Adelaide man did not just watch children being hurt, he ordered specific abuse to happen and preyed on the economic vulnerability of the people involved."

Philippine Police Brigadier General Edgar De Mayo Cacayan said close collaboration with the AFP and other international partners should send a strong message to would-be child sex offenders.

"You will not buy and sell the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines," he said.

"We will not allow it and we will be their guardians. We will find you and you will have to answer for your actions in a court of law."

In the South Australian District Court on Wednesday, Schapel was jailed for just over 16 years with a non-parole period of 10 years.

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