A Wellington liquor store had all the precautions to stop ram-raiders gaining access – but the brazen thieves got through anyway. Thirsty Liquor in Island Bay was targeted early this morning when two thieves drove a car into the…

Police are now treating the death of a Dunedin man at a popular city lookout point last week as a homicide.Detective Senior Sergeant Nik Leigh said this afternoon a homicide inquiry had been launched after Sean Buis, 28, died at…

A heartbroken family is waiting for answers after a Sydney man, whose only apparent pain was from a tooth infection, died suddenly last week.

Bradley Tucek, 33, told his Perth-based family he was in "agony" with a toothache.

The 33-year-old's dentist gave him antibiotics and Panadol to treat the infected tooth and booked him in to have it taken out a week later, his family told 9news.com.au.

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But when he failed to log on for work in his job as a business analyst a few days later, his colleagues were worried.

They went to Tucek's apartment and found him dead on the kitchen floor.

His sister, Ally Valentine, said NSW Police told them they had ruled out suicide or foul play.

She said Tucek didn't take an overdose of painkillers, as he only had been given Panadol.

"How can you go from texting your family 'I'm really sick' to just dying a few hours later at 33 years old? It makes no sense," she said.

"To know he just died alone and his body was there for two days, that is what is so heartbreaking.

"With a toothache you don't think 'oh my goodness, rush to hospital'.

"None of us thought to tell him to go to hospital."

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The family, who have flown to Sydney from their home in Perth, are waiting to see what the NSW Coroners Court findings are, which could take months.

Tucek told his sister and parents in messages that he had a toothache on July 13.

He went to his dentist the next day and was found to have an infection, he told them.

He was given antibiotics to treat the infection and an appointment for the following week to have the tooth removed.

But Valentine said her brother was suffering.

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During their final conversation on the Saturday, Tucek said he was too sick to talk.

"I said, 'Do you want me to add you to this Facebook family chat?'" Valentine, a marriage celebrant and radio newsreader, said.

"He said to me, 'Maybe, right now I have a massive infection and I'm very sick, and I can't consider such things right now'.

"He had said to mum, 'This is the worst pain I've ever been in.'"

He then stopped responding to his family's messages, which was unusual, Valentine said.

When he failed to log on for work from home on the Monday morning, a group of his colleagues went to his Naremburn unit.

Neighbours let them into the block and his front door was unlocked.

They found Tucek on the kitchen floor.

Despite calling an ambulance, it was too late.

"The police estimated that he had died on the Saturday night, only hours after we were talking to him," Valentine said.

While the family, including his father Greg and mother Rose, wait for answers, Valentine paid tribute to her "unique" brother.

"There is no other human being on this earth, there's nobody else like him," she said.

"He was weird and quirky.

"He was really set in his ways, he was really stubborn, he knew what he wanted and he would fight for it.

"He had a larger than life personality and he was just adored by everyone.

"He was super social. He would go and spend time with his friends, he loved a drink and was the last person to leave."

Tucek collected models, went to Sydney's Games Workshop, and was a talented artist.

"He'd sit there sketching things. We've found hundreds of pieces of paper in his house," Valentine, said.

NSW Police confirmed they were called to a home on Glenmore Street in Naremburn regarding a concern for welfare at 2pm last Monday.

"Police located the body of a 33-year-old man, which NSW Ambulance Paramedics declared deceased at the scene," they said in a statement.

"Officers from North Shore Police Area Command commenced inquiries and a report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner."

The family is raising money to get Tucek's body to Perth.

Six North Island schools were either thrust into lockdown or evacuated following threats made towards the schools over the phone. The Ministry of Education said it was aware of threats made towards five schools in Waikato and one…

OPINION: Recently, I celebrated and wrote about my Vietnamese parents' Australian anniversary.

Their 44 years in a country they love so dearly.

I wrote about them being proud Australian citizens and that I'm a proud Vietnamese-Australian.

READ MORE: Tracy Vo's plea for compassion and respect

Lovely messages of support came through, not just from beautiful friends and colleagues, but also strangers.

Unfortunately, today I was reminded there are still a rare few, who are close minded or intolerant.

I was with my partner having a lovely breakfast, enjoying the winter morning outside our local café in Perth, when a lady approached our table.

She asked where I was "from" and I replied "Australia."

I had the feeling already of where this was going, but I also genuinely wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

She asked, "What is your ethnic background?"

I again politely replied, "My parents are from Vietnam."

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I thought perhaps she was just after a chat with a young couple out and about for a Monday morning.

Then it suddenly turned.

She wanted to know what my religious background was and proceeded to label my family as communists.

Then, turning to my partner Liam, who's of Irish heritage, the woman said: "Don't be had by this Asian woman."

He politely asked the woman several times to move along.

I just thanked her and hope she would stop talking and trying to lecture Liam.

He was so patient, as he always is.

He gives everyone the time of day.

But I could see he was shocked and was in protective mode.

The woman finally walked away.

READ MORE: Perth couple's sweet Valentine's Day tradition

I laugh it off initially, which is what I normally would do when previously confronted by racial comments.

I had once highlighted comments directed at me on social media about me appearing on television and presenting the news.

But enough is enough.

I never thought I would experience this in 2022.

To be subjected to comments that are uneducated.

To the woman who thought that she was educating my partner, I hope you find some peace and learn from your comments.

https://twitter.com/Tracy_Vo/status/1551717376806137856https://twitter.com/Tracy_Vo/status/1551717534914605056

There's no anger, just disappointment that some people still think this way.

But to my support network of family and friends, who have enjoyed the culture my family has brought to this country, I am forever grateful.

Tracy Vo is a reporter and presenter for 9News Perth.

Another varroa mite infestation has been detected in New South Wales, bringing the total number of infected sites to 43 and putting the $100 million honey industry under extreme pressure.

The new detection was made near Nana Glen, north-west of Coffs Harbour, exactly a month after the deadly honeybee parasite was first discovered on Australian soil.

The find has lead to another set of biosecurity zones being established, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) says.

The DPI told 9news.com.au that as of 6pm last night, 2487 hives had been euthanized statewide to prevent the mites spreading further.

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All hives on infected properties will be humanely euthanised, and the movement of both the hives and equipment over the past 12 months will be tracked in a bid to slow the spread of the parasite.

Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh says a widespread outbreak would have significant impact on local produce.

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"Bees play such an important role as pollinators and they drastically improve the quality of the fruit and vegetables that we consume every day," Singh said.

"The quicker we can get things under control the better.

"I'm encouraging farmers and apiarists to please come forward and report the locations of your hives, as it is an invaluable component of our control measures."

NSW Farmers Association said the mite is causing particular concern among blueberry and avocado growers.

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"It's a bit of a worry for our farmers as we approach pollination time, without bees we can't produce avocados or blueberries, or a lot of other crops for that matter," Coffs Harbour Branch Chair Paul Shoker said.

"We understand the Department of Primary Industries and Local Land Services are doing their part to keep the outbreak under control, we just need everyone else to do the right thing as well.

"People should continue to report the locations of any hives, both managed hives and wild hives, they might be aware of."

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Despite the discovery, Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders maintains the DPI has "a good handle on the situation".

"The good news is we can still draw a direct line between every single case so far," he said.

"Our tracing efforts have led us to this infested premise after hives were moved earlier this year, prior to the introduction of the state-wide pause on movement.

"Our field officers are working hard to conduct hive inspections with beekeepers right across the State and have connected this incursion to an existing case in the Hunter cluster."

A statewide standstill of hives is currently in place, however movement from the general biosecurity emergency zone is being allowed under a permit-based system.

All beekeepers seeking to move bees and beehives in low-risk areas are encouraged to complete a Hive Movement Declaration.

"We have opened a safe and traceable way to allow the crucial movement of honeybees and apiary equipment and allow for the honey and pollination season to get underway while minimising risk of any further spread," NSW DPI Chief Plant Protection Officer Dr Satendra Kumar said.

Bee industry under threat from tiny parasite

The parasite was first detected in hives at the Port of Newcastle on June, 26 and is threatening the nation's bee industry.

Experts have warned a widespread outbreak could cost the honey industry $70 million a year if not contained.

Within the first nineteen days the DPI had euthanised at least 1693 hives in various kill zones across parts of the state.

Estimates suggest each hive is home to between 10,000 – 30,000 bees.

Until this point the pest, considered the most serious for honey bees worldwide, had not been found in Australia.

The parasites cling to honeybees as they feed and spreads debilitating viruses like deformed wing virus.

The Moldovan government is preparing for the possibility that Russia will invade their country as it moves across Ukraine.

Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita told CNN an invasion of their nation was "a hypothetical scenario for now".

"But if the military actions move further into the southwestern part of Ukraine and toward Odessa, then of course we are very worried," she said.

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Wedged between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova was part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union on and off for the past 200 years.

The former Soviet nation has tried to maintain its neutrality between Russia and the west, but publicly criticised Vladimir Putin over the invasion.

"If a country can start an annexation war without any regard for international law, then in this sense, nobody is safe," Gavrilita said.

"I think a lot of countries are worried."

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A thin strip of Moldova named Transnistria is an unrecognised breakaway state which has sought to affiliate itself with Russia.

Russia has a military base in Transnistria.

In April a Russian general and Putin ally said Russia was looking to establish a land corridor across Ukraine to connect with Transnistria, which is on the eastern border of Moldova.

READ MORE: Russian missiles hit Ukraine port hours after signing export deal

Moldova was first formed as its own political entity in the 1300s, but has found itself in the centre of conflicts with Poland, the Ottomans and the Russian Empire.

After spending much of the 19th century as part of Romania, it was absorbed into the USSR in 1940 in a deal between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

It became an independent nation in 1992.

Moldova has a population of about 2.5 million and is the poorest country in Europe.

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Boaters and whale watchers off the east coast of the US got a surprise over the weekend when a humpback whale breached and landed on the bow of a 2.7-metre vessel.

The boat operator reported no injuries and no damage that affected the seaworthiness of the vessel, according to officials in Plymouth, on Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts.

Several boats were around the whale Sunday when it made the jump.

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Video footage shows it launching its body out of the water and its head slamming onto the front of a boat, tipping the rear of the vessel out of the water as it slid back into the ocean.

Humpback whales can grow up to 19-metres long and weight up to 48 tonnes.

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They are popular with whale watchers because of their acrobatic displays — including spectacular breachings in which they launch their school-bus-size bodies entirely out of the water and slap the surface with their pectoral fins or tails.

The Plymouth harbourmaster said collisions like that off Plymouth are rare and can be dangerous for both boaters and whales.

The harbourmaster recommends that boaters stay at least 90 metres from humpbacks to minimise such meetings.

Tomorrow the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will likely confirm what households across the country already know: the cost of living is rising.

Inflation is the buzz word here, and expect that term to dominate headlines for at least the next day or two, not least because it'll probably hit a 32-year high tomorrow.

Economists are tipping the ABS figures will show yet another hike, rising from 5.1 per cent to an expected ballpark of around 6.3 per cent.

With that in mind, here's what you should know about inflation, including how it's affecting you and your household budget.

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What is inflation?

Inflation measures the prices of the goods and services that households buy.

In Australia, this is also known by the term Consumer Price Index, or CPI.

Okay, tell me more about the CPI

The CPI measures quarterly changes in the price of a "basket" of goods and services which account for a high proportion of expenditure by metropolitan households.

What's in this basket?

A lot of items, too many to list here.

But the basket covers a wide range of goods and services in 11 categories: food and non-alcoholic beverages, alcohol and tobacco, clothing and footwear, housing, furnishings, household equipment and services, health, transport, communication, recreation and culture, education, insurance and financial services.

The "basket" fundamentally attempts to replicate the real-world spending of normal Australian households.

So what's been happening with the CPI lately?

It's going up.

In March, first quarter data showed the CPI surging to 5.1 per cent, up from 3.5 per cent the previous quarter.

That jump, which was higher than expected, was largely driven by soaring fuel prices and rising building costs.

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And what can we expect tomorrow?

The word is 6.3 per cent, the highest CPI in more than three decades.

Any forecasts beyond that?

Again, up.

The Reserve Bank is warning inflation is likely to hit 7 per cent before the end of the year.

So what does this all mean?

With every inflationary rise, your buying power goes down, because you're generally paying more for the items you habitually purchase.

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Are some items more affected than others?

There's no hard and fast rule here.

But if we look at the March ABS figures, there are definitely some categories in that CPI basket which have been more susceptible to bigger rises.

Such as?

Transport was a big mover, up 13.7 per cent year-on-year.

Housing, food, household equipment and furnishings also saw notable bumps.

And what about businesses, how are they impacted?

It's not great for them, either.

Businesses will face rises in the cost of raw materials. Also, workers are likely to demand higher wages to cope with the higher cost of living.

Comic-Con is back in person, and back in character.