A penthouse apartment in Mount Maunganui has sold for $10.2 million, smashing the previous $9.525m record for Tauranga’s biggest residential property sale.And the seller, rich lister Sir Colin Giltrap, says it was a hard decision…

On Jupiter's moon Europa, a saltwater ocean exists deep beneath a thick ice shell.

Now, a surprising connection between the ice shell and the Greenland ice sheet on Earth has provided new insight: Europa's ocean may be habitable, according to a new study.

Scientists have been intrigued for more than 20 years by dramatic gashes on Europa's icy surface.

READ MORE: Real reason sides of the moon look different

These double ridges have crests that can reach almost 305 metres high, with wide valleys between them.

These features were first imaged by the NASA Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s, but researchers haven't been able to determine how they formed.

While studying the Greenland ice sheet using ice-penetrating radar observations, a team of researchers observed a similar double-ridge feature shaped like the letter M that's like a mini-version of the one on Europa.

A study detailing the findings published yesterday in the journal Nature Communications.

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Water's impact on ice sheet topography

Airborne instruments help researchers study Earth's polar regions to watch changes in ice sheets that could have an effect on the global sea level. These eyes in the sky also look for ponds of surface meltwater, conduits that carry seasonal drainage and subglacial lakes.

"We were working on something totally different related to climate change and its impact on the surface of Greenland when we saw these tiny double ridges – and we were able to see the ridges go from 'not formed' to 'formed,'" said study senior author Dustin Schroeder, an associate professor of geophysics at Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, in a statement.

Operation IceBridge – a NASA mission that collected surface elevation and radar data of the ice sheet between 2015 and 2017 – revealed that Greenland's double ridge formed after the ice fractured around water that was refreezing inside the ice sheet.

The pressure of the water pocket caused the distinct peaks to rise.

This led researchers to question if the same thing would be possible on Europa, where pockets of water could exist beneath the ice shell – and create potentially habitable environments on the otherwise inhospitable shell of the moon.

"In Greenland, this double ridge formed in a place where water from surface lakes and streams frequently drains into the near-surface and refreezes," lead study author Riley Culberg, a doctoral student in electrical engineering at Stanford, said in a statement.

"One way that similar shallow water pockets could form on Europa might be through water from the subsurface ocean being forced up into the ice shell through fractures – and that would suggest there could be a reasonable amount of exchange happening inside of the ice shell."

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An ever-changing lunar surface

Europa appears to be a dynamic place, where plumes of water rise up through cracks in the ice shell, which is tens of kilometres thick. And this ice shell could be a place where the subsurface ocean and nutrients mix together.

"Because it's closer to the surface, where you get interesting chemicals from space, other moons and the volcanoes of Io (another moon that orbits Jupiter), there's a possibility that life has a shot if there are pockets of water in the shell," Professor Schroeder said.

"If the mechanism we see in Greenland is how these things happen on Europa, it suggests there's water everywhere."

This was the first time that scientists were able to watch something similar happen on Earth and actually observe the subsurface processes that led to the formation of the ridges, Dr Culberg said.

"The mechanism we put forward in this paper would have been almost too audacious and complicated to propose without seeing it happen in Greenland," Professor Schroeder said.

The broad data the team has already collected on Greenland's ice sheet may allow them to use it as an analog for the dynamic processes occurring on Europa in the future as well.

The temperature, chemistry and pressure are different on Europa when compared to Greenland, so the team want to investigate how these water pockets work on Europa.

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Europa is a target of two upcoming missions, the European Space Agency's JUICE (short for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) and NASA's Europa Clipper.

Clipper will carry ice-penetrating radar, similar to how the researchers studied Greenland, to collect subsurface imaging of Europa's ice shell.

Europa stands out as one of the best candidates for hosting extra-terrestrial life in our solar system due to the liquid water in the subsurface ocean and what scientists understand about its chemistry, Dr Culberg said.

Residents living in the southern Melbourne suburb of Elwood watched on in shock as a hot air balloon carrying 12 passengers crash landed in the carpark of a unit complex.

The pilot of the airborne balloon has said he worked to land in the carpark of the residential complex, landing about 7.20am, after the balloon encountered difficulties.

Despite dramatic vision depicting the balloon strewn across the carpark, with the basket tangled in the trees, no one was injured in the crash landing.

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A video shot by one of the passengers shows the balloon's descent over houses.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has since announced it will conduct a month-long investigation into the crash landing, with investigators having retrieved the balloon and basket for specialist examination.

The pilot of the balloon, Nick Brow, who has been flying for 27 years, said he believed the incident occurred due a "malfunction with a valve".

"We had a malfunction with one of the valves in the balloon," he said.

"So we were losing a lot of heat. I was trying to take it to the beach.

"Only 200 metres away, just didn't manage to get there."

Emergency services have been deployed to the scene and are conducting an investigation, where they are expected to remain for some time.

Images from the 9News helicopter show yellow and blue draped across the car park, blocking a number of the complex's balconies.

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Nearby resident Nicola was walking her dog when the balloon came down.

"It was pretty scary," she told 3AW this morning.

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"It looked like it was trying to make it to the beach but it obviously didn't get there."

Karen, another resident living nearby, said the balloon had made a number of attempts to land nearby before eventually crash landing.

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https://omny.fm/shows/3aw-breakfast-with-ross-and-john/pretty-scary-hot-air-balloon-crashes-on-homes-in-e/embed

"I thought it was a garbage man collecting the garbage bins!," she said.

"Apparently it was their third attempt at landing."

The Oceans and Fisheries Minister has announced rules for daily limits on finfish following an incident where thousands of pink maomao were hauled by fishermen.Minister David Parker today said rules for daily limits on recreationally…

Test your brains with the Herald’s afternoon quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz for the morning quiz tomorrow. To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

A mother charged with conspiring to kill her children, her estranged husband and a lover's wife refused to enter a plea to murder and other charges on Tuesday, prompting an Idaho judge to enter a not guilty plea on her behalf.

Lori Vallow Daybell and her new husband, Chad Daybell, were both at the courthouse in the eastern Idaho town of St. Anthony for separate court proceedings: Ms Daybell for an afternoon arraignment that was delayed for months while she underwent treatment at a mental health facility, and Mr Daybell for a morning hearing over the trial venue.

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The couple face numerous charges in the bizarre case, including conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Ms Daybell’s children, seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, sixteen-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as Mr Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.

Ms Daybell is also charged in Arizona with conspiring to kill her former estranged husband, Charles Vallow, with the help of her now-deceased brother, Alex Cox.

Mr Daybell pleaded not guilty to the charges months ago and is being held in the Fremont County Jail. The case against Ms Daybell was stalled after a judge found her mentally incompetent to aid in her own defence and ordered her to undergo treatment at a mental health facility.

Last week, the judge said Ms Daybell had been made competent and the case could go forward, and she was transferred to the Madison County Jail.

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Ms Daybell kept her head down as she entered the courtroom and spoke quietly during her arraignment on Tuesday. The courtroom was mostly full, with JJ Vallow's grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, seated in one of the front rows. The Woodcocks wiped away tears as 7th District Judge Steven Boyce read the murder charge related to the young boy's death.

Ms Daybell, wearing a light blue blouse and glasses, opted to stand silent when she was asked to enter a plea to the charges. Boyce, who told her she could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted, entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.

Investigators say Mr and Ms Daybell began espousing an unusual, doomsday-focused system of religious belief involving “zombies,” teleportation and communication with other spiritual realms starting in 2018, when both were still married to other people. The Idaho prosecutors say they used their religious beliefs to justify or encourage the murders.

Ms Daybell’s brother Alex Cox shot and killed her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in suburban Phoenix, according to an indictment in Arizona. At the time, Mr Vallow was seeking a divorce, and wrote in court filings that his wife believed she had become a god-like figure responsible for ushering in the biblical apocalypse.

Cox told police the shooting was in self-defence, and he was never charged. He later died of an apparent blood clot in his lung.

Shortly after Mr Vallow’s death, Ms Daybell — who then had the last name Vallow — and her children moved to the rural eastern Idaho community of Rexburg, near where Mr Daybell lived. At the time, Mr Daybell was married to Tammy Daybell. She died in October 2019.

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Though Tammy Daybell's obituary said her death was from natural causes, authorities grew suspicious when Mr and Ms Daybell married just two weeks later. Investigators had Tammy Daybell's body exhumed for an autopsy, though authorities have not formally released her cause of death.

Police began searching for Ms Daybell’s youngest two children a few weeks later in November 2019 after relatives raised concerns. The Daybells quickly left town, and they were found months later in Hawaii without the children.

The children's bodies were eventually found buried in Mr Daybell's yard back in Idaho.

During a news conference after the arraignment, Mr Woodcock said he was happy that the case is moving forward, saying Ms Daybell's “day will come.”

“She’s going to have a miserable life, and that’s all I ask for. I know that justice will be served,” Mr Woodcock said.

The arraignment was held about an hour after a motion hearing where prosecutors and Mr Daybell's attorney, John Prior, argued over whether the entire trial should be moved to a more populated region or whether jurors from Ada County should be brought across the state to Fremont County for the trial, which is expected to last about 10 weeks.

FULL COVERAGE: Federal Election 2022

The judge had originally ruled that the trial would be moved to Ada County, which includes the city of Boise, but Prosecutor Rachel Smith contended that would substantially raise trial-related costs for taxpayers and potentially witnesses.

Prior said ensuring a fair trial is more important than any financial burden faced by Fremont County. He also said sequestering a jury in Fremont County would essentially turn jurors into prisoners, with no phones, television or ability to move around town.

The judge said he would issue a written ruling on the matter.

The judge has previously ordered that Mr and Ms Daybell will be tried together. But though Mr Daybell has waived his right to a speedy trial — with the trial tentatively set for January 2023 — Ms Daybell did not.

Her attorney, Jim Archibald, told the judge on Tuesday that Ms Daybell would not waive her right to a speedy trial, which means the case has to be tried within six months. It’s not yet clear if that means the Daybells will be tried separately or if the date previously set for trial in Mr Daybell’s case will be moved up.

A 22-year-old killed in a crash in Christchurch last night was an off-duty St John ambulance officer.The crash at the intersection of Halswell Rd and Aidanfield Drive was reported to police at 6.45pm.The crash involved a vehicle…

Residents of New South Wales and Victoria will no longer be required to isolate for seven days if they are deemed to be a close contact of COVID-19 as both states make further relaxations to long-standing public health orders.

In the latest round of winding down restrictions – which both states have adopted with slightly different conditions – household close contacts will be free to leave the home but must still perform regular rapid antigen tests.

In both states a positive case of COVID-19 must still isolate for seven days. Here's what we know about the easing restrictions:

READ MORE: Your simple guide to the COVID-19 restrictions being eased in NSW

READ MORE: Your simple guide to the COVID-19 restrictions being eased in Victoria

What is changing today for COVID-19 restrictions in NSW and Victoria?

NSW and Victoria are relaxing their COVID-19 restrictions that require a household contact (that is someone who lives in the same home as a positive COVID-19 case) to isolate for seven days.

The rules also apply to people who have been deemed to be a close contact.

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When are the restrictions relaxed?

In NSW household and close contacts will no longer need to isolate for seven days from 6pm Friday 22 April.

In Victoria household and close contacts will no longer need to isolate for seven days from 11.59pm on Friday 22 April.

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Does that mean household contacts can just live their lives freely?

No. While the mandatory isolation period is being scrapped, there are still some conditions remaining.

In NSW household contacts must wear a face mask in all indoor settings outside the home, undertake a rapid antigen test daily, and are not allowed to visit aged care homes, hospitals, disability or correctional facilities.

In Victoria household contacts must also wear a face mask when outside the home but in an indoor setting, they must avoid all "sensitive" settings such as aged care and hospitals, and they must perform five rapid antigen tests over the course of seven days.

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What about people who test positive to COVID-19?

In both NSW and Victoria people who test positive to COVID-19, either via rapid antigen or a PCR test, must still isolate for seven days.

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If I'm deemed to be a household contact, can I still go to work?

Most likely, but it depends.

In NSW it is advised for household contacts to work from home "where practical". Critical or essential workers will not be required to have a formal exemption but must still comply with rules set in place by their employer.

In Victoria it is also recommended for close contacts to work from home if possible. Masks remain "strongly recommended" when a person cannot physically distance.

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Previously published in The Spinoff The prime minister looked not so much jet-lagged as energised as she began her two-stop Asia trip. No wonder – offshore excursions can be a blessing for political leaders, writes Toby Manhire….