Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before US Congress about their connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a decision that will spare the couple from possible prison time.

The former president and first lady said they would appear for depositions after previously refusing to testify.

The House of Representatives was scheduled to hold a vote charging the two with contempt of Congress tomorrow.

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But their agreement to testify should avert the charges, which historically has resulted in prison time for those found guilty.

The Clintons had previously offered to sit for an interview with representatives from the House Oversight Committee in New York behind closed doors.

The pair said they have already shared what they knew about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

"They did so proactively and voluntarily, and despite the fact that the subpoenas are invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers," the Clintons' lawyers said.

But the House Oversight Committee chair, James Comer, was unsatisfied with a final offer made today from the Clintons.

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"Their attorneys' latest letter makes clear they still expect special treatment because of their last name," Comer said in a statement.

"The Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas.

"I have rejected their latest offer."

Hours later, the couple agreed to testify.

Last month, the Oversight Committee voted on charging Bill and Hillary Clinton with contempt, the first step of a process that could see both facing prison time.

If it passed the House in a vote, a referral would go to the Justice Department.

That vote passed on bipartisan grounds, with nine Democrats voting with all the Republicans on the committee on Mr Clinton's charge.

Three Democrats voted in favour of charging Mrs Clinton.

The Clintons were friends with Epstein, though neither has been implicated in any of his crimes.

Epstein visited the White House 17 times during the Clinton presidency.

The former president flew on Epstein's plane about 27 times.

READ MORE: List of Trump allegations released in Epstein files

Another close friend of Epstein, President Donald Trump, has not been subpoenaed.

There is recent precedent of somebody being jailed for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena.

Trump White House advisors Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were both jailed for four months in 2024 after defying a subpoena.

Only one former president has testified before Congress since leaving office.

Gerald Ford testified to discuss plans for the 1987 bicentennial celebrations.

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A popular brewery is set to shut its doors in Sydney's inner west in search of a tree change.

Wildflower Brewery and Blending in Marrickville will close on Sunday, May 31 with plans to relocate to a rural area.

Co-owner Topher Boehm said in a statement on the brewery's website that the decision to move the business was mainly driven by family reasons.

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"It's with a great deal of excitement, trepidation, sadness and thanksgiving that I share we have made the decision to relocate Wildflower towards a rural setting," Boehm said.

"While we are greatly looking forward to this next chapter and what it will bring for the beer and us personally, the manifest of this decision means that our Brompton St location will be closing its doors in late May 2026.

"This is not something that has come easily, nor something that has arrived suddenly.

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"It has been a long period of discernment, looping thoughts and revisited conversations."

Boehm said the team felt "overwhelmingly grateful" for the community's support over the last 10 years.

"But we're ready to begin a new chapter, with new focuses and new goals," Boehm said.

"I have come to believe that the work I want to do now: meaningful, patient, perhaps less externally popular, does not require being in Marrickville to achieve it.

"We hope that shifting Wildflower towards a rural setting will allow us to look back at this practice as something closer to a passion project once again, rather than carrying the full weight of the stresses that come with making a small business work in the city, with all its variety of opportunity and cost."

Boehm said the road ahead for the business was "not crystal clear" at this stage.

"We do not know yet where Wildflower will next be and what parts of our Marrickville-honed process will survive the hibernation period ahead and which parts will not," Boehm said.

"While that is indeed part of the excitement, getting the chance to reshape what the next edition of this place will be, it is also going to take some time and thought."

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The documentary about Melania Trump which cost Amazon more than a hundred million dollars has bombed at the Australian box office.

Melania debuted on its opening weekend at 31st at the box office, selling just $22,284 worth of tickets.

In its first three days in release, it sold just $675 per screen.

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The documentary appeared in the box office list two spots above Dune: Part Two, which was showing on a single screen two years after it was first released.

Topping the box office, horror film Iron Lung debuted to $1.153 million, making $4726 per screen.

Melania, which tells the story of the weeks leading up to the president's inauguration from the perspective of the First Lady, fared much better in the US.

The film debuted in third place with $10 million in takings.

This makes it the highest debut for a documentary in years.

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In the UK, the film sold $63,000 worth of tickets, debuting in eighth place. In New Zealand it debuted at 28th with $4647.

But Melania has a steep hill to climb if it intends to be profitable for the studio.

Amazon paid $57 million for the rights to the movie, much of which went into the First Lady's pocket.

It also reportedly spent a further $50 million on promoting the movie.

In order for the movie to be a financial success for Amazon, it would need to have a historic run following its opening weekend.

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Typically movies need to make more than double their budget in order to turn a profit, given the cinemas themselves take a substantial cut of the ticket sales.

Melania has also shown an enormous divide between critical reception and how general audiences responded.

Critics reviews gathered by Rotten Tomatoes showed just seven per cent of them liked the movie.

By contrast, 98 per cent of audience members on the site said they liked the movie.

The film was directed by Brett Ratner, the Hollywood filmmaker behind blockbuster hits like Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour franchise.

Melania is his first movie since six women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017.

He is now working on Rush Hour 4 at the behest of Donald Trump.

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A tropical cyclone could potentially form off the coast of Western Australia later this week.

A low-pressure system currently sits over the Northern Territory, where it's bringing heavy rain totals.

Weatherzone reported 154.2mm in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday at Bradshaw, west of Katherine, as well as 126.6mm at Delamere and 122.6mm at Maingrida Airport.

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"The low is unlikely to become a tropical cyclone while it remains over land," Weatherzone's Ben Domensino wrote.

"However, forecast models indicate the system should move towards the west in the coming days and move off Western Australia's Kimberley coast later this week, most likely around Friday."

Over the warmer ocean waters off the northern WA coast, the system's likelihood of intensifying increases.

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The Bureau of Meteorology currently rates the tropical low – named system 21U – a "moderate" 25 per cent chance of reaching cyclone status between the coming Saturday and next Monday.

However, Weatherzone said other modelling, including from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, rated the change of a cyclone in the same time frame much higher, at 60 to 70 per cent.

The Bureau's forecasts can change rapidly depending on storm activity throughout the day.

READ MORE: Fergie email sparks bomsbell Epstein baby claim

Whatever the system's status, it is likely to continue to bring heavy rain and flooding for the rest of the week across the northern pars of the NT and WA.

"Moisture associated with the low will also fuel daily rain and thunderstorm activity over large areas of northern and eastern Australia this week," Domensino wrote.

Multiple weather warnings have been issued, including flood warnings and a severe weather warning for rain in the NT.

One of the flood watch warnings is for the Tanami Desert, illustrating the range of the system's influence.

Early flood warnings have also been issued for the Kimberleys in WA, while multiple flood warnings in various states are in place across Queensland.

Stay in touch with updates on the BoM website.

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The ex-wife of disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sent emails to convicted sex trafficker and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein calling him a "legend" and “the brother I have always wished for".

Sarah Ferguson was named several times in the latest tranche of Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice last week.

The correspondence between Ferguson and Epstein, the mother of prominent royals Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, has also fuelled speculation that Epstein may have fathered a child.

READ MORE: US Justice Department says it's taken down Epstein-related files that may have had victim information

In an email sent in September 2011, Ferguson offers Epstein her "love, friendship and congratulations".

"Don't know if you're still on this bbm (BlackBerry Messenger) but have heard from The Duke that you have had a baby boy," it read.

"The Duke" she refers to is her ex-husband Andrew.

"Even though you never kept in touch, I am still here with love, friendship and congratulations on your baby boy."

In another chain of emails, Ferguson mentions that Epstein appears to have "disappeared" and wrote "I did not know you were having a baby".

The chain of emails comes years after Epstein was convicted of his crimes.

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It comes as pressure mounts on former prince Andrew to tell investigators what he knew about the New York financier and his network of rich and powerful friends.

Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents many of Epstein’s victims, said on Monday that Andrew had a duty to provide any evidence that could help investigators understand how Epstein was able to abuse so many women for so long, and who else might have been involved in his crimes.

But the last time Andrew tried to answer questions about his friendship with Epstein it ended in disaster.

It didn’t end well

After giving a trainwreck interview to Newsnight in 2019, where Andrew revealed his close ties with Epstein, he was pilloried for offering unbelievable explanations for his continued contact despite the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and for failing to show empathy for the victims.

Last fall, King Charles III stripped Andrew of his royal titles, including the right to be called a prince, as he tried to insulate the monarchy from the continuing revelations about his younger brother’s relationship with Epstein, which have tarnished the royal family for more than a decade. The former prince is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Andrew has also been ordered to vacate Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle that has been his home for more than a decade.

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Good luck with asking him to testify

Mountbatten-Windsor has little to lose by ignoring calls for him to testify, and U.S. authorities will find it hard to compel him to appear before Congress, said lawyer Mark Stephens, who handles international and complex cases at Howard Kennedy in London.

“There will be huge pressure and calls for him to (testify), but I don’t think that even if he gets there, even if he gives evidence, it’s going to reveal anything meaningful,” Stephens said.

“I would fully expect him to take the fifth, as Americans say, the privilege against self-incrimination. And so I don’t think, beyond his name, he’s going answer any of the questions either by turning up or not turning up.”

Documents do not show wrongdoing by many of those named; their appearance in the files reflects Epstein’s extremely wide reach.

Not sharing what he knows

Mountbatten-Windsor has previously demonstrated caution about talking to US authorities.

After he stepped away from royal duties in 2019, Mountbatten-Windsor announced that he was willing to help “any appropriate law enforcement agency” with its investigation into Epstein.

But documents released last year showed how 10 months of negotiations between Mountbatten-Windsor’s lawyers and federal prosecutors failed to secure his testimony.

Attorneys for the king’s brother ultimately rejected proposals for their client to be directly interviewed by the prosecutors, either in person or by video. Instead, they proposed that he give his answers in writing, something they said was perfectly acceptable in British courts.

Finally, on September 23, 2020, the prosecutors gave up on the idea of securing a voluntary interview and said they planned to start the formal process of asking the British courts to compel Andrew’s testimony under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the two countries. There is no indication that interview ever took place.

Allred said the testimony was important for Epstein’s victims.

While Mountbatten-Windsor has said he doesn’t know anything about Epstein’s crimes, the documents released by the Justice Department show that he has at least some understanding of the parties Epstein hosted, and how he used young women to influence his network of wealthy, powerful friends, Allred told the BBC.

“He’s not the one who should decide whether he knows anything that could help in the investigation,” she said. “I am saying it’s not too late, and he does have information that he can share that may help them.”

The eldest son of Norway's crown princess has been arrested, just before his trial opens on charges including rape in a case that has been an embarrassment to the royal family, police say.

Marius Borg Høiby was arrested on Sunday evening and is accused of assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order, police said in a statement on Monday ( early Tuesday AEDT).

They requested four week's detention on grounds of risk of reoffending.

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His lawyers couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

On Tuesday, he's due to go on trial at the Oslo district court.

The indictment includes 38 counts, including rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner, acts of violence against another and transporting 3.5 kilograms of marijuana. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations.

Høiby has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on various allegations of wrongdoing. But he had been free pending trial until Sunday.

Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon. He has no royal title or official duties.

The indictment centres on four alleged rapes between 2018 and November 2024; alleged violence and threats against a former partner between the summer of 2022 and the autumn of 2023; and two alleged acts of violence against a subsequent partner, along with violations of a restraining order.

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Høiby's defence team has said that he "denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence".

Haakon said last week that he and Mette-Marit don't plan to attend court and that the royal house doesn't intend to comment during the proceedings.

He emphasised that Høiby isn't part of the royal house and that, as a citizen of Norway, he has the same responsibilities and rights as all others. He said that he's confident that all concerned will make the trial as orderly, proper and fair as possible.

While the royals are generally popular in Norway, the Høiby case has cast a shadow on their image. And the trial is opening just as his mother faces renewed scrutiny over her contacts with Jeffrey Epstein.

Friday's release of the latest batch of documents from the Epstein files shone an unflattering spotlight on Mette-Marit. They contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.

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The newly released documents, which include email exchanges with Epstein, showed that Mette-Marit borrowed a property of Epstein's in Palm Beach, Florida, for several days in early 2013, and the royal house confirmed that she did so through a mutual friend, broadcaster NRK reported.

In a statement emailed by the royal house, Mette-Marit said that she "must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein's background more thoroughly, and for not realising sooner what kind of person he was".

"I deeply regret this, and it is a responsibility I must bear. I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all," she said.

"It is simply embarrassing."

She expressed her "deep sympathy and solidarity" with the victims of Epstein's abuse.

Mette-Marit's contacts with Epstein and the Høiby trial aren't the only source of negative publicity for Norway's royals. The business ventures of Haakon's sister, Princess Märtha Louise, have drawn repeated criticism.

In 2024, around the same time Høiby's case was making news, she married an American self-professed shaman, Durek Verrett.

More to come.

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When model and sex worker Revelle Balmain vanished, her boss allegedly made a call referring to her having been murdered.

Decades on, the disputed phrasing still intrigues the lead detective for the cold case that gripped Sydney in the late 1990s.

Balmain was 22 and had grand plans to travel in Japan when she disappeared on November 5, 1994.

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She had attended a booking with client Gavin Samers before he dropped her at a hotel in suburban Kingsford about 7pm.

Her boss, Jane King, told police she and husband Zoran Stanojevic dined at a pizza restaurant on the afternoon of Balmain's disappearance.

While police haven't been able to confirm the couple went to the restaurant on that day, the case's lead detective on Monday said a witness reported King calling the manager afterwards.

They recalled King asking the manager to verify that she and her husband had been at the restaurant because her employee "had been murdered".

"The words used were quite intriguing," Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Bell told a Sydney court.

King disputed the witness's account, saying she said the word "missing" not "murdered".

But the lead detective queried why she felt the need to contact the restaurant to substantiate her whereabouts.

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"I find that odd," he told the inquest into Balmain's disappearance.

The detective found King's claim she had reported her employee missing "very strange", noting he found no police records to support it.

Balmain owed the company about $400 at the time of her disappearance and King knew she was preparing to leave the country imminently, the inquest was told.

There are lingering questions around calls King made that night, Detective Inspector Bell added, as well as her husband's whereabouts between 6.30pm and 10.30pm.

The detective wanted to know more about Stanojevic's knowledge of Balmain's appointment on the day she vanished and his associations with two Serbian clients.

It was stressed throughout the investigation that the men had been important clients and it was necessary to understand why, Bell said.

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The duo returned to Europe after Balmain's disappearance and a request to the Serbian government for assistance had been pending since 2021, the inquest heard.

The detective's unresolved questions were aired during the first day of a resumed inquest into Balmain's disappearance that began in 2024.

King and Stanojevic are scheduled to give evidence before the coroner later in the week.

A previous inquest in 1999 found Balmain died at the hands of a person or persons unknown and the matter was referred to unsolved homicide detectives.

A fresh investigation between 2007 and 2009 followed by a formal review in 2020 failed to produce any compelling new evidence.

Authorities offered a $1 million reward for information in 2021, a year after Det Insp Bell took charge of the investigation.

The inquest runs until Thursday.

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A man has been charged with murder more than 18 months after a newborn baby died in a Queensland hospital.

The three-week-old baby boy was taken to Queensland Children's Hospital on July 18, 2024 in a critical condition but with no obvious injuries.

He died in hospital four days later.

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Operation Whiskey Nell was then launched by detectives from the Logan Child Protection Investigation Unit and Child Trauma Unit in a bid to find out the cause of the child's death.

Detectives recently received medical examination results which showed the child had sustained internal injuries.

Police will allege the injuries were sustained at a home in Rosemary Street, Greenbank.

A 25-year-old man, who was known to the child, was arrested this morning and subsequently charged with murder.

He is expected to face Brisbane Magistrates Court today.

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Charges against former NRL star Josh McGuire have been aired in court for the first time since he was accused of choking and assaulting a child.

The ex-Brisbane NRL forward and Queensland State of Origin player was due to appear in person in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday after an initial date in December was adjourned.

However, solicitor Emma Kearney made an application for the 35-year-old to be excused from appearing, which was granted by Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett.

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McGuire, who is on bail, is charged with choking, suffocation or strangulation against a child as well as common assault against a child.

Kearney also asked Gett to force prosecutors to disclose evidence in the case.

"The brief of evidence has not been disclosed despite the arresting officer telling our office prior (to) Christmas that they were in possession of a (statement of evidence by a child) and a statement by the complainant child's mother," she said.

"Nothing has been disclosed to our office."

Kearney said the material was "particularly pertinent" for McGuire to make changes to his bail conditions.

"The Crown has opposed all attempts to vary bail … we can't reasonably make any application in the absence of that evidence," she said.

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Kearney sought a direction that prosecutors provide the evidence within a week.

The prosecutor called for a two-week adjournment to process and provide the evidence to McGuire's defence.

"A large portion of the brief of evidence has been received by our office. We are in the process of disclosing material," the prosecutor said.

Gett ordered prosecutors to provide the child and mother's statements to McGuire's defence within the next week.

The case was adjourned to February 16 and McGuire's bail was extended.

McGuire played 259 NRL games over 15 seasons after beginning his career at the Brisbane Broncos in 2009.

He earned 14 Origin caps for Queensland and played Tests for Samoa and Australia before finishing his stellar run in the UK Super League for Warrington in 2023.

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A koala has been rescued after it was hit by a car and thrown through the grille in Adelaide's southern suburbs.

The marsupial – consequently named Axle – was picked up by volunteer rescuers from the Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue after he was injured before midnight on Saturday.

"If you ever needed another reason to stop and check after hitting an animal, this is it," the charity said on social media.

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"He was hit with such force that he was thrown through the grille of a car and yet, somehow, he has come away with only minor injuries.

"Our amazing volunteer rescuers responded just before midnight and carefully worked to free Axle from the car.

"He was vet-checked today and, aside from a scrape and what we imagine is a very sore head, this brave boy is remarkably okay."

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The charity thanked the driver who stopped, checked and called its 24-hour hotline.

"One phone call truly made all the difference," the charity said.

"Axle will spend a few days resting and receiving some well-deserved TLC before being released back into a safer part of his home territory."

The Australian Koala Foundation recommends several steps to rescue an injured koala.

If you come across an injured koala, you should pull off the road safely and call your local wildlife carer for instructions if possible.

Always make sure it is safe before you go onto the road to attend to an animal and stop any traffic if necessary.

Approach the animal carefully from behind and place a blanket over the koala, enclosing its arms and head.

Be careful as the koala is frightened and has very sharp claws.

Move the koala to a safe place away from any traffic, handle the animal as little as possible and keep the environment quiet until it arrives at a vet or with a wildlife carer.

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