Staff at Mount Albert Grammar School said they felt bullied and threatened by Rhys Cullen.

Keith Hartley, 68, was diagnosed with stage 4 blood cancer in October 2025.

A woman is charged with mistreating her child while the child was getting medical care.

Inflation has once again come in hotter than expected, raising the chance of another interest rate hike early this year.

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.8 per cent in the 12 months to January.

While that was level with December's figure, it was slightly higher than the 3.7 per cent expected by economists.

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In further bad news, the trimmed mean – the Reserve Bank's preferred measure of underlying or "core" inflation – was also a surprise, rising to 3.4 per cent, above the 3.3 expected by the market. 

Both figures are well above the RBA's target band of 2-3 per cent.

Many economists and traders were already expecting the RBA to increase the cash rate in its May meeting – a forecast today's inflation data will do little to dissuade.

"There is certainly almost an inevitability that rates will go up again," 9news political editor Charles Croucher said.

In one sliver of good news for anxious borrowers, the fresh figures are only monthly, not quarterly, numbers.

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While the ABS now releases a complete CPI each month, rather than the less comprehensive indicator it used to publish, the RBA is still relying more on the quarterly figures.

"It will take us some time to understand the properties and seasonal patterns of the data," the head of the RBA's economic analysis department, Michael Plumb, said yesterday.

"While we learn about the monthly data, for a time we will continue to focus on the quarterly data for forecasting and assessing underlying inflationary pressures."

The next batch of quarterly numbers won't be released until April – well after the central bank's next interest rate meeting in mid-March.

Bendigo Bank chief economist David Robertson said households are likely to be spared a hike at that meeting, but that a rise to 4.10 per cent in May remains firmly on the table.

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"(Inflation) will still be viewed by the RBA as far too high, and combined with last week's jobs data do justify the February 3 hike, but the data won't necessarily translate to another hike in March," he said.

"A range of factors suggest this new tightening cycle will likely be persistent and drawn-out including the resilience of global trade in the face of tariffs and tight domestic labour and housing markets, although we currently only forecast one more hike this calendar year…

"The full quarterly inflation data on April 29 will be the key data point for the May RBA decision, but we will need to see an improvement in underlying inflation to avoid another hike in May."

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Analysis: The airport chaos officially begins today.

As the United Kingdom's controversial Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme (ETA) scheme kicks in, countless dual Australian-British citizens have been left confused and upset.

The new rules are complicated and messy and I have seen first-hand the mayhem it has triggered after reporting extensively for nine.com.au on the newly-enforced visa waiver.

READ MORE: Queensland pub owner's plea after being forced to raise menu prices

Do you have a story? Contact reporter April Glover at our breaking newsletter here

Mercury is in retrograde again this week. It's the celestial phenomenon that astrologists love to blame for everything –  from messy breakups to Wi-Fi meltdowns.

But what is actually happening during the much-maligned planetary event? 

Space expert Sara Webb, from Melbourne's Swinburne University, says there is nothing to worry about, because the truth is, it's all a cosmic illusion.

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Despite how it looks from your backyard, Mercury isn't actually reversing its orbit. That would involve breaking several fundamental laws of physics.

"A retrograde is when a planet appears to move backwards from its regular motion in the night sky," Webb said.

Think of it like being in a fast car on a freeway. When you pull into the fast lane and overtake a slower car, for a brief moment, that slower car looks like it's moving backward relative to you.

Because Mercury sits closer to the Sun, it regularly zips past Earth. As it overtakes us, our perspective from the ground makes it look like the tiny planet has done a U-turn.

"It's a humble reminder that we exist in the solar system of millions of other objects orbiting the same beautiful star, just at different rates," Webb said.

While the "retrograde" part is just a trick of the light, Mercury itself is actually quite a hardened survivor.

Scientists now believe the planet used to be much larger. It's theorised that a massive, ancient collision stripped away its outer layers, leaving behind the dense, metallic world we see today. 

"We have precise measurements of its motion, size, and composition," Webb said.

While we understand exactly how it moves, there is zero evidence that its planetary shimmy has any impact on our lives.

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Exclusive: A regional pub owner is pleading with Australians to head to their local venues after being forced to raise menu prices amid dwindling profits.

Former nurses Jayde Moore and her partner Cath Bates purchased the Royal Hotel Harrisville in Queensland's Scenic Rim, around 67 kilometres from Brisbane, four years ago in a bid to breathe new life into the historic pub.

But the expected post-COVID travel boom hasn't been enough to get customers through the doors, with tables and barstools sitting empty almost every day.

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Moore told nine.com.au that weekly trade has plunged by between 20 and 30 per cent in the last 18 months and the couple fear they may not stay afloat for much longer.

"Our last menu that we put out at the end of October, we did raise prices," Moore said.

"And if I thought it wouldn't negatively affect us, I would put another new menu out and raise prices now, but I think that would do more harm than good."

Harrisville has a population of around 700 people and the Royal Hotel is one of just two pubs in town.

Country pubs are the lifeblood of small regional towns like Harrisville.

"They're the ones that hold all the history in the community and hold the spirit of the community," Moore said.

"This pub has been standing for 150 years. So you can imagine if the walls could talk, what they would say."

The couple has worked hard to keep the doors open but spending habits have changed dramatically.

Do you have a story? Contact reporter April Glover at our breaking newsletter here

An enraged and heavily intoxicated doctor who killed a young woman in a high-speed crash will serve at least eight years behind bars.

Perth obstetrician Rhys Henry Stone Bellinge, 46, pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing Elizabeth Pearce, 24, while driving his supercharged Jaguar in Perth's leafy riverside suburb of Dalkeith in February 2025.

He was sentenced in the Western Australian Supreme Court today to 10 years and six months imprisonment, with parole eligibility after serving eight years and six months.

"You ruined your own life, as well as those of your victims," Justice Amanda Forrester said.

The father-of-two had been drinking rum, wine and beer at the football in the hours before the crash at 10.13pm.

He was recorded as having a blood alcohol reading of 0.183 soon after the collision – almost four times over the legal alcohol limit.

Dashcam footage played to the court recorded Bellinge yelling vitriolic profanities about his estranged wife before the crash.

"I hate you … You're a piece of shit … That is my house … You're robbing me," he said before accelerating away outside a home he previously shared with his family.

The footage shows Bellinge's car speeding down dark suburban streets and tailgating vehicles as he continues to shout vile statements at other drivers and his wife, reaching speeds in excess of 130km/h.

Seconds before the crash, Bellinge's high-revving Jaguar approaches a sweeping bend in the road, which he fails to negotiate, leading to the collision with an Uber travelling in the opposite direction.

"What a f—wit … I'm so sorry," Bellinge was recorded saying after the crash.

Pearce was a passenger in the Honda Jazz Uber struck by Bellinge's Jaguar, which was travelling at 116km/h just before the collision.

The Honda was pushed 40 metres by the impact. Pearce, who was seated in the back of the vehicle, later died in hospital from her injuries.

Outside court, her father, Andrew, said his daughter was a "beautiful young woman" whose life was full of promise.

"She was smart, she was witty, empathetic, all those good qualities of a decent human being," he said.

"She didn't deserve this at all."

Bellinge dropped his head to his knees and closed his eyes as the sentence was handed down.

The former bricklayer-turned-medico had told police his "emotions went bananas" when he drove to his former family home, and that the visit had triggered him and he was crying as he drove away.

He blamed the incident on a car turning in front of him, and the court heard he had a limited recollection of the events, although Forrester said she doubted this.

"Your car was a powerful weapon that you used an outlet for your anger while fuelled by alcohol," she said.

With Bellinge speeding and intoxicated, his Jaguar was "an unguided missile that was going to cause death or injury to someone", prosecutor Justin Whalley said.

Bellinge also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol over the injuries to Uber driver Muhammad Usman.

Then aged 25, Usman suffered two broken legs and arm injuries in the late-night collision.

He attended court with the aid of a walking stick.

Bellinge, who was a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, suffered spinal injuries in the incident.

Defence lawyer David Grace said Bellinge, who has been in protective custody while on remand, had been taking powerful prescription drugs and was self-medicating with alcohol.

He was behaving "oddly" and depressed following separation from his wife.

He had also swigged from the rum bottle that police found in his car before the crash, Grace said as he summarised a medical report that pointed to Bellinge's alcohol abuse.

Bellinge, whose medical licence has been suspended, admitted reckless driving while exceeding the speed limit by 45km/h and dangerous driving in the days leading up to the crash that killed Pearce.

He was banned on Tuesday from holding a WA driver licence for five years.

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Detectives investigating the suspicious death of a woman whose body was found in an Ipswich home last Thursday believe she had been dead for two weeks before her body was found.

Katherine Sanowski, a 42-year-old woman from Springfield, did not live at the Bellbird Park home on Beryl Court where she was found but was known to the sole occupant, a 34-year-old man who was found by police nearby.

Officers had been called to the street last Thursday after reports of a disturbance around 11.30am, involving a man interfering with traffic in the street.

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Detective Inspector Michael Manago said police were treating the death as a homicide.

"We've conducted a post-mortem which has identified some suspicious elements in regard to this death and as such we're treating it as a homicide investigation," Manago said.

"Our investigations to date suggest that the deceased has been in that dwelling for approximately two weeks so dating back to early February."

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He said the pair were known to each other but not related.

"The dynamics of their relationship remain a key topic of our investigation," he said.

"We don't believe there's anyone else involved but we're keeping an open mind."

Sanowski had not been reported missing and there had been no reports of domestic violence between the pair.

Her family has been notified, Manago said, and are "quite distressed".

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The 34-year-old man is undergoing a medical assessment in hospital. He is not under arrest and is yet to speak with investigators.

Officers are appealing for anyone who witnessed anything suspicious at the property or who may have relevant CCTV to come forward.

Police also wish to speak with anyone who knew Sanowski or had any dealing with her in early February.

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Residents have been evacuated and holidaymakers are on edge after a torrential downpour triggered flash flooding in some of Bali's largest tourist areas.

Kuta, Legian and Seminyak on Bali's south-west coast have been inundated by constant rain since Saturday night, local media have reported.

Floodwaters between 30 to 70 centimetres have been recorded across south-western Bali, as well as the beachside town of Sanur in the south-east, according to community reports on Disaster Map Bali.

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An alert is active for Kuta and Denpasar warning of extreme weather that could bring flash flooding, landslides and fallen trees.

Social media footage shows knee-deep waters consuming streets in Kuta, while residents in Legian were evacuated on emergency dinghies.

Another video shows a snake, which appears to be metres in length, gliding through floodwaters.

Legian local Rick told 9News a river burst its banks early this morning, sending water cascading through the main streets.

"The last three days the rain has been coming down constantly. The last 24 hours it did start to increase in intensity," Rick said.

"Some of the locals I've been talking to say this is the worst flooding they've seen in 15 years.

"The waters are up to waist deep and I've seen people being boated out."

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Indonesia is in its monsoon season, which typically runs from November to April.

The flooding has impacted the same areas ravaged by deadly flooding in September last year.

Rick, who runs social media page HeyRickBali, left the area during last year's floods.

He plans to stick around this time, to update tourists who may be planning to visit the holiday hotspot in the next week.

"The main tourist areas where people visit, where the hotels are, some have flooded, but a lot are OK," he said.

In Denpasar, a large tree crashed to the ground in an outdoor dining area at restaurant Shotgun Social, causing damage to parts of the building and the outdoor area.

"Because of the recent weather, one of our large trees fell before we opened that day," the business wrote in a post to Instagram.

"We are incredibly thankful it happened before opening hours and that no one was hurt."

The restaurant has reopened.

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There are no travel warnings in place for Australians for Bali, according to the Smart Traveller website.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.

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