A Victorian soldier killed in World War I has been identified more than a century after his death. 

The breakthrough discovery of Lieutenant James Kennedy's identity was verified by investigators who linked a Boer War service ribbon to the fallen soldier, who lay in an unmarked grave in France for 105 years. 

The remarkable find brings closure to four generations of descendants, including Lieutenant Kennedy's grandson Mark Kennedy, who described it as a "small miracle". 

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"Since 1987 I've tried here and there to search for information regarding my grandfather's whereabouts," he said.

"But like thousands of others like him, he vanished in the trenches. 

"I'd grown up with many stories of him from my father, so I think it's fair to say he was lost but not forgotten." 

The discovery also draws close to the final chapter of what Mr Kennedy described as "a great wartime romance" between his grandparents. 

Lt Kennedy met Australian Army Nurse Charlotte 'Lottie' Kendall from Geelong on a troopship bound for Egypt in 1915. 

One year later, after fighting at Gallipoli with the 26rh Battalion of the Australian Infantry Force, James married Lottie at the famous Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, Egypt.  

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Four months before the birth of his son, James was sent to the Western Front and then to France in late July 1916, where he was seriously wounded at Pozieres. 

He was able to spend a short time recovering with his new wife and son in Scotland before re-joining his battalion in October 1916.  

This would be the last time Lottie and baby Bruce would see James. He was killed on November 5, 1916. 

Lt Kennedy's unmarked headstone near the battlefields in France will now be replaced with one bearing his name. 

Margaret White, Mark's sister and James' granddaughter, said she was grateful and surprised by the news. 

"I find it amazing they were able to discover my grandfather's final resting place after so many years," she said.  

"I've got my grandfather's medals, bugle, and other memorabilia at home, and it's quite incredible how much information is still available more than one hundred years later." 

"It's a very emotional time for the family, but they regard it as a small miracle that over 100 years after he fell, Australia has still now been able to identify him," Veterans' Affairs Minister Andrew Gee told 9News.

Fallen Diggers Incorporated has now helped identify 37 Australian First World War soldiers. 

World War I remains the costliest conflict for Australian lives and casualties.  

With a country of fewer than five million people, 416,809 men enlisted, of which more than 60,000 were killed.  

YouTube has announced viewers will no longer be able to see the number of dislikes on a video.

The website will gradually roll out the change from today after researchers removed the number of dislikes on videos temporarily in an experiment in early 2021.

The company's creator liaison, Matt Koval, said while the dislike button will still be visible, only video creators will be able to see this feedback.

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He said the aim of the change is to reduce "dislike attacks", where people work to artificially drive up the number of dislikes on a creator's videos.

"It's usually just because they don't like the creator or what they stand for," he told users today.

"That's a big problem when half of YouTube's mission is to give everyone a voice."

The announcement was met with a mixed response from YouTube users, with almost 6000 likes and 13,000 dislikes on the video.

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Some users said the removal of the dislike count limited the opportunity to have a voice.

Others said they use the count to determine if a video is worth watching.

Mr Koval said researchers "did see a reduction" in dislike attacks when they analysed the results of the experiment this year.

However, he said views on videos did not drop when the dislike count was temporarily removed.

"It's much less likely to cause stress and embarrassment if the count isn't visible to the public," Mr Koval said.

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"This is about protecting all creators and making sure they have a chance to succeed and feel safe in doing so."

YouTube is not the first social media platform to experiment with removing feedback from public view.

Facebook and Instagram announced in May this year an option for users to hide the like count on their own and others' posts.

Heavy rain is falling across large parts of Australia and several states are now under severe weather warnings.

Thunderstorms have delivered 50 to 100mm across parts of New South Wales and Queensland, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

There are also "moderate to large totals" in South Australia and Tasmania, meteorologist Jonathan How said.

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A long line of thunderstorms formed this afternoon stretching 2500 kilometres across the Northern Territory's Top End and southeast Queensland, according to Weatherzone.

The storms are forming along a low-pressure trough that is interacting with a mass of very humid air in an unstable atmosphere.

Lightning strikes have also been detected near the trough as far north as Jabiru in the territory's Top End and as far east as North Stradbroke Island in southeast Queensland.

https://twitter.com/Ben_Domensino/status/1458667062503510017

Weather warnings are in place across several states.

This includes warnings for rain in NSW and Queensland and for heavy rain and damaging winds in South Australia and Victoria.

"Heavy rain could lead to riverine and flash flooding, especially where the ground is already wet," Mr How said.

"Damaging winds have the potential to cause disruption and trees to fall."

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The deluge has also resulted in flood warnings and rising rivers in areas on the Queensland-NSW border.

Large areas are still under flood watches and the BoM is extending this warning to Victoria.

"These provide early advice for possible flooding, so check if they include you," Mr How said.

Storms will be most active across Queensland and New South Wales on Thursday and there is the potential for separate weather warnings to be issued.

A low-pressure system over South Australia will cause widespread rain, which will extend into NSW and Victoria.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) Hazard Preparedness and Response East Manager Jane Golding said thunderstorms are expected to develop today, prompting "more intense rainfall" and "widespread rainfall".

The BoM predicted widespread moderate rainfall would result in some river rises.

"But of more key concern is those really localised, intense rainfall rates that could say really dangerous road conditions," Ms Golding said.

"Some creeks, where we don't issue flood warnings for, rise really quickly."

Flooding has impacted roads across the state, including on the outskirts of Stanthorpe in Queensland's Southern Downs region.

9News reporter Jordan Fabris said one road in the area was washed away in an overnight downpour.

Meanwhile, residents in New South Wales have been asked to monitor the forecast and be on high alert today and tomorrow.

"Conditions could be quite changeable, particularly if you're seeing thunderstorms in the region," Ms Golding said.

"Be aware that it can be quite dangerous out there particularly on the roads."

'Fast-moving event'

NSW State Emergency Service Deputy Commission Daniel Austin said widespread rainfall brought risks.

"We've already seen a number of short, sharp events which have led to a number of flood rescues in the last 24 hours," Mr Austin said.

"We always say to the community please do not drive through floodwaters.

"This is a fast-moving event in places.

"The risk is not just from the long slow rainfall but essentially the sharp, short thunderstorms."

Mr Austin said the SES is asking people across NSW to heed the warnings into account and be prepared.

"Whilst a number of communities have seen rainfall events and minor flooding for some time, this is the most significant potential flooding event that we've seen, probably for the second half of this year at least," he said.

"We urge the community to take action to prepare, to listen to the warnings, be really mindful of their surroundings and if there is a need for emergency services, to call 132 500 and request assistance that way."

This morning NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Dean Storey urged residents to take care, warning flash flooding is notoriously "unpredictable".

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"Large proportions of the state (are) in the firing line," he told Today, explaining emergency services have a particular concern for Moree, Armadale, Tamworth, and Parkes in NSW.

"We're going to see a combination of flash flooding which can be really unpredictable and come on really quickly but also the Riverina flooding as well.

"Roads will be cut off in many areas, so avoid unnecessary travel in those areas and never drive through floodwaters.

"Time and time again we see poor results with poor decision making with people driving through floodwaters. Often with tragic results.

"Really urging the communities to be aware of their local weather forecast and conditions."

The message was echoed by Ms Golding, who urged residents in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Canberra to be prepared.

"Many areas are expecting significant rainfall, with some places in Queensland and New South Wales likely to see daily rainfall totals of 150 millimetres or more," she said.

"We may see this rainfall over river catchments that are already quite wet as well, so we're encouraging people to 'know your weather, know your risk', and make sure you're staying up to date with the current forecasts and warnings."

SES helicopters have been deployed to the areas of concern on the NSW-Queensland border to make sure they can respond as quickly as possible.

Severe weather and flood warnings are also in effect for parts of South Australia and the southern Northern Territory.

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Firefighters in NSW will be given special training to try and help save wildlife caught up in bushfires.

Millions of animals and billions of reptiles and insects were killed in the tragic 2019-20 'black summer' bushfires, and a new partnership aims to teach firefighters what to do if they see injured animals.

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New online training and a detailed booklet to help is being rolled out to the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW, as well as National Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Corporation Workers in the state to ensure first responses know what to do if they have the chance to safely help animals.

The scheme was developed by National Parks and Wildlife Service in partnership with the Taronga Conservation Society

Taronga Zoo senior vet Dr Larry Vogelnest, who was out in the field in Victoria during the bushfires and also treated animals brought to Taronga, said helping wildlife could be "very challenging".

"It's to give them some tools to best deal with those situations where they encounter wildlife that have been impacted by fires," he said.

Tips include how to assess animals, do basic first aid, and get them to safety and veterinary help.

Dr Vogelnest said because fire grounds are so dangerous it can be hard for expert vets or wildlife rescuers to get in until it's too late.

"This is why having the firefighters trained and equipped more appropriately, they are going to be the first people that see these animals," he said.

Sadly, Dr Vogelnest said he didn't actually treat that many animals when he was deployed to help during the fires in northern Victoria in 2020.

"Most of the wildlife would have either died or dispersed," he said.

He also personally saw the "horrendous" sight of "hundreds and hundreds" of dead birds, likely killed by exhaustion or smoke, while at his home on the NSW Central Coast that summer.

"It was one of the most confronting things I ever saw," he said.

Animals killed during the 2019-20 season included around 60,000 koalas, with an image of a woman rescuing one from a firey landscape making news around the world.

Sadly, the koala later died.

A spokeswoman for the NSW Rural Fire service said it is working closely to finalise and roll out the training.

Environment Minister Matt Kean said the training will help improve survival rates for injured wildlife.

"This training will ensure our frontline heroes have the tools to assess and report injured wildlife, as well as apply basic first aid and transfer injured animals off the fireground to vets and our army of volunteer wildlife rehabilitators, if safe to do so," he said.

The training plan came out of the NSW Bushfire Inquiry and is part of the government's $1 million Environmental Trust-funded Bushfire for Wildlife rehabilitators program.

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"An estimated three billion native animals were impacted across Australia during the black summer bushfires, with images of the decimation etched in our minds forever," a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service spokeswoman said.

"Firefighters are often the first to come across injured animals in the fireground.

"Animals may have burns, be overcome and disorientated by smoke or injured trying to run from the fire.

"Knowing that firefighters often see these animals first and that rapid response is essential, the NSW Bushfire Inquiry recommended we provide basic wildlife first response training to firefighters."

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Elon Musk has sold his first block of Tesla shares since 2016, exercising some stock options and then selling a portion of that to raise the cash he'll need to pay taxes on the shares he acquired.

The options he exercised were about 9 per cent of those he will need to exercise by August of 2022, or the option to purchase them will expire.

But exercising those shares will result in a $US 1 billion ($1.37 billion) federal tax bill, under the top federal income tax rate of 37 per cent, with another 3.8 per cent net investment tax on top of that.

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He also will face an unknown amount of state income taxes in California, even though he has relocated to Texas, where there is no state income tax. California has a top state income tax rate of 13.3 per cent.

While Musk conducted a well-publicized Twitter poll over the weekend asking his fans if he should start to sell shares, the real motivation for the sale of stock was "solely to satisfy [Musk's] tax withholding obligations related to the exercise of stock options," the filing said.

While the need for Musk to sell shares to pay taxes had been known by investors, shares of Tesla fell following the Twitter poll as some investors took it to mean he intended to sell more shares than had been expected. The share price also could have fallen Monday partly because of Musk's sales of nearly 1 million shares that took place that day.

But Wednesday night's filing suggests that Musk is not looking to sell all 22.9 million shares he will acquire when he exercises the options between this week and next August.

He apparently plans only to sell the minimum amount of shares necessary to pay taxes at the time he exercises blocks of options.

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His holdings of Tesla shares increased by 1.2 million shares, the difference between the number of shares he acquired and the number he sold. Shares of Tesla rose 2.7 per cent in after-hours trading following the filing.

He already owned 170.5 million shares outright before this transaction, worth $US 182 billion ($249 billion) based on Wednesday's close. And even after exercising the options this week, he has already qualified for unexercised options to buy an additional 71.4 million shares, including the remaining 20.7 million options due to expire in August 2022.

He made a nifty $US 2.5 billion ($3.42 billion) profit on the share purchases he made, since he only had to pay $US 6.24 per share to buy each share under the terms of the 2012 option, which is what Tesla shares cost at that time on a split-adjusted basis.

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And the shares he acquired were worth $US 1,180, based on the average selling price of the shares he sold.

But the $US 2.5 billion ($3.42 billion) profit is only a small fraction of his net worth. His net worth, as calculated by Bloomberg, is nearly $US 300 billion ($410 billion), making him the richest person on the planet.

A $US 2.5 billion ($3.42 billion) profit to someone worth $US 300 billion ($410 billion) is the equivalent of the typical US household earning just over $US 1,000 ($1368) on a sale of stock it already owned.

The Federal Reserve's most recent estimate puts median US household net worth at $US 121,700 ($166,573).

Most of Musk's net worth is his Tesla shares and options to buy additional shares. Tesla became only the sixth company to ever be worth $US 1 trillion ($1.37 trillion) two weeks ago. But he is also the primary shareholder in privately held SpaceX.

A lobsterman has caught a rare cotton candy lobster in Maine in the USA.

The odds of catching a cotton candy lobster are 1 in 100 million.

The iridescent opal-like colouring of the lobster is the result of a genetic mutation.

Lobsterman Bill Coppersmith, who has been fishing for 40 years, caught the lobster, which was named Haddie after his granddaughter.

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It is the first cotton candy lobster he has caught.

Haddie ended up at Get Maine Lobster in Portland, which shared pictures of the rare crustacean.

"The odds of a cotton candy lobster being caught is 1 in 100 Million!" the company said on Facebook.

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"Because of this, we want to preserve her.

"Currently, Haddie is hanging out in our tank at the wharf. We want to make sure she lives the rest of her life in safety and comfort since rare coloured lobsters have a harder time surviving in the wild."

Luckily, somebody answered their plea for help, and she won't end up on a fancy dinner table.

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The food firm said the rare creature will head to the Seacoast Science Centre in New Hampshire where she will live in safety.

"We did it! Haddie, the rare Cotton Candy Lobster, has officially been adopted," they said on Facebook.