The alleged theft occurred at Aussie Butcher New Lynn today.

An Italian coastal beauty spot known as "Lovers' Arch" because of its popularity with courting couples collapsed during heavy storms on Valentine's Day in what one local official called "a blow to the heart."

Faraglioni di Sant'Andrea, the site of an arch in the stone cliffs on the coast of Salento — the heel of Italy's "boot' — has drawn romantically inclined visitors for centuries, with lovers traditionally proposing marriage, stealing first kisses or celebrating unions.

Those who kissed under the arch were destined for eternal love, according to local legend.

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But when a powerful storm swept across southern Italy over the weekend, the arch's fragile structure gave way, reducing it to a pile of rubble.

Its collapse has dealt a "devastating blow to the image of Salento and to tourism," Maurizio Cisternino, mayor of the town of Melendugno, near the fallen arch, told CNN.

"It's a blow to the heart."

The arch was formed by centuries of harsh wind and high seas grinding away at the Calcarenite stone cliffs of Italy's Puglia region, on the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea.

The site, once a strategic lookout used to warn of pirates, became a magnet for lovers during the late 18th century.

Instagram photos have drawn thousands more couples to the arch in recent years, Cisternino said.

Because it's free and open to the public, it's impossible to know exactly how many, he added.

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Lorenzo Barlato, a local resident, proposed to his wife on the clifftop overlooking the arch more than 40 years ago and the pair often returned for anniversaries.

"I couldn't wait to return," he posted on Facebook after Saturday's collapse.

"Now, unfortunately, all I have left are the many beautiful photos I took of that piece of paradise."

The area is so popular that hotels and resorts — many named for the arch — have sprung up to accommodate visitors.

'Inevitable tragedy'

Warmer sea temperatures as a result of climate change are seen as a factor in driving the extreme weather that battered the arch, which had already been damaged by Cyclone Harry in January.

But concern over the landmark's fragility goes back years.

In 2024, local authorities applied for a $4.5 million grant to fund a preservation project to combat coastal erosion, but failed to secure the money, according to Cisternino.

"It's a tragedy we knew was inevitable, we just didn't expect it to happen so soon," he told local media on Sunday.

He told CNN that "nature has reclaimed the arch, just as it created it," and said that resources were needed to tackle the situation along the coast.

"Nature has been transformed: what was there 30 years ago is no longer there."

The collapse follows weeks of violent storms across southern Italy.

In Sicily, a landslide recently saw houses fall into a ravine in the town of Niscemi.

Widespread flooding has taken the lives of several people, including a man who died when his home collapsed near Rome last week.

Now gone, the remnants of the arch will be left to wash out at sea, the municipality says.

"It's like a funeral," Puglia tourism councillor Francesco Stella said Sunday of what was once one of the happiest places in Italy.

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Two men are being sought by police after a man set himself on fire during the alleged robbery of a store in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

Both men were captured on CCTV entering the business in Thornton wearing dark clothes and balaclavas in the early hours of last Tuesday, February 10.

In the footage, the two men can be seen walking through the carpark before a ball of fire erupts on the footpath.

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A man engulfed in flames emerges from the fire and runs away, trying to pat out the flames, before a light-coloured sedan is seen leaving the area.

Emergency services were called to the business on the New England Highway at 1.05am.

Fire and Rescue NSW firefighters brought the fire under control and extinguished the blaze.

While the building did not sustain major structural damage, large amounts of stock was destroyed in the fire and a cash register was stolen.

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Police have established a crime scene and are appealing for anyone with information about the two men to come forward.

Authorities believe one of the men may have sustained burns.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au

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The Guthrie family has been ruled out as suspects in the ongoing investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, the Pima County Sheriff's Office confirmed.

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of US TV anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen at her home in Tucson, Arizona on January 31 and was reported missing the following day when she failed to attend church.

Sheriff Chris Nanos has issued a blistering statement amid rampant speculation as Nancy's mystery disappearance reaches the grim two-week mark.

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Nanos said that no member of the family, including any siblings or spouse, is being considered as a possible suspect in the missing person's case and that any suggestion otherwise is "cruel".

"To be clear, the Guthrie family, to include all siblings and spouses, has been cleared as possible suspects in this case. The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case," Nanos said in a statement.

"The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple, please.

"I'm begging you the media to honour your profession and report with some sense of compassion and professionalism."

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Nancy has three children; Savannah, Annie and Camron.

Yesterday the family marked two weeks since Nancy went missing.

"It's been two weeks since our mum was taken and I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope and we still believe…," Savannah said in a video, addressing Nancy's suspected kidnappers.

"I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it's never too late."

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Savannah, the co-anchor of the US Today show, has taken to social media several times with a public plea for her mother's safe return.

In one message, the journalist even appealed to the presumed kidnappers, offering to pay a ransom.

Flanked by her siblings, Guthrie said "we received your message" and that: "This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay."

Law enforcement investigating Nancy's disappearance have confirmed they had received some demands for ransom from different sources, but have not said if any of them are considered credible.

Authorities also say they are unaware of any ongoing communication between the Guthries and any purported kidnappers.

Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

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The FBI last week released chilling CCTV footage of a masked suspect on Nancy's porch.

The images and video show a man wearing gloves, long sleeves, pants, and with a balaclava over his face, apparently attempting to block the door camera at the home, including by holding up a handful of plants.

A glove appearing to match the footage from Nancy's home was later found around three kilometres away and has been sent for DNA testing.

The FBI said in a statement that it received preliminary results on Saturday and was awaiting official confirmation.

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An ultra-rare Pokémon card owned by wrestler and YouTuber Logan Paul has been sold at an auction for a record $US16.5 million ($23.3 million).

Paul purchased the Pikachu Illustrator card in Dubai in 2021 for $7.5 million – the most expensive Pokémon card to ever change hands in a private sale.

The pricey trading card investment has proved staggeringly lucrative for the 30-year-old social media star.

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Auction house Goldin confirmed AJ Scaramucci, the son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, bought the "holy grail" of collectibles for $23.3 million following an hours-long bidding war.

Paul live-streamed the bidding on his YouTube channel and on Instagram.

After the winning bid, a Guinness World Records official appeared on-screen and confirmed Paul had broken the record for selling the most expensive trading card ever at an auction.

It is understood Paul will walk away with around $11 million in profit after subtracting auction fees.

The well-preserved Pokémon card comes complete with a diamond-encrusted necklace, which Paul wore in his WWE debut at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.

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Paul also said he would hand-deliver the card, however Scaramucci was present at Goldin headquarters and collected his bounty immediately.

The Pikachu Illustrator cards were issued in 1998 and only 40 are believed to be in circulation.

Paul's card is the only one to have been graded a perfect 10 by a Professional Sports Authenticator.

"No card in the hobby can boast the same prestige and elite place at the very pinnacle of the Pokémon hobby like this unimaginable Holy Grail piece," Goldin noted on its website.

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The YouTuber appeared on an episode of Netflix's King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, where auction house owner Ken Goldin was seen convincing him to sell it.

"The Pokémon market is blazing hot. It's dominating the market and that's the number one card," Goldin said at the time.

Paul said he would use some of the funds to pay for his wedding to fiancee, Danish model Nina Agdal.

During the auction, Paul said he also spent around $770,535 on other Pokémon product – mostly sealed boxes.

Pokémon cards, which were popularised in the 1990s, are skyrocketing in value due to collector interest in rare cards in mint condition.

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Australia could be in for a hot, dry El Niño year according to early weather signs.

The Pacific region is currently in a La Niña phase, characterised by cooler and wetter weather conditions.

This began in spring 2025, but Weatherzone reports those conditions are now weakening and expected to decay further.

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The Pacific does not necessarily swing between El Niño and La Niña, but can remain in a neutral state, which is expected this autumn.

"The transition to a neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) state in the Pacific Ocean this autumn opens the door for a potential switch to El Niño later this year," Weatherzone reported.

"While this is not guaranteed, it is not uncommon for El Niño to follow La Niña after the tropical Pacific Ocean passes through a neutral phase in the middle of the year."

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The Bureau of Meteorology currently rates the chances of an El Niño developing in the second half of the year at about 90 per cent, though other models offer lower odds.

"One important thing to note about the current El Niño forecasts is that predictions made at this time of year are less reliable than forecasts initiated after the southern hemisphere's autumn," Weatherzone said.

"This period of reduced certainty is known as the 'autumn predictability barrier', and it means that forecasters should have a clearer idea about the likelihood of El Niño as we get closer to winter in the southern hemisphere."

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Weatherzone reported there were also signs of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole emerging later in the year.

The IOD affects weather on Australia's west coast, while the El Niño/La Niña systems affect weather in the east.

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"While it's too early to know whether El Niño or a positive IOD will develop later this year, there are early signs that these two climate drivers could tip the scales towards warmer and drier weather during the second half of 2026," Weatherzone said.

"Monthly temperature and precipitation forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are responding to this, hinting at abnormally warm and dry conditions over Australia during the upcoming winter."

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Robert Duvall, the legendary Academy Award-winning actor, has died aged 95.

Duvall's wife Luciana posted the message on the star's Facebook page.

"Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time," she wrote.

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"Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort."

Duvall was famed for roles in such films as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, his Oscar-winning role in Tender Mercies, and the landmark TV miniseries Lonesome Dove.

"To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything," Luciana Duvall wrote.

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"His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court.

"For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented.

"In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all.

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"Thank you for the years of support you showed Bob and for giving us this time and privacy to celebrate the memories he leaves behind."

Duvall memorably played the Corleone family consigliere, or key adviser, in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, earning his first of his seven Academy Award nominations for the 1972 film before reprising the role two years later in The Godfather Part II. Duvall noticeably skipped a long-delayed second sequel, The Godfather Part III, due to a pay dispute.

Born in San Diego, California – his father was a career naval officer – Duvall played a wide variety of roles, from cowboys to military men.

He attended Principia College in Illinois and served in the army during the Korean War before moving to New York and studying drama under famed acting coach Sanford Meisner. During that period, he shared an apartment with Dustin Hoffman and hung out with Gene Hackman, another young actor who would go on to great success.

Duvall appeared in a number of plays before being cast in the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird in the small but pivotal of Arthur "Boo" Radley in 1962. (He later named one of his dogs "Boo.")

An array of film roles followed, among them the bad guy opposite John Wayne in Wayne's lone Oscar-winning performance, True Grit; the part of Major Frank Burns in the Robert Altman movie M*A*S*H; and the lead in Star Wars director George Lucas' dystopian 1971 sci-fi directing debut, THX 1138, in which Duvall (and everyone else) sported shaved heads.

That came out the year before The Godfather, and his role as Corleone family attorney Tom Hagen propelled Duvall into another echelon. The actor worked constantly thereafter, playing a network executive in the satire "Network," and migrating to television in the blockbuster TV miniseries "Lonesome Dove."

Duvall won a lead acting Oscar for portraying a country singer in the 1983 movie Tender Mercies, in which he did his own singing.

He also earned nominations as a marine at odds with his family in The Great Santini, and as Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore in the Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now, which reunited him with Coppola and featured him delivering the oft-quoted line, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Roles in other Westerns were also a part of his oeuvre, such as Open Range opposite Kevin Costner, and his Emmy-winning role in another miniseries, Broken Trail.

Duvall also became a filmmaker, writing, directing and costarring in the 1997 movie The Apostle, about a troubled preacher, and later directing the films Assassination Tango and Wild Horses. He was again nominated for an acting Oscar for his work in The Apostle.

He remained active well into the 2010s, earning another Oscar nomination at 84 for The Judge in 2014, and appearing in such films as Jack Reacher and Widows.

In an interview with Larry King, Duvall called his decision not to appear in the third Godfather movie "a matter of principle," telling Bob Costas that Al Pacino was going to get paid five times the amount he was offered, which was "totally unacceptable."

"Everybody did it for money," Duvall said at the time. "Why wait 15 years to do a sequel?"

Duvall played a number of historical figures during his career, including Robert E Lee (Gods and Generals), Joseph Stalin (in the HBO movie Stalin) and Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann (The Man Who Captured Eichmann).

Married four times, Duvall's last marriage was to Argentinian actress-director Luciana Pedraza, who was 41 years younger, in 2004.

Duvall had a history of supporting Republican candidates, attending George W Bush's inauguration, and raising money for Mitt Romney's candidacy and narrating a video at the Republican National Convention in 2008.

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts during the Bush administration in 2004.

Duvall's representative's statement added on Monday that no formal service will be held. Instead, "the family encourages those who wish to honour his memory to do so in a way that reflects the life he lived by watching a great film, telling a good story around a table with friends, or taking a drive in the countryside to appreciate the world's beauty."

With CNN.

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A Queensland houseboat owner who was forced off a popular river over controversial new mooring rules sold his $160,000 vessel for just $1 after costs to remove it spiralled out of control.

David Blundell, 76, moved onto the Noosa River in late 2024 after "absolutely falling in love" with his boat.

But his dream of waking up to river sunrises and floating through retirement was short-lived after Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) announced that unmoored boats larger than five metres on the Noosa River can only stay for a maximum of 28 days per year from January 1, 2026.

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The family of a waitress repeatedly stabbed in front of shocked leagues club patrons has paid tribute to the good Samaritans who "saved her life".

Kitchen hand Cameron William Leslie Clark, 33, has been charged with attempted murder after being accused of attacking his 20-year-old female colleague.

Up to eight people overpowered Clark after he allegedly repeatedly slashed Zoe Samson-Wood at Brisbane's Easts Leagues Club on Thursday hours after being stood down for stalking her.

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Zoe's sister said the 20-year-old would require reconstructive surgery after putting up a "hell of a fight".

Ruby Samson-Wood claimed her sibling had been stabbed 15 times and paid special tribute to 61-year-old leagues club chef – identified in court  documents seen by AAP as Craig Geddes – who was stabbed when he came to Zoe's aid.

"My heart goes out to you all, especially the man who saved her life and was stabbed in the abdomen as a result," Ruby wrote on social media.

"Thank you to anyone who helped, even if it gave Zoe an extra millisecond to get away, you saved her life."

Clark was allegedly told at 2pm on February 12 he had been excluded from the club after giving "unwanted and unsolicited attention" to Zoe.

About three hours later, he is accused of arriving at the club with a large carving knife and attacking Zoe as dozens of people were dining.

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He allegedly confronted her in a hallway before Geddes came to her aid, giving her time to escape.

However, Clark pursued Zoe and attacked her again in the busy dining area, inflicting hand wounds and 10-centimetre cuts to her head and wrist, Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham told reporters.

Clark was due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday after his February 13 appearance was adjourned due to him being in hospital.

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But he was again unable to appear as he prepared for hand surgery, the court was told.

Clark was also charged with stalking along with acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, unlawful wounding and going armed to cause fear.

He was remanded in custody to appear in court on Friday.

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The Bureau of Meteorology has defended its rainfall forecast for south-east Queensand after the predicted deluge turned out to be a light drizzle for many residents.

While it was grey skies for parts of the south-east including Brisbane as a coastal trough hovered over the region on Friday and into the weekend, the initial forecast of a 300mm dumping was later reversed.

"I wouldn't rule out one or two locations getting 300mm in the next few days if they happen to get a couple of pulses of those storms of heavy rain moving over on Friday and then into the weekend," meteorologist Angus Hines said on Thursday.

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The triple-figure forecast was downgraded on Friday.

The Queensland capital was sprinkled with just 30mm over the three day-period, while Coolangatta recorded one of the highest falls, with 167.2mm over 48 hours until Saturday at 9am.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Meteorology said the coastal trough moved faster along the south-east coastline than models suggested.

"Some models suggested the trough would linger around Brisbane for much of Friday and into the weekend, however, the trough moved quicker northward towards the Wide Bay Burnett on Friday, sparing Brisbane the worst of the rainfall," the spokesperson said.

"Forecasts and warnings were updated as the risk to parts of south-east Queensland including Brisbane eased."

The BoM's forecast predicted totals of 30 to 40 mm across Brisbane on Friday and the possibility of locally intense rainfall totals of between 100 and 200mm.

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South-east Queensland councils, SEQ Water, the state disaster centre and other local stakeholders were briefed over the possibility of intense rainfall leading to flash flooding.

Several councils prepared sandbags in anticipation of flooding, but they were not needed.

Other independent weather outlets followed the BoM's advice and reported forecast modelling showing the threat of intense rainfall which could reach over 300mm.

The owner of popular Facebook page Brisbane Weather apologised to its followers yesterday for getting it wrong.

"I got caught up in the moment, worrying about the potential impact on people – thinking, if 500mm hit, that would be devastating," the page said in a post.

"In hindsight, I should have stuck with my usual cross-referencing method, and I would have likely nailed the forecast.

"It is what it is – we all learn from these mistakes."

Higgins Storm Chasing also warned the south-east coast, including Brisbane, was in for an "absolute flogging" on Thursday, but later updated its post to say the forecast was no longer valid.

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While the worst of the rain was avoided, parts of the south-east did cop heavy falls.

The coastal trough moved around the Gold Coast from Thursday into Friday, before moving northward and lingering around the Wide Bay Burnett region on Friday afternoon.

The Gold Coast region saw 125mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, while Burleigh Waters Alert recorded one of the highest daily rainfall totals at 126mm.

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