Kiwis keen to keep track of vaccination rates and Aucklanders wanting to know how far they are from bursting out of lockdown can now see exactly how many jabs it will take to hit their local 90 per cent target.That’s due to the…

People in Darwin today will have a chance to witness a strange weather phenomenon when the sun is directly overhead and shadows disappear completely.

At 12.30pm (ACST), the sun's rays will make an exact right angle of 90 degrees to the ground.

The solar event happens twice a year in the Northern Territory capital and in some parts of northern Australia.

READ MORE: Storms for Queensland, rough surf in NSW and a heatwave in NT

LIVE UPDATES: NSW, Queensland and Victoria record new COVID-19 cases

"As the Earth zips around the Sun, one side is always in daylight, and there's always a point on the Earth's surface where the Sun is directly overhead," Bureau of Meteorology's Senior Meteorologist Jackson Browne explains.

"This is known as the subsolar point – when the Sun's rays are perpendicular, or exactly 90 degrees, to the ground.

"At this point in time the shadows of trees, buildings, people, and in fact any object are at their shortest."

The phenomenon only happens in the tropical regions of the world where there is a zero degree latitude.

It is known and celebrated in Hawaii as the Lahaina Noon.

Those in Cairns and Townsville will get their chance to witness the phenomenon next month.

https://twitter.com/BOM_NT/status/1452689002000171011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Key dates to watch your shadow disappear

• Darwin – October 26 at 12.30pm (ACST) and February 16, 2022 at 1pm (ACST)
• Cairns – November 9 at 12pm (AEST) and February 2, 2022 at 12.30pm (AEST)
• Townsville – November 18 at 11.57am (AEST) and January, 24, 2022 at 12.24pm (AEST)

A 34-year-old male was arrested for trying to leave a managed isolation facility in Hamilton after he jumped the fence to enter the grounds last night.He’s been been charged with failing to comply with order, unlawfully being in…

NASA has detected signs of what could be a planet orbiting a star outside of the Milky Way galaxy for the first time in history.

Hints of the new exoplanet – the name given to a world that orbits a star – was detected in Messier 51, also known as M51 or the Whirlpool Galaxy.

The NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory detected the possible planetary signals by observing transits, which causes light to dim as a planet passes in front of the star.

READ MORE: NASA's Lucy mission launches to explore never-before-seen asteroids

"We are trying to open up a whole new arena for finding other worlds by searching for planet candidates at X-ray wavelengths, a strategy that makes it possible to discover them in other galaxies," said Rosanne Di Stefano of the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard and Smithsonian (CfA) in Cambridge.

So far almost 5000 "exoplanets" have been found by all of these have been detected within our own galaxy, the Milky Way.

READ MORE: Strange signals coming from heart of Milky Way stump scientists

https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1452701850000580616

An exoplanet in M51 would be about 28 million light years away.

"If a planet exists in this system, it likely had a tumultuous history and violent past," the space agency wrote on its website.

"An exoplanet in the system would have had to survive a supernova explosion that created the neutron star or black hole."

Exclusive: The husband of an Australian actress who suffered a stroke after having a COVID-19 vaccination remains fiercely supportive of the jab and is making great progress in her recovery after facing a fight for her life.

Melle Stewart, 40, is learning to walk and talk again following a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

She had to have part of her brain removed and spent weeks in intensive care on a ventilator in hospital – but is now in rehabilitation and improving well, her husband said.

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Actor Ben Lewis said that while his wife almost died from the more-than-one-in-a-million rare complication, she wants everyone to get vaccinated if they haven't already.

"Obviously if you're gonna win a lottery you'd prefer it was the other one," he told 9news.com.au from London, where the couple live.

"She really wants people to know that she still supports vaccination.

"We've both talked about the fact that if we had our time again, and we didn't know what was going to happen, we would have done the same thing."

'My first hope was that she came back to me – for a few weeks I didn't know that was going to happen'

READ MORE: The 'calculator' that says if you will catch COVID-19

Stewart went to acclaimed theatre school, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth, where the pair met, and has appeared in multiple stage shows in the UK and Australia, including playing the lead in Mamma Mia!

The couple have lived in London for ten years where they've both starred in many shows, with Lewis best known for playing the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.

But because of the impact of the pandemic on theatre, Stewart was working as a drama teacher and he was working in a bar when she became ill in June.

Lewis recalled what happened when his wife of 12 years realised something was wrong, two weeks after getting the jab and proudly taking a photo at the vaccination centre.

"We went to bed at ten o'clock that night and Mel woke up at midnight feeling funny," he told 9News.com.au.

He said he thought maybe she'd just laid funny, giving herself a 'dead' right arm.

When Stewart got up she couldn't put any weight on her right leg.

They rushed to their local hospital in an Uber.

While initial tests were clear, Stewart quickly deteriorated and lost her ability to speak and move her right side.

The pair were rushed by ambulance to the bigger St George's Hospital.

Doctors there confirmed she had Vaccine-Induced Thrombocytopenic Thrombosis (VITT) – blood clotting – which had caused a stroke.

Surgeons operated to save her life by removing part of her skull.

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"If they didn't do that, the pressure would have basically killed her," Lewis, said.

Stewart was put into an induced coma after the surgery for almost four weeks.

Due to the travel ban, her family including six siblings and her parents, were not able to travel from Australia to support her.

Lewis, who was only allowed to see her every three days due to COVID-19 rules, recalls when she finally woke up.

"I remember very clearly the day when I looked her in the eyes and I could see that she was back," he said. "That was an amazing feeling."

Stewart has continued to improve and is now in a rehab hospital in London's south west.

And while it's too soon to say if she'll make a full recovery, her husband is hopeful.

"She's attacking her therapies with 150 per cent commitment. The NHS staff are just absolutely incredible," Lewis, said.

"The signs are good for her walking. Her muscles are coming back in her right leg which is amazing.

"The end game is always difficult. With brain injuries, recovery is so dependant on an individual.

"What we're grateful for is Mel understands absolutely everything.

"She can't speak in sentences. She knows exactly what she wants to say, she just can't get the messages out yet.

READ MORE: Russian cases surge as Kremlin orders workers to stay at home

"We know that Mel was extremely healthy, she's only 40.

"We're hopeful all of these things will mean she's able to make tremendous progress."

He said one day he fully expects her to be able to return to participating in the arts she loves, in some way.

"My first hope was that she came back to me – for a few weeks I didn't know that was going to happen," he said.

READ MORE: The parent rule bringing relief to millions of Aussies

"But knowing my wife I just would never put a cap on anything."

Lewis said the couple feels "blessed" by the support the theatre community around the world have shown.

Celebs, including Today Extra host David Campbell, have posted on social media about a fundraising page the family has set up.

Australian medical body the TGA said eight people have died from the blood clotting condition in Australia, from more than 12m doses.

"In Australia, the risk of dying from TTS after vaccination is approximately one in a million," the TGA said.

READ MORE: 'It's going to be emotional': Curtain finally rises again for Sydney actors

"Like all medicines, COVID-19 vaccines may have some side effects.

"The overwhelming majority of these are mild and resolve within a few days.

"To date, there have been 156 cases of TTS assessed as related to Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) from approximately 12.6 million vaccine doses."

Symptoms include severe or persistent headache, blurred vision, confusion or seizures, shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling or persistent abdominal pain, unusual skin bruising or pinpoint round spots beyond the site of vaccination.

Contact journalist Sarah Swain: ss****@******om.au

The offspring of hippos once owned by Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar can be recognised as people or "interested persons" with legal rights in the US following a federal court order.

The case involves a lawsuit against the Colombian government over whether to kill or sterilise the hippos whose numbers are growing at a fast pace and pose a threat to biodiversity.

An animal rights groups is hailing the order as a milestone victory in the long sought efforts to sway the US justice system to grant animals personhood status. But the order won't carry any weight in Colombia where the hippos live, a legal expert said.

READ MORE: Colombia captures its 'most feared' drug lord

"The ruling has no impact in Colombia because they only have an impact within their own territories. It will be the Colombian authorities who decide what to do with the hippos and not the American ones," said Camilo Burbano Cifuentes, a criminal law professor at the Universidad Externado de Colombia.

The "cocaine hippos" are descendants of animals that Escobar illegally imported to his Colombian ranch in the 1980s when he reigned over the country's drug trade.

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After his death in a 1993 shootout with authorities, the hippos were abandoned at the estate and left to thrive with no natural predators — their numbers have increased in the last eight years from 35 to somewhere between 65 and 80.

A group of scientists has warned that the hippos pose a major threat to the area's biodiversity and could lead to deadly encounters with humans. They are advocating for some of the animals to be killed. A government agency has started sterilizing some of the hippos, but there is a debate on what are the safest methods.

In the suit, attorneys for the Animal Legal Defense Fund asked the US District Court in Cincinnati to give "interested persons" status to the hippos so that two wildlife experts in sterilisation from Ohio could be deposed in the case.

Federal magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz in Cincinnati granted the request on Oct. 15. The animal rights group based near San Francisco said it believes it's the first time animals have been declared legal persons in the U.S.

Their attorneys argued that because advocates for the hippos can bring lawsuits to protect their interests in Colombia that the hippos should be allowed to be considered "interested persons" under US law.

They pointed to a federal statute that allows anyone who is an "interested person" in a foreign lawsuit to ask a federal court to permit them to take depositions in the US in support of their case.

Christopher Berry, the lead attorney for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, called it a narrow but profound ruling.

READ MORE: New CCTV being examined in Cleo's disappearance

"This really is part of a bigger movement of advocating that animals' interest be represented in court," he said. "We're not asking to make up a new law. We're just asking that animals have the ability to enforce the rights that have already been given to them."

While animals have been granted legal rights in India, Pakistan and Argentina, courts in the U.S. have been unwilling to do so until now.

A judge in Connecticut called a petition filed four years ago by an animal rights group to grant personhood to three elephants in a traveling petting zoo "wholly frivolous."

In another closely watched case, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, agreed in May to decide whether an elephant at the Bronx Zoo should get human-like rights and be moved to a sanctuary.

Earlier rulings dismissed the claims from the animal rights groups. The zoo contends that granting legal "personhood" to the elephant named Happy would set a dangerous precedent and has called the efforts "ludicrous." Gun rights groups also have criticized the move out of concern it could impact hunting or set a precedent.

Backers point to court rulings that have given corporations legal rights and considered them to be legal persons — reasoning that animals should be treated the same under the law.

"Legal personhood is just the ability to have your interest heard and represented in court," Berry said. "It's about enforcing rights they already have under animal cruelty laws and other protection laws."

Heavy rainfall and storms are predicted for Queensland, most likely to lash the state this morning and this afternoon.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said there's an 80 per cent chance of rainfall in Brisbane and surrounds, with winds also picking up this evening.

The state was issued a severe weather warning last night, with residents told to brace for potentially hazardous storms and large hailstones.

READ MORE: The crucial clue in 30 minute window of Cleo Smith mystery

Although heavy rain fell across some regions, the warning was cancelled at about 10pm.

According to the BoM storms will again develop over the weekend.

Saturday will be the dampest day throughout the state, with an 80 per cent chance of rainfall in Brisbane as well as some storm activity expected across the city.

Conditions have been soggy of late across the eastern seaboard, but in the Northern Territory, a heatwave set in last week, with temperatures soaring, and expected to remain well above 30C for the remainder of this week.

READ MORE: Colombia captures its 'most feared' drug lord

https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1452718281928884228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

New South Wales will remain mostly dry throughout the week, with temperatures in Sydney predicted to sit comfortably in the mid to high 20s for the next 10 days.

Today, there is a weather warning for severe marine winds and hazardous surf around the Hunter, Sydney, Illawarra and Batemans Coasts

READ MORE: The new scandal rocking the royal family amid fears for the Queen's health

Victoria is also set for mostly fine weather, with some rainfall predicted tomorrow and Thursday.

Australia has seen unprecedented weather events in recent weeks, with the erratic events particularly affecting Queensland.

Record-breaking hail fell last week more than 16 centimetres in width, while a tornado also tore through Brisbane Airport on Friday.

The tornado, which lasted mere minutes, touched down near the tarmac, blowing sheets of metal across runways, upturning trailers and uprooting trees in the process.

Panels flew off roofs, exposing the airport's interior to a rare downpour of 100 millimetres in an hour, a one-in-50-year rain event for the area.

One of Queensland's most controversial politicians says his social media posts promoting anti-COVID-19 vaccination aren't having an impact on his region's low vaccine rates and "no one is at fault".

George Christensen has spoken with 9News reporter Tim Arvier to answer questions about his stance on the vaccine and the drug ivermectin.

To see more, watch the full interview at the top of this story.

By RNZ A man has been arrested after reports of indecent assaults at New Brighton beach in Christchurch this afternoon.Police were notified about 1.45pm that a man was behaving inappropriately towards females at the beach and…

A number of gourmet ham products sold nationally have been recalled due to fears they have been contaminated with listeria.

The recall specifically affects Barossa Fine Foods "No Added Nitrite Ham" in the 100 gram size carrying a use-by date of 03/11/2021 and the "Double Smoked Ham" in the 100 gram with the use-by date of 10/11/2021.

The "No Added Nitrite Ham" was sold in IGA stores in the ACT, South Australia and Western Australia, and in Woolworths in NSW only.

READ MORE: The crucial clue in 30 minute window of Cleo Smith mystery

The "Double Smoked Ham" was sold in IGA stores in NSW, the ACT, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

Food Standards Australia warns that if consumers eat these specific products they may be at risk of serious illness.

"Food products contaminated with (listeria monocytogenes) may cause illness if consumed. Listeria may cause illness in pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and people with low immune systems," Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) warns.

"Consumers should not eat this product. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund."

READ MORE: Colombia captures its 'most feared' drug lord

Listeria is a bacteria that can be found in contaminated foods. Some demographics – such as the elderly and pregnant women – are particularly susceptible to becoming ill after consuming listeria due to weakened immune systems.

Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, nausea and sometimes diarrhea. Symptoms start on average 21 days after a person has eaten a food contaminated with the bacteria.

Concerned consumers wishing to receive more information can contact Knoll Consultants and Investments (who trade under Barossa Fine Foods) on (08) 8255 3900.