Nearly 900 children were admitted to hospitals in the Wellington region with respiratory illness during June and July, more than a third of which were less than a year old. Data provided by Capital and Coast District health board…

A nuclear submarine fleet will offer Australia key military advantages as it faces a shifting security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, a security expert says.

Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told nine.com.au today's announcement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Australia will join a new defence pact with the UK and US was "very good news".

The security agreement – proposed as the AUKUS alliance – will also see Australia acquire its first fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The new vessels, however, will not carry nuclear weapons.

READ MORE: Murder conviction overturned for US cop who killed Australian woman

"This is the biggest news in Australian defence for years – and long overdue," Dr Davis said.

Nuclear-powered submarines will offer the Royal Australian Navy key advantages over conventional diesel-powered ones, he says.

"They have a longer range and a greater speed. They also don't have to resurface to recharge their power – which makes them highly detectable," Dr Davis said.

"As long as the crew have enough food supplies, nuclear submarines can remain hidden under the waves for months."

Dr Davis also said another advantage was that nuclear-powered submarines are more manoeuvrable and quieter in deep waters – a key edge in naval warfare.

"If they get in a tricky spot, they can get out quicker," he said.

He says it is highly likely that HMAS Stirling in Perth will be the base for the new submarine fleet, from which they can reach strategically vital parts of the Indo-Pacific region.

The new submarines are also regarded as boosting Australia's military powers against China, which is modernising and expanding its armed forces.

READ MORE: 'No doubt we will be hearing from China'

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory, turning numerous obscure reefs and sandbars throughout the waterway into man-made artificial islands heavily fortified with missiles, runways and weapons systems.

"Basing them there means they will be able to reach the South China Sea faster," Dr Davis said.

The nuclear submarine fleet will replace the RAN's ageing diesel-powered Collins class vessels – scheduled to end their service by 2026.

Only six countries currently have nuclear-powered submarines.

It is a technology that is not usually shared.

The only time the US did so was in 1958 when it helped the UK build its nuclear fleet.

Under the new agreement announced today, the UK will supply the submarines and the US will provide the technology for Australia to develop them.

The move is expected to see Australia scrap a $90 billion deal with French submarine maker Naval Group struck in 2016.

READ MORE: 'That fellow Down Under': Awkward moment at alliance announcement

Dr Davis said that walking away from the agreement is likely to cost the Federal Government $450 million but it was small change compared with the advantages of gaining a nuclear submarine fleet.

Meanwhile, Senator Rex Patrick, a former RAN submariner, says Australia must be prepared for a debate about nuclear power.

Senator Patrick told 2GB radio developing nuclear technology in Australia was a highly complex issue.

"As we grow our submarine forces and bring submarines back to Sydney … no one's really talked about the idea of having nuclear reactors sitting in the middle of Sydney Harbour," Senator Patrick said.

"That has to be talked about and discussed and worked through."

Senator Patrick said there are no countries with nuclear submarines that don't operate a domestic nuclear industry.

Federal Parliament needed to study the fine print of any deal for nuclear submarines very carefully, he says.

The Minnesota Supreme Court in the US has reversed the third-degree murder conviction of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Australian woman Justine Ruszczyk in 2017, saying the charge doesn't fit the circumstances in the case.

Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Justine Ruszczyk, a dual US-Australian citizen who called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home.

He was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years on the murder count but was not sentenced for manslaughter.

READ MORE: Partner of accused Justine Ruszczyk shooter 'feared ambush'

The ruling means his murder conviction is overturned and the case will now go back to the district court, where he will be sentenced on the manslaughter count.

He has already served more than 28 months of his murder sentence.

If sentenced to the presumptive four years for manslaughter, he could be eligible for supervised release around the end of this year.

Ms Ruszczyk's fiancé, Don Damond, said the ruling was a "double blow against justice."

In a statement to The Associated Press, he said that since Ms Ruszczyk's death, he has worked to try to prevent more fatalities at the hands of "stressed and inadequately trained police officers".

He said the Minneapolis Police Department hasn't made any real progress toward change, and now Noor is not being held accountable for his fiancée's killing.

"I have lived with the tragic loss of Justine and none of this can hurt my heart more than it has been, but now it truly feels like there has been no justice for Justine," he said.

Caitlinrose Fisher, one of the attorneys who worked on Noor's appeal, said she's grateful that the Minnesota Supreme Court clarified what constitutes third-degree murder, and she hopes that will lead to greater equity and consistency in charging decisions.

"We've said from the beginning that this was a tragedy but it wasn't a murder, and now the Supreme Court agrees and recognises that," she said.

Messages left today with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case, were not immediately returned.

In today's ruling, the court said that for a third-degree murder charge, also known as "depraved-mind murder," the person's mental state must show a "generalised indifference to human life, which cannot exist when the defendant's conduct is directed with particularity at the person who is killed."

The justices said that the only reasonable inference that can be drawn in Noor's case is that his conduct was directed with particularity at Ms Ruszczyk , "and the evidence is therefore insufficient to sustain his conviction … for depraved-mind murder."

READ MORE: Former US police officer appeals conviction over death of Australian woman Justine Ruszczyk to Minnesota Supreme Court

State law has defined third-degree murder as "an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life."

A central dispute has been whether "dangerous to others" must be read as plural, or if the fatal act can be directed at a single, specific person.

Ms Fisher argued on appeal that the language requires that a defendant's actions be directed at more than one person, and that the law is meant for cases such as indiscriminate killings.

But prosecutors urged the Minnesota Supreme Court to uphold the third-degree murder conviction, saying that nearly all killings by officers are directed at a specific person.

"If you maintain that a person cannot be convicted of third-degree murder … if their actions are directed at a particular person, there is not going to be an officer-involved shooting that can be prosecuted under Minnesota's depraved-mind murder statute," Hennepin County prosecutor Jean Burdorf said during oral arguments in June.

Noor testified in his 2019 trial that a loud bang on his squad car made him fear for his and his partner's life, so he reached across his partner from the passenger seat and fired through the driver's window.

Ms Fisher told the Supreme Court justices that "it would be very hard to imagine" that an officer's "split-second reaction to a perceived threat" would count as a "depraved-mind murder" but that other charges could be justified instead, such as manslaughter.

"Mohamed Noor did not act with a depraved mind. Mohamed Noor was not indifferent to human life," Ms Fisher said during her arguments before the Supreme Court.

"With the benefit of hindsight we now know that Mr Noor made a tragic split-second mistake. But if there is to be any meaningful difference between murder and manslaughter, that mistake is not sufficient to sustain Mr. Noor's conviction for third-degree murder."

She said Wednesday that she had not yet talked to Noor, but knows the opinion will mean a lot.

"He really believed that he was saving his partner's life that night, and instead he tragically caused the loss of an innocent life," she said.

"Of course that is incredibly challenging, but I think just having reaffirmation that a mistake like that isn't murder will mean more than words can say."

Ruling could affect George Floyd conviction, trials

The ruling could give former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin grounds to contest his own third-degree murder conviction in George Floyd's death in May 2020. But that wouldn't have much impact on Chauvin since he was also convicted of the more serious count of second-degree murder and is serving 22-and-a-half years.

Experts say it's unlikely Chauvin would be successful in appealing his second-degree murder conviction.

The ruling in Noor's case was also closely watched for its possible impact on three other former Minneapolis officers awaiting trial in Mr Floyd's death.

Prosecutors had wanted to add charges of aiding and abetting third-degree murder against them, but that's unlikely to happen now.

The trio are due to go on trial in March on charges of aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has criticised South Korea's president and threatened a "complete destruction" of bilateral relations after both of the countries tested ballistic missiles hours apart.

The launches of missiles underscored a return of tensions between the rivals at a time when talks aimed at stripping North Korea of its nuclear program are stalled.

Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, criticised South Korean President Moon Jae-in for comments he made while observing his country's missile tests, including its first of a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

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Mr Moon said South Korea's growing missile capabilities will serve as a "sure deterrence" against North Korean provocations.

The tests came hours after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said North Korea had fired two ballistic missiles into the sea.

In a statement carried by state media, Ms Kim berated Mr Moon for describing North Korean weapons demonstrations as a provocation, and warned of a "complete destruction" of bilateral relations if he continues with what she described as slander of North Korea.

She said North Korea is developing its military capabilities for self-defense without targeting a specific country, and that South Korea is also increasing its military capabilities.

North Korea has often accused the South of hypocrisy for introducing modern weapons while calling for talks on easing tensions between the divided countries.

"If the president joins in the slander and detraction (against us), this will be followed by counter actions, and the North-South relations will be pushed toward a complete destruction," she said.

"We do not want that."

The South Korean and Japanese militaries said the two short-range ballistic missiles fired by North Korea flew 800km before landing in the sea inside Japan's exclusive economic zone — a worrying development even though they did not reach Japanese territorial waters. The last time a North Korean missile landed inside that zone was in October 2019.

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The launches came two days after the North said it fired a newly developed cruise missile, its first weapons test in six months. 

Experts say the North Korean launches are an effort to apply pressure on the United States in the hopes of winning relief from sanctions aimed at persuading the North to abandon its nuclear arsenal. 

US-led talks on the issue have been stalled for more than two years — and in the meantime, tensions have been rising on the Korean Peninsula. 

Meanwhile, observers say South Korean President Moon Jae-in's government, which has been actively pursuing reconciliation with North Korea, may have taken action to appear tougher in response to criticism that it's too soft on the North. 

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The rival nations are still technically in a state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War, which pitted the North and ally China against the South and US-led UN forces, ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the launches "threaten the peace and safety of Japan and the region and are absolutely outrageous." 

The US Indo-Pacific Command said the move "highlights the destabilising impact of (North Korea's) illicit weapons program" though it said it didn't pose an immediate threat to the US.

The South Korean test will likely infuriate the North, which has often accused its rival of hypocrisy for introducing modern weapons while calling for talks between the divided countries.

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The launches represent a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that bar North Korea from engaging in any ballistic missile activity. 

But the council typically doesn't impose new sanctions when the North launches short-range missiles, like Wednesday's. 

Wednesday's tests came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Seoul for meetings with Mr Moon and other senior officials to discuss North Korea and other issues.

It's unusual for North Korea to make provocative launches when China, its last major ally and biggest aid provider, is engaged in a major diplomatic event. But some experts say North Korea may have used the timing to draw extra attention. 

Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Wednesday's tests appeared to be of an improved version of a short-range missile it tested in March. He said the weapon is likely modelled on Russia's Iskander missile, whose flattened-out low altitude flight makes it hard to intercept.

READ MORE: Fugitive turns himself into police 30 years after NSW prison break

The international community is bent on getting the North to abandon its nuclear program and has long used a combination of the threat of sanctions and the promise of economic help to try to influence it.

But nuclear talks between the US and North Korea have stalled since 2019, when then-US President Donald Trump's administration rejected the North's demand for major sanctions relief in exchange for dismantling an ageing nuclear facility. 

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's government has so far rejected US President Joe Biden administration's overtures for dialogue, demanding that Washington abandon what it calls "hostile" policies first. 

But the North has maintained its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests, a sign that it may not want to completely scuttle the possibility of reopening the talks.

In 2017, North Korea claimed to have acquired the ability to strike the American mainland with nuclear weapons after conducting three intercontinental ballistic missile tests and its most powerful nuclear test.

In recent years, it's also performed a series of underwater-launched missile tests in what experts say is a worrying development because such weapons are difficult to detect in advance and would provide the North with a second, retaliatory strike capability. 

South Korea, which doesn't have nuclear weapons, is under the protection of the US "nuclear umbrella," which guarantees a devastating American response in the event of an attack on its ally. 

But South Korea has been accelerating efforts to build up its conventional arms, including developing more powerful missiles. 

Experts say the South's military advancements are aimed at improving its capacity for preemptive strikes and destroying key North Korean facilities and bunkers. 

Separate from the submarine-launched missile, South Korea also tested a missile from an aircraft that is in development.

Cryptocurrency is increasingly being seen by older Australians as a legitimate investment, new data from one of the country's biggest exchanges has shown.

BTC Markets today released its annual Investor Report, revealing that one in four of today's crypto investors is aged over 44.

Over the past financial year, the exchange recorded a 15 per cent growth in investors aged over 60, marking the biggest increase of any age group after 18- to 24-year-olds.

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BTC Markets noted that in general, older Australians are more likely to have larger initial deposits, bigger portfolios and higher average investments.

Unlike younger Australians, older investors trade half as frequently as their millennial counterparts.

BTC Markets CEO Caroline Bowler said the data was increasingly showing that cryptocurrency is no longer the domain of tech-focused young people.

READ MORE: Fugitive turns himself into police 30 years after NSW prison break

"Australians aged over 60 are seriously developing investment strategies for their post-work years as they approach retirement," Ms Bowler said.

"A low interest rate environment is a key factor behind them seeking investment opportunities in alternative assets like cryptocurrency.

"These Baby Boomers are often at a time in their lives when they have accumulated significant wealth and assets and have many years of experience investing in financial markets.

"They are not worried about allocating a small percentage of their portfolios to cryptocurrencies."

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In the past financial year, BTC Markets also saw a dramatic upswing in the number of female investors, recording a 172 per cent year-on-year growth in new users.

In FY20-21, female investors traded twice daily on average, compared to five times for males, suggesting a structured trading strategy with a smaller range of more focused positions.

Female investors also deposited larger amounts at the outset ($2381), compared to their male peers ($2060).

"More women trading cryptocurrency dispels misconceptions around cryptocurrency investors being risk lovers," Ms Bowler said.

"This is because behavioural finance studies have found women to be more risk-averse in their investment decisions than men.

"It also shows a calculated appetite for the volatility that is still a feature of this asset class."

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

A fugitive who turned himself in nearly 30 years after escaping from prison on the NSW North Coast had been living in the sand dunes at a Sydney beach.

Darko Desic, then 35, allegedly used tools including a hacksaw blade and bolt cutters to free himself from the Grafton Correctional Centre, now known as the Grafton Intake and Transient Centre, in 1992.

Police said the prison break took place between 7pm on July 31 and 7am on August 1.

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Today it was revealed he had been sleeping rough in Avalon on Sydney's Northern Beaches, doing odd jobs for cash.

"He used to live in the sand dunes," one local told 9News.

"I knew his name… I heard the name Darko."

But the fugitive went by the name of "Dougie" and worked as a handyman in the area.

Desic managed to evade authorities for just under 30 years. But his freedom came to an end when he turned himself into authorities on Sunday.

Now aged 64, Desic attended Dee Why Police Station and surrendered himself to police.

He's been charged with escaping from lawful custody and faced court yesterday.

Desic told police he escaped prison because he didn't want to be deported back to war-torn Yugoslavia.

He's now been in Australia so long, he's been granted permanent residency.

Desic will next appear at Central Local Court on September 28.

https://omny.fm/shows/the-9news-lunch-podcast/sept-15-why-australia-is-the-envy-of-the-world-nsw/embed?style=cover

The Everest is set to be Sydney's first major event with crowds allowed once lockdown ends.

Australia's richest turf race is scheduled for Saturday, October 16 at Royal Randwick.

Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club are trying to get an exemption for a 5000-person crowd, regardless of when the state hits the 70 per cent target, 9News political reporter Chris O'Keefe has confirmed.

READ MORE: Doctor visits three aged care homes in Sydney while infectious with COVID-19

Given the racetrack is largely open-air, it will be argued the event will be safe.

NSW will have either passed or will just be on the cusp of the 70 per cent double-dose vaccination target.

At the current vaccine rate, the end of lockdown or "Freedom Day", is forecast for either October 11 or October 18.

The NSW Government has said lockdown will end on the Monday after the state reaches the milestone.

Lotto’s $10 million Powerball jackpot has gone unstruck.But two Aucklanders will tonight have $500,000 reasons to smile after sharing Lotto’s $1m First Division pool.Both winning tickets were sold on MyLotto.The numbers are…

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has issued a cease and desist letter to crossbench MP Craig Kelly, claiming his claims about coronavirus vaccines are "seriously misleading".

The TGA has accused Mr Kelly of breaching copyright by distributing "incomplete extracts of adverse event reports" related to the vaccines.

The extracts from the TGA website were sent out in text messages to members of the public by United Australia Party, of which Mr Kelly is the leader.

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"The reports are subject to copyright and the extracts distributed by the United Australia Party have removed important information about the reports and the TGA's copyright statement," a statement from the TGA read.

The TGA lists when somebody suffers significant symptoms after getting a vaccine, even if they do not know if it is connected to the jab.

The adverse event reports state that further investigation is needed before the symptoms can be connected to the vaccine.

But the TGA claimed the extracts used by the United Australia Party "excluded this important information".

In his response, Mr Kelly accused the TGA of defamation in their statement to the media.

He also accused them of "wasting taxpayers' money on a frivolous copyright allegation".

"Ultimately the frivolous copyright issue is a disgraceful diversionary tactic by the TGA," Mr Kelly wrote in his statement.

He said the legal letter sent on behalf of the TGA "only raised an issue of an alleged copyright infringement and nothing more".

Mr Kelly said allegations of copyright breaches will be "vigorously defended".

READ MORE: Facebook removes Craig Kelly's page over misinformation breaches

Text messages sent out by Mr Kelly linked to a webpage with a TGA letterhead at the top.

Visitors to the website would need to scroll down to the very bottom of the page to see any indication it was not run by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

The very bottom of the page includes a video of Mr Kelly and a link to become a member of the United Australia Party.

Mr Kelly joined the United Australia Party, formerly led by Clive Palmer, last month.

He had resigned from the Liberal Party earlier this year.

A doctor visited three aged care homes in Sydney's west while potentially infectious with COVID-19, including Newmarch House, which suffered 19 deaths in an outbreak during NSW's first wave.

Although the doctor was fully vaccinated and wore a mask during the visits, Newmarch House in Caddens, near Penrith, has quickly locked down in a bid to limit potential infections.

The doctor also visited SummitCare Penrith and Mountainview Penrith.

READ MORE: Another Newmarch House resident dies, after recovering from coronavirus

Newmarch House was one of two major clusters in aged care facilities last year, along with an outbreak at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge in Macquarie Park.

A spokesperson for the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District noted the Federal Government is responsible for both the aged care sector and the national rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program.

So far, no residents or staff have been infected with the virus and the majority of those living and working at the Anglicare-owned centre have been vaccinated.

At SummitCare Penrith, 85 per cent of the 85 residents and 87 per cent of healthcare staff are double-dose vaccinated.

At Newmarch House, 90 per cent of the 94 residents and 97 per cent of healthcare staff are fully vaccinated, while at Mountainview Penrith, 93 per cent of the 88 residents and 96 per cent of staff have received two jabs.

READ MORE: Newmarch House resident tests positive for old infection of COVID-19

All affected residents and staff across the facilities are being tested, with residents being monitored closely by doctors, nurses and specialists for symptoms.

The facilities have notified the families of residents.

"During a COVID-19 outbreak in an aged care facility, an Outbreak Management Team OMT) meets at least daily to ensure appropriate safety, care and support is provided," the spokesperson said.

Newmarch House was the centre of a major COVID-19 outbreak last year, with 19 residents dying.

A total of 37 residents and 34 staff were infected.

The outbreak was one of the deadliest periods of the COVID-19 pandemic seen in Australia.

On June 15 last year, NSW Health declared that outbreak — believed to have been sparked by an infected staff member who worked multiple times with extremely mild symptoms — over.

The response from Anglicare and government bodies has since been harshly criticised after new infections continued to appear more than two weeks into a full lockdown of the home.