Exclusive: Bill Gates has addressed his presence in the three million recently-released pages of the Jeffrey Epstein files, saying he regrets ever coming into contact with the convicted sex offender.

The documents appear to show draft messages in Epstein's email account alleging that Gates had used him to organise trysts with women and contracted a sexually transmitted infection.

In an exclusive interview with 9News' Chief Political Editor Charles Croucher, Gates again denied the "false" accusations.

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"Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false," he said.

"I don't know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?

"Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise that I did that."

Melinda French Gates today told NPR the allegations reminded her of "very, very painful" times in her marriage, adding that her billionaire ex-husband was one of many who had questions to answer about Epstein.

Gates said he met Epstein in 2011 and had several dinners together over three years, but never visited his island nor had relations with women.

"The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end," he said. 

"I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him.

"The more that comes out, the more clear it will be that, although the time was a mistake, it has nothing to do with that kind of behaviour."

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Gates talks AI disruption in Australia, praises social media ban

Gates became wealthy after co-founding Microsoft in 1975.

He has pledged to spend the entire endowment of the Gates Foundation, about $200 billion, to eradicate diseases and reduce poverty by the time the charity closes in 2045. 

"I hope when people read about Malaria in the future, I hope they'll say what was that? The same with polio," he told 9News in the wide-ranging interview.

Now, he sees artificial intelligence as revolutionising healthcare for some of the world's poorest countries, but warned it could result in job losses in countries like Australia. 

"I think it's up to people in the field to say to society at large, this could really be disruptive," he said.

Speaking about social media, Gates praised Australia's world-first ban for children under 16 as a "good idea". 

"I know it's not an easy thing to implement. I think it's a favour to the world that you'll study," he said.

"We overprotect kids in the real world; we don't let them go out and do things. But we underprotect them in the digital world."

Watch the full interview at the top of the page

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The man was found in a cell inside the First Security van after returning from court.

Time to check your ticket against the winning numbers.

A scorned woman's wrath seemed to "bubble and fester" for months after she was evicted from a share house, a judge has said.

It culminated with Tsai-Wei Hung visiting her landlord's home and setting the entrance on fire while seven people including two children and an elderly woman were inside.

"Go to hell," Hung, dubbed the "housemate from hell" by her victims, yelled in Mandarin before igniting the blaze.

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Hung, 33, was jailed for up to six years and two months in Melbourne's County Court today after pleading guilty to four arsons, extortion and conduct endangering persons.

Judge Carolene Gwynn described her offending as an "extraordinary, volatile and frankly dangerous" response to being evicted and asked to leave her former share house.

"Not only was your animosity towards your victims clearly ongoing, but your wrath seemed to bubble and fester," she told Hung.

"You pursued a terrifying vendetta, affecting numerous victims, in a premeditated course of conduct, involving arson, dangerous driving, criminal damage, extortion and of course the charges relating to your reckless conduct."

Hung became emotional during the sentence and it had to be briefly adjourned to allow her time to calm down.

Her three-month tirade began the day she was evicted, on March 11, 2024, when she hurled eggs at a garage door.

Hung then accelerated towards her former housemate Chung-Ting Tuan and landlord Lin Zhang at speed, stopping sharply one metre away from them.

She drove into the garage roller door, damaging it and three vehicles parked inside, fleeing before police arrived.

Hung returned the next day and damaged the vehicles inside the garage further, then went to police and claimed "she just wanted to scare them".

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Three months later, on June 10, she returned to her former Clyde North home and set the front door on fire before setting two cars alight.

She tried to extort her victims by demanding her landlord pay her $30,000, and warning Zhang and his family "be careful or they will have the same experience as me, or even lose more than that".

His Clyde North tenants were afraid and arranged to stay with Zhang and his family on June 11.

There were seven people at Zhang's Berwick home – including his two kids and their grandmother – when Hung visited early on June 12.

She poured accelerant outside the front entry to the home and used matches to set it alight. Luckily no one was injured and the fire went out itself on the concrete.

Gwynn said she was concerned about Hung's actions and reactions in the three-month period, combined with her limited remorse.

"Your capacity to deal with conflict and or stress in the future is unknown," she said, as she sentenced Hung.

Hung has already served one year and seven months of her sentence, and will have to spend four years behind bars before she is eligible for parole.

The 36-year-old is charged with burglary of items valued under $500.

A metal statue of political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi has been stolen from a charity in Melbourne's south-east.

Police believe the 400kg solid bronze statue of the global peace figure was taken from the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville just before 1am on Monday, January 12.

The thieves used an angle grinder to cut the statue at the ankles, according to CCTV.

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Australian Indian Community Charitable Trust chairperson Vasan Srinivasan said the brazen theft had left the community angry and upset.

"Gandhi means a lot to us – a father of the nation who fought for India's freedom without bloodshed," he said.

"We adored this Gandhi statue, there are so many school children, families come here and take pictures with it."

He doesn't suspect the theft of the statue, which has an estimated value of $60,000, had racist or political motivations.

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"There was no defacing, there was no spraying of any graffiti, it's cut and taken it very cleanly,"

"We're treating this as a theft of the statue, they took it for metallic value."

Scrap metal dealers are warned to look out for the statue as the thieves may be looking to on-sell it.

The statue was gifted to the centre in 2021 by the Indian government.

It was vandalised just days after then-prime minister Scott Morrison inaugurated it, when thieves failed in their attempts to remove the head of the statue.

The Indian government's Ministry of External Affairs today denounced the robbery.

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"We strongly condemn the vandalisation and removal of the Mahatma Gandhi statue located at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne by unidentified people," ministry spokesperson Shri Randhir Jaiswal said.

"We have strongly raised the matter with Australian authorities and urged them to take immediate action to recover the missing statue and hold the culprits accountable."

The investigation remains ongoing. 

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Emergency services were called to a home on Adams Flat Rd in Crichton on January 23.

Emergency services could not save the child, who died at the scene.

Former tennis pro and ex-state Liberal deputy leader Sam Groth has announced he will quit Victorian politics next week, triggering a byelection in his seat of Nepean on the Mornington Peninsula just months out from the 2026 state election.

The first-term MP made the announcement this afternoon in a statement.

"Next week I will resign from the Parliament of Victoria as the Member for Nepean to pursue other opportunities," Groth said.

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"It has been an honour to serve the people of Nepean and I sincerely thank them for the trust they placed in me for the opportunity to represent our community.

"I am very grateful to my staff for their professionalism, dedication and tireless work in supporting the people of Nepean."

Last month, the Nepean MP revealed he would not contest this year's state election, citing party infighting and "public pressure" placed on his family.

"I wish (Opposition Leader) Jess (Wilson) and the Liberal team all the very best for the November election," he said today.

"Most importantly, I thank my family, my wife Britt and our twin boys, for their unwavering love and support."

The 38-year-old was elected to represent Nepean in 2022 with a 7.1 per cent swing in his favour, segueing into the political world after retiring from the professional tennis circuit in 2018.

He was selected unopposed as Liberal deputy leader in December 2024, under the new leadership of Brad Battin.

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He maintained the role under the current leader Jess Wilson until January 27 this year, when he resigned and was replaced by David Southwick.

Groth informed Wilson of his plans to quit parliament early yesterday, she told media this afternoon.

"This is a decision Sam's taken in the best interest of his family, I completely understand that, I completely respect that, and I understand his decision," Wilson said.

The Liberals are yet to announce a candidate for the byelection.

"We're working through all the normal processes as the party does in terms of candidates," Wilson said.

Wilson, who is the Victorian Liberal Party's third leader in 12 months, insisted Nepean locals would see "a united team on the ground in Nepean".

"The upcoming Nepean byelection is an opportunity that my team is excited for," she said.

"It's an opportunity to listen to the people of Nepean, to earn their trust and to outline our priorities.

"I'm excited to get on the ground with my team and take the first step to change the government in November this year."

Easing the cost of living, reducing crime, ensuring quality healthcare and "restoring the dream of homeownership" will be the Liberal Party's key priorities ahead of the by-election, she said.

Groth's departure from politics comes after he and wife Brittany sued the Herald Sun over the newspaper's reporting about their relationship.

Brittany Groth had criticised the report as a "disgraceful smear campaign" which she said pressured her "to disclose intimate details of my personal and private life".

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A private settlement was reached between the two parties in November last year.

The father-of-two described his time in public life as "an extremely challenging period for my family".

"We took on this role for the right reasons, to contribute to our community and try to make a positive difference," Groth said.

"That purpose has never changed, but the environment around it has."

In May last year, Groth was forced to defend using a taxpayer-funded vehicle to get him and his wife from the Australian Open to their Mornington Peninsula home in January 2024.

Groth entered the pro tennis circuit in 2006 and peaked at world No.53 in the men's singles in 2015.

He reached a career high of world No.24 in the doubles rankings, making the semi-finals of the 2014 French Open, as well as the semi-finals of the mixed doubles at the 2017 Australian Open alongside fellow Aussie Sam Stosur.

He holds the record for the fastest-ever recorded serve, hitting 263 km/h at the ATP Challenger in Busan in 2012.

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Police have described the behaviour of a swarm of young e-bike riders driving along the Sydney Harbour Bridge as "stupid and downright dangerous" as they continue to identify the people involved in yesterday's stunt.

Authorities received multiple calls after dozens of young e-bike riders were filmed riding over the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday.

About 40 people, including at least one without a helmet, rode across the NSW landmark during peak hour traffic yesterday.

The ride was organised by Los Angeles e-bike influencer, Sur Ronster.

The content creator has more than 5 million online followers.

Under current laws, it's illegal to ride any bike, including e-bikes, on the main deck of the bridge and a cycleway is provided separate from the roadway.

"Apart from that behaviour being illegal, it was incredibly irresponsible, stupid and downright dangerous," Assistant Commissioner David Driver said.

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"The bike riders made U-turns in front of oncoming traffic.

"Heavy vehicles had to brake (to) avoid them.

"We don't want to be knocking on your door and telling you your child has been killed in one of these stupid rideouts," Driver said.

The Assistant Commissioner said that some of these e-rideables have been modified to "effectively become motorbikes", which he urged makes them significantly more dangerous.

NSW Police confirmed officers were called to Hickson Road, Sydney, around 4.30pm yesterday following multiple reports of a large group riding dangerously.

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About 40 riders were located riding on the Harbour Bridge dangerously, but dispersed when police arrived.

Police have said they have identified license plates, school uniforms and "very clear footage" which they will use to prosecute those who took part in the dangerous stunt.

"Police could not initiate a pursuit due to safety concerns," a spokesperson told 9news.com.au.

"About 5.30pm on the same day, police located the group at Mrs Macquarie's Chair, where they were spoken to and dispersed."

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There were no reported injuries or property damage, and inquiries are ongoing.

Footage of the Harbour Bridge stunt has prompted renewed calls for stronger rules governing e-bike use on Australian roads and footpaths.

Premier Chris Minns called the actions of e-bike hoons "intolerable", and the government is working on a solution.

"It's regrettable that the original decision was made to have a 500 watt output rather than a 250 watt output because we're now in a situation where we're trying to close the barn door after close to a million of these machines are on Sydney streets," he said.

"We're working on a program and we'll have more to say soon."

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Shadow Minister for Transport Natalie Ward said wattage limits aren't enough.

"Joy rides on the Sydney Harbour Bridge are stupid, unsafe and a middle finger to the police and the community," she said in Parliament yesterday.

"These kids know they are unaccountable and untouchable until there is compulsory licence plates, enforcement and accountability."

She said e-bike riders doing the wrong thing know there are no consequences and called on Transport Minister John Graham to introduce e-bike license plates to restore accountability.

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