A 15-year-old accused of killing a fellow teen allegedly confessed to the attack by telling a police officer: "I stabbed another boy in the leg".

The victim, a boy aged 17, died from stab wounds to his thigh after a confrontation at a park in Sydney's northwest about 4.20pm yesterday.

About three hours later, the younger boy arrived at a police station with a parent and was subsequently charged with murder.

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The 15-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, faced a children's court today.

Magistrate James Viney read a police application for DNA samples in the courtroom, which contained sworn declarations from an officer.

"It is asserted in the affidavit the victim was a 17-year-old with no criminal charges," he said.

"It is asserted the young person set upon the deceased unprovoked and stabbed him in the groin area."

The court also heard the 15-year-old was on police body-worn camera footage telling an officer "I stabbed another boy in the leg".

When asked who he was admitting to stabbing, he allegedly gave police the name of the deceased.

Police allege witnesses described seeing the victim's attacker dressed in a balaclava, hoodie, shorts and running shoes, a description allegedly matching that of the 15-year-old.

They argued scrapings taken from under his fingernails would likely contain DNA evidence that matched the deceased.

A court order is needed to take DNA evidence from an accused juvenile because they are not considered capable of giving informed consent.

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The 15-year-old sat quietly in the courtroom, wearing a black hoodie and sporting a mullet haircut with shaved sides.

The boy did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody for eight weeks, when the case returns to court.

The stabbing happened in broad daylight within sight of numerous people walking nearby.

Authorities remained at the scene today as locals laid flowers in tribute to the slain teen.

Police said those involved in the confrontation were not from the nearby school and officers believe it was not a random attack.

Several female witnesses who were in the park at the time rushed over to help the victim.

Paramedics were called but the teen died soon after.

"It would have been a horrifically confronting situation for those people and I can only praise them for their efforts," Detective Superintendent Naomi Moore told reporters on Monday evening.

"It was a potentially dangerous situation they were walking into, but they thought nothing of themselves to go in and render aid."

NSW Premier Chris Minns sent his condolences to the teenage boy's family and friends.

"I am deeply saddened by the death of a teenage boy at Rouse Hill and extend my sincere condolences to his family and friends," he said in a statement.

"It is an unimaginable loss, and the whole community will feel the impact."

Local federal MP Michelle Rowland said she was deeply saddened by the incident.

"There is no place in our community for these acts of senseless violence, and I know this news will be particularly distressing for local families," she said.

The accused murderer is scheduled to return to court on January 23.

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Australia's social media ban for under-16s is looming and many young Aussies are racing to save their data before losing access to Instagram, TikTok and other platforms.

Early next month, all Australian users under the age of 16 will be booted from a wide range of 'age-restricted' social media platforms.

The ban has been divisive and though many young Aussies have railed against it, there seems to be no stopping it now.

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With that in mind, here's how to download your data, export memories and backup your accounts before the ban.

When does the social media ban start in Australia?

The social media ban will go into effect on December 10.

The eSafety Commissioner is already consulting with social media platforms that will be affected by the ban about their plans to "prevent and remove underage account holders" from that date.

"We expect age-restricted social media platforms to comply with the requirements once they take effect," the eSafety website reads.

Which social media apps are banned?

The list of 'age-restricted' social media platforms that will be required to adhere to the ban from December 10 currently includes:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Kick
• Reddit
• Snapchat
• Threads
• TikTok
• Twitch
• X (formerly Twitter)
• YouTube

Meta's Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as Discord, Pinterest, YouTube Kids, and Roblox, are not included in the ban.

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Will my accounts be deleted or just deactivated?

This will depend on the platform.

Social media platforms are not required to delete those accounts, but some may.

According to the eSafety website, age-restricted platforms will be required to stop under-16s from using any existing accounts or creating new ones from December 10.

Under the ban, age-restricted platforms are allowed to let under-16s deactivate their accounts and retain all the data associated with them.

They can then return to those accounts once they turn 16.

"But young people shouldn't rely on platforms to provide this option," the eSafety website reads.

"It's best that they download any data they want to save, including connections, posts, chats, photos and videos – before 10 December."

The eSafety website urges under-16s to take screenshots or download posts, chats, photos or videos they want to keep when the ban goes into effect.

How do I download my TikTok drafts before the ban?

TikTok doesn't allow users to download drafts to their devices directly, but there is a workaround.

If you post a draft as a private video you will be able to save it to your phone's camera roll without anyone else seeing it on TikTok.

The steps are as follows:

1. Open your drafts folder
2. Tap the draft you want to save
3. In the editing screen, tap 'next'
4. Tap 'everyone can view this post' and change it to 'only you'
5. Hit post to post it privately
6. On the live video, tap the three dots in the bottom right
7. Tap download – it will then appear in your camera roll

If you want to download TikTok videos you've posted to your account to your camera roll before the ban starts, just follow steps six and seven.

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Can I save my Snapchat Memories to my camera roll all at once?

If you don't want to download your memories one by one, you can request a Memories-only Snapchat export.

The steps are as follows:

1. Log into your Snapchat account online here, or go to the 'Settings' section on the Snapchat app
2. Select 'My Data'
3. Under 'select data to include,' click the 'export your memories' toggle on
4. Click 'request only memories'
5. Select a date range of memories you want to receive (the bigger the range, the longer the download will take to process)
6. Confirm your email address so you can be notified when your data is ready
7. Hit 'submit'

Once your memories are ready, you'll get an email with a link that will allow you to download them.

It can take several days for Snapchat to process data requests, so make sure to get in well before the ban takes effect.

How do I export Instagram chats and photos?

The best way to save large amounts of data from Instagram to your device is through Accounts Centre.

The steps are as follows:

1. Go to your profile in the app and tap the three lines in the top right
2. Tap Accounts Centre, then 'Your information and permissions'
3. Tap 'Export your information'
4. Tap 'Create export'
5. Select the profile or account you want to save information from
6. Tap 'Export to device'
7. Click into 'Customise information' and tick the boxes beside everything you want to save, such as comments, media (photos) and messages, then hit 'Save'
8. Select a date range, media format and quality, and input your email
9. Hit 'start export'

You will receive an email to notify you when your data is ready to download.

As with Snapchat, this can take time so make sure to get in early.

What happens to my data if I don't download it before the deadline?

If under-16s don't download their data from age-restricted social media platforms before the deadline, they risk losing access to it.

As they will no longer be able to access age-restricted social media accounts from December 10, they will not be able to access or save the data associated with those accounts.

How will social media apps know if I am under 16?

Age-restricted social media platforms are responsible for identifying the accounts of under-16s.

Some platforms will use existing data to confirm if users are 16 or older (e.g. an account that has been active since 2006 is unlikely to belong to an under-16).

Some may also require some users to prove their age, though the ways in which they do this will vary between platforms.

Any methods age-restricted social media platforms use to confirm users' age must meet Australia's regulatory requirements and respect privacy laws and digital rights.

Do I have to upload my ID to keep my social media account?

One of the options for users to prove their age may be to provide a government-issued ID – however, this cannot be the only option.

All age-restricted social media platforms must also offer a reasonable alternative when performing age checks.

That's because Social Media Minimum Age legislation specifically prohibits platforms from compelling Australians to provide a government-issued ID or use an Australian Government accredited digital ID service to prove their age.

"No one who is 16 or older is prevented from having a social media account because they choose not to provide government ID," per the eSafety website.

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Three children have been safely removed from the roof of a Perth detention centre after an 18-hour stand-off.

The incident started when half a dozen inmates climbed on top of a building at the Banksia Hill Detention Centre in Canning Vale in the city's southern suburbs yesterday afternoon.

Some of the detainees were armed with fire extinguishers, while others pulled up pieces of tin from the roof.

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Prison officers managed to bring three of the detainees down to the ground yesterd

The hours stand-off continued this morning with the three remaining inmates.

A Department of Justice spokeswoman said damage has been caused to the education precinct but there were no injuires to staff or detainees.

"The incident at Banksia Hill Detention Centre is now resolved," a Department of Justice spokeswoman said.

"All detainees are now down from the roof and safely in custody."

WA corrective services minister Paul Papalia has condemned the actions of the juveniles.

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Exclusive: French traveller Paul Tingaud has a lofty plan: to see the world without taking a single plane trip.

The 24-year-old has been successful in his solo mission so far, making it from his hometown of Paris to Kuala Lumpur in just over nine months.

After leaving in February this year, Tingaud has hitch-hiked, cycled, taken the bus, slept on trains and boarded just one boat to get from France to Malaysia without needing to hop on a flight.

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Do you have a story? Contact reporter April Glover at Google Play.

A copy of the first Superman issue, unearthed by three brothers cleaning out their late mother's attic, netted $14.1 million (US$9.12 million) this month at a Texas auction house which says it is the most expensive comic book ever sold.

The brothers discovered the comic book in a cardboard box beneath layers of brittle newspapers, dust and cobwebs in their deceased mother's San Francisco home last year, alongside a handful of other rare comics that she and her sibling had collected on the cusp of World War II.

She had told her children she had a valuable comic book collection hidden away, but they had never seen it until they put her house up for sale and decided to comb through the basement for heirlooms, said Lon Allen, vice president of comics at Heritage Auctions.

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The brothers uncovered the box of comics and sent a message to the auction company, leading Allen to fly out to San Francisco earlier this year to inspect their copy of "Superman No. 1" and show it to other experts for appraisal.

“It was just in an attic, sitting in a box, could have easily been thrown away, could’ve easily been destroyed in a thousand different ways,” Allen said.

“A lot of people got excited because it’s just every factor in collecting that you could possibly want all rolled into one.”

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The "Superman No. 1" comic, released in 1939 by Detective Comics Inc., is one of a small number of copies known to be in existence and is in excellent condition.

The Man of Steel was the first superhero to enter pop culture, helping boost the copy's value among collectors, alongside its improbable backstory, Allen said.

The previous record for the world's most expensive comic book had been set last year, when an "Action Comics No. 1", which first introduced Superman to the world as part of an anthology, sold for ($6 million. In 2022, another Superman No. 1 sold for $8.2 million (US$5.3 million).

A small, in-house advertisement in the comic book helped experts identify it as originating from the first edition of 500,000 Superman No. 1 copies ever printed. Allen estimates there are fewer than 500 in existence today.

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The copy was not given any special protection, but the cool Northern California climate helped preserve it, leaving it with a firm spine, vibrant colors and crisp corners, according to a statement from Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

The copy was rated a 9.0 out of 10 by comics grading company CGC, meaning it had only the slightest signs of wear and aging.

The three brothers, in their 50s and 60s, did not wish to be identified due to the windfall involved nor did the buyer of the comic book, according to the auction house.

“This isn’t simply a story about old paper and ink,” one brother said in a statement released by the auction house.

“This was never just about a collectible. This is a testament to memory, family and the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us.”

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Even by crypto standards, it's been a rough few weeks.

Investors in digital assets are accustomed to extreme volatility, but a US$1 trillion ($1.55 trillion) wipeout over the past six weeks has tested even crypto's diehard believers and alienated many of its newest converts.

Bitcoin, the industry bellwether, has fallen dramatically since early October, when it hit a record high of US$126,000 ($194,895).

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The world's most popular cryptocurrency dipped below US$81,000 ($125,290) on Friday before recovering slightly over the weekend.

On Monday, as the broader stock market rallied, bitcoin topped US$88,000 ($136,117), rising nearly 2 per cent over a 24-hour period. (Crypto markets are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.)

It is shaping up to be one of crypto's worst months on record, and it's not clear the market has bottomed out.

"Whether Bitcoin stabilises after this correction remains uncertain," Deutsche Bank analysts wrote.

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"Unlike prior crashes, driven primarily by retail speculation, this year's downturn has occurred amid substantial institutional participation, policy developments, and global macro trends."

While crypto's fate has broadly mirrored the stock market's in recent years, its current angst runs deeper. That's largely thanks to an influx of mainstream money that behaves very differently from the funds controlled by a typical crypto investor.

Bitcoin is in a bear market, having dropped 30 per cent from its most recent high, while the S&P 500 is down just 3 per cent from its most recent peak. It is on track for its worst month since the 2022 crypto "winter" that culminated in the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX.

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Anxiety is coursing through stocks and crypto for two key reasons: Investors are fretting over the Federal Reserve's next rate cut, and they're worrying about whether AI is a bubble that'll blow up in their faces.

All of that weighs on crypto traders because digital assets, like tech stocks, are especially sensitive to changes in the Fed's benchmark rate, which affects the cost of borrowing money and can quickly sap investor appetite for risk.

But crypto investors have an additional hangover to deal with following an October 10 flash crash.

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When US President Donald Trump reignited his trade war with China that day, it prompted a wave of panic-selling that triggered automatic liquidations across the highly leveraged crypto market.

In a single day, the flash crash wiped out US$19 billion ($29.4 billion) worth of crypto. For a lot of folks, the stomach-churning crash was all the motivation they needed to exit crypto completely, and that's left bitcoin and other tokens more susceptible to volatility.

The flash crash forced many investors sell their holdings to meet margin calls. That tends to have a snowball effect: The more bitcoin falls, the more calls investors face from their brokerages, the more they have to sell their bitcoin (and other holdings) to cover their positions.

What makes this crypto crash different is the presence of billions of dollars that have entered the crypto market through spot bitcoin funds that US regulators approved last year.

Mainstream investors got into crypto to enjoy the ride up, but they don't have the same level of devotion to the ideology as early adopters who are bolstered by intense online communities encouraging one another to buy the dip and keep the faith.

"The bottom line is, bitcoin is for normies now," Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, said.

"As a result, the normies are going to view it as another speculative holding in their portfolio … it's going to be treated like a volatile mainstream investment."

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The Justice Department (DOJ) renewed its request to federal judges in New York to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the investigations of Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell following the law requiring the release of Epstein-related files that passed last week.

Judges overseeing both cases previously denied the government's request this past last summer to unseal the records in the public interest.

Last week, DOJ renewed its request before a judge in Florida to unseal grand jury records related to an investigation by the US Attorney's office in the Southern District of Florida.

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The Epstein Files Transparency Act requires DOJ to release materials within 30 days with few exceptions, such as revealing personally identifiable information about victims or if the release would jeopardise an ongoing investigation.

"The Act expressly references this specific investigation, and there can be no question that Congress was aware that this investigation included a grand jury investigation," lawyers for the Justice Department wrote in Monday's filings.

"Thus, the Act's reference to 'all … investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorney's Offices'," is best understood as encompassing grand jury materials."

DOJ previously said there was one witness – an FBI agent – who testified before the Epstein grand jury and two witnesses – the FBI agent and a NYPD detective – who testified before the Maxwell grand jury.

In an earlier court filing, prosecutors said some information heard by the Maxwell grand jury ultimately became public during Maxwell's trial.

"To the extent that any of the desired material was disclosed to Maxwell as a result of the Government's disclosure obligations, it was disclosed pursuant to a protective order.

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"Many of the victims whose accounts relating to Epstein and Maxwell that were the subject of grand jury testimony testified at trial consistent with the accounts described by an FBI agent and the detective from the New York City Police Department ('NYPD') in the grand jury and some have also made public those factual accounts in the course of civil litigation."

Four woman testified they were abused by Epstein when they were minors.

In August, Judge Richard Berman rejected DOJ's initial request in part because DOJ didn't overcome the precedent of grand jury secrecy.

At the time, he noted the grand jury transcripts and exhibits were a small part of the investigations.

"The information contained in the Epstein grand jury transcripts pales in comparison to the Epstein investigation information and materials in the hand of the Department of Justice," Berman wrote in August.

DOJ is asking for an expedited ruling given the 30-day deadline.

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More than 150,000 homes and businesses are without power after thunderstorms walloped south-east Queensland, ripping roofs off homes, tipping cars and dumping cricket-ball-sized hail.

The parade of destructive storms formed in the Gold Coast hinterland early this afternoon and rolled north, causing the worst damage on Bribie Island, north of Brisbane.

Helicopter footage showed the roof peeled off one home, leaving the kitchen exposed to the elements and the resident on the destroyed back patio, shocked by the damage.

Trees were uprooted across the island, east of Caboolture, damaging buildings and cars and taking down powerlines, leaving almost 70,000 without power in the Moreton Bay region alone.

Locals were seen hauling fallen trees off roads to clear a path.

The storm only lasted a few minutes but there was widespread damage in other parts of the region too.

A roof peeled off a service station and flew into powerlines in Beaudesert and hail, some as big as cricket balls, belted backyards from Cornubia, south of Brisbane, to Maleny, on the Sunshine Coast hinterland. 

Manly, Ferny Hills and Alexandra Hills all copped 11-centimetre hail, with 14-centimetre hailstones recorded in Chandler.

In Loganlea, a carport crashed down, taking power lines with it and forcing two people inside to evacuate through a neighbouring fence.

A big clean-up job was already under way this afternoon after the State Emergency Services received more than 1000 callouts by 6pm, mostly in Brisbane, Redlands and Logan.

Severe thunderstorm warnings remained for Noosa and the Wide Bay and Burnett region early tonight.

The severe weather came the day after the area south of Brisbane was thrashed by hail as big as golf balls last night, caused by a supercell that roared across the Scenic Rim and Logan, Weatherzone said.

Locals were warned earlier today there was a chance of more dangerous supercell storms in south-east Queensland and across the border in Murwillumbah.

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"Monday has all the ingredients for further severe thunderstorm development over northeast NSW and southeast Qld," Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said earlier today.

"Monday's severe thunderstorms are likely to cause heavy rain, damaging wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h and large hail measuring larger than 2cm in diameter in some areas.

The Bureau of Meteorology also issued warnings.

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"A warm and humid airmass is combining with a southerly wind change and a low-pressure trough to trigger severe thunderstorms across the Northern Rivers this afternoon." it said.

"Severe thunderstorms are generally moving to the north and northeast and are expected to contract towards the Queensland border. Severe thunderstorms also moving into the southwest of the State."

Storms are forecast for the rest of the week.

Last week thousands were left without power after a storm smashed the Brisbane region.

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Panicking relatives and explosion risks confronted police after two joy flight helicopters collided mid-air outside a theme park, a coroner has heard.

Four people died when the two Sea World choppers collided above the Gold Coast Broadwater and crashed on a sandbar in January 2023 during the busy summer holiday season.

Almost three years later, coroner Carol Lee today opened an inquest in Brisbane into 11 critical issues surrounding one of Australia's worst air disasters.

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Gold Coast Water Police supervisor Justin Dunn arrived on scene within minutes.

"It was absolute chaos, it really was," acting Senior Sergeant Dunn said.

Members of the public performed CPR on a woman and gave first aid to an injured young boy, Lee heard.

As he approached an overturned aircraft, Dunn was given a chilling warning by a concerned bystander.

"I felt a hand on my shoulder. He said be careful of pressurised fuel lines. As they could explode," Dunn said.

"It was a mangled wreck."

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Dunn found people dead in an upside down helicopter before discovering passenger Winnie De Silva trapped under the rear of the aircraft.

"I introduced myself and said help was on the way. I asked for a towel to wipe the fuel from her face," he said.

Shocking footage of the moment the two choppers collided and began to freefall was shown to the inquest as part of counsel assisting Ian Harvey's opening address.

Multiple passengers used their phones to film one of the helicopters taking off, followed five minutes later by their own chopper's flight on a bright sunny day above turquoise water.

Just 25 seconds after the second helicopter took off, it collided with a fellow Sea World-branded chopper at an altitude just under 40 metres.

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At least one passenger in the second helicopter is shown on video trying to get a pilot's attention and point out the other aircraft is closing in on them.

"It's inescapable that neither pilot saw the other pilot's helicopter," Harvey said.

"How could that happen? They were two experienced pilots in modern, relatively sophisticated helicopters."

Security camera footage showed the helicopter piloted by Ashley Jenkinson crash onto a sandbar near Sea World and roll onto its roof.

Jenkinson, 40, died as well as British newlyweds Ronald and Diane Hughes – aged 65 and 67 – and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros, 36.

Tadros' husband Simon was at the inquest today.

CCTV on a nearby helipad also captured the helicopter piloted by Michael James coming to a controlled landing near the first chopper's crash site.

James and nine passengers across both aircraft were injured, most of them seriously.

Last year James died from an unrelated medical condition, Harvey said.

Senior Sergeant Duane Killic was off duty and attending Sea World for leisure when he saw the crash.

"I observed them for five to 10 seconds. It was getting closer and I thought it must be an optical illusion as they can't be that close," he told the inquest.

Killic rushed to grab the manifest from the helipad to aid in the rescue effort.

He ran into Tadros who was in a state of "panic" over his family members being on one of the helicopters.

The response to the crash from emergency services, Sea World staff and civilians was "extraordinary", lead police investigator Detective Sergeant Dane Sheraton testified.

"I think more lives would have been lost without the response of those people," he said.

The inquest comes months after a damning safety bureau report on the crash.

A litany of factors led to the crash including limited visibility, failed radio transmissions and a lack of safety protocols, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report revealed in April.

Harvey said at the time of the crash the volume of flights had been doubled for the peak holiday season.

"It was one of the busiest air corridors in the country," he said.

The inquest is due to run for three weeks.

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The parents of the 15-year-old boy killed in a jet ski accident in Sydney's south have broken their silence to call for a substantial change to water safety laws.

Mitchell Irvine and his 14-year-old friend were thrown from a jet ski on the Georges River on the evening of July 22.

Mitchell died, while his friend lost his arm but was saved by first responders. 

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The friends were both experienced riders and had lifejackets on at the time of the accident. 

Mitchell's parents, Andrea and Neil Irvine, were left heartbroken and are grappling with their thoughts.

"I dropped him off at like 4pm, and then I said, 'Pick you up at 7pm'. And then he was, that was it," Ms Irvine said.

"I just keep thinking about, we just weren't there in his last moments to help him when he needed us, we just weren't there."

Mr Irvine added: "Most of us are like cats. We do get more than one chance in life. How could the kid like that only get like one chance, but multiple things go wrong on that one night?"

Every day, the pair make the 20-minute drive to Sylvania, where Mitchell spent his last moments. 

"He loved to travel. He'd recently started working at Macca's. He loved anything from nippers to boxing to footy," Ms Irvine said.

"But he still took his teddy bears to bed, you know, he was still our baby."

They believe his death could have been prevented if stricter water safety laws were in place.

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"I think if they fix the age that people can actually drive a jet ski, which is currently 12, that will fix a number of problems," Mr Irvine said.

The Irvines want to see the age for personal watercraft licences lifted to 16 and high buoyancy lifejackets become mandatory.

Roads and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison said the Minns government will be reviewing both in the wake of the tragedy.

She will meet with the Irvines next week.

"We want to make sure, as a government, that we're pulling every single lever at our disposal in order to save lives," she said.

With an increase in both the size and number of these watercraft on our waters, the Irvines say there is no time to wait.

"You've got an opportunity to do something, do it. Look after our children, protect our future and make some change," Mr Irvine said.

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