An Australian birthing influencer has been banned from promoting her views and providing advice online following an order by Victoria's health complaints watchdog.

Emily Lal, known as "The Authentic Birthkeeper" online, is accused of breaching the health code of conduct in an Interim Prohibition Order issued by the Health Complaints Commissioner.

Lal is alleged to have "facilitated and/or participated in home births which may put both mothers and babies at risk", Health Complaints Commissioner Professor Bernice Redley said in a public warning.

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"Members of the public are encouraged not to engage with Ms Lal in relation to the provision of general health services," the warning reads.

An investigation into Lal began on October 8.

The Interim Prohibition Order was issued today and will remain in force until January 12, 2026 while an investigation is conducted unless it is revoked before that date.

"I take any alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for General Health Services extremely seriously. Where I believe there is a serious risk to the public, I do not hesitate to take action," Bernice Redley said.

"This warning and interim prohibition order have been issued to protect the health and safety of the Victorian community.

"I want to remind all Victorians that anyone providing health services must do so safely, ethically and within the limits of their training and qualifications."

Lal's social media profiles including Facebook and Instagram appear to have been taken down.

She has been described online as a supporter of "women to birth in full sovereignty and autonomy".

"She is passionate about bringing women back to themselves and bringing birth back to its roots – in the home – rejecting the current medical birth paradigm and its mistrust in women's bodies," a 2023 podcast episode featuring Lal reads.

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Officials are tracing locations visited while the cases were infectious.

Her parents say the nearly 2-year-old was bright, curious and full of love.

‘Initial reports were of ignition of grass in a carpark by a vehicle’s exhaust.’

UK prosecutors found there was evidence to charge but chose not to pursue the matter.

Warning: This story contains the name and images of a deceased Indigenous person.

A mother and two boys who died in a Gladstone house fire have been remembered as "beautiful souls".

The trio were found dead in the charred remains of a Gladstone house last Wednesday after it was destroyed by fire.

Their families released a statement today that was shared by Glenn Butcher, the member for Gladstone in Queensland's state parliament, paying tribute to Johnson, 36, and the two 12-year-old boys.

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"Three beautiful souls who were tragically taken from us on Wednesday 15th October, in Yallarm (Gladstone)," the statement began. "Jordana Johnson, Jordan Norris and Chazz Mather are our nutchum, our whanau, our family."

Johnson was remembered as a devoted mother to Jordan whose loving presence touched her friends and family.

"Jordana was a devoted mother with a big heart, her children were her world," the statement said.

"Her love extended to her family and friends and she always willing to help anyone in need."

The two boys were said "to be more than friends, they were brothers", and are remembered for their outgoing personality and fun-loving nature.

"Jordan was fun, playful and cheeky, protective of his Mum, his sisters, and his friends," the statement said.

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"Chazz was an outgoing and loving soul with a cheeky attitude who always looked out for the people he loved."

The families thanked Butcher and Gladstone Mayor Matt Burnett, as well as first responders from Queensland Police and Queensland Fire Service.

They have also requested no distressing images or footage from the house fire.

A community gathering will be held at Barney Point Beach on Saturday from 9,30am AEST, where "family, friends and members of the community" will be invited to pay their respects and remember the lives of Johnson, Norris and Mather.

A GoFundMe page has also been created that has raised over $23,000 at the time of writing.

"The donations received will go directly to Jordana's two daughters to start over who lost everything of their mother's home and Chazz's mother and seven siblings as both families navigate and rebuild after such a devastating loss," the page said.

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China has accused Australia of "severely infringing" on its sovereignty, hitting back at claims of "unsafe and unprofessional" behaviour during an encounter between the two countries' air forces.

Yesterday, Defence Minister Richard Marles said a Chinese aircraft had released flares dangerously close to an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea.

While no one was injured in the incident, the ADF said the manoeuvre "posed a risk to the aircraft and its personnel".

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However, Beijing has since hit back at the criticism of its behaviour, claiming instead that the RAAF surveillance aircraft had "illegally" entered Chinese airspace over the Paracel, or Xisha, Islands without permission.

"Australia's actions seriously infringe upon China's sovereignty and are highly likely to lead to maritime and air incidents," Chinese Senior Colonel Li Jianjian said in a statement. 

"We urge Australia to immediately cease its infringing and provocative actions."

Beijing claims the entire South China Sea as its own territory despite an international tribunal in 2016 ruling against any legal basis to its claim of the region.

The Paracel Islands, while controlled by China, are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Asked about the incident this afternoon, Marles reiterated that the Australian plane had been legally patrolling international airspace.

"[It] was a routine maritime surveillance patrol that happened in international airspace above international waters," he said.

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"Every moment, our crew was adhering to international law, let me be really clear about that…

"What occurred on two occasions with the release of those flares being as close as they were, were unsafe and unprofessional."

While tensions between the two countries flared earlier this year over a similar incident when a Chinese aircraft dropped flares within 30 metres of an Australian plane, also in the South China Sea, Marles said most encounters in the region occurred without issue.

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"There are a lot of interactions between the military of Australia and of China in places like the South China Sea, and the vast majority of those are safe and professional," he said.

"But where there are occurrences which are unsafe and unprofessional, we walk through a process and a procedure and we absolutely stick to that."

The timing of the encounter is unlikely to have been a coincidence, coming shortly before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's meeting with US President Donald Trump, where a critical minerals deal was signed and the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pact given further backing.

Both developments came with China firmly in mind – the former looking to help the US get around Beijing's dominance of the crucial rare earths market (and the restrictions it has recently introduced), and the latter improving Australia and the US's defence presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

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Thousands of ANZ customers were unable to access their accounts for hours this afternoon due to an outage which hit several of the bank's services.

Customers first reported issues on outage website Down Detector and ANZ's social media accounts from about 12.30pm (AEST).

An ANZ spokesperson said in a statement at 2.30pm (AEST) the issue had since been resolved.

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"For a short period this afternoon customers may have experienced issues with some services including ANZ App and Internet Banking," a spokesperson said.

"We apologise for any inconvenience."

Customers who logged into internet banking were met with an error message.

"We are working to resolve this as soon as possible and apologise for the inconvenience this is causing," the error message said during the outage.

"ANZ ATMs and EFTPOS facilities continue to be available during this time."

During the outage, customers took to social media to detail their difficulties with accessing services.

"I can't pay after my grocery shopping, I can't get into my ANZ app," one customer said.

"App isn't working, lucky I have cash," another customer said.

It is unknown the outage is linked to a technical issue with Amazon Web Services.

Last night some of the world's biggest websites and apps were impacted by the widespread outage including Snapchat, Roblox, Fortnite and Duolingo.

Reports of problems with the hugely popular services began to surge between 6pm and 7pm yesterday and remained high for more than an hour in many cases.

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Treasury has quietly released the draft regulation for its proposed cash mandate on essential goods, which hard cash advocates have labelled as a "series of loopholes" for businesses.

Under the nine-page draft published late on Friday, grocery and fuel retailers must accept up to $500 in cash payments.

Small businesses — which the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates make up 97.2 per cent of all businesses — that earn less than $10 million a year will be exempt from the mandate, including small grocery and fuel retailers.

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Treasury noted that small businesses "find it harder to deal with cash".

The bigger grocery and fuel retailers that are captured under the mandate can still, however, be granted an exemption if they can prove an exceptional circumstance. 

"The mandate will apply to fuel and grocery retailers as this will best meet consumer expectations to be able to pay for essential goods in cash, while minimising the costs and risks to businesses," Treasury said.

"This is a balanced, practical, and sensible step to support cash users and give consideration to businesses."

The essential goods included in the draft regulations stripped-back some of the goods envisaged to be included.

Late last year, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the list of essential goods being considered for the cash mandate included food and drinks, medicines, medical and dental services, children's clothing and shoes, petrol and vehicle servicing, and utility bills.

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Treasury noted that utility bills were not included in the draft regulation as people can still make cash payments via Billpay at Australia Post.

Cash advocate Jason Bryce said this was not what was promised to Australians and excludes some essential goods and services needed to live, particularly medicine.

"The cash mandate is not so much a mandate as a series of loopholes," he said.

"This mandate will not protect the role of cash in Australia. This mandate will help businesses to reject cash. It exempts so many businesses."

Bryce is one of many Australians petitioning to ensure cash remains a viable payment option, with elderly and regional and remote people believed to be most affected by the growing move to digital payments.

The latest Reserve Bank of Australia data showed that 13 per cent of all payments are made with cash compared to 76 per cent made with card.

But an estimated 1.5 million Australians still use cash to make more than 80 per cent of their in-person payments.

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Bryce labelled the draft regulation as a win for the big banks.

"There's nothing wrong with paying with your card, but it benefits the banks. They make a profit out of every time we tap and they profit from the data they collect from us," he said.

"Cash is not necessarily more expensive, but they're making it so it's not viable for most businesses."

The proposed mandate would begin on January 1, 2026, and continue for three years.

Then, the government will review the mandate to ensure it is effective, consider whether it should be expanded and assess the impact on businesses.

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Demolition of the White House East Wing has begun as US President Donald Trump adds a $US200 million ($307 million), 8360 square metre ballroom.

CNN observed an excavator tearing down portions of the East Wing, and close-up video and images captured areas of the roof torn down and an excavator tearing through the interior.

Renderings released earlier by the White House showed that the ballroom, which the administration has said will be funded by Trump and other private donors, would be built over this area.

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this year that the "state ballroom" would occupy space housing the East Wing of the executive mansion, where first ladies have traditionally maintained offices.

The project fulfills a 15-year ambition by the president to construct an event space on the White House grounds that expands the building's entertaining capacity — but also resembles the gilded spaces of his private clubs.

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The ballroom is just one part of Trump's efforts to transform the buildings and grounds to his liking, which have included adding large flagpoles, paving over the Rose Garden, and decorating the Oval Office in gold.

"I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom," Trump posted on social media on Monday.

"Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!"

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Renderings provided by the White House depict a vast space with gold and crystal chandeliers, gilded Corinthian columns, a coffered ceiling with gold inlays, gold floor lamps and a checkered marble floor. Three walls of arched windows look out over the White House's south grounds.

The new ballroom — which will maintain the "theme and architectural heritage" of the neoclassical executive mansion, the White House said — will have a seated capacity of 650 people, more than three times the space in the East Room, the largest event space in the White House.

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