A major national music festival has broken its silence on why it quietly dropped rising singer d4vd from its star-studded lineup, days after human remains found in his Tesla were identified as a teenage girl who went missing last year.

Spilt Milk removed the artist from their website last week, around the same time as his remaining shows on his US tour and upcoming dates on d4vd's European tour were removed from ticketing websites. 

In a statement today, organisers confirmed d4vd will not perform at their event this year due to the "unfolding story" he has been linked to overseas.

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"Last week we removed d4vd from our website and marketing out of respect for the unfolding story," they said.

"We can now confirm d4vd will not perform at Spilt Milk and we are working on a replacement booking which we'll announce as soon as it's finalised." 

d4vd has also cancelled all his upcoming shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in December. 

Human remains were found inside a Tesla at a tow lot in Hollywood on September 8.

US media reported that the vehicle was registered to 20-year-old d4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office has since confirmed the "severely decomposed" remains belonged to 15-year-old Celeste Rivas.

"She appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found," officials said.

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Rivas was last seen in Lake Elsinore in April 2024, about 95 kilometres south-east of downtown Los Angeles.

She was 13 at the time. 

d4vd has not been arrested or charged over her disappearance or death, and his representatives have told NBC that he is cooperating with authorities.

The Houston-born artist, who shot to popularity after his hit song Romantic Homicide went viral on TikTok, had been on tour for his first album Withered when news of the human remains broke.

Spilt Milk's comments sections ahead of today's statement have been filled with fans questioning why d4vd was still on the line-up and whether he would be dumped. 

Spilt Milk is just months out from the start of their touring music festival, which will kick off in Ballarat on December 6, followed by Perth and Canberra, before finishing on the Gold Coast on December 14.

This year's music festival has gained quite a lot of buzz for its stellar line-up and features the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, Dominic Fike, Schoolboy Q, Skin on Skin and Sombr.

– With Associated Press

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Perth grandmother Donna Nelson will remain in a Japanese prison after losing her appeal to overturn a six-year drug trafficking sentence.

Last year a Japanese court found the 59-year-old guilty of smuggling almost two kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside a suitcase.

Nelson has maintained her innocence and insisted she was the victim of an online romance scam.

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Nelson has been told she has 14 days to launch an appeal to the Supreme Court.

The judges in the Tokyo High Court took about 40 minutes today to hand down their decision, which upheld the original judgement.

They argued none of the defence arguments were valid as Nelson had raised complaints to her online lover in the past and it could not be said that she blindly trusted him.

They said the 59-year-old decided to comply with his requests to bring a suitcase to Tokyo's Narita Airport in January 2023.

Australian ambassador to Japan Justin Hayhurt was in the courtroom as the decision was handed down today.

"Australian officials have been supporting Ms Nelson and her family throughout this legal process and we will continue to provide that support," Hayhurt told 9News.

Last year Nelson was sentenced to six years behind bars.

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Nearly one in four young drivers admits to scrolling social media while behind the wheel.

One man said he used to get arrested so he’d have a bed and a break from substance abuse.

Police are questioning an Adelaide man after he led them on a pursuit which ended in a siege at a stranger's apartment in the city's eastern suburbs.

Vision obtained exclusively by 9News shows heavily armed police searching the apartment before arresting the 28-year-old man.

Police say the stranger was held hostage by the man.

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The man came to police's attention just after midnight when police were called after reports of a domestic disturbance between a man and a woman in a car on the Parade in Kensington Gardens.

The man allegedly tried to flee from police and led them on a car chase, where he nearly collided with a patrol car.

The chase went on through multiple suburbs until it ended up at Kiruna Avenue in Hove.

He allegedly dumped the car at the back of an apartment complex, entering the unit of a person he did not know.

"I'm not sure. I don't even know. I was in bed, I was in bed, I was asleep and they dragged me out of bed," the resident told 9News.

Subsequently, specialist police officers entered the apartment and tried to negotiate him to come outside so they could arrest him.

They were eventually able to arrest him, and he is expected to be charged with several offences later today.

The woman sustained no physical injuries, but was taken away by police for support.

National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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Axes and chainsaws dashed hopes of saving native trees at an Auckland housing complex.

Fire and Emergency urges households to test smoke alarms this weekend.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie has rejected "mischievous" suggestions that he does not support Liberal leader Sussan Ley after making several outspoken comments on policy positions in recent weeks.

Speaking on Nine radio station 2GB this morning, Hastie said his main concern was with stopping the fragmentation of the Liberal Party and claimed he was simply channelling the concerns and key issues Australians were facing.

"I support Sussan, anyone who's speculating otherwise is being mischievous," he told 2GB's Mark Levy.

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"My main concern is that the centre-right is fragmenting.

"We've seen the rise in the One Nation vote and other microparties, and having us fragmented on the right is very strategically advantageous for Labor.

"I'm simply saying what people out on the street are looking for in their political leadership… I believe that net zero is going to be a tragedy for our country.

"I believe that net overseas migration is far too high, and it's locking young Australians out of the housing market." 

https://omny.fm/shows/ben-fordham-full-show/leadership-question-do-you-want-sussan-ley-or-andrew-hastie/embed?style=cover

Hastie has garnered headlines for posts on his social media accounts, including an Instagram post yesterday with a caption, "We're starting to feel like strangers in our own home", a thinly veiled critique on Australia's immigration policies.

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Hastie insists despite becoming more outspoken, it is not a sign of discontent or a wish to break away from the Liberal Party frontbench.

"I'm still on the team. I'm a team player," he said.

"I'm just being a little bolder in some of the policy positions that I think we should adopt."

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Hastie claimed the party needed to adapt to the modern era and needed to leave behind the previous mindset that had served it well in previous decades.

"A lot of people would like us to stay exactly where we are, including some people on our party side, but we can't," he said.

"The world has changed since the [John] Howard and [Peter] Costello years.

"We've had the global financial crisis, we've had Brexit, we've had the rise of Xi Jinping and China, we've had Trump, we've had the pandemic. 

"The world has changed, and we have to change with it."

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More than four months after the federal election, the last remaining seat has finally been decided after Liberal hopeful Gisele Kapterian conceded defeat and abandoned a court challenge.

The Sydney seat of Bradfield was an extremely tight race, with Kapterian initially winning by just eight votes before a full recount saw teal independent Nicolette Boele succeed with 26 votes.

The NSW Liberal Party launched legal action to review the validity of 151 of the 118,000 ballot papers, which had internally come into question, but Kapterian today announced the challenge has been withdrawn after a review provided her with the reassurance that the results were accurate.

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"After a final review of the ballot papers following the two different results in Bradfield, I am satisfied that, overall, the correct outcome has been declared," she said in a statement.

"Accordingly, we have taken the decision to no longer press the petition for a final review by the Court of Disputed Returns.

"With two different outcomes declaring two different winners, I'm grateful our electoral system anticipates and supports the need for further scrutiny through a statutory right. 

"This is particularly so given the often difficult and subjective nature of ballot interpretation." 

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has been notified of her decision and said no stone was left unturned in the case.

"Australians can be confident that the AEC left absolutely no stone unturned when it came to scrutinising this extremely close election result under the very watchful eye of many scrutineers," AEC Commissioner Jeff Pope said.

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Bradfield had become the most hotly contested federal seat in the country since polls closed on May 3.

The Liberals had been desperately trying to cling to the blue-ribbon seat, which had not elected a non-Liberal MP in its 75-year history.

Today, 145 days after the federal election, Kapterian conceded the seat to Boele.

"I'm disappointed to miss out on contributing from inside the party room, but I will continue to play my part," Kapterian said.

"I wish Ms Boele all the best in the role, and I thank the people of Bradfield for this incredible opportunity to have spoken with so many of you to hear your ideas, your stories, and what matters most to you."

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Boele accepts the 'privilege of my lifetime' 

The teal independent had unsuccessfully run for the seat in 2022 but made history at the federal election earlier this year, taking the seat from the Liberals for the first time. 

She has been serving as Bradfield MP while her win was being challenged by Kapterian.

Boele accepted her rival's defeat today and said her continuation in the role was the "privilege of my lifetime".

"Today Ms Kapterian conceded defeat in Bradfield and abandoned her challenge in the Court of Disputed Returns. This means I will continue to have the honour of representing the people of Bradfield as their Federal Member of Parliament," she said.

"Serving this community is the privilege of my lifetime, and I do not take this responsibility lightly.

"I will continue to serve with integrity, care and dedication."

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Boele said being part of the review process had given her an "even greater appreciation" for the safeguards in place and the value of every single vote.

"While we watch checks and balances erode in other countries, our electoral and judicial processes are something we can genuinely celebrate here at home," she said.

Boele said she has already worked on more than 900 local cases and will now continue to ensure her constituents' voices are heard in parliament.

"There is much work to do and I look forward to getting it done," she said. 

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Emma Mason has taken her plea to ban social media for those under the age of 16 to the world stage, receiving backing from Europe as she spoke on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Aussie mum made the journey from regional NSW to New York to make a heartfelt plea about social media use by children.

Mason's daughter, Tilly, took her own life at the age of 15 as a result of cyberbullying.

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Since then, Mason has advocated for stricter laws surrounding social media usage and spoke at the United Nations about her loss and the impact it had on her family.

Her campaign has been a significant factor in Australia's decision to outlaw social media usage for people under the age of 16.

"We watch as other parents' children get licences, they graduate, all the things that our babies won't achieve, and it's brutal," she said in her speech.

"So now I ask you to hold my Tilly and all the lost children in your hearts and do what you can to change the narrative across our world for Tilly's sake, because how many more Tillys must die?"

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, attended the speech and gave her personal support for Australia's new social media legislation.

"Many member states believe the time has come for a digital majority age for access to social media, and I must tell you as a mother of seven and a grandmother of five, I share their view," she said.

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Australia's under-16 social media ban is set ot take effect later this year despite pushback from tech giants.

"Put simply in one sentence, we want children to have a childhood, not too much to ask," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

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