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Mushroom cook Erin Patterson deliberately sourced death cap mushrooms, blitzed them into a powder and concealed them in beef Wellingtons to poison her lunch guests, a jury has been told.

Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC laid out the allegations in the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday as she began her closing address in Patterson's triple-murder trial.

Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty, denying she intentionally served the poisoned lunch to her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather and her husband Ian Wilkinson.

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Don, Gail and Heather all died after the July 2023 lunch at Patterson's home in regional Victoria, while Ian survived.

Patterson has also pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Wilkinson.

Rogers opened her final address to the jury by claiming Patterson had carried out "four calculated deceptions".

The first was fabricating a cancer diagnosis so there would be a reason to have the four guests over for lunch, the prosecutor said.

Rogers alleged Patterson "planted the seed" of the fake cancer claim at least a month earlier when she told Gail she was undergoing medical tests for a lump on her elbow.

Patterson told Gail she needed to have an MRI after a successful biopsy but there were no records of any tests or diagnosis, the prosecutor said.

"She never thought she would have to account for this lie," Rogers told the jury.

"She did not think her lunch guests would live to reveal it. Her lie would die with them."

The prosecutor alleged Patterson's second deception was the lunch itself and her decision to source the death cap mushrooms and conceal the poison in individual beef Wellingtons.

Rogers pointed to iNaturalist website posts detailing death cap mushroom sites in Victoria's Gippsland region and phone-tower data that showed Patterson's mobile in those locations.

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The prosecutor said the jury could safely infer Patterson had found and collected death cap mushrooms from those sites in April and May 2023.

Patterson then bought a dehydrator and dehydrated those mushrooms, before blitzing them into a powder to use in the individually portioned beef Wellingtons, Rogers alleged.

The prosecutor told the jury Patterson chose to serve the beef Wellingtons as small parcels instead of the recipe-mandated log form so she could avoid eating the death caps.

Patterson also served her own meal on a different coloured plate for the same reason, Rogers said.

The lunch cook denied using a different plate but the prosecutor told the jurors they should instead believe Mr Wilkinson's evidence as he was a reliable witness with a clear memory.

Rogers alleged Patterson's third deception was feigning illness after the lunch, adding Patterson falsely claimed she had continuous "explosive diarrhoea".

She noted Patterson was able to drive her son's friend home and go for a two-hour-long round trip the day after the lunch without needing a bathroom.

"You might think a person who genuinely fears pooing her pants … would not take such a risk," the prosecutor said.

Patterson presented to the Leongatha Hospital emergency department two days after the lunch, complaining of diarrhoea and pain.

She left within a few minutes against the doctor's advice because she knew she had not consumed the death cap mushrooms, Rogers alleged.

"She realised what she had done was going to be uncovered," the prosecutor told the jury.

"She fled back to her house to try and figure out how to manage the situation."

The trial continues.

LISTEN NOW: The Mushroom Trial Say Grace is the latest podcast from Nine and The Age. Join journalists Penelope Liersch and Erin Pearson as they take listeners inside the case that's grabbed global headlines. You can listen on Apple here and Spotify here.

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United Arab Emirates investors have made an almost $30 billion cash bid to take over Australian oil and gas producer Santos.

A consortium of investors led by XRG, an arm of the government-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, and including Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company and US private equity group Carlyle, issued the non-binding indicative proposal on Friday.

They offered $8.99 cash per share for the acquisition of Santos — a 28 per cent premium on shareholders' stocks compared to the $6.96 closing price on Friday. 

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Under the proposal, the XRG Consortium would maintain the company's headquarters in Adelaide and operations in Australia.

The bid was the XRG Consortium's final offer after two previous and confidential bids of $8 and then $8.60 per share in late March.

The proposal requires confirmatory due diligence by the XRG Consortium and a scheme implementation agreement between both parties. 

Santos has decided to allow the XRG Consortium access to confidential company information so they can go ahead with their due diligence and negotiate their terms of the scheme implementation agreement.

If talks are successful, the company's board said it intends to unanimously recommend the bid to shareholders.

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"The Santos Board confirms that, subject to reaching agreement on acceptable terms of a binding scheme implementation agreement, it intends to unanimously recommend that Santos Shareholders vote in favour of the potential transaction," the board said.

The board's early endorsement is due to the absence of a higher offer, and if deemed fair and reasonable by an independent expert.

The transaction is, however, clouded in uncertainty as it needs foreign investment approval by several domestic and international regulatory boards and commissions.

"This announcement does not amount to a firm intention to make a binding offer and there can be no certainty that an offer will be made or any transaction will proceed," XRG said. 

"Santos notes that there is no certainty that the XRG consortium will enter into a binding scheme implementation agreement or that a potential transaction will proceed," Santos said.

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The mass "No Kings" demonstrations held across the US to protest US President Donald Trump and his military parade attracted some very famous faces.

Over 2000 protests took place in 50 different US states to rail against "authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy" under Trump, according to organisers.

Marchers took to the streets at the same time a military parade rolled through Washington, DC, to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Army, which also happened to be Trump's 79th birthday.

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Among those who joined the protest in Los Angeles was talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

Kimmel took to Instagram to praise the "peaceful" demonstration he attended in South Bay, a south-west region of LA.

"A huge, inspiring and yes – peaceful – turnout in the South Bay. I met many people who love this country and still believe it to be a force for good," Kimmel, who wore a "Make America Good Again!" shirt, posted on Instagram.

"I am grateful to see so many Americans take action to stand up for our friends and neighbours, most of all, my parents. 

"I know how fortunate I am to have been born into a family that taught me to care about others and that the most important words ever spoken are "Love one another." It really is as simple as that."

Kung Fu Panda star Jack Black was also spotted by protesters walking down the street during another No Kings march in Los Angeles.

It remains unclear if Black was joining the protest or happened to be walking past at the same time.

Footage shared on TikTok shows the actor crossing the road and being accosted by fans.

Over on the east coast, A-listers Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon were seen joining protests in New York City.

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Several other celebrities took to Instagram to share images of themselves holding signs, including Anna Kendrick, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Marisa Tomei and Kerry Washington.

Seinfeld star Louis-Dreyfus held a sign which read: "The only monarch I like is a butterfly."

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Tensions boil at 'No Kings' protests 

Demonstrators poured onto streets and parks to decry the Republican president as a dictator or would-be king, overshadowing celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the US Army – and what is also Trump's birthday.

Huge, boisterous crowds marched in New York, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles, some behind "no kings" banners.

Atlanta's 5000-capacity event quickly reached its limit, with thousands more gathered outside barriers to hear speakers in front of the state Capitol.

In Washington, anti-war protesters unfurled signs that said "Homes not drones" not far from a display of armoured vehicles, helicopters and military-grade equipment on the National Mall set up to commemorate the Army's birthday.

In some places, organisers handed out little American flags while others flew their flags upside down, a sign of distress. Mexican flags, which have become a fixture of the Los Angeles protests against immigration raids, also made an appearance at some demonstrations on Saturday.

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‘I’m wondering if it’s worth carrying on here.’