Now he’s appealed, saying prison was manifestly excessive for the crime.

University of Otago says 40,000 people have ocular toxoplasmosis, one in four seriously.

Residents in the Far North pay up to $5000 in rates but get few services.

The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing a reality TV pitch where immigrants would compete for American citizenship, according to a spokesperson who said in a statement to CNN that "the show in question is in the very beginning stages of that vetting process and has not received approval or denial by staff".

A producer who has pitched the idea to DHS said he envisions the show as being a "positive love letter to America" while dismissing criticism that it would be "punching down" on contestants.

Rob Worsoff, himself a Canadian immigrant whose credits include The Millionaire Matchmaker, Duck Dynasty and The Biggest Loser, said he's pitched the idea for his show as far back as the Obama Administration.

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He said he's had three conversations with the current DHS about his pitch — "and they've gone far" — but said Secretary Kristi Noem has not been involved in any of the discussions.

Worsoff told CNN's Kaitlan Collins, "I don't know where they stand exactly now, but I feel like we're trending in a good way."

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN in a statement that DHS "receives hundreds of television show pitches a year, ranging from documentaries surrounding ICE and CBP border operation to white collar investigations by HSI. Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval".

The Daily Mail and the Wall Street Journal previously reported on the show.

McLaughlin denied aspects of the earlier report in the Daily Mail, however, saying Noem has not "'backed' or even reviewed the pitch of any scripted or reality show."

Worsoff said he envisions his show being like "The Biggest Loser for immigration" – referencing the former reality show where overweight contestants competed to see who would lose the most weight, and which had also been the subject of criticism about its content.

But he insisted: "There's nobody who loses on this show — it's ridiculous to even suggest otherwise."

"These are all people who are likely to become future Americans," Worsoff said.

"They are all people with a place in line. They are all people that are good candidates. I'm not punching down on anyone — I am offering somebody the opportunity to jump to the front of the line and nobody else loses.

"In fact, everybody else in line will be humanised and we'll get to know their face and their story and we'll love them and maybe they'll get a job out of it, or maybe they'll get other opportunities out of it."

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He provided CNN with portions of a pitch deck for the show with a working title The American.

A description of the pitch for a show reads: "Contestants will represent a wide demographic of ages, ethnicities, and talents. We'll join in the laughter, tears, frustration and joy — hearing their backstories — as we are reminded of how amazing it is to be American, through the eyes of 12 wonderful people who want nothing more than to have what we have — and what we often take for granted: the freedom, opportunity and honor of what it means to be American."

Each episode would include a heritage challenge, an elimination challenge, a town-hall meeting and a final vote, according to the deck. Worsoff said the heritage challenge will be tailored to specific locations — a "gold rush" challenge in San Francisco, for example, or a "pizza" challenge in New York or a "NASA" challenge in Florida — to showcase "how cool America is".

Worsoff told Collins on The Source that he envisions each episode ending with a town-hall meeting, "just like in a presidential election".

"The people of Tennessee, let's say, will get to vote on which one of our future Americans they would most like to represent the state of Tennessee," Worsoff said.

He previously acknowledged the stakes would be high for the contestants but said that's not a bad thing.

"I would hope that any competition reality show has stakes," Worsoff told CNN.

"Yeah, I'm not going to apologise for that fact that there are real stakes on the show. I don't think that's a bad thing, I think that's a good thing."

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Family wanted to leave as mould issues continued but were torn by the home’s nostalgia.

The former Labour leader earlier said he wanted at least two terms in the city’s top job.

The stormy conditions have already started in the south and will spread north Sunday.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has shared an emotional statement grieving her mother, who died early this morning.

Ley said her mother, Angela Braybrooks, had died in an aged care facility in Albury, in southern NSW.

"My family and I feel this loss deeply," Ley said in a statement.

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"Mum was a mental health nurse who helped so many people through her life. 

"She taught me the values of resilience, self-reliance and persistence.

"Growing up in wartime Britain, Angela could never have dreamed that her daughter would become Australia's first female Leader of the Opposition, but because of her, that happened this week."

Ley said she had taken inspiration from her every single day of her life.

On the day she was elected opposition leader, Ley announced that her mother was sick and in end-of-life care.

"It was a gift of fate that I was able to share Mother's Day with my mum one last time on Sunday," Ley said today.

"On Monday night in Canberra, our parish priest organised a FaceTime call, telling Angela she had to 'hang on' to see one more special moment in her daughter's life. If she could do that, he promised her, 'we'll have champagne tomorrow'. 

"On Tuesday, hours after I was afforded the enormous privilege by my Liberal colleagues of leading our party, I drove back down the Hume Highway to be at her bedside. 

"Whilst mum was no longer verbal, she watched every moment of my press conference. As I walked back into her room that afternoon, her eyes lit up with excitement. It was a moment I will treasure forever."

Ley thanked everyone who had given their condolences for the loss, and also thanked the staff at the Riverwood Aged Care Facility, where her mother died.

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But the other teen claims she ended up with the hoodie after a mutual clothing swap.

Winter is fast approaching, but Australians have barely had to reach for their woolly warmers this year due to unusually hot weather throughout autumn.

The country sweated through its hottest March on record, while April temperatures were a degree above the long-term average.

So is winter going to offer any reprieve, and what should you expect in terms of rainfall and snowfall? This is what you need to know.

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Temperature

According to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest long-range forecast, released on May 15, the warmer-than-usual weather is here to stay for winter.

Large parts of the country, including Sydney, Perth and south-west Western Australia, and Melbourne and much of Victoria, have more than a 50 per cent chance of recording unusually high maximum temperatures from June to August.

Even more of the country has a high chance of unusually warm minimum temperatures throughout winter.

"Although we are entering the cooler months, June to August daytime temperatures are likely to be above average across Australia," the BoM said.

"There's an increased chance of unusually warm days, particularly in the south.

"Overnight temperatures are also very likely to be warmer than average from June to August.

"There's an increased chance of unusually warm nights, especially across parts of the west, south and east."

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Rainfall

While just about the entire country is set for an unusually warm winter, the rainfall forecast isn't as uniform.

"Above-average rainfall is likely (60 to 80 per cent chance) for much of inland Australia and some southern parts," the BoM says.

"Rainfall is expected to be within the typical range for June to August for western WA, much of Victoria, parts of the east coast and across the far tropical north."

What constitutes above-average rainfall differs from region to region. Western Tasmania is forecast to be the wettest part of the country for winter, followed by south-west Western Australia.

Parts of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all have a 75 per cent chance of receiving between 100-200mm from June to August. 

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Snow

Unlike temperature and rainfall, the BoM doesn't produce long-range forecasts for snow because of Australia's "notoriously fickle" snow season.

There are some weather systems that influence snowfall, though.

A negative Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is associated with better snow seasons. As of May 14, it was sitting in positive territory and the BoM expects it to remain there for much of the month, but longer-range forecasts for it are not possible.

A negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is also linked to higher snowfall. Unfortunately for skiiers and snowboarders, that doesn't look likely this year.

"Despite recent positive IOD index values, the Bureau's model predicts an overall neutral state of the IOD until at least August," the BoM's latest update on May 6 stated.

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"This is consistent with a range of international models that are also predicting neutral IOD for at least the next two months.

"Skill for IOD forecasts made at this time of the year has historically been low for forecasts beyond a month ahead."

Then there's the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), where a neutral reading (that is, neither an El Nino or La Nina system) is generally considered best news for big dumps of snow.

"The Bureau's model predicts neutral ENSO until at least September," the BoM says.

"This is consistent with forecasts from a range of international models. However, skill for ENSO forecasts made at this time of the year has historically been low beyond winter."

In short, if you want to know whether it's going to snow when you head to the slopes, it's best to check the Bureau's alpine weather forecasts, which show the seven-day outlooks for Australia's snowy regions.

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