A major search is under way for a woman who disappeared while swimming on the NSW north coast.

Emergency services were called to Shortland Esplanade at Newcastle Beach in Newcastle around 4.35am today following reports of a missing swimmer.

Police were told an unknown woman had entered the water about 10 minutes earlier and had not returned to the shore.

READ MORE: 'Unimaginable grief': One year ago, six were killed in a 'senseless' attack

READ MORE: Labor promises five per cent deposits for all first homebuyers

Police officers, Marine Area Command, Marine Rescue and a Westpac Rescue helicopter have been engaged in a multi-agency search for the missing woman.

She was last seen wearing a pink top, black pants and no shoes.

Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Courtney Greenslade said a rescue vessel with volunteer crew was deployed before sunrise to search for the missing woman.

"Marine Rescue Newcastle volunteers will continue to assist NSW Police Marine Area Command until instructed otherwise," Greenslade said.

"Conditions are favourable offshore this morning, with seas under a metre and a 10-knot east to north-easterly wind."

Anyone with information is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest i breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Police say they were alerted around 7.45am this morning.

Peter Prescott will now have more added to his debt after another failed attempt at court.

Survivors, first responders and those who lost their lives in the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack last year have been honoured as Australia marks a sombre anniversary.

Today marks one year since six people were fatally stabbed and ten were injured on April 13, 2024 when Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing rampage in the busy Sydney shopping centre.

In a statement, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb paid tribute to the "heroes" who helped and those tragically killed during the horrific killing spree.

READ MORE: PM Anthony Albanese remembers victims of Bondi Junction attack

"Our hearts are with their families who continue to endure unimaginable grief and do their best to carry on," Webb said today.

"Hundreds of people, including police, paramedics, and civilians, were all first responders on this horrific day.

"They are heroes, risking their own lives in an effort to save victims and nurse the wounded during what can only be described as a senseless tragedy."

Webb added: "The memory and the trauma of this day will never be forgotten."

READ MORE: Labor promises five per cent deposits for all first homebuyers

NSW Premier Chris Minns, the Waverly Council and the Scentre Group, which owns Westfield, will observe the first anniversary at Bondi Junction today.

Speaking on Today, the NSW Premier said today is a "harrowing day" for Sydney and the families of victims.

"I can only imagine what those families are going through," Minns said.

"One year on, they'd be thinking about their loved ones, what they would have achieved over the last 12 months and what lay ahead of them if they were still with us.

"The thing that strikes me about all six of the people that were killed is how bright and optimistic they were, how they were focused on the future.

"And I think that's what makes today so harrowing and difficult for the people involved."

Officials and emergency services representatives will lay floral bouquets at the commemorative display boards that have been installed at Oxford Street Mall.

The display, which will remain in place until April 16, will share photos and messages and will be a space for people to reflect on the tragedy.

Cauchi's victims were: 25-year-old Dawn Singleton, 27-year-old Yixuan Cheng, 30-year-old Faraz Tahir, 38-year-old Ashlee Good, 47-year-old Jade Young and 55-year-old Pikria Darchia.

READ MORE: Bondi Junction stabbing survivor living with 'mental trauma' one year on

READ MORE: Jacinta Price denies 'Make Australia Great Again' remark, Peter Dutton deflects

Yesterday, on the eve of the first anniversary, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the nation in a video message to "pause to remember those whose lives were stolen on what should have been just another Saturday".

"Hold on to all they were and all they had ahead of them. This should not be an anniversary," he said.

"They should still be here – with their families, their friends and in their communities, with all their hopes and dreams and joys that are the very essence of life."

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest i breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

A manhunt is under way after a 41-year-old woman was stabbed inside a unit in Sydney's CBD.

The incident unfolded at a complex on Bowman Street in Pyrmont about 4.50 am today.

Police were told a man had allegedly forced entry into the unit and stabbed the woman in the head before fleeing.

READ MORE: Single mum left $30k out of pocket after developer pulls the pin

Paramedics treated her at the scene and she was taken to hospital in a stable condition.

The man and woman are believed to be known to each other, according to police.

Another woman and two children were also in the home at the time, but suffered no injuries.

Police have established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the incident.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

An autistic, non-verbal teenage boy who was shot repeatedly by US police from the other side of a chain link fence while he was holding died on Saturday (local time) after being removed from life support, his family said.

Victor Perez, 17, who also had cerebral palsy, had been in a coma since the April 5 shooting, and tests on Friday showed that he had no brain activity, his aunt, Ana Vazquez, told The Associated Press.

He had undergone several surgeries, with doctors removing nine bullets and amputating his leg.

READ MORE: Community grieves toddler killed by out-of-control car

Police in the south-west Idaho city of Pocatello responded to a 911 call reporting that an apparently intoxicated man with a knife was chasing someone in a yard.

It turned out to be Perez, who was not intoxicated but walked with a staggered gait due to his disabilities, Vazquez said.

His family members had been trying to get the large kitchen knife away from him.

Video taken by a neighbour showed that Perez was lying in the yard after falling over when four officers arrived and rushed to the fence at the edge of the yard.

READ MORE: Child killer Rick Thorburn found dead in jail

They immediately ordered Perez to drop the knife, but instead he stood and began stumbling toward them.

Officers opened fire within about 12 seconds of getting out of their patrol cars and made no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation.

The shooting outraged Perez’s family and Pocatello residents, and a vigil had been planned for Saturday morning outside the Pocatello hospital where he was treated.

“Everybody was trying to tell the police, no, no,” Vazquez said. “Those four officers didn’t care. They didn’t ask what was happening, what was the situation.”

“How’s he going to jump the fence when he can barely walk?” she said.

The officers, whose names have not been released, were placed on administrative leave.

Decisions about whether charges should be filed against them will be made after an independent investigation by the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Team, Bannock County Prosecutor Ian Johnson told the AP via email.

“When that investigation is complete a report will be submitted for review,” he said. “In a continued effort to ensure independent and objective consideration, said report will be reviewed by an agency outside of Bannock County.”

Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad said in a statement on Friday, after the family announced that Perez had no brain activity, that officials’ thoughts and prayers were with them.

“We recognise the pain and grief this incident has caused in our community,” Blad said.

Blad said on Thursday that the city was “addressing this matter with the seriousness and thoroughness it deserves and with the appropriate respect for the gravity of the situation.”

“The criminal, external, and internal investigations regarding the officer-involved shooting are underway, which is why we cannot answer questions out of concern of interfering with or compromising the investigation,” he said.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

A woman hospitalised after being rescued from the rubble of a roof collapse at a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic died on Saturday, raising the death toll to 226, health officials said.

The latest victim was a 41-year-old Costa Rican national, according to the National Health Service.

Earlier in the day, health officials said four other people hospitalised after the disaster had died overnight.

READ MORE: Bondi Junction stabbing survivor living with 'mental trauma' one year on

Officials said 189 people were rescued alive from the rubble of the popular venue in the capital Santo Domingo.

More than 200 were injured, with 14 still hospitalised, including four in critical condition.

The roof at the Jet Set nightclub collapsed during a merengue concert in the early hours of Tuesday. Politicians, athletes and a fashion designer were among those enjoying live music when disaster struck.

As of Saturday, friends and relatives remained at a forensics institute waiting for the return of their loved ones' bodies. Later in the day, health authorities said 225 bodies had been returned to their families.

Health minister Victor Attalah told journalists there had been a delay in identifying victims because the majority of them had to be matched using biometric data.

Victims identified so far include former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera. Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi, whose brother is seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz, also died.

Officials have said it is too soon to determine why the roof fell, although prosecutors visited the scene on Thursday after rescue crews began packing up and removed heavy equipment.

On Thursday, President Luis Abinader and First Lady Raquel Arbaje attended the burial of singer Rubby Pérez in Santo Domingo’s National Theater.

Pérez had been performing on stage at the packed club when dust began falling from the ceiling and, seconds later, the roof caved. Mourners clad in black and white streamed into the theater and some doubled over in tears as a recording of Pérez singing the national anthem played.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

At least three quarters of the weeds choking our waterways and invading our national parks are escaped garden plants. Click through to see some of the popular household plants that have escaped the garden to become invasive weeds.

Erik and Lyle Menendez’s resentencing hearings can continue despite opposition from the Los Angeles County district attorney, a judge ruled on Friday.

They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at ages 18 and 21 after being convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

While defence attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defence after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multi-million-dollar inheritance.

READ MORE: Child killer Rick Thorburn found dead in jail

The case has captured the public’s attention for decades, and the Netflix drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and the documentary The Menendez Brothers released in the fall of 2024, have been credited for bringing new attention to the case.

Supporters of the brothers have flown in from across the country to attend rallies and hearings in the past few months.

Former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón asked a judge last year to change the brothers’ sentence from life without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life.

That would make them immediately eligible for parole because they committed the crime when they were younger than 26.

But Gascón’s successor reversed course.

Nathan Hochman submitted a motion last month to withdraw the resentencing request.

Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian said during Friday's hearing they could not support the brothers’ resentencing because the brothers had not admitted to lies told during their trial about why they killed their parents nor have they taken complete responsibility for their crime.

“They are the same people they were," Balian said.

“They have not changed.”

READ MORE: Biological parents of baby born to wrong couple in IVF bungle have no legal right to child

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic that argument is “fair game” for prosecutors to make during the resentencing hearing.

The brothers appeared in court over Zoom but didn’t make any public statements.

“They’ve waited a long time to get some justice," the brothers’ attorney, Mark Geragos, said of the family.

Balian said that the key issue with Gascón’s resentencing petition was that it did not fully address rehabilitation and missed key elements of the original crime committed.

“What does it (rehabilitation) mean? To learn from your mistakes and truly understand that you were wrong,” Balian said.

Balian presented evidence and video clips of the brothers' testimony from the first trial to demonstrate instances where they “hunkered down in their bunker of deceit, lies, and deception".

He said the brothers killed their parents out of greed when they learned they would be taken out of the will, citing psychiatrist's notes that he said showed “this was not self-defence.”

Geragos called the presentation a “dog and pony show” and said it was “nothing more than political cover” as a result of Hochman defeating Gascón in the district attorney’s race.

“They have authorised the denial of sexual abuse,” Geragos said of the prosecution’s presentation.

READ MORE: How AI art is 'damaging' Australian artists

Geragos argued the judge had full authority to proceed with resentencing under a California law passed in 2023 that allows a court to recall a sentence and initiate resentencing at any point in time.

Geragos also objected to Balian including a photo of the deceased and bloody Menendez parents in his presentation, which he said “retraumatised” family members and victims.

The family's relationship with Hochman has soured since he took office.

Most of the brothers' extended family supports their resentencing.

Tamara Goodall, a cousin of the brothers, submitted a complaint with the state asking that Hochman be removed from the case.

She wrote that Hochman had a “hostile, dismissive and patronising tone” in meetings with the family and created an “intimidating and bullying atmosphere".

Geragos pointed out that Hochman demoted Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford, the two deputy district attorneys who filed the original resentencing motion.

Theberge and Lunsford have since filed lawsuits against Hochman alleging harassment, discrimination and retaliation for their work on the Menendez brothers case.

“We look forward to a full, fair presentation of who Eric and Lyle are today, not just a version frozen in time in a time of pain and fear, but the whole truth — the growth, the humanity and the men they’ve become,” said Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the brothers, after the hearing concluded.

READ MORE: Trump has 90 days to do 150 trade deals. Financial markets aren't buying it

Without resentencing, the brothers would still have two other pathways to freedom.

They have submitted a clemency plea to California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has ordered the state parole board to assess whether the brothers could pose a public risk if released.

The brothers also submitted a petition for habeas corpus in May 2023 asking the court to grant them a new trial in light of new evidence presented.

Hochman's office also filed a motion opposing the petition.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Exclusive: Comic artist Evie Hilliar says she has been left feeling "tired" and "helpless" over the Artificial Intelligence art trend.

Recently, social media has been ablaze with AI artworks mimicking the Studio Ghibli art style, made famous by the legendary Japanese animators Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki and Yasuyoshi Tokuma.

Hilliar has personally been affected by the AI art trend, with her digital comics taken and turned into animations using AI, without giving her credit or asking her permission.

READ MORE: Six dead after helicopter crashes into New York's Hudson River

"It's no secret most artists are very much against AI… in terms of ripping off other people's styles, of course I'm against it, but I don't think there's any stopping it," Hilliar told 9News.

"I feel a bit helpless, I've tried to AI generate my own work to see what comes up, and it does a pretty good job.

"I see a lot on TikTok and Youtube, people have taken my comics and put AI voices over it… Honestly, it bothers me because I don't get that traction; if I don't get credit, then I don't get work.

"This is taking away from me making a living."

Art law experts say the trend is "damaging" to the Australian art landscape, as a complex combination of gaps in copyright and ethical ambiguity creates issues for already struggling Aussie artists.

READ MORE: Trump officials restrict access to president's daily intelligence briefing

"We're really concerned about the implications for Australian artists and artists around the world," CEO of Arts Law Australia and copyright law expert Dr Louise Buckingham said.

"Their livelihoods are being undermined by this capacity for cheap and free inauthentic lookalike products, and all the ways the law falls short in this area… it ends up harming them.

"Copyright doesn't protect or subsist in things like styles and techniques… that's why doing something in the style of (another artist) using a generative AI tool can be really damaging… (art)works can be vulnerable in that sense."

It's not just the law surrounding the AI art that's complex – the issue has also caused division of opinions in the art world.

Sydney-based artist Werner Bronkorst has no issues with the use of AI in art, but said he understands why some people would be upset if a beloved art style is copied.

"I'm sure it would be kind of a gut-wrenching feeling when something that you've worked for your whole entire life is now being kind of mass-produced and people are benefiting from that," he said.

"On the other hand, if it's not infringing on any copyright… if you can't copyright a style then to me personally I don't have a problem with AI.

"On a broader spectrum as an artist, AI is a really good tool, and you can use it for good or bad.

"I don't use it a lot, but I did last year for a collection of mine where I drew cars with charcoal…that's me drawing, still creating artwork, but I used AI to generate images that I draw – that way I don't infringe on other artists' photographs."

READ MORE: Woman gives birth to stranger's baby after IVF bungle

While copyright doesn't apply to art styles or techniques, it does apply to artworks themselves.

If a "substantial part" of an existing artwork is mimicked, the person involved in making it could absolutely face legal repercussions, even if they were unaware that the model had used parts of an existing work.

Artists also have the right to attribution, which is likely infringed upon in the generative AI process, Buckingham said.

"[The AI model] might end up seeming to have used a substantial part of the underlying work… looking at the Studio Ghibili phenomenon, you might end up with a pretty clear-cut example where it looks like a substantial part of an existing Ghibli artwork has been reproduced," she said.

"Any person who's been involved with the things that are exclusively within the rights of the copyright owner…anyone doing any part of that activity can be liable."

READ MORE: Remains of dozens of First Nations ancestors return home

A substantial part of an artwork can include anything that makes the work distinctive, vital, important or essential.

Fines for copyright infringement can vary; one notable case saw Clive Palmer paying $1.2 million for the misuse of We're not gonna take it by the Twisted Sisters in political advertising.