A man was seen wearing one of their stolen shirts after they tracked their missing tech.

The driver of an Audi A3 escaped a spectacular crash in Hamilton largely unscathed.

MPs literally counted down the final seconds of Parliament.

One seller said the price of bunkers ranges from $31,000 to the multi-millions.

A Queensland council has rolled out a ban prohibiting homeless people from having pets or publicly sleeping in vans, with those caught breaking the rules facing hefty fines.

The new bans were unanimously passed at the City of Moreton Bay council meeting last Thursday.

During the meeting, Mayor Peter Flannery said more than 200 people were sleeping rough in the Moreton Bay area.

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Flannery noted the council had received complaints about people camping in public spaces for extended periods and that attacks had occurred from unrestrained animals.

He said the issue was costing the council more than $2 million annually, with expenditure increasing within the last 12 months.

"This is unacceptable and I will not stand for it any longer," Councillor Flannery said at the meeting.

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As part of the council's homelessness framework public sleeping in caravans, camper trailers and other vehicles for the purposes of camping, is prohibited on public land.

Flannery said the vehicles had a "detrimental impact" on public spaces and that "they should be utilised in caravan parks or other parks".

The framework also prohibits animals being kept in public spaces, with Councillor Flannery adding that the current risk they posed to the public was "unacceptable".

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"We've seen the serious consequences of animal attacks in public spaces where animals are kept in public spaces and not kept under control," he said.

Councillor Sandra Ruck took to social media today to defend the move, saying people experiencing homelessness were able to remain on site if they "comply with various responsibilities".

Ruck said such responsibilities include, "not impeding reasonable access by other community members and council officers undertaking their duties, not conducting illegal behaviour and keeping the area clean, safe and tidy".

There are no state-wide laws prohibiting people from sleeping in their car, although councils can implement by-laws.

In Queensland, local councils in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Fraser Coast, and Sunshine Coast, already have rules and restrictions in place.

Generally in these councils, people are only permitted to sleep in a car if they are in an area where it's legal to camp.

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Alan Jones has spoken for the first time since being charged with historical sexual assault.

The 83-year-old fronted Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court today on fresh charges relating to at least 10 alleged victims.

Jones is facing 34 charges, including an additional eight charges laid this morning.

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In front of a chaotic media scrum outside the court, Jones said the allegations were "either baseless or they distort the truth".

"Firstly, let me say this I'm certainly not guilty, and I will be presenting my account to the jury," he told reporters.

"I will not be engaging in the running commentary in the media."

Jones claimed police gave him "no opportunity" to respond to the allegations.

"I have never indecently assaulted these people. 

"The law assumes that I'm not guilty and I am not guilty. And I am not guilty.

"That is all I can say at the moment but I'm emphatic that I'll be defending every charge before a jury in due course."

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This morning it was revealed another eight indecent assault charges had been levelled against Jones.

In a release, police said the new charges related to a 10th alleged victim.

The previously laid charges related to alleged offences that took place between 2001 and 2019, with the youngest of the complainants aged 17 at the time.

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Police arrested the renowned broadcaster at his luxury apartment in Sydney's Circular Quay in November.

Another alleged victim came forward soon after the highly publicised arrest, resulting in authorities bringing two additional charges at that time.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb previously said it was anticipated other complainants would come forward after the allegations became public.

"There's no such thing as a matter that's too old to be investigated," she said.

"What I'd say to victims is that there is no better time to come forward than now, and you will be listened to and we will take your matter seriously."

Jones' lawyer Chris Murphy said his client would defend the charges.

"He's presumed innocent," he said.

Jones began a hugely influential life on the airwaves in 1985 after a failed career in politics, becoming a feared interviewer who excelled at grilling leaders while dividing audiences with his outspoken, conservative views.

He worked with Sydney radio station 2UE before joining rival 2GB, where he was a long-time ratings juggernaut.

The State Crime Command's Child Abuse Squad established Strike Force Bonnefin in March to investigate media reports airing allegations of abuse by Jones.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Australia's budget is expected to spiral into deeper deficits over the next four years as government spending outweighs revenue.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers today blamed the deficits on "unavoidable spending" while delivering the Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).

The deficit this year, $26.9 billion, is a "little bit smaller than expected", Chalmers said.

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Over the next four years, it's forecast the deficit will balloon to a combined $143 billion – some $21.8 billion worse than at budget.

Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said $8.8 billion in spending was for unavoidable projects including new infrastructure and domestic violence funding.

"We have made a lot of progress," Chalmers said today.

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"We are on track for a soft landing in our economy. The economy is growing, but slowly."

"Our gross debt position is a fraction of what we see in comparable countries," he added.

Gallagher also blamed the "slippages" in the budget on urgent spending.

"While the budget position is $1.3 billion better off than forecast at budget, the slippage across the forward estimates is really down to urgent, unavoidable or automatic spending," she said.

"Unavoidable spending is half of those decisions in MYEFO."

In a grim forecast, net debt is projected to hit $1.6 trillion by the 2027/28 financial year.

This is up from $940 billion this year.

Chalmers said the interest carried on the debt is a major concern.

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"That is because the more debt we carry in the budget, the more interest we pay on that debt," he said.

"We can all think of better destinations of those billions of dollars than paying interest on debt, and that's one of the motivations for the work that all of us, but especially Katie, have done in trying to get that debt down."

Within the budget is a mystery $5.5 billion which has not yet been announced.

Chalmers said a key priority is rolling out the cost of living relief to Australian households.

"People getting those tax cuts, the energy bill relief, cheaper medicines, cheaper early childhood education, rent assistance, student debt relief, getting wages moving again…" he said.

"Those are our efforts to help people with the cost of living and to take some of the pressure off household budgets."

The treasurer then said he believed the Albanese government has handed down a "responsible set of books" ahead of the federal election net year.

The budget deficit follows two financial years of surpluses in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

An endangered Australian cockatoo is at risk of disappearing altogether if urgent action isn't taken to protect it from a changing environment.

Western Australia government researchers say the Carnaby's cockatoo is like to see its habitat shrink even further in coming years with the ongoing onset of hotter and drier weather.

The cockatoo is only found in Western Australia and is one of the state's iconic animals.

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But researchers said in the journal Pacific Conservation Biology there were "few opportunities" left to help. The federal Department of Agriculture estimates the bird's population has already fallen by 50 per cent in the past 45 years.

And they're set to face more trials, with winters in south-western Australia, where the cockatoos live, are predicted to become 16 per cent drier, while spring rainfall will drop by 20 per cent.

Added to that, the number of days hotter than 35 degrees are predicted to increase.

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That temperature is too hot for the birds to forage, curbing their ability to feed.

Carnaby's cockatoo is already classed as endangered by WA, Australia, and internationally.

Its habitat has been greatly reduced since European colonisation, with land given over to farming, mining, and infrastructure.

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The researchers urged the government to focus on revegetation, including repairing old tree hollows the cockatoos used for nesting, as well as providing artificial ones.

"In planning for regeneration, planning must be done with a time-frame of centuries, not decades," the wrote.

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The New York architect facing murder charges in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings was charged overnight in the death of a seventh woman.

Rex Heuermann pleaded not guilty to killing Valerie Mack, whose remains were first found on Long Island in 2000. Mack, 24, had been working as an escort in Philadelphia and was last seen by her family that year in New Jersey.

Some of Mack's skeletal remains were initially discovered in Manorville, New York; authorities found more of her remains about 80km west, in Gilgo Beach, more than 10 years later. They were unidentified until genetic testing revealed her identity in 2020.

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Human hair found with Mack's remains was sent for testing earlier this year and found to be a likely match with the genetic profile of Heuermann's daughter, prosecutors said in court papers. His daughter is not accused of any wrongdoing and would have been three or four years old when Mack died.

Heuermann, 61, is charged with killing six other women whose remains were found on Long Island. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

"The lives of these women matter. We, as investigators, understand that. No one understands that more than the families," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference with Mack's parents and other victims' relatives.

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Mack's parents didn't speak. But four other victims' relatives gave the Macks roses and hugs and, through an attorney, expressed their sadness and solidarity.

"They were, and they are, loved. And they are missed every day by those who knew them and who had a strong bond with them," said Gloria Allred, who represents the families of Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Megan Waterman.

Outside of court, Heuermann's lawyer Michael Brown disputed the evidence presented in Mack's death, noting that hair samples collected from Mack's body were recovered more than a year ago and saying the DNA technology used to connect her and other victims to his client has never been deemed reliable in a New York case.

He also argued that Tierney's office has yet to produce any proof any victims' DNA was found in Heuermann's home, including the many weapons and tools seized during recent searches of the property.

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"There's something a little weird about these allegations," Brown said. "Something that doesn't sit right."

The investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings dates back to 2010, when police searching for a missing woman found 10 sets of human remains in the scrub along a barrier island parkway, prompting fears of a serial killer.

Over the years, investigators used DNA analysis and other clues to identify the victims, many of whom were sex workers. In some cases, authorities connected them to remains found elsewhere on Long Island years earlier. Police also began re-examining other unsolved killings of women found dead on Long Island.

The case has dragged on through five police commissioners, more than 1000 tips, and doubts about whether there was a serial killer at all.

Heuermann, who lived with his wife and two children in Massapequa Park on Long Island and commuted to a Manhattan architecture office, was arrested on July 13, 2023. At that point, he was charged with murdering Barthelemy, Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello.

Earlier this year, he was charged in the deaths of three other women — Brainard-Barnes, Taylor and Sandra Costilla.

In a June court filing, prosecutors said they had recovered a file on a hard drive in Heuermann's basement that he used to "methodically blueprint" his killings — including checklists with tasks to tick off before, during and afterward, as well as lessons for "next time."

In court papers on Tuesday, prosecutors said the document, which was created the same year as Mack's murder, includes details that align with her case.

For example, it names "Mill Road" — a road near where Mack's first remains were found — under the heading "DS," which investigators believe stands for "dump site."

The document also lists "foam drain cleaner" under "Supplies."

Prosecutors say that on October 3, 2000, Heuermann's phone records appear to show him making two calls to a Long Island plumbing company, and he paid another company the following month to check his mainline drain.

In recent searches of Heuermann's home and office, authorities say they found old magazines and newspapers with articles about the Gilgo Beach killings and investigation that prosecutors believe he kept as "souvenirs" or "mementos."

Among them was a July 29, 2003, copy of the New York Post that included an article about the investigation into Mack and Taylor's remains.

Investigators say evidence points to Heuermann's home as the scene of the killings — in most cases, when his family was out of town.

Tierney said authorities don't know where his relatives were when Mack was killed.

Prosecutors are also looking into the death of Karen Vergata, whose remains were first discovered in 1996 and finally identified in 2022 after a new DNA analysis.

In September, authorities released new renderings of an unidentified victim who was found in 2011. Officials said the victim, whom for years they had identified as male, may have presented outwardly as female and died in 2006.

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The father and stepmother of Sara Sharif, a severely abused 10-year-old girl found dead in her home in England, were sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for murder.

Urfan Sharif, 42, and Beinash Batool, 30, were convicted of murder last week in her death in what prosecutors called a "campaign of abuse".

The girl's uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing the girl's death. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

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After the girl died, the three fled to Pakistan, where Urfan Sharif phoned UK police to say he "legally punished her, and she died", prosecutors said.

He said he "beat her up too much" but didn't intend to kill her.

Police in London then went to the family's home and discovered Sara's body under a blanket in a bunk bed on August 10, 2023.

The three later returned to Britain more than a month after they fled and were arrested on suspicion of murder.

The trial in the Central Criminal Court exposed horrific details of abuse that included more than 70 fresh injuries and many older ones, including bruising, burns, fractures and bite marks and raised questions about failures by social services and authorities to intervene and protect her.

"Sara's death was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as the torture of this small child," Justice John Cavanagh said.

"The degree of cruelty is almost inconceivable. … None of you have shown a shred of true remorse."

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Politicians and other officials have called for a review of what went wrong and urged reforms to prevent a repeat of such cases.

"Her death is a heartbreaking reminder of the profound weaknesses in our child protection system that, as a country, we have failed time and time again to correct," Rachel de Souza, children's commissioner for England, said in a statement after the trial.

"We have been here before — and each time we have said 'never again'."

Following the trial, family court records were released, showing Urfan Sharif and his former wife, Olga Sharif, had been on the social services' radar three years before Sara was born.

The father and stepmother got custody of Sara and her older brother after reports that their mother abused them.

Despite accusations that Urfan Sharif was physically abusing his children, the accusations were never tested in court.

Surrey County Council, which raised repeated concerns that Sara was likely to be physically and emotionally abused by her parents, plans to review the circumstances of her death. Child services had investigated after her school reported Sara was bruised but the agency took no further action.

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Her father later took her out of school to prevent authorities from discovering the abuse, the judge said. She was not schooled at home.

Olga Sharif called her daughter's killers cowards, sadists and executioners, in a statement read by a prosecutor.

"I can't understand how someone can be such a sadist to a child," she said.

"She is now an angel who looks down on us from heaven, she is no longer experiencing violence."

During the trial, Sharif initially blamed Batool for Sara's death but later told jurors he took "full responsibility". He admitted throttling her with his hands and battering her with a cricket bat and other objects.

The prosecution said the violence became so normalized that no one reacted when she appeared with bruises at a family barbecue.

Her parents made her wear a hijab — not for religious reasons — but to "cover up the bruises that were all over Sara's body", Cavanagh said.

Sara was described as feisty and dreamed of being a fairy tale princess. Her spirit came across in a video taken two days before her death showing her dancing at home, despite multiple broken bones and iron burns on her bottom.

"Despite everything, she smiled at the camera," the judge noted.