An alleged Chinese spy who forged a close relationship with Prince Andrew has been identified by a British court, the latest twist in a case that has shone a light on Beijing's influence inside Britain's institutions.

The man, Yang Tengbo, was identified after a judge ruled his anonymity should be removed, PA Media reported this morning.

Tengbo was described in a separate court hearing last week as developing an "unusual degree of trust" with the younger brother of King Charles III.

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In a tribunal hearing on Thursday that upheld an earlier decision to bar Tengbo from the UK, it was revealed that he was authorised to act on Andrew's behalf during business meetings with potential Chinese investors in the UK, and that he was invited to Andrew's 60th birthday party in 2020.

Tengbo said in a statement he had "done nothing wrong or unlawful", and that the "widespread description of me as a 'spy' is entirely untrue", PA Media said.

Concern over China's influence in Britain's politics and institutions has been steadily mounting in Westminster in recent years, and the case is just the latest example of an alleged infiltration by Beijing.

Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee released a report in 2023 outlining its view that China was seeking to target and influence people in the UK's political system.

Tengbo is alleged to have worked for China's United Front Work Department (UFWD), a branch of the ruling Communist Party tasked with gaining influence both at home and overseas. The report described the UFWD – as working to "ensure that politicians and high-profile figures in foreign states are supportive of the CCP, or at the very least do not criticise China or counter its narrative".

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'Tip of the iceberg'

Two men, one of them a parliamentary researcher, are awaiting trial after being charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act on behalf of China, which they deny.

And in 2022 the MI5 spy agency warned lawmakers that Christine Lee, a woman connected to the Chinese Communist Party, had been working to interfere in the UK political process.

Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, who raised the incident in an urgent question in the House of Commons on Monday, told the BBC the case was "the tip of the iceberg".

"The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that's taking place," he said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters on Monday: "Of course we are concerned about the challenge that China poses."

But he resisted calls to toughen Britain's policy on China. Starmer in November became the first prime minister to meet with China's President Xi Jinping for six years. He reiterated on Monday: "Our approach is one of engagement, of co-operating where we need to co-operate, particularly on issues like climate change, to challenge where we must and where we should, particularly on issues like human rights and to compete when it comes to trade."

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A killer has been sentenced to decades behind bars for breaking into a stranger's south-west Sydney home after hearing about "bundles of cash" flashed on a Tinder date.

Joseph Nehme was sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court today after being found guilty of murdering 29-year-old Luke Lembryk during a botched home invasion in Condell Park in 2019.

"It's a big outcome for the family, it's been a long time coming," Luke's brother Jake Lembryk said outside court.

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"I know it's not going to bring him back but it's a step to healing."

Nehme is the last of four people to be sentenced over the killing.

Viliami Taufahema was also found guilty of Luke's murder.

Two co-offenders, Bilal Rahim and Lisa Price, were jailed for manslaughter.

The plan for the home invasion was hatched when Price mentioned seeing "bundles of cash" on a Tinder date with Luke in December 2019.

Tapped phone calls played in court recorded Nehme calling Taufehauma for backup.

"The girl, a girl told me a week ago she was at a house there … listen, 50 grand," Nehme could be heard saying.

"You wanna make money, I've got a job, let's go."

"Where?" Taufehauma asked.

"Condell Park," Nehme replied.

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The two men were in the house for less than two minutes, stabbing Luke five times, including in the heart.

Luke's mother was also assaulted and watched her 29-year-old son die from his injuries.

She died from cancer a few months later.

"Thinking about her last months being in such distress is a hard thing to think about," Jake said today.

Luke's final words were, "I'm dying, they've stabbed me."

The judge said this indicated that two people were there when Luke was attacked, even though Nehme claimed he only entered the house after the murder.

The judge ruled on the balance of probabilities it was his accomplice who inflicted the stab wounds but said Nehme was the "leader of the venture". He was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison, with a non parole period of 15 years.

The Lembryk family faces life without Luke.

"He was a big life, that bloke and he was very hard to lose," Jake said.

Scientists are using molecules found in creepy crawlies to fight untreatable melanoma.

Bacteria-fighting peptides in creatures like the Japanese horseshoe crab and Brazilian tarantula are being copied and tested to see if they can fight cancer cells without impacting healthy cells

Nothing is extracted from the spiders or crabs – the peptides are simply copied and created in a lab.

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"We found they are very potent against melanoma," researcher Sonia Henriques told 9News.

Melanoma is the most serious kind of skin cancer.

According to the Cancer Council, one in 17 Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 85.

And in some cases, skin cancer cells can change to withstand the therapy a patient is undergoing.

However, researchers believe there is no way for the cancer to build defences to these peptides.

A new treatment could still be years away with more testing and clinical trials to be conducted.

Meet three generations of the Wallis family, who are celebrating Christmas a little early this year.

Instead of "traditional" presents, Grandpa John and Grandma Chris have found a way to invest in their grandchildren.

"These days kids have got so much they don't really need a lot more stuff," John Wallis said.

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"We give a monthly donor a contribution, so $25 each to the six grandchildren each month, and then the fund gets topped up occasionally by uncles and aunts."

It's part of a growing trend for baby boomers.

"We are seeing a real rise in those over 60 years, about 25 per cent increase in Australians over 60 opening a kids account," a spokesperson for Vanguard Australia said.

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Vanguard portfolios can be set up in trust for your child with a $25 minimum deposit.

Further contributions are optional. No account fees apply, but underlying investments have fees.

Past 10-year returns ranged from 4.57 per cent (on conservative settings) to 9.66 per cent (in high growth funds), though past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Compound interest is all about earning interest on your interest.

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Imagine you invest $25 a month in a high-growth fund for your child from birth. By age 18, that could grow to $12,107, assuming an 8 per cent return per annum.

The best part? More than half of that balance comes from interest.

Vanguard isn't the only platform – you can buy shares for kids through Commsec's Minor Trust account.

Other portfolios designed for children include online adviser Stockspot and micro-investing platform Raiz.

"Even if it was $10 or $15 a month, putting money aside adds up," Chris Wallis said.

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A former AFL footballer has chased down a brazen shoplifter at a Melbourne shopping centre.

AFL legend Saverio Rocca was at Northland Shopping Centre yesterday when he witnessed a shopper leaving a store without paying.

"I approached the guy and said, 'You shouldn't be doing that … give the stuff back'," Rocca told 9News.

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"He had one look back at me and then took off."

The 51-year-old gave chase before the five-finger thief dropped his loot, which was returned to the store.

Witness Danny Reddon was shocked to see Rocca's off-field heroics.

"He's a big guy … I said, 'that's Sav Rocca'," Reddon said.

"He took the clothes back and I said, 'well done Sav', and he said, 'if he kept running I would have got him'," Reddon said.

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"It felt like about 3 kilometres but it was probably only about 50 metres," Rocca said.

"I felt like I was flying, like I was back in the old days, but I wouldn't have been moving very quick at all."

Rocca was gifted a 40 per cent discount for his good deed, but insists his professional running days are behind him.

"The running on the footy field is long gone … that's the quickest I've run since the footy field," he said.

Rocca kicked 758 goals in more than 250 games with Collingwood and North Melbourne throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

He then joined the American football ranks as a punter with Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles.

CCTV footage has captured the shocking moment an out-of-control car veered into a Melbourne driveway, crashing into a couple's vehicle while their three-year-old daughter was inside.

Haylea had just put her daughter in her car seat, and partner Troy had just gotten in the car when a red Holden Cruze mounted a curb and crashed into their silver Ford Territory in their driveway on Grandvista Boulevard in Werribee about 9.45am on December 11.

The mother was standing next to the car at the time of the crash and was knocked over by the impact.

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She said she got her daughter out of the car and rushed across the road, fearing a fire after the crash.

"I have seen smoke come flying out of the car, so thinking fire or explosion," Haylea said.

The little girl and Troy were not injured.

Haylea suffered cuts and was taken to hospital for stitches.

The driver of the Holden, a 22-year-old Point Cook man, remained at the scene.

Police believe he suffered a medical episode and will undertake a licence review.

The owner said the burglary has left his children feeling nervous and shaken.

There is a risk of flooding as the upper North Island is soaked by the storms.

The 20-year-old was not long out of jail when he robbed a bottle store.

Napier went into last match unbeaten in five consecutive run chases.