EV manufacturer goes bust, teen boy charged over allegedly ranking female students: Australia news live

The highly contagious avian flu has been detected at a poultry egg farm in NSW, sending the farm into immediate lockdown, as the state enacts its emergency biosecurity measures.

The detection was made at a property in the Hawkesbury district, about 50km from the Sydney CBD, with official testing from the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness confirming the virus as High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI).

However the H7N8 strain is not linked to the curent virus plaguing seven farms in Victoria, and believed to be a seperate spill-over event, or even from wild birds.

Read more here.

Residents in NSW are once again being warned about high-dose MDMA pills in circulation.

The grey irregular-shaped tablets have an imprint ‘LION’ text on one side and contain roughly twice the amount of ecstasy a normal pill does.

“The amount of MDMA in a tablet or capsule can vary a lot, even within the same batch. The health risks from MDMA are greatly increased if high amounts (including multiple doses) are consumed over a short period," NSW Health's Dr Darren Roberts said.

“Hot environments, such as at music festivals, increase the risk of harm from MDMA. Taking a break from dancing, seeking shade, and drinking water are important measures to reduce the risk of overheating."

EV manufacturer Fisker has gone bust as the industry continues to face underwhelming sales.

Demand has been weak for US start-up Fisker's flagship Ocean electric SUV. The company cut jobs and paused investments to slow cash burn, partnered with dealerships to boost sales and desperately sought an investment from a major automaker to stay alive. None of that worked.

Other US EV startups are lowering manufacturing costs, laying off workforce, and racing to develop cheaper models to navigate a slump in demand due to steep borrowing costs.

China's ability to offer cheaper EVs has also hampered sales of Western-produced EVs including Tesla.

Read more here.

Well this is certainly a meeting that Western leaders will be watching closely.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-un, his first visit in 20 years, as their relationship continues to prosper. Kim has been accused of supplying arms to Russia as its war in Ukraine continues.

The streets of Pyongyang were lined with portraits of Putin and Russian flags for the 71-year-old's arrival.

A teenage boy has been charged over a social media post that allegedly ranked female students.

The boy, 17, has been accused of creating a ranking system that categorised female students from Foxwell State Secondary College in Coomera.

An investigation was launched last month after an Instagram post emerged ranking students as “abduction material”, “one night stand”, “average” and “unrapeable”.

Queensland police said on Wednesday a boy had been charged with three counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence.

The boy is not a student at the school.

Senior Sergeant Greg Aubort from Gold Coast District Child Protection said the case highlighted the serious consequences of using online platforms to intimidate or harass others.

“Police urge the community to remain vigilant and report any instances of cyberbullying or online harassment,” he said.

“Such behaviour not only affects the wellbeing of individuals but also carries significant legal ramifications.”

- NCA News

Tens of thousands of Australians in five states could be living near nuclear power plants if the coalition wins the next federal election.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has unveiled details of his much-anticipated nuclear energy policy, which will put nuclear power plants in Australia's former fossil fuel heartlands.

A coalition government will attempt to build a total of seven plants at existing coal-fired power stations, with the assets owned by the Commonwealth.

This includes Loy Yang Power Station in Victoria's Gippsland area, Callide and Tarong in Queensland, Port Augusta in South Australia, Collie in West Australia, Mount Piper at Lithgow in central west NSW and Liddell in NSW's Hunter region.

"We want to utilise the existing assets that we've got, and the poles and wires that are used at the moment on the coal-fired power station sites ... to distribute the energy generated from the latest generation nuclear reactors," Mr Dutton told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.

Read more here.

- AAP

Plenty of Aussies take great pride in their nature strip. But would you go that extra yard to keep your neighbour's patch looking as good as yours?

Well one resident won't and has been called "un-Australian" over their actions on Reddit. A photo of their neatly-mown strip was shared on the site but the cut grass abruptly ends with the home's boundary, leaving a patch of long grass on the other side. While we don't know the exact circumstances, many online are divided about whether it should have been cut as well.

Would you have cut the neighbour's grass on their nature strip? Have your say below.

A Sydney GP will inherit millions of dollars from a patient after he was written into his will as the main beneficiary, despite friend’s of the deceased man and the Salvation Army challenging the decision.

Dr Peter Alexakis won a NSW Court of Appeal case last month, and will inherit 90 per cent of the estate left behind by his patient, Raymond McClure, 84.

As he had never married or had children, the bulk of his $24 million fortune was previously left to the Salvation Army in a previous will.

Several months prior to his death in 2017, Mr McClure changed his will to make Dr Alexakis the main beneficiary and leave 65 per cent of his estate to him.

This will was later changed again, with Dr Alexakis receiving 90 per cent of Mr McClure’s estate, including his home in Strathfield, in Sydney’s west.

In a previous version of Mr McClure’s will, two of his friends were set to inherit up to 35 per cent between them, which was later changed to just 10 per cent.

Dr Alexakis had been Mr McClure’s GP since 2015, making numerous hospital visits and later to his paitent’s home.

This wasn’t the first time Dr Alexakis had inherited some money after the death of a patient, as in 2014 he was bequeathed $86,380.

Read more here.

- NCA NewsWire

More than 10 million in our two biggest cities have endured a chilly winter's night as a cold blast sent the mercury plunging.

For those in Sydney and Melbourne, Wednesday was the coldest morning of the year with temperatures sitting at a chilly 7C and 1.6C respectively.

A day earlier Queenslanders in Roma struggled through -3.5C nighttime lows.

KFC has been forced to stop selling chicken nuggets at hundreds of stores in Victoria and South Australia.

The fast food giant is experiencing disruptions to its supply chain and has stressed the temporary decision is not a result of Victoria's bird flu outbreak that has impacted several poultry farms.

We take you to the US now where singer and actor Justin Timberlake has been charged after he was allegedly caught intoxicated behind the wheel in The Hamptons.

He reportedly told police he'd only had one martini when he was pulled over in his BMW after midnight when he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign.

Sag Harbor Village police officer Michael Arkinson wrote in his report it was "ascertained" Timberlake was driving the BMW "in an intoxicated condition in that his eyes were bloodshot and glassy." Arkinson claimed there was "a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from [Timberlake's] breath."

Take a look at his mugshot below and read more here.

Human remains have been discovered at a popular beach on the NSW north coast.

A volunteer made the shocking discovery of the decomposed body at Jetty Beach in Coffs Harbour just after 10am Tuesday.

The volunteer was on the beach when they came across bones in the dunes about 10 metres away from a picnic spot.

NSW Police were quickly alerted after receiving reports of the human remains.

Once they arrived, officers attached to the Coffs-Clarence Police District located the remains and cordoned off the area.

It’s understood the remains may have been there for some time, due to the absence of flesh on them or clothing within the vicinity.

Strike Force Osbox has been established in order to “investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident”.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact the Coffs-Clarence Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

- NCA NewsWire