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Budget retailer faces 130 charges over alleged safety offences

Budget retailer Panda Mart is facing 130 charges for electrical safety offences after allegedly stocking dozens of dangerous lamp models and other household electrical goods in March last year that posed an electrocution risk.

Energy Safe Victoria charged the company after it allegedly supplied electrical products that did not comply with mandatory safety requirements.

This includes many items not marked with the required Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) that indicates a product is up to Australian standards.

Energy Safe Victoria also alleged that when the products were being sold, Panda Mart was not a registered "Responsible Supplier" on the national Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) as required.

The investigation began after the regulator received information from another regulator in New Zealand related to possible non-compliant products being sold by the retailer.

In March last year, Energy Safe enforcement officers and equipment safety compliance engineers inspected the retailer's Cranbourne store and Dandenong warehouse.

More than 50 models of desks and table lamps were later seized with suspected safety hazards, including some with inadequate insulation and exposed live parts, which could potentially cause an electric shock if touched.

A voluntary recall was conducted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of the lamps shortly after.

A prohibition notice was issued to the budget retailer in July last year, barring it from supplying portable lamps in Victoria unless the regulator confirms the products meet relevant standards.

Customers who purchased the table lamps from Panda Mart were urged to return them to the retailer immediately.

In Victoria, it is illegal to supply appliances that do not meet safety standards, carrying a maximum penalty of almost $50,000.

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Defendant in Charlie Kirk's killing asks judge to disqualify prosecutors

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The 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is due back in court as his attorneys seek to disqualify prosecutors in the case over an alleged conflict of interest.

Tyler Robinson is charged with aggravated murder in Kirk's September 10 shooting on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, just a few kilometres north of the Provo courthouse. Prosecutors with the Utah County Attorney's Office plan to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.

An 18-year-old child of a deputy county attorney attended the campus event where Kirk was shot. The child, whose name was redacted from court filings, later texted with their father in the Utah County Attorney's Office to describe the chaotic events around the shooting, the filings from prosecutors and defence lawyers state.

Tyler Robinson has been identified as the gunman in the Charlie Kirk shooting.

Defence attorneys say that personal relationship is a conflict of interest that "raises serious concerns about past and future prosecutorial decision-making in this case," according to court documents. They also argue that the "rush" to seek the death penalty against Robinson is evidence of "strong emotional reactions" by the prosecution and merits the disqualification of the entire team.

The director of a state council that trains prosecutors said he was not aware of any other major case where attorneys had been disqualified for bias.

"I would bet against the defence winning this motion," Utah Prosecution Council Director Robert Church said. "They've got to a show a substantial amount of prejudice and bias."

Several thousand people attended the outdoor rally where Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point USA who helped mobilise young people to vote for President Donald Trump, was shot as he took questions from the audience. The adult child of the deputy county attorney did not see the shooting, according to an affidavit submitted by prosecutors.

"While the second person in line was speaking with Charlie, I was looking around the crowd when I heard a loud sound, like a pop. Someone yelled, 'he's been shot,' " the child stated in the affidavit.

The child later texted a family group chat to say "CHARLIE GOT SHOT." In the aftermath of the shooting, the child did not miss classes or other activities, and reported no lasting trauma "aside from being scared at the time," the affidavit said.

Prosecutors have asked District Judge Tony Graf to deny the disqualification request.

"Under these circumstances, there is virtually no risk, let alone a significant risk, that it would arouse such emotions in any father-prosecutor as to render him unable to fairly prosecute the case," Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray said in a filing.

Gray also said the child was "neither a material witness nor a victim in the case" and that "nearly everything" the person knows about the actual homicide is mere hearsay.

If the Utah county prosecutors were disqualified, the case would likely be picked up by prosecutors in a county with enough resources to handle a large case. That could be Salt Lake City, or possibly even the state attorney general's office, said prosecution council director Church.

Prosecutors have said text messages and DNA evidence connect Robinson to the killing. Robinson reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he "had enough of his hatred."

Police have released this image of the suspect in the Charlie Kirk murder.

At recent hearings, Robinson's legal team has pushed to limit media access in the high-profile case. Graf has prohibited media from publishing photos, videos and live broadcasts that show Robinson's restraints to help protect his presumption of innocence before a trial.

The judge has not ruled on a suggestion by the defence to ban cameras in the courtroom.

Prosecutors are expected to lay out their case against Robinson at a preliminary hearing scheduled to begin May 18.

Trump family eyeing Gold Coast property as latest investment

9News

Donald Trump's family is eyeing their first Trump-branded property on Australian soil, with the Gold Coast the likely destination.

Conversations are underway to build a Trump Tower on the beach at Surfers Paradise.

The property is located on 3 Trickett Street, and has been a vacant block of land since 2013.

The prime piece of real estate is on the Esplanade, the main drag running alongside the beach.

The site has been in development hell since the Iluka Resort was demolished.

The Trump Organisation is now being run by the president's sons Donald Jr and Eric.

They have been prolific in expanding their portfolio globally.

They have upcoming projects in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Dubai, India, Vietnam, Romania, Qatar and Indonesia.

Donald Jr and Eric Trump now run the Trump Organisation.

It currently has multiple properties in the US as well as Dubai, Indonesia, India, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, Uruguay and Vietnam.

The previous plan for a skyscraper on the property.

But most of their projects are not owned by the organisation but are simply branding deals - that is, developers pay the Trumps to put their name on the building.

The details of the prospective deal have not been made public.

No development application has been made to Gold Coast Council.

In 2016, a proposal was made to build the third-tallest building in Australia on the site.

The building would have had 479 luxury apartments, a rooftop pool and a series of restaurants.

The residential skyscraper was given approval by council but the $1.2 billion project never eventuated.

Now all that remains is the basement construction work.

The property was sold for a loss in 2019.

When Donald Trump himself was in Australia in 2008 he said he wouldn't invest in the country without a partner.

"If I do something in Australia, I'd want to have a partner in Australia," he told the Australian Financial Review.

But his wealth has exploded since then, especially in his past year as president.

'Left-wing hack': White House official's vicious tirade against journalist

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has launched a tirade at a journalist who asked about recent US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conduct.

The journalist asked Leavitt about comments made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good last week.

Niall Stanage, a White House columnist for The Hill, questioned assertions from Noem and other members of the Trump administration that ICE is doing "everything correctly".

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt lashed out at a journalist on Thursday (US time).

"32 people died in ICE custody last year, 170 US citizens were detained by ICE, and Renee Good was shot in the head and killed by an ICE agent," Stanage said.

"How is that doing everything correctly?"

Leavitt responded by asking Stanage why Good was killed, to which he replied that an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably.

The White House press secretary then launched a minute-long tirade against Stanage.

"Oh, OK, so you're a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion," she said.

"You're a left-wing hack, you're not a reporter, you're posing in this room as a journalist, and it's so clear by the premise of your question.

"And you, and the people in the media — who have such biases, but fake like you're a journalist — you shouldn't even be sitting in that seat."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington.

Leavitt claimed Stanage was a left-wing activist pretending to be a journalist.

She said ICE agents work to make the nation safer and suggested Stanage focus on innocent Americans killed by 'illegal aliens' in the US.

"Shame on you people in the media who have a crooked view, a biased view, and pretend you're an honest journalist," Leavitt concluded.

In the same press conference, she dodged a question from The Independent about a recent joke from President Donald Trump about cancelling elections.

This week, he told Reuters the US shouldn't even bother with mid-term elections in 2026, although the White House insisted he was joking.

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Donors give hundreds of thousands to Trump heckler suspended by Ford

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Donors have raised close to half a million dollars for a factory worker who was suspended for heckling Donald Trump.

Ford worker TJ Sabula called the president a "paedophile protector" when he visited the plant in Detroit yesterday.

Trump gave Sabula the middle finger and appeared to twice say "f— you".

Donald Trump pointed at and appeared to swear at a factory worker who called him a "pedophile protector".

Ford responded by suspending Sabula without pay.

But the father of two young children said he had "definitely no regrets whatsoever".

"I don't feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity," Sabula told the Washington Post.

"And today I think I did that."

A GoFundMe launched by a friend has already raised $US289,000 ($433,000).

TJ Sabula said he had no regrets after heckling Donald Trump.

Ford issued a statement which did not go into specifics about the exchange.

"One of our core values is respect, and we don't condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities," the auto giant's statement read.

"When that happens, we have a process to deal with it, but we don't get into specific personnel matters."

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded with a statement to TMZ.

"A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response," Cheung said.

Meanwhile, United Auto Workers union representative Laura Dickerson spoke in Sabula's defence.

Donald Trump flashed his middle finger at the heckler.

"He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job," she said.

"The UAW will ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member.

"Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behaviour by anyone - including the President of the United States."

Sabula has been supported by his representative in Congress, Rashida Tlaib.

Rashida Tlaib represents Detroit, Michigan, in the US House of Representatives.

"This worker is a national hero," Tlaib said.

"The president is, in fact, protecting paedophiles. Don't come to my district and expect a warm welcome. Detroit will always speak truth to power. "

Tlaib is a progressive Democratic firebrand and vociferous critic of Trump.

Sabula's jeer directed at Trump was in reference to the president's ties to notorious child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump long resisted releasing Department of Justice files connected to Epstein, with whom he had a long friendship.

When forced by legislation to do so, the Trump administration released only a fraction of files, and many of them were heavily redacted.

Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein together.

Trump called the investigation a "Democratic hoax".

None of Epstein's victims have implicated Trump in any criminal behaviour.

'Great fear' for Queensland even as rain eases after major floods

9News

Queensland's premier has warned residents in the state's north and western regions to remain on high alert for the danger of floods despite rain easing.

David Crisafulli said some parts of the state had received a year's worth of rain in just a week, meaning some catchments were on the brink of bursting.

Several major flood warnings remain in place, including for the Flinders River and Connors-Isaac River, with Crisafulli saying concerns remain even though drenched parts of the state are receiving less rainfall.

Parts of the state received a year's worth of rain in just a week.

"Parts of north and north-west Queensland, they had a year's rainfall in a week, they're just so swollen already," he said on Today.

"In some places, we've got cattle perched on high ground being fed fodder and emergency veterinary supplies to try and keep them alive.

"That's the great fear, is if there is extra rain in catchments that are already high and not going down as quickly as we'd like."

Cloncurry in the state's north-west could see 45 millimetres of rain today, whilst Mount Isa could also cop a drenching of 35 millimetres.

David Crisafulli said flood danger still remains, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning this could come later this week.

Some coastal areas will be less impacted, including around Cairns and Townsville, though the Whitsundays are still receiving rain.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the flood danger may increase at the end of this week as several rivers and catchments struggle to contain the huge amounts of rain over the last fortnight.

Crisafulli said there was light at the end of the tunnel, but insisted the state needed to remain on alert.

"We are on an easing trend, but that doesn't mean there isn't the prospect of those heavy, isolated falls and in already swollen catchments," he said.

Day of mourning date for Bondi terror attack revealed

9News

Australia will mark a national day of mourning for the Bondi Beach terror attack on Thursday, January 22.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement this morning, saying he had discussed the matter with NSW Premier Chris Minns and Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, the spiritual leader of the Chabad community in Bondi.

"This will have a theme of 'light will win', a gathering of unity and remembrance, which has been determined by the rabbi," Albanese said.

"He has shown extraordinary leadership for someone who has lost family members in that community."

On January 22, flags will be flown at half mast in all Commonwealth buildings around Australia.

Albanese said further details would be announced at the end of the week.

The day of mourning comes almost exactly a month after a "day of reflection" on December 21.

On that day, flags were also lowered to half mast on government buildings, while Australians were invited to light a candle and observe a minute's silence at 6.47pm on the day, the time of the attack.

Multiple memorials and vigils have also been held, especially at Bondi, the site of the terror shooting.

A total of 15 people were killed, mostly members of Australia's Jewish community.

One of the alleged gunmen, Sajid Akram, was killed by police at the scene.

His son, Naveed, was wounded and has since been charged with multiple offences, including 15 counts of murder.

Half a million Instagram and Facebook accounts wiped as Meta slams bans 'false' premises

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Meta has revealed it shut down more than half a million accounts before and after Australia's world-first social media ban

In an update today, Meta says it banned 544,052 accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 between December 4 and December 11. Most of the accounts were on Instagram and Facebook

Meta senior account executive Kathleem Walsh used today's announcement to reiterate the company's stance against the ban.

"The premise of the law, which prevents under 16 year-olds from holding a social media account so they aren't exposed to an 'algorithmic experience,' is false," she said.

"Platforms that allow teens to still use them in a logged-out state still use algorithms to determine content the user may be interested in - albeit in a less personalised way that can be appropriately tailored to a person's age."

Walsh identified Meta's major concerns with the ban, including teens being isolated from supportive online communities and a lack of interest in teens and parents upholding the ban.

Minister for Communications and Minister for Sport Anika Wells during an address to the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra on Wednesday 3 December 2025. fedpol Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

She said specific legislation change was the only way to ensure the ban was implemented consistently and to keep up with new platforms that may pop up as a consequence of the new laws.

"Legislation should require app stores to verify age and obtain parental approval before their teens under 16 can download an app," she said.

"This is the only way to guarantee consistent, industry-wide protections for young people, no matter which apps they use, and to avoid the whack-a-mole effect of catching up with new apps that teens will migrate to in order to circumvent the social media ban law."

Walsh said the company was committed to ensuring their platforms comply with the new regulations, and also called on the federal government to commit to an open dialogue with social media companies.

"We call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age-appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans," she said.

'Real risk': Queensland premier warns of new weather threat after ex-cyclone

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Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has urged residents in the state's north to be aware of floods as heavy rain continues to batter the region after ex-cyclone Koji.

The tropical low made landfall in Ayr, south of Townsville, yesterday with large parts of the northern coast lashed by wind and rain.

Wind speeds of 113km/h were recorded at Hamilton Island, while Mackay received around 250mm of rain in less than 24 hours.

A severe weather warning is in place for the Whitsundays region.

A severe weather warning is still in place for the Central Coast and Whitsundays region between Gladstone and Mackay, with several major flood warnings also being issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) in smaller parts of Queensland.

Rockhampton is being told to expect up to 130mm of rain today, with Rolleston further inland potentially copping up to 200mm of rain.

Crisafulli said he was proud of how the state had responded to the ex-cyclone, but insisted the danger was far from over.

The weather threat in Queensland still remains after ex-cyclone Koji.

"Our message remains that there is that risk of heavy rainfall, and that's always been what we've consistently said," Crisafulli told Today.

"There are the real risk of having those really heavy rains, which could lead to flooding because those catchments are very full."

He said there had been no loss of life from the weekend's storms, but around 40,000 livestock and cattle are estimated to have perished due to the weather.

Crisafulli praised the efforts of communities, councils and emergency services and the federal government for helping limit the impact of the severe weather.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli urged residents in impacted regions to remain vigilant as more heavy rains are expected in the next two days.

"At one stage, we were at 23,000 homes and businesses without power, that is now down to 2500," he said.

"That doesn't happen by magic, that happens because people work through the night and resources are on the ground."

He urged Queenslanders to remain vigilant over the next couple of days: "Queenslanders know how to handle heavy rain, we are a very disaster-resilient state, we'll just continue to put out that messaging that there is that risk in the next 24-48 hours of some really significant rainfall in patches.

"If people do the right thing and make their preparations, we will get through this unscathed."

Murder probe after man, 51, dies at immigration detention centre

9News

A 51-year-old man has died at a detention centre in Sydney after being found wounded.

Emergency services were called to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in the city's west at 6.35am today.

The man's body was found with a serious wound.

Homicide police are investigating.

News Pro Zone

Budget retailer faces 130 charges over alleged safety offences

Defendant in Charlie Kirk's killing asks judge to disqualify prosecutors

Trump family eyeing Gold Coast property as latest investment

'Left-wing hack': White House official's vicious tirade against journalist

Donors give hundreds of thousands to Trump heckler suspended by Ford

'Great fear' for Queensland even as rain eases after major floods

Day of mourning date for Bondi terror attack revealed

Half a million Instagram and Facebook accounts wiped as Meta slams bans 'false' premises

'Real risk': Queensland premier warns of new weather threat after ex-cyclone

Murder probe after man, 51, dies at immigration detention centre

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