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A mother has faced court over the death of her 24-year-old daughter and her daughter's friend, & more in news in 5.

– With AAP.

1. A mother has faced court over the death of her 24-year-old daughter and her daughter’s friend.

A mother is behind bars after facing court over the deaths of two women, including her own daughter, in a shopping centre car park on the NSW mid-north coast.

Linda Britton, 52, is charged with manslaughter, dangerous driving occasioning death, driving in a dangerous manner, and failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death.

Police were called to a Nambucca Heads shopping centre just before midnight on Saturday, where the two women – a 24-year-old from Bellingen and a 20-year-old from Macksville – had been hit by a car.

Both women died at the scene.

Linda Britton Nambucca Heads
Skye Luland's mother is charged with her death. Image: Facebook.
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Linda Britton faced Kempsey Local Court on Monday, where she did not apply for bail.

Her court papers record that "Justice Health required" before her next appearance on October 4.

Her daughter is believed to be 24-year-old Skye Luland and the friend, 20-year-old Kazzandra Widders.

Linda Britton Nambucca Heads
Kazzandra Widders, 20, was one of the victims. Image: Facebook.
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Families of the victims have paid tribute, with Kazzandra Widders' sister-in-law saying the death had left them feeling numb.

"Why you my sister, what am I gonna do without you?" she wrote.

"You were the one that was there for me when I needed you, you would always jump for me Harold and your niece and nephews... You are the bestest sister in-law, the bestest Aunty anyone could ever ask for."

2. Sydney CBD lockout laws could be scrapped but not for Kings Cross.

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NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says her government will look to find balance between safety and a vibrant nightlife after a parliamentary report recommended Sydney CBD lockout laws be scrapped.

The report by the Joint Select Committee on Sydney's Night-time Economy advises the coalition government to lift the 2014 laws in the CBD, saying they cost NSW $16 billion a year.

But the report, released on Monday, says the Kings Cross party precinct is "not yet sufficiently changed" to warrant the removal of lockout laws and the issue should be revisited in 12 months.

Ms Berejiklian earlier this month said she supported scrapping the laws and hoped to amend legislation by the end of the year.

She said on Monday her government would respond to the report shortly.

"We always need to find the right balance between community safety and boosting the night-time economy," Ms Berejiklian said in a statement.

The report found the February 2014 laws were both necessary and effective to rapidly reduce inner-Sydney alcohol-fuelled violence following the one-punch deaths of Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie.

But it argues the laws, involving a 1.30am lockout and 3am last drinks, have damaged Sydney's night-time business and culture.

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The report recommends the CBD - including Oxford Street - have lockout and last-drinks laws repealed, as well as the prohibition on shots after midnight.

It also recommends trading hours for bottle shops be extended from 11pm to midnight from Monday to Saturday, and from 10pm to 11pm on Sunday.

"Safety and a vibrant night-time economy should not be, and are not, mutually exclusive," NSW Liberal MLC and committee chair Natalie Ward told reporters.

"We can have a vibrant night-time economy, grab that $16 billion and make it ours. We can do it holding hands with safety for the community."

The report found more work was required in Kings Cross to ensure safety, with the district requiring a "specific, nuanced approach".

It says the repeal of lockout laws in Kings Cross, without improvements to lighting, street layout and venue density, would prompt a return to excessive alcohol consumption and violence.

A "pathway" program is recommended to help diversify Kings Cross and dilute the number of bars and clubs in close proximity, with a review of the laws for the area in 12 months.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement she welcomed the inquiry's recommendations and hoped they would "breathe oxygen into Sydney's nightlife".

Bar baron Justin Hemmes told the inquiry Sydney had suffered a significant decline in its vibrancy and become a "ghost town" at night.

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"With the imminent completion and launch of Sydney's CBD light rail project and the pedestrianisation of George Street, we have an unprecedented opportunity to initiate a rebirth of our inner city and put it back on the international map," the Merivale boss said in a statement.

But Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education chief executive Michael Thorn said the recommendations put profit ahead of safety and were a "reckless capitulation to the alcohol industry".

"The premier must understand that in the future every death from alcohol-fuelled violence in Sydney will be on her head," Mr Thorn said.

St Vincent's Hospital also warned of renewed alcohol-based violence.

Among other recommendations are the appointment of a "night time co-ordinator" to enable stakeholders collaborate on safety, as well as the creation of a working group - including police and medical groups.

The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research in August found non-domestic assaults dropped 53 per cent in Kings Cross and four per cent in the CBD since lockout laws were introduced in 2014.

But in the same period, assaults rose by 30 per cent at alternative nightspots.

3. "We must overcome greed, apathy and selfishness." Prince Harry joins anti-poaching patrol.

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Britain's Prince Harry has appealed for increased global efforts to protect the environment against human "greed, apathy and selfishness" during a visit to a national park in Malawi.

Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth, was due to join an anti-poaching patrol with rangers in Liwonde National Park to highlight their fight against poachers whose activities endanger the survival of elephants, rhinos and other species.

The Duke of Sussex will also on Monday guest-edit the National Geographic magazine's Instagram account to encourage people worldwide to appreciate the ecological importance of trees, Buckingham Palace said.

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"Conservation used to be a specialist area, driven by science. But now it is fundamental to our survival and we must overcome greed, apathy and selfishness if we are to make real progress," Harry told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"This may well sound hippy to some, but we cannot afford to have a 'them or us' mentality. Humans and animals and their habitats fundamentally need to co-exist or within the next 10 years our problems across the globe will become even more unmanageable."

"Essentially, I am personally driven by the desire to help restore the balance between humans and nature. It is being in Africa that makes me fully understand and appreciate this."

In Monday's 'Looking Up' campaign, Harry will post pictures taken by National Geographic's photographers - including from the Malawi park he is now visiting - to help raise awareness of the vital role trees play in the Earth's eco-system.

He will share a selection of the most beautiful images of trees at the end of the day on @SussexRoyal.

The Duke of Sussex has launched a number of projects under the "Queen's Commonwealth Canopy" initiative which has, among other things, involved the planting of millions of new trees in dozens of Commonwealth countries to help combat climate change.

Harry, sixth in line to the throne, has been visiting southern Africa for two decades for holidays and conservation work.

After visiting South Africa last week with his wife Meghan and their four-month-old son Archie, he left them there and travelled alone to Botswana, Angola and Malawi.

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Harry arrived in Malawi on Sunday, met President Peter Mutharika and visited a college to meet young women whose education is partially supported by The Queen's Commonwealth Trust.

Harry will also pay tribute in Malawi at a memorial site for British soldier Guardsman Mathew Talbot who was killed in May while taking part in counter-poaching operations.

On Tuesday, Harry will visit a health centre, pharmacy and youth reproductive health outreach programme in Malawi. He will then rejoin Meghan and Archie in South Africa for a township visit on Wednesday near Johannesburg.

They will also meet Graca Machel, widow of South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, and President Cyril Ramaphosa before departing for London.

4.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson denies groping allegations.

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A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied allegations that Johnson groped two women 20 years ago.

As Johnson prepares to lead the United Kingdom out of the European Union on October 31, his past relations with several women have come under scrutiny. The allegations overshadowed the Conservative Party's annual conference which opened on Sunday.

Charlotte Edwardes, a columnist, wrote in The Sunday Times that Johnson had groped her at a lunch in 1999 when he was editor of The Spectator magazine.

"Under the table, I feel Johnson's hand on my thigh. He gives it a squeeze," Edwardes wrote. "His hand is high up my leg and he has enough inner flesh beneath his fingers to make me sit suddenly upright."

Edwardes said that after the meal, she confided in another woman who had sat on the other side of Johnson. The other woman said Johnson had also groped her, Edwardes said.

The prime minister's spokesman told reporters: "This allegation is untrue."

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After the denial by Downing Street, Edwardes said on Twitter: "If the prime minister doesn't recollect the incident then clearly I have a better memory than he does."

Finance Minister Sajid Javid repeatedly refused to address the allegations when questioned on Monday but said the prime minister had said they were untrue.

"I've talked to the prime minister about that and first of all he couldn't be clearer - absolutely clear - that they (the claims) are completely untrue," Javid told the BBC.

London's Labour-run local government said on Friday it had referred Johnson to Britain's police watchdog for potential investigation over allegations of misconduct involving a US businesswoman while he was mayor of London.

The referral follows allegations, first reported by The Sunday Times, that when Johnson was mayor, he failed to declare close personal links to tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri who received thousands of pounds in public business funding and places on official trade trips.

Asked about the referral, Johnson's spokesman said: "The prime minister as mayor of London did a huge amount of work when selling our capital city around the world, beating the drum for London and the UK."

5. Donald Trump whistleblower to testify 'very soon'.

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US House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff says he expects the whistleblower at the heart of impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump to testify "very soon".

"All that needs to be done, at this point, is to make sure that the attorneys that represent the whistleblower get the clearances that they need to be able to accompany the whistleblower to testimony, and that we figure out the logistics to make sure that we protect the identity of the whistleblower," Schiff said.

As Democrats and the director of national intelligence worked out key arrangements, Trump's allies erupted in a surge of second-guessing and conspiracy theorising across the Sunday talk shows.

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One former adviser urged Trump to confront the crisis at hand and get past his fury over the probe of Russian election interference.

"I honestly believe this president has not gotten his pound of flesh yet from past grievances on the 2016 investigation," said Tom Bossert, Trump's former homeland security adviser.

"If he continues to focus on that white whale," Bossert added, "it's going to bring him down".

The White House last week released a rough transcript of Trump's July 25 call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The administration also released the whistleblower's complaint alleging the US president pressured his counterpart to investigate the family of former president Joe Biden.

Democrats are planning a rapid start to their push for impeachment, with hearings and depositions starting this week.

Schiff has said the whistleblower has agreed to testify.

His committee has been negotiating to interview the whistleblower, who reported to the inspector general for the intelligence community that Trump had urged Zelenskiy to investigate Biden.

The whistleblower also said that White House officials then moved to "lock down" the details by putting all the records of it on a separate computer system.

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One of the whistleblower's lawyers tweeted on Sunday that talks were ongoing.

"We continue to work w/both parties in House & Senate and we understand all agree that protecting whistleblower's identity is paramount," Mark Zaid posted.

"Discussions continue to occur to coordinate & finalize logistics but no date/time has yet been set."

Trump's allies fanned out across the Sunday talk shows with myriad responses.

Senior policy adviser Stephen Miller called the whole inquiry a "partisan hit job" orchestrated by "a deep state operative" who is also "a saboteur".

"The president of the United States is the whistleblower," Miller said.

Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani promoted a debunked conspiracy theory, insisting that Ukraine had spread disinformation during the 2016 election.

Bossert advised that Trump drop that defence.

"I am deeply frustrated with what he and the legal team is doing and repeating that debunked theory to the president," Bossert said.

Giuliani not only repeated it but also brandished what he said were affidavits that support them and claimed that Trump "was framed by the Democrats".

He also at one point said he would not co-operate with Schiff, but then acknowledged he would do what Trump tells him.