"Incredibly intimidating and confusing." The Veronicas release statement after reports they were kicked off a flight, & more in news in 5.

– With AAP.

1. “Incredibly intimidating and confusing.” The Veronicas release statement after reports they were kicked off a flight.

Pop duo The Veronicas have explained their removal from a Sydney Qantas plane over an “incredibly intimidating and confusing” cabin baggage dispute, and are taking legal action.

Sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso were reportedly asked to leave Qantas QF516, which was bound for Brisbane, on Sunday morning amid a disagreement with cabin crew.

Qantas says two passengers refused to follow the cabin crew’s instructions and were “offloaded” before the plane took off.

The Australian Federal Police told AAP officers came on board amid an argument between the two passengers and staff before the women agreed to disembark, with no further issues.

 

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A post shared by THE VERONICAS (@theveronicasmusic) on Sep 22, 2019 at 3:38am PDT

But The Veronicas have responded to reports of the cabin baggage incident, which they said was “incredibly intimidating and confusing”.

“The details reported are false and in conflict with video recorded during the event and witness accounts from the flight,” they said on Instagram.

“The incident was escalated without explanation why from the cabin staff. We co-operated with all requests from authorities and exited the aircraft.”

The Veronicas, who caught a later flight to Brisbane, added they were pursuing legal action over the incident and media reports of it.

Police say they’re still looking into the incident.

2. Man and woman accused of killing Danielle Easey will remain behind bars.

A man and woman charged over the death of Danielle Easey, whose body was found wrapped in plastic in a NSW Hunter creek, will remain behind bars for at least another month after being refused bail.

Justin Kent Dilosa was on Thursday charged with murdering Ms Easey, while Carol Marie McHenry was charged with being an accessory and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

Police allege McHenry, 32, helped Dilosa, 33, by impersonating Ms Easey on social media after her death to get access to money.

They had their cases mentioned on Friday in separate courts.

Dilosa did not apply for bail in Belmont Local Court and it was formally refused, while McHenry sought bail in Toronto Local Court but it was refused.

The body of 29-year-old mother-of-two Ms Easey was found in Cockle Creek at Killingworth, near Newcastle, on August 31.

Police say an autopsy revealed she had been seriously assaulted and stabbed.

She was allegedly murdered at a home in the Central Coast suburb of Narara on or about August 17, then dumped in the waterway.

Ms Easey, who was known to police, lived at Booragul in Lake Macquarie but was more recently couch surfing at homes in the area.

Detective Acting Superintendent Jason Dickinson told reporters on Thursday police were not looking to make more arrests at this stage.

He said police believed the two accused and Ms Easey had been associates for "a number of years" but declined to elaborate.

McHenry is next due to face Newcastle Local Court on October 30, while Dilosa is scheduled to face Gosford Local Court on November 15.

3. Queensland father and son who died in small plane crash are remembered as charitable men.

A Gold Coast father and son who died after their small plane crashed in northern NSW bushland have been remembered as charitable men who lived life to its fullest.

Jeff Hills and his son Matthew were found dead in the wreckage of their four-seater plane which crashed in steep terrain in Dorrigo National Park, near Coffs Harbour, on Saturday.

"They were incredibly generous of their time and their finances to support those in serious need within the Gold Coast community, interstate and overseas," Jeff's nephew Craig Cameron told reporters on Sunday.

Relatives pay tribute to plane crash victims, Gold Coast father and son, Jeff and Matt Hills @abcnews @abcbrisbane pic.twitter.com/K1jc7uJmZs

— Jessica van Vonderen (@jessvanvonderen) September 22, 2019

"With Jeff's three sons Matt, Jamie and Josh by his side, the Hills boys together embraced life to the fullest.

"Yes, Jeff and Matt will be deeply missed, but we are comforted that they are living in eternity with Christ their saviour."

Jeff, in his 50s, and Matthew, in his 20s, set off from Murwillumbah in northern NSW at 6.30am on Friday and were scheduled to arrive in Taree at 8am.

Their associates, concerned the plane dropped off the radar and had not reached its destination, reached out on Friday morning to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which deployed its Melbourne-based search and rescue jet.

Poor weather and difficult conditions prevented search teams from locating and accessing the aircraft sooner.

The crash will be investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which asked any witnesses to come forward.

"Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant stakeholders so appropriate and timely safety action can be taken," a spokesman said.

It's the second fatal plane crash in NSW in two weeks and the fifth nationwide in four months, according to ATSB data.

4. Firefighters say extreme Queensland bushfires should now be expected every year.

What was once considered an "extreme" Queensland bushfire season should now be expected every year, firefighters say.

Queensland has endured an early-season bushfire emergency this month after hot and dry conditions and strong winds fuelled dozens of blazes, which destroyed 17 homes mostly in the state's south.

The threat of the fires eased last week, but about 30 fires continue to burn across the state.

Encountering such difficult conditions early in the season would previously have been considered abnormal, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services says.

But the recent seasons have firefighters rethinking what should be considered normal.

"I don't think we'd be doing our job if we weren't prepared for the season to be what we used to think of as extreme," QFES acting deputy commissioner Neil Gallant told the ABC.

Mr Gallant said "you've got to accept" the climate is changing.

"We've got to be prepared for a different fire season, a different range of climate extremes, he said.

"We'd be not doing our duty if we didn't at least consider that's now the new norm."

Officials have warned some fires could burn for months because the ground is bone-dry in inaccessible terrain and there's no significant rain in sight.

Firefighters are bracing for tough conditions to return this season with above average temperatures expected this summer.

5. Hong Kong police move to block airport protest.

Hong Kong riot police have taken up position at the main rail station serving the airport to prevent a new anti-government protest targeting air travel after a night of violent street clashes in the Chinese-ruled territory.

Pro-democracy protesters have targeted the airport before, occupying the arrivals hall, blocking approach roads and setting street fires in the nearby town of Tung Chung, and trashing its subway station.

The Airport Express, which takes passengers under the harbour and across a series of bridges to the airport, built on reclaimed land around an outlying island, was only allowing passengers to board in downtown Hong Kong, not on the Kowloon peninsula, the Airport Authority said.

And only people holding flight tickets were allowed to enter the terminal. Bus services were also affected.

One traveller, a 73-year-old retiree from Canada, said he had no problem with the protests if they were "legal and peaceful".

"They are just trying to voice their demands. As a civilised resident I think these demands are legitimate," the man, who asked to be identified only as Chow, told Reuters.

Australian traveller Jody Paul, 55, who spent a week on holiday in the former British colony, said the protests hadn't affected her trip.

"It was lovely - we didn't see any of the protesters or any of the action. I was hoping for a glimpse."

Hundreds of protesters, young and old, gathered in a shopping mall in the New Territories town of Sha Tin, chanting: "Hong Kong people, add oil", loosely translated as "keep your strength up".

Sha Tin shopping centre is being trashed. #HongKong pic.twitter.com/c2wiTxMBz6

— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) September 22, 2019

"Fight for freedom," they shouted. "Liberate Hong Kong."

They also sang the new Hong Kong "anthem", Glory to Hong Kong.

Families were making origami paper birds with slogans and pinning them on frames. One girl was sitting on the floor doing her arithmetic homework.

One common slogan written on the birds and common throughout the protests is "five demands, not one less". The protests picked up in June over legislation, now withdrawn, that would have allowed suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial.

The four other demands are retraction of the word "riot" to describe rallies, release of all detained demonstrators, an independent inquiry into perceived police brutality and the right for Hong Kong people to choose their own leaders.

The violence has hit pockets of Hong Kong at different times over more than three months, allowing life to go on as normal for most of the time.

But pictures of petrol bombs and street clashes broadcast worldwide present a huge embarrassment for Beijing just days ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic on October 1.

The Hong Kong government has already called off a big fireworks display to mark the day in case of further clashes. China, which has a People's Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong, has said it has faith in Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to solve the crisis.

Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who threw petrol bombs in two new towns on Saturday after pro-China groups pulled down some of the "Lennon Walls" of anti-government messages. There were violent clashes elsewhere in the city.

Police condemned the violence and said there had been many serious injuries in fights between people of "different views".

"They threw petrol bombs at police vehicles and police officers, and even attempted to snatch the revolver of a police officer," police said in a statement on Sunday.

The protesters are angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in Hong Kong, while China says it is committed to the "one country, two systems" arrangement and denies meddling.