He almost rigged $14m lottery

Lottery worker ... Eddie Tipton allegedly used his position as a lottery security official to try and rig a $14 million win for himself. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

A US man will stand trial over an intricate scheme to rig a $14 million lottery win for himself which has forced officials to revamp security systems.

Eddie Raymond Tipton, 51, of Iowa, an information security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, was originally arrested and charged with fraud in January when he was caught buying a ticket and getting a friend to try and collect his prize. (Lottery officials are banned from playing the lottery).

But now prosecutors allege his plot was much more intricate and that Tipton installed a selfdestructing hack program to make sure the Random Number Generator picked his number in the December 2010 lottery.

Prosecutors say Tipton tampered with security cameras in the building so he would not be caught installing the program.

"There is sufficient evidence for a jury to reasonably conclude from the evidence that Defendant tampered with lottery equipment," prosecutors wrote in their filing according to Lottery Post.

Tipton allegedly waited more than a year before he sent New York lawyer Crawford Shaw to claim his prize.

However authorities released a surveillance video which purports to shows the mystery winner buying the ticket, a man who a lottery co-worker identified as Tipton.

The man's lawyer has denied the charges.

However lottery officials say they are in the process of revamping the system's security to ensure no one ever rigs the game.

"I have confidence that the games we offer today are fair," Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said in a statement. "Our lottery has strong layers of security in place to protect lottery players, lottery games and lottery prizes."

Iowa's lottery officials now say they've spaced out security responsibilities among more employees and replaced internal cameras, which Tipton allegedly tampered with while staging his big win.

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Cops’ excuse for ramming man

Mowed down ... This speeding police car is a second away from slamming into Mario Valencia in Arizona. Picture: AP Source: AP

Marana Police in the US released video Tuesday of an incident on February 19 in which a police officer used his patrol vehicle to end a crosstown crime spree. Courtesy Liveleak/dcmfox. Police say the suspect, Mario Valencia, confronted them with a stolen gun and fired one shot in the 5600 block of West Coca Cola Place before being struck by the cruiser. Valencia is accused of a series of crimes in Tucson and Marana.

DRAMATIC footage shows a police car mow down a suspect who goes flying. But police in Arizona have claimed that they were trying to save the man's life.

An officer in the Arizona town of Marana, near Tuscon, used his patrol car to end a crime spree — by ramming a suspect on the footpath.

Footage of the February 19 incident was captured on the car's dashboard cam and Mario Valencia being dramatically mowed down, CBS news said.

Valencia is seen on the video walking down the street when a gunshot is heard. Then — in a decision police Chief Terry Rozema claims probably saved Valencia's life — officer Michael Rapiejko drives his cruiser onto the footpath directly at Valencia.

Mario Valencia ... Was run over by police. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The alternative was to shoot him to try and stop the incident from escalating.

According to Marana police, Valencia had fled a Walmart where he had allegedly stolen a rifle. He had already been intercepted by police near a post office, where he pointed the rifle at his head multiple times and threatened suicide before firing the gun in another direction and fleeing.

It wasn't clear if he intended to target police, and no one was hit by the bullet.

The pursuit ended outside a self-storage facility when Mr Rapiejko hit the suspect with his cruiser.

"This was a dangerous felon who had been on a crime spree throughout the morning," another police official Marana Police Sgt. Chris Warren told KOLD-TV in February.

Lifesaver? .... Marana police officer Michael Rapiejko. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

"He'd just stolen a weapon, loaded it, was not obeying commands from officers and was walking toward occupied businesses. It's a busy time of morning, a lot of employees at work, a lot getting ready to come out for breaks, he's walking toward those businesses. So we had to take immediate action and make sure he didn't get inside those businesses."

Valencia was taken to University of Arizona Medical Centre in serious condition. He stayed there two days before he was jailed.

Police are investigating whether Valencia was connected to the three earlier incidents in Tucson, including a convenience store robbery, a break-in and fire at a church and a home invasion and car theft.

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‘It was funny to decorate my vagina’

Censorship ... Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi has been charged with obscenity for distributing 3D scans of her vagina. Picture: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno Source: AFP

A JAPANESE artist faces up to two years jail for distributing instructions for building a kayak shaped like her vagina.

In a case that has sparked accusations of censorship, Megumi Igarashi told a court she had done nothing wrong in giving 30 people the 3D printing code to produce their own "p***y boat".

"I am innocent because neither the data for female genitals nor my artworks shaped like female genitals are obscene," she told Tokyo District Court.

The feminist made international headlines last year for making a vagina-shaped teddy bear and figurines in a bid to fight Japan's vagina taboo.

Creative construction ... Megumi Igarashi made a 3D printed canoe from a selfie of her vagina. Picture; Facebook/Rokude Nashiko Source: Supplied

Igarashi, who goes by the name Rokude Nashiko, a slang term meaning "bad girl", was first arrested in July.

She was freed several days later following a legal appeal and after thousands of people signed a petition demanding her release.

Tokyo police arrested her again in December on three counts of distributing "obscene" data — namely CDs containing computer code make a vagina-shaped kayak.

The 43-year-old was held in custody for around a month before being granted bail.

"I have been arguing that it is strange to single out one part of a human body that every woman has [and treat it as obscene]," she told journalists and supporters after the hearing.

"Some people say my works are cheap and not even art, but that should not justify police moves to arrest me."

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi is fighting obscenity charges. Picture: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno Source: AFP

Artist Megumi Igarashi holds a large mascot shaped like a vagina. Picture: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno Source: AFP

One of her lawyers, Takashi Yamaguchi, called the charges against Igarashi "outrageous".

"It is extremely outrageous that anybody can be arrested and forced to stand before judges because of making artworks or working as an artist," he said.

If convicted of distributing or possessing obscene materials for the purpose of selling, Igarashi could face up to two years in jail and/or a fine of as much as 2.5 million yen ($27,500).

Though Japan has a prolific pornography industry that caters to many diverse tastes, rigid obscenity laws ban the depiction of actual genitalia, which normally appear pixelated or behind black spots.

Igarashi has defended her work on her website: "I make art pieces with my vagina, which I would rather call Manko(MK). I thought it was just funny to decorate my vagina and make into a diorama, but I was very surprised to see how upset people get when they see my works or even hear me say the word Manko.

Feminist ... Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi with her tiny vagina figurines. Picture: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno Source: AFP

She continued: "Even when a TV station asked me to be on their show, they wouldn't dare let me say DECO-MAN because 'MAN' is from the taboo word 'Manko'. Why did I start making these kind of art pieces? It's because I had never seen the vagina of others and I was too selfconscious of mine. I did not know what a vagina should look like at the same time, so I thought mine was abnormal.

"Manko and vagina, have been such a taboo in Japanese society. Penis, on the other hand, has been used in illustrations and has become a part of pop culture. But vagina has never been so cute. Vagina has been thought to be obscene because its been overly hidden; although it is just a part of a woman's body."

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‘Don’t use a sharp weapon to kill him’

The alleged killers of Australian businessman Bob Ellis, including his Indonesian wife Noor, have fronted prosecutors, who today took possession of the police case against the six accused.

Murder trial ... Noor Ellis faces charges of premeditated murder over the death of her husband of 25-years, Robert Ellis. Picture: Lukman S Bintoro Source: Supplied

THE violent details of an Australian businessman's murder in his own Bali villa have been aired in the trial of his wife, who is accused of ordering the hit.

Noor Ellis faces charges of premeditated murder over the death of her husband of 25 years, Robert Ellis, whose body was found in a rice field last October.

Also known as Julaikah Noor Aini, Ellis could face the death penalty.

In her defence she claims she only asked her maid's boyfriend to take care of her problems with her husband, not kill him.

But the trial has already heard from the maid and a second maid, that the order was given to kill Mr Ellis.

In the past ... Noor Ellis is accused of having her husband Robert Ellis killed. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

On Wednesday, the man who cut Mr Ellis' throat, 23-year-old Urbanus Yohanes Ghoghi, told the court in graphic detail of the roles he and four other men played in the killing.

Ellis had given one of the men, Martin, a towel and pillow, and the men first tried to suffocate him, Urbanus said.

When their victim fought back, Martin handed him the kitchen knife he used to slash his throat.

Afterwards, Ellis handed Martin the plastic to wrap her husband's body in, Urbanus' co-accused, Yohanes Sairokudu, said.

"That night, Mrs Noor gave Rp 50 million ($5000) to Martin. It was then split, Rp 10 million each," he said.

"Martin also said to us that tomorrow, there will be more."

Police escort Noor Ellis from Bali Police headquarters. Picture: Supplied Source: News Corp Australia

Noor Ellis was arrested following the murder of her husband in October 2014. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Yohanes was also asked about a meeting Ellis called prior to the murder, where other witnesses say she gave the order to kill her husband.

"Mrs Noor said that when killing Mr Bob, don't use a sharp weapon," he said.

"Close his nose and mouth with a pillow only. To be neat, basically."

Ellis later took the stand as a witness in the trials of the two men, who are also charged with premeditated murder.

Asked by Judge Beslin Sihombing where Mr Ellis was now, she replied: "In heaven".

Asked who gave the order to have him murdered she said: "Probably me".

Findings ... investigators look at evidence from the crime scene. Picture: Lukman S Bintoro Source: Supplied

The judge replied: "Probably? Or did you order them?"

She replied: "Because of the order from me. I asked Martin's help to teach a lesson".

Judge Hadi Masruri asked Ellis why she gave the order.

"For a long time he hadn't given me sufficient (money), (he) even took the money for my kids' schooling," she replied.

"Because his attitude didn't change, I couldn't stand it anymore. Once I asked for divorce but he didn't want to. He said we should just go on, in our own way."

The trial continues next week with Ellis' defence.

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Ireland Baldwin checks into rehab

'Emotional issues' ... Ireland Baldwin has checked herself into a rehab facility. Picture: Splash News Source: Supplied

IRELAND Baldwin has checked into rehab, saying she is suffering from deep "emotional trauma."

The 19-year-old model daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger wrote on Twitter that she has gone into Malibu's Soba Recovery Centre, a drug and alcohol treatment facility that helps deal with the underlying psychological causes of addiction.

She wrote on Twitter, "I checked myself into Soba for two weeks to just get away for a little bit. I'm not much a party cat but I am here deal with some emotional trauma and getting the intensive therapy I needed in order to recover.

"Someway I'll feel ready to share my story … openly without feeling the way I do. Right now I just needed a breather. I needed a chance to work on myself and gather all the tools."

Baldwin went public with her treatment after RadarOnline.com reported her mother had checked her in for substance abuse on Thursday, "after partying non-stop."

This also prompted Baldwin to tweet, "Apparently I'm in rehab for intensive partying soooo I'm just going to lay pretty low for a bit and maybe get some frozen yogurt."

A source close to Baldwin said, "Ireland has voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility. She has the full support of her family and friends.

"This is not drug-related, it has been a stressful time for her lately and she hopes this treatment will give her the tools she needs to move forward."

Ireland Baldwin and rapper Angel Haze at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in 2014. Picture: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for MTV Source: Getty Images

Teen American model Ireland Baldwin. Picture: Instagram Source: Supplied

Her parents went through a nasty public split when she was a young teen and Alec infamously called her a "rude, thoughtless little pig" in a voicemail that he claimed was released by Basinger when Ireland was 11.

Alec apologised, saying he was distraught over the leak, and revealed he had thoughts about killing himself.

"I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me … If I committed suicide, [Kim Basinger's side] would have considered that a victory. Destroying me was their avowed goal."

Alec Baldwin and his daughter Ireland in 2005. Picture: AP Photo/Jennifer Graylock Source: News Corp Australia

Ireland's parents, Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin. Picture: Supplied Source: News Limited

Ireland, who remains close to her father and his new wife, Hilaria Baldwin, later told Page Six Magazine, "The only problem with that voicemail was that people made it out to be a way bigger deal than it was … He's said stuff like that before just because he's frustrated."

Family ties ... Alec Baldwin with his wife Hilaria Baldwin and daughter Ireland Baldwin at the 5th Annual Bent On Learning Inspire! Gala in NYC in 2014. Picture: Desiree Navarro/WireImage Source: Supplied

Reps for Ireland and her parents didn't immediately respond to calls.

This story originally appeared in The New York Post.

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‘My experience is they are listening’

Mercy calls ... Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has reportedly asked Indonesia's President Joko Widodo to halt the executions of Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan. Picture: AP Source: Supplied

NORWEGIAN Prime Minister Erna Solberg has reportedly asked Indonesia's President Joko Widodo to halt the executions of Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.

Ms Solberg visited Jakarta for bilateral talks on Tuesday and afterwards told the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang that she "asked explicitly not to implement the imminent death sentences".

Promising talks ... Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, left, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo pose to photographers ahead of their meeting at the presidential palace in Jakarta. Picture: AP Source: AP

She said Mr Joko had responded that it was part of Indonesia's legal system and that Indonesia faced a huge drug problem.

"My experience is that they are listening," Ms Solberg said.

"But it is important to mobilise internal support to liquidate the death penalty.

"We as politicians must always point this out to politicians from Indonesia, but I think it's just as important what civil society in Indonesia says."

Asian visit ... Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg (R) review honour guards. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

Sukumaran, 33, and Chan, 31, await execution on a central Java island for their roles in the Bali Nine effort to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia in 2005.

The Norwegian newspaper on Tuesday splashed a story about Sukumaran, who worked with Norwegian academics and students to initiate rehabilitation programs in Kerobokan prison, where he spent most of the past decade.

Student Espen Nordstrom has met Sukumaran around 20 times and told the newspaper the Australian regretted the choices he had made when he was younger.

"He always seemed incredibly quiet and had a big smile," he said.

Friendly ... Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) walks next to Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg (L). Picture: AFP Source: AFP

Sukumaran turns 34 on Friday, an occasion that is being marked in London with an exhibition of his paintings, held with the support of Amnesty International.

The Australian pair and eight other drug offenders are next in line for the firing squad, but Jakarta has not set a date.

Norway is firmly against capital punishment. It has strong ties with Indonesia in various areas, including conservation, climate change and energy.

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The dark depths of Blackwater

The bloodied windscreen of the vehicle driven by Ahmed Haithem Ahmed. Source: News Limited

ARMED to the teeth in the chaos of a war zone and bent on "payback for 9/11", this was only going to end badly.

Now one man has been sentenced to life in jail and 14 civilians are dead, killed in a hail of gunfire by four men who saw themselves as "above the law".

A US judge sentenced at a group of former employees of Blackwater Security, a private security contractor hired to assist serving US combat soldiers and diplomats in Iraq but whose staff were given military-grade weapons and a green light to shoot and kill where necessary.

Four security guards — Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard — were patrolling Baghdad with assault rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers, when they opened fire at busy Nasour Square in September 2007. Slatten, who previously boasted of "killing as many Iraqis as possible" as payback for the September 11 terrorist attack, may never be released from prison. His former Blackwater colleagues will spend the next 30 years behind bars.

And it all started with a single shot.

Nicholas Slatten shot first. Source: AP

'NO! NO! NO!'

It was a round fired through the window of a moving vehicle driven patiently through a roundabout in the middle of a conflict zone. What unfolded, prosecutors said, amounted to a "staggering" loss of life and human suffering.

Court documents and eyewitness accounts reveal Iraqi man Ahmed Haithem Ahmed was driving his mother, Mohassin, to hospital where his father worked as a pathologist. Innocent and unsuspecting, the pair were moving targets.

Slatten, 31, fired the first shot into Mr Ahmed's head. Mr Ahmed slumped and momentum pushed his foot down on the accelerator.

The car rolled forward in the direction of four Blackwater Security vehicles that had been blocking the road after a bomb had gone off nearby.

The convoy opened fire. Pictures from the scene show blood sprayed over the doors and the windscreen of the vehicle. Forty bullets pierced through the car's doors and windows.

The New York Times reported at least one of the Blackwater guards began screaming "No! No! No!" as Iraqi civilians were shot at as they attempted to flee.

Among the dead were two boys, aged 9 and 11, as well as a taxi driver, an Iraqi soldier, a businessman and a doctor.

A former member of Blackwater outside the federal court in Washington. Picture: Andrew Harnik/AP Source: AP

'THE WILD THING THAT HAPPENED HERE CAN NEVER BE CONDONED'

The four ex-employees of the US private security firm were convicted last October on an array of charges ranging from first degree murder to voluntary manslaughter stemming from the incident.

During a two month-trial in US federal court in Washington, a jury heard how the four defendants opened fire with sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers in the bustling square.

During today's sentencing, US federal judge Royce Lamberth said the four men broke the law and deserved to be punished.

An Iraqi policeman inspects the blood stained car following the 2007 shootings. Source: News Limited

"The wild thing that happened here can never be condoned by the court," he said.

The four defendants protested their innocence, arguing they opened fire in self-defence after being shot at by fighters and Iraqi police.

"I cannot say in all honesty to the court that I did anything wrong," Heard said in his defence.

Slough told the court: "I feel utterly betrayed by the same government I served honourably."

Judge Lamberth said "it's clear these fine young men just panicked".

But others argued the killings were premeditated. Court documents allege Slatten told acquaintances he wanted to "kill as many Iraqis as possible." Prosecutors said the men showed no remorse.

"These four men have refused to accept virtually any responsibility for their crimes and the blood they shed that day," Assistant US Attorney Patrick Martin said.

"In combination, the sheer amount of unnecessary human loss and suffering attributable to the defendants' criminal conduct on September 16, 2007, is staggering," the US Attorney's Office said in a statement in the wake of the sentencing.

"The results of this case demonstrate that the FBI will investigate violations of US law no matter where they occur in order to bring justice to innocent victims."

The Times reported that the US State Department warned weeks prior to the 2007 shootings that contractors for Blackwater saw themselves as above the law and in command.

Blackwater contractors pictured during the war in Iraq. Picture: Gervasio Sanchez Source: AP

IN DEFENCE OF BLACKWATER

Blackwater has since distanced itself from the incident. It settled with the families of the victims for an undisclosed sum of money and changed its name a number of times before settling on Academi. It is based in Virginia.

But the man in charge at the height of the Iraq War published a book in 2013 defending his men. In Civilian Warriors, Prince writes that his men never lost a protected.

Prince, in the months following the 2007 murders, insisted his men had acted appropriately. But, during a revealing interview with Checkpoint last year, he admitted he had "never met the guys".

It is a business, after all.

Prince reportedly sold Blackwater in 2010 for $200 million.

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Has Grecko wed Edelsten?

Just married? ... Gabi Grecko and Geoffrey Edelsten may have tied the knot. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images Source: Supplied

HAVE Gabi Grecko and Geoffrey Edelsten tied the knot?

Grecko, 25, has shared photos on Instagram suggesting she and the flamboyant businessman have wed.

Grecko's new friend, Linh Lee, also shared the news on Twitter, writing: "i cried to so freakin much!!!!!!!! A MASSIVE MASSIVE CONGRATS 2 @Gabi_grecko N GEOFF EDELSTERN ON THEIR WEDDING! XXX"

Grecko recently returned to the US to visit friends and pick up fabric for her new corsetry line.

But on Tuesday, the Miami-born model was back in the arms of her 71-year-old lover.

"Lazy day watching my mystic river with my soon to be husband, cool day in Melbourne (sic)," she wrote with a snap of her and her beau.

Grecko told Daily Mail Australialast week she was gearing up to wed Edelsten, whose divorce from second wife Brynne was settled on April 4.

"We will marry very soon, I can't announce exact date, but trust me, it's super soon," she said.

While Grecko's dream was to marry in France, she reportedly said she wanted to first officially tie the knot in Australia.

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Reynolds victim of a hit-and-run

Terrifying ... Ryan Reynolds was struck in a hit-and-run. Picture: Splash Source: Splash News Australia

ACTOR Ryan Reynolds was the victim of a hit-and-run in a hotel parking lot, his publicist and Vancouver police said overnight.

"While walking, Ryan was struck by a paparazzi driving a car through an underground parking garage," publicist Leslie Sloane said. "The man fled the scene. Ryan is okay."

Injured? ... According to his publicist, "Ryan is OK". Picture: Victoria Will/Invision Source: AP

In an email, Brian Montague with Vancouver police said the star was not injured in Friday's incident. Mr Montague had no further details.

The Vancouver-born Reynolds has been in the city over the past several weeks shooting his new film, "Deadpool."

Reynolds is married to Green Lantern co-star Blake Lively. The couple welcomed their first baby together in December 2014, named James.

Family ... Reynolds is married to Blake Lively and just became the father of a baby girl, James. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris Source: Splash News Australia

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Murder accused’s online fantasy world

The Scott family return's to Leeton High school where murdered school teacher Stephanie Scott worked. Photo Jeremy Piper Source: News Corp Australia

THE man accused of murdering Leeton school teacher Stephanie Scott appeared to spend much of his time in an online fantasy world which included violent videos and neo-Nazi propaganda.

Reclusive school cleaner Vincent Stanford played military-themed computer games and posted about his favourite program, Stargate.

Fairfax Media reports that the 24-year-old posted under the moniker of the mythical Aztec serpent Quetzalcoatl, and told gaming forums that he "loved stargate and video games" and "do a bit of 3d modelling in my spare time".

"Loved stargate resistance and i like fallout 3 gears of war franchise halo 1 through 3 and the dead space games," he is said to have posted in one forum in 2012.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Stanford signed a petition to save Stargate World and Stargate Resistant, games about a violent galactic warfare and wrote lengthy, rambling fan fiction inspired by the program when he was a teenager called "Secret endangered" about the fictional land of Atlantis which is "under imminent threat when wraith survivors know about atlantis".

He also watched pro-Nazi clips, clips supporting Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and clips about the 2011 military science fiction shooter game, Gears of War 3.

The charred ground on Whitton Stock Route Road in Cocoparra National Park where School teacher Stephanie Scott's body was found badly burned 60kms from Leeton. Picture: Adam Taylor Source: News Corp Australia

According to the report, Mr Stanford who was born in Tasmania, lived in the Netherlands for a decade then moved to Leeton about 14 months ago, posted "RIP Rudolf Hess. Ich bereue nichts", which translates as "I regret nothing" on a video about Nazi leader Rudolf Hess and "liked" clips relating to Nazi marching songs, Third Reich military music and German military marches.

Before he began working at Leeton High School, Mr Stanford did work for his identical twin bother, Marcus, who was part of an Australian-based independent computer game company, Bullet Proof Studio.

Vincent was listed as a designer and Marcus as an animater on the never-released "shoot-em-up" arcade game Overseer.

One of the company's founders is quoted by Fairfax Media as saying Mr Stanford "never actually worked" for the firm but "did contribute" to some of their projects.

"In our talks, he seemed like an ordinary person," he said. "He loved computer games, but that's almost a prerequisite for what we were doing. Other than that, he was a very quiet person."

Bullet Proof Studio also began developing another title, ScareGame, a first person shooter set in the "lonely sewers" beneath London.

Ms Scott, 26, went missing a week before she was due to be married. She was last seen on Easter Sunday.

Her burnt body was found by police five days later metres from a track in Cocoparra National Park, 70km north-west of Leeton.

A post mortem examination is still being carried to determine Ms Scott's exact cause of death.

Murdered Leeton schol teacher Stephanie Scott. Pic: Supplied Source: Supplied

Meanwhile, mourners have been laying bouquets of flowers, ribbons and attaching yellow lanterns to trees where the 26-year-old bride-to-be was found.

Police investigating Ms Scott's murder are now focusing their inquiries abroad and are in the midst of contacting police in Holland to check the history of Vincent Stanford.

It is understood detectives want to trace the movements of Stanford and discover why he left Rotterdam almost penniless and pitched up in country NSW, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Yesterday, crime scene tape was removed from the Leeton home Stanford shared with his mother and brother, who are believed to be staying at a local motel.

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Self destructing messages ISIS loves

Melbourne man Abu Jihad Al-Australi has reportedly been killed in Syria while fighting for the Islamic State.

Sophisticated technology ... Self destructing Wickr messages are a way for ISIS supporters and militants to circumvent state security. Picture: Wickr website Source: Supplied

A MESSAGING system thought to have been used by Liberal party heavyweights to secretly discuss the party's leadership woes has become Islamic State's communications tool of choice.

The hi-tech application, known as Wickr, is the latest in the long list of tools the death cult is using to lure Australian jihadis to join their bloody campaign.

Trace-free messaging ... Islamic State's communications tool of choice. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

Created in 2012, Wickr promises to "leave no trace" of conversations and allows users to "send and receive top-secret messages, pictures, video, audio files and documents."

Users leave no metadata trace by setting a timer for when they want their communication files destroyed. The length can vary anywhere from ten minutes to six days.

It is far more sophisticated than existing messaging apps, including Viber and WhatsApp.

Time's ticking ... Wickr users can arrange for messages to self destruct. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

A Twitter account linked to an alleged IS fighter encourages would-be jihadis to contact him on Wickr as a means to circumvent state security at home and in Turkey.

"I am purely here to help those sincere ones that want to make the journey," the recruiter and fighter's tweet said.

Computer security experts say the technology is sophisticated and still largely unknown. "These types of applications are getting increasingly good at keeping communications private," said software architect and IT security expert Troy Hunt.

"The challenge for authorities is to find out how to get the information."

There are an estimated 92 Australians currently fighting with IS and another 20 have reportedly died.

Last photo ... Australian Jake Bilardi on his way to a suicide bombing mission. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

A recent controversial law was passed by the federal government as a means to control this

growing problem and allows security agencies to access two years of an individual's metadata.

The architect of that bill, Communication Minister Malcolm Turnbull, was one of several MP's believed to have been using the application as a means to keep conversations over the Liberal Party leadership confidential.

Mr Turnbull has previously admitted he uses the secret messaging app, as he does not consider SMS technology secure.

Secret app ... Malcolm Turnbull uses Wickr, as he does not consider SMS technology secure. Picture: Supplied. Source: News Corp Australia

In the past two years, IS has become increasingly tech savvy, from hacking the United States' Central Command Twitter account, to teaching people how to use virtual private networks and the deep internet for pro-IS conversations.

Clarke Jones, a terrorism and radicalisation expert from the Australian National University, said Wickr is the ideal setup device for the terror group.

"I think it's the initial point of contact … and once you start establishing other contacts, or direct contacts, someone will open a door for you and you can go through it."

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Lamborghini crash at Walt Disney World kills man

The scene after a deadly crash at the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World. Source: AP

A LAMBORGHINI that was part of an exotic car racing attraction at Walt Disney World has crashed into a guardrail, killing a passenger and injuring the driver.

The Florida Highway Patrol says Tavon Watson, 24, lost control of the vehicle on Sunday afternoon, killing Gary Terry, 36.

Sergeant Kim Montes said in an incident report that Watson failed to manoeuvre the high-powered vehicle through the Exotic Driving Experience course. The vehicle's passenger side struck the guardrail. Terry died at the scene. Watson was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated and released.

This aerial image taken from a video provided by WFTV shows the scene after a deadly crash at the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida. Source: AP

The attraction lets race car fans be drivers or passengers in luxurious cars such as Lamborghinis, Porsches or Ferraris. For between $US200 ($A260) and $US400 ($A521), customers can drive several laps with a professional driving instructor in the passenger seat. It is located south of the Magic Kingdom parking lots.

A spokeswoman said Disney offers its "deepest sympathy to those involved" in the crash.

The track is operated by Petty Holdings, which has other Exotic Driving Experience attractions at speedways in Atlanta, Daytona Beach, New Jersey, Kansas, New Hampshire and Texas.

The Exotic Driving Experience, along with its sibling track, the Richard Petty Driving Experience, was slated to close this summer at Disney World for unrelated reasons.

Montes said the crash remains under investigation.

A Lamborghini that was part of an exotic car racing attraction at Walt Disney World crashed into a guardrail, killing a passenger and injuring the driver, police said. Source: AP

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Shark tears off teenager’s limbs

Fatal attack ... Elio Canestri was surfing in an area prohibited for swimming when a shark attacked and killed him. Picture: Facebook/Elio Canestri Source: Supplied

A 13-YEAR-OLD boy was attacked and killed by a shark Sunday off the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, authorities said, the seventh such deadly attack since 2011.

The shark tore off the boy's limbs and part of his stomach as he was surfing early Sunday morning in an off-limits section of sea off the west coast of the island.

Elio Canestri was attacked while surfing with seven others, the Mirror reports. He was around 15 metres offshore.

'One of our best' ... promising young surfer, Elio Canestri, in action. Picture: Facebook/Elio Canestri Source: Supplied

A spokesman for the rescue services told the Mirror: "A boat was launched very quickly, and the victim was dragged out of the sea, but he died from his wounds.

"Those who witnessed the attack, including other children, are being treated for trauma."

It was the 16th shark attack on the island since 2011 and the seventh loss of life.

Reunion island authorities are said to be scrambling to find solutions to protect swimmers.

In July 2012, a surfer died after a shark ripped off his leg and, in July 2013, a teenage girl was bitten in half as she swam metres from shore. In February a 20-year-old female swimmer was bitten by a shark before dying in hospital from a cardiac arrest.

Died from his wounds ... a shark tore off Elio Canestri's limbs and part of his stomach. Picture: Facebook/Elio Canestri Source: Supplied

La Reunion local Jeremy Flores, who won the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Hawaii in 2010, paid tribute to Canestri on his Instagram account: "ANOTHER shark attack in Reunion island this morning. 13 years old Elio was one of our best up and coming surfer. Words can't describe how sad and angry i am. So young !!! Heart breaking News. RIP :("

Authorities immediately put in place a "post-attack procedure" in a bid to capture the shark.

Specialised boats were deployed for "targeted fishing in the immediate area around the attack," the local authorities said in a statement.

In February, island authorities extended until February 2016 a law prohibiting swimming and other water-based activities such as surfing and windsurfing except in special areas.

This measure has resulted in a dramatic decline in tourism on the island lying to the east of Madagascar.

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‘I went from broke to millionaire’

Traveller Will Hatton had bundles of cash in Venezuela. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

"YOU will be robbed, there's no avoiding that. Just don't fight it or they will kill you."

This was the advice that Will Hatton, a 26-year-old traveller who explores some of the world's least-visited countries on an extreme budget, received when he announced he was going to explore Venezuela.

He tells news.com.au what it's really like in a country with more oil than anywhere else in the world — and the second-highest murder rate. As he quickly discovered, it's also a place that can make the average traveller feel rich.

Locals engage in fiery protests on the streets. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

The streets of Merida were alive with activity, an aura of menace hung heavily in the air. A blockade glinted in the afternoon sun, and black smoke from burning tyres spiralled into the sky.

"We must go around," my taxi driver said.

He gunned the ancient car into reverse and fled, anxious to be gone before the police arrived with their gas, batons and rubber bullets.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro collected over 10 million signatures from across Venezuela, which he presented at a rally in Caracas, Thursday, calling on US President Barack Obama to withdraw a decree declaring Venezuela a security threat. Speaking after the rally, which was also attended by Bolivian President Evo Morales, Maduro said he believes in better relations between the empire of the United States and a free and sovereign Latin America, but one that is based on respect and non-interference. Maduro will meet US President Barack Obama at the 7th Summit of the Americas in Panama City on Friday, where he plans to present him with the millions of collected signatures.

But civil unrest was everywhere. Gangs of students in red shirts marched towards the city centre, spraying walls with graffiti. Police in urban camouflage stood shoulder to shoulder with the infamous Guardia Nacional (national guard), AKs strapped to their chests. They eyed the protesters suspiciously, ready at any minute to advance upon the hothead who dared aim a firework at their ranks.

My driver swore in Spanish and mounted the kerb. An armoured vehicle of some kind, water cannon at the ready, rolled past us with its siren blazing. We retreated from the noise down side-streets, passing more flimsy barricades as we made our way towards the quieter barrios of the city.

They faced off with the police. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

I was dropped off near a lush park, the obligatory statue of famous military leader Simon Bolivar, sword at the ready, in the centre. A pair of backpackers strolled past, snacking on empanadas and gulping down steaming black coffee. This was apparently the "touristic centre".

I looked for someone to change some money with, and was pointed towards a nearby shop. I entered and spoke in hushed tones with the lady behind the desk who then began to make calls.

Two hours later a man in a dark suit appeared, firmly clutching a grocery bag. He rushed in and closed the door. A rent-a-thug stood nearby with what looked like a metal chair leg in one hand, watching me carefully.

While there are dangers in Merida, there's no doubt it's a picturesque place. Source: Getty Images

The harassed-looking money changer emptied the bag onto the table. Hundreds of coloured bills spilt across the table. I handed over a single hundred dollar bill and began the laborious task of tying up notes with elastic bands, I had well over 1000 notes to count. I had been in Venezuela just 24 hours and already I was a millionaire here.

For a single US dollar ($1.31) I could buy 12 beers, get a bed for the night, take two taxis or eat in a nice restaurant. I could fill up a car at a local gas-station for 2 bolivars, around 1 US cent.

So much cash, not enough hands. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

So with wads of cash stuffed down my trousers and in my bag I left the store and checked into a hotel across the road. Then I went back outside, anxious to find out more about what the hell was going on; the sound of sirens, car alarms and fireworks, eerily similar to gunfire, drifted over the city like a haze.

I was surprised to see many Venezuelans going about what appeared to be their normal business. I entered a cafe, an oasis of calm in a city that appeared to be on the brink of revolution. Here I watched a woman with a ludicrous bum implant flirt with a moustachioed waiter with a healthy paunch. He appeared to be punching above his weight.

Across from me sat a gangly man in a chequered shirt, a pair of spectacles dangling from his face. I approached him and in my rudimentary Spanish attempted to ask him what was going on. He answered in English, a promising start. Roberto was preparing to leave the country and keen to share his insights on why he could no longer stay in his homeland.

He says he had no choice. Ten years ago, his father, a university professor, earned around $2000 a month. Today, due to rampant inflation, he earns just $60 a month for the same job. Many Venezuelans earn even less, at the official exchange rate most people can hope to pocket just $20 a month.

Those who have managed to get hold of actual dollars can live like kings and continue to invest their money in more dollars; in Venezuela, the value of dollars only seems to go up week on week.

Will came here for adventure, something he definitely got. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

"If you have dollars, you can live very well for just $50 a week," he said. "Without dollars, life in Venezuela is too expensive and it's impossible to get basics, even a toilet roll has to be bought on the black market!"

I had come to Venezuela hearing these rumours and had packed accordingly; my bag was stuffed with 12 rolls of toilet paper.

He explained that people are forced to queue for hours to buy essentials like powdered milk, bread and rice. Roberto was tired of queuing, he dreamt of a fully stocked fridge and a brimming medicine cabinet.

"We're importing everything and it's still not enough."

Locals wait in long lines to purchase fuel. Source: Getty Images

Venezuela should be the richest country in all of South America, the country has the largest oil reserves in the world and a full tank of gasoline (around 60 litres) costs just 5 bolivars, about $1. A litre of bottled water on the other hand costs nearly 30 bolivars, over 100 times more than a litre of gasoline.

Roberto says that Venezuela is now importing gasoline, a travesty for a country where oil bubbles freely from the ground.

So what does the future hold for Venezuela?

"Bloodshed, lots of bloodshed."

With plummeting oil prices, rising inflation, increasing shortages and the clamouring voices of a million unheard souls, it's a recipe for disaster.

Roberto cautioned me to be careful, this was no adventure playground, this was a country with one of the highest murder-rates in the world. And he's not the only one — everyone I'd spoken to wanted to know the same thing; after hearing about all the kidnappings, corruption, robberies and murders, why the hell was I here?

Sure, most people wouldn't dream of visiting Venezuela, believing it's not worth the risk. But I hoped against hope that they were wrong, that the dirt-cheap prices and stunning sites would outweigh the risk of danger.

Roraima is a famous -and stunning — mountain in Venezuela. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

One of the main reasons I came here was for Roraima — the highest table top mountain in the world. I dreamt of climbing it.

So I did. And as I stumped up a slippery path hacked into the jungle it seemed more likely I would break my neck than be robbed at gunpoint. Oozing, sucking mud pulled at my ankles as I struggled upwards, my pack, laden with supplies and camping gear.

This was a far-cry from the endless plains of the Gran Sabana. I had spent the first day hiking through dusty valleys, crossing rumbling rivers and generally just being eaten alive by swarms of pori-pori, horrible biting flies the size of a pinhead.

It was a tricky climb. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

For five hours I slipped and hauled myself up the path, passing through banks of cloud and under a tumbling waterfall. Mist engulfed me, and visibility was less than 10 metres.

Finally, I reached the summit. I was at last on top of the tabletop mountain that had inspired Arthur Conan Doyle's Lost World. Roraima, a magnet for thrillseekers and adventurers, a grave for the ill-prepared.

Another tabletop mountain called Kukenan, a holy place for the indigenous peoples scattered across the plains, appeared through a window in the dancing mist. I had just a few seconds to appreciate the patchwork quilt of purples, oranges, reds and greens making up the mountain-face before it disappeared, devoured by clouds.

There were seemingly never-ending valleys. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

I spent the next day exploring the tabletop, bathing in a series of freezing pools and admiring valleys filled with crystals, an otherworldly site. Roraima, like Venezuela itself, was not what I had expected. The mountain and the country could both be deadly, but it had taken my breath away.

Seeing crystals everywhere was a sight for sore eyes. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

It definitely has a commanding appearance. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

The warmth and generosity I experienced in this wonderful, frustrating, insane and beautiful country had surpassed my wildest dreams. Everywhere, I had been made to feel welcome, at no point had I felt in any real danger, Venezuelans had gone to great lengths to keep me from harm. I had made staunch friends.

Though it's troubles, Venezuela has some beautiful sights. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

The true Venezuela, like Roraima, is masked. It is impossible to get a full picture, simply snapshots of truth through a fleeting window.

In fact, it rocks. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

Will Hatton writes about travelling on a budget over at The Broke Backpacker.

It was a trip he'll never forget. Picture: Will Hatton Source: Supplied

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Gang-raped sex slave pregnant

As ISIS forces clash with militants in Damascus, Long War Journal editor Bill Roggio explains what will be required to defeat the jihadi insurgency around the globe. Photo: Aamaq News

Horrific ... a man carries a Yazidi woman released by Islamic State group militants in Kirkuk. Picture: AP Source: AP

A NINE-YEAR-OLD sex slave is pregnant after being gang-raped by 10 Islamic State militants in Iraq, an aid worker said.

"The abuse she has suffered left her mentally and physically traumatised," Canadian-based aid worker Yousif Daoud, who recently returned from the region, told The Toronto Star.

"This girl is so young she could die if she delivers a baby. Even caesarean section is dangerous."

Devastated ... a woman from Iraq's Yazidi minority cries after arriving in the village of al-Humeira near Kirkuk. Picture: AFP/Marwan Ibrahim Source: AFP

The girl, a member of the persecuted Yazidi Christian minority, has been flown out of Iraq by a Kurdish aid agency and is receiving treatment in Germany.

Daoud said the girl was found in "very bad shape".

"She was sexually abused by no fewer than 10 men. Most of them were frontline fighters or suicide bombers who are given girls as a reward," he said.

Freed ... a Yazidi woman released by IS militants after being held captive for eight months. Picture: AP Photo Source: AP

Released ... Iraq's Yazidi women at a medical centre after being released by IS militants. Picture: AFP/Safin Hamed Source: AFP

ISIS released more than 200 Yazidis on Wednesday, mostly women and children, after holding them captive for eight months.

Daoud said ISIS released the abused women and girls "to shame the whole community". He said the victims faced the humiliation of lost chastity.

The news comes as IS militants are holding hostage at least 50 civilians, almost half of them women, seized in a raid on a village in central Syria.

They were kidnapped from the village of Mabujeh in Hama province on March 31, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Freed captives ... Yazidis released by Islamic State group militants sit by Kurdish soldiers in Kirkuk. Picture: AP Source: AP

News of the kidnappings had been kept quiet because of ongoing negotiations for their release, but the talks have since faltered, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

Ten of those taken, including six women, are Ismailis, a minority sect that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam. The remaining 40 are Sunni Muslims, including at least 15 women.

Medical care ... a Yazidi released by Islamic State group militants is carried on a stretcher as he and other people of the religious minority arrive in Kirkuk. Picture: AP Source: AP

Heartbroken ... a Yazidi woman released by Islamic State group militants cries for her other family members still held by the militants. Picture: AP Source: AP

"There are fears that the women are being taken as slaves," Abdel Rahman told AFP.

He said the Ismailis were kidnapped because IS considers them "infidels," and that the Sunnis — although from the same sect as IS fighters — were taken because IS viewed them as "loyal to the Ismailis".

Mabujeh, east of the provincial capital Hama, has a population of Sunnis, Ismailis and Alawites, another offshoot of Shiite Islam that is the sect of President Bashar al-Assad and his clan.

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Dogs eat owner’s dead body

Horrific ... Noelle Baynham was partially eaten by her dogs after she died. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

A WOMAN who died alone in her home was eaten by her dogs as her body lay undiscovered for days, an inquest has heard.

Noelle Baynham was found by a close friend who let himself in when she didn't answer the door.

The 61-year-old's body had been partially devoured by her pet Jack Russell and Staffordshire Bull Terrier who had no other food in the house.

Scratch marks over the former jeweller's body revealed the hungry pooches tried to wake her before mauling her body.

It is believed Baynham collapsed and died following a drug overdose, but the exact cause of death couldn't be determined because the dogs mangled her vital organs.

A Jack Russell terrier. (generic picture). Picture: Thinkstock Source: News Limited

A Staffordshire Bull Terrier (generic picture). Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

An inquest in the UK heard that friend Grant Donovan let himself into Baynham's Winnall Hampshire home on January 17.

He said he found his friend's body on the landing. She was wearing a dressing gown.

"This was the most horrifying thing I have ever seen," he told the inquest, according to The Southern Daily Echo. "I could not look at her long, so I just came away and called 999."

Pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery told the inquest Baynham, an alcoholic who suffered from bipolar disorder, had probably died "a few days" before she was found.

She said Baynham likely died from a variety of drugs found in her system — possibly from an overdose or build-up of drugs in her system.

Senior central Hampshire coroner Grahame Short ruled Baynham may have had a stroke.

Her dogs were put down at the advice of police officers.

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Family’s last vow to Stephanie

Dressed in yellow the Leeton community has come together to remember dearly-loved teacher Stephanie Scott.

Photos of Stephanie Scott posted on Facebook by fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley. Source: Facebook

AARON Leeson Woolley didn't have the strength to talk in front of his fiancee's memorial on Saturday but he didn't need to.

His fragile movements were proof enough of the pain Stephanie Scott's death had left him in.

With the support of his mate, Mr Leeson Woolley hobbled forward in the sunshine at a Leeton park to release yellow balloons for his slain partner.

He emitted a tormenting howl before sobbing into his hand on the same day he was meant to watch Ms Scott walk down the aisle towards him at a country wedding in the NSW Riverina region.

Instead he was grieving deeply for Ms Scott, who was allegedly murdered and her body dumped and set alight in remote and lonely bushland.

The 26-year-old's burned remains were found late on Friday afternoon by police officers on trail bikes searching the Cocoparra National Park, north of Griffith.

A source has told AAP police believe Ms Scott was dead before she reached the bushland.

It was five days after the English and drama teacher was last seen at Leeton High School, where the man accused of murdering her worked as a cleaner.

Aaron Leeson-Wolley breaks down as he speaks with police at the memorial for fiance Stephanie Scott at Mountford Park in Leeton. Photo Jeremy Piper Source: News Corp Australia

As friends, family and complete strangers descended on a memorial picnic dressed in yellow on Saturday, her family sought some comfort knowing they had found "Scotty".

"Unfortunately she was taken away from us for a short time but now we have her back and we will restore her dignity," her father Robert Scott vowed.

"That is most important to our family and it will also assist those of us to deal with this tragedy."

Standing with his wife and Ms Scott's mother, Merrilyn, and siblings, Mr Scott spoke with composure as he asked Leeton to hold on to the memory of his "bubbly, bright, fun-loving" daughter.

"Tragedies happen, we can't change that, we can't deal with it any better than we have," he said.

"We do know we had a great girl and we are going to continue to remember her for what she was."

Mr Scott was touched by the reports of residents hanging their wedding dresses on their front doors on Saturday in respect for his daughter.

Among the crowd were students, present and former, including Matt Murphy, who had Ms Scott as a year 11 English teacher.

Kim Scott the sister of murdered Leeton school teacher Stephanie Scott at the memorial at Mountford Park in Leeton. Photo Jeremy Piper Source: News Corp Australia

"She was probably the nicest lady you've ever met," said.

Earlier Stephanie Scott's sister shared a poem on Facxebook that she was meant to read at her wedding.

"We couldn't be happier, it's a dream come true," Kim Scott's poem, released on Saturday, read.

"To watch your sister find happiness and to say I do."

In her poem, Kim recalled how her little sister and Mr Leeson-Woolley met in their hometown of Canowindra growing up.

"They shared car journeys," she wrote.

"Along with dad, Stuie and me.

"There were sparks a-flying, any blind dick could see."

The pair got engaged in Thailand, Kim wrote, as Mr Leeson-Woolley got down on one knee at dinner.

"Stephanie couldn't believe it," the poem states.

"Such a shock, a surprise! The happiest moment, looking into his eyes.

"Of course she said yes, as we're all here today.

"Celebrating this couple on their beautiful wedding day."

Before what would have been a toast to the bride and groom, Kim reflected on their love as the sort that "others seek".

"I'm sure you'd all agree, that their bond is unique."

You can read the beautiful poem in full here.

(LtoR) Best man Ron and Stuart, Robyn,Robert, Merrilyn and Kim Scott, address the locals who came out to support the family. Photo Jeremy Piper Source: News Corp Australia

Merrilyn Scott, the mother of Stephanie Scott, is comforted by friends at the memorial. Photo Jeremy Piper Source: News Corp Australia

Balloons are released at the memorial for Stephanie Scott at Mountford Park in Leeton. Photo Jeremy Piper Source: News Corp Australia

Women are putting out their wedding dresses. In memory of Stephanie Scott on her wedding day #putyourdressout #putoutyourdress #RememberStephanie Source: Supplied

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New Biggest Loser host revealed

Expect tears ... Fiona Falkiner is a self-confessed crier. Source: Supplied

THE Biggest Loser has shed its host Hayley Lewis, in a new rebranding of the popular Channel 10 series as TBL Families, which will see one of the show's great success stories, international plus-size model Fiona Falkiner replace her as presenter of the 10th season.

Lewis, a former darling of the Australian Olympic and Commonwealth Games swim team, quietly confirmed to her Facebook followers she had left the weight-loss program after five years.

The married mother of two said it was "time to move on," focussing on family life with her husband and sons, while throwing her energies into growing a burgeoning Brisbane retail business, Coming Up Roses.

LOSER WINNER: 2014 Biggest Loser winner Cameron Brown's new lease on life

DARK SECRETS: The truth behind the US version of The Biggest Loser

Welcome back ... Fiona Falkiner is returning to the placed that made her famous, The Biggest Loser. Source: Supplied

The popular host became known for her heart-warming habit of crying along with the struggling

contestants, who will find a new shoulder to lean on in Falkiner, herself a seasoned "sook" who

wept her way through her own weight loss challenges in season one.

The 31-year-old proved a fan favourite in the first series, in 2006, losing 30 kilograms and finishing in the final four.

Falkiner says she barely recognises the young woman she was when she signed up.

"The girl I was 10 years ago was really shy, insecure. I had very little self confidence, I just wasn't a very happy person," Falkiner said.

After growing up in Victorian country town Birregurra, with a population of just 600, the then impressionable 22-year-old said she'd "been living life through my friends and putting my life on hold because of my weight."

"My time on the show gave me time to grow, to become an independent woman who took control. To realise this was my life and I just had to become a more confident, happy, healthy person."

Embracing her curves and maintaining her luscious size 16 figure has seen her draw on the lessons learned under the tutelage of TBL's American trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, who were part of the Australian series in its early days.

Can't wait to start ... new Biggest Loser host Fiona Falkiner. Source: Supplied

"There have been ups and downs, but I've been able to revert to the lessons I learned on the show and implement those into my life. It honestly helps me every day...it was a great experience."

She rejects suggestions the show goes to extremes or exploits people at a high-risk period of their lives, arguing: "for a lot of people, it's either this or surgery...it's their last chance. The show is about promoting being the happiest, healthiest people they can be."

Despite coming to love her curves, Falkiner is still determined to fight against the stigma surrounding plus-size modelling - even in her personal life.

"I've been on dates before where I've mentioned my job and they've said, 'oh great, I'll take you for a burger.' That really, really frustrates me because that's the stigma, but that's not what it's all about. Yes I've got curves, but I have to maintain it, eat well, drink lots of water. I have to be aware of the choices I make. I have to keep on top of it or I will regain weight. There are people like me out there, who find it a little bit harder to maintain a healthier lifestyle but when you get in the swing of it, you just feel so much better."

It's this empathy and Falkiner's own time on the TBL scales which Ten's programming boss Beverley McGarvey says will make the new host "a great source of support, compassion and inspiration to the contestants."

Falkiner admitted blubbing her way through the show's back catalogue of episodes in preparation.

"I've been re-watching a few seasons since I got back to Australia and I said to the producers, 'is it okay if I cry, because I am a bit of a crier.' When I was on the show, I think I cried almost every episode."

A secret to her own triumph over the scales on the show, perhaps?

"Absolutely, just cry it out," Falkiner said, laughing. "A good cry is good for the soul."

A new season of the Shine Australia production is currently filming in Sydney and will air on Ten later this year.

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No jab, no pay in tough new push

Laura Primiero's daughter Zara was seven months old when she caught rubella. Picture: Brendan Francis Source: News Corp Australia

PARENTS who refuse to vaccinate their kids will be denied up to $15,000 a year in childcare rebates and welfare under tough new rules to be introduced by the Federal Government.

The new rules, which have bipartisan support, will close a controversial 'conscientious objector' loophole to ensure protection for all children.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Social Services Minister Scott Morrison will today announce the historic reforms, which mean parents who fail to immunise their children will no longer be paid the $200-a-week childcare benefit, the $7,500-a-year childcare rebate or the $726 Family Tax Benefit A annual supplement.

The combined childcare and welfare payments at risk could amount to up to $30,000-a-year for a family with two young children. The changes will come into effect from January 1, 2016.

Australia has childhood vaccination rates over 90 per cent for under 5s, but the number of vaccine refusers is also steadily rising.

"Parents who vaccinate their children should have confidence that they can take their children to child care without the fear that their children will be at risk of contracting a serious or potentially life-threatening illness because of the conscientious objections of others,'' Mr Abbott said.

Parents who shun vaccinations could now miss out on rebates. Picture: iStock Source: Supplied

"This means that vaccine objectors will not be able to access these government payments.''

The change comes after the Sunday Herald Sun's "Our No Jab, No Play" campaign, which demanded that children must be vaccinated to attend childcare.

Currently, immunisation is already a requirement to access childcare payments and the FTB supplement. But all parents have to do to dodge the requirements is sign a form confirming they have discussed immunisation with a GP and have a "personal philosophical, religious'' reason not to vaccinate.

As a result, the number the number of vaccine refusers denying children life saving medicines is rising in Australia, with 39,000 children under the age of 7 not vaccinated. The shocking figure represents an increase of 24,000 children over the last decade.

Existing exemptions on medical or religious grounds will continue, but Mr Morrison said that would only exist where the parent was affiliated with the religious group and the governing body had formally registered objection approved by the Government.

"It is up to families whether they choose to vaccinate their children and it is Government policy supported by the best possible health advice and research that they should do so,'' Mr Morrison said.

"However if families choose not to follow that approach, that choice does not entitle those families to gain access to taxpayer funded benefits, especially where it would involve their children being placed to together with children from families who have been immunised.''

Labor leader Bill Shorten is also offering bipartisan support for tougher provisions, writing to the Prime Minister on Friday urging him to close the conscientious objector loophole. His support is vital because the changes will require Senate support to become law.

"The science is settled, the experts agree and strengthening these requirements is a common sense measure that will benefit all children,'' Mr Shorten said.

"Unless a parent has a deeply held religious view, there should be no exceptions to the community expectation that children are immunised.''

Currently, to meet the immunisation requirements for the Family Tax Benefit Part A supplement you need to have your children immunised during the financial years that each child turns 1, 2 and 5 years old.

This means that parents have up to $2,100-a-year at risk over the three key vaccination checks. However, the no jab, no play reforms to be announced today go further, applying to all young children beyond 12 months. This means children would miss out on the $728 supplement every year they are not vaccinated.

Only children under the age of 12 months will be excluded from the new, 'No Jab, No Pay' reforms. The immunisation requirement does not apply to fortnightly FTB A payments but only the $728-a-year supplement.

For the childcare rebate, the reform means parents could miss out on up to $7,500 per child each year. Parents who fail to immunise their children will also be ineligible for the Family Tax Benefit Part A end of year supplement worth $728 a year. Parents could also be denied up to $6,100 in childcare benefit payments based on a child in childcare three days a week.

Originally published as No jab, no pay in tough new push

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How police found teacher’s body

A crime scene has been set up in bushland in the NSW Riverina after the body of a female was discovered.

Stephanie and her sister Kim, right. Picture: Kim Scott/Facebook Source: Supplied

A MOBILE phone signal helped police locate what are thought to be the remains of beloved schoolteacher Stephanie Scott.

Officers said a triangulation of phone towers in the area helped them find the body, which had been burned and dumped by a dirt road in dense bushland.

Police believe Ms Scott was already dead by the time she was arrived at the isolated spot in Cocoparra National Park, NSW, on Friday.

The grim discovery came a day after Vincent Stanford, 24, was charged with the high school teacher's murder.

The body was located more than 70km from Ms Scott's hometown of Leeton, where the 26-year-old was due to marry her fiance of five years Aaron Leeson-Woolley today. The English and Drama teacher met her husband-to-be as a child playing soccer.

The teacher is thought to have been dead before she arrived at the national park. Source: Facebook

Police tape remained across the road today as officers examined evidence at the remote area.

Ms Scott's grieving sister today shared a heartbreaking post on social media — a poem she wrote for her sister and her intended brother-in-law for their wedding day. It came as brides across the country honoured the young woman by sharing photos of themselves with the hashtag #putyourdressout, and the community in Leeton came together to mourn Ms Scott wearing yellow and holding balloons.

Kim Scott's message, posted this morning, read: "My dearest Stephanie and Aaron on your wedding day. This is for you.

"My little sister, Stephanie Clare Scott, is now a wedded wife, believe it or not.

"Aaron Leeson Woolley, the luckiest man, is a welcomed honorary member to the prestigious Scott clan."

Ms Scott with fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley. Source: Facebook

The poem revealed how the couple had survived a long-distance relationship and discussed Mr Leeson-Woolley's proposal in Thailand, before a tragic ending.

"I wish you all the happiness, for the many years to come. May you fill each other with joy and never be glum," she wrote

"I'm sure you'd all agree that their bond is unique. Special and happy, their love is what we seek.

"Congratulations to you both, now friends and family please join me in a toast to Aaron and Stephanie."

Police at the address of the murder accused Vincent Stanford, who allegedly murdered Ms Scott. Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

Family friend, Andrew Dunkley, had flown down from Queensland for the wedding.

"Words can't describe how beautiful she was, her personality," he told The Weekend Australian.

"I can never remember a time when she wasn't smiling — she was a really lovely person who would never say a bad word about anyone.

"People often say good things about someone when something like this happens, but this really is one of those occasions; it couldn't have happened to someone as nice as her. That's why it's so shocking, such a beautiful soul."

A mobile phone helped officers to find the remains. Photo: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

A memorial picnic will be held for Ms Scott in Leeton today and the family has requested the community to wear yellow in her memory.

Businesses in the local community have tied ribbons and ballots to their shopfronts and have been collecting donations for the family.

An online fund was opened on Thursday and has raised more than $15,000.

A memorial site has been constructed. Source: Channel 9

Vincent Stanford, 24, has been charged with murder. It is understood the mother and brother of the accused assisted police with their investigation.

The development came after two men gave chilling accounts of what they believed they saw the night Stephanie went missing.

Paul Halls and Brendan Lyons, both truck drivers, say they saw a man wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses speed off in white Ute.

"We rang the police on Wednesday when we heard over the radio what happened," Mr Lyons said.

Police divers from Sydney then searched a 2m deep channel where they recovered a small laptop with a red cover in the murky water.

Police divers search an irrigation channel for the body of teacher Stephanie Scott on the outskirts of Leeton. Picture: David Moir Source: AAP

The 26-year-old was last seen at Leeton High School on Easter Sunday, where she was preparing lesson plans for her replacement ahead today's wedding.

Police will allege they discovered blood at the rear of Mr Stanford's white Ute and pictures of a burnt body on his camera.

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Serial bride wed eight men at once

Mystery woman ... Prosecutors haven't said why Barrientos is so marriage-mad. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

A NEW York woman went on a decade-long bridal binge — and was married to as many as eight men at once, court papers revealed.

Liana Barrientos turned walking down the aisle into an Olympic sport, getting hitched 10 times since 1999, including one stretch in 2002 when she said "I do" five times.

The 38-year-old blonde had collected six husbands before the first one filed for divorce in 2002. She added three more before the second one dumped her in 2003.

Prosecutors haven't said why Barrientos is so marriage-mad.

"The motive was definitely not love," one source said.

Her most recent nuptials came on March 4, 2010.

Wedding nut ... Barrientos apparently couldn't get enough of the wedding day experience. Picture: Thinkstock Source: ThinkStock

Barrientos is accused of falsifying official records. She allegedly claimed in documents for her 2010 wedding that she had never been married before.

And she told an investigator from the Bronx District Attorney's Office that her exchange of vows with a man named Salle Keita "was her first and only marriage," court papers charge.

Barrientos also allegedly submitted different variations of her name in marriage papers, omitting or abbreviating her middle name or changing spellings.

She was busted Oct. 1 on two felony counts of offering a false instrument for filing. She is due back in court Friday.

Barrientos' apparent fondness for marriage runs counter to sentiments she expressed on Twitter.

A Bronx DA spokeswoman declined to say if other charges, such as bigamy, would be filed, or if any of her hubbies would be charged.

In addition to those men, Barrientos has two baby daddies. One of them, Carlos Garcia, kicked her out of his Bronx apartment a few weeks ago, the building's super said.

"She was arrested . . . and he doesn't want her back," Ruben George told The Post. "They have a kid together. She has one with him and one with somebody else."

Garcia, whose daughter with Barrientos is about 4 months old, didn't answer a knock on his door.

Barrientos' lawyer, Chris Wright, declined to comment.

For more New York Post stories visit the website.

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Body found in national park

Police divers have pulled a laptop from an irrigation canal during their search for Stephanie Scott.

A picture of Stephanie Scott posted on Facebook today by her fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley. Source: Facebook

IT was a long, lonely dirt road that led police to the remains of beloved school teacher and bride-to-be Stephanie Scott.

On the eve of her wedding, police scouring a national park 90 minutes from where she vanished in Leeton found her body in scrubland.

Police found the remains about 5pm on the Whitton Stock Route to search for her bush grave, just metres off the dirt road.

A crime scene was established last night and forensic investigators were scouring the area.

Her body was found in dense bushland kilometres from the nearest home.

Under a three quarter moon, police erected spotlights around Ms Scott's remains.

Ms Scott's remains were found in Cocoparra National Park, approximately 75 kilometres from Leeton.

It is the latest crushing development for her distraught fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley and the Scott family which had gathered in her home town this week for her planned wedding today.

The development comes after police divers recovered a laptop from a canal just a few kilometres from where her car was dumped.

Police and forensic officers process the scene where Ms Scott's body was found. Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

Witnesses have given chilling ­accounts of seeing a man dump a laptop in a canal after pulling up in a white ute similar to the police ­description of one seized at the home of Stephanie Scott's alleged killer.

Two truck drivers then watched the man, with a baseball cap and sunglasses on, run back to the ute and speed off towards Leeton, a few minutes drive away.

The waterway is just a few kilometres from where the 26-year-old teacher's red Mazda 3 was dumped in a wheat field.

SHOCKED TOWN OF LEETON MOURNS STEPHANIE

THE SMILE OF A BRIDE-TO-BE DEEPLY IN LOVE

ACCUSED WAS A QUIET STRANGER

Police and forensic officers process the scene where Ms Scott's body was found. Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

POLICE DENY THEY WERE FLAT-FOOTED IN SEARCH FOR STEPHANIE

Betrothed ... Aaron Wooley and Stephanie Scott. Picture: Ch 9 Source: DailyTelegraph

Local Leeton resident Brendan Lyons saw a man throw a laptop into the canal. Picture: Jeremy Piper Source: News Corp Australia

Paul Halls and Brendan Lyons had been working in a shed on Griffith Rd, Leeton, on Easter Sunday when they saw the man stop by the road dotted with farm houses and dispose of the computer just before 4pm.

After hearing about Ms Scott's ­alleged murder on Wednesday morning, the men contacted police and gave a description of the unidentified man and the white Toyota Hilux ute.

A team of police divers from Sydney returned to the murky, 2m deep channel yesterday where they recovered a small laptop with a red cover.

It looked similar to those issued to teachers in some parts of NSW, but police were not immediately able to say if it belonged to Ms Scott.

Mr Halls said after dumping the laptop the man ran back to his car, did a U-turn and sped off towards Leeton.

Mr Halls said the vehicle was similar to an image police released yesterday in their appeal for information about Mr Stanford's movements on Sunday, the day Ms Scott was last seen alive.

"We actually thought he was up to no good. I saw him run down the embankment and then drive back towards town," Mr Lyons said.

"We rang the police on Wednesday when we heard over the radio what happened."

DEATH THREAT TURNED GRANT HACKET TO DRUGS: FATHER SPEAKS OUT

PACKER AND BENAUD: THE ODD COUPLE WHO REVOLUTIONISED CRICKET

The white utility seized by police. Source: Supplied

Many of the people invited to murdered teacher Stephanie Scott's wedding live in Leeton. Others are there from interstate, and even overseas, and all are suffering unimaginably but somehow, they are gaining strength from each other

Police divers search an irrigation channel. Picture: AAP/David Moir Source: AAP

Ms Scott's red Mazda was found on Thursday morning abandoned by the edge of a wheat field on a rural property about 8km from Leeton near the road to Griffith.

Yesterday, Mr Lyons said he had seen a man walking along Griffith Rd towards Leeton on Monday morning.

He said the man, wearing a backpack and T-shirt, closely resembled an image of Mr Stanford's identical twin brother, who lives in Adelaide.

Stephanie Scott: A friend, a fiance, a daughter, a teacher ...

The couple on holiday together. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Stephanie and fiance Aaron. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Ms Scott vanished from Leeton High School on Easter Sunday after going into work to finish some lesson plans for her replacement ahead of her wedding, which was supposed to take place today.

School cleaner Vincent Stanford was arrested on Wednesday night and charged with the popular schoolteacher's murder.

Police will allege they found blood in the back of Mr Stanford's car and pictures of a burnt body on his camera.

Volunteer rescue crews continued line searches around Leeton yesterday in the hope of finding any clues that might lead them to Ms Scott's remains.

The grief is still raw at the tribute wall for murdered bride-to-be and Leeton teacher Stephanie Scott. Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

Meanwhile, her family is preparing to hold a community picnic at Mountford Park in Leeton today in Stephanie's honour to "celebrate what should have been the happiest day of her life."

TRAGIC POST ON EVE OF WEDDING

By Ashlee Mullany and Matthew Benns

SHE will always be his bride to be.

In one heartbreakingly simple photograph yesterday Aaron Leeson-Woolley summed up all that he has lost and the dreams that will never be.

Stephanie Scott, hair wet, stands with her back to the camera to show the embroidered message on her dressing gown: "Soon to be Mrs".

Stephanie Scott wears a robe saying "Soon to be Mrs". Picture: Instagram Source: Supplied

But instead of celebrating their wedding in front of 100 family and friends today Aaron is grieving the loss of the love of his life.

In a display of love and thanks, the Scott family have asked their friends and the Leeton community to join them in painting the town yellow at a picnic in a local park today.

Sister Robyn Scott said the day was to thank the community for their support and "for Stephanie to celebrate what should have been the happiest day of her life."

"Pack a picnic, wear yellow and come and join us. The community have been more than amazing and it has helped us all through the most difficult time we will ever face as a family," she said.

Before police charged school cleaner Vincent Stanford, 24, with her murder, Mr Leeson-Woolley said his bubbly fiance was "over the moon to be getting married."

The heartbroken groom spent much of yesterday going through the couple's photo albums and posting a series of visual memories of their happy life together online.

The 26-year-old schoolteacher had spent the morning before she disappeared on Easter Sunday painting the names of guests on flower pots for use as place settings at the wedding.

They were still sitting on the table where she left them — never to be finished — as her frantic fiance scoured the Riverina town of Leeton trying to find her.

Her last email was to confirm the buses that would take guests to the picturesque Eat Your Greens function centre at Eugowra, three hours away.

Owner Jess Stanley confirmed the family had been in touch to cancel the wedding. "We are really not comfortable talking about this right now," she said.

Nearby Bed and Breakfast owner Bob Roach, whose son went to school with Stephanie, said: "Most of the people were coming to the wedding from Canowindra where Stephanie grew up."

The town of just 2,500 people is in mourning.

Small town united in grief helps ease father's grief

GRIEF stricken Bob Scott has taken comfort from listening as complete strangers in Leeton tell each other why they loved his daughter Stephanie.

In Woolworths yesterday he stood quietly to the side as a cashier and customer talked about the beloved 26-year-old high school teacher and their grief at her brutal murder.

He was with close friend Bob Hawke as they listened while waiting in line.

Andrew Dunkley, who was at school with Stephanie, with wife Jess and baby Layla were to attend the wedding. Picture: Britta Campion Source: News Corp Australia

"I told her this is Stephanie's father and she just burst into tears," Mr Hawke said yesterday.

"Bob wanted to stop and listen to what they were saying about Stephanie."

"He said to them: 'Thank you very much for the kind words'."

Mr Scott then went to pay for his $94.50 worth of groceries only to find a stranger had anonymously given $100 to management to pay for his shopping when they noticed him in the aisles.

Grief-stricken Aaron Woolley, Stephanie Scott's fiance. Picture: Chris McKeen Source: DailyTelegraph

It wasn't until he reached the register to pay that a clearly moved Mr Scott was told of the gesture.

Mr Hawke said the grieving ­father was so touched by the random act of kindness that he tried to find out who the woman was, but she did not leave a name.

The people of Leeton may be broken by grief, but they have opened their hearts to the Scott family and to the many friends who came for their wedding today and will today mourn her together.

Students comfort each other as they create a floral and balloon tribute. Picture: Chris McKeen Source: DailyTelegraph

Fiane Aaron Leeson-Woolley and Stephanie's mother Merrilyn visit the tribute wall. Picture: AAP Source: AAP

All over town businesses have offered free accommodation, meals and support to the extended Scott family and friends.

When told a member of the Scott family was checking in to one local hotel, the owner refused to accept any payment.

More than $15,000 has been collected for Ms Scott's family on the fundraising website GoFundMe.

Originally published as Body found in national park

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TV shows that you can’t miss

Game of Thrones made an American Premiere splash for season 5 as the stars of the show hit the red carpet. Check it out.

Coming back ... Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. Source: Supplied

AUSSIE viewers are set to be hit by a second wave of new and returning TV shows as Channels Seven, Nine and Ten fight it out for post-Easter ratings supremacy.

More than 20 major new and returning series will launch across coming weeks across the commercial networks as well as on the ABC and SBS.

Foxtel is also getting in on the act with a massive slate including the fifth season of Game of Thrones and Sam Worthington's Deadline Gallipoli.

Deadline Gallipoli stars Sam Worthington. Pic: Supplied/Matt Nettheim for Foxtel. Source: Supplied

The fiercest battle will take place at 7.30pm when Nine's new Reno Rumble takes on Seven's House Rules and Ten's MasterChef Australia from early May.

"MasterChef will be the beneficiary of Seven and Nine splitting the renovation audience with their competing shows," media analyst Steve Allen says.

Before that, Seven and Nine will screen what could be two of the highest rating shows of the year — the finale of My Kitchen Rules and the auction episode of The Block Triple Threat.

Nine's Married at First Sight, in which four sets of single men and women meet for the first time at the altar, looks set to generate the biggest buzz.

Each couple, matched by a panel of relationship experts, must then honeymoon and spend 30 days living together before deciding whether to stay married.

"The participants are all genuinely looking for love," Andrew Backwell, Nine's head of programming and production, says.

"This is not a reality game show like The Bachelor or Beauty and the Geek. This is a documentary series that is absolutely real. This is real drama, real emotion, real people's lives."

The ABC will be hoping for big things from news/comedy program The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. Pickering left Ten's The Project last April and joined the ABC in November.

Charlie Pickering is the ABC's big hope. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The most confronting program will surely be Seven's Catching Milat, which follows the police investigation that led to the capture of Australia's most notorious serial killer, Ivan Milat.

Foxtel's slate is especially rich. This week it launched the third season of Aussie prison drama Wentworth and the final series of US retro drama Mad Men.

Tonight it screens the first episode of hotly anticipated British drama Wolf Hall, starring Damian Lewis (Homeland) as Henry VIII.

Wolf Hall features Anne Boleyn (Claire Foy), King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis). Source: Supplied

The two-part Deadline Gallipoli, which tells the story of the ANZAC campaign from the point of view of leading war correspondents including Charles Bean and Keith Murdoch, is a labour of love for producer/star Sam Worthington.

"We didn't want this to be a history lesson or stodgy," Worthington says. "We have found a different way (focusing on war correspondents) which makes it more modern."

THE PICK OF THE BUNCH

Jessica Marais in Love Child. Picture: 9 Channel Source: Supplied

Love Child (Nine) — date TBA

Jessica Marais is back as Kings Cross Hospital midwife Dr Joan Miller in series two of Nine's retro drama. Matthew Le Nevez (Offspring) and Lincoln Younes (Home and Away) join the cast.

Renovation Rumble Contestants and host Scott Cam at "Rumble Arena" at Avalon Airfield Melbourne. From left to right: Michael, Jenna, Kara, Josh, Kyal, Ayden, Jess, Carlene, Scott Cam, Nick, Leighton, Chris, Carly, Steve, Jemma, Ben, Michelle. Photo by Martin Philbey\) Source: Supplied

Reno Rumble (Nine) — date TBA

Former contestants from The Block and House Rules compete against one another to renovate ordinary suburban family homes. From the makers of The Block.

Married at First Sight (Nine) — date TBA

Singles get married, but the first time they meet is when they are at the altar. Then they honeymoon and live together for 30 days. Do they want to stay hitched?

2015 TV Week Logie Awards (Nine) — May 3

Scott Cam, Hamish Blake, Andy Lee, Asher Keddie, Carrie Bickmore, and Steve Peacocke will battle for Gold in TV's night of nights. Meghan Trainor and Sam Smith perform.

Ready to go ... Masterchef's Matt Preston. Picture: Justin Lloyd Source: News Corp Australia

Catching Milat (Seven) — date TBA

Two-part drama which details how Det Paul Gordon (Richard Cawthorne) and NSW Police Taskforce Air tracked down serial killer Ivan Milat (Mal Kennard).

Sunday Night: The Power of Ten (Seven) — April 12

Ben Roberts-Smith presents this special, which profile ten ANZACS who were awarded Australia's highest military honour, the Victoria Cross.

Ramsay's Costa Del Nightmares (Seven) — starts April 14

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay heads to the coast of Spain to work his magic on local restaurants that have fallen on hard times.

MasterChef Australia (Ten) — date TBA

MasterChef got its mojo back last year with a ratings boost of around 20 per cent. Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan are back to put another bunch of amateur cooks through their paces.

Sir Michael Parkinson features in a two-part special for Channel 10. Source: Channel 10

Parky's Favourite Australians (Ten) — starts April 22

Two part compile series highlighting Sir Michael Parkinson's interviews with celebrated Aussies including Clive James, Dame Edna Everage, Bob Hawke, Kerry Packer, and Kylie Minogue.

The Weekly with Charlie Pickering (ABC1) — starts April 22

Charlie Pickering, former co-host of The Project, fronts this humorous series which looks at recent news events. Comedians Tom Gleeson and Kitty Flanagan are regulars.

Poldark (ABC1) — starts April 12

Re-boot of the famed 1970s British period drama. Aidan Turner plays Captain Ross Poldark, a British Army officer who returns home to Cornwall after the American revolutionary war.

Orphan Black (SBS2) — starts April 21

The third season of this celebrated Canadian sci-fi drama starring Tatiana Maslany as multiple clones.

.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst has lead to new murder charges against Durst (pictured). Picture: HBO/Foxtel Source: Supplied

Deadline Gallipoli (Showcase) — April 19 and 20

Sam Worthington is the driving force behind this two-part miniseries which looks at the Gallipoli campaign through the eyes of war correspondents Charles Bean, Ellis Ashmead Bartlett, Phillip Schuler and Keith Murdoch.

Wolf Hall (BBC First) — starts April 11

Damian Lewis (Homeland) plays Henry VIII in this ripping period drama based on Hilary Mantel's best selling book.

Australia's Next Top Model (Fox8) — starts April 30

Jennifer Hawkins is back to host season nine alongside judges Alex Perry, Didier Cohen, and newcomer Cheyenne Tozzi. The first episode includes a tribute to Charlotte Dawson

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (Showcase) — starts May 7

This six-part series about Robert Durst made headlines when the New York real estate magnate was seemingly heard confessing to a number of murders.

Game of Thrones (Showcase) — starts April 13

Season 5 of ultra-violent medieval drama promises to reveal what becomes of Tyrion Lannister after he killed his father, and Sansa Stark, who's thrown her lot in with Littlefinger.

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