Saturday, January 17

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Fire authorities on high alert as heatwave brings hottest weather in years to parts of Victoria
World News

Fire authorities on high alert as heatwave brings hottest weather in years to parts of Victoria

Authorities are warning of high fire danger in Victoria (file photo of Ballarat fire in February). Photo: Supplied/ Ballarat Fire Brigade CFA A heatwave is expected to send temperatures soaring across the state today, as fire crews gear up for a challenging day of fire danger. Some parts of the state are set to record their hottest day in years and have been issued extreme fire danger warnings. Melbourne is forecast to hit a top of 41 degrees Celsius - the city's hottest day this year and the hottest December day since 2019. Mildura in the north-west is expected to reach 46 degC, while 45 degC is forecast for Shepparton and Swan Hill. On Sunday afternoon, state authorities including from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) held a press conference, declar...
Dietary changes may help slow down prostate cancer growth in some people: Study
Health

Dietary changes may help slow down prostate cancer growth in some people: Study

A diet low in omega-6 and high in omega-3 fatty acids, combined with fish oil supplements, can significantly reduce the growth rate of prostate cancer cells in men with early-stage disease, claims a study. The research by the University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences offers new evidence that changes in diet can play a crucial role in slowing down the growth of cancer cells in patients who are undergoing regular monitoring of cancer but have not yet begun medical intervention. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, “suggest that something as simple as adjusting your diet could potentially slow cancer growth," said Dr. William Aronson, Professor of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The dietary changes may help “extend the time befor...
Kamala Harris debates her future: A run for California governor that would take 2028 off the table
World News

Kamala Harris debates her future: A run for California governor that would take 2028 off the table

By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN Vice President Kamala Harris pauses while speaking on stage as she concedes the election, at Howard University on 6 November 2024, in Washington, DC. Photo: Getty Images / Andrew Harnik Top aides and people close to Kamala Harris have divided over whether she should head home to run for California governor in 2026 - and it all comes down to whether they believe she could win the Democratic nomination for president in an expected competitive primary in 2028. Some believe a repeat run, after quickly improving her reputation and raising more than $1 billion over her surprise 100-day race, should be hers for the taking. Others worry that in a longer campaign, against some of the other major Democratic contenders who already sat out 2024 in deference first to J...
Have you ever wanted to run away from your life? Why this phenomenon is more common than you think
World News

Have you ever wanted to run away from your life? Why this phenomenon is more common than you think

By Amanda Musa, CNN Mangione arrives at his extradition hearing. Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Content warning: This story discusses mental health and suicide. A list of helplines is available at the bottom of this page. A family man from Wisconsin. A spirited artist from Hawaii. An Ivy League graduate from Maryland. At face value, Ryan Borgwardt, Hannah Kobayashi and Luigi Mangione lead distinct lives and come from disparate backgrounds. Yet, they all took unexpected paths, disappearing from their jobs, routines, friends and family. Hundreds of thousands of adults are reported missing each year in the United States, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Some run away intentionally, according to former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. "As ...
Russian tanker splits in storm, spilling oil into Kerch Strait
World News

Russian tanker splits in storm, spilling oil into Kerch Strait

A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of oil products split apart during a heavy storm, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said. The vessels were in the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, when they issued distress signals. Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety violations after at least one person was killed when the 136-metre Volgoneft 212 tanker, with 15 people on board, split in half with its bow sinking. Footage on state media showed waves washing over its deck. The Russian-flagged vessel, built in 1969, was damaged and had run aground, officials said. Unverified video posted on Telegram showed s...
Christians in Syria mark country’s transformation with tears as UN envoy urges an end to sanctions – National
Politics

Christians in Syria mark country’s transformation with tears as UN envoy urges an end to sanctions – National

In churches across long-stifled Syria, Christians marked the first Sunday services since Bashar Assad’s ouster in an air of transformation. Some worshippers were in tears. Others clasped their hands in prayer. “They are promising us that government will be formed soon and, God willing, things will become better because we got rid of the tyrant,” said one worshipper, Jihad Raffoul.“Today, our prayers are for a new page in Syria’s future,” said another, Suzan Barakat.To help those efforts, the U.N. envoy for Syria called for a quick end to Western sanctions as the country’s new leaders and regional and global powers discuss the way forward.Syria has been under sanctions by the United States, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peace...
Racy photos of Bashar Assad discovered after his fall spark ridicule – National
Politics

Racy photos of Bashar Assad discovered after his fall spark ridicule – National

Bizarre and personal photos of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad have surfaced from his abandoned residences, sparking ridicule among Syrians who only until recently were persecuted for criticizing his leadership. The images, reportedly discovered in photo albums from Assad’s mansions in the hills of Damascus and Aleppo, painted an unflattering portrait of Bashar and his father, Hafez Assad, who had ruled Syria with an iron grip for decades. They stripped away the carefully constructed image that the Assad family had cultivated for decades.One photo featured Hafez Assad in his underwear, striking a bodybuilder-like pose. Other images showed Bashar Assad in a Speedo flexing his biceps; astride a yellow motorcycle in his briefs; perched on a handcycle, also in his briefs; and staring blan...
NSW Premier Chris Minns condemns Islamophobic graffiti in western Sydney
World News

NSW Premier Chris Minns condemns Islamophobic graffiti in western Sydney

By Ethan Rix, ABC Australian police are investigating what they described as "offensive graffiti" that appeared on each side of a railway underpass on Hector Street, in the western Sydney suburb of Sefton. Photo: ABC News - Thorsten Joses The premier of New South Wales has condemned Islamophobic graffiti seen in western Sydney. Australian police are investigating what they have described as "offensive graffiti" - found under a bridge in the suburb of Sefton, after they received reports on Sunday morning. Images published by The Guardian show the words "F**K ISLAM", tagged on each side of a railway underpass on Hector Street. In another image, the words "CANCEL ISLAM" can be seen partially covered with white paint on an advertising sign. In a statement provided to the ABC, Premier Chr...
Andrew in the spotlight: inside the Prince’s long history of dubious relationships
Life Style

Andrew in the spotlight: inside the Prince’s long history of dubious relationships

Prince Andrew is back in the spotlight once more this week after news has emerged of his alleged friendship with a Chinese spy, codenamed H6.Though his name hasn’t been reported, the businessman was banned from Britain twice by the government, but apparently managed to grow close to Andrew - to the extent that he visited Buckingham Palace and was also invited by the Prince to St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle.Though Andrew says he “ceased all contact” when concerns were first raised - and that “nothing of a sensitive nature [was] ever discussed” - it’s not the first time that he’s found himself in hot water about whom he chooses to spend time with.From dictators to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew’s list of former acquaintances is long and many of them date back to the time he was m...
New Plymouth man Blair Campbell’s UK electrocution was preventable, according to inquest
World News

New Plymouth man Blair Campbell’s UK electrocution was preventable, according to inquest

By Ben Leahy of Blair Campbell's wife Tina Liu Campbell said at the time of his death that he was "the best husband and daddy we could've ever asked for". Photo: Supplied / NZME Taranaki couple Debbie and Carlyle "Buzz" Campbell's phone rang in the middle of the night in October 2022. It was their son Blair's wife Tina calling from the UK - but she could barely talk because Blair had died. "It was unbelievable" to get the call all parents dread Buzz said. "It felt like your heart was being ripped out." His 35-year-old landscaper son had been electrocuted while pruning a garden hedge, just south of Manchester in the UK. He had sliced into a wire running from an electrical substation. Airlifted to hospital, he died shortly after, leaving behind a young daughter and so...