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By Anna Kelsey-Sugg and Lyn Gallacher, ABC News Then-teacher Rob Hunter (centre) with his students in 1977, just after their incredible ordeal. Photo: Victoria Police / supplied It took until 10.30am for an ordinary primary school day to take a very dramatic turn. Monday, 14 February, 1977 was the ninth day of term one at Wooreen primary, a tiny school nestled in the regional Victorian bush. All nine students, ranging from grades one to six, were enjoying their recess break when something stopped them in their tracks. What unfolded was a day none of them could have foreseen. It involved hostages, a car chase, a police shootout - and an outrageous ransom request. Failed kidnapper's escape from jail That day, students ran back inside from their break to tell their teacher, Rob Hunter, ...

By Eric Bradner, CNN Donald Trump's victory improved Republican margins nearly everywhere. Photo: JIM WATSON Former president Donald Trump won across the map - improving on Republican margins nearly everywhere and delivering on his promises to win over more non-White voters on his way to defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. Now that the dust has settled on the 2024 presidential election, a dive into CNN's exit polls and county-by-county results compared with previous races offers an even more detailed glimpse at how Trump won. And perhaps more important for Democrats, the results paint a daunting picture of a party whose national coalition has fractured - with suburbs where they've won squeezed as tight as they can be, Latinos rapidly realigning with the GOP, and Trump posting the...

By David Goldman, CNN Bitcoin is up 80 percent this year. Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Bitcoin on Monday hit a new record above US$80,000 (NZ$136,355). The world's largest cryptocurrency surged in the run-up to last week's US presidential election, rose sharply immediately on election night after it became clear Donald Trump would win and has continued rising in the days since his victory. Bitcoin is up 80 percent this year, dwarfing the S&P 500's still-electric 25.7 percent gain this year. After briefly touching the US$80,000 milestone, bitcoin was trading just below it overnight Monday. The crypto industry believes Trump's victory is a bullish sign for bitcoin and other digital currencies. Although Trump was once a bitcoin sceptic, once saying it "was...

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters The Israeli strike on Jabalia in the northern Gaza strip killed or wounded dozens of people, Palestinian medics said. Photo: AFP / Omar Al-Qattaa Israeli strike kills dozens, Palestinian medics say Israeli military says strike targeted militants in Jabalia Hamas denies using civilians for military purposes Ceasefire efforts stalled, Qatar pauses mediation efforts Dozens of people were killed and wounded in an Israeli strike on a house in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip at dawn on Sunday, Palestinian medics said. Footage circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed about a dozen bodies wrapped in blankets and laid on the ground at a hospital. Residents said the building that was hit had housed at least 30 people...

Forensic artist Lois Gibson says helping other victims and witnesses seek justice has been therapeutic. Photo: Capehart Photography 2024 Lois Gibson is the holder of the 2017 Guinness World Record for most positive identifications by a forensic artist. More than 1300 perpetrators correctly identified more than 1000 convictions, 750 criminals put behind bars. She's been helping the Houston Police Department in the United States catch criminals for nearly 40 years. But there's a harrowing reason why. When she was a 21-year-old model and dancer in LA, she was raped, tortured and left for dead by a serial rapist and murderer. Seeing her attacker get arrested for another crime, fight with the officers and beaten into submission was like a "miracle". "After that, I could work crime, because I...