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Dr Mia Cobb and her dog Luna. Photo: Mia Cobb / Supplied. Follow Our Changing World on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. "Every day they make me laugh with their antics and their companionship," says Dr Mia Cobb of her two dogs Rudy and Luna. Rudy is a 10-year-old stag hound. "He looks like a womble cross with a muppet. He's a very big, grey, shaggy creature with long legs." Luna is a four-year-old German shorthaired pointer. "She's very, very energetic, even considering that the breed is known to be active. She's extra." Both ended up in SPCA. Rudy was picked up as a stray dog in a regional farming area, while Luna was someone's "pandemic puppy" - bought when Melbourne was in lockdown, but far too active for her first home. Having started her career ...

By Kantaro Komiya, Reuters A regional airport in southwest Japan was closed after a US bombshell, likely dropped during WWII to stem "kamikaze" attacks, exploded near its runway, causing nearly 90 flight cancellations. Miyazaki Airport shut its runway after the explosion caused a crater seven metres wide and one metre deep in the middle of the taxiway next to the runway, according to a Japanese transport ministry official. A bomb disposal team from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force later found that the cause of the explosion was an American bomb that had been buried beneath the land surface, probably dating to a wartime air raid, the official said. No injuries were reported but live cam footage showed an airplane had been taxiing nearby just two minutes before the explosion, according ...

By Lisa Richwine, Reuters Friends star Matthew Perry died in October 2023. Photo: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/AFP One of two California doctors who were among the five people charged in the overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a charge of illegally distributing the drug ketamine. Dr Mark Chavez entered the plea during an appearance in US District Court in Los Angeles. At sentencing, he could face up to 10 years in prison. Another physician charged in the case, Dr Salvador Plasencia, has pleaded not guilty, as has co-defendant Jasveen Sangha, who authorities said was an illicit supplier of the drug and was known as the "ketamine queen." The pair are scheduled to go on trial in March. Perry's live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwama...

Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images via AFP A US judge has made public a court filing in which federal prosecutors laid out their evidence accusing former President Donald Trump of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The 165-page filing is likely the last opportunity for prosecutors to detail their case against Trump before the 5 November election given there will not be a trial before Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Prosecutors laid out details including an allegation that a White House staffer heard Trump tell family members that it did not matter if he won or lost the election "You still have to fight like hell." Trump has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges accusing him of a conspiracy to obstruct the congressional certification of the ...

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement after the missile attack condemning "the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation." Photo: AFP Israel's foreign minister said on Wednesday that he was barring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not "unequivocally" condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel. Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid an escalation in fighting between Israel and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Many were intercepted in flight but some penetrated missile defences. Guterres on Tuesday issued a brief statement after the missile attack condemning "the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation." Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had sent tro...

Photo: CIA/X By Jonathan Landay, Reuters The US CIA launched a new drive to recruit informants in China, Iran and North Korea, adding to what it says has been a successful effort to enlist Russians. The premier US spy agency posted instructions in Mandarin, Farsi and Korean on its accounts on X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn and the Dark Web on how to contact it securely, a CIA spokesperson said in a statement. "Our efforts on this front have been successful in Russia, and we want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we're open for business," the spokesperson said, adding that the CIA was adapting to increased state repression and global surveillance. A Mandarin-language video posted to Youtube featuring only written instructions advised individuals...

Relatives and friends mourn by the grave of Israeli soldier Eitan Itzhak Oster killed in fighting in the northern border area with Lebanon, during his funeral at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP By Ari Rabinovitch and Maya Gebeily, Reuters Israel said eight of its soldiers were killed in combat in south Lebanon as its forces thrust into its northern neighbour in a campaign against the Hezbollah armed group. The losses were the deadliest suffered by the Israeli military on the Lebanon front in the past year of border-area clashes between Israel and its Iranian-backed Lebanese foe. Hezbollah said its fighters were engaging Israeli forces inside Lebanon on Thursday, reporting ground clashes for the first time since Israeli forces pushed over the bor...

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is already in custody awaiting trial on three counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering. Now he's set to face lawsuits from 120 people who have accused him of sexual assault and abuse. Photo: AFP / Angela Weiss Hip hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, already in custody awaiting trial on three counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering, is now set to face lawsuits from 120 people who have accused him of sexual assault and abuse. Last month the 54-year-old was arrested in a New York hotel and taken into police custody. Reuters reported that prosecutors accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise to facilitate his exploitation of women, dating back at least 16 years. According to the 14-pag...

Photo: 123rf An earthquake measuring 6.8 magnitude has struck Tonga, the US Geological Survey says. The quake on Wednesday was at a depth of 10 km, USGS said. The US National Tsunami Center said it does not expect a tsunami after the earthquake. - Reuters Source link

By James Mackenzie and Maya Gebeily This picture shows projectiles being intercepted by Israel near the northern city of Baqa al-Gharbiya on 1 October, 2024. Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, drawing vows of a sharp response from both Israel and the United States. Alarms sounded across Israel and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley. Israelis piled into bomb shelters and reporters on state television lay flat on the ground during live broadcasts. Israel said more than 180 missiles were launched into Israel from Iran and Israeli air defences were activated to intercept them. US Navy warships fired about a dozen interceptors again...