On news.com.au today, a manhunt is underway after a woman was stabbed to death in NSW overnight, a mum is due to face court after she was caught with five times the legal blood alcohol limit while trying to pick her child up from school, and a woman has slammed an airline for telling her she needed to cover up or leave the plane. NSW PREMIER’S SECURITY DRAGS OFF REPORTER A journalist and former Greens activist has been dragged away from a press event by the NSW premier’s security detail while screaming “why can’t a journalist ask a question?” Gladys Berejiklian was announcing an upgrade to the Brunswick Heads Surf Club on Wednesday when Jim Beatson, who identified himself as a reporter for Bay FM, pushed his way into a photo opportunity. Beatson was then manhandled by the premier’s security staff and pushed into a nearby room while he continued to shout. Other people could be heard shouting out: “Ask the question!” in a video posted on social media. Beatson on Wednesday evening told AAP the question was about koala habitats in Byron Bay. Once forced into the room, the 73-year-old continued to push against the plain- clothed police officer while saying he wanted to ask the premier a question, a second video shows. “I did it in a polite way but immediately I was propelled backwards by her staff including this gentleman here,” Beatson says in the video. Beatson said he and his employer were considering their actions but described the incident as “a nonsense”. NSW Police confirmed a specialist officer intervened on Wednesday but did not arrest Beatson. “Officers removed the man from the location to prevent any further breach of the peace,” a spokeswoman told AAP on Wednesday. 8:15AM TWO SHOT, ONE MAN HIT WITH AXE IN SYDNEY Three men have been taken to hospital following a violent home invasion in western Sydney. Two men suffered gunshot wounds, one with an injury to his thigh and the other with a shot to his wrist, as a result of the incident in Blacktown. Paramedics were called to the home at about 5am this morning. Another man was hit in the head with a blunt side of an axe and suffered a closed head injury. The trio were taken to Westmead Hospital in serious but stable conditions. A police operation is underway. VIC MAN ADMITS TO KILLING WIFE A Victorian man is spending his birthday behind bars after changing his tune from grieving husband to confessed wife killer. On Wednesday Borce Ristevski pleaded guilty to manslaughter of his wife Karen, nearly three years after claiming she went for a walk in June 2016 and never returned. Ristevski, who turned 55 today, made the admission on the eve of a scheduled five-week murder trial. It came after Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale made a ruling, declaring Ristevski’s actions after the killing could not be used to prove “murderous intent”. With that, prosecutors filed a new indictment with the lesser charge of manslaughter, which Ristevski admitted, scuttling a high-profile trial. In previous hearings, prosecutors pushed hard for a murder trial, saying Ristevski’s deceitful behaviours after the killing gave rise to the required intent. A lengthy investigation involving listening devices and CCTV resulted in Ristevski being charged in December 2017. He allegedly killed his wife at home and took her Mercedes-Benz roadster to dispose of the body in bushland, killing the signal of his phone on the way. Ms Ristevski, 47, went missing from her Avondale Heights home on June 29, 2016. Eight months later, her skeletal remains were found between logs in Macedon Regional Park. Ristevski will face a pre-sentence hearing on March 27. MUM FIVE TIMES OVER LIMIT AT SCHOOL PICK-UP A mum is set to face court next month after being caught five time over the legal alcohol limit while picking her child up from school in NSW’s Hunter Region. A teacher called police after becoming concerned for the welfare of a parent coming to pick her child up from a Salamander Bay school. It was just after 4.30pm on Monday when police arrived and breathalysed the 30-year-old mum as she attempted to pick up her six-year-old daughter, with her two-year-old son also in the car. The test revealed a positive reading and she was taken to Nelson Bay Police Station where she allegedly returned a breath test result of 0.252. Her licence was suspended and a Child at Risk Notification was logged. The woman is set to appear in Raymond Terrace Local Court on April 1 charged with high range drink driving. PELL’S NEW REALITY OF LIFE BEHIND BARS Visibly affected by his first two weeks behind bars, George Pell has returned to prison knowing he could be there for the rest of his life. Jailed for a maximum six years by County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd on Wednesday, the disgraced cardinal will be 80 when his minimum non-parole period expires in three years and eight months. Any chance of freedom before then will be pinned to his appeal application, to be heard in Victoria’s Court of Appeal in June. A bail application was foreshadowed when his conviction for sexually abusing two choirboys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne in 1996 became public. Pell sat emotionless and looking visibly thinner through more than an hour-long sentence hearing where the judge noted he would spend a “substantial portion” of his remaining life expectancy behind bars. “I am conscious that a term of imprisonment … carries with it a real, as distinct from theoretical, possibility that you may not live to be released from prison,” he said. A Corrections Victoria assistant commissioner provided a statement on Pell’s first days in custody, noting he had been assessed as an “immediate risk of serious threat”. That risk may be reduced by time in protection and in time, Pell may be able to mix with a limited number of heavily vetted prisoners, the commissioner noted. — FLYER TOLD TO ‘COVER UP’ BY STAFF A woman has blasted airline staff who left her “shaking and upset” after telling her in front of the whole plane that her outfit was inappropriate and she needed to cover up. Emily O’Connor was flying from Birmingham to Tenerife on a Thomas Cook flight when she was confronted by staff over her outfit. The 21-year-old claimed the crew said her crop top and long, high waisted pants were “inappropriate” and “caused offence”. They warned Ms O’Connor that she would be removed from the flight if she didn’t cover up, with four flight staff and the manager surrounding her ready to take her luggage from the plane. “I informed the staff that there is no “appropriate wear” policy stipulated online,” she wrote on Twitter. “I stood up on the flight and asked if anyone was offended, no-one said a word.” The young woman said they even stood by and said nothing while a male passenger started to hurl abuse at her. “The manager then went to get my bag to remove me from the flight,” she said. “A man then shouted “Shut up you pathetic woman. Put a f*cking jacket on”- the staff said nothing to him.” Her cousin, who was sitting at the front of the plane, eventually gave her a jacket, with the crew not leaving until she “physically put it on”. “They made comments over the speaker about the situation and left me shaking and upset on my own,” she wrote. In another tweet, she said “a gent two rows behind me was wearing a vest top and shorts … yet clearly nothing was said to him”. Thomas Cook Airlines has since apologised to Ms O’Connor, saying crew could have handed the situation better. “In common with most airlines we have an appropriate attire policy. This applies equally to men and women of all ages without discrimination,” the airline said. “Our crews have the difficult task of implementing that policy and don’t always get it right,” the airline added.” MAN STOPS ARROW WITH PHONE A man has saved himself from serious injury after accidentally using his phone to stop an arrow that was allegedly shot at him by another man in northern NSW. The 43-year-old arrived at his Nimbin home at around 9am on Wednesday where he was allegedly confronted by a man with a bow and arrow outside the property. The man, who is known to the victim, allegedly raised and drew the weapon as the resident took out his mobile phone to take a picture. The archer fired the arrow, causing it to go through the phone, resulting in the device flying back and hitting the resident in the face. It caused a small laceration but the man was otherwise unharmed. Police attended the scene and arrested the 39-year-old archer, charging him with armed intent to commit and indictable offence, actual bodily harm and malicious damage. He was refused bail to appear at Lismore Local Court on April 15. MANHUNT AFTER FATAL STABBING A manhunt is underway for the person responsible for stabbing a woman to death in NSW’s Lake Macquarie region, south of Newcastle. Emergency services were called to the Glendale home before midday on Wednesday following reports a woman was injured. The woman was rushed to John Hunter Hospital where she later died after being found with critical stab wounds. Police spent the night searching for Tafari Walton, a man they believed to be involved in the attack. He is aged in his early 20s and is described as having a dark complexion and a long black ponytail. Walton is believed to be driving a white Mitsubishi Outlander with NSW registration AW67VV. People are urged not to approach Walton but call police if they find him.

8m

Mar 13, 2019

On news.com.au today, disgraced cardinal George Pell is due to be sentenced today after being found guilty of sexually abusing two choirboys, the couple who went missing while out on a hike in Victoria’s alpine region have revealed how they survived in the wilderness for four nights, and a pamphlet handed out to women in 1918 giving them marriage advice has raised a few eyebrows. MUM BANS ANTI-VAX FRIEND FROM SEEING CHILD A mum has asked for advice after her best friend became upset when she banned her from visiting her toddler due to the woman’s child being unvaccinated. She asked Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/ay6jbm/aita_best_friends_baby_isnt_vaccinated/ users if she was an “a**hole” for telling her friend their children couldn’t meet after she bought a non-refundable plane ticket to come and see them. “My best friend and I have toddlers. My toddler is a healthy vaccinated child. My best friend’s toddler is so far healthy but unvaccinated,” she wrote. “We both live in dif states and she had bought a ticket to visit. Panic set in and I asked her not to come.” She said that her friend decided not to vaccinate her child after her sister had a vaccination scare. Even though her own daughter is vaccinated she was worried her friend’s child could still get her sick. “She says since my child is vaccinated I should have nothing to fear and I am being ridiculous,” the post read. “The ticket isn’t refundable and she is furious.” People quickly jumped to the mum’s defence, saying that she has every right to look out for her child’s wellbeing. “Vaccines aren’t always 100% effective. Some times you can still get sick,” one person wrote. “Keep your child safe. And see if you can make your friend understand science … though odds are slim,” another said. However some people claimed she should have never allowed her to book the ticket in the first place seeing as she already knew her stance on vaccines. “You are an a**hole. You knew this kid wasn’t vaccinated, let your friend book a flight to see you and now refuse to see them, over something you have always known,” one person wrote. THERESA MAY’S BREXIT PLAN REJECTED Theresa May’s latest Brexit plan has been rejected by the British parliament — leaving the future of the divorce from the European Union and her own position in jeopardy. The failure of the proposed plan is a second humiliation for Mrs May after the first attempt in January saw a historic 230 votes against it. The defeat today (Tuesday in the UK) was not as bad, but still significant with 149 votes against it (391-242). Speaking after the result was read to a packed chamber, Mrs May confirmed a vote would be held Wednesday (UK time) that gave MPs the chance to rule out leaving the EU without a deal. It would be a free vote for government members, she said, something she had “personally struggled with” but the decisions were “an issue of grave importance for the country”. She said if the parliament voted to leave without a deal it would “become government policy”. If they don’t, a third vote would be held on Thursday about whether to ask the EU to delay Brexit. Critics have hit out at the last-minute chaos, saying there is only one option left for Ms May — to resign. “Another absolute drubbing for Theresa May,” wrote commentator Piers Morgan, on Twitter. “Her Brexit plan is obviously dead as a dodo. But how in good conscience can she carry on as Prime Minister? She’s lost her vote, her authority, even her voice. Surely the only option left to her now is to resign?” — TRAFFIC QUEUED UP IN SYDNEY’S WEST Motorists are being told to allow for extra travel time when driving in Sydney’s west this morning following a crash at Oakhurst. One of two northbound lanes were closed on the M7 approaching Richmond due to a two car collision. Traffic was very heavy and was backed up for 4km. The crash has now been cleared but drivers are still being told to allow for extra travel time. MISSING HIKERS WENT DOWN THE WRONG TRACK The Melbourne couple who were forced to spent four nights in Victoria’s alpine wilderness after going missing while on a hike say they became stuck on a ledge and couldn’t get down. Trevor Salvado, 60, and Jacinta ‘Cindy’ Bohan, 58, were found safe and well on Tuesday morning at Mount Buffalo in Victoria’s northeast, after getting lost on Friday. The experienced hikers say they took a wrong track and found themselves stuck on a steep ledge that they couldn’t get down from. They lived off muesli bars and a trickle of water for four nights before finally working out how to get free and on Tuesday and finding help. They just “walked out from where we were” and soon came across a minibus of TAFE students who were on a canoeing trip. After being looked over at Wangaratta Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, the couple told reporters they always knew they would be found and were looking forward to a shower. Their disappearance sparked a full-scale search, involving up to 150 personnel covering several kilometres of rugged terrain. Ms Bohan said the experience won’t deter the couple from future outdoor adventures. TWO DEAD AFTER HORROR SYDNEY CRASH Two women were killed in a horrific two-vehcile crash in Sydney’s southwest overnight. A 66-year-old woman driving a sedan and her passenger, a 62-year-old woman, both died at the scene after colliding with another car on Henry Lawson Drive in Peakhurst just before 8pm on Tuesday. Two other passengers, a woman, 62, and a man, 58, are in hospital in a stable condition. The 20-year-old male driver of a four-wheel drive, believed to have been stolen and involved in the crash, was arrested about half an hour later. He was picked up by police on a nearby street. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. BRUTAL MARRIAGE ADVICE FROM 1918 A pamphlet giving young women advice on marriage during the height of the suffragette movement in 1918 has left some people shocked at the ruthless instructions. The flyer in on display at the Pontypridd Museum in Wales and has made the rounds on social media due do the strange, outdated advice. The first suggestion on the note is a strong one, simply stating: “Do not marry at all.” However, if this instruction cannot be followed then it suggests the type of men women should try and avoid. “But if you must, avoid the Beauty Men, Flirts, the Bounders, Tailor’s Dummies, and the Football Enthusiasts,” the pamphlet reads. Women are instead advices to go for “a Strong, Tame Man, a Fire-lighter, Coal-getter, Window Cleaner and Yard Swiller”. Readers are then told that men “need taming” and they shouldn’t expect too much as most are “lazy, selfish, thoughtless, lying, drunken and rough”. The pamphlet advices that all you have to do to make a man happy is to feed him. “The same remark applies to dogs,” it reads. The note finishes off by saying that the whole ordeal of marriage “isn’t worth the risk”. PRO-COAL MPS SLAPPED DOWN BY COLLEAGUES An internal coalition push for the government to invest in a coal-fired power station is running out of steam after government MPs reignited a damaging energy debate. Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and six Nationals colleagues have demanded the Commonwealth fund a coal project in Queensland. But Liberal backbenchers and senior Nationals rejected the push, slapping down suggestions it is the best way to reduce power prices and improve reliability. Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the government’s program to underwrite new generation had received 66 submissions covering a range of technologies including gas and hydro, as well as 10 coal projects. “The program does not seek to pick any particular firmed generation over another — consistent with the recommendation of the ACCC,” he told AAP. “The PM has made it clear the government will only support projects that are viable.” He said the government was carefully considering all proposals, with the preference for projects which reduce prices, improve reliability and meet Australia’s international obligations. Moderate Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman didn’t mince words, savaging calls for government investment in new coal generation. “It is bad policy. I don’t think we should be in the business of building or funding or operating coal-fired power stations at a federal level,” he told the ABC. “On the political front I say to my colleagues we are five minutes to midnight from an election and now is not the time for policy adventurism.” — PELL TO BE SENTENCED OVER SEXUAL ABUSE Disgraced cardinal George Pell is set to be sentenced in Melbourne’s County Court after being found guilty of sexually abusing two choir boys 1996. The 77-year-old has reportedly been told to expect “significant” jail time, with Chief Judge Peter Kidd handing down the sentence today. The sentencing comes three months after Pell was found guilty of rally raping a 13-year-old choirboy and molesting another at St Patrick’s Cathedral after a Sunday mass. He is the highest ranking Catholic to be convicted of child sexual abuse and has already spent two weeks behind bars waiting for the sentencing. Due to the huge public interest, the judge will permit a camera in court to broadcast his remarks live globally. Pell was convicted in December of one charge of sexually penetrating a child and four of committing indecent acts with a child. Each offence carries a 10-year maximum prison sentence. Pell maintains his innocence and intends to challenge the conviction in the Court of Appeal, which will be heard in June.

8m

Mar 12, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, police are still trying to piece together the final hours of the Sydney dentist who’s body was found stuffed into a suitcase inside her car on Tuesday, Australia has recorded one of its hottest summer ever after breaking more than 200 extreme weather records, and a popular Melbourne cafe has left customer’s outraged after writing a very controversial joke on their display sign. * * * AUSTRALIA FALLS INTO ‘PER-CAPITA’ RECESSION * Australia has entered a “per-capita” recession for the first time in 13 years. * New government figures have confirmed the nation’s economy has slowed notably, recording its second straight quarter where the economy shrank on a per-capita basis. * What does this mean? GDP, or gross domestic product, measures the total value of goods and services produced by a country. * This is used to assess how that country’s economy is going. * On a per-capita basis, Australia’s total GDP growth level has shrunk over two consecutive quarters. It shrank at 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent in the September and December quarters respectively, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. * A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, which the nation hasn’t experienced since 1991. * In per-capita terms — a widely-used proxy for living standards — the economy has not experienced two consecutive quarters of negative growth since 2006. * Annual growth has fallen to just 2.3 per cent — well below the Reserve Bank’s 2019 forecast of 3 per cent. * “Growth in the economy was subdued, reflecting soft household spending and a decline in dwelling investment,” ABS chief economist Bruce Hockman said. * — * * * * AUSTRALIA RECORDS HOTTEST SUMMER * More than 200 extreme weather records have been broken in Australia this summer in what the Climate Council says was the hottest on record. * The council will release a report today highlighting the temperature extremes marked over the past three months. * The Climate Council says 206 weather records were broken in 90 days around Australia. * “This summer was so hot we witnessed fruit cooking on trees,” Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said. * The council’s report says the record-breaking summer was driven by greenhouse gas pollution from the burning of fossil fuels and land clearing. * “Now, hot on the heels of Australia’s ‘angriest summer’, we have autumn fires burning across parts of Victoria,” former NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Greg Mullins said. * “Climate change has lengthened bushfire seasons. * “In Victoria, the fire season started early. This has put a great deal of pressure on firefighters; we simply don’t have the resources for this new reality.” * — * * * FURY OVER CAFE’S ‘PATHETIC’ JOKE * A popular Melbourne cafe has been forced to apologise after customers were left disgusted by a joke displayed outside the shop that made fun of disabled people. * Seddon Deadly Sins cafe is known for writing puns and jokes on a sign outside the store and uploading them to Facebook. * But a joke they posted yesterday didn’t go down very well, resulting in serious backlash and forcing the owner of the cafe to apologise. * “My girlfriend broke up with me, so I stole her wheelchair,” the sign read. * “Guess who came crawling back.” * A picture of the sign was uploaded to the cafe’s Facebook page with the hashtags “#hahaha”, “#seddendeadlyfunnies” and “#haveyoulaughedlately”. * People were quick to call out the cafe, with many saying they should be ashamed of themselves and slamming the joke as “vile” and “pathetic”. * ”Any cafe that thinks jokes about abuse and violence and against disabled people is NOT a community cafe worth supporting,” one person wrote. * The cafe’s co-owner, Chris Gooden, initially defended the sign by saying he didn’t believe in censorship and brushing it off as a “silly pun”. * But as the outrage continued to grow, Mr Gooden deleted the post and issued a grovelling apology. * “Today I made the mistake of making light of something that I had not considered was a brutal reality for some people,” the post read. * “Colleen Hartland shared a report with me that highlighted domestic violence against people with disabilities. I’m ashamed that it took this for me to learn about this abuse. * “I apologise for my ignorance and any offence that it has caused. Regardless of the original intent, I should have known better.” * * * PARENTS TO BE SENTENCED AFTER BOY ABANDONED * The dad who left his toddler alone in a Queensland park next to a boat ramp and then lied about his whereabouts for a decade is due to be sentenced today. * Baden Bond’s father Shane Arthur Simpson pleaded guilty to manslaughter after he deliberately left his 22-month-old son in the park in Eagleby at dusk in May 2007. * His body has never been found and what happened to him after he was abandoned on the banks of the Logan River is unknown. * The boy was born to Dina Colleen Bond with methamphetamine in his system, and was blamed by his parents for being the reason their other children were taken into state care because of his condition at birth. * His parents reportedly treated the boy cruelly, locking him in his darkened room and not changing his nappies. * Bond has pleaded guilty to two counts of being an accessory to the manslaughter for keeping up the lies about Baden. * The pair will be sentenced in Brisbane Supreme Court today. * * * 6YO GIRL CRITICAL AFTER CRASH * A six-year-old girl is fighting for her life after she was critically injured in a crash near NSW’s Central Tablelands. * The incident happened at Sunny Corner Road, Portland, at around 3.30pm on Wednesday. * The girl was taken to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead following the crash. * A woman and two four-year-old girls were also in the car at the time of the incident and were taken to Westmead Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead respectively. * * * * STRANGER’S GROSS ACT IN FRONT YARD * Homeowners were left disturbed after their security camera filmed a man walking through their frontyard before doing something vile right next to their house. * Footage of the incident shows the stranger walking trespassing on the Granville property with a roll of toilet paper in hand. * He then walks off camera where the owner claimed he proceeded to defecate. * He reappears a few minutes later with the toilet paper and an umbrella he decided to steal from the home. * Anyone who can identify the man is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. * * * * POLLIE PAY RISE DENIED BY VIC UPPER HOUSE * Four Victorian government MPs won’t be getting a pay rise after state parliament’s new-look upper house flexed its muscles. * In a bid to scrap some parliamentary committees, the re-elected Andrews Labor government also included pay boosts for a select group of MPs. * Premier Daniel Andrews’ parliamentary secretary Danny Pearson, government whip Bronwyn Halfpenny, a new “deputy whip” position and scrutiny of acts and regulations chair Mark Gepp, were all going to get thousands of dollars added to their salaries. * Victorian MPs have a base pay of about $170,000. * Overnight the upper house struck out the pay rise section of the bill, which found objection among the Liberal-National opposition and most of the crossbench. * “Taxpayers have finally had a win, hallelujah,” Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien told reporters at parliament on Wednesday. * Liberal Democrat David Limbrick said the proposed increase did not pass the pub test. * “There’s an independent tribunal bill coming up soon and just before that to put in a pay rise just didn’t seem right,” he told reporters. * The extra cash was supported by just two crossbenchers — independent Catherine Cumming and Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick. * Mr Meddick said he thought the increase was justified because of extra duties assigned to those MPs. * Mr Andrews told reporters the Legislative Council vote was “the end of the matter” when asked for his thoughts on Wednesday. * Politicians’ pay will now be the subject of a independent remuneration tribunal, with associated laws to soon enter parliament. * * * * POLICE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT DENTISTS FINAL HOURS * Police are hunting for clues that will help them piece together the final hours of Sydney dentist Preethi Reddy’s life before she was killed and stuffed in a suitcase in her car. * The 32-year-old woman from Penrith was found with multiple stab wounds and stuffed inside a suitcase in her VW Golf in a Kingsford lane. * Police made the discovery at about 9.30am on Tuesday, almost three days after she was last seen. * Her former boyfriend, Tamworth dentist Harshwardhan Narde, 34, had hours earlier taken his own life in a fiery car crash on the New England Highway. * In a statement released on behalf of Dr Reddy’s family, her sister Nithya said: “Words cannot capture the pain we are feeling with the passing of my beautiful big sister. * “Preethi was a bright light, loveable, kind, and protective of all whom were lucky enough to have been loved and cared for by her. * “Prior to this unthinkable event, she had been the happiest I’d ever seen her — she was living her best life.” * Investigators believe they know who killed Dr Reddy but are pleading for more information about her whereabouts before her death. * They believe she reconnected with Dr Narde in Sydney but are still trying to understand exactly what happened. * *

7m

Mar 06, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, the body of a missing Sydney dentist has been found stuffed into a suitcase in a parked car in the city’s eastern suburbs, three suspicious packages containing parcel bombs were sent to separate transport hubs across London, and a McDonald’s menu from 1987 has social media users shocked at how cheap the food used to be. * * * FORMER CONJOINED TWINS TO GO HOME * Bhutanese twins Nima and Dawa, who were once conjoined, are set to leave Australia today and head home after undergoing successful surgery in Melbourne to separate them. * The 19-month girls underwent the life-changing surgery almost four months ago and now they are ready to fly home. * It took a team of 25 surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital to completely the surgery after the twins arrived joined at the torso. * The news comes as the toddlers celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Children First Foundation which helped bring the girls to Australia for their operation. * Nima and Dawa were discharged from hospital in late November and have been living with their mother at the foundation’s property on Melbourne’s outskirts. * * * SYDNEY NRL PLAYER CHARGED OVER SEX TAPE * Penrith NRL player Tyrone May has been charged with recording and distributing sex videos of two women without their knowledge. * May, 22, turned himself in to police on Tuesday after footage of intimate acts with the two women were leaked on social media over the weekend. * The Panthers’ utility has been charged with two counts of recording intimate images without consent and two counts of disseminating images without consent. * He is accused of filming the women without their knowledge while he engaged in sexual acts on separate occasions at Coffs Harbour and Kingswood in western Sydney last year. * May was released on bail after declining to be interviewed, police said. * Detective Superintendent Brett McFadden told reporters the two women reported the film to police after family and friends informed them it was being shared by internet trolls. * Both women have said they were unaware they were being filmed and did not consent to the images being distributed. * “There’s no doubt that what’s taken place is a serious breach of trust, a violation of the rights of these women,” Det Supt McFadden said. * He warned anyone caught sharing the footage could be liable for an offence. * Under NSW’s revenge porn laws, offenders face up to three years in jail and an $11,000 fine while offenders who refuse to take down material could face an extra two years in jail and a $5500 fine. * May is due to appear in Penrith Local Court on May 1. * * * * CRAZY PRICES ON 1987 MCDONALD’S MENU * A flyer from a Sydney McDonalds advertising their new breakfast menu from over 30 years ago has left people in shock at how cheap the fast food items used to be. * A picture of the flyer was uploaded to Facebook by Chad Bonello, who claimed he found it in hidden under furniture in the manager’s officer at a McDonald’s in Woodbine, in Sydney’s southwest in 2002. * The voucher offers customers a free breakfast item to be redeemed at a store in Punchbowl by March 23, 1987. * Social media users were shocked at how cheap the prices used to be, with an Egg McMuffin, Sausage McMuffin with Egg and Scambled Eggs and Muffin all costing just $1.65. * Now a Sausage and Egg McMuffin costs around $4.50. * Back then you could get a Hash Brown for just 60 cents but prices have now been bumped up to $1.90. * If you are fan of the Hot cakes you will know they cost about $4.45, a lot more expensive than the $1.65 customer’s used to pay. * Facebook users were left in awe at the cheap prices, with many wishing McDonald’s would bring back the Big Breakfast, which cost just $2.75 for scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns and a muffin. * “Compare the prices of the egg McMuffin and Sausage and egg McMuffin … can’t believe I was paying those prices back then,” one person said. * “About a month ago I went into McDonald’s and asked about the Big breakfast and the girl just looked at me with a blank look on her face. She had no idea why I was talking about and had never heard of it. Made me feel really old lol,” another said. * Another added: “The big breakfast was the best should never have been removed from the menu”. * * * * * TEEN GLASSED IN HORROR TRAIN ATTACK * This is the moment a teenager was allegedly glassed by a woman on a Sydney train after he asked a couple who were fighting to be quiet. * Horrific footage of the incident, obtained by The , shows the woman allegedly smashed the 19-year-old over the back of the head with a bottle in front of his friends. * The teen can be seen stumbling towards the front of the carriage with blood pouring out of a gash in his head. * “Are you right man? Where did she hit you, do I need to get a paramedic?” one of the boy’s friends can be heard saying. * Police told The Daily Telegraph that a 30-year-old woman from Hamlyn Tarrace on the Central Coast had been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm. * The teen was at Hornsby railway station at about 12.30am before being taken to hospital and given ten stitches. * He also suffered a broken nose and smashed teeth after allegedly being punched in the face. Horrific assault filmed on Sydney train. * * * * BOMBS FOUND IN LONDON TRANSPORT HUBS * Three explosive devices have been found in building at major transport hubs around London, prompting police to launch a counter-terror investigation. * Suspicious packages were sent to Waterloo train station and office building at Heathrow and London City airports. * All the packages were A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags and appeared capable of igniting a small fire when opened, police said. * Irish police are now assisting British officers after the parcels were found to have Irish stamps on them. * No one was injured by the bombs but one did cause a small fire in a building at Heathrow Airport. * Officers received a report of a suspicious package at The Compass Centre, a building near Heathrow Airport boundary, shortly before 10am. Staff at the building opened the envelope, causing the device to ignite and burn part of the package, Scotland Yard said. * The building was evacuated as a precaution and specialist officers attended the scene to make the device safe. * Police said the building remains closed as inquiries continue. A Heathrow spokesman earlier said flights and passengers were not affected by the incident. * British Transport Police were called to reports of a suspicious package in the post room at Waterloo station at 11.40am. * The package was not opened and specialist officers again made the device safe. Police were also called to a report of a suspicious package at Aviation House at London City Airport shortly after midday. * * * BRIDE’S RUDE REACTION TO ‘SELFISH’ SPEECH * A new bride is being slammed on Reddit for claiming she asked the maid of honour — who happened to be her sister — to leave the wedding ceremony after delivering an “inappropriate” speech. * The woman, who did not identify herself and posted the story via a “throwaway” Reddit account, claims the “entire speech” her sister made “was about her” and her battle with depression, ultimately tying it to a story about the groom helping her through the ordeal. * “During her speech, she brought up her depression and how my husband supported her through it and how ‘in that moment, I knew he was the one for [my sister],’” the bride complained on Reddit. * “I thought her speech was really selfish,” the Redditor added. “I think it’s super inappropriate to bring up a mental illness during a wedding speech. Not only that, but the entire speech was about her. At MY wedding. [Ninety per cent] of the guests congratulated her afterwards and talked about how ‘strong’ she was. * “Nobody was paying attention to me, at my own wedding!” she added. * The woman then claimed she asked her own sister to leave the reception, which she did “without arguing,” but now her husband and her friends are saying she was being much too harsh. * Likely to her surprise, many of the respondents also felt she was in the wrong. * “You kicked your sister out for bringing the focus to herself because it was your wedding? Weddings are about bringing people together, not about you being a celebrity for a day,” wrote one. * “’Nobody was paying attention to me!’ Never has one sentence defined my resentment for weddings and wedding culture so perfectly,” another added. * Several other commenters also agreed that maybe it wasn’t the best idea for the maid of honour to bring up her condition during the speech, though * “She shouldn’t have done that, but you also could have handled it way better and tried to talk to her about it afterwards,” one person wrote. “Instead you just kicked her out? Your own sister? Harsh.” * — * * * FIVE ARRESTED AFTER DRIVE-BY SHOOTING * Five men have been arrested following a drive-by shooting that targeted a home in Melbourne’s southeast last year. * Two adults and two children were at the Narre Warren address when a bullet hit the house and another damaged a parked car about 12.30pm on June 30 in 2018. * No one was injured in the attack. * “We believe it was targeted. Members from that residence are known to police but the motives and reasons behind the shooting are still unknown,” Detective Senior Constable Ciaran Duryea told reporters in January. * “It is a very serious incident. This sort of violence in a residential suburb shows blatant disregard for the human life of the people and family inside that house,” he said at the time. * Two Narre Warren South men, aged 28, a 24-year-old Cranbourne man, a 46-year-old Coburg North man and a 24-year-old Clayton man were arrested after dawn raids on Tuesday, police said. * Drugs, cash and luxury cars were also seized during the raids. * * * SYDNEY DENTIST’S BODY FOUND IN SUITCASE * The body of a missing Sydney dentist has been found stuffed inside a suitcase in a car in the eastern suburbs. * Preethi Reddy was attending a dental conference in St Leonards over the weekend, with her family last hearing from her at around 11am Sunday. * When she didn’t come home from breakfast her family reported her missing to the police. * Police sent out pictures of the 32-year-old to the public in the hope someone would recognise her. * Her body was located at around 9.30pm on Tuesday inside a car parked on Strachan Street, Kingsford. * “Inquiries by officers from Sydney City Police Area Command are continuing into the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death,” a police statement said. * “Investigators are urging anyone with information relating to this incident to come forward.” * Dr Reddy was caught on CCTV at a McDonald’s in George St in the CBD at about 2.15am on Sunday. * She then left the store alone, walking south on Market St. *

9m

Mar 05, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, the number of people diagnosed with measles in NSW since Christmas has jumped to 19 after a woman and baby contracted the virus, tributes are flowing in for and actor Luke Perry who died aged 52, and a cyclist appearing to completely ignore a bike lane on a highway is causing a stir online. * * * LUKE PERRY DIES AGED 52 * Luke Perry of and fame has died at 52, his publicist has confirmed. * The actor suffered a massive stroke last week and had been hospitalised since. * The star was surrounded by his family when he died at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California. * “(Perry) was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiance Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, stepfather Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends,” his rep said in a statement to Variety. * “The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time.” * Last week, Perry was rushed to hospital after emergency services received a 911 call asking for paramedics to be sent to his Sherman Oaks, California home. * Perry, born Coy Luther Perry III, became a household name playing Dylan McKay on * Recently, Perry had successfully resurrected his TV career with a regular role on hit comic book adaptation , playing Fred Andrews — the conservative father of he show’s lead Archie. * — * * * TOUGH SAFETY REGIME FOR QLD THEME PARKS * Queensland theme parks and amusement rides will be stripped down as part of mandatory engineering inspections every 10 years in the wake of the Dreamworld tragedy which claimed four lives. * Industrial Relations minister Grace Grace said the safety overhaul applied to everything from carnival rides to major theme parks. * From May 1, a new licensing system will ensure tougher training of ride operators and improved safety standards of rides and attractions. * The regulations will be phased in over two years and will mandate proper recording of inspections, maintenance and operator competency. * Theme parks and operators which fail to comply with the new regulations will face hefty fines. * The changes pre-empt the findings of a coronial inquest into deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozbeh Araghi at Dreamworld in October 2016. * The four were killed when the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned and two rides collided throwing the tourists into the conveyor mechanism. * Ms Grace said it was “hard to say” if the changes would have prevented the tragedy. * She said the amendments set new standards that are “world’s best practice” for the industry and applied to thousands of rides across the state. * — * * * ANGER AS CYCLIST IGNORES BIKE LANE * Motorists have been left furious after a photo emerged of a cyclist taking up a whole lane of traffic, despite there being a bike lane right next to him. * The photo was reportedly taken at an intersection near the Pacific Highway in NSW and was shared to Facebook by Dylan Yasar. * “Now THIS should be illegal and when caught be handed a $1000 fine for disrupting the bloody roads,” the post read. * “A bike lane available and he needs to take up an entire lane. Selfish p***k!” * Social media users weren’t impressed with the the rider, with many suggesting this is why cyclists get a bad wrap. * “So annoying and completely selfish,” one person said. * “I hate it when there is a lane for them and they do not use it, or are riding on the line so you cannot get past when there is nothing stopping them from riding over to the left,” another said. * A few people suggested that the cyclist may have been waiting to turn right and that was why he wasn’t in the bike lane, but the Mr Yaser later claimed that the cyclist continued straight through the intersection. * * * HUMPBACK WHALE NUMBERS GROWING TOO FAST * Once hunted to near extinction, Australia’s humpback whale population has now exploded and could soon become unsustainable. * The population has grown from just a few hundred to more than 25,000 since commercial whaling was banned in 1962, a University of Queensland study has found. * Associate Professor Michael Noad says the whale population was growing by about 10 per cent every year and if that rate continues, it could be unsustainable by 2021. * Scientists had expected the growth rate to slow as whale numbers stabilised. “That hasn’t happened,” Dr Noad said. * “Whale numbers are still steaming ahead at a tremendous rate — the population is virtually doubling every seven years. * “If that keeps going, by 2022 there will be 50,000 whales — that’s a lot of whales. * “They could overshoot the carrying capacity of the environment and we could see a big decline in the population.” * Dr Noad said it could lead to beach strandings and we could see a lot of thin and dying whales. * If the population does oscillate, it would probably be a natural process and there would be very little we can do about it, he said. * — * * * TRICKY CONDITIONS FOR VIC FIREFIGHTERS * Firefighters battling Victorian bushfires are set to face tricky conditions later this week that could both hinder and help their efforts. * A cool change is expected to sweep the state and bring welcome relief from the soaring temperatures, but a severe thunderstorm warning could bring flash flooding and dry lightning * A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for East Gippsland and North East districts on Monday night, and is expected to provide some much-needed relief for firefighters battling the blaze in Dargo. * But those battling the Bunyip fire may not see any relief until early on Wednesday morning, with the cool change predicted to arrive then. * At least two homes, and nine structures in total, have been destroyed by the latest round of devastating bushfires, with the CFA saying they expect the official number to rise over the next few days. * There are six Watch and Act warnings in place across the state covering more than 50 towns. * More than 2000 firefighters are battling blazes across the state, with 71 aircrafts and help from NSW. * * * MUM’S STRICT PHONE RULES FOR SON * Deciding when to let your child have a mobile phone can be a tough decision. * But one mother, who has allowed her 12-year-old son to have a mobile phone, has devised a genius way to ensure he uses the device in a safe and healthy manner. * Mel Watts, also known as The Modern Mumma, has created a 17-rule contract which her son Ayden must abide by if he wants to carry on using his new mobile. * The mum-of-four has even categorised the contract — explaining if her son breaks one of the more severe rules (listed in bold), the phone will immediately be banned. * Mel has shared the document on her blog with the hope it might help other parents in similar situations. * She wrote: “This piece of paper pretty much gave us the ability to put down some ground rules and also allow us to monitor what he’s doing. * The contract states: “As we promised, once you finished primary school you would be lent a phone. * “The rules are to be applied to this phone and signed by all parties. * Most of the rules are pretty standard, including things like her son agreeing to fix the phone if he breaks it and making sure he follows the school policy around mobile devices. * Some of the rules that will result in an immediate ban if broken include, giving the phone to a parent before bed, handing over all account names and passwords and not purposefully hiding things on the device that they can’t see. * — * * * TWO NEW CASES OF MEASLES IN SYDNEY * Hundreds of people have been warned to look out for signs of measles after a young woman and a baby became the latest people to contract the virus. * A woman in her 20s developed the measles rash after arrived in Sydney from Bali on Qantas flight QF44 at about 6.30am on February 21. * Anyone who was on that flight, in the Sydney international terminal or visited the Sydney Opera House later that day are being urged to lookout for signs of the disease. * Health officials say people should be looking out for symptoms until March 16. * A Sydney baby — too young to receive their routine measles vaccine — also developed the disease after arriving home from the Philippines. Macquarie Shopping Centre (February 26 and March 2), My Health Macquarie (March 1 and 2) and the Northern Beaches Hospital (March 3) are among the places the infant visited while infectious. * Those in the same places at the same times should look out for symptoms until March 21. * Measles symptoms include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed by a red, blotchy rash on the head and neck that spreads to the rest of the body. * The two new cases take the number of people infectious with the highly contagious disease in the state since Christmas to 19. * * * * CALL FOR INQUIRY AFTER DETENTION DEATH * There has been a call for an independent inquiry into immigration detention after a second person died at Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney yesterday. * A detainee died at the facility in the city’s west on Monday evening, six weeks after a Sierra Leone man died in unsuspicious circumstances. * Australian Border Force confirmed the death and said it had been referred to the NSW coroner and other “appropriate parties”. * We express our condolences to the man’s family and friends,” a spokesman said in a statement on Monday. * “As this matter will be subject to further investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”’ * The ABF didn’t release any further details about the death. * Refugee advocate Ian Rintoul said the man was an Iraqi asylum seeker whose body was found about 6pm in his room in the La Trobe compound. * “We need an urgent, independent inquiry into immigration detention,” the spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition said in a statement. *

8m

Mar 04, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, firefighters are working hard to contain multiple blazes in Victoria’s east as bushfires rip through the state, a man is set to file a law suit against George Pell after alleging the disgraced cardinal molested him in the 1970s, and heart-stopping dashcam footage of a truck colliding with a car has divided opinion. * * * ELON MUSK’S SPACEX MAKES HISTORY * SpaceX’s new Dragon capsule has successfully docked on the International Space Station on Sunday, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a live broadcast of the mission. * “We can confirm hard capture is complete,” NASA said. * The announcement was met with applause at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas. * “This is unbelievable news for everyone here at SpaceX and at NASA,” SpaceX software engineer Tom Praderio said during live NASA TV commentary from SpaceX’s mission control centre. * The docking began at 10.51pm AEDT, more than 400 kilometres above the earth’s surface, north of New Zealand — and 27 hours after the capsule’s launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral in Florida. * Although the contact appeared slow, the ISS and the capsule were moving at a speed of over 27,000 kilometres per hour in orbit around the earth. * On board the ISS, the crew — American Anne McClain, Russian Oleg Kononenko, and Canadian David Saint-Jacques — were scheduled to open the airlock at 8.30am AEDT. * The mission is a test launch with only a dummy on board the capsule ahead of a manned flight scheduled for later this year. * — * * * * MAN ALLEGEDLY BITES STRANGER, ASSAULTS POLICE * A man has been charged after allegedly assaulting police officers and biting a member of the public in NSW’s north over the weekend. * Police were called to a residential street in Woodburn just before 9pm on Saturday following reports of a man acting suspiciously around homes. * Police located a 39-year-old man who allegedly became uncooperative when approached by officers. * A struggled ensued when the officers attempted to restrain the man, resulting a taser being fired. * The man was then handcuffed but continued to resist and assault the officers as they attempted to place him in the caged truck. * Members of the public attempted to assist police, resulting in a 52-year-old man being bitten on the finger. * The man was eventually taken to Lismore Police Station where he was charged with enter enclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse, resist or hinder police, two counts of assault police, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. * He is set to appear in Lismore Bail Court today. * * * GLADYS RAMPS UP METRO WEST SPEND TO $6.4M * The NSW coalition will more than double its funding for a western Sydney metro if it wins this month’s election, with a promise to start construction next year. * NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday promised an extra $3.4 billion to the Metro West project, taking the state funding to $6.4 billion. * Ms Berejiklian said her government would begin construction of the project in 2020, with tunnelling expected to begin in Westmead in 2021. * The NSW Labor opposition has promised $5 billion towards the project, with another $3 billion from the federal government if Bill Shorten wins the May election. * NSW Labor leader Michael Daley said he would complete the project, which will run from the CBD to Sydney’s west, faster than the government. * But Transport Minister Andrew Constance said there was no way Labor could build the metro any faster. * “You can’t build it any quicker, even if you tried,” Mr Constance told reporters in Westmead, where the Liberal Party unveiled its big, blue, bespoke “Gladys” election bus. * “Unlike Labor, we are putting the money in, we’re not waiting around for fictitious federal funds.” * He said Labor’s plan to hold parliamentary inquiries into infrastructure projects over $1 billion would delay the metro. * Mr Constance wouldn’t provide an overall cost estimate on the metro, which he said would take commuters from Sydney to Parramatta in 20 minutes. * The project will take about eight years to complete and has reportedly been estimated to cost $18 billion. * * * * MAN TO SUE PELL OVER 1970S SEX ABUSE * A man is set to file a lawsuit against George Pell in Melbourne today after claiming the disgraced cardinal molested him in a swimming pool in the 1970s. * The 50-year-old man has claimed he was a resident in St Joseph’s Boys Home in Ballarat from February 1974 to 1978 and says he suffered physical and sexual abuse by Pell during that time, according to the. * He was a complainant against Pell in a second trial over allegations Pell indecently assaulted boys in Ballarat in the 1970s. * The case was abandoned by prosecutors after a court deemed vital evidence inadmissable; with the man saying he was left devastated by the decision. * “It took a lot of courage and soul searching to be prepared to tell my story, accusing one of the most senior Catholics in the world of serious criminal offences, and eventually I was ready to have my day in court,” he told the. * “But when I was told they had withdrawn the case I felt empty, and that an injustice had occurred.” * The man’s lawyer has claimed there are at least three other witnesses would testify they suffered similar abuse at the hands of the cardinal. * * * MAN EXTRADITED TO QLD FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING * A man has been extradited from NSW to Queensland on charges of drug trafficking in 2014 and 2015. * Police say the 45-year-old man was involved in commercial trafficking of ice on the Gold Coast a few years ago. * He had been in custody in NSW on unrelated charged and was due for release into the community but was extradited to Queensland on Saturday and charged with numerous offences, including money laundering. * He is set to face Southport Magistrates Court today. * Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson praised the dedication of all officers involved. * “This has been a protracted and exhaustive investigation and highlights the tenacity of detectives from the Major and Organised Crime Squad to target serious and organised crime on the Gold Coast,” he said. * * * CONTROVERSY OVER TRUCKIE’S DANGEROUS DECISION * A truck driver has divided opinion online after video emerged of the unknown motorist doing something very dangerous on an Aussie motorway, but not everyone thinks they are in the wrong. * Footage uploaded to the Dash Cam Owners Australia Facebook page shows the massive truck travelling along the left lane on the M1 between Sydney and Newcastle. * The footage shows a red car indicating before moving into the middle lane from the right. * Just as the driver of the red car starts moving over the truck puts on its blinker and moves into the middle lane as well. * The driver of the car realised that the truck hasn’t seen them and slams on the breaks to try and avoid a collision, but the truck still hits them. * The truck driver then speeds off without stopping to see if the car is okay. * Social media users were divided about who was in the wrong, with many claiming the truck driver was right because the car shouldn’t have moved into their blind spot. * “That’s why you don’t change lanes in to a trucks blind spot. Common sense really,” one person said. * “I’m sorry but this was the cars fault. They both merged about the same time and they merged into the trucks blind spot,” another said. * However, other’s believed the car was completely in the right. * “Mazda indicated & entered the lane before the truck even began to indicate. The Mazda was on the right side of the truck not undertaking, the truck driver purely didn’t look,” one said. * Another said: “The car is not doing anything illegal. It would be the trucks blind spot and the truckie should have checked his blind spot first before changing lane.” * * * * FIRES RIP THROUGH VIC AS TEMPERATURES DROP * Bushfires have ripped through Victoria’s east, with a wind change challenging firefighters working all night to contain the blaze. * Despite cooler conditions expected on Monday, firefighters may have to contend with dry lightning, which could start more fires. * The Bunyip State Park fire, burning 65km east of Melbourne, was sparked by lightning strikes on Friday and has destroyed more than 10,000 hectares. * The blaze is still racing towards the Princes Freeway and emergency warnings remain in place for the surrounding area. * “The risk of lightning redevelops in the late morning with the chance of some showers and thunderstorms,” Bureau of Meteorology’s senior forecaster Christie Johnson said. * While there was a chance of showers, it was hard to pinpoint where they would hit, and there would only be a few millimetres of rainfall, she said. * “It will be cooler and more humid on Monday which will help with the firefighting efforts,” she said. * However, Sunday night’s wind change is raising worries the blaze would change direction. * “We are certainly concerned with the change that’s going to come through … we know that will mean the eastern flank of the fire will become the head of the fire,” Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said on Sunday. * “The Bunyip fire is worse than one that burned in the same spot on Black Saturday, the Country Fire Authority assistant chief officer Trevor Owen said. * * * * MAN CHARGED OVER FATAL HIT AND RUN * A man has been arrested after allegedly fleeing the scene of a crash in Sydney’s northwest that killed a boy and left and woman and young girl fighting for their lives. * According to police the man was driving a Holden Commodore and hit six stationary cars as he was exiting the M2 in Baulkham Hills about 7pm on Saturday. * A family, including a man and woman, both 38, boy, 12, and girl, 5, were in a Holden Captiva when it was hit. * The boy died at the scene and the woman and girl were taken to hospital in a critical condition. * The man who was driving the Captiva was taken to hospital for assessment. * The driver of another car, a 65-year-old man, and his passenger, a 58-year-old woman, were taken to hospital with minor injuries. The occupants of another four cars escaped unhurt but the drivers were taken to hospital for mandatory testing. * “The only way to describe the crash scene is absolutely horrific. We have had to cut five people out of their vehicles,” Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Kernin Lambert told * A major police search was initiated including the use of PolAir and the dog unit to track down the driver of the Holden Commodore after he allegedly ran from the scene. * The 34-year-old man was arrested at a house at Narraweena, on Sydney’s northern beaches, just before 3.30am on Sunday. * He was charged with 10 offences including dangerous driving occasioning death, failing to stop after a fatal crash and speeding more than 45km/h over the limit. * He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday and will reappear in court today. * *

9m

Mar 03, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, the search is set to resume for a man who went missing after being swept away at the famous NSW Figure Eight Pools, a fifth person has been charged over the violent bashing of two Melbourne police officers, and an idiotic driver got instant karma after unknowingly pulling a stupid stunt in front of a police car. * * * ABC MOVE THAT OUTRAGED VIEWERS * Controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson said he’d been “set-up” for Monday night’s Q&A and then the ABC threw him another doozy. * The second question from the audience went to a pre-prepared video of far-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos and left Australia wondering if the ABC had lost its mind. * For a moment viewers thought the public broadcaster had slipped into prime-time drama with the kind of trainwreck chaos reserved for Married At First Sight. * Yiannopoulos, who has made a business model out of saying deliberately provocative things, of course only had a personal question to share for Dr Peterson. * “You talk a good game about standing up for men and for boys and you’ve certainly amassed a big army of them, but a few of us have been wondering with your silence on (Brett) Kavanaugh and the innocent Covington boys,” he asked. * “When you’ve told the New York Times that you thought I might be racist when you know I’m not, that perhaps your actions aren’t matching your words. Can you explain why, although you talk a good game about standing up against social justice warriors and the chaotic feminists, when it comes down to it you always seem to either fold, stay silent or betray your allies?” * Dr Peterson apologised to Yiannopoulos for the New York Times piece after first remarking he had not seen the provocateur in a while. * “I don’t think the rest of your accusations are warranted,” he said, asking if the question was live and if Yiannopoulos would appear again. * — * * * * FIFTH PERSON CHARGED OVER COP BASHING * A fifth person has been charged over the violent attack on two Melbourne police officers who were left with severe injuries. * Disturbing footage of the event shows a group beating the officers, with one man seen repeatedly smashing one of the policemen’s head onto the concrete. * A 26-year-old St Kilda man has been charged with two counts of assault police officer, violent disorder, affray, two counts of intentionally cause injury and assault by kicking. * He is set to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court today. * It comes after three men, aged 26 to 38, and a 25-year-old Langwarrin woman appeared in the same court a day earlier over Sunday’s St Kilda assault. * * * * BODIES OF MISSING BOYS FOUND IN RIVER * Two young brothers who went missing in Townsville have been found dead in a river. * The boys, aged three and five, were last seen on CCTV walking towards the Ross River in the suburb of Cranbrook yesterday. * They went missing from their home on Brett St at about 5.30pm. * Police issued an amber alert on Monday afternoon, with about 100 people spending the night searching for the boys. * Their bodies were found this morning in the river, near Cranbrook Park. * * * INSTANT KARMA FOR IDIOT DRIVER * An Aussie driver chose the worst possible time to try and pull off an idiotic stunt, having no idea they were being watched by police the whole time. * Dashcam footage shows a white Ford Falcon pulling up to a set of red lights, with the video appearing to be filmed somewhere in Queensland. * The driver decides to show off a bit and starts to do a burnout for a few seconds before speeding off through the red light. * As they speed through the intersection they just miss smashing into another car. * But the driver couldn’t have picked a worse time to try out the stupid stunt, unaware there was a cop car sitting just metres away. * Footage shows the police chasing after the offending Ford in a sweet moment of karma. * * * * SNOWY HYDRO EXPANSION OFFICIALLY APPROVED * A massive expansion of the Snowy Hydro scheme has been officially approved in a bid to force energy prices down and make power more reliable. * Early works on the pumped hydro-electricity project can now begin, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday visiting Tumut in southern NSW to announce the approval. * “Snowy 2.0 will inject the energy supply and reliability our electricity market needs, helping cut costs to families and businesses and cut Australia’s emissions,” Mr Morrison said. * Pumped hydro works by using cheap electricity — usually at night — to pump water back up a hill and into the dam, where it is stored until energy demands start to peak during the day. * “Snowy has unrivalled capacity to store power when it is not needed, and generate it when it is needed,” Energy Minister Angus Taylor said. * Snowy Hydro’s board approved the final investment on December 12, and the government is satisfied the project stacks up. Taxpayers will chip in $1.38 billion, with Snowy Hydro to fund the rest. * When completed, the new project will increase generation capacity by 2000 megawatts and provide 175 hours of energy storage — enough to power 500,000 homes during peak times. * It will create up to 2400 jobs in construction and support up to 5000 direct and indirect jobs across the Snowy Mountains region. * * * * TERRIFYING FIND IN LUGGAGE * An Australian snake is a long way from home after hitching a ride in a woman’s bag on her flight home to Scotland. * Moira Boxall discovered the spotted python coiled inside one of her shoes as she was unpacking her suitcase once she had returned home from her trip to Queensland. * “She actually thought that (her daughter Sarah) and (son-in-law Paul Airlie) had put a fake snake in her shoe to wind her up, so at first she thought it was a joke until she touched it and it moved,” Airlie told the . * Boxall was apparently not pleased by the stowaway — which has shed its skin inside her shoe — and called her daughter and son-in-law in Australia, after she had placed the slip-on out in the garden with a box over it. * “She called us here in Australia and we phoned the Scottish RSPCA and told them that there was a snake in the house,” Airlie said. * According to Airlie, the snake had probably coiled into the woman’s shoe while she was packing her belongings in Queensland. * RSPCA reportedly went out to Boxall’s residence to fetch the snake, which was identified as a non-venomous spotted python. * The snake is currently being quarantined in Scotland and reportedly may soon be housed in a Glasgow Zoo. * — * * * MAN CHARGED OVER DEATH AFTER FIGHT * A man has been charged after a 64-year-old man died following an altercation in NSW’s Central West. * Police found the victim unconscious at a unit block in Kelso, Bathurst at about 5pm on Monday. * He was taken to hospital but later died. * A 35-year-old man was arrested at the scene and has been charged with manslaughter. * He is set to appear in Bathurst Local Court today after being refused bail. * * * SEARCH TO RESUME AT NSW ROCK POOLS * A search is set to resume this morning for the man who went missing after being swept off the famous Figure Eight Pools in the Royal National Park south of Sydney. * Emergency crews were called to the pools at around 2pm yesterday after two men, one 22 and another in his 20s, were swept off the rocks into the ocean. * The younger man was able to climb to safety but the 22-year-old didn’t resurface. * The other man was treated for minor lacerations at the scene while a search got underway for the missing man. * At the time of the incident, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service wave risk at the pools was listed as “extreme”. Under these conditions, NPWS urges people not to visit the pools. * NSW Police say three other people who were with the pair on the rocks at the time weren’t injured. * *

6m

Feb 25, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a man has been charged with assaulting a policeman after he allegedly blew snot at an officer while being removed from a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, the latest Newspoll results show Labor has a six-point lead over the Coalition, and a driver was shocked when he received a $112 fine after stopping at a service station to get a pie. * * * HIJACKER SHOT DEAD ON PLANE * Commandos stormed a plane in Bangladesh’s southeast overnight and shot dead a “psychologically deranged” armed man who allegedly tried to hijack the Dubai-bound flight, an army official said. * The suspect, described by officials as a Bangladeshi man in his mid 20s, was shot as special forces rushed the plane after it landed safely in Chittagong. * The 134 passengers and 14 crew aboard the Bangladesh Biman flight BG147 were all rescued unharmed, officials said. * But the suspected hijacker — identified by the name “Mahadi” and described as being 25 or 26 years old — was injured and died shortly after being arrested, said army spokesman Major General Motiur Rahman. * “Our commando team asked the hijacker to surrender, but he rejected it by being aggressive and was shot,” Maj-Gen Rahman told reporters. * “Later on we learnt he had died … We found a pistol from him and nothing else.” * The airport was sealed off by army, navy and elite police after landing to collect more passengers from Dhaka on its journey to Dubai. * The operation took less than 10 minutes, and the plane has been searched and declared worthy to fly again, Maj-Gen Rahman said. * * * * EUTHANASIA ROLLOUT CHALLENGES VIC DOCTORS * Doctors will have to ensure Victoria’s complex voluntary assisted dying laws don’t prevent eligible candidates from accessing the scheme. * It’s one of several legal and ethical challenges doctors will face when the country’s first euthanasia laws come into affect in June, experts have said. * “Translating this complex law into appropriate clinical practice will be challenging,” lead author Professor Ben White and colleagues said in an article published in the Australian Medical Journal on Monday. * It was key the implementation of the act facilitated access but only to those who were eligible under the legislation, the authors said. * Ensuring doctors didn’t initiate conversations around voluntary assisted dying was another challenge, according to the article. * “Clear guidance is needed on how to clinically implement this legal prohibition yet maintain meaningful end-of-life discussions with patients,” Professor White and colleagues wrote. * Other issues included meeting legal requirements on how the drugs used in assisted dying circumstances would be prescribed, stored and returned — as well as managing conscientious objection by health professionals while not impeding access to eligible patients. * Victoria is the only state in the country to legalise voluntary euthanasia under legislation passed in November 2017. * The act will allow for eligible Victorian adults who have decision making capability to seek assistance to die under strict conditions. * The laws will come into effect on June 19 this year. * * * * OBSCURE RULE COSTS DRIVER $112 * A man has lashed out at police for revenue raising after he received a very strange fine when he stopped at a service station to get a pie. * Ben Judd was on his way to work in Woollahra, Sydney, on Friday morning when he decided to run into the store and get some breakfast. * “Upon arriving back to my car I was greeted with a lovely breath test and random drug test, both came back negative,” he wrote on Facebook. * “The officer then picked on my LED light bar which is installed correctly so he had nothing once again.” * But it didn’t end there, with Mr Judd left shocked when the officer handed him a $112 fine for leaving the windows of the car down and the door unlocked. * “The officer also told me if he saw me again he was going to pull me over, even though I was doing nothing wrong to start with,” he claimed. * “Revenue raising at its finest … * “Thoughts? Is that even a law?” * Many people were just as confused as Mr Judd, with commenters encouraging him to fight the fine. * “I’m actually so furious for you dude. I cannot believe that they would fine you for that,” one person wrote. * “That's ridiculous while at a petrol station,” another said. * Another added: “I think you have grounds to fight that.” * However, even though it is an obscure law, it is an offence to leave a car unlocked with the windows down. * Leaving the engine on or not removing the ignition key while the car is unattended can also result in a fine. * * * LABOR LEADS IN LATEST NEWSPOLL * Labor is continuing to hold a six-point lead over the Coalition, with an unchanged two-party preferred vote of 53-47. * The Coalition’s primary vote of 37 per cent has remained unchanged since the beginning of the year, according to the Newspoll published by The Australian on Sunday night. * Both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have suffered hits to their approval ratings. * Of the people surveyed, 49 per cent disapproved of Mr Morrison’s performance, while 53 per cent were unhappy with Mr Shorten. * The poll was conducted between February 21 and 24, and surveyed 1582 people across the country. * * * CRASH CAUSING DELAYS IN SYDNEY’S NORTHWEST * Motorists travelling in Sydney’s northwest this morning are being warned to allow for plenty of extra travel time following a crash in Carlingford. * Traffic is very heavy both north and southbound on Pennant Hills Rd at Dunrossil Ave due to a collision between a car and motorbike. * Drivers are being warned to be careful and expect delays. * * * * EX-CYCLONE OMA STILL AFFECTING SURF * Dangerous surf conditions continue to lash the Queensland coast as ex-tropical cyclone Oma lingers off the coast. * The storm that had last week threatened to thrust Brisbane into chaos was tracking more than 1000 kilometres from the city on Sunday afternoon. * Conditions have now eased but residents are still being warned to stay out of the surf as huge swells are expected. * “It is unlikely to redevelop into a tropical cyclone but will probably still linger around the Coral Sea and Solomon Islands,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Harry Clark told . * * * MAN CHARGED AFTER BLOWING SNOT AT POLICE * A man has been charged with assaulting an officer after he allegedly blew his nose at a police officer while at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in NSW’s Hunter Valley. * The 25-year-old was reportedly asked to leave the event at Hope Estate in Pokolbin by security on Saturday night for being drunk. * He allegedly refused to follow this direction, leading to the police being involved. * While officers were escorting him from the area, the man allegedly blew his nose at a male senior constable. * He was charged with assaulting an officer in the execution of duty and failing to leave a premise when required. * The man was released on conditional bail and is due to appear at Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday, March 20. * Security officers also refused entry to a bus with 20 people on board due to intoxication levels, police say. * A total of six people were charged with a range of offences including common assault, assaulting police, resisting arrest and failing to leave a licensed premise. * Almost 80 others were ejected from the event and 34 people were taken to a separate area due to drunkenness. * * * FORMER NRL PLAYER CHARGED WITH ASSAULT * Former NSW State of Origin representative Ken McGuinness has been charged with assaulting a woman. * He was arrested on Saturday night and faced Parramatta court on Sunday morning where he was granted bail. * He is set to appear at Campbelltown Local Court today. * “At about 10:30 last night police were called to a home in Raby after a 43-year- old woman was allegedly assaulted,” police said in a statement on Sunday. “She was taken to Campbelltown Hospital for treatment. * “An investigation into the incident commenced and a 43-year-old man was arrested. * “He was taken to Campbelltown Police station, and he’s been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.” * McGuinness played 122 games for Western Suburbs, North Queensland and Wests Tigers before he retired at age 26 in 2002. * *

5m

Feb 24, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a man has been charged with assaulting a policeman after he allegedly blew snot at an officer while being removed from a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, the latest Newspoll results show Labor has a six-point lead over the Coalition, and a driver was shocked when he received a $112 fine after stopping at a service station to get a pie. * * * HIJACKER SHOT DEAD ON PLANE * Commandos stormed a plane in Bangladesh’s southeast overnight and shot dead a “psychologically deranged” armed man who allegedly tried to hijack the Dubai-bound flight, an army official said. * The suspect, described by officials as a Bangladeshi man in his mid 20s, was shot as special forces rushed the plane after it landed safely in Chittagong. * The 134 passengers and 14 crew aboard the Bangladesh Biman flight BG147 were all rescued unharmed, officials said. * But the suspected hijacker — identified by the name “Mahadi” and described as being 25 or 26 years old — was injured and died shortly after being arrested, said army spokesman Major General Motiur Rahman. * “Our commando team asked the hijacker to surrender, but he rejected it by being aggressive and was shot,” Maj-Gen Rahman told reporters. * “Later on we learnt he had died … We found a pistol from him and nothing else.” * The airport was sealed off by army, navy and elite police after landing to collect more passengers from Dhaka on its journey to Dubai. * The operation took less than 10 minutes, and the plane has been searched and declared worthy to fly again, Maj-Gen Rahman said. * * * * EUTHANASIA ROLLOUT CHALLENGES VIC DOCTORS * Doctors will have to ensure Victoria’s complex voluntary assisted dying laws don’t prevent eligible candidates from accessing the scheme. * It’s one of several legal and ethical challenges doctors will face when the country’s first euthanasia laws come into affect in June, experts have said. * “Translating this complex law into appropriate clinical practice will be challenging,” lead author Professor Ben White and colleagues said in an article published in the Australian Medical Journal on Monday. * It was key the implementation of the act facilitated access but only to those who were eligible under the legislation, the authors said. * Ensuring doctors didn’t initiate conversations around voluntary assisted dying was another challenge, according to the article. * “Clear guidance is needed on how to clinically implement this legal prohibition yet maintain meaningful end-of-life discussions with patients,” Professor White and colleagues wrote. * Other issues included meeting legal requirements on how the drugs used in assisted dying circumstances would be prescribed, stored and returned — as well as managing conscientious objection by health professionals while not impeding access to eligible patients. * Victoria is the only state in the country to legalise voluntary euthanasia under legislation passed in November 2017. * The act will allow for eligible Victorian adults who have decision making capability to seek assistance to die under strict conditions. * The laws will come into effect on June 19 this year. * * * * OBSCURE RULE COSTS DRIVER $112 * A man has lashed out at police for revenue raising after he received a very strange fine when he stopped at a service station to get a pie. * Ben Judd was on his way to work in Woollahra, Sydney, on Friday morning when he decided to run into the store and get some breakfast. * “Upon arriving back to my car I was greeted with a lovely breath test and random drug test, both came back negative,” he wrote on Facebook. * “The officer then picked on my LED light bar which is installed correctly so he had nothing once again.” * But it didn’t end there, with Mr Judd left shocked when the officer handed him a $112 fine for leaving the windows of the car down and the door unlocked. * “The officer also told me if he saw me again he was going to pull me over, even though I was doing nothing wrong to start with,” he claimed. * “Revenue raising at its finest … * “Thoughts? Is that even a law?” * Many people were just as confused as Mr Judd, with commenters encouraging him to fight the fine. * “I’m actually so furious for you dude. I cannot believe that they would fine you for that,” one person wrote. * “That's ridiculous while at a petrol station,” another said. * Another added: “I think you have grounds to fight that.” * However, even though it is an obscure law, it is an offence to leave a car unlocked with the windows down. * Leaving the engine on or not removing the ignition key while the car is unattended can also result in a fine. * * * LABOR LEADS IN LATEST NEWSPOLL * Labor is continuing to hold a six-point lead over the Coalition, with an unchanged two-party preferred vote of 53-47. * The Coalition’s primary vote of 37 per cent has remained unchanged since the beginning of the year, according to the Newspoll published by The Australian on Sunday night. * Both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have suffered hits to their approval ratings. * Of the people surveyed, 49 per cent disapproved of Mr Morrison’s performance, while 53 per cent were unhappy with Mr Shorten. * The poll was conducted between February 21 and 24, and surveyed 1582 people across the country. * * * CRASH CAUSING DELAYS IN SYDNEY’S NORTHWEST * Motorists travelling in Sydney’s northwest this morning are being warned to allow for plenty of extra travel time following a crash in Carlingford. * Traffic is very heavy both north and southbound on Pennant Hills Rd at Dunrossil Ave due to a collision between a car and motorbike. * Drivers are being warned to be careful and expect delays. * * * * EX-CYCLONE OMA STILL AFFECTING SURF * Dangerous surf conditions continue to lash the Queensland coast as ex-tropical cyclone Oma lingers off the coast. * The storm that had last week threatened to thrust Brisbane into chaos was tracking more than 1000 kilometres from the city on Sunday afternoon. * Conditions have now eased but residents are still being warned to stay out of the surf as huge swells are expected. * “It is unlikely to redevelop into a tropical cyclone but will probably still linger around the Coral Sea and Solomon Islands,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Harry Clark told . * * * MAN CHARGED AFTER BLOWING SNOT AT POLICE * A man has been charged with assaulting an officer after he allegedly blew his nose at a police officer while at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in NSW’s Hunter Valley. * The 25-year-old was reportedly asked to leave the event at Hope Estate in Pokolbin by security on Saturday night for being drunk. * He allegedly refused to follow this direction, leading to the police being involved. * While officers were escorting him from the area, the man allegedly blew his nose at a male senior constable. * He was charged with assaulting an officer in the execution of duty and failing to leave a premise when required. * The man was released on conditional bail and is due to appear at Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday, March 20. * Security officers also refused entry to a bus with 20 people on board due to intoxication levels, police say. * A total of six people were charged with a range of offences including common assault, assaulting police, resisting arrest and failing to leave a licensed premise. * Almost 80 others were ejected from the event and 34 people were taken to a separate area due to drunkenness. * * * FORMER NRL PLAYER CHARGED WITH ASSAULT * Former NSW State of Origin representative Ken McGuinness has been charged with assaulting a woman. * He was arrested on Saturday night and faced Parramatta court on Sunday morning where he was granted bail. * He is set to appear at Campbelltown Local Court today. * “At about 10:30 last night police were called to a home in Raby after a 43-year- old woman was allegedly assaulted,” police said in a statement on Sunday. “She was taken to Campbelltown Hospital for treatment. * “An investigation into the incident commenced and a 43-year-old man was arrested. * “He was taken to Campbelltown Police station, and he’s been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.” * McGuinness played 122 games for Western Suburbs, North Queensland and Wests Tigers before he retired at age 26 in 2002. * *

5m

Feb 24, 2019

* * Welcome to Rush Hour! In sad news this morning, legendary Chanel fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85 after weeks of ill health. Elsewhere, a Melbourne chiropractor is under fire after a video of him manipulating a two-week-old baby caused controversy. * * * MAN CRITICAL AFTER TRAIN STATION ATTACK * A man in his 30s has been critically injured after an attack in broad daylight at a Melbourne train station. * A manhunt for the attacker, who is believed not to have known the victim, is underway. The assault happened at Craigieburn Railway Station on Hothlyn Drive about 4.20pm. * The attacker is believed to have left the area on foot. He has been described by police as a Maori or Pacific Islander in appearance, about 178cm tall and aged in his 20s. * The victim is being treated for serious injuries to his upper body at Royal Melbourne Hospital. * * * * AUSTRALIA SPENT $9.3 BILLION ON ILLICIT DRUGS * Australians spent $9.3 billion last year on cocaine, meth, MDMA and heroin, with cocaine and meth rising from previous years. * Analysis of wastewater shows how much of each of the drugs is being consumed around the country, underlining the size of the black market. * The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission on Wednesday released its sixth National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report, which monitored 58 wastewater stations in July and August 2018. * It estimates more than 9.6 tonnes of methylamphetamine was consumed in Australia in the year to August 2018, along with four tonnes of cocaine, 1.1 tonnes of MDMA, and more than 700 kilograms of heroin. * “It is astounding that Australians waste over $9.3 billion a year on drugs. This is money people could be spending on legitimate goods for themselves and their families,” commission chief executive Michael Phelan said today. The report also looked at cannabis consumption, which regional Australia uses at double the rate of city dwellers. * In the second year of the testing program, the commission found cocaine and meth consumption were up, but MDMA and heroin were down Mr Phelan said a positive sign is the drop in fentanyl use across regional areas. * The report covers 56 per cent of the population, which equates to about 13 million people. * The tests look for 13 substances, including nicotine, alcohol, and opiods. * — * * * * * * MELBOURNE CHIRO UNDER FIRE * A probe has been launched into a Melbourne chiropractor after a video of him manipulating a two-week-old baby caused controversy. * Dr Andrew Arnold, the owner of Cranbourne Family Chiropractic in Melbourne’s south east, was filmed last August performing treatments on Harvey, a two-week-old newborn. * In the video, Dr Arnold can be seen tapping Harvey on the head, using an activator on the baby’s spine and dangling him upside down. * The video, captioned “Andrew adjusts two-week-old Harvey for the very first time. Frisky little chap”, caught the attention of other chiropractors and the state’s health minister Jenny Mikakos. * “This vision is deeply disturbing — it’s appalling that young children and infants are being ­exposed to such potential harm,” Ms Mikakos told the . * “The Chiropractic Board of Australia must condemn this practice as unprofessional and unacceptable, and the AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) must act quickly to stop these rogue practitioners in their tracks.” * Ms Mikakos demanded the health regulatory board “take the necessary action”. * It’s understood AHPRA launched a confidential investigation into Dr Arnold’s consultation with the newborn a short time after the video was posted to the practice’s Facebook. * While infant chiropractic treatments are not explicitly illegal in Australia, they are divisive in the medical community. * * * * * * ‘THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG FLIGHT’ * Let’s face it — it’s hard to make flying a pleasant experience. * You’re cramped into a tiny box in the sky with hundreds of other people, the space is limited, and the food sucks. Whether you opt for yoga pants or a neck-pillow, it’s fair enough that you want to be as comfortable as possible. * But one Air France passenger took “getting comfortable” to gross new heights. * Lizzie Thompson was flying from Paris to Log Angeles when she said a fellow passenger came on board and removed his pants, shoes and socks for the 10-and-a-half-hour flight. * * * She tried to get the flight attendants’ attention, but noted they seemed “unconcerned” by the display. * It gets more bizarre. * The passenger then allegedly shouted at a man who boarded with a ukulele to “COME SIT WITH ME AND MAKE SOME MUSIC”. * He also stole “4 mini bottles of wine from the cart” two hours into the flight. And, perhaps strangest of all, eventually became cold enough to put a thick winter jacket on — despite the fact that his pants remained off for the duration of the flight. * * * People on social media were appalled by the man’s behaviour: * * * * * Lizzie noted that a flight attendant did give her the choice of moving to another seat, but as she’d paid for extra leg room she didn’t want to. * She instead suggested the attendant to tell the man to put some pants on, but he merely “shrugged”. * On the plus side, at least it brought the rest of the passengers together: * * * Always wear thing more than underwear on your flights, ladies and gents. That goes without saying. * * * JIHADI BRIDE’S CITIZENSHIP REVOKED * Jihadi bride Shamima Begum has had her British citizenship revoked. * The 19-year-old, who gave birth to her third child earlier in the week, was found in a refugee camp in northern Syria late last week. * After a hotly contested debate over whether she should be allowed to return to London, the Home Office stripped her of her citizenship. * It’s not yet known how authorities can render her stateless, although authorities may argue she has Dutch citizenship based on her marriage to a Dutch Islamic State fighter. * Begum’s mother, who lives in London, received a letter from the Home Office overnight. * “Please find enclosed papers that relate to a decision taken by the Home Secretary, to deprive your daughter, Shamima Begum, of her British citizenship,” the letter read. * “In light of the circumstances of your daughter, the notice of the Home Secretary’s decision has been served of file today (19th February), and the order removing her British citizenship has subsequently been made.” * * * * * * MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF ELDERLY WOMAN * A man has been charged over the death of an elderly woman in Wollongong in what police said was a domestic violence-related incident. * Emergency services were called to a home in Woonona about 11pm on Monday after reports a woman had been injured. A 76-year-old woman was found “unresponsive” and couldn’t be revived, NSW Police said. * A 55-year-old man who was arrested on Tuesday has been charged with murder. He has been refused bail to appear at Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday. * * * * CYCLONE OMA MOVES TOWARDS QUEENSLAND * Cyclone Oma has been upgraded to a destructive Category 3 system as it continues moving towards the Queensland coast. * Oma is forecast to cross the Queensland coast between Mackayu and Fraser Island, with a ferocious storm potentially hitting the region with its “fiercest battering in years”, reports. * The Bureau of Meteorology has upgraded the cyclone’s likelihood of impacting the coast to “high”, or greater than 50 per cent. * * * * * TRUMP UNLEASHES AS 16 STATES SUE HIM * Donald Trump has blasted the 16 states that are suing him over his declaration of a national emergency to build his border wall, claiming they are led by “Open Border Democrats and the Radical Left”. * The President was particularly scathing about California’s lead role in the legal challenge, claiming the state had “wasted billions of dollars on their out of control Fast Train”, a project recently scaled back after costs ballooned to $US77 billion. * He also pointed out that he had predicted last week that the action would be brought in the federal judiciary’s 9th Circuit, which has a history of ruling against the administration. * Mr Trump intends to divert $US8 billion ($A11 billion) from counter-drug and military funds to build his US-Mexico border wall, after Congress refused to agree to provide more than $US1.4 billion ($A2 billion). * * * * * * * * * * * FASHION ICON KARL LAGERFELD DIES * Legendary Chanel fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85 after weeks of ill health. It is reported that he had pancreatic cancer. * The German-born designer, who was the creative director of Chanel, was one of fashion’s most iconic and influential figures. * Lagerfeld was artistic director of three separate brands at the same time right up to his death: France’s Chanel — the world’s richest label — Italy’s Fendi and his eponymous line. * Famed for his omnipresent dark sunglasses, white ponytail and black leather gloves, the enigmatic Lagerfeld was arguably the most prolific designer of the modern age. * * READ THE FULL STORY HERE. https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/fashion-icon-karl-lagerfeld-dies/news-story/0017866fcba9bf8e1df300038ba3e508 * * * * * YOUNG WOMAN’S ‘BOYFRIEND LIST’ GOES VIRAL * A young woman from Scotland has gone viral after she revealed the hilarious list of “boyfriend rules” she was given by her overprotective grandad. * Lanarkshire woman Amie McHugh, 21, was given a number of strict demands, including that her man must never look at another woman, and has to have a car. * The boy has to be Roman Catholic, a Celtic supporter and — even though he presumably must be around her age as well — has to already be “financially well off”. * * * She tweeted the list sent to her by her grandad William. * It said: “Rule 1 he must be RC (Roman Catholic). Rule 2 he must be Celtic supporter. * “Rule 3 he must be working. Rule 4 I must like him. * “Rule 5 he must like me. Rule 6 he must be financially well off. * “Rule 7 he must never look at another girl while in this relationship. * “Rule 8 he must be very kind. Rule 9 he must have a car.” * And perhaps the best Old Man rule of all: “Rule 10 whenever in my company he must offer to pay bill.” * He stopped himself at ten rules, but warned there may be more, concluding with “okay that’s it so far”. * The message became a viral hit on social media, racking up over 6000 likes since it was posted. * * * We’re not sure if Amie is in a relationship yet, but the moral of the story is: don’t get on the bad side of your date’s grandparents. * *

2m

Feb 19, 2019

* * Welcome to Rush Hour! In sad news this morning, legendary Chanel fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85 after weeks of ill health. Elsewhere, a Melbourne chiropractor is under fire after a video of him manipulating a two-week-old baby caused controversy. * * * MAN CRITICAL AFTER TRAIN STATION ATTACK * A man in his 30s has been critically injured after an attack in broad daylight at a Melbourne train station. * A manhunt for the attacker, who is believed not to have known the victim, is underway. The assault happened at Craigieburn Railway Station on Hothlyn Drive about 4.20pm. * The attacker is believed to have left the area on foot. He has been described by police as a Maori or Pacific Islander in appearance, about 178cm tall and aged in his 20s. * The victim is being treated for serious injuries to his upper body at Royal Melbourne Hospital. * * * * AUSTRALIA SPENT $9.3 BILLION ON ILLICIT DRUGS * Australians spent $9.3 billion last year on cocaine, meth, MDMA and heroin, with cocaine and meth rising from previous years. * Analysis of wastewater shows how much of each of the drugs is being consumed around the country, underlining the size of the black market. * The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission on Wednesday released its sixth National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report, which monitored 58 wastewater stations in July and August 2018. * It estimates more than 9.6 tonnes of methylamphetamine was consumed in Australia in the year to August 2018, along with four tonnes of cocaine, 1.1 tonnes of MDMA, and more than 700 kilograms of heroin. * “It is astounding that Australians waste over $9.3 billion a year on drugs. This is money people could be spending on legitimate goods for themselves and their families,” commission chief executive Michael Phelan said today. The report also looked at cannabis consumption, which regional Australia uses at double the rate of city dwellers. * In the second year of the testing program, the commission found cocaine and meth consumption were up, but MDMA and heroin were down Mr Phelan said a positive sign is the drop in fentanyl use across regional areas. * The report covers 56 per cent of the population, which equates to about 13 million people. * The tests look for 13 substances, including nicotine, alcohol, and opiods. * — * * * * * * MELBOURNE CHIRO UNDER FIRE * A probe has been launched into a Melbourne chiropractor after a video of him manipulating a two-week-old baby caused controversy. * Dr Andrew Arnold, the owner of Cranbourne Family Chiropractic in Melbourne’s south east, was filmed last August performing treatments on Harvey, a two-week-old newborn. * In the video, Dr Arnold can be seen tapping Harvey on the head, using an activator on the baby’s spine and dangling him upside down. * The video, captioned “Andrew adjusts two-week-old Harvey for the very first time. Frisky little chap”, caught the attention of other chiropractors and the state’s health minister Jenny Mikakos. * “This vision is deeply disturbing — it’s appalling that young children and infants are being ­exposed to such potential harm,” Ms Mikakos told the . * “The Chiropractic Board of Australia must condemn this practice as unprofessional and unacceptable, and the AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) must act quickly to stop these rogue practitioners in their tracks.” * Ms Mikakos demanded the health regulatory board “take the necessary action”. * It’s understood AHPRA launched a confidential investigation into Dr Arnold’s consultation with the newborn a short time after the video was posted to the practice’s Facebook. * While infant chiropractic treatments are not explicitly illegal in Australia, they are divisive in the medical community. * * * * * * ‘THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG FLIGHT’ * Let’s face it — it’s hard to make flying a pleasant experience. * You’re cramped into a tiny box in the sky with hundreds of other people, the space is limited, and the food sucks. Whether you opt for yoga pants or a neck-pillow, it’s fair enough that you want to be as comfortable as possible. * But one Air France passenger took “getting comfortable” to gross new heights. * Lizzie Thompson was flying from Paris to Log Angeles when she said a fellow passenger came on board and removed his pants, shoes and socks for the 10-and-a-half-hour flight. * * * She tried to get the flight attendants’ attention, but noted they seemed “unconcerned” by the display. * It gets more bizarre. * The passenger then allegedly shouted at a man who boarded with a ukulele to “COME SIT WITH ME AND MAKE SOME MUSIC”. * He also stole “4 mini bottles of wine from the cart” two hours into the flight. And, perhaps strangest of all, eventually became cold enough to put a thick winter jacket on — despite the fact that his pants remained off for the duration of the flight. * * * People on social media were appalled by the man’s behaviour: * * * * * Lizzie noted that a flight attendant did give her the choice of moving to another seat, but as she’d paid for extra leg room she didn’t want to. * She instead suggested the attendant to tell the man to put some pants on, but he merely “shrugged”. * On the plus side, at least it brought the rest of the passengers together: * * * Always wear thing more than underwear on your flights, ladies and gents. That goes without saying. * * * JIHADI BRIDE’S CITIZENSHIP REVOKED * Jihadi bride Shamima Begum has had her British citizenship revoked. * The 19-year-old, who gave birth to her third child earlier in the week, was found in a refugee camp in northern Syria late last week. * After a hotly contested debate over whether she should be allowed to return to London, the Home Office stripped her of her citizenship. * It’s not yet known how authorities can render her stateless, although authorities may argue she has Dutch citizenship based on her marriage to a Dutch Islamic State fighter. * Begum’s mother, who lives in London, received a letter from the Home Office overnight. * “Please find enclosed papers that relate to a decision taken by the Home Secretary, to deprive your daughter, Shamima Begum, of her British citizenship,” the letter read. * “In light of the circumstances of your daughter, the notice of the Home Secretary’s decision has been served of file today (19th February), and the order removing her British citizenship has subsequently been made.” * * * * * * MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF ELDERLY WOMAN * A man has been charged over the death of an elderly woman in Wollongong in what police said was a domestic violence-related incident. * Emergency services were called to a home in Woonona about 11pm on Monday after reports a woman had been injured. A 76-year-old woman was found “unresponsive” and couldn’t be revived, NSW Police said. * A 55-year-old man who was arrested on Tuesday has been charged with murder. He has been refused bail to appear at Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday. * * * * CYCLONE OMA MOVES TOWARDS QUEENSLAND * Cyclone Oma has been upgraded to a destructive Category 3 system as it continues moving towards the Queensland coast. * Oma is forecast to cross the Queensland coast between Mackayu and Fraser Island, with a ferocious storm potentially hitting the region with its “fiercest battering in years”, reports. * The Bureau of Meteorology has upgraded the cyclone’s likelihood of impacting the coast to “high”, or greater than 50 per cent. * * * * * TRUMP UNLEASHES AS 16 STATES SUE HIM * Donald Trump has blasted the 16 states that are suing him over his declaration of a national emergency to build his border wall, claiming they are led by “Open Border Democrats and the Radical Left”. * The President was particularly scathing about California’s lead role in the legal challenge, claiming the state had “wasted billions of dollars on their out of control Fast Train”, a project recently scaled back after costs ballooned to $US77 billion. * He also pointed out that he had predicted last week that the action would be brought in the federal judiciary’s 9th Circuit, which has a history of ruling against the administration. * Mr Trump intends to divert $US8 billion ($A11 billion) from counter-drug and military funds to build his US-Mexico border wall, after Congress refused to agree to provide more than $US1.4 billion ($A2 billion). * * * * * * * * * * * FASHION ICON KARL LAGERFELD DIES * Legendary Chanel fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85 after weeks of ill health. It is reported that he had pancreatic cancer. * The German-born designer, who was the creative director of Chanel, was one of fashion’s most iconic and influential figures. * Lagerfeld was artistic director of three separate brands at the same time right up to his death: France’s Chanel — the world’s richest label — Italy’s Fendi and his eponymous line. * Famed for his omnipresent dark sunglasses, white ponytail and black leather gloves, the enigmatic Lagerfeld was arguably the most prolific designer of the modern age. * * READ THE FULL STORY HERE. https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/fashion-icon-karl-lagerfeld-dies/news-story/0017866fcba9bf8e1df300038ba3e508 * * * * * YOUNG WOMAN’S ‘BOYFRIEND LIST’ GOES VIRAL * A young woman from Scotland has gone viral after she revealed the hilarious list of “boyfriend rules” she was given by her overprotective grandad. * Lanarkshire woman Amie McHugh, 21, was given a number of strict demands, including that her man must never look at another woman, and has to have a car. * The boy has to be Roman Catholic, a Celtic supporter and — even though he presumably must be around her age as well — has to already be “financially well off”. * * * She tweeted the list sent to her by her grandad William. * It said: “Rule 1 he must be RC (Roman Catholic). Rule 2 he must be Celtic supporter. * “Rule 3 he must be working. Rule 4 I must like him. * “Rule 5 he must like me. Rule 6 he must be financially well off. * “Rule 7 he must never look at another girl while in this relationship. * “Rule 8 he must be very kind. Rule 9 he must have a car.” * And perhaps the best Old Man rule of all: “Rule 10 whenever in my company he must offer to pay bill.” * He stopped himself at ten rules, but warned there may be more, concluding with “okay that’s it so far”. * The message became a viral hit on social media, racking up over 6000 likes since it was posted. * * * We’re not sure if Amie is in a relationship yet, but the moral of the story is: don’t get on the bad side of your date’s grandparents. * *

2m

Feb 19, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, the intruder who died after being confronted by a Sydney homeowner has been identified as a weightlifter and trainer, residents in flood affected areas of north Queensland are on crocodile watch as authorities work to return the displaced animals to the river, and a woman has caused a stir on a packed train after refusing to move her designer handbag so another passenger could sit down. * * * WORLD PANICS OVER AUSSIE CYBER ATTACK * A cyber attack on parliament ahead of the federal election has sent shockwaves reverberating around the world, with the United States particularly concerned by the intrusion. * Primer Minister Scott Morrison yesterday revealed a “sophisticated state actor” had targeted the Parliament House computer network and all three major parties. * “Our cyber experts believe that a sophisticated state actor is responsible for this malicious activity,” he said. * “Let me be clear though, there is no evidence of any electoral interference. We have put in place a number of measures to ensure the integrity of our electoral system.” * Cyber experts from across the globe warned Australia should be worried after co-ordinated interference in the 2016 US presidential election by Russian hackers. * The attackers not only spread misinformation, they released a tranche of Democrat emails intended to damage Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump win the presidency. * While Mr Morrison did not reveal the state thought to be responsible, China is the key suspect because of its political power seeking in the region. In 2011, Australia became one of the first countries to discover just how vulnerable its communications networks were when Beijing was accused of accessing thousands of private emails in the system used by politicians and parliamentary staff. * . * * * CLEAN-UP FOLLOWING HIGHWAY TRUCK FIRE * Crews are working to clear what remains of a truck off the road in NSW’s central west after the tanker caught fire overnight. * One of two westbound lanes is closed on the Mitchell Highway between Bathurst and Shadforth as a result of the fire. * Drivers travelling in the area are being warned to take extra care on the road. * * * * TOWNSVILLE RESIDENTS ON ‘CROCWATCH’ * North Queensland residents are on “crocwatch” as wildlife officers try and recapture reptiles displaced by catastrophic floods to return them to the Ross River. * Freshwater crocs were washed into Townsville’s drains and waterways by once-in- a-century flooding and have been seen on roads, in backyards and even in a swimming pool. * Crocs have even been spotted as far downstream as the Port of Townsville after a year’s worth of rain fell in a week, causing the spillway gates of the Ross River Dam to be fully opened two weeks ago. * Northern Wildlife Operations manager Michael Joyce says crocs could still be lurking near sports fields, drains and the mangroves. * Freshwater crocodiles are timid and pose very little danger to the community but may show defensive behaviour if they cornered, so people are urged to call for help moving them back to the river. * “A healthy population of freshwater crocodiles perform an important ecological role in the Ross River above the Aplin Weir,” Mr Joyce says in a statement. Across north and western Queensland the clean-up continues and the scale of the disaster is still being revealed. * * * * REVIEW ORDERED INTO MOKBEL ATTACK * The Victorian government has ordered an investigation into the jailhouse attack on drug kingpin Tony Mokbel. * Former NSW anti-corruption commissioner Justice David Ipp will lead an independent review to examine the circumstances leading up to the assault on February 11, which left Mokbel fighting for life in hospital. * “If there are any learnings from the incident, we stand ready to make them,” Victoria’s Corrections Minister Ben Carroll said in a statement. * Justice Ipp will be assisted by former Queensland Corrective Services commissioner Dr Mark Rallings, with the review due by the end of April. * The 53-year-old inmate was attacked in Barwon Prison, a maximum security facility, by two other prisoners. * He was stabbed and his head reportedly stomped on. * Two men, both 21, have been charged over the assault on Mokbel and another man, 31, who tried to help him. * * * NO INJURIES IN HOT AIR BALLOON CRASHES * Passengers in two hot air balloon that were forced to make emergency landings in Melbourne were lucky not to be injured. * One balloon landed near Eastlink at Wantirna South while the other crashed at Terrara Road, Vermont South, just before 8am on Monday. * Vermont South woman Christine Taylor said she was in bed when she heard a large crack in her backyard. * “It was the scariest thing. I thought it was an earthquake or a big gum tree coming down and then, bang, this thing hit and the balloon was all over our fence and into our pool,” Ms Taylor told . * Nine people were on board the balloon that landed at Wantirna South and another eight people were on board the balloon at Vermont South. * The balloons encountered trouble when a change in wind direction and speed came through just over half an hour after takeoff. * Commercial Hot Air Ballooning Industry spokesman Damian Crook said both events were “minor” and the pilots, who each have been flying about 20 years and have outstanding safety records, landed safely. * “The pilots chose safe landing sites and both flights have been concluded without injury,” he said. * Mr Crook said one balloon landed in an open reserve at Vermont and conducted a “drag landing”, a typical manoeuvre when there is significant ground wind speed. The other balloon landed in a horticultural property, causing minor tree damage, he said. * * * WOMAN REFUSES TO MOVE BAG ON TRAIN * Passengers on a packed train were left furious when a woman refused to move her designer handbag off a seat, claiming she didn’t want “disgusting” people sitting next to her. * The incident occurred in New Jersey in the US and shows the woman pushing her bag in-between her and the man sitting next to her and refusing to move it. * Multiple passengers can be heard telling the woman to move her bag so someone can sit down but she just leaves her headphones in and pretends not to notice the commotion going on around her. * “Come on, it’s already a late train. You’re delaying everybody,” the man sitting next to says. * She eventually takes an ear bud out, telling the man “there are plenty of seats”. * The crowd of standing commuters immediately point out the train is full so there isn’t. * “You’re not disabled, you’re not pregnant. I don’t give a f**k. I don’t want your bed bugs. I don’t want your smell. You’re disgusting,” she screams at one of the female passengers. * In a second video the man that was next to her has left and she now has her bag fully covering the spare seat. * The train conductor arrives and taps her bag to get her attention and asks her to move. * She screams at him not to touch her stuff while hitting his hand away. * Police finally arrive on the scene and escort the woman off the train. * * * * EXCESS WATER USE KEY IN NSW FISH KILLS * Scientists have found rules put in place to manage the Darling River system have allowed irrigators to extract excess water which has contributed to the death of millions of fish. * An expert panel on Monday handed down a report into three major fish kills at Menindee in far west NSW this summer which found “serious deficiencies” in governance which “eroded” the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and the Water Act. * The panel — convened by the Australian Academy of Science at the request of federal Labor — said the mass deaths were unusual in the combination of their severity, impact on large, older Murray cod and association with low flows. * Panel chair Professor Craig Moritz said the deaths were an indicator of a river system that’s in “crisis” because of insufficient river flows, drought and excess diversions from irrigators. * “Our review of the fish kills found there isn’t enough water in the Darling system to avoid catastrophic outcomes,” Prof Moritz said in a statement. * The report said while the drought was severe, it wasn’t unprecedented and some of the older fish had survived other events including the significant millennium drought. * Prior releases of water from Menindee Lakes also contributed, the report found. * Panel member Professor Richard Kingsford said there’s no monitoring of how much water is diverted from floodplains by upstream irrigators. * “There’s something between 20 and 50 per cent of water that’s being diverted that’s not metered,” he told reporters on Monday. * The panel called for urgent action — within six months — to ensure there is sufficient flow in the Darling River to prevent stratification and blue-green algal blooms. * * * * DEAD NSW INTRUDER IDENTIFIED AS WEIGHTLIFTER * The home intruder who died after a confrontation with a father in a Sydney house has been identified as a trainer and weightlifter who competed in competitions around the world. * Bradley Soper, 35, died after he entered a home in Harrington Park on Sunday morning and was caught by owner Johan Schwartz. * The 44-year-old dad was reportedly woken by his dogs barking at about 7.30am. * He then located the source of the commotion and “challenged a male intruder located in the lounge room”, the police said. * Mr Shwartz was questioned for several hours by NSW Police after he confronted the man but was released on Sunday night without charge pending further inquiries. * Homicide detectives are assisting in the investigation and are awaiting the outcome of a post-mortem examination of to determine the cause of Soper’s death. *

8m

Feb 18, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, police have released a Sydney man from custody after an altercation between him and an intruder resulted in the stranger’s death, a search has resumed for a man who went missing after fatal jetski accident saw him and his companions thrown into the water, and a woman’s tantrum after being sat next to a child on a plane has gone viral. * * * SEARCH FOR MISSING VETERAN LIFEGUARD CONTINUES * Authorities have entered the third day of their search for a 69-year-old man who went missing after going for a swim a beach in northern NSW. * Raz Burtonwood entered the dangerous surf at Lighthouse Beach in Ballina on Saturday morning and hasn’t been seen since. * Mr Burtonwood, who in 2013 was recognised for his 20 years of service as a lifeguard, has been described as a much-loved member of the Ballina community. * “The definition of a Waterman. Absolutely one of the most down to earth blokes you would ever meet. Ballina high school legend,” Ollie Rohn said on Facebook. * The search was suspended on Sunday evening and has been resumed this morning. * * * 6YO KILLED WHILE RIDING SCOOTER * A young boy has died after being hit by a car while he was riding his scooter in town in rural Queensland. * The six-year-old was out riding his scooter at midday yesterday on Saint Francis Dr in Moranbah when he was reportedly struck by a ute. * The boy was rushed to Moranbah Hospital where he was pronounced dead. * The 35-year-old male driver was uninjured. * * * * QLD FLOODWATERS RECEDE TO SHOW DEVASTATION * Queensland’s inland sea of floodwater is slowly receding as the graziers and farmers take stock of the massive scale of devastation. * Conservative estimates reveal more than 500,000 cattle have died, along with 30,000 sheep. * The cost to the cattle industry alone is expected to exceed $1 billion. * Alongside the cattle industry, the Insurance Council of Australia said there had been more than 15,500 claims lodged with losses to about $606 million. That figure is expected to continue to rise as graziers return home in coming days. * The worst of the flooding still grips the Gulf of Carpentaria, but the waters are dropping by the hour. * Carpentaria Deputy Mayor Craig Young said the water levels were falling “pretty quickly”. * “It’s faster than we expected,” he said. * “It’s still boggy and wet, you can’t get anywhere yet. We need things to dry out.” * Frustrated graziers have not yet been able to return to their properties and the full cost of the devastation could take weeks to count. * Nine shires across Queensland are disaster-declared and AgForce boss Michael Guerin says it’s still too early to quantify stock losses. * “It has affected around 800 producers in a 13 million hectare band across north- west Queensland — an area twice the size of Tassie,” Mr Guerin told AAP. * “We are looking at stock losses at half a billion dollars; add the costs to replace farm infrastructures like fencing, dams, pumps and equipment and the immediate cost would be over a billion dollars.” * * * * PERSON TRAPPED FOLLOWING SYDNEY CRASH * A person is reportedly trapped inside a vehicle following a two-car crash in Sydney’s northwest this morning. * One of two northbound lanes and one of three southbound lanes are closed on Pennant Hills Rd in North Parramatta as crews work to free the trapped motorist. * Drivers are being told to take car when passing through the area and to allow for extra travel time. * * * * ONE DROWNED, ANOTHER MISSING AFTER JETSKI ACCIDENT * The search for a man who went missing in the Hawkesbury River after he fell off a jetski is expected to continue this morning in Wilberforce, northwest of Sydney. * The 50-year-old was reportedly riding on a jetski with two other men when a sharp turn caused him to fall off. * His 49-year-old companion died on Sunday in the same incident. * His body was recovered from the river but he couldn’t be resuscitated. * A third man, 35, was not injured. * The fatal incident occurred at about 10.30am on Sunday near Percys Place Ski Gardens next to Burdekin Rd. * “It’s quite heartbreaking — they were a large group of friends enjoying a pretty much picture-perfect day here on the Hawkesbury,” Chief Inspector Gary Simms told reporters. * “As you can imagine they’re all quite devastated.” * It’s been reported none of the men were wearing life jackets. * * * DRUNK FLYER’S CRAZY TANTRUM * Video footage of a drunken JetBlue passenger throwing a tantrum has gone viral online. * Valerie Gonzalez was reportedly taking a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Las Vegas on Thursday when she became upset that she was seated next to a three-year-old. * According to an arrest affidavit, the irate 32-year-old said, “I’m not sitting next to a f***ing 3-year-old. I’ve been drinking all day,” reported. * Fellow passenger Orlando Alzugaray recorded the incident and shared it on Twitter, where it racked up nearly 60K views. * In the video, Gonzalez appears to be talking to someone via FaceTime on her phone while complaining that she “didn’t do anything wrong.” * Other passengers begin to film her conversation. At one point, she spits on the passenger in front of her who she claims is recording her. * Later, the woman shouts at passengers while gathering her things to leave the plane. * “Make this viral! You wanna make this viral, make it viral. What the f**k did I do? I called someone old ‘cause they were?” she yells. “I’ll get my bags. I’ll take my f***ing s**t.” * According to , after the woman exited to the terminal, she tried to board the plane again. A JetBlue agent prevented her from entering the plane and Gonzalez hit the employee over the head. * Gonzalez was arrested at the Florida airport and charged with battery. * * Warning: Very strong language. * * * * SURFER ATTACKED BY SHARK IN NSW * A man had to be flown to hospital on Sunday after being bitten in a suspected shark attack while out surfing at Byron Bay. * The 41-year-old man was in the water at Belongil Beach just after dawn when he was reportedly “bitten on the leg by a shark”. * “I was freaking. When I heard the screams he was making in the water and then I saw a chunk of his board floating off, that’s when I realised it was pretty bad,” a fellow surfer told the . * The victim managed to float back to shore on his board and signalled to other beachgoers for help. * Pictures of the man’s surfboard show what appears to be a big chunk taken out of the tail. * Paramedics were called to the scene and treated the man before he was flown to Gold Coast University Hospital. * He is said to be in a serious but stable condition. * * * INTRUDER DIES AFTER FIGHT WITH RESIDENT * Police have said that a Sydney man who had an altercation after finding an intruder in his house, leading to the stranger’s death, will not be charged at this time over the incident. * Johan Schwartz, 44, was quizzed by NSW Police after an intruder he confronted in his Harrington Park lounge room on Sunday died following a struggle between the two men. * Detective Chief Inspector Shane Woolbank said the man was entitled to use “reasonable force” to protect himself and his family. * “Generally people are entitled to their home and they’re entitled to use reasonable force to protect themselves and their property,” he said. * According to reports Mr Schwartz woke at 7.30am on Sunday to the sounds of his dogs barking. * When he went to investigate he found the male intruder in the lounge room, leading to a struggle between the two men. * “He confronted that male intruder and a struggle has ensued,” Det Insp Woolbank said. * “As a result of that struggle, the male intruder has collapsed and become unconscious.” * The intruder, 35, couldn’t be revived despite neighbours performing CPR and paramedics being called. * The 44-year-old was taken to Narellan police station and quizzed. He was released on Sunday evening “pending further inquiries”. *

6m

Feb 17, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, police have released a Sydney man from custody after an altercation between him and an intruder resulted in the stranger’s death, a search has resumed for a man who went missing after fatal jetski accident saw him and his companions thrown into the water, and a woman’s tantrum after being sat next to a child on a plane has gone viral. * * * SEARCH FOR MISSING VETERAN LIFEGUARD CONTINUES * Authorities have entered the third day of their search for a 69-year-old man who went missing after going for a swim a beach in northern NSW. * Raz Burtonwood entered the dangerous surf at Lighthouse Beach in Ballina on Saturday morning and hasn’t been seen since. * Mr Burtonwood, who in 2013 was recognised for his 20 years of service as a lifeguard, has been described as a much-loved member of the Ballina community. * “The definition of a Waterman. Absolutely one of the most down to earth blokes you would ever meet. Ballina high school legend,” Ollie Rohn said on Facebook. * The search was suspended on Sunday evening and has been resumed this morning. * * * 6YO KILLED WHILE RIDING SCOOTER * A young boy has died after being hit by a car while he was riding his scooter in town in rural Queensland. * The six-year-old was out riding his scooter at midday yesterday on Saint Francis Dr in Moranbah when he was reportedly struck by a ute. * The boy was rushed to Moranbah Hospital where he was pronounced dead. * The 35-year-old male driver was uninjured. * * * * QLD FLOODWATERS RECEDE TO SHOW DEVASTATION * Queensland’s inland sea of floodwater is slowly receding as the graziers and farmers take stock of the massive scale of devastation. * Conservative estimates reveal more than 500,000 cattle have died, along with 30,000 sheep. * The cost to the cattle industry alone is expected to exceed $1 billion. * Alongside the cattle industry, the Insurance Council of Australia said there had been more than 15,500 claims lodged with losses to about $606 million. That figure is expected to continue to rise as graziers return home in coming days. * The worst of the flooding still grips the Gulf of Carpentaria, but the waters are dropping by the hour. * Carpentaria Deputy Mayor Craig Young said the water levels were falling “pretty quickly”. * “It’s faster than we expected,” he said. * “It’s still boggy and wet, you can’t get anywhere yet. We need things to dry out.” * Frustrated graziers have not yet been able to return to their properties and the full cost of the devastation could take weeks to count. * Nine shires across Queensland are disaster-declared and AgForce boss Michael Guerin says it’s still too early to quantify stock losses. * “It has affected around 800 producers in a 13 million hectare band across north- west Queensland — an area twice the size of Tassie,” Mr Guerin told AAP. * “We are looking at stock losses at half a billion dollars; add the costs to replace farm infrastructures like fencing, dams, pumps and equipment and the immediate cost would be over a billion dollars.” * * * * PERSON TRAPPED FOLLOWING SYDNEY CRASH * A person is reportedly trapped inside a vehicle following a two-car crash in Sydney’s northwest this morning. * One of two northbound lanes and one of three southbound lanes are closed on Pennant Hills Rd in North Parramatta as crews work to free the trapped motorist. * Drivers are being told to take car when passing through the area and to allow for extra travel time. * * * * ONE DROWNED, ANOTHER MISSING AFTER JETSKI ACCIDENT * The search for a man who went missing in the Hawkesbury River after he fell off a jetski is expected to continue this morning in Wilberforce, northwest of Sydney. * The 50-year-old was reportedly riding on a jetski with two other men when a sharp turn caused him to fall off. * His 49-year-old companion died on Sunday in the same incident. * His body was recovered from the river but he couldn’t be resuscitated. * A third man, 35, was not injured. * The fatal incident occurred at about 10.30am on Sunday near Percys Place Ski Gardens next to Burdekin Rd. * “It’s quite heartbreaking — they were a large group of friends enjoying a pretty much picture-perfect day here on the Hawkesbury,” Chief Inspector Gary Simms told reporters. * “As you can imagine they’re all quite devastated.” * It’s been reported none of the men were wearing life jackets. * * * DRUNK FLYER’S CRAZY TANTRUM * Video footage of a drunken JetBlue passenger throwing a tantrum has gone viral online. * Valerie Gonzalez was reportedly taking a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Las Vegas on Thursday when she became upset that she was seated next to a three-year-old. * According to an arrest affidavit, the irate 32-year-old said, “I’m not sitting next to a f***ing 3-year-old. I’ve been drinking all day,” reported. * Fellow passenger Orlando Alzugaray recorded the incident and shared it on Twitter, where it racked up nearly 60K views. * In the video, Gonzalez appears to be talking to someone via FaceTime on her phone while complaining that she “didn’t do anything wrong.” * Other passengers begin to film her conversation. At one point, she spits on the passenger in front of her who she claims is recording her. * Later, the woman shouts at passengers while gathering her things to leave the plane. * “Make this viral! You wanna make this viral, make it viral. What the f**k did I do? I called someone old ‘cause they were?” she yells. “I’ll get my bags. I’ll take my f***ing s**t.” * According to , after the woman exited to the terminal, she tried to board the plane again. A JetBlue agent prevented her from entering the plane and Gonzalez hit the employee over the head. * Gonzalez was arrested at the Florida airport and charged with battery. * * Warning: Very strong language. * * * * SURFER ATTACKED BY SHARK IN NSW * A man had to be flown to hospital on Sunday after being bitten in a suspected shark attack while out surfing at Byron Bay. * The 41-year-old man was in the water at Belongil Beach just after dawn when he was reportedly “bitten on the leg by a shark”. * “I was freaking. When I heard the screams he was making in the water and then I saw a chunk of his board floating off, that’s when I realised it was pretty bad,” a fellow surfer told the . * The victim managed to float back to shore on his board and signalled to other beachgoers for help. * Pictures of the man’s surfboard show what appears to be a big chunk taken out of the tail. * Paramedics were called to the scene and treated the man before he was flown to Gold Coast University Hospital. * He is said to be in a serious but stable condition. * * * INTRUDER DIES AFTER FIGHT WITH RESIDENT * Police have said that a Sydney man who had an altercation after finding an intruder in his house, leading to the stranger’s death, will not be charged at this time over the incident. * Johan Schwartz, 44, was quizzed by NSW Police after an intruder he confronted in his Harrington Park lounge room on Sunday died following a struggle between the two men. * Detective Chief Inspector Shane Woolbank said the man was entitled to use “reasonable force” to protect himself and his family. * “Generally people are entitled to their home and they’re entitled to use reasonable force to protect themselves and their property,” he said. * According to reports Mr Schwartz woke at 7.30am on Sunday to the sounds of his dogs barking. * When he went to investigate he found the male intruder in the lounge room, leading to a struggle between the two men. * “He confronted that male intruder and a struggle has ensued,” Det Insp Woolbank said. * “As a result of that struggle, the male intruder has collapsed and become unconscious.” * The intruder, 35, couldn’t be revived despite neighbours performing CPR and paramedics being called. * The 44-year-old was taken to Narellan police station and quizzed. He was released on Sunday evening “pending further inquiries”. *

6m

Feb 17, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a trio has been arrested in NSW for allegedly selling illegal drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the products, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to visit a town in Queensland’s northwest to see first hand the flood damage that’s been caused, and a neighbour’s rude trick to save a parking spot outside his house as angered other residents. * * * ‘DARK WEB’ DRUG SYNDICATE BUSTED * Three people have been charged for allegedly running selling drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the illegal product. * The trio, a 25-year-old man and two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation dating back to April 2018. * The syndicate was believed to be worth more than $17 million. * Detectives last year uncovered a “sophisticated online drug distribution network” operating from NSW’s South Coast as part of a broader probe into drug supply. * Police allege the man was operating as an online vendor on the dark web, selling illegal drugs and prescription medications. * The women have been accused of packaging and posting the items to buyers. * “An initial analysis of the vendor cryptocurrency wallets indicates that more than $17 million has been transacted in recent years,” police said in a statement. * * * MAN CHARGED OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT OF BOY * A man has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Sydney’s northern beaches after the pair met online. * The 34-year-old man allegedly arrived at the Killarney Heights home of the 13-year-old boy yesterday after meeting online the day before. * The man is accused of entering the home before sexually assaulting the teen. * Police were called after the man left and the boy was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital for examination. * The man was arrested at about 5.45pm yesterday and was charged with aggravated sexual assault victim under the age of 16 years, and use carriage service to procure under 16 years for sexual activity. * He is set to appear in Burwood Local Court today. * * * PM TO VISIT FLOOD DEVASTATED QLD * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will see the flood devastation of the cattle industry first hand in a visit to a regional Queensland town. * He is visiting Cloncurry in the state’s northwest today to see the scale of the damage. * Noting he was last in the area two years ago when all around was dry red dust, Mr Morrison tweeted: “We will be standing with all those affected as you recover and rebuild.” * The Prime Minister’s day is expected to start with a community breakfast before he flies out to drop fodder for surviving cattle. * North Queensland’s once-in-a-century flooding has caused death, disease and heartbreak, and seen the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals. * Authorities are warning people to take care after one woman died and nine more people were infected by a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Cases of melioidosis bacteria aren’t unusual during the wet season, however, the recent cluster of infections in Townsville following the unprecedented flooding of thousands of homes has caused concern. * Townsville Hospital says eight of the infected people remain in hospitals in a stable condition and another is being cared for at home. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men about two weeks ago. * * * * * NEIGHBOUR’S ANNOYING PARKING TRICK * Limited parking on a residential street has forced some neighbours to come up with an annoying trick to ensure they have a car spot, sparking outrage from other residents. * People living on a street in Auckland, New Zealand have been claiming public sparking spots by placing cones or bins on the street outside their homes. * The sneaky trick caused so much tension that the local board was forced to get involved. * “Sadly we have advised about this before. You cannot use cones outside your property to reserve parking,” the Howick Local Board wrote on Facebook. * “Leaving your bins out to prevent others parking is a no-no too! All you are likely to achieve is very annoyed neighbours.” * The post sparked a heated online debate, with some agreeing that reserving spaces was selfish while others claimed that was no other option. * “All vehicles should be contained on your property. Only visitors need allowed parking on the road,” one person said. * “YES!!! this funny guy had a cone outside his house near my daughters school last week to stop people parking in front of his house. So I drove over it,” another said. * Another person said residents had a right to expect a park outside of their house, writing: “Yep pay $800 to $900k for a house with no parking if it was me I would expect to have a car park out side my house.” * * * HEAVY TRAFFIC ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE * Traffic is building up in Sydney’s upper north shore with a broken down truck causing big delays this morning. * One of three westbound lanes is closed on Warringah Rd as a result of the breakdown. * Motorists are being warned to allow for extra travel time and take care when driving through the area. * * * * GUY’S AWKWARD MISTAKE ON FIRST DAY AT JOB * First impressions are really important when starting a new job, which is why one man was mortified when he made this embarrassing mistake on his first day. * Jon Caña, a digital marketer in San Francisco, is never going to live down the very awkward blunder he made on his first day starting with an advertising company, Essence. * Jon was thrilled when he arrived to work to find a welcome pack and card on his desk from his new team. * He was even more excited when he returned to his desk later to find they had also left him a bunch of flowers. * Jon was so chuffed with his gift that he asked his manager to take a few photos of him with them. * “First day feels,” he captioned the photos on Twitter. * But this is when things got awkward. * He later found out that the flowers weren’t for him at all. They were meant for someone going on maternity leave and they had mistakenly been placed on his desk. * What is even worse is none of his colleagues had the heart to tell him after they saw him proudly posing for a photo shoot with the flowers. * “I found out these flowers were misplaced on my desk and supposed to be for someone going on maternity leave because they don’t give flowers to new hires, but they saw me taking pics with them and felt too bad to take them away,” he wrote on Twitter. * And it seems like they aren’t going to let him forget his cringe-worthy mistake anytime soon, with one of his pregnant collages later giving him another bunch of flowers. * * * * NSW DARLING RIVER FISH ‘SUPER STRESSED’ * A series of mass fish deaths in far west NSW have left locals on edge with some regularly checking the Darling River’s water quality for signs of another mass kill. * Algal blooms, rapid temperature changes and low water flows have all contributed to three mass fish deaths at Menindee this summer with the NSW government installing aerators in an attempt to reduce further deaths after the second event. * Four of the solar-charged machines were installed in the Lower Darling region to boost oxygen levels but Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb claims they aren’t working as well as they should. * “They’re solar powered and have been placed under trees where they can’t get enough charge throughout the day to work in the evening when they’re needed,” he told in Menindee. * Mr McCrabb, who moved to the area a few years ago because of his love of fishing and the Darling River, checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the river nearly daily. * Dissolved oxygen is a key indicator of water quality and is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. * Levels between four and seven milligrams per litre mean the water quality is good but near Weir 32 on the river, the levels are falling below two which is deadly for fish, Mr McCrabb says. * “The fish are just super stressed. Thirty-odd cod died lately, and there’s fish dying 150kms down the river. They all start to add up.” * * * * DAD ATTACKED WITH GOLF CLUB DURING ROBBERY * Police say a little girl has been left “traumatised” after violent thugs hit her dad with a golf club before making off with his Mercedes in Melbourne. * The family was woken at around 3.45am on Thursday when the thieves broke into their home at Maribyrnong. * The victim, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries after the attack. He had allegedly tried to use the club to take a swing at one of the robbers before they turned on him. * “We believe at this stage it was a targeted attack. Any incident of this nature is fairly traumatic,” Detective Sergeant Mark Anderson told reporters. * “The little girl … is asking questions as to why it happened to them and that is something the parents will talk to her about.” * The dad was taken to hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries. * Police have spoken to the man, who is known to police, about possible motives. * During the raid, the attackers, described as men of African appearance, found keys to the white Mercedes-Benz B class wagon with registration plates 1JC1SV. * It is unclear whether the offenders targeted the family or the car. *

7m

Feb 16, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a trio has been arrested in NSW for allegedly selling illegal drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the products, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to visit a town in Queensland’s northwest to see first hand the flood damage that’s been caused, and a neighbour’s rude trick to save a parking spot outside his house as angered other residents. * * * ‘DARK WEB’ DRUG SYNDICATE BUSTED * Three people have been charged for allegedly running selling drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the illegal product. * The trio, a 25-year-old man and two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation dating back to April 2018. * The syndicate was believed to be worth more than $17 million. * Detectives last year uncovered a “sophisticated online drug distribution network” operating from NSW’s South Coast as part of a broader probe into drug supply. * Police allege the man was operating as an online vendor on the dark web, selling illegal drugs and prescription medications. * The women have been accused of packaging and posting the items to buyers. * “An initial analysis of the vendor cryptocurrency wallets indicates that more than $17 million has been transacted in recent years,” police said in a statement. * * * MAN CHARGED OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT OF BOY * A man has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Sydney’s northern beaches after the pair met online. * The 34-year-old man allegedly arrived at the Killarney Heights home of the 13-year-old boy yesterday after meeting online the day before. * The man is accused of entering the home before sexually assaulting the teen. * Police were called after the man left and the boy was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital for examination. * The man was arrested at about 5.45pm yesterday and was charged with aggravated sexual assault victim under the age of 16 years, and use carriage service to procure under 16 years for sexual activity. * He is set to appear in Burwood Local Court today. * * * PM TO VISIT FLOOD DEVASTATED QLD * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will see the flood devastation of the cattle industry first hand in a visit to a regional Queensland town. * He is visiting Cloncurry in the state’s northwest today to see the scale of the damage. * Noting he was last in the area two years ago when all around was dry red dust, Mr Morrison tweeted: “We will be standing with all those affected as you recover and rebuild.” * The Prime Minister’s day is expected to start with a community breakfast before he flies out to drop fodder for surviving cattle. * North Queensland’s once-in-a-century flooding has caused death, disease and heartbreak, and seen the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals. * Authorities are warning people to take care after one woman died and nine more people were infected by a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Cases of melioidosis bacteria aren’t unusual during the wet season, however, the recent cluster of infections in Townsville following the unprecedented flooding of thousands of homes has caused concern. * Townsville Hospital says eight of the infected people remain in hospitals in a stable condition and another is being cared for at home. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men about two weeks ago. * * * * * NEIGHBOUR’S ANNOYING PARKING TRICK * Limited parking on a residential street has forced some neighbours to come up with an annoying trick to ensure they have a car spot, sparking outrage from other residents. * People living on a street in Auckland, New Zealand have been claiming public sparking spots by placing cones or bins on the street outside their homes. * The sneaky trick caused so much tension that the local board was forced to get involved. * “Sadly we have advised about this before. You cannot use cones outside your property to reserve parking,” the Howick Local Board wrote on Facebook. * “Leaving your bins out to prevent others parking is a no-no too! All you are likely to achieve is very annoyed neighbours.” * The post sparked a heated online debate, with some agreeing that reserving spaces was selfish while others claimed that was no other option. * “All vehicles should be contained on your property. Only visitors need allowed parking on the road,” one person said. * “YES!!! this funny guy had a cone outside his house near my daughters school last week to stop people parking in front of his house. So I drove over it,” another said. * Another person said residents had a right to expect a park outside of their house, writing: “Yep pay $800 to $900k for a house with no parking if it was me I would expect to have a car park out side my house.” * * * HEAVY TRAFFIC ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE * Traffic is building up in Sydney’s upper north shore with a broken down truck causing big delays this morning. * One of three westbound lanes is closed on Warringah Rd as a result of the breakdown. * Motorists are being warned to allow for extra travel time and take care when driving through the area. * * * * GUY’S AWKWARD MISTAKE ON FIRST DAY AT JOB * First impressions are really important when starting a new job, which is why one man was mortified when he made this embarrassing mistake on his first day. * Jon Caña, a digital marketer in San Francisco, is never going to live down the very awkward blunder he made on his first day starting with an advertising company, Essence. * Jon was thrilled when he arrived to work to find a welcome pack and card on his desk from his new team. * He was even more excited when he returned to his desk later to find they had also left him a bunch of flowers. * Jon was so chuffed with his gift that he asked his manager to take a few photos of him with them. * “First day feels,” he captioned the photos on Twitter. * But this is when things got awkward. * He later found out that the flowers weren’t for him at all. They were meant for someone going on maternity leave and they had mistakenly been placed on his desk. * What is even worse is none of his colleagues had the heart to tell him after they saw him proudly posing for a photo shoot with the flowers. * “I found out these flowers were misplaced on my desk and supposed to be for someone going on maternity leave because they don’t give flowers to new hires, but they saw me taking pics with them and felt too bad to take them away,” he wrote on Twitter. * And it seems like they aren’t going to let him forget his cringe-worthy mistake anytime soon, with one of his pregnant collages later giving him another bunch of flowers. * * * * NSW DARLING RIVER FISH ‘SUPER STRESSED’ * A series of mass fish deaths in far west NSW have left locals on edge with some regularly checking the Darling River’s water quality for signs of another mass kill. * Algal blooms, rapid temperature changes and low water flows have all contributed to three mass fish deaths at Menindee this summer with the NSW government installing aerators in an attempt to reduce further deaths after the second event. * Four of the solar-charged machines were installed in the Lower Darling region to boost oxygen levels but Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb claims they aren’t working as well as they should. * “They’re solar powered and have been placed under trees where they can’t get enough charge throughout the day to work in the evening when they’re needed,” he told in Menindee. * Mr McCrabb, who moved to the area a few years ago because of his love of fishing and the Darling River, checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the river nearly daily. * Dissolved oxygen is a key indicator of water quality and is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. * Levels between four and seven milligrams per litre mean the water quality is good but near Weir 32 on the river, the levels are falling below two which is deadly for fish, Mr McCrabb says. * “The fish are just super stressed. Thirty-odd cod died lately, and there’s fish dying 150kms down the river. They all start to add up.” * * * * DAD ATTACKED WITH GOLF CLUB DURING ROBBERY * Police say a little girl has been left “traumatised” after violent thugs hit her dad with a golf club before making off with his Mercedes in Melbourne. * The family was woken at around 3.45am on Thursday when the thieves broke into their home at Maribyrnong. * The victim, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries after the attack. He had allegedly tried to use the club to take a swing at one of the robbers before they turned on him. * “We believe at this stage it was a targeted attack. Any incident of this nature is fairly traumatic,” Detective Sergeant Mark Anderson told reporters. * “The little girl … is asking questions as to why it happened to them and that is something the parents will talk to her about.” * The dad was taken to hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries. * Police have spoken to the man, who is known to police, about possible motives. * During the raid, the attackers, described as men of African appearance, found keys to the white Mercedes-Benz B class wagon with registration plates 1JC1SV. * It is unclear whether the offenders targeted the family or the car. *

7m

Feb 16, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a trio has been arrested in NSW for allegedly selling illegal drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the products, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to visit a town in Queensland’s northwest to see first hand the flood damage that’s been caused, and a neighbour’s rude trick to save a parking spot outside his house as angered other residents. * * * ‘DARK WEB’ DRUG SYNDICATE BUSTED * Three people have been charged for allegedly running selling drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the illegal product. * The trio, a 25-year-old man and two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation dating back to April 2018. * The syndicate was believed to be worth more than $17 million. * Detectives last year uncovered a “sophisticated online drug distribution network” operating from NSW’s South Coast as part of a broader probe into drug supply. * Police allege the man was operating as an online vendor on the dark web, selling illegal drugs and prescription medications. * The women have been accused of packaging and posting the items to buyers. * “An initial analysis of the vendor cryptocurrency wallets indicates that more than $17 million has been transacted in recent years,” police said in a statement. * * * MAN CHARGED OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT OF BOY * A man has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Sydney’s northern beaches after the pair met online. * The 34-year-old man allegedly arrived at the Killarney Heights home of the 13-year-old boy yesterday after meeting online the day before. * The man is accused of entering the home before sexually assaulting the teen. * Police were called after the man left and the boy was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital for examination. * The man was arrested at about 5.45pm yesterday and was charged with aggravated sexual assault victim under the age of 16 years, and use carriage service to procure under 16 years for sexual activity. * He is set to appear in Burwood Local Court today. * * * PM TO VISIT FLOOD DEVASTATED QLD * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will see the flood devastation of the cattle industry first hand in a visit to a regional Queensland town. * He is visiting Cloncurry in the state’s northwest today to see the scale of the damage. * Noting he was last in the area two years ago when all around was dry red dust, Mr Morrison tweeted: “We will be standing with all those affected as you recover and rebuild.” * The Prime Minister’s day is expected to start with a community breakfast before he flies out to drop fodder for surviving cattle. * North Queensland’s once-in-a-century flooding has caused death, disease and heartbreak, and seen the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals. * Authorities are warning people to take care after one woman died and nine more people were infected by a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Cases of melioidosis bacteria aren’t unusual during the wet season, however, the recent cluster of infections in Townsville following the unprecedented flooding of thousands of homes has caused concern. * Townsville Hospital says eight of the infected people remain in hospitals in a stable condition and another is being cared for at home. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men about two weeks ago. * * * * * NEIGHBOUR’S ANNOYING PARKING TRICK * Limited parking on a residential street has forced some neighbours to come up with an annoying trick to ensure they have a car spot, sparking outrage from other residents. * People living on a street in Auckland, New Zealand have been claiming public sparking spots by placing cones or bins on the street outside their homes. * The sneaky trick caused so much tension that the local board was forced to get involved. * “Sadly we have advised about this before. You cannot use cones outside your property to reserve parking,” the Howick Local Board wrote on Facebook. * “Leaving your bins out to prevent others parking is a no-no too! All you are likely to achieve is very annoyed neighbours.” * The post sparked a heated online debate, with some agreeing that reserving spaces was selfish while others claimed that was no other option. * “All vehicles should be contained on your property. Only visitors need allowed parking on the road,” one person said. * “YES!!! this funny guy had a cone outside his house near my daughters school last week to stop people parking in front of his house. So I drove over it,” another said. * Another person said residents had a right to expect a park outside of their house, writing: “Yep pay $800 to $900k for a house with no parking if it was me I would expect to have a car park out side my house.” * * * HEAVY TRAFFIC ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE * Traffic is building up in Sydney’s upper north shore with a broken down truck causing big delays this morning. * One of three westbound lanes is closed on Warringah Rd as a result of the breakdown. * Motorists are being warned to allow for extra travel time and take care when driving through the area. * * * * GUY’S AWKWARD MISTAKE ON FIRST DAY AT JOB * First impressions are really important when starting a new job, which is why one man was mortified when he made this embarrassing mistake on his first day. * Jon Caña, a digital marketer in San Francisco, is never going to live down the very awkward blunder he made on his first day starting with an advertising company, Essence. * Jon was thrilled when he arrived to work to find a welcome pack and card on his desk from his new team. * He was even more excited when he returned to his desk later to find they had also left him a bunch of flowers. * Jon was so chuffed with his gift that he asked his manager to take a few photos of him with them. * “First day feels,” he captioned the photos on Twitter. * But this is when things got awkward. * He later found out that the flowers weren’t for him at all. They were meant for someone going on maternity leave and they had mistakenly been placed on his desk. * What is even worse is none of his colleagues had the heart to tell him after they saw him proudly posing for a photo shoot with the flowers. * “I found out these flowers were misplaced on my desk and supposed to be for someone going on maternity leave because they don’t give flowers to new hires, but they saw me taking pics with them and felt too bad to take them away,” he wrote on Twitter. * And it seems like they aren’t going to let him forget his cringe-worthy mistake anytime soon, with one of his pregnant collages later giving him another bunch of flowers. * * * * NSW DARLING RIVER FISH ‘SUPER STRESSED’ * A series of mass fish deaths in far west NSW have left locals on edge with some regularly checking the Darling River’s water quality for signs of another mass kill. * Algal blooms, rapid temperature changes and low water flows have all contributed to three mass fish deaths at Menindee this summer with the NSW government installing aerators in an attempt to reduce further deaths after the second event. * Four of the solar-charged machines were installed in the Lower Darling region to boost oxygen levels but Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb claims they aren’t working as well as they should. * “They’re solar powered and have been placed under trees where they can’t get enough charge throughout the day to work in the evening when they’re needed,” he told in Menindee. * Mr McCrabb, who moved to the area a few years ago because of his love of fishing and the Darling River, checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the river nearly daily. * Dissolved oxygen is a key indicator of water quality and is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. * Levels between four and seven milligrams per litre mean the water quality is good but near Weir 32 on the river, the levels are falling below two which is deadly for fish, Mr McCrabb says. * “The fish are just super stressed. Thirty-odd cod died lately, and there’s fish dying 150kms down the river. They all start to add up.” * * * * DAD ATTACKED WITH GOLF CLUB DURING ROBBERY * Police say a little girl has been left “traumatised” after violent thugs hit her dad with a golf club before making off with his Mercedes in Melbourne. * The family was woken at around 3.45am on Thursday when the thieves broke into their home at Maribyrnong. * The victim, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries after the attack. He had allegedly tried to use the club to take a swing at one of the robbers before they turned on him. * “We believe at this stage it was a targeted attack. Any incident of this nature is fairly traumatic,” Detective Sergeant Mark Anderson told reporters. * “The little girl … is asking questions as to why it happened to them and that is something the parents will talk to her about.” * The dad was taken to hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries. * Police have spoken to the man, who is known to police, about possible motives. * During the raid, the attackers, described as men of African appearance, found keys to the white Mercedes-Benz B class wagon with registration plates 1JC1SV. * It is unclear whether the offenders targeted the family or the car. *

7m

Feb 16, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a trio has been arrested in NSW for allegedly selling illegal drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the products, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to visit a town in Queensland’s northwest to see first hand the flood damage that’s been caused, and a neighbour’s rude trick to save a parking spot outside his house as angered other residents. * * * ‘DARK WEB’ DRUG SYNDICATE BUSTED * Three people have been charged for allegedly running selling drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the illegal product. * The trio, a 25-year-old man and two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation dating back to April 2018. * The syndicate was believed to be worth more than $17 million. * Detectives last year uncovered a “sophisticated online drug distribution network” operating from NSW’s South Coast as part of a broader probe into drug supply. * Police allege the man was operating as an online vendor on the dark web, selling illegal drugs and prescription medications. * The women have been accused of packaging and posting the items to buyers. * “An initial analysis of the vendor cryptocurrency wallets indicates that more than $17 million has been transacted in recent years,” police said in a statement. * * * MAN CHARGED OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT OF BOY * A man has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Sydney’s northern beaches after the pair met online. * The 34-year-old man allegedly arrived at the Killarney Heights home of the 13-year-old boy yesterday after meeting online the day before. * The man is accused of entering the home before sexually assaulting the teen. * Police were called after the man left and the boy was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital for examination. * The man was arrested at about 5.45pm yesterday and was charged with aggravated sexual assault victim under the age of 16 years, and use carriage service to procure under 16 years for sexual activity. * He is set to appear in Burwood Local Court today. * * * PM TO VISIT FLOOD DEVASTATED QLD * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will see the flood devastation of the cattle industry first hand in a visit to a regional Queensland town. * He is visiting Cloncurry in the state’s northwest today to see the scale of the damage. * Noting he was last in the area two years ago when all around was dry red dust, Mr Morrison tweeted: “We will be standing with all those affected as you recover and rebuild.” * The Prime Minister’s day is expected to start with a community breakfast before he flies out to drop fodder for surviving cattle. * North Queensland’s once-in-a-century flooding has caused death, disease and heartbreak, and seen the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals. * Authorities are warning people to take care after one woman died and nine more people were infected by a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Cases of melioidosis bacteria aren’t unusual during the wet season, however, the recent cluster of infections in Townsville following the unprecedented flooding of thousands of homes has caused concern. * Townsville Hospital says eight of the infected people remain in hospitals in a stable condition and another is being cared for at home. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men about two weeks ago. * * * * * NEIGHBOUR’S ANNOYING PARKING TRICK * Limited parking on a residential street has forced some neighbours to come up with an annoying trick to ensure they have a car spot, sparking outrage from other residents. * People living on a street in Auckland, New Zealand have been claiming public sparking spots by placing cones or bins on the street outside their homes. * The sneaky trick caused so much tension that the local board was forced to get involved. * “Sadly we have advised about this before. You cannot use cones outside your property to reserve parking,” the Howick Local Board wrote on Facebook. * “Leaving your bins out to prevent others parking is a no-no too! All you are likely to achieve is very annoyed neighbours.” * The post sparked a heated online debate, with some agreeing that reserving spaces was selfish while others claimed that was no other option. * “All vehicles should be contained on your property. Only visitors need allowed parking on the road,” one person said. * “YES!!! this funny guy had a cone outside his house near my daughters school last week to stop people parking in front of his house. So I drove over it,” another said. * Another person said residents had a right to expect a park outside of their house, writing: “Yep pay $800 to $900k for a house with no parking if it was me I would expect to have a car park out side my house.” * * * HEAVY TRAFFIC ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE * Traffic is building up in Sydney’s upper north shore with a broken down truck causing big delays this morning. * One of three westbound lanes is closed on Warringah Rd as a result of the breakdown. * Motorists are being warned to allow for extra travel time and take care when driving through the area. * * * * GUY’S AWKWARD MISTAKE ON FIRST DAY AT JOB * First impressions are really important when starting a new job, which is why one man was mortified when he made this embarrassing mistake on his first day. * Jon Caña, a digital marketer in San Francisco, is never going to live down the very awkward blunder he made on his first day starting with an advertising company, Essence. * Jon was thrilled when he arrived to work to find a welcome pack and card on his desk from his new team. * He was even more excited when he returned to his desk later to find they had also left him a bunch of flowers. * Jon was so chuffed with his gift that he asked his manager to take a few photos of him with them. * “First day feels,” he captioned the photos on Twitter. * But this is when things got awkward. * He later found out that the flowers weren’t for him at all. They were meant for someone going on maternity leave and they had mistakenly been placed on his desk. * What is even worse is none of his colleagues had the heart to tell him after they saw him proudly posing for a photo shoot with the flowers. * “I found out these flowers were misplaced on my desk and supposed to be for someone going on maternity leave because they don’t give flowers to new hires, but they saw me taking pics with them and felt too bad to take them away,” he wrote on Twitter. * And it seems like they aren’t going to let him forget his cringe-worthy mistake anytime soon, with one of his pregnant collages later giving him another bunch of flowers. * * * * NSW DARLING RIVER FISH ‘SUPER STRESSED’ * A series of mass fish deaths in far west NSW have left locals on edge with some regularly checking the Darling River’s water quality for signs of another mass kill. * Algal blooms, rapid temperature changes and low water flows have all contributed to three mass fish deaths at Menindee this summer with the NSW government installing aerators in an attempt to reduce further deaths after the second event. * Four of the solar-charged machines were installed in the Lower Darling region to boost oxygen levels but Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb claims they aren’t working as well as they should. * “They’re solar powered and have been placed under trees where they can’t get enough charge throughout the day to work in the evening when they’re needed,” he told in Menindee. * Mr McCrabb, who moved to the area a few years ago because of his love of fishing and the Darling River, checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the river nearly daily. * Dissolved oxygen is a key indicator of water quality and is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. * Levels between four and seven milligrams per litre mean the water quality is good but near Weir 32 on the river, the levels are falling below two which is deadly for fish, Mr McCrabb says. * “The fish are just super stressed. Thirty-odd cod died lately, and there’s fish dying 150kms down the river. They all start to add up.” * * * * DAD ATTACKED WITH GOLF CLUB DURING ROBBERY * Police say a little girl has been left “traumatised” after violent thugs hit her dad with a golf club before making off with his Mercedes in Melbourne. * The family was woken at around 3.45am on Thursday when the thieves broke into their home at Maribyrnong. * The victim, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries after the attack. He had allegedly tried to use the club to take a swing at one of the robbers before they turned on him. * “We believe at this stage it was a targeted attack. Any incident of this nature is fairly traumatic,” Detective Sergeant Mark Anderson told reporters. * “The little girl … is asking questions as to why it happened to them and that is something the parents will talk to her about.” * The dad was taken to hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries. * Police have spoken to the man, who is known to police, about possible motives. * During the raid, the attackers, described as men of African appearance, found keys to the white Mercedes-Benz B class wagon with registration plates 1JC1SV. * It is unclear whether the offenders targeted the family or the car. *

7m

Feb 16, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a trio has been arrested in NSW for allegedly selling illegal drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the products, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to visit a town in Queensland’s northwest to see first hand the flood damage that’s been caused, and a neighbour’s rude trick to save a parking spot outside his house as angered other residents. * * * ‘DARK WEB’ DRUG SYNDICATE BUSTED * Three people have been charged for allegedly running selling drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the illegal product. * The trio, a 25-year-old man and two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation dating back to April 2018. * The syndicate was believed to be worth more than $17 million. * Detectives last year uncovered a “sophisticated online drug distribution network” operating from NSW’s South Coast as part of a broader probe into drug supply. * Police allege the man was operating as an online vendor on the dark web, selling illegal drugs and prescription medications. * The women have been accused of packaging and posting the items to buyers. * “An initial analysis of the vendor cryptocurrency wallets indicates that more than $17 million has been transacted in recent years,” police said in a statement. * * * MAN CHARGED OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT OF BOY * A man has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Sydney’s northern beaches after the pair met online. * The 34-year-old man allegedly arrived at the Killarney Heights home of the 13-year-old boy yesterday after meeting online the day before. * The man is accused of entering the home before sexually assaulting the teen. * Police were called after the man left and the boy was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital for examination. * The man was arrested at about 5.45pm yesterday and was charged with aggravated sexual assault victim under the age of 16 years, and use carriage service to procure under 16 years for sexual activity. * He is set to appear in Burwood Local Court today. * * * PM TO VISIT FLOOD DEVASTATED QLD * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will see the flood devastation of the cattle industry first hand in a visit to a regional Queensland town. * He is visiting Cloncurry in the state’s northwest today to see the scale of the damage. * Noting he was last in the area two years ago when all around was dry red dust, Mr Morrison tweeted: “We will be standing with all those affected as you recover and rebuild.” * The Prime Minister’s day is expected to start with a community breakfast before he flies out to drop fodder for surviving cattle. * North Queensland’s once-in-a-century flooding has caused death, disease and heartbreak, and seen the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals. * Authorities are warning people to take care after one woman died and nine more people were infected by a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Cases of melioidosis bacteria aren’t unusual during the wet season, however, the recent cluster of infections in Townsville following the unprecedented flooding of thousands of homes has caused concern. * Townsville Hospital says eight of the infected people remain in hospitals in a stable condition and another is being cared for at home. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men about two weeks ago. * * * * * NEIGHBOUR’S ANNOYING PARKING TRICK * Limited parking on a residential street has forced some neighbours to come up with an annoying trick to ensure they have a car spot, sparking outrage from other residents. * People living on a street in Auckland, New Zealand have been claiming public sparking spots by placing cones or bins on the street outside their homes. * The sneaky trick caused so much tension that the local board was forced to get involved. * “Sadly we have advised about this before. You cannot use cones outside your property to reserve parking,” the Howick Local Board wrote on Facebook. * “Leaving your bins out to prevent others parking is a no-no too! All you are likely to achieve is very annoyed neighbours.” * The post sparked a heated online debate, with some agreeing that reserving spaces was selfish while others claimed that was no other option. * “All vehicles should be contained on your property. Only visitors need allowed parking on the road,” one person said. * “YES!!! this funny guy had a cone outside his house near my daughters school last week to stop people parking in front of his house. So I drove over it,” another said. * Another person said residents had a right to expect a park outside of their house, writing: “Yep pay $800 to $900k for a house with no parking if it was me I would expect to have a car park out side my house.” * * * HEAVY TRAFFIC ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE * Traffic is building up in Sydney’s upper north shore with a broken down truck causing big delays this morning. * One of three westbound lanes is closed on Warringah Rd as a result of the breakdown. * Motorists are being warned to allow for extra travel time and take care when driving through the area. * * * * GUY’S AWKWARD MISTAKE ON FIRST DAY AT JOB * First impressions are really important when starting a new job, which is why one man was mortified when he made this embarrassing mistake on his first day. * Jon Caña, a digital marketer in San Francisco, is never going to live down the very awkward blunder he made on his first day starting with an advertising company, Essence. * Jon was thrilled when he arrived to work to find a welcome pack and card on his desk from his new team. * He was even more excited when he returned to his desk later to find they had also left him a bunch of flowers. * Jon was so chuffed with his gift that he asked his manager to take a few photos of him with them. * “First day feels,” he captioned the photos on Twitter. * But this is when things got awkward. * He later found out that the flowers weren’t for him at all. They were meant for someone going on maternity leave and they had mistakenly been placed on his desk. * What is even worse is none of his colleagues had the heart to tell him after they saw him proudly posing for a photo shoot with the flowers. * “I found out these flowers were misplaced on my desk and supposed to be for someone going on maternity leave because they don’t give flowers to new hires, but they saw me taking pics with them and felt too bad to take them away,” he wrote on Twitter. * And it seems like they aren’t going to let him forget his cringe-worthy mistake anytime soon, with one of his pregnant collages later giving him another bunch of flowers. * * * * NSW DARLING RIVER FISH ‘SUPER STRESSED’ * A series of mass fish deaths in far west NSW have left locals on edge with some regularly checking the Darling River’s water quality for signs of another mass kill. * Algal blooms, rapid temperature changes and low water flows have all contributed to three mass fish deaths at Menindee this summer with the NSW government installing aerators in an attempt to reduce further deaths after the second event. * Four of the solar-charged machines were installed in the Lower Darling region to boost oxygen levels but Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb claims they aren’t working as well as they should. * “They’re solar powered and have been placed under trees where they can’t get enough charge throughout the day to work in the evening when they’re needed,” he told in Menindee. * Mr McCrabb, who moved to the area a few years ago because of his love of fishing and the Darling River, checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the river nearly daily. * Dissolved oxygen is a key indicator of water quality and is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. * Levels between four and seven milligrams per litre mean the water quality is good but near Weir 32 on the river, the levels are falling below two which is deadly for fish, Mr McCrabb says. * “The fish are just super stressed. Thirty-odd cod died lately, and there’s fish dying 150kms down the river. They all start to add up.” * * * * DAD ATTACKED WITH GOLF CLUB DURING ROBBERY * Police say a little girl has been left “traumatised” after violent thugs hit her dad with a golf club before making off with his Mercedes in Melbourne. * The family was woken at around 3.45am on Thursday when the thieves broke into their home at Maribyrnong. * The victim, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries after the attack. He had allegedly tried to use the club to take a swing at one of the robbers before they turned on him. * “We believe at this stage it was a targeted attack. Any incident of this nature is fairly traumatic,” Detective Sergeant Mark Anderson told reporters. * “The little girl … is asking questions as to why it happened to them and that is something the parents will talk to her about.” * The dad was taken to hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries. * Police have spoken to the man, who is known to police, about possible motives. * During the raid, the attackers, described as men of African appearance, found keys to the white Mercedes-Benz B class wagon with registration plates 1JC1SV. * It is unclear whether the offenders targeted the family or the car. *

7m

Feb 15, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a trio has been arrested in NSW for allegedly selling illegal drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the products, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to visit a town in Queensland’s northwest to see first hand the flood damage that’s been caused, and a neighbour’s rude trick to save a parking spot outside his house as angered other residents. * * * ‘DARK WEB’ DRUG SYNDICATE BUSTED * Three people have been charged for allegedly running selling drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the illegal product. * The trio, a 25-year-old man and two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation dating back to April 2018. * The syndicate was believed to be worth more than $17 million. * Detectives last year uncovered a “sophisticated online drug distribution network” operating from NSW’s South Coast as part of a broader probe into drug supply. * Police allege the man was operating as an online vendor on the dark web, selling illegal drugs and prescription medications. * The women have been accused of packaging and posting the items to buyers. * “An initial analysis of the vendor cryptocurrency wallets indicates that more than $17 million has been transacted in recent years,” police said in a statement. * * * MAN CHARGED OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT OF BOY * A man has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Sydney’s northern beaches after the pair met online. * The 34-year-old man allegedly arrived at the Killarney Heights home of the 13-year-old boy yesterday after meeting online the day before. * The man is accused of entering the home before sexually assaulting the teen. * Police were called after the man left and the boy was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital for examination. * The man was arrested at about 5.45pm yesterday and was charged with aggravated sexual assault victim under the age of 16 years, and use carriage service to procure under 16 years for sexual activity. * He is set to appear in Burwood Local Court today. * * * PM TO VISIT FLOOD DEVASTATED QLD * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will see the flood devastation of the cattle industry first hand in a visit to a regional Queensland town. * He is visiting Cloncurry in the state’s northwest today to see the scale of the damage. * Noting he was last in the area two years ago when all around was dry red dust, Mr Morrison tweeted: “We will be standing with all those affected as you recover and rebuild.” * The Prime Minister’s day is expected to start with a community breakfast before he flies out to drop fodder for surviving cattle. * North Queensland’s once-in-a-century flooding has caused death, disease and heartbreak, and seen the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals. * Authorities are warning people to take care after one woman died and nine more people were infected by a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Cases of melioidosis bacteria aren’t unusual during the wet season, however, the recent cluster of infections in Townsville following the unprecedented flooding of thousands of homes has caused concern. * Townsville Hospital says eight of the infected people remain in hospitals in a stable condition and another is being cared for at home. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men about two weeks ago. * * * * * NEIGHBOUR’S ANNOYING PARKING TRICK * Limited parking on a residential street has forced some neighbours to come up with an annoying trick to ensure they have a car spot, sparking outrage from other residents. * People living on a street in Auckland, New Zealand have been claiming public sparking spots by placing cones or bins on the street outside their homes. * The sneaky trick caused so much tension that the local board was forced to get involved. * “Sadly we have advised about this before. You cannot use cones outside your property to reserve parking,” the Howick Local Board wrote on Facebook. * “Leaving your bins out to prevent others parking is a no-no too! All you are likely to achieve is very annoyed neighbours.” * The post sparked a heated online debate, with some agreeing that reserving spaces was selfish while others claimed that was no other option. * “All vehicles should be contained on your property. Only visitors need allowed parking on the road,” one person said. * “YES!!! this funny guy had a cone outside his house near my daughters school last week to stop people parking in front of his house. So I drove over it,” another said. * Another person said residents had a right to expect a park outside of their house, writing: “Yep pay $800 to $900k for a house with no parking if it was me I would expect to have a car park out side my house.” * * * HEAVY TRAFFIC ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE * Traffic is building up in Sydney’s upper north shore with a broken down truck causing big delays this morning. * One of three westbound lanes is closed on Warringah Rd as a result of the breakdown. * Motorists are being warned to allow for extra travel time and take care when driving through the area. * * * * GUY’S AWKWARD MISTAKE ON FIRST DAY AT JOB * First impressions are really important when starting a new job, which is why one man was mortified when he made this embarrassing mistake on his first day. * Jon Caña, a digital marketer in San Francisco, is never going to live down the very awkward blunder he made on his first day starting with an advertising company, Essence. * Jon was thrilled when he arrived to work to find a welcome pack and card on his desk from his new team. * He was even more excited when he returned to his desk later to find they had also left him a bunch of flowers. * Jon was so chuffed with his gift that he asked his manager to take a few photos of him with them. * “First day feels,” he captioned the photos on Twitter. * But this is when things got awkward. * He later found out that the flowers weren’t for him at all. They were meant for someone going on maternity leave and they had mistakenly been placed on his desk. * What is even worse is none of his colleagues had the heart to tell him after they saw him proudly posing for a photo shoot with the flowers. * “I found out these flowers were misplaced on my desk and supposed to be for someone going on maternity leave because they don’t give flowers to new hires, but they saw me taking pics with them and felt too bad to take them away,” he wrote on Twitter. * And it seems like they aren’t going to let him forget his cringe-worthy mistake anytime soon, with one of his pregnant collages later giving him another bunch of flowers. * * * * NSW DARLING RIVER FISH ‘SUPER STRESSED’ * A series of mass fish deaths in far west NSW have left locals on edge with some regularly checking the Darling River’s water quality for signs of another mass kill. * Algal blooms, rapid temperature changes and low water flows have all contributed to three mass fish deaths at Menindee this summer with the NSW government installing aerators in an attempt to reduce further deaths after the second event. * Four of the solar-charged machines were installed in the Lower Darling region to boost oxygen levels but Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb claims they aren’t working as well as they should. * “They’re solar powered and have been placed under trees where they can’t get enough charge throughout the day to work in the evening when they’re needed,” he told in Menindee. * Mr McCrabb, who moved to the area a few years ago because of his love of fishing and the Darling River, checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the river nearly daily. * Dissolved oxygen is a key indicator of water quality and is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. * Levels between four and seven milligrams per litre mean the water quality is good but near Weir 32 on the river, the levels are falling below two which is deadly for fish, Mr McCrabb says. * “The fish are just super stressed. Thirty-odd cod died lately, and there’s fish dying 150kms down the river. They all start to add up.” * * * * DAD ATTACKED WITH GOLF CLUB DURING ROBBERY * Police say a little girl has been left “traumatised” after violent thugs hit her dad with a golf club before making off with his Mercedes in Melbourne. * The family was woken at around 3.45am on Thursday when the thieves broke into their home at Maribyrnong. * The victim, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries after the attack. He had allegedly tried to use the club to take a swing at one of the robbers before they turned on him. * “We believe at this stage it was a targeted attack. Any incident of this nature is fairly traumatic,” Detective Sergeant Mark Anderson told reporters. * “The little girl … is asking questions as to why it happened to them and that is something the parents will talk to her about.” * The dad was taken to hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries. * Police have spoken to the man, who is known to police, about possible motives. * During the raid, the attackers, described as men of African appearance, found keys to the white Mercedes-Benz B class wagon with registration plates 1JC1SV. * It is unclear whether the offenders targeted the family or the car. *

7m

Feb 15, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a trio has been arrested in NSW for allegedly selling illegal drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the products, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to visit a town in Queensland’s northwest to see first hand the flood damage that’s been caused, and a neighbour’s rude trick to save a parking spot outside his house as angered other residents. * * * ‘DARK WEB’ DRUG SYNDICATE BUSTED * Three people have been charged for allegedly running selling drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the illegal product. * The trio, a 25-year-old man and two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation dating back to April 2018. * The syndicate was believed to be worth more than $17 million. * Detectives last year uncovered a “sophisticated online drug distribution network” operating from NSW’s South Coast as part of a broader probe into drug supply. * Police allege the man was operating as an online vendor on the dark web, selling illegal drugs and prescription medications. * The women have been accused of packaging and posting the items to buyers. * “An initial analysis of the vendor cryptocurrency wallets indicates that more than $17 million has been transacted in recent years,” police said in a statement. * * * MAN CHARGED OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT OF BOY * A man has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Sydney’s northern beaches after the pair met online. * The 34-year-old man allegedly arrived at the Killarney Heights home of the 13-year-old boy yesterday after meeting online the day before. * The man is accused of entering the home before sexually assaulting the teen. * Police were called after the man left and the boy was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital for examination. * The man was arrested at about 5.45pm yesterday and was charged with aggravated sexual assault victim under the age of 16 years, and use carriage service to procure under 16 years for sexual activity. * He is set to appear in Burwood Local Court today. * * * PM TO VISIT FLOOD DEVASTATED QLD * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will see the flood devastation of the cattle industry first hand in a visit to a regional Queensland town. * He is visiting Cloncurry in the state’s northwest today to see the scale of the damage. * Noting he was last in the area two years ago when all around was dry red dust, Mr Morrison tweeted: “We will be standing with all those affected as you recover and rebuild.” * The Prime Minister’s day is expected to start with a community breakfast before he flies out to drop fodder for surviving cattle. * North Queensland’s once-in-a-century flooding has caused death, disease and heartbreak, and seen the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals. * Authorities are warning people to take care after one woman died and nine more people were infected by a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Cases of melioidosis bacteria aren’t unusual during the wet season, however, the recent cluster of infections in Townsville following the unprecedented flooding of thousands of homes has caused concern. * Townsville Hospital says eight of the infected people remain in hospitals in a stable condition and another is being cared for at home. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men about two weeks ago. * * * * * NEIGHBOUR’S ANNOYING PARKING TRICK * Limited parking on a residential street has forced some neighbours to come up with an annoying trick to ensure they have a car spot, sparking outrage from other residents. * People living on a street in Auckland, New Zealand have been claiming public sparking spots by placing cones or bins on the street outside their homes. * The sneaky trick caused so much tension that the local board was forced to get involved. * “Sadly we have advised about this before. You cannot use cones outside your property to reserve parking,” the Howick Local Board wrote on Facebook. * “Leaving your bins out to prevent others parking is a no-no too! All you are likely to achieve is very annoyed neighbours.” * The post sparked a heated online debate, with some agreeing that reserving spaces was selfish while others claimed that was no other option. * “All vehicles should be contained on your property. Only visitors need allowed parking on the road,” one person said. * “YES!!! this funny guy had a cone outside his house near my daughters school last week to stop people parking in front of his house. So I drove over it,” another said. * Another person said residents had a right to expect a park outside of their house, writing: “Yep pay $800 to $900k for a house with no parking if it was me I would expect to have a car park out side my house.” * * * HEAVY TRAFFIC ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE * Traffic is building up in Sydney’s upper north shore with a broken down truck causing big delays this morning. * One of three westbound lanes is closed on Warringah Rd as a result of the breakdown. * Motorists are being warned to allow for extra travel time and take care when driving through the area. * * * * GUY’S AWKWARD MISTAKE ON FIRST DAY AT JOB * First impressions are really important when starting a new job, which is why one man was mortified when he made this embarrassing mistake on his first day. * Jon Caña, a digital marketer in San Francisco, is never going to live down the very awkward blunder he made on his first day starting with an advertising company, Essence. * Jon was thrilled when he arrived to work to find a welcome pack and card on his desk from his new team. * He was even more excited when he returned to his desk later to find they had also left him a bunch of flowers. * Jon was so chuffed with his gift that he asked his manager to take a few photos of him with them. * “First day feels,” he captioned the photos on Twitter. * But this is when things got awkward. * He later found out that the flowers weren’t for him at all. They were meant for someone going on maternity leave and they had mistakenly been placed on his desk. * What is even worse is none of his colleagues had the heart to tell him after they saw him proudly posing for a photo shoot with the flowers. * “I found out these flowers were misplaced on my desk and supposed to be for someone going on maternity leave because they don’t give flowers to new hires, but they saw me taking pics with them and felt too bad to take them away,” he wrote on Twitter. * And it seems like they aren’t going to let him forget his cringe-worthy mistake anytime soon, with one of his pregnant collages later giving him another bunch of flowers. * * * * NSW DARLING RIVER FISH ‘SUPER STRESSED’ * A series of mass fish deaths in far west NSW have left locals on edge with some regularly checking the Darling River’s water quality for signs of another mass kill. * Algal blooms, rapid temperature changes and low water flows have all contributed to three mass fish deaths at Menindee this summer with the NSW government installing aerators in an attempt to reduce further deaths after the second event. * Four of the solar-charged machines were installed in the Lower Darling region to boost oxygen levels but Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb claims they aren’t working as well as they should. * “They’re solar powered and have been placed under trees where they can’t get enough charge throughout the day to work in the evening when they’re needed,” he told in Menindee. * Mr McCrabb, who moved to the area a few years ago because of his love of fishing and the Darling River, checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the river nearly daily. * Dissolved oxygen is a key indicator of water quality and is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. * Levels between four and seven milligrams per litre mean the water quality is good but near Weir 32 on the river, the levels are falling below two which is deadly for fish, Mr McCrabb says. * “The fish are just super stressed. Thirty-odd cod died lately, and there’s fish dying 150kms down the river. They all start to add up.” * * * * DAD ATTACKED WITH GOLF CLUB DURING ROBBERY * Police say a little girl has been left “traumatised” after violent thugs hit her dad with a golf club before making off with his Mercedes in Melbourne. * The family was woken at around 3.45am on Thursday when the thieves broke into their home at Maribyrnong. * The victim, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries after the attack. He had allegedly tried to use the club to take a swing at one of the robbers before they turned on him. * “We believe at this stage it was a targeted attack. Any incident of this nature is fairly traumatic,” Detective Sergeant Mark Anderson told reporters. * “The little girl … is asking questions as to why it happened to them and that is something the parents will talk to her about.” * The dad was taken to hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries. * Police have spoken to the man, who is known to police, about possible motives. * During the raid, the attackers, described as men of African appearance, found keys to the white Mercedes-Benz B class wagon with registration plates 1JC1SV. * It is unclear whether the offenders targeted the family or the car. *

7m

Feb 15, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a trio has been arrested in NSW for allegedly selling illegal drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the products, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to visit a town in Queensland’s northwest to see first hand the flood damage that’s been caused, and a neighbour’s rude trick to save a parking spot outside his house as angered other residents. * * * ‘DARK WEB’ DRUG SYNDICATE BUSTED * Three people have been charged for allegedly running selling drugs on the dark web and using Australia’s postal service to distribute the illegal product. * The trio, a 25-year-old man and two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation dating back to April 2018. * The syndicate was believed to be worth more than $17 million. * Detectives last year uncovered a “sophisticated online drug distribution network” operating from NSW’s South Coast as part of a broader probe into drug supply. * Police allege the man was operating as an online vendor on the dark web, selling illegal drugs and prescription medications. * The women have been accused of packaging and posting the items to buyers. * “An initial analysis of the vendor cryptocurrency wallets indicates that more than $17 million has been transacted in recent years,” police said in a statement. * * * MAN CHARGED OVER SEXUAL ASSAULT OF BOY * A man has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Sydney’s northern beaches after the pair met online. * The 34-year-old man allegedly arrived at the Killarney Heights home of the 13-year-old boy yesterday after meeting online the day before. * The man is accused of entering the home before sexually assaulting the teen. * Police were called after the man left and the boy was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital for examination. * The man was arrested at about 5.45pm yesterday and was charged with aggravated sexual assault victim under the age of 16 years, and use carriage service to procure under 16 years for sexual activity. * He is set to appear in Burwood Local Court today. * * * PM TO VISIT FLOOD DEVASTATED QLD * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will see the flood devastation of the cattle industry first hand in a visit to a regional Queensland town. * He is visiting Cloncurry in the state’s northwest today to see the scale of the damage. * Noting he was last in the area two years ago when all around was dry red dust, Mr Morrison tweeted: “We will be standing with all those affected as you recover and rebuild.” * The Prime Minister’s day is expected to start with a community breakfast before he flies out to drop fodder for surviving cattle. * North Queensland’s once-in-a-century flooding has caused death, disease and heartbreak, and seen the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals. * Authorities are warning people to take care after one woman died and nine more people were infected by a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Cases of melioidosis bacteria aren’t unusual during the wet season, however, the recent cluster of infections in Townsville following the unprecedented flooding of thousands of homes has caused concern. * Townsville Hospital says eight of the infected people remain in hospitals in a stable condition and another is being cared for at home. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men about two weeks ago. * * * * * NEIGHBOUR’S ANNOYING PARKING TRICK * Limited parking on a residential street has forced some neighbours to come up with an annoying trick to ensure they have a car spot, sparking outrage from other residents. * People living on a street in Auckland, New Zealand have been claiming public sparking spots by placing cones or bins on the street outside their homes. * The sneaky trick caused so much tension that the local board was forced to get involved. * “Sadly we have advised about this before. You cannot use cones outside your property to reserve parking,” the Howick Local Board wrote on Facebook. * “Leaving your bins out to prevent others parking is a no-no too! All you are likely to achieve is very annoyed neighbours.” * The post sparked a heated online debate, with some agreeing that reserving spaces was selfish while others claimed that was no other option. * “All vehicles should be contained on your property. Only visitors need allowed parking on the road,” one person said. * “YES!!! this funny guy had a cone outside his house near my daughters school last week to stop people parking in front of his house. So I drove over it,” another said. * Another person said residents had a right to expect a park outside of their house, writing: “Yep pay $800 to $900k for a house with no parking if it was me I would expect to have a car park out side my house.” * * * HEAVY TRAFFIC ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE * Traffic is building up in Sydney’s upper north shore with a broken down truck causing big delays this morning. * One of three westbound lanes is closed on Warringah Rd as a result of the breakdown. * Motorists are being warned to allow for extra travel time and take care when driving through the area. * * * * GUY’S AWKWARD MISTAKE ON FIRST DAY AT JOB * First impressions are really important when starting a new job, which is why one man was mortified when he made this embarrassing mistake on his first day. * Jon Caña, a digital marketer in San Francisco, is never going to live down the very awkward blunder he made on his first day starting with an advertising company, Essence. * Jon was thrilled when he arrived to work to find a welcome pack and card on his desk from his new team. * He was even more excited when he returned to his desk later to find they had also left him a bunch of flowers. * Jon was so chuffed with his gift that he asked his manager to take a few photos of him with them. * “First day feels,” he captioned the photos on Twitter. * But this is when things got awkward. * He later found out that the flowers weren’t for him at all. They were meant for someone going on maternity leave and they had mistakenly been placed on his desk. * What is even worse is none of his colleagues had the heart to tell him after they saw him proudly posing for a photo shoot with the flowers. * “I found out these flowers were misplaced on my desk and supposed to be for someone going on maternity leave because they don’t give flowers to new hires, but they saw me taking pics with them and felt too bad to take them away,” he wrote on Twitter. * And it seems like they aren’t going to let him forget his cringe-worthy mistake anytime soon, with one of his pregnant collages later giving him another bunch of flowers. * * * * NSW DARLING RIVER FISH ‘SUPER STRESSED’ * A series of mass fish deaths in far west NSW have left locals on edge with some regularly checking the Darling River’s water quality for signs of another mass kill. * Algal blooms, rapid temperature changes and low water flows have all contributed to three mass fish deaths at Menindee this summer with the NSW government installing aerators in an attempt to reduce further deaths after the second event. * Four of the solar-charged machines were installed in the Lower Darling region to boost oxygen levels but Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb claims they aren’t working as well as they should. * “They’re solar powered and have been placed under trees where they can’t get enough charge throughout the day to work in the evening when they’re needed,” he told in Menindee. * Mr McCrabb, who moved to the area a few years ago because of his love of fishing and the Darling River, checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the river nearly daily. * Dissolved oxygen is a key indicator of water quality and is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. * Levels between four and seven milligrams per litre mean the water quality is good but near Weir 32 on the river, the levels are falling below two which is deadly for fish, Mr McCrabb says. * “The fish are just super stressed. Thirty-odd cod died lately, and there’s fish dying 150kms down the river. They all start to add up.” * * * * DAD ATTACKED WITH GOLF CLUB DURING ROBBERY * Police say a little girl has been left “traumatised” after violent thugs hit her dad with a golf club before making off with his Mercedes in Melbourne. * The family was woken at around 3.45am on Thursday when the thieves broke into their home at Maribyrnong. * The victim, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries after the attack. He had allegedly tried to use the club to take a swing at one of the robbers before they turned on him. * “We believe at this stage it was a targeted attack. Any incident of this nature is fairly traumatic,” Detective Sergeant Mark Anderson told reporters. * “The little girl … is asking questions as to why it happened to them and that is something the parents will talk to her about.” * The dad was taken to hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries. * Police have spoken to the man, who is known to police, about possible motives. * During the raid, the attackers, described as men of African appearance, found keys to the white Mercedes-Benz B class wagon with registration plates 1JC1SV. * It is unclear whether the offenders targeted the family or the car. *

7m

Feb 15, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, a 40-year-old woman has been charged with lighting a bushfire in northern NSW that saw people lose their homes, a clash between two MPs turned physical at Parliament House amid controversial sexual assault allegations, and a NSW man claims he had a “traumatic” experience with Jetstar when staff refused to let him fly because of his weight. * * * CATTLE CARCASSES ELEVATE DISEASE RISK * Hundreds of thousands of putrefying cattle carcasses and a soil-borne bacteria stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters have ramped up the disease risk in north Queensland. * One woman has died and nine people remain seriously ill in Townsville after becoming infected by melioidosis bacteria following unprecedented flooding that inundated thousands of homes. * Townsville Hospital’s Julie Mudd says seven of the sick people remain in hospital in a stable condition, two others are being cared for at home. * “It’s a very serious infection,” Dr Mudd told reporters. * About one in five people who contract the infection die, however, the infection can be treated with antibiotics. * The bacteria can enter the body through a cut or a person’s airway, and the elderly and children are at higher risk, Dr Mudd said. * The death in Townsville takes the flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men more than a week ago. * Police are still searching for a 35-year-old man who disappeared in floodwaters at Groper Creek, south of the city, on Friday. * * * * OFFICER HURT AFTER CAR RAMMED * A Melbourne police officer has suffered a minor injury after a police vehicle was rammed by a couple in a stolen car in the city’s southeast. * Police found a man and a woman sleeping inside the stolen car at Black Rock at about 2.30am this morning. * But as officers tried to arrest them the vehicle speed off, ramming a police car and leaving an officer with a minor arm injury. * The car was later dumped in a nearby suburb and the couple were arrested as they tried to flee on foot. * * * PRISON GUARD SACKED OVER ALLEGED AFFAIR * A female prison officer has been fired from a Sydney prison and charged after allegedly having an affair with an inmate. * The 33-year-old officer at Parklea Correctional Centre was arrested at a Stanhope Gardens home on Wednesday afternoon. * It is alleged the woman has a romantic relationship with a 41-year-old male inmate, compromising her position as a correctional officer. * The worker was dismissed on Wednesday and the minimum security inmate will be transferred to another prison. * A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said the charge against the correctional officer does not relate to sexual conduct. * She is set to appear at Blacktown Local Court on March 7 charged with engaging in a relationship with an inmate causing a safety risk to a correctional centre. * * * DISGUST AT MAN’S CREEPY DATING AD * An “atrocious” dating ad is being slammed online for its unreasonable list of demands a potential partner must meet. * An unidentified Canberra man took to Facebook in his quest for love, reeling off a staggering list of requirements in his future lady. * But some of the bizarre specifications — such as insisting the lucky lady be between “43-47kg”, work out regularly, and have C cup breasts — have ruffled a few feathers online. * The post was discussed on Mumsnet https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3505974-innie-vagina#prettyPhoto/0/ where users called it a shocking example of “casual racism and blatant misogyny”. * “What a racist and misogynistic f**k,” one person fumed. * “I was distracted by his casual racism and his blatant misogyny, and his bizarrely specific list of requirements. A 40kg weight range?! Weirdo,” another said. * “Dude’s 35 but his range is 19-23? Yikes, that’s so creepy,” one person pointed out. * “This is unbelievably creepy. I feel like I need to take a shower after reading this,” another shared. * The dating ad — which was originally posted on Facebook in October 2018, but been shared in the forums overnight — started off innocently enough, with the singleton revealing he was a “35yo lost soul looking for love”. * However it didn’t take long for the mystery man to start revealing his wishes. * He wrote: “If you’re between 19-23, no taller than 5’1 (155cms) caucasian or maybe something exotic, have a job, licence, reasonably modern car, regularly gym (no skinny-fat girls thanks), have an ‘innie’ vagina, C cup breasts, no cheap tattoos or face piercings.” * Read the full disgusting ad below. * — . https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/8416630/mans-appalling-dating-ad-slammed-after-he-looks-for-a-woman-with-an-innie-vagina-c-cup-breasts-and-no-cheap-tattoos/ * * * NSW GOVT ADMITS ‘CONFUSION’ OVER FESTIVALS * The NSW government admits its music festival “self-assessment matrix” has caused “confusion and misunderstanding” in the entertainment industry after hundreds of musicians and promoters launched a campaign against the state’s “war on music and culture”. * Almost 33,800 people — including many prominent bands and music festival organisers — have signed a petition letter that warns “music lovers, your music is under attack” from Premier Gladys Berejiklian. * “Overbearing regulation, exorbitant police bills, a lack of respect for NSW businesses, and very little recognition of the significant positive impacts of music on our communities is forcing music out of NSW,” the open letter reads. * “The state government has declared a war on music and culture in NSW, proclaiming that music and music festivals are high-risk activities.” * The premier, earlier this week, said “high-risk” festivals would need to improve safety standards to satisfy a new licensing system after five fatal drug overdoses in as many months. * The petition letter countered by demanding a music roundtable to review regulation affecting live music, transparency on policing and medical bills, collaboration with government to keep festivals safe. * Byron Bay Bluesfest organisers said they feared they would have to leave NSW because their festival could be classified as “high risk” under Ms Berejiklian’s scheme. * The government, later on Tuesday, sought to reassure operators only festivals with “a poor track record and/or heightened risk” would face increased scrutiny. Festivals with favourable histories will likely be deemed low risk and not need to pay extra to meet new police or health requirements. * * * * MAN TOLD HE IS ‘TOO HEAVY’ TO FLY * A wheelchair-bound man said he was made to feel like an “idiot” by Jetstar staff after they refused to fly him home because of his weight, leaving him stranded for five days. * Ian Smith flew with the airline three weeks ago from Ballina to Sydney to go on a Fijian cruise. * The 67-year-old then made a trip to Melbourne, with Jetstar staff helping him into his seat each time. * However when Mr Smith tried to return to his home in Lismore the airline refused to let him board. * His son David told that at first staff wouldn't give them a straight answer as to why he was being denied boarding, until they eventually claimed he was “too heavy” to be transferred by the airline’s wheelchair. * Mr Smith has been in a wheelchair for 15 years and is extremely independent and often takes trips to Melbourne to see his children, but he said the experience left him “gutted”. * “They treat me like an idiot and I’m not an idiot. I’m disabled, but I’m still a human being,” he said. * In a statement to , Jetstar apologised to Mr Smith, claiming staff who had helped lift him to his seat on previous flights had breeched policy. * He was eventually flown home on Wednesday by Qantas. * * * * VIOLENT CLASH AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE * Two Aussie MPs have been involved in a violent altercation at Parliament House in Canberra over sexual harassment claims. * An argument between United Australia Party Senator Brian Burston and One Nation adviser James Ashby turned physical following claims Mr Burston made about Pauline Hanson sexually harassing him. * Senator Burston told News Corp that Mr Ashby ran up to him as he and his wife were leaving a dinner function and put a phone close to his face. * He claims he received cuts to his hands when he tried to take the phone away. * “I told him to f**k off,” Mr Burston said. * When Mr Ashby reportedly continued to purse the couple, Mr Burston said he “lost it”. * “I grabbed him and I pushed him up against the wall.” * Bloody marks were reportedly left on Ms Hanson’s office door, but Mr Burston denied claims they were made by him. * Mr Ashby has denied attacking him, saying he was just trying to take photos of Ms Hanson leaving the event. * Mr Burston claims he has reported the incident to the Australian Federal Police. * * * WOMAN CHARGED OVER NSW BUSHFIRE * A woman has been accused of starting a bushfire that destroyed multiple homes in northern NSW, with residents and crews spending a second night battling the blaze. * The 40-year-old woman was charged yesterday night after she allegedly lit rubbish on fire in a steel drum in her backyard near Tabulam during a total fire ban. * The fire was allegedly lit on Tuesday morning and left unattended in hot, windy weather. * It quickly spread to bushland, incinerated almost 3000 hectares of land and forced the evacuation of the Jubullum Aboriginal area before destroying five houses. * She has been charged with intentionally causing fire and being reckless to its spread during a total fire ban. * She is set to face Casino Local Court on February 27. * Fire crews spent Wednesday night battling that blaze along with erratic fires at Wallangarra and Tingha, as a southerly change swept through the state along with cooler conditions. * There are reports of homes lost on the edge of Tingha and residents spent much of the night defending properties in the surrounded bush township. * The cool change should see fire bans relaxed across the state. * *

7m

Feb 13, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, notorious Mexican drug lord El Chapo has been convicted after a gruelling three month trial, police are searching for a man accused of stalking multiple women at a Sydney train station, and a woman has shocked motorists after being filmed shaving her legs while riding on the back of a motorbike. * * * CAR STOLEN WITH 3YO INSIDE * A young child was sleeping in the back of an SUV on a suburban Melbourne street when a thief drove off with the vehicle. * The three-year-old boy was sitting in a booster seat in the back of a silver Mitsubishi Outlander when it was stolen from Hamilton Street at Craigieburn about 10pm on Monday, police said. * The offender drove off with the car for around three minutes before they realised the boy was in the back and abandoned the vehicle. * They were seen jumping into a light coloured hatchback and driving off. * The unharmed child was reunited with his family. * * * ELDERLY MAN KILLED BY CAR * A 70-year-old man has died after being run over by a car in Sydney’s eastern suburbs yesterday afternoon. * According to police the elderly man was walking near a Chifley intersection on Tuesday when he was struck by the vehicle. * He was pronounced dead at the scene and the male driver was taken to hospital for mandatory drug and alcohol testing. * A report is being prepared for the coroner. * * * BACTERIA INFECTION DEATH FOLLOWING QLD FLOODS * Receding floodwaters following Queensland’s once-in-a-century monsoonal deluge have left victims exposed to a disease that has already killed one person in Townsville. * Up to 10 others have been infected by melioidosis, a soil-borne bacteria which has been stirred up by heavily contaminated floodwaters. * Townsville Hospital’s Dr Julie Mudd says the sick are in intensive care suffering infections in their lungs or cuts. * “Depending on where it gets in it changes the symptoms,” she told Seven Network on Wednesday. * “Initially we see acute presentation of pneumonia and septicaemia and later we see some more severe infections through cuts and it will get into the body.” * Townsville health authorities are warning residents to be careful when cleaning flood-affected buildings by not walking through dirty water, cleaning wounds after being in the water and wearing protective clothing like boots and gloves. * The death in Townsville takes the total flood toll to three, following the deaths of two men who died at the peak of the floods eight days ago. * Meanwhile, authorities are racing to dispose of hundreds of thousands of dead animals in the state’s west to limit the spread of disease. * * * * HUNT FOR SYDNEY TRAIN STALKER * A search is underway for the man who grabbed a woman from behind at a train station in Sydney’s southwest after police revealed he had stalked her just two days before. * In a terrifying attack on December 10 the man grabbed the 31-year-old near Belmore Railway Station, covered her mouth with his hand and attempted to drag her towards a unit block. * The woman managed to break free and ran away. * Two days earlier, on December 8, the same woman became spooked and ran after being followed by a man walking closely behind her. * CCTV footage reviewed by NSW Police revealed the same man stalked a different woman on the night of December 10. * She escaped by seeking refuge in the front yard of a house. * “The man walks past the house, before turning back and heading towards the station,” police said in a statement on Wednesday. * Then police discovered the same man was seen following a number of other women in the same area over two hours on December 22. * “He has not been seen at the station since,” police said. * Detectives have released CCTV footage of the man and are asking anyone with information to come forward. * * * AGED CARE CONCERNS VOICED AT COMMISSION * Abuse and nutrition issues in care facilities and long waiting lists for home support are just some of the concerns the royal commission into aged care in Australia is uncovering. * The inquiry will today hear from physicians and nurses in Adelaide. * On Tuesday it heard how 50 per cent malnutrition rates are common in residential facilities. * Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association of NSW policy manager Paul Versteege said inadequate nourishment was one of several recurring safety breaches in the sector. * Mr Versteege also claimed residents suffered “horrific” abuse at the hands of staff members or other residents on a regular basis. * He said figures released each year did not reflect the true extent of the problem because they detailed only the number of reportable assaults. “The reporting obligation is for staff assaults on residents to be reported — that’s what it boils down to,” he said. * “Other assaults are not counted in the reporting … in many facilities they are not even recorded. * “There is probably a lot of abuse resident on resident.” * The commission will sit for another five days in Adelaide next week but will also take evidence at further hearings planned for interstate capitals as well as regional centres. * It has already received 800 public submissions and responses from about 900 of Australia’s 2000 approved aged care providers. * * * WOMAN’S GROSS ACT ON MOTORBIKE * Motorists travelling along a busy road were left shocked when they noticed a woman performing a very unusual act on the back of a motorbike * One video posted to the Facebook page ONLY in DADE shows a man riding a motorbike with a woman in a swimsuit sitting on the back shaving her legs as they ride along. * The strange act was reportedly filmed on a street in Miami and shows the woman casually getting rid of the hair on her thighs. * As if that wasn’t already bad enough, a second video surfaced on the Instagram page Iospichyboys taken from a different angle. * Viewers were left disgusted as the woman appears to move on to shaving her bikini line. * The caption was written in Spanish but roughly translates to: “Someone is on their way to having a good time.” * People were understandably grossed out by the woman’s grooming habits. * “I’m shaking my head in disgust,” one person said. * “Ouch! She is gonna get razor bumps for sure now,” another wrote. * One added: “One way to get ingrown hair.” * * * * NOTORIOUS DRUG LORD EL CHAPO CONVICTED * Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was convicted Tuesday of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation after a three-month trial packed with Hollywood-style tales of grisly killings, political pay-offs, cocaine hidden in jalapeño cans, jewel-encrusted guns and a naked escape with his mistress through a tunnel. * Guzman listened to a drumbeat of guilty verdicts on drug and conspiracy charges that could put the 61-year-old escape artist behind bars for decades in a maximum-security U.S. prison selected to thwart another one of the breakouts that made him a folk hero in his native country. * A jury whose members’ identities were kept secret reached a verdict after deliberating six days in the expansive case. * They sorted through what authorities called an “avalanche” of evidence gathered since the late 1980s that Guzman and his murderous Sinaloa drug cartel made billions in profits by smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana into the U.S. * As the judge read the verdict, Guzman stared at the jury without expression. When the jurors were discharged, he leaned back in his chair to catch the eye of his wife, who gave him a subtle thumbs-up. * U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan lauded the jury’s meticulous attention to detail and the “remarkable” approach it took toward deliberations. * * * * CREWS BATTLE NSW BUSHFIRES OVERNIGHT * More hot, windy weather could hinder firefighters working to contain two bushfires raging near properties in northern NSW. * Conditions eased overnight helping crews get an advantage over the infernos burning near Tabulam, but more hot weather today could result in dangerous conditions. * An emergency alert for residents in the Tabulam township has been downgraded to a watch-and-act alert, and firefighters have started backburning on the southern edge of the fire. * However the fire is still continuing to spread, with more than 3900 hectares already incinerated. * There are unconfirmed reports of damage to homes in the area. * A downgraded watch-and-act alert was also issued for people in the vicinity of a bushfire burning south of Inverell in northern NSW, which had burned more than 5600 hectares by Wednesday morning. * *

7m

Feb 12, 2019

* * On news.com.au today a funeral is set to be held for the NSW policeman who was tragically killed in a four-car crash in Sydney, insurers are being told to do more to help victims of the Queensland floods and make sure they don’t get left behind, and a strange brawl broke out between two shoppers at a Western Australian supermarket. * * * CRASH CAUSING TRAIN DELAYS * Sydney commuters are facing delays this morning after a car crashed into train signalling equipment. * The driver fled the scene after crashing through the boundary fence at Riverwood in the early hours of this morning. * It was mainly the Airport line that was affected, with crews working hard to repair the damage and get trains on schedule again. * Commuters are being told to listen to announcements, checks signal boards and look at real-time apps to plan their trip. * People are being urged to allow for extra travel time as stopping patterns and platforms may change with little notice. * Extra customer service staff have been put on toe assist commuters. * Police are asking for anyone with information on the driver of the car to come forward. * * * * SHOPPERS BRAWL AT AUSSIE SUPERMARKET * Shoppers going about their business at a Western Australian supermarket were left shocked when two men became locked in a strange battle in one of the aisles. * Footage of the dramatic incident shows the men wrestling on the floor of the grocery store, Spud Shed, in Mandurah, south of Perth. * The store security guard can be seen trying to pull the grappling men apart. * Eventually the bigger of the two men pinned the other down and told him to “let go” before breaking apart. * Tayla McLeod was shopping at the store when the fight broke out and posted footage of the incident online. * She told the Mandurah Mail that the men started exchanging punches because one of the men was caught staring at the other. * Police are investigating the incident. * * * * INSURERS TOLD TO HELP FLOOD VICTIMS * Both sides of politics in Queensland are taking insurers to task to make sure they don’t leave Townsville flood victims behind. * Media reports insurers are turning away residents and businesses affected when a year’s rainfall dropped in just days led Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington to call them out. * “I will be asking the Insurance Council of Australia and also insurance companies to meet me in Townsville on Friday morning to see directly the devastation,” Ms Trad said on Sunday. * “And also to get an understanding of where we can go to make that Townsville people and people in the north west aren’t being left behind.” * Ms Frecklington made similar remarks, and also called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to pressure the insurance sector. * Mould has set into damaged homes as forecasters predict a heatwave will strike the same area this week. * The Insurance Council says it will hold forums in coming weeks to help guide policyholders through the claims process. * ICA CEO Rob Whelan said he had held talks with Ms Trad about the ICA’s catastrophe declaration, insurance claims and flood cover. * “I have explained that flood insurance cover is readily available to all householders and businesses in Townsville,” he said. * “Customers who decided against purchasing flood cover, or chose to opt out, should still lodge a claim through their insurer or insurance broker.” * As of 10am on Sunday, insurers had received 13,560 claims, with losses estimated at $165 million. * * * * QLD MAN CHARGED WITH STRANGULATION * A Brisbane man has been charged with a slew of horrific offences following an alleged domestic violence incident involving a woman and four children. * The 29-year-old allegedly entered the home of the woman and her children in Logan on Saturday. * He reportedly choked the woman before forcing her and her children to get in a car where he drove them around for several hours before returning to the house in the early evening. * The man allegedly made the woman get out but kept the children in the car and attempted to drive off. * A police vehicle tried to intercept the car as the man was attempting to drive away. * He allegedly drove off and rammed a second police car when it attempted to intercept it at a petrol station in Daisy Hill about 8.15pm. The man fled the vehicle while it was moving, abandoning the children. He allegedly attempted to steal a car from another man in Loganholme before 9pm. * After a violent struggle with police the man was taken into custody. * The children were not physically injured and were returned to their mother. * The 29-year-old has been charged with multiple domestic violence offences including kidnapping, common assault, strangulation and contravening a domestic violence order, along with a number of other offences. * He was denied police bail and is due to appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court today. * * * POLICE SHOCKED AT DRIVER’S HORROR RESULT * Western Australian police officers were left in complete shock after pulling a drunk driver over for a breath test and seeing the “impossible” result he returned. * The Derby Police pulled the 36-year-old male driver over on Rowan Street at 2.45am on Sunday morning. * He reportedly failed the preliminary breath test and was taken to Derby Police station where he returned a reading that “biologically shouldn’t even be possible”. * He had a blood-alcohol content of 0.341, which the police likened to “driving while under a surgical anaesthetic or being in a coma”. * The reading was four times over the level needed to get a driver disqualified. * But that wasn’t the end of it, the driver was also found to have two prior life disqualifications. * He was served with another disqualification notice and charged with driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and no authority to drive. * Derby Police shared a photo of the stunning reading to Twitter, sparking outrage from social media users. * “Lock him up for a long time, the guy obviously isn’t getting the message and is a hazard to anyone driving, walking on the streets,” one person wrote. * Another said: “Glad I’m not anywhere near Derby with that idiot on the road.” * * * * FURY AT GUY’S CRUEL DARE * A woman who was subjected to a humiliating and hurtful prank has spoken out about her experience in a bid to raise awareness about dating as a plus-size woman. * Journalist and blogger, Stephanie Yeboah, was nervous and excited to go on her first date in two years, but revealed she felt “sick and embarrassed” after finding out her date had been “dared” and “paid” by his mates to “pull a fat chick”. * Writing for Refinery29, Steph revealed she had been talking to Robert* for a few weeks via Bumble and WhatsApp. * Apprehensive at first, having not dated since her last relationship ended two years ago, Steph explained Robert seemed different. * “He was funny, very intelligent, open-minded and ambitious and more importantly, accepted and preferred the fact that I am plus-size,” said Steph. * As she set off for her date — the pair had agreed to meet in Clapham, London, for a few drinks — the blogger tweeted a nervous-but-excited snap of herself, explaining to followers she was about to have a first date. * The evening went well and Steph said they had a great time, spending hours talking, laughing and chatting about their interests. * They met again the following week and ended up sleeping together. * It was at this point their relationship took a turn and two weeks later after not hearing from her date, Steph was stunned to receive an email from one of Robert’s friends, revealing the whole thing had been a dare to “pull a fat chick” and that Robert had even been paid by his mates to do so. * “I felt sick,” admitted Steph. * “A wave of embarrassment and humiliation washed over me, and I went into my bathroom and cried.” * * * * FOUR CHARGED OVER FATAL VIC SHOOTING * Four people have been charged after a father of five was gunned down at a Melbourne apartment in a chilling attack. * Clayton man Duane Hutchings, 44, was found with critical injuries inside an Oakleigh East property before 5.30am on Saturday, and later died in hospital. * A 56-year-old man from Doncaster East was arrested along with three others, aged 18, 22, and 24, in police raids at Doncaster and Park Orchards on Sunday afternoon. * The 56-year-old was charged with murder and aggravated home invasion. The other three were charged with aggravated home invasion and assault. * All are set to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today. * * * NSW POLICEMAN TO BE FAREWELLED * A NSW police officer who died after being involved in a four-car crash is set to be farewelled in Sydney today with a police procession at his funeral. * Timothy Proctor, 29, died in hospital on February 3 after the crash at Lucas Heights in Sydney’s south on January 31. * He was working as a probationary constable in Liverpool and was off-duty at the time of the crash. * Const. Proctor’s funeral will be held at 11am today at All Saints Catholic Church in Liverpool. * A police funeral procession will form part of the service including VIP motorcycles, mounted police, a uniformed marching contingent and a marching band. * NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller previously said Const. Proctor was “absolutely loved” by his colleagues. * “What a waste of a life of a man who’d really spent so much of his time dedicated to volunteer type work and emergency services,” he told radio. * Mr Fuller visited Const. Proctor in hospital before he died and fast-tracked his promotion to constable — two months ahead of schedule. *

8m

Feb 10, 2019

* * On news.com.au today a funeral is set to be held for the NSW policeman who was tragically killed in a four-car crash in Sydney, insurers are being told to do more to help victims of the Queensland floods and make sure they don’t get left behind, and a strange brawl broke out between two shoppers at a Western Australian supermarket. * * * CRASH CAUSING TRAIN DELAYS * Sydney commuters are facing delays this morning after a car crashed into train signalling equipment. * The driver fled the scene after crashing through the boundary fence at Riverwood in the early hours of this morning. * It was mainly the Airport line that was affected, with crews working hard to repair the damage and get trains on schedule again. * Commuters are being told to listen to announcements, checks signal boards and look at real-time apps to plan their trip. * People are being urged to allow for extra travel time as stopping patterns and platforms may change with little notice. * Extra customer service staff have been put on toe assist commuters. * Police are asking for anyone with information on the driver of the car to come forward. * * * * SHOPPERS BRAWL AT AUSSIE SUPERMARKET * Shoppers going about their business at a Western Australian supermarket were left shocked when two men became locked in a strange battle in one of the aisles. * Footage of the dramatic incident shows the men wrestling on the floor of the grocery store, Spud Shed, in Mandurah, south of Perth. * The store security guard can be seen trying to pull the grappling men apart. * Eventually the bigger of the two men pinned the other down and told him to “let go” before breaking apart. * Tayla McLeod was shopping at the store when the fight broke out and posted footage of the incident online. * She told the Mandurah Mail that the men started exchanging punches because one of the men was caught staring at the other. * Police are investigating the incident. * * * * INSURERS TOLD TO HELP FLOOD VICTIMS * Both sides of politics in Queensland are taking insurers to task to make sure they don’t leave Townsville flood victims behind. * Media reports insurers are turning away residents and businesses affected when a year’s rainfall dropped in just days led Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington to call them out. * “I will be asking the Insurance Council of Australia and also insurance companies to meet me in Townsville on Friday morning to see directly the devastation,” Ms Trad said on Sunday. * “And also to get an understanding of where we can go to make that Townsville people and people in the north west aren’t being left behind.” * Ms Frecklington made similar remarks, and also called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to pressure the insurance sector. * Mould has set into damaged homes as forecasters predict a heatwave will strike the same area this week. * The Insurance Council says it will hold forums in coming weeks to help guide policyholders through the claims process. * ICA CEO Rob Whelan said he had held talks with Ms Trad about the ICA’s catastrophe declaration, insurance claims and flood cover. * “I have explained that flood insurance cover is readily available to all householders and businesses in Townsville,” he said. * “Customers who decided against purchasing flood cover, or chose to opt out, should still lodge a claim through their insurer or insurance broker.” * As of 10am on Sunday, insurers had received 13,560 claims, with losses estimated at $165 million. * * * * QLD MAN CHARGED WITH STRANGULATION * A Brisbane man has been charged with a slew of horrific offences following an alleged domestic violence incident involving a woman and four children. * The 29-year-old allegedly entered the home of the woman and her children in Logan on Saturday. * He reportedly choked the woman before forcing her and her children to get in a car where he drove them around for several hours before returning to the house in the early evening. * The man allegedly made the woman get out but kept the children in the car and attempted to drive off. * A police vehicle tried to intercept the car as the man was attempting to drive away. * He allegedly drove off and rammed a second police car when it attempted to intercept it at a petrol station in Daisy Hill about 8.15pm. The man fled the vehicle while it was moving, abandoning the children. He allegedly attempted to steal a car from another man in Loganholme before 9pm. * After a violent struggle with police the man was taken into custody. * The children were not physically injured and were returned to their mother. * The 29-year-old has been charged with multiple domestic violence offences including kidnapping, common assault, strangulation and contravening a domestic violence order, along with a number of other offences. * He was denied police bail and is due to appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court today. * * * POLICE SHOCKED AT DRIVER’S HORROR RESULT * Western Australian police officers were left in complete shock after pulling a drunk driver over for a breath test and seeing the “impossible” result he returned. * The Derby Police pulled the 36-year-old male driver over on Rowan Street at 2.45am on Sunday morning. * He reportedly failed the preliminary breath test and was taken to Derby Police station where he returned a reading that “biologically shouldn’t even be possible”. * He had a blood-alcohol content of 0.341, which the police likened to “driving while under a surgical anaesthetic or being in a coma”. * The reading was four times over the level needed to get a driver disqualified. * But that wasn’t the end of it, the driver was also found to have two prior life disqualifications. * He was served with another disqualification notice and charged with driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and no authority to drive. * Derby Police shared a photo of the stunning reading to Twitter, sparking outrage from social media users. * “Lock him up for a long time, the guy obviously isn’t getting the message and is a hazard to anyone driving, walking on the streets,” one person wrote. * Another said: “Glad I’m not anywhere near Derby with that idiot on the road.” * * * * FURY AT GUY’S CRUEL DARE * A woman who was subjected to a humiliating and hurtful prank has spoken out about her experience in a bid to raise awareness about dating as a plus-size woman. * Journalist and blogger, Stephanie Yeboah, was nervous and excited to go on her first date in two years, but revealed she felt “sick and embarrassed” after finding out her date had been “dared” and “paid” by his mates to “pull a fat chick”. * Writing for Refinery29, Steph revealed she had been talking to Robert* for a few weeks via Bumble and WhatsApp. * Apprehensive at first, having not dated since her last relationship ended two years ago, Steph explained Robert seemed different. * “He was funny, very intelligent, open-minded and ambitious and more importantly, accepted and preferred the fact that I am plus-size,” said Steph. * As she set off for her date — the pair had agreed to meet in Clapham, London, for a few drinks — the blogger tweeted a nervous-but-excited snap of herself, explaining to followers she was about to have a first date. * The evening went well and Steph said they had a great time, spending hours talking, laughing and chatting about their interests. * They met again the following week and ended up sleeping together. * It was at this point their relationship took a turn and two weeks later after not hearing from her date, Steph was stunned to receive an email from one of Robert’s friends, revealing the whole thing had been a dare to “pull a fat chick” and that Robert had even been paid by his mates to do so. * “I felt sick,” admitted Steph. * “A wave of embarrassment and humiliation washed over me, and I went into my bathroom and cried.” * * * * FOUR CHARGED OVER FATAL VIC SHOOTING * Four people have been charged after a father of five was gunned down at a Melbourne apartment in a chilling attack. * Clayton man Duane Hutchings, 44, was found with critical injuries inside an Oakleigh East property before 5.30am on Saturday, and later died in hospital. * A 56-year-old man from Doncaster East was arrested along with three others, aged 18, 22, and 24, in police raids at Doncaster and Park Orchards on Sunday afternoon. * The 56-year-old was charged with murder and aggravated home invasion. The other three were charged with aggravated home invasion and assault. * All are set to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today. * * * NSW POLICEMAN TO BE FAREWELLED * A NSW police officer who died after being involved in a four-car crash is set to be farewelled in Sydney today with a police procession at his funeral. * Timothy Proctor, 29, died in hospital on February 3 after the crash at Lucas Heights in Sydney’s south on January 31. * He was working as a probationary constable in Liverpool and was off-duty at the time of the crash. * Const. Proctor’s funeral will be held at 11am today at All Saints Catholic Church in Liverpool. * A police funeral procession will form part of the service including VIP motorcycles, mounted police, a uniformed marching contingent and a marching band. * NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller previously said Const. Proctor was “absolutely loved” by his colleagues. * “What a waste of a life of a man who’d really spent so much of his time dedicated to volunteer type work and emergency services,” he told radio. * Mr Fuller visited Const. Proctor in hospital before he died and fast-tracked his promotion to constable — two months ahead of schedule. *

8m

Feb 10, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, Queensland farmers already stricken by years of drought are estimating the unprecedented floods have killed half their herd, a girlfriend who encouraged her boyfriend to go through with his suicide attempt will learn her fate today and a company has unveiled a line of “drinkable” chips to keep your smartphone clean. * * * * * * * * MIGRANTS FAST-TRACKED TO REGIONAL AUSTRALIA * Skilled migrants will have their visa applications accelerated if they move to regional Australia, under a $19.4 million plan revealed by the Federal Government. * Immigration Minister David Coleman says the funding will be used over four years and Department of Home Affairs officials will travel to regional areas to help local businesses get more skilled workers. * “There are a number of regions outside Sydney, Melbourne and southeast Queensland who are calling out for skilled migrants,” he said in a statement. * “These regional initiatives will help these communities and local business attract migrants where they are needed most.” * Under the plan, there will be priority processing for visas sponsored by employers in regional Australia, as well as agreements where local councils are able to recruit workers from overseas. * The Designated Area Migration Agreements allow employers to sponsor overseas workers for positions they are unable to fill with locals. * * * * * VICTORIA POLICE SEIZE LARGEST EVER ICE SHIPMENT BOUND FOR AUSTRALIA * Authorities have stopped the largest-ever seizure of ice bound for Australia, carrying an estimated street value of $1.29 billion. * The seizure of 1.7 tonnes of the drug in the US — also the biggest ever domestic seizure of the drug there — has led to six arrests in Victoria and NSW. * The seizure could have resulted in more than 17 million drug deals, with an estimated street value of approximately $1.29 billion, police say. * Officers from the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police arrested six people on Thursday, allegedly involved with the US-based organised syndicate investigated over the shipment. * Authorities from the AFP, Victoria Police and Australian Border Force will address the media on Friday morning. * * * * * * CRAIG MCLACHLAN TO FACE COURT * Australian actor Craig McLachlan is due to face court in Melbourne on a raft of indecent assault charges, believed to stem from allegations raised by colleagues. * The screen and stage star, 53, was charged on summons in January with eight counts of indecent assault, one of common assault and attempted indecent assault. * At the time, a spokesman for McLachlan said “Craig is innocent of these charges which will be vigorously defended”. * The Gold Logie winner is scheduled to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today, when it will be his first appearance over the charges. * * * McLachlan became a household name for his roles on and , and more recently he has led the Ballarat-filmed TV series . * He faced allegations of misconduct by fellow cast members in the stage production, in which he played Dr Frank-N-Furter in 2014. * The actor strongly denied the allegations and launched defamation action in NSW last year, suing Fairfax Media, the ABC and former co-star Christie Whelan Browne. * McLachlan is seeking $6.5 million in special damages in the defamation case, which has been delayed until after his criminal proceedings in Victoria. * — * * * LENGTHY APPLICATION ASKS HOW CANDIDATE WOULD REACT TO NUDE HOUSEMATES * Applying for a house in Sydney is already a nightmare but one home in the inner west has kicked things up a notch with its lengthy list of questions. * In a Facebook ad, potential candidates looking for a spot in the home were asked everything from “what about your life intensely excites you” to “why do you feel drawn to living in a share house of five”. * Perhaps the most intense question of the 18 the sharehouse asked came in the form of nudity. * “How would you react to a housemate walking back from the bathroom nude?” * The sharehouse also asked what sort of “self care” the potential roommate engaged in and what their “relationship to food” was. * * The application also offered a few anecodates about the housemates the potential candidate could live with. * “(Housemate 1) really enjoys contact improv dance, bettering democracy, non violent communication, time in nature and honest, vibrant connection,” it read. * “(Housemate 2) really enjoys improvised dance, adventures in nature, whimsy and honest conversations.” * “(Housemate 3) really enjoys eastern poetry, road trips that include wild nature and country op-shop ceramic hunts, insects that camouflage as flowers, and deep conversations.” * * * * * ‘DRINKABLE’ CHIPS BASHED ONLINE * A snack company in Japan has come up with a solution to an issue that has plagued humanity since the dawn of the iPhone: How do you snack and scroll? * The Tokyo-based Koike-ya has developed a packet of chips designed to be “sipped” rather than eaten subsequently allowing the diner to keep one hand free. * * The company developed One Hand Chips — a handheld snack that comes in a variety of flavours and is splintered into smaller pieces so the consumer can essentially “drink” the product. * Though the company told The Wall Street Journal the intention was not necessarily to save Millennials from greasy phones. It actually originated from wanting to “make it easier” for customers to eat the potato chip crumbs at the bottom of the bag. * “What we said is, ‘Why don’t we make it easier for them to do that?’” said Kohei Shimosaka. * * * * * — * * * ‘YOU JUST NEED TO DO IT’: JUDGMENT DAY FOR SUICIDE TEXT GIRLFRIEND * Michelle Carter, the teenager who encouraged her boyfriend he “just needed to do it” after he texted her in the middle of a suicide attempt, will learn her fate today. * On July 13, 2014, Carter’s boyfriend Conrad Roy sent out one last cry for help via text message. * “You can’t think about it,” she texted back. * “You just need to do it Conrad. The more you push it off, the more it will eat at you. * “No more waiting. If you want it as bad as you say you do, it’s time to do it today.” * After the teen’s death, Carter texted a classmate. “It’s my fault,” she wrote. “I could have stopped him but I told him to get back in the car.” * Carter, who has not yet served any jail time, was told by judges of Massachusetts’ highest court that her conviction would stand despite an appeal. They criticised her for failing to intervene. * Today’s ruling was likely the end of the road for Carter who has been on bail while pursuing her appeals. Her lawyers said they may consider taking her case to the US Supreme Court. * IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR SUICIDAL FEELINGS CONTACT LIFELINE ON 13 11 14 OR BEYOND BLUE 1300 224 636. IF IT IS AN EMERGENCY PLEASE CALL TRIPLE-0. * — * * * * * DROUGHT-STRICKEN FARMERS CRIPPLED BY ‘THREE YEARS OF RAIN IN 10 DAYS’ * Drought-ravaged Queensland graziers could lose half their herds after a once-in- a-century monsoon dumped three years of rain in just ten days. * Flood waters have swamped properties from Mount Isa to Charters Towers and south to Longreach. * The deluge has killed cattle in their thousands and left entire herds isolated and facing possible starvation. * Grazier Jamie Zammit at Wyreema Downs, south of Julia Creek, said it was too boggy to inspect his 12,000-hectare station but in the paddocks he can get to he’s found stock losses at 50 per cent. * “It’s pretty sh*tful. I can’t see anything but rain and dead animals,” he told AAP. * “At the end of the day it’s pretty much a disaster, everyone battled through the drought then got three years of rain in 10 days.” * “This country can’t handle rain like that, there are creeks where there were never creeks and we’ve never had rain like this in a 100 years of records.” * * * Rural Aid chief executive Charles Alder says hundreds of farmers are facing a dire situation, with up to 300,000 head of cattle affected. * “For these farmers who’ve been battling drought for five and six years it’s just crippling,” he told AAP. * Mr Alder said it was a race against time to get food to the surviving cattle. * He estimates the cattle industry could be facing stock losses of up to $100 million. * “It’s going to be a big issue for banks because farmers aren’t going to be able to restock very quickly and they’re going to need to have cashflow to pay their bills,” he said. * — * * * * *

1m

Feb 09, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, Queensland farmers already stricken by years of drought are estimating the unprecedented floods have killed half their herd, a girlfriend who encouraged her boyfriend to go through with his suicide attempt will learn her fate today and a company has unveiled a line of “drinkable” chips to keep your smartphone clean. * * * * * * * * MIGRANTS FAST-TRACKED TO REGIONAL AUSTRALIA * Skilled migrants will have their visa applications accelerated if they move to regional Australia, under a $19.4 million plan revealed by the Federal Government. * Immigration Minister David Coleman says the funding will be used over four years and Department of Home Affairs officials will travel to regional areas to help local businesses get more skilled workers. * “There are a number of regions outside Sydney, Melbourne and southeast Queensland who are calling out for skilled migrants,” he said in a statement. * “These regional initiatives will help these communities and local business attract migrants where they are needed most.” * Under the plan, there will be priority processing for visas sponsored by employers in regional Australia, as well as agreements where local councils are able to recruit workers from overseas. * The Designated Area Migration Agreements allow employers to sponsor overseas workers for positions they are unable to fill with locals. * * * * * VICTORIA POLICE SEIZE LARGEST EVER ICE SHIPMENT BOUND FOR AUSTRALIA * Authorities have stopped the largest-ever seizure of ice bound for Australia, carrying an estimated street value of $1.29 billion. * The seizure of 1.7 tonnes of the drug in the US — also the biggest ever domestic seizure of the drug there — has led to six arrests in Victoria and NSW. * The seizure could have resulted in more than 17 million drug deals, with an estimated street value of approximately $1.29 billion, police say. * Officers from the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police arrested six people on Thursday, allegedly involved with the US-based organised syndicate investigated over the shipment. * Authorities from the AFP, Victoria Police and Australian Border Force will address the media on Friday morning. * * * * * * CRAIG MCLACHLAN TO FACE COURT * Australian actor Craig McLachlan is due to face court in Melbourne on a raft of indecent assault charges, believed to stem from allegations raised by colleagues. * The screen and stage star, 53, was charged on summons in January with eight counts of indecent assault, one of common assault and attempted indecent assault. * At the time, a spokesman for McLachlan said “Craig is innocent of these charges which will be vigorously defended”. * The Gold Logie winner is scheduled to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today, when it will be his first appearance over the charges. * * * McLachlan became a household name for his roles on and , and more recently he has led the Ballarat-filmed TV series . * He faced allegations of misconduct by fellow cast members in the stage production, in which he played Dr Frank-N-Furter in 2014. * The actor strongly denied the allegations and launched defamation action in NSW last year, suing Fairfax Media, the ABC and former co-star Christie Whelan Browne. * McLachlan is seeking $6.5 million in special damages in the defamation case, which has been delayed until after his criminal proceedings in Victoria. * — * * * LENGTHY APPLICATION ASKS HOW CANDIDATE WOULD REACT TO NUDE HOUSEMATES * Applying for a house in Sydney is already a nightmare but one home in the inner west has kicked things up a notch with its lengthy list of questions. * In a Facebook ad, potential candidates looking for a spot in the home were asked everything from “what about your life intensely excites you” to “why do you feel drawn to living in a share house of five”. * Perhaps the most intense question of the 18 the sharehouse asked came in the form of nudity. * “How would you react to a housemate walking back from the bathroom nude?” * The sharehouse also asked what sort of “self care” the potential roommate engaged in and what their “relationship to food” was. * * The application also offered a few anecodates about the housemates the potential candidate could live with. * “(Housemate 1) really enjoys contact improv dance, bettering democracy, non violent communication, time in nature and honest, vibrant connection,” it read. * “(Housemate 2) really enjoys improvised dance, adventures in nature, whimsy and honest conversations.” * “(Housemate 3) really enjoys eastern poetry, road trips that include wild nature and country op-shop ceramic hunts, insects that camouflage as flowers, and deep conversations.” * * * * * ‘DRINKABLE’ CHIPS BASHED ONLINE * A snack company in Japan has come up with a solution to an issue that has plagued humanity since the dawn of the iPhone: How do you snack and scroll? * The Tokyo-based Koike-ya has developed a packet of chips designed to be “sipped” rather than eaten subsequently allowing the diner to keep one hand free. * * The company developed One Hand Chips — a handheld snack that comes in a variety of flavours and is splintered into smaller pieces so the consumer can essentially “drink” the product. * Though the company told The Wall Street Journal the intention was not necessarily to save Millennials from greasy phones. It actually originated from wanting to “make it easier” for customers to eat the potato chip crumbs at the bottom of the bag. * “What we said is, ‘Why don’t we make it easier for them to do that?’” said Kohei Shimosaka. * * * * * — * * * ‘YOU JUST NEED TO DO IT’: JUDGMENT DAY FOR SUICIDE TEXT GIRLFRIEND * Michelle Carter, the teenager who encouraged her boyfriend he “just needed to do it” after he texted her in the middle of a suicide attempt, will learn her fate today. * On July 13, 2014, Carter’s boyfriend Conrad Roy sent out one last cry for help via text message. * “You can’t think about it,” she texted back. * “You just need to do it Conrad. The more you push it off, the more it will eat at you. * “No more waiting. If you want it as bad as you say you do, it’s time to do it today.” * After the teen’s death, Carter texted a classmate. “It’s my fault,” she wrote. “I could have stopped him but I told him to get back in the car.” * Carter, who has not yet served any jail time, was told by judges of Massachusetts’ highest court that her conviction would stand despite an appeal. They criticised her for failing to intervene. * Today’s ruling was likely the end of the road for Carter who has been on bail while pursuing her appeals. Her lawyers said they may consider taking her case to the US Supreme Court. * IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR SUICIDAL FEELINGS CONTACT LIFELINE ON 13 11 14 OR BEYOND BLUE 1300 224 636. IF IT IS AN EMERGENCY PLEASE CALL TRIPLE-0. * — * * * * * DROUGHT-STRICKEN FARMERS CRIPPLED BY ‘THREE YEARS OF RAIN IN 10 DAYS’ * Drought-ravaged Queensland graziers could lose half their herds after a once-in- a-century monsoon dumped three years of rain in just ten days. * Flood waters have swamped properties from Mount Isa to Charters Towers and south to Longreach. * The deluge has killed cattle in their thousands and left entire herds isolated and facing possible starvation. * Grazier Jamie Zammit at Wyreema Downs, south of Julia Creek, said it was too boggy to inspect his 12,000-hectare station but in the paddocks he can get to he’s found stock losses at 50 per cent. * “It’s pretty sh*tful. I can’t see anything but rain and dead animals,” he told AAP. * “At the end of the day it’s pretty much a disaster, everyone battled through the drought then got three years of rain in 10 days.” * “This country can’t handle rain like that, there are creeks where there were never creeks and we’ve never had rain like this in a 100 years of records.” * * * Rural Aid chief executive Charles Alder says hundreds of farmers are facing a dire situation, with up to 300,000 head of cattle affected. * “For these farmers who’ve been battling drought for five and six years it’s just crippling,” he told AAP. * Mr Alder said it was a race against time to get food to the surviving cattle. * He estimates the cattle industry could be facing stock losses of up to $100 million. * “It’s going to be a big issue for banks because farmers aren’t going to be able to restock very quickly and they’re going to need to have cashflow to pay their bills,” he said. * — * * * * *

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Feb 09, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, Queensland farmers already stricken by years of drought are estimating the unprecedented floods have killed half their herd, a girlfriend who encouraged her boyfriend to go through with his suicide attempt will learn her fate today and a company has unveiled a line of “drinkable” chips to keep your smartphone clean. * * * * * * * * MIGRANTS FAST-TRACKED TO REGIONAL AUSTRALIA * Skilled migrants will have their visa applications accelerated if they move to regional Australia, under a $19.4 million plan revealed by the Federal Government. * Immigration Minister David Coleman says the funding will be used over four years and Department of Home Affairs officials will travel to regional areas to help local businesses get more skilled workers. * “There are a number of regions outside Sydney, Melbourne and southeast Queensland who are calling out for skilled migrants,” he said in a statement. * “These regional initiatives will help these communities and local business attract migrants where they are needed most.” * Under the plan, there will be priority processing for visas sponsored by employers in regional Australia, as well as agreements where local councils are able to recruit workers from overseas. * The Designated Area Migration Agreements allow employers to sponsor overseas workers for positions they are unable to fill with locals. * * * * * VICTORIA POLICE SEIZE LARGEST EVER ICE SHIPMENT BOUND FOR AUSTRALIA * Authorities have stopped the largest-ever seizure of ice bound for Australia, carrying an estimated street value of $1.29 billion. * The seizure of 1.7 tonnes of the drug in the US — also the biggest ever domestic seizure of the drug there — has led to six arrests in Victoria and NSW. * The seizure could have resulted in more than 17 million drug deals, with an estimated street value of approximately $1.29 billion, police say. * Officers from the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police arrested six people on Thursday, allegedly involved with the US-based organised syndicate investigated over the shipment. * Authorities from the AFP, Victoria Police and Australian Border Force will address the media on Friday morning. * * * * * * CRAIG MCLACHLAN TO FACE COURT * Australian actor Craig McLachlan is due to face court in Melbourne on a raft of indecent assault charges, believed to stem from allegations raised by colleagues. * The screen and stage star, 53, was charged on summons in January with eight counts of indecent assault, one of common assault and attempted indecent assault. * At the time, a spokesman for McLachlan said “Craig is innocent of these charges which will be vigorously defended”. * The Gold Logie winner is scheduled to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today, when it will be his first appearance over the charges. * * * McLachlan became a household name for his roles on and , and more recently he has led the Ballarat-filmed TV series . * He faced allegations of misconduct by fellow cast members in the stage production, in which he played Dr Frank-N-Furter in 2014. * The actor strongly denied the allegations and launched defamation action in NSW last year, suing Fairfax Media, the ABC and former co-star Christie Whelan Browne. * McLachlan is seeking $6.5 million in special damages in the defamation case, which has been delayed until after his criminal proceedings in Victoria. * — * * * LENGTHY APPLICATION ASKS HOW CANDIDATE WOULD REACT TO NUDE HOUSEMATES * Applying for a house in Sydney is already a nightmare but one home in the inner west has kicked things up a notch with its lengthy list of questions. * In a Facebook ad, potential candidates looking for a spot in the home were asked everything from “what about your life intensely excites you” to “why do you feel drawn to living in a share house of five”. * Perhaps the most intense question of the 18 the sharehouse asked came in the form of nudity. * “How would you react to a housemate walking back from the bathroom nude?” * The sharehouse also asked what sort of “self care” the potential roommate engaged in and what their “relationship to food” was. * * The application also offered a few anecodates about the housemates the potential candidate could live with. * “(Housemate 1) really enjoys contact improv dance, bettering democracy, non violent communication, time in nature and honest, vibrant connection,” it read. * “(Housemate 2) really enjoys improvised dance, adventures in nature, whimsy and honest conversations.” * “(Housemate 3) really enjoys eastern poetry, road trips that include wild nature and country op-shop ceramic hunts, insects that camouflage as flowers, and deep conversations.” * * * * * ‘DRINKABLE’ CHIPS BASHED ONLINE * A snack company in Japan has come up with a solution to an issue that has plagued humanity since the dawn of the iPhone: How do you snack and scroll? * The Tokyo-based Koike-ya has developed a packet of chips designed to be “sipped” rather than eaten subsequently allowing the diner to keep one hand free. * * The company developed One Hand Chips — a handheld snack that comes in a variety of flavours and is splintered into smaller pieces so the consumer can essentially “drink” the product. * Though the company told The Wall Street Journal the intention was not necessarily to save Millennials from greasy phones. It actually originated from wanting to “make it easier” for customers to eat the potato chip crumbs at the bottom of the bag. * “What we said is, ‘Why don’t we make it easier for them to do that?’” said Kohei Shimosaka. * * * * * — * * * ‘YOU JUST NEED TO DO IT’: JUDGMENT DAY FOR SUICIDE TEXT GIRLFRIEND * Michelle Carter, the teenager who encouraged her boyfriend he “just needed to do it” after he texted her in the middle of a suicide attempt, will learn her fate today. * On July 13, 2014, Carter’s boyfriend Conrad Roy sent out one last cry for help via text message. * “You can’t think about it,” she texted back. * “You just need to do it Conrad. The more you push it off, the more it will eat at you. * “No more waiting. If you want it as bad as you say you do, it’s time to do it today.” * After the teen’s death, Carter texted a classmate. “It’s my fault,” she wrote. “I could have stopped him but I told him to get back in the car.” * Carter, who has not yet served any jail time, was told by judges of Massachusetts’ highest court that her conviction would stand despite an appeal. They criticised her for failing to intervene. * Today’s ruling was likely the end of the road for Carter who has been on bail while pursuing her appeals. Her lawyers said they may consider taking her case to the US Supreme Court. * IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR SUICIDAL FEELINGS CONTACT LIFELINE ON 13 11 14 OR BEYOND BLUE 1300 224 636. IF IT IS AN EMERGENCY PLEASE CALL TRIPLE-0. * — * * * * * DROUGHT-STRICKEN FARMERS CRIPPLED BY ‘THREE YEARS OF RAIN IN 10 DAYS’ * Drought-ravaged Queensland graziers could lose half their herds after a once-in- a-century monsoon dumped three years of rain in just ten days. * Flood waters have swamped properties from Mount Isa to Charters Towers and south to Longreach. * The deluge has killed cattle in their thousands and left entire herds isolated and facing possible starvation. * Grazier Jamie Zammit at Wyreema Downs, south of Julia Creek, said it was too boggy to inspect his 12,000-hectare station but in the paddocks he can get to he’s found stock losses at 50 per cent. * “It’s pretty sh*tful. I can’t see anything but rain and dead animals,” he told AAP. * “At the end of the day it’s pretty much a disaster, everyone battled through the drought then got three years of rain in 10 days.” * “This country can’t handle rain like that, there are creeks where there were never creeks and we’ve never had rain like this in a 100 years of records.” * * * Rural Aid chief executive Charles Alder says hundreds of farmers are facing a dire situation, with up to 300,000 head of cattle affected. * “For these farmers who’ve been battling drought for five and six years it’s just crippling,” he told AAP. * Mr Alder said it was a race against time to get food to the surviving cattle. * He estimates the cattle industry could be facing stock losses of up to $100 million. * “It’s going to be a big issue for banks because farmers aren’t going to be able to restock very quickly and they’re going to need to have cashflow to pay their bills,” he said. * — * * * * *

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Feb 09, 2019

* * On news.com.au today, Queensland farmers already stricken by years of drought are estimating the unprecedented floods have killed half their herd, a girlfriend who encouraged her boyfriend to go through with his suicide attempt will learn her fate today and a company has unveiled a line of “drinkable” chips to keep your smartphone clean. * * * * * * * * MIGRANTS FAST-TRACKED TO REGIONAL AUSTRALIA * Skilled migrants will have their visa applications accelerated if they move to regional Australia, under a $19.4 million plan revealed by the Federal Government. * Immigration Minister David Coleman says the funding will be used over four years and Department of Home Affairs officials will travel to regional areas to help local businesses get more skilled workers. * “There are a number of regions outside Sydney, Melbourne and southeast Queensland who are calling out for skilled migrants,” he said in a statement. * “These regional initiatives will help these communities and local business attract migrants where they are needed most.” * Under the plan, there will be priority processing for visas sponsored by employers in regional Australia, as well as agreements where local councils are able to recruit workers from overseas. * The Designated Area Migration Agreements allow employers to sponsor overseas workers for positions they are unable to fill with locals. * * * * * VICTORIA POLICE SEIZE LARGEST EVER ICE SHIPMENT BOUND FOR AUSTRALIA * Authorities have stopped the largest-ever seizure of ice bound for Australia, carrying an estimated street value of $1.29 billion. * The seizure of 1.7 tonnes of the drug in the US — also the biggest ever domestic seizure of the drug there — has led to six arrests in Victoria and NSW. * The seizure could have resulted in more than 17 million drug deals, with an estimated street value of approximately $1.29 billion, police say. * Officers from the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police arrested six people on Thursday, allegedly involved with the US-based organised syndicate investigated over the shipment. * Authorities from the AFP, Victoria Police and Australian Border Force will address the media on Friday morning. * * * * * * CRAIG MCLACHLAN TO FACE COURT * Australian actor Craig McLachlan is due to face court in Melbourne on a raft of indecent assault charges, believed to stem from allegations raised by colleagues. * The screen and stage star, 53, was charged on summons in January with eight counts of indecent assault, one of common assault and attempted indecent assault. * At the time, a spokesman for McLachlan said “Craig is innocent of these charges which will be vigorously defended”. * The Gold Logie winner is scheduled to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today, when it will be his first appearance over the charges. * * * McLachlan became a household name for his roles on and , and more recently he has led the Ballarat-filmed TV series . * He faced allegations of misconduct by fellow cast members in the stage production, in which he played Dr Frank-N-Furter in 2014. * The actor strongly denied the allegations and launched defamation action in NSW last year, suing Fairfax Media, the ABC and former co-star Christie Whelan Browne. * McLachlan is seeking $6.5 million in special damages in the defamation case, which has been delayed until after his criminal proceedings in Victoria. * — * * * LENGTHY APPLICATION ASKS HOW CANDIDATE WOULD REACT TO NUDE HOUSEMATES * Applying for a house in Sydney is already a nightmare but one home in the inner west has kicked things up a notch with its lengthy list of questions. * In a Facebook ad, potential candidates looking for a spot in the home were asked everything from “what about your life intensely excites you” to “why do you feel drawn to living in a share house of five”. * Perhaps the most intense question of the 18 the sharehouse asked came in the form of nudity. * “How would you react to a housemate walking back from the bathroom nude?” * The sharehouse also asked what sort of “self care” the potential roommate engaged in and what their “relationship to food” was. * * The application also offered a few anecodates about the housemates the potential candidate could live with. * “(Housemate 1) really enjoys contact improv dance, bettering democracy, non violent communication, time in nature and honest, vibrant connection,” it read. * “(Housemate 2) really enjoys improvised dance, adventures in nature, whimsy and honest conversations.” * “(Housemate 3) really enjoys eastern poetry, road trips that include wild nature and country op-shop ceramic hunts, insects that camouflage as flowers, and deep conversations.” * * * * * ‘DRINKABLE’ CHIPS BASHED ONLINE * A snack company in Japan has come up with a solution to an issue that has plagued humanity since the dawn of the iPhone: How do you snack and scroll? * The Tokyo-based Koike-ya has developed a packet of chips designed to be “sipped” rather than eaten subsequently allowing the diner to keep one hand free. * * The company developed One Hand Chips — a handheld snack that comes in a variety of flavours and is splintered into smaller pieces so the consumer can essentially “drink” the product. * Though the company told The Wall Street Journal the intention was not necessarily to save Millennials from greasy phones. It actually originated from wanting to “make it easier” for customers to eat the potato chip crumbs at the bottom of the bag. * “What we said is, ‘Why don’t we make it easier for them to do that?’” said Kohei Shimosaka. * * * * * — * * * ‘YOU JUST NEED TO DO IT’: JUDGMENT DAY FOR SUICIDE TEXT GIRLFRIEND * Michelle Carter, the teenager who encouraged her boyfriend he “just needed to do it” after he texted her in the middle of a suicide attempt, will learn her fate today. * On July 13, 2014, Carter’s boyfriend Conrad Roy sent out one last cry for help via text message. * “You can’t think about it,” she texted back. * “You just need to do it Conrad. The more you push it off, the more it will eat at you. * “No more waiting. If you want it as bad as you say you do, it’s time to do it today.” * After the teen’s death, Carter texted a classmate. “It’s my fault,” she wrote. “I could have stopped him but I told him to get back in the car.” * Carter, who has not yet served any jail time, was told by judges of Massachusetts’ highest court that her conviction would stand despite an appeal. They criticised her for failing to intervene. * Today’s ruling was likely the end of the road for Carter who has been on bail while pursuing her appeals. Her lawyers said they may consider taking her case to the US Supreme Court. * IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR SUICIDAL FEELINGS CONTACT LIFELINE ON 13 11 14 OR BEYOND BLUE 1300 224 636. IF IT IS AN EMERGENCY PLEASE CALL TRIPLE-0. * — * * * * * DROUGHT-STRICKEN FARMERS CRIPPLED BY ‘THREE YEARS OF RAIN IN 10 DAYS’ * Drought-ravaged Queensland graziers could lose half their herds after a once-in- a-century monsoon dumped three years of rain in just ten days. * Flood waters have swamped properties from Mount Isa to Charters Towers and south to Longreach. * The deluge has killed cattle in their thousands and left entire herds isolated and facing possible starvation. * Grazier Jamie Zammit at Wyreema Downs, south of Julia Creek, said it was too boggy to inspect his 12,000-hectare station but in the paddocks he can get to he’s found stock losses at 50 per cent. * “It’s pretty sh*tful. I can’t see anything but rain and dead animals,” he told AAP. * “At the end of the day it’s pretty much a disaster, everyone battled through the drought then got three years of rain in 10 days.” * “This country can’t handle rain like that, there are creeks where there were never creeks and we’ve never had rain like this in a 100 years of records.” * * * Rural Aid chief executive Charles Alder says hundreds of farmers are facing a dire situation, with up to 300,000 head of cattle affected. * “For these farmers who’ve been battling drought for five and six years it’s just crippling,” he told AAP. * Mr Alder said it was a race against time to get food to the surviving cattle. * He estimates the cattle industry could be facing stock losses of up to $100 million. * “It’s going to be a big issue for banks because farmers aren’t going to be able to restock very quickly and they’re going to need to have cashflow to pay their bills,” he said. * — * * * * *

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Feb 09, 2019