Tag Archives: oceania

Man charged after multi-vehicle crash split car in two in Sydney

A 33-year-old man has been charged a day after he's alleged to have caused a multi-vehicle smash in Sydney's south-west.

Police said they tried to stop a Renault SUV about 10.40am on Wednesday, along Waminda Avenue in Campbelltown.

The driver allegedly failed to stop and a pursuit was initiated, which authorities claim ended before the crash.

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 The 33-year-old driver of the Renault was thrown from the car in the collision, and the car was split in two.

"The original pursuit was terminated a short time later along Moore Oxley Bypass and a police operation involving PolAir continued to monitor the vehicle," NSW Police said in a statement.

Police allege the driver ran a red light about 11.15am, causing the crash at the intersection of Camden Valley Way and Denham Court Road in Denham Court.

It's claimed the Renault SUV collided with a black ute before crashing into a traffic light pole.

The 33-year-old driver of the Renault was thrown from the car in the collision, and the car was split in two.

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One person has been cut out of a car after a multi-vehicle crash in Sydney's south-west. Two cars collided on Camden Valley Way just before 11.30am today.

He was taken to hospital with serious injuries and kept under police guard.

The driver of the ute, a 49-year-old man, suffered minor injuries after he had to be cut from his vehicle and was taken to Liverpool Hospital as a precaution.

Police allege the same Renault was involved in the earlier theft of a Mercedes in Middleton Grange at 8.30am.

A 39-year-old mother was allegedly dragged from the blue coupe and pushed onto the road at Thomas Hassall Anglican College. She was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The 49-year-old driver of the ute had to be cut from their cars by FRNSW.

The Mercedes was found abandoned in Campbelltown just over an hour later and was later seized for forensic examination. A critical incident investigation has been launched.

On Thursday, the 33-year-old man was hit with multiple charges including aggravated robbery and inflict actual bodily harm, police pursuit not stop drive dangerously and drive furiously in motor vehicle cause bodily harm.

He appeared via a video link before Liverpool Local Court where he was refused bail to face court again in January.

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Hugh Jackman opens up about skin cancer ordeal in new documentary

Australia leads the world in skin cancer rates but a new star-studded documentary is hoping to shake that title.

Conquering Skin Cancer features the likes of Hollywood star Hugh Jackman and Olympian Cate Campbell, as well as survivors, each with powerful messages of prevention.

Australia's love affair with the sun has caused heartache and trauma for millions.

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Hugh Jackman

"Australia is the world champion of skin cancer. This is not a title that we want," Cate Campbell says in a clip from the film.

A world leader in skin cancer rates, the disease claims a life every four minutes in Australia and we hold 10 per cent of the world's melanoma population.

Filmmaker Mike Hill has captured stories from around the country, speaking to survivors, experts and advocates, hoping to change our relationship with the sun.

"Two in every three Australians will get skin cancers in their lifetime and that is such an alarming statistic," Hill told 9News.

The documentary director's call to arms also called on some big names.

READ MORE: Retired officer reveals biggest challenge facing police

Cate Campbell

Media personality Deborah Hutton and Hollywood heavyweight Hugh Jackman both speak about their own skin cancer ordeals.

"I remember feeling pretty scared," Jackman says in the film.

A skin cancer diagnosis came as a big shock for Cancer Council WA's Ashley Reid. He opens up in the film about having a melanoma cut from his calf three years ago.

"This is from someone who talks about it all day long, but then it's you. It's you, a friend a family, a colleague, it's every family affected," Reid says in the documentary.

Australia leads the world in skin cancer rates but a new star-studded documentary is hoping to shake that title.

Sun-loving Surfing WA chief executive Mark Lane, who also features in the film, has ridden the wave of remission four times over.

"I'm six years into this journey, I've still got a bit to go," he tells 9News.

"Getting a half-hour skin check-up is far easier than what I've had to deal with the last six years."

Conquering Skin Cancer will debut in cinemas from November 20.

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Thousands evacuated as parts of Spain hit with month’s rainfall in hour

Severe thunderstorms and torrential rain have again battered coastal Spain, causing thousands of people to be evacuated just two weeks after the country experienced deadly flooding in Valencia and other nearby communities.

More than 4000 people and a thousand homes have been evacuated in the Malaga area, according to a Thursday update from Antonio Sanz, the director of the Emergency Plan for the Risk of Flooding in Andalucia.

Five areas near the Guadalhorce riverbank were preemptively evacuated due to the risk of overflowing.

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In just one hour, nearly a month's worth of rainfall inundated the city of Malaga, in Spain's Andalusia region, according to the country's meteorological agency AEMet.

The southern Spanish province picked up roughly 100 millimetres of rain, 78 millimetres of which fell within an hour. Malaga normally averages 100.5 millimetres in the month of November.

The Spanish meteorological agency has issued red warnings in the Andalusia and Catalonia regions for extreme rainfall with reports of impassable roads and flooded basements in several towns.

Video from the scene shows streets in Malaga submerged in water.

The Malaga City Council issued evacuation orders near the Campanillas River due to the risk of overflowing.

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility also announced it had suspended the Málaga-Madrid rail service due to the accumulation of water on the tracks.

The severe weather alert in Malaga led to the postponement of the opening round tie of the Billie Jean King Cup, which was due to take place Wednesday evening between Spain and Poland.

More rain on the way

Heavy rain was set to continue through the evening from the provinces of Malaga and Granada up to Valencia and Tarragona where up to 180 millimetres wass possible.

Authorities announced schools would be closed on Thursday across the entire province of Malaga, as well as areas issued with an orange warning for rain, including the municipalities of Seville, Cádiz, and Huelva.

The coastal area of Valencia province was also issued a red weather warning for Thursday. Spain's Minister for Transport Óscar Puente announced the closure of all non-essential movement on Valencia's roads at 6pm on Wednesday (9am Thursday AEDT).

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The City Council of Valencia announced that school activities were suspended throughout Valencia city and its districts on Wednesday and Thursday to avoid risks.

The country is still reeling from historic floods that killed more than 220 people just two weeks ago, its worst deluge in decades.

Last weekend, protesters marched in Valencia demanding the regional president Carlos Mazón's resignation for the slow response to the deadly natural disaster.

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Queenslanders recover from ‘enormous’ thunderstorms but bad news ahead

Three air systems colliding sparked lightning and torrential rain over south-east Queensland yesterday, but the region will continue to see lashing as a wet system moves over Australia.

Severe thunderstorms built out west yesterday, before travelling east and smashing the city.

More than 50 millimetres of rain was felt over parts during peak hour while lightning hit areas like Teneriffe, Regents Park and Boonah.

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Queensland weather

Pam Gill is lucky she wasn't home as the bolts struck near her property.

"I actually saw the video and thought by the time we get there, our house will be gone. I thought it'd be gone up in flames," she said.

"They said the bang was just absolutely enormous."

But luckily for her, the extent of the damage wasn't too bad.

It was a very lightning-active storm season.

From September this year to today, south-east Queensland felt 2.1 million lightning bolts, up from 780,000 in the same time last year.

READ MORE: Class action launched against Coles, Woolworths over alleged misleading discounts

Queensland weather

"It certainly was a very lightning-active storm that came through last evening," Bureau of Meteorology's Kimba Wong said.

About 36,000 homes lost power overnight with most of them restored by midday today.

"It has been a very active storm season and a number of years where we've had very active storm conditions," Wong said.

"But what I must say is that we really must maintain vigilance."

The next few weeks will see a rainy and stormy climate driver known as the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) which will make for a wet second half of November and even early December.

It will bring strong winds, cold fronts and a low pressure system. 

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Three states are set to be soaked by heavy rain and thunderstorms as a fierce wet weather system heads across Australia.

Rainfall and heavy thunderstorms are headed towards south-east Queensland over the next few days including damaging winds and hail.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Christie Johnson said a trough lying from the state's north-west down to the south-east could bring dangerous conditions. 

"There's actually even a slight risk that we could see giant hail, which is over 5cm, particularly areas around the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and the South Burnett," she said.

Thunderstorms will also hit Western Australia with severe weather travelling through inland areas over the next 24 hours.

Jonson said the most impacted areas will be inland such as the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Goldfields regions.

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Hail in Queensland November 2024

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"The severe phenomenon we're most likely to see with storms over WA today is damaging wind gusts with gusts in excess of 90km/h," she added.

"All the thunderstorm activity today will be closely monitored and warnings will be issued as soon as any storms show signs of producing this sort of severe weather."

WA is set to be hit the hardest in tomorrow's forecast and storms will also roll in across the Northern Territory, parts of New South Wales and Queensland.

There is also an expected cold front set to bring a risk of storms in South Australia and Victoria on Saturday.

Wild weather hit south-east Queensland yesterday, with damaging winds, torrential rain and some hail battering areas along Ipswich, Logan and Brisbane City.

Rainfall forecast in Australia November 2024

What is SAM?

A Southern Annual Mode (SAM) is a climate driver that influences weather patterns in weeks-long periods.

The SAM in Australia has shifted into a "positive phase" and is set to bring a lot of wet weather across the country for the rest of November, Weatherzone reports.

SAMs in a positive phase can bring westerly winds, cold fonts and a low-pressure system in southern areas.

Forecast models have predicted this weather system may linger even into December.

Tiny detail in holiday snap hinted at ‘excruciating’ ordeal ahead

Queenslander Natalie Carroll was excited to celebrate her birthday when she touched down for a holiday in Bali, Indonesia last week.

Instead, her trip was derailed by an insect the size of a fingernail that left her leg covered in "excruciating" blisters and welts.

WARNING: This article contains images some readers may find graphic.

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Natalie was in Bali for her birthday when she was stung by a rove beetle.

The 24-year-old was asleep in her open-air villa when what she believed was a harmless beetle landed on her leg. Not thinking, she brushed it away.

The very next morning she spotted a red mark blooming on her thigh.

"I started to do some Googling and did come across the Tomcat [beetle] at that point," she told 9news.com.au, but didn't realise it was the culprit.

The mark on her leg worsened in the hours that followed, blooming into angry welts that felt almost like burns.

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Tasered gran showed signs of ‘significant brain bleed’, says paramedic

An elderly woman Tasered by police displayed a number of concerning medical signs as she was stretchered out of her aged-care facility, a paramedic has told the court.

Senior Constable Kristian James Samuel White shot his stun gun at great-grandmother Clare Nowland at Yallambee Lodge in the southern NSW town of Cooma in the early hours of May 17, 2023.

Paramedics Anna Hofner and Kingsley Newman were called to the scene around 4am after the on-duty registered nurse informed triple-zero that the 95-year-old was acting aggressively while holding two knives.

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Clare Nowland, 95, passed away after she was tasered by a police officer.

They were present when Nowland, who had symptoms of dementia, was tasered by White and collapsed in the facility's treatment room.

The pair then stretchered her to the ambulance, taking her under lights and sirens to Cooma Hospital, where she died a week later.

At a manslaughter trial for the 34-year-old police officer in the NSW Supreme Court today, one of the paramedics Newman told the jury that Nowland showed concerning and unusual medical signs even when loaded into the ambulance.

These included a large bruise-like mark called a haematoma which was around five or six centimetres, he said.

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Her face also indicated there was something wrong internally.

"She had some facial droop on the opposite side to the injury indicating a pretty significant brain bleed," he told the court.

After the incident, White's partner Acting Sergeant Jessica Pank radioed into Cooma police station that Nowland had a "small lump" on her head but that the paramedics were managing it.

Sergeant Pank has not been charged over the incident but is expected to give evidence at White's trial.

Hofner took the stand, telling the court she had stepped back from Nowland when the 95-year-old stood up and walked towards the door of the treatment room holding the knife.

"I believe she was close enough that if she decided to strike out with the knife I could have potentially been hit," she told the jury.

However, she backtracked from this under questioning by crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, admitting she was at a safe distance and was not close enough to be stabbed.

"I suggest to you there was no danger of any of you being struck by her, do you agree or disagree?" Hatfield asked.

"I agree," said Hofner.

The paramedic said she did not see how the situation could have been resolved peacefully given Nowland's refusal to relinquish the knife.

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The NSW Supreme Court has released never-before-seen CCTV from the night NSW grand-grandmother Clare Nowland was Tasered.

In response, Hatfield suggested they could have simply given her time.

"Possibly but how long would we have to wait?" Hofner asked.

The jury previously heard that it was only around three minutes after the group found Nowland in the treatment room that White shot her with the taser.

The 34-year-old has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, claiming he acted lawfully under his duties as a police officer.

The court also heard evidence from two assistant nurses Mamta Rai and Geeta Phuyal who were working that night about their dealings with the 95-year-old in the two hours before she was tasered.

Both tried unsuccessfully to get her to give up the weapons, with Rai saying the great-grandmother had thrown one of the knives at her.

"It landed on the floor, it didn't hit me directly," she said.

The trial continues.

Class action launched against Coles, Woolworths over alleged misleading discounts

A consumer protection law firm has launched a class action against Coles and Woolworths, saying their allegedly misleading discount claims mean the average customer could be entitled to a refund of up to $1300.

Gerard Malouf and Partners (GMP Law) has lodged class action lawsuits against the two supermarket giants in Federal Court today over allegations they promoted misleading discount claims on hundreds of everyday products.

The action hopes to win back the difference between the alleged illusory discounted pricing and the original undiscounted price for items purchased at Coles between February 2022 and May 2023 and at Woolworths between September 2021 and May 2023.

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Coles is bringing back its "Down Down" campaign, reducing prices on over 500 products.

"We estimate that the average Australian consumer could be eligible for a refund ranging between $200 and $1300-plus, depending on their shopping habits and purchases at these retailers," GMP Law chairman Gerard Malouf said.

"We believe this class action is an essential move toward safeguarding consumer rights and demanding transparency in retail practices Australia-wide."

It comes after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in September announced it was taking Coles and Woolworths to court over their "Prices Dropped" and "Down Down" discounts.

The watchdog alleged the everyday items had been subjected to price hikes and the discounts were actually higher than or the same as the price before the increase.

GMP Law said its class action was unique to the ACCC proceedings as it is offering consumers refunds.

READ MORE: Tiny detail in holiday snap hinted at 'excruciating' ordeal ahead

Woolworths

In September, the ACCC released its supermarket inquiry interim report that found Australia's supermarket retailing is an oligopoly, with Coles and Woolworths together accounting for more than 67 per cent of sales.

The report detailed what the commission heard from consumers, suppliers and others at the halfway mark of a 12-month inquiry into the major supermarkets.

Australian shoppers said they were losing faith in the supermarkets and were untrusting of price claims.

The final report is due on February 28 and will hand down findings and any recommendations to address potential harms if required.

Australians can join the class action at PriceDropClassAction.com.au.

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake strikes off the coast of Western Australia

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit off of the coast of Western Australia about 1.45pm AEST (10.45am AWST time) today.

Geoscience Australia has received six reports so far of people who felt the earthquake, which hit a 10km ocean depth about 260km from Albany.

Locals near Mandurah, Augusta, Manjimup and Margaret River reported feeling the tremors.

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Earthquake hits off coast of WA November 14 2024

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It follows another 4.1 earthquake that hit regional NSW in the Upper Hunter region on Tuesday.

Victoria's south-west was also rattled by a 5.0 magnitude earthquake in October.

More to come.

Grandmother too afraid to leave home alone after terrifying attack

Police are hunting for a heartless criminal who attacked and robbed an elderly grandmother in broad daylight in Adelaide's Western Suburbs.

Eighty-four-year-old Anh Huynh says she's now too afraid to leave her home alone.

The incident was captured on CCTV, which shows the frail woman walking home from the shops when an opportunistic thug suddenly steals her bags and drags her along the footpath.

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Grandmother Anh Huynh speaks to 9News.

The assailant was shown returning to sift through Anh's belongings before fleeing the scene.

She was left battered and bruised, and still has a large lump from where she smashed her head on the footpath, but expressed gratitude for the assistance of young tradie, Jesse Martin, who rushed to her aid and helped her home.

"She was distressed and probably quite concussed, she was a little bit wobbly on her feet," Martin said.

"I had to stabilise her for most of the walk home."

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CCTV showing the moment grandmother Anh Huynh was attacked.

The robbery, which occurred last Friday around midday on Thanet Street in Brooklyn Park, has left Anh too afraid to leave home alone.

She told 9News she won't go out to walk the street or catch buses anymore.

The police are searching for the perpetrator, who police say has distinctive tattoos on his left and possibly right arms.

"He was between his mid-40s to 50s," Martin, the last person to see the attacker, said.

"So I was a bit shocked that someone of that age and maturity could be doing something like that."

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

Trump says Republican woman who opposes him should be fired upon

Donald Trump said former Representative Liz Cheney is a "war hawk" who should be fired upon, as he raged against one of his most prominent intra-party critics while campaigning on Thursday night in Arizona.

"She's a radical war hawk. Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK?" the former president said at a campaign event in Glendale with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

"Let's see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face."

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Trump also hurled insults at Cheney, once the third-ranking Republican in House leadership, calling her "very dumb", a "stupid person" and "the moron".

Trump's suggestion that Cheney be fired upon represents an escalation of the violent language he has used to target his political foes. And it comes days before an election in which the former president — who never accepted his 2020 loss — has already undermined public confidence. In recent weeks, he has also suggested a military crackdown on political opponents he has described as "the enemy within".

Cheney is perhaps the most vocal Republican critic of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and his role in his supporters' January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. She played a leading role on the House select committee that investigated the attack, and later was ousted from her deep-red Wyoming House seat by a Trump-backed primary opponent in 2022.

In recent weeks, Cheney has campaigned alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, urging Republicans to set aside party differences to back the Democrat and reject a candidate she says poses a threat to democracy.

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Trump said on Thursday he was surprised former Vice President Dick Cheney also endorsed Harris, because he had pardoned Cheney's former chief of staff Scooter Libby, who was convicted of perjury in 2007.

"I don't blame him for sticking with his daughter, but his daughter's a very dumb individual — very dumb," Trump said.

Trump said Cheney is a "stupid person" and claimed that when the Wyoming Republican was in House Republican leadership, "she always wanted to go to war with people".

"You know, they're all war hawks when they're sitting in Washington in a nice building, saying … 'Let's send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy'," he said.

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Trump's use of violent language dates back to his first presidential campaign, in 2015 and 2016, when he suggested a heckler deserved to be "roughed up" and said he'd like to punch another in the face.

Former Defence Secretary Mark Esper wrote in his memoir that while in office, Trump raised the idea of shooting protesters who took to the streets around the White House after the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

"Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?" Trump asked, according to Esper.

He began his bid for the 2024 Republican nomination by telling the Conservative Political Action Conference gathering, "I am your retribution". Days later, he said at a rally in Waco, Texas, that the 2024 election would be "the final battle".

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And throughout his campaign, he has described those convicted for their actions during the Capitol riot as "hostages".

Harris has pointed to Trump's actions and rhetoric — including in a speech she delivered this week from the Ellipse in Washington, the same site where Trump delivered his January 6, 2021, speech — as she tries to court independents and moderate Republicans.

"Donald Trump intends to use the United States military against American citizens who simply disagree with him. People he calls 'the enemy from within.' This is not a candidate for president who is thinking about how to make your life better," Harris said in her Tuesday night remarks. "This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power."

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