Tag Archives: oceania

These dangerous texts are flooding millions of Aussies’ phones

2025-11-26 FreeNews

More than three million Australians who have self-identified as being problem or at-risk gamblers could be vulnerable to a proliferation of text messages sent by betting companies.

While there are strict laws governing gambling ads on TV, radio or online, the rules when it comes to texts are much looser.

So how often can a gambling company send an SMS message, and what are the rules around the practice?

A phone showing a text from a gambling company to a customer.

All direct communication must include a disclaimer

Legally, gambling companies are required to include just two things in direct marketing material like texts: consistent messaging about the risks and potential harm of gambling, and a way for consumers to opt out.

That means all texts must include specific taglines like "chances are you're about to lose'"and a link or instructions to unsubscribe.

Betting companies can also only send direct marketing materials to customers who provide "express consent" to receive it, per the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering.

Companies that send texts after a consumer has unsubscribed are in breach of the Australian Communications and Media Authority's spam rules

Earlier this year Tabcorp copped a $4 million fine for spamming VIP customers with thousands of messages without any way to unsubscribe.

In 2022, Sportsbet was ordered to pay $3.7 million in fines for sending more than 150,000 texts and emails to about 37,000 customers who had tried to unsubscribe.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at how to talk with someone about their gambling; or contact Gamblers Anonymous.

All services are free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Gramma, a 141-year-old Galapagos tortoise, dies in US

2025-11-26 FreeNews

After more than a century of munching on her favorite foods of romaine lettuce and cactus fruit, beloved Galapagos tortoise Gramma, the oldest resident of the San Diego Zoo in the US, has died.

Gramma was born in her native habitat and was estimated to be about 141 years old, zoo officials said. She died on November 20.

It's not clear exactly when the tortoise arrived at the San Diego Zoo, but zoo officials said she came from the Bronx Zoo in either 1928 or 1931 as part of their first group of Galapagos tortoises.

As the world changed around her, she delighted visitors with her sweet, shy personality. She lived through two World Wars and 20 US presidents.

Her care specialists affectionately called her "the Queen of the Zoo." She was suffering from bone conditions related to her old age that progressed recently before she was euthanised, the zoo said.

Many visitors commented on social media about getting to first visit Gramma when they were young, and being able to come back years later with their kids.

Cristina Park, 69, said one of her earliest memories from her childhood was going to the San Diego Zoo when she was three or four years old and riding on the back of a tortoise. That's no longer allowed, but the experience inspired her to keep a small desert tortoise as a pet and learn more about tortoise conservation.

"Just how amazing it is that they managed to live through so much," Park said. "And yet they're still there."

Galapagos tortoises can live for over 100 years in the wild, and close to double that in captivity.

The oldest known Galapagos tortoise was named Harriet, who lived at the Australia Zoo until the age of 175. She was collected from the Galapagos Islands in 1835, when she was just the size of a dinner plate, according to the zoo. This means that she hatched somewhere around 1830, and she died in 2006.

Galapagos tortoises include 15 subspecies of tortoises from the islands, three of which were deemed extinct. The rest are all vulnerable or critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Concerted efforts have been made to breed these tortoises in captivity over the past several decades, with more than 10,000 juveniles released to the wild since 1965, according to the Galapagos Conservancy. Some subspecies have been brought back from the brink of extinction.

In April, four baby Galapagos tortoises were born at the Philadelphia Zoo to first-time parents that were roughly 100 years old, a first in the zoo's history. In June, Zoo Miami resident and Galapagos tortoise Goliath became a first-time father at the age of 135.

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Rock-star fame as bad for you as smoking, study claims

2025-11-26 FreeNews

Being a famous rock star is a common dream, but a new study suggests achieving that goal comes with an early grave.

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health examined the life expectancies of famous singers compared to those who never reached the limelight.

The stars were found to die about four years earlier – even though overall, wealthier social brackets are associated with a higher life expectancy.

But it's far from clear whether it's fame itself, the demands of the music industry, or the lifestyle associated with being a musician, which contributes to this heightened risk, explain the researchers.

The researchers compiled a list of 324 celebrity singers who were active between 1950 and 1990, and matched them with 324 non-celebrity singers for birth year, gender, nationality, ethnicity, music genre, and whether or not they were solo artists or in a band.

Of the sample, 83.5 per cent were male, 61 per cent were from North America, and the remainder from Europe and the UK.

Most singers (65 per cent) were rock artists, followed by RnB (14 per cent), pop (9 per cent), New Wave (6 per cent), rap (4 per cent) and electronica (2 per cent).

Fifty-nine per cent of the singers were in a band, 29 per cent were solo artists, and 12 per cent had careers spanning both.

Analysis of the data showed that, on average, famous singers survived until they were 75; less famous singers survived until they were 79.

As part of its strategy to reduce cancer rates, the European Commission aims to reduce tobacco use to less than 5 per cent of the EU population by 2040.

While band membership was associated with a 26 per cent lower risk of death compared with going it alone, the inclusion of this variable didn't influence the overall effect of fame, as famous singers were still 33 per cent more likely to die earlier than their less well-known counterparts.

"Together, the analyses indicate that an elevated risk emerges specifically after achieving fame, which highlights fame as a potential temporal turning point for health risks including mortality," the researchers said.

"Beyond occupational explanations, our findings suggest that fame adds further vulnerability within an already at-risk group."

The heightened risk associated with fame is comparable to other known health risks, such as occasional smoking, which confers a heightened risk of death of 34 per cent, they said.

A possible explanation for the findings may lie in "the unique psychosocial stress that accompanies fame, such as intense public scrutiny, performance pressure, and loss of privacy," they suggested.

"These stressors may fuel psychological distress and harmful coping behaviours, making fame a chronic burden that amplifies existing occupational risk," they said.

"Being famous appears so detrimental that it overrides any potential benefits associated with high socioeconomic status. Again, this highlights the increased vulnerability of famous individuals, suggesting a need for targeted protection and support for this population."

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Delivery driver’s scooter stolen in brazen daylight street robbery

2025-11-26 FreeNews

A brazen daylight scooter robbery on the street in Sydney's west was caught on camera, showing the alleged theft taking place in just over 11 seconds.

The footage, which was taken at about 5pm on Monday on Copeland Street in Penrith, shows a man who appears to be a food service delivery driver waiting in traffic on the street.

Multiple people with their faces covered zoom into frame on motorbikes to surround the man, while one of the attackers jumps off to tackle the driver off his scooter.

https://omny.fm/shows/ben-fordham-full-show/exclusive-brazen-gang-attack-caught-on-camera/embed

They then jump onto the driver's scooter and drive away, all in seconds.

The driver appeared unhurt, and dusted himself off.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said one of the alleged perpetrators had been caught a short time later.

He told 2GB that officers patrolling in Cranebrook noticed a number of motorbikes.

One of the bikes failed to take a bend and crashed.

Lanyon said the officers arrested a 16-year-old boy at the scene and charged him with multiple driving offences and being armed with the intent to commit a crime.

Lanyon alleged the boy had a knife on his person when arrested.

He also alleged the scooter the boy had been riding was the stolen delivery driver's vehicle, which was returned to the man along with his mobile phone.

The teen was bailed to attend court on December 15.

Lanyon said the other alleged attackers were still being sought by police.

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Elderly man rescued from Victorian river after mobility scooter fail

2025-11-26 FreeNews

An elderly man was heading to his secret fishing spot in rural Victoria when things took a dramatic turn and he had to be rescued by police last month.

The brakes on the 82-year-old's mobility scooter failed and he plunged into the Wimmera River in Horsham, Victoria Police said in a Facebook post.

The man found himself unable to escape the cold water, but, luckily, a quick-thinking child spotted him and called Triple 000.

It took a dozen rescuers to pull the mobility scooter from the water after it became stuck in the mud.

Horsham police officers rushed to the scene and jumped into the river to help pull the distressed man to safety.

Extra police officers arrived shortly after to administer first aid until Ambulance Victoria could take over.

But the rescue effort wasn't over yet.

The Horsham SES team arrived shortly after and helped secure ropes to the submerged scooter.

It took a dozen people pulling together to haul the scooter back onto dry land, with Victoria Police adding the machine was "seriously heavy when stuck in the mud".

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‘Detention’: UK PM leads class in banned meme dance

2025-11-26 FreeNews

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has apologised after inciting a rebellious uprising in a primary school class with the viral "6-7" meme dance.

Starmer visited Welland Academy in Peterborough earlier this week to promote a new free school lunches program.

While there, he sat in on a classroom's reading time and spoke with a young girl finishing her book.

"I'm looking at page six – seven," the girl said with a grin.

"Oh, six – seven!" Starmer replied, before performing a juggling hand gesture associated with the viral meme that nobody old enough to drive seems capable of understanding.

The class promptly broke out to join the brief moment of activity.

In a video Starmer uploaded to his Instagram, he then apologised with a smile to a teacher who informed him the 6-7 dance had been banned at the school.

"I think I just got myself put in detention…" Starmer wrote in the caption.

The 6-7 meme, which can be as simple as saying "6-7" in any context whatsoever, has been largely regarded as a generation "in" gesture.

Attempts to understand any deeper meaning are likely not only to be frustrated, but per se indicate the seeker of answers is too old to be grappling with youth culture.

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Macquarie Dictionary reveals its word of the year

2025-11-25 FreeNews

The Macquarie Dictionary has announced "AI slop" as its word of the year for 2025.

The term refers to low-quality content created by generative AI which often contains errors.

Every year, the Macquarie Dictionary brings together a select committee to discuss new words and definitions that have entered its dictionary over the year.

AI Slop has been named the Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year.

The committee this year was comprised of the Macquarie Dictionary editorial team, radio host and writer David Astle, and language research specialist Tiger Webb.

"We understand now in 2025 what we mean by slop, AI-generated slop, which lacks meaningful content or use," the committee said.

"The question is, are the people ingesting and regurgitating this content soon to be called AI sloppers?"

The committee's honourable mentions included "clanker", a usually derogatory term used to describe an AI-driven robot that completes tasks normally performed by a human.

Medical misogyny was also nominated, which is the entrenched prejudice against females in the context of medical treatment and knowledge, especially in the area of reproductive health.

The word of the year often reflects societal change throughout the year.

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Catastrophic fire danger warning issued for parts of NSW ahead of hot, dry and windy conditions

2025-11-25 FreeNews

A catastrophic fire danger warning has been issued to residents in the NSW lower central west plains for tomorrow due to hot, dry and windy conditions.

The NSW Rural Fire Service issued the catastrophic warning for the first time in any part of NSW since September 2023.

"Catastrophic is the highest level of bush fire danger and the most dangerous conditions for a fire," the RFS said in its warning.

Catastrophic fire danger is forecast for the Lower Central West Plains on Wednesday 26 November 2025, due to forecast high temperatures, low humidities and strong winds, making conditions dangerous.

"Your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire."

Due to dangerous weather conditions, 11 areas across the state will be under a total fire ban.

Large areas of the state are also forecast to experience extreme fire danger.

This includes the Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney, Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Central Ranges, North Western, Upper Central West Plains, Southern Slopes, Eastern Riverina, Southern Riverina and Northern Riverina.

The NSW RFS said the fire danger ratings were based on weather advice from the Bureau of Meteorology.

The advice is subject to change as forecasts are updated.

https://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1993178779271766455

Extreme fire danger is also likely to continue into Thursday for parts of the state.

The NSW RFS said residents in areas of catastrophic fire danger should plan ahead.

"For your survival, leaving a fire risk area is your safest course of action," the NSW RFS said.

"Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before.

"A safer area may be a large town or city, shopping centres or facilities well away from fire risk areas.

"Stay out of paddocks and bushland areas during the hottest parts of the day.

"Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions.

"You may not be able to leave and help may not be available.

"Schools in identified high risk areas may be closed. Schools will notify affected students."

Residents should keep up to date with the latest advice and warnings on the NSW RFS website.

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Severe thunderstorm and hail warnings across NSW

2025-11-25 FreeNews

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning to parts of NSW as weather conditions are set to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall.

The warnings stretch across the Mid North Coast, Northern Tablelands and parts of Northern Rivers, North West Slopes and Plains and Central West Slopes and Plains forecast districts.

The heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding in warning areas over the next several hours, with locations set to be affected including Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Armidale, Moree, Tenterfield and Narrabri.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours. Weather warnings are in place in parts of NSW.

Tamworth residents described the winds as a mini tornado after the strong gusts destroyed trees and tangled roofing in power lines.

In the Hunter region, Muswellbrook was hit with gusts of up to 100km/h.

Tamworth Airport recorded winds as powerful as 124km/h.

The Bureau of Meteorology has said that a warm and humid airmass mixed with a trough and west to south-westerly change has resulted in the thunderstorm warnings for this afternoon and evening.

Locals are being urged to stay vigilant and monitor conditions.

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Police find no trace of missing boy Gus Lamont after first day of mine shaft search

2025-11-25 FreeNews

Detectives have failed to find any trace of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont after spending the day searching mine shafts near the remote South Australian property where he went missing.

Police this morning began a three-day search of six mine shafts near Oak Park Station, about 43 kilometres from the town of Yunta.

Officers said they didn't know about the shafts before.

Missing four-year-old Gus

Gus was reported as last seen playing on a mound of dirt about 5pm on Saturday, September 27 by his grandmother at the family's Oak Park Station homestead.

By 5.30pm, Gus – who has been described as shy but adventurous – had vanished and a full-scale ground and air search of the property and surrounding area was launched.

The fresh search involves STAR Group officers and Task Force Horizon officers using specialised equipment to search six mine shafts in the area.

About a dozen detectives overcame hot and windy conditions today to scour the shafts, lowering cameras into the mines in search of the little boy.

The uncovered, unfenced shafts are between 5.5 kilometres and 12 kilometres from the Oak Park homestead, in areas not searched on foot by police.

Police Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams said the new searches were part of ongoing investigations.

Missing four-year-old Gus Lamont in SA

"We are determined to explore every avenue in an effort to locate Gus Lamont and provide some closure for his family," she said.

"These searches will either locate evidence or eliminate these locations from further investigation by the Task Force."

Last month police drained a large dam on the property and eliminated the possibility Gus may have drowned.

This followed extensive ground and air searches of the area surrounding the Oak Park Station homestead.

The ground search has now extended to 5.5 kilometres from the homestead.

This equates to 95 square kilometres searched on foot.

This area searched with the help of aircraft and mounted officers has been estimated at 470 square kilometres, with no sign of the child.

Police stressed that no part of the investigation had turned up any suggestion of foul play.

Detectives will return to the area tomorrow.

All direct communication must include a disclaimer﻿

All direct communication must include a disclaimer