Police have closed the city-bound Lincoln Rd on-ramp to the Northwestern Motorway.
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Poodle fighting for life after heroic act to save owner
A 63-year-old retiree says she was saved from a brutal Adelaide dog attack by her 13-year-old poodle, but her brave pet is now fighting for his own life.
Mandy Lumb claims her poodle, Dougal, sustained critical injuries while protecting her from two staffies that entered her yard on Saturday night.
"The most horrific experience of my life," Lumb said.
READ MORE: Death toll rises to seven after US cargo plane crash
"It was so traumatic and it's something I will never recover from… these dogs are like a pair of velociraptors."
Lumb said she tripped over, leaving her powerless and too shocked to move as Dougal stood protecting her.
The 13-year-old poodle's life has been left hanging by a thread.
Lumb has owned her house since 2005 and was thinking of renovating, but now says her peace of mind here may never return.
She told 9News she saw the two dogs run down her neighbour's driveway, but Rebecca Sullivan, who lives next door, denies it was her dogs.
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Security video footage shows Sullivan's staffies in her backyard approximately 30 minutes before the alleged attack.
"We were only home for 25 minutes, the dogs did not get out in 25 minutes," Sullivan said.
It remains unclear which dogs were involved.
Tee Tree Gully Council says it is investigating the incident, and that it highlights the need for dogs to be kept under effective control at all times.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
Calls for street named after disgraced former prince to be changed
A residential street named after the former Prince Andrew could be changed after the disgraced British royal was stripped of his titles amid the growing scandal over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Melbourne's Whittlesea Council said it had received enquiries from locals on Prince Andrew Avenue in Lalor questioning whether a new name would be found for the street.
Whittlesea Council confirmed it had engaged the authoritative body Geographic Names Victoria (GNV) about the issue.
"In accordance with the Naming Rules for Places in Victoria, road names should be enduring and changed only when necessary," a Whittlesea Council spokesperson said.
The council said it needed "demonstrated support from a majority of affected residents" to apply to change the thoroughfare's name.
"Should there be clear support from residents of the street for a name change, Council will undertake a formal consultation process and, if appropriate, submit a re-naming proposal to GNV for assessment," the council said.
"Council is currently liaising with the residents who enquired about a name change to discuss next steps."
The move comes after King Charles stripped his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, of his titles of Prince and Duke of York in the wake of controversy surrounding his relationship with Epstein.
Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges.
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Late sexual abuse advocate Virginia Giuffre alleges she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions around 2001.
Mountbatten Windsor has strongly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
In 2022, he paid Giuffre millions in a civil sexual assault lawsuit settlement.
While he didn't admit to any of Giuffre's allegations, he acknowledged that she had suffered as a sexual abuse victim.
Giuffre died by suicide at her home in Neergabby, Western Australia, in April.
Her posthumous memoir detailing her interactions with Andrew and Epstein was released last month.
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.
National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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‘Heartbreaking day’: Death toll rises to seven after US cargo plane crash
Seven people have died and another 11 have been injured after a United Parcel Services (UPS) MD-11 plane crashed shortly after takeoff near the international airport in Louisville, Kentucky.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed just after 5pm local time and was headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash along with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg confirmed on X there have been seven fatalities and 11 people injured.
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"But we are still actively searching the scene," Mayor Greenberg said.
"There are more than 100 firefighters from across the region still on the scene working to make it safe for everyone in our community."
He added: "I'd like to send my prayers to the families of the victims in this tragic crash."
At least 11 people who were injured have been taken to local hospitals.
The wounded have "very significant" injuries, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told media.
https://x.com/LouisvilleMayor/status/1985909104959717648
In an update posted to X, Beshear said the death toll was "expected to rise".
"First responders are onsite and working hard to extinguish the fire and continue the investigation," he said.
"Air monitoring assets have been deployed, and we are working to keep the public informed and keep folks in the area safe. We will share more information as it's available.
"Please, pray for the families affected, Louisville and all of Kentucky.
"We are hurting right now after a heartbreaking day."
Mayor Greenberg said the airport would remain closed for the rest of the evening.
He urged anyone worried their loved one has been impacted to visit a family assistance centre set up at the Louisville Metro Police Training Academy.
Three crew members were on the plane, UPS said in an earlier statement.
The status of the flight crew on board UPS Flight 2976 remains unknown.
"We do not – at the moment – have the status of the crew," Beshear said.
"I think we're all very, very worried about them."
Authorities at Louisville Metro Police Department said the crash scene will be an "active" one for several days.
"We don't know how long it's going to take to render that scene safe for the investigation to take place," police chief Paul Humphrey said.
The fully-fueled plane crashed into the ground in an industrial area less than 1.6 kilometres from the end of the runway.
In a statement, UPS said it was "terribly saddened" by the accident.
"UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve," it said.
"This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.
https://x.com/UPS/status/1985911449957400832
"We are engaged with the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the accident and are staying in close contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. We will work tirelessly with state and local authorities on response efforts.
"As a result of the accident, we are halting package sorting operations tonight at Worldport."
A large fire spread to a recycling centre nearby the airport.
Billowing black smoke and flames were seen spreading over a field of debris as scores of first responders arrived at the scene.
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The sound of an "explosion" was heard near Grade Lane and Fern Valley Road near the international airport, according to local media reports.
A massive plume of black smoke was seen rising not far from the tarmac at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, videos from CNN affiliate WAVE show.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is the worldwide air hub for UPS.
The company's Worldport is more than five million square feet where more than 12,000 UPS employees process more than two million packages a day, according to the company.
A shelter-in-place was issued for all locations within eight kilometres of the airport, police added, and it was later downgraded to a 1.6 kilometre radius.
"LMPD and multiple other agencies are responding to reports of a plane crash near Fern Valley and Grade Lane," the post said.
"Grade lane will be closed indefinitely between Stooges and Crittenden."
Witnesses report seeing debris 'fall from sky'
A man and his son told CNN affiliate WAVE they saw debris falling from the sky after the plane crash.
Justin Dunn said he noticed white paper falling to the ground.
"My son was like, 'Hey, look in the sky,' and it was coming down out of the sky and he picked it up," Dunn said.
"There's definitely debris all through here, probably within 10 miles (16 kilometres)."
Other residents in the local area said they saw a "massive black cloud" of smoke billowing from the crash site.
"My jaw dropped when I heard minutes later that it was a plane crash," Louisville woman Amanda Rhye told CNN.
"Everyone else around me realised it too, a couple of dozen people all stopped what they were doing and stared as the cloud quickly grew and expanded miles in every direction.
"Within 20 minutes, the massive black cloud was over us in the sky."
What is the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F?
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F is a freight transport aircraft manufactured originally by McDonnell Douglas and later by Boeing.
The aircraft is primarily flown by FedEx Express, Lufthansa Cargo and UPS Airlines for cargo.
The plane also served as a popular wide-bodied passenger airplane after it was first flown in 1990.
As fuel costs increased for the three engine jets many of them were converted to freighters.
The plane can take off weighing in at a maximum 633,000 pounds and carrying more than 38,000 gallons of fuel, according to Boeing, which bought McDonnell Douglass.
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The 34-year-old anti-Trump politician elected as New York mayor
Zohran Mamdani has been elected mayor of New York, a meteoric rise for a self-described democratic socialist who was a virtual unknown a year ago.
The 34-year-old is the youngest mayor in the city for more than a century.
Mamdani rode to a comfortable victory on a wave of discontent in the city.
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He ran his campaign on cost-of-living issues.
Among his proposed policies are a rent freeze, free buses, city-owned grocery stores and a $US30 minimum wage.
But his campaign was dogged by criticism of his positions on Israel, describing the actions of the Netanyahu government in Gaza as a "genocide".
Turnout in the Big Apple was the highest it has been since 1969, with a surprisingly high number of young voters casting a ballot.
Mamdani won the Democratic primary earlier this year with a substantial lead over former governor Andrew Cuomo.
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Cuomo is a heavyweight in the Democratic Party but was pressured into resigning his office after a series of sexual misconduct accusations.
"My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty," Mamdani said in his victory speech.
"I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life, but let tonight be the final time I utter his name."
Among a crowded field, Mamdani rose from obscurity to frontrunner thanks in large part to his upbeat and engaging TikTok content.
With so many politicians uncomfortable on social media, Mamdani was a natural.
And it resulted in a massive surge in support among young voters.
"Thank you to the next generation of New Yorkers, who refuse to accept that the promise of a better future was a relic of the past," Mamdani said.
After the primary loss, Cuomo announced an independent run for mayor.
But as polls closed, it was readily apparent Cuomo did not have enough support to win.
In his concession speech, Cuomo called for unity.
"We will all help any way we can because we need our New York City government to work," he said.
"We want it to work for all New Yorkers because our city is the greatest city in the world."
Republican Curtis Sliwa has not cracked double digits at the current count.
Incumbent mayor Eric Adams dropped his re-election bid after polling showed him in a distant fourth place.
Since 2021, Mamdani has served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
Mamdani was born in Uganda and moved to New York City as a seven-year-old.
His father Mahmood is a high-profile academic and his mother Mira Nair is a director, best known for the Denzel Washington-starring Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding.
He retains his Ugandan citizenship and is a Shia Muslim.
He got married earlier this year after meeting his now-wife on the dating app Hinge.
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Why you could be seeing a lot more of these yellow stickers on shopfronts
Two illicit tobacco stores in Sydney's North Shore have been shut down as the state government's crackdown on the costly industry begins.
Minister for Health Ryan Park announced this morning two stores in St Leonards were shut down after the government applied new powers that allow them to shut down stores suspected of selling illicit tobacco and vapes.
In an image sent to 9news.com.au, a paper notice on the front of one of the stores stated the closure would last until February 2, 2026.
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Inspectors seized nearly 4000 illicit cigarettes and 224 illegal vapes during searches on the two shops, with the government subsequently issuing a closure order.
These last for 90 days, with the local court being able to make a long-term closure of up to a year if investigators find a larger-scale breach has occurred.
Park hinted this was just the beginning of a longer and sustained program that the government hopes will tackle the illicit tobacco trade in Sydney.
"We have begun raiding and temporarily shutting down a number of shopfronts suspected of not complying with our tough new tobacco and vaping laws," he said.
"This will take some time as we ramp up our closure activities, but this is just the beginning. More will follow in the coming days, weeks and months."
As well as targeted raids on stores involved in the illicit tobacco trade, greater fines and penalties will now be given to people and companies who fall foul of the law.
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Fines have now increased to a maximum of $660,000 for individuals and $880,000 for a corporation if caught selling tobacco without a licence.
For those found to be in commercial possession of illicit tobacco, the fine could reach $1.54 million, or an individual could face up to seven years imprisonment.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant insists the measures are meant to protect the health and safety of people in New South Wales.
"Tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of preventable death and disease in our community," she said.
"The new closure powers are another key tool to ensure we act swiftly and gain stronger oversight of the illicit tobacco and illegal trade to help protect public health."
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New documents reveal how Erin Patterson will fight murder convictions
Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson is challenging her conviction on seven grounds, taking issue with jury management during deliberations and "oppressive" prosecution questioning while she gave evidence in her trial.
The 51-year-old was convicted and jailed for life in September with a non-parole period of 33 years after being found guilty of murdering her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66.
A jury found she deliberately served beef Wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms to her lunch guests in July 2023 at her Leongatha home in regional Victoria.
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She was also convicted of the attempted murder of Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, 69, who fell seriously ill after eating the meal but survived.
Patterson's lawyers have lodged a formal application to appeal her convictions in the Supreme Court. The grounds for her appeal application were released by the court on Wednesday.
Patterson said there was a "fundamental irregularity" while the jury was sequestered during the trial.
After the jury were sent out for deliberations, it was revealed they had been placed in the same hotel as the police informant and two members of the prosecution team.
"That has fatally undermined the integrity of the verdicts and requires the quashing of the convictions and an order for a re-trial so that justice cannot only be done but be seen to be done," the documents said.
Justice Christopher Beale at the time said the jury had a floor to themselves and were separated from other guests of the hotel.
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Patterson further claimed a "substantial miscarriage of justice occurred" because of the prosecution's "unfair and oppressive" cross-examination of her when she gave evidence over several days in the trial.
She said the prosecution's opening and closing arguments also caused a substantial miscarriage of justice because they introduced an implied motive at the end of the trial.
The mushroom cook has also taken issue with evidence that was aired in court.
She said evidence relating to cell towers, death cap mushroom sightings in Loch and Outtrim – posted to the iNaturalist website and from Facebook 'friends' and messages – should not have been permitted because they were not relevant and unfairly prejudiced her.
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She also claimed Beale had "erred" when he ruled photos and videos related to mushrooms found on an SD card at her home was inadmissible during the prosecution case.
Patterson has always maintained her innocence and claimed it was a terrible accident.
Crown prosecutors lodged their own appeal in October over Patterson's "manifestly inadequate" sentence.
Beale noted in sentencing Patterson that her offending was the worst category of murder and represented a betrayal of trust towards people she considered family.
But he showed Patterson mercy with the chance of parole, noting she was essentially in solitary confinement for at least 22 hours a day.
Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Diana Piekusis KC said the judge had erred by finding there was a "substantial chance" Patterson would be held in solitary confinement for years to come.
Beale accepted there was no proven motive, but he found Patterson concocted an elaborate story to cover up her offending, including lying about a food dehydrator and having cancer.
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Optus investigating whether NSW outage impacted emergency calls
Optus has restored services for the majority of customers affected by an outage in the NSW Hunter region which potentially impacted triple zero calls.
The disruption, caused by vandalism at a mobile phone tower, affected mobile voice and data services for hours for just under 70,000 customers.
It is understood the damage occurred on Maitland Road at Hexham in Newcastle at 9.30am today.
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"We apologise to our customers for the disruption and thank them for their patience," an Optus spokesperson said at 5.45pm.
"We will continue to provide regular updates as work progresses."
The spokesperson said Optus alerted emergency services and agencies, Telstra's emergency call person and relevant government bodies.
It's understood Optus customers were notified just after 1.30pm today.
Telstra confirmed the damage knocked out five of its mobile sites and some landline services in different parts of NSW.
"Repairs are under way and services are progressively coming back online," a spokesperson said.
"Vandalism and copper theft is a significant international issue that affects all service companies, including Telstra.
"The impact of vandalism like this can be significant for businesses, individuals and critical community services.
"It also requires us to divert work crews to restore services, delaying us from resolving other customer issues.
"We encourage anyone seeing any suspicious activity near our facilities to contact police immediately."
A crime scene has been set up and police have appealed to the public for dashcam footage.
Welfare checks are under way in the NSW Hunter region to investigate if there were any failed attempts to connect with emergency services.
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"We're sorry services are still disrupted by an outage," Optus said in an email.
"Calls to emergency services are impacted by this outage.
"Optus customers will only be able to call emergency services if they are within coverage of another mobile network or are able to call via wi-fi."
The outage comes a day after chairman and chief executive Stephen Rue was questioned at a senate inquiry over a triple zero outage in September.
Three customers who were unable to call the emergency line died.
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Two charged in ‘mistaken identity’ murder of Sydney plumber
Two men have been arrested and charged with the murder of a Sydney plumber earlier this year in what police believe may have been a case of mistaken identity in an attempted gangland hit.
John Versace, a 23-year-old man with no links to any criminal organisations, was shot in Condell Park on May 19.
This morning, police arrested 19-year-old Ahmed Naji at his Bankstown home and a 43-year-old man in Casula. Both were charged with murder and refused bail to appear at court today.
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"(The men were) involved in planning the murder, staged vehicles in preparation of the murder, drove the person responsible for the shooting," Detective Superintendent Jason Box alleged this afternoon.
"(They) assisted in the planning and preparation of murder through acquiring and staging vehicles."
Versace was found outside his family home on Dalton Street and had suffered gunshot wounds to his chest and stomach.
He was treated by paramedics, but died at the scene.
"There's nothing to suggest that Mr Versace was anything but a hard-working young man that was living at home with his family and trying to set himself up for the rest of his life," Box said.
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The shooting was captured on CCTV, with Versace shown reversing his ute onto the driveway, before being confronted by two people in another car.
One person got out of the car and approached Versace before firing multiple shots at him.
The two suspects then fled in the car from the scene, leaving a dying Versace on the driveway.
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A burnt-out car of a similar make and model was later found in Fairfield East, with a handgun also found in the smouldering wreck.
Investigations into the shooting continue.
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Lotto Powerball: Numbers drawn for $36 million jackpot
Dream win on the line: Someone could become $36m richer tonight.