The former Prime Minister and National leader passed away at the age of 90.

Before being allegedly murdered by her ex-partner, Tatiana Dokhotaru confided he had threatened to kill her during a fight in which he allegedly dragged her by the hair and spat on her repeatedly.

Dokhotaru, 34, was killed in her 22nd-floor apartment in south-west Sydney on the night of May 26, 2023.

Her ex-boyfriend, Danny Zayat, is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to her murder.

The 30-year-old is accused of inflicting one or more blows to Dokhotaru's head, possibly in combination with a push that caused her to fall.

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In the lead-up to her death, Dokhotaru, also known as Tanya, told a friend about an ugly fight she had with Zayat after he went through her phone and saw her messages with other men.

He dragged her by her hair, spat at her "like 20 times", threw her phone, and threatened to kill her, according to a text she sent to her friend Arian Monchizada.

"I was fighting him off. I tried calling the cops, but he said he'll kill me if I do," she wrote on April 13.

"It was absolute hell. My body is in shock. My mind is too."

In the messages read out in court, Dokhotaru confided that she felt "so humiliated and violated" after the alleged assault and she was struggling to process it.

Weeks later, she wrote that Zayat attacked her a second time after claiming she had been messaging his friend.

"He strangled me so bad (sic), my throat is so bruised and swollen, I can barely breathe," Dokhotaru texted Monchizada on May 1.

Zayat's mother, Jamile, was giving evidence on Thursday afternoon about her knowledge of her son's whereabouts after Dokhotaru's death.

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On Monday, Dokhotaru's parents, who live in Canada, testified about Zayat's regular abusive phone calls to their daughter during a visit in 2022.

The prosecution alleges Zayat had a tendency to be violent and abusive towards his partner during their dysfunctional relationship and after they split up.

An interim two-year apprehended domestic violence order was taken out in a local court in May 2022 to protect Dokhotaru, the jury was told.

But Zayat rejected claims he was violent towards Dokhotaru or had anything to do with her death, his lawyer told the jury.

Defence barrister Madeleine Avenell SC said her client did not deny he had been in a "volatile and dysfunctional" relationship with Dokhotaru, but he didn't kill her.

The trial continues.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Police have made an emotional appeal to the public for any information in the search for missing WA mum Michelle Joan Leahy.

The Kalgoorie mother-of-three, 50, vanished after travelling to the Perth suburb of Nedlands for a medical appointment on the afternoon of Thursday, October 16 about 3.15pm.

Leahy was last seen near Bruce Street wearing a white top, blue patterned pants and a black cap and was carrying what appears to be a blue bag.

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As the search nears the end of its seventh day, police have shared CCTV footage of Leahy's last movements in the hope someone may recognise her.

WA Police Superindendant Manus Walsh appealed to the public for help and said Leahy's children deserve to know what happened to their much-loved mother.

He said "significant" resources have already been committed to the ongoing search for Leahy and her family hold concerns for her health.

"We are appealing to people's sense of compassion for this family," Walsh said.

"Ultimately we have three children who are at home and they don't know what's happened to their mum.

"We want to be able to tell these kids that their mum is in a safe space and is accessing health requirements that she may need."

Walsh urged residents in the Nedlands area to check their CCTV footage or dashcam cameras for any sign of Leahy.

Leahy is described as approximately 175cm tall, and of medium build, with brown hair and blue eyes.

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She arrived at a hospital to seek medical assistance in a rideshare service, Walsh said.

None of her belongings have been located in the investigation.

He said investigators do not believe her disappearance is suspicious.

Police also have not ruled out that someone may be helping Leahy.

They are holding out hope she will be found alive.

"We would love to find her alive. If I can return a mum to her three kids, I've had a good day," he said.

Leahy's husband Murray issued a heartbreaking message directly to his missing wife on October 19.

"Michelle, you're dearly loved. We want you home. We need you home," he said.

"You are the heart and soul of our family."

Anyone with information is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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A man wanted on a domestic violence-related warrant hid in a stormwater drain before police arrested him in New South Wales' central west.

Police attended several addresses in Orange yesterday searching for a man wanted on a warrant relating to alleged domestic violence offences.

At around 4.50pm, officers visited a home on McLachlan Street in Orange before a 21-year-old man allegedly jumped over the back fence of the house and entered an underground drain near Byng Street.

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A 20-year-old woman was also arrested at the McLachlan home for allegedly breaching bail conditions.

She allegedly pursued the man before he went inside the drain.

Hours later, about 7.30pm, police located the man using a drain inspection camera before he was arrested.

He was assessed by paramedics before being taken to Orange Police Station, where the warrant was later executed.

The 20-year-old woman was also taken to Orange Police Station and was charged with breach of bail.

They are both set to face court tomorrow.

National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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The group have borrowed money for accommodation after being left with no way home.

Mark Rangihuna has been jailed for raping the woman in Wellington about a decade ago.

‘The alarms are screaming and I can smell … smoke,’ a passenger said.

About 350 ferry passengers have been contacted by Health NZ.

Western Sydney University has admitted large amounts of personal data, including bank details, passport details and students' visa information was exposed in recent data breaches.

In a statement to staff and students seen by 9news.com.au, university Vice Chancellor and President George Williams confirmed data stolen through an external system between June 19 and September 3 was behind two data breaches in August and earlier this month.

The first incident saw the data of around 10,000 former and current students released on the dark web, with the incident on October 7 seeing fraudulent emails sent to students and alumni claiming their degrees or ability to study at the university had been "revoked".

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The university has confirmed stolen data was used to send the fraudulent emails, which impacted individuals told 9news.com.au caused serious mental and emotional stress.

"The University's investigations confirm that the fraudulent emails which were sent to some community members on 6 October 2025 used data stolen in this incident," Williams said.

Numerous complaints were received due to the lack of communication from the university after the emails were sent out, but it claimed they were instructed to remain quiet in the initial stages of the incident.

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"NSW Police requested the University refrain from notifying its community at the time to avoid interfering with ongoing Police investigations," Williams said in a statement.

"As soon as the University became aware, it reported the matter to NSW Police and the relevant regulatory authorities. 

Williams also admitted a large amount of personal data of former and current students was exposed in the breach, including:

• Contact information (address, email address, phone number)  
• Name, date of birth, student or staff ID  
• Country of birth, nationality, citizenship and/or gender or identity information  
• Ethnicity  
• Employment and payroll details  
• Bank account details  
• Tax file number  
• Driver licence details  
• Passport details  
• Visa information  
• Complaint/case information  
• Health and disability information  
• Legal information.

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The university said it is in contact with individuals who have been directly impacted by the data breach, with some notifications indicating the exact personal data that has been breached.

Western Sydney University claimed unauthorised access to key systems was obtained via third parties that supply IT services to the university.

Williams offered an apology to all staff and students, and said they were supporting those who have been impacted by both data breaches.

"I want to again apologise for the impact this is having, and give you my assurance that we are doing everything we can to rectify this issue and support our community," he said.

"We encourage all students, staff and alumni who receive notifications to take the recommended actions, regardless of steps taken in the past, and to use the support services available."

The university also stated an interim injunction prohibits transmission, publication and use of any information or material obtained by the former student in an unauthorised manner from the University's IT systems and network.

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COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could help cancer patients live longer by helping the immune system fight tumours, a new study has found.

Patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of beginning treatment lived twice as long as those who did not, the US researchers found.

The median survival rate for those with lung cancer increased by over three years, with those suffering from skin cancer surviving up to 40 months longer, according to the study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre that was published in Nature today.

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Experts believe that if the study results can be repeated, the vaccines could be an efficient and powerful option to treat cancer.

Associate Professor at the University of Queensland Seth Cheetham, who was not involved in the study, explained COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work in a similar fashion to many cancer treatments and help identify cancer cells for the immune system to fight.

"Many cancers are treated with drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors which stop cancer cells from hiding from the immune system," he said.

"mRNA vaccines quickly 'wake up' the immune system.

"Within a day, blood from human volunteers given a COVID mRNA vaccine displayed a sharp rise in interferon, a natural antiviral alarm, and immune cells switched into a more alert state."

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Cancer vaccines are in development and have shown some positive results, but they are expensive and have logistical challenges of their own.

However, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are cheaper and more widely available, having already been used globally during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cheetham cautioned further trials and studies were required, but said the latest developments were promising.

"If these confirmatory trials are successful, doctors may soon have an unexpected powerful new option for treating cancer," he said.

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