Tag Archives: oceania

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Hamilton man charged after Father’s Day armed robbery at Smith & McKenzie Steak House

2025-10-10 FreeNews

Officers found drugs, ammunition and stolen property during the raid.

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Auckland police seize 500kg of cannabis and MDMA in major drug raids

2025-10-10 FreeNews

Officers also seized MDMA, ketamine and a large stash of cash.

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Love triangle killer has 20-year jail sentence tossed, conviction thrown out

2025-10-10 FreeNews

A man who admitted to stabbing a carpenter over a bitter love triangle has had his murder conviction and 20-year jail term quashed.

Kevin George Smith, 41, was found guilty in September 2023 of murdering Daniel Pettersson with a large hunting knife after a NSW Supreme Court trial.

But an appeal court today found the jury was wrong to convict Smith of murder because there was reasonable doubt he may have acted in self-defence.

An appeal court found there was reasonable doubt Kevin George Smith may have acted in self-defence.

Smith stabbed his love rival once in the chest at a home Pettersson had stormed into in the Newcastle suburb of Jesmond in January 2022.

His 20-year prison term also overturned, Smith now faces a District Court trial for the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Smith had been in an on-and-off relationship with a woman between 2016 and the day of the murder, while Pettersson had been seeing her between August and December 2019.

When Pettersson and the woman separated, he moved to Queensland.

The woman found out a few months later she was pregnant and told Smith he was the father before giving birth in July 2020.

Pettersson returned to Newcastle in May 2021 and moved into the new house he had bought when the woman contacted him to tell him he might be the baby boy's father.

He decided to take a paternity test and during this time the woman would sometimes stay with him despite being in a relationship with Smith.

In August 2021, the DNA test proved Pettersson was the boy's biological father and Smith found out he had been lied to about paternity.

Smith was with the woman on January 6, 2022, at the Jesmond house when an aggressive, upset Pettersson pulled up outside about 3.34pm.

Pettersson had called the woman 17 times and her father seven times as he wanted to see his son before deciding to drive to her home.

There was a confrontation in the kitchen between the two men and Pettersson was stabbed once in the chest.

However, no one at the house saw the fatal altercation occur, leading the Court of Criminal Appeal to find there was reasonable doubt Smith did not act in self-defence.

"There was a lengthy history of animosity between the applicant and the deceased, which included mutual threats," the appeal judgment states.

Pettersson lunged at Smith after he put the knife away and Smith was not in a position to be able to escape the house, the appeal court found.

By attempting to take the knife off him, Smith would have been in "mortal danger" had Pettersson used it against him, Justice Christine Adamson said.

Smith will apply for bail when the case returns to the District Court on October 17, his solicitor Mark Ramsland told AAP.

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RBA boss denies housing crisis accusation in tense stand-off

2025-10-10 FreeNews

RBA Governor Michele Bullock has hit back at suggestions from the Greens that the central bank is responsible for Australia's skyrocketing house prices in a tense parliamentary hearing.

In an appearance at Senate estimates this morning, Bullock was questioned by Greens senator Nick McKim about the Reserve Bank's role in the housing crisis.

"The $400 billion that the RBA printed in the early year or two of COVID and effectively handed over to retail banks, who then turn around and lend it into the property market, do you accept that that played a role in the housing price bubble that we've seen over the last five years?" McKim asked.

Michele Bullock at a Senate estimates hearing, October 10, 2025.

"Certainly part of the way monetary policy works is through the housing market, but I would not accept that the Reserve Bank is responsible for the housing price issues in this country," Bullock, who wasn't appointed as governor until 2023, replied.

When challenged on that by McKim, who put to her that the RBA "doesn't accept any responsibility whatsoever in the housing price spike", Bullock pointed to an oft-cited factor as the genuine culprit.

"The problem is the lack of supply relative to demand, and when monetary policy eases and housing demand picks up, supply can't pick up as quickly, and that's where you end up," she said.

"But it's not monetary policy's responsibility to look after housing prices."

Having previously said that it would be at least two years before Australia started to see some relief from price surges, despite governments starting to focus on increasing supply, Bullock reiterated that fixing the country's housing stock was a long, slow process.

"It takes time to get approvals and one of the big things is higher density housing and that by its nature takes much longer," she said.

"It is not something that you can just turn the switch and say 'alright, now we're off and running', it really takes time."

Bullock also frustrated McKim by telling him investors weren't significantly exacerbating the housing crisis at the moment, and by refusing to be drawn on whether removing the capital gains tax discount for property would slow price rises.

Nick McKim at a Senate estimates hearing, October 10, 2025.

"I have done no particular analysis on what removal of the capital gains tax might do," she said.

"It's (not) my job to tell the government what they should do with the policy," she added.

However, when asked by Liberal senator Andrew Bragg about the impact of the federal government's expanded first home guarantee scheme, Bullock said it was possible it would lead to house prices going "a little higher" in the short-term.

But as for the medium-term impacts, she said that would depend on – you guessed it – supply.

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Group arrested after police allegedly discover cannabis crop worth $15 million

2025-10-10 FreeNews

Eight people have been arrested after police dismantled a sophisticated cannabis crop growing in gardening igloos in Melbourne's south-east.

Drone footage released by police today shows officers chasing the alleged offenders through a 20-acre property in Devon Meadows on Tuesday.

The property was one of two police raided simultaneously at 7.30am that morning.

Drone footage released by police today has shown officers chasing the alleged offenders through a 20-acre property in Devon Meadows on Tuesday.

One of the men was cornered near the grow houses, handcuffed and taken into custody.

Approximately 4500 cannabis plants worth an estimated $15 million were taken from the property.

The plants will be destroyed after a forensic examination by a botanist.

One of the men was cornered near the grow houses, handcuffed and taken into custody.

Five men aged between 26 and 49 have been charged with cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis.

The 26-year-old man was also charged with possessing a drug of dependence.

They appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

They have been remanded to face court at a later date.

Three men aged 32, 37 and 41 were released on intent to summons for cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis

A man and woman, both aged 33, were spoken to and released pending enquiries.

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Severe weather warnings issued in five states and territories as destructive winds surge

2025-10-10 FreeNews

Severe weather warnings have been issued for five states and territories as wild winds buffet south-east Australia.

A strong low pressure system over the Southern Ocean has pushed a cold front over Tasmania and up towards the southeastern states on the mainland.

Warnings for damaging or destructive winds have now been issued in Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, NSW and the ACT.

Severe weather warnings have been issued in five states.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued specific warnings for the following regions in each state:

Tasmania – King Island, Furneaux Islands, Western, Upper Derwent Valley, South East, North East, East Coast, North West Coast, Central North, Central Plateau and Midlands
SA – Lower South East district
Victoria – Central, South West, West and South Gippsland and parts of East Gippsland, North Central, North East and Wimmera
NSW and ACT – parts of South Coast, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, ACT and South West Slopes

People in the affected regions have been advised to secure outdoor items, and stay indoors and away from windows while conditions are severe.

Many have also been warned to prepare for power outages and beware of damaged trees and power lines.

Locals should also monitor for updates from State Emergency Services.

Strong wind gusts have already been recorded across all five affected states today.

A gust of 139 km/h was recorded at Scotts Peak in Tasmania early this morning, capping off six consecutive days of wind gusts exceeding 100km/h.

Severe weather warnings have been issued across Tasmania.

A gust of 154 km/h hit Maatsuyker Island, on the state's southern tip, at 11:40am (AEST).

Wind gusts have exceeded 110km/h there every day since Sunday.

Tasmania has also been lashed with rain over the past week, with the seven-day totals creeping towards 100mm in some locations.

Farther north, a gust of 120 km/h was recorded at Mt William in Victoria's Grampians this morning.

But it's unlikely the low pressure system will bring more than scattered showers to Victoria, SA or NSW.

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PM’s warning after alleged death threat

2025-10-10 FreeNews

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for Australia to "turn the temperature down" on political discourse after a man was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill him online.

Queensland man Norman Dean Lake was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly wrote on Facebook that he would "assassinate" Albanese and urged the public to "watch the news in two weeks".

At a press conference today, Albanese said there was "no place" for violence in discourse.

"We just need to turn down the temperature," he said.

"It's something that I've tried to bring to political discourse in this country."

Albanese said the problem had worsened in recent years.

"Issues that I face are far more acute than 10 years ago, five years ago," he said.

"Certainly a lot more acute than when I was first elected.

"And I just say that the role of social media, people being able to say things that they would never say to your face is something I've spoken about regularly.

"There's no place for violence, there's no place for violent discourse either.

"Because we can't normalise these sorts of threats being made and think that it's business as usual."

While he did not comment on the specifics of Lake's case, which remains before the course, Albanese warned that rising anger in political conversation could lead to "real tragedy".

"Well, the great thing about this country is I could go to a shopping centre in Sunnybank during the election campaign, I could do a walkthrough in south-east Queensland and engage with people," he said.

"I don't want to lose that as prime minister. I don't want to be told I can't engage in a normal way with people at random about preparation."

Lake was refused bail in court and remains in custody.

His case will next be heard in November.

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Unusual customer heads to South Australia bottle shop’s beer fridge

2025-10-10 FreeNews

Staff and patrons at The Queenscliffe Family Hotel on Kangaroo Island, South Australia were treated to a surprise visit by a very unlikely customer this week: a koala.

Footage of him wandering through the venue attracted plenty of attention online, where it's being doing the rounds on social media.

The koala wandered in on Wednesday and spent about 10 minutes roaming the aisles, assistant manager Nicole Arthur told 9news.com.au.

A koala wandered into The Queenscliffe Family Hotel on Kangaroo Island this week.

"It's not unusual to see koalas wandering sort of around the streets in Kingscote," she said.

"He just wandered down the road and then just walked into the front of the bottle shop that's attached to the pub."

The koala appeared to be looking for a cool spot to escape the sun.

Arthur said the koala wandered into the main area of the bottle shop and parked himself by the fridges for a few minutes.

A koala wandered into The Queenscliffe Family Hotel on Kangaroo Island this week.

The koala didn't appear injured or in distress but staff contacted a local vet and wildlife services just to be sure.

They also provided a bowl of water for the koala to sip on while he was in the store.

"Somebody from the wildlife group came down and had a look at him," Arthur said.

"Made sure he wasn't in distress, made sure he was OK, and they just left him there."

Because it's so common to see koalas in the trees around Kingscote, where the pub is located, local patrons didn't make much of a fuss about the koala.

Tourists, on the other hand, were delighted at getting to see one of Australia's iconic native animals up close and personal.

"We just monitored him, made sure they weren't harassing him," Arthur said, adding that humans should refrain from touching or interacting with wild koalas.

"And then he wandered back out."

Though it's quite uncommon for koalas to venture into businesses or homes on Kangaroo Island, Arthur said she doubted this will be the last time it happens at The Queenscliffe Family Hotel.

"It's just one of those things over here," she mused.

"Nothing's ever normal on Kangaroo Island."

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Robert F Kennedy makes controversial link about circumcision

2025-10-10 FreeNews

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy has made a shock claim linking circumcision to autism, building on his recent controversial and unproven declaration that a common painkiller caused the condition.

At a round-table, Kennedy reasserted the unproven link between the pain reliever Tylenol and autism, and suggested people who opposed the theory were motivated by hatred for US President Donald Trump.

During a meeting with Trump and the Cabinet, the polarising Kennedy reiterated the connection, even while noting there was no medical proof to substantiate the claim. He also mistakenly described a pregnant woman's anatomy and linked autism to circumcision.

"Anybody who takes the stuff during pregnancy unless they have to is, is irresponsible," Kennedy told Trump and fellow Cabinet members.

"It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

Kennedy has long espoused unconventional beliefs about public health, which have prompted concern among medical experts that, as health secretary, he could upend the country's evidence-based health policies.

Tylenol

Kennedy noted during the meeting that he had seen a TikTok video, which he said featured a pregnant woman "gobbling Tylenol" and cursing Trump.

"The level of Trump derangement syndrome has now left the political landscape and now in the realm of pathology," he said. Kennedy also said the woman was taking Tylenol "with a baby in her placenta."

A fetus develops in the uterus, not the placenta. The placenta is a temporary organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy and provides oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to the growing fetus.

Kennedy's statement came two weeks after he stood with Trump in the White House as the president used his office to promote unproven and, in some cases, discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism.

Tylenol contains paracetamol, a very common painkiller drug.

Kennedy also said today that infant boys who are circumcised have double the rate of autism because they are given Tylenol after the procedure.

This claim seems to refer to a study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine from 2015, which looked at ritual circumcision and the risk of autism spectrum disorder in boys under the age of 10 in Denmark.

It found that those who had undergone the procedure, which involves the removal of the foreskin from the penis, were more likely to develop autism than other boys in the study.

Researchers suggested a potential link might be due to the pain of the procedure.

Researchers noted that they had no data on painkillers or anesthetics used, and thus couldn't address whether Tylenol was linked to autism.

Other researchers pointed out that the Denmark study looked at correlation, not causation. They also point to other studies that found no evidence to support a link between circumcision and autism.

Reported with Associated Press.

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‘I burst into tears’: The phone call from a friend that stopped me cold

2025-10-10 FreeNews

I remember I was in the car, driving to my sister's house. My phone rang, it was one of my girlfriends.

I answered, chirpy and about to gush about how I'd just met my baby nephew for the first time and was on my way for more cuddles – but the tone of her voice stopped me cold.

She asked me to call her back once I'd gotten home, not keen to distract me with some bad news while I was driving.

But I pulled into a service station instead, insisting she tell me then. She broke down as she relayed the news that our beautiful friend Paula, had just been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Time stood still.

I had so many questions but was also completely lost for words. Parked in the middle of a suburban petrol station, I burst into tears, as I tried to digest the devastating news.

Paula had just turned 33, days earlier. She'd just given birth to her first child only months before that. She was healthy, hard-working, the kindest person you'll ever meet. I didn't want to believe it.

She was too young to have breast cancer! She was still breastfeeding her little girl! She was in the prime of her life! And yet she was now in the biggest fight of her life. It just wasn't fair.

I immediately thought back to my chat with Paula just a few days earlier, when she was telling me about nipple rawness that doctors had linked to general breastfeeding sensitivities.

She had also, during the last trimester of her pregnancy, felt a lump under her left arm, but doctors thought that it was most likely a blocked milk duct.

Many women will know that lumps and bumps pre and post partum are often attributed to hormonal changes or blocked milk ducts. But this time, Paula had pushed for more tests.

And sure enough, that lump proved to be much more sinister – Paula was diagnosed with stage 2, grade 3, aggressive HER2 positive breast cancer. Her newborn bubble had burst.

She was forced to immediately stop breastfeeding and a whirlwind of further testing began – CT scans, MRIs, surgery to biopsy her lymph nodes and fertility preservation – ahead of a gruelling chemotherapy treatment plan.

She had chemo for six months – the first three months was brutal, Paula says that part of the treatment is known as "the red devil" for its potency.

She also opted to have cold capping during chemo, a painful process but one that saved about 60 per cent of her hair. Then came months of targeted therapy, followed by the most physically altering process – a double mastectomy.

It was a four-to-five-hour surgery that included reconstruction and involved a recovery process which prohibited her from picking up her one-year-old daughter for six weeks. My heart breaks just thinking back on it all.

But thankfully, through resilience, grace, and incredible medical care and guidance, cancer was no match for Paula. After about nine months, and that debilitating treatment process, doctors gave Paula the news we'd all been hoping for – she was clear of cancer.

She still had to complete some treatment, and while any patient with lived experience with cancer will tell you they're never really "free", it was the end to a significant and painful chapter.

Paula of course lives with ongoing check-ups and the scars of her double mastectomy. But now, those scars are more a reminder of what she's overcome.

She's been able to have another child, and restore normality to her life. And now, she's investing her experience into advocacy for future generations of young breast cancer patients. And she's an advocate we desperately need – today, around three Australian women under the age of 40, will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

The same will happen again tomorrow. And again the following day.

Each year, it's on the rise. Since 2000, rates among women aged 30-39 have risen "modestly" according to Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), and more "sharply" for women aged 40-49.

The network says these younger women are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages or with more aggressive disease.

In Australia, the federal BreastScreen program "actively invites" women aged 50-74 to have a free mammogram every two years.

Women aged 40-49 and 75 or over are instead simply "eligible" for a free screening, but need to proactively contact their local service if they wish to book an appointment. In our busy lives, it's not hard to see how something like that might be overlooked.

That's exactly why BCNA's new campaign reinforces the importance of taking a look, at every opportunity.

They're asking women to "Know Yourself. Feel Yourself", and literally feel around for any inconsistencies when it comes to your breast health.

They want women to give their breasts the same daily attention we give our faces in the mirror. Think about that – how many hours do we collectively spend cleansing, moisturising, applying make-up, to our faces, every single day.

Why not spend just a fraction of that time familiarising yourself with your breasts? In the shower, when you're getting dressed, undressed, on the couch watching TV, or while in the kitchen waiting for a meal to cook. Normalise knowing your breasts.

And if something feels off, get it checked out. You might just catch something early. And when it comes to a breast cancer prognosis, the sooner it can be treated, the better an outcome might be – just like it was, for my friend Paula.

You can watch BCNA's educational breast self-check video here.

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