One man said he used to get arrested so he’d have a bed and a break from substance abuse.
Tag Archives: oceania
Police pursuit ends with armed officers and man in siege in stranger’s apartment
Police are questioning an Adelaide man after he led them on a pursuit which ended in a siege at a stranger's apartment in the city's eastern suburbs.
Vision obtained exclusively by 9News shows heavily armed police searching the apartment before arresting the 28-year-old man.
Police say the stranger was held hostage by the man.
The man came to police's attention just after midnight when police were called after reports of a domestic disturbance between a man and a woman in a car on the Parade in Kensington Gardens.
The man allegedly tried to flee from police and led them on a car chase, where he nearly collided with a patrol car.
The chase went on through multiple suburbs until it ended up at Kiruna Avenue in Hove.
He allegedly dumped the car at the back of an apartment complex, entering the unit of a person he did not know.
"I'm not sure. I don't even know. I was in bed, I was in bed, I was asleep and they dragged me out of bed," the resident told 9News.
Subsequently, specialist police officers entered the apartment and tried to negotiate him to come outside so they could arrest him.
They were eventually able to arrest him, and he is expected to be charged with several offences later today.
The woman sustained no physical injuries, but was taken away by police for support.
National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Auckland residents ‘horrified’ as native trees cut down in Freemans Bay
Axes and chainsaws dashed hopes of saving native trees at an Auckland housing complex.
Daylight saving time starts in New Zealand this Sunday: Everything you need to know
Fire and Emergency urges households to test smoke alarms this weekend.
Hastie dismisses ‘mischievous’ speculation after immigration post
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie has rejected "mischievous" suggestions that he does not support Liberal leader Sussan Ley after making several outspoken comments on policy positions in recent weeks.
Speaking on Nine radio station 2GB this morning, Hastie said his main concern was with stopping the fragmentation of the Liberal Party and claimed he was simply channelling the concerns and key issues Australians were facing.
"I support Sussan, anyone who's speculating otherwise is being mischievous," he told 2GB's Mark Levy.
READ MORE: Albanese splits from Trump on key issues hours after smiling selfie
"My main concern is that the centre-right is fragmenting.
"We've seen the rise in the One Nation vote and other microparties, and having us fragmented on the right is very strategically advantageous for Labor.
"I'm simply saying what people out on the street are looking for in their political leadership… I believe that net zero is going to be a tragedy for our country.
"I believe that net overseas migration is far too high, and it's locking young Australians out of the housing market."
Hastie has garnered headlines for posts on his social media accounts, including an Instagram post yesterday with a caption, "We're starting to feel like strangers in our own home", a thinly veiled critique on Australia's immigration policies.
READ MORE: Optus' Singaporean owners to travel to Australia over fatal outage fallout
Hastie insists despite becoming more outspoken, it is not a sign of discontent or a wish to break away from the Liberal Party frontbench.
"I'm still on the team. I'm a team player," he said.
"I'm just being a little bolder in some of the policy positions that I think we should adopt."
Hastie claimed the party needed to adapt to the modern era and needed to leave behind the previous mindset that had served it well in previous decades.
"A lot of people would like us to stay exactly where we are, including some people on our party side, but we can't," he said.
"The world has changed since the [John] Howard and [Peter] Costello years.
"We've had the global financial crisis, we've had Brexit, we've had the rise of Xi Jinping and China, we've had Trump, we've had the pandemic.
"The world has changed, and we have to change with it."
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
145 days after the federal election, the final seat has been decided
More than four months after the federal election, the last remaining seat has finally been decided after Liberal hopeful Gisele Kapterian conceded defeat and abandoned a court challenge.
The Sydney seat of Bradfield was an extremely tight race, with Kapterian initially winning by just eight votes before a full recount saw teal independent Nicolette Boele succeed with 26 votes.
The NSW Liberal Party launched legal action to review the validity of 151 of the 118,000 ballot papers, which had internally come into question, but Kapterian today announced the challenge has been withdrawn after a review provided her with the reassurance that the results were accurate.
READ MORE: Optus' Singaporean owners to travel to Australia over fatal outage fallout
"After a final review of the ballot papers following the two different results in Bradfield, I am satisfied that, overall, the correct outcome has been declared," she said in a statement.
"Accordingly, we have taken the decision to no longer press the petition for a final review by the Court of Disputed Returns.
"With two different outcomes declaring two different winners, I'm grateful our electoral system anticipates and supports the need for further scrutiny through a statutory right.
"This is particularly so given the often difficult and subjective nature of ballot interpretation."
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has been notified of her decision and said no stone was left unturned in the case.
"Australians can be confident that the AEC left absolutely no stone unturned when it came to scrutinising this extremely close election result under the very watchful eye of many scrutineers," AEC Commissioner Jeff Pope said.
READ MORE: Albanese splits from Trump on key issues hours after smiling selfie
Bradfield had become the most hotly contested federal seat in the country since polls closed on May 3.
The Liberals had been desperately trying to cling to the blue-ribbon seat, which had not elected a non-Liberal MP in its 75-year history.
Today, 145 days after the federal election, Kapterian conceded the seat to Boele.
"I'm disappointed to miss out on contributing from inside the party room, but I will continue to play my part," Kapterian said.
"I wish Ms Boele all the best in the role, and I thank the people of Bradfield for this incredible opportunity to have spoken with so many of you to hear your ideas, your stories, and what matters most to you."
READ MORE: Macquarie to repay Shield investors $321 million over failure of super fund
Boele accepts the 'privilege of my lifetime'
The teal independent had unsuccessfully run for the seat in 2022 but made history at the federal election earlier this year, taking the seat from the Liberals for the first time.
She has been serving as Bradfield MP while her win was being challenged by Kapterian.
Boele accepted her rival's defeat today and said her continuation in the role was the "privilege of my lifetime".
"Today Ms Kapterian conceded defeat in Bradfield and abandoned her challenge in the Court of Disputed Returns. This means I will continue to have the honour of representing the people of Bradfield as their Federal Member of Parliament," she said.
"Serving this community is the privilege of my lifetime, and I do not take this responsibility lightly.
"I will continue to serve with integrity, care and dedication."
READ MORE: Major university to repay $6.6 million to more than 5000 underpaid staff
Boele said being part of the review process had given her an "even greater appreciation" for the safeguards in place and the value of every single vote.
"While we watch checks and balances erode in other countries, our electoral and judicial processes are something we can genuinely celebrate here at home," she said.
Boele said she has already worked on more than 900 local cases and will now continue to ensure her constituents' voices are heard in parliament.
"There is much work to do and I look forward to getting it done," she said.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Aussie mum speaks at UN with hopes of taking under-16 social media ban global
Emma Mason has taken her plea to ban social media for those under the age of 16 to the world stage, receiving backing from Europe as she spoke on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Aussie mum made the journey from regional NSW to New York to make a heartfelt plea about social media use by children.
Mason's daughter, Tilly, took her own life at the age of 15 as a result of cyberbullying.
READ MORE: Albanese splits from Trump on key issues hours after smiling selfie
Since then, Mason has advocated for stricter laws surrounding social media usage and spoke at the United Nations about her loss and the impact it had on her family.
Her campaign has been a significant factor in Australia's decision to outlaw social media usage for people under the age of 16.
"We watch as other parents' children get licences, they graduate, all the things that our babies won't achieve, and it's brutal," she said in her speech.
"So now I ask you to hold my Tilly and all the lost children in your hearts and do what you can to change the narrative across our world for Tilly's sake, because how many more Tillys must die?"
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, attended the speech and gave her personal support for Australia's new social media legislation.
"Many member states believe the time has come for a digital majority age for access to social media, and I must tell you as a mother of seven and a grandmother of five, I share their view," she said.
READ MORE: What is the current advice for paracetemol in Australia?
Australia's under-16 social media ban is set ot take effect later this year despite pushback from tech giants.
"Put simply in one sentence, we want children to have a childhood, not too much to ask," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Trump demands arrests after escalator stops, UN says his team is to blame
President Donald Trump said that he was the victim of "three very sinister events" during his time at the United Nations on Tuesday and that the Secret Service will be looking into the issues.
The president was attending the UN General Assembly, where he gave a speech excoriating the institution for having squandered its potential.
He also criticised US allies in Europe for their handling of the Russian war in Ukraine and their acceptance of immigrants as he told fellow world leaders that their nations were "going to hell."
READ MORE: Albanese splits from Trump on key issues hours after smiling selfie
On his social media website, Trump indicated that he was in a sour mood at the UN because of a trio of mishaps that he suggested was part of a conspiracy against him.
First, the escalator came to a "screeching halt" with Trump and his entourage on it, an event that Trump called "absolutely sabotage."
Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesman, said a videographer from the US delegation who ran ahead of him triggered the stop mechanism at the top of the escalator.
"The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing," Dujarric said in a statement.
"The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function."
"The people that did it should be arrested," Trump said on Truth Social.
Second, Trump said his teleprompter went "stone cold dark" during his address to the UN.
The problem with that accusation is the White House was responsible for operating the teleprompter for the president, according to a UN official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
READ MORE: Kremlin fires back at Trump as world tensions hit new high
Third, Trump said that the sound was off at the UN as he spoke and that people could only hear his remarks if they had interpreters speaking into earpieces.
Trump said his wife, Melania, told him she couldn't hear what he said.
"This wasn't a coincidence, this was triple sabotage," said Trump, who is seeking an investigation of the matter.
Trump told the UN to save its security tapes regarding the escalator stoppage as the Secret Service will be involved in the inquiry.
A UN official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue contributed that one to his side as well, saying the White House was operating the teleprompter for the president.
It's not unusual for escalators at the UN to stop working, as staff and visitors know quite well. In recent months, UN offices in New York and Geneva have intermittently turned off elevators and escalators as part of steps to save money because of a "liquidity crisis" at the world body.
That's due in part to delays in funding from the United States, which is the top donor of the world body.
READ MORE: Ukraine's president says world in 'most destructive arms race in history'
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
‘I thought I was going to die’: Aussie woman’s supplement scare
EXCLUSIVE: Nerilee Gregory spent $144 on a popular berberine supplement after seeing it touted as "nature's Ozempic" on social media.
Instead of helping her lose weight, it landed her in hospital.
Now the 52-year-old from Sydney is desperately warning other Australians to do their research before buying into online claims about berberine and other supplements.
READ MORE: Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths named among Australia's most distrusted brands
"I was the sickest I've ever been in my life," she told 9news.com.au.
"I thought I was going to die."
What is berberine?
Berberine is a compound found in some plants, some research suggests berberine could have some health benefits.
When taken as a supplement it may lower blood sugar, increase weight loss, and improve heart health.
Macquarie University School of Natural Sciences Professor Nial Wheate said that berberine's popularity has spiked recently due to social media claims that it is a "natural alternative to Ozempic".
But there's not significant scientific evidence backing up these weight loss claims.
"The evidence, as it currently stands, does not support berberine as an effect chemical to increase weight loss, so few people are likely to benefit from it," Wheate told 9news.com.au.
"Some people may be taking it to help with regulating blood sugar levels and lowering cholesterol, but the evidence for these benefits is equally weak."
READ MORE: ABC fined $150k for sacking presenter over Gaza post
He added that berberine supplements are provided in Australia as unscheduled, listed medicines, which allows them to be sold over the counter in supermarkets.
But it also means that while they have been assessed for ingredient safety, they have not been tested for efficacy.
Berberine supplements are widely available in Australia from chemists, pharmacies, supermarkets and online.
Tiny capsule, hellish side-effects
Berberine's advertised weight loss benefits appealed to Gregory, so she ordered two bottles of supplement capsules online for $144.
She claimed none of the marketing or packaging for the supplement included warnings about potential side-effects.
"The bottle just said take two tablets a day," she said.
Within a few hours of taking her first capsule on a Saturday night, she was violently ill.
At first she thought it was food poisoning.
"I blamed my husband because he cooked the dinner," she confessed.
For hours she was locked in the bathroom with severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
It took her days to recover.
READ MORE: Bad buildings, biological weapons and killing cows: Trump's most notable lines at the UN
The second time she took a berberine supplement capsule was on a Thursday morning before work.
Hours later, she had to race to the office bathroom.
Gregory claimed she was violently ill there, then managed to leave the office only to collapse outside.
"Luckily I was on my side [because] I just continued to vomit, like I had been poisoned," she said.
"It was coming out both ends for a good two hours until there was nothing left … it nearly killed me."
Eventually she made it to a nearby hospital, where doctors said she had experienced a severe adverse reaction to berberine.
Where are the warnings?
Gregory was floored that she had never seen any warnings about potential adverse reactions to berberine.
Macquarie University School of Natural Sciences Professor Nial Wheate said common side effects of berberine include diarrhoea, constipation, gas, and an upset stomach.
"Large quantities may be fatal," he revealed.
Berberine is also not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, and it can interact with many medicines.
READ MORE: NSW uni student's arm 'torched' after phone charger explodes
Gregory knew none of this and fears many other Aussies could be in the same boat.
"I don't want anyone else to go through what I did," she said.
"Mine was a rare reaction, but I will never, ever buy another supplement."
A Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) told 9news that "no medicine or other therapeutic good is totally risk-free".
Supplements containing herbal substances like berberine are generally regulated by the TGA as therapeutic goods.
They must be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) before being imported to, exported from, or supplied in Australia.
Most are included as listed medicines, meaning they can only contain ingredients from a pre-approved TGA list.
"Berberine is found naturally in some plants and is a component of some herbal ingredients permitted for use in listed medicines," the spokesperson told 9news.
There are currently no restrictions relating to berberine content in herbal permitted ingredients, but berberine has not been approved for use as an ingredient by itself in listed medicines.
"The TGA continually monitors the safety of therapeutic goods in Australia, including berberine, and takes action to address confirmed safety concerns," they said.
Wheate urged Aussies to speak to a doctor or pharmacist before taking berberine or any other supplements.
He also cautioned against buying supplements online.
"Buy only from a physical store in Australia [and] check that the front of the packaging has a TGA approval number," he said.
This will be formatted AUST L followed by a string of numbers, e.g. AUST L 123456.
"This means the government that approved the ingredients as safe and that it has been manufactured to the highest standard," Wheate explained.
"Don't buy a product that doesn't have an TGA approval number."
The information in this article is general in nature. Please consult your GP or other healthcare professional for advice that is specific to your needs.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Somebody just made the most expensive bid in Aussie history
A rare Rose Bay mansion in Sydney's eastern suburbs has sold for $45.1 million, setting what is believed to be Australian record for the most expensive home sold at auction.
The grand Georgian Revival home was built in 1935 and sits on a 2536-square-metre block.
Known as 'The Knoll' due to its elevated position, it overlooks the Royal Sydney Golf Club.
READ MORE: This photo turned 120,000 people against young influencer
Richardson and Wrench Double Bay's James and Michael Dunn handled the sale on behalf of the Burns family, who have held the prestigious property for 60 years.
The late vendor, Elizabeth Burns, died last year. She was a descendant of Sir James Burns, founder of the merchant company Burns Philp.
Michael Dunn told 9news.com.au it was a "very competitive auction".
"The property was called on the market at around $40 million and it had exceeded the reserve for the property at that point," he said.
"It was a very spirited auction. There were four bidders fighting, and there were many more other potential buyers at the auction."
Feedback from potential buyers had originally led the real estate agency to put an estimated price of $30 million -$35 million on the property, however, it was always hard to predict what would happen when such a rare home was on offer, Dunn said.
READ MORE: Sydney woman's warning about popular supplement: 'I thought I was going to die'
"In the last couple of years, there have been no sales of properties of non-waterfront properties, in the eastern suburbs, of this land size," he said.
"So arriving at an opinion of value is very, very challenging. There are no simple formulas.
"Mansions of this calibre come up rarely, land size of this calibre comes up rarely, fronting the newly-renovated Royal Sydney Golf Club comes up rarely.
"It's one-of-a-kind and I think the buyers recognised that."
Dunn said the successful bidders planned to ultimately renovate the property and live in it.
The sale eclipses the previous known record of $43.1 million for a sale at auction, set in 2021 for a $43.1 million mansion on 47 Lansell Road in Melbourne's Toorak.
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.