A landmark Australian study may have found a treatment and cure for a virus that impacts 10 million people worldwide.

Human T-Cell leukaemia type 1 (HTLV-1) is a life-threatening virus that impacts the immune system and the blood cells involved in fighting off infection within the body.

Research on HTLV-1 has been sparse, but a study conducted by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and the Doherty Institute in Melbourne has found existing drugs used to treat HIV can also help suppress HTLV-1.

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The study, which took place over 10 years, saw mice infected with human immune cells susceptible to HTLV-1 infections. 

However, when the mice were then treated with two well-known antiviral therapies – tenofovir and dolutegravir – the results showed the drugs were also able to significantly suppress HTLV-1.

The study also found the cells could be selectively killed when the mice were treated with these drugs.

Co-lead author and WEHI laboratory head Dr Marcel Doerflinger praised the development as a huge step in the right direction for finding a long-term treatment and cure to a highly prevalent disease.

"What's most exciting is that these antivirals are already in use for millions of HIV patients, meaning there's a direct path for the clinical translation of our findings," Doerflinger said.

"We won't have to start from scratch because we already know these drugs are safe and effective.

"And now we've shown that their use can very likely be extended to HTLV-1."

The study also found the cells could be selectively killed when the mice were treated with these drugs, further emphasising the potential for a cure to HTLV-1.

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This is particularly important for First Nations communities in parts of Central Australia, who have been impacted by a particularly aggressive strain of the virus.

Professor Damian Purcell of the Doherty Institute said the study would help experts in fighting both HTLV-1 and other similar diseases.

"There is a real opportunity to prevent the transmission of HTLV-1 and end the diseases caused by these infections," Purcell said.

"Our research findings are a major leap forward in this."

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The family of Greg Josephson, a father and business owner who was allegedly stabbed to death during a house party at his mansion in Brisbane, have made the "tough call" to shut down some of his businesses.

The 58-year-old was farewelled a week ago after he was allegedly killed by a 15-year-old boy known to him while about 30 teenagers were celebrating the end of the school term at the Oriel Road property in Clayfield on June 26.

Josephson was the co-founder of the multimillion-dollar youth clothing chain Universal Store and owned several cafes and stores on the Sunshine Coast.

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The management of one of his businesses, Cafe Doonan, announced his family has permanently closed Cafe Noosa, Noosa General Store and Eumundi Sourdough Co last week.

"His beautiful family has been forced to make a tough call, so it is with heavy hearts that we announce the closure of Cafe Noosa, Noosa General Store and Eumundi Sourdough Co, effective since Monday 14th July," Cafe Doonan said in a statement yesterday.

"We know this comes as quite a shock, and we're sorry for any inconvenience caused.

"Cafe Doonan will remain open. We will all do our absolute best to honour Greg's dream."

Josephson was found dead at the mansion about 8.15pm on June 26.

Police arrested a 15-year-old boy on a street nearby and charged him with murder. He remains before the court.

The boy is known to Josephson and had made the call to triple zero. 

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Cafe Doonan paid tribute to Josephson, saying he was a "wonderful owner" and would be "missed dearly by all staff".

"Words can do this loss no justice. Greg was on his way to create an amazing hub of businesses, with a passion and drive that was unmatched," Cafe Doonan said.

"He loved being a part of this community and had an impressive vision for the four locations.

"He was a kind and gentle man who is missed dearly by all staff. We are deeply saddened by this loss."

Universal Store released a statement shortly after news of his death.

"We wanted to share the sad news that Greg Josephson, who founded our company and played a significant role until 2018, has recently passed away," the company said.

"Our sincere thoughts and condolences are with his family at this very sad time."

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Josephson founded Universal Store with his brother Michael in 1999 and acted as company director until it was sold to private equity investors in 2018.

The company was then floated on the ASX in 2020.

Since then, he had acted as the chief executive of Josephson Holdings Pty Ltd.

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Tesla has opened its first-ever diner in Los Angeles featuring a drive-in theatre, restaurant, Tesla merchandise and popcorn all served by a Tesla-branded robot.

In a post on X, Elon Musk described it as a "retro-futuristic diner".

Visitors can order food directly from their Tesla's screen while watching a movie on one of two 45-foot drive-in theatre screens.

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With 80 V4 supercharger stalls, Tesla has claimed that the diner is officially the largest urban supercharger in the world.

Images of the diner's menu were posted to X shortly after the opening, with a majority of the ingredients being sourced locally across California.

Musk's intentions to build a retro diner to accompany his Tesla charging stations in Los Angeles date back as far as January 2018.

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The diner is located on Santa Monica Boulevard, with Musk stating that if the venture is successful, he will launch more across major cities globally.

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Barcelona's cruise ship port is to close two of its terminals, as part of efforts to fight the city's overtourism problem.

The closure, which will bring the number of operational terminals down to five when it takes effect next year, is part of an agreement with Barcelona's city council, announced in a statement from the council Friday.

The agreement also provides funding for a study to evaluate how cruise-ship passengers move around the city, which the council says is a first step in developing sustainable mobility plan.

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In addition, the agreement will involve the modernisation of port infrastructure to make cruise operations more sustainable – for example, by allowing ships to connect to a green onshore power supply while they are docked, meaning their engines can be switched off, cutting emissions.

Overall, the plan will involve €185 million ($331.6 million) in public-private investment, according to the council statement.

It is part of wider efforts to deal with the pressures of overtourism in the city, where local opposition to mass tourism has been rising in recent years, including a now-famous protest in July 2024 in which visitors were squirted with water pistols.

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Barcelona's popularity among tourists has led to complaints from residents about overcrowding and a lack of affordable housing as apartments are given over to short-term holiday lets.

In 2024, the Port of Barcelona, the biggest cruise port in Europe, reported 1.6 million cruise ship passengers "in transit."

The majority come ashore when their ships dock in the morning, tour the city, and return by late afternoon to sail for their next destination, the Barcelona Tourism Consortium press office said in March.

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The resulting crowds, at places like La Rambla street and in the adjacent Gothic quarter, the oldest part of town, are partly to blame for the ire among Barcelona's residents.

Friday's agreement is the latest in a series of efforts to reduce the impact of cruise tourism.

In October 2023, Barcelona closed its northern port terminal to cruise traffic, after an agreement with the local authorities to move ships further out of town.

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That move followed a 2018 agreement between the port authorities and the city council to "move cruise activity away from urban areas… making them more sustainable," the port authorities said in a statement at the time.

Also as a result of the 2018 agreement, the port closed another cruise terminal, the Maremagnum, and the area is now home to restaurants, bars, a sailing club and marina, an aquarium and a shopping mall.

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An icon of Sydney Zoo has died due to complications during birth.

Nzuri the giraffe and her unborn calf passed away due to severe complications during labour on last Thursday night.

Sydney Zoo said in a statement animal care staff noticed signs of active labour in Nzuri but as the process progressed, it became apparent that the birth was not proceeding normally.

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A team of three veterinarians and two veterinary nurses immediately intervened and assisted with the delivery.

However the team found the calf was in an abnormal position with the calf's head and neck positioned in the wrong way, which made a safe delivery "impossible".

The calf died and Nzuri's condition "severely deteriorated" due to the stress and difficulty of the birth.

Sydney Zoo exotics animal care manager Tim Bennett said the deaths were "incredibly heartbreaking" for everyone involved.

"Our animal care team did everything possible to try and save both the calf and the mother Nzuri," Bennett said.

"Decisions like this are never made lightly.

"The animal's welfare is always our primary concern."

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