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Kermit the Frog knows it's not easy being green — or graduating from college and entering the real world, especially during a time of economic uncertainty and political turmoil.

Members of the University of Maryland's class of 2025 received their diplomas on Thursday evening (Friday AEST) with sage advice from the amphibious Muppet ringing in their ears.

"As you prepare to take this big leap into real life, here's a little advice — if you're willing to listen to a frog," the beloved Muppet said.

Kermit the Frog

"Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side-by-side, because life is better when we leap together."

The university announced in March that Kermit, who was created in 1955 and became the centerpiece of the Muppets franchise, would be this year's commencement speaker.

He is also no stranger to the school.

Muppets creator Jim Henson graduated from Maryland in 1960. A home economics major, he fashioned the original frog puppet from one of his mother's coats and a Ping-Pong ball cut in half, according to a statement from the university. Henson died in 1990.

A bronze statue of Henson and Kermit sitting on a bench is a well-known feature of the College Park campus.

Kermit the Frog

In a video announcing the speaker pick, Kermit is described as an environmental advocate, a bestselling author, an international superstar and a champion of creativity, kindness and believing in the impossible.

His speaker bio calls him "a star of stage, screen and swamp" whose simple mission is to "sing and dance and make people happy".

"I am thrilled that our graduates and their families will experience the optimism and insight of the world-renowned Kermit the Frog at such a meaningful time in their lives," university President Darryll J. Pines said in a statement.

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Former reality TV contestant reveals emotional toll of stabbing attack

2025-05-23 FreeNews

A former reality TV contestant has told a South Australian court of the emotional roller coaster he experienced after a stabbing attack in Adelaide's north.

Paddy Colliar has previously appeared on shows including The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, but in 2021 his real life became far more dramatic than any of his on-screen exploits.

Colliar was working as a topless waiter at a 60th birthday inside a Para Hills pole dancing studio when he tried to break up a fight, which led to him being stabbed.

Paddy Colliar

On Friday he revealed the stabbings left him with more than just a physical scar, telling a court "when it sank in and I understood that I could have been killed, I was devastated".

During the party, he tried to break up a violent fight between Abdul Kadws Mohammad Amin, 27, and a woman – something prosecutors say was a Good Samaritan act – and he was stabbed for it.

Amin was found guilty by a jury.

Amin was condemned for his disrespectful behaviour to both the court and the victim throughout the trial.

Paddy Colliar

The judge said Amin attempted to intimidate Colliar by intently staring at him for the entire time he was giving evidence.

Colliar, 34, said he has flashbacks of the incident but "feels enormous relief for the young woman who may have been seriously hurt".

"I'm proud of what I did to help her," Colliar told the court.

Prosecutors want a tough sentence, saying Amin has a history of offending, including a sexual offence against a child.

Amin still insists he's innocent but is no longer appealing his conviction. He'll be sentenced next month.

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Metal drummer dies in private jet crash in San Diego

2025-05-23 FreeNews

A former drummer from a popular metal band has died after a private jet crashed into military housing in California during foggy weather.

The crash ignited cars parked along a suburban neighbourhood block and killed multiple people on board the plane, authorities say.

Former drummer of metalcore band, the Devil Wears Prada, Daniel Williams, has been identified as one of the victims, as well as well-known music agent Dave Shapiro.

Drummer Daniel Williams of The Devil Wears Prada performs during the Vans Warped Tour on June 22

Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said "there is a direct hit to multiple homes" in the Murphy Canyon neighbourhood of San Diego early on Thursday morning (Thursday night AEST).

"We have jet fuel all over the place," he said, during a news conference, describing "a gigantic debris field" in a dense, packed neighbourhood.

The plane could hold eight to 10 people but it was not yet known how many were on board, Eddy said later in the morning.

Authorities will be investigating whether the plane hit a power line, he said.

The aircraft crashed just before 4am (9pm AEST) yesterday into the US military's largest housing neighbourhood, appearing to strike at least one home that had a charred and collapsed roof and smashing through half a dozen vehicles. About 10 homes suffered damage but no one inside the homes needed transport to the hospital, authorities said.

San Diego officials haven't released details about the plane but said it was a flight coming in from the Midwest.

The flight tracking site FlightAware lists a Cessna Citation II jet that was scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3.47am from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas. Officials at the airport said it just made a fuelling stop in Wichita. The flight originated Wednesday night in Teterboro, New Jersey, according to FlightAware.

The airport in Teterboro is about 10 kilometres from Manhattan and is frequently used by private and corporate jets.

In the San Diego neighbourhood, the smell of jet fuel lingered in the air hours after the crash while authorities worked to put out one stubborn car fire. They described a frightening scene in the aftermath of the crash.

"I can't quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see," San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.

Half a dozen fully charred cars sat on the street and tree limbs, glass and pieces of white and blue metal were scattered on the road. At the end of the street black smoke billowed as the site continued to burn.

Wahl said more than 50 police officers were on the scene within minutes and began evacuating homes. At least 100 residents were displaced to an evacuation centre at a nearby elementary school.

Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang and saw smoke when they looked out the window.

They grabbed their two young children and ran out of the house. On their way out of the neighbourhood they saw a car engulfed in flames.

"It was definitely horrifying for sure, but sometimes you've just got to drop your head and get to safety," he said.

Police officers were rescuing multiple animals, including three husky puppies that were rolled away from the crash scene in a wagon.

A few blocks away, families including Moore's stood in their pyjamas in a parking lot waiting for word of when they can return to their homes.

Many military service members live in the neighbourhood, which is made up of single family homes and townhouses. It also is heavily populated by small civilian and military aircraft.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport and Gillespie Field are nearby.

Eddy said it was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed.

"You could barely see in front of you," he said.

"The number of people on board is unknown at this time," the FAA said in a statement.

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.

In October 2021, a twin-engine plane plowed into a San Diego suburb, killing the pilot and a UPS delivery driver on the ground and burning homes. It was preparing to land at the airport.

In December 2008, a Marine Corps fighter jet slammed into a house in San Diego's University City neighbourhood, causing an explosion that killed four people inside. The Marine Corps blamed the crash on mechanical failure and human error.

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Groundbreaking blood test rapidly diagnoses rare genetic diseases in babies

2025-05-23 FreeNews

Two-year-old Kye Gray is the only Australian with an ultra-rare genetic condition called Leigh's Disease.

The neurological condition robs the body of energy and causes progressive cognitive and physical decline.

Like many parents of children with rare illnesses, mum Louise Gray was anxious to find the source of her baby's symptoms.

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But she said the family ran the gauntlet of medical question marks before the Brisbane toddler's diagnosis.

That was until a revolutionary blood test which promises to rapidly diagnose thousands of rare diseases came to the family's aid.

"There's been 15 reported cases that we're aware of around the world, and six of those cases are currently alive," Mrs Gray said.

"It's given us answers, which is what we didn't have for so long."

Ten years in the making, Melbourne researchers claim the development offers "one test to rule them all".

"Instead of doing a gene-specific test, we can do one test for nearly half of the 7000 rare diseases," Murdoch Children's Research Institute professor David Thorburn said.

"We think it will increase the number of diagnoses from the genomic testing from maybe a third to half of all patients, up to around about 70, 75 per cent."

For families like the Grays, it can also allow earlier access to treatment and eliminate the need for costly and invasive procedures.

"It gives them closure and an end to this question of why, what happened, was it something I did?" University of Melbourne associate professor Dr David Stroud said.

"It can also give the patients access to appropriate treatments and for many families can restore reproductive confidence, allowing them to have a healthy child."

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Coles, Woolworths debate how many products should be included in fake discount trial

2025-05-23 FreeNews

The nation's supermarket giants will barter with the competition watchdog on the number of items to be interrogated in court over allegations they misled customers with fake discounts.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched court actions against Coles and Woolworths, alleging they broke consumer law by bumping up prices on certain products for brief periods before lowering them again as part of Woolworths' "Prices Dropped" and Coles' "Down Down" promotions.

Those promotional prices – including dairy, pet food, personal care, coffee, medicine, lollies, cereal and household cleaning products – were lower than during the price bump, but higher than or the same as the regular price, it alleges.

Woolworths and Coles supermarket signage on March 13, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.

A Federal Court hearing in Melbourne today heard disagreements over the number of sample products from both supermarkets that would be included as evidence in the trial.

Coles had agreed with 12 products – six chosen by the ACCC, three class products and three of their choosing, barrister Nicholas De Young told the court.

"We submitted and believe that was a reasonable proposal, but a minute before court, we heard they want to add an additional four," he said.

De Young said the additional products could mean three or four more witnesses who will need to talk in detail about the price increase and promotional discussion journeys those items had.

He questioned what attributes the four items have that the existing 12 don't.

Woolworths had proposed six products, but barrister Ruth Higgins told the court the ACCC had submitted 20 yesterday morning before reducing the number to 12 by that night.

"What we've been doing this morning is trying to work out why those additional products are proposed and what difference those products make," Higgins said.

Barrister Michael Hodge said the ACCC had proposed a compromised position of 12 products for both companies, which would ensure everything could be captured.

Justice Michael O'Bryan urged the parties to compromise, giving them until June 13 to finalise a list of agreed items.

"If we're south of 20, or even better, south of 15, then we're in what I regard as sensible territory for conducting an efficient trial," he said.

The consumer watchdog is seeking a significant penalty for the alleged breaches, which they say took place over 15 months.

Coles and Woolworths, which control a combined two-thirds market share, deny the allegations and say the legal cases are misconceived.

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Buyer coughs up $3.6 million for six car spots in Sydney CBD

2025-05-23 FreeNews

One lucky buyer has just spent a jaw-dropping amount of money on six car spaces in Sydney CBD.

A group of six car spaces, combined into one lot, with unrivalled access to Circular Quay have sold for a record $3.6 million.

The 85 square metre plot works out to a total of $600,000 for each car park, or $42,857 per square metre.

The site is just 150 metres from the Circular Quay Ferry Terminal and is nestled under The Quay residential tower on Phillip Street.

Lot 51, 2 Phillip Street was described as "ideal for nearby office and residential owners, corporate institutions, or savvy investors," in the listing by Colliers Real Estate Agents.

The sale price smashed the agent's expectations and is believed to be double the previous biggest car park sale at Notts Avenue in Bondi.

Agents James Cowan and Cameron Colquhoun handled the sale.