~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (630)

Ambulance Victoria says woman and baby taken to hospital after incident in town of Ocean GroveA newborn baby is in a critical condition in hospital after being delivered in an apparent “freebirth” in regional Victoria.The medical industry has expressed concern about the practice, which is typically characterised as a birth without help from a healthcare professional.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best...

Exclusive: NSW government says it is open to all options even though new rolling stock, now due in 2026, will have reclining seats onlyThe permanent withdrawal of sleeper carriages on Sydney-Melbourne trains may be averted after new rolling stock enters service, thanks to the increasing popularity of intercity rail.New Spanish-built trains ordered by the previous Coalition government were initially meant to enter service in...

Adam Bandt signals new rent freeze push and criticises ‘tax cuts for billionaires’ as Labor aims to get ‘help to buy’ scheme through parliamentNew year, new housing fight.The Labor government may have started the year keen to talk cost-of-living relief and housing solutions, but the Greens have entered 2024 vowing to push the Albanese government to make actual change. Continue reading...

Network Ten describes former Liberal staffer as ‘fundamentally dishonest’ in submissions released by federal court Bruce Lehrmann’s legal team has accepted their client’s evidence in his defamation trial against Network Ten was “in a number of respects unsatisfactory”, but not to the extent that he is a “compulsive liar” or had raped Brittany Higgins, newly released documents reveal.In written closing submissions released by the...

Police say group jumped on the car in Coburg and shattered windows in what union calls ‘horrific planned assault’A mobile speed camera operator has been injured after his car was attacked by five men in a Melbourne street.The blue SUV, fixed with traffic cameras in its rear window, was operating on Nicholson Street at Coburg in the early hours of Friday morning when it...

Albanese yet to reveal government’s stance on South Africa’s case in international court of justice but Coalition says Australia must support Israel’s right to defend itselfThe opposition has urged the Albanese government to rule out any support for what it says is South Africa’s “unbalanced” case against Israel at the UN’s international court of justice (ICJ).The “unprecedented” case brought by South Africa at the...

Woman in 70s taken to hospital after kicking accused in groin and scratching his face during attack in Coffs Harbour nursing home, police sayA man has been charged with breaking into an aged care home and allegedly assaulting an elderly woman on New Year’s Eve on the New South Wales north coast.Emergency services were called to an aged care home in Coffs Harbour at...

Qantas and Jetstar to offer special airfares, with accommodation deals to come, as Queensland premier insists region is ‘open for business’ after Cyclone JasperImages of Tropical Cyclone Jasper’s devastating impact on far north Queensland may have driven away tourists during peak season.But the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, insists the region is “open for business”, making a $5m pitch to lure visitors back. Continue reading...

Blaze broke out at Croydon building Friday morning, with firefighters highlighting risks from lithium batteriesAn e-bike workshop has been destroyed in an early morning fire in Sydney’s inner west, causing road closures along the suburb’s shopping strip.Residents were woken just before 5am on Friday after the fire broke out at the building on Elizabeth Street in Croydon. Continue reading...

Spider measuring record 7.9cm across is almost as big as largest female collected in 2021, which was named Megaspider by Australian Reptile ParkWith fangs that could pierce a human fingernail, the largest male specimen of the world’s most venomous arachnid has found a new home at the Australian Reptile Park where it will help save lives after a member of the public discovered it...

Rank-and-file members say joining the ICJ case accusing Israel of genocide would send a ‘powerful signal to the world’Rank-and-file Labor party members are urging the Albanese government to intervene in and support South Africa’s case against Israel at the UN’s international court of justice (ICJ), pointing to Australia’s previous support of Ukraine in a similar case against Russia.The first hearing in The Hague is...

Expert says if you see a snake you should leave it alone and call for a professional catcherWhen Tennille Bankes walked into a toilet cubicle in Goondiwindi, Queensland, she was greeted by the scaly tail of a spotted black snake peaking out beneath a closed lid.The wildlife carer and snake catcher was called by police to the public bathroom after a local, surprised by...

Queensland woman arrested after victims alleged dresses bound for dry-cleaning ended up for sale on social mediaA woman has been charged with running an alleged wedding dress business scam on dozens of unsuspecting brides in Queensland.The six-month police operation was launched after a Cairns woman allegedly gave her custom wedding dress to a bridal company in September 2022 for dry-cleaning, before spotting on social...

The 54-year-old died on the same night a ‘code white’ was declared across the city’s public hospitalsA man has died after waiting more than 10 hours for paramedics in Adelaide’s east, South Australia’s ambulance employees association (AEA) has alleged.The 54-year-old SA man made a triple-zero call on 27 December, the same night a “code white” was declared for emergency departments across the city. Continue...

Only eight Australians were on the Japan Airlines flight that crashed in Tokyo rather than the 12 initially suspectedThere were four fewer Australians on the Japan Airlines flight that burst into flames after landing than originally feared but all are safe and accounted for.Only eight Australians were on the Japan Airlines plane rather than the 12 initially suspected. Continue reading...

Data shows 2023 had second-highest record of rooftop solar installations as small-scale solar continues to growQuarterly installations of new solar panels reached a record at the end of 2023, with Australian households more than three times as likely to have a photovoltaic system as a back yard swimming pool.Households and businesses added 921 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity in the December quarter, according to...

Pair taken by ambulance to Katoomba hospital after emergency at Echo Point amid storm chaosTwo people have been taken to hospital after being struck by lightning while visiting a popular scenic site in the New South Wales Blue Mountains.Other visitors were forced to seek shelter from a major storm while rescue crews searched several walking tracks in the area looking for stranded bushwalkers. Continue...

Festival will be free of fossil fuel sponsorship for the first time in decades after the departure of Chevron as a sponsor last yearFossil fuel company Woodside has now severed all ties with the arts company behind one of the largest fringe festivals in the world, after sustained complaints and protests over several years from performers, producers and audiences.A Woodside spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday...

Two men, who have been denied bail, claim three boys were trespassing in Mareeba when they allegedly assaulted and handcuffed themA pair of alleged vigilantes have been charged with assaulting and handcuffing three boys they believed to be trespassing in an industrial area in Mareeba, near Cairns.A 36-year-old man and a 27-year-old man, both from Biboohra, have been denied police bail over the incident,...

NSW Health issues warning after multiple people who visited CBD were hospitalised for pneumonia caused by legionella bacteriaSydneysiders have been urged to stay alert for symptoms of legionnaires’ disease after seven people were hospitalised after contracting the respiratory illness over Christmas and the new year.New South Wales Health issued an alert on Wednesday afternoon, warning those who had been in the Sydney CBD area...

Roads minister John Graham now says the government is unable to act against the signs at Camp Cove that he previously said took 'the rest of us for mugs’The New South Wales roads minister has failed to follow through on a pledge to veto controversial parking restrictions by a local council in Sydney, with beachgoers now limited to just 15 minutes to park, swim...

Dozens rescued from flood waters and thousands remain without power as BoM warns of wild weather in Melbourne, south-east NSW and QueenslandThe first week of 2024 is off to a wild start, with storms continuing to lash Australia’s east coast and a heatwave baking the north of the continent.Thunderstorms were headed for central Victoria on Wednesday and were forecast to become widespread over the...

Heavy rain, strong winds and large hailstones reported in parts of state as BoM warns of potential life-threatening flash floodingMore than 40,000 Victorian homes and businesses were without power and some would remain in the dark overnight as wild thunderstorms swept across the state, causing flight delays at Melbourne airport.A severe thunderstorm warning was issued on Tuesday afternoon for Bendigo, Maryborough, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Ballarat,...

Seven of at least 148 people released after November judgment have since been rearrestedA further two former immigration detainees released in the wake of the high court’s NZYQ ruling have been rearrested after breaches of their conditions.The men’s arrests over the Christmas period bring the total number of arrests to seven since the high court ruled that indefinite detention is unlawful where it is...