Newsif Blog

Professor Angus Dalgleish has seen two of his colleagues take their own lives, he says one of them 'killed himself as a result of profound despair at the loneliness and anxiety created by Covid'  As a cancer specialist for more than 30 years, I have dealt with many young adults who have died before their time.  But nothing could have prepared me for the events of the past two weeks.  On Monday, I joined a Zoom meeting with a colleague who told me that another participant, a highly respected research assistant, would not be joining us.  Tragically, he had committed suicide. It subsequently emerged that he had hanged himself in his bedsit.  Lockdown and Covid restrictions had left him feeling isolated and broken by the loss of normal human interaction.  The news came as a terrible shock — but his is not the only suicide that has touched my life in the past fortnight.  I was also shaken when another colleague, whom I have known since we were young doctors, killed himself as a resu

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina refused to take a COVID-19 test before Friday's debate with his Democratic challenger, Jaime Harrison, who then pulled out of the event and forced the candidates to do separate television interviews instead. Graham then raised eyebrows when he made comments interpreted by some to mean that blacks and immigrants would only be welcome in the Palmetto State if they adopted conservative political views. The incumbent Republican senator was asked about his views on the racial tensions that have risen nationwide since the May 25 police-involved death of a Minneapolis black man, George Floyd. Graham said he backed police reform and that 'people should pay a price' for what happened to Floyd. Senator Lindsey Graham sparked outrage on Friday when he refused to take a COVID-19 test before a scheduled debate with Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison . The South Carolina Republican also drew attention for comments about blacks and immigrants ne

A photo has emerged showing accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell at a charity event to oppose sex trafficking prior to her arrest. Maxwell, smiling, is seen at the 2013 fundraiser for Stop the Trafficking of People in New York's Meatpacking district, posing with the group's founder Celhia de Lavarene.  'She's got some nerve. But I am not surprised,' de Lavarene told The Sun. 'I've come to realize that these people need to appear to be doing good and make people believe it.' In July, Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire and federally charged with enticement of minors and sex trafficking of children in connection with her decades-long association with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Ghislaine Maxwell is seen at a 2013 event to stop sex trafficking with (left to right) French Ambassador to the US François Delattre, Stop founder founder Celhia de Lavarene, French fashion designer Catherine Malandrino, Bic pen fortune heir Bruno Bich, and Baroness

Comedian Bill Burr has upset internet warriors with his controversial Saturday Night Live monologue that took a swing at woke culture. The comic took no prisoners during his monologue, addressing everything from people not wearing masks during coronavirus, gay pride - even actor Rick Moranis being assaulted which he jokingly celebrated as a return to a grittier New York City. The tongue-in-cheek joke about Moranis led him to muse whether he would be 'cancelled'.  'I'll probably get canceled for doing that joke how stupid is that canceled thing? 'They're literally running out of people to cancel. They're going after dead people now. They're trying to cancel John Wayne.' Wayne, who died in 1979, has been attacked in recent years over his mymisogynistic and racist views.   Comedian Bill Burr's SNL monologue, which touched on cancel culture and being woke, was slammed on social media for being 'homophobic,' 'misogynistic' and 'obn

Police have stormed a house in Melbourne amid reports of an armed gunman.  Officers were called to Roxburgh Park, 21km north of the CBD, at 11.30am Sunday to reports people had attempted to break into a Broadway Street property.   A dispute broke out between the group and the residents with initial reports suggesting a firearm had been produced during the incident.  A Victoria Police spokesperson said all the parties are known to each other and they are currently assisting police with their inquiries.  Police were called to a Roxburgh Park home at 11.30am Sunday to reports a firearm had been produced during an attempted home invasion Despite initial reports, police are yet to locate any weapon. No one was injured during the incident and no arrests have been made at this stage.  Footage obtained by 9News shows response vehicles at the scene as officers ordered an individual to exit the house. 'This is the police. You need to come to the door with nothing in your hands. You will be

SNL's cold open focused on the Vice Presidential debate between Sen. Kamala Harris and current VP Mike Pence, bringing back Jim Carey as Joe Biden who had been transformed into the now infamous fly that landed on Pence's head.   During the new season's cold open, Pence, played by Beck Bennett, curtsied as he was introduced by debate moderator Susan Page, played by Kate McKinnon.  As he took his seat, Harris, played by Maya Rudolph, danced onto the stage, spraying cans of Lysol in both hands.  The two candidates were separated by 'buffet-style sneeze guards' because 'one of you works for patient zero,' a dig at President Trump and many of his supporters being diagnosed with coronavirus following a 'superspreader' event at the White House's Rose Garden.   SNL's cold open featured the return of Jim Carrey as Joe Biden, transformed into the fly that landed on VP Mike Pence's head during the real-life Vice Presidential debates this week SNL

A polo entrepreneur who plans to turn part of Bondi into an exclusive beach club with an $80 entry fee has defended his controversial proposal, insisting he isn't an 'elitist'. Janek Gazecki made a proposal to Waverley Council to erect luxury cabanas roped off from the public over a 40 metre stretch of sand on Australia's most iconic beach. But the former lawyer's goal to take over two per cent of the beach near Roscoe Street to serve expensive food and cocktails to 'high net worth' customers was met with swift backlash.  'It's‌ ‌not‌ ‌elitist‌ ‌to‌ ‌give‌ ‌people‌ ‌an‌ ‌opportunity‌ ‌to‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌the‌ ‌beach‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌different‌ ‌way. It's‌ ‌diversifying‌ ‌the‌ ‌use‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌beach,' Mr Gazecki told the Sydney Morning Herald.  ‌Waverley‌ ‌Council ‌initially‌ ‌rejected the proposal, deeming it ‌unsuitable, but staff are now considering allowing the exclusive beach club to go ahead. Former lawyer and polo entrepreneur Janek Gazecki made a

A rescue operation has been abandoned after firefighters were tricked by a barking marsh frog. Firefighters were called to Jack Fox Drive in North Brighton in Adelaide's southwest on Saturday morning after reports of barking coming from a storm water drain. Sixteen rescuers were tasked to the job for a full scale rescue mission, amid fears a dog was trapped underground. Adelaide firefighters have been tricked by a barking marsh frog in an embarrassing rescue blunder But after scanning through the site from all angles with no sign of a dog while the barking continued, firefighters were left confused by the source of the sound. They searched the echoing sound on Youtube, only to discover the barking was coming from a barking marsh frog.  'It's definitely an unusual one,' Metro Fire Service's Damian Joyce told 9News. 'I haven't come across anything like this before. Rescuers were called to North Brighton after reports of barking in a storm drain, leading aut

A woman who had been hiking in the Grand Canyon and then bitten by a snake was almost killed by the antivenom made from horses, which she was severely allergic to. Alyson Redmond and her father, along with eight others, had been spending six days backpacking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  She was bitten as she and the group rested at the Thunder River, following a seven-mile hike.  'I never felt something like this,' Redmond explained to AZ Family. 'I definitely felt something go in and out, so we first thought it might have been a stinger that went in and out, a bee sting or a wasp.'  Alyson Redmond was bitten by a snake as she rested at Thunder River while enjoying six days of backpacking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon Redmond went to sleep that night and woke to loads of swelling, forcing her to cut her first trip to the Grand Canyon short as she was flown out.  Paramedics took her to Flagstaff Medical Center, believing she had been bitten by a snake. But th

A small pod of pilot whales have become stranded in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania's rugged west coast, only weeks after a mass stranding in the same harbour left hundreds dead. The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment are responding to reports a large pilot whale became stuck in the harbour near Strahan on Saturday afternoon. Three smaller pilot whales, which were swimming with the large whale before it became stranded, also remain in the harbour. The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment are responding to reports four whales have become trapped in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania's west coast where 470 of the mammals were stranded last month The whales appear to be healthy and should be returned to sea on Sunday, wildlife biologist Sam Thalmann says. 'The harbour is a large, complex marine environment, with very dark waters and an intricate shoreline making detection of these whales difficult,' he said.  'However, on

Wallabies supporters have been left fuming after an Australian touch judge missed a basic call leading to an All Blacks try. The opening match of the Bledisloe Cup between Australia and New Zealand in Wellington on Sunday afternoon was marred in controversy in the early stages of the game. After a gutsy start from the Wallabies, the All Blacks ran rampant through Australia's defence, with fullback Jordie Barrett opening the scoring with a try in the ninth minute. But replays showed the 23-year-old flyer should not have scored, revealing teammate Rieko Ioane stepped on the left touch line in the lead up to the play. Australian touch judge Angus Gardner missed Rieko Ioane stepping into touch to gift the All Blacks a try in the early stages of the first Bledisloe Cup match Many Wallabies fans took to social media to vent their frustrations at Gardner's blunder To make matters worse, the touch judge was Australian official Angus Gardner, who was right at the line as Ioane dashed