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Woman launches true crime podcast to find her father's killer

21 years ago, Madison McGhee's father was shot in cold blood. Madison was just six years old when her dad, John "JC" Cornelius McGhee, died, and was originally told he had passed away from a heart attack. However, when Madison was in high school, she began to ask questions about what really happened that night. "When I was 16 I had a weird feeling that something else was going on, so I asked my mum about a weird connection between my cousin and the death of my father," Madison told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/today/ice-cold-case-podcaster-hoping-to-solve-fathers-21-year-murder-mystery/a873da03-0198-4e34-b65c-cc3ced6e8cca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Today Extra</a>. "And that's when my mum told me that there was another side of the story and that my dad had actually been murdered and it was a cold case, completely unsolved." Madison's father, who was a recovering drug addict and police informant, was shot in the head in the early hours of July 11th 2002 at his home in Ohio. His 16-year-old daughter and Madison's half-sister, Alyssa, was home at the time and found her father's body on the ground with a bullet hole in a nearby wall. Police investigated his death, but failed to find any evidence that could convict someone of his murder. After Madison discovered the real nature of her father's death, she began digging into the cold case and decided to try and solve the crime herself. In her efforts to find her father's killer, she launched a podcast called Ice Cold Case. "I started asking questions, diving into it and that's when I realised it was much more layered than even I could have imagined," she said. One line of theory by investigators was that JC's death was a home invasion gone wrong, but Madison said things just don't add up to support that. "When you dive into the police files, it's very clear that this is suspicious," she said. "A home invasion to my knowledge is usually very quick and something of value is stolen, but nothing was taken and this home invasion lasted for over 30 minutes. "It just seemed suspicious that someone would feel so comfortable to break into a house and stick around for that long and not steal anything at all - it feels like it was planned and very intentional." Madison admitted that is has been jarring looking into the death of her father, especially when no one has been held accountable, but she has put her own fears aside in the hopes of finding out what really happened. "I do feel a little uneasy putting myself out there in this very public way, but I just feel like justice for my dad is so much more important than worrying about my own safety if his killer is still out there," she said. "But I really want to find out what happened for him and for my own closure, so I have sort of pushed that to the side." Image credits: Today Extra

Legal

Life behind bars for serial killer nurse

British nurse Lucy Letby has been handed a life sentence for the murder of seven infants and the attempted murder of six others in a neonatal ward located in Chester, England. Justice James Goss, adhering to the strictest punishment allowed by British law, issued a whole-life order, ensuring that 33-year-old Letby would spend the remainder of her life incarcerated, as capital punishment is not applicable in the UK. In a trial that spanned ten months, Letby was found guilty of killing five male and two female infants and causing harm to other newborns within the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. This conviction ranks her among the most prolific child serial killers in the UK's history. Despite her absence from the sentencing proceedings, Justice Goss emphasised the calculated nature of Letby's actions, stating, "There was premeditation, calculation and cunning." He further highlighted the malevolence and absence of remorse in her demeanour, emphasising that no mitigating factors were present. Prosecutors detailed Letby's disturbing actions during her tenure in the neonatal unit. As the hospital witnessed an alarming increase in unexplained infant deaths and health deteriorations, Letby was consistently on duty during these incidents. Prosecutors painted her as a constant, ominous presence when these infants experienced collapses or fatalities, using tactics that were difficult to detect. She even deceived colleagues into believing these incidents were normal. The anguish and outrage from the victims' families were palpable during the sentencing, compounded by Letby's absence from the proceedings, which is permitted under British legal protocol. The mother of a girl identified as Child I said in a statement read in court: "I don’t think we will ever get over the fact that our daughter was tortured till she had no fight left in her and everything she went through over her short life was deliberately done by someone who was supposed to protect her and help her come home where she belonged." Because of Letby's absence at the sentencing, calls for legal reform quickly emerged, urging that prisoners should be compelled to attend their sentencings. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his government's intention to address this matter. Medical professionals raised concerns about Letby's behaviour as early as 2015, but their apprehensions were not heeded by management. Some argue that had these concerns been acted upon promptly, lives could have been saved. An independent inquiry will delve into the hospital's response to the alarming rise in deaths and the actions of the staff and management. In conclusion, British nurse Lucy Letby's life sentence for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others has sent shockwaves through the nation. Her calculated actions, lack of remorse, and absence from the sentencing have ignited discussions about legal reforms and the responsibility of institutions to heed early warning signs. Images: Cheshire Constabulary

Legal

Aussie actress in catastrophic bus crash offered $16 voucher as compensation

An Aussie tourist left injured and stranded after a fatal bus crash in southern Italy has claimed the travel company only offered her a meal voucher for the inconvenience. Australian actress Sinead Curry, who has starred in TV shows like The Haunting of Nancy Drew and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, said that nine hours following the crash, the European bus company offered her a $16 meal voucher for her troubles. Curry and partner Salma Salah, both from Sydney, boarded the FlixBus in the city of Bari on June 3 for the long journey to the Northern city of Bologna with a transfer to Rome. However, two hours into the trip Curry said the “bus hit something”. “We were all asleep, it went airborne and spun around a bunch of times,” she said in a TikTok video posted the following day, showing her in hospital wearing a neck brace. Curry told followers the bus was “flung around like in a blender” before it landed down by an embankment, which she claimed was “on the other side of the road”. “Several cars then hit the bus moving the bus closer and closer to the side of the road,” Curry explained in her video. Italian and German media reported the bus crash occurred near the town of Avellino, approximately 50km east of the southwest city of Naples. Five cars were caught up in the accident and local emergency services were quoted as saying the “lifeless body of a man was found” along with 14 people sustaining injuries. Curry said there were 38 people on the bus, including another Aussie woman called “Caity”, who suffered a broken collarbone. After Curry was discharged from the hospital, fearing her nose was broken but was assured it was not, she made another video emphasising how she felt abandoned by the bus company. “FlixBus none of your numbers are working,” an emotional Curry urged. “They ring out and they hang up on us. We cannot get any information from FlixBus, we cannot get our luggage back. “They offered us by text a 10 euro ($16) meal replacement voucher for the inconvenience. “There are a bunch of people here who nearly died we don't have any information.” Curry later claimed FlixBus even blocked her on social media. “We just want some information and some help,” she explained, complaining that she was still waiting on her luggage to be returned. FlixBus issued a statement claiming “a support line and email” was provided to all passengers and their families following the incident. "Outbound calls were made to passengers who had registered their mobile numbers, and emails were sent to passengers with instructions,” the bus company said. “At all times, the safety of its passengers and drivers is of highest priority to FlixBus.” Two days following the incident Curry received her luggage and was in Rome after an emergency shuttle had been deployed for stranded passengers. However, she said that as they arrived in Rome, passengers were finding “shrapnel” from the crash in their bodies and she had gotten a piece out of herself. On June 5 Curry took to TikTok again, saying she and her partner were grateful to be “safe and in Rome”. Although safe, she did note that they were heading to the hospital to get checked again as she was suffering from “very severe headaches” and had intense pain in her jaw. Curry then thanked the “heroes” in Italian fire and rescue, who she said took her and her partner in and gave them pasta, crackers, water and a change of clothes. She said FlixBus had rung her twice at a later date to tell the couple to keep receipts for a full refund. Curry jetted to Europe for her dream holiday but given the incident, she and her partner are dumping their Italian plans to recuperate in Rome. “We are so grateful to be alive please hold your loved ones close,” she said. Image credit: TikTok

Legal

13 homemade weed killers that work

Don’t want to use chemicals on your garden? You don't have to! Mix up these handy helpers in the kitchen. 1. Boiling water Homemade treatments don’t come much cheaper than this. Put the kettle on, boil a pot of water and then pour it straight over the weeds – just make sure to avoid any surrounding plants. This works especially for small weed coming up through the cracks in pavement or in brickwork. 2. White vinegar Is there anything white vinegar can’t do? You can use regular old kitchen vinegar or get the heavy duty stuff from gardening stores. Spray directly onto the leaves of the weeds and watch them fade away. 3. Salt Another kitchen staple that can do double duty in the garden. You can either sprinkle rock salt or basic table salt directly around garden beds where weeds usually appear or create a 3:1 solution of water and salt to spray onto the leaves. 4. Salt & vinegar Combine the two and you’ll get even better results! Mix a cup of table salt with a litre of vinegar, then brush directly onto the leaves of the weeds. It’ll kill anything it touches, so avoid other plants. 5. Vegetable oil For bulbous weeds, like onion weed and oxalis, you can inject vegetable oil into the ground surrounding the bulbs. The oil will coat the bulbs so they suffocate and will then rot into the soil. 6. Cornmeal This won't kill existing weeds but is great for preventing them from sprouting in the first place. Cornmeal is a pre-emergent, meaning it stops seeds from growing, so it’s best for using around established plants. 7. Clove or citrus oil Mix 15 to 20 drops of clove or citrus oil with a litre of water and spray or brush directly onto the leaves. This works best on small, actively growing seedlings rather than more established weeds. 8. Rubbing alcohol Grab that bottle of rubbing alcohol out of the bathroom cabinet and mix two tablespoons with a litre of water. Pour it into a spray bottle and spray directly onto the weeds. The alcohol removes moisture so the weeds will quickly dry out and die. 9. Baking soda Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (essentially a salt), so increases the salinity of the ground to a point where the weeds cannot survive. Use around a teaspoon per weed to cover the entire plant, especially the stem. It’s also great for weeds in cracks. 10. Bleach This one couldn’t be simpler. Pour undiluted bleach straight over the top of mature weeds at the hottest part of the day, then let the sun do its work. You should be able to pull the dead weeds out the next day. Plus the bleach stays in the soil and prevents new growth. 11. Newspaper Rather than killing the weeds, you can smother them with leftover newspaper. Lay down at least four sheets (though the thicker the better) and the lack of sun means the weeds won’t be able to sprout. 12. Mulch Another one from the smothering camp, a good layer of mulch will keep your soil moist, healthy and weed-free. It also blocks out the sunshine weeds need to grow while leaving the surrounding plants untouched. Elbow grease Ok, so this isn’t actually something you put on the weeds, but it’s all you really need to get rid of most of them. Roll up your sleeves, put on some gloves and get pulling. Make sure you get the roots so they don’t grow straight back. Image: Unsplash / Josue Michel

Home & Garden

Dog lovers rejoice after "greedy" serial puppy farmer handed life ban

A serial puppy offender has faced sentencing over 17 charges of animal cruelty, with both a lifetime ban and thousands of dollars in fees included in her punishment. The 51-year-old woman from Bullsbrook, a northern suburb in Perth, had been breeding sick dogs in squalid conditions while charging their potential new owners thousands of dollars, and has now been banned from owning or breeding any more dogs for the rest of her life. For her cruel actions, the Perth Magistrates Court handed her a “10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, $25,000 in fines and an 18-month Intensive Supervision Order.” Additionally, the repeat offender - who has been in custody since April 14 after breaching the conditions of her bail - was also ordered to pay $24,279.11 in legal costs, as well as care and treatment costs totalling $18,241.01. The charges were in relation to 23 dogs who were seized from her property in June 2020 - with sought-after breeds including the likes of Maltese, shih-tzus, poodles, and cavalier King Charles spaniels among them. It wasn’t her first offence - instead her fourth - but her most recent was in 2014 when the RSPCA found 50 dogs at her former home, with 12 of the animals “hidden in a bunker three metres underground”. This time around, she had been trying to conceal her crimes. As the court heard in December, she has been moving the dogs between three different Bullbrook addresses in a bid to avoid detection. It was a display of “callous disregard or at least wilful blindness,” Magistrate Janie Gibbs said. RSPCA WA had launched their investigation into her after a member of the public reported their concerns - they had been trying to purchase a puppy through Gumtree, and had grown suspicious when they were informed they couldn’t visit the dog at home. From there, RSPCA WA seized 32 dogs from the woman’s property - of which there were four adult males, 19 adult females, and nine puppies - with the majority of them showing signs of being “underweight, unkempt, or unwell”, and nearly all of them suffering from “ear infections and/or dental disease and … matted, overgrown hair”. Two did not survive, and five of them were pregnant, giving birth to 22 more puppies in the weeks to follow. All have been in the foster care of RSPCA WA while the case went on. As RSPCA WA Executive Manager Animal and Enforcement Operations Hannah Dreaver explained, the woman responsible had been operating a profit-driven business, and had been placing her income well above the welfare of the dogs in her care. “This included using several locations to hide this operation from both authorities and potential puppy buyers,” she added. “All were popular breeds selling for thousands of dollars. These dogs were making her a fortune and she was treating them as nothing more than money-making machines, having litter after litter without proper care. “Please, if you want to get a dog, consider adoption from the RSPCA or another reputable rescue organisation first. If you do decide to buy a puppy, never buy online and never buy sight unseen. “Always meet your new puppy and its mum in the home where it’s being raised.” Images: RSPCA WA

Family & Pets

Attention plant killers: new research shows your plants could be silently screaming at you

If you’re like me, you’ve managed to kill even the hardiest of indoor plants (yes, despite a doctorate in plant biology). But imagine a world where your plants actually told you exactly when they needed watering. This thought, as it turns out, may not be so silly after all. You might be familiar with the growing body of work that <a href="https://theconversation.com/heard-it-on-the-grapevine-the-mysterious-chatter-of-plants-6292">provides evidence for</a> plants being able to sense sounds around them. Now, new research suggests they can also generate airborne sounds in response to stress (such as from drought, or being cut). A team led by experts at Tel Aviv University has shown tomato and tobacco plants, among others, not only make sounds, but do so loudly enough for other creatures to hear. Their findings, <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)00262-3">published today</a> in the journal Cell, are helping us tune into the rich acoustic world of plants – one that plays out all round us, yet never quite within human earshot. <h2>Plants can listen, but now they can talk!</h2> Plants are “sessile” organisms. They can’t run away from stressors such as herbivores or drought. Instead, they’ve evolved complex biochemical responses and the ability to dynamically alter their growth (and regrow body parts) in response to environmental signals including light, gravity, temperature, touch, and volatile chemicals produced by surrounding organisms. These signals help them maximise their growth and reproductive success, prepare for and resist stress, and form mutually beneficial relationships with other organisms such as fungi and bacteria. In 2019, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/flowers-can-hear-bees-and-make-their-nectar-sweeter">researchers showed</a> the buzzing of bees can cause plants to produce sweeter nectar. Others <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15592324.2017.1368938">have shown</a> white noise played to Arabidopsis, a flowering plant in the mustard family, can trigger a drought response. Now, a team led by Lilach Hadany, who also led the aforementioned bee-nectar study, has recorded airborne sounds produced by tomato and tobacco plants, and five other species (grapevine, henbit deadnettle, pincushion cactus, maize and wheat). These sounds were ultrasonic, in the range of 20-100 kilohertz, and therefore can’t be detected <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10924/">by human ears</a>. <h2>Stressed plants chatter more</h2> To carry out their research, the team placed microphones 10cm from plant stems that were either exposed to drought (less than 5% soil moisture) or had been severed near the soil. They then compared the recorded sounds to those of unstressed plants, as well as empty pots, and found stressed plants emitted significantly more sounds than unstressed plants. In a cool addition to their paper, they also included a soundbite of a recording, downsampled to an audible range and sped up. The result is a distinguishable “pop” sound. The number of pops increased as drought stress increased (before starting to decline as the plant dried up). Moreover, the sounds could be detected from a distance of 3-5 metres – suggesting potential for long-range communication. <h2>But what actually causes these sounds?</h2> While this remains unconfirmed, the team’s findings suggest that “cavitation” may be at least partially responsible for the sounds. Cavitation is the process through which air bubbles expand and burst inside a plant’s water-conducting tissue, or “xylem”. This explanation makes sense if we consider that drought stress and cutting will both alter the water dynamics in a plant stem. Regardless of the mechanism, it seems the sounds produced by stressed plants were informative. Using machine learning algorithms, the researchers could distinguish not only which species produced the sound, but also what type of stress it was suffering from. It remains to be seen whether and how these sound signals might be involved in plant-to-plant communication or plant-to-environment communication. The research has so far failed to detect any sounds from the woody stems of woody species (which includes many tree species), although they could detect sounds from non-woody parts of a grapevine (a woody species). <h2>What could it mean for ecology, and us?</h2> It’s temping to speculate these airborne sounds could help plants communicate their stress more widely. Could this form of communication help plants, and perhaps wider ecosystems, adapt better to change? Or perhaps the sounds are used by other organisms to detect a plant’s health status. Moths, for example, hear within the ultrasonic range and lay their eggs on leaves, as the researchers point out. Then there’s the question of whether such findings could help with future food production. The <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/sitecollectiondocuments/abares/publications/Outlook2012FoodDemand2050.pdf">global demand</a> for food will only rise. Tailoring water use to target individual plants or sections of field making the most “noise” could help us more sustainably intensify production and minimise waste. For me personally, if someone could give a microphone to my neglected veggie patch and have the notifications sent to my phone, that would be much appreciated! Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/attention-plant-killers-new-research-shows-your-plants-could-be-silently-screaming-at-you-202833" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Home & Garden

Study reveals the star sign most likely to be serial killers

Keep your friends close and your Taurus friends even closer as a new study has revealed they’re the most homicidal zodiac sign. The Mirror conducted a murder astrological sign analysis and found the majority of serial killers are born between April 20 to May 20, making them a Taurus. “[Taurus] are devoted, patient and hard-working, traits which can make for a great personality in someone who is stable and good-natured, and an evil manipulator in someone who is not,” the paper reads. Several murderers share the Taurus sign, including America’s first modern serial killer H.H Holmes, Canadian child-killer Karla Homolka and London Mail Bomber David Copeland. Those who share the Cancer star sign were found to be the least likely to be serial killers. However, it's clear that killing is not exclusive to Taurses - here is a list of notable serial killers according to each sign. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Lee Boyd Malvo, Joel Rifkin, Luis Alfredo Garavito Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): John Wayne Gacy, Aileen Wuornos Aries (March 21-April 19): Alexander Pichushkin, John Reginald Christie Taurus (April 20-May 20): H.H. Holmes, Michael Ryan, Albert Fish, David Copeland, Levi Bellfield, Robert Black, Steve Wright, Orville Lynn Majors Gemini (May 21-June 20): Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz, Ted Kaczynski Cancer (June 21-July 22): Robert Maudsley Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Myra Hindley, Anatoly Onoprienko Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Ed Gein, Albert DeSalvo, Henry Lee Lucas Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Fred West, Beverley Allitt Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Moses Sithole, Robert Pickton, Fritz Haarman Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Ted Bundy, Dennis Nilsen, Rose West Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): John Allen Muhammad, Harold Shipman, Stephen Griffiths Treat your Taurus friends kindly, it’s not their fault they were born on such a “likely to be a serial killer” day! Image credit: Shutterstock

Mind

Indigenous artist seeking white Australian to donate their “future deceased body” to an art installation

An Indigenous artist has put a call out for Australians of “British descent” to donate their “future deceased body” to an art installation. Nathan Maynard, a well known Palawa artist and playwright, put an advertisement for the unusual request in the weekend edition of The Age newspaper. Maynard signed the bizarre request as a “palawa” artist: one of the terms First Nations people from Tasmania use when referring to themselves. “Palawa artist wanting to find an Australian of British descent who is willing to donate their future deceased body to an art installation,” the notice read. “The work will speak to sacrifice for past sins perpetrated against the palawa. Potential applicants should see this opportunity as an honour.” “The body and memory of the successful applicant will be treated with the utmost respect at all stages of the project.” The call-out was quick to spark backlash when it was reposted on social media, with one writing, “You can’t just obtain bodies for display in newspapers now. This is very bizarre on multiple levels.” Others questioned the legality of the request, with one person writing, “I dunno that this would be legal, tampering with a corpse is a crime! You can donate your body to medical science, but I don’t think this.” Another wrote, “Borderline psychotic, definitely completely illegal.” Despite the criticism, Mr Maynard told Daily Mail Australia that since the notice went to print, he has received half a dozen applications for their body to be used in the installation in November. The artist said if white Australians are upset by the request, they should ask themselves why they didn't have the same reaction to the mass murder of Aboriginal people. “If you’re not an Aboriginal person and you’re upset by this, I think you should ask yourself why you’re not upset that there is still First Nations remains that have been stolen from their people, stolen from their country in institutions all around the world that are still not repatriated to their own communities,” he said. Nathan said the motivation behind his installation revolves around the fact that thousands of First Nations people were killed by colonists, with their remains being sent overseas to be displayed in institutions and museums without a proper ceremony. “So many Aboriginal people's remains are still overseas. People are trying to bring their ancestors home and they are being denied that right,” Mr Maynard said. “Human bodies are very sacred and they should be treated with respect.” “Whitefellas obviously don't know how to handle remains with respect, so I'm going to show them how,” he said. The artwork has already received support from the state-funded Tasmanian Museum and Gallery and the Hobart City Council, which has donated $15,000 to the unusual installation. The artwork has been commissioned to appear as part of an exhibition for the popular Hobart Current biennial exhibition in November 2023. Image credits: Facebook / The Age

Music

New flag furore erupts as Djokovic crushes Aus Open final

Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open in convincing fashion to equal Rafael Nadal's Grand Slam record, a year after he was deported over his COVID vaccination status. The Serbian star defeated Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets in the final in Melbourne on Sunday, making it Djokovic's 10th Australian Open title – equal to Nadal's Grand Slam record of 22 men's singles titles. However, during the broadcast an eagle-eyed viewer couldn’t help but single out the disturbing appearance of a flag bearing a controversial far-right symbol, waved by a Djokovic supporter. “Why am I seeing a Chetnik flag amongst the Serbian crowd at the Tsitsipas vs Djokovic match?” wrote Twitter user Sophie Mak. “Are ultra fascist symbols allowed in the Australian Open now?” The Chetniks were paramilitary ultranationalists who committed war crimes during WWII. Respected tennis journo Ben Rothenberg then responded by calling for future Australian Opens to be completely flag free if security cannot control such incidents. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I really think they need to make the 2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> a flag-free zone if their security repeatedly can't figure this stuff out. Tournament security has been pretty abysmal (though we haven't had the ~annual court invader during the men's final yet). <a href="https://t.co/Mztq6NstPg">https://t.co/Mztq6NstPg</a> — Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/1619649716932988929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote> “Tournament security has been pretty abysmal (though we haven’t had the ~annual court invader during the men’s final yet),” added Rothenberg. Tennis Australia were moved to introduce a complete ban on Russian and Belarusian flags earlier in the Australian Open after a Belarusian flag was spotted being waved during a Ukrainian’s match. Djokovic’s father Srbjan was then caught up in a controversy when he inadvertently posed alongside pro-Vladimir Putin protesters outside the stadium who were holding up a flag with the Russian leader’s face on it. Srbjan then elected not to attend the semi-final nor the final of the tournament in which his son was victorious for a record tenth time. Images: Twitter

News

Kate Walsh shares how she met the Australian love of her life

Kate Walsh has revealed how she first crossed paths with her Australian fiancé, Andrew Nixon. On an episode of Kelly Clarkson’s talk show, the American actress - best known for her role as Addison Montgomery on Grey’s Anatomy - confirmed the rumour that the two had met on a journey to Antarctica. “We were on a ship to the Antarctic,” she told Kelly when the singer expressed her disbelief, “and that's how I met him.” The trip took place in early 2020, and Kate explained how she had wanted to see Antarctica in the wake of the planet’s climate crisis, having already visited the Arctic. Kate shared some of the highlights from her trip, featuring everything from the animals to the scenery - including, of course, love at first sight. "It was incredible,” she said, “it was an incredible trip and then bonus, you know, found the love of my life. Saw the penguins, check. Ice, check. Whales, check. Man, check.” <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8eg95UnsAY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8eg95UnsAY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kate Walsh (@katewalsh)</a> </div> </blockquote> The couple got engaged in 2022, with the 54-year-old actress revealing the news during an Instagram Live in October. Andrew Nixon, a Western Australian farmer and Kate’s fiancé, made an appearance in the video. Speaking with Kelly, Kate opened up about living in Australia, and how driving on the left side of the road has proven to be quite the change for the actress, admitting that it’s often as though “some old operating system clicks in”. Kate initially moved to Australia a month after the Antarctica trip. She was visiting friends and exploring the Margaret River when COVID-19 cases broke out across the country, and she made the decision to buy a property when lockdowns were enforced. "I got a little place up here in Perth and that's where I am," Kate told 9Honey Celebrity at the time, "and I have to say, I love it. I really love Perth.” Kate and Andrew now live together in Perth, and made their red carpet debut as a couple in December for season 3 of Kate’s hit Netflix show Emily in Paris. Andrew posted a photo from the event, of the two of them smiling and matching in grey outfits. Fans were delighted to see the pair so happy together, with Kate commenting, “we cute.” <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmCDkkdLcp2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmCDkkdLcp2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Andrew Nixon (@andynix1)</a> </div> </blockquote> Despite Andrew’s post, and the occasional appearance in Kate’s Instagram Lives, the farmer of over 30 years is primarily kept private when it comes to what Kate shares with her audience. Whatever their reasons, the couple appear to be happier than even. No wedding date has been announced, but supporters are eager for news, and thrilled for this exciting new chapter in their lives. Image: Getty Images, Instagram

Relationships

"He wants to get in my head": Djokovic takes stand against rowdy fans

Novak Djokovic has spoken out against tennis officials for how they reacted when a group of fans disrupted play at the Australian Open. The Serbian tennis player, ranked world number one, was up against World Number 191 Enzo Enzo Couacaud when he was forced to take his fight from the court to the stands. A group of four young men dressed in Where’s Waldo costumes were responsible for the chaos, and poked at the tennis star’s patience until the fourth set, when Djokovic had had enough. “He’s been provoking all night, the entire night, the entire night,” Djokovic said to the chair umpire, “what are you going to do about it?” The problems began when the group saw fit to shout and taunt during Djokovic’s serves, with their drunken antics leading him to suspect they intended to throw off his game. “The guy's drunk out of his mind, from the first point he's been provoking me,” he told the umpire, gesturing to the trouble in the crowd, “he's not here to watch tennis. He just wants to get in my head. “So I’m asking you, what are you going to do about it? You’ve heard him at least 10 times — I’ve heard him 50 times. What are you going to do about it?” Djokovic called for the expulsion of the disruptive fans, asking officials, “why don’t you get security guards and get him out of the stadium?” A security guard was reportedly sent to speak with the men, and sat in the row before them. The week before, the organisers of the Australian Open stated that anyone who was found to be taunting Djokovic without reason, and disrupting the enjoyment of everyone else, would be removed from the venues. The measure was likely put in place as Djokovic, like Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios, is frequently the subject of heckling from audiences at these events. Despite the security guard’s presence, the interruptions were ongoing, and eventually the men were escorted from the game - but it may have proven too little too late for the Serbian player. In a press conference about the event, Djokovic told reporters, “it’s just unnecessary because why should we as players be put in a position where we have to always react when it‘s been two hours. It’s not been 10 minutes. This is what I mind, and this is why I felt the need to go out there because I had enough, you know? “I can tolerate five, six times somebody telling me something, but there is a limit. That limit was crossed, and I stepped in and I asked the chair umpire, is he going to do something about it or not? He did, and I thanked him.” Images: Getty Images

News

“A little life update”: Naomi Osaka’s big news

Right on the heels of <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/best-year-yet-ash-barty-shares-pregnancy-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ash Barty’s announcement</a> that she will become a mum in 2023, Naomi Osaka has revealed that she too will join Barty in welcoming a baby to the world this year. Tennis fans were rightly downcast when two-time Australian Open champ Osaka pulled out from the tournament last week – but now the world can see that her reasons were joyous indeed, after the 25-year-old revealed the news she was expecting on Instagram on Thursday morning. Posting a snap of an ultrasound in a carousel of images, Osaka wrote: "Can't wait to get back on the court but here's a little life update for 2023." This will be the first child for Osaka and rapper boyfriend Cordae, 25. In a statement shared in English and Japanese in the slides of her Instagram post, Osaka shared reflections on her next chapter. "The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that it's the most challenging times in life that may be the most fun," she wrote. "These few months away from the sport have really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I've dedicated my life to." "I realise that life is so short and I don't take any moments for granted, every day is a new blessing and adventure. "I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I'm looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, 'that's my mum,' haha." <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnSHJx9Jw7Z/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnSHJx9Jw7Z/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 大坂なおみ🇭🇹🇯🇵 (@naomiosaka)</a> </div> </blockquote> In her post, Osaka said she would be back playing in time to compete at the 2024 Australian Open. "2023 will be a year that'll be full of lessons for me and I hope I'll see you guys in the start of the next one cause I'll be at Aus 2024. Love you all infinitely," she wrote. Images: Instagram

Family & Pets

Novak Djokovic holds no grudge against Australia

Novak Djokovic says he still has plenty of love and admiration for Australia, despite being deported due to the vaccine mandates. Djokovic says he received the reception he wished for in his triumphant return to singles action in Australia. Djokovic booked a spot in the second round of the Adelaide International 1 with a thumping 6-3 6-2 win over Frenchman Constant Lestienne on Tuesday. It was his first singles match in Australia since being deported in January 2022 for refusing to have the COVID-19 vaccine. The 21-time grand slam champion received a rousing reception when he stepped out on court on Tuesday, and he didn’t disappoint his adoring fans. Djokovic’s power, court speed, and deft work at the net proved too much to handle for Lestienne, with the match lasting just 74 minutes. The world No.5, who lost his low-key doubles match on Monday, repeatedly touched his heart before signalling to the crowd and the sky upon winning his singles match. He also kissed his hand and touched the court, later saying he was delighted to be back in the country where he’s won nine of his 21 grand slam trophies. “I’m glad to be back in Australia,” Djokovic said in his post-match on-court interview. “Thank you all for coming out today. Thank you for giving me the welcome that I could only wish for. “Over the years, Australia has been the place where I’ve played my best tennis, without a doubt. “If I have to pick one country where I’ve had the most success, which treated me in the best way in terms of tennis, it’s here, definitely. “Even the circumstances last year, it wasn’t easy for anybody. But I’m just happy to be here focusing on tennis, and enjoying my time with you guys.” The result sets up a round of 16 clash with Frenchman Quentin Halys, who defeated Australian Jordan Thompson in straight sets on Monday. Djokovic lost only five points on serve during the opening set, but did have to save a break point in the fifth game. Image: Getty

Travel Trouble

Ash Barty makes history while flashing her stunning wedding ring

Ash Barty has once again made history when she became the first person to win a fifth Newcombe Medal at the Australian Tennis Awards. The retired tennis player turned heads when she arrived at Melbourne's Crown Palladium on Monday night where she was honoured for her Australian Open success. All eyes were on the 26-year-old as she stunned in a black dress and massive $14,000 diamond wedding ring as she walked down the red carpet with her husband Garry Kissick. The former world No.1 was then presented the highest individual honour in Australian tennis by John Newcombe following her success at the 2022 Australian Open - 11 singles and four doubles victories. “It’s obviously an amazing way to cap off what has been an incredible journey,” Barty said. “The journey of a lifetime, the journey of me chasing after my dreams and exploring what was possible out in the world.” Barty beat six Newcombe Medal nominees including: Hunter, Ajla Tomljanović, Nick Kyrgios, Alex de Minaur, Matt Ebden and Max Purcell. Tennis legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley was also honoured that night receiving the Spirit of Tennis Award. Full list: 2022 Australian Tennis Awards recipients as per Tennis Australia Newcombe Medal: Ash Barty (QLD) Spirit of Tennis Award: Evonne Goolagong Cawley (NSW) Female Junior Athletes of the Year: Talia Gibson (WA) and Taylah Preston (WA) Male Junior Athlete of the Year: Edward Winter (SA) Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability: Heath Davidson (VIC) Most Outstanding School: Aitken Creek Primary School (VIC) Most Outstanding Tennis Club or Venue: Collaroy Tennis Club (NSW) 30+ Tennis Senior of the Year: Jarrod Broadbent (VIC) Coaching Excellence – Club: David Grainger (SA) Coaching Excellence – Development: Luke Bourgeois (NSW) Coaching Excellence – Performance: Craig Tyzzer (VIC) Excellence in Officiating: Robyn Tucker (SA) Most Outstanding Tournament: Euroa Lawn Tennis Club Labour Day (VIC) Volunteer Achievement Award: Julie Polkinghorne (SA) Images: Getty

Beauty & Style

The five best books to read by the pool this summer

Australian literature is having a real moment, so here’s our pick of the best Australian novels to soak up with the sun this summer… The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan It took Tasmanian author Richard Flanagan 12 years to write this Booker Prize-winning novel, and it’s easy to see why. Based on his father’s real-life experience, it’s a beautifully written, haunting read about a Japanese Prisoner of War camp on the Thai-Burma death railway during the Second World War. It focuses on Dorrigo Evans, an Australian surgeon haunted by a love affair with his uncle's young wife two years earlier, struggling to save the men under his command from starvation, cholera, and brutal beatings. At times the novel is harrowing, graphic and disturbing, but is ultimately a story of love in the midst of a cruel war. The Light Between Oceans, M. L Stedman Read this novel. We could just leave it there, to be honest, it’s that good. Hollywood movie rights were recently snapped up so, because books are nearly always better than subsequent films, read it quickly! It has won three prestigious ABIA awards, including their 'Book of the Year', and also won the Indie Awards' 'Book of the Year'. It’s 1926 and Tom Sherbourne is a young lighthouse keeper on a remote island off Western Australia. He and his young wife Isabel live a quiet life, cocooned from the rest of the world. Fatefully soon after suffering devastating miscarriages, a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying infant. Only years later do they discover the devastating consequences of the decision they made that day - as the baby's real story unfolds. Get your tissues ready. This book will stay with you for life. Promise. The Night Guest, Fiona McFarlane Fiona McFarlane’s debut novel has been shortlisted for the Stella prize and the Miles Franklin Award. One morning Ruth, an elderly widow, wakes thinking a tiger has been in her house in a small coastal town. Later that day a carer, Frida, arrives to look after her. Both Frida and the tiger are here to stay, and neither is what they seem. The Night Guest is a mesmerising novel about love, dependence, and the fear that the things you know best can become the things you're least certain about. Eyrie, Tim Winton Tim Winton’s 25th book follows Tom Keely, whose reputation is in ruins, whose marriage is over and career finished. Holed up in a grim high rise, cultivating his newfound isolation, he reluctantly meets a woman from his past and a boy who will change his life. Eyrie is heart-warming and human, and reassures the reader that no matter how low you can feel, life will renew itself and take new paths, whether you want it to or not. The Swan Book, Alexis Wright This is like nothing you’ve ever read before. Set in the future, around the time of Australia’s third centenary, we see Aboriginals still living under the Intervention in the north, in a country fundamentally altered by climate change. The book centres around the life of a mute young woman called Oblivia, the victim of gang-rape by petrol-sniffing youths. We follow her from the displaced community where she lives to her marriage to Warren Finch, the first Aboriginal president of Australia, and her elevation First Lady. Alexis Wright’s previous novel, Carpentaria, was a prize-winning best-seller and The Swan Book has been short-listed for the Miles Franklin Award.

Domestic Travel

“Loving grandfather” ousted as serial rapist

A local Bondi grandfather has been ousted by police as a serial rapist - one of the worst in New South Wales. Following a long 40 years of investigations and using new technology for DNA as well as a shocking 12 crime scenes, Keith “Maggo” Simms has been identified as a serial rapist. Dubbed “The Beast of Bondi”, Simms is believed to have raped and terrorised more than 30 women in Sydney's eastern suburbs from 1986 to 2001. He died earlier this year on February 20 at the age of 66. When Simms was ready to attack a woman, he would wear a balaclava and approach them with a knife, putting a hand across their mouth and threatening to kill them. It was only in 2016, when police received a weak DNA match to a relative of Simms, that they were eventually able to tie the crimes back to him. Unfortunately for his victims, Simms died before police were able to question him and get them some form of justice. His family also had no idea and referred to him as a “loving family man”, and when his wife found out she was shocked. “His family had no idea at all … we met with his wife and she was absolutely shocked,” Detective Sergeant Shelley Johns, from Strike Force Doreen said, The Daily Telegraph reported. Sex Crimes squad boss Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty said that despite his death, it gives his victims a peace of mind knowing he’s not out there anymore. “It was important for the victim survivors and that is why we persevered. We wanted to let them know we were not just guessing it was him. It also meant we are not still looking for someone that is still out there,” she said. “So those women who are walking down the street and are still wondering: Is that him? They now know that person is deceased.” Images: The Daily Telegraph

Legal

“I want to go back”: Novak Djokovic weighs in on Australian visa outcome

Novak Djokovic has said he was “very happy” to find out that he will be allowed to compete at the Australian Open next year, after he was granted a visa that lets him return to the country. The World No.1 was barred from entering Australia until 2025 after being at the centre of a major international drama ahead of this year’s Australian Open, which saw him being held in a detention centre for attempting to enter the country without being vaccinated. But, Djokovic will now be able to go for his record-extending 10th Australian Open title after receiving the visa and has said he couldn’t have received “better news”. “It’s a relief, obviously, knowing what I and people closest to me in my life have been through this year with what happened in Australia and post-Australia obviously,” he said after defeating Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals in Turin. "I could not receive better news for sure — during this tournament as well. [The] Australian Open has been my most successful grand slam. I made some of the best memories there. "Of course, I want to go back there, I want to play tennis, do what I do best, hopefully have a great Australian summer. "I'm always thankful to go through experiences, no matter what the experiences are. I try to be optimistic and positive in life. "I look forward to starting the new year in Australia, and we'll see how the next year goes." Having received the news before the match, where Djokovic beat Rublev 6-4, 6-1 to qualify for the semi-finals, the 35-year-old reckons the good news helped him perform on court. "Did it affect my game today? I would like to believe it did,” he said. “Why not? I don't think it did affect me too much because I'm familiar with what I need to do in order to prepare myself for every match. "Of course, knowing that I have clarity now, what I do in the off-season, starting the season in Australia, also of course it did relieve some of the pressure me and my team felt. Just giving that clarity makes it great for us." After missing out on this year’s competition, the Serbian athlete’s future in Australia has looked like a possibility since the government ended rules requiring overseas visitors to declare their Covid vaccination status in July. Earlier this week, Djokovic commented that he had received positive signs about the ban being overturned and his potential return. Image: Twitter

Travel Trouble

“I was always going to be back”: Ash Barty shares career news

Tennis champion Ash Barty has announced that she will be returning to the sport at next year’s Australian Open - but she won’t be returning as a player. After she caused a stir when she hung up her racket earlier this year, the 26-year-old has rejected suggestions that she would be returning to her professional sport in the future. Instead, Barty will be attending the Australian Open as an ambassador for the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. “I was never going to run away, I promise. I was always going to be back,” she told the Today Show. “It wasn't something that it was close the door and never come return.” While she won’t be making an appearance on the centre court again, Barty said she will be “doing my thing” in the background. “I certainly will be enjoying it, like everyone else,” she told the program. “I can't wait, it's scary to think it's so close, it feels like a couple of sleeps and it will be here. “But I am certainly excited for a big summer ... It's an incredible way to bring people to the Australian Open to help them experience it in just the most incredible fashion.” Barty shared her excitement at attending the championship, saying it “will be a great way to bring people together”. “Obviously Melbourne during the Australian Open is crazy for the players and now I am excited to actually see what it is like on the other side,” she said. “Experience the culture, the different way the city buzzes.” This year has been a busy one for the former World No.1, who married her long-term partner Garry Kissick, and released several books, including her memoir My Dream Time and Little Ash children’s book series with Jasmin McGaughey and Jade Goodwin. “I'm not bored, I think this year obviously was very busy with all my book stuff and the memoir release, the Little Ash books which has been great,” Barty said. “It's been a lot to take in. I think there was a part of me that was a little bit scared and fearful of how it would be received. “But so far, so good. “It's the first time that really my life, my thoughts, my biggest fears were on the page for people to read and judge and to take in. “So many people cheered for me when I won, cried with me when I lost and now it was time to let them in and really enjoy the journey for what it was in all of its truths, some of it ugly, some brilliant, but for all that it was.” When asked whether she missed tennis, Barty had a mixed answer. “Yes and no. There are certainly parts of it that I miss,” she said. “I miss testing myself against the world's best, I miss seeing my mates that I met from all corners of the globe. “I'm certainly happy and I know that it was the right time for me, it was the right decision and certainly no regrets.” Image: @ashbarty (Instagram)

News

Astronomers have detected another ‘planet killer’ asteroid. Could we miss one coming our way?

If you surfed the web this morning, you may have seen news of the latest existential threat to humanity: a “planet killer” asteroid named 2022 AP7. Luckily for us 2022 AP7 “has no chance to hit the Earth currently”, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/01/huge-planet-killer-asteroid-discovered-and-its-heading-our-way">according</a> to Scott Sheppard at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He and his international team of colleagues <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ac8cff/pdf">observed 2022 AP7</a> in a trio of “rather large” asteroids obscured by the Sun’s glare (the other two don’t pose a risk). 2022 AP7 orbits the Sun every five years, and currently crosses Earth’s orbit when Earth is on the other side of the Sun to it. Eventually its movement will sync with Earth’s and it will cross much closer by, but this will be centuries into the future. We simply don’t know enough about 2022 AP7 to precisely predict the danger it may pose centuries from now. At the same time, we suspect there could be other “planet killers” out there yet to be discovered. But how many? And what’s being done to find them? What makes a planet killer? Asteroid 2022 AP7 is the largest potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) found in eight years, with a diameter between 1.1km and 2.3km. For context, an asteroid with a diameter more than 1km is enough to trigger a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous%E2%80%93Paleogene_extinction_event">mass extinction event</a> on Earth. As well as having a diameter greater than 1km, an asteroid also needs to have an orbit that crosses Earth’s to be considered potentially dangerous. In the case of 2022 AP7, any threat is centuries down the track. The important point is it has been detected and can now be tracked. This is the best possible outcome. It is estimated we’ve already <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-world-first-nasas-dart-mission-is-about-to-smash-into-an-asteroid-what-will-we-learn-189391">discovered</a> about 95% of potentially hazardous asteroids, and that there are fewer than 1,000 of these. The work of Sheppard and colleagues highlights that hunting down the remaining 5% – some 50 asteroids – will be a massive effort. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492923/original/file-20221102-25180-74aqvo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492923/original/file-20221102-25180-74aqvo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492923/original/file-20221102-25180-74aqvo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492923/original/file-20221102-25180-74aqvo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492923/original/file-20221102-25180-74aqvo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492923/original/file-20221102-25180-74aqvo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492923/original/file-20221102-25180-74aqvo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>Statistically, there’s less of a chance of a larger asteroid colliding with Earth compared to a smaller one. NASA</figcaption></figure> What constitutes a near miss? NASA <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch">closely tracks</a> all known objects in the Solar System. But every now and again an object will catch us off guard. In 2021, we had a close call with an asteroid called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_UA1">2021 UA1</a>. It came only a few thousand kilometres from Earth, over the Antarctic. In cosmic terms, this is uncomfortably close. However, 2021 UA1 was only two metres across, and therefore posed no substantial risk. There are likely hundreds of millions of objects of this size in our Solar System, and it’s not uncommon for them to impact Earth. In these cases, most of the object burns up in the atmosphere and creates a spectacular light show, with little risk to life. In 2019 another <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-asteroid-just-buzzed-past-earth-and-we-barely-noticed-in-time-120972">asteroid</a> with a 100m diameter passed Earth some 70,000km away. It was publicly announced mere hours before it flew past. While it wasn’t as close, it was of a much more concerning size. These near misses reiterate how important it is for us to speed up the search for near-Earth objects. Blind spots The reason we haven’t already found every object that could one day pass nearby Earth is largely because of observational blind spots, and the fact we can’t observe all parts of the sky all the time. To find 2022 AP7, Sheppard and colleagues used a telescope at twilight soon after the Sun had set. They had to do this because they were looking for asteroids in the vicinity of Venus and Earth. Venus is currently on the <a href="https://theskylive.com/where-is-venus">other side of the Sun</a> to Earth. Making observations close to the Sun is difficult. The Sun’s glare overwhelms the weak light reflected off small asteroids – presenting a blind spot. But just before and after sunset, there’s a small window in which the Sun’s glare no longer blocks the view. Right now there are only about 25 asteroids known to have well-determined orbits that lie entirely within Earth’s orbit. More are likely to be discovered, and these may contribute significantly to the missing 5% of potentially hazardous asteroids. The Near-Earth Object Surveyor A recent NASA mission spectacularly demonstrated that humans can purposefully change the trajectory of an asteroid. NASA’s DART (<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart/dart-news">Double Asteroid Redirection Test</a>) mission collided a vending-machine-sized spacecraft into a 160m diameter minor-planet moon called Dimorphos. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492925/original/file-20221102-28436-f16d5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492925/original/file-20221102-28436-f16d5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492925/original/file-20221102-28436-f16d5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492925/original/file-20221102-28436-f16d5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492925/original/file-20221102-28436-f16d5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492925/original/file-20221102-28436-f16d5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492925/original/file-20221102-28436-f16d5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>The DART spacecraft successfully collided with Dimorphos, which itself was orbiting a larger asteroid named Didymos. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben</figcaption></figure> The collision altered Dimorphos’s 12-hour orbital period by more than 30 minutes, and was declared a resounding success. So it’s plausible for humans to redirect a hazardous asteroid if we find one. That said, we’d have to find it well in advance. Potentially hazardous asteroids are much larger than Dimorphos, so a bigger collision would be required with plenty of lead time. To do this, NASA has plans to survey for potentially hazardous objects using a telescope in space. Its <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/near-earth-object-surveyor">Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor</a>, scheduled to launch in 2026, will be able to survey the Solar System very efficiently – including within blind spots caused by the Sun. That’s because the glare we see while observing from Earth is caused by Earth’s atmosphere. But in space there’s no atmosphere to look through. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492932/original/file-20221102-26-zoxo13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492932/original/file-20221102-26-zoxo13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492932/original/file-20221102-26-zoxo13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492932/original/file-20221102-26-zoxo13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492932/original/file-20221102-26-zoxo13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492932/original/file-20221102-26-zoxo13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492932/original/file-20221102-26-zoxo13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>The NEO Surveyor spacecraft won’t have the issue of observational blind spots when hunting for asteroids. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona</figcaption></figure> It’s very likely the Near-Earth Object Surveyor will reveal new objects, and help us characterise a large number of objects to greatly improve our understanding of threats. The key is to find as many objects as possible, categorise them, track the risks, and plan a redirection mission as much in advance as possible. The fact that all of these elements of planetary defence are now a reality is an amazing feat of science and engineering. It is the first time in human history we have these capabilities.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193709/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by Steven Tingay. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/astronomers-have-detected-another-planet-killer-asteroid-could-we-miss-one-coming-our-way-193709" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine

Technology

Steve Martin discusses his love for Indigenous Australian art

Comedian and actor Steve Martin has long been an avid art lover and collector. After making onto ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list several times in the 1990s, he has recently turned his attention to Indigenous Australian art and its deep cultural history. With his wife Anne Stringfield, he’s bought works by Indigenous artists such as Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri, Timo Hogan, Carlene West, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, and Doreen Reid Nakamarra, among many others. His love for these works began almost 10 years ago, as he shared with <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/actor-steve-martin-on-the-joys-and-the-difficulties-of-collecting-contemporary-indigenous-australian-art-1234644806/">ARTnews</a>. He said, “It all started with one picture by this artist, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri. I just really liked it, bought it, and hung it in our house for several years. I really didn’t know that there was a whole big funnel going back this way of its history.” “I hadn’t really seen anything like this before. And they were available, which is an aspect of the art world now that is the opposite—most things are unavailable. And I loved them. I thought they were great.” He said his collection, which includes over a hundred works, is “hard to improve” when dealing with art pieces that are increasingly rare. Some of the works he owns have been displayed in non-selling shows at Gagosian locations in New York and Beverly Hills, California, with Steve saying he “loves just getting these pictures seen” by like-minded art fans. Image credits: Getty Images

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Steve Martin discusses his love for Indigenous Australian art

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Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

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Entertainment

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Information

Keep up to date

Search

Woman launches true crime podcast to find her father's killer

Life behind bars ﻿for serial killer nurse

Aussie actress in catastrophic bus crash offered $16 voucher as compensation

13 homemade weed killers that work

Dog lovers rejoice after "greedy" serial puppy farmer handed life ban

Attention plant killers: new research shows your plants could be silently screaming at you

Study reveals the star sign most likely to be serial killers

Indigenous artist seeking white Australian to donate their “future deceased body” to an art installation

New flag furore erupts as Djokovic crushes Aus Open final

Kate Walsh shares how she met the Australian love of her life

"He wants to get in my head": Djokovic takes stand against rowdy fans

“A little life update”: Naomi Osaka’s big news

Novak Djokovic holds no grudge against Australia

Ash Barty makes history while flashing her stunning wedding ring

The five best books to read by the pool this summer

“Loving grandfather” ousted as serial rapist

“I want to go back”: Novak Djokovic weighs in on Australian visa outcome

“I was always going to be back”: Ash Barty shares career news

Astronomers have detected another ‘planet killer’ asteroid. Could we miss one coming our way?

Steve Martin discusses his love for Indigenous Australian art

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Life behind bars for serial killer nurse