Latest news with #9News
9 News
14 hours ago
- Climate
- 9 News
State warned to brace for drenching over the coming week as first cold front of winter hits
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here West Australians are no strangers to a bit of bad weather with a tornado hitting Bunbury and a microburst in Perth Hills in the past year alone. After a warm end to autumn, Perth's first cold front of winter is set to hit this WA Day long weekend. (9News) But, according to the experts, the next round is imminent and residents are being urged to get their homes ready. "We've started to see that the high pressure system to the south of the state that has kept a lot of these early season cold fronts at bay is starting to weaken," Gianni Colangelo from the Bureau of Meteorology said. Parts of the state are set to get drenched with a month's worth of rain over the next week, up to 100 millimetres, but forecasters can't say exactly where will be hardest hit. With the first cold front of the season due to hit on Monday, WA Day, authorities are urging people to act over the weekend. Parts of the state are set to get drenched with a month's worth of rain over the next week, up to 100 millimetres but forecasters can't say exactly where will be hardest hit. (9News) "It's time now to clean up around your home and also around your yard," Commissioner Craig Waters from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said. "To make sure that you've trimmed back all the trees that are overhanging your property, also making sure that your gutters are clean, you're checking the roof to make sure you don't have any loose tiles." Last year, SES volunteers responded to more than 1000 calls for assistance, spending an average of three and a half hours at each property, often for damage that could have been prevented. Last year, SES volunteers responded to more than 1000 calls for assistance, often for damage that could have been prevented. (9News) "It's time that we all took time to prepare ourselves, prepare your homes, do what you can to make the job of our State Emergency Service and other volunteers a lot easier," Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia said. The front will extend from the north-west cape to the south-east and is expected to last three days. national Weather News Weather Western Australia Perth Rain Thunderstorm CONTACT US Auto news: Google Gemini AI assistant coming to new cars in 2025.
9 News
18 hours ago
- Health
- 9 News
Brisbane clinic offering new pain-free breast screen technology
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Pain-free breast cancer CT scans are now being offered for the first time in Australia. Conventional mammograms require compressing the breast which can be painful, particularly for women with dense breasts. However, Cone Beam Breast CT offers a pain free alternative, and experts using it say it gives superior clarity, particularly for women with dense breasts. Pain-free breast cancer CT scans are now being offered for the first time in Australia. (9News) About a third of Australian women over 50 have dense breasts and about 25 per cent of women under the age of 50 have extremely dense breasts. The new technology is approved by the FDA in the United States with registration pending in Australia. Breast screening patient Belinda Yates got access through the TGA's special access scheme and said it's a completely different experience to mammograms. "Firstly there's no pain associated with the scan... there is no touching of your breast whatsoever," 46-year-old Yates said. "This was advised as a good test for me to have to see a clearer picture." Brisbane Radiology is the first clinic in Australia to use the technology after evaluating 10 years of research overseas. "It is really great for detecting small lesions with women with dense breasts and with complex breasts," Dr Jacqueline Milne said. "I honestly believe that this will change the paradigm for imaging in Australia, particularly for women with dense breasts." A contrast dye injection gives even greater visibility. "We wait two minutes and then the same scan is performed," she said. The scans can also be used to plan surgery to conserve the breast. "Women survive breast cancer now so we don't want to leave deformities," breast and endocrine surgeon Dr Ben Green said. "So having clarity about what tissue I need to remove, what volume of defect will be behind and how I'll fill that can result in less surgery, less need to come back and have further operations," he said. The emerging technology has an out of pocket cost of nearly $300 and is not part of the BreastScreen program, which provides free mammograms for women over 40. But the national body today posted new guidelines recommending for the first time that women are notified about their breast density. Queensland, Tasmania and the territories are yet to roll out the reporting system. Vicki Durston from the Breast Cancer Network wants all states and territories to adopt the standard. "We know 2D mammography can reduce sensitivity down to 64 per cent - so we want to see for those at high risk or those with high breast density - have the options of supplementary screening that is available for all," Durston said. A review by BreastScreen on the latest advances in screening technology is yet to be released. A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said: "At present, there is no consensus on the optimal screening pathway for those with increased mammographic density." However authorities stress mammograms detect the majority of breast cancers in Australia and remain the technology for mass screening for women of all breast densities. "Additional imaging tests are only available outside of the BreastScreen Australia may incur out of pocket costs." Breast Cancer national health Brisbane queensland tasmania CONTACT US
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Former Police Commissioner Mike Bush's new Victorian Police chief role at risk after citizenship questions
Former New Zealand police commissioner Mike Bush's new role as Victorian Police chief is in question after laws were discovered during his induction that may not allow a non-Australian citizen to step into the job. 9News reported that the Victorian Government was hastily trying to
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bizarre detail that saw Aussie woman 'jailed' in US amid Trump's border crackdown: 'What do you mean?'
An Australian former police officer with no criminal history and a valid visa has spoken out after being detained in the US and sent packing back to Sydney, in the latest example of the Trump administration's uncompromising border control measures. Nicolle Saroukos, from Padstow Heights in the city's southwest, has an American husband serving in the US military — but that still didn't stop immigration officials from jailing her for the night, searching her phone, luggage and "racially profiling" her, ultimately deciding to deny her entry into the country without clear reason why. Officers in Honolulu, Hawaii, stated that Nicolle had packed "too many clothes" for the planned three-and-a-half-week trip and even questioned her tattoos. "I said, 'what do you mean I'm going to prison?'" she told 9News in an interview aired Wednesday night. The 25-year-old's disturbing experience is one that has become increasingly common at airports across the US, with Australian travellers growing more and more cautious. Last month, Melbourne nurse Remi told Yahoo News she had just finished planning a "dream trip" to New York for Christmas with her husband later this year when she heard reports of travellers being detained and turned away at the border. "When we booked, we hadn't heard about this happening, and then all of a sudden, there were these different stories from travellers from Germany, Canada and Australia being pulled aside at the border. It's scary, especially as a person of colour," she told Yahoo. As for Nicolle, it was her third trip to visit her husband, Matt, a US Army lieutenant based on Oahu. The couple had married last December, and while her previous visits had gone smoothly, this time was very different. "[An immigration officer] went from completely composed to just yelling at the top of his lungs, telling my mother to go stand at the back of the line and to 'shut up,'" Nicolle told Hawaii News Now. "So I automatically started crying because that was my first response." Nicolle said a border officer told her she would be sent to "prison" overnight, not a detention centre. Fearing she'd be held with serious criminals, she was further distressed when officials, who claimed they'd contact her husband, failed to do so. She also described being subjected to a body cavity search, escorted through the airport in handcuffs, and taken to the Federal Detention Centre. Nicolle was told she wasn't under arrest, hadn't done anything wrong, and wouldn't face charges. But at prison, she was strip-searched and detained alongside women convicted of serious crimes, she said. Sharing a cell with another deportee from Fiji, Nicolle was also denied food for missing the dinner cutoff and wasn't allowed to contact her husband or mother. "My rights, as a human being, should be to contact at least one person," she said. "I found that so absurd." Nicolle's experience, along with a growing number of similar cases, has prompted travel experts to issue renewed warnings about the rising risks tied to travel to the US. Australians are being urged to be extra vigilant, as even minor paperwork issues can lead to major consequences. Travellers are advised to never book a one-way ticket, keep a printed copy of their itinerary on hand, and take particular care when completing their ESTA — the electronic visa waiver application required for most tourists. 🌼 Travelling mum highlights little-known feature at airports ✈️ The tourists whose dream holidays were destroyed by Trump's crackdown 🛫 Couple 'traumatised' over horrifying seating request on Aussie flight It's recommended that travellers lodge their ESTA as early as possible and double-check all details, as errors or inconsistencies can raise red flags at the border. Immigration lawyers also caution that US border officials may screen social media accounts during entry checks. In addition to securing the correct documents, Australians should familiarise themselves with all visa and transit requirements, including terms and conditions of the visa waiver program, to avoid unexpected detention or deportation. The federal government's Smartraveller website updated its advice to those travelling to the US last month. "Entry requirements are strict," it reported. "US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
9 News
3 days ago
- Health
- 9 News
Australian-developed pill could ease distressing behaviours in dementia patients
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here An Australian-developed drug to ease the debilitating symptoms of dementia is being trialled in several states throughout the country. Dementia can lead to behavioural and psychological changes, affecting a majority of patients during their illness, causing them distress and putting pressure on family and caregivers. "We think of dementia as a loss of memory, but that's nowhere near as difficult or frustrating to look after than changes in personality and behaviour, including agitation and aggression," said Associate Professor Michael Woodward, Austin Health Aged Care and Memory Clinic Director. The new drug called KNX100 is designed as an alternative to antipsychotic medications. (9News) The new drug called KNX100 is designed as an alternative to antipsychotic medications which carry significant side-effects and are considered a last resort when non-pharmaceutical interventions fail. "It's important that we're able to develop new treatments that are targeted and that don't have the side-effects particularly drowsiness that we encounter," Trial Principal Investigator Dr Peter de Wet said . "We need smart medications that don't just sedate a person, don't just chemically restrain them," Associate Professor Woodward said. A total of 60 dementia patients who are living at home are being recruited to participate in trials across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The drug has already been shown in earlier trials to be safe and tolerable. "It interferes with an enzyme (in the brain) that we know is associated with the signalling pathway that leads to agitation, aggression and other symptoms that are distressing to patients with dementia," he said. The innovation originated from research at the University of Sydney which led to spin out company Kinoxis. "We're providing a solution that we believe is a significant unmet need," "We aim to further develop and invest in this to take it as far as possible towards approval," said Hugh Alsop, Kinoxis Therapeutics CEO. Patients in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia can find out more on the study's website . national Australia dementia health CONTACT US Property News: 'Stressful': Perth mum's dilemma after rental mix-up.
