Latest news with #Advertiser
The Australian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Australian
Microsoft ends authenticator password support, users urged to act
Users of Microsoft Authenticator have been warned to save all their passwords before the company plans to phase out its password management system starting next month. Microsoft Authenticator, known for providing two-factor authentication for online accounts, also stores and autofills passwords for apps and websites. Users warned to save their passwords amid Microsoft's switch to Edge. Picture: Supplied. However, starting June 1, the app will stop saving new passwords as Microsoft shifts password management to its Edge browser. By July 1, the autofill function in Authenticator will be disabled, and any saved payment information, including credit card details, will be deleted. Microsoft has noted that this payment data will not automatically transfer to Edge, so users will need to re-enter their card details manually. By August, all previously saved passwords will be removed from the Authenticator app entirely. The company says that anyone who wants to keep using their passwords and log-ins after August must download Microsoft Edge onto their phone and other devices. The move is aimed at streamlining password access and autofill across all platforms using Edge's integrated password manager. Karen Grace Prince Cadet Journalist Karen Grace Prince covers general news as a cadet reporter at The Advertiser. She began her role in 2024 after graduating with a Master in Journalism and International Relations from Monash University. Karen Grace Prince
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Restored 1950s Belmont home offers haven for first-time buyers
A 1950s retro throwback in Belmont has provided a housing haven for first-home buyers moving in from the Surf Coast. The mid-century modernist style house at 71 James St sold recently for $647,000 after the seller credited the residence with saving him through Covid lockdowns. The property was listed with $650,000 to $700,000 price hopes. Ray White Highton agent George Politis said the mood in the market improved after the first interest-rate cut in February, but buyers were still wary of houses where they believed they may need to do some structural work. 'There has been a it more positivity in the marketplace since the interest-rate drop,' Mr Politis said. Mr Politis said it was a good property and interest spiked after the home was featured on a Retro Houses for Sale Facebook page. 'There's a fair bit of popularity behind those (homes) at the moment,' Mr Politis said. The first-home buyers were moving in from the coast where homes were less affordable for young purchasers, he said. The owner bought the property in 2019 when it was billed as ripe for renovation. But he had other ideas and slowly set about bringing its timber cabinetry and vintage kitchen back to life. 'I've always been a fan of retro and the Atomic ranch style and I didn't think I'd find one in Geelong,' the vendor Ben told the Advertiser previously. 'The big windows, the flat roof, the wooden features – there was a lot of things like shaggy blue carpet that a lot of people would have looked past so I was lucky to be able to get it and during lockdown I had a lot of time not being able to do much so that allowed me to work on it. 'I always say to people I didn't renovate, I restored it.' He pulled up the carpets to reveal timber floors, repaired the individual architraves in each room and refreshed the bathroom, still retaining the original curved vanity. He even kept the separate shower room, rather than turning it into an ensuite.
Perth Now
01-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
You Have 6 Months: WA author's brave battle with cancer
June Williams has written a book called You Have 6 Months. It's about her journey with Stage IV lung cancer and, she assures the Advertiser, it's a positive tale even though she's not sure how it's going to end. A lover of thriller novels, the conclusion of this one is a cliffhanger. She has just turned 61 and already outlived the six-month prognosis, for it's now four years since her world was turned upside down. 'I left it there because I don't know what the future holds,' she said. She finished it recently, while in a state the medics call 'stable disease', and feels relatively healthy. She says 'relatively' because although she looks fit and well her medication has uncomfortable side effects, including numbness in her toes and uveitis, a nasty eye inflammation. Steve Williams and June Williams at their Kojonup farm. Credit: Steve Williams 'I'm also on high doses of steroids so I'm completely hyper,' she said. 'My husband has told me I have to stop renovating.' Husband Steve has been a representative for WFI in Katanning since 1986 and the couple bought their Kojonup farm in 2007 where they run sheep and grow canola and wheat. As a non-smoker, Mrs Williams' diagnosis came as a complete shock. She thought she had a persistent stitch until she collapsed and was flown from the farm to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth. She was given chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which didn't work and had huge side effects, so she started doing her own research and looking for a clinical trial. That she succeeded is testament to her tenacity and her stamina. 'I thought I had found one, but I was devastated when I was told I didn't meet the parameters,' she said. June Williams has written Six Months to Live which details her journey with stage 4 lung cancer. Credit: June Williams 'Then I got a call in the middle of the night to say there was a genome trial in WA which I could join and that's what I did. 'If I'd continued with the chemo I would be dead because it was a really bad treatment for the cancer I had,' she said. 'I didn't want to be a whiny patient but I've found you have to be a squeaky wheel to get anywhere at all.' With a Federal election campaign in full swing, Mrs Williams' is a topical case study for the debate on rural medical services. 'When I collapsed there was no doctor in the local hospital and I was dealing with a paramedic over the phone,' she said. 'Fortunately, the (Royal) Flying Doctor Service was fantastic but I'm not sure if people really understand how difficult it can be in a remote location.' The book came about because she wanted to help people who might be in a similar situation and to encourage them to speak up. 'I want people to be an advocate for themselves, to ask questions and to keep asking questions,' she said. 'I focused on getting on this trial and I know that if I had done nothing, just sat and wallowed, I wouldn't be here.' Writing the book was easy, as she has always loved reading, starting with Enid Blyton as a child and moving on to the crime and mystery works of Anne Cleeves and Minette Walters. 'I just vacillated between a biography or a cancer story but I knew I wanted it to be something someone could pick up in a waiting room or before a flight,' she said. 'It's about encouraging others to understand you can live with cancer and it doesn't have to be a death sentence.' Part of her rationale was to put down for posterity how much her family and friends mean to her. 'I wanted to put things in perspective,' she said. Steve Williams and June Williams. Credit: June Williams 'I wanted to do it for family and friends so they could see what they have done for me. 'They have been marvellous.' She may not know about the long term but the short term involves a trip to Hawaii and a European family cruise is at the planning stage. Her latest scan showed no change in her cancer from 2021 which she said had 'shrunk and stabilised'. There may not be a cure but Mrs Williams shows you can live with it and write your own endings. The book can be found in hard copy at the Donnybooks and Gift store in Donnybrook, or online, with all proceeds going to the Council Council WA and the Perkins Institute.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Thug makes chilling gesture to a judge before going on a foul-mouthed rant during sentencing over a wild beach brawl with cops
A man who attacked police during his arrest on a busy beach made a gun gesture to the judge overseeing his sentencing, before going on a expletive-laden rant. Andrew Kevin Gollan, 25, raged at Judge Heath Barklay as he appeared for sentencing submissions via video link at Adelaide 's District Court on Tuesday. The Morphettville man's attorney, Sean Nottle, apologised for his client's unruly behaviour as details of his violent arrest on January 23, 2024 were heard in court. Gollan was being pursued by police in relation to an earlier assault when he attacked the officers in front of horrified beachgoers at Christies Beach. Confronting footage released by the court in April showed a male officer being dragged into the ocean during the altercation with Gollan. Police officer Kyle Hurcombe was hit in the face after firing a Taser at Gollan, which missed, before the suspect hurled a scooter at him. In court Golan 'formed a gun with his hands' while pointing at the judge as the prosecution began their final sentencing submissions. Golan swore and cursed as the prosecution continued during the hearing. 'Bulls**t, f**king dog,' Gollan said, reports the Advertiser. 'I'm not listening to this bulls**t bias … my brother just died … I'm not listening to this s**t. Can I go back to my f***ing cell?' Judge Barklay was forced to mute Golan's audio after the accused refused to adhere to the court's orders to remain quiet. Despite this Golan continued to swear while punching at the camera which was streaming his actions to the court. He also threw a small object around the room he was in before he asked if the Judge wanted to 'talk s**t about me c**t'. Golan pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a worker and one count each of resisting a police officer and in doing so causing aggravated harm with intent. Mr Nottle told the court that his client had been diagnosed with diagnosed bipolar personality disorder, PTSD and polysubstance use disorder prior to the incident. Mr Nottle presented the court a letter of apology which Golan had written prior to the hearing. The letter outlined Golan's regret for his actions and insisted that he wanted to become 'the best man he can' going forward. 'There is still some small amount of hope for this young man to be able to make good on what he has set out to … to make good on the promises and commitments that he has made to himself,' Mr Nottle said Golan has been held intermittently in solitary confinement over the course of 10 months since his arrest, Mr Nottle told the court. The court also heard about Golan's 'complex history' of trauma, abuse and dysfunction which had preceded his extensive criminal history. Gollan has been remanded in custody and will face sentencing in May.
News.com.au
26-04-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Famous dachshund Valerie missing on Kangaroo Island returns to grateful owners after 529 day search
Valerie the dachshund, the fugitive dog who survived 529 days alone in the Australian wilderness, has finally been returned to her grateful owners. The huge effort by volunteers to find the adventurous dachshund began in November 2023, when Valerie ran away from her campsite on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia. But after a colossal search by volunteers and some help from CCTV footage, the dachshund was found. Her incredible story, which made headlines around the world, including in the New York Times, ended when the Kangala Wildlife Rescue confirmed they had finally caught Valerie. 'Kangala Wildlife Rescue is overjoyed to announce the successful rescue of Valerie, the miniature dachshund who went missing on Kangaroo Island 529 days ago,' the rescue team wrote on Facebook. 'After weeks of tireless efforts by Kangala Wildlife Rescue volunteers and partner organisations, Valerie has been safely rescued and is fit and well.' The black and tan miniature dachshund vanished in November 2023 after escaping from its pen as it tried to follow its owners to the nearby Stokes Bay Beach. The couple extended their stay to look for the dachshund before eventually returning home. Previous comments by the dogs owners in March to the Advertiser said they struggled after they returned to their campsite and saw their beloved dog had escaped. 'I remember on the first day I was just covered in tears. We barely ate anything,' Ms Gardner said. 'My whole world just crumbled.' 'When we left the island without her, I cried for days.' The little sausage dog was not seen for more than a year, with the owners assuming the worst, before Valerie was spotted on camera alive and well. According to Kangala Wildlife Rescue, the group of volunteers travelled over 5000km and spent over 1000 volunteering hours to finally track down Valerie. The volunteers used the deployment and monitoring of numerous cameras and traps and the use of various forms of technology to successfully secure Valerie while ensuring her physical and psychological welfare. The group of volunteers came up with innovative, easy to try and tempt Valerie back into her pen, including setting up a cage laden with her favourite treats, toys and even her bed from home. Kangala Wildlife Rescue announced on Friday night that they had finally got their hands on the hardy hound after near misses in the days prior. 'Valerie has kept to her schedule, after being away for five nights, on Tuesday night the weather was horrible,' the organisation wrote. 'It was windy, rainy and Valerie came through, made a fleeting appearance, dashing into view but she was on such high alert, really spooky and she just kept ongoing. 'Tonight the weather's so much better, the wind has dropped out and it's really still so we're expecting to see a much calmer Valerie come back to the trap site either tonight or over the next couple of nights.'
