Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

The Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to announce a 25-basis-point interest-rate move in September, with inflation risks becoming a growing concern. The anticipated decision has placed the RBA’s response to rising inflationary pressures at the centre of attention ahead of its September meeting. While the 25-basis-point move is broadly expected, the increase in inflation risks adds uncertainty to the outlook for Australian monetary policy.

A campaign to create a new Pinellas County preserve is gathering pace, with a non-profit seeking to protect 29 acres of largely undeveloped land along Boca Ciega Bay from future construction. The West Klosterman Preservation Group has secured agreements with the owners of three adjoining parcels near Duhme Road, including an island known locally as “Roasted Turkey Island”. It is now working with county officials on a possible purchase for conservation. The proposed Duhme Road Reserve would cover 29.14 acres of coastal upland, wetlands, mangroves and aquatic habitat. The site is surrounded by established development but remains largely natural, providing…

Heath Ledger wanted to appear on Kath and Kim as Sharon Strzelecki’s stalker, Magda Szubanski has revealed in her new memoir. The late Perth-raised actor made the suggestion after an unscripted kiss with Szubanski’s character at the 2006 Australian Film Institute Awards, a moment which later became widely known. Szubanski, 65, said Ledger had not been aware of the plan before Sharon reacted to seeing him at the ceremony. “As soon as Sharon saw Heath, overtaken by my own avatar, she went off-script and screamed,” she wrote in I Can’t Tell You But I Will, which is due to be…

A 50-year-old man has died after allegedly being struck by a car outside his home in Fernvale, west of Brisbane, with a woman known to him charged with domestic violence murder. Bradley Bullock was allegedly hit at about 5.55pm on Sunday outside his home in Stoneywood Street. The 45-year-old woman was arrested at the scene. Neighbours said they heard raised voices before the incident. One neighbour, Kyle Wilford, said he found Mr Bullock on the ground and began CPR before paramedics arrived. “I found the body on the floor and started CPR straight away. Unfortunately, the man had no pulse,”…

Tarleton State University is mourning rodeo athlete Alejandra Franco after the 20-year-old student died following an incident at a college competition in Alpine, Texas. Franco, known to friends as Ale, was injured on the evening of Thursday, September 24, while competing for Tarleton’s rodeo team at the annual Sul Ross College Rodeo. The event was held at the S.A.L.E. Arena, which is part of Sul Ross State University. Officials have not released details about how the incident happened. Franco had recently celebrated her 20th birthday and competed as a breakaway roper. The Tarleton State Rodeo Team said she had left…

A senior Parramatta Liberal councillor has quit the party hours before a vote to choose the city’s lord mayor, citing concerns about the Coalition’s growing alignment with One Nation and an inquiry into Liberal Party figures. Tanya Raffoul announced her resignation on Monday morning and said she would continue serving on Parramatta council as an independent, at least for now. “The Liberal Party’s growing policy and values alignment with a divisive political party, and its willingness to marginalise multicultural Australians, particularly across western Sydney, is disappointing,” she said in an Instagram post. Raffoul, a former chief of staff to Liberal…

Hundreds of Venezuelan opposition supporters have rallied in Caracas and other cities to demand the return of Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado and presidential elections they say could begin a democratic transition. Activists wearing sky-blue shirts associated with Machado’s Vente Venezuela party travelled by motorcycle through the capital on Sunday, sounding their horns and waving Venezuelan flags. Demonstrations were also reported in the state capitals of Valencia, Maracaibo and Merida. “This is not a matter of parties or politics,” Flavio Valentini, a Vente Venezuela activist in Caracas, told the crowd through a megaphone. “This is a movement for the people…

Hong Kong home prices were largely flat in August, marking little overall movement in the city’s residential property market during the month.

Taylor Swift dedicated her Video of the Year award at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards to Dolly Parton, praising the country music star as “the ultimate showgirl”. Swift, 36, won the final award of the night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday for the video to “The Fate of Ophelia”. It was her sixth victory in the category, with the award presented by host Snoop Dogg. Accepting the honour, Swift said she was particularly proud of the video because it was filmed in “one continuous shot”, requiring her to learn “a lot about hiding cuts”. She…

A horse was struck and killed by a vehicle on Detroit’s west side in the early hours of Saturday, September 26, police said. Officers were sent to the area of Evergreen Road and Lyndon Street at about 1am, where they found the animal involved in a crash. The horse suffered fatal injuries. Witness Ronald Bradley told local media he had seen the horse running loose along Evergreen Road and followed it for several minutes in an attempt to slow it down and move it away from the main road. It was unclear whether anyone in the vehicle was injured. Detroit…