Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

A 28-year-old woman has been charged over the fatal shooting of electrician Joshua MacDonald in Sydney, with police alleging she acted as a lookout and helped a gunman escape. Mr MacDonald, 40, was walking towards a house in Bruce Street, Merrylands West, at about 3.15pm on September 2 when he was shot dead. New South Wales Police said Strike Force Haleno detectives arrested the woman after executing a search warrant at a unit in Wollongong at about 2.30pm on Friday. She was taken to Wollongong Police Station and charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder, participating in…

A man from Senoia, Georgia, has been arrested after investigators allegedly found more than 20,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on a hard drive, authorities said. David Thomas Stevens is being held without bond at the Coweta County Jail and faces eight counts of sexual exploitation of children, according to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation began after the sheriff’s office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit received reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about suspected illegal material. Investigators identified an online account linked to Stevens and later found further accounts containing prohibited…

The prime minister is using a week-long visit to the US to press the case for tighter controls on big tech companies and social media giants on the world stage. The visit will provide an opportunity to argue for reining in the influence of major technology platforms, with the issue forming a central part of the prime minister’s international agenda.

Hundreds of Iranian women competed in a Tehran race without wearing the hijab, in one of the largest public displays of defiance since the 2022 “women, life, freedom” protests. The runners’ participation challenged Iran’s law requiring women to cover their hair in public, with the event becoming a prominent demonstration of opposition in the capital. On the same day, veiled women marched in Tehran in support of the government and the war effort, creating sharply contrasting scenes in the city. The events have been described as a tale of two cities, with the Iranian women taking part in the race…

Madonna and Charli XCX are set to release a new collaboration, “Danceteria (Afterhours)”, on 24 September. The track is a remix from Madonna’s Confessions II album. The pair confirmed the project in a brief Instagram teaser posted on Friday, accompanied by the caption: “Let’s take it to the East side baby……” and the release date. The announcement follows a series of hints shared by the two artists this month. On 6 September, Madonna posted a TikTok video saying, “Thinking about Charli….” Charli XCX replied: “wait… i got something i wanna talk about!” Madonna and Charli XCX were also seen together…

Defence experts have told a Florida jury that Vickie Williams was experiencing severe psychosis and was not legally sane when she allegedly killed an elderly couple in Mount Dora in 2022. Clinical neuropsychologist Dr Ryan Bennett said Williams was suffering from schizophrenia-related symptoms when Darryl Getman, 83, and his wife Sharon, 80, were fatally stabbed inside their home at the Waterman Village retirement community on 31 December 2022. “It is my clinical opinion that Ms Williams was under a state of psychosis during the time of the alleged murders,” Bennett told the court in Tavares on Friday. Defence experts describe…

John Farnham’s “You’re The Voice” is marking 40 years as one of Australia’s most recognisable songs, with the power ballad having grown from an unlikely album addition into an unofficial national anthem. Released in 1986 on Farnham’s 10-track album Whispering Jack, the song helped revive the singer’s career and went on to top the Australian charts for seven weeks. It also reached number one in Germany and the top five in Ireland, while making the top six in the UK, Austria and Canada. Its success was far from guaranteed. Co-writer Chris Thompson, a singer and guitarist with Manfred Mann’s Earth…

Reformer Pilates warning signs are being highlighted by an instructor who says constant soreness, pain and exhaustion can indicate that a workout routine is doing more harm than good. As custom-built Reformer studios have spread across town centres and high streets, the exercise has become increasingly popular for building strength, mobility and stability. But Nikkii Behrens, founder of Rare Street Pilates, said the discipline’s principles can be undermined when classes become focused on intensity and exhaustion. Behrens, who has practised Reformer Pilates for more than a decade, said progress should be measured through control, precision and sustainable recovery rather than…

Ed Sheeran is prepared to perform Saturday night’s concert in Philadelphia alone if necessary, after Macklemore, the other opening acts and Sheeran’s backing band withdrew from the show. Music industry sources familiar with the arrangements said plans for the concert had been changing hour by hour as organisers worked through the logistics. However, there was no concern about Sheeran taking the stage by himself. The singer has previously performed in large venues with little more than a guitar, carrying two-hour stadium shows without a backing band. As the headliner and the tour’s main ticket seller, he is considered better placed…

A hazardous materials incident at Port Tampa Bay prompted a temporary shelter-in-place order for residents of Harbour Island on Friday evening, after firefighters reported a release of hydrogen sulphide from a tank at Gulf Sulphur. Tampa Fire Rescue crews were called to 1015 McCloskey Boulevard shortly before 6.30pm following reports of a possible fire involving a sulphur tank. Heavy smoke initially led emergency services to classify the incident as a structure fire. Firefighters later said the blaze had caused hazardous material to escape from a tank at the Gulf Sulphur facility. Hydrogen sulphide is a respiratory irritant with a strong,…