Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

A four-bedroom house in Epping has sold for $2.78 million, $380,000 above its reserve, in a strong start to Sydney’s spring auction season. The solid-brick bungalow at 22 Abuklea Road attracted 19 registered groups and 10 active bidders at Saturday’s auction on September 5, 2026. Bidding began at $2 million and quickly climbed in $100,000 jumps to $2.3 million. The increments then narrowed to $50,000 and $25,000 before falling to $10,000 and smaller bids as competition intensified. The property had been advertised with a guide of $2.2 million and carried a reserve of $2.4 million. There is no legal requirement…

Florida prosecutors will not bring charges against Melissa Payne over the fatal shooting of army veteran Bart DiGuglielmo during a dispute over a parking space at a Walmart in North Lauderdale. The Broward County State Attorney’s Office said Payne was protected by the state’s Stand Your Ground law after shooting DiGuglielmo, 62, outside the store on June 30. He was taken to hospital but later died. The incident happened at the Walmart on West McNab Road after Payne and DiGuglielmo attempted to claim the same parking space. Investigators said the confrontation was captured by several surveillance and mobile phone cameras.…

The man jailed for stalking Australian radio presenter Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has been awarded A$50,000 after the Fair Work Commission found he was unfairly dismissed from his job at a Sydney container terminal. David Gourlay had worked as a stevedore for Sydney International Container Terminals, which trades as Hutchison Ports, at Port Botany for almost eight years. He sent an email resigning at 4.31am on 26 September 2024, but later said he had been suffering from paranoid delusions and did not intend to quit. The company processed the resignation and declined to reverse it, despite concerns raised by colleagues and…

More than 76,000 Pepco customers across Washington DC and neighbouring parts of Maryland lost power after severe thunderstorms swept through the region late on Thursday, 3 September, bringing damaging winds, fallen trees and debris. Crews were working through Friday to clear roads and restore electricity, with 13,897 customers still affected by the evening. Pepco said 8,765 outages were in Prince George’s County, 5,127 in Washington DC and five in Montgomery County. The National Weather Service warned of wind gusts of up to 70mph as the storm line moved across the area. A gust of 64mph was recorded at Washington National…

Maya Joint has beaten Serena Williams for the second time in two months, overcoming the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion in a dramatic US Open doubles clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 20-year-old Australian and her partner, Hao-Ching Chan, defeated Serena and her sister Venus Williams 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10) in the first round in New York on Friday. Joint’s latest victory followed her headline-making singles win over Serena at Wimbledon in June, when she prevailed 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 on Centre Court to end the American’s return to singles competition. This time, the match was decided by a…

Joshua Macdonald has been remembered as a hero after allegedly shielding his best friend’s two young daughters during a fatal shooting in Merrylands West, Sydney. The 40-year-old electrician was killed outside a property on Bruce Street on Wednesday afternoon, in what police believe may have been a gangland attack involving mistaken identity. Family members said Mr Macdonald placed himself between the gunman and the children as shots were fired. His best friend and business partner, Nick Brown, later told relatives that the girls had just returned from school. Mr Macdonald’s aunt, Darlene Norton, said the family had been comforted by…

A new West Coast News Wrap has brought together the latest developments from across the western United States, with coverage focusing on California, Arizona and Washington. The live bulletin was published by San Francisco broadcaster KTVU on Friday, September 4, as part of its continuing coverage of regional news and breaking events. The West Coast News Wrap format is designed to give viewers a concise overview of major stories developing across the region, linking reports from several states in a single programme.

A frightening encounter with a swooping magpie on a Sydney cycle path prompted British expatriate Jon Clark to create Magpie Alert, a website now used by Australians to report attacks and warn others about dangerous hotspots. Mr Clark, who moved to Australia more than a decade ago, was cycling along the M7 in north-west Sydney in 2013 when a large black-and-white bird suddenly began diving at him. “I thought ‘what the f**k’. I knew I had to turn back and it came at me again. It was frightening,” he recalled. Unlike Australian magpies, which can become fiercely territorial while protecting…

Serena and Venus Williams were knocked out in the first round of the women’s doubles at the US Open after their much-anticipated return to Arthur Ashe Stadium ended in defeat on Friday evening. The American sisters were beaten by 14th seeds Hao-Ching Chan of Taiwan and Australia’s Maya Joint, who had already defeated Serena in the Wimbledon singles draw earlier this summer. ([usopen.org](https://www.usopen.org/amp/en_US/news/articles/2026-09-01/who_are_serena_williams_and_venus_williams_playing_in_2026_us_open_doubles.html?utm_source=openai)) The match marked Serena’s return to the US Open doubles competition for the first time since 2022, when the sisters also exited in the opening round. They had received a wildcard to compete together in New York…

The US government has structured its 35% stake in a Venezuelan oil venture to protect it from dilution as billions of dollars are raised to develop the fields, Reuters has reported. The Pentagon holds “penny warrants” in North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), giving Washington the right, but not the obligation, to acquire shares later at a nominal exercise price, according to a US official cited by Reuters. ([investing.com](https://www.investing.com/news/economy-news/us-shields-35-stake-in-venezuela-oil-venture-from-dilution-reuters-reports-4890149)) The arrangement is intended to preserve the US government’s economic interest while NABEP secures private capital for its operations. Washington will also be entitled to receive dividends before formally exercising the…