Fire danger in southern Australia as weather bureau warns of ‘damaging winds’ and soaring temperatures

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Bureau of Meteorology warns winds will ‘ramp up’ with fire risk in parts of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia

Soaring average temperatures and strong winds will lead to high and extreme fire danger warnings for parts of southern Australia this weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the elevated risk was caused by high temperatures in Western Australia’s interior – up to 16C higher than the average – being pushed eastwards across the country.

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Respawned: Queensland magazine the Cane Toad Times takes aim at a post-truth world

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It emerged from the slime of the sunshine state during Bjelke-Petersen’s oppressive regime. Now it’s back – but can it survive more sensitive times?

A man whose pseudonym is Johnny La Rue is holding a yellowed magazine with two toad-headed lovers embracing on the front. He reads aloud a headline that would likely trigger a firestorm on social media were it written today.

“Who wrote that?!” he exclaims.

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NSW pokies club promoted rewards scheme on first day of gambling harm awareness week, emails show

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Members urged to ‘use your mobile phone to quickly tap and connect to a gaming machine’, potentially at odds with gambling ad ban

On day one of a gambling harm awareness week, one of the biggest pokies clubs in Australia reminded members they could earn rewards by using their machines.

GambleAware week is an annual campaign run by the New South Wales government to raise awareness of gambling harm. It urges people to set limits, to stay sober while gambling, to balance gambling with other interests and not to chase losses.

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They have tentacles and taste great in pasta. What are the strange barnacles washing up on Australian beaches?

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Bondi beach’s newest residents may look strange to human eyes, but goose barnacles are a normal part of the natural marine environment

Goose barnacles look as strange as their name, with a long, noodle-like stalk emerging from smooth white plates. The crustacean, also known as percebes, is also extremely expensive – in Europe, where it’s enjoyed as a delicacy, a kilo might cost hundreds of dollars.

And this week, a bunch washed up at Horseshoe Bay, south of Adelaide.

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Australian construction industry calls for skilled migration overhaul to ease ‘desperate’ shortage of tradies

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Labour shortage is driving up construction costs and stopping industry from building enough homes to ease housing crisis, Master Builders says

Leading construction bodies are urging the government to change its approach to skilled migration and bring in more migrants to ease the shortage of tradies.

Industry bodies say a chronic shortage of workers across 12 different trades is impacting housing prices and affecting the flow of new homes into the market.

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US army soldier charged with murder of female sergeant found dead in trash bin

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Wooster Rancy, 21, accused in death of Sgt Sarah Roque, 23, whose body was found at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri

A US army soldier has been charged with murder in the death of a fellow service member at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, the military announced Thursday.

The army office of Special Trial Counsel charged the 21-year-old specialist Wooster Rancy on Wednesday with murder and obstructing justice in the death of 23-year-old Sgt Sarah Roque.

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Kim Jong Un has sent North Korean troops to Russia. What’s in it for him? – The Washington Post

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  1. Kim Jong Un has sent North Korean troops to Russia. What’s in it for him?  The Washington Post
  2. Zelenskyy warns North Korea, Russia alliance could spell trouble for Asia: China's 'silence is striking'  Fox News
  3. Zelensky Says Ukraine Needs To Use Long-range Missiles In Russia In Face Of N.Korean Troop Presence  Barron's
  4. 8,000 of the troops Kim Jong Un sent to support Russia are about to hit the front lines, the US says  Business Insider
  5. A Russian Officer Ordered 16 Scouts To Attack Ukrainian Machine Guns  Forbes
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Bolivia’s Arce says Morales backers behind military posts takeover – Reuters Canada

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  1. Bolivia's Arce says Morales backers behind military posts takeover  Reuters Canada
  2. Armed group kidnaps military personnel and seizes base in central Bolivia, military says  CNN
  3. Bolivia military post taken over and soldiers held hostage  BBC.com
  4. Bolivian Military Base Overrun by Supporters of Ex-President Evo Morales  Bloomberg
  5. Supporters of Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales take about 20 soldiers hostage  The Guardian
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Supporters of Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales take about 20 soldiers hostage

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Morales and current president are locked into a standoff for ruling party’s nomination in next year’s presidential contest

Supporters of Bolivia’s ex-president Evo Morales stormed a barracks in the central Chapare region and took about 20 soldiers hostage, military sources said on Friday, marking a dramatic escalation in their standoff with the state.

The hostage situation comes nearly three weeks after backers of Morales – the country’s first Indigenous leader – began blocking roads to prevent his arrest on what he calls trumped-up rape charges aimed at thwarting his political comeback.

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The new Fyre festival? Thousands turn up for ‘hoax’ Halloween parade that didn’t exist – New York Post

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  1. The new Fyre festival? Thousands turn up for ‘hoax’ Halloween parade that didn’t exist  New York Post
  2. Thousands go to fake AI-invented Dublin Halloween parade  Euronews
  3. Chaos in Dublin as thousands turn up for AI ‘hoax’ Halloween parade that didn’t exist  The Independent
  4. ‘We are highly embarrassed’: creator of Pakistan website behind non-existent Dublin Halloween parade says it was a mistake  The Irish Times
  5. Concerns over spread of misinformation after hoax parade  RTÉ News
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Ceasefire hopes fade as Israel bombards Gaza, Lebanon – Yahoo News UK

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  1. Ceasefire hopes fade as Israel bombards Gaza, Lebanon  Yahoo News UK
  2. LIVE: Israel killed over 50 children in 48 hours in Gaza’s Jabalia – UN  Al Jazeera English
  3. Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on a deadly weekend of attacks in North Gaza  UNICEF
  4. Dozens Killed in Israeli Strikes in Gaza and Lebanon Over Last Day  Haaretz
  5. War grinds on as peace talks continue to falter  NBC News
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Bellevue house explosion that injured 3 people caused by cooking with propane in garage – KETV Omaha

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  1. Bellevue house explosion that injured 3 people caused by cooking with propane in garage  KETV Omaha
  2. Cooking in Bellevue garage led to explosion that left 3 seriously injured, authorities say  WOWT
  3. Propane leak believed to be cause of house explosion in Bellevue; 3 suffer severe burns  Omaha World-Herald
  4. 'I'm just happy to be here': 3 injured, 2 families displaced after duplex explosion  KETV Omaha
  5. Three injured in home explosion in Bellevue  KMTV 3 News Now Omaha
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Satellite imagery shows mystery ship built in China amid breakneck naval expansion – CNN

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  1. Satellite imagery shows mystery ship built in China amid breakneck naval expansion  CNN
  2. CHINA: World’s Biggest Navy Is Getting Deadlier! New Satellite Image Shows PLA Navy’s Mysterious Flattop  EurAsian Times
  3. Assault vessel? Research ship? Both? Mystery Chinese ship caught on satellite  South China Morning Post
  4. Does China's New Helicopter Carrier Reveal Beijing's Ambitions Against Taiwan for 2030?  Meta-Defense
  5. New Chinese Mystery Flattop Emerges  RealClearDefense
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Roof collapse kills at least 14 people at Serbian train station

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Young child among the dead at Novi Sad’s main station as country’s president vows to punish those responsible

At least 14 people have been killed after part of an outdoor roof collapsed at a train station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, the country’s president has said.

The roof, which provided shade over benches near the station’s entrance, came crashing down early on Friday.

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Ceasefire hopes fade as Israel bombards Gaza, Lebanon – Reuters

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  1. Ceasefire hopes fade as Israel bombards Gaza, Lebanon  Reuters
  2. LIVE: Israel kills 20 in Gaza, keeps pounding Lebanon  Al Jazeera English
  3. Deadly Israeli strikes on ‘apocalyptic’ north Gaza  South China Morning Post
  4. Headlines for November 01, 2024  Democracy Now!
  5. Death toll in Israeli strikes in central Gaza rises to 25 as Beirut suburb is pounded again  NBC News
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