Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

A breakthrough motor neurone disease drug will become dramatically cheaper for eligible Australians when Qalsody is added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme on 1 October, cutting the cost of a prescription from about $28,000 to $25. The treatment is aimed at people with the rare SOD1 genetic mutation linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease that causes progressive muscle weakness, paralysis and death. Qalsody, also known as tofersen, is the first targeted treatment available for this specific genetic form of the condition. Around 70 Australians are expected to benefit from the PBS listing each year.…

Princess Astrid of Norway has died, two days after the funeral of her brother, the late King Harald V. She was Harald V’s sister. A statement from the Norwegian royal household confirmed the death and said the family is in mourning and has asked for privacy at this time. No further details about the circumstances surrounding her death were immediately released.

Yo-Yo Ma performed Bach at a 9/11 ceremony in New York as relatives and public figures began reading the names of those killed in the attacks at Ground Zero. The cellist played the Sarabande from Bach’s C minor Cello Suite after a moment of silence at 8.46am, the time the first hijacked plane struck the World Trade Centre’s North Tower. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani opened the roll call of 2,801 people killed or missing in the attacks. The reading took place at the site where the twin towers had stood, with families carrying photographs, laying flowers and placing…

A 66-year-old man has admitted murdering a mother of seven who disappeared from Dudley 28 years ago, telling police that her remains were left in a cellar before being thrown into wheelie bins. Trevor Dunkley, of Dudley, pleaded guilty to the murder of Patricia Lashley and to preventing her lawful burial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Ms Lashley, who was 33 at the time, was last seen near her home in Hall Street, Dudley, in September 1998. Her body has never been recovered. The court heard that Dunkley made admissions during a police interview. His barrister, Balbir Singh, said there was…

US consumer inflation picked up in August, with prices rising 0.4% over the month as petrol costs rebounded, adding to expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates at its meeting next week. The Consumer Price Index increased from a 0.1% rise in July, while annual inflation held at 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The figures were in line with economists’ forecasts. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.3% during August, up from 0.2% the previous month. On an annual basis, core CPI eased to 2.4% from 2.5% in July. Petrol prices…

Emily Atack is preparing to celebrate her marriage to Dr Alistair Garner with a second wedding in the Spanish hilltop town of Mojácar on Saturday, 12 September, with around 200 guests expected to attend. The Rivals actress, who plays Sarah Stratton in the Disney+ drama, was seen overseeing the final preparations at the venue on Friday, including deliveries of Cava, beer, wine and spirits for the celebrations. Atack and Garner formally married in an intimate ceremony in Bedfordshire on 22 August, surrounded by close family and friends. The Mojácar event will serve as the larger party the actress had previously…

Arsenal have reportedly joined Barcelona in the race to sign VfB Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller, with the German club understood to value the 25-year-old at around €50 million. Fussball News reports that both clubs are monitoring Stiller, who has emerged as one of the Bundesliga’s most highly regarded defensive midfielders. Scouts from leading European sides are also understood to have watched him during Stuttgart’s Champions League campaign. Arsenal tracking Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller Arsenal are believed to be considering further midfield reinforcements and regard Stiller as a potential option in the holding role. His composure in possession, range of passing…

Heavy weekend rain is expected to bring further relief to Florida’s prolonged drought, with forecasters predicting daily thunderstorms and temperatures in the low 90s across the state. Morning sunshine is likely to give way to scattered, sometimes intense, downpours during the afternoon and evening. The chance of rain is expected to reach between 50% and 60% each day, although precise totals will vary from city to city. ([fox13news.com](https://www.fox13news.com/news/heavy-weekend-rain-expected-ease-ongoing-florida-drought)) The unsettled pattern comes after months of unusually dry conditions. The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said the region’s 2025 rainy season ended early, with some coastal areas recording less than…

Fremantle secured a place in the AFL preliminary final with a 14-point victory over Geelong at Optus Stadium on Friday night, recovering from their qualifying-final defeat to keep their premiership campaign alive. The Dockers will now travel to Sydney to face the Swans for a place in the grand final. The result ended Geelong’s seven-match winning run and spared Fremantle the prospect of a straight-sets exit after they finished the home-and-away season as minor premiers. Shai Bolton made an immediate impact, kicking two goals in the opening stages as Fremantle established early control. Hayden Young then produced a long-range finish,…

America marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on Friday with solemn ceremonies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, as survivors, relatives and first responders gathered to remember the 2,977 people killed in the terrorist atrocities. Former president Barack Obama arrived at the National September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan for the main commemorative service, alongside fellow former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden. Vice-President JD Vance also attended the ceremony, while President Donald Trump was due to mark the anniversary at the Pentagon. Families of the victims read out the names of those who…