Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Russia-Ukraine strikes overnight killed at least one person in Russia and set fire to the country’s second-largest oil refinery, while Russian forces reportedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure. A woman was killed by falling drone debris during an attack on the Kirishi refinery in the Leningrad region, regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said. An apartment in Kirishi was also damaged. Mr Drozdenko said air defences had brought down 113 Ukrainian drones. The refinery was set alight after the attack, he added. The Leningrad region is a major hub for Russia’s oil and grain exports through the Baltic Sea, while the Kirishi facility…

My Kitchen Rules contestants Krysten and Lucy have revealed that judge Colin Fassnidge privately told them he had expected them to win, shortly after the mother-and-daughter team were eliminated from the competition. The Queensland pair were sent home on Monday night after losing an elimination cook-off against hipster friends Harrison and Oliver, despite having been regarded as strong contenders throughout the series. Krysten said Fassnidge came to see them away from the cameras and embraced them both. “I’m not sure they’re going to play it but Colin actually came to see us after and said, ‘I’m not allowed to have…

Rain has wiped out a third consecutive week of A-grade cricket, leaving the Albany and Districts Cricket Association season badly disrupted during its opening month. No A-grade matches were completed, with persistent wet weather again preventing play across the competition. The latest washout means the early part of the Albany and Districts Cricket Association season has been ruined by rain.

Rising alcohol taxes are threatening to push more Australian consumers towards illegal products, the managing director of Coopers Brewery has warned, as the standard price of a slab of beer reaches 65 Australian dollars. Michael Shearer described the country’s twice-yearly excise increases as “unsustainable”, saying even cheaper alcohol would soon face the same inflationary pressure affecting the wider industry. The tax is increased every February and August, with the rate linked to the strength of the drink. Stronger beverages attract higher excise. Alcohol black market costs more than $1 billion The Australian Taxation Office estimates that 1.23 billion Australian dollars…

Congress is returning to Washington for its final weeks under Republican control, with lawmakers facing a deadline to keep the US federal government open before Democrats take control of both chambers in January. Funding is due to expire on 11 December, when a temporary measure passed about a month before the midterm elections runs out. A further short-term bill, known as a continuing resolution, is considered the most likely way to prevent a shutdown. Lawmakers are unlikely to complete the usual process of negotiating 12 separate appropriations bills, which would require more time and political agreement than currently appears available.…

Harry Kane may be enduring an unusual scoring drought at Bayern Munich, but the England captain is compensating by becoming the Bundesliga’s leading provider. He created both goals in a 2-1 victory at Mainz, keeping Bayern at the top of the table. Kane has now gone four matches without scoring, a sequence previously seen only once during his Bayern career. Yet his influence remains clear: he squared the ball for Joshua Kimmich to open the scoring before laying the ball off for Lennart Karl to complete the win. The two assists took Kane’s Bundesliga total to eight, more than any…

Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta is winding up its operations after what it says was a campaign of state pressure that made continued reporting impossible. The paper had remained open despite a sharp tightening of censorship following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It announced late last month that it would close after being designated a “foreign agent” and losing access to reader donations, which it relied on to survive financially. Novaya Gazeta was founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev using money from his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize. Its offices and the home of its editor have since…

A person who took early retirement while undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer says Aon has told them they cannot access their pension money until they reach the age of 60. “I’ve taken early retirement as I am suffering from cancer treatment for head and neck cancer. But Aon has told me I can’t take the money out until I am 60,” they said.

Two former New South Wales police officers have had their prison sentences reduced after an appeal over the brutal assault of a mentally ill woman during a welfare check in Sydney’s west. Nathan Black, 30, and Timothy John Trautsch, 31, were jailed for more than five years after attacking the 48-year-old woman in January 2023. Both have since been dismissed by the NSW Police Force. The senior constable and constable had been called to check on the woman, who was naked and experiencing a psychotic episode. Instead, they repeatedly kicked and stomped her and used capsicum spray, causing severe pain…

Emma Ruscoe puts her husband Simon to bed at 9pm each night after his diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Emma, 58, is not settling her children for the night but Simon, 62, who was diagnosed with the condition six years ago. The couple’s evening routine takes place at their home, where nine o’clock has become bedtime for Simon.