Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Tax debt has become the third-most common issue raised with a major debt helpline, increasing from 3.1 per cent of callers five years ago to almost one in five in the last financial year. The rise means tax-related problems have climbed sharply among workers seeking help with their finances, as more callers fall behind on their obligations. Tax debt was not previously among the helpline’s three most common concerns, but now accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the people contacting the service.

A passenger who inflated his life jacket during a Jetstar safety demonstration has claimed he was temporarily banned from flying with Jetstar and Qantas while the airline considers its response. Hugh Lovett was travelling from Sydney to Adelaide on Friday night when he put on the life jacket as cabin crew demonstrated the equipment before take-off. The safety announcement instructed passengers to place the jacket over their heads and tighten the loose strap. It also warned them to inflate it only after leaving the aircraft. Despite the instruction, Mr Lovett pulled the cord, causing the vest to inflate around him…

The European Central Bank has made the case for euro liquidity lines during a visit to China, highlighting the role such arrangements could play in supporting access to the single currency. No further details of the ECB’s proposal or the discussions in China were provided.

Fulshear city leaders are considering tougher safety measures for e-bikes and electric scooters after two children were killed in separate crashes in the Fort Bend County area. City council member Randy Connor has proposed a task force to examine whether local rules should be strengthened and how young riders can be better protected. The group would report to the council and review Texas law, school district policies and regulations in other communities. Connor said the deaths had made further action urgent. “We’ve had two tragedies in the area in the last two months. That right there told me we’ve got…

Donald Trump has urged North Carolina voters to back Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, warning that they would “get nothing” if Republicans lose control of Congress in the November 3 mid-term elections. Speaking at a rally in Greenville on Tuesday night, the president predicted that Mr Whatley would defy poor polling and deliver “some amazing results”. Hundreds of supporters gathered on the grounds of the local airport for the event. “They never poll us right,” Mr Trump said, as he sought to rally support for Mr Whatley, a former senior Republican Party official. Polls show former Democratic governor Roy Cooper…

Elon Musk has said SpaceX and Tesla are exploring a possible merger that would unite two of his biggest companies in a deal valued at about $3.5 trillion. The companies have set up special committees to examine the proposal, although no agreement has been reached. Musk said the idea had “a lot of merit” because of their complementary work in artificial intelligence. Speaking on a SpaceX earnings call, Musk said any proposal would first need to be developed and then put to shareholders. A merger would require the support of at least 50 per cent of Tesla shareholders, he said.…

The cast of 10 Things I Hate About You reunited on Dancing with the Stars as Julia Stiles paid tribute to her late co-star Heath Ledger during the programme’s Dedication Night. Stiles performed a contemporary routine with her professional partner Ezra Sosa, dancing to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” on Tuesday night’s episode. At the close of the performance, a voice message from Stiles played as a photograph of Ledger appeared on screen. She then placed a rose on a staircase before her former co-stars joined her on stage. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan, Susan May…

Alicia Farrant has transferred more than $19,000 left in her failed campaign for Orange County school board chair to Impact Nations, the Christian charity she runs with her husband. Campaign finance records show that $19,215.25 was paid to the organisation on September 30, after Ms Farrant lost the August 18 election. The money had remained in her campaign account following the contest. Impact Nations is operated by Ms Farrant and her husband, Jonathan, and supports projects in Latin America, including an orphanage in El Salvador, a men’s addiction recovery facility and a wig-donation programme for children receiving cancer treatment. What…

A Moree Plains Shire councillor livestreamed her own removal by police after refusing to stop filming or leave a council meeting in northern New South Wales. Kelly James was ordered to end the Facebook livestream because it breached the Moree Plains Shire Council’s Code of Meeting Practice. The council then voted to expel her, but the meeting was adjourned for about 45 minutes when she declined to leave. James said she was recording the proceedings because she believed the official minutes had previously been altered. “I am doing it for my own protection, every time I leave this meeting the…

Memphis city councillors have rejected a proposed one-year moratorium on new data centre development, opting instead to impose a 135-day halt to construction after a heated meeting. The Tennessee city has become a focus of opposition to facilities linked to Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI, including its Colossus 1 data centre, which began construction in 2024. The alternative ordinance was passed despite some councillors saying they had received it at short notice and had not had enough time to examine it. Its wording says it is intended to complement an executive order by Memphis mayor Paul Young establishing a 90-day study of…