Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

A Wangaratta barber who disarmed and restrained a driver after federal MP Helen Haines was struck by a four-wheel-drive has been praised as a hero by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Ricky Jefferies, who owns a barbershop next to Ms Haines’ electorate office, ran outside on Monday afternoon after initially believing a crash had taken place. He allegedly pulled the driver from a Toyota LandCruiser, removed a knife and held him down until police arrived. Ms Haines, 65, was taken to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital, where she remains in a critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery. Mr Jefferies’ sister Tanya said…

Richard Riehle, the veteran character actor best known for playing Tom Smykowski in the cult comedy Office Space, has died aged 78. Riehle died of natural causes in Los Angeles last Thursday, according to reports. He appeared in more than 400 film and television projects during a career spanning several decades. Although he rarely played leading roles, Riehle became one of Hollywood’s most recognisable character actors, appearing in films ranging from The Fugitive and Free Willy to Bridesmaids and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday. In 1993’s The Fugitive, he played the prison guard who allowed Harrison Ford’s character to escape custody. Six…

A Los Angeles restaurant group has used a $60,000 trade on Kalshi to hedge the financial risk of the Dodgers failing to reach the World Series, highlighting the growing use of prediction markets as an unconventional form of business insurance. The unnamed company operates 25 bars, several of them close to Dodger Stadium. It placed the position on the outcome of the team’s play-off campaign, with the trade paying out after the Dodgers lost to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. The return was almost twice the original stake, helping to compensate the group for revenue it…

Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez remained silent as they arrived at a Los Angeles courthouse for a custody hearing involving their 13-year-old son, Maceo, who was called to testify behind closed doors. The hearing is continuing, with the judge ordering both parents to leave the courtroom while their son gave evidence. His testimony has been placed under seal. Berry arrived early on Monday wearing a dark trouser suit and sunglasses. She walked past cameras without responding to questions from reporters. Martinez was also seen returning to the courthouse after a lunch break, but declined to speak as he went back…

Tottenham secured their first Premier League win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Coventry at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as James Maddison marked his return to the starting line-up and Dejan Kulusevski made his comeback from a 526-day injury absence. Maddison, making his first competitive start for Spurs since May 2025, opened the scoring after 14 minutes with a curling finish into the top corner against the club where his professional career began. The midfielder helped bring greater fluency to a Tottenham side that had struggled through a winless opening six matches. Dominic Solanke appeared to have doubled…

A 51-year-old man has been charged with intoxication manslaughter after a two-vehicle crash in North Austin killed another driver, according to an arrest affidavit. Luis Manuel Reveles-Ibarra was accused of driving a Chevrolet Silverado that struck the driver’s side of a silver Kia at the junction of East Anderson Lane eastbound service road and Cameron Road at about 2.11am on Saturday, October 10. Police said the Kia was travelling north on Cameron Road and had entered the intersection on a green light. The Silverado was travelling south on the service road and was allegedly speeding when the collision occurred. The…

Australian model and swimwear designer Sahara Ray has died aged 34, her family has said. She “passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital”, they said, adding: “She was so loved.” A cause of death has not been confirmed. Ray, the daughter of legendary Australian big-wave surfer Tony Ray, travelled around the world with her father as a child. She later divided her time between Australia, California and Hawaii, building a substantial social media following before launching her swimwear brand, Sahara Ray Swim, in 2014. She also attracted attention in 2016 when rumours emerged of a romance with…

As artificial intelligence becomes more capable and increasingly embedded in everyday services, a growing vocabulary is being used to describe its risks, capabilities and possible consequences. Terms ranging from “jailbreaking” and “abliteration” to artificial general intelligence and recursive self-improvement are now central to debates about how the technology should be developed and controlled. AI agents and the risks of autonomy An AI agent is a system that can carry out tasks on a user’s behalf with a degree of independence. Unlike a conventional chatbot, it can complete several stages of an assignment without requiring instructions at every step. Agents can…

Finland is seeking to acquire one million anti-personnel mines in a €100 million plan to strengthen its defences amid growing concern over the threat from Russia. Helsinki wants Finnish manufacturers to supply the munitions, with contracts signed by the end of 2027 and production starting in 2028. Buying the mines from overseas remains an option, however. Colonel Riku Mikkonen, of the Finnish Army Command, said officials were collecting information from potential suppliers. He told the Finnish news agency STT that about half a dozen Finnish companies could qualify to produce the mines. “It would be useful in many ways if…

Sia and her estranged husband Daniel Bernad have reached a custody settlement concerning their young son, ending a legal dispute in which Bernad had sought full custody. Under the agreement, Sia will remain the boy’s primary custodial parent, while Bernad will have substantial visitation. The former couple have also agreed arrangements covering holidays and vacations. Their son, Somersault Wonder Bernad, is known as “Summi”. The agreement includes provisions for the pair to work with a parenting-plan co-ordinator and sets out a process for deciding which preschool he will attend. The settlement follows a contested custody case in which Bernad accused…