Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

A cluster of earthquakes rattled California’s South Bay early on Wednesday, with the strongest tremor recorded east of Gilroy, south-east of San Jose. The magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck at about 6.16am local time, according to the US Geological Survey. It was followed within minutes by two smaller quakes in the same area, measuring 2.7 and 3.6. The tremors were felt across parts of the Bay Area, with reports reaching as far north as San Francisco. The strongest shaking was concentrated around Gilroy and southern Santa Clara County. USGS data indicated that the earthquakes were likely linked to the Calaveras Fault,…

Pope Leo XIV has undergone surgery for lung cancer after doctors found a small growth during a routine health check, highlighting the growing concern over the disease among people who have never smoked. The Vatican said the 71-year-old pontiff had lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. He is a non-smoker and is recovering from the operation. Although smoking remains strongly linked to lung cancer, cases are increasing among non-smokers, particularly younger women, according to research published by the World Health Organisation last year. Fraser Brims, deputy director of the Institute for Respiratory Health and a professor at…

Live coverage is following the murder trial of Beau Lamarre-Condon, with updates on proceedings as the case unfolds.

Kaley Cuoco has given birth to her second child with her fiancé, actor Tommy Pelphrey, welcoming a daughter named Philomena Carmine Bobby Pelphrey. The 40-year-old actress, best known for playing Penny in The Big Bang Theory, announced the birth in a series of photographs shared on Instagram. Philomena was born on October 12. “What a blessing. We are so grateful for the crazy, wild up-and-down journey that brought us to our little Philo! Family officially complete,” Cuoco wrote. The couple are already parents to Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey, who was born in March 2023. Cuoco joked that it was “time…

Dozens of parks, trails and backcountry areas in California’s Santa Monica Mountains are being closed from Thursday, October 15, as forecasters warn that strong Santa Ana winds and very low humidity could allow wildfires to spread rapidly. The closures are expected to remain in place until at least Saturday, October 17, and affect land managed by the National Park Service, California State Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the region, with northeast to east winds of up to 40mph and gusts reaching…

Western Australia is set for its biggest lottery opportunity on record, with a $100 million Powerball jackpot to be drawn on Thursday night. A single WA ticket claiming the division one prize would surpass the State’s current record of $80 million, won by a syndicate of women from a northern suburbs gym in December 2021. The jackpot is the largest Powerball prize of 2026 and only the 13th time in the game’s 30-year history that it has reached nine figures. It is also the sixth-largest jackpot in Australian lottery history. After five consecutive draws without a division one winner, the…

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia failed the California bar exam and has never passed a bar exam in the United States, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The report relates specifically to Ms Zacharia’s record in the California examination and her failure to pass a bar exam anywhere in the US.

Police in Brookfield, Wisconsin, are seeking help to identify a woman accused of stealing about $155 (£119) worth of goods from a Target store on Bluemound Road. The incident took place at about 3pm on 12 September, when the woman allegedly placed merchandise inside reusable shopping bags before leaving the shop without paying. Officers said she was confronted outside the store but fled in a grey 2015 Lincoln MKZ bearing Wisconsin registration BCC-6839. Investigators believe she may also be linked to two other thefts at the same Target branch. Brookfield Target theft suspect described The suspect is described as a…

Australian mortgage demand has suffered its sharpest annual decline since 2022, with higher interest rates, strict serviceability tests and rising living costs deterring prospective buyers despite a fall in property prices. Overall demand dropped 19.2% in September compared with the same month last year, while new home loan applications fell 22.1%, according to credit reporting body Equifax. House prices across Australia slipped 1.1% over the same period. The downturn has been particularly severe among younger borrowers. Mortgage demand fell by 25% among 18 to 25-year-olds and by 22.5% for those aged between 26 and 35. Kevin James, chief solution officer…

Campaigners have filed a complaint against new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia over repeated claims that she is a lawyer, alleging that she may have misrepresented her professional credentials. The complaint was submitted to the State Bar of California by Campaign for Accountability, a public accountability organisation. In California, falsely presenting oneself as a lawyer is a criminal offence. Michelle Kuppersmith, the organisation’s head, said Zacharia had used the claim to strengthen her reputation as a television legal commentator and now as a White House spokesperson. “Yet it seems it was all a lie,” Ms Kuppersmith said. She added:…