Canadian backpacker, 19, died by drowning after dingo attack in Australia, coroner finds

Canadian backpacker Piper James, 19, died “as a result of drowning” following a dingo attack in Australia, according to the coroner’s findings.
Her body was found in January on a beach on K’gari, a World Heritage sand island off Queensland, close to the Maheno shipwreck. Police said her body was surrounded by a pack of dingoes, prompting an investigation into the circumstances of her death.
“Piper died as a result of drowning in the setting of multiple injuries, due to, or as a consequence of a dingo attack,” a spokesperson for the Queensland coroner’s court said.
“The investigation into Piper’s death is ongoing, and no further information can be provided at this time.”
Earlier, Queensland authorities had euthanised eight of the ten dingoes that had surrounded James’s body on K’gari – formerly known as Fraser Island – following her death. Officials had said the animals were part of a pack believed to have surrounded her body and had shown aggressive behaviour.
The move angered traditi..

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Texas Republican Tony Gonzales drops re-election bid after admitting affair with staffer who died by suicide

Representative Tony Gonzales has dropped his bid for re-election after admitting to having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
The Texas Republican wrote in a statement released late Thursday night, “After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district.”
For months, Gonzales has been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Regina Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old wife and mother who worked in his Uvalde office.
After initially denying the allegations, Gonzales admitted he “made a mistake,” calling his infidelity with a subordinate “a lapse in judgment” in an interview with conservative talk show host Joe Pagliarulo, released Wednesday.
open image in galleryRepresentative Tony Gonzales has dropped his bid for re-election after admitting to having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide (Alex Wong/Getty ..

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2 tankers carrying India’s Reliance fuel ditch Europe, divert to Singapore, Southeast Asia

AdvertisementUS, Israel war on IranWorldEurope2 tankers carrying India’s Reliance fuel ditch Europe, divert to Singapore, Southeast AsiaAsian buyers are rushing to secure fuel as the near halt in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, due to war, constrains oil supplies
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenReutersPublished: 7:18pm, 6 Mar 2026Two tankers loaded with fuel from Reliance Industries in India ⁠that were headed to Europe ⁠made U-turns and are now bound for ⁠Asia, according to two trade sources and ship-tracking data, as the refiner capitalises on firm Asian margins with the Iran war squeezing supply.
The Advantage Life, which loaded around 100,000 metric tons (745,000 barrels) of diesel at Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery on February 28, is currently bound for Singapore, ‌according to Kpler, LSEG data and two trade sources.
The Navig8 Honor, which is carrying around 75,000 tons (591,000 barrels) of jet fuel and was initially headed to West-of-Suez markets, also turned around and is heading for Southe..

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3 workers arrested over theft at Tai Po fire block, HK$90,000 in jewellery seized

AdvertisementCrime in Hong KongHong KongLaw and Crime3 workers arrested over theft at Tai Po fire block, HK$90,000 in jewellery seizedPolice arrest three workers responsible for structural reinforcement work at the estate destroyed in blaze, insider says
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenJess MaPublished: 7:18pm, 6 Mar 2026Updated: 7:24pm, 6 Mar 2026Hong Kong police have arrested three construction workers on suspicion of theft at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, seizing HK$90,000 (US$11,510) worth of gold jewellery, the South China Morning Post has learned.
A source confirmed that police arrested three workers responsible for structural reinforcement work at the estate, destroyed in a blaze last year, for suspected theft on Thursday afternoon.
During the investigation, officers seized HK$90,000 worth of gold jewellery from the three labourers, who were working at Wang Tai House.
AdvertisementSeven of the eight towers were engulfed in flames last November, killing 168 people, including a firefighter, and ..

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‘What is the game plan?’: The Iran war is unsettling China and its ambitions

'What is the game plan?': The Iran war is unsettling China and its ambitions 12 hours agoShareSaveLaura BickerChina correspondentShareSaveAFP via Getty ImagesChina is not feeling the shock of war in the Middle East – yet.
But it is feeling the ripples.
In the short-term, it has enough oil supplies for several months, after which it could turn to neighbour Russia for help.
But China will be calculating what this could mean long-term – not just for its investments in the Middle East, but also for its ambitions.
This week, thousands of Communist Party delegates are meeting in Beijing to discuss a roadmap for the world's second-largest economy as it continues to battle low consumption, a prolonged property crisis and huge local debt.
On Thursday, China lowered its annual economic growth target to the lowest level since 1991, even as Beijing continues its rapid development of high-tech and renewables industries.
China may have hoped to export its way out of economic trouble…

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Trump cuts his losses on Noem after controversial tenure at homeland security

Trump cuts his losses on Noem after controversial tenure at homeland security13 hours agoShareSaveDaniel BushWashington correspondentShareSaveWatch: The BBC's Daniel Bush on Trump replacing Kristi NoemSooner or later, advisers in President Donald Trump's orbit all come to learn the same unwritten rule: no-one can outshine the boss.
Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, became the latest reminder of that on Thursday when Trump announced he was removing her as the face of the administration's crackdown on immigration.
Noem will be replaced by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin at the end of the month, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The US Senate will have to confirm him in the post.
The president said Noem would move to a new job as special envoy for a new US security initiative in the Western hemisphere called the Shield of the Americas.
“I thank Kristi for her service at 'Homeland,'” Trump said.
It ends Noem's controvers..

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US-Israel war with Iran: Why various Gulf countries are angry with the UK and Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer Britain is facing sharp criticism from partners in the Gulf after Iranian missile strikes escalated tensions across the Middle East. Regional allies say the UK government responded too slowly to the threat and delayed key military decisions at a critical moment.Britain’s allies in the Gulf and Cyprus have raised concerns that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer did not act quickly enough to protect the region and British nationals during the latest Iranian missile attacks. According to The Times (UK), officials in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have privately questioned the UK’s response and its defence posture around Cyprus, where Britain operates two military bases.Israel attacks IranUS-Israel-Iran War Live Updates: 'Indian navy's guest struck without warning': Iran slams US after torpedo sinks warship IRIS Dena'Will bitterly regret': Iran warns US after IRIS Dena, 'Indian Navy’s guest', sunk by torpedoWhat is Minuteman III missile? T..

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Stephen Miller celebrates Trump’s ‘politically incorrect’ Iran war and lashes out at previously ‘woke’ Pentagon

The U.S. military under President Donald Trump is now free to fight wars without its hands tied behind its back, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has claimed.
Miller celebrated the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran as “politically incorrect” and lashed out at what he called the “woke Pentagon” under previous administrations.
“What you're seeing right now … is a military under President Trump's leadership that is not fighting politically correct. That isn't fighting with its hands tied behind its back,” Miller said.
”One of the reasons why people lost faith in the military and the capacity to use that military to defend us is because we had a woke Pentagon. Because we had a military who at the very highest level – not the war-fighters – was forced to fight a less than full fight.”
open image in galleryWhite House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has lashed out at the ‘woke Pentagon’ (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)The reported death toll from the US-Israeli s..

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Customs seizes record HK$230 million in gold and silver hidden in air cargo

AdvertisementCrime in Hong KongHong KongLaw and CrimeCustoms seizes record HK$230 million in gold and silver hidden in air cargoOfficers find 168kg of gold foil and 285kg of silver foil hidden in household cleaning machines destined for Japan
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenJess MaPublished: 7:20pm, 5 Mar 2026Updated: 7:26pm, 5 Mar 2026Hong Kong customs officers have discovered HK$230 million (US$29.4 million) worth of gold and silver hidden in two air cargo shipments of household cleaning machines destined for Japan, making the largest seizure of precious metals on record.
Senior Investigator Ho Ting-chun of the Customs and Excise Department’s syndicate crimes investigation bureau said on Thursday officers intercepted 168kg (370lbs) of suspected gold foil and 285kg of suspected silver foil worth HK$230 million in an operation on Monday.
“Precious metal prices have soared in recent years,” Ho said. “Customs has been monitoring the smuggling situation and noticed an upward trend since last year a..

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Iran denies firing missile towards Turkey after Nato interception as crisis spreads beyond Middle East

Iran has denied attacking Turkey after a ballistic missile entered the Nato country’s airspace, threatening to further spread the conflict beyond the Middle East.
Nato air defences destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile that was fired towards the country on Wednesday, marking the first time the alliance member bordering Asia has been drawn into the conflict and raising the possibility of a major expansion of the war.
The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff denied firing missiles at Turkey on Thursday, saying the Islamic Republic respected the sovereignty of Turkey, according to a statement carried by Iranian media.
As the Iran war enters its sixth day, countries across the Gulf have been attacked as Tehran retaliates against US and Israeli airstrikes which began on Saturday.
open image in gallerySmoke rises from Tehran after a strike (AFP/Getty)US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan that attacks on Turkey's territory are unacceptable.
He the..

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