ABC host farewells show after 15 years, Virgin Australia launches big partnership, Time names Trump person of the year

WA’s second biggest city was plunged into darkness after a rogue possum found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

According to Western Power, 12,000 homes and commercial properties across Dalyeyup, Australind, College Grove, Glen Iris, Eaton, Devenport and the Bunbury CBD lost power around 9.30pm on Tuesday after an animal touched “the wrong bit” of a powerline.

“The cause of the outage was animal interference,” said a Western Power spokesperson.

“Western ringtail possums and brushtail possums are known to use the overhead power network to move from one habitat to another.

“This sometimes leads to contact with live lines and unfortunately possum death, as well as power outages.”

It comes after the government agency completed a program of work to safeguard possums in recent years by installing ‘possum guards’ in high density habitats that are significant for the species.

“While possum guards are extremely effective in minimising possum interactions with the network, the size of the network and density of tress in the southwest is extensive,” the spokesperson said.

- NCA NewsWire

Well this is going to be fun.

I'm sure you all remember the raucous scenes they triggered, and you can expect more of the same from Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis as they confirm they'll be teaming up once again to take part in the Australia Open Men's Doubles.

They famously won the title in 2022 and the love they received then will have surely been a huge motivating factor as Kyrgios looks to juggle his workload returning from a lengthy absence.

"WE WILL BE BACK FOR THE Australian Open .... Expect a rollercoaster..... one last time," Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.

Read more from Yahoo Sports here.

Another media veteran has called it a day on a long-running stint today, with Ray Hadley bringing an end to his 43-year radio career.

He ended with a lengthy interview with fellow 2GB host Ben Fordham while Hadley's family joined him in the studio.

His daughter Sarah was in tears at one point as her father left the station just weeks after announcing he was retiring.

“I just wanted to say something quickly because I always have to say something,” Ms Hadley said.

“It’s kind of an end of an era for me because I grew up in this building with you and coming to work with you as a little girl.

“I just felt so much love from everyone, and especially you, and seeing you and everyone congratulate you, I’m just so proud.”

Watch his colleagues farewell him below.

Australians have been urged not to touch any bats that may have fallen from trees to avoid being infected with the deadly Australian bat lyssavirus.

Queensland chief health officer Heidi Carroll said it was important to never touch bats, even if they were injured or sick, as they could transmit the deadly lyssavirus.

“It’s important to remember that lyssavirus is fatal in humans and there is no known effective treatment once symptoms have started,” Dr Carroll said.

Also incurable, both rabies and Australian bat lyssavirus belong to a group of viruses called lyssaviruses. Both are spread by bites and scratches and can be prevented by vaccination and by rapid and thorough cleaning of any potentially exposed wounds.

“The infection can cause paralysis, delirium, convulsions and even death,” Dr Carroll warned.

Read more here.

Well it's not a million miles off, is it?

Whether he likes it or not, a portrait of Prince William drawn by a young boy during a recent military event managed to nail the Royal's bald spot.

"Is that me?" he asked the youngster laughing.

An Adelaide couple have been charged with criminal neglect and deception offences after allegedly soliciting $60,000 in donations in a fake cancer scam.

Police will allege that the man and woman, both 44, shaved the head and eyebrows of their six-year-old child, applied bandages, and placed them in a wheelchair to imitate the side effects of chemotherapy.

The couple allegedly solicited around $60,000 in donations for their “sick” child over a two-week period.

South Australia Police acting assistant commissioner John DeCandia said the couple are in custody and will face court today.

“Our investigation has confirmed the child is not seeking medical treatment,” he said.

“We believe this farce illness is causing significant and serious psychological harm to the child and their sibling.”

Police have been working with the child’s school and protection services to investigate the alleged scam since it was first reported in November.

Both the six-year-old and their sibling are currently in the care of a relative, and protection services are providing daily assessments.

- NCA NewsWire

Nothing says summer quite like being confronted with bare feet in unlikely public places. Yahoo News received this unsolicited foot pic from a shocked Sydney train passenger heading into the city this morning.

The question is — as large parts of the country steam towards a week of blistering heat, is this an acceptable sight on public transport?

Summer is well and truly underway and Victoria is about to get its first 45C day in four years.

The hot air mass sweeping Australia's southeast is bringing scorching temperatures to plenty of capital cities in the next few days. On Sunday, Adelaide could hit 40C while Melbourne is expected to reach 40C on Monday when the state's north is tipped to hit 45C.

Share bikes came and left pretty quickly a few years ago but it appears they're here to stay now after a redesign saw most fitted with a battery to power users on their journeys.

But like last time, there's growing concern there's just too many on our streets, with ARIO the latest company to introduce their bikes in Sydney this week.

One of the biggest gripes is that they clutter streets and often obstruct pedestrians. Others simply think they're unsightly.

But it's clear people are using them, and they pose a great alternative to public transport.

So what do you think of them? Have your say below. And if you have an e-bike experience, good or bad, you want to share with us please reach out to tom.flanagan@yahooinc.com.

It's certainly an iconic part of Aussie life, but do citizenship hopefuls need to be across the significance of MILO?

Well according to Nestlé they do, and they've teamed up with Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold to ask the government to have it included in the country's Citizenship Test.

According to survey results from 1,000 respondents, 76 per cent of people believe drinking MILO is part of the Australian experience.

On one of the busiest travel days of the year, hundreds of Qantas workers have walked off the job as they protest over their pay.

More than 500 engineers have halted work completely from 3.30am on Friday at airports in the major cities and the strike will run until 7.30am tomorrow.

Similar action has been taken in recent weeks and Qantas says it does not expect significant disruptions as a result. We'll keep you informed of any major delays or cancellations throughout the day.

Sticking with Donald Trump now, it appears China President Xi Jinping will reject an invitation from Trump to attend his inauguration.

The US president-elect has personally invited Xi to the US for his swearing-in ceremony however sources tell CBS News Xi is not expected to travel to the US.

Trump has promised tough new restrictions for China and the invitation will have come as somewhat of a surprise to Beijing, who will undoubtedly question Trump's intentions.

Despite his past differences with Xi, Trump told CNBC stressed the US has "a good relationship with China".

There are plenty of eyes on Anthony Albanese and how he navigates the relationship with the two countries with Australia part of the AUKUS military pact widely seen as a direct counter to China's military growth and increasing presence in the Indo-Pacific. Xi has recently praised the Albanese government for their efforts to repair Sino-Australian relations.

US President-elect Donald Trump has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2024, the second time he has claimed the title.

"For 97 years, the editors of TIME have been picking the Person of the Year: the individual who, for better or for worse, did the most to shape the world and the headlines over the past 12 months. In many years, that choice is a difficult one. In 2024, it was not," Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs said

"This is a tremendous honour," Trump said in response. He was first named the magazine's person of the year in 2016 when he was first named US president.

Australians will be able to book international flights to more than 100 destinations with Virgin Airlines under its new partnership with Qatar Airways from December 12.

It’s the next step in a major shake-up of international travel for Australians, with more competition to become available for flights to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka told NewsWire the new partnership was targeting the peak European summer and would offer travellers cheaper long-haul flights.

“The partnership between Qatar and Virgin Australia is going to bring much-needed competition, especially flying to Europe,” she said.

“Competition is great for everyone. The more opportunities and choices consumers have the harder everyone has to work.

“This is a huge win for Australian travellers which brings more value and choice for passengers wanting to fly internationally."

Ms Hrdlicka stopped short of saying customers had been overpaying since Covid but noted prices could fall with this new deal.

“It has taken a while post-Covid for everything to return to a balanced field for a lot of reasons. This is our opportunity to help improve the competitive dynamic,” she said.

Read more here from NCA NewsWire.

Veteran ABC host Michael Rowland has said goodbye to News Breakfast, with a host of current and former colleagues, as well as plenty of big names, farewelling him after 15 years on the show.

"I have enjoyed working with all of you. This current team, so many great teams over the years, I've been so lucky with co-presenters," he said this morning.

Former sports presenter Paul Kennedy called Rowland "the centrepiece" of the show.

Rock legend Jimmy Barnes was among those to pay tribute. "Good luck pal, I'm going to miss you in the mornings," he said.

ABC journalist James Glenday will replace Rowland on the show.