Sydney's underworld gang wars have intensified with multiple violent attacks across western Sydney, including two drive-by shootings and a firebombing within 24 hours. Former NRL star Matt Utai, 44, was shot at Merrylands as an innocent victim, with police believing his son Iziah was the intended target due to alleged links to organised crime. The attacks are part of an escalating feud between the Alameddine crime clan and a rival group known as the Coconut Cartel, prompting police to launch a new strike force.

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A 19-year-old woman was abducted from Carlisle Street in St Kilda on January 23, 1988, dragged into a car and violently raped by two men at Elwood Beach. One offender, Travis Rielly, was arrested in 2021 after a DNA match broke the cold case and was sentenced to nine years and nine months in jail. Police have now released artwork created by the victim shortly after the assault as they launch a fresh appeal to locate the second outstanding offender nearly four decades later.

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Drug-resistant superbugs are emerging as one of Australia's most serious health threats, with doctors warning the country is running out of antibiotics to treat serious infections. Without urgent action, projections indicate that more than 39 million people globally could die from antibiotic-resistant infections by 2050, with 1.2 million people already dying annually from these superbugs. Dame Sally Davies, UK Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, emphasises the need for Australia to implement incentive systems to develop new antibiotics, while a champion Paralympian's case of losing limbs to a superbug highlights the devastating personal impact of this growing crisis.

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UK police have established a national coordination task force to investigate former Prince Andrew's connections to Jeffrey Epstein, focusing on flight logs from Epstein's private jet that allegedly trafficked young women into Britain. Investigators will analyse at least 90 flights, including 15 that occurred after Epstein's conviction for soliciting underage sex. A newly unredacted email claims Prince Andrew had sex with Virginia Dufresne, despite his denials and a reported $24 million out-of-court settlement, while British MPs consider launching a parliamentary probe into misconduct allegations.

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Ten skiers are missing after an avalanche struck Castle Peak in Nevada County, Northern California. At least six people managed to escape the snow onslaught, while alpine rescue teams are responding to the backcountry ski area. The incident occurred as a powerful winter storm moved through the region, where an avalanche danger alert had been issued.

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Alexander Csergo, a Bondi businessman, is on trial in the New South Wales District Court charged with reckless foreign interference. He is accused of accepting cash payments while living in Shanghai to compile reports about Australia's defence, economic and security arrangements for individuals known as 'Kev' and 'Evelyn', allegedly to assist the People's Republic of China. The trial, which began almost two years after his April 2023 arrest, is expected to hear from more than 60 witnesses including federal police officers and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, with Csergo facing a maximum sentence of 15 years.

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A falling tree branch smashed through the windscreen of a hatchback in Upwey, outer Melbourne, piercing the glass directly where the driver was seated. The driver remarkably avoided serious injury and managed to safely pull over despite the impact.

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A defence conference at Canberra's Hyatt Hotel was evacuated twice following security incidents. The first evacuation occurred after a rock was thrown through a window, believed to have been thrown by children on bikes, while a second evacuation followed with Federal Police Bomb Squad deployed. No injuries were reported from either incident.

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A bushfire near Seymour remains out of control after forcing residents in Kerrisdale and Trawool to seek shelter. Fifty crews are battling the blaze which has burnt through more than 180 hectares, with overnight conditions temporarily slowing its spread. Fire danger is expected to intensify again on Friday across most of the state.

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Reverend Jesse Jackson, civil rights campaigner and Baptist preacher, has died aged 84. A protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson dedicated his life to advocating for minorities on issues including voting rights, job opportunities, education and healthcare. He made history with two presidential bids for the Democrats in 1984 and 1988, becoming the first African-American contender for a major national party, and his campaigns laid the foundation for Barack Obama's election as America's first black president.

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