A man will face court today after he was charged with murder over the death of a 25-year-old man in Toowoomba earlier this year.
Key points:
Police have charged a man over the shooting death of Thor Morgan
A firearm was located in the Condamine River late last month
A 24-year-old man will face court today in Brisbane
Police allege Thor Morgan was driving a car on Ruthven Street in Harlaxton when a firearm was discharged from a stolen dual cab and he was shot in the head about 2.50am on March 15.
Mr Morgan succumbed to his injuries at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital two months later on May 16.
Police say divers recovered a firearm from a northern branch of the Condamine River on July 26 which police will allege was the weapon used in the incident.
Police say they found a firearm in the Condamine River in July.(Supplied: Queensland Police Service)
A 24-year-old man has been charged with murder, arson of a motor vehicle, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and unlawful possession of weapons.
Police said they had been searching for the weapon for four months.
Police allege a weapon recovered from the river was used to shoot Mr Morgan.(Supplied: Queensland Police Service)
They allege a number of stolen cars were involved in the incident — a gray station wagon, which had been stolen from a Newtown home in February, and a white SUV stolen from a Mount Lofty address in March.
The cars were later found burnt out — one in Felton and another one in the Oakey area.
Investigations are ongoing.
Police blocked off a Harlaxton street after the shooting in March.(ABC Southern Queensland: David Chen)
Volkswagen is a step closer to selling a modern electric ute, having lodged patent applications for a new version of its ID Buzz van.
The brand has not officially confirmed plans to create a ute based on the ID Buzz, though it has previously teased fans with an illustration of how a tray-backed Buzz could look.
Such a car would build on the history of VW’s “Type 2” Transporter, commonly known as the Kombi.
The classic Type 2 was available with a variety of body styles that could be replicated by the new model.
It would give VW a point of difference to the new breed of electric pick-ups in America, where enormously powerful motors and huge batteries are core elements of the Ford F-150 Lightning and Hummer EV.
VW’s reborn Kombi recently went on sale in right-hand-drive form in the UK, giving prospective Australian customers an indication of what it might cost if the model makes it to local showrooms.
The news isn’t good.
Priced from £57,115 ($97,300) in basic “Life” trim, the ID Buzz combines a 150kW electric motor with a 77kWh battery offering 415 kilometers of range.
A better-equipped “Style” model costs about $105,500 but misses out on equipment such as a powered tailgate, wireless phone charging, heated seats or adaptive cruise control.
British owners who add those features to the Buzz will pay more than £71,000 ($120,000), pushing the model into luxury car territory.
VW’s Australian arm has expressed interest in the reborn Kombi but has not been able to wrestle supply of the car away from Europe, where the brand’s battery-powered machines are more readily available.
Zack “Asmongold” has been playing Tower of Fantasy on his secondary Twitch channel since it was released. Known for his MMORPG streams, the OTK founder has already spent a lot of money on the game. Zack came across the bizarre sight of gigantic in-game mobs while roaming the world and was stunned.
A direct competitor to Hoyoverse’s Genshin Impact, Tower of Fantasy was touted by many as the Genshin killer. With its recent launch for Western audiences, the game is being played by many streamers and has made a spot for itself in the top most-watched games list on Twitch in the last week.
Unfortunately, the game has had quite a rocky launch, with stability issues and multiple instances of bugs and disconnections. The apparent glitch of gigantic characters, however, is probably a hack. Asmongold was flabbergasted at encountering the phenomenon and expressed his disappointment by saying:
“How’s this so bad?”
Asmongold encounters bizarre bug in Tower of Fantasy and has to change channel lines to avoid it
Like Genshin Impact, Tower of Fantasy is an open-world MMO gacha game with tons to do. Released to Western audiences on August 11, the game has garnered a lot of attention from both gamers and streamers. Being a popular MMO streamer, Asmongold has been playing it extensively on his alternate channel titled zackrawrr.
While roaming the vast world Tower of Fantasy, the streamer was making his way to a world boss called Lady Lucia when the giant NPCs happened to attack him. The absurdly disproportionate size took the Texan by surprise and the only way he could express his astonishment was to repeatedly ask the rhetorical question:
“What? Why? Why?”
(Timestamp 1:22:57)
The streamer, however, was not determined from trying to kill the mobs. As the towering NPCs gathered to fight, Asmongold declared that he would fight them no matter their size:
“I mean, I’ll take care of all these guys. This is no big deal to me. You think I’m afraid of them just ’cause they’re big?”
After making short work of the monkeys, the streamer made his way to boss Lucia, but being starkly underleveled, could not put a dent in her health bar. Despite the fact that her huge character model of her had clipped through the ground and she could not attack him back.
Suspecting foul play, I tried restarting the game. Even that wasn’t enough to fix the issue, and the streamer had to change his channel lines to get rid of the funny but irritating bug.
fan reactions
His chat clearly found it hilarious as NPCs around him started to appear as behemoths compared to his character model. They flooded his stream with laughing emoticons:
Chat reactions to the bug(Image via zackrawrr/Twitch)
A YouTube commenter by the moniker “A Boy Lost in Thoughts” had a theory about the bug being a hacker trying to mess with the streamer’s game:
“Think its not a bug but somebody hacked amd [sic] changed the code in that server. Because it doesn’t happen in my server or region”
YouTube comments about the glitch (Image via Asmongold Clips/YouTube)
Tower of Fantasy is far from a polished game, and while it does have features such as customization, many streamers and gamers still feel that Genshin Impact is the superior game.
Princess Anne is renowned for being the hardest-working member of the royal family, but her role could be at risk of being cut.
There is speculation the Princess Royal might be forced to cut back her official duties when prince charles takes the throne, under his rumored plans for a slimmed-back monarchy.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex, too, could see their workload reduced in favor of less working royals under King Charles III.
READMORE:Diana feared she ‘might be assassinated’ former bodyguard says
Princess Anne, during an event celebrating the Platinum Jubilee celebration, on the Isle of Wight, August 6 2022. (The Royal Family)
Princess Anne, who is celebrating her 72nd birthday today (August 15), is often named the busiest member of the monarchy.
Last year she carried out 368 official engagements, winning the title for the second year running. Prince Charles was a close second.
READMORE:Princess Anne’s special tribute to her father in Sydney
But that busy schedule could be coming to an end.
royal correspondent for The ExpressRichard Palmer, speculated about Princess Anne’s future role.
Prince Charles and Princess Anne at the Order of the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, on Thursday, June 30, 2022. (AP)
“It’s possible that, but not certain, that there will be a role for her [Princess Anne] in the change of reign,” he told the Royal Round Up podcast.
“[Although] she may want to take a back seat.”
He compared the Princess Royal’s workload to the Cambridges, who get much more publicity.
READMORE:The Cambridge nanny won’t move into Adelaide Cottage
In July, for example, Princess Anne had 36 engagements in her diary while Prince William and Kate had far less.
“The Cambridges have made the odd appearance, with the Commonwealth Games, but they have been off an awful lot,” he said.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex, and their children James, Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Windsor at the Commonwealth Games on August 22022 in Birmingham. (Getty)
“The positive side of that, they are keen to give their children a normal and upbringing as possible.
“But Princess Anne is very hard-working. She does a lot of the heavy lifting.”
He also suggested Prince Edward and Sophie’s roles might one day changesaying there was a “big question mark” on their futures.
However, both Princess Anne and the Wessexes have increased their workload after the Queen was forced to reduce her own schedule due to mobility issues since October.
Their engagements have also increased in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan’s departure as senior working royals.
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Princess Anne on camera: The Princess Royal’s life in photos
Daniil Medvedev has found support in an unlikely place after video emerged of him confronting a group of Canadian tennis fans over a ‘loser’ chant in Montreal.
In the video, Medvedev was leaving the locker rooms following his 6-7 6-4 6-2 loss to Nick Kyrgios when a group of fans started chanting ‘loser’ to the 26-year-old Russian.
He turned on his heel and confronted the crowd, but what he was saying could not be heard. The focus of Medvedev’s attention appeared to be a young male fan in the middle of the crowd.
READMORE:Cameron Smith’s No.1 charge derailed by brutal penalty
READMORE:Handshake sparks fiery brawl between coaches in EPL thriller
Speaking ahead of the ATP Cincinnati Masters event, Medvedev declined to go into detail about what exactly he said to the young fan.
“I was disappointed after losing the match… but when someone mocks me, I’ll respond,” he said.
“It would be bad to let people shout bad things at me and just keep walking. I will ask what his problem is.”
Medvedev said the young fan was standing next to his father, who also joined in the chant.
“The father of the guy said something to me also – I say educate your kid. I won’t let people mock me.”
Medvedev said that kind of heckling didn’t happen often, and it was one of the first times it had happened to him.
The man who beat him in that match, Nick Kyrgios tweeted his support for Medvedev and called for fans to show more respect.
“This is the best we have in the sport, fans need to show some respect,” he said.
Both Medvedev and Kyrgios will continue their US Open preparations at the Cincinnati Masters. Medvedev will take on Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, while Kyrgios will face Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
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The backstories and controversies that have ignited feuds involving athletes
A woman has been stabbed several times to the upper body in the New South Wales Hunter region.
Key points:
A 39-year-old woman is in hospital after being stabbed multiple times in the Hunter region
A 37-year-old woman has been arrested
Police say the women are known to each other
Emergency services were called about 10am to Segenhoe Street at Woodberry near Maitland where they found a 39-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds.
She was treated at the scene and later transferred to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition.
A 37-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and taken to Raymond Terrace police station for questioning.
Police officers went from door to door speaking to neighbours, who recalled hearing an argument before the alleged incident.
Neighbors recall hearing arguing before the incident.(ABC Newcastle: Giselle Wakatama)
Police say the women are known to each other, but there is no evidence to suggest they were in a domestic relationship.
Chief Inspector Rob Post, from Port Stephens-Hunter police, said officers were yet to establish if there was a motive behind the attack.
“There’s been a number of witnesses identified,” he said.
“We are appealing for anyone who has information to contact police, and anyone who might have any dashcam footage or CCTV footage.
“I believe this is an isolated incident and no one should be concerned.”
Kmart Australia customers have been warned to be wary of a sophisticated new scam targeting air fryer fans and bargain hunters.
Several fake Facebook posts are currently circulating across social media pages in Australia, advising shoppers to pick up a Philips 4.1L air fryer for just $3.
Watch the video to see how the scam works.
For more Lifestyle related news and videos check out Lifestyle >>
The posts include a fake photograph of an air fryer display at one Kmart store, with a price tag advertising the low price.
This particular model of Philips air fryer typically retails for as much as $199.
The posts claimed the low price stemmed from the closure of the company’s overseas warehouses – which was not true.
The scam Facebook post includes this fake image of a Kmart air fryer display. Credit: Facebook
“Due to the closure of their warehouses with household goods in Russia. Philips company makes mega sale on the goods and Philips Air Fryer [is] one of them, promotional price till August 15 only $3,” the caption on the scam post reads.
“Hurry up, freebie will end soon!”
A concerned shopper shared the news of the scam on a popular Kmart Facebook group, urging Australians to be cautious.
“Just saw this, please tell friends and family to be careful,” she wrote.
“I know many will look at this photo and see it’s a scam, but there are many people with disabilities or people who are elderly who aren’t as savvy.”
Unfortunately, some revealed they’d failed for the scam.
‘I fell for it’
“I fell for it and lost $500 – I pray others don’t do the same,” said one.
Another said: “My elderly mum fell for it, she felt it to me last night. Am now on the phone on the phone to the bank trying to help her.”
It’s believed that once shoppers sign up to receive the $3 air fryer, the fraudsters then use their credit card details to take out more unauthorized payments.
In a disturbing twist, many social media users are posting on one of the scammers’ Facebook posts – encouraging others to take the group up on the deal.
“Thought that it was not the original, some kind of fake,” said one.
“But after I printed it out I was pleasantly surprised, it is the original. I advise everyone to take part, and I went to cook my husband dinner!”
Consumers are being urged to be wary of Facebook posts like this. Credit: Facebook
In recent months, Australian consumers have been alerted about similar scams involving Kmart and ALDI products.
In July, fraudsters took aim at Kmart fans by offering Nintendo consoles for just $2.95. Weeks later, ALDI customers were also targeted in a sophisticated scam that offered LG flat screen televisions for free.
Thousands of Australians fell for both retail scams, prompting a warning from social media users.
“This is a scam. Granted it’s a sophisticated and very convincing scam – but it’s still a scam,” one said Facebook user.
The ACCC’s Scamwatch says phishing scams – like this fake Kmart Facebook post – work by fooling consumers into believing they’re dealing with a genuine retailer.
“Phishing messages are designed to look genuine, and often copy the format used by the organization the scammer is pretending to represent, including their branding and logo,” it said.
“They will take you to a fake website that looks like the real deal, but has a slightly different address. For example, if the legitimate site is ‘www.realbank.com.au’, the scammer may use an address like ‘www.reallbank.com’.
“If you provide the scammer with your details online or over the phone, they will use them to carry out fraudulent activities, such as using your credit cards and stealing your money.”
Scamwatch encourages consumers to report scams here.
It’s been a long and winding road to get here, but 2022 has seen consistent price drops on the highly coveted RTX 3000 cards like the Nvidia GeForce 3080 and ultra powerful 3090 Ti, making them far more affordable for the average consumer.
The upcoming Nvidia RTX 4000 “Lovelace” graphics cards will likely replace current-gen GeForce RTX 3000 GPUs later this year, so it’s not a huge surprise that we are seeing these cards from manufacturers like Gigabyte and MSI sell for cheaper than ever before. But a great deal is still a great deal, especially if you’ve been waiting for a while to upgrade your gaming PC (like this 1070-owning tech writer). Check out some of the best deals in Australia we’ve found below:
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Ti GAMING OC 24GB Video Card – A$2,399 (was $3,299, 27% off)
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is unquestionably one of the highest-performance graphics cards on the market. If you’ve got the money, you can’t do better than this.
See It ↗
GALAX GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB Video Card – A$1,999 (was $2,499, save $500)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Ti GAMING OC 24GB Video Card – A$2,399 (was $3,299, 27% off)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GAMING OC 12GB Video Card – A$1,499 (was $1,799, 17% off)
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 VENTUS 3X PLUS OC 12GB Video Card – A$1,389(was $1,599, save $210)
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GAMING X TRIO 8GB Video Card – A$1,069(was $1,149, save $90)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 EAGLE OC 8GB Video Card – LHR – A$829(was $899, save $70)
ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 ROG Strix OC 12GB Video Card – V2 – A$699 (was $749, save $50)
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 VENTUS 2X OC 12GB Video Card – A$579 (was $599, save $20)
These are undoubtedly some of the lowest prices we’ve seen these at, from a mix of retailers like mwave.com.au, Amazon Australia, and PLE Computers. Get yourself a case like this CorsairTempered Glass Mid-Tower for A$169(was $235, 28% off)and whatever variation of the components from our Best PC Deals Guide your budget will allow, and you’ve got yourself a whole new PC.
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For more great deals on components, laptops & PC accessories available in Australia right now, check out our weekly round up here.
Channel Ten’s morning news broadcast has hit a new world record – but the milestone is nothing to be celebrated.
It has been revealed that the 30-minute breakfast program 10 News First: Breakfast, hosted by Lachlan Kennedy and Natasha Exelby, reached an all-time low last Wednesday when not even one viewer in Perth tuned in.
According to official TV ratings numbers provided by research firm OzTAM, last Wednesday morning, zero people in the city of 2.1 million people watched the show.
An OzTAM spokesperson told The Australian the dire result could be attributed to the use of “small underlying viewing samples” and Network 10 has remained optimistic.
“10 News First: Breakfast edition is maintaining its audience and increasing engagement as viewers become more familiar with the timeslot,” a spokesperson told the outlet.
The 8am program launched last month, taking over the first half hour of Studio 10, but it has been struggling to find its feet against its competitors.
The Seven Network’s Sunrise has once again taken the crown as Australia’s top breakfast show in 2022, with an unbeatable lead over its rivals.
For the 19th year in a row, Sunrise, hosted by David Koch and Natalie Barr, is number one in its timeslot and has an average national daily audience of 397,000 viewers, 31 per cent bigger than its nearest competitor.
Seven Network Director of Morning Television, Sarah Stinson, said: “We are proud that more than 1.01 million people start with Sunrise every morning across Australia, and we never take it for granted.
“As the world bounces back from the past few years, Australians continue to turn to Kochie, Nat and the team for breaking news, a sense of community and the light and laughs we all need to start the day feeling great and well informed.”
It’s a different story for 10 News First: Breakfast, whose first five days on air drew in an average of 17,000 viewers across the five major cities, but this dropped to just 15,000 a day in week two.
The show delivered the lowest ever ratings in Australian TV history on its second day, after just 44 viewers tuned in from Sydney and 43 in Perth, until last week’s abysmal ratings were released.
Angela Bishop, Tristan McManus, Sarah Harris and Narelda Jacobs for Studio 10. Credit: have
Despite the blow, the network has repeatedly denied rumours. Studio 10 could be on the chopping block.
It’s just the latest in a series of crushing blows for Network 10.
Studio 10 underwent a major cast shakeup in 2020, with fan favorites Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Joe Hildebrand exiting.
Denise Drysdale and Natarsha Belling also left that same year, making way for a new lineup.
Sarah Harris stayed on, and was joined by Tristan, Angela Bishop, and Narelda Jacobs.
That’s in addition to iconic TV soap Neighbors airing its final episode last month after 37 years.
South Sydney superstar Latrell Mitchell failed to finish training on Monday and left Redfern Oval with his right groin heavily iced.
Mitchell, whose excellent form is a large reason Souths have won six of their past seven games, came from the field midway through the club’s main session. He immediately consulted physio Eddie Farah and the club’s top physician Travis Touma.
After being put through a range of stretches on the ground, Mitchell had his groin iced and took no further part in the morning session.
Souths have a short turnaround to Thursday night when they host premiers Penrith at Accor Stadium. It is the first time in 23 games the Panthers will start as outsiders with the bookies.
Back-up Bunnies fullback Kodi Nikorima has been battling a hamstring injury and is at least another week away from returning. Blake Taaffe is the likely fullback option if Mitchell fails to overcome his injury.
Halfback Lachlan Ilias skipped the first part of Monday’s blowout because of an ongoing back issue, but later joined the main group. Izaac Thompson, the powerhouse rookie winger, hit the showers early because of a right quad or groin strain.
Latrell Mitchell did not finish training on Monday because of a groin issue.Credit:Getty Images
Coach Jason Demetriou told the herald the club was just being cautious with Mitchell.
“We’ve got back-to-back short turnarounds, he had his biggest numbers for the season on the weekend [against Parramatta] in terms of running loads, so we’re just resting him up,” Demetriou said.
