Cyclist refuses to move on train

A cyclist laying across four seats on a train refused to move, preventing a mum with a pram from having a seat on a crowded train in Auckland earlier this week. 

Witness, Stuart Dawson boarded the Onehunga line and saw a cyclist asleep over four seats. 

The train manager told the cyclist that he had to move, but the cyclist refused. 

Mr Dawson says the manager should have done more to ensure passenger safety
 

Man dies when struck by lightning in Venice floods

The mayor of Venice has blamed climate change for severe flooding in the historic Italian canal city reaching the second-highest levels ever recorded, with financial costs expected to run to hundreds of millions of euros.

A man in his 70s died when he was struck by lightning while using an electric water pump in the Floods. 

Venice's Mayor called for a speedy completion of a long-delayed project meant to limit flooding
 

Gut-wrenching footage of a koala

Gut-wrenching footage of a koala found in a fire-ravaged area on NSW’s Mid Coast has pulled at heartstrings after being posted online.

The video was captured in the Bellangry State Forest after a man came across the injured koala and stopped to give her water.

The exhausted koala can be seen sitting on the ground as he gives her water out of a cup.
 

Coles Drip Cake is an Aussie Favourite

More than 10,000 Australians have voted on their favourite supermarket  products.  

The results reveal the drip cake from Coles has been named as one of the country’s favourite items in the 2020 Product of the Year Awards.

The 35 winners of the coveted awards were announced at a gala event in Sydney hosted by Sonia Kruger.
 

Flying fox saved from python

Snake catcher, Bryce Lockett has rescued a flying fox from the grips of a carpet python in Jindalee.  

Mr Locett said the flying fox was still alive and had just as good of a bite on the snake and it’s only was a small tear in its wing membrane.

The snake and the flying fox were both taken to the vet with no serious injuries. 
 

Cigarette likely to be cause of devastating bushfire

A discarded cigarette butt was likely the cause of a devastating bushfire that destroyed 11 homes and a historic lodge on the Gold Coast.

Police said two local teenagers, aged 17 and 19, had been questioned about the incident but they determined the blaze in September was accidental.

A Queensland Police spokesperson said as a result the teens wouldn’t be prosecuted.
 

Xylouris White: The Sisypheans

- The Sisypheans is the fourth album from the duo known as Xylouris White, consisting of George Xylouris on Cretan lute and vocals alongside drummer Jim White (perhaps most notably of The Dirty Three, but also a frequent collaborator with artists such as Will Oldham and Cat Power). This record is the first to follow on from the act's opening trilogy of records: Goats, Black Peak and last year's Mother.

Israel agrees to Egyptian-mediated truce

Islamic Jihad says Israel has agreed to an Egyptian-mediated truce to stop the cross-border rocket salvos that has killed dozens over the past two days.
 
Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Berim says the deal went into effect at 5:30 am local time.
 
He said it was based on a list of demands presented by his group late Wednesday, including a halt to Israeli targeted killings of the group’s leaders.
 

Behrouz Boochani free in New Zealand

Former Manus Island refugee, Behrouz Boochani, is free in New Zealand.
 
The Kurdish Iranian refugee and journalist is a multiple award-winner for documenting life in Australia’s offshore detention system and has finally left Papua New Guinea.
 
He says, ““I will never go back to that place. I just want to be free of the system, of the process. I just want to be somewhere where I am a person, not just a number, not just a label ‘refugee’.”