Brisbane woman spat on, verbally abused by e-scooter riders in brazen attack

Brisbane woman spat on, verbally abused by e-scooter riders in brazen attack

A Brisbane woman has been left shaken after being attacked by a pair of e-scooter riders in broad daylight.

Ruby Fraser, 23, was on an afternoon run at a walking track at William Jolly Bridge, near the Brisbane River, on Tuesday when she suddenly felt a tug on her headphones.

Two male e-scooter riders attempted to steal Fraser's headphones, before spitting at her and verbally assaulting her near Lang Parade in Auchenflower, police said.

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Ruby Fraser attacked

They both fled the scene shortly after.

While Fraser was not physically harmed in the incident, the young woman told Today she is "shocked and shattered" and is now afraid to go out running.

"I'm pretty shattered, feeling pretty defeated the last few days. It's beem a tough few days," Fraser said.

"Then they came up within a metre of me, verbally abusing me, projectile spitting on me, giving me the middle finger and saying some pretty hurtful things.

"The thought of going on that run alone again anytime soon just brings me major anxiety."

Fraser was able to quickly move to safety by hiding out at a nearby apartment complex.

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Ruby Fraser attacked

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She called the police and officers began a search for the two young offenders, but were unable to find them.

"I was luckily able to escape up a ramp up the main road and get away from them," Fraser added.

"It was lucky I was there, because there's kilometres [on that track] with no escape."

The two offenders are described as being in their mid to late teens.

The first is described as having a fair complexion with a slim build, around 160 centimetres tall, and wearing a red hoodie and black pants.

The second is also described as having a fair complexion, a proportionate build, approximately 180 centimetres tall and was last seen wearing a black windbreaker jacket and black pants.

An investigation into the incident remains ongoing and police have urged anyone with information to come forward.

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'High' chance of cyclone developing off Queensland coast this weekend

'High' chance of cyclone developing off Queensland coast this weekend

A tropical low off the coast of Queensland has a moderate chance of intensifying into a cyclone tomorrow, increasing to a high chance on Sunday.

The chances of a cyclone forming remain high through Monday and into the week.

Tropical low 37U is currently hovering between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

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Tropical low 37U is currently off the Solomon Islands and may intensify into a cyclone.

It has an up to 70 per cent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the weekend, but the slow-moving low may not reach Queensland.

It's expected to move west towards Papua New Guinea over the weekend, then head south or south-west through the week.

The BOM predicts the system will stay well away from Australia regardless of whether it remains a tropical low or develops into a cyclone.

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Earlier this week Weatherzone said though it may not make landfall in Australia, it could still impact local weather.

"This convergence of three tropical atmospheric waves is likely to enhance cloudiness and rainfall over the western Pacific Ocean, possibly including parts of the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and northern Australia," the weather reporting site said.

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Rain is forecast for many parts of the sunshine state over the Easter long weekend.

Wide-spread scattered showers are predicted along the Queensland coast, particularly near the Cassowary and Daintree regions.

Weatherzone has forecast a high chance of rain in Brisbane today, followed by clear skies and sun from Saturday to Monday.

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Tech giant slashes 30,000 jobs in 6am email

Tech giant slashes 30,000 jobs in 6am email

US technology giant Oracle has slashed thousands of staff in a bold restructure to free up billions of dollars for Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The formerly Silicon Valley-based company laid off 30,000 employees this week to funnel billions of dollars into its AI data centres – around 19 per cent of its global workforce.

The news was reportedly delivered to impacted staff in a 6am email, which saw Oracle inform workers that it was undergoing a "broader organisational change".

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Oracle

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"After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organisational change," the email read, as per Business Insider.

"As a result, today is your last working day."

The cuts are estimated to result in up to $10 billion ($14.5 billion) in extra cash flow, which Oracle is expected to invest in AI operations.

Oracle Senior Operations Manager Michael Shepherd said the company had conducted a "significant reduction" in staff and that the layoffs had impacted many of his colleagues.

"The individuals affected were not let go because of anything they did or didn't do," Shepherd said in a post on LinkedIn.

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"Many of them are the people you call when something is truly broken, the ones who show up early, stay late, and carry institutional knowledge that took years to build."

Shepherd said a massive talent pool of engineers, architects, program managers and technology specialists just hit the job market.

"To everyone impacted today – the industry needs people like you, and the right opportunity is already on its way," he added.

Hundreds of former staff members who suddenly lost their jobs have taken to the networking site to announce their departure from Oracle.

Oracle, which bills itself as a database management company, employs around 162,000 people around the world.

The company was founded in Santa Clara, California but moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas in 2020.

Its annual revenue is around $18 billion ($55.4 billion).

Oracle declined to comment when contacted by Nine.com.au.

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DNA confirms notorious killer carried out unsolved 1974 murder

DNA confirms notorious killer carried out unsolved 1974 murder

The murder of a US teen in 1974 has finally been solved, with her death being definitively attributed to one of the country's most notorious serial killers.

Laura Ann Aime, 17, was last seen leaving a Halloween party on the evening of October 31 that year in Lehi, Utah County.

She left the party alone to buy some items from a convenience store, witnesses said. She never returned.

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Her body was found on November 27, thrown several feet from a highway in the American Fork Canyon.

She had been bound, sexually assaulted, severely beaten and strangled with a nylon stocking before her death.

An initial medical examination posited that Laura had died about a week before her discovery, on November 20.

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Ted Bundy

Laura's death had been linked to serial killer Ted Bundy, as part of his murder spree in 1974-1975 across multiple states.

Bundy, who was executed aged 42 in 1989, confessed to 30 murders, including Laura's, and has been confirmed to have killed at least 20 people, though he also hinted there could be many more.

Although Laura is usually counted among his confirmed victims, the Utah County Sheriff's Office said the official case remained unsolved as they were reluctant to rely on Bundy's word.

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However, in 2025, 51 years after Laura was murdered, her case was reopened.

"With this specific case, it was determined that current forensic technology, police methods, and initially collected evidence possessed the appearance of solvability, as forensic science has greatly evolved in the past several years," Utah County Sheriff Michael Smith's office said in a statement.

"The Laura Aime case held many similarities to prior Bundy cases, however, investigations and evidence held additional discrepancies and possessed issues for the detectives to work through."

However, today, the office said the case had been solved.

"The results were magnificent as they confirmed irrefutably that DNA evidence recovered from Laura's body verified the existence of DNA belonging to Bundy," the office said.

Laura's family and friends remembered the teen as a "tall, beautiful, outgoing free spirit who enjoyed outdoor activities and shared a passion for riding horses, hunting, and caring for her several siblings", the sheriff's office said.

She was remembered as generous and joyful, often using her pocket money to buy candy for her siblings because she enjoyed making them happy.

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'Construction has to stop!': Judge orders a halt to Trump's ballroom

'Construction has to stop!': Judge orders a halt to Trump's ballroom

A judge has halted Donald Trump's construction of a ballroom at the White House.

The president demolished the East Wing of the property in order to build a much bigger space, including a massive ballroom.

But a federal judge in Washington DC ordered a halt to the immense project with a temporary injunction."

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Construction workers, right, atop the U.S. Treasury, watch as work continues on a largely demolished part of the East Wing of the White House.

"The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families," Judge Richard J Leon wrote in his decision.

"He is not, however, the owner!"

In a scathing judgement, Leon declared the president could not carry out extensive renovations without congressional approval.

"No statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have," the judge wrote.

Leon said while presidents were able to carry out "care, maintenance and repair", the existing laws "bring to mind things like replacing the lightbulbs, fixing broken furniture, and changing the wallpaper".

Trump hit back at the judge in a Truth Social post.

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"In the Ballroom case, the Judge said we have to get Congressional approval. He is WRONG!" the president wrote.

"Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House. 

"In this case, even less so, because the Ballroom is being built with Private Donations, no Federal Taxpayer Money!"

It appears Trump did not read the injunction, because the judge had detailed how previously renovations were authorised and funded by Congress.

Leon is an experienced judge who was appointed to the bench by President George W Bush.

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Donald Trump shows off plans for his new White House ballroom while on Air Force One.

"Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorisation, construction has to stop!" Leon wrote.

The ballroom as it is currently designed has drawn the consternation of architects across the United States.

When Washington DC was planned by Pierre L'Enfant under the instructions of President George Washington, the Capitol was intended to be visible down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Trump's ballroom would impede that line-of-sight.

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Phones, smartwatches and earbuds to be banned in every classroom in Victoria

Phones, smartwatches and earbuds to be banned in every classroom in Victoria

Mobile phones, smartwatches and wireless headphones will soon be banned in every classroom in Victoria after the government extended its device crackdown to private schools.

Victoria's nation-first phone ban was first introduced to government schools in 2020 and will now capture all schools, including private and Catholic, from January 28, 2027.

Students will not be allowed to use smartphones or wearable devices such as Apple watches and wireless earbuds during school hours under the expanded legislation announced today.

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high school phone ban teenage girls

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The law will require all mobile phones to be switched off and stored away until the final bell, while wearable devices must have internet connections, recording functions and notifications turned off.

Victoria will be the first state or territory in Australia to outlaw wearable technology on school grounds.

Exceptions will apply for students who require devices for health reasons.

In the case of an emergency, parents or guardians can reach their child by calling the school.

Students were found to be more focused during classwork and more social during breaks after the ban was first introduced in 2020, according to an independent review.

Government schools also reported fewer incidents involving phones.

"The evidence shows it worked and now we're going further, so every Victorian student, in every Victorian school, can put their phone away and focus on learning," Victoria's Education Minister Ben Carroll said.

Deputy Premier Ben Carroll doorstop in Niddrie. 24 March 2026. Photo: Eddie Jim.

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The universal, state-wide ban will reduce screen time and encourage more "learning time" for students, Premier Jacinta Allan added.

Independent and Catholic school bosses have supported the imminent legislation.

"We welcome today's announcement and acknowledge the government's efforts to balance access to electronic devices with the need to support positive learning environments and student wellbeing," Independent Schools Victoria Chief Executive Rachel Holthouse said.

After Victoria introduced the ban in 2020, almost every other Australian states and territory followed suit with similar legislation.

Today's announcement follows federal legislation introduced in December last year which bans children under the age of 16 from accessing social media.

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Millions of Aussies will get an extra hour of sleep this long weekend

Millions of Aussies will get an extra hour of sleep this long weekend

Millions of Australians will get an extra hour of sleep this Easter long weekend as daylight saving time comes to an end.

All but three states and territories will wind their clocks back by an hour, earning a little sleep-in in the process.

Here's everything you need to know before that happens.

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End of daylight saving, dawn, Maroubra Beach.

When is daylight saving time ending in Australia?

Daylight saving time will come to an end this Sunday, April 5 at 3am Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).

Do clocks go forward or backward in April?

Clocks will go back by one hour from 3am to 2am to give millions of Australians an extra hour of daylight in the morning.

Will my phone update automatically?

Most smartphones will automatically update their clocks when daylight saving time ends, but some older or 'dumb' phones may need to be updated manually.

Most microwaves and ovens that display the time will also have to be changed manually.

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A young woman snooze an alarm on her phone in the morning

Do I lose an hour of sleep on Sunday, April 5?

No.

Australians in all but three states and territories will actually gain an hour in the early morning this Sunday, April 5.

Enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

Which Australian states and territories change their clocks?

NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT all observe daylight saving time.

Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory do not.

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Brisbane, Queensland

Why do we have daylight saving time?

Daylight saving exists to ensure Australians in the southern states and territories can make the most of the daylight hours at different times of the year.

Clocks are moved forward in the warmer months to give people an extra hour of sunlight in the evening, when it's balmy and mild.

As the weather cools down, the clocks are moved back for a little extra light in the mornings.

But not all states and territories opt in.

Queensland, WA and the NT never adopted daylight saving because the difference in daylight hours doesn't vary as much across the seasons up north.

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Dezi Freeman 'clearly' had help on the run, ex-detective says

Dezi Freeman 'clearly' had help on the run, ex-detective says

A former detective says wanted fugitive Dezi Freeman "clearly" received help in his months on the run before he was killed by police gunfire at a remote Victorian property yesterday.

Freeman, 56, had not been seen in public since two police officers were killed in a shooting ambush on his property in Porepunkah, Victoria, on August 26 last year.

In the seven months since, police received thousands of pieces of information, before a final tip led them to a property at Thologolong, about 150km by road from Porepunkah.

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A police "bearcat" with a tool that punched through the shell of a shipping container Freeman was inside.A makeshift awning and some chairs can be seen outside the shipping container Dezi Freeman was hiding inside.

Freeman, who was living in a shipping container on the property, refused to surrender to officers and was killed after he emerged from the container while armed with a gun and wrapped in a blanket.

Police are working to determine whether he was in possession of the gun used to kill Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, at Porepunkah.

Former Victoria Police detective Charlie Bezzina said police would have acted cautiously on the information that led them to the property, including surveilling it for more than a day to confirm Freeman was there.

He said the operation would have been a difficult one, given the openness of the property in particular.

"The only advantage (police) had, there were no other people that could be put in danger," Bezzina told Today.

"Ultimately, he's got nothing to lose."

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Police on the scene at a property near Thologolong where accused Police killer Desmond Freeman was shot dead by police this morning after a stand-off.

Bezzina said while Freeman, a self-declared "sovereign citizen", may not have needed much help, it's likely he would have received some while on the run.

"He had a head start before the actual SOG (Special Operations Group) got there," he said.

"I've learned since then, there are other sovereign citizens actually in Porepunkah that would have been sympathetic to his cause."

Bezzina suggested Freeman could have approached somebody for assistance, particularly given the distance and terrain between Porepunkah and Thologolong.

"He'd have to be assisted because he's getting food and nourishment and water to that location," he said.

"He couldn't walk into town, because country people know you're a stranger, and ultimately, he couldn't afford it."

There is no suggestion any particular person, nor anybody linked to the property where Freeman was found, offered assistance to the fugitive.

Yesterday, Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush said he was "sure" Freeman had received help.

"It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was, if that is in fact him, without assistance," he said.

"We will be speaking to anybody who we suspect may have assisted him to avoid detection or arrest."

He pledged to bring charges against anybody complicit in Freeman's flight.

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State leaders double down on refusal to offer free public transport

State leaders double down on refusal to offer free public transport

The New South Wales government has doubled down on its decision to not offer free public transport to residents to ease the cost-of-living pain caused by fuel prices.

Commuters in the state have missed out on any relief after Victorians were offered one month and Tasmanians were given three months of fare-free travel.

State Treasurer Daniel Mookhey told 2GB that the government wanted to avoid an "expensive" knee-jerk reaction to the ongoing conflict.

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Sydney, NSW, Australia - March 12, 2015. People standing and sitting on the Cityrail train in Sydney. Trains in Sydney have two levels for seating.

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While he didn't rule it out completely, the treasurer said it was a waiting game to see how the war in the Middle East unfolds.

"I can't tell you when this conflict is going to end," Mookhey said, when asked why NSW passengers couldn't travel for free for at least the Easter long weekend.

"When it comes to public transport, as I think you flagged earlier, we are obviously looking at what our options would be, but I can definitely tell you it's an expensive decision."

Moohkey said it would make a "big difference" to NSW motorists if the government cuts the fuel excise, adding that it was a federal decision.

Transport Minister John Graham yesterday ruled out the possibility of fare-free travel in NSW amid growing calls from the opposition and transport unions.

"We've seen some other states move on some calls for free public transport. I want to be clear, the NSW government isn't going down the path of free public transport for a couple of days or for a month," Graham said. 

"This situation will last more than a month. We need to keep our powder dry to be able to assist the broader economy.

"It's millions of dollars every single day."

In Victoria, commuters will travel on trams, buses and trains for free from tomorrow until the end of April.

It is expected the Victorian government will lose around $71 million in revenue during the fare-free period.

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A single one-way trip in Victoria costs $5.70.

Tasmanians were yesterday offered three months of free trips on buses and ferries as part of the state's response to petrol and diesel prices.

State and territory leaders have pushed for a national approach to the escalating fuel prices and shortages.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will hold a second national cabinet meeting today to coordinate a federal response.

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Apple almost went broke – now it's celebrating 50 years

Apple almost went broke – now it's celebrating 50 years

Apple is now one of the most valuable companies in the world — a market capitalisation of more than $3.5 trillion — but a core part of Apple's history is the time it almost went broke.

As the company marks its 50th anniversary, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, spoke exclusively to 9News to reflect on 50 years - including the mid-1990s when the future of the business was far from certain.

"You just have to imagine that this was a company that was really struggling if we were going to make payroll," Joswiak said, reflecting on the years before Steve Jobs returned to Apple.

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Jobs famously returned to the company in 1997 and refocused Apple on creating standout products, paving the way for devices including the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

Joswiak, who has worked at Apple for 40 of its 50 years, said the turnaround shaped the company's modern philosophy.

"The great companies fail because they forget about creating great products," he said.

Apple's success since then has helped redefine entire industries, including music, smartphones, and personal computing.

Despite the milestone anniversary, Joswiak says Apple is not a company that spends much time looking backwards.

"We are not nostalgic people… we're built to work on things in the future," he said.

Instead, he says the 50-year milestone is more about recognising what customers have achieved using Apple technology. "People have changed the world with the things they've done with our products."

That philosophy dates back decades, with the original Macintosh famously described as a "bicycle for your mind", technology designed to help people achieve more and express their creativity.

Later this year, it will be fifteen years since Steve Jobs lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Reflecting on this, Joswiak admitted that Jobs' philosophies still guide the company today. "We learned so much from Steve," he added. "We were almost out of business in 1996 and in 97, and he came back in 1997 and the company was rebirthed."

The problem was simple; the solution the same, says Joswiak. "Apple had forgotten about creating great products. So we were going to focus all of our efforts on how to create the greatest products in the world and how to tell people why they're great."

As they say, the rest is history. "That began the journey with the iMac, and it led to the iPod and iTunes, and then the iPhone and App Store and iPad, and eventually then the Apple Watch, AirPods, you know, Apple Vision Pro, incredible services, iCloud, all these things that came from this company that was nearly out of business." Said Joswiak.

In simple terms, "the belief that if you create great products, everything else will work out. And it seems to be working."

The artwork It's Beautiful Down Here by Rebecca Mills.

As part of the global anniversary celebrations, Australia has featured prominently, with artwork created on iPad projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House using the Australian-developed app Procreate.

Joswiak described the Opera House projection as one of his favourite expressions of the milestone, calling the display "absolutely stunning".

Looking ahead at the next 50 years, Joswiak says the same core ideas that guided its early years will continue to shape the future. "Safe to say, I think some of the things that made us successful for these 50 years, putting the customer at the centre of everything we do, unleashing human potential through technology, making it personal, making it easy to use, making it fun to use. I think all those sorts of things are things that are going to hopefully be just as true in the next 50 years as they have been in the previous."

"I think we will continue to do revolutionary products. I think there are many more to be had over the next five decades."

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