TRANSCRIPT
- Patients hail a government move to subsidise two further cancer treatments
- The FBI says two New Year Day attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas are not linked
- Kimberly Birrell advances to the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time in her career
An Australian woman has described the life-changing impact of having her metastatic breast cancer medicine added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
The cost of Olaparib has been reduced by tens of thousands of dollars, along with a treatment for prostate cancer called talazoparib.
After the subsidy, around 500 people a year will pay a maximum of thirty one dollars sixty per prescription for these medicines.
Olaparib users have paid more than 72 thousand dollars per course of treatment, while a prescription for talazoparib cost more than 100 thousand dollars.
Bridget was a 31 year-old new mother of two when she was told her breast cancer was incurable.
Until now, she had relied on donations to receive treatment.
"I got to see my beautiful little girl celebrate her third birthday back in August and I get to see my five year-old start school next year. They are all milestones I don't take for granted. Cancer is a big part of my life and maybe always will be, but this treatment means I just take my pills every day and get on with being a relatively normal mum."
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The FBI says a US army veteran who drove a truck into a crowd on New Year's Day had pledged allegiance to IS and acted alone.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texan, was shot dead by police following the New Orleans attack that killed at least 14 people.
FBI deputy assistant director Christopher Raia says a series of videos posted to Facebook by Jabbar suggest he had previously planned to harm his family and friends.
"First and foremost, let me be very clear about this point. This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act. But at this point, currently, and this is another position, another fact I want to be clear on, we do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack except for Shamsud-Din Jabbar."
The FBI says there appears to be no link between the attack in New Orleans and an episode in Las Vegas on the same day in which a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel.
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One residential building has been reduced to ruins and several others have been severely damaged by bushfires in Western Australia.
Fire authorities say there are over 60 fires currently burning across the state, including a major bushfire in the state's east that was ignited on New Year's Day.
Residents of areas close to the fire, such as The Lakes and Wooroloo, have been instructed to monitor the conditions as the threat level has been reduced to 'Watch and Act'.
The efforts of the firefighters have brought the blaze under relative control, with weather conditions working in their favour.
Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm has provided an update.
"The hard work of the fire fighters throughout the night and some favourable wind conditions have enabled crews to build containment lines around a significant portion of the fire. As has been said, the fire is stationary and contained, but not controlled. It has burnt though more than 700 hectares. We are aware that one house has been completely destroyed but we understand it was unoccupied and currently the owners are overseas."
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Sky-watchers were treated to a dazzling display of Aurora Australis lights on Wednesday night.
Mostly clear skies meant the phenomena could be seen across Tasmania, as well as southern parts of the mainland including areas of New South Wales and even in Western Australia, all with the naked eye.
In Hobart, the Aurora arrived at around 11pm, dying the skies in shades of purple and green, while in Western Australia, the lights could be seen as early as 9pm.
Experts say the new year will bring more chances to see the lights, with the sun at the peak of its 11-year magnetic cycle, which is set to make solar activity more frequent.
**
In tennis,
26-year-old Kimberly Birrell has given Queensland audiences a reason to cheer after advancing to the Brisbane International quarter-finals.
Birrell was able to overcome the obstacle of former world number 21 Anastasia Potapova, beating her 7-6 6-2.
This is the first time the Australian has made it to the final stages of any major tournament in her career.
The world number 113 will face either Anhelina Kalinina or Yuan Yue, both unseeded players, on Friday for a spot in the semis.
