Latest news with #news.com.au
Herald Sun
18 minutes ago
- Health
- Herald Sun
Layton McCann: Grovedale teacher recovering in hospital after horror honeymoon
Don't miss out on the headlines from Geelong. Followed categories will be added to My News. A Grovedale man who spent days sedated and on a ventilator in the intensive care ward of a Mexican hospital is on the mend. Local cricketer and schoolteacher Layton McCann was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with pancreatitis while on his honeymoon in Mexico with wife Whitney earlier this month. After a couple of days in the general ward, he was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he was sedated and hooked up to a ventilator for more than four days. Ms McCann's sister Bronte Holland shared some 'great news' on Friday. 'Layton is awake and breathing for himself again. He is however heavily medicated and a bit disoriented still,' Ms Holland said. 'He still has an infection and a temperature and his pancreas is still very inflamed, he will remain in ICU for at least another week. 'A long way to go but he is slowly on the mend.' Since then, Mr McCann has been taking further steps to recovery. 'Layton is looking better today,' Ms Holland said on Tuesday. 'Still not 100 per cent but getting stronger every day. 'He is struggling mentally a bit. 'It's possible that he'll be flown home by the end of the week with a nurse escort. 'Just depends if everything stays stable and if he is able to eat and keep it down.' Earlier this month, Mr McCann was rushed to the hospital after waking up in 'excruciating pain.' He has been in hospital in the coastal surfing town of Playa del Carmen since. Ms McCann said the experience was 'terrifying'. Both of their mothers have travelled to Mexico to assist. Ms Holland has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of accommodation and these flights. It had raised more than $32,000 as of Wednesday afternoon. Originally published as Layton McCann: Grovedale teacher recovering in hospital after horror honeymoon
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Wild reason mum copped $410 fine while in the passenger seat
An Aussie mum was hit with a $410 fine for pumping breast milk while travelling as a passenger in a car because of the placement of her seatbelt. Illiya was on her way home from a charity event with her husband on February 24, 2025 at Randwick Racecourse. At the time, the mum-of-two decided to skip the 7.30pm pumping she normally did for her seven-month-old baby. 'We don't often go out on a school night, but it was an event we really wanted to go to so we arranged a babysitter,' she told 'That night, I didn't breastfeed my seven-month-old. The babysitter gave him a bottle. I didn't want to pump at the function so I thought I'd pump in the car on the way home while my husband drove.' She used a wearable cordless pump from the brand Bubka to do so. But, she was caught on camera for 'not wearing a seatbelt properly'. 'You can see in the photo I am wearing the seatbelt but it's a bit lower, under my boob, because of where the pump was,' she said. The mother said she disputed the $410 fine but it was decided that the fine would be upheld. 'The lap portion of a seatbelt should lie across your hips and the sash should fall across your chest and mid-shoulder,' a letter response said. 'To ensure the safety of yourself and passengers, seatbelts should be adjusted firmly and lay flat with no twists in the webbing or fabric. The seatbelts should not be removed, even for a short period of time. 'The photos clearly show the passengers seatbelt was not positioned across their chest.' Illiya paid the fine, but she did call the ruling 'strange'. 'I totally get if I was holding the baby or if the seatbelt wasn't on but it was,' she said. Illiya said all she was trying to do was kill two birds with one stone as a busy mum on the move — she said you build your life around a pumping/feeding schedule, not the other way around. 'I was physically uncomfortable,' she explained. 'I just thought I wouldn't do the pump at 7.30pm because I was at a function — it was noisy and I didn't want to pull my boob out in front of everyone. I wanted to do it in the privacy of my own car.' Illiya added it wasn't distracting her partner from driving, and when you need to pump, you simply have to. She said holding off on pumping can cause health issues such as clogged ducts, mastitis and infection. She also said she had no doubt that other mums had also been caught out. Alicia Segal, who co-founded Bubka with Ari Segal, told that the issue was bigger than a seatbelt fine. 'While we will always support safety first when travelling in a car and the correct use of seatbelts, we think it's time to talk about how the way mums feed their bubs has evolved,' Ms Segal said. 'Feeding looks different now. Many mums follow a strict pumping schedule to maintain their milk supply, and sometimes that means expressing milk while travelling as a passenger. That's something our community and our systems need to be more supportive of.' She said the company still said safety should be a priority, but mothers deserve clear and updated guidance on how to pump safely on the go. She said currently most are left to figure it out alone. 'That's not good enough,' she said. 'Our wearable breast pumps were designed for mums just like this one. She wasn't being careless; she was doing what mums have always done: feeding her baby, wherever she needed to be at the time. 'At Bubka, we've taken it the next level, our new Bubka Glow launching soon has a built in night light, so, as long as you're a passenger in the car and, of course, wearing your seatbelt correctly, mums will be able to switch on the light on their pump and check on their milk volume on the go.' A Transport NSW spokesperson told that rules around seatbelts had been used for 50 years because they saved lives. 'Wearing a seatbelt properly – low, flat and firm – doubles your chances of surviving a crash,' the spokesperson said. 'Tragically, in 2024 alone (preliminary data as of 29 July 2025), 33 people lost their lives in crashes because they weren't wearing an available seatbelt. 'Each one of these lives was someone's loved one – a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend. The impact on families and communities is devastating. 'We don't want to see any more lives lost on the road because of something that could have been prevented.' Evidence suggests people are twice as likely to survive a car crash if they are wearing their seatbelt correctly.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Study shows just one can of diet soft drink increases diabetes risk
If you're the type of person to crack open a diet soft drink at 3pm when you're looking for a pick-me-up without the calories, a new study says that this daily habit might be doing more harm than you think. New Aussie research has found that knocking back just one artificially sweetened soft drink a day, like Diet Coke, Pepsi Max or Zero Sugar Solo, may increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by a staggering 38 per cent. ​​​​Surprisingly, that's an even higher risk than those opting for classic full-sugar options, which were linked to a 23 per cent rise. Professor Barbora de Courten, senior author on the study, told that the findings signal a need to rethink current public health strategies. 'It might be time to broaden the policy discussion not just about taxing sugar, but about reducing population-level intake of all harmful beverages, regardless of whether they're sweetened with sugar or synthetic alternatives,' said Professor de Courten, who is also a specialist physician at the Department of Diabetes & Vascular Medicine. Sugar, artificial beverages, and type 2 diabetes ​​​​The longitudinal study, conducted by a team from Monash University, RMIT University and the Cancer Council Victoria, followed more than 36,000 Australian adults over nearly 14 years. ​​​ ​​​​'Drinking one or more of these beverages each day – whether sweetened with sugar or artificial substitutes – was linked to a significantly higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes,' said Mr Hussen Kabthymer, who was involved in the study. ​​​ Professor de Courten said the findings challenge the common belief that artificially sweetened drinks are a better option. ​​​​'Artificial sweeteners are often recommended to people at risk of diabetes as a healthier alternative, but our results suggest they may pose their own health risks,' she said. ​​​ While the connection between sugary drinks and diabetes could mostly be explained by obesity, the connection between diet soft drinks and type 2 diabetes stayed strong even after factoring in body weight, suggesting that these drinks might directly affect how our metabolism works. ​​​​The study, which involved participants aged 40–69 years, also adjusted for other lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, education, and health history. ​​​ What is type 2 diabetes? Type 2 diabetes impacts about 1.3 million Australians and over 500 million people globally, with most cases related to diet and lifestyle. It is a chronic condition where the body either can't properly use insulin or doesn't produce enough of it, causing blood sugar levels to rise. According to Diabetes Australia, it usually develops in adults over 45, but is increasingly occurring in younger age groups. Over time, uncontrolled type 2 diabetes can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart, and lead to serious complications like kidney failure, vision loss and heart disease.
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Real cost of return to work mandates revealed
Many workers will be several thousands of dollars out of pocket if forced to return to the office full time, as cost of living pressures continue to rise. According to research by International Workplace Group (IWG), commuters could save up to $5892 a year by switching to local co-working spaces or staying at home compared to travelling into a city centre office each day. The jaw-dropping amount was calculated by analysing the average commuting costs of office workers – with those heading to work in Sydney CBD totalling $75.60 per day when factoring in public transport fares and local parking. It found a hybrid model of working, with two to three days a week working locally, can potentially save an average of $338.14 per month. Seventy per cent of Australian office workers said hybrid working arrangements help them manage cost-of-living pressures, the IWG's Australian Hybrid Workers Survey revealed. Those commuting to Concord could save up to $3588 per year, while those who work in Lane Cove can keep an extra $3532.80 in their pockets yearly. Balmain-based workers can save up to $2916 per year and those travelling to Parramatta can keep an additional $960 each year. International Workplace Group CEO Mark Dixon said that, with rapid advancements in technology, work is 'no longer confined' to a single location. 'Companies are empowering their teams to work where they are happiest and most effective, allowing employees to stay productive by working closer to home out of a local coworking space or office,' he said. 'This shift means employees no longer need to commute long distances daily but can instead benefit from the same or higher levels of productivity by working closer to home. 'As a result, company headquarters are evolving to become hubs of creativity, collaboration and socialising.' Data from the Regional Movers Index March 2025 quarter report found 64 per cent of people leaving capital cities are relocating to regional and suburban areas. This is resulting in an increase in employees wanting remote and hybrid working options, as well as more demand for flexible office spaces outside of major city centres. In a recent poll run by a whopping 58 per cent of the 6800 voters chose remote working as the best workplace change of the 21st century. Recruitment specialist Roxanne Calder told that the rise of flexible working is one of the many changes that has made work 'more human' over the years. She said working from home has 'forever redefined the way we look at productivity', challenging the myth that you can only perform well if you are sitting at your desk in an office. She noted this has been a test of trust for organisations, forcing many to shift the way performance is measured, rather than relying on physical presence as a barometer for how much work a person is putting on. 'If done well, remote work can create workplaces that are not only more efficient but also more humane, valuing results and wellbeing together,' she said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Big relief for thousands of Australians hit by excess bank charges: $60 million refund to be released as ASIC cracks the whip
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) initiated a crackdown against banks for unfair practices after thousands of Australians were wrongly charged excessive bank charges. The corporate regulator said that all the customers who have been affected due to the charges will receive a refund soon. The ASIC on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) announced a second round of payments, saying a further 770,000 customers will be refunded $60 million. The refunds in the second round will be paid to low-income customers of 21 financial institutions receiving government concession payments, who were placed in higher-fee bank accounts despite a lower fee option being available to them, according to The latest development follows $33m in fees already refunded to 150,000 customers, which were previously paid out. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science Operations Management Finance Degree Digital Marketing Product Management Technology others healthcare Data Analytics MCA Artificial Intelligence Design Thinking Data Science Healthcare Management CXO Leadership Others MBA Public Policy Project Management PGDM Cybersecurity Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Postgraduate Cert in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK DABS India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 30 Weeks IIM Kozhikode SEPO - IIMK-AI for Senior Executives India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIT Madras CERT-IITM Advanced Cert Prog in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Prof Cert in DS & BA with GenAI India Starts on undefined Get Details ASIC report had names of major banks The report from the ASIC carried the names of three of the major banks that have now agreed to provide refunds of bank fees to a broader group of low-income customers who have been in high-fee accounts. The list contains names of several banks, including ANZ, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank , Bendigo Bank, and Westpac Bank. The report suggests that ANZ will pay out an estimated $47.9m to around 590,000 account holders for fees dating back to mid-2019, and Westpac $9.9m for fees incurred since 2013. National Australia Bank was not included in the probe, as it stopped charging dishonour, account-keeping, or overdraw fees on transaction accounts in 2014. Live Events CBA says it won't pay '$270m bill' Commonwealth Bank has said that it is not paying any more after previously announcing a $25m payment to around 87,000 Indigenous concession customer accounts, reported. ASIC has said that CBA and its subsidiary Bankwest provided data that claimed that it charged $270m in fees to low-income customers between July 2019 and October 2024. Instead, CBA plans to transition its 1.5 million eligible high-fee accounts held by low-income customers to a new 'nominal fee,' which is still awaiting approval. Meanwhile, Bankwest removed fees from its high-fee accounts and converted two products to low-fee accounts. 'CBA noted that it provides services to a high volume of remote and regional customers on a much larger scale than any other financial institution. CBA considers that low-income customers benefit from informal overdraw facilities attached to its high-fee accounts, on the basis that these facilities provide customers with financial autonomy and flexibility,' according to ASIC. CBA acknowledges ASIC's concerns Speaking to NewsWire, a CBA spokesperson said that the bank acknowledges ASIC's concerns and the importance of fair and accessible banking for vulnerable and concession customers. 'The $270 million in fees (incurred between 2019 and 2024) ASIC references were disclosed to customers and were charged in accordance with their terms and conditions,' a CBA spokesperson said. 'The concession customer group is a diverse cohort, including customers with varying levels of income, savings, and home ownership.' In addition, CBA says they have paid over $25m in 'goodwill' payments to approximately 87,000 Indigenous concession customer accounts, as identified by CBA in response to ASIC's Better Banking for Indigenous Consumers Project. 'These payments were made on a goodwill basis, not as remediation for any contraventions,' the spokesperson said. CBA also says it is removing dishonour and overdraw fees and creating an informal overdraft facility with no overdraw fee, providing flexibility and reducing the need for higher-cost alternatives like payday loans. It will also have a nominal $1 monthly fee to support universal services such as branches and ATMs, telling NewsWire it is the only bank maintaining the scale and reach of full-service banking across Australia. 'We plan to migrate eligible concession customers from Smart Access and Complete Access accounts on an opt-out basis to the Essentials Account, the CBA spokesperson continued. 'This migration is temporarily paused pending the consideration by the ACCC of the proposed new authorisation for the Banking Code of Practice.' ASIC responds Speaking about the report, ASIC chair Joe Longo said that despite the improvements banks have made during our surveillance, there is work to be done. 'It should not take an ASIC review to force $93 million in refunds or make banks assess their processes to ensure the trust and expectations placed in them are justified,' he said, as quoted by 'Banks need to truly hear the messages in this report, read it, review it, and ask themselves some difficult questions about what led to this situation, ' he added.
