Evening News Bulletin 10 March 2025

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Source: SBS News

Restoring power a priority in the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred...The Star casino group to be possibly be saved by being sold to a U-S casino giant... and in golf, Australian Karl Vilips wins the Puerto Rico Open


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TRANSCRIPT

There have been a record number of emergency callouts in Queensland over the past day, as ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to batter the state.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli says there have been 3,676 calls made to the State Emergency Service in the past 24 hours - the largest number of callouts for a 24-hour period in the history of the service.

Six emergency flooding warnings are currently active in the state, with areas such as Luscombe, Yatala and Stapylton marked as too dangerous to leave [[according to Queensland's disaster website]].

But Energex says it has now restored electricity to around 140,000 homes, though around 200,000 homes are still without power.

Mr Crisfulli says reconnection is a high priority.

"I'm mindful how much the impact of not having electricity means on families and I'm mindful of how you're having to go over and above to charge your phone, get food for your family, try and somehow bring some normality in a really difficult time. And we assure you that getting power reconnected is at the top of our list right now."

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The Defence Department will investigate its capacity to handle disaster recovery work in the wake of a crash involving two military trucks that injured 13 people.

The trucks rolled over in storm conditions, after the Albanese government approved the use of the Australian Defence Force to support authorities in planning and responding to ex-Cyclone Alfred.

There has been some concern that domestic recovery operations detracted from the military's primary goal of defending the nation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told defence personnel in Lismore that their presence has reassured the community at a difficult time.

"People see men and women in uniform, they know that each and every day you - as we've seen tragically - put yourselves at risk in order to assist the community and help others. Our entire nation owes you our thanks today, tomorrow and every day for what you do."

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Queensland's Muslim community has swung into action to help residents after ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning river systems are still experiencing rising water levels in Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Syed Asghar Naqvi is the President of the Pakistan Australian Cultural Association of Queensland.

He says mosques have been offering shelter to people in need, while community volunteers are distributing food hampers.

He has told SBS Urdu it has been challenging for community members who are experiencing the impacts of a cyclone for the first time.

"The Muslim community over here - like the Human Appeal Australia group and the Islamic College of Brisbane did an excellent work yesterday with providing meals to people. The migrants that come over here they are here to help the community. The danger is not over yet and there is going to be further rain."

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The group behind Star Casino is reviewing an offer from a US casino giant that could save it from going into administration.

Bally's Corporation has offered a last-minute $250 million plan in exchange for at least a 50.1 per cent stake in the casino operator.

The offer came days after Star Entertainment Group secured a $53 million lifeline in exchange for its stake in the Queen's Wharf Brisbane entertainment precinct.

Star has struggled in recent years with scandals, new rules and regulations and had just $79 million in cash available as of December 31.

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A new report suggests only around a third of Australian women believe they will have enough money in retirement.

The survey of 2,250 Australians conducted by Colonial First State Superannuation has found 62 per cent of women felt they would be unable to achieve a comfortable retirement, compared to 47 per cent of men.

Only 34 per cent of Australian women feel prepared for life after work.

Colonial First State chief executive Kelly Power says the findings highlighted the lack of confidence among women when it came to achieving their retirement goals.

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United States President Donald Trump says his administration is in contact with four different groups about the sale of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok.

Analysts estimate the app could be worth as much as $80 billion.

TikTok's fate has been up in the air since a law requiring its owner ByteDance to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on January 19.

After taking office on January 20, Mr Trump signed an executive order to delay the enforcement of the law by 75 days.

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23-year-old Karl Vilips has made history with his three-shot victory at the Puerto Rico Open professional golf tournament.

Nicknamed 'Koala Karl' by his U-S counterparts, the Australian-born golfer secured the win in what was only his fourth PGA Tour start.

The result gets him into The Players Championship this week and the PGA Championship in May, along with a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Vilips has described the win as surreal.

He says he even received a phonecall from Tiger Woods to congratulate him on the victory.

"There’s so many memories I have of him, I mean the first big one is him making that putt at Torrey [[Torrey Pines US Open]] to make the big playoff, watching documentaries of him, you know studying to go to Stanford [[University]]. I just try to do what he does, study hard, attend a good school and obviously hard work is going to pay off in the end. But he has been such a huge influence in my golf career."

Vilips has been winning golf competitions since he was seven years old.

At age 15, he beat Tiger Wood's long-standing record as the youngest Junior Orange Bowl winner by eight months.



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