EXCLUSIVE Celebrity dentist kills himself at a casino - leaving his widow with a shocking burden... Plus, the secret past of new society queen bee - and a missing socialite rocks up at The Royal: THE GROUP CHAT
Widow's burden after dentist kills himself at Crown
Her reputation as the go-to injector for Perth 's social elite means she has clients reaching as far afield as Sydney's eastern suburbs.
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Why Dr Paris uses her bare arms in the fight against Australia's mosquito-borne diseases
Dr Véronique Paris has a very hands-on approach to her research. She slides her bare arm inside a special cage and lets hundreds of mosquitoes bite her – all in the name of science. 'For most of the ones I feed, I just feel a little sensation,' the University of Melbourne medical entomologist says. 'Some species do have a bit more of a mechanical feel to them.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email She describes the buzzing cage of mosquitoes as her 'colony', and 'to make sure they stay healthy' Paris feeds them her blood about once a week. 'If I am running an experiment or want to collect more eggs for upcoming work, this can increase to about four times a week.' Her research is focused on reducing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases to humans, such as the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer – that if untreated can cause disfiguration and tissue loss. Paris enjoys sharing her work – and methods – with her community of 13,000 followers on Instagram. The 35-year-old says she moved to Instagram and away from professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn, or even Bluesky, to 'reach people that are not necessarily already looking for scientific content'. '[It] has been very rewarding and there are lots of people that ask lots of questions,' she says. Paris's interest in mosquito research began when she started her PhD at the University of Melbourne, after moving to Australia from Germany. 'I wanted to do something for the local community and understand local mosquitoes [and] locally transmitted diseases like Ross River virus and Buruli ulcer.' Cases of Buruli ulcer have risen sharply in recent years, from 135 in 2020 to 238 in late 2023, according to the Victorian Department of Health. The disease, which is spreading across Victoria, is also found in far north Queensland and the Northern Territory. While possums have long been suspected to play a role in the spread of Buruli ulcer, a 2024 study provided the first strong evidence linking mosquitoes to its transmission. Paris and other researchers are trying to find out how exactly mosquitoes acquire and transmit the pathogen to humans. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Paris said she was shocked when she first saw her scientific colleagues feeding the insects their blood. 'I was planning big experiments and wanting to have my own mosquito colony, so I felt like I wanted to try it at least once to see if that is something that I can do.' Now it's a part of her weekly lab routine. 'My body has certainly adapted to it … I can feed a cage of mosquitoes and then it's itchy right after, and then I need to be good about not scratching, so I distract myself for about an hour.' Researchers feeding their own colonies is not compulsory, Paris says. 'There will always be volunteers around that can do that, so no one has to feed mosquitoes if they don't want to and that's totally fine.' But outside the lab, getting involuntarily bitten by mosquitoes is a completely different story. Paris says if a mosquito bites her on the ankle while she's in the garden, it might itch for days. Each bite is different, depending on the location on her body and the species of mosquito doing the biting, she says. There are about 300 species of mosquitoes in Australia, how much they itch depends on the person they bite, she explains, adding that the bump and itch is caused by someone's immune response to the bite, so it very person specific. Her top tip? Don't scratch the bite as it only makes the itching worse.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mystery surrounds death of woman who vanished from her home: 'She was the gentlest, kindest little lady'
The death of woman who vanished from her Melbourne home before turning up a week later in a hospital with severe injuries has sparked a homicide investigation. Julia Neira, 63, was reported missing by a neighbour on June 14 after she left her home at Noble Park, in Melbourne 's southeast, a few days earlier and failed to return. The Chilean national who emigrated to Australia had been seen talking with a man shortly before leaving the property. Two days after police were notified she was missing, they located Ms Neira in Dandenong Hospital with injuries described by police as 'consistent with being seriously assaulted.' She died from her injuries on Friday evening. Homicide Squad detectives are investigating her death, which is being treated as suspicious. Police confirmed they spoke with a 62-year-old Endeavour Hills man in relation to the incident. He has been released without charge pending further enquiries. Police believe Ms Neira and the man were known to each other. Officers confirmed they were able to speak with Ms Neira in hospital before her death. 'At this time, the exact circumstances surrounding the incident which led to her being injured are still being determined,' a police spokesperson said. Officers have been canvassing the area and collecting CCTV footage from around her Marna Court address from June 7 to June 14. Ms Neira's relatives live in Chile, and neighbours said the Marna Court community had become like the woman's second family. Ms Neira had lived in the area for six years. One neighbour told the Herald Sun the 63-year-old was an 'angel.' Another said Ms Neira was always ready for a cup of tea and a talk and that she was a loyal friend. 'She was the softest, gentlest, kindest little lady,' friend, Suzanne, told Nine News. 'I didn't sleep all night, I think Julia where are you, what's happened to you,' another neighbour, Zorca, said. 'I miss her so much.' Police are tracking down Ms Neira's next of kin overseas to notify them. Detectives said they were keen to speak to anyone who may have further information about the circumstances leading up to Ms Neira's death. Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
MasterChef's Julie Goodwin shows off her drastically changed appearance as a throwback to her first time on The Project is revealed
Former MasterChef Australia star Julie Goodwin was the first ever guest on The Project. And the celebrity foodie returned on Sunday night as the panel show heads into its last week on the air, after it was axed by Channel 10 last week. During the segment, the 54-year-old grandmother featured in a series of clips from her appearance on the show in 2009. And Julie was hardly recognisable from her appearance today after she dropped a whopping 20kg. At one point during the segment, Julie paid tribute to the show revealing that she was an avid follower of the The Project. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Telling viewers that while much has changed in her life, The Project had stayed on the telly in her living room, 'ever since I was your first guest.' She continued that she liked, 'being able to tune into the day's events without going down into a sad spiral. 'The way you've done this for 16 years has been beautiful. So I'm thankful to have been such a tiny part of it.' It comes after Julie revealed she has lost even more weight following her dramatic 'accidental' transformation, which saw her drop a whopping 20kg almost a decade ago. Taking to Instagram, Julie shared a selfie of her looking thinner than ever following an appearance on Sunrise. Julie let her greys grow and flaunted a more au natural colour for her locks while showcasing her weight loss since winning the cooking show in 2009. The kitchen guru looked slim as she encouraged fans to try her chicken pie with potato bake topping. Despite her makeover, Julie still donned her signature wide-frame glasses in the post, while wearing a black and white striped shirt. Back in 2016, Goodwin revealed that her dramatic weight loss had nothing to do with dieting and was certainly no cause for celebration. 'It's not that I've gone on some stupid, sad diet and dropped a whole heap of weight in a hurry. 'It's not anything like that,' she told Women's Weekly at the time. 'I am running a business and running around like a mad thing, and sometimes I forget to eat, none of which is healthy.' Julie reprised her MasterChef appearance in 2012 for the MasterChef All Stars series. She went on to appea on Ten's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015. More recently, Julie appeared on the 2024 season of Channel Seven hit show Dancing with the Stars.
