Wild Weather Hits Australia: Woman Dead, 120,000 without Power 

Anglers retreat from a pier on Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne on September 2, 2024, as winds of more than 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour lash the region, leaving about 150,000 people without power. (AFP)
Anglers retreat from a pier on Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne on September 2, 2024, as winds of more than 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour lash the region, leaving about 150,000 people without power. (AFP)
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Wild Weather Hits Australia: Woman Dead, 120,000 without Power 

Anglers retreat from a pier on Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne on September 2, 2024, as winds of more than 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour lash the region, leaving about 150,000 people without power. (AFP)
Anglers retreat from a pier on Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne on September 2, 2024, as winds of more than 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour lash the region, leaving about 150,000 people without power. (AFP)

A woman has died and more than 120,000 were left without power after high winds and heavy rain hit southern Australia, authorities said on Monday.

There was widespread damage in the states of Victoria and Tasmania, while a 63-year-old woman was killed after a tree fell on a cabin at a holiday park on the border between Victoria and New South Wales, emergency services said.

"It's a sad and tragic set of circumstances for the woman's family and my thoughts and sympathy go out to her and the emergency services who responded to that incident," Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan told a news conference.

Victoria's State Emergency Services received over 2,800 call outs overnight, mostly for fallen trees and building damage, she added.

At least 121,000 remained without power on Monday, Allan said, down from as many as 180,000 in the early hours of the morning.

Weather warnings remain in place for much of the state's southeast coast, as winds of almost 150 km per hour (93 mph) lashed the state overnight.

A Victoria state government advisory on Monday told people to avoid coastal areas because of dangerous waves, unstable land in cliff areas, and flooding in low-lying areas. The southern island state of Tasmania has also been hit by wild weather, with thousands left without power on Sunday.

"We've seen another wild night of weather across the state with extensive destruction," Mick Lowe, executive director of Tasmania's State Emergency Services, told a news conference on Monday.

Extreme weather events are common for many Australians.

The storms across the south of the country follow days of unseasonably high winter temperatures of almost 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in New South Wales' capital Sydney.



UK's Princess Kate Visits Hospital Where She Had Cancer Treatment

 Catherine, Princess of Wales talks with Katherine Field as she visits The Royal Marsden Hospital on January 14, 2025 in London, Britain. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS
Catherine, Princess of Wales talks with Katherine Field as she visits The Royal Marsden Hospital on January 14, 2025 in London, Britain. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS
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UK's Princess Kate Visits Hospital Where She Had Cancer Treatment

 Catherine, Princess of Wales talks with Katherine Field as she visits The Royal Marsden Hospital on January 14, 2025 in London, Britain. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS
Catherine, Princess of Wales talks with Katherine Field as she visits The Royal Marsden Hospital on January 14, 2025 in London, Britain. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Kate, Britain's Princess of Wales, visited a London hospital on Tuesday where she underwent cancer treatment last year to personally thank medics there for their care and support, her office said.

Kate, 43, underwent a course of preventative chemotherapy after major abdominal surgery a year ago revealed the presence of cancer.

For the treatment, which concluded in September, Kate attended the Royal Marsden Hospital in central London and on Tuesday she paid an official visit there to mark her becoming joint patron of its specialist cancer unit along with her husband Prince William, Reuters reported.

On her visit she met patients and staff and spoke of her own treatment. A royal source said Kate had wanted to show her gratitude to the hospital staff and highlight its work.

"We are incredibly fortunate to receive Royal Patronage – it is inspiring for staff and patients and enables us to shine a light on the outstanding work our staff deliver every day for patients and their families," said Cally Palmer, Chief Executive of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Kate's illness meant she was absent from royal duties for most of last year, although she gave a number of health updates in highly personal video messages.