Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Legal bid by Traditional owners for climate justice enters final stretch.

 




Two First Nations leaders are suing the federal government for failing to protect Torres Strait Islanders from harm caused by climate change.  Final arguments are being made at the Federal Court in Cairns......

https://tinyurl.com/33re6k6p



Gaza Strip

 



A maritime pier being built by the US military off the coast of the Gaza Strip, in an image released on 29 April, 2024.


Odessa, Ukraine

 



A building of the Odessa Law Academy is on fire after a Russian missile attack in Odessa, Ukraine.  AP

 


Houston, US

 



Mick Jagger on stage during a Rolling Stones performance at NRG Stadium in Texas.

Photograph:  Kevin Mazur/Getty for RS


Stuttgart, Germany

 



Defendants arrive on the first day of the Reichsburger trial.  Nine men are facing trial over an alleged conspiracy to try to overthrow the German government and revive the German Empire.

Photograph:  Thomas Lohnes/EPA


Edinburgh, Scotland

 



Humza Yousaf leaves after a press conference at Bute House, the First Minister’s official residence, where he said he would resign.

Photograph:  Andrew Milligan/PA


Canberra, Australia

 



Yesterday, Donald Morley, 93, was sentenced to nine years in prison, with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half-years over the death of his wife of 69 years.

His barrister Jon White SC told the court that the act was a 'mercy killing' due to Mrs Morley's worsening dementia and his client's declining health.  


But ACT Supreme Court judge Justice David Mossop showed no sympathy as he handed down his sentence.


Apple Tree Yard

 



Excellent British drama on Stan

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5336698/

 

 


Monday, April 29, 2024

Violence Against Women protest

 



Protest organiser of the No More! National Rally Against Violence march Sarah Williams has accused the PM of lying to rally attendees. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

No mention of this was made on ABC 7.30 tonight.  They replayed the video without showing Sarah Williams accusing the PM of lying.



Yangebup, south Perth

 



An elderly woman’s body was discovered this morning at a home in Yangebup, south Perth.  

Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death and are speaking to a 54-year-old man, who the ABC understands is her son.

 


Ballarat, Victoria

 



Rohan Cosgriff, was 17 when he took his own life in July 2022.

A scammer from Nigeria, pretending to be a girl, sent him a nude photo and pressured him into sending one of himself.  Soon after, the Nigerian threatened to send his photo to his family and friends unless he paid him $1,000

He said he didn’t have any money, that he was just a kid.

Thereafter, according to police, the pressure that was put upon him was immense and within an hour of him first being asked for money, he received the chilling message that read:  “Right, now you’ve got half an hour until we ruin your life.”

 

 


Jeep and trailer sunk at Fraser Island

 




The holidaymakers were camping at K'gari, formerely known as Fraser Island, when disaster struck.  


They were heading towards Coongal Creek when they became bogged.  The tide quickly rose and completely submerged the Jeep and trailer - which is estimated to be worth $54,000.


Some social media users said the campers made the mistake of trying to traverse difficult terrain during high tide.

The 4WD and trailer were recovered by Fraser Island Towing and Rainbow Beach Towing, with extra caution due to the unforgiving terrain on that side of the island.


Anna Crenshaw settles her lawsuit with Hillsong Church.

 




Hillsong Church has reached an 11th hour agreement to settle its lawsuit with a female parishioner over her indecent assault at the hands of a church employee.

The civil case related to Ms Crenshaw’s indecent assault by a church staffer, Jason Mays, when she was 18-years-old.   She said she was sexually assaulted by Mays while he was employed by Hillsong as a worship leader.

In the Penrith Local Court in January 2020, Mays pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault and was sentenced to a two-year conditional release order and no conviction was recorded.

https://youtu.be/A3bnbmfjgj8

 


Cairo, Egypt

 



A Coptic Orthodox Christian priest throws holy water during a Palm Sunday mass at the Samaan el-Kharaz monastery in the Mokattam Mountain area.

Photograph:  Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters


Corinth, Greece

 



The Belem, a three-masted sailing ship from 1896 that is carrying the Olympic flame from Greece to Marseille in France, sails after crossing the Corinth canal.

Photograph:  Louiza Vradi/Reuters


Gaza City

 



Palestinian Christians hold Palm Sunday mass at the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius church amid the ongoing conflict.

Photograph:  Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters


Washington DC

 



Demonstrators gather to protest again the attacks on Gaza outside the Washington Hilton, the site of the annual White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday.

Photograph:  Celal Gunes/Anadolu/Getty


Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

 



Coptic priests mark the Palm Sunday procession at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, in the Old City of Jerusalem.  AP


Baby crying Sumo contest

 





Amateur sumo wrestlers hold babies during ‘Nakizumo’ or a baby-crying sumo contest where a referee makes faces and loud noises to make them cry and determine the winner based on the loudest baby, at Sensoji temple in Tokyo, Japan. 

Photograph:  Reuters


Winning team of LIV Golf Adelaide

 



Australia's Lucas Herbert (L) of Ripper GC watches teammate Cameron Smith doing a shoey as they celebrate winning the team competition after the final round of LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia.

Photograph:  Brenton Edwards/AFP/Getty

 


End violence against women rallies across the country

 



Prime minister Anthony Albanese at a Canberra rally to a call for action to end violence against women yesterday (Sunday) 

Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

 


Another Australian woman murdered by partner

 



On Friday, a  35-year-old man was charged with the alleged murder of Erica Hay, a mother-of-four who was found dead after a house fire in Perth's south.

Police allege the accused physically assaulted the victim at their shared home and set the property alight while the victim was still inside.   

He then fled the property with the victim's three-year-old child who was treated at Rockingham Hospital for smoke inhalation.


How the rise of autism and ADHD fractured Australia’s schools

 




Almost a million Australian schoolchildren now have a disability – that’s one in four enrolments. Parents, teachers and advocates say education is at crisis point.

….after “trying everything” – including a third school – Alicia made the difficult decision to pull her son out.  “It was just causing everyone so much distress that we had no choice,” she says. “It was devastating.”............

https://tinyurl.com/36zdxtrd

 


Sunday, April 28, 2024

Young woman dies by suicide in Sydney's Liverpool Hospital

 



Concert pianist Florence Le was having a mental health crisis.  

The 28 year old much-loved music teacher was picked up to celebrate the last day of Chinese New Year in Cabramatta and posed for happy photos with her family.

Forty-eight hours later, Florence died by suicide inside Liverpool Hospital.

The hospital assured her family that she would be placed under the highest level of care, which included 24/7 supervision.

But on February 26, when she was left alone for more than 20 minutes, she took her own life.

A spokesperson for the South Western Sydney Local Health District said that as the case had been referred to the coroner, they were unable to make any further comment.



Tesla's Cybertruck at Bondi Beach

 




Tesla’s Australian Division uploaded an image of the Cybertruck at Bondi Beach on its Instagram account, even though it may never be built in right-hand drive for sale in local showrooms.

But if there’s enough interest, I bet it will be.





Another missing woman in Victoria

 



Samantha, 33, whose surname was not released, was travelling along the Princes Hwy on Friday when her car broke down at Tamboon about 8.15am.  “It is believed a passerby stopped to assist Samantha and she has not been seen since,” Victoria Police said on Sunday.

Samantha has a medical condition and her disappearance is out of character, prompting serious concerns for her welfare.

Let's hope it's a false alarm.



Australia gives additional $100m for Ukraine

 



Yesterday, Defence Minister Richard Marles has unveiled an additional $100m aid package for Ukraine, including critical precision weapons.

 

The announcement brings Australia's total military assistance to Ukraine since early-2022 to $880m, including 120 Bushmaster vehicles and six Howitzer artillery guns.

 


Saturday, April 27, 2024

National Firearms Register planned

 




The federal government has announced plans for a National Firearms Register, almost three decades on from the Port Arthur massacre that saw the country's gun laws drastically changed. 

The Albanese government will spend just over $160 million over four years to establish the register by 2028.

 Attorney General Mark Dreyfus

"This National Firearms Register will help ensure that police know what guns are in the community, where they are and who owns them... The National Firearms Register will help connect Commonwealth, state and territory firearms information and share it in near real time with state police departments across the country."..........................

https://www.sbs.com.au/news


Abdullah family were able to forgive the man who killed their children

 



                   The Abdullah family before the tragedy


When Danny and Leila Abdallah announced the arrival of a new baby girl into their family on 20 April this year, they received well wishes from the driver who killed three of their six children.

The driver responsible, Samuel William Davidson was driving recklessly at high speed when his vehicle mounted the curb and struck the group of children.

“There are no winners in this, in any tragedy like this, so all we can do is show forgiveness, move forward in the best way we can and try to find joy in the midst of pain,” Mr Abdallah said.

The Abdullah family worship at same Christian church where Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed in Sydney10 days ago.





14 year old bail approved, awaiting challenge

 



A 14-year-old boy trying to secure bail over terrorism-related charges appeared before the same court a fortnight ago on gun possession charges and released on bail.

His mobile phone contained videos of beheadings, people being run over by vehicles and violence towards homosexual men. Magistrate Paul Mulroney described the footage as depicting "the worst behaviour of humanity".

Bail has been approved but the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions is appealing the decision.

It will be interesting to see if he gets it.


How news of the alleged church stabbing spread across the city

 



It took less than 30 minutes for a video of an alleged stabbing attack at a church in western Sydney to snake its way through WhatsApp groups across the city.

Then, quicker than most news outlets could report on the incident, large WhatsApp groups that connect people across western Sydney – some with more than 800 members – were inundated with forwarded videos, photos and voice notes.....................

https://tinyurl.com/yzprsyd4

 

 


 


Rafah, Gaza

 



Displaced Palestinians cool down at the beach to escape the searing heat of the refugee camp.

Photograph:  Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty


Muslim group wants terrorism laws changed

 



An alliance of peak Islamic groups has called for Australia's terrorism laws to be changed, to remove the concept of "religiously motivated terrorism" from the legislation.

It comes as a sixth teenager, aged 15, was charged after counterterrorism raids were carried out in Sydney on Wednesday. 

The teenagers, aged 14 to 17 - all associates of the teenager who allegedly stabbed the Bishop - were previously charged with several offences and are before the courts.......................

https://tinyurl.com/5he83uzk


Sixth teenager arrested yesterday over religiously motivated violent ideology

 



NSW Police and the AFP this week arrested seven teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 who were all associates of the 16-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.  One teen was released yesterday, without charge.

Police alleged they all subscribed to a "religiously motivated violent extremist ideology".

A number of items were seized as a result, including a significant amount of electronic material.

Investigations by a joint-counter terrorism team comprising of members of the AFP, NSW Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the NSW Crime Commission are ongoing.


Meghan Markle launches her strawberry jam

 



King Charles’ Highgrove Estate strawberry preserve which sells for $13 a jar, recently sold out.




Meghan Markle recently sent out numbered jars of her own homemade strawberry jam, the first product from her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard (ARO).


Friday, April 26, 2024

Bruce Lehrmann to pay Peter FitzSimons legal costs

 



Federal court orders for Bruce Lehrmann to pay Peter FitzSimons’ costs, amounting to $4,616, were made by consent of the parties and publicly released today (Friday).

A costs hearing is scheduled for 1 May.......

https://tinyurl.com/2xkh6bee



Police search for Jessica Zrinski

 




Jessica Zrinski, 30, was last seen in Sydney’s Bossley Park area on 27 November 2022. Her parents believe she is dead. 

Detectives have begun a three-day search for her body in bushland in the Jenolan Caves area. 

Photo: NSW Police

Yet another Australian woman lost.


Zonnebeke, Belgium

 




A photo and flag are left at the grave of WWI Australian soldier Alan Humphrey Scott during an ANZAC Day dawn service at Buttes New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke, Belgium.  Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand for those who served in all wars.  AP





100 stranded pilot whales in WA

 





Stranded pilot whales seen at Toby’s Inlet near Dunsborough in Western Australia in this photo taken and released by the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation.  Marine biologists raced to save more than 100 whales with officials fearing many will have to be euthanized.  AFP

 


Chinese astronauts attend send-off ceremony

 







Chinese astronauts for the Shenzhou-18 mission, from right Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, wave as they attend a send-off ceremony for their manned space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China.  AP


Rio Grande, Mexico

 




Haiseli, seven and Deimar nine, both from Venezuela, brush the hair of their new friend Dayana 15 from Columbia, as migrants take rest along the dry riverbed of the Rio Grande while searching for an entry point into the US along the international boundary between Ciudad Juarez in Mexico and El Paso, Texas

Photograph:  Adrees Latif/Reuters


Lisbon, Portugal

 



A woman dances in Carmo Square as Portugal celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Carnation Revolution, which ended Europe’s longest dictatorship.

Photograph   Pedro Nunes/Reuters

 

The Carnation Revolution ended a 40 year dictatorship established by Antonio Salazar.

It also paved the way for Portugal’s 1986 entry into the European Union, then called the European Economic Community.

At the time, the turmoil and political uncertainty in Portugal, a NATO member, caused alarm in Western capitals as the Portuguese Communist Party appeared poised to take power. Moderate parties, however, won at the ballot box.

 


Venice, Italy

 



People protest against the introduction of a registration and tourist fee for day trippers, intended to preserve the lagoon city.

Photograph:  Manuel Silvestri/Reuters


Muslim leaders were not informed until after raids began

 


            Police outside Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney's southwest last week. 

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), and the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA), confirmed to SBS News on Thursday they were only told about the raids hours after they began — and after the media was alerted.

Bilal Rauf said the safety of Australians was paramount but believed police had not handled the matter sensitively.

"Such a high-handed police approach towards teenagers without and involvement of community elders and organisations or social workers risks entrenching and promoting violence amongst disillusioned youth; alienating communities; and creating distress and anxiety about the attempt to conflate what is occurring with religion, rather than misguided ideology," he said.