Final payments made to Madoff victims

The final round of payments to the 40,930 victims of the Madoff Victim Fund (MVF) has been made, bringing the compensation total to $4.3bn.

Madoff died in prison in 2021, where he was serving a 150 year sentencerfor running a Ponzi scheme.

Jeju Air CEO and executives bow in apology after deadly plane crash

 

      

Aviation experts have cast doubt on whether a birdstrike could have been the sole cause of Sunday's deadly plane crash in South Korea, which killed all but two of the 181 people on board the flight.

Source:  Reddit

Greens Party on the nose

 

Greens leader Adam Bandt would be particularly concerned support is bleeding away to the major parties in the inner city electorates where the upstart minor party has traditionally enjoyed its greatest success. 

Djokovic and Kyrios win doubles match in Brisbane

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios teamed up for a doubles win at the Brisbane International.

For decades, the Serb's significant fanbase have chanted 'Idemo Nole' to motivate and inspire him on the court.

'Idemo' simply means 'Let's go' in Serbian, and 'Nole' is a popular nickname for Djokovic.  After the match, Djokovic used the Serbian word in an Instagram message to the Aussie.

 

Sydney New Year Fireworks 2024

 

Some of city’s best vantage points are already seeing long queues as Sydneysiders prepare for New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Was he out?

 

Yashasvi Jaiswal was given out following a controversial DRS – Decision Review System.

The moment even attracted the attention of the vice president of the Official Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rajeev Shukla, who said 'Jaiswal was clearly not out.' 

Russian and Ukrainian prisoner swap

 

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  

The Russian defence ministry said it had swapped 150 Ukrainian soldiers held captive for an equal number of Russian troops.

President Volodymyr Zelenksy said 189 Ukrainians had returned home.

 

Appeals court upholds Jean Carroll's $5m judgment

 

A US Federal Appeals Court has upheld writer E. Jean Carroll's $5 million civil judgment against President-elect Donald Trump.

The 9-person jury was asked on its verdict sheet to tick whether Carroll had proved that Mr Trump raped her, the jury ticked “no” and if they thought Trump had sexually abused her, they ticked “yes.”

Falling branches on neighbour's property turns deadly

A grieving father has spoken out after his son was allegedly killed in a dispute over fallen branches from his neighbour's towering gum tree. Edgar Campos, 42, has been charged with murdering Michael Wickham, 60, during a driveway showdown at Mount Pritchard on Saturday.

Jimmy Carter described the Iran hostage crisis as "the most difficult period of my life".

 

On November 4, 1979, hundreds of Iranian students breached the gates of the US embassy in Tehran.

They quickly occupied the compound. Some had intended a peaceful sit-in, but the situation deteriorated rapidly.

The armed mob took 66 Americans hostage.........................

https://tinyurl.com/pafvc8f2

Couple drown trying to save daughter in rip in WA

 

A couple have drowned while trying to save their daughter caught in a rip at a remote beach in WA. Husband and wife, Dr Mohammad Swapan and his wife Sabrina Ahmed were on a holiday with their two daughters when tragedy struck.

Tragically, our treacherous rips take another two lives.

Destroyed Jobar Synagogue in Damascus

 

26 December 2024 

Bakhour Chamntoub, 74, right, the head of the Jewish community in Syria speaks with a Syrian man during his visit to the destroyed Jobar Synagogue, also known as Eliyahu Hanavi, in Jobar neighborhood, Damascus, Syria. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Assad regime's lucrative drug trade

 

The Assad regime was also known to have been behind the increased production and trade of the addictive methamphetamine, Captagon.  The World Bank suggests the drug trade may have ultimately become the most valuable sector in the Syrian economy. 

The war must end before any hostage deal says Hamas

 

A ceasefire and hostage deal had not been reached yet because Hamas “does not want there to be a deal,”  Benjamin Netanyahu said in the weekly government meeting before his prostate removal surgery.  

Hamas has returned to demanding an end to the war as conditional for any deal.

Ireland is not a friend of Israel

 

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the closure of Israel’s embassy in Ireland accusing them of “extreme anti-Israel policies.”

“The current level of difficulty and hostility [from the Irish government] is something that’s grown over about 20 years” he said.

Israel’s ambassador to Dublin was recalled following Ireland’s unilateral decision to recognize a Palestinian state.

Trump wants US birthright citizenship gone

 

Trump has railed against birthright citizenship, which is protected by the 14th Amendment and suggested he’d use executive action to ban it. “We’re gonna have to get it changed, or maybe I would go back to the people, but we have to end it. We’re the only country that has it.”

Syrian election could take up to four years

 

Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, says holding elections in the war-ravaged country could take as long as four years.

 

Two men found dead looking for Big Foot

 

Two Oregon men were found dead in a Washington state forest after they failed to return from a trip to look for Sasquatch, authorities said Saturday.  Sasquatch is a folkloric beast thought by some to roam the forests, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.  

Sixty volunteer search-and-rescue personnel helped in the three-day search, including canine, drone and ground teams. The Coast Guard used infrared technology to search from the air.

Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian bowler takes charge

 

Bumrah knocked over the prodigy opener with a well-placed delivery sneaking through Konstas’ bat and pad.

School principal Roger Ashcroft guilty of sexually touching students

 

A Sydney principal Roger Ashcroft who was caught touching the breasts of two female students and the thighs of three others has been barred from ever teaching again.  Former Gateway Community School principal Roger Ashcroft was found guilty of two counts of sexually touching a child aged between 10 and 16 years of age.

Last week, Ashcroft attempted to appeal the two convictions in the NSW District Court. However, they were upheld.

He will now serve a community corrections order for two years and eight months starting on his original sentencing date of February 13, 2024.

Youth Pastor Luke Walford dies from shark attack while spearfishing

 

Youth pastor Luke Walford lost his life after being mauled while spearfishing with family off Humpy Island in the Keppel Bay Islands National Park, on Saturday at 4.30pm. 

Sadly, with significant head injuries, he was pronounced dead just before 6pm. 

He was honoured as Rockhampton's Young Citizen of the Year in 2010 for his work with children in local schools and the Salvation army.

Great Keppel-Woppa Island Aboriginal Native Title claim

 

David Crisafulli's LNP Queensland government, which was elected in October, has announced it will fight the most recent Native Title claim over Great Keppel-Woppa Island.

The Woppaburra people have lodged a claim for exclusive use of the 9sq/km island, including the former resort site and airstrip.

India's next generation of crickers stand tall

Mutalya Reddy, the father of Nitish Kumar Reddy, prays in celebration after his son's maiden Test century. 

(Getty Images: Morgan Hancock)

Netanyahu undergoes prostate removal surgery

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo prostate removal surgery, his office has said.  The 75-year-old, who had surgery for a hernia this year, was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement. 

He is expected to attend hospital today (Sunday) for the operation to be carried out.

 

North Korean troops suffer heavy losses

 

North Korean troops deployed in Russia’s Kursk region are suffering heavy losses and being left unprotected by the Russian forces they are fighting alongside, according to Ukraine, while the US says Russian and North Korean generals see the soldiers as “expendable”...........

https://tinyurl.com/mr353hey

Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen refuses to change out of his jeans

 

World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen quit the World Rapid Chess Championship Friday after he refused to change out of a pair of jeans, a direct violation of the International Chess Federation's rules.

FIDE said Carlsen, a five-time World Chess Champion and seven-time World Blitz Chess Champion, breached long-standing regulations for the event. Carlsen, 34, was notified of the breach, issued a $200 fine and asked to change his clothes.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Carlsen declined, and as a result, he was not paired for round nine."

 

Japanese Black Widow dies on death row

 

Notorious Japanese serial killer Chisaki Kakashi, 78, known as the “Black Widow” has died on death row while awaiting execution for poisoning multiple elderly men with cyanide to get nearly $9 million in inheritances.  She was confirmed dead after being found lying in her cell yesterday.

A cause had yet to be confirmed.

Fiji MP sacked for explicit video released

 

A Fijian MP has sensationally been sacked after an explicit video of her circulated online.   MP Lynda Tabuya said the private video was meant for her husband.  Ms Tabuya said she was working with police to find who distributed the video.

Luke Watkins fell overboard in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race but lived to tell the tale

 

At 3:30am, Luke Watkins, a 37-year-old crew member of the Porco Rosso, was swept overboard as the yacht sailed in strong winds past Green Cape on the New South Wales coast.

"Then we tipped over …  and then I got pinned to the leeward side of the boat underwater and felt I was taking my last breath when somehow I managed to unclip myself from the boat.”

“When I popped up above the water, the boat was probably 200m in front of me,” Watkins said.

Bobbing in rough seas, in the pitch dark, Watkins said he was able to keep sight of the boat’s stern light for about two or three waves.  “Then they were gone,” he said.

After 10 minutes in the water, he began feeling cold and tried to “keep his thoughts under control”.     “It was pretty rough, getting thrown down waves – it was hard to keep above water a lot of the time.”

While he was trying to stay alive, his crew, as well as a jet dispatched by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and a search and rescue vessel deployed by Eden Water Police, were searching for him.

After half an hour, he spotted a light – Porco Rosso returning.  “That’s when I got my head torch and held it up so they could see where I was.”

Skipper McCartney said his personal locator beacon and light-up safety jacket made it "dramatically" easier to rescue him.  All up, he spent about 45 minutes in the water.

"It took a while to turn the boat round, because we had four sails up, so we had to get two of them down and turn the boat round … so we were about two miles away by the time we turned around to get him," he said.

 

Robert DuBoise was sentenced to 37 years for a murder he didn’t commit.

 

Barbara Grams was raped and beaten to death in August 1983.  A medical examiner said someone had bitten her on one of her cheeks and authorities concluded the bite was inflicted by DuBoise.  

The real killer was found by DNA

 

John Beres stabbed his wife to death on Christmas Day

 

Victoria Police Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told reporters the pair had just hosted their family for a Christmas Day gathering hours before the incident.

Jennifer Crumbley asks to be released

 

Jennifer Crumbley has asked to be released from prison pending the outcome of her appeal.

In 2021, she and her husband James were held accountable and jailed after their son killed four students and injured six others and a teacher at Oxford High School.

Her lawyer filed a motion in the Oakland County Circuit Court yesterday, arguing she is not a "flight risk" and "poses no danger to the public."

Boxing Day

 

Royalty and the English gentry would give their servants "Christmas boxes" filled with leftovers and small gifts after the feasts they enjoyed on Christmas Day, leading to the name "Boxing Day." 

Two deaths in Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2024

 

Sydney to Hobart Yacht race competitors Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline each lost a crew member after being struck by booms in heavy weather around 3am.  CPR proved unsuccessful and both men could not be saved.

Another person went overboard on the Poco Russo and was swept about 1.2 nautical miles from their boat, but was successfully retrieved “well and healthy”.

When Virat Kohli bumped into Sam Konstas on purpose

 

Virat Kohli has escaped suspension for his bump on Australian debutant Sam Konstas, the man who earlier stole the show with a stunning fifty on debut.

Sam Konstas, the teenager who made a debut to remember at MCG

 

Sam Konstas attempts a reverse scoop on his way to a thrilling half century at the MCG. 

And yes, a reverse scoop is a legal shot in cricket. 

Photograph: Santanu Banik/Speed Media/Shutterstock

 

Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland

 

Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that taking ownership of Greenland was an “absolute necessity” once he takes office in January, as part of a bold plan to expand the US’ foothold across the globe.  

However, Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory with its own parliament and around 55,000 inhabitants.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede said “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.

 

Arnold Vitocco charged over asbestos-in-mulch incident

 

Developer Arnold Vitocco has been charged over his companies alleged reusing of asbestos waste in mulch which closed down schools, parks, and hospitals in Sydney earlier this year.

The prosecutions follow the largest investigation in the EPA’s history which was launched after bonded asbestos was discovered in mulch at Rozelle Parklands,' EPA said in a statement. 

The case against all three companies and Mr Vitocco is expected to appear before court on 7 February 2025 for a first directions hearing.

Assad's wife wants to go home

 

The British-born wife of Syria’s ousted president Bashar al-Assad has reportedly filed for divorce just weeks after the pair fled to Moscow.  Asma al-Assad, who has been in Russia since the fall of her husband’s regime, is reportedly unhappy with her new life and is now seeking to relocate to London.

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi are investigating the possibility of a merger.

 

Nissan and Honda are set to join forces in what former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn described as a “desperate move” by companies in “panic mode” trying to stay afloat.

Mitsubishi, which is aligned to Nissan, will announce in January if it also intends to take part.

Daniel Duggan to be extradited to US over alleged training of Chinese fighter pilots

 

Australian pilot Daniel Duggan will be surrendered to the United States as early as next week after the federal government approved the extradition of the former US Marine pilot to face charges over allegedly training Chinese fighter pilots.

Daniel Duggan maintains his innocence and denies the allegations made against him, his family said.... 

https://tinyurl.com/572np2k2

 

Israeli PM will be arrested if he sets foot in Poland

 

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Władysław Bartoszewski stated that Israeli PM Netanyahu would be arrested if he visits Poland for the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation on 27 January 2025 in line with Poland's commitment to the International Criminal Court.

Oh, the irony!

Panama Canal must lower shipping fees says Trump

Trump said if shipping fees are not lowered his administration “will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question”.

Panama’s president José Raúl Mulino said “every square metre of the Panama Canal and its adjoining zone” belongs to Panama.

Tesla has recalled 694,394 cars

 

An issue with the warning light on the tyre pressure monitoring system was found in the luxury electronic vehicles.

The Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck have been affected and the issue will be resolved next year through a free software update.

 

No bollards gave killer access to German Christmas Market

 

After the Berlin attack in 2016, bollards were put in place.  

There was only one way to enter the Christmas market in a vehicle - by using the emergency service route used by doctors and firefighters to reach accidents.  And that’s how he got in – no bollards.

Herschel Walker new Ambassador to the Bahamas

 

Donald Trump has nominated Herschel Walker as Ambassador to the Bahamas.

Trump recruited Walker to run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, but he lost to incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.   Just weeks before the election, a bombshell report said Walker, a staunch anti-abortion candidate, paid for a woman’s abortion in 2009.

 

Brisbane's homeless ordered out of their tents

 

….The police, “pink shirts” from state housing authorities and council staff arrived in heavy rain last week - the homeless people in the park  – who did not have even access to a shower – were ordered out of their tents…

https://tinyurl.com/3ypwp3ps

Tania Mihailuk leaves the Pauline Hanson Party

 

Yet another person (Tania Mihailuk) who came to Parliament on the back of another, (Pauline Hanson) decides to dump that person and continue as an independent on the crossbench.  

A very sneaky way to get the job of a lifetime.

German Christmas market killer disgruntled Muslim

 

Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen portrayed himself as a victim of persecution who had renounced Islam and decried what he said was the Islamisation of Germany.  He said he had been threatened with death for apostasy..........

https://tinyurl.com/5f3fd88y

Nasthan Mc Sweeney dropped

 

Nathan McSweeney said he was "devastated" to be dropped after just three Tests for Australia.

He has only scored 72 runs in three Tests against India, but that is more than Usman Khawaja or Mitch Marsh.