Saturday, May 11, 2024

Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam

Vietnamese women from different ethnicities during a parade marking the 70^th anniversary of the 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu

Photograph: Linh Pham/Getty

A woman buys gold jewellery during the Hindu festival of Akshaya Tritiya, considered to be an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar to buy valuables with the belief that it will increase wealth, at a jewellery shop in Chennai.

Chennai formerly known as Madras, is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India.

Dunhuang, China

Tourists riding camels visit Mingsha Mountain at Crescent Spring during the May Day holiday in Dunhuang.

Photograph: Zhang Xiaoliang/VCG/Getty

Moscow, Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin walks on a red carpet before his inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow.

Photograph: Sergei Savastyanov/Reuters

Hamas leadership still a major Israeli goal

Israel has had some success, killing Hamas military wing deputy commander Marwan Issa — considered the terror group’s No. 3 leader in Gaza — along with other senior commanders in recent months.

But Sinwar and his deputy — military wing chief Mohammed Deif — have remained elusive, despite repeated claims by Israeli officials that the IDF was closing in on them.

Japan had the fewest babies it has ever recorded

Surveys show that many younger Japanese balk at marrying or having families, discouraged by bleak job prospects, the high cost of living that rises at a faster pace than salaries and corporate cultures that are not compatible with having both parents work.

Crying babies and children playing outside are increasingly considered a nuisance, and many young parents say they often feel isolated.

Packer house up for auction

Clyde Packer (left) with his father, Sir Frank Packer, and brother Kerry Packer at Gleneagles golf course in Scotland in 1959.

The late Clyde Packer’s house at 123A Queen Street, Woollahra is up for auction on 1 June.

Packer only owned the house for four years — he had a row with his father, Sir Frank Packer, when they were joint managing directors at the Nine Network, and moved to the US.

Penny Wong snubs her nose at America

Australian has supported Palestine’s United Nations membership. The non-binding resolution called upon the UN Council to reconsider the issue after the US vetoed a similar resolution.

The assembly adopted a resolution with 143 votes in favour – including Australia – and nine against – including the US and Israel – while 25 countries abstained. It does not give the Palestinians full UN membership, but simply recognises them as qualified to join.

Our greatest friend and ally – United States of America - must be very disappointed in Australia, we could have abstained, but Senator Wong chose not to, something we will never forget or forgive.

Friday, May 10, 2024

Neuralink brain chip develops problem

The first test subject for Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain chip implant startup, has developed a problem just a few weeks after it was inserted.

In a blog post, the company revealed that a number of the chip’s connective threads retracted from the subject Noland Arbaugh’s brain, which hindered the implant’s data speeds and effectiveness................

https://tinyurl.com/4frvp3pc

Dublin, Ireland

Asylum seekers remove their belongings during an early morning operation to remove tents that have been pitched along a stretch of the Grand Canal. The asylum seekers moved into the area after another makeshift camp surrounding the International Protection Office in the city was dismantled last week.

Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA

Budapest, Hungary

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinpin at Buda Castle

Photograph: PM Office/Vivien Cher Benko/Reuters

What is Iran really like?

How is IRAN Like Now? 🇮🇷 What media don't show you!!! Reality

https://youtu.be/dFhj30lAFTk

This video will surprise you, so many women and girls without head coverings. We’re being fed the wrong message.

The real Baby Reindeer

Baby Reindeer's 'Martha' has revealed her real name is Fiona Harvey 58 - but furiously denies stalking comic Richard Gadd and said she intends to take Netflix to court over the drama.

The Scottish woman wants to 'set the record straight' following the show's phenomenal success and trolls contacting her online after it began streaming.

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Kamahl accused of stalking

Australian icon Kamahl will face court next month after being accused of stalking a woman 50 years his junior. The woman has applied for an AVO against the 89 year old singer.

He blamed his harsh response on not taking his medication……..

https://tinyurl.com/3nka63da

Sydney drama teacher sentenced

Aaron Worwald 48, a head drama teacher who sexually touched two students before being caught with almost 18,000 abuse files involving children as young as nine has been sentenced to a minimum of seven years and three months in jail.....................

https://tinyurl.com/4v4bza84

Goodbye Sweet Bruno, we love you

AB Camping

Tony and Bruce @ AB Camping

234K subscribers, 146 videos

Can't believe Tony has lost young Bruno, only 17 months old. This tragic news comes on top of the loss of Bruce in recent months, who was being looked after by friends while Tony took his wife and son on an overseas holiday.

If you enjoy camping and the great outdoors, you'll love Tony's videos. He lives in New Zealand.

Here is the sad video about Bruno's passing.

https://youtu.be/cwHNV_LI2sk

Chris Dawson to appeal sentence

Chris Dawson will begin an appeal against his conviction when he faces the NSW Supreme Court on Monday.

The former rugby league player and school teacher was sentenced to 24 years in prison after Supreme Court judge Ian Harrison found him guilty of murdering his wife in order to have a relationship with a young student, known as JC.

Although Lynette Simms' body has never been found, she has never contacted her friends or family, including her two children, and Dawson was convicted on circumstantial evidence.

Trial to begin for Greg Lynn

A trial is due to begin for Greg Lynn, a former Jetstar pilot accused of murdering Russell Hill and Carol Clay while they were camping in Victoria's alpine region in 2020.

The 57-year-old former airline pilot formally pleaded not guilty to each of the murders from the back of the court room today.

Kris Jenner heath scare

"I had my scan," Kris Jenner, getting emotional, explained with her beau Corey Gamble at her side. "They found a cyst and a little tumour." Although, the trailer didn’t reveal any other details on the healthcare, like if the tumour is fatal and where it is located.

Alan Kohler: Seduced by optimism, scuttled by reality

Australia’s leaders want to persuade us that if we can reduce carbon dioxide emission by 43 per cent by 2030 and increase renewable electricity to 82 per cent everything will be OK. But it won’t, nowhere near it. For starters, those targets won’t be achieved but even if they were, they’re not enough.

…..Meanwhile, the displaced optimism of the Albanese government was being exposed on Saturday with the decisive vote against the Voice……

https://tinyurl.com/4wup4eu4

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

IDF tanks take control of Gazan side of Rafah Crossing to Egypt

IDF tanks take control of Gazan side of Rafah Crossing to Egypt on 7 May 2024

The Rafah crossing with Egypt was now disconnected from Gaza’s main north-south road, Salah a-Din. The IDF said some 20 gunmen were killed and troops located three “significant” tunnel shafts.

It remains unclear if Hamas still has tunnels running from the Rafah area into Egypt’s Sinai desert, which it had previously used to smuggle in weapons and supplies.

The Egyptian military over the past decade cracked down on the smuggling tunnels and destroyed hundreds of tunnels, saying they were used to funnel weapons to jihadist groups in Sinai.

Bus driver Brett Button pleads guilty

Bus driver Brett Button has been taken into custody after pleading guilty over the deadly bus crash in the Hunter Valley in June 2023.

Families of those 10 people killed are left shattered by the legal system’s decision to drop manslaughter charges against him.

Another 25 charges of causing bodily harm by misconduct were withdrawn........

https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2024/05/08/plea-hunter-valley-bus-crash

Terry Kitay was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease

Ultimately, at the age of 54, Terry was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease — the most common type of dementia.

It is progressive and there is no cure.

Nine years after Terry's diagnosis, after progressively losing her memories and abilities, she passed away.

Terry was 63..........

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-08/conversations-early-onset-alzheimers-disease-age-54/103728466

London, UK

The London Mayor Sadiq Khan and his wife Saadiya Khan pose for a selfie with supporters as they walk across the Millennium Bridge before swearing-in ceremony. Khan was re-elected for a historic third term on Saturday.

Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Narayanganj, Bangladesh

There are concerns about the unhygienic practice of rearing pigs on rubbish dumps where they are mainly fed on rubbish to reduce costs.

Photograph: Joy Saha/Quma/Rex/Shutterstock

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Students set up camp and barricades on the campus of the University of Amsterdam to support Gaza. The Amsterdam-based student collective says it is promoting justice in Palestine, raising awareness about Israeli settler colonialism and fighting for an academic boycott.

Photograph: Pierre Crom/Getty

Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam

Vets attend a parade commemorating the victory of Dien Bien Phu battle, celebrating the 70^th anniversary of the conflict when the French army was defeated by Vietnamese troops ending French colonial rule in Vietnam.

Photograph: Hau Dinh/AP

Michael Slater's monument wiped from history

Michael Slater’s monument at the oval named in his honour has been wiped from history as his name has been erased. Councillor Dan Hayes said “I want to look at ways in which we could be replacing his name with someone more deserving, someone without criminal charges.”

Once one of the most celebrated names in Australian Test cricket through the 1990s, Slater’s public and spectacular fall from grace continued last month when the former Channel 7 TV commentator was taken back to jail following horrific allegations of his assault and abuse of a woman........

https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/disgraced-cricketer-michael-slatersmonument-vandalised/news-story/ffa70c6dc821fa4c7b19b06409d97b81

Alan Kohler: The banal evil of unaffordable housing

The other day a young couple bought a nice three-bedroom house in Brady Road, Bentleigh East, 23 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, for $1,263,000.

But because house prices have been rising at roughly twice the rate of incomes over the past 25 years, they had to pay twice the equivalent of what their parents paid for a home, and fork out more than $3000 extra per month to the bank……

https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2024/05/06/alan-kohler-unaffordable-housing

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Surfers killed in Mexico

Such a sad ending for a beautiful family.

All three men were killed with a single gunshot to the head and dumped down a well.

Stockholm, Sweden

Queen Mary of Denmark joins Queen Silvia of Sweden during a two day state visit by the Danish Monarchy

Photograph: Fredrik Sandberg/TT/Rex/Shutterstock

Ensenada, Mexico

Surfers head to the sea to honour two Australians and an American who went missing last week during a surfing trip in Baja California State. Three bodies were later found with bullet wounds to the head.

Photograph: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty

Jerusalem

People stand still during a two-minute siren marking the annual Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day in Jerusalem. Reuters

Palestinians move out of Rafah

Displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip pack their belongings following an evacuation order by the Israeli army on 6 May, 2024. AFP

Survive 6 months and get your freedom

Nikita Semyanov strangled his father-in-law to death in 2021 and was freed from a maximum-security prison to join the war effort.

Russia's policy of encouraging convicts to bolster its invasion of Ukraine was simple - survive six months and get your freedom.

There is no official data on how many prisoners have volunteered to fight, but some experts estimate more than 150,000 have been recruited.

The first waves of those who weren't killed have returned to the communities they once terrorised, drawing the ire of people who remember their crimes…….

https://tinyurl.com/2fmz8ez2

Monday, May 6, 2024

Civilians flee Rafah

People flee eastern parts of Rafah in Gaza after the Israeli military told 100,000 to evacuate on Monday 6 May 2024.

New laws to stop dirty money

New laws to stem drug dealers, corrupt officials and dirty money from heating up Australia's real estate market

Buying a home? Soon you won't have as much competition from drug dealers, corrupt officials and criminals with dirty money thanks to new laws and a boost to enforcement.

https://tinyurl.com/mr3kc2c5

Palestinians told evacuate Rafah

This picture shows a view of tents at a camp housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah.

The Israeli military has begun calling on Palestinians to evacuate the eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah, those close to the Israeli border, ahead of a planned offensive in the area in the southern Gaza Strip.

The civilians are being called to move to an expanded humanitarian zone in the al-Mawasi and Khan Younis areas.

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Sadiq Khan wins 3rd straight term as Mayor of London

Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party's mayor of London, romped to victory Saturday, securing a record third straight term at City Hall.

“I’d introduce Trump to my wife and my children: proud Brits, proud Londoners, proud Muslims,” Sadiq Khan told Bloomberg in an interview in New York.

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Kieran Loveridge released on parole

Kieran Loveridge, 30, was released on parole from Broken Hill prison two weeks ago having been imprisoned when he fatally struck 18-year-old Thomas Kelly with a single punch in Kings Cross back in July 2012.

Just weeks before the parole hearing, Loveridge was drunk and violent towards corrections officers, yet he was still granted bail, albeit with an ankle monitor.

'It's hard to believe that the State Parole Authority think that he won't be a risk to the community, or a low risk, as they say,' Thomas Kelly’s mother said.

Orthodox Good Friday Procession

May 3, 2024:

Christian pilgrims carrying crosses walk through Jerusalem's Old City on their way to the Holy Sepulcher church during the Orthodox Good Friday procession.

Thousands of Christian pilgrims take part in processions along the route where, according to tradition, Jesus Christ carried the cross during his last days, as Orthodox Christians around the world mark the Holy Week commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ leading up to his resurrection on Easter.

AHMAD GHARABLI, AFP Via Getty Images

Moscow, Russia

A Russian officer walks beside a US-made M1 Abrams tank as he prepared to speak to foreign military attaches during their visit to an exhibition of Western military equipment captured from Kyiv forces during the fighting in Ukraine. AP

Rafah, Gaza Strip

World Central Kitchen volunteers cook food for displaced Palestinians.

Photograph: AFP/Getty

Ukraine cannot beat Russia on the battlefield

Ukraine cannot beat Russia on the battlefield and will have to enter talks with Vladimir Putin, Major-General Vadym Skibitsky, has admitted.

Geobbel's luxury villa give away

Goebbel's luxury villa overlooking the Bogensee lake near the town of Wandlitz about 40km north of Berlin. Photograph: Patrick Pleul/AP

Berlin’s government is offering to give away a villa once owned by Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, hoping to end a decades-long debate on whether to repurpose or bulldoze a sprawling disused site in the countryside north of the German capital.........

https://tinyurl.com/59dfrz3y