Category Archives: headline

‘Far better off’: Aussie bosses warn of mass exodus to NZ and USA

Entrepreneurial Australians may be lured abroad to New Zealand or the United States after the federal government overhauled the tax treatment for investments, business owners warn.

NZ finance minister Nicola Willis may have been tongue-in-cheek when she recently invited Aussies to hop across the ditch – where there is no comprehensive capital gains tax (CGT) – but business owners may be seriously considering the move.

Founders say scrapping the 50 per cent CGT discount, which will drastically reduce profits for some business owners who decide to sell, is the death knell for Australia's start-up culture.

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Allan Blood. Executive Director for Victorian Hydrogen & Ammonia Industries

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"They need to be rewarded for the hard work they put in," he said.

"Even in a place like NZ – sure, it might not have as many people, but I do think that their government is far more supportive from a taxation standpoint."

If there is a mass exodus of deep-pocketed investors and founders to NZ or the US, Australia could miss out on billions of dollars that will instead be pumped off-shore.

The co-founder of Melbourne start-up QSIC, Matthew Elsey, who now lives in the US, agrees that fellow Australian founders will now be rethinking the geography of their next venture.

"This is a sad state of affairs. It is part of the Aussie spirit to have a crack and give it a go. Jim is getting us going all right. Going overseas," he said in a post on LinkedIn.

"If you're optimising for success and you look at this tax treatment, you now need to be way more successful in Australia to achieve the same outcome you could overseas.

"In an industry where most businesses fail, no one will take that risk."

Jeffers says NRP working to undermine Nevis’ progress

By Vernan George St. Kitts- Nevis Observer Former deputy Premier of Nevis and senior Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) official, Alexis Jeffers, has accused the opposition Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) of aligning with outside interests to frustrate key development projects and slow the progress of Nevis. Speaking on his weekly radio programme on Friday, May 15, Jeffers said the NRP has […]

Children killed as train crashes into school minibus

A crash between a bus and a train travelling at high speed in northern Belgium has killed four people, including two children, and injured five other children, officials say.

The injured children were hospitalised in a serious condition, said Lisa De Wilde, spokeswoman for the East Flanders public prosecutor's office.

The collision happened at a level crossing during the morning rush hour on Tuesday (Tuesday afternoon AEST) near the town of Buggenhout, more than 30 kilometres north-west of the capital, Brussels.

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The minibus driver and an escort were killed along with two children, 12 and 15, De Wilde said at a news conference.

She said that the cause of the crash hadn't been established. Investigators were questioning witnesses and checking security camera footage.

"What we do know is that the barrier was closed and the red light was on," she said.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the badly damaged bus lay toppled on its side, its front section crushed flat.

Forensic experts in protective white suits and wearing gloves were taking photos of the scene. A forensics tent was erected nearby. The train was relatively unscathed.

The train was estimated to be travelling at about 120km/h as it approached the crossing and had "no time to brake", said Frédéric Sacré, a spokesman for Belgian rail operator Infrabel.

"The impact was extremely violent," Sacré told RTBF public broadcaster.

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Federal Police spokesperson An Berger said that the bus driver appeared to have ploughed through the train barrier.

Infrabel said that the crossing was working correctly. A security camera there showed that the bus, which had nine people aboard, was still moving when the train hit it.

It's believed that 100 passengers were aboard the train and that none of them were hurt. Rail traffic in the area was halted and bus services provided for travellers. Local officials stood for a minute's silence after the news conference.

Children played basketball and rode bicycles at a school not far from the scene in this bucolic town.

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In a social media post, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin expressed "great sadness" over "the tragic accident in Buggenhout, where a school bus was struck by a train".

"My thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones," he said.

Drew urges supporters to ‘Protect the victory’

Prime Minister and Political Leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, Dr. Terrance Drew, delivered an expansive and impassioned address at the party’s 94th Annual National Conference, celebrating Labour’s historic legacy while outlining what he described as a transformative record of achievement in just three and a half years in office. Addressing a packed conference of […]

Gingerland Secondary crowned spelling bee Champs

By Vernan George St. Kitts- Nevis Observer Gingerland Secondary School emerged victorious in the 17th Annual Interscholastic Secondary Schools Spelling Bee Competition, held at the Nevis Performing Arts Centre (NEPAC) on May 15. The event was organised by the Department of Education in collaboration with the Dr. Lornette Mills Fund and HarperCollins Publishers. Among those in attendance were Principal Education Officer […]

Lidia Thorpe wipes back tears as police rule out charges over death in custody

NT Police will not press charges almost a year on from the death in custody of Kumanjayi White.

The 24-year-old man with a disability died after being restrained by two police officers in a supermarket at Alice Springs on May 27, 2025.

Today, police confirmed they received advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) over the investigation.

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Alice Springs Police

"Senior police have spoken directly with the family and officers involved earlier today," NT Police said in a statement.

"We recognise this will be an emotional day for many people across the Northern Territory and ask the community to respond peacefully and respectfully."

The DPP said the legal threshold for prosecution has not been met.

"After considering all available material, including the independent expert report and external legal advice, the DPP formed the view that there are no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution," the DPP said in a statement.

"Decisions of this kind are made independently of government, based only on the evidence and the law."

NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole told reporters both officers involved were still employed but no decisions had been made about their reinstatement. 

"The dynamics of exactly what occurred in the incident is what's going to be explored in the coronial process by the coroner. We'll obviously listen to any recommendations that come in," he said.

Senator Lidia Thorpe became emotional and wiped back tears as she expressed her hopelessness and anger at the news.

"Our people around the country feel this hopelessness when there's no one ever held accountable," she said.

"I'm angry, I'm devastated, and I'm sick of being angry and devastated when I get these stories, and no accountability, no justice for my people ever, and where there is no justice, there is no peace."

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Senator Lidia Thorpe became emotional and wiped back tears as she responded to news no charges will be laid over Kumanjayi White's death.

Describing her conversations with the federal government over deaths in custody, Thorpe said they don't care.

"The federal government are complicit in deaths in custody because they don't act," she said.

"They're complicit in child removals because they don't act, they have constitutional power to act, and they choose not to."

Dole urged the community to be "mindful" of the impact public commentary would have on the coronial process, Kumanjayi White's family and police officers as he called for calm.

"Our focus remains on community safety, transparency within lawful limits and ensuring the integrity of all ongoing processes," he said.

The investigation was handled by the NT Police while an interstate police force conducted an independent use-of-force review.

The DPP reviewed the evidence and made their ruling today. A coronial inquest is under way.

Thorpe said there would never be a satisfactory outcome when police investigated police.

"I think it's an error that we have police investigating police. There are international examples of independent reviews and investigations of deaths in custody," she said.

"They have experts, they have Aboriginal people, indigenous people at the table so that it's complete independence from the police."

Woman charged over alleged assault that left waitress with chipped tooth

A woman has been charged nearly a month after an alleged assault that left a Melbourne waitress needing emergency dental surgery.

French backpacker Anais Poupon, 19, was working at La Vallee Cafe on Keilor Road in Essendon on April 25 when a passerby allegedly knocked a plate she was carrying, causing it to smash into her teeth.

The alleged unprovoked attack was caught on CCTV and Poupon's colleagues posted the footage to social media in a bid to track down the alleged offender.

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The waitress, French backpacker Anais Poupon, who was walking outside the cafe on Keilor Road, Essendon, was left with a bloodied mouth and chipped tooth as a result of the unprovoked attack.

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A 52-year-old Footscray woman was arrested at Dandenong Railway Station about 10.50am on May 23.

She was charged with recklessly causing injury and faced Melbourne Magistrates' court the next day.

The charged woman was granted bail and will next appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on 17 August, 2026.

Poupon required surgery to fix her chipped tooth following the incident.