The MP who laid the complaint against Simon Bridges – leading to his demotion last night – said his comments had been “inappropriate” and not something she had wanted to hear.The saga has led to National leader Judith Collins, who…
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Almost 50 'irreplaceable' Bonsai trees stolen from Auckland garden
Almost 50 Bonsai trees considered “irreplaceable art” by their distressed owner have been stolen from an Auckland garden.Police are appealing for help to find the 45 Bonsai trees that were stolen from a Mt Albert garden in the city’s…
Fire at Paradise
By Monique Washington
Residents of Jessups Village were startled late this afternoon when they heard a bang close to the beach which turned out to be an explosion.
The Observer understands that sometime before 4:00 pm, the kitchen at Paradise Beach Viila caught on fire. Residents in Jessups report that they heard a loud pop while others said that they felt their home shake.
The wooden structure was completely burnt.
The Kitchen at Paradise Beach is located on the beach. At this time the cause of the fire and injuries caused is unknown.
More to this story as it becomes available.
The post Fire at Paradise appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
Aussie sellers prepare for busiest auction weekend on record
Australia is gearing up for the busiest auction week on record, with more than 4300 capital city homes to go under the hammer this weekend.
Property data firm CoreLogic reports with 4353 capital city auctions scheduled, it is the busiest week in their history or when their records began in 2008.
Three cities will boast all-time auction records including Sydney (1656 homes), Adelaide (308 homes) and Canberra (183 homes).
READ MORE: Three guilty of hunting down and killing Black jogger in US
CoreLogic research analyst Kaytlin Ezzy said this week's auctions are set to be double the number recorded in the same week last year.
"If previous years are anything to go by, the peak in auction activity for this time of the year generally occurs between the last week of November and the second week of December," Ms Ezzy said.
"Considering housing market conditions remain firmly skewed towards the vendor, it's likely auction markets will remain buoyant at least through the first two weeks of summer before auction activity slows approaching the festive season.
"Traditionally auction markets ramp up in early February and move through another cyclical high leading into Easter.
"With such strong selling conditions likely to continue once the festive season ends, we could see auction activity ramp up earlier than usual in 2022."
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Many owners will likely be looking to capitalise on the red-hot market, which has seen Australian dwelling values rise by an eye-watering 22 per cent in the past 13 months.
Even predictions by Commonwealth Bank analysts that house prices will fall by 10 per cent in 2023 place values back to where they currently are.
"Interest rates become a headwind on property prices if they are rising," Gareth Aird, Head of Australian Economics at the Commonwealth Bank, wrote.
"That is the place we believe we are moving towards over the next two years given our expectation for the RBA to commence normalising the cash rate in late 2022.
"We expect prices to continue to rise through the first half of 2022, but at a more modest pace.
"We look for prices to peak in late 2022 around seven per cent higher than end-2021 levels.
"We then expect an orderly correction indwelling prices of 10 per cent in 2023."
Snake climbing myth busted
A Queensland snake catcher has dispelled the myth that snakes are primarily landbound and capturing photographic proof that they actually climb.
Stuart McKenzie from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 was called out to a job at Nambour, where he found a red bellied black snake climbing the face of a rock wall.
READ MORE: Three guilty of hunting down and killing Black jogger in US
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"One of the buggiest myths we hear on jobs is that venomous snakes can't climb," Mr McKenzie posted online.
"This is certainly not true! Many species of venomous snakes have climbing abilities – even though a lot of the time we see venomous snake cruising around on the ground, it doesn't mean they don't use those climbing abilities from time to time when on the move for food, shelter or water."
Mr McKenzie said even with the severe wet weather Australia's east coast has been having, snakes are still out and about with the rain and heat causing string humidity.
Guilty: All 3 Men Charged in Arbery’s Death Convicted of Murder
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Jurors on Wednesday convicted the three white men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was chased and fatally shot while running through their neighborhood in an attack that became part of the larger national reckoning on racial injustice.
The jury deliberated for about 10 hours before convicting Greg McMichael, son Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, who all face minimum sentences of life in prison. It is up to the judge to decide whether that comes with or without the possibility of parole.
Travis McMichael stood for the verdict, his lawyer’s arm around his shoulder. At one point, McMichael lowered his head to his chest. After the verdicts were read, as he stood to leave, he mouthed “love you” to his mother, who was in the courtroom.
Greg McMichael hung his head when the judge read his first guilty verdict. Robbie Bryan bit his lip.
Moments after the verdicts were announced, Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr., was seen crying and hugging supporters outside the courtroom.
“He didn’t do nothing,” the father said, “but run and dream.”
Ben Crump, attorney for Arbery’s father, spoke outside the courthouse, saying repeatedly, “The spirit of Ahmaud defeated the lynch mob.”
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, thanked the crowd gathered for the verdict and said she did not think she would see this day.
“It’s been a long fight. It’s been a hard fight. But God is good,” she said. Of her son, she said, “He will now rest in peace.”
The McMichaels grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to pursue the 25-year-old after seeing him running outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick in February 2020. Bryan joined the pursuit in his own pickup and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery.
The father and son told police they suspected Arbery was a fleeing burglar. But the prosecution argued that the men provoked the fatal confrontation and that there was no evidence Arbery had committed crimes in the neighborhood.
“We commend the courage and bravery of this jury to say that what happened on Feb. 23, 2020, to Ahmaud Arbery — the hunting and killing of Ahmaud Arbery — it was not only morally wrong but legally wrong, and we are thankful for that,” said Latonia Hines, Cobb County executive assistant district attorney.
Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski added: “The jury system works in this country, and when you present the truth to people and they see it, they will do the right thing.”
Travis McMichaels’ attorneys said both he and his father feel that they did the right thing, and that they believed the video would help their case. But they also said the McMichaels regret that Arbery got killed.
“I can tell you honestly, these men are sorry for what happened to Ahmaud Arbery,” attorney Jason Sheffield said. “They are sorry he’s dead. They are sorry for the tragedy that happened because of the choices they made to go out there and try to stop him.”
They planned to appeal.
Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, said his team was “disappointed with the verdict, but we respect it.” He planned to file new legal motions after Thanksgiving.
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley did not immediately schedule a sentencing date, saying that he wanted to give both sides time to prepare.
Though prosecutors did not argue that racism motivated the killing, federal authorities have charged them with hate crimes, alleging that they chased and killed Arbery because he was Black. That case is scheduled to go to trial in February.
The disproportionately white jury received the case around midday Tuesday.
Soon after returning to court Wednesday morning, the jury sent a note to the judge asking to view two versions of the shooting video — the original and one that investigators enhanced to reduce shadows — three times apiece.
Jurors returned to the courtroom to see the videos and listen again the 911 call one of the defendants made from the bed of a pickup truck about 30 seconds before the shooting.
On the 911 call the jury reviewed, Greg McMichael tells an operator: “I’m out here in Satilla Shores. There’s a Black male running down the street.”
He then starts shouting, apparently as Arbery is running toward the McMichael’s idling truck with Bryan’s truck coming up behind him: “Stop right there! Damn it, stop! Travis!” Gunshots can be heard a few second later.
Full Coverage: Death of Ahmaud Arbery
The graphic video death leaked online two months later, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case, quickly arresting the three men. Each of them is charged with murder and other crimes.
Defense attorneys contend the McMichaels were attempting a legal citizen’s arrest when they set off after Arbery, seeking to detain and question him as a suspected burglar after he was seen running from a nearby home under construction.
Travis McMichael testified that he shot Arbery in self-defense, saying the running man turned and attacked with his fists while running past the idling truck where Travis McMichael stood with his shotgun.
Prosecutors said there was no evidence Arbery had committed crimes in the defendants’ neighborhood. He had enrolled at a technical college and was preparing to study to become an electrician like his uncles.
Shaun Seals, a 32-year-old lifelong Brunswick resident, rushed to the courthouse to join the crowd cheering the verdict.
“We just came out to witness history,” said Seals, pushing his 10-month-old daughter in a stroller.
Seals, who is Black, called the convictions a victory not just for his community but for the nation.
“It’s not going to heal most of the wounds” from a long history of inequality, he said. “But it’s a start and shows people are trying.”
The post Guilty: All 3 Men Charged in Arbery’s Death Convicted of Murder appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
At least 31 migrants die in English Channel off Calais
At least 31 migrants died after a boat capsized in the English Channel, off the coast of Calais, northern France, on Wednesday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said.
Speaking outside a hospital in Calais, Mr Darmanin said five women and a little girl were among the dead.
Two people were saved and one person is still missing, he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson both expressed horror at the tragedy and sent their condolences to the families of the victims.
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Mr Macron said his country would not let the English Channel become a graveyard and urged his European counterparts to increase efforts to avoid future tragedies.
"To the families of the victims, to their loved ones, I want to express my compassion and the unconditional support of France," the President said in a statement.
"I assure them that everything will be done to find and condemn those responsible, networks of smugglers who exploit misery and distress, endanger human lives and ultimately decimate families," he added.
Mr Macron said France had been working with the UK for several months to dismantle smuggling networks.
"Since the beginning of 2021, thanks to the mobilisation of 600 police officers and gendarmes, 1,552 smugglers have been arrested on the northern coast and 44 smuggling networks have been dismantled," he said.
"Despite this action, 47,000 attempts to cross to Great Britain have been made since January 1st, with 7,800 migrants saved by our rescue services."
France's regional maritime prefecture earlier said a search-and-rescue operation for survivors was ongoing in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais, and described it as the worst-ever accident in the stretch of water.
The country's sea minister Annick Girardin said French, British and Belgian helicopters were searching for the missing.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex described the incident as a "tragedy."
"My thoughts are with the many missing and injured, victims of criminal smugglers who exploit their distress and misery," he said in a tweet.
Dangerous crossing
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "shocked and appalled, and deeply saddened by the loss of life at sea".
"My thoughts and sympathies are, first of all with the victims and their families, and it's an appalling thing that they have suffered," Mr Johnson told reporters.
"But I also want to say that this disaster underscores how dangerous it is to cross the Channel in this way.
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"And it also shows how vital it is that we now step up our efforts to break the business model of the gangsters who are sending people to sea in this way, and that's why it's so important that we accelerate if we possibly can all the measures contained in our borders … so that we distinguish between people who come here legally, and people who come here illegally."
He added that the authorities would "leave no stone unturned to the business proposition of the human traffickers and the gangsters … who are literally getting away with murder".
Mr Johnson said it was time for the UK, France and Europe to "step up" and work together. He was due to chair a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee in response to the tragedy, his spokesperson said.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said in a statement that the tragedy "serves as the starkest possible reminder of the dangers of these Channel crossings organised by ruthless criminal gangs".
She added: "We will continue to intensify all cooperation with France and other European partners to prevent migrants embarking on these deadly journeys."
READ MORE: Sweden approves first female prime minister, who quits hours later
On Monday, France's Ministry of Interior announced it was sending equipment and vehicles worth over 11 million euros ($17 million) as part of an agreement with the United Kingdom, "to secure the coastal strip extending over more than 130kms, from Dunkirk to the Bay of Somme".
It added that "the police and gendarmes will have additional resources to carry out the mission of fighting illegal immigration".
Last week, 243 people were rescued in the English Channel as they tried to cross to the UK.
More than 25,700 people have crossed the English Channel to the UK so far this year in small boats, according to data compiled by Britain's PA Media news agency.
This is three times the total for the whole of 2020, PA reports.
Three convicted over US shooting of Black jogger
All three white men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery were convicted of murder in the US over the fatal shooting that became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.
The convictions for Greg McMichael, son Travis McMichael and neighbour William "Roddie" Bryan came after jurors deliberated for about 10 hours.
The men face minimum sentences of life in prison. It is up to the judge to decide whether that comes with or without the possibility of parole.
READ MORE: At least 31 dead after boat sinks in English Channel
Travis McMichael stood for the verdict, his lawyer's arm around his shoulder. At one point, McMichael lowered his head to his chest. After the verdicts were read, as he stood to leave, he mouthed "love you" to his mother, who was in the courtroom.
Moments after the verdicts were announced, Mr Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery Sr, was seen crying and hugging supporters outside the courtroom.
"He didn't do nothing but run and dream," the father said.
READ MORE: Fresh insights into man arrested over missing Victoria campers
The McMichaels grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to pursue the 25-year-old Black man after seeing him running in their neighbourhood outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick in February 2020.
Bryan joined the pursuit in his own pickup and recorded mobile phone video of Travis McMichael fatally shooting Mr Arbery.
Though prosecutors did not argue that racism motivated the killing, federal authorities have charged them with hate crimes, alleging that they chased and killed Mr Arbery because he was Black. That case is scheduled to go to trial in February.
The jury sent a note to Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley soon after returning to court Wednesday morning asking to view two versions of the shooting video — the original and one that investigators enhanced to reduce shadows — three times apiece.
READ MORE: At 70, Melbourne brickie preparing for 43rd marathon
Jurors returned to the courtroom to see the videos and listen again the 911 call one of the defendants made from the bed of a pickup truck about 30 seconds before the shooting.
The disproportionately white jury received the case around midday Tuesday and spent about six hours deliberating before adjourning without a verdict.
The McMichaels told police they suspected Mr Arbery was a fleeing burglar when they armed themselves and jumped in a pickup truck to chase him.
Bryan joined the pursuit when they passed his house and recorded mobile phone video of Travis McMichael blasting Mr Arbery at close range with a shotgun as Mr Arbery threw punches and grabbed for the weapon.
On the 911 call the jury reviewed, Greg McMichael tells an operator: "I'm out here in Satilla Shores. There's a Black male running down the street."
He then starts shouting, apparently as Mr Arbery is running toward the McMichael's idling truck with Bryan's truck coming up behind him: "Stop right there! Damn it, stop! Travis!"
Gunshots can be heard a few seconds later.
The graphic video death leaked online two months later, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case, quickly arresting the three men.
Each of them was charged with murder and other crimes.
Defence attorneys contend the McMichaels were attempting a legal citizen's arrest when they set off after Mr Arbery, seeking to detain and question him as a suspected burglar after he was seen running from a nearby home under construction.
Travis McMichael testified that he shot Mr Arbery in self-defence, saying the running man turned and attacked with his fists while running past the idling truck where Travis McMichael stood with his shotgun.
Prosecutors said there was no evidence Mr Arbery had committed crimes in the defendants' neighbourhood. He had enrolled at a technical college and was preparing at the time to study to become an electrician like his uncles.
Haiti Elected to UNESCO’s Executive Council
The election of Haiti which was held last week in Paris during the 41st session of the General Conference of the Organization, concludes a campaign carried out for eight months within the organization where Haiti emerged victorious from a competition in which five countries competed for three seats.
Haiti received 119 votes out of 178 voting countries.
This is the fifth time in 75 years of presence at UNESCO, that Haiti will sit on the Executive Board, one of the three constitutional bodies of the Organization composed of 58 members, where major decisions are made.
“The permanent delegation of Haiti UNESCO wishes to express its great gratitude to all the member states which have supported Haiti and also to underline the immense work carried out by the Haitian Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Haitian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO congratulates the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, the Haitian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO and the entire team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who made this great victory for Haiti elected,” said Chancellor Claude Joseph.
CMC
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REUTERS WORLD VIEW: US Angers China, Russia Scares Ukraine, Arbery Trial, More
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Today’s biggest stories
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Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel receives a bouquet from acting German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz prior to the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, November 24, 2021
WORLDSocial Democrat Olaf Scholz moved closer to becoming German chancellor after agreeing on a coalition deal that aims to modernize Europe’s largest economy, accelerate its green transition and bring the curtain down on the Angela Merkel era. Here are the main policy goals of the coalition partners. Russia staged military drills in the Black Sea, south of Ukraine, and said it needed to sharpen the combat-readiness of its conventional and nuclear forces because of heightened NATO activity near its borders. Ukraine staged exercises of its own near the border with Belarus. The Biden administration has invited Taiwan to its ‘Summit for Democracy’ next month, a move that infuriated China, which views the democratically governed island as its territory. The State Department’s invitation list for the virtual event does not include China or Russia. The United Arab Emirates has held talks with the Taliban to run Kabul airport, going up against Gulf rival Qatar in a diplomatic tussle for influence with Afghanistan’s new rulers, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson became Sweden’s first female prime minister, and immediately faced a crisis over a budget vote that her government looked set to lose. |
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A woman shouts outside the Glynn County Courthouse as the jury deliberates over whether Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan murdered Ahmaud Arbery, in Brunswick, Georgia, November 23, 2021
U.S.
The man accused of driving his vehicle into a traditional Christmas parade near Milwaukee made his first court appearance since the weekend rampage and was charged with homicide, as the death toll rose to six. A federal jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, found the organizers of the 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ white nationalist rally liable for injuries sustained by counter-protesters and awarded approximately $26 million in damages. A spacecraft that must ultimately crash to succeed was launched from California on a NASA mission to demonstrate the world’s first planetary defense system, designed to deflect an asteroid from a potential doomsday collision with Earth. The Department of Defense said it will establish a new group to investigate reports on the presence of UFOs in restricted airspace, after the government released a report in June which said there was a lack of sufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects. |
BUSINESSTurks attempting to buy iPhones and other electronics received online error messages, including from Apple’s local website, after a historic 15% plunge in the lira yesterday caused havoc. Goods priced in the local currency have seen an effective sharp discount compared to prices elsewhere, with retailers struggling to keep up with price adjustments amid the market turmoil. A global shortage of nitrogen fertilizer is driving prices to record levels, prompting North America’s farmers to delay purchases and raising the risk of a spring scramble to apply the crop nutrient before planting season. Farmers apply nitrogen to boost yields of corn, canola and wheat, and higher fertilizer costs could translate into higher meat and bread prices. Samsung Electronics has picked Taylor, Texas as the location for a new $17 billion plant to make advanced chips for functions such as mobile, 5G, high-performance computing and artificial intelligence. The plant will create 2,000 high-tech jobs with construction to begin in the first half of next year. Orange CEO Stephane Richard said it was up to the board of France’s biggest telecoms company to decide whether he should remain after a Paris appeal court convicted him of complicity of misuse of public funds. Richard said in a statement he would appeal the court’s verdict, which handed him a one-year suspended prison sentence, adding it was “deeply unfair”. A patch of virtual real estate in the online world Decentraland sold for a record $2.4 million worth of cryptocurrency. The ‘metaverse’ allows users to buy land, visit buildings, walk around and meet people as avatars. |
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