Category Archives: headline

headline

House collapses in popular Brisbane suburb

A house has collapsed in New Farm in Brisbane while being renovated.

The home can be seen bending at obscure angles on collapsed foundations, leaning on the site's boundary.

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The heritage-listed house had been under renovation, raised on timber sleepers when the building collapsed around 2pm yesterday.

Those involved have said construction workers were on the site at the time, and it's a miracle nobody was injured.

The builder's son has called the collapse a freak accident.

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A Work Health and Safety Inspector has inspected the house to determine the cause of the collapse.

A stop-work notice has been issued for construction.

headline

Father of rapper shot dead 'heartbroken' over son's sudden death

The father of a rapper shot dead inside his Melbourne home has spoken of his heartbreak as police work to catch his killer.

Chris Habiyakare, 24, answered a knock on the door of his Sunshine North home about 8.30pm on August 24 and was confronted by a group of men.

The intruders stormed their way into the house, believed to be armed with a range of weapons, including a gun.

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A fight broke out between Mr Habiyakare and the armed intruders, resulting in him being shot.

His father Belthrand Habiyakare told reporters today he can barely sleep following the shooting death of his son, as he lies awake afraid of one of his other sons being targeted next.

"I feel heartbroken," he said.

"I can't even sleep. I am always on the lookout.

"I am constantly wondering if they are coming for my other sons and it is very heavy."

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Mr Habiyakare had two male and three female friends over at his house at the time, all believed to be aged in their 20s.

They ran for their lives during the attack, with one woman smashing through a window to escape the house.

The intruders fled the property and the area in at least one vehicle after Mr Habiyakare was shot.

A couple of his friends returned to the house minutes later and called Triple Zero before one gave him CPR.

Mr Habiyakare was unable to be revived and died at the scene.

No one else was physically injured during the incident.

Police believe the incident was a targeted attack and the intruders aimed to kill him.

"This was clearly a targeted attack," Detective Inspector Tim Day said.

"The focus of the offenders that night was Chris and their aim was to kill him.

"There was a significant amount of cash on the premises.

"There was a significant amount of drugs inside the premises.

"So why was Chris targeted?

"The answer to that question opens up the case to being solved."

Investigators believe a fight that occurred at the property three days earlier in the morning of August 21 may be the motive behind the fatal shooting, but detectives must "keep an open mind".

Detective Inspector Day said Mr Habiyakare was known to police and had a history of involvement with drugs.

"He was a much-loved member of his family and his friends," Detective Inspector Day said.

"All of whom are grieving the loss and searching for the why.

"Chris' death was a senseless act of violence by some callous miscreant intending to do harm to him over a debt or some other issue.

"They used a firearm on a defenceless human being."

The young man was born in Tanzania and came to Australia in 2007 with his father.

He was passionate about rap music and recorded videos of himself performing.

Mr Habiyakare believes it was his son's passion for rap music that led him to use drugs.

At some point, he thought his son was going to die due to being expelled from school, his trouble with the police and drug addiction.

"I lost hope. Slowly, he started growing and realised his problems, realised he need to do something about that," he said.

"All of a sudden his life got ended quickly."

His siblings are "heartbroken" over the sudden death of their brother, Mr Habiyakare said.

"Chris' siblings have felt the blow the most I think – he was very close to them," he said.

"This is the first time in my life that I have felt defeated.

"This event has broken me down into small pieces and I am not sure how I am going to pick them all back together."

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Police believe there are people out there who can identify those involved in the man's death.

Detectives have released images of two men they are seeking to identify as part of their investigation.

They have appealed for anyone who might know these men, as well as the men themselves to come forward.

"I believe there are people out there who can identify those involved in Chris' death," Detective Inspector Day said.

"That identification may be from recognising the people depicted in these images, or because they have knowledge of who was involved, or even why the incident occurred.

"It's time for those people to do the right thing and come forward."

Detectives are also keen to speak to anyone else who may have knowledge of the circumstances leading up to the shooting.

Police have conducted a significant canvas for CCTV in the area.

Anyone in the area who has footage from between 5pm and 10pm on August 24 and is yet to speak to police is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

headline

Millions of flame red crabs begin annual migration off Australian coast

Millions of flame red crabs have started to make their way out of the jungles of Christmas Island, off the coast of Western Australia, as they march to the ocean.

Videos and photos have captured the Christmas Island red crabs swarming up bridges, across roads, and even escaping the heat by resting in the entrances of office blocks.

There are so many crabs, Christmas Island National Park staff have to occasionally sweep them off roads so they don't get squashed by cars.

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Christmas Island red crabs have began their annual migration. So many crabs were present at the Drumsite settlement on Sunday residents were forced indoors.

On Sunday, residents of the Drumsite settlement were unable to leave their neighbourhood due to a massive number of crabs crossing the roads.

While a spectacular sight, it's not a new one for residents.

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A 'crab bridge' has been constructed to aide their migration.

Christmas Island National Park acting manager Bianca Priest said this spectacular natural event takes place on Christmas Island every year.

"World-renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough described the red crab migration as 'like a great scarlet curtain moving down the cliffs and rocks towards the sea' and considered filming the spectacle as one of his 10 greatest TV moments," she said.

"Over the years visitors have travelled from every corner of the world to witness this wildlife phenomenon."

Barriers have also been erected to prevent crabs spilling onto the road.

The migration begins with the first rains of the wet season – usually in October or November. Males start the charge and are joined along the way by females of the species, Parks Australia says.

Once they arrive at their seaside breeding grounds the crabs will take dip to replenish moisture.

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Then the breeding begins.

After mating male crabs will take a second dip before starting the journey back to the jungle.

Females stay behind in the burrows.