Tag Archives: oceania

Singapore Airlines passengers found out about compo offer on Facebook

Two Australian passengers injured on flight SQ321 say they found out what compensation they were entitled to through a Singapore Airlines Facebook post, and say the offer isn't enough.

Keith Davis and his wife Kerry Jordan from Adelaide are among those who were injured on the flight that hit extreme turbulence last month.

Jordan's spine was broken and she's still in hospital, paralysed from the chest down.

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Two Australian passengers injured on flight SQ321 say they found out what compensation they were entitled to through a Singapore Airlines Facebook post, and say the offer isn't enough. Keith Davis and his wife Kerry Jordan from Adelaide are among those who were injured on the flight that hit extreme turbulence last month.

Her husband said the airline's offer of compensation has only left the couple in more distress.

"I'm actually not on Facebook, so when this was circulated to me it was a bit of a shock," Davis said.

Singapore Airlines announced yesterday it'll offer around $15,000 to those with minor injuries and $37,000 to seriously injured passengers.

It's a sum that Davis says doesn't make up for the life-altering event.

"At this stage it is a catastrophic injury," he said.

READ MORE: Jarryd Hayne to be released as prosecutors consider fourth trial

Two Australian passengers injured on flight SQ321 say they found out what compensation they were entitled to through a Singapore Airlines Facebook post, and say the offer isn't enough. Keith Davis said the airline's offer of compensation has only left the couple in more distress.

"It is a totally life-changing condition that's going to face her."

"I expect that they will provide adequate compensation for the whole of Kerry's life."

An international team of lawyers is now banding together to fight for better compensation.

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"This offer of Singapore Airlines adds insult to injury. Not only is it woefully inadequate but the way that Singapore Airlines has gone about this is pretty shabby," lawyer Nick Xenophon said.

Lawyers expect they'll learn more about the facts of the investigation to form their case in the next couple of months.

Singapore Airlines has been contacted for comment.

King Charles’ first official portrait vandalised by activists

Activists from an animal rights group have vandalised the first official portrait of King Charles, which is on display in a London gallery.

Campaign group Animal Rising posted a video on its social media channels on Tuesday showing two activists using a paint roller to stick signs over the portrait of the monarch.

Members of the public have been free to visit the portrait of the monarch, which is on display at the Philip Mould gallery in central London until June 21.

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The painting, the first official portrait of King Charles as monarch, raised eyebrows when it was unveiled earlier this year. Artist Jonathon Yeo depicted the king against a background of crimson red brush strokes, sparking mixed reactions.

Activists covered the king's head with an image of British animation character Wallace, from the hit Wallace and Gromit series. A speech bubble sign was then also tacked onto the painting with the following caption: "No cheese Gromit, look at all of this cruelty on RSCPA farms."

The action was designed to bring attention to a new report, released on Sunday by the group, which investigated 45 farms whose welfare standards are guaranteed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

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The RSPCA's Assured scheme promises that animals in protected farms are given more living space and are never kept in cages.

Meat, fish and dairy products produced by these farms are marked with the RSCPA logo. Animal Rising described their findings as "damning," alleging that they found "severe animal cruelty" at all farms visited.

Last month, King Charles became the royal patron of the RSPCA. In a statement provided to British newspaper The Telegraph, an Animal Rising activist explained, "With King Charles being such a big fan of 'Wallace and Gromit,' we couldn't think of a better way to draw his attention to the horrific scenes on RSPCA Assured farms! Even though we hope this is amusing to His Majesty, we also call on him to seriously reconsider if he wants to be associated with the awful suffering across farms being endorsed by the RSPCA."

(During a 2012 engagement at Clarence House for the late Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, Queen Camilla told a group of children of her husband that "Wallace and Gromit are his favorite people in the world".)

Animal Rising describes itself as a non-violent organisation campaigning for an "urgent transition to a sustainable and just plant-based food system." It is also petitioning for the RSPCA's Assured scheme, which it says covers up "cruelty on an industrial scale," to be scrapped.

The RSPCA responded to Animal Rising's claims in a statement provided to CNN on Tuesday, stating that "any concerns about welfare on RSPCA Assured certified farms are taken extremely seriously and RSPCA Assured is acting swiftly to look into these allegations."

"We have responded openly and transparently to Animal Rising's challenges to our farming work," the statement continued. "While we understand that Animal Rising, like us, want the best for animals, their activity is a distraction and a challenge to the work we are all doing to create a better world for every animal."

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The organisation also said it was "shocked" by the vandalism of the painting.

"We welcome scrutiny of our work, but we cannot condone illegal activity of any kind," their statement read.

According to Philip Mould, owner of the gallery where the portrait is on display, the painting sustained "no damage" since it was protected by a layer of Perspex. Mould told CNN the adhesive stickers used by the activists stayed on the portrait for "less than ten seconds."

The activists left the premises after being asked to do so, Mould said, adding that the gallery has also filed a police report.

There are currently no plans to curtail the display of the painting, although staff will remain "on alert" after the incident, Mould said.

Jarryd Hayne released from jail as prosecutors consider fourth trial

Jarryd Hayne has been released from jail and reunited with his family after being granted bail following the former NRL star's rape convictions being quashed for a second time.

But the prospect of a fourth trial still looms for the 36-year-old as he awaits his next court date.

Hayne has been behind bars for more than a year after a jury found him guilty in April 2023 of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

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His lawyer Lauren MacDougall declined to comment about the prospect of another trial as she left the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Wednesday after a successful bid to overturn the April finding.

"He's really, really looking forward to getting home to his family," she said.

Prosecutors did not oppose Hayne's bail on Wednesday afternoon, but need time to consider holding another trial before returning to court on July 26.

"Any decision about a possible retrial will be made in accordance with the prosecution guidelines," a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said in a statement.

The state's highest court quashed Hayne's convictions, ruling the trial judge erred by not allowing further cross-examination of the complainant over her communications with third parties regarding the night of the alleged sexual assault.

The appeal court ruled the judge did not properly direct the jury regarding allegations from Hayne's lawyers the complainant had lied about the contact, exacerbating the earlier error in not allowing her to respond to questions about it.

Hayne's third ground of appeal, arguing the now-quashed guilty verdicts were unsafe or unreasonable, was not upheld, despite convincing one judge.

"I am of the view there is a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted," Justice Deborah Sweeney said in the court's published reasons.

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But she was overruled by Justices Stephen Rothman and Anthony Meagher.

Justice Meagher did not support any grounds of the appeal.

"I am comfortably of the opinion that it was open to the jury to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt (Hayne) was guilty," he said.

Hayne was accused of raping a woman with his hands and mouth at her Newcastle home on the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Final.

Three separate criminal trials were told the woman, who cannot be identified, changed her mind about having sex with Hayne after realising he had a taxi waiting outside.

He was sentenced to four years and nine months in jail, but had already served some of that time before his earlier successful appeal.

Justice Rothman said there was good reason for no fourth trial, noting it was unlikely to occur before Hayne's three-year non-parole period expired in May 2025.

Justice Sweeney was of a similar view given the matter's history.

"To put (Hayne) on trial for a fourth time would not be in the interests of justice," she said.

Hayne's barrister, Tim Game SC, told April's appeal hearing messages the woman sent to Hayne and others, deleted from her phone, amounted to deliberate concealment of evidence.

The ex-player's defence team argued the woman should have been cross-examined on why she allegedly told police, "If those messages get out, I'm f***ed and he will get off".

Judge Graham Turnbull, who oversaw Hayne's third trial in the NSW District Court, refused requests for the woman to be cross-examined further, saying her anticipated answers, and their ultimate absence, would not create any real unfairness.

But Justices Sweeney and Rothman ruled Hayne's lawyers should have been able to question the complainant further and the jury left to consider her evidence and credibility.

Hayne's quashed convictions followed a hung jury in his first trial in 2020 and a previous appeal overturning guilty verdicts from his second trial in 2021.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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Problem croc eats dogs, threatens passersby

A problem crocodile that ate dogs and threatened passersbys has been removed from a remote town in the Northern Territory.

Police and wildlife rangers removed the almost four-metre long saltwater from its home at Baines River in Bulla yesterday afternoon. 

Floods earlier this year had brought the crocodile into the waterway, where it has been notoriously stalking and lunging at children and adults living nearby since.

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A problem crocodile that ate dogs and lunged at passersby has been killed in a remote town in the Northern Territory.

"The crocodile had also reportedly taken multiple community dogs," police said.

Police said the crocodile was shot following consultations with community members, traditional owners and wildlife officers.

Children were given an opportunistic safety lesson and the animal was taken into the community and prepared for a feast in a traditional manner. 

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A problem crocodile that ate dogs and lunged at passersby has been killed in a remote town in the Northern Territory.

"There's never a dull moment in remote policing," police commander Kylie Anderson said.

The Northern Territory contains large and potentially dangerous crocodiles, according to the Department of Environment Rangers, Parks and Water Security.

Locals are urged to be crocwise and only swim where there are designated swimming signs.

New personalised ‘zap’ to treat depression

People suffering from depression are benefitting from a more targeted version of an existing brain stimulation treatment.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) delivers magnetic pulses to a patient's brain through a robotic coil placed on the exterior of the scalp. The pulses stimulate nerve cells involved in a person's mood.

Experts say the treatment provides another option for medication-resistant depression patients like Beau Jones.

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"Depression at the worst of times is lethal and at the best of times is awful," Jones said.

Jones has been suffering from depression for 15 years and underwent TMS as an alternative path to treatment after his medication stopped working.

"It's definitely improved my mental health," he said.

"The situations I find myself in are not as intense or dark as they had previously been."

In standard TMS treatments, all patients receive magnetic pulses to the same area, but now the University of Melbourne and Queensland Neurostimulation Centre are developing a more targeted approach.

Researchers like Dr Robin Cash from the University of Melbourne use an MRI scan to map specific areas in each patient's brain that are triggering the depression.

The TMS is then sent to that spot with a millimetre of allowance.

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"What we're doing is a precise targeted approach that's based on a brain scan," Cash said.

"Our initial data suggests up to 65 per cent of individuals respond to this personalised and targeted therapy." 

Luca Cocchi from the Queensland Neurostimulation Centre explained that the robotic coil sends up-to-date information to the machine.

"We will have a robot that will use information from the brain of the participant who will very precisely and consistently deliver the stimulation."

Police wrap up two-day search for Samantha Murphy, continue to probe phone

Victoria Police officers have spent the past two days searching the Ballarat area for missing mother Samantha Murphy, a fortnight after officers discovered her phone on the edge of a dam.

The 51-year-old mother was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4.

She has not yet been found, but on March 8, 22-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson was charged with her alleged murder.

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Officers spent today and yesterday undertaking another "targeted" search in the Ballarat area as part of their investigation into her disappearance.

Missing Persons Squad detectives and a range of specialist police resources were involved in the search.

Police advised about 5pm that the search had concluded and said officers would not continue searching tomorrow.

"Since February, police have regularly undertaken a range of enquiries and small-scale searches as part of the current investigation," a statement from police said.

"Samantha's family has also been advised of the search.

"We are not in a position to supply further specific details of the operational activity at this time.

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"A number of items located during a search in Buninyong on 29 May are still being forensically assessed. There are no updates on this process."

Police discovered Samantha's iPhone by a private dam near Slaughterhouse Road, south of Buninyong, on May 29.

The dam was just five kilometres away from the phone tower where her mobile last pinged. 

Her husband Mick Murphy was called after police made the discovery. He told 9News he immediately knew it was hers. 

It's hoped data from the device can lead them to Samantha's body.