Tag Archives: oceania

Melbourne woman apologises for killing grandfather in drink-driving crash

Alisha Fagan says she has changed her ways since killing a beloved grandfather in a crash while drunk and then blaming four African men.

The 21-year-old Melbourne woman read out a letter of apology to Sedat Hassan's family, as she faced the County Koori Court for a pre-sentence hearing on Monday.

Fagan was on a suspended learner's permit, drunk and travelling more than 25km/h over the speed limit when she drove into the side of the 69-year-old man's car, killing him, on June 9, 2022.

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In the hours before, the court heard Fagan had been drinking wine from the bottle with a friend near the Maribyrnong River.

The pair then drove to Sunshine West and picked up two men.

Fagan's passengers fled when she failed to give way and crashed into Hassan's car.

She waited for emergency services to arrive and then gave police a fake name, said she was not driving at the time of the crash and tried to pin the blame on four African men.

"She went on to tell the police four African males were in the car at the time and had fled the scene after the collision," prosecutor Kristie Churchill told the court.

"She stated that she had only just met these males."

Alisha Fagan blamed the crash on four African men.

Fagan, who has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and drug possession, was on four sets of bail at the time of crash and was facing about a dozen driving offences.

She was last year released on bail to undergo rehabilitation.

Fagan cried as Hassan's family remembered him as beloved father and grandfather who spent much of his time caring for his disabled son, in statements read to court.

"My husband was my world, I can't bring him back," his wife said.

"My son, who has autism, gets up in the middle of the night and opens all the windows looking for his father."

Grandfather Sedat Hassan was killed in the Sunshine West crash.

One of Hassan's sons said his father waited for years to become a grandfather.

"As soon as he became one, he only got to hold his grandson three times and be with him until he was four months old," he said.

Fagan read a letter of apology to Hassan's family, saying she took full responsibility for causing his death.

"I only have myself to blame. At the time of this tragedy I was a severe alcoholic, had no impulse control, had no understanding of consequences," she told the court.

"I've spent the last nine months improving myself every single day so that this will never, ever happen again.

"Please know that who I was then and who I am now are not the same person."

The hearing was adjourned to May 9.

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'Don't park here again you nerd': Car plastered with notes in Perth

A car parked at one of Perth's iconic beaches has been left plastered with notes during the Sculptures by the Sea festival.

Photos posted to Facebook show local residents' ire at the yellow Suzuki Swift for parking on their Cottesloe street during the festival.

Residents blasted the driver for parking in the "resident's only" strip.

Car in Cottesloe, Perth, left plastered with notes.

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"Do you live here? No thought so. Don't park here again you nerd," one note read.

"Don't park here again because my uncle is a state kickboxer champion and will give you a wedgie," another note read.

"Can you read? Resident's only. Move your vehicle," another note read.

Car in Cottesloe, Perth, left plastered with notes.Car in Cottesloe, Perth, left plastered with notes.

The notes also took aim at the driver's parking which photos show was some distance from the curb.

"You've parked pretty badly," one note read.

It comes as Cottesloe hosts the Sculptures by the Sea festival from March 3 to 20.

9news.com.au has contacted Cottesloe Council for comment on the incident.

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Australian government provides aid to Vanuatu after two cyclones

The Australian government is providing assistance to Vanuatu after the country was battered by two tropical cyclones and earthquakes.

More than 600 Australian Defence Force personnel are on board HMAS Canberra and two RAAF aircrafts have already been deployed to provide aid to the pacific nation.

"The Air Force is providing aerial recognisance and we're also looking to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief stores to the Vanuatuan government," ADF major Ancel Lupke said.

READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly invited to King Charles' coronation

Australian Army personnel load stores onboard HMAS Canberra alongside Garden Island Defence Precinct, NSW.HMAS Canberra sails from Fleet Base East in Sydney to assist the Government of Vanuatu with humanitarian aid following Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin.

"The ADF personnel on board bring recent experience from other relief efforts in the region over the past two years and Defence is proud to support a member of the Pacific family," deputy prime minister Richard Marles said.

Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong said Australia has been able to deploy assistance quickly to help with impacts of both cyclones.

"With HMAS Canberra we are providing more humanitarian supplies and much needed logistical support. This shows our continued commitment to the Pacific family," she said.

Vanuatu has been hit by two tropical cyclones in the past week with Cyclone Kevin reaching a category 4 as it made landfall on Saturday.

The cyclone brought wind speeds of up to 125km/h and gusts up to 185km/h.

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Damage by two cyclones in Vanuatu.Damage by two cyclones in Vanuatu.

The impacts of the disaster are only just becoming clear after it hit the Tafea province in the country's south.

"It appears that the damage is manageable with some significant foliage and crop damage but settlements look largely intact," the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council said.

It comes as category 4 Cyclone Judy swept across Vanuatu last week leaving parts of the capital Port Vila without power for days and many people in emergency evacuation centres.

Two back-to-back earthquakes also hit the country during the week of consecutive disasters.

UNICEF Pacific estimates around 150,000 people have been affected by the two devastating cyclones and the earthquakes.

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Damage by two cyclones in Vanuatu.Damage by two cyclones in Vanuatu.

The Vanuatu Red Cross has released photos showing the "trail of destruction" left by the two cyclones.

"Vanuatu Red Cross is ready to respond and provide immediate assistance to the worst affected communities," the agency said.

Vanuatu Parliament said the two consecutive disasters are a sign of what's to come.

"We have faced and will face many disasters to come," the parliament said.

"Yet, we are still resilient. We will always rise up again."

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Harry, Meghan yet to decide over coronation invite

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to have been been invited to King Charles' coronation but are yet to confirm whether they'll go.

After much speculation regarding the Sussexes' attendance at Harry's father's official crowning, a spokesperson for the couple today confirmed they had "recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation".

"An immediate decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time," the spokesperson told The Times.

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King Charles III

The coronation is on May 6, the same day as their son Archie's birthday.

Speculation regarding the US-based royals' attendance at the ceremony has increased in recent days, following their eviction from their official United Kingdom residence, Frogmore Cottage.

It has reached the point some believe the couple will be a distraction no matter where they are for Britain's first coronation in seven decades.

"Whatever happens, Harry and Meghan will always be the ones in the headlines… Whether they come or they stay at home in California, they do hold the upper hand," a palace insider told Page Six.

Some have suggested Harry, whose media round this weekend continued with a candid conversation about the British royal family and associated mental health challenges, could attend without Meghan.

'Difference between life and death': Doctors sound alarm on lack of trees

A group of doctors has issued a dire health warning about the lack of trees Western Sydney.

Doctors for the Environment is highlighting the 20-degree temperature difference on two neighbouring streets in Toongabbie — all thanks to extra shade — to prove its point.

The organisation's Dr Cybele Dey said "trees can be the difference between life and death".

READ MORE: Family 'shattered' at death of 'larrikin' motocross rider

A trio of doctors for the environment have a striking health warning: in Western Sydney there aren't enough trees and it's killing people.
Two streets in the Western Sydney suburb of Toongabbie have been found to have a 20 degree difference - all because of extra shade.

"People are dying from heart attacks and heat exhaustion and from complications of medications at high temperatures is happening a bigger scale than people realise. It's a silent killer," The organisation's Dr Cybele Dey said.

"Trees can be the difference between life and death."

On a scorching summer's day two weeks ago the doctors compared the temperatures of two parallel streets in Toongabbie.

The surface of Bulli Road with hardly any trees hit 49 degrees as just 100 metres away on Favell Road, which is lined with mature shady trees, the mercury reached 29.

A trio of doctors for the environment have a striking health warning: in Western Sydney there aren't enough trees and it's killing people.
Two streets in the Western Sydney suburb of Toongabbie have been found to have a 20 degree difference - all because of extra shade.

READ MORE: 'Frightening' attack on police before man shot dead in Sydney

With so many new suburbs stripped of trees, the doctors are concerned people will be left isolated in air-conditioned cocoons.

It's not great for the environment or their mental health.

The doctors group has teamed up with the World Wide Fund for nature to highlight the ecological and health benefits of trees.

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Historic agreement to protect almost half the world's surface

For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas — nearly half the planet's surface — concluding two weeks of talks in New York.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept.

An updated framework to protect marine life in the regions outside national boundary waters, known as the high seas, had been in discussions for more than 20 years, but previous efforts to reach an agreement had repeatedly stalled. The unified agreement treaty was reached late on Saturday (early Sunday AEDT).

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"We only really have two major global commons — the atmosphere and the oceans," said Georgetown marine biologist Rebecca Helm.

While the oceans may draw less attention, "protecting this half of earth's surface is absolutely critical to the health of our planet".

Now that long-awaited treaty text has been finalised, Nichola Clark, an oceans expert at the Pew Charitable Trusts who observed the talks in New York, said, "This is a once in a generation opportunity to protect the oceans — a major win for biodiversity".

READ MORE: Family 'shattered' at death of 'larrikin' motocross rider killed at championship event in Victoria 

The treaty will create a new body to manage conservation of ocean life and establish marine protected areas in the high seas.

Clark said that's critical to achieve the UN Biodiversity Conference's recent pledge to protect 30 per cent of the planet's waters, as well as its land, for conservation.

The treaty also establishes ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in the oceans.

"It means all activities planned for the high seas need to be looked at, though not all will go through a full assessment," said Jessica Battle, an oceans governance expert at the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

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Many marine species — including dolphins, whales, sea turtles and many fish — make long annual migrations, crossing national borders and the high seas.

Efforts to protect them — and human communities that rely on fishing or tourism related to marine life — have previously been hampered by a confusing patchwork of laws.

"This treaty will help to knit together the different regional treaties to be able to address threats and concerns across species' ranges," Battle said.

That protection also helps coastal biodiversity and economies, said Gladys Martínez de Lemos, executive director of the nonprofit Interamerican Association for Environmental Defence focusing on environmental issues across Latin America.

"Governments have taken an important step that strengthens the legal protection of two-thirds of the ocean and with it marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal communities," she said.

The question now is how well the ambitious treaty will be implemented.

The high seas have long suffered exploitation due to commercial fishing and mining, as well as pollution from chemicals and plastics.

The new agreement is about "acknowledging that the ocean is not a limitless resource, and it requires global cooperation to use the ocean sustainably," said Malin Pinsky, a biologist at Rutgers University.

Family 'shattered' at death of 'larrikin' motocross rider

The family of a motocross rider killed while riding at a championship event in Victoria's south-east said they're "shattered".

Emergency services were called to Wonthaggi Motocross Track two hours drive from Melbourne about 11am.

Brayden Erbacher, 20, was treated by on site medical teams and then ambulance crews but died at the scene.

READ MORE: 'Frightening' attack on police before man shot dead in Sydney

Brayden Erbacher was treated by on site medical teams and then ambulance crews but died at the scene.

Erbacher's mother, Corrine, told 9News that she and her family are "shattered beyond words."

"On behalf of the family we would like to thank the whole motocross community for their support today while our whole world fell apart," she said.

"Brayden touched the lives of so many, and we were so proud to call him our son.

Brayden Erbacher was treated by on site medical teams and then ambulance crews but died at the scene.

"He was a larrikin, and was at his happiest on his bike, playing his guitar and just hanging out with his family and his mates."

"His passing has left a void that can never be filled."

Motorcycling Australia confirmed the tragedy with a statement on Facebook, and the event was called off.

The Wonthaggi Motocross Track.

"(We) announce that due to a serious incident, round one of the ProMX Championship at Wonthaggi in Victoria has been cancelled with immediate effect," the statement said.

"While the incident is being investigated, there will be no further comment at this time."

WorkSafe have been notified, they said.

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Police 'ambushed with knives' before man shot dead in Sydney

A 29-year-old man has died after being shot by police during a "frightening" confrontation in Sydney's south-west, officers say.

Police said they were called to what they say was a domestic violence report at home in William Street, Yagoona, about 8.50am.

Officers were confronted by Hilal Barbour, who was armed with two knives,.

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A 29-year-old man has died after being shot by police during a "frightening" confrontation in Sydney's south-west, officers say.Police said they were called to what they say was a domestic violence report at home in William Street, Yagoona, about 8.50am.Police were called to the Yagoona property this morning after receiving reports of a domestic violence-related incident.

He chased them outside the house and tried to stab or slash them NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, said.

Smith called the event a "significant and hateful attack", and say Barbour had threatened his family with the knives before police arrived.

A taser was used before he was shot he said.

"An officer deployed a taser, that had an impact on the 29-year-old, however, he used the knives to dismantle that device," Smith said.

A 29-year-old man has died after being shot by police during a "frightening" confrontation in Sydney's south-west, officers say.Police said they were called to what they say was a domestic violence report at home in William Street, Yagoona, about 8.50am.

"Soon after a violent confrontation occurred, that can only be described as a very frightening event for police and anyone who witnessed it.

"Both police – a male and female – withdrew from the premises and were pursued by the individual brandished with knives."

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Barbour then stood over the female officer after she tripped while running and tried to slash her with a knife, he said.

He then tried to "wound or kill" the male officer, before he shot him.

At the Yagoona property they were confronted by an armed man.

Smith said he fired three rounds.

He was given first aid, and rushed to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition.

He later died.

Barbour's family said he was suffering from a severe mental illness, and claimed had been "begging" for intervention and assistance since before the incident.

Police shooting Yagoona, man shot and killed

The family's neighbours told 9News that he was "not well".

"We're just basically praying for him, we're praying for the family," a neighbour said.

A critical incident investigation has been launched, NSW Police, said.

This will be subject to an independent review.

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