Tag Archives: oceania

Green-eyed 'Afghan Girl' from famed photo evacuated to Italy

National Geographic magazine's famed green-eyed "Afghan Girl" has arrived in Italy as part of the West's evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the Italian government said Thursday.

The office of Premier Mario Draghi said Italy organised the evacuation of Sharbat Gulla after she asked to be helped to leave the country. The Italian government will now help to get her integrated into life in Italy, the statement said.

Ms Gulla gained international fame in 1984 as an Afghan refugee girl, after war photographer Steve McCurry's photograph of her, with piercing green eyes, was published on the cover of National Geographic. McCurry found her again in 2002.

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In 2014, she surfaced in Pakistan but went into hiding when authorities accused her of buying a fake Pakistani identity card and ordered her deported. She was flown to Kabul where the president hosted a reception for her at the presidential palace and handed her keys to a new apartment.

Italy was one of several Western countries that airlifted hundreds of Afghans out of the country following the departure of US forces and the Taliban takeover in August.

In a statement announcing Ms Gulla's arrival in Rome, Mr Draghi's office said her photograph had come to "symbolise the vicissitudes and conflict of the chapter in history that Afghanistan and its people were going through at the time."

READ MORE: Man charged with murders of missing Victorian campers

It said it had received requests "by those in civil society, and in particular by non-profit organisations working in Afghanistan" backing Ms Gulla's plea for help to leave the country.

Italy organised her travel to Italy "as part of the wider evacuation program in place for Afghan citizens and the government's plan for their reception and integration," the statement said.

NSW woman 'shocked' to see man's face in the clouds

When Shaquira Hobbs looked up to the sky on Sunday night, she couldn't believe her eyes.

In a serendipitous moment for the photographer, she saw a detailed formation of a man's face in the clouds from her backyard in the New South Wales suburb of Booragul, in Lake Macquarie.

"I actually called my partner and said 'I'm not tripping or anything?'," Ms Hobbs told 9News.

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Shaquiralee Hobbs

"I was shocked, it had eyelids and everything."

Her partner Brandon McEwan reassured her he could see the same thing.

"He said it was incredible, he couldn't believe it," Ms Hobbs said.

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Ms Hobbs' mother was also impressed by the sight when her daughter sent her the photo.

"Mum was shocked and she said 'you need to send it to every news channel'," she said.

"Mum is still talking about it."

Ms Hobbs said the formation of the man's face only lasted for about 30 seconds.

Man charged with murder of missing Victorian campers

Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn has been charged with the murders of missing campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill, who disappeared in March last year.

Greg Lynn, 55, was charged today with two counts of murder after being questioned by police at Sale police station in East Gippsland since he was arrested on Monday.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill said Mr Lynn would appear at Sale Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning.

"We hope that this arrest brings us a step closing to providing the answers the families deserve," he said.

Asst Comm. Hill said police were yet to find the remains of the missing pair.

"Our efforts to locate the remains of Russell and Carol will continue," he said.

He said police had located a specific area of interest in the Greater Alpine region in the search for the remains, and that police were hopeful they would find them.

He said investigators had established the pair were deceased by mid last year.

Asst Comm. Hill gave his sympathy to the victims' families and thanked and commended the police, particularly the missing persons squad, for their work in the investigation.

Missing Carol Clay and Russell Hill.

"I extend my condolences to the Hill and Clay families," he said.

"The investigative efforts in relation to this matter have been extraordinary.

"The dedication displayed by these investigators – the professionalism – is second to none."

However, he said there was "still work to be done".

He said police were still searching for a blue-coloured metal trailer that had yet to be found in the investigation.

Police believe the trailer was sold on Gumtree.

Police seized Lynn's beige 4WD when they arrested him on Monday.

The father-of-three was camping at a site near Moroka Road, Arbuckle Junction in the High Plains area when he was swooped upon by special operations officers who flew in by helicopter about 5.30pm on Monday.

Asst Comm. Hill said police would not be revealing much more about their investigation due to the matter being before the courts.

Police have been investigating the disappearance of Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73, for 20 months since they vanished while camping in the Wonnagatta Valley on March 20 last year.

COVID-19 outbreak at Melbourne aged care home causes six deaths, more hospitalisations

A COVID-19 outbreak at a Melbourne aged care home has led to six deaths since November 12, with four other residents in hospital with the virus.

Management from Baptcare Westhaven, an aged care facility in Footscray, confirmed there have been 35 cases of COVID-19 in the home since an outbreak began on November 12.

Six residents have since died with the virus.

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According to Baptcare, 31 of the cases are residents while four are employees or contractors who work in the home.

There are currently 25 positive residents in the home, and four are receiving care in hospital.

The vaccination rate among residents at Westhaven is 90 per cent, while all employees and contractors are fully vaccinated.

Four of the positive residents were not fully vaccinated.

Visits to the facility have been banned except for under exceptional circumstances.

"The health, safety and wellbeing of our residents, employees and community is our highest priority," Baptcare Westhaven said in a statement.

"We do this by implementing strict infection prevention and control measures and following the guidance and advice from the Department of Health and Western Health Public Health Unit."

Management has said it is being supported by members of the Royal Melbourne Hospital medical and nursing teams who are attending Westhaven daily.

"We understand the impact that this has on our residents and their families and are doing all that we can to limit the spread of the virus," the statement reads.

"We are communicating daily with all families of residents and providing them with information during this challenging time."

Tradie uses tea towels to stem bleeding after western Sydney stabbing

A man stabbed outside a block of units in Sydney's west last night managed to knock on the door of a neighbour who helped him until an ambulance arrived.

Reece Munce, 33, went into cardiac arrest following the attack in Woodbine near Campbelltown just after 7pm last night.

"The man was standing near the window there, he said 'I've just been stabbed', and he stumbled a few paces back and fell here on the lawn," tradie Adam Cresnick told 9News.

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Tradie called a hero after man with stab wound saved in his Sydney backyard.Tradie called a hero after man with stab wound saved in his Sydney backyard.

Guided by an operator over the phone, he used tea towels to try to stem the bleeding from three wounds to the abdomen.

"They asked me to try and keep him awake and he kept trying to sit up and it felt bad, his organs were moving around," Mr Cresnick said.

Paramedics arrived at the home in a matter of minutes and took over as the victim went into cardiac arrest.

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Tradie called a hero after man with stab wound saved in his Sydney backyard.

He was taken to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition.

The alleged offender is believed to have fled the scene on foot and no arrests have been made.

New flood warnings as 4000km rain bomb hits Australia

New flood warnings are in place for Western Sydney as a massive rain event lashes half of Australia.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warned North Richmond may see flooding this weekend.

Sydney is already seeing the effects of the rain bomb, with roads in the Inner West flooding this afternoon.

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The skies suddenly opened up to a downpour of rain in Sydney this afternoon.

Cars in Enmore drove through the floods as people sheltered on sidewalks away from the sudden deluge.

It comes as a 4000-kilometre rain event is expected to hit central and eastern parts of the nation.

The weather system runs from the Northern Territory, through Queensland and down to New South Wales and Victoria – a distance of between 2000 and 3000 kilometres, Weatherzone meteorologist Felix Levesque said.

It even extends out into the Tasman Sea, towards New Zealand.

Mr Levesque said the heaviest rain would come today and tomorrow, before contracting into isolated pockets on Saturday.

https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1463758606587867137

Eastern Queensland is likely to see rain through to the end of the month.

Severe thunderstorms have also been forecast, with emergency crews already having received dozens of calls for help across Sydney.

More wet weather is forecast for Sydney today but is expected to ease into the weekend.

"We've seen some very wet conditions across Sydney already, yesterday we saw storms move through and Warragamba received 60 millimetres in just one hour," Agata Imielska, from the Bureau of Meteorology, said.

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Flooding in Wallacia in NSW overnight.

Ms Imielska said NSW will see severe thunderstorms and widespread rainfall today.

"There is a risk of intense rainfall that can produce flash flooding, damaging winds," she said.

"The severe thunderstorm risk could bring severe hail which is another concern for the state."

There is also a concern for renewed flooding in Gunnedah and Forbes, which has been inundated by recent floodwaters.

A severe weather warning is in place for south-western NSW with severe thunderstorms and rainfall expected today.

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Broken Hill has already seen heavy rain overnight.

In Queensland, a deluge of heavy rainfall is set to hit Townsville, Georgetown, Springsure, Einasleigh and Rollingstone.

A major flood warning remains in place for the lower Macintyre River and Weir River.

It comes after the state was hit with the heaviest November rainfall in decades.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said 121 millimetres of rain fell in Brisbane in the past 24 hours.

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The wet weather is expected to continue for the rest of summer due to a La Niña event occurring in the Pacific for a second consecutive year.

The BoM declared a La Niña has developed in the Pacific Ocean, leading to wetter than normal periods for eastern, northern and central parts of the nation.

La Niña often brings above-average rainfall, cloud cover and cooler temperatures.

Sydney Harbour lit up blue by rare bioluminescence display

Sydney Harbour has been lit up with a blue glow after a rare display of bioluminescence in the water.

The water normally reflects the glowing lights of the Opera House, Luna Park and the Harbour Bridge, however this week it was a little different.

The water had a blue sparkle due to bioluminescence, captured by Eddy Agcaoili.

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Bioluminescence lit up the waters of Sydney Harbour this week.

Weatherzone said bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon where light is produced by a chemical reaction inside living organisms.

"In this case, the light was emitted by small organisms that were present in a dense bloom near the water's surface," Ben Domensino from Weatherzone said.

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Bioluminescence lit up the waters of Sydney Harbour this week.

Bioluminescence can occur in animals living deep in the ocean, on land and in the sky.

It can't be predicted when bioluminescence will take place, although some lucky people do get to see the light show when it occurs on the Australian coastline.

Man charged after stockpile of firearms, explosives seized following alleged doomsday preparation

A man has been charged after police seized hundreds of weapons and explosives as part of alleged doomsday preparations.

Police uncovered a property north-west of Sydney which was allegedly being used to store a significant number of weapons, firearms and explosives.

Officers carried out a warrant at a Kurrajong address just after 11am yesterday.

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Man charged after weapons and explosives seized in NSWMan charged after weapons and explosives seized in NSW

During a search of the property, police found prohibited weapons including firearm silencers, electronic stun devices, extendable batons, and 77 knives.

Police also seized 39 firearms, seven improvised explosive devices, pipe bombs, ammunition, and a ballistic vest.

More than 250 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, an explosive, was also found.

"Significant numbers of items, what can only be described as alarming items, were identified," Superintendent John Watson said.

"It is quite apparent that he has been amassing all of these things over a period of time."

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Man charged after weapons and explosives seized in NSW

9News understands some of the items were buried in the ground.

Simon Clay, 42, was arrested at the property and taken to Windsor Police Station.

He was charged with six offences.

Police allege he is a doomsday prepper and was stockpiling for the end of the world.

"There is no doubt in our minds this matter posed significant risk this individual, his family but also the community at large," Superintendent Watson said.

"The potential for a catastrophic event has been averted through the seizure and the arrest of this person."

READ MORE: WA dad charged with murder of daughter 16 years after assault

Man charged after weapons and explosives seized in NSWMan charged after weapons and explosives seized in NSW

He appeared at Penrith Local Court today.

His lawyer made no application for bail.

Mr Clay will reappear before a magistrate next Wednesday.