Police are seeking the location of a white Mercedes saloon car as a homicide investigation continues into the death of Mars Rakeem in Avondale. Two people have been charged after Rakeem, 28, was allegedly shot on Saintly Lane on…
Tag Archives: oceania
Dolphin stranded in Adelaide's River Torrens
A bottlenose dolphin stranded in a river outlet in Adelaide's west has putting on a show for bewildered locals today, after it became trapped in low tide.
The dolphin, affectionally known as June, was first spotted early this morning at the River Torrens outlet at West Beach.
Since then, more and more people have gathered to catch a glimpse at the mammal, who appears to be doing "tricks" for the spectators.
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According to the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment, the dolphin may have been following a school of fish into the shallow waters and became stuck when the tide changed.
While the it appears to be in good spirits, people are advised not to approach it.
SA National parks and Wildlife Service has been called and are working on helping get it back out to sea.
It is hoped June will be able to swim freely to safety at high tide.
Lightning strike destroys plinth atop Ben Lomond mountain
A lightning bolt has blown a plinth and alidade atop Queenstown’s Ben Lomond to smithereens.Following two recent thunder and lightning storms in the Wakatipu, Queenstown geographer Phil Parent says he hiked up Ben Lomond, behind…
Event producers adapt to level 2 with Kāpiti Half Marathon going ahead
Organisers of the Kāpiti Half Marathon have announced the inaugural event will go ahead on November 14 even if the district remains in the current level 2 restrictions.The announcement comes just days after the Wellington Marathon,…
Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Northlanders continue waiting game as no new locations of interest announced by Ministry of Health
Investigations are continuing into whether there are any locations of interest in Northland linked to an Auckland-based essential worker who tested positive for the virus. The lack of answers will be a frustrating blow to Northlanders…
Motorcyclist flown to hospital after serious crash in Central Hawke's Bay
A motorcyclist has been injured in a serious crash in Central Hawke’s Bay.Emergency services were called about 1.10pm on Friday to a crash site near Argyll Rd, Argyll, involving a man in his 20s.”Police received a report of a…
Dominic, born with organs outside his body, has never left hospital
For any parents, taking their first baby home from hospital is a milestone moment.
But Amanda Williams and Kyle Grayson are still waiting for that special day with their beloved baby Dominic, after more than a year.
He was born with some of his organs on the outside of his body and has never left Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick.
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However, the family hopes they will be able spend Christmas together at home on the NSW Central Coast.
"I honestly think I would cry on the way home," Ms Williams said.
"He hadn't actually gone outside and seen sunlight or cars until he was 11 months old."
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The family knew Dominic had a condition called giant omphalocele before he was born.
It is a rare birth defect which means his stomach, bowel and liver – and possibly some of his other organs – are all outside his body.
According to Boston Children's hospital in the US, cases as severe as Dominic's affects as few as one in 10,000 babies, while less complex forms are more common.
He was put into a special plastic bag, after being delivered by Caesarean.
"As soon as they got him out, they popped him into a plastic bag just in case the sack of his organs would rupture, so the bag could catch his organs, Ms Williams said.
"It was kind of a shock but we always handled it pretty well."
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The family expected him to stay in hospital for three months – but he is still there over a year later.
He was found to have multiple related issues, including conditions which affect his breathing.
He needs a special ventilator to keep him alive, and he's not well enough yet for surgeons to be able to operate to try and pop his organs inside.
The family had been told to prepare for the worst many times.
"By the time he was six months old we'd had to resuscitate him seven times," Ms Williams said.
"At least twice we were told he only had days to live."
However, Ms Williams said her son is a "cheeky little fighter" and always pulled through.
He love nothing better than strumming on his toy guitar, and was fascinated when he was recently able to go outside and see cars pass in the street.
"He saw his first car go past which was astonished by," she said.
"He's the happiest child."
The family is now putting plans in place to finally leave Randwick, with Ms Williams saying they'll basically have to set up a "hospital at home".
They are raising money for all the equipment they need, with medics saying Dominic could need around-the-clock care until he is around eight years old.
Ms Williams has been living at Ronald McDonald House, a special charity 'home from home' for families with sick children, while Mr Grayson visits at weekends.
"I haven't slept in my own bed for over year," she said.
"One of the best things is you're in there with other family members who are going through their own thing."
The family has even been able to enjoy special moments at the House, which is just steps from the hospital.
"The first time we were able to sit on a lounge together, and we put him on our bed," she said.
"Things people take for granted."
Now they're working to try and get things in place so they can make more family memories in their own home in Gwandalan, NSW.
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"We're really hoping for before Christmas." Ms Williams said.
A spokeswoman for Ronald McDonald House said the family is one of their longest residents.
"For a family like Amanda's being able to stay at Ronald McDonald House Randwick is both a financial and emotional relief," she said.
"We are always so happy and excited for a family when they get to go home, but sad at the same time."
You can find out ways to support Ronald McDonald house here.
Contact journalist Sarah Swain: Ss****@******om.au
Beloved mountain gorilla whose photobomb went viral dies
Ndakasi, a mountain gorilla whose image went viral when she photobombed her caretaker's selfie, has died at the age of 14.
She died on September 26 after a prolonged illness, according to a statement published Tuesday by the Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"It is with heartfelt sadness that Virunga announces the death of beloved orphaned mountain gorilla, Ndakasi, who had been under the care of the Park's Senkwekwe Center for more than a decade," the park said.
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"Ndakasi took her final breath in the loving arms of her caretaker and lifelong friend, Andre Bauma," it added.
The Senkekwe Center, located inside the park, is the only facility in the world that looks after orphaned mountain gorillas.
Bauma had looked after Ndakasi ever since rangers found her clinging to the body of her dead mother in 2007, when she was just two months old.
Too vulnerable to return to the wild, Ndakasi lived with other orphaned mountain gorillas until her death.
"It was a privilege to support and care for such a loving creature, especially knowing the trauma Ndakasi suffered at a very young age. It was Ndakasi's sweet nature and intelligence that helped me to understand the connection between humans and Great Apes and why we should do everything in our power to protect them," Bauma said in the statement.
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"I am proud to have called Ndakasi my friend. I loved her like a child and her cheerful personality brought a smile to my face every time I interacted with her. She will be missed by all of us at Virunga but we are forever grateful for the richness Ndakasi brought to our lives during her time at Senkwekwe."
Ndakasi featured in several TV shows and films, including a documentary named Virunga, but it was her photobomb in 2019 that brought her global fame.
In the image, Ndakasi is pictured alongside another female gorilla, named Ndeze. The pair appear to be naturals in front of the camera; one stands proudly in a power pose with her feet wide apart, while the other leans forward to make it into the shot alongside park ranger Mathieu Shamavu.
"Another day at the office…" Shamavu wrote alongside the image, which swiftly went viral after being shared on Facebook.
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When Ndakasi was born in 2007, mountain gorillas were critically endangered, according to the park.
Her mother was shot by armed militia as part of a series of massacres of gorilla families. These massacres led to institutional and security reforms at the park that "significantly strengthened the protection of Virunga's mountain gorillas," according to the statement.
More than 200 rangers have been killed in the park, Reuters reported in January.
"Over the course of her life, however, the species has grown by 47% — from 720 individuals in 2007 to an estimated 1,063 in 2021," the park said.
"The death of Ndakasi underscores the importance of protecting gorillas in their natural habitat, where they thrive and where their life expectancy is greatest," it added.
US submarine hits underwater object in South China Sea
A US nuclear-powered submarine struck an object underwater in the South China Sea on Saturday, according to two defence officials.
A number of sailors on board the USS Connecticut were injured in the accident, the officials said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, according to a statement from US Pacific Fleet. It's unclear what the Seawolf-class submarine may have hit while it was submerged.
"The submarine remains in a safe and stable condition. USS Connecticut's nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not affected and remain fully operational," the statement said. "The incident will be investigated." The US Navy did not specify the incident took place in the South China Sea, only that it occurred in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.
The accident happened as tensions between the US and China soared over the Chinese military's incursions into Taiwan's Air Defense Integration Zone (ADIZ).
The Connecticut was operating in the waters around the South China Sea as the US and its allies have been carrying out a major multinational show of force in the region, known as Carrier Strike Group 21. The ongoing exercise saw ships from the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands, including three aircraft carriers, training in and around the area.
On Saturday, 39 Chinese military aircraft, including fighter jets and transport aircraft, entered Taiwan's ADIZ, causing the Taiwanese air force to scramble jets and deploy air defense missiles to monitor the aircraft. Two days later, China sent 56 aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ within 24 hours, the highest number since the self-governed island began publicly releasing such numbers last year.
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"We are very concerned by the PRC's provocative military activity near Taiwan," US Secretary of State Tony Blinken told reporters at a news conference in Paris Wednesday when asked about the Chinese activity.
"As we said, the activity is destabilizing. It risks miscalculation and it has the potential to undermine regional peace and stability. So, we strongly urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure and coercion directed at Taiwan."
One of the world's largest aircrafts touches down in Adelaide
There was a treat for plane spotters at Adelaide Airport this morning as a gigantic Antonov aircraft touched down.
With a length and wingspan both well over 80 metres, the Russian-built cargo planes are among the largest ever made.
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They come into Adelaide typically about once a year, usually carrying large mining or military equipment.
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This aircraft landed at about 7.30 this morning.
It will refuel and take off again at about 8am tomorrow.