Tag Archives: oceania

Man released without charge after woman fell to her death in Sydney

A man has been released without charge after a woman fell to her death from a seven-story apartment yesterday.

The man was arrested after the woman fell to her death from a Parramatta apartment complex in the early hours of Thursday morning.

He was questioned by an interpreter and released without charges today.

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Police received a triple-zero call from the Parramatta address two hours before the woman's fatal fall.

Detective Superintendent Barry Vincent said the initial triple-zero call was made at about 11.45pm on Wednesday but there was no communication from the caller, although "raised voices" were reported.

Triple zero attempted to return the call twice but did not make contact.

NSW Police called the same number at 11.47pm and spoke to a man who confirmed his name and address, Vincent said, and police told him they would attend the premises but did not give a time.

Police were attending other calls for assistance en route to the address when they received a call from somebody standing in the street on River Road in Parramatta who said they saw a woman hanging from the seventh-floor balcony of a high-rise unit block.

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That call took place at about 1.40am on Thursday and Vincent said police were on the scene by 1.41am, where they discovered a woman in the driveway of the unit block with critical injuries.

Witnesses said the man ran out to help the woman immediately after the fall and also reported hearing arguing before the woman fell. 

She was unable to be revived and died at the scene.

The woman, believed to be aged 39, is yet to be formally identified.

Police confirmed they had arrested a 40-year-old man they allege had been the woman's partner.

He has since been released from custody and no charges have been laid.

Vincent said police had confirmed the man they spoke to on the phone was the same man they had arrested.

The residence the woman had fallen from was his, while she was believed to reside elsewhere.

Vincent said police had previous interactions with the pair, though he did not know if they were in a current relationship.

He said the man had an AVO in place for his protection, but pending identification of the 39-year-old woman, it could not be confirmed if the same AVO involved her.

Anybody with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Massive ‘space object’ fragment crashes into remote village in Kenya

A huge red-hot object fell from the sky into a Kenyan village on Monday afternoon according to local residents cited by Kenya's National Broadcaster, prompting an immediate investigation by the country's national space agency.

The object has since been identified as a "fragment of a space object," Kenya's Space Agency (KSA) said in a statement Wednesday.

KSA said it has taken custody of the object that landed in the remote Mukuku Village, describing it as apparent space junk measuring 2.5 metres wide and weighing 500kg.

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"The Agency wishes to clarify that the object, a metallic ring measuring approximately 2.5 metres in diameter and weighing about 500kg is a fragment of a space object," KSA said.

Preliminary assessments suggest it is a separation ring from a rocket, KSA said, noting that space debris more typically falls into the ocean or burns up before entering the earth's atmosphere.

The fallen object is likely an isolated case and is still under investigation, KSA also said.

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Julius Rotich, Mbooni Sub County Police Commander, told Kenya's National Broadcaster that the object was still hot when officers arrived on Monday, and that residents had to be cordoned off from the area until it cooled down.

The broadcaster showed images of police tape wrapped around the ring that had fallen into some trees and brush, as residents gathered around.

KSA is analysing the object and working to confirm where exactly it came from, it said.

Apple to pay $153m to settle lawsuit accusing Siri of eavesdropping

Apple has agreed to pay $US95 million ($152.9 million) to settle a lawsuit accusing the privacy-minded company of deploying its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on people using its iPhone and other trendy devices.

The proposed settlement filed on Tuesday in an Oakland, California, federal court would resolve a five-year-old lawsuit revolving around allegations that Apple surreptitiously activated Siri to record conversations through iPhones and other devices equipped with the virtual assistant for more than a decade.

The alleged recordings occurred even when people didn't seek to activate the virtual assistant with the trigger words, "Hey, Siri."

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FILE - Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, speaks about Siri during an announcement of new products at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif., June 4, 2018.  (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Some of the recorded conversations were then shared with advertisers in an attempt to sell their products to consumers more likely to be interested in the goods and services, the lawsuit asserted.

The allegations about a snoopy Siri contradicted Apple's long-running commitment to protect the privacy of its customers — a crusade that CEO Tim Cook has often framed as a fight to preserve "a fundamental human right".

Apple isn't acknowledging any wrongdoing in the settlement, which still must be approved by US District Judge Jeffrey White.

Lawyers in the case have proposed scheduling a February 14 court hearing in Oakland to review the terms.

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Person holding Apple phone uses the 'Hey Siri' command

If the settlement is approved, tens of millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices from September 17, 2014, through the end of last year could file claims.

Each consumer could receive up to $US20 ($32) per Siri-equipped device covered by the settlement, although the payment could be reduced or increased, depending on the volume of claims.

Only 3 to 5 per cent of eligible consumers are expected to file claims, according to estimates in court documents.

Eligible consumers will be limited to seeking compensation on a maximum of five devices.

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The settlement represents a sliver of the $US705 billion ($1 trillion) in profits that Apple has pocketed since September 2014.

It's also a fraction of the roughly $US1.5 billion ($2.4 billion) that the lawyers representing consumers had estimated Apple could been required to pay if the company had been found guilty of violating wiretapping and other privacy laws had the case gone to a trial.

The attorneys who filed the lawsuit may seek up to $US29.6 million ($47.6 million) from the settlement fund to cover their fees and other expenses, according to court documents.

Boomers overtaken on housing wealth ladder

They might remain the country's wealthiest generation, but Baby Boomers no longer own the most valuable property in Australia, nor have the most in shares.

A new analysis by KPMG released this morning has found that while the oldest generation once had the most property holdings, they've now been passed by Generation X as housing is both sold off by Boomers and inherited by their children.

"Baby Boomers have historically been the largest holders of housing assets, but as this cohort ages into retirement they are beginning to sell down their property portfolios", KPMG urban economist Terry Rawnsley said.

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Two old people walk down the street in Brisbane

But while Gen X's share of property holdings is increasing, KPMG's findings laid bare the difference in homeownership between younger and older Australians.

Generation X has, on average, $1.31 million in housing wealth, followed closely by Baby Boomers at $1.30 million.

Millennials, by comparison, have $750,000 on average despite many of them being in their mid to high 30s – older than the age of an average first-home buyer in previous generations.

Gen Z has by far the lowest average housing holdings, at just $69,000.

"While the starter's gun has been fired on the great wealth transfer, our findings still demonstrate a clear disparity in housing wealth between older and younger generations," Rawnsley said.

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housing in the outer Sydney suburb of Austral

There's a similar picture when it comes to shares, with Gen X and Baby Boomers ($256,000 and $206,000 respectively) well ahead of their Millennial and Gen Z counterparts ($51,000 and $7000 respectively).

In terms of cash and deposits, Boomers have comfortably the most with $242,000, helping them to the highest net wealth of all the generations at $2.31 million, well ahead of Gen X ($1.88 million), Millennials ($757,000) and Gen Z ($96,000).

"These net worth figures highlight the wealth accumulation lifecycle, where older generations have had more time to build assets and pay down debt," Rawnsley said.

While the oldest generation also has the most in "other" assets, which include superannuation and business holdings, KMPG found there was something of a silver lining there for younger Australians.

"There is some good news for younger generations in the superannuation asset class as they are coming off a far higher base than their parents," Rawnsley said. T

"This means the wealth they will eventually accumulate from super will be far higher than older generations."

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Victim of SA shark attack identified as beloved 28-year-old

The victim of a suspected fatal shark attack in South Australia has been identified as 28-year-old Port Lincoln man Lance Appleby.

The search for the 28-year-old's body is continuing off an Eyre Peninsula beach today.

Just before 7pm last night, Appleby was surfing near Granites Beach, south of Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, when witnesses say a shark attacked him.

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The victim of a shark attack off an Eyre Peninsula beach has been identified as Port Lincoln man Lance Appleby.The search for the body of a shark attack victim will continue off a South Australian beach today.

A jetskier retrieved his surfboard as the authorities were called. 

Local Jeff Schumucker told 9News that Appleby was a beloved member of the community and had been visiting his family for Christmas.

He also described the moment locals witnessed the attack.

"There were people in the carpark that saw him catch the wave, he rode it right to the end and flicked out, then proceeded to paddle back and he was taken not long after he flicked off the wave," Schumucker said.

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Police and the SES initiated a search along with local volunteers, but the man's body could not be found.

An air, land, and water search is continuing today.

The beach remains closed to the public.

Any witnesses are asked to provide their details to local police, or to contact 131 444.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

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