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- Oscar Pistorius trial - live 9 April
- Icac: Eddie Obeid denies he advocated for decision on AWH
- Nauru blocks UN human rights delegation from visiting island
- Cyclone Ita's destructive winds to hit north Queensland coast
- Islamabad hit by deadly blast
- Ukraine crisis: pro-Russia separatists release 56 people from seized building
- MH370 wreckage could be found in a matter of days as new 'pings' narrow search area - video
- Compromise suggested on changes to Racial Discrimination Act
- Indonesians cast votes in key election ahead of presidential contest
- Snowy Mountain painting sold for $3.7m 'thrown out by cleaners'
- We will transform David Jones, say South Africans after $2.15bn offer
- MH370 search area reduced after two more pings heard
- Jury finds burglar guilty of bashing sleeping baby to death
- Union inquiry wont assume unions should be abolished, says commissioner
- Australians fighting in Syria: how many have joined the conflict?
- George Bush's paintings bear uncanny resemblance ... to Google images
- Sophie Collombet case: man charged with rape and murder
- Bill Shorten faces more calls for party reform after poor WA election result
- Maules Creek mine - in pictures
- Tony Abbott steps into North Korean territory at 'tensest border on earth'
- Australian Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice announces retirement
- High-speed rail from Melbourne to Brisbane could be completed by 2025
- David Jones shares jump after South African retailer's $2.1bn offer endorsed
- US marine guard shoots another dead at North Carolina base
| Oscar Pistorius trial - live 9 April Posted: 09 Apr 2014 01:27 AM PDT The Paralympian is set to take the stand for a third day after he broke down in tears yesterday Prosecution is expected to begin cross-questioning Pistorius as defence winds up 'Before I knew it I had fired four shots at the door'
It's worth rereading this piece by David Smith in which he lays out the key questions Pistorius must answer, particularly when the prosecution takes over. It includes the question as to whether he was wearing his prosthetic limbs when he broke the door down.
Roux asks Pistorius to demonstrate how he kicked the door and then hit it with a cricket bat. The BBC's Pumza Fihlani says the defence will challenge the timing of the bat striking the door. #Pistorius says the 3 sounds witnesses heard at 3:17 was the cricket bat hitting the door. Nel will challenge that.
Barry Roux, the defence lawyer, asks Pistorius about hitting the bathroom door with the cricket bat. Roux: What were the three sounds at 3.17am? #Pistorius: "The cricket bat hitting the door."
Pistorius says he sat in the pantry against the washing machine. He couldn't look at Steenkamp around the corner because each time he got sick. He was told to go to the garage where the police photographer asked him to take his clothes off. He spent several hours there. A policeman subsequently told him he was under arrest. He was told to keep his head down as there was a lot of media.
The BBC's Andrew Harding makes this point Emotional as his testimony may be, #OscarPistorius ticks of a series of important points that the defence clearly wants/needs him to make.
"Reeva had already died while I was holding her, before the ambulance arrived so I knew there was nothing more I cd do for her," Pistorius tells the court in a tremulous voice. There are long pauses as he struggles for composure.
Roux asks about plastic bags on the scene. #Pistorius explains that the were to use them to stop the bleeding.
He tried to pick Steenkamp but couldn't. He called the emergency services. He also called some neighbours, the Standers. "I was shouting and screaming for him to help me get her to hospital." Pistorius tried to stop the bleeding from Steenkamp's hip, applying pressure with his hand.
The session has begun. Pistorius describes entering the toilet and kneeling down over Steenkamp. #Pistorius: I put her weight over my shoulder. "I had her head over my left shoulder... blood was running down..."
Yesterday was the most wrenching moment of the trial yet as Pistorius described the moments leading up to the shooting of Steenkamp. Half sobbing, half speaking, he said he grabbed the pistol he kept under the bed after hearing the sound of a window sliding in the bathroom. He said he went to the bathroom, all the while screaming for Steenkamp to call the police. You can read David Smith's vivid account of the truncated but highly emotional session here. He raises a key point in his piece. Many observers following his testimony on Tuesday also questioned why Steenkamp would not have called back to him when he was shouting. One of the police investigators in the prosecution case told the Guardian there are "lots of holes" in his story, adding: "He should come clean. He will feel better for it." Continue reading...      |
| Icac: Eddie Obeid denies he advocated for decision on AWH Posted: 09 Apr 2014 01:20 AM PDT The decision should be decided on its merit, Obeid says he told then NSW premier Kristina Keneally Former Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid has told a corruption inquiry he rang then New South Wales premier Kristina Keneally about a water company his son worked for and which could have made the family millions to make sure she made a decision based on merit. The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating Australian Water Holdings (AWH) and its efforts to enter a private-public partnership (PPP) which, the inquiry has heard, would have made the Obeid family tens of millions of dollars and Arthur Sinodinos up to $20m. Continue reading...      |
| Nauru blocks UN human rights delegation from visiting island Posted: 09 Apr 2014 01:10 AM PDT The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention was prevented from inspecting Australia's offshore detention centre The government of Nauru has blocked a UN human rights delegation from visiting the country, making it the second time in a month that UN officials have been prevented from visiting Australias controversial offshore processing centres for asylum seekers. Members of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had announced they planned to visit Nauru last month, but delegates said on Monday the visit had been blocked by the government. Continue reading... |
| Cyclone Ita's destructive winds to hit north Queensland coast Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:59 AM PDT The storm poses a significant threat to communities between Cape Grenville and the Lockhart river Gales up to 240km/h are expected to lash far north Queensland when the strongest cyclone since Yasi crosses the coast on Friday. Cyclone Ita is due to intensify into a category four storm early on Thursday morning and cross the coast north of Cooktown on Friday night. Continue reading...      |
| Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:51 AM PDT Bomb rips through fruit and vegetable market on outskirts of Pakistani capital of Islamabad, killing at least 18 and injuring dozens A bomb has ripped through a fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, killing at least 18 people and leaving dozens more wounded. The massive blast on Wednesday was the latest attack to shake Pakistan, even as government negotiations with the Taliban pick up pace in an attempt by the authorities to resolve years of deadly fighting that has killed thousands of people in the north-west of the country. Continue reading...      |
| Ukraine crisis: pro-Russia separatists release 56 people from seized building Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:40 AM PDT Pro-Russia groups occupygovernment offices in eastern Ukraine city of Luhansk as Kiev accuses Moscow of fomenting unrest Ukraine's security service has said that 56 people held inside a local headquarters in the eastern city of Luhansk occupied by pro-Russian separatists have been allowed to leave the premises. The Luhansk security services building was among several government offices seized by pro-Moscow groups on Sunday in an escalation of protests against the interim government in power since President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February. Continue reading...      |
| MH370 wreckage could be found in a matter of days as new 'pings' narrow search area - video Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:36 AM PDT Search co-ordinators for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are optimistic after two further 'pings' consistent with those of a plane's black box flight recorder were detected on Tuesday. Angus Houston, who leads the search efforts from Perth, says there will be no confirmation of a link to MH370 until wreckage is found which he hopes will be in a matter of days Continue reading...       |
| Compromise suggested on changes to Racial Discrimination Act Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:35 AM PDT The Abbott government should make the protections against hate speech meaningful, says Human Rights Commission chief The Abbott government can salvage its divisive proposal to overhaul the Racial Discrimination Act with a compromise that would see it stick with its favoured wording, but make the protections against hate speech actually meaningful, according to the president of the Human Rights Commission. Gillian Triggs used an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday to press the government to find some constructive middle ground in the so-called freedom wars by amending its RDA proposal before bringing it to parliament. Continue reading...      |
| Indonesians cast votes in key election ahead of presidential contest Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:35 AM PDT With Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono barred from running for a third term, attention has turned to opposition candidate, Joko Widodo Indonesians headed to polling booths across more than 900 islands on Wednesday in a parliamentary election seen as a key pointer for the presidential contest in July. The results of Wednesdays vote will play a crucial role in determining which parties reach the electoral threshold required to nominate a presidential candidate. Continue reading...      |
| Snowy Mountain painting sold for $3.7m 'thrown out by cleaners' Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:33 AM PDT The artwork was reported missing this week by auctioneers in Hong Kong and the finger was pointed at cleaning staff A painting auctioned for HK$28.8M ($3.7 million) two days ago has gone missing, with media reports suggesting cleaners may have inadvertently thrown out the artwork. The 2012 painting Snowy Mountain, by Chinese artist Cui Ruzhuo, was reported missing by auctioneers Poly Auction on Tuesday afternoon after the auction on Monday, police said. Continue reading...      |
| We will transform David Jones, say South Africans after $2.15bn offer Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:20 AM PDT Buyer says it can triple the department store's profits after board accepts surprise $4 a share takeover bid South African retailer Woolworths believes it can dramatically turn around David Jones within five years, after launching a $2.15bn takeover bid for the department store business. The company, which is unrelated to its Australian namesake, believes it can almost triple David Jones' profitability, adding more than $130m to its bottom line per year by 2019.       |
| MH370 search area reduced after two more pings heard Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:16 AM PDT Australian official says since Ocean Shield vessel has reacquired signal he is 'optimistic' plane will be found soon The search area for the missing Malaysia airlines flight MH370 has been drastically reduced after two further detections of pings consistent with those of a black box from a plane late on Tuesday. The head of Australias Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre, Angus Houston, said on Wednesday the Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield had detected two further pings on Tuesday one in the afternoon and one in the late evening that had allowed the search area to be further refined to 75,000 sq km. He said he was optimistic the plane would be found soon. Continue reading...      |
| Jury finds burglar guilty of bashing sleeping baby to death Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:06 AM PDT Twenty-year-old thief turned off baby monitor and killed boy during a robbery spree in Bendigo A Victorian man has been found guilty of murdering a sleeping 10-month-old boy as he robbed the boy's house. A Victorian supreme court jury on Wednesday found Harley Hicks, 20, of North Bendigo, guilty of murder, aggravated burglary and two counts of theft amid a robbery spree in the Bendigo suburb of Long Gully early on 15 June 2012. Continue reading...      |
| Union inquiry wont assume unions should be abolished, says commissioner Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:01 AM PDT The terms of reference rest on certain assumptions which are not hostile to trade unions, said Dyson Heydon, opening the inquiry Former high court judge Dyson Heydon opened the royal commission into trade union governance and corruption in Sydney on Wednesday, saying it would look at how lawfully the organisations are governed and that there was no underlying assumption that unions should be abolished. Unions have labelled the inquiry a politically motivated witch-hunt. Continue reading...      |
| Australians fighting in Syria: how many have joined the conflict? Posted: 08 Apr 2014 11:44 PM PDT Does George Brandis' claim that, per capita, Australia is one of the largest sources of foreign fighters in Syria stack up? While the prime minister, Tony Abbott, toured Asia on Tuesday spruiking Australian wheat, wine and cheese, the attorney general, George Brandis, was in Washington DC reporting a grimmer national export. I am sorry to have to tell you that per capita, Australia is one of the largest sources of foreign war fighters to the Syrian conflict from countries outside the region, he told the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Continue reading...      |
| George Bush's paintings bear uncanny resemblance ... to Google images Posted: 08 Apr 2014 10:39 PM PDT Art critics point out that 30 portraits of world leaders appear to have been based on photos thrown up by search engine Not only has George Bush stunned the art world with his ability with a paint brush, it now appears the former US president is also a dab hand using internet search engines. Art critics have pointed out that Bushs 30 oil paintings of world leaders appear to be have been based upon casual searches of Google Images. Continue reading...      |
| Sophie Collombet case: man charged with rape and murder Posted: 08 Apr 2014 10:30 PM PDT Suspect's mother lays flowers where French student's body was found, telling media she is 'heartbroken' A man has been charged with the murder and rape of French student Sophie Louise Collombet. The 21-year-old Griffith University business student was on her way home after a night class when she was attacked in south Brisbane on 27 March. Continue reading...      |
| Bill Shorten faces more calls for party reform after poor WA election result Posted: 08 Apr 2014 10:15 PM PDT Simon Crean joins chorus of Labor elders pushing for direct member election of senators and state upper house candidates Bill Shorten is under increasing pressure to lead the push for more ambitious reform of the ALP with a former Labor leader saying the big question inside the party is whether Shorten is prepared to take a stronger stand. As Labor reeled from its disastrous showing in the WA senate election rerun, the opposition leader was preparing to deliver a speech on Monday in which he called for an end to the rule requiring party members in some branches to join a union as the start of Labor reforms. Continue reading...      |
| Maules Creek mine - in pictures Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:48 PM PDT A new $767m coal mine near Boggabri in New South Wales is underway despite protests from environmentalists and the local Aboriginal community, who say it will destroy forest and sacred Aboriginal cultural and burial sites Continue reading...       |
| Tony Abbott steps into North Korean territory at 'tensest border on earth' Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:25 PM PDT PM takes tough talk on Pyongyang to next level with visit to demilitarised zone dividing the two Koreas Tony Abbott has visited the "tensest border on earth", stepping into North Korean territory and encountering soldiers from the rogue state. Australia's prime minister on Wednesday took his tough talk on Pyongyang to the next level, inspecting first-hand the demilitarised zone dividing the two Koreas. Continue reading...      |
| Australian Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice announces retirement Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:08 PM PDT Triple gold medallist, who struggled with injuries and an unsuccessful 2012 Games, announces end of swimming career Triple Olympic champion Stephanie Rice has officially announced her retirement from competitive swimming. The 25-year-old Beijing gold medallist confirmed the news via a video posted on her website on Wednesday. Continue reading...      |
| High-speed rail from Melbourne to Brisbane could be completed by 2025 Posted: 08 Apr 2014 07:59 PM PDT Two-year study says 1,799km rail system could be built for $84bn, $30bn less than previous estimates A high-speed rail network stretching from Melbourne to Brisbane could be completed by 2025, costing $30bn less than previous government estimates, a new study has found. The two-year analysis, compiled by climate change think tank Beyond Zero Emissions, found that a 1,799km high-speed rail system could be built between Melbourne and Brisbane, via Canberra and Sydney, within 11 years at a cost of $84bn. Continue reading...      |
| David Jones shares jump after South African retailer's $2.1bn offer endorsed Posted: 08 Apr 2014 07:40 PM PDT Department store's board says $4 a share offer from South African retailer Woolworths represents a 'significant premium' Shares in David Jones have jumped 25% after the department store's board endorsed a $2.15bn takeover offer from South African retailer Woolworths. David Jones shares climbed 80 cents to $3.99 when they began trading at 11.00am. Continue reading...      |
| US marine guard shoots another dead at North Carolina base Posted: 08 Apr 2014 07:35 PM PDT Incident at Camp Lejeune follows deaths of four personnel including the shooter at Fort Hood base in Texas A marine has shot and killed another serviceman as they stood guard at the main gate of a Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in the second fatal shooting on a US military base within two weeks.       |
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