PNG declares polio virus outbreak
On the program this week:
The World Health Organization has declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea after two children were detected with the virus.
Legal aid groups in Timor Leste are calling for the country's president to reject a proposal to pardon an American, a former priest who's been convicted of abusing young children.
Women leaders and politicians are calling for change to deal with the epidemic of domestic violence in the Pacific.
There are concerns that arms are being stockpiled in New Caledonia as concerns over civil unrest grow.
The victim of a horrific bashing in Vanuatu says he was shocked, confused and re-traumatised by the Vanuatu President's decision to reduce his attackers' sentences.
There's an increase in kava smuggling into remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory since the Federal Government lifted import restrictions.
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ABC News
15 hours ago
- ABC News
Tabarak Al Jrood
Thousands of Muslims across Perth and Western Australia are coming together to celebrate the start of one of the biggest holidays on the Islamic calendar. 1h ago 1 hours ago Sat 7 Jun 2025 at 12:11am While younger Australians are tuning out of politics, researchers say people aged in their 30s to early 40s are the most disengaged group. Mon 28 Apr Mon 28 Apr Mon 28 Apr 2025 at 4:17am As the WA election draws promises to address the housing crisis, in one part of Perth where suburbs are bursting at the seams and homelessness is rising, services are pleading for urgent help. Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar 2025 at 2:46am Children exposed to domestic violence are often the forgotten victims of the crime, but a new study aims to uncover their hidden voices. Tue 25 Feb Tue 25 Feb Tue 25 Feb 2025 at 9:13pm A senior academic says the university is relying on manual processes as services are slowed down in the attack, while semester one begins. Wed 19 Feb Wed 19 Feb Wed 19 Feb 2025 at 9:10am Perth's housing crisis is so dire, Kerry Mitchell-Bathgate is using her son's hospital room as a makeshift bedsit while she struggles to find a roof to put over her head. Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar 2025 at 2:43am As new heat records are set in southern parts of the state, the damage from Tropical Cyclone Sean is revealed further north, including a sinkhole. Wed 22 Jan Wed 22 Jan Wed 22 Jan 2025 at 5:06am The bodies of a pilot and two foreign tourists have been recovered after a seaplane crash off Rottnest Island, WA authorities say. Wed 8 Jan Wed 8 Jan Wed 8 Jan 2025 at 5:32am A $1.5 million package to revive the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Cottesloe has been announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, but organisers say there's not enough time to save next year's event. Fri 6 Dec Fri 6 Dec Fri 6 Dec 2024 at 6:58am The family of a mother allegedly murdered by her son in Geraldton say she repeatedly asked for help but was ultimately failed by the system. Thu 5 Dec Thu 5 Dec Thu 5 Dec 2024 at 8:23am Basil Zempilas says he "expects" Libby Mettam to lead the WA Liberals to the March state election following a Tuesday party room meeting in which she survived a leadership challenge. Tue 26 Nov Tue 26 Nov Tue 26 Nov 2024 at 8:16am Passengers are met with bizarre scenes as a television personality wrangles a snake onboard a plane in Western Australia's north. Thu 21 Nov Thu 21 Nov Thu 21 Nov 2024 at 7:21pm A court hears paramedic Shane John Toovey was aware Lynn Cannon's husband had stabbed her, and was still inside his Perth home, but he went inside anyway to try and save her life. Wed 13 Nov Wed 13 Nov Wed 13 Nov 2024 at 12:25pm An emergency services dispatcher downgraded the urgency of a welfare check on a Perth woman the night she was murdered because he didn't think there was an imminent threat to her life, an inquest into her death hears. Tue 12 Nov Tue 12 Nov Tue 12 Nov 2024 at 9:30am An inquest into the murder of Perth woman Lynn Cannon by her former partner is examining the actions of WA police on the night she died, and whether there was a missed opportunity to save her life. Mon 11 Nov Mon 11 Nov Mon 11 Nov 2024 at 10:34am While some places have seen record winter rainfall, another sets a new all-time state and national temperature record for the coldest season. Thu 5 Sep Thu 5 Sep Thu 5 Sep 2024 at 8:17am A seven-year-old who was allegedly smothered, choked and sexually assaulted by a man who broke into her home in the Perth suburb of Ellenbrook, told police she was not sure if it was a "nightmare or real". Tue 3 Sep Tue 3 Sep Tue 3 Sep 2024 at 8:01am A man who was part of an operation to import half a tonne of cocaine into WA is sentenced to 22 years in prison. Sat 24 Aug Sat 24 Aug Sat 24 Aug 2024 at 2:02am When Ebony Jones received a phone call from the daughter of a friend saying her father was bashing her mum, she got straight in her car and went to help protect them. Tue 13 Aug Tue 13 Aug Tue 13 Aug 2024 at 9:22pm In light of a potentially escalating war between Lebanon and Israel, Australians in Lebanon are asked to leave and others are told to avoid travel. But many won't be deterred. Thu 1 Aug Thu 1 Aug Thu 1 Aug 2024 at 11:58pm Betty Bunning, who painted under the name Elizabeth Blair Barber, was a prolific WA artist whose brilliance was largely overlooked at the time — and it's led to a search for answers about eight mystery portraits. 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News.com.au
18 hours ago
- News.com.au
Moment husband allegedly tries to kill wife, himself in deliberate head-on car crash
A chilling video captured the moment a US man allegedly tried to kill his wife and himself by crashing head-on into another car, according to authorities and footage. Dashcam footage from a passer-by driver showed one car, occupied by Andersen Singleton and his wife, slamming into a car with another driver and passenger — causing a loud crash sound, according to the clip obtained by North Carolina TV station, CBS 17. The head-on car collision occurred at 6.55am local time on Saturday, the Raleigh Police Department said, per the outlet. Passengers in both cars suffered severe but not life-threatening injuries, while Singleton and the other driver made it out without being seriously scathed. The two men in the other car were Candido Montero Valdiviezo and Nelson Perez Lopez of Selma, in Alabama. Passerby Jorge Bravo, who captured the dashcam footage, had rushed to help the injured group of people, the outlet reported. Singleton, 33, from North Carolina, allegedly told Bravo the crash was not an accident, but an attempt to kill himself and his wife. 'He was like, 'Oh, that's not an accident. I was trying to kill my wife and myself. We were fighting each other. We're trying to kill each other.' We're definitely on the psych ward,' Bravo told CBS 17. 'And I thought that was a very interesting thing for him to just kind of blurt out nervous and he was just, like, confessing all this,' he said. After Singleton allegedly made the chilling remarks, Bravo noticed his wife beside him. 'I noticed the passenger side, a woman on the black sedan kind of just falls out of the passenger door and just kind of just lays there,' Bravo said. A paramedic drove by and was able to help the wounded before other medics arrived, according to Bravo. Singleton faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, causing serious injuries, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, careless and reckless driving, and driving left of centre, records indicate. He also faces domestic violence assault, stalking, and making threats charges, and was told during a Monday arraignment to stay away from his wife, the outlet reported. Singleton was denied bond at his arraignment.
SBS Australia
19 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Bronté escaped a life confined to the home, only to face a 'chasm' on the other side
Women who have experienced domestic violence are often at a disadvantage when it comes to their finances. Source: Getty, iStockphoto / Primipil The Humans of Purpose Academy provides training in digital tech skills for domestic violence survivors. It aims to empower women to upskill and help them become more financially secure. At the same time, changes to the Family Law Act recognise the financial impact of domestic violence on women affected by it. This article contains references to domestic violence. Bronté got married before her 18th birthday and was expected to stay home to take care of the house and family. She felt controlled by her husband, who she said "believed a woman's place is in the house, taking care of the children and maintaining the house". Bronté (not her real name) told SBS News she was not permitted to work or make financial decisions for her family. So when she left her husband after seven years of marriage, she was not in a good financial position. Findings in a report by Australian researchers released in February highlighted employment and education gaps between the general population of women and those who have experienced domestic violence. It noted how these gaps contributed to a "large financial chasm", with victim-survivors having reported financial problems at higher rates than other women. Earlier this month Bronté celebrated a year in a job in digital marketing, something she said she could never have imagined herself doing a couple of years ago. But it was not a simple road to get there. Bronté said she had thought about leaving her husband many times but she had been fearful about how she would get by financially, as he was the family breadwinner and she had not been allowed any role in organising the family's finances. "The fear of: 'I don't have any extra income, how am I going to manage the finances, all of the bills?' I never really had experience with that." After years of being controlled and abused, she took her two children and they escaped the situation. While Bronté may have finally felt safe, she faced many challenges in trying to set up a new life. She said it was not only her finances that were lacking, she also did not have a great deal of confidence and no real experience to put on a resume. "There had been a lot of mental and emotional abuse, nothing I ever did was good enough, lots of name-calling, my self-esteem had plummeted massively," Bronté said. "I found myself stuck in a trauma fog," she said. By the time she reached a point where she felt she had the capacity to look for work, she had a work gap of more than a decade. "I think I spent a year-and-a-half straight applying for jobs that were within my capabilities, without luck," Bronté said. The Cost of Domestic Violence to Women's Employment and Education report, by researchers from the University of Technology Sydney and the Australian National University, found victim-survivors reported financial problems at much higher rates than other women. In 2021 43.9 per cent of women who experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner in the past five years had cash flow issues compared to 7.2 per cent of women who have never experienced partner violence. Financial hardship was also an issue for 31.4 per cent of women who experienced partner emotional abuse and 37.7 per cent of women who experienced partner economic abuse. It was a referral to do job skills training with a not-for-profit that finally gave Bronté a stepping stone to a career and the many extra benefits she said come with that. Melanie Globo started the Humans of Purpose Academy in 2023, offering free online training in digital technologies. The virtual hub not only provides digital skills training for survivors of domestic and family violence but connects women to career mentoring and personal development coaching. A total of 64 women have completed skills training through the academy and 22 of those have done six-month work placements following that training, either with Globo's own company or other businesses affiliated with the academy. Globo's digital marketing agency has 15 staff members, 13 of who are domestic violence survivors who have gone through the academy's training pipeline. "It's an aspirational model but it's working for us, we want these women to have highly skilled and highly paid careers," she said. "It's about lifting our gaze and looking beyond what can help them day to day, this is about creating careers they thrive in and long-term financial independence. "What we also see as a part of this retraining is a huge uplift in their self-esteem and self-confidence as well." Globo said there was "huge potential for upskilling and training particularly around digital skills and platforms." "AI is poised to significantly transform the global labour market over the next decade and by equipping women with these skills we can accelerate them towards well paid careers," she said. Globo noted that one of the benefits of the tech industry was the ability to have flexibility and remote work options, as "women who have fled an abusive partner and often face multiple and complex challenges to attending a physical workplace". She said one of these challenges was sometimes ongoing court proceedings. Globo welcomed changes to the Family Law Act from 10 June that better acknowledge the use and impact of financial abuse as part of domestic violence. The changes will mean the economic effect of family violence are considered, where relevant, when decisions about property and finances after separation are to be made. According to the attorney-general's department, the amendments also make clear that economic or financial abuse may constitute family violence. "This might include where a person has controlled all of the finances or spending," a fact sheet from the department reads. "The impact of family violence could be relevant when assessing a party's contributions to the property pool and to the welfare of the family (for example, if they were not allowed to work), and when assessing their current and future circumstances." Law Council of Australia president Juliana Warner said the council supported the changes. "It is critical that victim-survivors of family violence can readily understand how, and when, family violence considerations may be raised, and how these may be relevant during proceedings, including in respect of the division of property," Warner said. "Numerous inquiries into the family law system in Australia have referenced evidence that people affected by family violence may struggle to achieve a fair division of property and suffer long-term financial disadvantage. "The Law Council strongly supports measures that seek to eradicate family violence in society, and that strengthen the capacity of our family law system to recognise the harmful, and often long-term impacts, of family violence on victim survivors". However, Warner said the council was concerned that appropriate investment in resources to support the changes had not been made. "The profession holds considerable 'floodgates' concerns about the effect the changes will have on the costs of litigation, the availability of experts and the resources of the courts applying the Family Law Act because of the high prevalence of family violence in society, and the proportion of matters where family violence is reported," she said. She said cases that include consideration of financial and property matters were typically more expensive, harder to resolve, took longer to get to trial and extended the duration of trials. "Therefore, they must be accompanied by appropriate, ongoing resourcing and funding, not only of the courts, but also the legal assistance sector, and programs such as the Family Violence and Cross-Examination of Parties Scheme," she said. "Litigants' costs will increase at each stage of litigation, both in preparation of material and in trial costs, including a need for increased numbers of expert witnesses, including medical professionals and psychologists. "These costs may further disadvantage the victim-survivor of family violence, who is more often than not in a financially weaker position than the perpetrator." A spokesperson for the attorney-general's department said the department would "monitor any impacts of the reforms on the family law system after they commence," and there would be a statutory review of the amendments three years after they start. The spokesperson also pointed to the $3.9 billion of funding across the next five years for legal assistance providers under the National Access to Justice Partnership 2025-2030 under which family law and people experiencing family violence are a priority area. According to Humans of Purpose, women who have undergone six months of training and a paid employment placement are being paid on average $600 more a fortnight than they were before their training. Bronté, who is now a mother of three, works part-time, so still gets some financial support. "But it is nice to be starting to shift away from government support, it's more financially freeing," she said. Bronté said her aim was to eventually work full-time, earn more money and no longer have to rely on Centrelink at all. She said her increased financial stability brought her increased peace of mind and a sense of security for her future. "That independence is now something that I crave and love, it gives me the chance to be my own person and not an extension of someone else." If you or someone you know is impacted by domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or Lifeline – 13 11 14.
