'Someone setting people on fire' in US terror attack
Several people are injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor shopping mall in the US city of Boulder in Colorado.
Police said a man was taken into custody on Sunday with the FBI describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack".
Information on the attack, which occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary", Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said.
The man was apprehended following calls to police about someone with a weapon who was "setting people on fire", he said.
"That's consistent with the injuries we found on the scene. There's a lot of witnesses we're interviewing."
The victims' injuries range from serious to minor.
While FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," Redfearn stressed it was too soon to speculate about a motive.
"We are not calling it a terror attack at this moment," Redfearn said.
"This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said.
The attack took place at a pedestrian mall that's popular with tourists and college students and occurred as law enforcement authorities in the US grapple with a spike in anti-Semitic violence.
Last week, a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers and shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being led away by police.
Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable".
with reuters
Several people are injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor shopping mall in the US city of Boulder in Colorado.
Police said a man was taken into custody on Sunday with the FBI describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack".
Information on the attack, which occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary", Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said.
The man was apprehended following calls to police about someone with a weapon who was "setting people on fire", he said.
"That's consistent with the injuries we found on the scene. There's a lot of witnesses we're interviewing."
The victims' injuries range from serious to minor.
While FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," Redfearn stressed it was too soon to speculate about a motive.
"We are not calling it a terror attack at this moment," Redfearn said.
"This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said.
The attack took place at a pedestrian mall that's popular with tourists and college students and occurred as law enforcement authorities in the US grapple with a spike in anti-Semitic violence.
Last week, a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers and shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being led away by police.
Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable".
with reuters
Several people are injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor shopping mall in the US city of Boulder in Colorado.
Police said a man was taken into custody on Sunday with the FBI describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack".
Information on the attack, which occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary", Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said.
The man was apprehended following calls to police about someone with a weapon who was "setting people on fire", he said.
"That's consistent with the injuries we found on the scene. There's a lot of witnesses we're interviewing."
The victims' injuries range from serious to minor.
While FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," Redfearn stressed it was too soon to speculate about a motive.
"We are not calling it a terror attack at this moment," Redfearn said.
"This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said.
The attack took place at a pedestrian mall that's popular with tourists and college students and occurred as law enforcement authorities in the US grapple with a spike in anti-Semitic violence.
Last week, a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers and shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being led away by police.
Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable".
with reuters
Several people are injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor shopping mall in the US city of Boulder in Colorado.
Police said a man was taken into custody on Sunday with the FBI describing the incident as a "targeted terror attack".
Information on the attack, which occurred near a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary", Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said.
The man was apprehended following calls to police about someone with a weapon who was "setting people on fire", he said.
"That's consistent with the injuries we found on the scene. There's a lot of witnesses we're interviewing."
The victims' injuries range from serious to minor.
While FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," Redfearn stressed it was too soon to speculate about a motive.
"We are not calling it a terror attack at this moment," Redfearn said.
"This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said.
The attack took place at a pedestrian mall that's popular with tourists and college students and occurred as law enforcement authorities in the US grapple with a spike in anti-Semitic violence.
Last week, a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers and shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being led away by police.
Multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall area were evacuated by police.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement he was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that "hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable".
with reuters
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Samantha Donovan: Hello, welcome to PM, I'm Samantha Donovan, coming to you from the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation in Melbourne. Tonight, Australia's lowest paid workers set for a pay rise after a decision by the Fair Work Commission. Also, new findings on how fathers can prevent their sons from becoming perpetrators of domestic violence. And a rare two metre long fish discovered on a Tassie beach has scientists fascinated. Sybil Robertson: It was really silvery because the sun was just catching it at that moment when I first saw it. It just looked like a long silver streak on the beach. And as you got closer, you could see the beautiful colouring around his head. Samantha Donovan: First this evening to Gaza, where Israeli forces have reportedly again fired on people waiting for aid in the town of Rafah in the enclave's south. There are reports more than 20 people have been killed. Matthew Doran is the ABC's Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem. Matthew, what's known about this incident so far? Matthew Doran: Well, Sam, the details are still coming through. But what we know is that as Palestinians were waiting to access this aid distribution site in Rafah in southern Gaza, local authorities are saying that Israeli forces opened fire. There are differing accounts at this early stage as to exactly what has happened there. But certainly all of the Palestinian media outlets and the Palestinian authorities are definitely saying Israeli forces were involved here. We are seeing some figures, and I must stress that these are unconfirmed at this stage, that at least 24 people have been killed so far. And we are seeing some reports that more than 200 have been wounded in this incident. There are reports in Palestinian media saying that this is not only a case of Israeli soldiers opening fire, but we are also seeing some reports of Israeli shelling being involved in this incident as well. 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This is an area which is totally controlled by the IDF. It has been for a number of weeks now after they cleared the Palestinian population out of there. So people are making a trek through an IDF-controlled area. There are no distribution points in the north at this stage. So if you imagine not only people having to travel from central regions of Gaza, but also northern areas if they want to try to access this aid, it is a very long journey for many of these people. Samantha Donovan: So, Matthew, what has the Israeli military had to say about these reports that more than 20 people have been killed and perhaps hundreds injured? Matthew Doran: So they haven't commented specifically on those figures. What the IDF has said, they have confirmed that there has been an incident at one of these sites where Israeli forces fired some warning shots at what they are describing as Palestinian suspects who deviated from that agreed access route. 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The Commission says workers need the cost of living relief and businesses can, on the whole, afford it. Here's our business correspondent, David Taylor. David Taylor: Australia's lowest paid workers will soon be getting a bit of a pay bump, roughly $32 extra a week, taking their salary up to $948 a week. Despite the increase, these people on their lunch break in Brisbane's South Bank think the minimum wage is still too low. Opinion: Phone bills, internet, you can't survive without internet. But with a wage like that, you have to decide what's most important. I don't think so. Opinion: I don't think I could afford my rent off that. Yeah, cost of living is obviously affecting us all and it's quite a low weekly take-home wage. Opinion: I think it should be above $1,000. Opinion: Being a second year apprentice, I only earn around $17.50 an hour and I don't think that's going to change with the award, so it doesn't really affect me. David Taylor: It's one of the largest above-inflation increases ever awarded and will lift the national minimum wage from $24.10 an hour to $24.95 an hour. Today's decision also results in an increase for many workers not on the minimum wage. It'll affect pay rates for workers on 120 wards, or about 21% of the workforce. Unions had asked for a 4.5% pay bump. While they didn't get anything near that, ACTU National Secretary, Sally McManus welcomed the outcome. Sally McManus: The Fair Work Commission accepted the arguments made by unions that it was time for low-wage workers, award workers to start catching up for what was lost during the inflation spike. David Taylor: But that extra money has to come from somewhere. The CEO of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association, Wes Lambert, says businesses will cop the financial hit at an already vulnerable time. Wes Lambert: On top of insurance, on top of rents, on top of utilities, on top of all of the other costs that hospitality businesses have to face, while they also have price ceilings, consumers don't want to pay more than $5 for a cup of coffee. We don't have any room to move. If we can't raise our prices and we're stuck with no profit or a loss, that just leads to business closures. David Taylor: While CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or ACCI, Andrew McKellar, agrees businesses will find it tough to accommodate the increase. Andrew McKellar: It has to be remembered that this decision is being delivered against a backdrop of declining productivity. We've seen profitability for many businesses going backwards over the past 18 months or so. David Taylor: So where does all this leave Australia's struggle to boost productivity? The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Amanda Rishworth, says the government's working on it. Amanda Rishworth: The productivity challenge is something that our government is absolutely committed to and something that, as you may know, the Treasurer has commissioned the Productivity Commission to look into this. David Taylor: While that's all going on in the background, AMP's chief economist, Shane Oliver, says despite weak levels of productivity, wages growth above 3% does not appear to be inflationary. Shane Oliver: I think 3.5% is a reasonably good outcome. It does give workers a real wage rise of just over 1%. David Taylor: Just on that though, the Reserve Bank has consistently said what it's concerned about with a tight labour market is that it will push wages growth up and without the associated productivity gains, that could be inflationary. Now we know that productivity is still lagging. It's negative based on the latest national accounts. So are you concerned that an above inflation wage rise like this, without the productivity gains, could lead to inflation? Shane Oliver: Look, it's certainly a risk. There's no doubt about that. But I guess the Reserve Bank and many economists have to concede that despite poor productivity growth in recent years, and a tight labour market, we have seen wages growth slow down. David Taylor: Official figures on the overall health of Australia's economy, including an update on productivity growth, will be released tomorrow. Samantha Donovan: David Taylor reporting. Now to the mushroom murder trial of Victorian woman Erin Patterson. The accused triple murderer has continued giving her evidence today, led by her defence council. Ms Patterson is accused of killing three of her husband's relatives in 2023 by deliberately serving them a lunch of beef wellington containing death cap mushrooms. She's pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder. Kathleen O'Connor was in the courtroom in the Victorian town of Morwell. Kathleen, what did Erin Patterson tell the court about that deadly lunch back in July 2023? Kathleen O'Connor: Yeah, so Erin Patterson was asked about the lunch in 2023 and she responded to the questions by the defence. He said, do you accept there must have been death cap mushrooms in the lunch? And she said, yes, I do. He asked, do you remember where they came from? And she said the vast majority of them were from Woolworths and there was some from a grocer in Melbourne. She still maintains that she bought some of them at an Asian grocer, but she can't remember the specific purchase of them is not clear in her mind. He asked, have you purchased mushrooms from those kinds of shops before? She said, yes. They then went on to a little bit of a history of her foraging for mushrooms in the past. Miss Patterson told the court that she really loved mushrooms and first became interested in them back in 2020 during the COVID lockdown, saying that she was drawn to them. She told the court that she hid the mushrooms in her cooking often, primarily because her children didn't like them. And she said that they tasted good and were healthy. In 2020, she claims that she found them growing around and she worked herself up to consuming them, saying it was a process over several months in the lead up to it. But she got to a point where she felt confident in identifying them and she actually cooked them and ate them and said that they tasted good and she never got sick. Samantha Donovan: And Kathleen, was Miss Patterson asked by her defence barrister why she had invited her four in-laws to lunch that day? Kathleen O'Connor: So this was a contentious part of the case. The jury were shown text messages from Erin to her in-laws about some bad news that she needed to share with them. But in the courtroom today, she admitted that she had never been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and that was the reason why she had invited her in-laws in the first place, because she had some bad news to share with them. She also told the court that she never had a needle biopsy on a lump on her elbow, that she had previously told Gail Patterson about her now estranged husband's mother. Defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC also asking Miss Patterson, have you ever been worried about having it, having ovarian cancer? And she said, yes, I was quite worried about it. At one stage, she had abdominal pain and chronic headaches, and she consulted with Dr. Google and she also had a family history. Samantha Donovan: But she's confirmed to the court that she never had ovarian cancer, as she told the guests at the lunch in 2023? Kathleen O'Connor: That's correct. She never had ovarian cancer. She was never diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Samantha Donovan: And I understand Erin Patterson became emotional at times giving her evidence to the court today, particularly when talking about her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson. What happened? Kathleen O'Connor: Yeah, she broke down a couple of times, Sam, when she was asked about her relationship with who is now her estranged husband's parents after she had split with Simon, telling the court the relationship between them, it never changed. They just continued to love me before she then broke down into tears. Miss Patterson also told the jury that she didn't want to separate from her husband, but she felt like she had no choice. There were some private messages as well between Erin Patterson and her friendship group that were also shown to the jury. Miss Patterson saying that she was expressing her frustration about Gail and Don's involvement in her and Simon's relationship to her friends, saying, this family, I swear to God. Erin Patterson also telling the court she felt really upset and frustrated and felt desperate. And that's the reason why she confided in her friends about the relationship problem she was having with Simon and Gail and Don's involvement in that. She then conceded, you know, I should never have said that. I felt ashamed and the family didn't deserve to hear that. They didn't deserve it. And yeah, just broke down in tears. Samantha Donovan: Our reporter Kathleen O'Connor at the Erin Patterson murder trial in the town of Morwell in regional Victoria. This is PM. I'm Samantha Donovan. Just a reminder, you can hear all our programs live or later on the ABC Listen app. Grain growers around Australia are expected to produce a bumper crop this winter, despite drought and flooding hitting hard in some regions. The federal government's agricultural research body, ABES, is forecasting a haul of more than 55 million tonnes of grains, including wheat, barley and canola. But experts are warning a lot could change between now and the harvest, with many growers waiting anxiously to see if any rain comes their way. Luke Radford prepared this report. Luke Radford: Across Australia, grain growers have spent the past month planting this season's crop. Wheat that can be used to make bread and pasta, barley to make beer, as well as other grains like canola, chickpeas and oats. But this year, it's a story of the haves and have-nots. And even for farmers who've had a bit of rain, it's a season that's resting on a knife's edge. South Australian farmer James Stacey. James Stacey: We've sown crops into nothing, so it's all about water use efficiency and getting the crop in the ground to make the most of the rain that falls. But we are very fortunate compared to a lot of other areas in the state which are pretty dry still. Luke Radford: In South Australia and Western Victoria, it's been the driest start to the year on record. The next week will be absolutely crucial. Forecasted rain over much of the region could set up the season for success. But James Stacey says if that doesn't come, things will be dire. James Stacey: We've got enough moisture in the ground now that our crops are fine with just these bits and pieces. And I think this year might be a bits and pieces year. They'll all add up to something. It is fairly concerning that we do still need 150, 200 mls between now and harvest time. Luke Radford: Despite South Australia and Western Victoria battling their worst drought on record, the forecast for the whole country is a different story. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Science, or ABARES, is predicting while it will be smaller than last year, it will still be a very large crop. ABARES Executive Director is Dr Jared Greenville. Jared Greenville: We're still seeing fairly positive in terms of the overall plant for this year's winter crop sitting at around 25 million hectares, which is about 10% above the 10-year average and the second highest on record. Luke Radford: The key thing to remember is that this is a forecast. Dr Greenville says this year more than ever, the final result could vary wildly. Jared Greenville: If the timing and the amounts don't come through, then the outcome will be a fair bit less, you would say, particularly because there's no soil moisture this year in South Australia and parts of Western Victoria to really help that crop go on. Whereas this time last year, even though it was looking dry and it was still also uncertain, we did have that soil moisture around that would at least give us some certainty that something would grow. Luke Radford: It's a widely different story depending on where you are. Above average rainfall in Queensland and northern New South Wales has set farmers up with a bit of confidence, like southern Queensland grower Stuart McIntyre. Stuart Mcintyre: This time we've decided just to go with wheat. The outlook did look a little bit, not quite as convincing for us as far as weather goes. So we have pulled back on the amount of area that we were going to plant. Luke Radford: But it's a different story further south. Ryan Dennis, who farms north of Wagga, had sown half his crop before deciding to stop because it was too dry. Ryan Dennis: Well by now the canola, if we'd had grazing canola, you know, it'd be nearly up to your knees I suppose. And yeah, your normal main season canola would hopefully be up around your ankles. But everything's definitely delayed. But with the wheat and the barley, hopefully it'll compensate pretty well. It's not out of its window too far. Luke Radford: The reason farmers are still planting such a large crop despite the weather is mainly thanks to how far farming technology and practices have come. Western Australia farmer and Chair of Grain Growers Limited, Rhys Turton, explains. Rhys Turton: I think our water use efficiency in growing grain and just the whole production package is now quite resilient. And they're probably keeping us just ahead of the curve a little bit in terms of declining rainfall but ever increasing production. But I think the innovation around technology, plant breeding, the use of different farm inputs has really helped our production systems no end. Samantha Donovan: Rhys Turton is a West Australian farmer and the Chair of Grain Growers Limited. That report from Luke Radford and Clint Jasper. In a disturbing finding, a long-term national study has found a third of Australian men have used some form of violence against an intimate partner. But the research from the Australian Institute of Family Studies has also identified risk factors that, if addressed, could prevent violence before it happens. It's found, for example, that men who have affectionate relationships with their fathers are less likely to abuse their partners. Nick Grimm reports. Nick Grimm: Like a lot of Australian men with school-aged kids, Conrad Slee is an active member of a group of dads at Perth's Kensington Primary School. And as a father of two boys, he's conscious of the need to be the sort of man he wants his sons to one day become. Conrad Slee: I have an amazing dad who was around and did a lot of the parenting for us when we were younger, so he's been an amazing example for me. And I'd love for my two sons to have the same relationship with me as they get older. Taking a positive and loving and compassionate and empathetic approach to the world is better for everyone. Nick Grimm: It's a view backed up by research that surveyed 120,000 men and boys across Australia, tracking their responses to whether they've ever used intimate partner violence during their lifetime. The Australian Institute of Family Studies research defines intimate partner violence as physical, emotional or sexual violence, and it's found those admitting to its use grew from one quarter of males in 2013 to around a third in 2022. But study lead author Dr Sean Martin says it's also revealed powerful factors helping men to avoid engaging in violent behaviour. Sean Martin: We found that there was a strong connection between paternal affection and the later use of intimate partner violence. So men who reported that they felt like they received that love and affection that they needed from their father or their father type figure, these men were much less likely to report intimate partner violence. Tanya Plibersek: It's very significant and it does show, I mean, look, a bit of this is common sense, right? Nick Grimm: Federal Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, says the research finds men with loving fathers and positive role models are almost 60% less likely to carry out intimate partner violence. Tanya Plibersek: If you've got a warm and loving relationship with a father or father figure who demonstrates what it's like to be a warm and loving man to your mother or to the women around you, that's the first information, the first pattern that young men have to learn from. Of course, it's significant. Bruce Robinson: There's no doubt that if we can just get dads to be better dads, more connected to their kids, we could dramatically reduce the incidence of domestic violence. Nick Grimm: Bruce Robinson is a professor of medicine and founder of The Fathering Project, which delivers programs, services and resources to support fathers to raise happy, healthy children. Bruce Robinson: Dads should never tolerate violence or aggression towards girls and not say, oh, boys will be boys. Whether it's girls in the playground, their sisters or their mother, do not ever, ever tolerate it. It just doesn't happen in my house. And kids will grow up, boys will grow up then with a sense of respect for women. And the second thing is to spend time with the kids in ways that make them feel worthwhile because if you don't, then they will feel like they're made of glass and everybody's a hammer. So when domestic violence is often a desire to control because they feel out of control. Whereas if fathers are really engaged with their kids and make them feel worthwhile, take them on dates, then they get an internal sense of worth and they don't need to control a woman. Samantha Donovan: Professor Bruce Robinson from The Fathering Project, Nick Grimm with that report. And if you're in an abusive situation or you know someone who is, please call 1800RESPECT. That's 1800 737 732. If it's an emergency, call triple zero. A woman walking along a beach in Western Tasmania has stumbled upon a rarely seen creature washed up from the depths of the Southern Ocean. Lying on the sand was a two metre long oarfish in excellent condition. The species gets its name because it looks very much like a long, flat oar of a boat. Isabel Moussalli has more. Isabel Moussalli: Sybil Robertson says she sees all sorts of things wash up on Tasmania's Ocean Beach. Sybil Robertson: I was watching the sea eagle and I noticed it was coming down onto the beach and I thought it's unusual, I don't often see them land on the beach. And I went to see what it was looking at and that was it. Oh, I could see it was a long fish, but I had no idea what kind of fish. Isabel Moussalli: On what was meant to be a regular dog walk, the Strahan resident and her dog discovered the elusive oarfish, the longest bony fish species in the world. This one was about two metres in length. Sybil Robertson: It was really silvery because the sun was just catching it at that moment when I first saw it. It just looked like a long silver streak on the beach and as you got closer you could see the beautiful colouring around its head and the markings on it were fabulous. Isabel Moussalli: She snapped a few photos of the massive discovery and posted it in a citizen scientist group where the finding was confirmed and gained the attention of experts. Neville Barrett: Very few people have ever seen one so it's very much a fortuitous lucky thing really. Isabel Moussalli: Associate Professor Neville Barrett is a fish biologist with the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Neville Barrett: It's very rare. They're oceanic, you know, they can grow up to eight metres in length but they live in what they call the mesopelagic zone so it's out there in the open ocean. Isabel Moussalli: The CSIRO says there are two species found in waters off Australia and there are records of at least 70 specimens washing ashore. Dr Barrett explains they typically live and die well out of sight of humans. But whether you call it a creature of the deep sea... Neville Barrett: It depends what you call deep you see because they're typically found down 150 metres down to 400 or 500 metres deep. That's pretty deep for most people. We call it a mid-water, mid-ocean species. Isabel Moussalli: But it's one that won't be forgotten on this rugged Tasmanian beach. Samantha Donovan: I bet it won't be, that report from Isabel Moussalli and Georgie Burgess. Thanks for joining me for PM, I'm Samantha Donovan. The podcast of the full program is available on the ABC Listen app. We'll be back at the same time tomorrow. Good night.
