‘A disgraceful act': Beijing denies espionage in Australia
'The AFP… have a criminal case against someone who is spying on a foreign national on behalf of the Chinese government, spying within the Australian borders,' Mr Craig said.
'They don't charge people without any proof… and the alleged actions of this woman are very serious indeed.
'This is a disgraceful act.'
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Courier-Mail
an hour ago
- Courier-Mail
Royal butler's role in Depp-Heard Queensland dog smuggling revealed
Don't miss out on the headlines from Books. Followed categories will be added to My News. A celebrity fixer drawn into the infamous Australian antics of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard was a former butler to the Queen who prides himself on his discretion, it has emerged. A new book documenting the Hollywood stars' tempestuous relationship reveals that British citizen Ben King, who worked as Depp's butler and house manager, began work at Buckingham Palace as a 20-year-old. He also worked for Nelson Mandela and Andrew Lloyd Webber before being hired as Depp's right-hand man, according to Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine. And King had a central role in the hullabaloo over the A-list couple's smuggled dogs. The comical scandal blew up – drawing in government ministers and making headlines around the world – after it came to light that Heard illegally brought their two teacup Yorkies, Pistol and Boo, into Australia in 2015. Back in California … Johnny Depp and Amber Heard at a film premiere in Westwood in November 2015, after their stay in Australia earlier in the year. 'Clean and elegant with impeccable manners' … Ben King testifies in Fairfax County Circuit Court in April 2022, after Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel. Described in the book as clean and elegant with impeccable manners, King and the drug-addicted Depp seemed an improbable pairing, but the butler employed the same approach he took with the late Queen Elizabeth. 'Trust and discretion are the two things required for the job,' he told the book's authors, journalists Kelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey. Yet it seems discretion was sorely lacking when King took the dogs to Queensland grooming parlour, Happy Dogz, while Depp was living in the state and filming the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2015. STREAM FREE ON TUBI: DEPP/HEARD DOCUMENTARIES Requesting the salon trim back the dogs' hair and style their faces, King revealed to the staff that Pistol and Boo belonged to none other than Johnny Depp. Thrilled to be grooming two celebrity pets, the salon owner promptly posted the pictures of the dogs to Facebook, alerting Barnaby Joyce, then Minister of Agriculture. Doggy debacle … Boo and Pistol at the Gold Coast mansion rented by Depp from motorcycle champion Mick Doohan. Credit: Nine News In the doghouse … Amber Heard, accompanied by Johnny Depp, arrives at the Southport Magistrates Court in April 2016 to face two counts of breaching Australia's quarantine laws. She paid a fine but escaped conviction after pleading guilty and expressing remorse. While Joyce ordered the dogs be taken back to the US immediately or they'd be euthanised, King was frantic with fear that he'd lose his job, according to Hollywood Vampires. Depp reportedly told his butler not to worry and one of his team smuggled the Yorkies back to the US inside a hatbox placed on the actor's private jet. The fascinating relationship between the Hollywood stars and their entourage is laid bare in the book, which reveals how Depp demanded his team procure drugs for him and how they were left to clean up after he and Heard all but destroyed a rented Gold Coast mansion during a vicious argument. An extra hotel room was always rented in case a fight broke out between the couple and they needed to be sent to their own corners. Depp was already in an agitated state before Heard arrived Down Under to join him and texted his assistant Nathan Holmes asking for drugs. He said he'd been sober from booze for nine months but he was still taking ecstasy, according to the book. Ben King's former boss, Queen Elizabeth II. British music royalty Andrew Lloyd Webber. Holmes reportedly told his boss that 'the guy', a film crew member, could only carry two grams because if caught he faced two years in an Australia prison. Depp apparently exploded: 'Any ONE of ANY of you guys start to lecture me … I just do not want to hear it … No stupid bullshit about sappy bollocks.' It was Holmes and King who were faced with cleaning up after the couple's vicious row which led Depp to losing the top of his finger. The pair had to restore the damage to the house, estimated to be up to $300,000, without its owner, Aussie motorcycling champion Mick Doohan, learning about the drama. As part of the operation, King found a woman in the countryside to make a perfect copy of an antique lampshade on which Depp had painted 'Good Luck and Be Careful at the Top'. He also found someone to replace the chunk of marble that had come off the bar in the games room. New details … Hollywood Vampires will be published in Australia on August 12. Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine, by Kelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey, will be published in Australia by HarperCollins on August 12. Want to go further into the Depp/Heard story? Watch for free on Tubi: Documentary – Depp vs Heard: All the Line Docu-series – Surviving Amber Heard Dramatisation – Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial PLUS Star Couple's Night of Aussie Mayhem: Exclusive extract on Sunday. Originally published as Manager who looked after Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, their smuggled dogs and their trashed mansion was former royal man
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Heba's days are spent thinking about a city on the other side of the world
Two cousins and her aunt are dead, and Heba Kassoua's grandfather's home has been burned to the ground. The 36-year-old Australian citizen lives and works in Parramatta but, over the past month, most of her days have been spent thinking about her family in Sweida, a city in southern Syria. Violence broke out in mid-July, one of the first major surges of conflict since dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December. Clashes had been escalating between armed groups of Syrian Bedouin tribes and the militia representing the local Druze population, a religious minority native to the region, before the interim Syrian government had sent local security forces in and further inflamed the situation. Israel, which has its own Druze minority, launched air strikes on Sweida and Damascus, which it says were in support of the Druze. In addition to the more than 1500 people killed during the violence, about 349 of whom were executed according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the UN estimates more than 190,000 people have been displaced. A fragile ceasefire has mostly held since July 19. Five members of Kassoua's family – all Druze – are among the dead. Her aunt, Ghossen Kassoua, died after spending five days inside her sister's home in a village that came under attack. 'There wasn't anyone who could go out and get her medication [for a heart condition and diabetes],' Kassoua said. 'The doctors were either attending to the injured or couldn't do house calls and her condition got much worse. She ended up passing away while she was still in lockdown. She was dead and they couldn't even bury her until two days after.' More than 300 members of Australia's Druze community have written to the federal government pleading for Australian support for aid in the region. 'We are calling for the government to condemn the sectarian violence publicly and demand an independent investigation. We want humanitarian aid,' Kassoua said.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Disgusting act': how scammers are now preying on the vulnerable
Online scammers have sunk to a new low, targeting bereaved loved ones around the country to make a quick buck at their expense. The funeral notices of recently departed Australians are being reproduced across social media with fraudulent links, asking loved ones to pay to livestream the service, but it's all a phishing scam. It comes as new report from Trend Micro found one in four surveyed had fallen victim to an online scam while two-thirds had been targeted by scammers. "It's a disgusting low act," said Paul Brooks of Burke and Douglas Funerals. Read more from The Senior: The Tamworth funeral home has been targeted by cyber criminals on several occasions over the past 18 months, though the true financial damage is unknown. Mr Brooks said there isn't much they can do except warn people that Australian funeral homes will never charge viewers to watch a livestream link. "As soon as we reported it or messaged them [the scam poster], it immediately changed to another funeral home down on the Victorian border," he said. "People don't care how they scam people out of money. Look, who knows, it might not even be someone in Australia." In 2024 reported losses to scammers equated to $2.03billion with 494,732 scam reports made that year, as revealed in data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange. During that year, the data showed 10,355 suspected Facebook scam URLs to Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) for further investigation. A spokesperson from the National Anti-Scam Centre (an arm of the ACCC) told The Senior they have received reports of the funeral scams, which are similar involving fake livestream links to sporting events. "These are phishing scams and the methodology is the same in both scenarios," they said. "Entering credit card details results in attempted charges being made against the card, though the site may inform the user that the credit card details were invalid or failed. "Some scam streaming sites push you to subscribe with your credit card but don't deliver the content and/or fail to cancel your subscription when asked." Both Mr Brooks and the ACCC advised people to contact the funeral home directly for a live streaming link and research the organisation or person you're dealing with before giving and money or personal information. "It's a really sad time for people and it's loaded up with emotion ... and all of a sudden they're [the family are] then stressing about all their loved ones and friends who potentially could be scammed. It's not what they need," Mr Brooks said. "Ultimately, you'll never be charged to to watch a live stream for a funeral," Mr Brooks said. If you see a scam, or are the victim of foul play, you are encouraged to report it to authorities via: Online scammers have sunk to a new low, targeting bereaved loved ones around the country to make a quick buck at their expense. The funeral notices of recently departed Australians are being reproduced across social media with fraudulent links, asking loved ones to pay to livestream the service, but it's all a phishing scam. It comes as new report from Trend Micro found one in four surveyed had fallen victim to an online scam while two-thirds had been targeted by scammers. "It's a disgusting low act," said Paul Brooks of Burke and Douglas Funerals. Read more from The Senior: The Tamworth funeral home has been targeted by cyber criminals on several occasions over the past 18 months, though the true financial damage is unknown. Mr Brooks said there isn't much they can do except warn people that Australian funeral homes will never charge viewers to watch a livestream link. "As soon as we reported it or messaged them [the scam poster], it immediately changed to another funeral home down on the Victorian border," he said. "People don't care how they scam people out of money. Look, who knows, it might not even be someone in Australia." In 2024 reported losses to scammers equated to $2.03billion with 494,732 scam reports made that year, as revealed in data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange. During that year, the data showed 10,355 suspected Facebook scam URLs to Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) for further investigation. A spokesperson from the National Anti-Scam Centre (an arm of the ACCC) told The Senior they have received reports of the funeral scams, which are similar involving fake livestream links to sporting events. "These are phishing scams and the methodology is the same in both scenarios," they said. "Entering credit card details results in attempted charges being made against the card, though the site may inform the user that the credit card details were invalid or failed. "Some scam streaming sites push you to subscribe with your credit card but don't deliver the content and/or fail to cancel your subscription when asked." Both Mr Brooks and the ACCC advised people to contact the funeral home directly for a live streaming link and research the organisation or person you're dealing with before giving and money or personal information. "It's a really sad time for people and it's loaded up with emotion ... and all of a sudden they're [the family are] then stressing about all their loved ones and friends who potentially could be scammed. It's not what they need," Mr Brooks said. "Ultimately, you'll never be charged to to watch a live stream for a funeral," Mr Brooks said. If you see a scam, or are the victim of foul play, you are encouraged to report it to authorities via: Online scammers have sunk to a new low, targeting bereaved loved ones around the country to make a quick buck at their expense. The funeral notices of recently departed Australians are being reproduced across social media with fraudulent links, asking loved ones to pay to livestream the service, but it's all a phishing scam. It comes as new report from Trend Micro found one in four surveyed had fallen victim to an online scam while two-thirds had been targeted by scammers. "It's a disgusting low act," said Paul Brooks of Burke and Douglas Funerals. Read more from The Senior: The Tamworth funeral home has been targeted by cyber criminals on several occasions over the past 18 months, though the true financial damage is unknown. Mr Brooks said there isn't much they can do except warn people that Australian funeral homes will never charge viewers to watch a livestream link. "As soon as we reported it or messaged them [the scam poster], it immediately changed to another funeral home down on the Victorian border," he said. "People don't care how they scam people out of money. Look, who knows, it might not even be someone in Australia." In 2024 reported losses to scammers equated to $2.03billion with 494,732 scam reports made that year, as revealed in data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange. During that year, the data showed 10,355 suspected Facebook scam URLs to Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) for further investigation. A spokesperson from the National Anti-Scam Centre (an arm of the ACCC) told The Senior they have received reports of the funeral scams, which are similar involving fake livestream links to sporting events. "These are phishing scams and the methodology is the same in both scenarios," they said. "Entering credit card details results in attempted charges being made against the card, though the site may inform the user that the credit card details were invalid or failed. "Some scam streaming sites push you to subscribe with your credit card but don't deliver the content and/or fail to cancel your subscription when asked." Both Mr Brooks and the ACCC advised people to contact the funeral home directly for a live streaming link and research the organisation or person you're dealing with before giving and money or personal information. "It's a really sad time for people and it's loaded up with emotion ... and all of a sudden they're [the family are] then stressing about all their loved ones and friends who potentially could be scammed. It's not what they need," Mr Brooks said. "Ultimately, you'll never be charged to to watch a live stream for a funeral," Mr Brooks said. If you see a scam, or are the victim of foul play, you are encouraged to report it to authorities via: Online scammers have sunk to a new low, targeting bereaved loved ones around the country to make a quick buck at their expense. The funeral notices of recently departed Australians are being reproduced across social media with fraudulent links, asking loved ones to pay to livestream the service, but it's all a phishing scam. It comes as new report from Trend Micro found one in four surveyed had fallen victim to an online scam while two-thirds had been targeted by scammers. "It's a disgusting low act," said Paul Brooks of Burke and Douglas Funerals. Read more from The Senior: The Tamworth funeral home has been targeted by cyber criminals on several occasions over the past 18 months, though the true financial damage is unknown. Mr Brooks said there isn't much they can do except warn people that Australian funeral homes will never charge viewers to watch a livestream link. "As soon as we reported it or messaged them [the scam poster], it immediately changed to another funeral home down on the Victorian border," he said. "People don't care how they scam people out of money. Look, who knows, it might not even be someone in Australia." In 2024 reported losses to scammers equated to $2.03billion with 494,732 scam reports made that year, as revealed in data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange. During that year, the data showed 10,355 suspected Facebook scam URLs to Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram) for further investigation. A spokesperson from the National Anti-Scam Centre (an arm of the ACCC) told The Senior they have received reports of the funeral scams, which are similar involving fake livestream links to sporting events. "These are phishing scams and the methodology is the same in both scenarios," they said. "Entering credit card details results in attempted charges being made against the card, though the site may inform the user that the credit card details were invalid or failed. "Some scam streaming sites push you to subscribe with your credit card but don't deliver the content and/or fail to cancel your subscription when asked." Both Mr Brooks and the ACCC advised people to contact the funeral home directly for a live streaming link and research the organisation or person you're dealing with before giving and money or personal information. "It's a really sad time for people and it's loaded up with emotion ... and all of a sudden they're [the family are] then stressing about all their loved ones and friends who potentially could be scammed. It's not what they need," Mr Brooks said. "Ultimately, you'll never be charged to to watch a live stream for a funeral," Mr Brooks said. If you see a scam, or are the victim of foul play, you are encouraged to report it to authorities via:
