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New York Post
26-07-2025
- New York Post
Australian train passenger, 74, arrested for taking $26K he found in missing bag — but avoids jail time
Dollar from down under. An Australian train passenger stole over $26,000 ($40,000 AUD) he found in a bag during his commute before gambling away some of his takings — but was spared prison time for his finders keepers heist. Emil Holaj seized the cash he found inside a designer handbag left behind by the rightful owner on a train to Glenfield, southwest of Sydney on July 2. Advertisement 4 Emil Holaj leaves the Campbelltown Local Court after his sentencing on July 24, 2025. 7NEWS Australia, /YouTube The 74-year-old passenger is accused of swiping the money from the missing bag and placing the funds into his carrier before he stepped off the train, NSW Police said. Officials were alerted to the misplaced dough by the forgetful owner and began a search for the missing cash. Advertisement Holaj was tracked down to his suburban home in Rossmore, 35 miles southwest of Sydney, where he was arrested for stealing the money the next day. Police recovered a majority of the cash, equaling roughly $24,000. Holaj allegedly gambled the missing money away in the 24 hours he had the cash, 7News reported. 4 The 74-year-old passenger is accused of swiping the money from the missing bag and placing the funds into his before he stepped off the train, NSW Police said. 7NEWS Australia, /YouTube Advertisement The sticky-fingered bandit was taken to the Campbelltown Police Station, 12 miles south of his home. He was charged with larceny, dispose property – theft equal serious indictable offence and deal with property proceeds of crime. Holaj was released on bail but returned to Campbelltown Local Court on July 24 for sentencing. 4 The theft took place on a train in Glenfield, southwest of Sydney, Australia on July 2, 2025, Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye Advertisement The court sentenced Holaj to nine months of community correction, according to the outlet. He was ordered to repay the amount he took from the stash and gambled away. During his court appearance, Holaj claimed his former police friend advised him not to hand the money over to the police and instead call a lawyer, 9News reported. He did neither and instead went gambling at a pub. 4 The Glenfield Train Station in Glenfield, Australia. 7NEWS Australia, /YouTube Police discovered Holaj had also split some of the money to smaller bills, and deposited $650 into his personal bank account, according to the report. Holaj remained silent when he left court Thursday, refusing to answer a majority of questions from reporters outside. Advertisement He did claim he was going to hand the cash, and believed it was fair that he was charged. A forgetful LIRR straphanger was fortunate that no greedy traveler snatched their bag they left behind on the train in February 2024. The unidentified passenger left their bag containing $30,000 behind during a crowded commute to Ronkonkoma. Advertisement Eagled-eye Assistant Conductor Christopher Nocito spotted the bag and searched through it, discovering the hefty sum inside. Nocito delivered the bag to MTA Police Detective Kristin Riker and was returned to the rightful owner with all the money accounted for.
Miami Herald
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Prince George turns 12 today — and it means a series of changes are coming
Prince George is one year closer to being a teenager. On July 22, Prince William and Kate Middleton took to Instagram to wish their eldest son — who is currently second in line to the British throne — a happy 12th birthday. As is tradition in the royal family, George's birthday post featured an updated portrait of the birthday boy. George, who is looking more and more like his father, wore a white and blue striped button-down shirt under a brown fleece vest and jeans. He was also wearing a friendship bracelet as he smiled at the camera with his arms on a fence. 'Happy Birthday to our little (not so little anymore) Future King,' one user wrote in the comment section. The Prince and Princess of Wales also shared a video of George having fun and holding hands with his two younger siblings — Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. The photo and video were taken in Norfolk earlier this year by photographer Josh Shinner, per People. It was the same photoshoot used for Louis' birthday portrait, which was shared on April 23, and a Father's Day tribute to Prince William, shared on June 15. As for George, his 12th birthday marks a series of changes in the soon-to-be teenager's life as a royal. For starters, the British royal family has a longstanding history of not allowing direct heirs to the throne — which would include Prince William, who is first in line, and Prince George — to travel on a plane together. The family does this to 'secure the future of the monarchy should there be a tragic accident,' per 7NEWS Australia. For reference, Prince William was 12 years old when he stopped flying with his father, King Charles III. King Charles' former pilot opens up about royal flight protocol During a 2023 appearance on 'A Right Royal Podcast,' King Charles' former pilot, Graham Laurie, opened up about the protocol and revealed the one way around it. 'Interestingly, we flew all four: the Prince [King Charles], the Princess [Diana], Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old. After that, he had to have a separate aircraft,' Laurie said. 'And we could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission of Her Majesty,' he added. It's unclear if William and Kate will be subject to similar protocols and privileges, but the couple have a history of doing what's best for their kids and family — even if it means skipping royal events. For example, they've now skipped the Easter Matins Service at Windsor Castle two years in a row, according to People. The family skipped the Easter outing in 2024 due to Kate's cancer diagnosis, which was revealed just weeks prior, and again in 2025 in order to spend time with their kids at home. Prince George is also entering his final year at Lambrook Aside from the flight protocol, George will also see his schooling change in the coming year. George — along with his two siblings — currently attend Lambrook Preparatory School in Berkshire, which only teaches kids up until the age of 13, according to Hello! Magazine. William and Kate have a major decision to make as to what's next for George's education. Some royal experts believe that he'll follow in his father's footsteps and attend the all-boys school Eton College in Berkshire, according to The Daily Mail. George's uncle, Prince Harry, also attended the school, per BBC. Other theories suggest that George may follow in his mother's footsteps and attend Marlborough College in Wiltshire, but that speculation has since been tested, according to People. Eton College requires students to be registered before Aug. 31 of the year they turn 10, per the school's website. While the family and school have yet to make an announcement on George's education, the decision very well could already be made, per The Daily Mail. If that's not enough change for the future King, he'll also see his royal and etiquette training ramped up as he makes more regular appearances for royal events. George already experienced some of this when he joined other senior royals in a tea party for the family's VE Day festivities in May, according to The Daily Mail. George will also become more involved in daily briefings as he grows older, per 7NEWS Australia.
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Teen, 16, plunges to death in horror paragliding accident on family holiday
Hussein Mearbany fell hundreds of metres to his death while tied to a paraglider in Sahel Alma, Lebanon, with tributes remembering the teen who 'wanted to feel the adrenaline of flying' A teenager has died and a paragliding instructor reportedly went on the run following a horror accident during what was supposed to be a dream family holiday. Hussein Mearbany, 16, fell to his death while paragliding in Sahel Alma, a picturesque seaside village in Lebanon, with an instructor while on holiday with his family. The teen, from Western Sydney, Australia, plummeted around 300 metres and died instantly on May 10 after reportedly slipping out from an improperly fastened paragliding harness. The instructor is now the subject of an investigation, but local media reports he fled the scene after the accident. According to local media, the owner of the paragliding company has been arrested and all paragliding excursions have been suspended in the surrounding Jounieh area, around 40 minutes outside of Beirut. Police are now reviewing video footage of the horror incident to try and work out what happened. Speaking to 7NEWS Australia, the teenager's cousin Sam said he and his family were only two weeks into their holiday when tragedy struck, and that a funeral for the teen was arranged in Lebanon. She said: "When his father heard the news, he flew from Sydney to Lebanon to see him. "The day they leave Lebanon is going to be the hardest day of their life." Hussein's family shared a plea with Lebanese authorities via Al Arabiya Lebanon to take action against those responsible for his shock death. So far, police have arrested the owner of the paragliding company, which operated out of nearby Jounieh, as they continue to search for the missing instructor. As Hussein's family deals with the devastation in Lebanon, friends have paid tribute to the teen, with one person posting online saying he "wanted to feel the adrenaline of flying". They wrote: "(He) went to Lebanon for a holiday — full of dreams, excitement, and the energy of youth. Like many young men, he wanted to feel the adrenaline of flying, so he went hang gliding off the mountain peaks of Lebanon. What was meant to be a moment of thrill became his final moment. "May Allah grant his family patience and reunite them with him in the highest levels of Jannah. And as for us — still breathing, still planning, still distracted — take this as a wake-up call. The only promise in life is death." A spokesperson for the Austrailian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the office is offering consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Lebanon. They sais: "We send our deepest condolences to their family at this difficult time,' a spokesperson said.
Perth Now
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Election day: Where to claim your nearest democracy sausage
From Antarctica to Alkimos, Nairobi to Newman — the anticipation of snagging a democracy sausage on Federal election day has Aussie citizens across the world licking their lips. While it feels like just yesterday WA was lining up for their bite of history, the 'sausagelytics' saints at have once again come to the aid of peckish voters with their thorough list of sizzling polling booths. Founded in WA in 2013, spokesman Alex Dawson said that his team's virtual snag map was used by as many as 2.5 million voters in 2022's Federal election, which might return similar numbers in 2025. However, the registry has taken a slight hit in numbers since the State election, with some booths pulling out as a result of a lower pool of volunteers after March's big day. But that could change as we creep closer. Sausages will be in hot demand come election day. Credit: Getty 'When you consider how many people vote in Australia, that represents potentially up to 25 per cent of Australia's population using a website to determine where to vote, which is an enormous responsibility that has fallen on our shoulders,' Mr Dawson told PerthNow. 'But it's one that as a group, we are happy to carry in order to help Australians get their election day sausage sizzles, or if they're after it — a cake stand, halal options, vegetarian options or whatever else is on offer at their local voting place.' Mr Dawson said his predominantly Perth-based team of six operate with a budget of $1600 over the course of each election. 'But we don't make any money from it,' he said. How many Aussies are expected to attend polling booths? Despite up to 40 per cent of people getting their vote in early or by mail, Mr Dawson said we may see fewer people as a percentage attending polling booths this weekend. But numbers will still be strong. He says inner city or large metropolitan area polling booths typically expect around '1500 to 2000 or 3000 people' across the election day. Bill Shorten bites into the middle of a bun in 2016. Credit: 7NEWS Australia How many sausages will Aussie voters chomp through? 'For the 2022 (Federal) election, we estimate that the stalls across Australia made about $4.1 to $4.2 million, which translates to probably two and a half million sausages sold,' Mr Dawson said. 'And you know, 600,000 kilos of onions and goodness knows how many litres of tomato sauce and loads of bread or packets of buns. It is a massive undertaking.' A rough map of registered sausage sizzle locations in Australia on Federal election day. Credit: So succinct is his team's national sausage breakdown, heavy retail hitters have come knocking for a heads-up on demand. 'We have actually had one of the supermarket chains reach out to us and say, 'Hey, can we have a list of where the sausage sizzles are so that we can have a look at who's ordered sausages and how many we've got in each area?'' he revealed. How much profit do sausage sizzles typically make? Surveying their list of registered stalls, Mr Dawson has unveiled what volunteer groups, schools or independent operations stand to make on the day. 'The baseline that we look at is between $1200-1500 profit, depending on how you manage your cost of goods that go into it,' he said. 'We have seen some outliers at $600 at a low level and $3600 at a high level in terms of actual profit from it.' Will there be other food offerings available across the State? According to 77 booths have registered their offering of bacon and eggs, with 22 slated to serve a halal alternative. Vegetarians across WA will find 28 stations tailored to satisfy them (as at 12pm May 2). If you'd rather snack than snag, 165 cake stands are expected, with 50 coffee stands registered. Maddison Kidd from Sweet Creations taking the democracy sausage sizzle stall to the next level at Calista Primary School Picture during the State election in March. Credit: Daniel Wilkins / The West Australian How does WA compare to the rest of Australia? Of the *2089 sausage sizzles being hosted nationally on election day, WA makes up 249, or 12 per cent of the total. NSW will be hosting the most BBQs with 730, with Victoria next at 513. Sadly for Northern Territory voters, only six polling booths will be serving democracy on a plate ... or napkin. By far the most densely populated democracy sausage region is Australia's pollie centre — the ACT — with 69 registered locations to feed a population of roughly 480,000 (inclusive of under 18s). Peter Dutton joined an informal Easter Sunday BBQ in Ipswich in the electorate of Blair hosted by LNP candidate Carl Mutzelburg. Credit: News Corp Australia Where is WA's most remote polling day BBQ? The most isolated voting centre in WA hosting a sausage sizzle is believed Newman Primary School in the Pilbara — more than 500km from the next polling booth. 'Newman is a long way from the next polling station with a sausage sizzle, which is Karratha Primary School,' Mr Dawson said. 'And then Broome has got a number of offerings at the Cable Beach Primary School,' with bacon and egg rolls in the morning, a cake stalled during the day, as well as sausage sizzles. Broome Primary School is also planning to fire up the hotplate. Newman could be the most remote polling booth offering a sausage sizzle in WA. Credit: Google Maps Fortunately, most of WA is covered. 'Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie both have sausage sizzles,' Mr Dawson said. 'And then there's another one down at Norseman. 'But then if you're heading towards Perth, Bruce rock would be the next one along before you hit the scarp on the way down to Albany. 'We've got them at East Narrogin, as well as at Tambellup and then we've got a couple in Albany as well, and then one or two in the Bunbury area, and then one at Busselton Primary School.' For any Rotto holidaymakers, there will not be a polling booth on the island so plan accordingly. Residents of Christmas Island, and Cocos and Keeling Islands will also need to prepare their snags at home with no registered BBQ's on voting day. Which electorate will host the most sausage sizzles? No one living in the Perth metro area will be 'more than 5km' from a cooked snag at any time on election day. However, voters lining up in the electorate of Curtin will have the most choices. The Division of Curtin includes City of Nedlands, City of Subaico, Shire of Peppermint Grove, Town of Cambridge, Town of Claremont, Town of Cottesloe, Town of Mosman Park, part of the City of Stirling, and part of the City of Vincent. Curtin electorate map. Credit: Australian Electoral Commission But what if you're based outside of mainland Australia? Despite voting not being mandatory for those residing outside of the country, there's still hope to experience the sacred taste of democracy. Several embassies and high commissions worldwide offer Aussies the opportunity to fill their bellies from afar. 'I haven't double checked, but we've seen at least 20 going on in places such as Nairobi, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, New York, San Francisco, Geneva,' Mr Dawson said. A map of the world's Federal election day sasuage sizzle locations. Credit: 'We found out about one in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, as well as Japan, Samoa, Fiji. All of these places are offering sausage sizzles, either for people who vote early, as some of the Austrade and other locations will do, or on the day, some of them are offering phone voting to Australia, and so their sausage sizzles will also be on May 3.' They've even located what could be the coldest hot dog anywhere on Earth on Saturday. 'We've also received notice that the Australian Antarctic station, in Casey, in the Antarctic region, is doing a sausage sizzle on election day,' Mr Dawson said. 'So that will be quite something to warm people up in the global reaches of Antarctica.' For reference, the Casey research station is 3880 km from Perth. If based overseas and unsure what's cooking in your neighbourhood, check with your local expat group. Find your nearest Federal election sausage sizzle here. *All figures correct as at 12pm May 2.
ITV News
22-04-2025
- ITV News
Does twin telepathy exist? Australian sisters go viral after in-sync interview
Identical twins from Australia have gone viral after they were filmed speaking in unison during an interview about a carjacking. Dressed in matching Easter outfits, sisters Bridgette and Paula Powers recounted how their mother raced to help when a stolen car crashed on Steve Irwin Way on the Sunshine Coast, only to be confronted by the gun-wielding car thief. Despite the drama of the story, it was the way the twins delivered the tale to 7NEWS Australia that caught the attention of viewers across the world. The pair, who run a bird rescue centre, told the story in sync, starting and finishing each other's sentences and appearing to predict what the other would say next. Speaking in unison, Bridgette and Paula said: "He was coming back down towards us and he goes 'run, he's got a gun' and our hearts started to pound." They even mimicked each other's head and hand movements, at one point brushing their faces with their hand to indicate the blood on the thief's face. Does twin telepathy exist? According to Tania Johnson from the Institute of Child Psychology, there is no scientific evidence that twin telepathy exists. She told ITV News: "What we are likely seeing here is a deep familiarity....a powerful connection that has been shaped by years of shared experiences, emotional closeness and shared genetics. Identical twins grow up deeply attuned to one another. "They often will think alike, speak alike, and act alike simply because they know one another so well - what we are seeing here is the result of an incredibly strong bond." She added: "This is the result of what we call mirroring - a natural process that occurs when people who are closely connected start to unconsciously reflect each other. "Over time, their brains have developed an instinctive understanding of one another. So while it looks like they are reading each other's minds, we are really just seeing a deep attunement to one another." Regarding the difference between identical and non-identical twins, Ms Johnson said: "Identical twins share 100% of their DNA, while fraternal twins share about 50%, just like any siblings. "This genetic closeness can lead to more similar personalities, temperaments, and interests, which can deepen their bond. "In addition to this, identical twins look the same and may be treated really similarly by everyone around them and so their emotional and social worlds often becomes intertwined. "This is really about being so deeply interconnected that you end up experiencing and seeing the world almost as if you were one." Following the viral interview, Bridgette and Paula told The Project: "We have tried to talk separately, but we're not ourselves, it's not us. "We tell people if they can't stand listening to us, simply switch off the TV."
