Latest news with #ABC
ABC News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Can statehood emerge from chaos? History's lesson
This week, the prospect of Palestinian statehood suddenly became tangible, with the UK, France and Canada promising to recognise Palestine at the UN general assembly in September. Whether Australia will follow suit remains to be seen. What can history tell us about the formation of new states out of violent conflict? Guest: Sir Christopher Clark, professor of history at the University of Cambridge Recommendations: Geraldine: 'The wrong way to respond to antisemitism', Inside Story Hamish: Andrew Olle Media Lecture 2025, presented by Geraldine Doogue, ABC iView Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Parents outraged as popular Bluey episode removed from streaming platform
ABC removes episode due to commercial partnership concerns. An episode of the kids show Bluey has been stripped from a streaming platform after a collaboration Bunnings, with some parents slamming the 'silly' move. The ABC has temporarily removed the popular season 2 episode Hammerbarn from its platform ABC iview. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Bluey Bunnings anger. Hammerbarn is the show's version of Bunnings Warehouse, with the chain currently engaged in a collaboration with Bluey. Bunnings is selling a host of Bluey-related merchandise including garden gnomes, hats and toys. While this collab is ongoing the ABC has decided to pull the episode off its streaming service because, as a government-funded station, it is not allowed to enter into any commercial partnerships. The ABC has always strayed away from mentioning brand names, even referring to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne as Docklands Stadium. Parents who realised the episode had been taken down were left confused as to why. 'No wonder I couldn't find it today and it's all my daughter wanted to watch! She asked constantly today if she could watch Hammerbarn on the TV,' one woman said. 'That's one of my kids' favourite episodes. This is just silly taking this episode away. It's a kids show. So does that mean we take the book off the shelves too. I guess we just stop watching ABC kids until they put it back on,' another parent said. The Bluey 'Hammerbarn' episode appears in season 2 of the show. Credit: ABC Bunnings is currently collaborating with Bluey, selling a host of merchandise including garden gnomes, hats and toys. Credit: 7NEWS Commentator Cath Webber told Sunrise she didn't think Bunnings would be too upset about the episode takedown. 'It can get pretty tricky with a commercial partnership, we don't want those sneaking in particularly all the time to the ABC,' she said. 'It's getting kids to go outside, gardening ... I kind of like the feel of this commercial partnership, but it's not a partnership with the ABC. 'I just feel sorry for parents because the kid that comes home, Bluey can cause a lot of feelings in a household, lots of excitement. If you can't get the Hammerbarn episode, good luck to the parents trying to explain why.' Once the promotion with Bunnings has ended the episode will return to the ABC iview platform.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Seven guilty on drug charges in Fiji's largest-ever meth trafficking trial
By Fiji reporter Lice Movono , Jordan Fennell and Doug Dingwall , ABC In short: What's next? Fiji Police seized a record amount of methamphetamine during a raid in January 2024. Photo: Fiji Police Force A Fiji High Court judge says "sophisticated drug cartels" were involved in a methamphetamine trafficking operation disrupted by police in a record drug bust last year. Justice Aruna Aluthge delivered a landmark ruling in Fiji's largest-ever drug-trafficking case on Thursday afternoon, finding seven men guilty on charges relating to the meth haul. The judge said drug cartels equipped with superyachts, satellite phones, and encrypted apps had used Fiji as a transit point for methamphetamine trafficking. The amount of methamphetamine seized was valued at an estimated FJ$2 billion (AU$1.37b). Photo: Fiji Police He also rejected arguments from defence lawyers that the men, accused of drug trafficking and drug possession, were acting under duress and motivated by fear of the cartels. Police seized more than 4 tonnes of methamphetamine with an estimated value of FJ$2 billion (AU$1.37b) during a January 2024 raid in Fiji's tourism hub Nadi. Fijians dismayed at the country's growing meth scourge have watched the trial closely since it began in June at the High Court in Lautoka, north of Nadi, where witnesses gave evidence revealing methods of a transnational meth trade. The landmark case was heard at the Lautoka High Court in Fiji. Photo: ABC News / Lice Movono Fiji prosecutors alleged that two of the men on trial, Justin Steven Masih Ho and David Otto Heritage, arranged for the methamphetamine to be shipped into the country. Witnesses gave accounts of a drug shipment that brought the meth ashore at Fantasy Island, near Nadi, after a rendezvous with a superyacht on the high seas arranged via a satellite phone call in December 2023. Along with seven other co-accused, the prosecution alleged that Ho and Heritage moved the drugs to locations around Nadi. One of the accused in Fiji's largest-ever drug trial, David Otto Heritage. Photo: ABC News / Lice Movono Justice Aluthge found Ho and Heritage guilty of unlawful importation of illicit drugs. He also found the two men, along with several other co-accused, guilty of unlawful possession of illicit drugs. Seven of the nine people charged in relation to the drug raid pleaded not guilty, while another two co-accused pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of illicit drugs before the trial. In delivering his ruling, Justice Aluthge said Ho was the key figure and main beneficiary of the drug-trafficking operation. Justin Steven Masih Ho pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful importation of illicit drugs and unlawful possession of illegal drugs. Photo: ABC News / Lice Movono Of another of the accused men, Justice Aluthge said they had "buried [their] head in the sand" and ignored what was clearly illegal activity in front of them. He adjourned the case until 8 August for sentencing. The trial was regarded in Fiji as a test for the justice system and its fitness to confront cases involving transnational drug trade allegations. It involved a record number of Fijians to be jointly accused in a single court case. Justice Aluthge said the case exposed serious vulnerabilities in Fiji's border control, and pointed to "alarming evidence" that officers from the national Office of the Narcotics Bureau were complicit. But he praised Fiji's law enforcement agencies, concluding that "despite many challenges, [they] are still capable of tackling sophisticated drug cartels". Jose Sousa-Santos, an associate professor at the University of Canterbury's Pacific Regional Security Hub in New Zealand, said the trial proceeded quickly but didn't reveal who else was involved in the drug trafficking operation. "Who's paying for it and who's making money from it … have not been mapped," he said. "So the risk is still there. Will they move these drugs to Fiji again or will they move to different Pacific Island countries?" Dr Sousa-Santos said the case showed Fiji's efforts to strengthen legislation against drug trafficking had paid off, and would send a message that the country will arrest and prosecute offenders. But he also warned that only "smaller players" in drug operations had faced consequences in the High Court case, rather than more senior figures from overseas cartels and drug syndicates. "They still remain in a protective bubble," he said. "That is the bad message that's coming out of this, that there's been no high-level targeting of these other entities." - ABC
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bluey fans lose it over shock axing: 'My kid is going to throw a fit!'
Viewers have taken to social media to express their outrage after the ABC dropped a beloved episode of Bluey from their iView online platform over a commercial conflict. The episode titled Hammerbarn, which first appeared in season two back in 2021, features a fictional hardware store chain of the same name. BBC Studios, who hold licensing rights to the show, are currently running a campaign with retail giant Bunnings. 'As the ABC cannot align with a commercial brand or partnership, the Bluey episode 'Hammerbarn' will temporarily be unavailable on ABC iView while the Bunnings Hammerbarn campaign is live,' said an ABC representative on Thursday. They added that no other episodes of the global hit have been dropped from iView. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Fans have been left distressed by the decision as the episode is a much loved favourite among Bluey fans. 'You can't be serious?' one parent wrote on Reddit. 'My 3 year old is going to throw a fit.' 'Yeah ours is missing too, my girl is very upset haha!' said another concerned parent. 'ABC bring back #Hammerbarn,' demanded another disgruntled viewer. 'It's so saddening for the the children, we all take our kids out to have some fun and get some cool collectables and then pull the episode that resides around the whole adventure... your letting the children and the parents down,' added another. Kate McMahon, who hosts Bluey podcast Gotta Be Done, is equally miffed. 'Hammerbarn is one of the most iconic Bluey episodes and so to have it removed from the platform is a shame,' she told The Daily Telegraph. Bunnings spokeswoman Melissa O'Neill said the company was disappointed the broadcaster had chosen to remove the episode, in which the Heeler family visit their local hardware store. 'It's sad to think that they can't enjoy the episode,' she said. 'And particularly given Bluey fans can buy merchandise from a range of retailers and sites both in Australia and overseas.' The Bunnings campaign kicked off last year, with the chain selling a range of Bluey gnomes in honour of the episode. Bunnings renamed six of its warehouse stores Hammerbarn earlier this year. A new range of merchandise went on sale on Wednesday, along with Bluey-themed workshops and in-store scavenger hunts.
4 hours ago
- General
Flight attendants on Alaska Airlines door plug flight sue Boeing
The flight attendants on board Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, where the door plug blew out in January 2024, are now suing Boeing, claiming they "sustained injuries of a personal, permanent, and pecuniary nature," according to the complaints. Four attendants working the flight -- Adam Fisher, Michelle Hughes, Steven Maller, and Christine Vasconcellos -- claimed in four separate suits that, "As a direct and proximate result of the ejection of the door plug and the resulting decompression, Plaintiff sustained physical and mental injuries, severe emotional distress, and other damages of a personal and pecuniary nature." "This act of negligence caused both physical and mental damages, which profoundly impaired my personal and professional life. It also resulted in many challenges to return to my dream job that I had proudly made my career," Hughes said in a statement. Vasconcellos said in another statement, "This event is something that never should have happened. I'm committed to seeking justice, accountability and making the sky a safe place." Tracy Brammeier, who represents the flight attendants, said in a statement to ABC: "When the door plug blew off the aircraft on flight 1282, each of the four flight attendants acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers' safety first while fearing for their lives. They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering, traumatic experience caused by Boeing's negligence in the 737 MAX production process." The lawsuits were filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, Washington. Boeing declined to comment on the suit. The company has repeatedly said that it's supported the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the incident "in the transparent and proactive fashion we have supported all regulatory inquiries into this accident." The mid-exit door plug separated from the Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger plane on Jan. 5, 2024, minutes after Flight 1282 took off from Portland International Airport. Passengers captured footage showing a hole where the door plug came loose. The plane safely made an emergency landing and no one was seriously injured in the incident.
