Latest news with #AlasdairPal
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Woman accused of murdering estranged husband's relatives with poisonous mushrooms takes stand and says it's a ‘terrible accident'
latest | Alasdair Pal An Australian woman accused of using poisonous mushrooms to murder three elderly relatives of her estranged husband gave on Wednesday her account of the fatal lunch, in a case that has gripped the public. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Australian mushroom murders accused gives her account of fatal lunch
By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY (Reuters) -An Australian woman accused of murdering three of her estranged husband's elderly relatives with poisonous mushrooms gave her account of the fatal lunch on Wednesday, in a case that has gripped the public. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. The prosecution alleges she knowingly served the guests lethal death cap mushrooms in a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of around 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) from Melbourne. She denies the charges, with her defence saying the deaths were a "terrible accident". She faces a life sentence if found guilty. The accused, the first witness for her own defence and who began her evidence on Monday afternoon, repeatedly wept as she told the court on Wednesday she may have accidentally included foraged mushrooms into the food she served. "Now I think there was a possibility there were foraged ones in there," she said as she was questioned by her own barrister, Colin Mandy. The court also heard on Wednesday that Erin Patterson had invented medical issues partly to elicit sympathy from her estranged husband's relatives, from whom she said she felt she was growing apart. "I didn't want their care of me to stop, so I kept it going. I shouldn't have done it," she told the court. "Did you lie to them?" Mandy asked. "I did lie to them," the accused replied, through tears. The prosecution alleges Patterson invented the medical issues to lure the victims to her home for the meal, a claim she denies. The prosecution rested its case on Monday, following a month of evidence from witnesses, including relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. The trial, which began on April 29, has seen intense interest from Australian and international media, with podcasters, journalists and documentary-makers descending on the town of Morwell, around two hours east of Melbourne, where the trial is being held. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast about proceedings is currently the most popular in the country, while many Australian newspapers have been running live blogs on the case. The trial, scheduled to conclude this month, continues.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Australia's opposition coalition reunites a week after split
By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's conservative opposition coalition said on Wednesday it would reunite, a week after splitting over policy differences following a resounding election defeat. The Liberal and National parties have shared power for decades in state and federal politics, with the Nationals broadly representing the interests of rural communities and the Liberals contesting city seats. "Our parties are at their best when they work together, to fight, right now as a strong opposition for this government," new Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley told a news conference. "I know that we will be a great partnership going forward." In a May federal election dominated by voter backlash against U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, the Liberal Party - historically the more dominant of the two parties in the coalition - was reduced to 28 out of 150 seats in the country's lower house of parliament, with the Nationals holding 15 seats. The incumbent Labor Party led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese increased its seats to 94 from 77. The two conservative parties briefly split last week due to differences over policies, including nuclear energy, powers to break up leading supermarket chains and policies relating to regional Australia. Ley, a moderate who took over after the former Liberal leader lost his seat in the election, also announced her shadow cabinet, naming deputy leader Ted O'Brien as shadow Treasurer. Angus Taylor, the former shadow Treasurer from the right of the party who ran against Ley for the leadership, was moved to a shadow defence role. Precursors of both parties have been in alliance for over a century, though they have briefly split several times over that period.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Australia and New Zealand pledge support for film industries after Trump proposes tariffs
By Alasdair Pal and Christine Chen SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia and New Zealand said on Monday they would advocate for the two countries' film industries, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country. Australia's home affairs minister Tony Burke said he had spoken to the head of the government body Screen Australia about the proposed tariffs. "Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry," he said in a statement. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told a news conference the government was awaiting further detail of the proposed tariffs. "We'll have to see the detail of what actually ultimately emerges. But we'll be obviously a great advocate, great champion of that sector in that industry," he said.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voting in Australia election closes in populous eastern states
By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY (Reuters) - General election voting has closed in Australia's populous eastern states, including the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, with two more hours of voting left on Saturday in Western Australia in what has been a closely fought race. Opinion polls showed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor Party with a narrow lead over the conservative opposition after a campaign dominated by concerns over the high cost of living and the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. Labor had trailed in the polls as recently as February. Polls closed at 6 p.m. (0800 GMT) in Australia's most populous eastern time zone, which also includes Brisbane and the capital, Canberra. The state of South Australia and the Northern Territory will close at 0830 GMT, followed by Western Australia, home to the city of Perth, at 1000 GMT. Results could start coming in for individual constituencies within a few hours after polls close, although it could take several more hours or even days for a final result, depending on how close the vote is. Analysts say Albanese has run a solid campaign while opposition leader Peter Dutton has suffered from policy missteps and a perceived ideological closeness to Trump, which has become a top concern for voters. The bounce in the centre-left Labor Party's fortunes mirrors those of Canada's Liberal Party, which returned to power this week in a come-from-behind victory after Trump's tariffs and remarks on Canadian sovereignty sparked a backlash from voters.
