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“They have stolen everything”: Slain doctor’s partner speaks out

<p dir="ltr">Dr Ash Gordon’s long-term girlfriend has broken her silence after her partner’s untimely death, saying she expects her boyfriend’s killers to be dealt “the maximum punishment”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 33-year-old doctor was left for dead after a home invasion went wrong, with two teenagers now facing <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/major-update-in-tragic-death-of-young-melbourne-doctor">murder charges</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">Two 16-year-olds have been charged with murder, aggravated burglary and theft after breaking into the young physician’s home, before allegedly stabbing him. </p> <p dir="ltr">Now, Dr Gordon’s grieving girlfriend Dakota Nagel has spoken out for the first time, telling <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/ash-gordons-partner-dakota-nagel-speaks-after-teens-charged-over-alleged-murder/news-story/c5bf92f8f14ba87b0c3efd0cd8d1f1e7">news.com.au</a></em> she was grateful for the work of police in the days since the alleged murder.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Nagel said those allegedly responsible “deserve the maximum punishment and I will accept nothing less”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They are heartless enough to take a life that meant so much to all of us,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Nagel said her partner of almost six years was the “light of my life” and “irreplaceable”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They’ve stolen more than just belongings, they have stolen everything from myself and his family and friends, he was our world,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He was the most beautiful, kind, patient and understanding person I’ve ever met and I’m just lucky to have spent my life with him.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Miss Nagel told the <em>Herald Sun</em> that her boyfriend should be remembered for the positive impact he had on everyone he knew, including his patients.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We wish for Ash to be remembered for the loving kind person he was and the impact of good he made on the world,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He died a hero and the people responsible will be held accountable, and justice will be served for Ash and his loved ones.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Superintendent Janet Stevenson said police worked “tirelessly” to “apprehend those responsible for his tragedy”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We know that Ash’s family and loved ones are grieving. This arrest will not take away the tragedy of this dreadful situation, but we hope that it will alleviate some of their distress,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We will continue to provide all the support they require during this difficult time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The alleged attackers will face children’s court at a later date. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram / Nine</em></p> <p> </p>

Relationships

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Mum left shocked and distraught after Christmas gifts were stolen

<p>A young mum from Melbourne is "fuming" after a pile of Christmas gifts were stolen from her front porch. </p> <p>Mother-of-three Jasmine Yoong captured the young man allegedly taking five presents from her front door, which were due to be picked up by a courier and delivered to her friends. </p> <p>CCTV video captured the man stealing gifts from the front of the home in Melbourne’s west on Wednesday, holding them close to his chest before he threw them into his car and made a break for it.</p> <p>After discovering the footage of her gifts being stolen, Yoong decided to turn to TikTok in an attempt to get her presents back before going to the police. </p> <p>“I was so angry in that moment, I was so ... I was fuming,” she told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/mum-fuming-after-man-allegedly-steals-christmas-presents-from-melbourne-home-c-12915860" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>7News</em></a>.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C03juMwJL3b/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C03juMwJL3b/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 7NEWS Melbourne (@7newsmelbourne)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The 27-year-old mum took to social media to expose the opportunistic crook.</p> <p>“All that hard work for you to come and steal them off my front door when the postman was collecting them, and then he couldn’t collect them. Why? Because you stole them,” she said in the video, which reached more than two million views in one day.</p> <p>“All I want is my five parcels back.”</p> <p>Yoong admitted the idea may “sound stupid” but she hoped the video would find him.</p> <p>“My initial thought was, all right , let me go to the police straightaway,” she said.</p> <p>“I thought, well, what can I do to actually increase my chances of getting it back. I’ve seen TikTok do some pretty crazy things."</p> <p>“I didn’t want to ruin his life if it was just a snap of the moment decision, you know. I wanted to give him a chance to do the right thing, make it right.”</p> <p>Her TikTok video reached a worker at a nearby McDonalds, who said they had seen the man in fast food restaurant just before the presents were stolen. </p> <p>“He was apparently causing a ruckus, disrupting diners,” Yoong said.</p> <p>Yoong contacted her local police to report the theft after the parcels were not returned.</p> <div> <p>Her message to the crook is simple: “Just don’t take from others.”</p> <p>“It’s just a shortcut to steal from others ... everyone needs to work hard to get what they have,” she said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p> </div>

Legal

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Thief returns stolen truck with note of apology – and gifts!

<p>In the bustling world of Auckland cafés, where flat whites and smashed avocados reign supreme, one café owner recently found himself entangled in a plot that could rival a sitcom script.</p> <p>Varun Chada, the proud owner of Kati Street, had his beloved 4WD truck snatched right out from under his nose, leaving him in a state of disbelief that could only be rivalled by a magician's audience.</p> <p>Picture this: a sunny afternoon, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air, and Chada minding his own business when, suddenly, his trusty truck disappeared faster than a piece of cake at a weight loss support group meeting. The audacity! The cheek! Someone had the gall to pull off a vehicular heist right outside his beloved eatery.</p> <p>But it gets better.</p> <p>Four days later, as if the universe had decided to play a cosmic prank on poor Varun, the stolen truck made a triumphant return. Parked in the exact same spot, as if it had never embarked on a wild joyride. It was like the vehicular version of Houdini's vanishing act, only with less smoke and mirrors and more caffeinated confusion.</p> <p>To add a sprinkle of absurdity to the mix, the returned truck came with a heartfelt, handwritten letter of apology. Now, we applaud any criminal with the decency to apologise, but it seems this particular ne'er-do-well could use a grammar lesson or two. The apology note featured the word "sorry", albeit with a creative twist on spelling that would make any English teacher cringe.</p> <p>“I couldn’t believe it,” Chada <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/watch-cafe-owners-stolen-truck-returned-with-sorry-note/VTWKKMRGR5AOTNIQGJNKBP6H7E/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The NZ Herald</a>. "The first time I thought I was losing my mind because I’d just walked inside, and the second time I rocked up, and it was parked there."</p> <p>As it turns out, the thief, in an attempt to excuse their vehicular misdeed, claimed to be a bit 'drunk' and in desperate need of a ride home. Because, you know, grand theft auto is a completely acceptable solution to a night out with one too many beers.</p> <p>"It was exactly where I’d parked it," Chada explained, "and I walked up to the window and there was a note inside it saying ‘hey mate sorry but I borrowed your car, was a bit drunk’ and none of us could believe it." </p> <p>But here's the twist that turns this tale into a comedy goldmine – the thief not only returned the truck unscathed but also left some new toys in the back for Chada's young son! It's like they momentarily transformed from a rogue car bandit to the world's most peculiar Santa Claus.</p> <p>Despite the surreal nature of the ordeal, Chada seems to be taking it all in stride. “I’m not condoning what they did is fine, but I mean, they gave it back and they said sorry, so, I don’t know, I’m just stoked to get it back, put it that way.”</p> <p>The saga has become the talk of the town, with Chada's Facebook and community pages buzzing with activity. Social media, the modern-day town square, has played a pivotal role in the unfolding drama, with hundreds of likes, shares and comments turning the café owner into an unintentional social media influencer.</p> <p>As for the truck, it's currently parked at Chada's house, awaiting the forensic scrutiny of the police. The investigation continues, but in the meantime, Aucklanders are left scratching their heads, wondering if their next caffeine fix might come with a side of unexpected vehicular shenanigans.</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Legal

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Camper trailer stolen with couple still asleep inside

<p>A young couple are relieved to be alive after their camper trailer was stolen while they slept inside. </p> <p>After a long day of driving, Brock Momcilovic, his girlfriend Jedha Kinder and their two dogs were camping overnight in their trailer attached to a four-wheel vehicle at the Cumberland River rest stop on the Great Ocean Road. </p> <p>Ms Kinder was jolted awake to the sound of the car engine starting just before midnight.</p> <p>She jumped off the bed into the annex area between the trailer and the car, while Mr Momcilovic was thrown backwards from the momentum. </p> <p>Ms Kinder and the two dogs were dragged 200 metres up the road before falling out on to the road where she suffered bruising and gravel rash, as the dogs fled in the chaos. </p> <p>The carjacker then drove for 8km down the road, as Mr Momcilovic held on for dear life.</p> <p>"I sort of just laid there because I thought it was a dream," Mr Momcilovic told <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-21/four-wheel-drive-camper-trailer-stolen-while-couple-inside/102755074" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">ABC Radio Melbourne</a></em>.</p> <p>But quickly reality kicked in during the incident as Mr Momcilovic realised he had his phone handy.</p> <p>"I rang triple-0 while I was holding on," he said.</p> <p>"I was actually on Google Maps while on the phone to the operator telling her where we were heading."</p> <p>As Mr Momcilovic continued to hold on, he didn't know if his girlfriend or their dogs were okay, and he had no way of checking. </p> <p>"I was worried if I fell off, I was going to be pretty well done," he said.</p> <p>The car eventually slowed down enough for Mr Momcilovic to jump off the vehicle, before the car was abandoned near a nearby police station after the clutch blew out, with the carjacker taking off on foot with the keys in hand. </p> <p>The couple's dogs were found a day apart, one was found at the campsite, the other near a cliff, and have since been reunited. </p> <p>The couple have urged campers not to leave their keys in the car, with Mr Momcilovic saying, "It could have been a lot worse." </p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

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Adam Goodes opens up about major family loss

<p>Dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes has opened up about his late mother in a candid interview on the <em>Get Real with Rio</em> WeAre8 series.</p> <p>Speaking to former English professional footballer Rio Ferdinand, host of the show, Goodes revealed the heartbreaking news that his mother had passed away of a heart attack in February 2022.</p> <p>“She was 62, man,” Goodes said.</p> <p>He went on to share that his mother - Lisa May Goodes - had had “a really tough life”, having been the single parent to Goodes and his two younger brothers for “most of her life”. And that while she “did an incredible job … she had a lot of trauma from her childhood”.</p> <p>“She was taken away when she was five,” he explained, “put into a white family, like a lot of her siblings were, and she didn’t know at the time that she was one of 10 [children].</p> <p>“That’s the reason why I wasn’t connected to my Aboriginality [early on] because of that disconnect when she was five.”</p> <p>Goodes admitted that he had often considered what his family’s life might have looked like had his mother not experienced systemic racism and its associated practices during her early years, when she was a child of the Stolen Generation. </p> <p>And now, with children of his own and a third on the way with wife Natalie, his perspective has widened, with Goodes confessing that his own experiences have influenced how he looks at his mum’s past. </p> <p>“It just breaks my heart to think that she was living in fear her whole life that someone could knock on the door and take her kids away at any moment if she wasn’t doing the right thing by us kids,” he said. </p> <p>“So if I could go back and change anything, I would just love to have gone back to my mum’s life, and in that moment, change the fact that she was taken [away from her family]. And how just that one sliding door moment might have changed the world and life that I had.</p> <p>“And if that meant I may never have played professional sport, if it meant I might not even be alive today, just that moment that meant my mum was still connected to her family and didn’t have to live the life that she did, and how tough it was for her.</p> <p>“I’d love to be able to do that just for the old girl.”</p> <p>He then revealed that every move he makes now is weighed against the time he can spend with his family, given how he had “sacrificed having children” until he retired from the AFL. </p> <p>“That’s really important to me because I sacrificed having children when I was playing,” Goodes said. “I had my first kid when I was 39, I’d been retired for four years, I was ready to dedicate my time and energy to something else.</p> <p>“My family, even though I didn’t think of it at the time, the sacrifice I made during my football career, they’re now benefitting because of that. Not only from the success but from the financial benefits of the sacrifices that I made - being able to buy my mum a first house that she’s ever owned.</p> <p>“I’m grateful I did make those decisions at those times. It wasn’t easy to do that.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Caring

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Famous movie plots that were stolen from other films

<p>Some films stand the test of time, and you can watch them again and again. But unlike what we’ve been led to believe, the storylines of some famous flicks were ‘heavily influenced’ by other (read: lesser-known) films. Is it plagiarism or just inspiration? You decide.</p> <p><strong>1. <em>Star Wars</em> &amp;<em> The Hidden Fortress</em></strong></p> <p>George Lucas appears to be so enamoured with Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s <em>The Hidden Fortress</em> that he took what he could for his first Star Wars film and used the leftovers in the second. Using two tag-along types (R2D2 and C3PO) to tell the story is probably the most well documented similarity with <em>The Hidden Fortress</em>. In a 2001 interview, George Lucas openly discussed this specific component of his influences for <em>Star Wars</em>,<strong> </strong>saying “I remember the one thing that really struck me about <em>The Hidden Fortress</em>,” he said, “the one thing I was really intrigued by, was the fact that the story was told from the two lowest characters. I decided that would be a nice way to tell the <em>Star Wars</em> story. Take the two lowliest characters, as Kurosawa did, and tell the story from their point of view. Which, in the <em>Star Wars</em> case is the two droids, and that was the strongest influence.  </p> <p><strong>2. <em>Reservoir Dogs</em> &amp; <em>City on Fire</em></strong></p> <p>While <em>Reservoir Dogs</em> is not a direct copy of <em>City on Fire</em>, there are definitely similarities in the plot (a group of criminals plan and blow a big job) and a couple of whole scenes that are very similar. Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 hit’s famous scenes echo the Chinese film, for instance both have four men walking in black suits, a tense standoff where three characters point a gun at each other, and shooting cops through a windscreen that shatters. Tarantino admits it too, saying to the <em>Baltimore Sun</em> that City on Fire is "a really cool movie. It influenced me a lot. I got some stuff from it." </p> <p><strong>3. <em>A Fistful of Dollars</em> &amp; <em>Yojimbo</em></strong></p> <p>Once again we see Akira Kurosawa’s name pop up, with another of his films being used as inspiration for the Clint Eastwood classic. This time the samurais are replaced with cowboys, and a hero with no name (Eastwood) arrives in a small town where two rival gangs fight for control. Unfortunately for director Sergio Leone, he was sued by Toho Productions due to the similarities, which delayed release of the film for three years. Eventually the two settled out of court and<em> A Fistful of Dollars</em> went on to become a major hit.</p> <p><strong>4. <em>The Lion King</em> &amp; <em>Kimba the White Lion</em></strong></p> <p>Besides the obvious similarities between the main characters’ names (Simba and Kimba sound <em>quite </em>alike don’t they?), many more elements of the plot mirror each other. Both the Disney film and the Japanese Manga have a bird, baboon and hyenas as supporting characters in the movies. There is a scene in which both Simba and Kimba stand on the cliff tops overlooking their future kingdoms, and each has an evil lion wanting to claim their stake at the throne (both ’Scar’ and ‘Claw’ have a scar on one eye). Despite having many similar scenes, it seems that the Kimba creators didn’t want to take on the behemoth that is Disney. They are quoted in the <em>LA Times</em> as saying "Our company's general opinion is <em>The Lion King</em> is a totally different piece from [Kimba] and is an original work completed by [Disney's] long-lasting excellent production technique." </p> <p><em>Images: Jolly Film</em></p>

Movies

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Mother’s car stolen with baby still inside

<p>A woman who suffered injuries while trying to stop an allegedly stolen car with a baby in the backseat said her “blood ran cold” when she realised what was happening.</p> <p>Phone Halson said she and her sister were out for a day at the zoo in Yeppoon, Queensland on April 19, 2023, when the incident occurred.</p> <p>Speaking to <em>Today</em>, Halson said, "As soon as we got out of the car we heard tyres screeching and a woman screaming, so me and my sister ran over. I had my son in my arms,”</p> <p>"At first we saw the baby's capsule laying on the ground and we were thinking, 'Oh my God, this baby has been hit’."</p> <p>She said she and her sister then saw a woman screaming, "They took my baby”.</p> <p>"We are trying to console this mother still in the loading bay where you get your groceries, and the car did, like, a turnaround," she continued.</p> <p>"It has come flying through the exit-way. Me and another woman were still standing there. We were trying to call out, 'Stop, stop, there is a baby, stop', and she wasn't stopping.”</p> <p>Halson said she turned to protect her son, who was still in her arms when she was struck by the car.</p> <p>She revealed she suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding and went through a two-week recovery period.</p> <p>The allegedly stolen car then returned, and Halson said the mother was “absolutely hysterical”.</p> <p>"It was madness. There were people trying to jump in front of the cars. Some succeeded in getting the baby," she said.</p> <p>"But, yes, some people were just screaming in horror. Other people were crying. There were some chasing after the car. It was absolute madness.”</p> <p>She said it was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, although added that when the mum was reunited with her baby, it was “beautiful”.</p> <p>"You could see the relief on her face as soon as the woman put that baby in her arms," Halson said.</p> <p>"She just pretty much melted holding that baby.”</p> <p>Fortunately, the baby was left unharmed as the car drove away.</p> <p>Authorities said that around 4 pm that same day, they discovered an allegedly stolen grey Nissan Patrol at Bungundarra, north of Rockhampton, and arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man.</p> <p>The 24-year-old Cobraball woman has been charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, abduction of a child, and driving without a licence.</p> <p>The 36-year-old Mount Morgan man has been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.</p> <p>They have both been denied bail and are due to appear in court on April 20.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Queensland Police </em></p>

Legal

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"You can’t ever get them back": Granddaughter’s plea for stolen ashes

<p>Grieving teenager Jakoda Williams-Boyce has pleaded with thieves for the return of her grandmother’s ashes.</p> <p>The theft occurred when the 19-year-old from Adelaide left her nana’s remains in the boot of her grey Mitsubishi Lancer after parking it on Amadeus Crescent in Christie Downs. The car was stolen at some point between Thursday evening and Friday morning with the urn still inside.</p> <p>Jakoda had been living with her grandmother, Sharon, when she passed away at the age of 64. The family had been in possession of Sharon’s remains ever since, until they came under Jakoda’s care four weeks ago.</p> <p>In images shared with 9News, Jakoda can be seen cradling the precious urn, and smiling in an old photograph with her nana alongside the caption “10 months today. I love you my angel.”</p> <p>“I will say, it is my own fault for putting that personal item there, but I didn’t think twice. I shouldn’t have to worry about people on the street,” the teenager admitted, speaking to 9News.</p> <p>It remains unclear how thieves got their hands on the car, as the keys and the car’s battery remain with Jakoda, though glass was reportedly scattered across the scene.</p> <p>Police have so far been unable to locate the vehicle, but their search continues, with Jakoda issuing an emotional plea to the thieves for the safe return of her nana, confessing that it feels like losing her beloved grandmother for a second time.</p> <p>“Me, personally, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing that I’ve stolen the car with someone’s cremations in the backseat,” she said, “you can’t ever get them back.”</p> <p>Jakoda’s interests lie solely in getting the ashes back, with the distraught teenager telling reporters, “I would ask the question of ‘why’, but I wouldn’t go any further.</p> <p>“Hopefully, when I do get them back, I want to take them to the funeral director and put them into, like, the ground. So I can't lose them."</p> <p><em>Image: 9News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Mistletoe – famous for stolen holiday kisses – is a parasite that steals water and nutrients from other plants

<p>A parasitic plant with potentially poisonous berries might not sound like something that would boost your Christmas decorations to the next level. But, botanically speaking, that’s what mistletoe is.</p> <p>There are some <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/not-just-kissing-mistletoe-and-birds-bees-and-other-beasts">1,300 species of this evergreen plant worldwide</a>. They’re all parasitic or semiparasitic, meaning they can <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801443718/diseases-of-trees-and-shrubs/#bookTabs=1">survive only on a host plant</a>. Rather than being rooted in the ground, they live on the branches of other trees and shrubs.</p> <p>Just <a href="http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/forestry/docs/assistance/pests/fidls/147.pdf">two types are native to North America</a>. Twelve species of the American mistletoe can be found distributed largely across the southern half of the U.S., mostly affecting deciduous trees in the East as well as some evergreens in the West. Sixteen species of the leafless dwarf mistletoe infect only trees in the pine family and are mostly found along the West Coast.</p> <p>The American mistletoe, the one used at Christmas in the U.S., is in the genus Phoradendron, which means “<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/not-just-kissing-mistletoe-and-birds-bees-and-other-beasts">thief of the tree</a>” in Greek. It has green leaves and is capable of photosynthesis and so produces much of its own food. But American mistletoe also sucks water and other nutrients out of its host plant by sending rootlike structures <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-226865-2/00145-0">called haustoria</a> into the vascular tissue just under the bark of branches and twigs. These invading structures can live for many years inside a tree even if the mistletoe plant itself is removed.</p> <p>Mistletoes are what botanists call dioecious, meaning these plants have <a href="https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2009/2-4/monoecious.html">separate male and female versions</a>. The females produce the fruits, called berries, which are generally white, but can be pink or reddish depending on the species. Birds widely distribute the seeds after eating the berries. Seeds of some species can also be <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_1996_hawksworth_f001.pdf">shot out of the fruit</a> like a cannonball at up to 60 mph (100 kph) to a distance as far as 50 feet (15 meters). A sticky substance on the seeds helps them attach to any tree they land on until they germinate and begin to grow.</p> <p>In general, mistletoe won’t kill a tree unless it is heavily infested. Even then the tree doesn’t usually die from the mistletoe; most often death is an indirect effect of attacks from diseases or insects that take advantage of the stressed tree. Mistletoe’s parasitic ways can cause significant economic damage to forests industrially harvested for lumber.</p> <p>For a homeowner, though, it’s usually not necessary to control mistletoe – which is good, since getting rid of it can be difficult and takes patience and persistence. You can prune it out, being sure to get all those spreading haustoria under the host’s bark, or try chemical controls like the plant growth regulator ethephon.</p> <p>Maybe you’ll want to trim a sprig to decorate with during Christmastime. One of the most common traditions associated with mistletoe, <a href="https://time.com/5471873/mistletoe-kiss-christmas/">dating back at least to the 1700s</a>, is that anyone lingering beneath it would welcome a holiday kiss. Here in my home state of Oklahoma, mistletoe is our state floral emblem, apparently because it was the <a href="https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=MI047">only greenery available to put on graves</a> during the particularly hard winter of 1889. In other parts of the world, mistletoe is considered to bestow life and fertility, <a href="https://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/history/mistletoe.htm">serve as a peace offering</a> and protect against poison. </p> <p>About poison: Mistletoe has a reputation as a poisonous plant. While the European species <a href="https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2012.8.12572">Viscum album is reportedly toxic</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3109/15563659609013810">American mistletoe is not deadly</a>. Better to keep it away from little kids and pets, though, and if you are concerned, stick with artificial mistletoe for decorative purposes.</p> <p>Mistletoe is an important part of the ecosystem in the places where it grows in North America. Lots of birds rely on mistletoe berries as a food source, as do elk, deer, squirrels, chipmunks and even porcupines, which will also eat the leaves when other fresh foliage is scarce. Tangled clumps of mistletoe, traditionally referred to as witches’ brooms, provide nesting sites for birds, including spotted owls and Cooper’s hawks, and other animals. Three kinds of butterflies in the U.S. are entirely dependent on mistletoes. And it’s also an important nectar and pollen plant for honey bees and other native bees. </p> <p>So this parasitic plant plays a valuable role in both ecosystems and human traditions. If it grows near you, enjoy it because you probably wouldn’t be able to completely get rid of it anyway. And at Christmastime, it just may come in handy.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/mistletoe-famous-for-stolen-holiday-kisses-is-a-parasite-that-steals-water-and-nutrients-from-other-plants-173555" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Home & Garden

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"I am devastated": Disabled boy's modified tricycle stolen

<p>A tricycle that has been modified to service a child with severe disabilities has been stolen from his front yard, just days after he received it.</p> <p>Mayer Dow, a 12-year-old boy who lives with Coffin-Lowry Syndrome, had waited years for the custom-designed piece of equipment, only for it to be stolen from his place in Melbourne.</p> <p>"I am devastated," Mayer's mother Rosalie told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/boy-with-disability-has-specially-built-tricycle-stolen-melbourne/d34cd40d-00e5-453c-b65d-9a6a80319c9d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a>.</p> <p>"I really don't understand. I understand desperate people do desperate things."</p> <p>The tricycle was specifically designed for Mayer's special needs, as using it is the only exercise he gets aside from using his walking frame.</p> <p>Rosalie said it took years of special requests and paperwork to get him the trike, making it useless to the thieves as it has been heavily customised to meet Mayer's needs.</p> <p>After being diagnosed with Coffin-Lowry Syndrome, a rare disorder which affects his intellectual and physical development, Mayer was unable to take part in simple childhood activities like riding a bike, until he received his tailor-made tricycle. </p> <p>"He is extremely excited because he's seen other people riding a bike and he's never had the capacity," Rosalie said.</p> <p>The devastated mother said she simply wants the tricycle returned, as the theft has been reported to Victoria Police.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 9News</em></p>

Caring

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"Return our stolen diamonds!": Renewed pleas over the Great Star of Africa 

<p>In the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's passing, calls in South Africa are growing stronger for the British royal family to return the world’s largest known clear-cut diamond.</p> <p>Known as the “Great Star of Africa” or “Cullinan I”, the diamond is cut from a larger gem that was mined in South Africa in 1905. It was handed over to the British royal family by South Africa’s colonial authorities. At the moment, the diamond resides on a royal sceptre that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.</p> <p>Demands for the return of the Great Star of Africa and other items have intensified since the Queen's death, as many South Africans view Britain's acquisition of the jewels as illegitimate.</p> <p>"The Cullinan Diamond must be returned to South Africa with immediate effect," activist Thanduxolo Sabelo has told local media, adding that: "The minerals of our country and other countries continue to benefit Britain at the expense of our people."</p> <p>According to the Royal Collection Trust, which oversees the royal collection of the British royal family, the Great Star of Africa was presented to King Edward VII in 1907, two years after its discovery in a private mine.</p> <p>Supporting the British monarchy's claim to the precious stone, the Royal Asscher Diamond Company has said that the gem was purchased by South Africa's Transvaal government (run by British rule) and presented to King Edward VII as a birthday gift.</p> <p>A University of South Africa professor of African politics, Everisto Benyera, rejects this narrative, telling CNN that "colonial transactions are illegitimate and immoral”.</p> <p>"Our narrative is that the whole Transvaal and Union of South Africa governments and the concomitant mining syndicates were illegal," Benyera has said, arguing that: "Receiving a stolen diamond does not exonerate the receiver. The Great Star is a blood diamond ... The private (mining) company, the Transvaal government, and the British Empire were part of a larger network of coloniality."</p> <p>According to the Royal Asscher, the Cullinan diamond was cut into nine large stones and 96 smaller pieces. The largest of these was named the Great Star of Africa by King Edward VII, who also named the second largest cut stone the Smaller Star of Africa.</p> <p>The larger diamond was set in the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross and the second cut stone was mounted in the Imperial Crown, which has been on display this week on the Queen's coffin.</p> <p>African countries continue to fight for the recovery of cultural artefacts that have been stolen by colonial troops, with more than 6000 people signing a petition for the return of the jewel so that it can be displayed in a South African museum.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Legal

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96-year-old woman alleges almost $500,000 stolen by son

<p>A 96-year-old has allegedly lost almost $500,000 to her son and daughter-in-law who were supposed to be her carers. </p> <p>Documents lodged in the District Court in Mackay allege that Kathleen Turner had her care and trust abused by her son Maxwell Finlay Turner and his wife Debbie Maree Turner, by getting her to sign blank cheques over several years. </p> <p>The alleged behaviour only came to light when another family member accompanied Kathleen to the bank in September 2020, and the manager confronted her with the balance of her account. </p> <p>Legal action was taken against Debbie Turner last year in which the judge ordered she repay more than $401,000 or show it was held in trust.</p> <p>In addition to this, a second suit has been filed against Mr Turner in recent weeks seeking about $85,000 in restitution.</p> <p>In the claim lodged to the court, Kathleen's lawyers allege her son and daughter-in-law moved into her home in December 2015 to care for her, after she suffered a fall and broke her hip which required surgery and rehabilitation.</p> <p>It has been alleged that as Kathleen aged, she relied on her daughter-in-law to help with everyday finances, finding no reason to not trust her when presented with blank cheques to sign. </p> <p>She was told the cheques were being used to contribute to the cost of food.</p> <p>"The plaintiff (Kathleen Turner) signed as she believed she had an obligation and trusted Debbie to fill in the remainder of the cheques in an honest manner," the documents allege.</p> <div data-component="EmphasisedText"> <p>"There were words to the effect of, 'sign this, it's your contribution towards food and household expenses'."</p> </div> <p>It is alleged that Mrs Turner was not informed who the blank cheques were ultimately being made out to nor the amounts.</p> <p>The documents claim Mrs Turner "trusted them to act honestly", and was "unaware" of the state of her finances until her trip to the bank in 2020. </p> <p>Ian Henschke from National Seniors Australia said that 85 percent of financial abuse against elders is committed by family members, with children accounting for more than 50 per cent.</p> <p>A national campaign has been launched to combat instances of elder abuse, with a support line available to provide confidential support. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

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New York museums now required to acknowledge art stolen under Nazi rule

<p dir="ltr">Museums and art galleries in New York are now legally required to acknowledge art stolen under the Nazi regime. </p> <p dir="ltr">The new state law requires New York museums to display signage alongside works of art from before 1945 that are known to have been stolen or forcibly sold during the Nazi rule.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to legislation and expert testimony, the Germans looted 600,000 works of art during World War II. </p> <p dir="ltr">As well as the new public recognition law, works that were created before 1945 that changed ownership in Nazi Europe are now required to be registered in the <a href="https://www.artloss.com/about-us/">Art Loss Register</a>, a private database of more than 700,000 works of lost, stolen and looted art. </p> <p dir="ltr">Over the last few decades, museums in New York have been at the centre of discussions of who has rightful ownership of artworks that changed hands during the Nazi era.</p> <p dir="ltr">Both the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art have gone a step further, and returned artworks stolen by the Nazis to surviving members of the families who owned them before they were looted during World War II.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite this, several New York museums have also successfully fought to keep allegedly looted art from the Nazi era in their halls. </p> <p dir="ltr">In 2021, a federal appeals court ruled that the Metropolitan Museum of Art can keep a $100 million Picasso painting that the family of the previous owner says was sold to fund the owner's escape from Nazi Germany. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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United States returns stolen artefacts to Cambodia

<p dir="ltr">The United States have given back 30 artefacts that were allegedly stolen by a late antiquities dealer, who had been accused of leading a trafficking network that resold objects that were looted from the country.</p> <p dir="ltr">Among the objects that were officially returned to the country was a 10th-century sculpture of the Hindu god Skanda atop a peacock. </p> <p dir="ltr">Deeming the work a “masterpiece,” authorities in New York alleged that the late antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford had stolen the sculpture in 1997 and subsequently sold it for $1.5 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Skanda sculpture had come from the ancient Khmer capital of Koh Ker, which is also where a 10th-century sculpture of Ganesha that allegedly passed through Latchford’s hands was once located. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Ganesha sculpture was also given back to Cambodia, along with several other artefacts.</p> <p dir="ltr">While the US District Attorney’s office did not place a monetary value on the artefacts, the works returned were of great spiritual and artistic significance. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ricky J. Patel, a special agent with Homeland Security, said in a statement, “These antiquities we returned were ripped from their country. Beyond their extraordinary beauty and craftsmanship, many are sacred artefacts pried from temples and palaces to be smuggled across borders and peddled by those seeking profit, without any regard to the intangible value they have to the people of their homeland.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The artefacts are due to go on display in a museum in Cambodia later this year. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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101-year-old reunited with painting looted by Nazis

<p dir="ltr">A Nazi-looted painting has been returned to its owner after being lost for 75 years. </p> <p dir="ltr">101-year-old Dutch woman Charlotte Bischoff van Heemskerck was reunited with the 1638 portrait of the Dutch merchant Steven Wolters, which was stolen by the Nazis during the occupation of The Netherlands in World War II. </p> <p dir="ltr">The painting had once hung in Charlotte’s childhood bedroom and was a much-loved possession of her father, who went into hiding after refusing to accept Nazi orders. </p> <p dir="ltr">Charlotte’s father had stored the painting in the Amsterdam Bank to protect it, where it was later stolen, along with countless other works, by Nazi invaders. </p> <p dir="ltr">The portrait was then lost for decades before being acquired by a private collector in Germany in 1971, where negotiations with the collector led to the painting being returned to Bischoff van Heemskerck in 2021.</p> <p dir="ltr">Recalling the moment that she saw it again, she told the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/12/i-am-amazed-101-year-old-dutch-woman-reunited-with-painting-looted-by-nazis?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Xn3-h5Nt_HwsEJ3yE8S-HXjc1A0iw5paSLZEQ2JUEp3h1P7pMSWi3JC4">Guardian</a>, “I was amazed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Charlotte’s father died in 1969, but she said he would have been “so happy that it came back”.</p> <p dir="ltr">After treasuring the painting in her possession for six months, the family have decided to sell the portrait at Sotheby’s auction house in London, where it is expected to sell for between $50,000 and $90,000. </p> <p dir="ltr">She said: “I had five brothers and sisters. There are 20 offspring and they are very sweet, so I never had the feeling that it was mine. It’s from the family.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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Mother of "stolen" four-month-old baby speaks out

<p>The mother of a four-month-old baby who was the accidental victim of a kidnapping has spoken out, revealing her own devastating childhood and her "wrong" split decision. </p> <p>Young mum Erika Carter had the fright of her life earlier this week when her <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/man-arrested-after-stealing-car-with-baby-inside" target="_blank" rel="noopener">car was stolen</a> from the north Adelaide suburb of Klemzig, with her son Jordan in the backseat. </p> <p>After a desperate two hour search from local police, Jordan was found safe in the car, which had since been abandoned, and was taken to hospital as a precaution. </p> <p>Speaking for the first time since the incident to 7News, Erika said she made the "wrong decision" by leaving her baby in the car alone while she went to pick up some essentials at the shops. </p> <p>“I went for a quick trip to get a loaf of bed and made the wrong decision to leave bubs for that split second,” she said.</p> <p>“And as I was paying for my bread, I heard my car rev and my heart just sunk."</p> <p>“I sprinted out after my baby boy and tried my best to get in front, but I couldn’t get to him, I was just yelling, ‘my baby, my baby Jordan’ and I thought the worst.”</p> <p>Carter said it was “the longest few hours of her life” as the police searched for Jordan. </p> <div> <p>“It’s sad we live in a world where we can’t trust what’s around us, and we can’t feel safe,” she said.</p> <p>“You just think, ‘give me my baby boy back, take whatever you want’, if that’s what it takes.”</p> <p>In a shocking coincidence, Erika revealed that she was also abducted when she was just 11 years old. </p> <p>“I got followed as I was walking my mum’s dog, and I was grabbed and put into a car,” she said.</p> <p>“But I wasn’t taken like Jordan was,” she explained.</p> <p>“My dog bit the abductor, and I managed to unlock the passenger’s door and get out."</p> <p>“But that took me years to get over.”</p> <p>Erika said her abductor was never caught.</p> <p>The 37-year-old man who stole Erika's car and son was arrested and charged with the abduction of a child, before he was refused bail. </p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p> </div>

Caring

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Dutton announces mistake while taking the reins

<p>Just hours after assuming the position of leader of the Liberal Party, Peter Dutton has admitted he "made a mistake" by boycotting the 2008 National Apology to the Stolen Generations. </p> <p>The Dickson MP was one of a handful of conservative politicians who refused to attend the formal apology, delivered by former Labor PM Kevin Rudd, on behalf of Australian governments to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.</p> <p>After being sworn is as Scott Morrison's successor for the Liberal party's top job, Dutton admitted his wrongdoing. </p> <p>“I made a mistake in relation to the apology and largely that was because of my own background and experience,” he said.</p> <p>“Many of you have lived out in regional areas and many of you haven’t.”</p> <p>"I understand the symbolism and I made that mistake."</p> <p>Mr Dutton has been named Liberal leader with former environment minister Sussan Ley as his deputy after both MPs ran unopposed for their respective leadership positions, and were sworn in on Monday in Canberra.</p> <p>Former Prime Minister Scott  Morrison told waiting journalists in the Parliament House corridor, “I heartily congratulate Peter and Sussan.”</p> <p>“They are incredibly experienced, well versed, deeply committed Australians to both the Liberal cause and of course the cause of the nation. I think they’ll do an outstanding job,” he said.</p> <p>It was a big day for party leaders in Canberra, as David Littleproud toppled Barnaby Joyce to take over the leadership of the National Party. </p> <p>Littleproud vowed to steer the Coalition towards “the sensible centre” as he emerged victorious, saying it was the “proudest day of my political life”.</p> <p>“This is not about the National Party, lurching left or lurching right, it’s using common sense and being in the sensible centre,” he told reporters at Parliament House.</p> <p>“That’s where you win elections — not chasing extremities.”</p> <p>After his overwhelming defeat, Barnaby Joyce assured reporters he was not upset by the loss, and said he looked forward to getting back to his family and the people of New England.</p> <p>He said, “I gave every ounce of my energy to make sure that I looked after the people of regional Australia.”</p> <p>“Thank you for all your support, I look forward to continuing my work on behalf of my nation and on behalf of my electorate,” he said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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