Placeholder Content Image

Chilling videos emerge from mum accused of murdering schoolgirl

<p><em><strong>Warning: This article contains distressing content that some readers may find upsetting. </strong></em></p> <p>Chilling videos have emerged from the mother accused of killing her 10-year-old daughter, Sophie Wang. </p> <p>Yingying Xu, who was named in court on Wednesday, posted a series of videos to TikTok before she allegedly murdered her daughter. </p> <p>“I want to let everyone know that the situation you see is fake. Fake god, the antichrist is a fake god,” Xu, 46, said while speaking in Mandarin.</p> <p>“I have felt the devil Satan saying to me how he has been influencing me, disturbing my soul.</p> <p>“Eventually possessing me 100 per cent. Possessing my soul to do evil things.”</p> <p>The videos were posted earlier in the day on Tuesday, and the little girl's body was found by her father, Yun Wang, later that evening.</p> <p>Sophie is alleged to have suffered several<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/schoolgirl-identified-after-allegedly-being-murdered-by-mother" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> injuries</a>, and was  allegedly killed by having her throat slashed in her Carrara home.</p> <p>Her father, who is an associate professor at Griffith University, could reportedly be heard screaming by neighbours after discovering her body. </p> <p>Paramedics attempted to revive the girl, but she was declared dead at the “incredibly confronting” scene.</p> <p>Xu was arrested in a nearby street hours later and charged with murder.</p> <p>“This is absolutely sickening, gut-wrenching, awful,” Queensland Premier Steven Miles said.</p> <p>“I just can’t imagine how that father felt and hearing the reports of him screaming - nobody would ever wish that on him.”</p> <p>Her mother was formally remanded in custody until she appears in court again on November 29. </p> <p>The family's home remains a crime scene, but flowers have been left outside the home, as the local community try to come to terms with the horrific news. </p> <p>Police are continuing to investigate the motive of the alleged murder, and are taking into account Xu's social media activity. </p> <p>“Police are continuing to investigate the motive of the alleged homicide, including social media activity of the accused,” police told <em>7News</em>.</p> <p>Sophie has been remembered as a caring, kind and high-achieving Year 5 student, with the local community honouring her memory in an hour-long vigil on Friday at The Boulevard in Emerald Lakes.</p> <p>Sophie’s school, Emmanuel College, is also offering counselling to students, staff and parents.</p> <p>“Our prayers are with the family, friends, first responders and all affected by the loss of this beloved child in her home,” the school said in a statement.</p> <p><em>Images: Emmanuel College /TikTok</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Schoolgirl identified after allegedly being murdered by mother

<p><em><strong>Warning: This article contains distressing content that some readers may find upsetting. </strong></em></p> <p>The 10-year-old girl who was allegedly murdered by her mother has been identified as Sophie Wang, a young schoolgirl from the Gold Coast. </p> <p>Wang's mother, 46-year-old Yingying Xu, has been arrested and charged with the violent murder of her daughter. </p> <p>Detective Acting Inspector Kent Ellis described the crime scene as "incredibly confronting", after Sophie was allegedly killed by having her throat slashed in her Carrara home. </p> <p>“In my 15-year career as a detective, it’s one of the most confronting things I have seen.”</p> <p>According to Ellis, it was Sophie's father who found his daughter dead at the scene after he arrived home and called police.</p> <p>“It was an extremely distressing scene for not only the ... father there, but attending police, and I can understand the significant distress amongst the community,” the detective said.</p> <p>The woman was arrested on a “nearby street” some four hours after Sophie’s body was found, according to Ellis.</p> <p>Sophie's death was made public by her school Emmanuel College, who is offering counselling to the school community over the tragic incident. </p> <p>“The Emmanuel College community is devastated by the tragic passing of one of our students at a home within Emerald Lakes last night,” the school principal Dan Brown said in a statement.</p> <p>“Our prayers are with the family, friends, first responders and all affected by the loss of this beloved child in her home. Our priority is supporting our community at this difficult time."</p> <p>“We have mobilised our counselling and pastoral care teams to provide comprehensive support to students, staff and parents as our community comes to terms with this distressing news."</p> <p>“We ask for understanding and respect for the privacy of our families and students at this time. While words cannot ease the shock and pain of such a tragic loss, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Emmanuel College</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

“Timeless beauty” Vera Wang shares the secrets to her success

<p>When iconic fashion designer Vera Wang wowed fans with a post-NEA Awards picture, she received hundreds of comments praising her youthful complexion and “timeless beauty”. </p> <p>“Post NEA Award celebration dinner,” Vera captioned the image, which saw her sitting next to fellow designer Keith Lissner at the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Awards, her arm draped across his shoulders. “Thank you Keith Lissner and Paul Vinci for hosting!!!!!!” </p> <p>“You are amazing,” came the immediate response, one soon echoed throughout the entire comments section. “You never age, what is your secret?”</p> <p>“Ageing backwards. The both of you,” wrote one fan. </p> <p>“Timeless beauty,” declared another, followed by a series of red hearts, with two more added by Vera in response. </p> <p>“You are a vampire,” one decided, “you just don't age.”</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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrIIqWpOhGb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/p/CrIIqWpOhGb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Vera Wang (@verawang)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>And while Vera is no stranger to such feedback, the 73-year-old had recently informed <em>Elle</em> magazine that while she’s “very flattered” that people think she’s ageing well, she’d never set out with that as her goal in life.</p> <p>“I drink vodka, I sleep, I avoid the sun,” she added. “But I like to work. I don’t want to be pigeonholed.”</p> <p>As she later noted, “I’m confronted with a bit of a moment now where so much has been said about my ageing. I just hope that it doesn’t supersede my work. It brings up the issue of ageism, and I don’t want to be pigeonholed. We pigeonhole women that are pregnant, small, tall, athletic … authenticity means so much to me … I was never really obsessed with ageing.”</p> <p>She explained that while she can’t speak on behalf of the next generations, “things that exist now did not exist 50 or 60 years ago. There was no such thing as Botox. I’ve always focused on work. Work was my lifeline that kept me feeling relevant and challenged me over the years. I think the mind is more powerful than one could ever understand.”</p> <p>While work and productivity are held in high regard by the designer, she has also spoken up about the other main factors in her routine - most importantly, sleep. As Vera once told the <em>BBC</em>, "I’ve got to be really honest, one of them is sleep." </p> <p>"I value having a vodka cocktail at the end of the day,” she went on to share. “Because it helps me to transition from a very intense work schedule to a bit of a private life."</p> <p>In the same interview, she reiterated the point that she “never thought about youth” during her years in the fashion industry, putting it down to her daily encounters with “the most beautiful women in the world”. </p> <p>"Because of that, I more envision them as my muses,” she explained, before admitting that it was perhaps a means of “dealing with ageing” that could be considered productive, unlike so many others saturating the market. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Pretty in Pink: Vera Wang marks 73rd birthday with “unreal” looks

<p dir="ltr">Fashion icon Vera Wang has celebrated her 73rd birthday in style, stunning fans with her age-defying looks during her pink, floral-themed celebration.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wang’s Enchanted Garden-themed party was replete with flowers, trees filled with twinkling fairy lights, a gravity-defying cake covered in pink roses, and karaoke.</p> <p dir="ltr">Unsurprisingly, the fashion designer stunned in two outfits: a pink satin princess dress split down the middle to show matching floral shorts, and a pink sequined mini skirt and matching boob tube, with both looks completed with silver stilettos, necklaces with pink jewels, and a pink-and-silver crown.</p> <p dir="ltr">The party appeared to be inspired by Wang’s new Rosé Prosecco, which she posed with throughout the night.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her pomeranian, Lola “the party princess”, also made an appearance among the slew of photos Wang shared with fans on social media.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Celebrating my Bday with CAKES and KARAOKE….. and my new ROSÉ PROSECCO!!!!!!,” she captioned the series of posts.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wang’s friends and a host of fans flooded the posts with well-wishes for the bridal designer, with many sharing their disbelief over her age.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Happy birthday love!! 💗” fashion designer Lisa Perry wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Happy Birthday Fellow Cancer Queen ♋✨💗,” model Theodora ‘Teddy’ Quinlaven commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Happy birthday beautiful, you are truly inspirational to us older women,” a fan said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The way you look is unreal! Fabulous!” another added.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You look so beautiful and wearing my favourite colour! Have a great one!” a third wrote.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d54eb279-7fff-c1e5-80d1-5184703a747e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @verawang (Instagram)</em></p>

Beauty & Style

Placeholder Content Image

“What the hell” Ash Barty shook to the core over US Open drama

<p>Tennis star Ash Barty’s preparation for the fourth round US Open has been called into question after she was hit in the face with a shock to lower-ranking Chinese opponent, Qiang Wang. </p> <p>The Australian world no. 2 was far from her best on Sunday when she crashed out of the singles in a shocking 6-2, 6-4 loss. </p> <p>Barty hit 39 unforced errors and went on a 0/9 break point opportunities - just one day after playing a lengthy 150 minute doubles match while her opponent rested up. </p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7830255/ash-barty-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d11e4719c9ee4a2fae8c06fe2caf1c1a" /></p> <p>Her love for doubles has been undeniable and it skyrocketed her into the eye of the public after reaching the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon back in 2013. </p> <p>The stunning defeat has resulted in a heap of criticism from a number of fans and experts with critics questioning whether her preparation for her big match against Wang let her down. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Barty played 2.5 hrs of doubles yesterday, looked flat today. Maybe rethink strategy</p> — steven gardner (@supersteveg61) <a href="https://twitter.com/supersteveg61/status/1168200952442052608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Ash Barty clearly out of sorts.. those doubles matches must be wearing on her <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen</a></p> — Karthik K (@agentscorpion) <a href="https://twitter.com/agentscorpion/status/1168186376233390081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I think the long doubles match that Ash Barty played yesterday is weighing heavy on her today. Down a set and a break to Wang Qiang.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen</a></p> — Uday...💖💥 (@UdaySinghBhati6) <a href="https://twitter.com/UdaySinghBhati6/status/1168191925494546432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>&gt;</p> <p>Barty is hoping to win this year’s US Open women’s double title with Victoria Azarenka as she did last year alongside Coco Vandeweghe. </p> <p>Barty and Victoria Azarenka won their doubles clash 12-10 in a nail biting third set tiebreaker, but viewers suggested she would have been better off resting</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Am also 😳. Maybe Barty got tired from her doubles match so she couldn't play her best.</p> — mavymay (@mavvymay) <a href="https://twitter.com/mavvymay/status/1168220099192545280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>target="_</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Apparently Barty had a long doubles match yesterday. Maybe not feeling 100%</p> — Kirby Barkalot (@jrdn54) <a href="https://twitter.com/jrdn54/status/1168194657316036608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>However, in typical Barty style, the Australian did not dwell on the difficult loss and instead reflected on an incredible grand slam season. </p> <p>"It's been incredible. Yeah, I mean, it's a tough day at the office today, but it's been a year where we've hit our goals. Obviously I would have loved to have kept going here in singles, but we've got an opportunity to do that in doubles," Barty said.</p> <p>"Knowing what it was like last year to be able to lift the trophy in doubles was really cool. To be able to have another opportunity to do that now, still being able to play in doubles, is a bonus.</p> <p>"We've had a great season in grand slams for singles. We've made the second week every single one, which has been really special.</p> <p>"Now we'll sit back, reflect, and look forward to a big couple months to finish off the year."</p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Australian tennis legend passes away aged 64

<p>Former Australian Davis Cup tennis star Peter McNamara has died aged 64.</p> <p>“Macca,” who reached a career-high number seven in the world in 1983, left a memorable mark when he beat two all-time greats Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl to win two of his five singles titles.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.39400921658984px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7828812/eacpdumueaiyi11-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8fca7dad11f949949a1e0a3f6767101c" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Peter McNamara, 2014. </em></p> <p>However, what the tennis star was perhaps most highly regarded for was his doubles partnership with Paul McNamee – the duo went on to win Wimbledon twice in 1980 and 1982 as well as the Australian Open in 1979.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Hard to believe that after 50 years of friendship Macca is gone... you lived life to the full mate and will be missed by your loved ones and many more...a toast to the great times mate <a href="https://t.co/0RVbCD6ZRd">pic.twitter.com/0RVbCD6ZRd</a></p> — Paul McNamee (@PaulFMcNamee) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulFMcNamee/status/1153066090760511490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Melbourne-born McNamara retired in 1987 and enjoyed a successful coaching career.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">So saddened to wake up to the news of Peter McNamara’s passing overnight. A great player, great coach that improved every player he worked with, and gun of a person. Big hugs to his family, friends and of course, his great mate <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulFMcNamee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaulFMcNamee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPMacca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPMacca</a> 😔 <a href="https://t.co/CeFBai2jYI">pic.twitter.com/CeFBai2jYI</a></p> — Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) <a href="https://twitter.com/darren_cahill/status/1153063153724354560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>He coached Mark Philippoussis and guided Grigor Dimitrov in his formative years. More recently, he coached Matt Ebden and Wang Qiang.</p> <p>Until February, McNamara worked with Qiang and helped her to reach the world’s top 20 in their four-year partnership.</p> <p>The Aussie legend died peacefully at his home in Germany on Saturday night after a long and brave battle with prostate cancer.</p> <p>David Law, commentator and long-time friend of the tennis star and coach said McNamara went on to compete in exhibition matches and coach throughout his illness without many people ever knowing about his personal health issues.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">So sad to wake up &amp; hear the news of Peter McNamara’s passing 😢 he was always one of the coaches I could sit down with on tour &amp; be able to have a great chat with. Mostly about life &amp; our kids. I will never forgot him telling me to live my life &amp; be happy with who I am <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPMacca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPMacca</a></p> — Casey Dellacqua OLY (@caseydellacqua) <a href="https://twitter.com/caseydellacqua/status/1153042613152337920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>McNamara is survived by his wife Petra, his children and grandchildren.</p> <p>The tennis world took to social media to voice their love and admiration of the late tennis legend.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">When you represent Australia.. you get the chance of meeting so many good people. One of them was Australian tennis legend Peter McNamara. Ripper bloke and will sadly be missed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPMacca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPMacca</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tennis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tennis</a> 😪</p> — Dean Jones (@ProfDeano) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProfDeano/status/1153074719203233795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Peter McNamara was one of the greats, a great person. He gave his all to everything he did, respected life &amp; always had a smile &amp; time for you. He’s someone you wanted to be in the trenches with. He fought in silence and now he can rest peacefully . <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPMacca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPMacca</a></p> — roger rasheed (@roger_rasheed) <a href="https://twitter.com/roger_rasheed/status/1153038830552772608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">One of the greats 🇦🇺 🙏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPMacca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPMacca</a> <a href="https://t.co/iYJvS3qDBq">pic.twitter.com/iYJvS3qDBq</a></p> — TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisAustralia/status/1153078863129264128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2019</a></blockquote>

Caring

Our Partners