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"Worst nightmare”: Great-grandma confronts violent home intruder

<p>A distraught great-grandmother has recounted the "nightmare" she endured when her home was targeted during a violent home invasion. </p> <p>Stella, 85, was woken up at midnight on Wednesday by a light shining from the kitchen of the Perth home where she has lived with her husband for close to 30 years.</p> <p>She got out of bed to inspect the noise and was met face-to-face with an intruder. </p> <p>Stella said she threw a radio at the stranger to defend herself and called out to her husband, who had not heard the commotion because his hearing aids were not in and he was sleeping in another room.</p> <p>“I got the long handle brush and ... I pushed it into him and that’s when he must’ve thought I better get out of here,” Stella told <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/news/shaken-grandmother-relives-nightmare-alleged-mandurah-home-invasion-c-15243511" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a></em>. </p> <p>During the terrifying ordeal, Stella was both threatened and punched in the face, and is now nursing a cut, bruising and swelling.</p> <p>The great-grandmother said she was still shaken over her “worst nightmare”, saying, “We’ve been here since 1995. This is the first thing that has ever happened.”</p> <p>The canine squad was called in and arrested an 18-year-old male who was found under a car in a neighbour’s front yard.</p> <p>Police allege the teenager broke into Stella’s son’s caravan, which is parked at the back of her property, between 6.30pm and 7pm on Wednesday before coming back hours later and forcing his way into her home.</p> <p>The accused has been charged with home burglary and commit, stealing, aggravated home burglars, aggravated robbery, possession of stolen or unlawfully obtained property and unlicensed possession of ammunition.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p> <p class="css-1n6q21n-StyledParagraph e4e0a020" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; line-height: 25px; font-size: 1.125rem; font-family: HeyWow, Montserrat, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; caret-color: #292a33; color: #292a33;"> </p>

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"While I was home": Goldie Hawn robbed twice in four months

<p>Hollywood star Goldie Hawn recently opened up about a harrowing experience she and longtime partner Kurt Russell endured: two home invasions within the span of just a few months.</p> <p>Hawn shared the details of these incidents during a candid conversation on Kelly Ripa's podcast, "Let's Talk Off Camera".</p> <p>The first robbery occurred while Hawn and Russell were out for dinner. "I went up the stairs, I walked into my closet, and I just lost it," Hawn recalled, describing the moment they returned home to find their house had been burglarised. The intruders had broken in from the balcony, targeting their bedroom and closets. "They completely knocked down my door, which is a safe door, so they're very, very sophisticated, and they got a lot of my goodies," she added.</p> <p>Following the initial invasion, Hawn believed the chances of a repeat incident were slim. However, just four months later, she faced another terrifying experience – this time while she was alone at home. "I hear this big thump upstairs, and I was alone," she reflected. Initially dismissing it as a sonic boom or some other unusual noise, she later discovered that intruders "were trying to get in my bedroom while I was in the house". </p> <p>The dual invasions profoundly impacted Hawn, prompting her to enhance her home security measures significantly. Despite the increased safety precautions, the traumatic events have left a lasting impression.</p> <p>In light of these experiences, Hawn expressed a desire to relocate to Atlanta, where her family resides. "It's so lovely there, I said, 'Hey, guys, why don't we all move there?'" she shared. The idea of a family compound has always been a dream for Hawn and her loved ones. "We've always said if one moves, we all have to move together. That's what we've always said." </p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

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Prominent Aussie doctor fighting for life after violent home invasion

<p>Dr. Michael Yung, a distinguished 61-year-old Adelaide doctor and former head of the intensive care unit at Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital, is fighting for his life following a brutal home invasion early on Monday morning.</p> <p>The assault, deemed "life-threatening" by South Australia Police, unfolded within the confines of Dr Yung's opulent $2 million residence on James Street, Gilberton, at approximately 4:20am. Transpiring in one of the city's most affluent suburbs, the incident has been elevated to the status of a "major crime", prompting an expansive manhunt.</p> <p>Upon the arrival of emergency services, Dr Yung, suffering from severe injuries, was promptly transported to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where he currently remains in critical condition.</p> <p>A comprehensive investigative effort is underway, involving Major Crime Detectives, Eastern District Detectives and patrol officers. Specialised forensic officers have diligently combed through the crime scene, with their efforts extending well into the night.</p> <p>Despite the intensive search, no suspects have been apprehended. Authorities suspect the involvement of multiple offenders, though the investigation is still in its early stages. Officers are actively pursuing leads and appealing to the public for assistance, requesting dashcam footage recorded between 3:30am and 5am on Monday in the vicinity of James Street and Nottage Terrace at Gilberton.</p> <p>CCTV footage has been secured, revealing a group of youths attempting a break-in at a nearby residence in Medindie hours before the assault on Dr Yung. Residents in the area have recently experienced a series of break-ins, although it remains uncertain if this incident is linked to other offences.</p> <p>Dr Yung's 30-year-old son emerged unscathed from the ordeal and is being treated as a witness, not a suspect, by detectives. Additional family members, including his second son, are reportedly en route from interstate to stand vigil by Dr Yung's bedside.</p> <p>This tragedy compounds the family's grief, as it follows the sudden death of Dr Yung's wife, Kathryn Browne-Yung, in March 2020. The wider medical community, as well as the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and SA Health family, are extremely distressed by the attack.</p> <p>SA Health Minister Chris Picton expressed the gravity of the situation, stating, "Dr Michael Yung has been there for so many South Australian children and families at their darkest times – now it is time for all of us to be there for him and his family."</p> <p><em>Images: SA Police / Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital</em></p>

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Benedict Cumberbatch fearing for his life after terrifying home invasion

<p>Benedict Cumberbatch and his family have reportedly been left fearing for their lives as a knife-wielding man broke into the star’s North London home and threatened him.</p> <p>The <em>Daily Mail </em>reported that 35-year-old Jack Bissell, who previously worked as a chef at the Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair, kicked his way through the front gate of the Marvel star’s multimillion-dollar property, allegedly shouting, “I know you’ve moved here. I hope it burns down.”</p> <p>Cumberbatch, 46, his wife, Sophia Hunter, 45, and their three children were reportedly in the home at the time of the break-in and could hear the intruder screaming outside, according to <em>Page Six</em>.</p> <p>Bissell also allegedly took one of the family’s plants and threw it at the garden wall, and ripped the intercom off the building after spitting on it.</p> <p>The intruder reportedly fled the scene before police arrived but, authorities were able to track him down due to DNA evidence he left on the intercom.</p> <p>Bissell was reportedly arrested, fined and slapped with a three-year restraining order from the Cumberbatch family.</p> <p>A source told the outlet, “Naturally all of the family were absolutely terrified and thought this guy was going to get in and hurt them.</p> <p>“Luckily it never went that far. Benedict and Sophie have had many sleepless nights since, worrying that they may be targeted again,” the insider said.</p> <p>“The fact that it was a targeted intrusion makes it a lot more scary.”</p> <p>During the trial, prosecutors said Bissell allegedly told a nearby shopkeeper that he had planned to break into the actor’s home and burn it down.</p> <p>Bissell pleaded guilty and was sentenced on May 10. However, details surrounding the date of the incident have not been disclosed.</p> <p>According to the Daily Mail, facts of the case could not be reported until they “successfully challenged blanket reporting restrictions this week”.</p> <p>No clear connection between Bissell and Cumberbatch has been established.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty / Instagram</em></p>

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Australia Day hasn’t always been on January 26, but it has always been an issue

<p>January 26 is a date that sparks mixed emotions in Australia. For some, it’s a day to celebrate all the good things about living in Australia. For others, it’s a painful reminder of the beginning of British colonisation and the dispossession of First Nations.</p> <p>Increasingly, January 26 is becoming a date that divides the nation even as it attempts to unite it. Some local councils have <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-day-citizenship-ceremony-window-widened-ban-overturned/bc76fadf-d39a-443b-ae8d-1b4a119a70cc">stopped holding citizenship ceremonies</a> on the date. In 2018, Triple J <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-27/hottest-100-wont-be-held-on-australia-day-triple-j-says/9197014">stopped hosting its Hottest 100</a> on Australia Day, and this year Victoria announced it will <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/victoria-quietly-axes-australia-day-parade-sparking-both-praise-and-disappointment/b2nrkslud">no longer hold its Australia Day parade</a>.</p> <p>An <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/24/guardian-essential-poll-albanese-approval-rating-dips-in-sign-of-gruelling-political-year-ahead">Essential Poll this week</a> suggests around a quarter of Australians would now prefer January 26 to be a day to recognise First Nations people with a national holiday on a separate day.</p> <p>Those who defend the status quo often appeal to tradition, but it’s important to recognise Australia Day has not always been celebrated on January 26, and the meaning of the date has long been contested.</p> <h2>When did Australia Day begin?</h2> <p>In the early 19th century, January 26 was a Sydney-centric celebration, sometimes called “Foundation Day”. These were initially informal gatherings and parties, but by 1838, it was declared a <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/230385624?searchTerm=%22Anniversary%20day%22">public holiday</a> to mark the 50th anniversary of the colony. As the other colonies were established, they celebrated their own foundation, rather than January 26.</p> <p>During the Federation debates of the 1880s and 1890s, there was a push for a single national holiday. But some objected to January 26 on the grounds it was focused on New South Wales. Nevertheless, by the centenary of the British arrival in 1888, all colonies except South Australia <a href="https://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/australia-day-south-australia">observed the day</a>.</p> <p>However, even after Federation in 1901, the primary national holiday was not January 26 but “Empire Day”, celebrated on May 24. The choice of date (the late Queen Victoria’s birthday) and the form of celebrations were more imperial than nationalist in flavour. </p> <p>It was only in 1915 that Australia Day emerged, as a fundraising effort for the first world war. Held on <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2018/01/23/many-different-dates-weve-celebrated-australia-day">July 30</a>, the first Australia Day was directly shaped by the experience of the Gallipoli landing. It continued to be held in July for the remainder of the war.</p> <p>By 1935, the states all agreed to use the name Australia Day and celebrate it on January 26. But it was a decision that caused controversy and protest. The 150th anniversary in 1938 was celebrated nationally but also saw First Nations declare the date to be a “<a href="https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/day-of-mourning">day of mourning</a>”.</p> <p>Similarly, the 1988 bicentenary epitomised the contested meaning of January 26. It saw both sides – the largest party in Australia’s history and the largest protest since the Vietnam moratorium.</p> <p>It was <a href="https://www.australiaday.com.au/about/history-of-australia-day/">only in 1994</a> that Australia Day became a public holiday in every state and territory. </p> <h2>What are we celebrating?</h2> <p>Technically, January 26 does not mark the arrival of the First Fleet to Australia. Leaving England on May 13, 1787, the first ships <a href="https://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/convicts-bound-for-australia/first_fleet">arrived at Botany Bay</a> on January 18, but Arthur Phillip decided it was not a suitable site. January 26 marks the day the British flag was hoisted at Sydney Cove. </p> <p>Throughout the 19th century, January 26 was a celebration of Britishness held by people who largely identified as Australian Britons. As Australian national identity evolved in the middle of the 20th century, the narrative around Australia Day became more exclusively nationalistic. Civic rituals like the Australian of the Year (first awarded in 1960) helped give January 26 a national focus.</p> <p>Today, Australia Day is presented as a day to “<a href="https://www.australiaday.org.au/">celebrate our nation</a>”. But for many First Nations people and their allies, it’s considered “<a href="https://www.commonground.org.au/articles/australia-day">Invasion Day</a>” or “Survival Day”.</p> <h2>If not January 26, then when?</h2> <p>Most countries hold their national holiday on the date they became independent. It’s a quirk of Australian history that the date the British flag was raised has taken this role, but it demonstrates how malleable national symbols can be. </p> <p>If the date of Australia Day was to change, there’s no clear alternative, although some argue that if Australia becomes a republic, that should be the new date. A pragmatic alternative is simply to hold Australia Day on the last Friday of January. A more humorous suggestion is <a href="http://may8.com.au/#:%7E:text=Though%20May%208%20has%20no,a%20greater%20Nation%20for%20it.">May 8</a>, which pronounced with a broad Australian drawl sounds like the word “mate”.</p> <p>Historic suggestions are the anniversary of the Eureka Stockade (December 3), the Mabo judgement (June 3), or the passage of the Australia Acts (March 3).</p> <p>For all their wisdom, it could be argued the constitution writers did Australia a disservice by having the Commonwealth form on January 1, 1901. Had it been almost any other day of the year, the legal creation of Australia would be the obvious choice for a national holiday.</p> <p>As emotive as the topic is, Australians should be free to debate what January 26 means and if it should continue to be the national holiday. The ability to openly debate tough issues without fear is, after all, one of the many freedoms Australia Day is supposed to celebrate.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-day-hasnt-always-been-on-january-26-but-it-has-always-been-an-issue-198389" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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Photos released as men sought over violent pitch invasion

<p>Police have released photos of the men they want to speak to following a protest on the pitch of an A-League game in Melbourne. </p> <p>On Saturday night's game between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory, fans stormed the pitch in protest of The Australian Professional League's (APL) decision to host the A-League grand final in Sydney for the next three years. </p> <p>Around 150 football fans ran onto the field around 8pm after flares were thrown into the crowd.</p> <p>Three men were injured and Melbourne City's goalkeeper was taken to hospital with a head injury after being hit by a metal bucket of sand allegedly thrown at him.</p> <p>Police have now released a photo of a man they want to speak to in relation to the incident. </p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/12/a-league-men.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Police are looking for this man, who they allege threw the metal bucket at players. Image credits: Victoria Police</em></p> <p>A match official was hurt and a cameraman was also injured after being hit on the head with a flare, police said.</p> <p>As investigators launch their probe into how the protest started, they have released a photos of men they may help their investigation into ripping of flares, assaults, criminal damage and invading the field.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/12/a-league-men-2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Police want to talk to these men to gather more information about the incident. Image credits: Victoria Police</em></p> <p>North-West Metro Region Specialist Operations Acting Superintendent Jason Goddard called the events "disgraceful" and "disgusting," and said the fans "lacked total respect for the game of football."</p> <p>"I'm a lover of the game and I actually feel sad about what I saw play out on the pitch last night," he said.</p> <p>"Along with thousands of supporters, Victoria Police condemn the behaviour."</p> <p>He said he has "no doubt" police will be "knocking on a few doors soon."</p> <p>Witnesses of the incident, or anyone who recognises the men, have been urged to contact Crimestoppers. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Victoria Police</em></p>

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Kate Ritchie hits out at the Daily Mail for invasion of privacy

<p dir="ltr">Kate Ritchie has hit out at the Daily Mail for invading her privacy and publishing photos of her leaving a mental health facility.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former <em>Home and Away</em> star recently announced she will be taking a break from her radio show to focus on her mental health.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 43-year-old confirmed that she will be back in 2023 alongside co-hosts Joel Creasey and Tim Blackwell.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a lengthy post on Instagram, the mother-of-one confessed that she is seeking help after realising she was relying on alcohol too much.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, things became too much when the Daily Mail published photos of her leaving a mental health facility, invading her privacy.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As announced previously, I am taking a break until next year,” her post began.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The last year has been incredibly emotionally challenging, as well as a relentless schedule, stress, and a lack of sleep. I came to realise that this led to an unhealthy reliance on alcohol.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So I decided to use this time to do something positive by getting the help I need from professionals who specialise in this area.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As everyone would understand, this is a very big step for me to take. I want to sincerely thank everybody who is supporting me.</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/Cl4ytUJy_jB/?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/Cl4ytUJy_jB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kate Ritchie (@kateritchieofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“It is a shocking invasion of my privacy that the Daily Mail, through their unrelenting stalking of me, has forced me to issue this public statement, in their blatant attempt to publicly shame me on a private health matter.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Her post was met with extreme support from fellow actors, comedians and hosts who wished Kate the best in getting better.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Much love,” comedian Tommy Little wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Love love love you sista! Do what you gotta do to put your health and happiness first. Cheering you on always and excited for all that lies ahead x,” fellow radio host Ash London commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s so much strength to be found in vulnerability. Luckily you are a very strong woman and I have no doubt this time of healing will reveal an even better version of you! We love you @kateritchieofficial,” Aussie swimmer Leisel Jones wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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"If we stop communicating, Putin wins. Propaganda wins": how a Norwegian organisation is supporting Russian protest art

<p>As an international student at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow in 2012, I remember studying <em>Rekviem</em> (requiem) by Russian poet <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/anna-akhmatova">Anna Ahkmatova</a>, an elegy she penned in secret as a tribute to the countless victims of Stalin’s murderous purges. </p> <p>Akhmatova’s writing revived the atrocities, delivering their darkness into the light.</p> <p>Her words spoke of constant fear permeating lives; of distrust, anxiety and betrayal; of the secret police arriving to drag you or your family away. </p> <p>To avoid detection and retribution, Ahkmatova whispered the poem to her friends who committed it to memory. She burned the incriminating scraps of paper.</p> <p>In the first four-and-a-half months following Putin’s attack against Ukraine, over 13,000 anti-war protesters <a href="https://ovdinfo.org/articles/2022/03/07/cracked-heads-and-tasers-results-march-6th-anti-war-protests">were detained</a> in Russia.</p> <p>Some estimates are that <a href="https://meduza.io/feature/2022/05/07/skolko-lyudey-uehalo-iz-rossii-iz-za-voyny-oni-uzhe-nikogda-ne-vernutsya-mozhno-li-eto-schitat-ocherednoy-volnoy-emigratsii">hundreds of thousands</a> fled Russia in early 2022, among them thousands of artists who no longer felt safe in the climate of increasing censorship.</p> <p>Some of these artists have found themselves in Kirkenes, a small Norwegian town 15 kilometres from the Russian border.</p> <h2>Russia’s protest art</h2> <p>Russian and Soviet artists have a long history of art as protest.</p> <p>The poem <em><a href="https://poets.org/poem/stalin-epigram">Stalin’s Epigram</a></em> (1933) authored by <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/osip-mandelstam">Osip Mandelstam</a> depicted Stalin as a gleeful killer. Authorities imprisoned and tortured Mandelstam, then deported the poet to a remote village near the Ural Mountains. </p> <p>After returning from exile, he persisted writing about Stalin until he was sent to a labour camp in Siberia, where he died in 1938 at the age of 47. </p> <p>Under the comparatively liberal rule of Stalin’s successor <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/131346?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">Nikita Khrushchev</a> from 1953, the Soviet Union began to enjoy previously unimagined freedoms.</p> <p>Protest art reflected these newfound liberties, becoming increasingly provocative and experimental. </p> <p>Many famous art movements surfaced during this period, including <a href="https://www.moscowart.net/art.html?id=SotsArt">Sots Art</a> — a fusion between Soviet and Pop Art — as Russian artists tested the boundaries, exposing the grim realities and unhappiness of life under Stalin’s regime. </p> <p>In 1962, the legendary composer Shostakovich set his <a href="https://theconversation.com/decoding-the-music-masterpieces-shostakovichs-babi-yar-82819">13th symphony</a> to a series of poems by his contemporary, Yevgeny Yevtushenko. One of these poems was Babi Yar, which criticised the Soviet government for concealing the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/babi-yar-ukraine-massacre-holocaust-180979687/">massacre of 33,371 Jews</a> in a mass grave outside Kyiv.</p> <p>In contemporary Russia, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/world/europe/pussy-riot-russia-escape.html">Pussy Riot</a> came to the attention of the world in 2012 when members stepped behind the altar in Moscow’s golden-domed Christ the Saviour Cathedral wearing neon-coloured balaclavas to deliver a “punk rock prayer”. </p> <p>Their voices echoed off the cavernous, hand-painted ceilings, raging against Putin’s affiliation with the Orthodox church and the homophobic, anti-feminist policies that followed. </p> <p>They were sentenced to two years imprisonment.</p> <p>Today, <a href="https://artreview.com/amidst-a-crackdown-russia-anti-war-artists-and-activists-try-to-reclaim-the-streets/">pictures from Russia</a> reveal anonymous anti-war graffiti on the sides of buildings, “no war” chiselled into a frozen river, and yellow and blue chrysanthemums and tulips left at the feet of Soviet war memorials.</p> <h2>Cross-border collaborations</h2> <p><a href="https://www.pikene.no/">Pikene på Broen</a> (girls on the bridge) is an arts collective based in Kirkenes.</p> <p>They have spent the past 25 years curating art projects to promote cross-cultural collaboration and tackle political problems in the borderland region. </p> <p>Pikene på Broen is host to the the annual art festival <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barents_Sea">Barents</a> Spektakel (spectacle), an international artist residency including Russian, Norwegian and Finnish creatives, the gallery and project space Terminal B in Kirkenes town, and the debate series Transborder Café.</p> <p>The venue has become a hub for open discussions relating to current political and cultural issues, drawing contributions from artists, musicians, writers, politicians and researchers.</p> <p>Evgeny Goman, an independent theatre director from Murmansk, Russia – about 200 kilometres from Kirkenes – has been collaborating with Pikene på Broen for over 10 years.</p> <p>After moving to Norway in early 2022, Pikene på Broen worked with Goman to organise Kvartirnik (from the word kvartira, meaning apartment), an online talk group for Russian and Norwegian artists to exchange ideas. </p> <p>Following Putin’s attack on Ukraine, Kvartirnik shifted to an underground movement for dissident artists. Ironically, the name Kvartirnik derives from the clandestine concerts arranged <a href="https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/blog/ciee-kvartirnik-understanding-through-music">in people’s apartments</a> during the Soviet Era when musicians were banned from performing in public.</p> <p><a href="http://deadrevolution.tilda.ws/?fbclid=IwAR2PcaqY7VdLtS1zYUu4JCbD6F36KZ8JKv_FEIYsNeSTE4aKokhV7YpITas">Party of the Dead</a> is one of several Russian protest art groups who participated in Kvartirnik. </p> <p>Pictures from the snow-decked Piskaryovskoye Cemetery in Saint Petersburg reveal members dressed as skeletons, holding placards reading: “are there not enough corpses?”.</p> <p>I spoke with Goman about the art coming out of Kvartirnik today.</p> <p>“In peaceful times, art is more about entertaining,” he says. </p> <p>"But in war and conflict, art is more important because it’s the language we use to express our pain. And through metaphors and symbolism, it allows us to speak about things that are censored."</p> <h2>Countering propaganda</h2> <p>Kvartirnik collaborators in Murmansk have also produced and distributed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samizdat">Samizdat</a> (self-publishing), an anonymous newsletter containing art suppressed by the state. </p> <p>“We have to be really smart now about how we do things in Russia,” Goman says. “Subtle.”</p> <p>Goman is pessimistic about Russia’s future. But he believes the key to moving forward is keeping communication open. He tells me the West’s decision to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/right-way-cancel-russia/627115/">ban Russian culture</a> has backfired on their plan to pressure Putin into ending the war against Ukraine. </p> <p>Instead, he says, the divide is steadily increasing, leaving dissident artists isolated inside a country operating on fear and propaganda, furthering Putin’s agenda. </p> <p>“Putin wants us to not affect Russian minds. And that’s why we have to keep the dialogue going,” he says of the importance of cross-border collaborations like those he has undertaken in Kirkenes.</p> <p>"If we stop communicating, Putin wins. Propaganda wins."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-we-stop-communicating-putin-wins-propaganda-wins-how-a-norwegian-organisation-is-supporting-russian-protest-art-186911" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

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Ukrainian refugees living “better than they dreamed” on Scottish cruise ship

<p dir="ltr">More than 100 Ukrainian refugees arriving in Scotland are calling a cruise ship in Edinburgh their new home, with those aboard praising the extensive amenities and nods to their home country.</p> <p dir="ltr">Families began moving onto the MS Victoria at the end of July, which can host up to 1,700 people and includes restaurants, children’s play areas, shops, a laundry, support services and free Wi-Fi among its onboard amenities.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though that might be standard fare for cruise passengers, there have been some extra touches made to help those onboard feel more at home.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nikol Bilous told <em><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-62346573" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC Scotland</a></em> the ship came with access to Ukrainian TV channels, which came as a surprise since “you never find that when you go on holiday”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"All the signs are in Ukrainian on the ship and most of the staff are Ukrainian,” the 19-year-old said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And last night we had Borscht beetroot soup, our national dish, we couldn't believe it.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The conditions on the ship are better than we could have dreamed of and we are very grateful to the Scottish people for this accommodation.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Bilous added that there were also cinemas and theatres on board, but there were issues with the lights which haven’t worked after the Covid lockdowns.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But we don't need entertainment and were very surprised they were trying to do all this for us," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Edinburgh Council has been on board all the time answering any questions we have, so we have felt 100% supported.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The rooms are quite small but they are perfect and we are very happy and grateful."</p> <p dir="ltr">Since the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/russian-invasion-of-ukraine-imminent-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russian invasion of Ukraine began</a> earlier this year, more than 10,500 people have travelled from Ukraine to Scotland.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Scottish government says that new arrivals are met with a network of “welcome hubs”, moving into temporary accommodation such as the MS Victoria or a hotel until alternative housing is arranged.</p> <p dir="ltr">The MS Victoria is docked at all times and guarded, with residents able to arrive and leave whenever they like.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other families, including Tanya Munawar, her husband Khashif, and their five-year-old daughter Marcia, told the <em>BBC </em>they were given “a very warm welcome” when they arrived in Scotland and hoped to settle in the local area.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I'm an immigration consultant and since we arrived here on 26 July I have been trying to find us accommodation to rent and a job,” Khashif said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I've been applying to hotels to be a housekeeping supervisor. We plan to stay here and work. It really helps that we can speak English.</p> <p dir="ltr">"My daughter is small and is feeling good, as long as she is with her parents she won't be affected by this."</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9e0c4e95-7fff-1195-3bd5-830a54906dd2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Marko Stampehl (AS Tallink Group)</em></p>

Cruising

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Cats declared an “invasive alien species” in Poland

<p dir="ltr">A scientific institute in Poland has categorised domestic cats as an “invasive alien species”, joining a menagerie of animals on their invasive species list.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Polish Academy of Sciences has deemed the house cat (Felis catus) as an “alien” species as it was domesticated in the Middle East, and “invasive” due to the “negative influence of domestic cats on native biodiversity”, according to a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">Cats join a long list of animals and plants deemed an “invasive alien species” by the institute, including Japanese knotweed, racoons, clearwing moths and mandarin ducks.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Academy states that cats pose “an unpredictable risk to local wildlife”, citing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989418303196?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a study</a> that shows cats kill 41.1 million mammals and 8.9 million birds each year, eating an additional 583.4 million mammals and 135.7 birds.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wojciech Solarz, a biologist at the state-run institute, told <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-poland-wildlife-cats-birds-b942a55135832d085375de73c9cc2e23?user_email=d892765ed707c6b27af3429c2e8ec0607119ec5a15758542d760a9bac7b882a8&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=July27_MorningWire&amp;utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP</a> that the criteria to be declared an alien invasive species “are 100 percent met by the cat”.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, cat owners and lovers have expressed outrage at the decision, arguing it could incite abuse or mistreatment of cats, with concerned commenters declaring it “simply stupid and harmful” on the Academy’s Facebook page.</p> <p dir="ltr">AP has also reported that some media reports have incorrectly given the impression that the Academy was calling for cats to be euthanized.</p> <p dir="ltr">Solarz told the outlet he hadn’t expected such a response, adding that no other entry on their database of invasive and alien species had resulted in such an emotional response.</p> <p dir="ltr">He suggested that the negative feedback may be due to a misunderstanding that the Academy was implying that people harm their cats.</p> <p dir="ltr">In actuality, the Academy has only recommended that cat owners limit the amount of time their pets spend outdoors during bird breeding season.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3485969e-7fff-54f6-de1d-11099865d6bb"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Murdered schoolgirl’s mum charged with home invasion

<p dir="ltr">The mother of murdered school girl Charlise Mutten has been charged for allegedly breaking into a home in the Blue Mountains. </p> <p dir="ltr">Police will allege Kallista Mutten, 39, accompanied her fiancé Justin Stein with breaking into a home in the Blue Mountains and taking firearms. </p> <p dir="ltr">Stein, 31, is accused of murdering Kallista’s daughter Charlise and is in custody where he maintains his innocence. </p> <p dir="ltr">The nine-year-old schoolgirl was staying with Stein over the summer holidays and was reported missing on January 14. </p> <p dir="ltr">Four days later, her body was found stuffed inside a barrel near the Colo River with a gunshot wound.</p> <p dir="ltr">There is no suggestion that her mother had anything to do with the murder.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, as investigations ensued, police found two firearms and ammunition near where Charlise was brutally murdered. </p> <p dir="ltr">Police are yet to confirm whether or not the firearms were used in Charlise’s murder.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police will further allege that Stein broke into a home in the Blue Mountains and stole the firearms in August last year. </p> <p dir="ltr">In May, police charged Stein with acquiring the two weapons during a home invasion in Mount Wilson.</p> <p dir="ltr">On July 26, police charged Kallista with allegedly accompanying Stein, with the break and entering of the property. </p> <p dir="ltr">“A woman’s been charged over her alleged role in a home invasion that was uncovered as part of ongoing investigations into the alleged murder of a girl in the Blue Mountains earlier this year,” NSW police said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A 39-year-old woman attended Campbelltown Police Station on Tuesday where she was charged with aggravated break and enter in company.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: NSW Police/ABC</em></p>

News

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Kevin Rudd sounds alarm over Chinese invasion

<p dir="ltr">Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has spoken out about the chance of Taiwan being invaded by China and detailed several ways Australia can avoid “sleepwalking into war”, as reported by <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/former-pm-kevin-rudds-chilling-china-warning/news-story/feadbf7e68e90a4c3789a59802eb59af" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Appearing on ABC’s <em>7.30 </em>on Wednesday night, Mr Rudd said few in the West realised how much Chinese leader Xi Jinping wanted to gain control of Taiwan.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s right up there next to Xi Jinping’s desire for the party to remain in power and for him to be the predominant leader within the Communist Party of China,” he said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-374d4e77-7fff-21ab-e2d0-138f8ec508ae"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Rudd said there were only two things preventing China from invading Taiwan: questions of militaristic dominance and the risk of being slapped with similar sanctions to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMrKRudd%2Fvideos%2F804940963809595%2F&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="429" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">“There has been a little too much excited commentary in the West about how China will seize on this strategic opportunity to move on Taiwan. I don’t think that’s the case,” Mr Rudd said.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the former PM did note that the dynamic could shift if the balance of both military and economic power “continues to change in China’s favour”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He added that an invasion of Taiwan would likely be amphibious, unlike Russia’s land-based “blitzkrieg” invasion of Ukraine, and that war game modelling conducted by the US suggests that China would come out on top by just a thin margin.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In most of the war gaming which has been done so far - and these are desktop exercises by and large - if you look at what various US officials have said off the record and partly reported in the American media, the Chinese at this stage win most of the time,” Mr Rudd said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said recent events meant the situation was being watched very closely by all parties, and that a potential invasion would depend on what the Taiwanese and US does next.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Taiwanese, for the first time in a very long time, I think, are now readdressing their national defence idea needs and I think they will be looking very carefully at the fight which the Ukrainians have put up against Russia,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think it really does depend … on how much more the Taiwanese and the Americans do.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Rudd said Australia’s role should be to encourage the US and other allies towards deterring any invasion, and that working with allies in Japan, South Korea and India was crucial to avoid “sleepwalking into war”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5e2d1395-7fff-51cf-8223-dca3ce5c7818"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Kevin Rudd (Facebook)</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Energy bills are spiking after the Russian invasion. We should have doubled-down on renewables years ago

<p>Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is happening half a planet away from Australia. </p> <p>But the ripple effects are plain to see at every petrol station and, potentially soon, your electricity bill. </p> <p>As a result of the invasion and Western sanctions on Russian exports, energy prices have skyrocketed. </p> <p>If that makes you think nations should have taken steps to secure alternatives to fossil fuels years ago, you’re not alone. As it is, the much higher energy prices are likely to accelerate the exit of coal – and gas – from our energy grids. </p> <p>This should be a wake-up call. It doesn’t matter that Australia is far from the battlefield. Everyone in the world will be affected in some way.</p> <h2>What’s the link between the invasion and Australian energy prices?</h2> <p>You might think Australia’s domestic supply of coal and gas means we’d be immune to price rises. Not so. </p> <p>Due to formal sanctions and informal shunning of Russian exports, oil, coal and gas are now extremely expensive on a global scale. Thermal coal prices have increased five-fold to an unprecedented ~$A500 per tonne. Oil is ~$140 a barrel and up 60% year on year. Natural gas in Europe is around 50% higher than last October, but since the invasion, prices have spiked as high as ~200% higher than 2021 levels. </p> <p>Coal buyers are locking in supply, concerned that Russian sanctions will continue. Russia is the <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/market-insights/latest-news/metals/030722-factbox-russian-metals-industrys-reliance-on-china-set-to-rise-as-sanctions-disrupt-supplies">third largest exporter of coal</a> and its existing customers are now under pressure to find alternative supplies. </p> <p>Russia’s aggression is not just resulting in a major humanitarian and political crisis. It is also causing pain at the bowser for Australian consumers due to the surge in oil pricing and may soon result in higher electricity bills. </p> <p>Australia’s east-coast electricity market is still heavily reliant upon coal. While many coal-fired power stations have existing supply contracts, the much higher global coal price may increase the cost of any extra coal purchases by existing power stations. </p> <p>Not only that, but our gas-fired power stations are facing potential increases in operating costs due to much higher global gas prices. </p> <p>Unfortunately, we may see the result in rising power bills. The price of future contracts for wholesale electricity next year in NSW are now twice what they were a year ago. Assuming this flows through to end-users, prices for residential customers could increase by as much as 10–15%. </p> <h2>So what should Australia do?</h2> <p>While it’s too late to dodge this bullet, we can prepare for future shocks by doubling down on firmed renewables. The faster we move, the less we’ll be hit by the price and reliability risks of coal. </p> <p>Already under pressure from cheaper renewable technologies, coal power station operators now find themselves potentially facing much higher costs in the short-term. There’s no relief for coal in the long term either, with the rapid rise of renewables and other zero-carbon technologies.</p> <p>Not only that, but most of our coal power stations are near the end of their lives, and industry doesn’t want to build new ones. That means coal will become more and more expensive, as the plants become <a href="https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/files/electricity/nem/planning_and_forecasting/inputs-assumptions-methodologies/2020/aep-elical-assessment-of-ageing-coal-fired-generation-reliability.pdf">increasingly unreliable</a>. </p> <p>Wind and solar technologies are now much cheaper per unit of energy generated and can be integrated with energy storage to provide dispatchable “firmed” energy. The faster we transition to renewables firmed by storage, the better.</p> <p>If we do this, our new grid will also be more reliable. Continuing to rely upon coal is like relying upon a 1970s car to travel from Sydney to Melbourne on the hottest day of the year. </p> <p>State governments around the nation are already embracing this approach, with the New South Wales government moving ahead with plans for 12 gigawatts (GW) of new renewables and storage and the Victorian government announcing plans for 9GW of offshore windfarms. </p> <p>Governments must carefully design policies to avoid guaranteeing profits for private sector players while socialising any losses across taxpayers and energy consumers. In NSW, <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/article/blaajarec/v_3a66_3ay_3a2022_3ai_3a1_3ap_3a136-163.htm">alternatives</a> are being considered.</p> <p>As European and many other nations scramble to reduce their dependency on Russian coal, oil and gas, Australia now has a once in a generation opportunity to become a leading exporter of new clean energy. </p> <p>We have truly enormous clean energy resources in the form of free sunlight and wind. To export it, we can either run underseas cables to neighbouring countries, or convert cheap renewable power into <a href="https://theconversation.com/green-hydrogen-is-coming-and-these-australian-regions-are-well-placed-to-build-our-new-export-industry-174466">green hydrogen</a> and ship this to the world just as we currently do with LNG.</p> <h2>What else can we expect to see?</h2> <p>Surging fossil fuel prices has supercharged the existing disruption to an already rapidly changing domestic energy industry. In the past month, Origin announced it would abandon coal more rapidly, with the closure of its NSW coal-fired power station, Eraring, in 2025. </p> <p>Meanwhile, AGL has been pursuing a “demerger” with a view to splitting off its coal assets and pursuing new energy technologies. This comes as Australian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and Canadian asset fund Brookfield <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-06/brt-agl-brookfield-bid-rejected/100887042">offered to buy AGL</a> for $8.25 a share, though they were not successful. Their plan was to accelerate the closure of AGL’s coal assets, which would move AGL from the <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org.au/news/new-government-data-reveals-agl-as-australias-biggest-climate-polluter/">highest carbon emitter in Australia</a> to a clean energy company. The age of coal power is ending, and much faster than most of us realise.</p> <p>This crisis should spur us to build a future-proofed fleet of “firmed” and well-distributed renewables with a known cost structure. </p> <p>By doing this, we will protect ourselves from the pain of geopolitically driven fossil fuel prices. And we will have a platform ready if we want to provide clean energy to the world in the form of green hydrogen.</p> <p>We have had decades to make full use of our wealth of renewable energy resources. We haven’t embraced this as fully as we should have. </p> <p>It turns out localised clean energy production is not just necessary to tackle climate change. It will prove a vital resource as we navigate the highly turbulent decade we have found ourselves in.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/energy-bills-are-spiking-after-the-russian-invasion-we-should-have-doubled-down-on-renewables-years-ago-179336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Home Hints & Tips

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“We can’t leave”: Russians accused of holding hospital staff and patients “hostage”

<p dir="ltr">Officials of Ukraine’s besieged city Mariupol <a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/russia-ukraine-war-updates-mariupol-hospital-staff-patients-taken-hostage/news-story/290f75e5198aed84789d7d8d27c3bc67" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have claimed</a> that 400 hospital staff and patients have been taken as “hostages” by Russian forces.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We received information that the Russian army captured our biggest hospital,” Sergei Orlov, Mariupol’s deputy mayor, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60757133" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the BBC</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pavlo Kirilenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, took to Facebook to share an account from a hospital employee who managed to communicate with authorities.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Russian occupiers in Mariupol took doctors and patients hostage,” Mr Kirilenko <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pavlokyrylenko.donoda/posts/506102444405648" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the hospital employees had time to pass this news.</p> <p dir="ltr">“‘It is impossible to get out of the hospital. There is heavy shooting, we sit in the basement. Vehicles have not been able to drive to the hospital for two days. </p> <p dir="ltr">“‘The Russians forced 400 people from neighbouring houses to come to our hospital. We can’t leave’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Kirilenko added that the hospital had been “practically destroyed” by the Russian forces, but that staff have continued to work and treat patients in the basement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I appeal to international human rights organisations to respond to these vicious violations of the norms and customs of war, to these blatant crimes against humanity,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Russia and every citizen involved in crimes in Ukraine must be punished!”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Kirilenko said the hospital holding the “hostages” was the same one that was damaged by a strike last week, as Mariupol continued to suffer constant shelling.</p> <p dir="ltr">Russian troops have surrounded the city for nearly two weeks, with gas, running water and electricity cut off to the estimated 350,000 residents trapped there.</p> <p dir="ltr">The local council said about 2,000 cars left the city on Tuesday, with 2,000 others waiting to leave.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, as food and medical supplies dwindle, no aid has been allowed in.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fa019eb7-7fff-7fda-e018-45f8494a695a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

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World first painless and non-invasive skin cancer treatment trialled in Australia

<p>Skin cancer patients in Australia are the first to be enrolled in a global trial of a new painless non-invasive treatment.</p> <p>The therapy called Rhenium-SCT uses a resin paste containing radioactive particles to kill non-melanoma skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma.</p> <p>South Coast Radiology on the Gold Coast is the first to offer the new treatment as part of a study recruiting 200 patients, also involving patients in Sydney and Perth.</p> <p>Small published studies overseas have shown the therapy to be effective and well-tolerated but more evidence is needed.</p> <p>"The Rhenium-SCT has advantages in that it's a single treatment that is painless with a really good cosmetic outcome," said Dr Sam Vohra, OncoBeta Australia Medical Director.</p> <p>GenesisCare's Radiation Oncologist Associate Professor Sid Baxi treated the first patients in the study.</p> <p>"This is particularly useful for thin skin cancers, around three millimetres in-depth," he said.</p> <p>"We're looking at an approximate 90 percent clearance rate."</p> <p>He said about 500 patients around the world have already received the therapy with a follow-up of about two years.</p> <p>The latest trial will shed more light on its effectiveness, the side-effect profile and the patient's quality of life. Jan McGrath travelled from Sydney to the Gold Coast after she jumped at the chance to take part in the trials.</p> <p>"It just sounded amazing to be able to cure it without having to be cut, chopped and sewn," she said.</p> <p>"It was really easy, it didn't hurt at all."</p> <p>Jan wanted to avoid having a surgical graft after a basal cell carcinoma developed inside her ear.</p> <p>She has had about ten skin cancers removed in the past, including major surgery on her nose which took weeks to heal.</p> <p>"It's invasive, painful and takes a long time to recover," she said.</p> <p>The German-based innovators have partnered with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation to manufacture and deliver the radioactive particles at Lucas Heights.</p> <p><em>Image: 9News</em></p>

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Ukraine museums scramble to save Russian art

<p dir="ltr">As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, museums and art galleries are taking extraordinary measures to secure valuable artworks. </p> <p dir="ltr">Staff at the main museum in Kharkiv have been racing to get priceless artworks to safety, many of them by Russian artists.</p> <p dir="ltr">The ornate building remains standing in Kharkiv, unlike many others that have fallen victim to Russian air strikes, although the windows have all been blown in with the surrounding streets being covered in debris. </p> <p dir="ltr">"There are over 25,000 items in our collection," said Maryna Filatova, head of the foreign art department at the Kharkiv Art Museum, adding that it was one of the biggest and most valuable in the country.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It is simply irony of fate that we should be saving Russian artists, paintings by Russian artists from their own nation. This is simply barbarism," she told Reuters last week.</p> <p dir="ltr">While many Ukrainians have fled their war-torn country, many have stayed to defend their home, which has included many of the irreplaceable culture hubs. </p> <p dir="ltr">In the town of Odessa on the southern coast, a monument to Duc de Richelieu, a governor of the city in the early 19th century, has been protected by sandbags piled around the plinth and statue up to its shoulders.</p> <p dir="ltr">One of the most prized works at the Kharkiv museum is a version of the imposing work by renowned Russian painter Ilya Repin called Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, which has been removed from the wall and safely stored away.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Basically, it should not be moved," said Filatova of the painting. "Any movement should be avoided. We treat it with great care."</p> <p dir="ltr">While the museum curators are working tirelessly to protect the historical works, they say the extent of the damage won’t be known for some time. </p> <p dir="ltr">"The real damage we will only be able to assess in peaceful times, when it is calm.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Workers, women that are still in town, we will work and do our best to save it all. We are taking the paintings down and will hide them," Filatova said, without specifying where. "We are doing our best to preserve them."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Why people are booking stays in Ukraine with NO plans to check in

<p dir="ltr">While the people of Ukraine are navigating air-raid sirens, fleeing their homes and frantically messaging family for updates, they are also being inundated with Airbnb booking requests. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, those people booking properties in Ukraine don’t wish to come for a holiday. </p> <p dir="ltr">Instead, these accommodation requests are part of a creative social media campaign to funnel money to besieged Ukrainians in need of financial support. </p> <p dir="ltr">Users have even requested to book a one-bedroom apartment in Ukraine’s capital that belongs to politician Volodymyr Bondarenko, to which he responds with heart-felt emojis to say thank you. </p> <p dir="ltr">The initiative began when Russian forces started to bomb Ukraine and cut off essential services, with people all around the world wanting to help. </p> <p dir="ltr">The idea has quickly gathered momentum, with international guests “booked” for more than 61,000 nights in Ukraine, according to an Airbnb spokesperson.</p> <p dir="ltr">More than half of those nights were booked by Americans, with people from Australia and the United Kingdom also contributing greatly. </p> <p dir="ltr">"More than 10 bookings came in today. This was surprising, it's very supportive at the moment," Mr Bondarenko, 36, told CNN early Friday.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I told many of my relatives and friends that I plan to use this money to help our people who need it at this time."</p> <p dir="ltr">As well as the payments for their homes, those making the bookings are also leaving messages of support for the residents of Ukraine. </p> <p dir="ltr">New York City resident Anne Margaret Daniel “booked” a stunning apartment in Kyiv, and left a message for the host saying, "I hope that you, and your lovely apartment, are safe and that this horrible war is over ... and Ukraine is safe."</p> <p dir="ltr">"I will come and see you one day, please count on it, and will stay with you when we visit. God bless you and God be with you, your city, your country."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p> </p>

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China doubles down on bizarre Russia conspiracy theory

<p>China has doubled down on a bizarre conspiracy that is believed to be part of an elaborate ploy to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine. </p> <p>Earlier this week, a senior Chinese official accused the United States of running a series of biolabs in Russia, claiming the situation was “dangerous” and that the “safety” of the alleged labs were at risk.</p> <p>“Under the current circumstances, for the sake of the health and safety of people in Ukraine, the surrounding region and the whole world, we call on all relevant parties to ensure the safety of these laboratories,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian during a recent press conference.</p> <p>“In particular, the US, as the party with the best knowledge of these laboratories, should release relevant details as soon as possible, including what viruses are stored and what research has been conducted."</p> <p>“What is the real intention of the US? What exactly did it do?”</p> <p>Mr Zhao went on to claim that America's biological military activities in Ukraine were just the "tip of the iceberg", following a series of Russian reports that claim over 30 biolabs were in operation in Ukraine at the request of a US government agency. </p> <p>However, the bizarre conspiracy theory seems to have originated from Russia back in April 2020.</p> <p>At the time, the US embassy in Ukraine was forced to denounce the wild rumours, slamming them as “Russian disinformation regarding the strong US-Ukrainian partnership to reduce biological threats”.</p> <p>“The US Department of Defence’s Biological Threat Reduction Program works with the Ukrainian government to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concern in Ukrainian government facilities, while allowing for peaceful research and vaccine development,” the statement reads.</p> <p>“We also work with our Ukrainian partners to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats."</p> <p>“Our joint efforts help to ensure that dangerous pathogens do not fall into the wrong hands.”</p> <p>The misinformation about the alleged biolabs has become so widespread that Britain's Defence Ministry has also weighed in. </p> <p>“Since the end of February there has been a notable intensification of Russian accusations that Ukraine is developing nuclear or biological weapons,” the ministry said in a tweet yesterday.</p> <p>“These narratives are long standing but are currently likely being amplified as part of a retrospective justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”</p> <p>While the US confirmed it was working with Ukraine, they went on to say the were fearful of any biological research material getting into the wrong hands. </p> <p>“Ukraine has biological research facilities, which in fact we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to gain control of,” senior State Department official Victoria Nuland said during a recent hearing, according to AFP.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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"Never forgive!": Lion King and The Hobbit actor killed defending Ukraine

<p dir="ltr">A Ukrainian actor and TV host <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/celebrity-deaths/the-hobbit-and-lion-king-actor-pasha-lee-33-killed-in-ukraine-invasion/news-story/196a4a99f7c1c08d37388615191f04ab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has died</a> in the Russian invasion after quitting his job and joining the army to defend his country.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 33-year-old signed up to Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces just last week, and died during Russian shelling in Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on Sunday.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2909e28d-7fff-abf8-bcec-915db6febe48"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">In his final post to Instagram, Lee shared a photo of himself smiling in his military uniform.</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/CasIphINGKk/?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/CasIphINGKk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ПАША ЛИ | АКТЕР | TV HOST (@pashaleeofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“For the last 48 hours there is an opportunity to sit down and take a picture of how we are being bombed, and we are smiling because we will manage and everything will be UKRAINE, WE ARE WORKING!” he wrote on Saturday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-05bf1250-7fff-c7e8-1b63-17213acfb80c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">In another post from two days prior, he shared another picture of himself and called on Ukrainians to “join” him in the war.</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/CakIYNVNZea/?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/CakIYNVNZea/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ПАША ЛИ | АКТЕР | TV HOST (@pashaleeofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">His post came as four civilians were killed, including a family of three, in the same city while attempting to flee Russian bombardment.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lee was known for his roles in Ukrainian films <em>#SelfieParty</em> and <em>The Fight Rules</em>, and for contributing to Ukrainian dubs of <em>The Hobbit</em> and <em>The Lion King</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sergiy Tomilenko, a Ukrainian journalist and President of Ukraine’s National Union of Journalists, confirmed Lee’s death on social media and expressed “sincere condolences” for his family on behalf of the union.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our words of support to all the staff of the DOM channel [where Lee previously worked], which embodies the noble mission of broadcasting for the de-occupation of the Donetsk, Luhansk regions and Crimea,” Tomilenko <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sergiy.tomilenko" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">A former co-star, Anastasiya Kasilova, who appeared with Lee in one of his final projects, also paid tribute to him on Facebook.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He is an actor, TV presenter, my colleague and a good acquaintance,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Never forgive!”</p> <p dir="ltr">Lee reportedly joined Ukraine’s armed forces on the first day of the Russian invasion and was stationed in Irpin.</p> <p dir="ltr">Russia continued shelling Kyiv suburbs, including Irpin, over the weekend, resulting in the city being cut off from heating, electricity and water for three days.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following Sunday’s attack, which saw a mother and two young children among the eight civilians killed as they attempted to flee, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to punish “every b***ard” who committed atrocities during the invasion.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They were just trying to get out of town,” Zelensky said of the family who died. </p> <p dir="ltr">“To escape. The whole family. How many such families have died in Ukraine?</p> <p dir="ltr">“We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d8137e90-7fff-de91-8263-3913bb3e4f2d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @pashaleeofficial (Instagram)</em></p>

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Meet the Aussie student who fled the Ukraine Russian invasion

<p>Conrad Siziba moved from Western Australia to Ukraine in September of 2019, where he was eager to begin his studies to pursue a career in medicine.</p> <p>The medical student never could have imagined he would survive the risks of Covid-19, only to be forced out of the country by the tragedy of war.</p> <p>Conrad was among the first arrivals into Perth on Thursday, when the long-awaited quarantine travel ban finally lifted, after the state’s hard border opened.</p> <p>The sweet embrace with his father Conrad Siziba Senior and mother Noma brought a close to a nail-biting journey home.</p> <p>His parents were all smiles as they welcomed their son back from Ukraine.</p> <p>The process home “wasn’t easy”, Mr Siziba said.</p> <p>“The last few days when he was just about to come out, it was challenging,” he said.</p> <p>“He was facing a huge threat,” Mrs Siziba said. “We’re excited he’s home.”</p> <p>The medical student dropped his studies to flee the university town Dnipro in Eastern Ukraine - a key region named as a target by Russia.</p> <p>The safety risk of the invasions meant he had to bypass Kyiv, instead making his way to Lviv.</p> <p>“He was meant to fly on Thursday but that’s when they closed the flights and then he couldn’t fly,” Mr Siziba said.</p> <p>Conrad joined the student exodus on packed trains through a rough Ukrainian winter. This journey of risk included a 30km walk on foot to Poland before he could make it back to home to Baldivis.</p> <p>His parents were on edge as they waited during the “challenging time”, Mr Siziba said.</p> <p>“Thank God for the foreign affairs department, they were really supportive,” he said.</p> <p>Conrad appeared unphased by his journey upon his arrival home, simply focusing on the fact that he was home safe.</p> <p>“We’re happy he’s home,” his father said, Mrs Siziba adding it’s “the best thing ever”.</p> <p><em>Image: 7News</em></p>

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