MELBOURNE, Australia — Just two weeks after being released from prison on a court order that required mental health treatment, Melbourne-based John Woodruff killed his neighbor. The victim, Barry Gray, 72, had moved to the Rye beach house near Melbourne, Australia, which he built himself after separating from his wife. A retiree, who enjoyed making musical instruments in his spare time, had informed a friend that he’d been having trouble with 22-year-old Woodruff harassing him for cigarettes. Woodruff, too, had moved to his family’s beach house after being released from prison on a Community Corrections Order, with the condition that he…
Author: zenger.news
KOLKATA, India — India has managed to clear up some 20,000 acres of prime defense land by putting some high-yielding cattle on fire sale. The Indian Army projects to save up to INR 280 crores ($372 million) from the Military Farms Services’ closure. With the closure, another British era practice has come to an end. The first such military farm in India was set up in 1889 in Allahabad, in the central state of Uttar Pradesh, by the British to ensure its army got fresh, hygienic milk and butter. Another major task was managing large tracts of defense land, production, and…
TIWI ISLANDS, Australia — Australia has urged people in Northern Territory (NT) to protect themselves from mosquito bites after two rare and dangerous viruses borne by the insects were detected. Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) virus and Kunjin virus were found in the Top End and Barkly regions during routine screening, Northern Territory Health officials claimed. “The results of recent testing indicate widespread Murray Valley encephalitis and Kunjin virus activity throughout the Territory,” Bill Pettit, medical entomologist, said on April 14. “Although mosquito numbers are currently relatively low in Top End urban areas and Central Australia, they can still occur in relatively…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia can learn from the United States’ vaccination rollout, the president’s top infectious disease adviser Anthony Fauci says. Fauci, who has advised seven U.S. presidents, admitted the country’s initial pandemic response was poor during the University of New South Wales‘ inaugural David Cooper lecture on April 14. “We had an inconsistent response, which allowed us to really do worse than essentially any other country,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s disability minister is promising to review feedback before introducing independent assessments to the national support scheme. National Disability Support Scheme minister Linda Reynolds will meet with her state and territory counterparts on April 15, with the planned changes high on the agenda. While Senator Reynolds said she would look closely at feedback before drafting laws to lock in the rollout, the long-term cost of the scheme was a key concern. “It was established as — and continues to be — an insurance scheme,” she said. “Any future reforms must continue to deliver on the promise of the…
TOORADIN, Australia — Victoria Police are searching for three gatecrashers wanted over the fatal assault of a teenager at a party in Australia’s Melbourne’s southeast last month. Jason Langhans, 17, died in hospital on April 10 following a fight at a 16th birthday party at home in Tooradin at about 2.30 am on March 21. Homicide detectives believe the trio, who were not invited to the party and were not known to most people attending, arrived with a guest towards the end of the night. As guests were leaving and milling out the front of the home, they entered a confrontation with another…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s New South Wales children under 14 should not be imprisoned, more Indigenous people should be appointed as judges, and the police watchdog should fully investigate all deaths in custody. Those are some suggestions made in a new report aimed at tackling high levels of Indigenous incarceration, tabled in the New South Wales parliament on April 15. The parliamentary committee’s findings were published on the same day as the 30th anniversary of the landmark 1991 report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Many of the royal commission’s recommendations have never been implemented, but the Minister of…
A plucky Pomeranian that tumbled into a swimming pool was saved from drowning by the family’s Staffordshire bull terrier. The rescue was captured on a closed-circuit TV camera at the home of Byron and Melissa Thanarayen in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the video, the Pomeranian, named Chucky, appears distracted as it walks along the side of the pool and then tumbles in head-first. The bull terrier, Jessie, notices the dog in distress and repeatedly tries to lift it out of the water by its scruff. Jessie attends to the struggling Pom for 34 minutes, eventually managing to pull it out…
KAMPALA, Uganda, Many Ugandans have reacted angrily to plans by their government to offer Senegalese-American musician/actor Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam — better known as Akon — a square mile of land to build the second Akon city in Africa. Earlier this month, the Uganda‘s government unveiled a plan to allocate that land to the American-Senegalese musician, then on a state visit to the country, to construct a futuristic city dubbed Akon City. It would be powered by a cryptocurrency called the Akoin and be completed by 2036. Akon announced plans for a similar city in Senegal in 2018, but that…
Squash is a contribution of the Americas to the world’s gastronomy. The squash blossom is an essential ingredient in Mexican cuisine, pleasing to sight, smell and taste. Mexicans serve it in soups, as well as main dishes. The most popular way to enjoy it is in quesadillas, a tortilla with various fillings. One can find squash blossom quesadillas everywhere, from snack stalls to the country’s largest and most recognized restaurants. The flower is delicious. Mexicans savor its taste — and its bright orange color. Squash blossom is often an ingredient in creative dishes that seek to attract the diner’s attention.…