Nation mourns for Hughes
Family, friends and fans have gathered to mourn the death of 25-year-old cricketer Phillip Hughes. The Wallabies will wear black armbands at Sunday’s test match against England and have requested one minute’s silence before the match. Flags flew at half-mast today at the SCG where flowers and condolence cards were left. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: “Phillip Hughes was a young man living out his dreams. His death is a very sad day for cricket and a heartbreaking day for his family. Australians’ thoughts and prayers are with the Hughes family.” Hughes suffered a catastrophic brain injury during a match on Tuesday.
Muslim men in contempt of court over religious beliefs
Two Muslim men have refused to stand for a District Court Judge in Parramatta yesterday. Wassim Fayad and co-accused Milad Bin Ahmad-Shah Al-Ahmadzai defied the law in which an accused is required to stand to hear the charge against them and respond with a plea of guilty or not guilty. They claimed they were not “at the behest of any authority other than Islam”. Judge Colefax referred the matter to the Attorney-General’s office with a transcript of the interaction, including laughing and talking during the session, which he said was in clear contempt. Both men were refused bail and will stand trial in the Parramatta District Court from September 7 next year.
Army sent to clean up the worst storm in a decade
The Australian Defence Force has been cleaning up since 2:30am after destructive 140km/h winds and golf-sized hailstones hit Brisbane. There are still 70,000 homes without power and more than a dozen schools closed. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said: “I always believe in trying to amass the maximum resources as soon as possible.” The storm left a number of people injured and caused extensive damage to four light aircraft which were flipped by wild winds near Archerfield Airport, 12km south of Brisbane.
Police seek two men believed to be involved in an armed robbery
A 50-year-old woman is in St George Hospital with a suspected broken jaw after she was robbed by two men. Shortly after parking the car two men approached the woman, punching her in the face and striking her in the back with a pole. They also assaulted her husband when he tried to intervene. Both men, believed to be 20-40 years old, with a medium build, and 175-180cm tall, fled the scene. One man wore a white-hooded jumper while the other wore a grey-hooded jumper. A crime scene was established by police from Flemington Local Area Command as investigations continue. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. – Bianca Mureddu
Top photo by Natasha Jones.
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