Nepean Hospital emergency entrance.
A police officer and a security guard were shot at Penrith’s Nepean Hospital last night during a scuffle.
Police had been called to the hospital when a man receiving treatment reportedly grabbed a pair of scissors and threatened a woman. The alleged attacker, who had been released by police to receive treatment at the hospital after another incident yesterday was arrested and has been charged with attempted murder and resisting arrest.
The wounded officer, Senior Constable Luke Warburton, is in a critical but stable condition with a thigh wound. Acting Commissioner Catherine Burn told media he lost control of his handgun while attempting to arrest the 39-year-old suspect. A hospital security officer was also shot, in the calf, during the incident. Fairfax reports that the accused is a registered nurse from Westmead Hospital who had been absent from work recently because of a drug problem.
Suicide bomber kills 10 in Turkish tourist mecca
A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people, including German tourists, in Istanbul, near the popular tourist venues the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, blamed the Islamic State extremist group, saying the bomber had recently entered Turkey across the Syrian border. The toll could have been far worse; not many tour groups had entered Sultanahmet Square, also known as the Hippodrome, when the killer detonated his bomb.
Lifeline received 1 million calls for help last year
Lifeline Australia has reported that more Australians reached out to the 24-hour crisis support service last year than ever before. Demand increased through the year, exceeding 71,000 calls a month since September. The service’s chief executive, Peter Shmigel, blamed an increased sense of loneliness and isolation brought about by the growth of social media. “It’s heart-wrenching that there are so many in our community in crisis and needing support,” he said, thanking the service’s 4000 volunteers for their selfless contribution. Direct human contact, he told media, is “what keeps us well”.
Iran seizes US Marine naval craft and crew
Two small US Navy coastal patrol boats and their crew were being held in custody overnight by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after straying into Iranian waters. The Pentagon announced that the vessels and their 10 crew had drifted off course after an engine failed during a passage from Kuwait to Bahrain. A US defence spokesman said the incident had been amicably discussed and the crew were to be transferred to a US ship during daylight today. Tehran has not announced any plans to release the crews or their armed vessels. The US Navy and its Western allies routinely patrol the gulf to enforce UN sanctions against Iran. – Compiled from web sources by Jesse Mullens and The Newsroom Team
Top image from the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District website.
Lifeline offers 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14 – or visit lifeline.org.au
About the author
I am the sports editor for the Macleay Newsroom. I enjoy cooking and watching sport intently.
