A viral video capturing an Australian woman carrying her baby on her back has stirred a lively debate across social media platforms.
While this practice is common in traditional households, it has evoked mixed reactions online.
The woman, reportedly affiliated with Koori FM, can be seen carrying her baby in a manner that has sparked controversy, particularly among Westerners who are unfamiliar with such practices common in African settings.
Netizens have taken to expressing their diverse opinions, highlighting the cultural contrasts and generating a broader discussion on parenting practices.
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Watch an Australian radio host work whilst carrying baby at her back#sms Kwadwo Sheldon | #InfinixNote40 | Yagbonwura | Brassier | Justin Bieber | Techiman to Accra | Don Jazzy | Nkawkaw | Gonja | Ejisu pic.twitter.com/CPAk60y4ep
Mr Saunders is accused of raping two people, assaulting 14 people in a bad way, and doing inappropriate things with children while he was in charge of them.
Between 2008 and 2014, it is said that the crime happened in the faraway towns of Broome and Kununurra in Western Australia, as well as in the Aboriginal community of Kalumburu.
Apart from Cardinal George Pell, who was sent to jail and then found not guilty, Mr. Saunders is the highest-ranking Catholic leader in the country to be accused of child sex crimes.
On Thursday, The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said they will work with the police and find the charges against Mr. Saunders very serious and upsetting, especially for those making the allegations.
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe said it is important to fully investigate all the allegations.
Mr Saunders started working as a minister in 1976 and has mostly worked in the faraway Kimberley area in the north-west of the country. He became the Bishop of Broome in 1996.
The diocese covers a large area of about 770,000 sq km, which is about the same size as Turkey. It includes very faraway parts of the country.
Mr Saunders is popular for being sociable, doing advocacy work, and taking young men on camping and fishing trips. He is an important person in the local community. A beer is named after him.
The accusations were first made in 2020, but the police didn’t find enough evidence to charge anyone.
He chose to step down from his position as the Bishop of Broome in 2020, but still holds the title of emeritus bishop.
But after the Pope ordered a big investigation, the police started looking into it again.
Only a few Vos Estis Lux Mundi investigations have been conducted globally. In Latin, “Vos Estis” means “You Are the Light of the World. ” It is an investigation ordered by the pope in 2019 to stop sexual abuse and punish leaders in the Catholic Church who have done wrong.
MrAssange will go to the UK’s High Court next week to try to stop the US from sending him there.
An Australian person is in a London prison and the United States wants to charge them with spying. They could go to prison for up to 175 years if found guilty.
Australian government officials voted 86-42 in favor of letting Mr. Assange return home.
He talked to President Joe Biden about it during a visit in October.
A group of Australian politicians went to Washington to talk to US lawmakers and ask for Julian Assange to be released from prison.
The WikiLeaks founder is being sought after for sharing secret documents in 2010 and 2011. American authorities believe this action was illegal and put people in danger.
He has always said that the case against him is driven by politics. His lawyers say he might hurt himself if he is sent to the US.
The High Court changed its decision because the US showed that Mr Assange would be taken care of safely. In 2022, the Home Secretary Priti Patel said yes to the US’s request to send someone back there – and that made him try to appeal his case again.
MrAssange’s family wants the Australian government to help get him out of trouble. They are worried that if he is given to the US, he could be stuck in their justice system for a very long time.
Australia’s top lawyer, Mark Dreyfus, talked to the US’s main lawyer, Merrick Garland, about this issue when they met in Washington last month.
“This was a secret talk, but the government still has the same clear position on Mr. ” “It’s time to finish this matter,” Mr Dreyfus said in a statement.
Mr Assange has been in a very secure prison called Belmarsh since 2019. He had been at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years, trying to get asylum in Ecuador.
Australian journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, known for his impactful campaigning, has died at the age of 84, as announced by his family on X.
He passed away in London on Saturday, leaving behind a legacy of critical analysis of Western foreign policy and advocacy for the rights of Indigenous Australians.
Born in Bondi, New South Wales, in 1939, Pilger had been based in the United Kingdom since the 1960s.
His extensive career included work with Reuters and the Daily Mirror, with notable coverage of the Vietnam War, Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, and the tumultuous events in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.
In recent years, Pilger was a vocal supporter of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. His family described him as an “amazing and loved dad, grandad, and partner.” Pilger’s friends confirmed his death to the BBC.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Chinese navy did something dangerous and unprofessional in international waters near Japan. This could cause problems between Australia and China, especially since Albanese recently visited China to try to improve their relationship.
Australian divers on the ship HMAS Toowoomba were trying to remove fishing nets from the propellers when a Chinese destroyer came close, said Defense Minister Richard Marles in a statement on Saturday.
Even though they were told not to, the Chinese destroyer used their sonar while Australian divers were in the water, putting their safety at risk.
The divers had some small injuries, according to medical checks.
During an interview on Sky News, Albanese said he was very worried about the incident. He also said that one person got hurt because of what China did.
“I want you to know that we brought up these problems in the right way and very clearly, without any doubt. ” He said Australia’s view on this is clear to China, there is no confusion.
When reporters asked about what happened at a news conference on Monday, a person who speaks for the Chinese government said that the Chinese military is very well behaved and always follows the rules of international law and practices.
“We want everyone involved to stop making problems near China and to work with China to protect the progress of China-Australia relations,” said spokesperson Mao Ning.
The incident happened one week after Albanese visited Beijing. It was the first time an Australian leader had visited in seven years. This visit was to make relations between the two countries better after years of economic problems.
During the Sky News interview, Albanese avoided answering a question about whether the incident will cause problems in the relationship between the two countries.
And this is one of those times when we don’t agree with what China is doing,” Albanese said.
“We’ve said we don’t agree with what happened, we really don’t like it, and we don’t want it to happen again. ”
‘Bad and not professional’ interaction
Marles said on Saturday that the Australian government told the Chinese government it was very worried about a dangerous interaction with a Chinese navy ship.
Medical exams showed that the divers had minor injuries probably because of the sonar pulses from the Chinese destroyer.
Warships use sonar to find and locate things under water. People who dive and hear a lot of noise underwater can get dizzy, hurt their hearing, or damage other sensitive parts of their body. It depends on how often they hear the noise and how loud it is. This information comes from the Diving Medical Advisory Committee in London.
The HMAS Toowoomba was in Japan’s area doing work for the United Nations. It was on its way to Japan for a visit. This information comes from Marles’ statement.
“The military has been doing surveillance in the ocean for a long time, following the rules of international law. They have the right to travel freely in international waters and airspace. ”
The US and Canadian militaries say that China’s navy and air forces have been doing dangerous things when they come near each other in the East and South China seas. This has happened many times in the past few months.
In response, China said Canada did bad things in the South China Sea.
Ray Powell, who is in charge of SeaLight at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, said it’s unlikely we’ll ever know if the order to use the sonar came from commanders in Beijing or from someone lower down, like the captain of the Chinese destroyer.
“Both options are concerning. The first one suggests lying among top leaders, and the second suggests a culture of dishonesty in the military,” said Powell, who used to work in the US Air Force.
“If the roles were switched, it’s likely that an Australian navy leader who did the same thing would be removed from their position or even punished. ” But nobody thinks that Beijing is even thinking about taking such action,” Powell said.
The former head of a school in Israel will face a sentence of up to 15 years in prison for causing harm to two students at an Australian Jewish school known for its strict rules.
Malka Leifer was found guilty in April of sexually attacking and abusing Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper, who are sisters. This happened between 2003 and 2007.
The 56-year-old person was declared innocent of hurting a third sister named Nicole Meyer.
Leifer’s punishment concludes a 15-year effort for the mother of eight to be held accountable. She claimed innocence and denied committing the crimes, and subsequently put up a prolonged fight against being deported to Israel. But in 2021, a judge from Israel ruled that she pretended to have mental illness to avoid going to court, and decided that she should be sent to Melbourne.
During a very long trial, the jury learned that Leifer had mistreated the sisters in locked classrooms, on school trips, and at the principal’s house.
The judge, Mark Gamble, explained the 18 charges on Thursday and described her actions as very harmful.
Leifer was highly respected at the Adass Israel School. People were very impressed by him, almost like they would be with a rabbi. The sisters didn’t receive love and were not protected. Their mother abused them emotionally and physically at home. They didn’t have anyone to teach them about sex.
This situation is very concerning because the victims were very easy to harm, and Mrs. Leifer deliberately and heartlessly took advantage of them in a planned and careful manner. The judge said that she did it to get sexual satisfaction in a perverted way.
The judge said that Ms Sapper and Ms Erlich are not to blame for what Leifer did to them. They spoke about feeling guilty, ashamed, and afraid for a long time.
She is the only one who should feel bad and embarrassed for what happened.
Based on the time she has already spent in jail, Leifer can be released on parole in June 2029.
Speaking with her sisters outside of the court, Ms Erlich said that the punishment marked the conclusion of a challenging and distressing period in their lives.
“She said we are here today because we never gave up. ”
And even though we understand that survivors should not have to be the ones responsible for fighting for justice, this fight was never just about them.
To all other people who have survived this terrible situation: remember that you are not alone, we are all supporting you.
After Leifer’s trial ended, the police have started a new investigation into her actions of avoiding punishment.
The principal escaped to Israel in 2008 after people accused her of something wrong, apparently with the support of some members of the school’s governing body. She was taken into custody in 2014 because Australia wanted her, but two years later an Israeli court stopped her from being sent back because they decided she was not mentally capable of standing trial.
But investigators who pretended to be someone else secretly recorded her going shopping and putting money into a bank. This made Israeli authorities start investigating her again and arrest her again in February 2018. The judge said she was pretending to be someone with a mental illness.
Following a recent wave of vicious assaults, Australian officials fined two visitors who took selfies with dingoes more than $1,500 each for making the “extremely dangerous decision” to connect with the local wild dogs.
The two women were fortunate not to have been attacked in the separate events on the well-liked tourist island of K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, according to a statement released on Friday by Queensland Department of Environment and Science compliance manager Mike Devery.
A 29-year-old unidentified New South Wales lady was pictured resting near to a group of sleeping dingo puppies in a department photo. She was fortunate that the pups’ mother wasn’t close by, according to Devery.
The other tourist, a 25-year-old Queensland woman, appeared in a selfie video posted to social media that showed her with a growling dingo, “which was clearly exhibiting dominance-testing behaviour,” he said.
“It is not playful behaviour. Wongari are wild animals and need to be treated as such, and the woman is lucky the situation did not escalate,” he added, referring to dingoes by their indigenous name.
In an update Friday, the department said a 23-year-old woman was hospitalized with serious injuries to her arms and legs after she was bitten by dingoes while jogging on an island beach Monday.
Tourists Shane and Sarah Moffat jumped in to rescue her, CNN affiliate Nine News reported.
“There was a big piece missing out of her arm there and there was puncture wounds all up the side of her legs,” Shane Moffat told Nine News.
The leader of that dingo pack was later euthanized, the department said. It had also been involved in recent biting incidents that led to the hospitalization of a 6-year-old girl, the department said.
“It was also clear from its behaviour that it had become habituated, either by being fed or from people interacting with it for videos and selfies,” the update said.
“Our number one priority is to keep people on K’gari safe and conserve the population of wongari (dingoes), and those who blatantly ignore the rules for social media attention can expect a fine or a court appearance,” Devery said.
As the host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Australian state of Victoria has withdrawn, raising doubts over whether the event will still take place.
In making his decision, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews noted the event’s soaring costs, noting that the original estimate of $2.6 billion (£1 billion) had grown to $7 billion (£3.6 billion).
The Commonweath Games Federation (CGF) called his comments “hugely disappointing,” and one official called the premier’s numbers “gross exaggerations.”
The organisation claimed it had received only eight hours’ notice of the cancellation and said it was committed to finding an alternative host for the event.
Labor politician Mr Andrews said: ‘What’s become clear is that the cost of hosting these games in 2026 is not the $2.6bn which was budgeted and allocated.
‘It is in fact at least $6bn and could be as high as $7bn, and I cannot stand here and say to you that I have any confidence that even [the] $7bn number would appropriately and adequately fund these games.’
Australian Prime Minister and Labor leader Anthony Albanese told reporters the decision was ‘made by the Victorian government’, and hailed the country’s ‘fine record of hosting events’ when asked if he was embarrassed about the situation.
However, the announcement was met with almost universal condemnation by the heads of Australian sporting bodies.
Australia came top of the medal table at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (Picture: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Kieren Perkins, a four-time Olympic medallist in swimming and chief executive of the Australian Sports Commission, said the day had been a ‘difficult’ one.
He added: ‘For many of our athletes, coaches and support staff, Victoria 2026 was going to be an important stepping stone ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and for others it was to be the pinnacle of their careers.’
On the prospect of finding a new host, he said: ‘To be able to put it together is going to be quite a significant task, and I think this is going to be a very big test for the Commonwealth Games Federation.’
Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips said: ‘I would be very careful if I was an international sporting body coming and doing business in this state in the future.’
He continued: ‘The stated costs overrun, in our opinion, are a gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs presented to the Victoria 2026 Organising Committee board as recently as June.’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the money that was going to be spent on the Games would go towards regional housing and sporting infrastructure instead (Picture: AAPIMAGE)
The CGF, meanwhile, argued that the increase in expense was not its responsibility.
In a statement, it said: ‘Since awarding Victoria the Games, the government has made decisions to include more sports and an additional regional hub, and changed plans for venues, all of which have added considerable expense, often against the advice of the CGF and Commonwealth Games Australia.’
The competition was last held in Australia when Gold Coast hosted in 2018.
Cities around the country will hold games for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will begin on Thursday, and Brisbane is set to host the Olympic Games in 2032.
Brisbane chief executive Cindy Hook told ABC News she was confident those Games would go ahead as planned.
She said: ‘I’m absolutely focused on the budget, the organising committee will be self funding and we have a long run way and more time than they did to plan, and I think that time if used well, will be very much to our advantage and I’m confident in our model.’
A conservation group reported that around 5,000 humpback whales had been observed in Australian seas during a record-breaking annual migration census, with one curious whale being seen trailing a kayaker just off Sydney’s well-known Bondi beach.
Every year, specialists and the general public travel to the coast of New South Wales to perform an annual count, and on Sunday, the census revealed the biggest number of whales ever—4,792—adding to the already thrilling “megapod” sighting in 2021.
According to Steve Trikoulis, vice president of the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans (ORRCA), many of the whales were seen only a few yards from the shore.
“They were traveling to Queensland and Hervey Bay to make babies,” he told CNN. “It was exciting for people (on shore) to see them… jumping around.”
Better weather and cleaner water were just some factors that contributed to the rise in the number of whales this year, he added.
“The numbers are healthy and have definitely increased,” Trikoulis said. “We’ve never seen so many of them so early in the season and we strongly believe it’s because of the better weather. We’ve also seen them swimming more closer to shore.”
Humpback whales are known to swim great distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal.
Their annual round-trip journey between June and early September covers up to 6,214 miles (10,000 kilometers).
Starting in Antarctica, they swim in large groups to Australia – arriving in the northeastern state of Queensland. The area isone of the country’s most popular spots for whale watching.
Humpback whales spend their summers feeding in sub-tropical waters, where they also mate and give birth, according to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment.
A rare “megapod” of more than 100 whales was spotted in September 2021 in waters off the town of Bermagui, about 236 miles (380 kilometers) from Sydney.
One kayaker had a particularly close-up view in an encounter that was captured by a drone.
In the stunning footage, an enormous humpback follows a white kayak in turquoise clear waters off Bondi beach.
“Whales are always a treat as they cruise up the coast during migration season,” said Jason Iggleden, the drone pilot.
Iggleden often films other marine creatures like sharks and seals off Australia’s coasts – uploading footage to his Drone Shark app, which provides real-time images of beaches and vital informationfor surfers.
“There’s a wondrous world in the deep blue and I have had the ability to share it with audiences.” he told CNN. “Human and sea life interactions are always so fascinating and it’s a reminder to all of us to appreciate, respect and coexist with our oceans.”
An Australian man who admitted punching a gay American down a cliff in 1988 and killing him has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
In Sydney, 52-year-old Scott Phillip White admitted to killing Scott Johnson, who was born in Los Angeles.
In the last year, he admitted to killing the 27-year-old and was given a sentence of more than 12 years in prison.
But he then changed his mind, and an appeal has now resulted in the murder conviction being overturned.
Having already served part of his sentence, White will be eligible for release on parole in 2026.
‘Not much is known of the death beyond a punch on a cliff, a fall from a cliff and decades of pain and grief that followed,’ Justice Robert Beech-Jones said during sentencing on Thursday.
On December 10 1988, White met Mr Johnson at a pub and the pair went for a walk around North Head, which was known at the time to be a popular area among gay people.
White, then 18, punched Mr Johnson during a row, causing naked Mr Johnson to stagger backwards and fall to his death.
Mr Johnson was close to receiving his doctorate from the Australian National University, which he has since been awarded posthumously.
‘Dr Johnson was an American citizen… He had everything to live for,’ the judge said.
‘The offender left him to die.’
White, who has early onset dementia due to alcohol abuse, was described as a ‘street kid’ at the time of the killing.
‘The offender was clearly a damaged albeit physically powerful young man,’ Mr Beech-Jones said.
‘However, he was not broken as he is now.’
The death was originally thought to be a suicide but police in 2012 opened an investigation into what they suspected was a gay hate crime.
In her now-overturned judgment on the murder conviction, Justice Helen Wilson found there was not enough evidence to show the attack was motivated by Mr Johnson’s sexuality.
Mr Beech-Jones said he could not be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the crime was a ‘gay hate crime’.
‘Answers to numerous other questions about how he died, why he died and what happened … some of those answers will never be provided,’ he said.
In a gushing opening speech at a stadium on Tuesday, AustralianPrime Minister Anthony Albanese praised his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and compared him to the American rocker Bruce Springsteen.
As he prepares to run for office, Modi is paying his first visit to Sydney in nine years. At the same time, Australia is looking to strengthen its commercial ties with the world’s most populated market as its relations with China have deteriorated.
Tuesday, Albanese served as the host and warm-up act while performing on stage at the Qudos Bank Arena, a large entertainment complex located in the city’s Olympic Park.
“The last time I saw someone on the stage here was Bruce Springsteen, and he didn’t get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got,” Albanese said.
“You have brought the spirit of the world’s biggest democracy to Australia,” Albanese said of his “dear friend,” adding the Indian leader has helped strengthen Australia’s democracy.
“Prime Minister Modi is the boss!” he added, to thunderous applausefrom a crowd dominated by Australia’s Indian diaspora.
Originally planned as a summit for leaders from the Quad, which includes the United States and Japan, Modi’s trip to Australia comes as Canberra is trying to bolster its relationship with New Delhi in a bid to grow economic ties and reinforce their strategic partnership, as the West attempts to thwart the rise of an increasingly assertive China.
“In the language of cricket, our ties have entered the T20 mode,” Modi said during a joint appearance with Albanese. “Our democratic values are the foundation of our ties. Our relations are based on mutual trust and respect. The Indian community in Australia is a living bridge between our countries.”
Modi also met with several “prominent Australian personalities,” according to a statement from the Indian government, including international chef Sarah Todd and Australian singer Guy Sebastian.
In a series of videos published to Modi’s Twitter account, several of these personalities were filmed praising the leader.
“He was so warm and so kind,” Sebastian said of their interaction.
His warm welcome is symbolic of his immense public appeal among many Indians living overseas, as well as his emergence as a key player in the global order.
But the leader and his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also come under increasing scrutiny for a clampdown on free speech and discriminatory policies toward minority groups in the secular democracy of 1.4 billion, something Western leaders rarely address publicly when Modi visits.
When asked by reporters whether Albanese will press Modi on some of these issues, the Australian leader skirted the issue, saying he had a “respectful” relationship with his Indian counterpart.
“India is, of course, the world’s largest democracy. Here in Australia, of course, people have a right to express their views in a peaceful way, and people, we all have different views about people in politics,” Albanese said. “Australia, of course, always stands up for human rights, wherever it occurs anywhere in the world.”
India has also repeatedly abstained from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations, instead reiterating a need for “diplomacy and dialogue,” while buying up huge amounts of Moscow’s oil despite western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
Albanese said he respected that India “is responsible for its own international relations” and acknowledged the South Asian nation’s history of non-alignment.
“India is a great supporter of peace and security and stability in our region,” he said.
Modi’s Australia visit caps a busy week of diplomatic activity and travel.
Over the weekend, he was in Papua New Guinea, where he met with Prime Minister James Marape and pledged his support for the Pacific Islands.
Days earlier Modi had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan – the first time they had come face-to-face since Russia’s invasion began.
And next month, US President Joe Biden will host Modi at the White House.
Modi’s diplomatic flurry comes in a pivotal year for the leader.
India has assumed the Group of 20 (G20) presidency this year, playing host to a series of important events in the country, while marketing itself as a leader of the Global South. Modi is also gearing up for an election year in 2024, seeking to secure a momentous second decade in power.
And while India grows increasingly close to the West and its allies, critics have accused Western leaders of turning a blind eye to some of New Delhi’s alleged human rights abuses playing out at home.
Earlier this year, India banned a BBC documentary critical of Modi’s alleged role in the deadly 2002 Gujarat riots, in which more than 1,000 people – mostly Muslims – were killed, in a move lambasted by free speech advocates.
In March, Rahul Gandhi, the former leader of India’s main opposition political party and one of the few figures that has the kind of star power and name recognition needed to challenge Modi, was stripped of his lawmaker status after he was handed a two-year jail sentence for defamation.
Critics of the BJP and Gandhi’s supporters say the case is politically motivated.
Earlier this month, Modi’s party lost its only stronghold in the country’s south after Karnataka state voted in favor of Gandhi’s Congress Party.
Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to Sydney as Australia’s capital. Canberra is the capital.
Friends and family of a mother who was found guilty of killing her husband claim that because of the abuse she underwent, she “has already done her time.”
According to MailOnline, Rebecca Payne, 43, might spend the rest of her life in prison for the murder of Noel Payne, 68.
She had poisoned biscuits with sleeping tablets to put him to sleep, and then at their residence in the small Australian town of Walpeup, she placed his lifeless body in a chest freezer and fastened it with straps.
Mitigating, Richard Edney told the Supreme Court of Victoria: ‘This is a case where Rebecca Payne should be shown mercy by your honour given what she experienced, endured at the hands of Noel Payne.
‘In this extreme and unique case any term of imprisonment should be proportionately lower than would ordinarily be the case for murder.’
The court heard during the trial in March that Mr Payne had brought another lover into the family home prior to his death, and Mr Edney alleged he had savagely abused both women.
He told judge justice Rita Incerti: ‘Any punishment for Rebecca Payne can only make sense if its calibrated within that prism of family violence.
In circumstance where Noel Payne created, in this remote western Victoria small town of Walpeup, a perverted and disturbing immoral universe where he treated the women of that house as mere objects… for his own pleasure.’
Payne had claimed in the trial that she had not intended to kill her husband, but had panicked after the sleeping pills made him pass out.
Doctors could not determine whether an overdose killed him, or suffocation inside the freezer.
Payne claimed her husband had repeatedly spat on her, watched her in the shower, attacked her at a graveyard and forced her to watch videos of abuse.
She was also forced to have 18 tattoos with his name on in a form of possessive abuse.
Mr Edney said: ‘We have the threats, we have the physical violence, we have the sexual violence, we have the financial control, we have the coercive control.
‘The conduct against both Rebecca and [the woman] was reprehensible, obscene.
‘He raped them, sexually assaulted them and let’s be clear [the woman] was a young woman with an acquired brain injury.’
Mr Payne’s other lover, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave evidence to the court during the trial.
She said in a victim impact statement: ‘He wanted to keep me all for himself. If Noel wasn’t dead my life would still be worse.
‘I hate Bec for what she’s done but life is now better than it was.’
She was also forced to get five tattoos of his name inked on her body.
‘Places you can only see if I’m naked,’ she said. ‘He made me get these because he wouldn’t let me find someone else.
‘These can’t be removed, they’re very dark and in thick writing.’
Domestic abuse helpline
If you are in immediate danger call 999. If you cannot talk, dial 55 and the operator will respond.
For emotional support, you can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Alternatively, for practical and emotional support, please contact Women’s Aid Live Chat 10am – 6pm seven days a week.
You can also reach the National Centre for Domestic Violence on 0800 270 9070 or text NCDV to 60777.
For free and confidential advice and support for women in London affected by abuse, you can call Solace on 0808 802 5565 or email advice@solacewomensaid.org.
Male victims of domestic abuse can call 01823 334244 to speak to ManKind, an initiative available for male victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence across the UK as well as their friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues and employers.
Alternatively, the Men’s Advice Line can be reached at 0808 8010327, or emailed at info@mensadviceline.org.uk.
Many who knew Payne claimed she was ‘the real victim’, with her son Jamie telling the Herald Sun: ‘She lived for 14 years in hell with a monster.
‘The kids need her. The community needs her. We all need her.’
A neighbour claimed ‘there’s not a doubt in the world’ Mr Payne was planning to kill his wife and lover, and his two sons who lived there.
‘She saved at least four lives,’ they added. ‘She didn’t know whether she was going to go to bed and wake up the next morning.
‘Or whether her boys were going to go to bed and wake up the next morning.’
A friend, known only as John, said ‘it’s not fair’ and ‘she is the real victim’.
But prosecutor David Glynn called Payne ‘a cold-blooded killer’.
He told the court: ‘It must have been ghastly. I mean to just do that, to do what she did to him. That is something that anyone I think who wasn’t a psychopath – I’m not suggesting she is one – would recoil from.
‘It would require a significant degree of determination and grit to do what she did… she had that grit, she had that foresight, she had the determination, but she applied it to this purpose, that is murder, rather than a different way that she could have extracted herself, namely working out a way to leave that marriage.’
The Australian tourist who is thought to have gone overboard on a cruise ship sailing from Brisbane to Hawaii has not yet been located by the US Coast Guard.
The Quantum of the Seas cruise liner reported a guy overboard late Tuesday night, around 500 miles (805 kilometers) south of Kailua Kona, Big Island, the coast guard said in a statement.
The cruise ship stayed on the scene for around two hours and deployed six life rings in an effort to save the passenger, but it then continued on its way after no sign of him was discovered, according to the coast guard.
A US Coast Guard Hercules helicopter conducted an aerial search of the area for six hours on Wednesday and it will resume the search at first light on Thursday, the coast guard said.
Royal Caribbean issued a statement confirming a passenger was missing.
“While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard,” the company said in a statement, according to CNN affiliate Nine News.
“The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities,” it added.
A passenger on board the vessel, Georgina Thompson, told Nine News she and her husband were in bed when they heard the call “Oscar, oscar, oscar” – the cruise ship line’s code for “man overboard.”
“There were lights, you know, the big lights shining on the ocean,” she said.
Quantum of the Seas is a 16-day voyage which departed from Brisbane, Australia on April 12 and is scheduled to reached Honolulu, Hawaii on April 28.
The vessel made its maiden voyage in 2014 from Southampton to New York, and was at the time branded as the “world’s smartest cruise ship” with robot waiters and features skydiving on deck.
It is 16 stories high and has room for 4,500 passengers and a 1,500-strong crew, according to the cruise company’s website.
Stefanos Tsitsipas always felt he had the “ego” to be challenging for grand slams and the world number one ranking after booking his spot in the Australian Open final.
The Greek defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena and will now face either nine-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic or Tommy Paul in Sunday’s showpiece.
It marks Tsitsipas’ second run to a slam final after he was beaten by Djokovic at the French Open in 2021, a match in which he surrendered a two-set lead.
Victory would not only see him win a maiden slam but take ownership of the men’s world number one ranking, two ambitions Tsitsipas always believed he could achieve.
“I remember watching it on TV saying to myself, ‘I want to be there one day myself. I want to recreate that feeling for me’,” he said.
“I knew that’s a very long journey to get there. There are certain steps you have to take to give yourself the chance to be competing for something like this.
“But I very much believed it. First of all, it’s your ego that speaks. You either have it or not. As a kid, I was very confident.
“Thank God I was good in my country. Starting from that, I knew if I’m able to get out of my country and compete in other countries, European leagues, European tours, I proved myself over and over again that I’m actually good.
“I did finish as a junior number one. Now I want to do it in the men’s side, in the men’s professional tennis.”
Asked what had changed since losing to Djokovic in the final at Roland Garros almost two years ago, Tsitsipas said: “I’m playing great tennis. I’m enjoying myself. I just see no downside or negativity in what I’m trying to do out there. Even if it doesn’t work, I’m very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent that I have to face.
“This is something that has been sort of lacking in my game. I genuinely believe in what I’m able to produce. That is more than enough. I go about this way. I strive for it every single day. It might not go the way I want it to, but I put 110 per cent out there.”
Khachanov has enjoyed back-to-back slam semi-finals having also made the last four at last year’s US Open.
The 26-year-old retains belief that he can beyond the semis at future slams.
“Maybe in some situations I could do better. It’s always like this. Tennis is always, like any other sport, there is no draw unfortunately in our sport. One guy has to win and to go through,” he said.
“I would say I did it second time in a row, consecutive semi-finals. I would definitely go with my head high. Again, rest a couple of days, think with my team for next schedule, again to have a team meeting to discuss those particular situations and moments on what we need to work.
“Hopefully I keep believing that I can pass this step next time, if I am in this situation, hopefully. That’s it.”
