A teenager has been arrested after allegedly modifying a vehicle to make it look like a firefighting truck and then responding to emergencies around Melbourne.
Police say they are shocked at the lengths the 16-year-old has gone to make the modifications – fitting it with a spotlight, working siren, and flashing emergency lights.
Officers estimate that the price of the truck and its alterations would cost $100,000.
Images of the truck driving at high speed were caught on dashcam as the teen allegedly responded to crashes throughout the night, getting out to help victims.
He is said to have been wearing a hi-vis shirt throughout.
The truck was fitted with a spotlight, sirens and emergency flashing lights to make it look like a fire truck
Leading Senior Constable Fritz Ebert said it was certainly the first time he had come across such an incident.
“It would seem he’s been attending, trying to get vehicles out of the way and then getting out and I guess pretending to be an emergency service helping away at a scene,” he said.
“I’ve been in the heavy vehicle unit for five years, now in my sixth year, I’ve never seen or had anything reported like this.”
The youngster was arrested at about 2.30pm today and taken to Caulfield police station, where he faces being charged with reckless conduct endangering people.
Allegedly the first thing he said to police was; “I think I’ve been doing something stupid.”
No, not all, he is just a public-spirited young man! Said nobody ever!
$100,000 worth of truck; where he get the money for that?
On 3 September, Air New Zealand took 50 children with critical medical conditions such as cancer and heart disease, and their caregivers, on the flight of a lifetime over New Zealand. The nearly three hour flight took the aircraft and its passengers on a 440 km long and 483 km wide heart-shaped journey across New Zealand.
Departing Auckland, the Air New Zealand 787-9 headed south, beginning its heart-shaped path west of Taharo. During the flight, MCs Adam and Eve from The Adam and Eve Show entertained the kids on board. Prior to departure the children enjoyed a waiata performed by Te Kura Kaupapa Māori ā-Rohe o Māngere school.
Flight Plan
We partnered with Air New Zealand to help reveal the flight path on Facebook Live as the flight made its way over New Zealand. The exact flight plan was kept secret to ensure the finished path would be a surprise for the guests on board and for those watching at home.
And just in case you’re wondering what a heart in the sky looks like on a flight plan, here’s the full route.
“They do it because they want to get a reaction. They want to see me lash out and it all feeds into this sick and twisted entertainment value to them.” Blogger
The digital revolution has transformed our world. Never in human history have we been more connected to each other in ways that would have seemed unimaginable only a decade ago. But with the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and a smartphone in virtually every pocket, the internet bullies known as trolls are only ever a click, tap or swipe away.
“We want to make them cry. We love to make them cry.” Troll
Instead of bringing people together, trolls use the internet to target those they disagree with by provoking, harassing and threatening them.
“It may be that the internet has unleashed a kind of dark demon, within millions of people out there in the general public.” Psychiatrist
On Monday night Four Corners takes you into the dark side of the internet to explore the rise of cyber trolls.
“They send things to my home. It terrifies me to think what they could do, if they wanted to, knowing exactly where I live, knowing where my children go to school.” Blogger
Many trolls go to great lengths to try and hide their identity and as the program explores, psychiatrists believe this is helping to propel the appalling behaviour.
“Anonymity seems to be a very important factor on the internet, in that it seems to make people less inhibited about doing nasty things.” Psychiatrist
One self-proclaimed hard core troll outlines the trolling landscape and boasts about his extensive conquests, all while hiding behind a cloak of anonymity.
“I’ve been associated with all kinds of organised trolling groups…The Internet presented something that was never available to us before.” Troll
And some of the trolls are not who you’d expect.
“The trolls and the really dangerous people that they attract are, themselves, mothers and have small children at home.” Blogger
We meet Britain’s most notorious troll, jailed for sending threatening tweets, and a campaigner in Canada as he goes on trial after a confrontation on Twitter.
“If you’re hurt, if the truth hurts you, it’s not my problem, because I’m just telling the truth.” Canadian Activist
The prosecution of trolls raises uncomfortable questions about how far our commitment to freedom of expression goes. Activists are warning of an Orwellian future of thought police.
“Trolling is a free speech issue and if you aren’t free to hate someone then you’re not free… If we are serious about freedom of speech, then we have to allow people to say hateful, obnoxious, racist, sexist things.” Magazine Editor
RISE OF THE TROLLS, from Canadian film-maker Jonathan Baltrusaitis and presented by Sarah Ferguson, ABC TV (Australia) 19th June 2017
I noticed this proposal on Facebook (for what that’s worth!). It takes the form of a change.org petition by Cody Orlando to be presented to the federal government. I don’t support concealed firearm possession or handgun possession in any form, but I’m interested to know the thoughts of others.
This will be a tough sell as most people have never handled a pistol, don’t understand the safety features, and have been brainwashed by the media and politicians for decades – creating a society that has an irrational fear of firearms. Jeff Cooper coined the term ‘Hoplophobia’ back in 1962, describing it as a “mental disturbance characterised by irrational aversion to weapons”.
I want you to put aside your irrational fear of firearms for a moment while I present you with some facts:
It is not possible to ban guns from a society
Violent crime in Australia is up and comparable in many ways to the United States. The media and our politicians love to hide this fact from you. In Australia, a woman is three times more likely to be raped than in America.
You might say you don’t want an American gun culture. I don’t either and I’m not proposing that. I don’t support the idea of self-regulation and the private sale of firearms and ammunition to anybody and everybody. Background checks, licensing and training are essential for anyone who wishes to use a firearm in Australia.
Because Americans have guns they are more likely to shoot each other. You will often see statistics of gun deaths in America compared with other countries claiming this is the case. What they fail to mention is that most of those deaths are attributed to suicide and because firearms are so readily available, they are the tool of choice for suicide in the US. Suicide is just as concerning in Australia, it’s just that we choose instead to jump at the gap or gas ourselves in the garage. The population of America is 14 times greater than that of Australia, so a per capita comparison is more like 715 America / 60 Australia deaths by firearms. I have included a graph below that shows how much more likely you are to die by other means in the US.
In the last two decades, the UK has introduced the most restrictive gun laws in the developed world, banning many types of firearms. During this time crime has skyrocketed and criminals are the only ones with guns.
As a law abiding Australian citizen who goes to work and pays his taxes, don’t you feel the Government should be doing more to protect you from violent criminals? I’m sure they believe they are doing the best they can, but the problem is their strategy is wrong. Criminals get too much of a free ride these days. Violent offenders brazenly rob, rape and beat people with little fear that a good citizen will step in to put a stop to the attack.
Police cannot be everywhere to protect everyone. There is about one police officer per 500 citizens and each officer works 40 hours during a 24/7, 168 hour week, reducing the ratio to 1:2100. Then you need to factor in how much time they actually spend on the beat, rather than doing paperwork, time in court etc.
Policing is not a proactive business with respect to violent crime. It’s impossible to tell when and where a rapist might attack and potentially give you a nasty disease. There’s not much you can do about that disease after the fact either. You can’t sue AIDS or Hepatitis C in a court of law.
Now I’m not suggesting for a moment that you or your daughter carry a concealed weapon to protect yourselves, but what I am proposing is that those good citizens who are trained and licensed to use pistols should be legally allowed to carry in public in their own personal time.
Why can’t an off-duty police officer choose to carry a pistol when he is doing his grocery shopping, or an armed security guard or sporting pistol shooter for that matter? Approximately 0.5% of Australians are trained and licensed to use pistols. How brazen would a criminal be knowing that 1 in 200 citizens would be only too happy to step in and assist another good citizen like yourself in distress?
You have a choice. You can continue to believe the media, political spin, lies and fear-mongering, or you can choose to believe that authorities recognise they cannot control criminals, so they control the law abiding. Lobby your government to allow licensed people to carry and remind them Article 3 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”.
Airbus launched the A380 a decade ago with high hopes for the rise of the super jumbo, but demand is dwindling. So what now for the future of the ultra-size market?
When Airbus first launched the A380 the marketing team at the European manufacturer had a field day. From bowling alleys to cinemas, the Super Jumbo was set to become the cruise ship of the skies. However, with the exception of First Class showers, bars and even a small art gallery, such innovations have been ignored by operators in return for maximising seating capacity to deliver the best economics to the airlines and comfort to passengers.
But far from its maximum capacity of 853 passengers, all the airlines to operate the type have decided upon three or four class arrangements seating around 500-500 passengers, with the most densely configured aircraft – one of a number of layouts for Emirates Airlines – providing 615-seats in a two-class offer. The lower-end of this market is also served by the Boeing 747-8I, the passenger variant stretch of the famous Jumbo Jet.
The demand for airliners in the ultra-sized market was always going to be small relative to other sectors, especially as developments with engine technology have allowed widebodied twins to fly as far, but significantly more efficiently than the four engined A380s and 747s. Airbus claimed a strong need for the Super Jumbo to support airport congestion and serve hub to hub markets.
Boeing agreed in principle, but disagreed on the size of the market in favour hub-buster smaller aircraft that would enable airlines to fly non-stop long-haul point-to-point services between non-hub airports, but still kept its toe in the water with the 747-8, which with a further extension to the upper deck of the aircraft added a further 50 seats versus the popular 747-400.
As we now enter the tenth year of A380 operations it is clear that the aircraft has not been the commercial success that Airbus hoped, although you certainly will not be hearing an executive of the company stating this publicly.
Since its entry into commercial service in October 2007 with Singapore Airlines, the manufacturer may have added to its backlog, but the almost all of these orders have come from repeat customers and the majority have been from the largest operator Emirates Airline. In fact over the past two years Airbus has added just two units to its backlog as Emirates has grown its overall commitment to 142 aircraft, of which more than 80 are already in service.
Only 13 airlines currently operate the A380, with nearing 200 aircraft now in service. The outstanding Airbus orderbook of around 120 aircraft includes orders that are unlikely to be fulfilled including aircraft for Virgin Atlantic Airways and additional commitments from existing customers such as Air France, Qantas and Singapore Airlines. All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the only new customer for the type with three aircraft due in 2019, although the orderbook does include aircraft with lessors Air Accord and Amedo that are yet to be placed.
A closer look at A380 operations shows that the aircraft has partly delivered on the Airbus promise of hub flying, with Dubai International, London Heathrow, Singapore Changi, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Sydney airports the largest gateways for A380 operations this winter. The aircraft has certainly allowed airlines to boost capacity on busy routes such as Emirates between Dubai and the UK, while British Airways and others have used the aircraft to merge two rotations into one and redeploy assets elsewhere.
However, it has become clear that for many airlines the aircraft is just too large to sustainably serve markets. An example is Malaysia Airlines which has already dropped the aircraft from the Kuala Lumpur – Paris market and will soon replace its remaining aircraft on the Kuala Lumpur – London route with smaller twin-engined aircraft.
The Asian carrier has been seeking to find new owners for its aircraft for a couple of years without success and with the slow sales of new aircraft and recent news that Singapore Airlines will not renew the lease of its first A380 when its ten-year deal expires next year, has led many analysts to suggest the end of the line for the Super Jumbo.
But is it really that bad when you consider the huge investments airports across the globe have made to handle the larger jets? Singapore Airlines has confirmed that although it will likely retire some of its early production A380s, it remains committed to the aircraft and still sees a role for the aircraft, particularly on high-demand routes to slot-constrained airports. Meanwhile, Emirates remains as committed as ever to the programme with its chief executive officer, Sir Tim Clark, stating recently that the world needs more A380s as airports get increasingly congested.
Malaysia Airlines may have even found a new market for the aircraft with chief executive officer, Peter Bellew, revealing at World Routes that Malaysia Airlines was in the process of establishing a sister airline venture that would take over the operation of its A380 fleet and operate them for specific missions (such as Hajj and Umrah) and on wet-lease agreements for other operators not wishing to fully commit to acquiring their own aircraft.
The former Ryanair executive has subsequently confirmed detailed discussions with Airbus over the proposal and is understood to be currently looking at configuration options to make these aircraft suitable to customers – this included maintaining their current 496-seat layout, a 605-seat two-class option and a 700-seat, all-Economy offer ahead of the launch of the new business.
“I think it if you take a five-to-six-year view of this, there is enough volume of very predictable movements of people related to religious pilgrimage and other short- and medium-term wet-lease use of these aircraft to probably sustain a fleet up to 20 aircraft globally,” he said.
Boeing may not have invested as heavily in the ultra-large sized aircraft market, but is witnessing the same demand issues as Airbus. Only Air China, Korean Air and Lufthansa have signed up to the 747-8I Intercontinental, the passenger version of the aircraft, and just 36 aircraft are in service. Interestingly two of these three operators are also customers for the A380.
With Airbus having dropped plans to produce a freighter variant of the A380, Boeing has been able to grow its 747-8 customer base, with over 70% of the 110 aircraft in service being dedicated freighter aircraft serving with the likes of AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific Cargo, Korean Air Cargo, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Saudia Cargo, SilkWay Airlines and Volga-Dnepr Airlines. A recent deal from UPS Airlines, originally a customer for the A380 freighter has guaranteed 747 production for at least a couple more years.
The Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8I have shown their adaptability to serving different markets through the scheduled operations of their existing customers. During nine years of service the A380 has flown to 75 different airports, albeit many of these were special one-off promotional rotations from Emirates Airline. Meanwhile, the 747-8I has seen service in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas over the past 4+ years, most famously a special ‘Siegerflieger’ themed aircraft flying Germany back from Brazil after winning the 2014 Football World Cup.
The majority of A380 missions have been between hub airports with the three busiest routes for the aircraft linking the world’s two busiest international airports (Dubai International – London Heathrow) and on the Singapore Changi – London Heathrow and Dubai International – Bangkok Suvarnabhumi city pairs. The A380 and 747-8I have both also been used to meet high demand in short-haul markets with Air China and China Southern Airlines using the equipment heavily along the largest domestic corridors in mainland China.
This winter the Airbus A380 once again holds the right to operating the world’s longest regular scheduled service by distance after Emirates Airline introduced the type on its Dubai – Auckland non-stop service in late October, replacing the smaller 777. This route (at 14,193km) had replaced the Qantas Sydney – Dallas link (at 13,802) as the world’s longest, a route that has also been flown using an A380 since September 2014. The Super Jumbo will retain this record through to February 2017 when Qatar Airways inaugurates its own link to Auckland from Doha’s Hamad International Airport using a 777-200LR.
Interestingly, Doha will also become the destination of the shortest regular A380 scheduled service this winter after Emirates Airline introduces the type on one of its nine daily flights between Dubai and Qatari capital from December 1, 2016. At just 379km it may seem strange to use a long-range aircraft on such a route, but Emirates says it will allow it to meet peak morning demand on the route and supports wider long-haul fleet utilisation.
It is clear that market conditions and competition from other aircraft programmes has limited the need for ultra-large airliners such as the A380 and 747-8I. However, as the global industry continues its rapid growth and with airport congestion likely to remain and potentially further develop as a major constraint on the system, there could be a future rise in demand for these airliners.
There are certainly hub-to-hub markets that easily support such high-demand airliners and an increasing number of city pairs that could also support such aircraft. That is why both Airbus and Boeing are keeping their options open and, despite sales challenges, will be working hard to support demand for both new and secondhand equipment.
This article is sourced from an original feature by Richard Maslen that appeared in…ROUTES NEWS – ISSUE 7, 2016 – Click here to view the magazine.
Skopje sends foreign minister to Athens for talks to end long-standing row between neighbouring states over Macedonia name
Macedonia’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev, on his first official trip to Brussels this week. Photograph: Francois Lenoir/Reuters
Macedonia is poised to dispatch its foreign minister to Greece as speculation mounts that the two countries are moving towards settlement of the name dispute that has kept them at loggerheads for the past 27 years.
Signalling that a compromise is in the offing, Zoran Zaev, the Balkan state’s new Social Democrat leader, used his first official trip to Brussels on Monday to announce that a solution was possible. “I know that if we have friendly relations and a good approach then a solution is feasible,” he told reporters before talks between Macedonia’s foreign minister, Nikola Dimitrov, and his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias, in Athens on Wednesday.
Zaev, whose investiture two weeks ago followed prolonged political turmoil in the former Yugoslav republic, said he wanted the small but strategic nation to join NATO and the EU “in the shortest possible time”. Macedonia, he suggested, could participate in both under the provisional name it currently uses at the UN – FYROM or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. “We will try all possible measures to move Macedonia to membership,” said the pro-European prime minister standing alongside NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg.
The quest comes amid accusations of Russian interference across the Balkan region. The Macedonian government claims the meddling has made membership more vital. Stoltenberg underscored that position, saying NATO’s mission was to support all aspiring countries. “We want to see your country as part of a stable, democratic and prosperous region,” he said.
The long-running name row has been the single biggest impediment to Macedonia’s integration with the west. Greece, which vetoed the country joining NATO in 2008, has argued vehemently that its northern neighbour’s nomenclature conceals territorial ambitions over the eponymous Greek province that lies directly to the republic’s south. In nearly three decades of often bitter public exchanges, Athens has frequently accused the country of indulging in cultural theft, saying the predominantly Slavic state has deliberately appropriated symbols and heroic personalities from ancient Greek history to buttress its claim to the name.
But Zaev, who formed a government in coalition with parties representing the nation’s large ethnic Albanian minority, has taken a much more conciliatory approach. Last week the centre-left politician criticised his right-wing predecessor, Nikola Grueski, accusing him of provocations during the decade he held office by pushing ahead with a controversial statue and monument-building campaign that named a slew of public edifices after Alexander the Great.
In a television interview the new prime minister said the politics of antagonising Athens would be terminated immediately. “I can only say that the era of monuments, renaming of highways, airports, sports halls and stadiums with historical names ends,” said the leader whose lividly scarred forehead is testimony to the civil unrest that has gripped the mini-state. “We shall generate a politics of joint European future.” Zaev was injured when, in an orgy of violence, a pro-Grueski mob stormed parliament in April.
Any potential name change would be put to public plebiscite for approval. Mooted name changes have included adding geographic qualifiers such as “Upper/Горниот”, “New/Ново” or “Northern/Северно” Macedonia.
In what was seen by Athens as a major compromise, Greece announced in 2007 that it would give its consent to a composite name in which the word Macedonia could feature. At the time the compromise was supported by Panos Kammenos, the leader of the small nationalist Independent Greeks party currently in power with prime minister Alexis Tsipras’s leftist Syriza party.
Since then, emotions have abated as a sense of realpolitik in both countries has taken root. While Zaev believes membership of Euro-Atlantic bodies will help stabilise his ethnically fractious nation, debt-stricken Greece also sees a solution as bolstering its crisis-wracked economy in the Balkan peninsula.
“It is very important that Greece settles this dispute if it is to play an important role in the Balkans,” said Dimitris Keridis, professor of political science at Athens’s Panteion University. “Our neighbour is suffering from very deep internal divisions with the new government believing that the only way to stabilise it is to make the country part of the Euro-Atlantic architecture,” he told the Guardian. “Clearly it is willing to reach a compromise with Greece to achieve this, a compromise that after years of being able to hide behind Grueski’s intransigence is going to put Greek diplomacy on the spot.”
Feeling smug when you get a pack of sushi rolls for lunch, thinking you have made the healthy decision?
Depending on what filling you’ve opted for, you could be eating more than 1000 calories in one sitting – or more than twice what you should be consuming.
Sushi is among Australia’s favourite lunch options but it simply isn’t as healthy as many think.
A sweet chilli prawn hand roll from Sushi Train, for example, contains a whopping 275 calories, a further 1030mg of stroke-inducing sodium, 7.6 grams of sugar and 5.6 grams of fat.
Throw on some soy sauce and the salt content is even higher.
Many sushi rolls, like crispy chicken or teriyaki chicken options, are laden with mayonnaise-rich fillings and sauces but even if you go for raw salmon or cucumber and avocado, what you are mainly eating is white rice – around half a cup per roll.
So if you’re eating four at a time, you’re a step up from a nutritionally poor diet of two cups of rice.
“There’s not a lot of fibre, not a lot of protein and minimal vegetables,” Melissa Adamski, a researcher in the Nutrition and Dietetics Department at Monash University, told The New Daily.
“When you sit down with two cups of white rice in a stir fry, you can gauge how much you’re actually eating … wrapped up in a roll, it’s harder to gauge.”
Ms Adamski said it is too easy for people to “overeat” sushi hand rolls and recommends people opt for brown rice options, limit themselves to two and add a side salad – or maybe a piece of raw fish without the rice for a protein boost.
“The brown rice makes you feel fuller and provides more fibre,” she said.
Joel Feren, an accredited practising dietitian and spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia, told The New Daily that “eating three or four [hand rolls] in one sitting is much too much”.
The government recommends an intake of around 2000 calories per day.
Mr Feren added that sodium is the “elephant in the room” with sushi.
“There’s so much focus on calories and fats and sugar, but we know that Australians eat far too much salt,” he said.
“You can really overdose on salt with sushi. Some dishes are cooked in soy [sauce], crab meat is high in sodium – and when you add one of those 5ml containers of soy [sauce], you’re adding an extra 300 mg of sodium.”
Sushi or a Big Mac? Photo: Getty
A statement from the Heart Foundation to The New Daily notes that sodium content in sushi hand rolls generally ranges from 400-730mg per 100g, which is roughly one hand roll containing white rice.
“So, if people eat two sushi rolls then they can reach around half of their maximum daily salt intake in that one meal – approximately 1000mg sodium (2.5g salt),” they said.
“If you consider the fact that people also add soy sauce, this will take the salt content of this one meal even higher.”
This means that people eating four hand rolls in one sitting are consuming the maximum daily salt intake – and that is prior to adding soy sauce.
The recommended maximum salt intake for adults is 5g (one teaspoon) per day but Australians, on average, consume double that.
Eating too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which is the leading risk factor for heart disease – the single biggest killer of Australian men and women.
If you have high blood pressure, you have a higher risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
And that is another reason to go easy on the sushi.
Justine Damond spent her last moments trying to help a stranger.
At 11:27 p.m. Saturday, Ms. Damond called police to report a possible sexual assault, according to a 911 transcript obtained by the Star Tribune Wednesday, later published by the city of Minneapolis.
“I’m not sure if she’s having sex or being raped,” Damond told the operator. After giving her address in the quiet Fulton neighborhood, Damond continued: “I think she just yelled out ‘help,’ but it’s difficult the sound has been going on for a while, but I think, I don’t think she’s enjoying it.”
“OK,” said the operator, “I’ve already got an officer on the way.”
Soon afterward, one of those officers, Mohamed Noor, fired his gun from inside a patrol vehicle and killed Damond.
The death of Ms Damond, 40, sparked international controversy, including in her native Australia, where the prime minister called it a “shocking” and “inexplicable” killing and demanded answers. As the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) investigates, details have been scarce, and the 911 call further explains why the officers were there in the first place. The city also released police and incident reports Wednesday, though they offer limited public details while the shooting is still being investigated.
“I think the BCA is also stymied by a lack of information,” said Gov. Mark Dayton Wednesday in his first public remarks on the case. “I think everybody wants answers.”
The 911 transcript shows that about eight minutes after making her first call, Damond called police again to make sure they took down her address correctly. She repeated the report of hearing a woman screaming, and the operator assured her the officers were en route.
“Thank you,” said Damond.
Officer Matthew Harrity, who was driving, and Noor, in the front passenger seat, arrived at the scene. They drove south through the alley between Washburn and Xerxes avenues S., toward W. 51st Street, with the squad (car) lights turned off. As they reached the street, “Harrity indicated that he was startled by a loud sound near the squad (car),” according to the preliminary BCA investigation.
911 call transcript
Damond approached the driver’s side window of the squad car “immediately afterward,” according to the statement. Noor shot from the passenger seat, across his partner and through the window, striking Damond in the abdomen. She died at the scene 20 minutes later.
Officers canvassed the area that night, but did not locate any evidence of a sexual assault, said Minneapolis Police Assistant Chief Medaria Arradondo, who has served as the face of the department since the shooting. Chief Janeé Harteau remains out of public view on what a spokesperson called a “personal, pre-scheduled” trip out of state, saying she was expected to return Wednesday. A message left asking if she was back in Minneapolis was not returned.
A State Police spokesman would not clarify what the noise Harrity heard may have been, but Harrity’s attorney hinted that the officers may have believed they were driving into an “ambush.” The attorney, Fred Bruno, declined to discuss the investigation, but said, “it’s certainly reasonable to assume that any police officer would be concerned about a possible ambush under these circumstances,” referencing the case of New York City Police officer Miosotis Familia, 48, who was killed July 5 when she was shot in the head while sitting in her mobile command vehicle in the Bronx.
Noor has refused to be interviewed by BCA agents, so his side of the story is still unknown. Noor’s attorney, Thomas Plunkett, did not respond to a request for comment.
After Noor shot Damond, the officers exited the car and started performing CPR until medical responders arrived. Damond was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officers were wearing body cameras, but they did not turn them on until after the shooting, according to the BCA. Investigators say they are not aware of any video or audio of the shooting.
Bruno would not specify what Harrity told BCA investigators beyond what was made public.
Dayton reserving judgement
Governor Dayton called the death a “horrible” tragedy, but said he had no additional information to draw conclusions about what happened.
He said he left a message expressing condolences to Damond’s fiancé, Don Damond, and another message with the Australian consulate in Chicago offering any aid he could. Justine Damond, a spiritual healer from Sydney, was scheduled to marry Don Damond in August.
Dayton said he would not comment on Noor refusing to be interviewed by police because Noor has a constitutional right to remain silent.
“There’s a paucity of information,” he said. “To the best of my knowledge, there are only two living eyewitnesses. One, who spoke yesterday to BCA officials for about four hours, and the other, who has declined to be interviewed, and he’s obviously the key person in this investigation.”
Dayton said the Legislature should “definitely review” the policies on body cameras, echoing remarks from Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman earlier this week that the officers “didn’t have to turn them on, but [they] should have turned them on.”
Freeman’s office has been briefed on the case, but a spokesman declined to comment Wednesday about what was revealed. Freeman said he will decide whether to charge Noor with the shooting, rather than convene a grand jury.
House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, said any type of violent incident between police and citizens is “incredibly unfortunate,” but said he’d also reserve judgement until more information is released.
Daudt said he expects the Legislature to take up discussions around police body cameras in the future. But he said earlier talks have turned controversial, as lawmakers seek to balance public safety needs with the privacy rights of people who are filmed.
The speaker voiced his support for law enforcement officers across the state, and urged Minnesotans to do the same. “This isn’t easy when it happens for folks in uniform,” he said. “I encourage people to show support.”
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune – Staff writers Brandon Stahl and Hannah Covington.
Editorial and Opinion
This shooting of a white 40 year old Australian national, in a safe neighbourhood in Minneapolis by a black Muslim officer has a distinct stink about it! Mayor Betsy states that people cannot compound that tragedy by turning to “racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia.” It is unfortunate but all these factors exist until proven otherwise.
The Minneapolis police chief Janeé Harteau remains out of public view on what a police spokesperson called a “personal, pre-scheduled” trip out of state. With an incident as big as this which has the potential to blow her department apart, and become a major international incident, she should have returned immediately to provide executive oversight – but no!
What has Officer Noor got to hide. He refuses to be interviewed by BCA officers. Yes, it is his right to remain silent, but as a serving police officer involved in a “gun on none” shooting, he has an absolute obligation to tell his side of the story. Matthew Harrity has given his statement of events BCA officers, but Noor refuses to do so.
Reports state that Officer Noor had already drawn his weapon and had it on his lap, and when Ms Damond approached the driver’s side window in her pyjamas, Officer Noor raised and discharged his weapon across the front and in the face of Officer Harrity, through a closed window striking and killing Ms Damond. Why was this weapon drawn already? Deadly force is used when an officer is in grave and imminent danger! Noor was ready to shoot irrespective of the situation found!
What did Noor think he was shooting at? How had he appropriately assessed the scene, and any possible threat to his and his partner’s safety?
Why were the officers body cameras turned off? County Attorney Mike Freeman stated that officers “didn’t have to turn them on.” If that is the case, then why are they issued? The officers’ failure to turn on their cameras violates Minneapolis police policy, which has been in place for body cameras since at least 2016. In particular, policy 4-223 says that officers should manually activate their cameras “prior to any use of force. If a [body-worn camera] is not activated prior to a use of force, it shall be activated as soon as it is safe to do so.” It also says that officers should turn on their cameras during “any contact involving criminal activity,” “any contact that is, or becomes adversarial,” and “any citizen contact.” All of these rules indicate that the cameras should have been rolling before police shot Damond. However, it’s one thing to have these rules and another to get officers to actually follow them.
Why was the squad cars dash camera turned of? Why are they fixed to the squad cars if they are not used.
Why do American police have this shoot first, ask questions later mentality? US police kill more in days than other countries police do in years.” Between 1992 and 2011, Australian police shot and killed 94 people. In 2015, US police shot and killed 97 people in March alone!
Constitutionally, US police officers are allowed to shoot under two circumstances. The first circumstance is “to protect their life or the life of another innocent party” — what departments call the “defence-of-life” standard. The second circumstance is to prevent a suspect from escaping, but only if the officer has probable cause to think the suspect poses a dangerous threat to others. Of course, this leads to the unarmed and possibly innocent suspect running away from the vicinity of a possible crime scene, being shot dead with officers using lethal force on limited and/or erroneous information!
The suggestion by officers that they feared they were being ambushed is ludicrous! This dis-information is being spread in attempt to muddy the investigation and to taint the judgement by police and public alike. Where did this information come from? A cynic may suggest from the Minneapolis PD union itself, in attempt to create doubt in favour of it’s members?
Will Noor face prosecution for his actions? Probably not! Even though the victim was white, female, unarmed and the 911 informant, who was shot by a black officer with a limited and erroneous scope of the scene. On the surface of this incident, this seems to be an unlawful shooting, Noor is unlikely to face court. Police are very rarely prosecuted for shootings — because the law allows them wide latitude to use force on the job. It’s because the investigation of the incident often falls onto the same police department the officer is from, which creates major conflicts of interest, and breeds corrupt investigative practices. These police are not motivated to prosecute their own, a position which appears to be supported by the city officials and the judiciary of that location. At other times the only available evidence comes from eyewitnesses, who are not seen to be as trustworthy in the public eye as a police officer.
The vulnerable will continue to suffer and the guilty will walk away.
“We knew Trump was the ‘classic sleazeball’, now there’s proof he’s also a patronising twerp,” says Kate Halfpenny.
Another Donald Trump foreign visit and another awkward handshake – however it was Donald Trump’s exchange with French First Lady Brigitte Macron which has got the world talking.
In a video on the French presidential Facebook account, Mr Trump and Ms Macron extend their hands to one another, fumbling to make contact, before they embrace for a traditional kiss on each cheek…..then they then ungracefully hold hands, for what seemed to be an inordinately long time.
But it was a later comment from Donald Trump at the high-level meeting in Paris, that almost overshadowing what appeared to be early signs of Mr Trump again rethinking his attitude to the Paris Accord.
As Mr Trump, Mr Macron and their wives toured the museums at Les Invalides, the US President turned to the French First Lady and said: “You’re in such good shape.”
He repeated the observation to the French president before turning back to the French first lady, and remarking: “Beautiful.”
Watch CNN’s report of the greeting
Ms Macron was her husband’s former high school teacher and their relationship has drawn international attention because of their age difference – Ms Macron is 64, while her husband is 39.
Does age really matter in good relationship?
The comments have been denounced in some circles as sexist, noting that the Macrons’ age difference is similar to that of Donald and Melania Trump.
The pair has been seen as having a difficult chemistry. Photo: AAP
Trump hints at change of heart on Paris Accord
More substantively, Mr Trump appeared to be holding the door open to a reversal of his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, but did not say what he would need in return to persuade him to do so.
Mr Trump, who has made few friends in Europe with his rejection of the 2015 Paris agreement and his “America First” trade stance, met Mr Macron in Paris on Thursday as both leaders sought common ground to reset an awkward relationship.
“Something could happen with respect to the Paris accords, let’s see what happens,” Mr Trump told a news conference. “If it happens, that will be wonderful, and if it doesn’t, that’ll be OK too.”
Mr Trump has said the Paris accord is soft on leading polluters like China and India, putting US industry at risk.
“There is no sudden and unexpected change today, otherwise we would have announced it, but there is the shared intention to continue discussing these issues,” the French president added.
Mr Trump and Mr Macron’s relationship got off to a bumpy start, but both have an incentive to improve relations – Mr Macron hopes to elevate France’s role in global affairs, and Mr Trump, seemingly isolated among world leaders, needs a friend overseas.
The nature of their greeting was so highly anticipated because of the long, white-knuckled handshake between the two leaders in Brussels in May in which Mr Macron held on firmly and appeared to try and pull Mr Trump’s towards him.
“My handshake with him, it’s not innocent,” Mr Macron said some days later. “It’s not the alpha and the omega of politics, but a moment of truth.”
A day after that, Mr Macron performed a body swerve away from Mr Trump as he approached a group of leaders, and instead picked out German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mr Trump’s handshakes have become closely observed moments in his diplomatic interactions. When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the White House early this year, their handshake lasted for an uncomfortable 20 seconds, with Mr Abe appearing to try and break off several times.
And during his March meeting with Ms Merkel, Mr Trump appeared to refuse to shake her hand despite the pleas of media onlookers.
US President Donald Trump has gone back on his plans to create a cyber-security alliance with Russia, after the proposal was met with severe condemnation by several Republican senators.
Mr Trump raised eyebrows when he initially said on Twitter that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed “forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to tackle issues like election hacking and “many other negative things”.
Perhaps his suggestion didn’t get the traction he had hoped for, because only hours later, President Trump said it would not happen.
Mr Trump’s initial claim came after he met with the Russian leader at the G20 Summit in Hamburg.
Many high-profile Republican Senators were dumbfounded by the idea, questioning why the United States would want to work with Russia given Moscow’s alleged meddling in last year’s US election.
“It’s not the dumbest idea I have ever heard, but it’s pretty close,”Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC’s Meet the Press.
Senator Marco Rubio also ridiculed the proposal, tweeting: “Partnering with Putin on a ‘Cyber Security Unit’ is akin to partnering with Assad on a Chemical Weapons Unit.”
“While reality & pragmatism requires that we engage Vladimir Putin, he will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner.”
“We have no quarrel with Russia or the Russian people. Problem is with Putin & his oppression, war crimes & interference in our elections.”
And while outspoken Senator John McCain acknowledged Mr Trump’s desire to move forward with Russia, he said “there has to be a price to pay” for the nation’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election.
The Trump backflip comes a day after he was the subject of a scathing review from Australian journalist Chris Uhlmann, that quickly went viral, and in the same weekend the president’s son was accused of meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the 2016 election campaign.
According to The New York Times, Donald Trump Jr was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.
It is unclear whether Ms Veselnitskaya produced the promised information about Ms Clinton, but it was likely she would have done so, according to the NYT’s sources.
Trump’s ridicule continues
President Trump has also been criticised for the release of a bizarre video, which recaps his experience of the G20 summit.
Mr Trump tweeted a two-minute video on Sunday titled, “Make America Great Again”, which featured pictures of himself attending the G20 Summit set to a ‘Make America Great Again’ soundtrack.
Mr Trump raised eyebrows when he initially said on Twitter that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed “forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to tackle issues like election hacking and “many other negative things”.
Perhaps his suggestion didn’t get the traction he had hoped for, because only hours later, President Trump said it would not happen.
Mr Trump’s initial claim came after he met with the Russian leader at the G20 Summit in Hamburg.
Many high-profile Republican Senators were dumbfounded by the idea, questioning why the United States would want to work with Russia given Moscow’s alleged meddling in last year’s US election.
“It’s not the dumbest idea I have ever heard, but it’s pretty close,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC’s Meet the Press.
Senator Marco Rubio also ridiculed the proposal, tweeting: “Partnering with Putin on a ‘Cyber Security Unit’ is akin to partnering with Assad on a “Chemical Weapons Unit.”
“While reality & pragmatism requires that we engage Vladimir Putin, he will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner.
“We have no quarrel with Russia or the Russian people. Problem is with Putin & his oppression, war crimes & interference in our elections.”
And while outspoken Senator John McCain acknowledged Mr Trump’s desire to move forward with Russia, he said “there has to be a price to pay” for the nation’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election.
The Trump backflip comes a day after he was the subject of a scathing review from Australian journalist Chris Uhlmann, that quickly went viral, and in the same weekend the president’s son was accused of meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the 2016 election campaign.
According to The New York Times, Donald Trump Jr was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.
It is unclear whether Ms Veselnitskaya produced the promised information about Ms Clinton, but it was likely she would have done so, according to the NYT’s sources.
Trump’s ridicule continues
President Trump has also been criticised for the release of a bizarre video, which recaps his experience of the G20 summit.
Mr Trump tweeted a two-minute video on Sunday titled, “Make America Great Again”, which featured pictures of himself attending the G20 Summit set to a ‘Make America Great Again’ soundtrack.
George Brown is a decorated soldier and health professional and 40 year veteran in the field of emergency nursing and paramedical practice, both military and civilian areas. He has senior management positions in the delivery of paramedical services. Opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the author and should not be construed as being those of any organization to which he may be connected.
He was born in the UK of Scottish ancestry from Aberdeen and a member of the Clan MacDougall. He is a member of the Macedonian community in Newcastle, and speaks fluent Macedonian. While this may seem a contradiction, it is his wife who is Macedonian, and as a result he embraced the Macedonian language and the Orthodox faith.
His interests include aviation and digital photography, and he always enjoys the opportunity to combine the two. Navigate to his Flickr site to see recent additions to his photo library.
Џорџ Браун е украсени војник и професионално здравствено лице и 40 годишен ветеран во областа на за итни случаи старечки и парамедицински пракса, двете воени и цивилни области. Тој има високи менаџерски позиции во испораката на парамедицински услуги. Мислењата изразени во овие колумни се исклучиво на авторот и не треба да се толкува како оние на било која организација тој може да биде поврзан.
Тој е роден во Велика Британија на шкотскиот потекло од Абердин и член на Kланот MacDougall. Тој е член на македонската заедница во Њукасл, и зборува течно македонски. Иако ова можеби изгледа контрадикција, тоа е неговата сопруга кој е македонски, и како резултат научил македонскиот јазик и ја примија православната вера.
Неговите интереси вклучуваат авијација и дигитална фотографија, и тој секогаш ужива во можност да се комбинираат двете. Отиди до неговиот Фликр сајт да видите последните дополнувања на неговата слика библиотека.
Discussion on the law that applies to or affects Australia's emergency services and emergency management, by Michael Eburn, PhD, Australian Lawyer. Email: meburn@australianemergencylaw.com
Oh, let's see...distinguished Gen-X'er, frustrated writer and mom living in the confines of a small town that thinks it's a big deal. And have I mentioned Walmart yet?
Mr Trump’s initial claim came after he met with the Russian leader at the G20 Summit in Hamburg.
Words, By George! 