Optimism builds ahead of possible Gaza ceasefire deal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
35 minutes ago
- ABC News
How the world reacted to Erin Patterson's guilty verdict
It's an extraordinary mystery that has captivated not just Australia, but the world. In 2023, five people sat down to a beef Wellington lunch — only two survived. One of them was Erin Patterson. The 50-year-old would be charged with murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth by lacing their meals with poisonous death cap mushrooms. Over a mammoth trial, this case — and the tiny regional Victorian town of Morwell — were thrust into the global spotlight as a jury heard evidence from more than 50 witnesses. Overseas journalists joined local media in bringing the high-profile matter to an international audience, working to appease enormous global appetite for details of the infamous "mushroom murder". Associate professor Xanthe Mallett, a criminologist from Central Queensland University, told the ABC the trial had attracted extraordinary global interest. "I can't actually remember an Australian case which has garnered quite this much international attention," she said. On Monday, after 10 marathon weeks, Erin Patterson was found guilty of all charges. International publications immediately lit up with the news, with several sites including Reuters, CNN, the BBC, Washington Post and New York Times alerting the verdict. Many outlets also published reports on the trial's outcome, including a number of detailed explainers offering step-by-step accounts of the case. The BBC poured its resources into covering every moment of the trial's long-awaited outcome in a live blog that led its online page. The global media heavyweight also published an in-depth breakdown of the trial, which it said had "gripped the world". The report outlined the weeks of evidence, including that Patterson, a "self-described mushroom lover and amateur forager", had told the court the deaths were a "tragic accident". "But over nine weeks, the jury heard evidence suggesting she had foraged death cap mushrooms sighted in nearby towns and lured her victims to the fatal meal under the false pretence that she had cancer — before trying to conceal her crimes by lying to police and disposing of evidence," the BBC reported. Caroline Cheetham, who hosts The Trial of Erin Patterson podcast for Britain's Daily Mail, travelled to the remote town of Morwell to cover the story and spoke to the ABC about the case. "It just resonated. It resonated with an audience all over the world," she said outside court. Al Jazeera and the Washington Post also published detailed explainers of the almost two-month trial, described by the Post as "replete with family drama, fungal ingredients and allegations of deception". "The 'mushroom murder case', as it is known in Australia, transfixed the country," the Washington Post report said. Meanwhile an online piece from the New York Times detailed the "overwhelming media attention" on the case, which saw the jury carefully sequestered during deliberations. The US publication highlighted Patterson would now be facing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, adding it "was not immediately clear" when she would be sentenced.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Russian minister Roman Starovoit kills himself with Kremlin-gifted gun hours after being dismissed by Putin
Russia's transport minister allegedly commited suicide on Monday, just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him from his post. Roman Starovoit was abruptly fired Monday after just a year in his key position. He was then found dead inside his car in Odintsovo, a neighborhood just west of Moscow where Russia's elite reside. Starovoit was found with a gun that was an official gift from the Kremlin, officials said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on Starovoit's dismissal, with no reason for his firing listed on the Kremlin's website on Monday. Officials also did not give a reason for his reported suicide. Starovoit was tapped as Russia's new transport minister in May 2024 after serving as the governor of the Kursk region, an area at the heart of an embezzlement case that allegedly aided Ukraine's surprise counter-invasion last summer. The Kremlin has been investigating allegations that officials in Kursk embezzled state funds meant for fortifying the region around the time Ukraine was planning its major assault on Russian soil. The Kursk invasion was the first time in Russia's history that Moscow lost land to an invader since World War II, leaving Putin humiliated and forcing the Russian army to scramble for months to reclaim the land. Starovoit's successor in Kursk, Alexi Smirnov, was allegedly tied to the incident and arrested on embezzlement charges in April, with Russian media claiming that charges were pending for the transport minister. While the Kremlin never made statements on whether Starovoit was under investigation, a transport industry source told Reuters that the minister's position had come into question over the Kursk scandal. Starovoit's dismissal also comes after a weekend of travel chaos plague Russian airports, with more than 160 flights cancelled and another 240 delayed due to Ukraine's drone attacks. Russian commentators speaking about Starovoit's dismissal, however, said that the disruptions have become common due to the frequency of Ukraine's attacks, claiming the weekend chaos likely played no role in his firing. Following Starvoit's dismissal — but before his death was reported — his deputy transport minister, Andrei Nikitin, was tapped as his replacement. 'At present, in the president's opinion, Andrei Nikitin's professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfills its tasks and functions,' Peskov said in a presser that took place before Starvoit's death was reported. With Post wires Originally published as Russian minister Roman Starovoit kills himself with Kremlin-gifted gun hours after being dismissed by Putin
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Major update after British teen jailed in Dubai over ‘holiday romance'
An 18-year-old who was jailed for having sex with a 17-year-old girl while on holiday in Dubai in a case that made global headlines has been freed. Marcus Fakana, now 19, met the fellow Londoner while visiting the United Arab Emirates with his parents in August last year and a 'holiday romance blossomed', according to campaign group Detained in Dubai, which brought widespread attention to the case. It was the girl's mother who reported the teens' relationship to Dubai police, reportedly once her family was back in the UK and messages were discovered between the young pair. Unlike in the teens' own country where the age of consent is 16 years old, it is 18 in the UAE. Police arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel and he was sentenced in December to a year's imprisonment. Now in a major update, it has been revealed Mr Fakana is back in the UK after receiving a royal pardon from Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Detained in Dubai said Mr Fakana arrived back in the UK on July 3. The campaign group said Mr Fakana did not know the girl was under 18 years old at the time of their consensual relationship, and that she was just months younger than him. She is now 18. Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling said Mr Fakana 'was nervous until the plane left the tarmac'. 'Marcus should never have been put through this,' she said in a statement. 'He was supposed to spend a short few days with his family but ended up spending nearly a year in the tourist destination. We are thrilled that after an intensive campaign, he was officially pardoned and is home safe, surrounded by those who love him.' Ms Stirling added: 'Dubai could have chosen to fine and to deport him. Instead, the 18 year old was sentenced to one year in prison. The impact on his life has been severe and there was no need for him to endure such trauma'. Speaking to the BBC, she warned parents to be aware their children could be charged in Dubai for behaviour that would not be considered criminal in their home country. In a previous statement, the government of Dubai had said: 'Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor and, in accordance with procedures recognised internationally, her mother — being the legal guardian — filed the complaint. 'Dubai's legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings.' Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates and is the home base of international airline Emirates. More Australians visited Dubai last year than ever before. There was a new record of 296,000 overnight visitors from Australia in 2024, which was also up 6 per cent year-on-year, according to Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism. Overall, Dubai had a record 18.72 million international overnight visitors in 2024. Al Maktoum International Airport has plans to become the largest in the world by 2030, with a passenger capacity of 260 million annually. In addition to tourists, the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan projects the population will grow by 5.8 million people by the year 2040 – from 3.3 million in 2021 to 7.8 million. A significant portion of this population growth is expected to be expats, who benefit from a tax-free income policy.
