Ex-McKinsey partner jailed for destroying documents
The partner, Martin Elling, had pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice as part of a federal case against the firm and its efforts to 'turbocharge' sales of OxyContin during an overdose epidemic that had already killed hundreds of thousands of people.
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Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia news LIVE: Unannounced spot checks in childcare centres to be fast-tracked; Trump's ‘big beautiful bill' clears US Congress
Latest posts Latest posts 11.31am Discussions to make CCTV in childcare centres mandatory: Clare By Cindy Yin Education ministers will discuss whether CCTV cameras should be made mandatory in childcare centres after a childcare worker in Melbourne was charged with more than 70 alleged child sex abuse offences Asked on Sky News whether it would be made mandatory, Education Minister Jason Clare said it was one of the issues education ministers will discuss at their meeting next month. 'One of the things that having a CCTV camera in a childcare centre can do is if there's somebody who is potentially up to no good, they know the camera's there, it means it's less likely they're going to act,' he said. 'It was a recommendation out of an independent review that NSW did, and it was released last week. 'They have to be in the right places – if deterrence is going to work, how you set them up is just as critical as whether you've got them there at all,' Clare said. 10.52am Unannounced spot checks in childcare centres to be fast-tracked By Cindy Yin Education Minister Jason Clare has said unannounced spot checks will soon be able to take place in childcare centres following a childcare worker in Melbourne being charged with more than 70 alleged child sex abuse offences. Clare said the government would fast-track legislation when parliament returns on July 22 to give approximately 150 people in his department the power to perform unannounced spot checks at childcare centres. '[It] gives the sort of people who work in my department who investigate fraud in childcare centres the ability to do spot checks, unannounced visits,' Clare told Sky News. 'They won't need a warrant, they won't need the police to come with them when they're investigating fraud in childcare centres'. Another aspect of the legislation gives the government the ability to cut off funding to childcare centres persistently not meeting child safety standards. 10.23am Nvidia briefly on track to become world's most valuable company ever Chipmaker Nvidia hit a market value of $US3.92 trillion ($5.96 trillion) on Thursday (Friday AEST), briefly putting it on track to become the most valuable company in history as Wall Street doubled down on optimism about AI. Shares of the leading designer of high-end AI chips rose as much as 2.4 per cent in early trading, giving the company a higher market capitalisation than Apple's, with a record closing value of $US3.915 trillion in December 2024. The company is close to overtaking Apple's all-time record and becoming the world's most valuable company in history. Wall Street lifted following the report from the US government, which said employers added 147,000 more jobs to their payrolls last month than they cut. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs, notching a third week of gains. The Dow closed up 0.77 per cent, only 0.41 per cent away from its own record. The unexpected acceleration in hiring signals the US job market is holding up despite worries about how president Donald Trump's tariffs may hurt the economy and inflation. 9.53am Saudi defence minister met with Trump to discuss Iran de-escalation, Fox News reports Saudi Arabian Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with US President Donald Trump and other officials at the White House on Thursday (Friday AEST) to discuss de-escalation efforts with Iran, Fox News reported. Talks included discussions about getting to the negotiating table with Iran and de-escalating the conflict, according to Fox News sources. Discussions also reportedly included ending the war in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages. Sources also told Fox News, 'there was progress and optimism on all fronts.' Khalid is the younger brother of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump says US has given Ukraine too many weapons US President Donald Trump complained that the United States provided too many weapons to Ukraine under the previous administration, his first public comments on the pause in some shipments as Russia escalates its latest offensive. Speaking to reporters on Thursday (Friday AEST) before boarding Air Force One for a flight to Iowa, Trump said former President Joe Biden 'emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.' Air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons are among those being withheld from Ukraine. Loading Trump, who also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (Friday AEST), suggested he wasn't completely cutting off US assistance to Ukraine. 'We've given so many weapons,' he said, adding that 'we are working with them and trying to help them.' Trump said he had a 'pretty long call' with Putin that 'didn't make any progress' in resolving the war, which the Republican president had promised to swiftly bring to a conclusion. 'I'm not happy about that,' he said. The Kremlin described the conversation as 'frank and constructive' — the sixth publicly disclosed chat between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House. While discussing the situation around Iran and in the broader Middle East, Putin emphasised the need to resolve all differences 'exclusively by political and diplomatic means,' said Yuri Ushakov, his foreign affairs adviser. The leaders agreed that Russian and U.S. officials will maintain contact on the issue, he added. 9.06am Qantas says frequent flyer information secure after hack By Chris Zappone Qantas expects to be able next week to share the details of individual customer data that was affected by the hack of a call centre platform, based on the pace of an ongoing forensic investigation, the airline has said in an update. The breaching of up to 6 million customers' data, first revealed on Wednesday, prompted a reassurance that frequent flyer accounts were secure, even as the airline reminded customers they could update passwords and PINs at any time. To date, Qantas has not been contacted by anyone claiming to have the data since the incident, which was suspected to be the work of the Scattered Spider criminal cyber group. Qantas is continuing to work with government authorities to investigate the event. Loading 'Our investigation is progressing well, with our cybersecurity teams working alongside leading external specialists to determine what information has been accessed,' Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said. 'We're finalising a process that will enable us to provide affected customers with more information about their personal information that was potentially compromised.' Next week, Qantas 'will be in a position' to tell affected customers which types of their personal data were contained in the third-party system that was accessed. 'This will confirm specific data fields for each individual, which will vary from customer to customer,' Qantas said in a statement. Qantas became the latest major airline to be hit by a cyber breach, revealing on Wednesday that hackers had accessed customers' personal information from one of its call centres. In the Friday morning update, Qantas reiterated that frequent flyer passwords, PIN numbers and log in details were not accessed or compromised, 'but customers can update these details at any time'. 8.53am Sporting stars, UK leaders pay tribute to Liverpool FC's Diogo Jota after car crash death By David Crowe Football champions and political leaders have led the stunned reaction to the sudden death of Liverpool FC star Diogo Jota in a fiery car crash in northern Spain less than two weeks after he married his long-term partner. The Portuguese champion was driving with his brother, Andre Silva, when a tyre blew out on their Lamborghini, forcing it off the road. The vehicle became engulfed in flames and the two men died at the scene. Photographs and footage published in Spanish media showed a burnt and destroyed Lamborghini by the side of the highway. The London Telegraph reported that Jota had been told to drive 10 hours to a Spanish ferry rather than fly to Britain. It said Jota had been given medical advice to avoid taking a plane back for training, but that it was unclear where he was given that advice. Thousands of fans gathered at the Liverpool club's home ground, Anfield Stadium, as champions expressed their shock at the news. Jota, 28, began playing for his country as a teenager and represented Portugal at the 2022 World Cup. He signed with Liverpool for a reported £41 million ($85 million) in 2020 and was a star forward in the club's victory in the Premier League this year. 8.34am New interstellar comet will keep a safe distance from Earth, NASA says NASA astronomers spotted an interstellar comet in Chile earlier this week and have confirmed it poses no threat to Earth. Officially, it's the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system. 'These things take millions of years to go from one stellar neighbourhood to another, so this thing has likely been travelling through space for hundreds of millions of years, even billions of years,' said Paul Chodas, director of NASA's centre for near Earth object studies. 'We don't know, and so we can't predict which star it came from.' Loading The comet is 670 million kilometres from the sun, out near Jupiter, and heading in the direction of Earth at 59 kilometres per second. NASA said the comet will make its closest approach to the sun in late October, scooting between the orbits of Mars and Earth — but closer to the red planet than us, at a safe distance of 240 million kilometres. Astronomers around the world are monitoring the icy snowball, which has officially been designated as 3I/Atlas to determine its size and shape. Chodas said there have been more than 100 observations since its discovery on July 1, with preliminary reports of a tail and a cloud of gas and dust around the comet's nucleus. The comet should be visible by telescope until September, before it gets too close to the sun, and reappear in December on the other side of the sun. 8.15am 'We will back you the whole way': Nationals back PM's small business plan By Cindy Yin Coalition frontbencher Bridget McKenzie has welcomed the PM's push for businesses to drive growth in the economy instead of the government, but has criticised the move by saying it came too late. Speaking on Sky News today, the Nationals senator welcomed the shift in Labor's outlook, saying the government had 'finally woken up'. 'The government has finally woken up and realised, after spending the first three years smashing small business and our industrial base through a raft of industrial relations policies, energy policies and new regulation … They've suddenly realised that government jobs don't grow the economy.' She also said the Nationals would throw their support behind any business-first policies Labor puts forward in its second term. 'Please, prime minister and treasurer, use the huge mandate the Australian people have given you to set our country up for the future, and we will back you the whole way. We want our country to be stronger, more prosperous and more secure,' McKenzie said. 'They've got a huge mandate – it's a great opportunity to do the type of deep reform that our economy needs, and our country needs, to set us up for the next century.' 7.49am 'Government doing less': PM to deliver vision for Australia's economy By Cindy Yin Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will outline the government's immediate and long-term economic vision for Australia in a speech he will deliver at a News Corp event in Sydney later today. Albanese will say Labor, now in their second term of government, must establish an economic plan which will make it 'easier for business to create jobs, start and finish projects, invest in new technology and build new facilities'. 'Some of this involves government doing less: clearing away unnecessary or outdated regulation. Eliminating frustrating overlap between local, state and federal laws,' the prime minister will say. 'Yet value also lies in areas where government can do better. Better aligning our investments in TAFE and vocational education, to deliver the skilled workforce employers need. And making sure those vital skills can cross state borders in real time. Working to our ambitious goals in housing and renewables, by getting projects approved and built faster, while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and safety.' He will also discuss major economic and political issues affecting Australian businesses and households, with speeches from a slew of business heavyweights. 'This is not a task government can, or should, tackle alone,' Albanese will say. 'In a strong, dynamic and productive economy, government should be a driver of growth – but not the driver of growth. Facilitating private sector investment and job creation, not seeking to replace it. 'From big employers to the millions of small businesses right around Australia, our government wants you to be able to resume your rightful place as the primary source of growth in our economy.'
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- SBS Australia
Jury in Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial reaches partial verdict but are deadlocked on final charge
This article contains references to domestic violence and sexual assault. The jury at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial has reached a verdict on four of the five counts the music mogul faces, the judge overseeing the case said, without revealing the outcome. After two days of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict on four charges: two counts of sex trafficking and two of transportation to engage in prostitution, United States district judge Arun Subramanian announced. But the judge said the jury had not been able to reach a verdict on a fifth charge, racketeering conspiracy, because jurors had "unpersuadable opinions on both sides". He instructed the jury to continue deliberating on the racketeering conspiracy count. The jury will resume deliberations at 11pm AEST on Wednesday. Combs, 55, had pleaded not guilty to all five counts . If convicted of sex trafficking or racketeering, the former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture could face life in prison. Before the judge read the jury's note, Combs rubbed his eyes and rested his face against his palm while seated at the defence table with his lawyers huddled around him. One defence lawyer, Brian Steel, rubbed Combs' shoulder. Two of Combs' other defence lawyers put their arms around each other. The partial verdict comes after a seven-week trial in which two of the music mogul's former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them. Sean 'Diddy' Combs second from left, watches from the defence table as the judge speaks to the jury in Manhattan federal court. Source: AP / Elizabeth Williams Prosecutors say Combs was charged with racketeering because for two decades he used his business empire to force two of his romantic partners to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as "freak offs" with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed. His lawyers acknowledged the Bad Boy Records founder, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, was at times violent in his domestic relationships . But they said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual. Jury asks to review Cassie's testimony Earlier on Tuesday, the jury asked to review portions of the testimony of the rhythm and blues singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, who testified that Combs forced her to take part in "freak offs" throughout their decade-long relationship. The 12-member jury asked to review Ventura's testimony regarding a 2016 incident at an InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles, when a surveillance camera captured footage of Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in a hallway. Jurors saw the security camera footage several times throughout the trial. Prosecutors say that at the time of the incident, Ventura was attempting to leave a "freak off". Prosecutors say that conduct amounted to sex trafficking because Combs used force and threats to cut off financial support or release sex tapes of Ventura to coerce her to take part in the performances, and because the escorts were paid. Combs' defence pointed to tender and sexually explicit text messages that Ventura sent Combs throughout their relationship to bolster their argument that she took part in the "freak offs" because she loved Combs and wanted to make him happy. They say the violent 2016 altercation stemmed from a dispute about Combs' relationship with another woman. Prosecutors charged Combs with racketeering conspiracy because they say his employees facilitated his abuse by setting up hotel rooms for "freak offs" and procuring illegal drugs for the sex parties. The defence argued Combs kept his personal and professional lives separate and that the drugs were for his personal use. If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why police are investigating Bob Vylan and Kneecap's Glastonbury sets – and what comes next
By Monday (Tuesday AEST), police had formally opened a criminal investigation into comments made by members of Bob Vylan and Kneecap during their Glastonbury sets. What are the police investigating? Avon and Somerset Police said on Monday (Tuesday AEST), after reviewing footage from Glastonbury, that both Bob Vylan and Kneecap's performances had been recorded as a 'public order incident at this time'. The investigation, they noted, would 'consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes'. 'There is absolutely no place in society for hate,' an Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said. The department also 'politely' requested the global and local public 'refrain from continuing to report this matter to us because an investigation is already taking place'. According to Deadline, Bob Vylan has been dropped by talent agency UTA, with the duo seemingly scrubbed from UTA's website. The pair were scheduled to tour the United States from October, though Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the State Department had revoked Bob Vylan's United States visas due to their 'hateful tirade' at the festival. Loading 'Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,' Landau wrote on X (formerly Twitter) overnight. Separately, Kneecap's Mo Chara is facing charges under the British Terrorism Act for supporting a proscribed organisation after he allegedly waved a Hezbollah flag at a concert in November. He has denied allegations he is a supporter of Hezbollah or Hamas, saying he picked up the flag, without knowing what it represented, after it was thrown on stage. Mo Chara is on unconditional bail, with a court hearing scheduled for August. What does this mean for the BBC? In the lead-up to the festival, the BBC had been focused on mitigating the potential fallout from livestreaming Kneecap's performance due to Mo Chara's charges, and the trio's penchant for using their performances as platforms for activism. On Saturday morning the broadcaster announced that it would not stream Kneecap's set live, while noting it would 'look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance available on our digital platforms, alongside more than 90 other sets'. For many viewers, this meant the only way they could watch Kneecap's set live was through TikTok user @helensmashinglife 's stream on the video-sharing platform. But those looking to watch Bob Vylan's set an hour-and-a-half earlier had no issue accessing a BBC livestream, a decision the broadcaster now regrets. 'Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC's output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive,' a statement from the public service broadcaster, issued on Monday (Tuesday AEST), said. 'The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.' Loading British broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has said the BBC 'clearly has questions to answer' after the Bob Vylan livestream, noting: 'We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.' It's understood that on the direction of BBC director general Tim Davie, footage of Bob Vylan's performance would not feature in further Glastonbury coverage. There are now calls for Davie, who was at the festival on Saturday afternoon, to resign, with Israel's deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel telling London's The Telegraph: 'If no one will be fired over such an outrageous thing then I think that Tim Davie should take responsibility and resign.' Kneecap's performance is available on the BBC's streaming service, iPlayer, with a strong language advisory, though Bob Vylan's set does not appear to be available on the platform any more. What are people saying about Bob Vylan's set? On Sunday (Monday AEST), Starmer criticised Bob Vylan's performance and the BBC's handling of the matter, saying: 'There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.' On the same day, Glastonbury Festival and its organiser Emily Eavis issued a joint statement on Instagram saying the event stands 'against all forms of war and terrorism' and, with 4000 performances in the line-up, there would 'inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share'. 'However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence,' the statement concluded. Loading In an Instagram post shared with the caption 'I said what I said', Bobby Vylan stood by his actions, and said his phone had been 'buzzing non-stop' with messages 'of both support and hatred'. 'Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,' he wrote. 'As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.' Bob Vylan drummer Bobbie Vylan, Bobby Vylan, and members of Kneecap have continued to share content to Instagram calling for freedom of speech and a free Palestine. On Sunday (Monday AEST), United States President Donald Trump again push ed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with Palestinians in northern Gaza reporting one of the worst nights of Israeli bombardment in weeks. Jewish settlers also reportedly rampaged around a military base in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that same day. The death toll in Gaza continues to rise. Who is Bob Vylan? Bob Vylan is an English punk rap duo comprised of performers Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan – stage names the pair say are designed to protect their identities. The London-based duo have released four albums since 2019, with their music often focusing on issues including police brutality and racism. In 2021, the duo successfully campaigned for the removal of South African rap group Die Antwoord from the lineup of the ALT + LDN music festival citing concerns over the group's alleged 'history of abuse towards young people, towards vulnerable people, towards gay people, and people of colour.' Bob Vylan's 2024 album Humble as the Sun received widespread critical acclaim and featured the song Dream Big, which was later remixed with vocals from Amy Taylor, the leader singer of Melbourne band Amyl and the Sniffers. Who is Kneecap? Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap rose to worldwide prominence following the release of the 2024 fictionalised biopic – also titled Kneecap – which starred the band members as themselves. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was submitted as the Irish entry for the Academy Awards, but was not nominated. Loading The trio have released two albums with songs focussing on issues of Irish republicanism and culture, with strong anti-establishment currents. The performers rap in both English and Irish and have developed a cult following, recently becoming a mainstay of festivals. Kneecap toured Australia in March, including a free performance in Melbourne, which saw a crowd of more than 10,000 pack Federation Square. Glastonbury's political past What's now known as Glastonbury Festival started as Pilton Pop Folk & Blues Festival, first held in 1970 on dairy farmer Michael Eavis' family farm in southern England's Pilton, Somerset. Eavis, who was inspired by seeing a Led Zeppelin performance at 1969's Bath Festival of Blues, then teamed up with Andrew Kerr for 1971's Glastonbury Fayre, and the rest, as they say, is history. Alongside events including Coachella and Rock in Rio, Glastonbury is considered one of the most important music festivals on the global cultural calendar. This year almost 4000 acts performed across 120 stages during the five-day festival. The festival has remained relatively controversy-free over the years, however, in 1994 a shooter opened fire on a crowd at Glastonbury, injuring five individuals. There were no fatalities, but that year also saw an unrelated death from drug overdose, the first in the festival's history. In 2015, a petition was circulated attempting to stop American rapper Kanye West from headlining the festival, but the attempt was unsuccessful. In 2005, the Scottish band Primal Scream came under controversy after lead singer Bobby Gillespie seemingly performed a Nazi salute on stage during the closing number of his set. He also altered a Make Poverty History poster to say 'Make Israel History'. Gillespie said changing the poster was done to advocate for Palestinian rights, and told NME in 2006 that his history of advocacy would show 'what my politics are. I'm no f---in' Nazi.'
