Nigerian girls who escaped from Boko Haram tell their story.
Exclusive footage from SKY UK has revealed how some of the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram escaped from the terrorist group.
One 16-year-old revealed how she was “chosen to cook,” while a Boko Haram gunman watched close by.
She and two of her friends told the gunmen they needed to relieve themselves, then walked to the bush and “ran for about two hours”.
Another said she was asked to fetch water, then ran for her life.
“Even when they were shooting at us, we took the chance and God helped us arrive in Chibok two days later”.
Authorities say so far 53 girls have escaped, while 276 remain missing.
Revelations a man arrested earlier this week, bought the twins’ apartment on The Block.
It has been confirmed today that a man arrested over his alleged involvement in a $7 million insider trading scam, was also the successful bidder of Alyssa and Lysandra’s apartment on the last season of The Block.
Lukas Kamay, 26, paid $2.375 million for the Albert Park loft apartment. The $500,000 deposit he made is now among the assets frozen by the Australian Federal Police and ASIC in a joint sting earlier this week.
Kamay was accused of paying ABS employee, Christopher Hill, 24, up to $60,000 to obtain unreleased ABS data, which then allowed him to make millions of dollars of profit on the foreign exchange markets.
The two men were arrested on Friday.
Joe Hockey confirms politicians will have pay frozen.
Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has today confirmed that politicians and senior public servants pay will be ‘frozen’ until the Federal Budget is improved.
The pay freeze would impact Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who currently earns $500,000 per annum, by an estimated $10,000 a year.
The average backbencher is set to lose an estimated $3900 per annum, as their 2.4 per cent pay increase will be forgone.
Australia Post continues to struggle, seeks government assistance.
Chief Executive of Australia Post, Ahmed Fahour, has estimated that mail delivery losses will reach $350 million this financial year.
”Up until this year we’ve been able to offset these ballooning losses in letters with profit growth from parcels and retail … services. But we have now reached a point where that’s no longer possible,” he said.
Mr Fahour additionally emphasised the need for the Federal Government to support Australia Post further if it is to be maintained.
Further cost cutting for Fairfax Media revealed.
The Weekend Australian has exclusively revealed some of the cost cutting strategies recommended to Fairfax Media by consulting firm Bain & Company.
The measures include hiring contributors to produce up to 50 per cent of editorial content, and replacing 75 per cent of senior journalists who leave the company through attrition with third-year trainees.
Hockey and Cormann condemned for smoking cigarette.
The president of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, Mike Daube, has criticised Treasurer Joe Hockey and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann for smoking. The criticism comes after images of the pair smoking were aired on Channel 9 earlier this week.
‘‘Mr Hockey has done absolutely the right thing in raising the tobacco tax so it’s a shame he is spoiling that by inappropriate role modelling.”
‘‘What Mr Hockey does in his private is his own business, but he is a public figure and we don’t need treasurers promoting smoking,’’ Professor Daube said.
13-year-old girl given right to decide whether or not to have an abortion.
A case regarding a pregnant teenager, more than 20 weeks pregnant when her case was first presented to the High Court of London in mid-March, has now come to a close.
Mr Justice Mostyn, tasked with deciding if the teenager had the mental capacity to understand her options, yesterday declared the girl competent to make her own decision regarding the pregnancy.
The teenager’s psychiatrist believed the girl felt her pregnancy would “stress her to a considerable degree,” and believed she wished to terminate.
The Judge agreed the girl should “decide what she wishes to do”.
Police fear for missing two-year-old girl in Queensland.
Queensland police fear for the safety of a toddler potentially abducted by 4 adults from her Ipswich home on Saturday.
The child’s name has been released as Bella Rose Goulding.
The ABC has reported her father was in the house when four intruders “busted in, took the little child…(then) smashed me across the face”.
For further details surrounding the case, read this post.
Those with information should call CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
Top Comments
So I realise this is Mothers Day and all, but when is someone in the media going to put this question out there....
"If we are at the point of charging people to go to the Dr because we are in such a financial crisis, and as such are effectively beginning the process of ending free healthcare in Australia, what on earth are we doing still charging ahead with the incredibly generous paid parental leave program at this time...?"
Either we are in a crisis or we aren't. If we are in a crisis, please shelve the plans which involve a massive outlay of money for a couple of years until we are back on track, and put the (apparently sparse) money that we have into the areas that immediately need it that everyone will benefit from, such as free healthcare.
I can't see it happening though. No one would be game to say it, as it would be totally unpolitically correct, and would make whomever says it very unpopular even though a lot of people have to be thinking it.
I think the government is either going to press on with it, and release a budget that is every bit as scary as predicted, or they will release a budget that is very scary but that people think is ok because it isn't as bad as expected from the doomsday predicted. It's a fairly classic negotiating trick - ask for more than you want so you get what you actually want. In this case make the public think you are taking more than you plan to so that they accept it when you take what you actually want (even if it would have previously made people freak out).
It will be very interesting to see what happens on Wednesday.
I think a good way to save Medicare money is to cancel the need to provide a medical certificate if you take sick leave for two consecutive days or less. Everyone knows you can just walk into any medical centre and get a sick note so what's the point? It's just costing Medicare. If an employee decides they've having a sicky there is nothing that can be done about that, why burden Medicare?
As a Gp for 35 years, I couldn't agree more, Vicky. Sick notes for minor complaints are a waste of time. Also, as an employer for 30 years, I find these sick certificates for minor complaints, ridiculous. I easily can work out the employees who are not sick, as most non doctor employers can. However, this change would, in my experience of 250,000 consultations, result in very little change in the number of GP visits, as most people ask about multiple issues in any one consultation. The medical certificate is just tacked on at the end. Maybe, it is different in corporate medical centres. As Australia is AAA credit rated, and spends less than any other developed country on health- as a percentage of GDP( world bank data), I am perplexed as to why this Government is attacking health.
Agreed! I once worked for an employer in the food industry who wanted a sick certificate for a single day off! I would call up with a cold or the likes and be told to get a doctor's cert. for the day off (seriously why would you want someone with a cold serving food?!). So I would have to head along and take up space at the doctor's and then it'd cost Medicare $36 when all I needed was a bowl of veggie soup and a day on the couch.
Agreed! :-)
Also, the reason they list multiple issues is to justify asking for the sick note, which is the main reason they're there.