1. Venezuela and Nicaragua have offered NSA Whistleblower, Edward Snowden, asylum, according to the ABC. The announcement comes after Wikileaks released information detailing that Snowden had applied for asylum in 27 countries. Snowden is currently believed to be hiding in a Moscow airport transit area, after leaking details of top-secret American and British government public surveillance programs to the press.
2. Scotland Yard have announced that they are reopening the Madeleine McCann case, with 38 ‘persons of interest’ set to be investigated. The 2007 Portuguese inquiry into the disappearance of the toddler on a family holiday to Praia da Luz, a resort in the Algarve region of Portugal, ended inconclusively.
3. False allegations of child sexual abuse are increasingly being used as a tool in Australian custody cases, a retiring Family Court judge has claimed. Speaking exclusively to Fairfax, Justice David Collier said that the line of argument is “a horrible weapon” but one that those who employ it know will be an effective way of removing the other parent from the child’s life.
4. Violence has continued on the streets of Cairo following the ousting of former Egyptian president, Mohammed Morsi. The nation’s Health Ministry has reported at least 17 deaths have occurred during the protests. Dominant Islamist organisation, The Muslim Brotherhood, has warned that unless Morsi is reinstated, the violence will continue.
5. A communique between Australia and Indonesia has solidified a cooperative approach when it comes to ‘boat people.’ The document, signed by PM Kevin Rudd and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang commits both nations to finding regional solutions for the people smuggling problem. The agreement directly rebukes the Coalition’s plan to focus on unilateral management if they come to power. The Coalition’s plan has not been well-received in Indonesia, as it makes it easier for Australia to return asylum seekers to Indonesia’s duty of care.
6. An 11-year-old girl’s pregnancy has sparked fierce debate in Chile over abortion laws. The fifth-grader was a victim of sexual abuse and doctors have stated that both the girl and the baby are at high risk. Abortions at any stage of pregnancy are currently illegal in the heavily Catholic country.
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The irony of there being an unnecessary possessive apostrophe in a sentence about correcting the usage of possessive apostrophes... ;-)
Yep, I thought exactly the same thing!
#7: "It was noted during a visit to the couple's home that their living arrangement appeared to be akin to a boarding situation." Makes sense why officials have their doubts to the legitimacy of their relationship, especially when combined with the other factors involved. They're so strict on determining if a relationship will last because if it's the same as Australia as I assume it is, once you have that PR you're here for good and after a waiting period are entitled to all the taxpayer funded assistance of an Aussie citizen. If your relationship is legit it's a pita to do all the paperwork but you'll prevail if so.
#3. Unfortunately this is a well-known flaw in the family court system. In fact I was repeatedly asked to document any sexual or physical abuse of my child and/or myself despite my constantly insisting that none had taken place. It's also the reason I ditched my first lawyer because I wasn't prepared to take the easy way out and lie just to get an outcome in my favour. I'm not sure how to correct this though because we can't risk ignoring true claims of abuse simply because people are working the system.