1. Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo crashes during test flight.
US officials are investigating the crash of a Virgin Galactic spaceship yesterday in the Mojave Desert, California, which killed one pilot and injured another. SpaceShipTwo, which was reportedly trialling a new type of fuel, lost contact with ground controllers shortly after 10am local time.
It is being reported that a photographer who witnessed the crash saw the spaceship explode after being deployed by its carrier aircraft. Kern County Sheriff’s spokesman Ray Pruitt said the pilot, who was found at the scene, was then taken to a local hospital suffering “moderate to major” injuries.
Virgin-owner Richard Branson tweeted that he was on his way to the Mojave Desert to be with the Virgin Galactic team:
The six-passenger, two-pilot spacecraft was aiming to make the world’s first commercial suborbital space flights. You can read more about the crash here.
2. Trade Union Royal Commission says Julia Gillard committed no crime.
Submissions made by Counsel-Assisting the Australian Royal Commission into Trade Unions, Jeremy Stoljar SC, have cleared former-PM Julia Gillard of any crime in relation to the fund set up by Ralph Blewitt and her then-boyfriend Bruce Wilson.
Submissions to the Royal Commission say Ms Gillard committed no crime when she provided legal advice in her role as a legal adviser to the Australian Workers Union in the early 1990s, and that the former Prime Minister was unaware of any criminal activity being undertaken by the two former union officials who misappropriated union-linked slush funds.
The ABC reports that Counsel-Assisting the Inquiry referred to Ms Gillard’s professional behaviour as “questionable” because if she had “adopted a more rigorous approach to the task, it might have been more difficult for Mr Wilson and Mr Blewitt to have behaved as they did.” The Royal Commission is due to submit an interim report to the Government by the end of the year.
3. Number of kids suspended from kindy has increased.
It appears that kindy suspensions are on the rise. The Daily Telegraph reports that last year more than 400 kindy kids were suspended for unruly behaviour, up from 356 in 2012 and 345 in 2010.
Pyschologist and parenting expert Justin Coulson told the Tele that many of the children who have been suspended have experienced instability at home and had parents who did not “engage” with them.
Dr Coulsen referred to a child he had counselled who shook a bag of peanuts in the face of another student who had a peanut allergy saying, “I’m going to kill you with these”. Dr Coulsen said that the child’s parents were estranged and his mother “screamed a lot”.
4. Family of passenger on MH370 sue Malaysia Airlines and government.
The family of Jee Jing Hang, a Malaysian man travelling on flight MH370, is suing the country’s government and Malaysian Airlines for negligence in the flight’s disappearance.
The law suit, which was filed on behalf of Jee’s two young sons on Friday, reportedly claims the deeply troubled carrier “failed in its contractual responsibility to deliver Jee to his destination.” The Guardian is also reporting that the family is suing the Malaysian government, civil aviation authorities and immigration department, seeking damages for their father who disappeared when the flight went missing on March 8 this year.
5. Robyn Thicke, Pharrell Williams lose first round in “Blurred Lines” case.
Marvin Gaye’s family have had an early win in their legal battle against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams.
A judge yesterday decided that the case could proceed, saying that Gaye’s family had sufficient evidence that “elements of ‘Blurred Lines’ may be substantially similar to protected, original elements of [Gaye’s 1977 hit] ‘Got to Give It Up’”.
The judge noted similarities in hooks, base lines, keyboard parts, vocal lines and elements of both song’s melodic and harmonic composition.
The case will continue in February 2015.
6. Buderim Ginger sponsors “Australia’s Hottest Ginger” competition.
A ginger company on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland is sponsoring the search for the “hottest” red-headed man and woman. The winners will receive a 12 month modelling contract and a prize pool worth $10,000. There is also a people’s choice award for Australia’s most loveable ginger (because all gingers are inherently loveable), and a best ginger beard/mo category.
The competition runs for 8 weeks, until 21 December 2014. Details are here.
Top Comments
This was a witch hunt to try and ensnare Gillard, nothing else. This will come back to haunt Abbott and co when a new government uses Royal commissions to pursue members of the current govt when they end up in opposition. This is a blatant misuse of royal commission power and sets a very poor precedent. The conservative Liberal voters on this site do not have the intellect to understand this .
Watch Abbott and Co run for cover when all is revealed about their poster girl. Kathy Jackson. We should have paid more heed to what Craig Thomson had to say
The usual sad, small-minded remarks about Julia Gillard below, about her being guilty despite yet another finding to the contrary. Even after the PM's multi-million dollar witch hunt - nothing! Nada. Zilch. End of story (again).
And look, why is nobody angry about the fact that we just wasted millions of our hard earned taxpaying dollars trying to burn an innocent woman at the stake when we are having a 'budget emergency.'? Conveniently forgotten in all the excitement of 'definitely/hopefully/maybe' finding another bullet for Julia Gillard.
Well bad luck.
Rupert's mob won't, but then again they only opinion writers rather than journalists. Unfortunately, Fairfax aren't much better.