news

Saturday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up the headlines from around the world this morning — so you don’t have to go searching.

1. Another Syrian child found washed up on Turkish beach.

Just weeks after the lifeless body of three-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi was found washed up on a beach in Turkey, another young child has been found in similar circumstances.

ABC News reports that a four-year-old girl was found on a beach in western Turkey.

According to Anatolia news agency, a boat carrying 15 Syrians to the Greek island of Chios capsized on its way from the wartorn country, leading to the girl’s drowning.

The other 14 passengers reportedly survived.

The deceased girl has yet to be identified.

2. Nick Cave calls for George Brandis to be sacked.

Malcolm Turnbull hasn’t even been in the role of Prime Minister for a week, but he’s already being asked to sack one of his Cabinet members.

Hundreds of writers have banded together to ask for Arts Minister George Brandis to be stripped of his portfolio — and iconic Australian musician Nick Cave has joined calls for Brandis’ removal.

News.com.au reports that Cave, 57, and the other writers have written an open letter to Turnbull asking Brandis to be removed from the Arts Minister role.

“We will no longer stand, under any government, further cuts being made to what is already the smallest amount of funding, when we are delivering quality work to the largest audience in the nation,” the letter said.

Writers Christos Tsiolkas and Hannah Kent also signed the letter.

3. NT attorney general quits White Ribbon after “give her a slap” remark

Earlier this week, Northern Territory attorney general John Elferink came under fire for telling female Labor MP Natasha Fyles he wanted to “give her a slap” in Parliament.

Elferink — an ambassador for the White Ribbon movement, which works to prevent male violence against women — came under criticism from female parliamentarians following the remark, with some critics calling on him to resign.

Now, Elferink has quit — from his role as a White Ribbon ambassador, that is.

Guardian Australia reports the controversial figure resigned after the organisation told him to step down or be fired from the role.

 

4. Taxi driver jailed for sexually assaulting a deaf girl.

A NSW taxi driver has been sentenced to at least 10 years in jail for assaulting a deaf girl.

The Daily Telegraph reports the driver, 65-year-old Osman Chamseddine, repeatedly abused the little girl when she was aged just 10 and 11 while dropping her home from her school.

Chamseddine was sentenced in Parramatta District Court yesterday to 15 years in jail, with a non-parole ­period of 10 years.

5. The Pope takes in a family of Syrian refugees.

Pope Francis has taken a Syrian refugee family into his Vatican apartment — and he’s urging Christians across Europe to follow his lead.

According to the Pope’s aides, the family is the first of two that he has pledged to find space for.

On September 6 — the same day on which that first Christian family arrived at the apartment — Pope Francis asked every Catholic parish in Europe to find space for at least one refugee family, news.com.au reports.

What’s making news in your world?

[post_snippet id=324408]

Related Stories

Recommended

Top Comments

Anon 9 years ago

2. I respect Nick's work but he's wrong, most people can easily identify wasted taxpayer dollars in the arts sector, things like a $2000 grant to loosely place some slate in a circle on the floor or another $2000 to paint a sheet of MDF black with a 50mm wide red strip on three sides.

If you are truly producing quality work, that is work large amounts of people actually want to see, read about or experience then it should produce its own revenue, if your targeting a small fringe market then that's your choice, you shouldn't get carried by the majority.