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Tuesday's news in under 2 minutes.

 

 

1. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has drawn criticism for saying that asylum seekers’ ‘threats of self harm’ are ‘blackmail’. He said, “The Australian Government should not be expected to take responsibility for foolish actions by non-citizens. We just can’t be expected to take responsibility for that … People should not threaten acts of self-harm, and the Australian Government will not be blackmailed, should not be blackmailed by people who are threatening to do something that they should never do.”

2. The Coalition has also called for military intervention on the seas, in cases where boats need to be turned around. Abbott has said that he was prepared to have the deaths of asylum seekers on his conscience. He told ABC’s 7.30 Report last night that, “obviously I will take responsibility for what happens on my watch, but the important thing is to stop the boats”.

3. Kevin Rudd has announced plans to give all ALP members – not just members of the parliamentary caucus – a say in who gets to lead the party. The Prime Minister said that the new rules are being submitted to caucus, to assure the Australian people “that the Prime Minister they elect is the Prime Minister they get.”

4. Meanwhile, the latest Newspoll shows Kevin Rudd with a 22 point advantage over Tony Abbott as preferred Prime Minister. On a two-party preferred basis, the Labor Party and the Coalition are neck and neck on 50 per cent.

5. After the death of a four-year-old girl in Queensland last month, makers of button batteries have vowed to now produce the product in childproof packages. The decision came after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission held a meeting with retailers and manufacturers. The change will be made “as quickly as practicable”.

6. Jim Moore, the director of Family and Community Services, has left his position after being charged with offences of assault and intimidation. Jim Longley will now be acting as director general of DOCS.

7. Forty people were killed yesterday in Cairo, when shots were fired at a sit-in outside the building where former president Mohamed Morsi is currently situated. Fairfax has reported that a spokesperson for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has claimed that 34 of their supporters were killed. Furthermore, shocking video footage has also emerged from Egypt, which depicts two young men being pushed off a high ledge and then being bashed by a mob. One of the young men was killed. The Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda supporters have been blamed for the mob bashing.

8. A teenager was arrested at pop star Pink‘s concert in Melbourne on Sunday, after tweeting: “@Pink I’m ready with my Bomb. Time to blow up #RodLaverArena. B*tch.” The teenager was found by security in the crowd, using his twitter profile picture. The tweet was apparently a reference to Pink’s song ‘Timebomb’.

Wang LinjiaYe Mengyuan

10. Andy Murray has hit back at a reporter in a post Wimbledon press conference because she inquired as to whether the Wimbledon champion would be proposing to his girlfriend any time soon. ReporterHolly Willoughby asked Murray: “I’m trying to think what your next challenge will be. You’ve had the US Open, the Olympics, now Wimbledon, could it be popping the question?” Murray replied: “I only met you like ten minutes ago so I wouldn’t be telling you first.”

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Top Comments

goose 11 years ago

I thought this was quite an interesting (and depressing) portrait of detainee life. There are a lot of suicide attempts - which i don't really think you can put down to blackmail.
http://behindthewire.theglo...

Refugees threatening to commit suicide are obviously desperate for help - just like when people from our own country threaten to commit suicide.


Sophie 11 years ago

Of course their threats of self harm are blackmail!!!! They are saying "if you don't accept us, we will kill ourselves" if that's not blackmail, I don't know what is.