Afternoon Update: teens charged with terrorism offences; warning over opioid overdoses; and a new cast for a zombie classic
Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
New South Wales police have confirmed that five of the seven teenagers arrested in Tuesday’s raids in Western Sydney have been charged with a range of terrorism offences.
Two males, aged 17 and 14, were charged with possessing or controlling violent extremist material, and two 16-year-old males were charged with conspiring to engage in any act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act. One 17-year-old male was charged with conspiring to engage in an act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act and for custody of a knife in a public place. All five were refused bail.
About 400 officers, including federal police and Asio, took part in the raids which came amid the ongoing investigation into the 16-year-old who allegedly stabbed bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley last week.
Top news
Mass pilot whale stranding on WA beach sparks rescue | Authorities are rushing to save more than 150 whales from a mass stranding at a beach in Western Australia. Four pods have spread across roughly 500 metres at Toby Inlet near Dunsborough and 26 of these have died.
Man charged after body of Emma Bates found | John Torney, 39, was on Wednesday evening charged with intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury, common law assault, aggravated assault of a female and unlawful assault. The charges relate to the investigation into the death of Bates, 49, whose body was found at a property on Tuesday.
Warning issued in NSW after cluster of opiate overdoses | A cluster of 20 drug overdoses in New South Wales has prompted the state’s health department to issue a public warning about the danger of synthetic opioids. Called nitazenes, the drugs are often mixed into other substances such as MDMA and heroin without the user’s knowledge.
Police arrest protesters amid crackdown on student rallies | At least 34 protesters were arrested during protests at University of Texas and at least 50 more were detained by police at University of Southern California. Demonstrations at campuses across the US began last week after students at New York’s Columbia University set up encampments calling for the university to divest from weapons manufacturers with ties to Israel.
Russia vetos UN resolution to prevent nuclear arms race in space | Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, dismissed the resolution as “absolutely absurd and politicised”, and said it didn’t go far enough in banning all types of weapons in space. The vote in the 15-member security council was 13 in favour, Russia opposed and China abstaining.
Burkina Faso soldiers massacred 223 civilians in one day, finds rights group | The mass killings have been linked to a widening military campaign to tackle jihadist violence. The massacre may amount to crimes against humanity, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which urged Burkinabè authorities to launch an urgent UN-backed investigation.
Chicago’s infamous sidewalk ‘rat hole’ removed | A Chicago sidewalk landmark some residents affectionately referred to as the “rat hole” has been removed after city officials decided it was damaged and needed to be replaced. Erica Schroeder, a spokesperson for the Chicago department of transportation, said the square of sidewalk “containing the famous ‘Chicago rat hole’” is now in temporary storage.
Rebel Wilson memoir: chapter on Sacha Baron Cohen redacted in Australia | HarperCollins Australia confirmed to the Guardian that “for legal reasons we have redacted one chapter in the Australian/New Zealand edition and included an explanatory note accordingly. That chapter is a very small part of a much bigger story and we’re excited for readers to know Rebel’s story when the book is released, on Wednesday 8 May”.
28 Years Later lead cast revealed | Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes will star in 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle’s upcoming sequel to the 2002 classic zombie horror 28 Days Later. The new film will mark the reunion of director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland.
In pictures
Anzac Day dawn services across Australia and New Zealand
Across cities and towns in both countries, crowds gathered at Anzac Day dawn services to remember fallen soldiers and service people.
What they said …
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“Religiously motivated violent extremism (RMVE) language is nothing short of reckless and irresponsible and must end now.”
The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network has called for more considered language in the wake of Asio raids in Sydney on Wednesday. The network said the Asio boss, Mike Burgess (pictured), used the term “religiously motivated” during his National Press Club speech yesterday, despite warning politicians about inflammatory language.
“Terrorism is politically motivated. Politically motivated is accurate language,” the network said.
In numbers
A new study has found consuming even a small amount of the sweetener neotame can lead to someone starting to suffer irritable bowel syndrome, insulin resistance, and even sepsis.
The findings underlined that some of a new generation of sweeteners that give food products a super-sweet taste can have a “toxic effect” on health, the researchers said.
Before bed read
Critics, cancellation and cleanskin wine: the Australian novels satirising the art world
New books from Bri Lee and Liam Pieper reach into the frictions and follies of the art industry. But are they fact or fantasy?
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: EFT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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