Blog

By Jessie Pang, Reuters Jimmy Lai Photo: AFP Hong Kong's top court on Monday unanimously dismissed the bid to overturn the convictions of media tycoon Jimmy Lai and six other pro-democracy campaigners for an unauthorised assembly in 2019. Lai, 76, the founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, and six others including veteran democrat Martin Lee had been found guilty of organising and participating in an unauthorised assembly in August 2019 during months-long pro-democracy protests in the China-ruled city. While a lower court had overturned their conviction for organising the unauthorised assembly, but their conviction for taking part in an unauthorised procession was upheld. Their appeal centred on whether the conviction was proportionate to fundamental human rights protect...

Medals Per Capita website has New Zealand has fourth Photo: medalspercapital.com The man behind a website tallying Olympic medals per capita, conveniently vaulting New Zealand to one of the top nations, is, not surprisingly a Kiwi. Medals Per Capita is a website set up by New Zealand computer scientist Craig Nevill-Manning revealing the truth - that New Zealand is a far more decorated nation for Olympic medals than heavy hitters like the US, China and - and YES - Australia. New Zealand came fourth on the per capita medal tally in Paris behind the even tinier island nations of Grenada, Dominica and Saint Lucia. At position nine, Australia barely makes the top 10. The US is at 47 and China, with its massive billion-plus population, is all the way down at 75. "It is my little contribution ...

This photograph released on August 11, 2024 on the official Telegram account of Kursk Mayor Igor Kutsak shows a fire in a residential building following a missile attack in Kursk, Russia. Photo: AFP PHOTO / Telegram account @glavaigorkutsak By Oleksandr Kozhukhar of Reuters President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine had launched an incursion into Russian territory to "restore justice" and pressure Moscow's forces, in his first acknowledgement of Kyiv's surprise offensive into the western Kursk region. Moscow's forces on Sunday (local time) were in their sixth day of intense battle against Kyiv's largest incursion into Russian territory since the start of the war, which left southwestern parts of Russia vulnerable before reinforcement started arriving. Russian authorities rushed to evacu...

Lydia Ko; Donald Trump. Photo: AFP Donald Trump has taken a brief break from politics to post a social media message congratulating Lydia Ko on winning gold at the Olympics and calling her a "most impressive" person. The 27-year-old New Zealander won in Paris over the weekend with a two-point lead over silver medallist Esther Henseleit of Germany. Trump, the 78-year-old former US President and famed golf enthusiast, fondly recounted meeting Ko in a message on his Truth Social platform. "Congratulations to Lydia Ko on winning the Olympic gold medal in golf," said Trump. "I met her at Trump Turnberry in Scotland, and she is most impressive, not only with her golf clubs, but also as a person. Way to go Lydia!" Ko won with a 10-under-par performance at Le Golf National on Saturday that als...

This video grab taken from a handout footage released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on August 11, 2024, shows a fire at a cooling tower of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Energodar, Southern Ukraine. Photo: AFP PHOTO / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of starting a fire on the grounds of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Sunday, as Ukraine urged residents to remain calm and reported no sign of elevated radiation. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, which has a presence at the vast six-reactor facility, said its experts had seen strong, dark smoke coming from the northern area of the plant in southern Ukraine following multiple explosions. Ukrainian Pres...

By Jessica Black, ABC News The DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade Photo: Supplied / Queensland Ambulance Service A pilot who died after the helicopter they were in crashed into the roof of a Far North Queensland hotel was on an "unauthorised" flight, according to the company that charters it. Up to 400 people were evacuated from the DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade after the crash, which set the top of the building alight, shortly before 2am on Monday, police said. Two of the helicopter's rotor blades came off and landed on the esplanade and in the hotel pool. There were no injuries on the ground. Charter company Nautilus Aviation said the use of the helicopter was "unauthorised". "Nautilus Aviation are working closely with Queensland Police, the Australian Transport Sa...

By Matthew Doran and Basel Hindeleh in Jerusalem, ABC News Palestinians gather in the yard of the school after an Israeli strike at the Al-Taba'een school where displaced Palestinians took shelter in Gaza City on August 10, 2024. Photo: Abood Abusalama / Middle East Images via AFP In the quiet of early Saturday morning in Gaza City, desperate Palestinians seeking refuge in a school complex awoke to a catastrophic blast. An Israeli air strike hit the Al-Taba'een school in the Daraj neighbourhood in the east of the city, where local authorities said thousands displaced in the 10-month-long Gaza war were sheltering. Photos and video from the site are confronting, with images of devastating destruction broadcast around the world. But there is a dispute as to the severity of the strike, i...