Australian Islamic community leaders once again condemn the response by authorities to the church stabbing attack, Former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty calls for a royal commission into domestic violence in New South Wales, Australia welcomes independent review into 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive to a banned substance.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Australian Islamic community leaders once again condemn the response by authorities to the church stabbing attack.
- Former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty calls for a royal commission into domestic violence in New South Wales.
- Australia welcomes independent review into 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive to a banned substance.
Islamic community leaders have once again condemned the response by authorities following a stabbing attack against a bishop in a Sydney church.
Ramia Abdo Sultan from the Australian National Imams Council spoke on behalf of Australia's Islamic community, criticising what she describes as the contrasting approaches by authorities to two recent Sydney attacks - the Bondi Junction Westfield stabbing rampage and the stabbing attack against a bishop in a Wakeley Church.
She says while the stabbing attack was almost immediately declared a terror incident, the Bondi Junction attack by Queensland man Joel Cauchi was described as a mental health issue.
"Such disparities in response create a perception of a double standard in law enforcement and judicial processes. We must also address the problematic and long-standing issue of racial and religious profiling that has been part of the societal fabric for decades. The assumption that terrorism is inherently tied to religion is not only inaccurate but also harmful."
Mrs Sultan says despite reports to the contrary, there were no consultations with the community prior to the counter-terror operations conducted by police in western Sydney communities in recent days.
Member for the western Sydney electorate of Fowler, Dai Le says, she has been speaking with Wakeley residents since the stabbing of a bishop in a church in Sydney's west on April 15.
She told Channel 7 in today's society young people are faced with a lot of pressures due to social media and the pandemic.
"Can I first say I have gone door knocking around the streets in our area, and my initial concern was obviously around the shock of the whole incident. And I'm very glad to say that a lot of people were shocked the subsequent days of it but they say they know eventually it will settle down. Because we live in one of the most multicultural and multi-faith electorates in the country."
Former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty has urged the New South Wales government to consider establishing a royal commission into domestic violence.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns launched a review into domestic violence and bail laws after 28-year-old Molly Ticehurst was allegedly murdered by her former partner.
The Victorian Government undertook a royal commission into family violence, and accepted all 227 recommendations made last year.
Ms Batty told the ABC people still don't take domestic and family violence seriously.
Harvey Weinstein's lawyer has celebrated the decision to overturn Weinstein's 2020 conviction for sexual assault and rape.
This comes as #MeToo movement founder and survivors have decried the verdict as a step backwards in their movement.
At a press conference, Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala called the decision "a great day for America."
"It's a great day for the citizens of this city, the citizens of this state, the citizens for the United States of America, and to the world. America will uphold the laws of this land for everyone. No one's above the law, but no one is beneath the law either."
Weinstein is not expected to be freed immediately, as he faces a separate 16-year prison term imposed last year in California after he was convicted for the 2013 rape of an actress at a Los Angeles hotel. That conviction still stands.
There's a possible link between Vitamin D and improved immunity to cancer according to new research.
The British study in mice found that the vitamin encourages the growth of a type of gut bacteria which gives the animals better immunity to the disease.
The researchers found that mice given a diet rich in vitamin D had better immune resistance to experimentally transplanted cancers, and improved responses to immunotherapy treatment.
The researchers were surprised to find that vitamin D acts on specific cells in the intestine.
According to the findings, the tumours did not grow as much, suggesting that the microbe gave mice better immunity to cancer.
And in sport,
Australia is welcoming an independent review into the World Anti-Doping Agency's handling of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance but avoided punishment.
Sports Integrity Australia chief executive David Sharpe says he hopes the review restores faith in global anti-doping systems ahead of the Olympic Games.
The investigation into the world body's handling of the China swim team case will be led by Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier.
He is expected to deliver findings within two months.
