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TRANSCRIPT
- The mother of an Aboriginal man who died in custody protests outside prison on the eighth anniversary of his death
- Temperatures expected to soar across Northern Australia in the coming days
- Pat Cummins steps up once again to keep Australia in control of the Boxing Day test.
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On the eighth anniversary of the death of David Dungay Junior, his mother Leetona Dungay led a protest and vigil outside Sydney prison Long Bay Jail.
It was there where Mr Dungay Junior died after being restrained by prison officers and repeatedly crying out 'I can't breathe'.
In 2021, Ms Dungay submitted a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, arguing the New South Wales government failed to protect her son's right to life and that successive Australian governments have failed to implement all the recommendations from the 1991 Royal Commission Into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Barrister Jennifer Robinson argued Ms Dungay's case at the UN.
She told Australian Associated Press the Australian government has conceded it did violate Mr Dungay's right to life, adding that they were now asking the UN is to make a ruling about Australia's obligation to prosecute Black deaths in custody.
**
Temperatures are expected to soar across most of northern Australia over the coming days.
The Bureau of Meteorology warns parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia face extreme to severe heatwave conditions.
The Bureau of Meteorology Senior Meteorologist Sally Cutter says the heatwave conditions pose the biggest threat.
"Heatwaves is one of the biggest killers. You have very high temperatures during the day, very high temperatures during the night. So your body doesn't recover from those high day time temperatures. And once you string them together, if you've got anything that's heat sensitive, any illnesses, underlying conditions, the elderly, the young, you're more susceptible to the heat. And once we get into the extreme heatwave, ti's even just the normal person will be affected."
**
Emergency services are warning people to avoid the illegal use of fireworks, as the summer months between December and February typically see a spike in injuries.
This past financial year saw 23 people presenting at emergency departments in Victoria with injuries from fireworks - up from 16 in the previous year, with young men presenting as the highest risk group.
The Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit at Monash University says 191 people have been treated for injuries related to fireworks since 2015.
Four out of five of those injured were male, and almost a quarter were aged between 20 and 24.
The most common injury was burns followed by eye injuries and open wounds.
Gavin Rooney is Acting Deputy Commissioner of Community Safety with Fire Rescue Victoria.
"Injuries are dealt with usually by the ambulance service, but we attend along with the ambulance service on many occasions and unfortunately we see all manner of different types of injuries - everything from impact injuries of exploding fireworks to burns and the like, and so it's quite wide-ranging. Obviously if buildings are subsequently involved in a fire then it can lead to some really significant injuries or potential fatalities."
**
Thousands of volunteers have gathered in California's Irwindale to help decorate dozens of floats for the annual Rose Parade on New Year's Day.
Millions of flowers and thousands of pounds of fresh produce have been delivered and over 10,000 hours of work spent preparing for the event.
This year's Rose Parade theme is celebrating the world through music, and will be decorated entirely with only dry and fresh materials as they float down Colorado Boulevard.
Bob DeArmond says the camaraderie is what he looks forward to every year.
"It's like a giant family reunion for me. Plus, we get to create an ephemeral piece of art that's there for one day or two and then it's gone and all the labour that goes into it, is just a labour of love."
**
And in cricket, Pat Cummins has stepped up yet again to halt Pakistan's brave chase and keep Australia in control in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Cummins claimed the crucial wicket of his opposing captain, Shan Masood, just when the Pakistan skipper and his predecessor were giving the tourists hope.
Pakistan headed to tea on day four at 3-129, needing another 188 runs to secure an improbable first Test win in Australia since 1995.
Pakistan, who have lost 15 successive Tests in Australia, will need to create history to avoid going down 2-0 in the Benaud-Qadir series.
