Midday News Bulletin 14 September 2024

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Source: SBS News

Mother of two boys found dead in the Blue Mountains charged with murder, Three US citizens among 37 sentenced to death for their roles in a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and England level their T20 international series with Australia.


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TRANSCRIPT
  • Mother of two boys found dead in the Blue Mountains charged with murder.
  • Three US citizens among 37 sentenced to death for their roles in a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • And in cricket, England level their T20 international series with Australia.
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A mother of two boys who were found dead in a Blue Mountains home has been charged with two counts of murder.

Emergency services were called to a house in Faulconbridge on Tuesday following concerns for the welfare of a woman and two children.

The bodies of two boys - Russell, aged 11, and Ben Smith, nine - were allegedly found by their father at their Faulconbridge family home the same day.

New South Wales Police said the boys' 42-year-old mother was also found at the scene with stab wounds and was taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition.

She was released from hospital on Friday and taken to Parramatta Police Station, where she was charged with two counts of domestic violence-related murder.

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Three United States citizens are among 37 people sentenced to death by a military court for their role in a failed coup in Democratic Republic of Congo in May.

The three accused were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, terrorism and other charges, and sentenced to death in a ruling read on live TV.

Armed men briefly occupied an office of the presidency in the capital, Kinshasa, on May 19 before their leader, US based Congolese politician Christian Malanga, was killed by security forces.

His son Marcel Malanga is one of those sentenced to death.

His lawyer Sylva Mbikayi says they plan to appeal the sentence.

"But the court did not take our arguments into account, which is why we are planning to appeal this decision, which we consider to be very harsh and nevertheless tainted by several... several facts that demonstrate the court's bad faith."

The Americans are among some 50 people, including US., British, Canadian, Belgian and Congolese citizens, standing trial following the failed coup. A total of 37 defendants were sentenced to death.

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The number of Dementia medications prescribed to Australians has jumped by nearly 50 per cent over the last decade.

That's according to a new report Australian Institute of Health and Welfare further highlighting the diverse issues people with Dementia experience.

Dementia is one of the leading causes of death in Australia and more than 411,000 people in Australia are currently diagnosed with the condition.

While medications can assist people in the early stages of dementia, researchers say they are not a cure.

Professor Kaarin Jane Anstey from the University of New South Wales says symptom control is possible in the early stages.

"They don't prevent or stop the disease progression, so the medications that are available now are really effective in the earlier stages of dementia and they are more to treat symptoms."

Advocacy group Dementia Australia says with an ageing population and more prescriptions being dispensed there are growing calls for a dementia risk assessment in primary care - and a Dementia Action plan.

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Scientists have developed a vaccine for bees to protect them against harmful pesticides.

The aim of the vaccine is to help reverse a worrying decline in the bee population.

Bees pollinate around 80 per cent of the world's crops and government figures value that contribution to Australian agriculture at more than 14 billion dollars.

One of the biggest threats to the bee population is neonicotinoids - the name for a class of insecticide, used to ward off crop-eating bugs.

Scientists at Cornell University in New York say they've developed a vaccine that gives a 30 per cent higher survival rate.

The EU has banned neonicotinoids, and the UK is following suit, but the pesticides are still used in the US and here in Australia.

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In cricket,

England have levelled their T20 international series with Australia in dramatic fashion.

The Brits managed to overcome an astonishing five-wicket haul for part-time spinner Matt Short and an unexpected captaincy debut for Travis Head at Cardiff.

Head, handed the leader's job after Mitch Marsh was ruled out with illness, scored a quick 31 runs and then watched Jake Fraser-McGurk crash his maiden international half-century, helping the Aussies to a formidable 6-193.

However, their day was then wrecked by a dazzling performance from Liam Livingstone, who smashed 87 in his 50th T20 international to ensure England won by three wickets with one over remaining.

This takes the three-match series to a decider in Manchester on Sunday.

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