TRANSCRIPT
- Dozens trapped in Taiwan after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake kills nine people
- Mediation fails between Linda Reynolds and Brittany Higgins
- The N-R-L teams up with New South Wales Police in an initiative to curb youth crime
Dozens are trapped in Taiwan after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that killed at least nine people and injured more than 900.
Authorities say it was the strongest earthquake to hit the country within the last 25 years, causing buildings to collapse and setting off a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines, which was called off a few hours later.
This local resident says the quake hit early in their day:
"It just so happened that I had an injured foot because of a car accident, and I want to say, I really wanted to go down to have breakfast. Then I walked to the middle of the house, and it started shaking and shaking. I was thinking best to walk out before things completely start to topple. I walked out and saw that the water dispenser had fallen off."
_
Former defence minister and Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds says she intends to claim Brittany Higgins and her now fiance David Sharaz colluded with Lisa Wilkinson and a Network 10 producer to politically attack her.
Ms Reynolds is suing both Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz over a series of social media posts she claims were damaging to her reputation and will allege the pair colluded with the network.
Lawyers for both parties appeared in the Western Australian Supreme Court on Wednesday following failed closed door mediation hearings last month.
The matter has been set down for a defamation trial in July.
_
An inquest into the first child to die in youth detention in Western Australia has heard that 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd warned officers eight times of his plans to harm himself before he was found unresponsive in his cell.
The child reportedly made multiple calls for medical assistance on the night, which staff say they ignored due to a general reluctance to open cell doors at night.
Counsel Assisting the coroner, Anthony Crocker says the 16-year old had been locked in a cell with no running water for most of the day.
Cleveland's grandmother Glenda Mippy says the officers failed to take her grandson seriously until it was too late.
"While Cleveland laid in that cell, gasping for breath, to save himself, they strolled down the hallway. Strolled down to the office, came back, turned the lights on, getting dressed. They just took their time, no one was running around, no one was panicking, nothing. They just took their time, and eight times, he told them eight times he was going to hurt himself, and none of them took it seriously. they left it, they left him there in that cell until something happened."
If you or someone you know needs support, call Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
_
Two train operators have been fined a total of $525,000 for their role in a Victorian derailment that killed two men.
New South Wales Trains and the Australian Rail Track Corporation were charged with breaching the state's rail safety laws after the X-P-T passenger train came off tracks north of Melbourne on February 20, 2020.
Experienced driver John Kennedy and rail worker Sam Meintanis were killed, while eight passengers were seriously hurt and 58 others sustained minor injuries.
New South Wales Trains and the A-R-T-C in February pleaded guilty over the derailment, with their sentences handed down in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.
_
A new initiative from the N-R-L is hoping to break the cycle of youth crime in regional centres by pairing young people with sporting mentors.
The initiative involves the N-R-L partnering with New South Wales Police and will see young people in regional areas paired with NRL mentors, with the hopes of inspiring them to take up a career in sport.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns met with town leaders in the small town of Moree on Wednesday, which has seen a recent spike in crime and will be used as a blueprint for the program.
Moree Mayor Mark Johnson says he hopes the mentoring can deter young people from committing crimes and give them a unique access to a profession they potentially didn't think was possible for them.
He spoke to Sky News about the initiative.
"It's just one of the many the Premier's instigated to try and cope with the youth crime, not only in Moree but also in regional New South Wales. Rugby League's a very big, important part of our town, and to have Latrell and Cody here, along with Peter V'landys is just amazing. "
