China's Communist Party marked the 100th anniversary of its founding with speeches and grand displays intended to showcase economic progress and social stability to justify its iron grip on political power that it shows no intention of relaxing.
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Thursday, July 1, 2021
Barber busted during strict COVID lockdown
A barber in Sydney's west has been fined after continuing to see customers despite the state's strict COVID-19 lockdown.
Golden Cuts in Auburn has been issued a hefty fine after police received a tip-off they were continuing to accept customers despite Greater Sydney being in a strict two-week lockdown.
Only essential businesses are permitted to stay open, which does not include beauty or hair salons.
READ MORE: Positive COVID case visited Sydney's mass vaccination hub
Find out more on 9News at 6pm.
Latest victims in condo tower collapse include two children
More human remains emerged from the rubble of the collapsed Florida condo tower, the dead this time included the first children, ages four and 10, a loss that the Miami-Dade mayor called "too great to bear."
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava made the announcement on Wednesday (local time) nearly a week after the Florida building came crashing down.
After some preliminary remarks at a media briefing, she took a deep breath to gather herself and stared down at her notes.
READ MORE: Miami tower residents complained of shaking before collapse
She spoke haltingly and said the disclosure came with "great sorrow, real pain."
"So any loss of life, especially given the unexpected, unprecedented nature of this event, is a tragedy," she said.
But the loss of children was an even heavier burden.
Miami-Dade police later identified the children as 10-year-old Lucia Guara and four-year-old Emma Guara.
The remains of their father, Marcus Guara, 52, were pulled from the rubble Saturday and identified Monday.
The girls and their mother, Anaely Rodriguez, 42, were recovered Wednesday.
Search crews going through the ruins found the remains of a total of six people Wednesday, bringing the number of confirmed dead to 18.
READ MORE: Florida apartment collapse survivors could still be inside building
It was the highest one-day toll since the building collapsed last Thursday (local time) into a heap of broken concrete.
The number of residents unaccounted for stands at 145.
Earlier in the day, crews searching for survivors built a ramp that should allow the use of heavier equipment, potentially accelerating the removal of concrete that "could lead to incredibly good news events," the state fire marshal said.
Since the sudden collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South last week in Surfside, rescuers have been working to peel back layers of concrete on the pancaked building without disturbing the unstable pile of debris.
Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members of those missing that the ramp allowed rescuers to use a crane on sections that were not previously accessible.
He said that improves the chances of finding new pockets of space in the urgent search for survivors.
"We hope to start seeing some significant improvement in regards to the possibility of (finding) any voids that we cannot see," Mr Jadallah said.
READ MORE: Pregnant mum, virus survivor among missing in Miami building collapse
In an interview with Miami television station WSVN, state Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis described the ramp as "a Herculean effort" that would allow crews "to leverage massive equipment to remove mass pieces of concrete," which could lead to good results.
Mr Patronis told The Associated Press that the ramp will permit heavy equipment to get closer to areas where debris needs to be cleared.
The new equipment includes a so-called nibbler, a massive machine that has a scissors-like tool at the end of a long arm to cut through concrete and rebar.
Officials have been concerned an underground parking garage could collapse under the weight of heavy equipment, so they decided to build the makeshift limestone ramp, Mr Patronis said.
He said dogs are used to check for survivors in the area where the machine works, and then the nibbler is sent in.
READ MORE: Families frustrated at slow pace of Miami building collapse rescue
"So you can really make some serious rapid headway just because of the sheer hydraulic forces this thing can exert versus a human being with hand tools," Mr Patronis said.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation.
A 2018 engineering report found that the building's ground-floor pool deck was resting on a concrete slab that had "major structural damage" and needed extensive repairs.
The report also found "abundant cracking" of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage.
Just two months before the building came down, the president of its board wrote a letter to residents saying that structural problems identified in the 2018 inspection had "gotten significantly worse" and that major repairs would cost at least AU$20.6 million.
With bids for the work still pending, the building suddenly collapsed last Thursday.
Rescuers still faced enormous obstacles as they spent the seventh day searching for survivors.
READ MORE: 'Major structural damage' at Florida building flagged years ago
The pancake collapse of the building has frustrated efforts to reach anyone who may have survived in a pocket of space.
Officials were also worried about the possibility of severe weather interfering with search efforts.
Crews have already had to deal with intermittent bad weather that caused temporary delays in the work, and they are now keeping an eye on a potential tropical storm in the Atlantic Ocean.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said some of the resources in Surfside might have to be removed in case the storms hit any part of Florida.
"'Tis the season and you've got to be ready," he said.
READ MORE: No Aussies missing in Miami tower collapse, government says
The possibility of severe weather prompted state officials to ask the federal government for an additional search and rescue team.
Kevin Guthrie of the Florida Division of Emergency Management said the new team would be on hand if severe weather hits, allowing crews that have been working at the site for days to rotate out.
Authorities said it's still a search-and-rescue operation, but no one has been found alive since hours after the collapse on Thursday.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden planned to travel to Surfside on Thursday.
READ MORE: Almost 100 missing after Miami building collapse
"They want to thank the heroic first responders, search-and-rescue teams and everyone who's been working tirelessly around the clock, and meet with the families" waiting for word of their loved ones, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said he hopes Mr Biden's visit will be a morale booster for the devastated community.
"We've had several challenges from weather, sorrow, pain. And I think that the president coming will bring some unity here for our community, support, like our governor, our mayor, all of us together."
'Whole town is on fire': Hottest village in Canada evacuated
A wildfire amid a record heat wave in western Canada has forced authorities to order residents to evacuate a village in British Columbia that smashed the country's record for hottest temperature three days in a row this week.
Mayor Jan Polderman of Lytton issued the evacuation order on Wednesday, saying on Twitter that the fire was threatening structures and the safety of residents of the community, which is 153 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
"All residents are advised to leave the community and go to a safe location,″ Mr Polderman said.
READ MORE: More than 230 deaths reported in Canada amid historic heat wave
In an interview with CBC News, the mayor said the situation was dire for the community of 250 people.
"The whole town is on fire," he said.
"It took, like, a whole 15 minutes from the first sign of smoke to, all of a sudden, there being fire everywhere."
https://twitter.com/Tarnjitkparmar/status/1410470288693743617?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwErica Berg, a provincial fire information officer, said the evacuation order was issued about an hour after the blaze began but she did not know the size of it.
Highways north and south of the village reported were closed as firefighters also dealt with two other wildfires in the area.
Lytton's temperature hovered around 39C on Wednesday.
That was down from Tuesday, when the village recorded a new Canadian high of 49.6 C, breaking the previous highs of 47.9 C it reached on Monday and 46.1 C on Sunday.
Coles staff and customers allegedly threatened by man with knife
A man is in custody after allegedly threatening staff members with a knife at a Coles supermarket in Perth's northeast this morning.
Police were called to the store at Ellenbrook Central shopping centre just before 8.30am, after reports a man had entered the store via a back entrance and began threatening staff and screaming at customers to get out.
The man, aged in his 30s, allegedly pushed a customer to the ground during the incident and the store was evacuated as a precaution.
Police arrested the man and he is currently being spoken to by investigators, but it is not known if any charges have been laid.
Investigators are asking for any witnesses with phone footage of the incident to contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
Man pulls knife on Gold Coast servo attendant but agrees to wear mask
A man has pulled a knife on a service station attendant on the Gold Coast, demanding tobacco and cash.
CCTV shows the man enter the service station on Smith Street in Southport about 8.50pm and approach the counter to take a face mask, apparently having been asked to do so by the attendant.
He then walked around the store for a short time before grabbing two cooler bags and approaching the counter again where he pulled a kitchen knife from the pocket of his hoodie.
READ MORE: New Queensland exposure sites after airport workers tests positive
Police say the 22-year-old attendant complied with his demands, placing cash, tobacco and food items into the bag before the man fled the scene.
The man was wearing a white hoodie, grey pants, a maroon beanie and glasses.
Investigations are ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Man injured in Port Macquarie boat explosion
A man has been critically injured in a boat explosion on the NSW Mid North Coast.
Emergency crews were called to a marina on Buller Street, on the Hastings River, Port Macquarie just before 8pm on Wednesday after reports a gas bottle had exploded on a houseboat.
https://twitter.com/MarineRescueNSW/status/1410207680535293959A 50-year-old man was treated at the scene for serious burns to his face and legs and a 16-year-old boy was also treated for minor injuries.
Both were taken to Port Macquarie Hospital for treatment and police have established a crime scene to determine the circumstances around the explosion.
"Two people reported to have been on a houseboat that exploded on the Hastings River earlier tonight are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics," NSW Marine Rescue said on Twitter.
"The cause of the explosion is unknown.
"An MR Port Macquarie crew is conveying two firefighters to check the boat from a safe distance."
https://twitter.com/MarineRescueNSW/status/1410186434556829696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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