City News

Mexican security forces had a son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán outside a house on his knees against a wall before they were forced to back off and let him go as his cartel's gunmen shot up the western city of Culiacan. Defence Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval today showed video and presented a timeline of the failed operation to arrest Ovidio Guzmán López on October 17, an incident that embarrassed the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The video shot by soldiers shows Guzmán exit the house with his hands up. Soldiers order him to call off the attacks around the city as gunfire is heard in the background. Guzmán called his brother Archivaldo Iván Guzmán Salazar on his mobile phone and told him to stop the chaos. Archivaldo refused and shouted threats against the soldiers and their families. The attacks continued and eight minutes later the first wounded soldiers were reported. Archivaldo Guzmán surely knew at that point that the cartel had the

A group of Indigenous girls from the Tiwi Islands are talking about racism experienced on the football field, following the release of two Adam Goodes documentaries earlier this year.  Eleven female students from Tiwi College, a school on a group of islands off Darwin, have written a book ‘Ngiya Yintanga Japarrika’ (‘I am the storm bird’) with the help of Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) ambassadors Shelley Ware and David Lawrence. Related... Axed Marngrook Footy Show 'Not Going Down Without A Fight' Says Presenter Leila Gurruwiwi ‘A Curse Will Fall On All Of Them’: Indigenous Australians React To Huge Queues To Climb Uluru Before Ban Sculpture By The Sea: The Story Behind This Ghostly Installation Number Of Indigenous Kids Removed From Families At ‘Crisis’ Level Indigenous Australian Model Charlee Fraser Honoured At Prestigious Fashion Awards “Racism is a huge topic they brought up this time, and one of the girls who played footy down in Melbourne, she’s a

A woman jailed over the death of a man who was hog-tied, bashed, stabbed and left to die in his Sydney home has been released from jail after her manslaughter conviction was quashed. Rhiannon Lisa Bloodsworth, then 24, was sentenced in 2018 to 11 years' jail with a non-parole period of seven years and six months after a NSW Supreme Court jury found her not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Her then-boyfriend Trent Errington also was found guilty of the manslaughter of Jay Cerin, who was hog-tied, bashed, stabbed and left to die in his Hebersham home in August 2015. In a decision released on Friday following orders made on October 4, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal quashed Ms Bloodsworth's conviction, entered a verdict of acquittal and ordered she "be released forthwith." "Simply stated, I have a reasonable doubt that the evidence put before the jury was capable of proving Ms Bloodsworth's guilt and as such it was a doubt that the jury ought t

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission say there are more than 30,000 unclaimed and unidentified corpses, and an uncalculated number of skeletal remains, piling up at morgues across the country. The governmental commission said there is 'a crisis in the area of forensic identification,' because morgues lack funds, personnel and equipment to properly examine bodies. Mexico's mounting wave of homicides over the last decade has also contributed to the huge backlog of corpses. Many of the bodies have been found in clandestine burial pits often used by criminal gangs to dispose of the bodies of victims or rivals. The commission recommended albums of photographs be compiled when such burial pits are excavated, to document items of clothing or other possible signs that could help identify bodies. In 2018, residents of the western Mexico city of Guadalajara complained about the smell coming from a refrigerated trailer that was found to hold 273 unidentified corpses. T

A woman in the United Kingdom fabricated the existence of a child to extort thousands of pounds from a man she claimed was the father, the UK Court of Appeals heard. Chelsea Roberts, 26, told the victim they had conceived a child together and she needed money for an abortion. She then proceeded to ask for additional funds for missed appointments, eventually claiming she had given birth to the child. Roberts then continued to lie to the man, telling him that their child had become sick and she would need even more money to cover the costs. She then went on to claim the child had died, requesting funds for a funeral. The deception took place over a year, with Roberts extorting about £29,000 (AUD$48,700) from the victim in total, plunging him into serious debt. Roberts managed to swindle the hefty sum by threatening to tell the victim's girlfriend and family about their relationship if he refused to pay. Roberts was initially sentenced to four months in jail by the Hull Crown Cou

A Melbourne pensioner sent thousands of dollars to an American fighting for IS in Syria, but his lawyers say he was "groomed" after the death of his son. Hampton Park man Isa Kocoglu admitted sending more than $2700 in total to John Georgelas while the American was fighting in Syria in 2014. The 45-year-old contacted Georgelas, also known as Yahya al-Bahrumi, after one of his twin sons died, defence lawyer Rishi Nathwani told the County Court today. "He was groomed by Georgelas ... he became infatuated with him," Mr Nathwani said. Georgelas, reportedly one of Islamic State's top producers of English language propaganda, manipulated the "generous" family man. "It is clear he's got his hooks into Mr Kocoglu and manipulated him at the very least," Mr Nathwani said. He sent him cash on numerous times through third-parties to help fund the jihadists' online propaganda. Kocoglu's home was searched in June 2016 and counter-terror

North Korea conducted its third test-firing of a new "super-large" multiple rocket launcher that it says expands its ability to destroy enemy targets in surprise attacks. The latest launches extended a month-long streak of weapons displays by the North, which continues to use a standstill in nuclear negotiations to advance its military capabilities while pressuring Washington for concessions. Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the tests a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said they detected two projectiles launched from an area near the North Korean capital traveling more than 320 kilometres cross-country before landing in waters off the North's eastern coast. KCNA said Kim expressed satisfaction over what North Korea described as a successful test of its new rocket artillery system, but it wasn't clear whether the leader observed the launches on site. The latest test verified the "perfection" of the sy

A pet cockatoo at the centre of a bitter neighbourhood dispute because of its screeching has been cleared of wrongdoing, in a case described by an Adelaide judge as "completely unjustified". The dispute was settled in the District Court this week, after a woman's decision to take the family next door to court backfired. She had lived in her northern suburbs rental property for a few months when she earlier this year asked a magistrate to award her damages because her neighbours were causing a nuisance. In the claim, she said the family's cockatoo screeches, their dogs bark "day and night", their young children play outside and "often scream as loud as they can" and the man whistles while he mows the lawn. Investigations by the City of Prospect council disproved the allegations, including a report that found the noise generated by the cockatoo was not excessive and there was no cause for complaint. The family, however, lodged a counter-claim, a

Online furniture retailer Zanui has been forced into voluntary administration, leaving customers high and dry. The Australian stockist informed followers on social media it had appointed KPMG partners Gayle Dickerson, Phil Quinlan and Morgan Kelly as administrators. The administrators are urgently seeking expressions of interest for the sale of the business. Zanui says it will continue to trade as usual but cannot offer refunds or accept returns at this time. "Zanui is continuing to trade as usual from this date and continuing to take and fulfil orders. We will be regularly keeping suppliers, creditors and other stakeholders up to date as we progress through the process," the retailer told customers. "We so appreciate that you have always stood behind us and our brand, which is why we wanted to bring you into the loop of what's going on." Customers took to the company's social media to vent their frustration at the business' collapse. "Oh d

President Donald Trump , a native New Yorker, has now declared himself a Florida resident, according to court documents. The President changed his permanent residence to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in late September, and first lady Melania Trump followed suit in October, in forms filed with the Palm Beach County Circuit Court. In a series of tweets Thursday night, Trump said he was leaving New York because he's been "treated very badly" by politicians in the Empire State. "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House, is the place I have come to love and will stay for, hopefully, another 5 years as we MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, but my family and I will be making Palm Beach, Florida, our Permanent Residence," Trump tweeted. "I cherish New York, and the people of New York, and always will, but unfortunately, despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state and local taxes each year, I have been treated very badly by the politic

A Sydney disability pensioner's long-running lawsuit over an unclaimed $3.3 million 1997 Lotto prize has been set down for a hearing by a judge who says "this has got to be finished". David Owen Renshaw launched his lawsuit in 2016 against NSW Lotteries over the unclaimed prize. He says he bought a ticket from Greenfield Park and presented it at Granville Railway Station newsagency following the September 23 draw in 1997. Mr Renshaw insists when he handed in his ticket to the newsagency he saw the words "provisional winner" come up. But the shop attendant - who didn't speak English very well - threw the ticket in the bin saying "no winner" and refused to return it, he says. The unclaimed $3.3 million is one-third of the first division prize in Oz Lotto Draw 188. The case has come before the NSW Supreme Court a number of times. At the most recent hearing in September, the parties agreed a judicial officer would inspect "highly confident

An Australian man suffered numerous sinus infections over an 18-year period before doctors finally smoked out the cause: good ol’ cannabis. No, not in the way you’re thinking: This guy stuck a packet of pot up his nose just before going into prison and then forgot about it. For 18 years. The 48-year-old patient finally realised his breathtaking situation thanks to doctors at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital, where he was referred after complaining of headaches. According to a study published earlier this week in  BMJ Case Reports , appropriately titled “Nose out of Joint,” a CT scan showed what looked like a calcified lesion in the nasal passage. When surgeons went in for a closer look, they ended up removing what the report described as “a rubber capsule containing degenerate vegetable/plant matter.” Yeah, yeah, pictures or it didn’t happen. Here you go: Doctors removed the object and later engaged the patient in what the report called “specific questioning.” At that point, th

The latest drop of Australia’s iconic-yet-uber-mysterious Cadbury Caramilk chocolate bars will reportedly run out by mid November but a new hybrid version is coming.  A photo, which seemed to feature a Caramilk Twirl bar, was sent by fan Emma Beckett via DM to the official Cadbury Dairy Milk Facebook account this week. Emma originally saw the picture on the  Caramilk Addicts Club  Facebook page, before it was deleted.  Emma received a response from Cadbury that confirmed the regular blocks will soon sell out but there is a new product on the way.  “Cadbury Caramilk has been so incredibly popular that we’ve been looking at a number of new options for limited edition Caramilk products in never-seen-before formats,” Cadbury Australia said.  Emma posted screenshots of the statement on the Caramilk Addicts Club Facebook Group.  Shoppers have grown increasingly frustrated with Cadbury since the company rolled out the limited-edition flavour in 2018.  The food item gained a devote

Seth Meyers on Wednesday said the smoking gun in the Donald Trump -Ukraine scandal is right under the president’s nose. The host of NBC’s “Late Night” noted how Trump “literally said the words ‘I would like you to do us a favor’” during his July phone call with Ukraine’s President  Volodymyr Zelensky  in which he allegedly pressured his counterpart to investigate his potential 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden. “Remember during the Russia investigation when everyone wondered if there would be a smoking gun?” asked Meyers. “Well, this is the smoking gun. It turns out the smoking gun was Donald Trump’s mouth the whole time.” Check out the clip below.  Also on HuffPost

Three children have been rushed to hospital - one with life-threatening burns - following a house fire at Port Augusta. A three-year-old is in a critical condition, while a five-year-old and a six-year-old are both stable. Firefighters raced to the Carrig Avenue home when the blaze broke out about 8.30am. Several heroic neighbours forced their way inside despite the danger, and managed to rescue a child trapped inside. "Everyone was just running, the mother was screaming... the next-door neighbour on the corner, he booted the fence in and the little boy collapsed on the ground," one neighbour said at the scene. "My partner, he was getting wet towels and he was getting the hose and we just laid him out on the road. It was just very upsetting." The child was one of three treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. https://twitter.com/NatarjshaKramer/status/1190051670639562752 One of the children is in a critical condition and was expec

A woman accused of killing her sheep farmer boyfriend months after she became the sole beneficiary of his estate, has pleaded not guilty to his murder. Natasha Beth Darcy, 44, is accused of murdering grazier Mathew Dunbar, 42, on his multi-million-dollar Merino property 'Pandora' in the NSW country town of Walcha on August 2, 2017. It's alleged she blended a cocktail of sedatives in a Nutri-Bullet before gassing Mr Dunbar, a court has previously heard. Today Darcy appeared on a video screen in the NSW Supreme Court from Mary Wade Correctional Centre in Lidcombe and said "not guilty, your honour" when asked if she had killed Mr Dunbar. Justice Elizabeth Fullerton then ordered her trial to begin on June 1 next year, estimating it would run for six to eight weeks. During a bail application earlier this year, a court heard Darcy had previously set fire to a house where her paramedic ex-husband Colin Crossman was sleeping in 2012. The Crown argued in the lead u

Southern California has been hit with a fresh spate of bushfires, destroying more homes and forcing evacuations. The latest blazes come as the region faces a second day of explosively fierce Santa Ana winds that fan the flames, displacing thousands of residents. Already, more than 350,000 people across the state are without power, with authorities concerned strong winds could knock trees down onto powerlines, sparking further fires. The most destructive among several new wind-driven blazes in the region erupted hours before dawn on the rugged slopes of the San Bernardino National Forest above the city of San Bernardino, roaring downhill into the north end of town. The so-called Hillside fire quickly devoured more than 80 hectares of dry scrub and destroyed or damaged at least six homes before firefighters managed to keep the flames from advancing farther, fire officials said. The latest Santa Ana winds cap a flurry of extreme windstorms across California during the past month, bu

Four Australian furniture retailers will be forced to shell out thousands of dollars in penalties after the consumer watchdog accused them of manipulating prices to create more attractive advertisements. The retailers, including Plush, Koala Living, Early Settler and OzDesign Furniture will each have to pay $12,500 following an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Each of the retailers were issued with an infringement notice after the ACCC believed they were manipulating "was/is" price comparisons to sell items. The retailers used advertising statements such as "was $2599, now $2049", when the furniture item had never been advertised at the "was" price, or was only advertised at the "was" price for a short period of time.  For example, one of the retailers advertised a "Roller Ottoman" at a price of $539 with the words "save $360", even though it was available for $449 directly befor

A US teenager has pleaded guilty to killing a high school cheerleader who was pregnant with their child. In a deal entered today, Aaron Trejo  pleaded guilty  to one count of murder and one count of feticide, both felonies. Last December he confessed to fatally stabbing his classmate, who was six months pregnant, in the heart and then concealing her body in a dumpster with a black plastic bag, according to court documents. "I took action. ... I took her life" because it was too late for her to have an abortion, Trejo, 17, had said. According to court documents, Trejo said that neither he nor his victim, Breana Rouhselang, 17, wanted to have the child. CNN was unable to reach Trejo's family. His attorney James Korpal declined to comment. Trejo murdered Rouhselang using a knife because he thought it would kill her quickly, court documents show. After taking Rouhselang's life, Trejo threw the knife and her cell phone into a river. An autopsy confirms that her scar

A Central Coast man who hit and killed a mother of four with his car as she was crossing a road has been jailed for at least 20 months. Menouar Belkadi, 25, was on Friday sentenced in the Downing Centre District Court for his dangerous driving which caused the death of 32-year-old pedestrian Annabelle Deall. Judge Sarah Huggett sentenced Belkadi to two years and eight months in jail over the 2016 incident on the Scenic Highway at Terrigal, with a non-parole period of 20 months. Belkadi admitted driving 10km/h over the speed limit before he swerved onto the wrong side of the road and struck Ms Deall. The victim's family outside court said they were disappointed by the length of the sentence.

Senior federal government minister Peter Dutton says it is obvious more money is needed to fix the aged care system. Mr Dutton's admission follows a damning interim report from the Aged Care Royal Commission, which warned existing funding pledges would not be enough to cope with current or future demand. "The money that goes into aged care has doubled over the last 10 years ... but obviously more is need," Mr Dutton told the Today Show on Friday. The comments come as Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirms the government would announce new spending Mr Morrison confirmed the federal government would announce new spending to help shocking neglect uncovered during the inquiry. "I've been saying for some time now that we knew we would need to address issues coming out of this royal commission on aged care," he told 3AW radio on Friday. The prime minister met with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck on Thursday night to discuss

Victoria Police are investigating claims a HelloWorld employee wrongly accessed data linked to reports a federal minister received free flights from the travel company. When the allegations were made in February, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said he thought he had paid for the flights to Singapore. HelloWorld - which had won a $21 million federal government contract before Senator Cormann's flights were booked in July 2017 - denied the flights were free. Victoria Police reportedly interviewed two former Helloworld staff members about the leak on Wednesday as part of an investigation which is now underway. "The Fraud and Extortion Squad is currently investigating allegations an employee accessed unauthorised data from a private company," a spokeswoman said. Victoria Police said it had a responsibility to investigate "all reports of crime".

McDonald's in Portugal has removed an advertisement which used the words "Sundae Bloody Sundae" to promote a Halloween dessert, after it received backlash online.  The restaurant chain was forced to apologise for "any offence or distress" it may have caused for using the reference to a dark time in Northern Ireland's history. Bloody Sunday refers to a day in 1972 on which British soldiers shot unarmed protesters in Derry, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles -- resulting in 14 deaths. The Irish band U2 famously wrote about the horrors of that day in a song called "Sunday Bloody Sunday".  An image of the ad, for a two-for-one dessert offer, was posted on Twitter by an Irish user who spotted it in one of the restaurants in Portugal.  After backlash on social media, McDonald's took down all promotional material featuring the slogan.  In a statement, McDonald's Portugal said it had developed a "local market activation for a small

A South Australian woman convicted of being a member of the Islamic State terror group has had her guilty verdict overturned on appeal. Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif, 24, was convicted of being a member of a terror group by a jury following a trial last year. But the verdict was set aside and she was acquitted by Chief Justice Chris Kourakis and Justice Greg Parker in a Supreme Court majority decision on Thursday. Justice Patricia Kelly said she would have dismissed the appeal. Abdirahman-Khalif, who has spent more than two years behind bars, cried and hugged supporters after she was released from the dock. The former student was stopped by police at Adelaide Airport while trying to board a plane to Istanbul in July 2016. She told officers she was taking a last-minute holiday, despite having a small amount of clothing, no return flight and less than $200 in funds. The Somalian refugee was later released but arrested at the Port Adelaide TAFE SA campus in May 2017, following a lengthy

The wreck of a US destroyer has been found in the Philippine Sea 75 years after it was sunk during a World War II battle. The ship, believed to be the USS Johnston, was discovered at a record depth of 20,406 feet by Vulcan researchers on the Research Vessel Petrel, Fox News reports. "We believe this wreck to be that of the USS Johnston DD-557," Vulcan director of subsea operations Robert Kraft said in a statement. "There is no evidence of the dazzle paint scheme, indicative of the USS Hoel and its location suggests this wreck sank later in the battle, after the loss of the Hoel." The USS Johnston was a Fletcher-class destroyer sunk during the battle of Leyte Gulf with Japanese forces in 1944. Of the 341 crew on board the vessel, only 141 survived. The US Naval History and Heritage Command says that of the 186 crew who died, 50 were killed in battle, 45 died on rafts from their injuries and 92 survived the ship's sinking but were never heard from again.

Ex-NRL player Luke Burgess had nothing to say about his brother Sam's intimidation charge or the Rabbitohs star's shock retirement, as he left a resort in Mexico. Luke Burgess was spotted leaving the resort of Cabo San Lucas, where little brother Sam has been seen partying in recent days. There been no sign Sam since revealing his shock retirement from the NRL due to injury. The news came just hours before he was charged with intimidation over an alleged confrontation with his father-in-law, Mitchell Hooke. Luke made no comment to the cameras as he flew out of Mexico. Sam Burgess penned an emotional letter to fans after being forced into the early retirement by a persistent shoulder injury. The 30-year-old, who became the Rabbitohs captain following the abrupt retirement of Greg Inglis earlier this year, ended his NRL career after 182 games for Souths. In the letter posted to members, Burgess described the decision as one of the hardest he's had to make in his li

Scientists have been able to figure out the final journey of a 5300-year-old corpse found in the Alps, based on the remarkably well-preserved contents of his colon. Otzi the Iceman became a scientific marvel when the body was found by mountain climbers on the Italy-Austria border in 1991. While his contemporaries are little more than skeletons, Otzi was so well-preserved that his clothes, gear and even the contents of his stomach are available to scrutinise. And it is the latter that led scientists to a breakthrough published this week . Researchers from the University of Glasgow found that bog moss found in Otzi's colon probably came from the Vinschgau Valley in South Tyrol, Italy. The discovery has led scientists to conclude Otzi was running for his life at the time of his death. The bog moss was commonly used for staunching wounds, and may have been used to treat a deep cut to his hand in the days before his death. WARNING: This article contains an image some users may fi

The Prime Minister's nephew has been accused of using his uncle's name to rip off customers. Builder Mitchell Cole has left a number of unsatisfied customers behind him who have levelled damning allegations. "Do not trust him one bit," former customer James McCall told A Current Affair . Another customer, Peter Flanagan, labelled Mr Cole a "slimeball". There is no suggestion Prime Minister Scott Morrison is at all involved with his nephew's building work. Mr Cole appeared proud as punch to be in a family photo with Mr Morrison, his uncle by marriage, at the Prime Minister's Christmas lunch. But the builder's reaction to A Current Affair 's cameras is quite different. Watch the full story on A Current Affair tonight from 7pm.