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"World's biggest" amber nugget worth over $1 million used as doorstop for decades

<p>An elderly woman in Romania has unknowingly used one of the largest known amber nuggets in the world - worth over €1 million ($1.6 million) - as her doorstop for decades. </p> <p>The woman found the stone in the bed of a stream in Colti, a village in the southeast Romania, and used it as her doorstop for years without realising its value. </p> <p>Members of her family also reported that thieves had once broken into her home, but only stole a few pieces of gold jewelry, missing the seemingly insignificant rock. </p> <p>“In their frantic search for valuables, they overlooked the real treasure that was there before their eyes,” they said.</p> <p>It wasn't until after the woman died in 1991 that a relative who inherited her home suspected the doorstop might be more than meets the eye - and he was right. </p> <p>When he sold the amber to the Romanian state, experts at the Museum of History in Krakow, Poland appraised the rock and found that the amber is likely between around 38 and 70 million years old.</p> <p>“Its discovery represents a great significance both at a scientific level and at a museum level,” Daniel Costache, director of the Provincial Museum of Buzau, told  local news outlet <em>El Pais</em>.</p> <p>The expert also claimed that the amber is one of the largest pieces in the world and the largest of its kind weighing a hefty 3.5-kilograms.</p> <p>It has now been classified as a national treasure of Romania, and can be found in the Provincial Museum of Buzau, where it has been since 2022. </p> <p>Romania is one of the countries with significant deposits of amber, with Buzau County being one of the areas where you can find these beautiful stones in abundance. </p> <p>The protected area also contains the old Stramba amber mine, which was very productive during the first half of the 21st century, before it was shut down by the communist regime as it was considered unprofitable. </p> <p><em>Image: Buzău County Museum</em></p> <p> </p>

Home & Garden

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RECALL ALERT: Two popular Woolies cheeses spark listeria concerns

<p>Woolworths stores nationwide are issuing a recall on two popular Camembert cheese brands due to potential listeria contamination.</p> <p>The recall specifically pertains to two 125g Camembert cheese products that have been identified as having potential microbial contamination, specifically Listeria monocytogenes.</p> <p>The affected products are the Unicorn Classic Camembert from Snowbrand Australia, trading under the name Unicorn Cheese, and Community Co's French Style Camembert. Both of these cheeses carry Best Before dates of November 8, 2023.</p> <p>These products were available for purchase not only at Woolworths stores in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania but also at other retail outlets, including Natures Best, V &amp; C Food Distributors, and Bills Cheese and Yoghurts in New South Wales, as well as Our United Food Co in Queensland. Select independent stores, such as IGAs in Victoria and Queensland, also stocked these cheeses.</p> <p>Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can pose health risks, particularly to vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women, their unborn babies, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.</p> <p>The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) issued a statement warning, "Listeria may cause illness in pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly, and people with low immune systems." FSANZ advises any consumers who are concerned about their health in relation to these products to seek medical advice and return the items to the place of purchase for a full refund.</p> <p>The affected Camembert cheese products belong to Batch 123123E Est No 287.</p> <p>Consumers seeking more information can contact Snowbrand Australia (Unicorn Cheese) at 02 4423 1266.</p> <p><em>Images: FSANZ</em></p>

Legal

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"Be alert": Australia Post's urgent plea to motorists

<p>Australia Post has issued an urgent plea for motorists to look out for their local posties, after shocking new data revealed how many postal workers are injured on the job. </p> <p>The data has revealed that during the 2022-23 financial year, 65 posties were injured as a direct result of third-party traffic accidents, with injuries including everything from broken limbs to concussions.</p> <p>Many of these incidents resulted in hospital stays, extended periods of leave and lasting psychological trauma.</p> <p>Australia Post's General Manager of Safety and Wellbeing, Rod Maule, has said that even one vehicle-related accident is too many, and pleaded for motorists to drive safely at all times.</p> <p>"While we want our team to deliver for all Australians, we also want each of them to safely get home to their families at the end of the day," Mr Maule said.</p> <p>"Safety is our number-one priority, which is why we've invested millions of dollars into advanced technology and training to keep our team safe on the road. But it isn't just up to us," he added. "We are asking all drivers to be alert and keep an eye out for our posties, especially over the next few months as we ramp up deliveries in the lead-up to Christmas."</p> <p>The statement comes in the wake of shocking footage going viral of postal workers being hit by motorists.</p> <p>In an incident last month, a postie is seen riding across an intersection when, seemingly out of nowhere, he's struck by another motorist and knocked from his bike causing an injury to his leg.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Australia Post</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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ChatGPT and other generative AI could foster science denial and misunderstanding – here’s how you can be on alert

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gale-sinatra-1234776">Gale Sinatra</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-california-1265">University of Southern California</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/barbara-k-hofer-1231530">Barbara K. Hofer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a></em></p> <p>Until very recently, if you wanted to know more about a controversial scientific topic – stem cell research, the safety of nuclear energy, climate change – you probably did a Google search. Presented with multiple sources, you chose what to read, selecting which sites or authorities to trust.</p> <p>Now you have another option: You can pose your question to ChatGPT or another generative artificial intelligence platform and quickly receive a succinct response in paragraph form.</p> <p>ChatGPT does not search the internet the way Google does. Instead, it generates responses to queries by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/07/ai-beginners-guide/">predicting likely word combinations</a> from a massive amalgam of available online information.</p> <p>Although it has the potential for <a href="https://hbr.org/podcast/2023/05/how-generative-ai-changes-productivity">enhancing productivity</a>, generative AI has been shown to have some major faults. It can <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-platforms-like-chatgpt-are-easy-to-use-but-also-potentially-dangerous/">produce misinformation</a>. It can create “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/ai-chatbots-hallucination.html">hallucinations</a>” – a benign term for making things up. And it doesn’t always accurately solve reasoning problems. For example, when asked if both a car and a tank can fit through a doorway, it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/technology/openai-new-gpt4.html">failed to consider both width and height</a>. Nevertheless, it is already being used to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/01/17/cnet-ai-articles-journalism-corrections/">produce articles</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/technology/ai-generated-content-discovered-on-news-sites-content-farms-and-product-reviews.html">website content</a> you may have encountered, or <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/opinion/chatgpt-journalism.html">as a tool</a> in the writing process. Yet you are unlikely to know if what you’re reading was created by AI.</p> <p>As the authors of “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/science-denial-9780197683330">Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It</a>,” we are concerned about how generative AI may blur the boundaries between truth and fiction for those seeking authoritative scientific information.</p> <p>Every media consumer needs to be more vigilant than ever in verifying scientific accuracy in what they read. Here’s how you can stay on your toes in this new information landscape.</p> <h2>How generative AI could promote science denial</h2> <p><strong>Erosion of epistemic trust</strong>. All consumers of science information depend on judgments of scientific and medical experts. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02691728.2014.971907">Epistemic trust</a> is the process of trusting knowledge you get from others. It is fundamental to the understanding and use of scientific information. Whether someone is seeking information about a health concern or trying to understand solutions to climate change, they often have limited scientific understanding and little access to firsthand evidence. With a rapidly growing body of information online, people must make frequent decisions about what and whom to trust. With the increased use of generative AI and the potential for manipulation, we believe trust is likely to erode further than <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/02/15/americans-trust-in-scientists-other-groups-declines/">it already has</a>.</p> <p><strong>Misleading or just plain wrong</strong>. If there are errors or biases in the data on which AI platforms are trained, that <a href="https://theconversation.com/ai-information-retrieval-a-search-engine-researcher-explains-the-promise-and-peril-of-letting-chatgpt-and-its-cousins-search-the-web-for-you-200875">can be reflected in the results</a>. In our own searches, when we have asked ChatGPT to regenerate multiple answers to the same question, we have gotten conflicting answers. Asked why, it responded, “Sometimes I make mistakes.” Perhaps the trickiest issue with AI-generated content is knowing when it is wrong.</p> <p><strong>Disinformation spread intentionally</strong>. AI can be used to generate compelling disinformation as text as well as deepfake images and videos. When we asked ChatGPT to “<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-platforms-like-chatgpt-are-easy-to-use-but-also-potentially-dangerous/">write about vaccines in the style of disinformation</a>,” it produced a nonexistent citation with fake data. Geoffrey Hinton, former head of AI development at Google, quit to be free to sound the alarm, saying, “It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/technology/ai-google-chatbot-engineer-quits-hinton.html">using it for bad things</a>.” The potential to create and spread deliberately incorrect information about science already existed, but it is now dangerously easy.</p> <p><strong>Fabricated sources</strong>. ChatGPT provides responses with no sources at all, or if asked for sources, may present <a href="https://economistwritingeveryday.com/2023/01/21/chatgpt-cites-economics-papers-that-do-not-exist/">ones it made up</a>. We both asked ChatGPT to generate a list of our own publications. We each identified a few correct sources. More were hallucinations, yet seemingly reputable and mostly plausible, with actual previous co-authors, in similar sounding journals. This inventiveness is a big problem if a list of a scholar’s publications conveys authority to a reader who doesn’t take time to verify them.</p> <p><strong>Dated knowledge</strong>. ChatGPT doesn’t know what happened in the world after its training concluded. A query on what percentage of the world has had COVID-19 returned an answer prefaced by “as of my knowledge cutoff date of September 2021.” Given how rapidly knowledge advances in some areas, this limitation could mean readers get erroneous outdated information. If you’re seeking recent research on a personal health issue, for instance, beware.</p> <p><strong>Rapid advancement and poor transparency</strong>. AI systems continue to become <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/technology/ai-google-chatbot-engineer-quits-hinton.html">more powerful and learn faster</a>, and they may learn more science misinformation along the way. Google recently announced <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/technology/google-ai-products.html">25 new embedded uses of AI in its services</a>. At this point, <a href="https://theconversation.com/regulating-ai-3-experts-explain-why-its-difficult-to-do-and-important-to-get-right-198868">insufficient guardrails are in place</a> to assure that generative AI will become a more accurate purveyor of scientific information over time.</p> <h2>What can you do?</h2> <p>If you use ChatGPT or other AI platforms, recognize that they might not be completely accurate. The burden falls to the user to discern accuracy.</p> <p><strong>Increase your vigilance</strong>. <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/12/ai-will-start-fact-checking-we-may-not-like-the-results/">AI fact-checking apps may be available soon</a>, but for now, users must serve as their own fact-checkers. <a href="https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-januaryfebruary-2023/plausible">There are steps we recommend</a>. The first is: Be vigilant. People often reflexively share information found from searches on social media with little or no vetting. Know when to become more deliberately thoughtful and when it’s worth identifying and evaluating sources of information. If you’re trying to decide how to manage a serious illness or to understand the best steps for addressing climate change, take time to vet the sources.</p> <p><strong>Improve your fact-checking</strong>. A second step is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000740">lateral reading</a>, a process professional fact-checkers use. Open a new window and search for <a href="https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-mayjune-2023/marginalizing-misinformation">information about the sources</a>, if provided. Is the source credible? Does the author have relevant expertise? And what is the consensus of experts? If no sources are provided or you don’t know if they are valid, use a traditional search engine to find and evaluate experts on the topic.</p> <p><strong>Evaluate the evidence</strong>. Next, take a look at the evidence and its connection to the claim. Is there evidence that genetically modified foods are safe? Is there evidence that they are not? What is the scientific consensus? Evaluating the claims will take effort beyond a quick query to ChatGPT.</p> <p><strong>If you begin with AI, don’t stop there</strong>. Exercise caution in using it as the sole authority on any scientific issue. You might see what ChatGPT has to say about genetically modified organisms or vaccine safety, but also follow up with a more diligent search using traditional search engines before you draw conclusions.</p> <p><strong>Assess plausibility</strong>. Judge whether the claim is plausible. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2013.03.001">Is it likely to be true</a>? If AI makes an implausible (and inaccurate) statement like “<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/12/23/fact-check-false-claim-covid-19-vaccines-caused-1-1-million-deaths/10929679002/">1 million deaths were caused by vaccines, not COVID-19</a>,” consider if it even makes sense. Make a tentative judgment and then be open to revising your thinking once you have checked the evidence.</p> <p><strong>Promote digital literacy in yourself and others</strong>. Everyone needs to up their game. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-be-a-good-digital-citizen-during-the-election-and-its-aftermath-148974">Improve your own digital literacy</a>, and if you are a parent, teacher, mentor or community leader, promote digital literacy in others. The American Psychological Association provides guidance on <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/social-media-literacy-teens">fact-checking online information</a> and recommends teens be <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/health-advisory-adolescent-social-media-use">trained in social media skills</a> to minimize risks to health and well-being. <a href="https://newslit.org/">The News Literacy Project</a> provides helpful tools for improving and supporting digital literacy.</p> <p>Arm yourself with the skills you need to navigate the new AI information landscape. Even if you don’t use generative AI, it is likely you have already read articles created by it or developed from it. It can take time and effort to find and evaluate reliable information about science online – but it is worth it.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204897/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gale-sinatra-1234776">Gale Sinatra</a>, Professor of Education and Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-california-1265">University of Southern California</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/barbara-k-hofer-1231530">Barbara K. Hofer</a>, Professor of Psychology Emerita, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-and-other-generative-ai-could-foster-science-denial-and-misunderstanding-heres-how-you-can-be-on-alert-204897">original article</a>.</em></p>

Technology

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“So many non-technical people will fall for this”: New myGov scam that looks real

<p>Australians are being urged to be especially cautious of a new online myGov scam that purports to offer hundreds of dollars in tax refunds – and once you click through, the interfaces are so expertly copied that even highly vigilant scam experts are worried people will be taken in, and could potentially lose all their savings. </p> <p>The email, once it drops in your inbox, will inform you of an outstanding myGov refund, and will appear to genuinely be from the government agency. </p> <p>Email security software company MailGuard raised the alarm this week when it intercepted one of the suspect messages.</p> <p>Once you click through, you’ll be asked to enter login details and billing info. “These details will again be stolen by the criminal and will likely be used for their personal financial gain or sold on the dark web,” MailGuard warns.</p> <p>Space, software and politics expert @oferzelig deliberately went through all the steps to find out what happens, and then published the very disturbing results on Twitter.</p> <p>“A new ‘You have a message from myGov’ scam. I entered the link using a safe sandbox as I was curious,” he wrote. </p> <p>“They mimicked all the major Aussie banks' login pages, the bastards. So many non-technical people will fall for this, unfortunately 😢”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">A new "You have a message from myGov" scam. I entered the link using a safe sandbox as I was curious.</p> <p>They mimicked all the major Aussie banks' login pages, the bastards.</p> <p>So many non-technical people will fall for this, unfortunately 😢<a href="https://twitter.com/troyhunt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@troyhunt</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZJ25x9XuoZ">pic.twitter.com/ZJ25x9XuoZ</a></p> <p>— 𝓞𝓯𝓮𝓻 𝓩𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓰 🚀💻 🇦🇺 🇮🇱 (@oferzelig) <a href="https://twitter.com/oferzelig/status/1610200580076769281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Services Australia, which delivers myGov, is aware of the scam and urged Australians to be on the alert. “We will never send you an email or SMS with a hyperlink directing you to sign in to your myGov account,” it says.</p> <p>“If you get an email like this, don’t open any links, download attachments or respond.</p> <p>“We’ll never ask you to open a link or a file attached to an email.”</p> <p>“When you are signed in to myGov, the messages in your myGov Inbox are secure. It’s safe to open links included in myGov Inbox messages,” it says.</p> <p>Check out all of the images below to see just how convincing the fake pages are – and please be extra cautious!</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

Money & Banking

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COVID-19 virus-detecting mask can alert of exposure via your smartphone

<p>Move over <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/rise-of-rapid-antigen-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">inaccurate RATs</a>. Get out of my nose and throat PCR swab tests. There’s a new method of COVID-19 detection and it’s wearable.</p> <p>A research team from Tongji University in China, has created a face mask that can detect COVID-19 (as well as other common respiratory viruses such as colds and influenza) and send an alert to your smartphone.</p> <p>The mask is highly sensitive, with the inbuilt sensor able to detect the virus <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/lets-clear-the-air-on-ventilation-cosmos-weekly-taster/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in the air</a> after only ten minute’s exposure at extremely low concentrations – far less than produced by sneezing, coughing or talking.</p> <p>“Previous research has shown face mask wearing can reduce the risk of spreading and contracting the disease. So, we wanted to create a mask that can detect the presence of virus in the air and alert the wearer,” says Yin Fang, an author of the study and a material scientist at Shanghai Tongji University.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p214217-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/science/covid-19-detecting-mask-smartphone/#wpcf7-f6-p214217-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <p style="display: none !important;"><span class="wpcf7-form-control-wrap referer-page"><input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/" aria-invalid="false" /></span></p> <p><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></form> </div> </div> <p>The sensor on the mask has tiny synthetic molecules – called ‘aptamers’ – which are able to be tweaked to detect proteins unique to specific pathogens, such as SARS-Cov-2, H5N1 (colloquially known as ‘bird flu’) and H1N1 (‘swine flu’). Once the aptamer detects the virus, the sensor amplifies the signal via a specialised component known as an <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344400852_Ion-Gated_Transistor_An_Enabler_for_Sensing_and_Computing_Integration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ion-gate transistor</a> (which is highly sensitive and able to detect very low voltage signals) and sends an alert to the user’s phone.</p> <p>“Our mask would work really well in spaces with poor ventilation, such as elevators or enclosed rooms, where the <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid-ventilation-standards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">risk of getting infected is high</a>,” Fang says. The device is also highly customisable and can be swiftly modified to detect new and emerging threats.</p> <p>This is not the first time <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/smart-masks-to-detect-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘smart masks’ have been created</a> to detect COVID-19, but what sets these devices apart is their sensitivity and ‘tunability’ to different viruses.</p> <p>The team is working on reducing the detection time and increasing the sensitivity of their devices. In the future, they hope the technology could be expanded to further applications and wearables for other conditions such as cancers and heart diseases.</p> <p>“Currently, doctors have been relying heavily on their experiences in diagnosing and treating diseases. But with richer data collected by wearable devices, disease diagnosis and treatment can become more precise,” Fang says.</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=214217&amp;title=COVID-19+virus-detecting+mask+can+alert+of+exposure+via+your+smartphone" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/covid-19-detecting-mask-smartphone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/clare-kenyon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clare Kenyon</a>. Clare Kenyon is a science journalist for Cosmos. An ex-high school teacher, she is currently wrangling the death throes of her PhD in astrophysics, has a Masters in astronomy and another in education. Clare also has diplomas in music and criminology and a graduate certificate of leadership and learning.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Technology

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The latest polio cases have put the world on alert. Here’s what this means for Australia and people travelling overseas

<p>Until recently, polio had only been detected in a handful of countries, thanks to global eradication efforts.</p> <p>But this year’s polio alerts in the United States, United Kingdom and Israel are a reminder that as long as poliovirus is found anywhere, it is a potential problem everywhere. </p> <p>That could include Australia.</p> <p>Here’s what the latest polio cases mean for Australia – including under-vaccinated communities and people travelling internationally.</p> <h2>The US case</h2> <p>In July this year, a young man in Rockland County, New York, developed paralysis and was diagnosed with polio, the <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2022/07/21/n-y-state-detects-polio-case-first-in-the-u-s-since-2013/">first US case since 2013</a>.</p> <p>He had never been vaccinated against polio, which is not uncommon among <a href="https://forward.com/news/512089/polio-rockland-county-new-york-vaccine-orthodox-jew/">Orthodox Jewish people</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8549591/">in some countries</a>. Rockland County has the highest percentage of Orthodox Jewish people in the US. Currently, only <a href="https://health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/polio/county_vaccination_rates.htm">about 60%</a> of children in the county are vaccinated against polio, compared with <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/immunize.htm">more than 90%</a> nationally.</p> <p>As of August 12, poliovirus was <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2022/nysdoh-and-nycdohm-wastewater-monitoring-finds-polio-urge-to-get-vaccinated.page">still being detected</a> in sewage in New York City and other counties in New York State, indicating the virus is still circulating in the community.</p> <p>The reason there have been no further cases of paralysis reflects the fact that only around <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/poliomyelitis">one in 200 people</a> infected by the virus develops paralysis.</p> <h2>A child in Israel</h2> <p>One <a href="https://twitter.com/propublica/status/1558140096028737539">indirect link</a> to the New York man may be in Jerusalem where, in March 2022, poliovirus <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON366">was found</a> in sewage and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-022-01201-0">one case</a> of paralysis occurred in an unvaccinated child.</p> <p>Vaccination rates among Ultra-Orthodox Jewish people in Israel have been historically low, including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-middle-east-religion-israel-557e9d18f3f78f4fc141eeddaaefb8eb">low uptake</a> of COVID vaccines.</p> <h2>UK ramps up vaccination</h2> <p>In June this year, the UK government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/poliovirus-detected-in-sewage-from-north-and-east-london">reported</a> wastewater surveillance in north and east London between February and May had identified poliovirus on consecutive occasions. </p> <p>This indicated a provisional “silent” outbreak and prompted health officials to instigate catch-up vaccination campaigns. No cases of paralysis have been reported.</p> <p>This is reminiscent of an earlier “silent” outbreak of polio in 2013-2014 when, after decades without a case, Israel <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1808798115">detected</a> poliovirus in wastewater samples in many areas, mainly in southern regions.</p> <p>Stool surveys indicated the outbreak was restricted mainly to children under the age of ten in the Bedouin population of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27334457/">southern Israel</a>. The virus originated in Pakistan and arrived in Israel via Cairo and then, probably, through Bedouin communities in Egypt and Israel.</p> <h2>Hang on, hasn’t polio been eradicated?</h2> <p>It’s tempting to think polio has been eradicated. </p> <p>The last case of locally acquired polio in Australia <a href="https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-pubs-cdi-2002-cdi2602-cdi2602l.htm">was in 1972</a>. Australia was declared polio-free on October 29, 2000, along with the other 36 countries in the Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization. The last case reported in Australia <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2660702/">was in 2007</a>, when a student contracted the infection in Pakistan.</p> <p>The <a href="https://polioeradication.org/">Global Polio Eradication Initiative</a>, launched in 1988, successfully eliminated wild poliovirus from all but two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan – where in recent years there have been very few cases. </p> <p>In <a href="https://polioeradication.org/where-we-work/afghanistan/">Afghanistan</a>, there were four cases last year and one so far this year. In <a href="https://polioeradication.org/where-we-work/pakistan/">Pakistan</a>, there was one case in 2021 and 14 so far this year.</p> <p>The recent cases and wastewater detected polioviruses in the UK, US and Israel are not the wild variety. Instead, they are derived from the oral polio vaccine.</p> <p>When a child receives a dose of the oral vaccine, they excrete the virus in the stool for several weeks. In very rare cases, the vaccine-derived virus mutates to a form that causes paralysis. This form is called a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). This occurs only in populations where polio vaccine coverage is low.</p> <p>Just recently, cVDPV was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Yemen, as well as in wastewater in five other countries.</p> <p>Australia, like all high-income countries, does not use the oral polio vaccine. Instead, children receive <a href="https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/contents/vaccine-preventable-diseases/poliomyelitis">injectable inactivated polio vaccine</a>, which prevents paralysis but does not prevent transmission of the virus. </p> <p>This is why so-called silent outbreaks can occur in countries that use the injectable vaccine. This is when the virus spreads from child to child but does not cause paralysis.</p> <h2>What are the implications for Australia?</h2> <p>Given Australia’s open international borders, there is no reason why someone who has recently received the oral polio vaccine wouldn’t enter the country and excrete the virus.</p> <p>In Australia, at the age of five, <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/node/38782/childhood-immunisation-coverage/current-coverage-data-tables-for-all-children#five-year-olds">about 95% of children</a> are fully vaccinated against polio. </p> <p>However, there are places with lower vaccine coverage, such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/14/when-covid-came-to-the-anti-vax-capital-of-australia">Byron Shire</a> in northern New South Wales, with lower rates of childhood vaccination, including against polio.</p> <p>This vaccine-hesitant community is vulnerable to the introduction of polio and has had cases of diphtheria, whooping cough, measles and tetanus in recent years.</p> <p>Unlike some other Orthodox Jewish communities overseas, there is no evidence this community in Australia is more vaccine hesitant than other Australians.</p> <h2>How do we look out for cases?</h2> <p>For years, wastewater monitoring has been routinely implemented in many countries. This acts as an early warning system to identify and rapidly mitigate the spread of many pathogens, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sewage-surveillance-is-the-next-frontier-in-the-fight-against-polio-105012">including poliovirus</a>, hepatitis viruses and, recently, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID).</p> <p>At wastewater treatment facilities, sewage from an entire region is combined. This allows scientists to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-022-01201-0">detect pathogens</a> at the population level and before anyone presents with symptoms.</p> <p>In December 2017, Victoria’s environmental testing program <a href="https://www.health.vic.gov.au/media-releases/health-surveillance-system-detects-poliovirus">detected</a> a rare type of poliovirus in pre-treated sewage from the Western Treatment Plant in Melbourne. </p> <p>No cases of paralytic polio were detected but all Victorians up to the age of 19 were offered three doses of vaccine, free of charge, as part of catch-up arrangements.</p> <p>Australia’s poliovirus infection outbreak response plan <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/05/poliovirus-infection-outbreak-response-plan-for-australia.pdf">focuses on</a> clinical surveillance (where health workers report suspected cases to health authorities) and laboratory investigations of people who present with acute paralysis. </p> <p>While the plan refers to examples of wastewater surveillance overseas, it does not propose a specific strategy in Australia. </p> <p>Other than Victoria, it is not clear where wastewater polio surveillance is being conducted in Australia.</p> <h2>What happens next?</h2> <p>Australia is just as vulnerable to importations of poliovirus – both wild and vaccine-derived – as any other country.</p> <p>Australia should ensure routine wastewater surveillance for poliovirus is conducted, at least in metropolitan areas.</p> <p>Community-based vaccination campaigns should be sensitively conducted in vaccine-hesitant communities, such as in Byron Shire, to achieve high coverage.</p> <p>Education should also be provided through GPs to parents planning to travel to Jerusalem, New York City and Rockland County. They should ensure all travelling family members are fully vaccinated against polio. Visitors to Israel may be able to access a dose of oral polio vaccine in that country for their children (which will prevent them being infected) but this is not available in the US.</p> <p>Poliovirus enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with the stool of an infected person. So parents should also pay special attention to their children’s hand hygiene, particularly if travelling overseas to any of the locations mentioned.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-latest-polio-cases-have-put-the-world-on-alert-heres-what-this-means-for-australia-and-people-travelling-overseas-188989" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p> <div style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; --tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; 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color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; --tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(51,168,204,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p> <div style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; --tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(51,168,204,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{&quot;tweetId&quot;:&quot;1559646185324953601&quot;}"> <div style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; 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Juror reveals why Depp won

<p>A juror from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial has spoken exclusively to Good Morning America about the trial verdict.</p> <p>The verdict ruled that Heard defamed Depp when she wrote a 2018 Washington Post op-ed alluding to her past claims of domestic violence.</p> <p>Heard is ordered to pay $US10.35 million (approx. $14.65 million) in damages to Depp.</p> <p>The juror, one of five men on the seven-person jury, shared that Heard's emotional testimony during the trial was not realistic.</p> <p>"The crying, the facial expressions that she had, the staring at the jury. All of us were very uncomfortable," the juror said. "She would answer one question and she would be crying, and two seconds later she would turn ice cold. Some of us used the expression 'crocodile tears.'"</p> <p>"A lot of the jury felt what [Depp] was saying, at the end of the day, was more believable," the juror added.</p> <p>"He just seemed a little more real in terms of how he was responding to questions. His emotional state was very stable throughout."</p> <p>Heard's team has claimed that social media and all of the vitriol against Heard on platforms such as TikTok swayed the jury in favor of Depp.</p> <p>As Heard said this week, "I think even the most well-intentioned juror... it would have been impossible to avoid this."</p> <p>The juror denied such accusations about social media, saying, "We followed the evidence... myself and other jurors don't use Twitter or Facebook. Others who had it, made a point not to talk about it."</p> <p>"What I think is truthful is that they were both abusive to each other," the juror concluded.</p> <p>"I don't think that makes either of them right or wrong... but to rise to the level of what she was claiming, there wasn't enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying."</p> <p>The jury noted that one "fiasco" that hurt Heard during the trial was the reveal that she had not yet donated her $US7 million (approx. $9.9 million) divorce settlement to charity, despite claiming to do so.</p> <p>"She goes on a talk show in the U.K. and the video shows her sitting there, telling the host she gave all that money away," the juror said. "The terms she used in that video clip were, 'I gave it away, I donated it, it's gone.' But the fact is, she didn't give much of it away at all."</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Natalie Barr and David Koch taken to task over interview

<p dir="ltr"><em>Sunrise </em>hosts David ‘Kochie’ Koch and Natalie Barr have been slammed for allowing a controversial critic to go on their show in the wake of the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial.</p> <p dir="ltr">US commentator and critic Cooper Lawrence appeared on the breakfast show on Wednesday slamming Heard following her loss against ex-husband Depp. </p> <p dir="ltr">She said that the <em>Aquaman 2</em> actress was still trying to “continue the toxic relationship” with Depp despite filing for divorce herself in 2016. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Remember they had divorced in 2017, things were over, she said I want him to move on, I want to move on, but then she wrote this article and she’s been poking the bear ever since because she still wants him in her life even if it’s in a negative way … They do have a toxic relationship and she clearly wants to continue it,” Lawrence told the hosts. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was kinda looking for her to be more likeable and more honest here and to say all the things we’ve been hoping she’d say all along which she does for like two seconds, but then she goes back to her whole, ‘Johnny’s an abuser, he’s a liar, etc’ … it’s weird.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The 36-year-old lost the defamation case in which Depp argued that she had defamed him by referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018. </p> <p dir="ltr">Depp was awarded $14.4 million (AUD) in damages after the jury ruled his side. </p> <p dir="ltr">Heard has an interview coming up in which she admits to having “so much regret” with her marriage to Depp.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lawrence accused the actress of “lying again” and that she just wanted the attention on herself. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I think she’s on the ‘you need to listen to me tour’,” Lawrence said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Yet she has these awkward moments that she had during the trial where you’re kind of like ‘Wait, are you lying again?’ It’s like she can’t get her own story straight that she memorised for this interview, and she’s not even under oath.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Australian feminist writer Clementine Ford called out the program for allowing Lawrence on the show, particularly when Heard in fact won the case in the UK.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Why is @sunriseon7 so invested in wheeling out people to continually pile on to a woman who has already had 12 out of 14 allegations of domestic abuse against her agreed with in a UK court? Why is it so important to them that their viewers be fed the villainous woman fiction?” she tweeted. </p> <p dir="ltr">Others agreed with Ford but there is still strong support for Depp after he won the case. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Sunrise</em></p>

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Could the Depp v. Heard case make other abuse survivors too scared to speak up?

<p>Johnny Depp has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-02/verdict-delivered-johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial/101115246" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won his defamation suit</a> against his ex-wife Amber Heard for her Washington Post op-ed article published in 2018, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/06/01/arts/johnny-depp-amber-heard-verdict">stated</a> she was a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.</p> <p>The facts in every case are unique, and the jury is always in a better position to judge these facts than commentators relying on media reports.</p> <p>Nevertheless in such a high profile case as this, the verdict has a ripple effect that can go beyond the facts. The unfortunate reality is the Depp Heard case is likely to reinforce the fear that women who come forward with claims of sexual and domestic abuse will encounter a system in which they are unlikely to be believed.</p> <p>Reform is needed to better balance the protection of men’s individual reputations with the rights of women to speak about their experiences.</p> <p><strong>Defamation a tool of elite men</strong></p> <p>Depp was awarded more than US$10 million in damages after convincing the jury Heard was a malicious liar.</p> <p>This is despite the fact a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/06/01/johnny-depp-libel-law-uk-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UK judge determined</a> in 2020 that it was “substantially true” Depp had assaulted Heard repeatedly during their relationship.</p> <p>After the verdict, Heard commented she was “heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway” of her famous ex-husband.</p> <p>Historically, the common law of defamation was built to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09612025.2021.1949822" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protect public men in their professions and trades</a>. It worked to both defend their reputations individually and shut down speech about them as a group.</p> <p><a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/comulp2&amp;div=6&amp;g_sent=1&amp;casa_token=fybEy5Ip_goAAAAA:mZwcFssrx7DMteRZh-2VpbadOiPG52vukVjaL_zAG2Rr-r9-GIbN1HpUADIArNrKIooONYOmpoKf&amp;collection=journals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Data from the United States in the late 20th century</a> shows women comprise only 11% of plaintiffs bringing defamation suits.</p> <p>As legal scholar Diane Borden <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/comulp2&amp;div=6&amp;id=&amp;page=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has noted</a>, the majority of libel plaintiffs are “men engaged in corporate or public life who boast relatively elite standing in their communities”.</p> <p>Defamation trials – which run according to complex and idiosyncratic rules – are often lengthy and expensive, thus favouring those with the resources to instigate and pursue them.</p> <p>Various defences exist, including arguing that the comments are factually true, or that they were made on occasions of “qualified privilege”, where a person has a duty to communicate information and the recipient has a corresponding interest in receiving it.</p> <p>But in one way or another, disputes concerning allegations of sexual and domestic abuse usually come down to matters of credibility and believability that play on gendered stereotypes.</p> <p>It becomes another version of “he said, she said”, and as we’ve seen from the social media response to Amber Heard, women making these types of allegations are often positioned as vengeful or malicious liars before their cases even reach the courts. This is despite the fact <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/0375553f-0395-46cc-9574-d54c74fa601a/aihw-fdv-5.pdf.aspx?inline=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sexual assault</a> and <a href="https://www.safesteps.org.au/understanding-family-violence/who-experiences-family-violence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intimate partner violence</a> are common, and <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2017-09/apo-nid107216_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">false reporting</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26679304/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is rare</a>.</p> <p>In fact, most victims don’t tell the police, their employer or others what happened to them due to <a href="https://theconversation.com/almost-90-of-sexual-assault-victims-do-not-go-to-police-this-is-how-we-can-achieve-justice-for-survivors-157601" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fears</a> of not being believed, facing professional consequences, or being subject to <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/the-online-hate-for-amber-heard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shaming and further abuse</a>.</p> <p>Heard has received thousands of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/amber-heard-says-she-receives-death-threats-every-day-over-depp-claims-2022-05-26/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death threats</a> and suffered relentless mockery on social media.</p> <p><strong>Time for reform</strong></p> <p>The global #MeToo movement and recent Australian campaigns, such as those instigated by Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins, encourage survivors to speak out and push collectively for change.</p> <p>But now, ruinous and humiliating defamation suits could further coerce and convince women to keeping their experiences quiet and private. Measures must be taken to better protect public speech on such matters.</p> <p>One potential way forward is for defamation trials involving imputations of gendered abuse to incorporate expert evidence about the nature of sexual and domestic violence in our society.</p> <p>For decades, <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/hwlj19&amp;div=8&amp;g_sent=1&amp;casa_token=&amp;collection=journals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feminist legal scholars</a> fought for the inclusion of such evidence in criminal trials, especially those relating to matters of self-defence in domestic homicides and issues of consent in rape proceedings.</p> <p>Expert sociological and psychological evidence can combat and discredit ingrained patriarchal assumptions and myths – comments and questions such as “what was she wearing?”; “why didn’t she fight back?”; “why didn’t she just leave him?”; “why was she nice to him afterwards?” or “why didn’t she tell people at the time?”</p> <p>Otherwise, pervasive gender bias – often held by both men and women, judge and jury – can undermine the voices and accounts of women before they even set foot in court, before they even open their mouths.</p> <p>Defamation trials have not traditionally included such expert evidence. But now that they have become a powerful forum for silencing speech about gendered harm, perhaps it’s time they did so.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184324/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-lake-126813" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jessica Lake</a>, Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Catholic University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/could-the-depp-v-heard-case-make-other-abuse-survivors-too-scared-to-speak-up-184324" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Scam alert: Kmart customers targeted in bargain hunting Facebook groups

<p>Kmart customers have been warned about a new scam circulating in bargain hunting Facebook groups.</p> <p>They have been warned to watch for advertisements offering Nintendo Switches for $2.95.</p> <p>The fake Facebook post has been circulating in parents' groups online and has already fooled a number of Aussies into handing their card details over.</p> <p>The post includes a photograph showing a doctored Kmart price tag displaying that the gaming device has been reduced from $379.86 to $2.95.</p> <p>It also claims that the lower price point is due to a contract dispute between Kmart and Nintendo.</p> <p>Not only is this is factually incorrect, but it is one of the first signs something is obviously fake, as it is too-good-to-be-true.</p> <p>“Kmart broke its contract with Nintendo and is giving away a Nintendo Switch game console to every Australian for $2.95,” the caption on the scam post reads.</p> <p>One shopper claimed her friend had lost $700 after falling for the scam, as the fraudsters took her bank details and withdrew money.</p> <p>“BEWARE. Another scam page going around, also there is a Dyson one,” she said.</p> <p>“Do not fall for it. Friend did and has lost around $700. They just keep taking from your bank. Can't stop it unless you email them and threaten with lawyers.”</p> <p>“Unfortunately I was one of those people who thought it was real,” another woman said.</p> <p>Some believe the advertisement is so fake it's the consumers fault that they fell for it in the first place.</p> <p>“Phishing messages are designed to look genuine, and often copy the format used by the organisation the scammer is pretending to represent, including their branding and logo,” ACCC's Scamwatch website said.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Inside Amber Heard's remote desert hideaway

<p>We've all learnt an awful lot about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in light of the recent, very public trial.</p> <p>As the trial has <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/verdict-reached-in-depp-versus-heard-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reached its conclusion,</a> yet another interesting piece of information about Heard has made its way into the public domain.</p> <p>Reportedly, the 36-year-old actor confirmed in her opening testimony that she lives in a sleepy town called Yucca Valley, which is located in the beautiful Mojave Desert. The town is roughly 200-kilometres east of Los Angeles and the rural locale is not a place where you'll find many A-listers.</p> <p>The locale only has about 22,000 residents total, and it's known for its art culture, as well as its proximity to celebrated places like Joshua Tree, Coachella and Palm Springs.</p> <p>The house itself was purchased by Heard in 2019; however, property records show the abode was bought through a trust attached to Heard's accountant.</p> <p>Costing USD $570,000 ($795,000) at the time, the unique 2015-built residence hoasts three bedrooms, three bathrooms and sits on 24,281-square-metres of arid but beautiful land.</p> <p>Features include a large open-plan kitchen, living and dining area with vaulted ceilings, fireplace and floor to ceiling windows that no doubt provide Heard with exceptional views of the surrounding desert.</p> <p>Another distinct benefit of the property is a custom 34-metres bridge that enables occupants to cross a dried-up creek and access an elevated gazebo perched on a rocky hill.</p> <p>Although Heard purchased the property back in 2019, the mother-of-one only started living in the house earlier this year.</p> <p><em>Image: Domain</em></p>

Real Estate

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Verdict reached in Depp versus Heard trial

<p>A verdict has been reached in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial in Virginia, USA.</p> <p>Coming out largely in Depp's favour, Heard must pay him a total of $US15 million ($20.8 million) in damages, the jury have decided.</p> <p>However, as a result of her counterclaims, the jury said Depp must pay Heard $US2 million ($2.78 million).</p> <p>The jury unanimously found that Depp was defamed by Heard's op-ed titled, "I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change".</p> <p>They found the op-ed was about Depp despite him not being named in the piece. An exert read: "Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out."</p> <p>The jury also agreed that Heard acted with malice and further stated that she also made a defamatory statement when she said, "I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse."</p> <p>The jury then addressed Heard's countersuit, and supported one of her claims of defamation. In total, Heard was found to have been defamatory to Depp in all three of his claims, but Depp was only found to be defamatory in one of Heard's three counterclaims.</p> <p>The verdict was read out in the Virginia courtroom about 3:20 pm on Wednesday (5:20 am on Thursday AEST) but prior, after they first reached a decision, the judge asked for them to leave the court and fill out a form. </p> <p>Heard was present in the courtroom, and showed little to no reaction as the verdict was read out. Depp was not present at the time of the verdict.</p> <p>Depp's awarded damages total to $US15 million (approx. $20.8 million), but are comprised of $US10 million (approx. $14 million) in compensatory damages and $US5 million (approx. $7 million) in punitive damages.</p> <p>Under state law in Virginia, however, the maximum amount of punitive damages that can be paid is $US350,000 (approx. $490,000), which means Depp's ultimate monetary award is $US10.35 million (approx. $14.4 million).</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Kate Moss takes to the stand to defend Johnny Depp

<p>Kate Moss has taken to the stand in former boyfriend Johnny Depp's defamation trial, denying a rumour he had pushed her down a staircase.</p> <p>Moss’ testimony during this high profile court battle is a huge blow to Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard, as it contradicts claims the actress has made.</p> <p>Depp is suing Heard for $US50 million ($A70 million), saying she defamed him by saying she was a victim of domestic abuse in a newspaper opinion piece.</p> <p>His attorney previously called Kate Moss as a rebuttal witness after Heard had earlier testified about “rumours” of Depp pushing Moss down a flight of stairs.</p> <p>Moss, who dated Depp from 1994 to 1998, told the court that she slipped on a staircase and injured her back during a vacation the couple took in Jamaica.</p> <p>Depp rushed to help her, carried her to a room and called for help, she said.</p> <p>“I screamed because I didn’t know what happened to me and I was in pain and he came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention.”</p> <p>Depp’s attorney asked Moss if Depp had ever pushed her down the stairs during the course of their relationship.</p> <p>“No. He never pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs,” Moss testified.</p> <p>The high-profile court case is still ongoing.</p>

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The plot thickens in Amber Haigh case

<p dir="ltr">Less than a week after the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/million-dollar-reward-offered-20-years-after-woman-disappeared" target="_blank" rel="noopener">million-dollar reward for information was announced</a>, a couple has been arrested in relation to the disappearance of Amber Haigh in 2002.</p> <p dir="ltr">Robert Samuel Greves and Anne Margaret Greeves appeared in Cowra Local Court on charges for murder, with a second charge laid against Mr Geeves for aggravated sexual assault of someone with a serious intellectual disability, as reported by the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-05/couple-accused-of-murdering-amber-haigh-appear-in-court/101039800" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court heard that police would tender evidence that Mr Geeves bought a chainsaw shortly after the alleged murder, along with phone intercepts that included the words, “Have you taken the rest of her up there?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Geeves appealed for bail, with his lawyer arguing that the case against him was circumstantial and that he would need time to find his own witnesses if he was refused.</p> <p dir="ltr">With 17 pages of evidence, 20 witnesses, and phone intercepts of the couple talking about how to dispose of the body around the time of Ms Haigh’s disappearance, Magistrate Jillian Kiely refused Mr Geeves’ application.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s a very strong circumstantial case based on the facts before me,” she said, as reported by <em><a href="https://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/7727013/bail-refused-in-strong-circumstantial-case-in-alleged-murder-of-amber-haigh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Western Daily</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There is a very lengthy and detailed background of events leading up to certain behaviours allegedly displayed by the defendant towards the young woman.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There are telephone intercept materials very soon after her disappearance suggestive of potential discussions of disposal of remains or disposal of property.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Conversations where he is asking the co-accused not to roll on him and saying he doesn’t want to go to jail.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In one recorded conversation, Ms Kiely said Ms Geeves said: “Where are we going to take the rest of her now?”, to which Ms Kiely said Mr Geeves replied: “Somewhere close to here”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Geeves, who separated from Mr Geeves eight years ago but remained friends with him, appeared separately and didn’t apply for release, with her case then adjourned until May 17.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Haigh, who was 18 at the time, disappeared on June 5, 2002 and was reported missing two weeks later after she didn’t return to her home in Kingsvale, NSW.</p> <p dir="ltr">A 2011 Coronial inquest found Amber to have died, but a review of the case in 2020 resulted in the investigation re-commencing.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8192ef9d-7fff-b5aa-ae44-c5c78a7f4ed2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: NSW Police</em></p>

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Petition to strike Amber Heard’s character from new flick

<p dir="ltr">A petition calling for Amber Heard’s character to be removed from the <em>Aquaman</em> sequel has hit a massive three million signatures.</p> <p dir="ltr">Heard is currently being sued by Johnny Depp for $50 million for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in which she describes herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The publicly reported case has seen fans from all over the world call for Heard’s character to be removed from <em>Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom</em>, in which she plays Princess Mera.</p> <p dir="ltr">At the time of publication, the <a href="https://www.change.org/p/dc-entertainment-remove-amber-heard-from-aquaman-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">change.org</a> petition had clocked a whopping 2,948,764 signatures.</p> <p dir="ltr">Questions are not being raised on whether or not Warner Bros. will remove Heard’s character from the sequel, which is currently in post-production. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, it has also been revealed by journalist Grace Randolph that Heard has “less than 10 minutes screen time” in <em>Aquaman 2</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial between Heard and Depp began on April 11 and is set to last about six weeks.  </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Movies

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Court warned to stop laughing during Johnny Depp’s testimony

<p dir="ltr">Johnny Depp has concluded his testimony in the defamation trial he has launched against his ex-wife Amber Heard after being on the stand for four days, as reported by <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/johnny-depp-trial-judge-warns-fans-to-stop-laughing-during-courtroom-testimony-c-6585879" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for <em>The Washington Post</em> in which she describes herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although Depp wasn’t named, he claims the article cost him lucrative acting work.</p> <p dir="ltr">Both he and Heard have also accused each other of acts of violence during their relationship, which lasted from 2015 to August 2016, when they settled their divorce.</p> <p dir="ltr">The final day of his testimony saw Depp come under cross-examination by Heard’s attorney, Ben Rottenborn.</p> <p dir="ltr">When asked about audio recordings of arguments between him and Heard and whether she was the only one who had a problem with his drinking, Depp answered: “Sir, if anyone had a problem with my drinking, at any time in my life, it was me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The only person I’ve abused in my life is myself.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Remaining on the stand for redirect examination from his attorney, Jessica Meyers, Depp explained some of the text messages introduced as evidence by Heard’s attorney were meant to be “irreverent” or references to <em>Monty Python</em> movies and that he often handles “difficult” situations with humour.</p> <p dir="ltr">Some of his fans had to be warned by Judge Penney Azcarate to contain their laughter in the courtroom when Depp admitted he had trouble remembering some of the movies he starred in.</p> <p dir="ltr">He was asked to name films he appeared in besides the <em>Pirates of the Caribbean</em> franchise and faltered after quickly naming <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m so pathetic when it comes to knowing what movies I’ve done,” Depp said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m sorry. I just, I don’t watch them. I feel better not watching them. What was the question again?”</p> <p dir="ltr">When his response prompted laughter in the courtroom, Judge Azcarate issued a warning.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Order in the court or I will have you removed. Understood? Thank you,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Before the trial commenced, Judge Azcarate ordered that Depp and Heard were not allowed to pose for photos or sign autographs outside the Virginia courtroom, as reported by <em>People</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also ordered that fans weren’t allowed to camp overnight outside and that spectators in the courtroom must “dress in a manner consistent with the decorum of a judicial proceeding”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Audible comments of any kind during the court proceedings or provocative or uncivil behaviour within the courtroom or courthouse will not be tolerated,” a court document read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There shall be no gestures, facial expressions, or the like, suggesting approval or disapproval during the proceedings.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Anyone violating this Order will be expelled immediately from the courtroom and will not be able to return during the pendency of the trial.”</p> <p dir="ltr">When Meyers played a 2016 recording of a conversation between Heard and Depp where Heard expressed concern about her reputation after reports of abuse in their relationship emerged, Meyers asked how Depp responded.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What did you say in response when Ms Heard said, ‘Tell the world, Johnny. Tell them, Johnny Depp, I, Johnny Depp, a man, I’m a victim too, of domestic violence’?” Meyers asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said, ‘Yes, I am’,” he responded.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial, which has been live streamed on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoW1SIeAWaWb1IDY_WuLKvZygiJudUBSd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a>, began on April 11 and is expected to last for six weeks, with Heard yet to testify.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-98bc178d-7fff-f01a-668a-44689357504f"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Young girl found after Amber Alert issued

<p dir="ltr">A young girl has been found safe and well after an Amber Alert was issued overnight.</p> <p dir="ltr">The five-year-old disappeared from Kingston, a suburb in the city of Logan in Queensland’s south east.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-35a7b9e1-7fff-4a91-2c59-90c1276b235a">Queensland Police issued a <a href="https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2022/03/03/final-amber-alert-kingston/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">final update</a> on Thursday morning, confirming the little girl had been found and thanking the public and media for their assistance.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">FINAL AMBER ALERT, KINGSTON - The 5yo girl subject of an Amber Alert yesterday (March 2) has been located safe and well. The media and public are thanked for their assistance <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/amberalertKingston?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#amberalertKingston</a> <a href="https://t.co/H9OWzYNt47">pic.twitter.com/H9OWzYNt47</a></p> <p>— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/QldPolice/status/1499140137598349312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The initial Amber Alert was issued after the child went missing on Wednesday afternoon, after a man known to her put her in the back of a car which was driven away by a second person.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police released <a href="https://www.river949.com.au/news/local-news/127288-amber-alert-urgent-assistance-to-locate-5-year-old-girl-missing-from-kingston" target="_blank" rel="noopener">images</a> of the young girl and of Kaitlyn Compton, who they believed was with the child.</p> <p dir="ltr">Concerned comments flooded the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/QueenslandPolice/posts/322426419918217" target="_blank" rel="noopener">update</a> shared by Queensland Police on social media on Thursday, with many sharing their relief at the news.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Great work to all our Police Officers,” one person shared.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Such good news in troubling times,” another wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Located safe &amp; well! Thank goodness,” a third commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That’s great news 👍. Well done QPS 👏,” another user said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The welcome news comes as the area faces ongoing floods, with Logan City Council <a href="https://disaster.logan.qld.gov.au/Home/viewnews?title=City%20of%20Logan%20flood%20update%20Wednesday,%20March%202" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reporting</a> that at least 59 homes were inundated and 200 roads were closed on Wednesday.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-84eb2075-7fff-6480-b6c9-1b3fc0e1fd27"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: River 94.9 (Facebook)</em></p>

Caring

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West responds to Putin placing nuclear arsenal on high alert

<p>As tensions and fighting continue to escalate between Russia and Ukraine, the US and NATO have slammed Putin's decision to put Russia's nuclear forces on high alert.</p> <p>Speaking at a meeting with his top officials, Putin directed the Russian defence minister and the chief of the military's General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a "special regime of combat duty."</p> <p>The Russian president also discussed the hard-hitting sanctions that have been placed on Russia, and Putin himself.</p> <p>"Western countries aren't only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country," Putin said in televised comment.</p> <p>White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the dangerous move was part of a wider pattern of unprovoked escalation and "manufactured threats" from the Kremlin.</p> <p>"This is really a pattern that we've seen from President Putin through the course of this conflict, which is manufacturing threats that don't exist in order to justify further aggression — and the global community and the American people should look at it through that prism," Psaki told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on '<em>This Week</em>'.</p> <p>She added, "This is all a pattern from President Putin and we're going to stand up for it, we have the ability to defend ourselves, but we also need to call out what we're seeing here from President Putin."</p> <p>In reaction to the nuclear alert, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN, "This is dangerous rhetoric. This is a behaviour which is irresponsible."</p> <p>Given that Russia, as well as the US, typically have both land and submarine-based nuclear forces on alert for combat at all times, the practicality of Putin's order is not yet clear. </p> <p>As the conflict only continues to grow with Moscow troops drawing closer to Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that a delegation would meet in an undisclosed location on the Belarusian border to discuss peace talks. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Sunrise hosts on high alert

<p>The hosts of <em>Sunrise</em> are reportedly concerned about a "rat" in the Channel Seven studios, after <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/caught-out-leaked-audio-as-channel-7-stars-slam-novak">off-air footage went viral</a> of <em>7News</em> reported calling Novak Djokovic an "a**hole".</p> <p>Natalie Barr and David Koch, who are based in the Sydney offices of the Seven Network, are said to be worried that a "rat" could also leak their private conversations, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10409349/Sunrise-Natalie-Barr-David-Koch-worried-rats-leaking-secrets.html">Daily Mail</a>.</p> <p>“Nat and Kochie would be wondering how many times they've had a private chat about something or someone, and will now be forced to watch every single word they say from here on in,” the source claimed, adding that “there’s a lot of backstabbing… in TV”.</p> <p>“Everyone on TV knows there's banter off-air, and when the cameras are on it's a whole other picture.”</p> <p>The leaked <em>7News</em> video went viral last week, as Channel Seven reporters Rebecca Maddern and Mark Amor discussed whether Novak Djokovic should be detained in Australia, after arriving for the Australian Open with an improper visa and vaccination exemption. </p> <p>In the footage, Rebecca remarked, <span>“Whatever way you look at it, Novak Djokovic is a lying, sneaky, a***hole,” as photos emerged of the tennis champion attending events in his native Serbia after testing positive for Covid-19. </span></p> <p>“It’s unfortunate that everybody else stuffed up around him. To go out when you know you’re Covid-positive - well, I don’t think he was even Covid-positive…”</p> <p>Mike also labelled Djokovic an “a***hole”, saying: “You’ve got a bulls**t f***ing excuse and then he fell over his own f***ing lies, which is what happens right?”</p> <p><span>After investigating how the footage emerged, the source of the leak was identified as an employee at the closed-captions company that works with Channel Seven, Ai-Media. </span></p> <p>“As a result of the investigation, Ai-Media has identified that an employee working remotely due to the COVID-19 outbreak was responsible for the unauthorised distribution of the content,” the company confirmed in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange.</p> <p>“Appropriate action has been taken with regard to the employee responsible.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise</em></p>

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