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Chilling videos emerge from mum accused of murdering schoolgirl

<p><em><strong>Warning: This article contains distressing content that some readers may find upsetting. </strong></em></p> <p>Chilling videos have emerged from the mother accused of killing her 10-year-old daughter, Sophie Wang. </p> <p>Yingying Xu, who was named in court on Wednesday, posted a series of videos to TikTok before she allegedly murdered her daughter. </p> <p>“I want to let everyone know that the situation you see is fake. Fake god, the antichrist is a fake god,” Xu, 46, said while speaking in Mandarin.</p> <p>“I have felt the devil Satan saying to me how he has been influencing me, disturbing my soul.</p> <p>“Eventually possessing me 100 per cent. Possessing my soul to do evil things.”</p> <p>The videos were posted earlier in the day on Tuesday, and the little girl's body was found by her father, Yun Wang, later that evening.</p> <p>Sophie is alleged to have suffered several<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/schoolgirl-identified-after-allegedly-being-murdered-by-mother" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> injuries</a>, and was  allegedly killed by having her throat slashed in her Carrara home.</p> <p>Her father, who is an associate professor at Griffith University, could reportedly be heard screaming by neighbours after discovering her body. </p> <p>Paramedics attempted to revive the girl, but she was declared dead at the “incredibly confronting” scene.</p> <p>Xu was arrested in a nearby street hours later and charged with murder.</p> <p>“This is absolutely sickening, gut-wrenching, awful,” Queensland Premier Steven Miles said.</p> <p>“I just can’t imagine how that father felt and hearing the reports of him screaming - nobody would ever wish that on him.”</p> <p>Her mother was formally remanded in custody until she appears in court again on November 29. </p> <p>The family's home remains a crime scene, but flowers have been left outside the home, as the local community try to come to terms with the horrific news. </p> <p>Police are continuing to investigate the motive of the alleged murder, and are taking into account Xu's social media activity. </p> <p>“Police are continuing to investigate the motive of the alleged homicide, including social media activity of the accused,” police told <em>7News</em>.</p> <p>Sophie has been remembered as a caring, kind and high-achieving Year 5 student, with the local community honouring her memory in an hour-long vigil on Friday at The Boulevard in Emerald Lakes.</p> <p>Sophie’s school, Emmanuel College, is also offering counselling to students, staff and parents.</p> <p>“Our prayers are with the family, friends, first responders and all affected by the loss of this beloved child in her home,” the school said in a statement.</p> <p><em>Images: Emmanuel College /TikTok</em></p>

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Schoolgirl identified after allegedly being murdered by mother

<p><em><strong>Warning: This article contains distressing content that some readers may find upsetting. </strong></em></p> <p>The 10-year-old girl who was allegedly murdered by her mother has been identified as Sophie Wang, a young schoolgirl from the Gold Coast. </p> <p>Wang's mother, 46-year-old Yingying Xu, has been arrested and charged with the violent murder of her daughter. </p> <p>Detective Acting Inspector Kent Ellis described the crime scene as "incredibly confronting", after Sophie was allegedly killed by having her throat slashed in her Carrara home. </p> <p>“In my 15-year career as a detective, it’s one of the most confronting things I have seen.”</p> <p>According to Ellis, it was Sophie's father who found his daughter dead at the scene after he arrived home and called police.</p> <p>“It was an extremely distressing scene for not only the ... father there, but attending police, and I can understand the significant distress amongst the community,” the detective said.</p> <p>The woman was arrested on a “nearby street” some four hours after Sophie’s body was found, according to Ellis.</p> <p>Sophie's death was made public by her school Emmanuel College, who is offering counselling to the school community over the tragic incident. </p> <p>“The Emmanuel College community is devastated by the tragic passing of one of our students at a home within Emerald Lakes last night,” the school principal Dan Brown said in a statement.</p> <p>“Our prayers are with the family, friends, first responders and all affected by the loss of this beloved child in her home. Our priority is supporting our community at this difficult time."</p> <p>“We have mobilised our counselling and pastoral care teams to provide comprehensive support to students, staff and parents as our community comes to terms with this distressing news."</p> <p>“We ask for understanding and respect for the privacy of our families and students at this time. While words cannot ease the shock and pain of such a tragic loss, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Emmanuel College</em></p>

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"I haven’t seen someone that terrified": CCTV of brave schoolgirl after attempted abduction

<p>A chilling incident has shaken the quiet streets of Doncaster East in Melbourne's east, reminding us of the importance of vigilance and community support in ensuring the safety of our children.</p> <p>Depicted clearly in heart-wrenching <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/cctv-emerges-of-schoolgirl-who-hid-in-bushes-during-attempted-abduction-in-doncaster-east-melbourne-c-14243163" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CCTV footage</a> that surfaced recently, an 11-year-old girl's brave escape from a potential abduction has sent shockwaves through the neighbourhood.</p> <p>On March 28, the young girl was making her way home from school along Landscape Drive when a grey Audi Q3 SUV made an abrupt U-turn, pulling up dangerously close to her. The driver, a male stranger, allegedly demanded her to enter the vehicle.</p> <p>But the brave young girl, instead of complying with the stranger's demands, made a split-second decision that possibly saved her life; she sprinted away, seeking refuge in nearby bushes as the car ominously circled back.</p> <p>The harrowing moments that followed were captured on CCTV as the girl, trembling with fear, looked back at the street, her only lifeline a stranger passing by. It was a local dad, accompanied by his own daughter, who extended a helping hand to the distressed child. Recalling the encounter, he described the girl's sheer terror:</p> <p>“She was shivering and shaking and I haven’t seen someone that terrified and petrified like that,” he told 7NEWS. And when the young girl kept apologising to him over and over for asking him to escort her home, he responded: “I said: ‘I’m so proud of you, getting help is a really good skill’.” </p> <p>Meanwhile, the girl's parents, undoubtedly consumed by anguish, expressed their profound gratitude to the stranger who intervened in their daughter's moment of peril. Their daughter, though physically unharmed, had endured a trauma no child should ever have to face.</p> <p>As authorities launched a manhunt for the assailant, details of the suspect emerged. Described as a man in his 30s, of Middle Eastern descent with distinctive features including tan skin, black hair and a prominent beard, the perpetrator remains at large. A computer-generated image has been released by Victoria Police in hopes of eliciting information from the public.</p> <p>In the aftermath of this chilling incident, Detective Senior Constable Brooke Miller echoed the sentiments of the community: “It’s horrible," he said. "A little girl should feel safe to walk home from school.”</p> <p><em>Images: Victoria Police</em></p>

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Schoolgirl's cheeky question for King Charles

<p>King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, have attended their first joint royal engagement in their new roles.</p> <p>The royals were visiting the youth organisation Project Zero in Walthamstow, where among the crowd they were greeted by a group of excited school children from Barn Croft Primary School.</p> <p>The outing took a funny turn straight off the bat when the monarch was asked a cheeky question by a young schoolgirl.</p> <p>Immediately seeing the humour in the spontaneous moment with the gathered school children, the 73-year-old monarch seemed happy to engage in the back-and-forth banter, much to the amusement of the crowd. </p> <p>"How old are you, King Charles?" the little one asked innocently.</p> <p>His Majesty replied with a laugh, saying: "You can have a guess. Have a guess."</p> <p>One little kid shouted out "96", which the King took in good humour with another giggle.</p> <p>Following up on an invite extended at the Platinum Jubilee Big Lunch in June, the royal couple were visiting with Project Zero. The then-Duchess of Cornwall had met Project Zero founder Stephen Barnabis and youth champion Rico Thai-Richards at their event in June and their chat featured in <em>Camilla's Country Life </em>documentary, which aired in July.</p> <p>On Tuesday, the royal couple greeted the pair before being introduced to members of staff who deliver various programs, including digital talent, coding, music production, mental health and support services for women and girls.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Busload of schoolgirls crashes after colliding with a truck

<p>A teenage girl has been airlifted to hospital after a packed school bus collided with a truck north-west of Melbourne. </p> <p>The crash took place on the Western Highway at Bacchus Marsh around 3am, as the bus the rolled down the 50 metre-deep embankment off the side of the main road. </p> <p>Heartbreaking photos show the students' suitcases strewn across the hill as emergency services work to clear the highway. </p> <p>One girl suffered serious injuries, as did the male truck driver.</p> <p>The other 26 students on the bus, along with four adults and the bus driver, have been taken to hospital for observation.</p> <p>The group from Loreto College in Ballarat was travelling to Melbourne airport at the time of the crash, where they were set to travel to the Unites States to attend the NASA space camp at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.</p> <p>The Melbourne-bound lanes of the Western Highway are expected to remain closed for several hours, as motorists are being urged to take an alternative route into the city. </p> <p>Parents are being asked not to attend the scene of the crash to find out information about their children, but rather to call Ballarat Police Station.</p> <p>A spokeswoman for the school said the principal would be holding meetings with worried parents, as they put a plan in place to deal with "the fall out from everything".</p> <p>She said, "Everyone is fine. We had injuries but there are no fatalities."</p> <p>Police are now investigating the cause of the crash. </p> <p><em>Image credits: 9News</em></p>

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Murdered schoolgirl’s mum charged with home invasion

<p dir="ltr">The mother of murdered school girl Charlise Mutten has been charged for allegedly breaking into a home in the Blue Mountains. </p> <p dir="ltr">Police will allege Kallista Mutten, 39, accompanied her fiancé Justin Stein with breaking into a home in the Blue Mountains and taking firearms. </p> <p dir="ltr">Stein, 31, is accused of murdering Kallista’s daughter Charlise and is in custody where he maintains his innocence. </p> <p dir="ltr">The nine-year-old schoolgirl was staying with Stein over the summer holidays and was reported missing on January 14. </p> <p dir="ltr">Four days later, her body was found stuffed inside a barrel near the Colo River with a gunshot wound.</p> <p dir="ltr">There is no suggestion that her mother had anything to do with the murder.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, as investigations ensued, police found two firearms and ammunition near where Charlise was brutally murdered. </p> <p dir="ltr">Police are yet to confirm whether or not the firearms were used in Charlise’s murder.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police will further allege that Stein broke into a home in the Blue Mountains and stole the firearms in August last year. </p> <p dir="ltr">In May, police charged Stein with acquiring the two weapons during a home invasion in Mount Wilson.</p> <p dir="ltr">On July 26, police charged Kallista with allegedly accompanying Stein, with the break and entering of the property. </p> <p dir="ltr">“A woman’s been charged over her alleged role in a home invasion that was uncovered as part of ongoing investigations into the alleged murder of a girl in the Blue Mountains earlier this year,” NSW police said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A 39-year-old woman attended Campbelltown Police Station on Tuesday where she was charged with aggravated break and enter in company.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: NSW Police/ABC</em></p>

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Schoolgirl reveals how she survived Texas massacre

<p dir="ltr">An 11-year-old girl has recalled the moment she survived the horrific Texas school shooting which saw her classmates and teacher shot dead.</p> <p dir="ltr">Miah Cerrillo, a fourth grader at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas spoke to lawmakers in a pre-recorded interview at the House of Representatives committee on Wednesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">She explained how she smeared her dead classmate’s blood on her and played dead to avoid being shot by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos on May 24. </p> <p dir="ltr">"He... told my teacher 'good night' and then shot her in the head. And then he shot some of my classmates and the whiteboard," Miah said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Miah then grabbed her dead teacher’s mobile phone and dialled 911 - which has since seen police’s response <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/texas-police-admit-wrongdoing-following-school-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heavily criticised</a> for not doing anything while they were being attacked. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NOOIN48HnxE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">The fourth grader fears that another mass shooting would occur at her school and called for “more security”. </p> <p dir="ltr">Gunman Salvador was armed with a gun when he stormed Robb Elementary School on May 24 and shot dead 19 children and two teachers.</p> <p dir="ltr">Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw admitted that the tactical decisions made during the response to the events leading up to the shooting were wrong.</p> <p dir="ltr">“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision. There’s no excuse for that,” he said. “A decision was made that this was a barricaded subject situation, there was time to retrieve the keys and wait for a tactical team with the equipment to go ahead and breach the door and take on the subject at that point.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That was the decision, that was the thought process at that particular point in time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">According to audio evidence from the time of the shooting, Ramos fired almost 100 shots inside classrooms 111 and 112 about 11.30am.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two minutes later, three officers entered the school from the same back door Ramos came in from.</p> <p dir="ltr">About 12.03pm, there were at least 19 officers standing in the hallways but it was only at 12.50 pm that police used a key from the janitor to open the classroom doors.</p> <p dir="ltr">It was then they shot Ramos dead.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: YouTube </em></p>

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Autistic boy attacked by schoolgirl bully

<p><strong>Images have been blurred to protect the identity of the students.</strong></p> <p>Online footage of a young autistic boy being attacked by a schoolgirl has gone viral, with many parents and members of the community calling for harsher bullying penalties.</p> <p>The boy was repeatedly hit and kicked in the face on Tuesday, with the footage showing he tried to protect himself by cowering on the ground.</p> <p>A separate video of the incident shows that the boy tried to protect himself with a tennis racket, which was then used as a weapon by the girl who hit him three times in the side of the face with it.</p> <p>Furious parents have said that the girl was expelled from school and might be charged with assault.</p> <p>Parents have also called on the Department of Education to step in and address this particular school's bullying problem after their children continue to be assaulted by peers at school.</p> <p>A spokesperson for the Department of Education said to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9375327/Defenceless-autistic-boy-repeatedly-punched-bully-North-Rockhampton-State-Highschool.html" target="_blank"><em>The Daily Mail</em></a><span> </span>that the incident had been dealt with in accordance with the school's Code of Conduct.</p> <p>"(The) school is committed to providing a safe, respectful and disciplined learning environment," they said.</p> <p>"Any situation that threatens the safety and wellbeing of students or staff is treated extremely seriously, and dealt with as a matter of priority. "Violence in any form is not tolerated in Queensland state schools.</p> <p>"Students and caregivers with concerns are strongly encouraged to report cases of bullying or misconduct to their school principal or their closest Department of Education regional office."</p>

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Schoolgirl with autism handcuffed by police

<p><span>Autism advocates are begging for change from the NSW government after it was revealed young children are being forcibly handcuffed, strapped down to hospital beds and forced to take powerful sedatives.</span><br /><br /><span>Anger-inducing video footage recorded earlier this week shows a nine-year-old girl from south-west Sydney screaming as she is handcuffed and led away by police officers, following a meltdown at school.</span><br /><br /><span>Families and support workers say that kids who have challenging behaviours and complex needs are falling through the cracks due to a lack of mental health and inpatient services for their age group.</span><br /><br /><span>Advocates say these young kids are instead undergoing traumatising experiences by cycling through emergency departments and apprehensions by police.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838498/autism-children-support-services.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ed6a91a802db4421811e4f4f7baad938" /><br /><br /><span>Makayla, nine, has struggled due to her combination of conditions including autism spectrum disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, ADHD and anxiety that result in uncontrolled and sometimes violent outbursts.</span><br /><br /><span>"I just want to be a normal family," Makayla told 9News.</span><br /><br /><span>"I want to make mummy proud."</span><br /><br /><span>However, the young girl says she lives in fear of a voice in her head and the fallout from her own meltdowns.</span><br /><br /><span>Makayla has on numerous occasions been handcuffed and put into paddy wagons.</span><br /><br /><span>While this heinous act might seem like it is illegal, the NSW government allows it under the Mental Health Act.</span><br /><br /><span>Makayla’s mother Megan, who has been attacked by her daughter during outbursts, said her child needs more specialist help.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838497/autism-children-support-services-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/739f46469339457d92954099a33c0e94" /><br /><br /><span>Unfortunately, she has been told by medical staff that Makayla is a child who has "fallen through the cracks" of the system.</span><br /><br /><span>"We're just being stonewalled everywhere we go," she said.</span><br /><br /><span>Megan stressed that she doesn't lay any blame at police, health workers, carers, school or emergency staff who respond to incidents.</span><br /><br /><span>Instead she blames the system as it is failing to provide much-needed specialist interventions, treatment and support for young kids like Makayla.</span><br /><br /><span>Grace Fava is CEO of the Autism Advisory and Support Service and operates Australia’s only 24-hour hotline for struggling parents and carers of kids with autism.</span><br /><br /><span>She claims there are so many parents like Megan, whose families have been torn apart, unable to cope and felt isolated.</span><br /><br /><span>"For every one that comes through to us, there are at least another 100 that are crying out begging for help," she said.</span><br /><br /><span>"The system is letting them down. I'd say the system is broken but as somebody once eloquently put it, there is no system."</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Fava says these children often end up in teen or adult mental health services.</span><br /><br /><span>Unfortunately, this means they may be exposed to drugs, self-harm and inappropriate behaviour.</span><br /><br /><span>These children are also at a higher risk of turning to drugs and ending up in the justice system when they get older.</span></p>

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Royal schoolgirl! Princess Charlotte’s first day of school is here

<p>Princess Charlotte is growing up way too fast, and has started her first day of “big kigs school”. </p> <p>The five-year-old will have her big brother to keep her company however, just like she did when she walked through the gates of St Thomas’ in Battersea in South London. </p> <p>The whole family, apart from baby Prince Louis, were all there for the little royal’s big day as she waved at cameras and shook the hand of her teacher. </p> <p>Kensington Palace Twitter account posted a gorgeous snap of Princess Char, 5, and Prince George, 6, to their Twitter account, stating “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share a photograph of Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Kensington Palace this morning. The photo was taken shortly before Their Royal Highnesses left for Thomas’s Battersea.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">It’s the first day of school for Britain’s Princess Charlotte, fourth-in-line to the throne <a href="https://t.co/E8oXcAvVu8">pic.twitter.com/E8oXcAvVu8</a></p> — Reuters Top News (@Reuters) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1169721867428671488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>It is hard to believe, but just two years ago Prince George, the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, walked shyly through the school gate with his father. </p> <p>At the time, Duchess Kate had to miss the royal’s first day as she was experiencing severe morning sickness during her pregnancy with 16-month-old Prince Louis. </p> <p>Luckily for little Char, both parents were able to be apart of her first day - and clutched her mother’s hand tightly while fiddling with her ponytail. </p> <p>The Kensington Palace Instagram page also shared the sweet first moments of the 5-year-old meeting one of her school teachers. </p> <p>St Thomas’s in Battersea has 560 students aged from four to 13 and hold the ethos “be kind”.</p> <p>Headmaster Simon O’Malley said the school the royals are attending, emphasised key values such as “kindness, courtesy, confidence, humility and learning to be givers, not takers”.</p> <p>“We hope that our pupils will leave this school with a strong sense of social responsibility, set on a path to become net contributors to society and to flourish as conscientious and caring citizens of the world,” he said.</p> <p>Just as Prince George did, Princess Charlotte will adopt the same last name “Cambridge” upon entering the school system. </p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see royal’s first day at big kid school.</p>

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Today host Deb Knight addresses Georgie Gardner feud rumours: "We're not schoolgirls"

<p>Deborah Knight has put rumours to rest claiming that she fails to get along with her <em>Today</em> co-host Georgie Gardner.</p> <p>Since the two made their side-by-side hosting debut at the beginning of the year, rumours have been rife saying that the journalists were battling it out for the top spot on the Channel 9 breakfast show, but speaking to <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar" target="_blank">Stellar</a> </em>magazine, Knight said that wasn’t the case.</p> <p>“We’re not schoolgirls in a schoolyard,” said Knight.</p> <p>“We’re professional people, and it shouldn’t matter that we’re two women. It disappoints me that has to be the focus.</p> <p>“Georgie and I have enormous respect for each other. We’re very different people, but I think that’s a good thing because we bring different approaches.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwfm7_GhHWn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwfm7_GhHWn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Deborah Knight (@deborah_knight)</a> on Apr 20, 2019 at 3:19pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Also speaking to <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar" target="_blank">Stellar</a></em> was Gardner, who shared the same sentiments saying: “If people feel that because it’s two women that we couldn’t possibly get on and we need to be pitted against each other, then that’s a sad indictment of where we are at as a society.”</p> <p>Gardner was the one who put Knight’s name forward when her former co-host Karl Stefanovic was sacked from the show.</p> <p>But ever since the all-female show aired in January, it has been on the receiving end of enormous criticism.</p> <p>“A lot of it (the commentary) was just hateful, and you have to ignore it,” Knight told<span> </span><em>Stellar</em>.</p> <p>“The first day we were on air, we hadn’t even completed the first show and articles were appearing online writing us off and saying, ‘This is a dud’. It was silly and unfair. I realised I couldn’t control any of this, but what I could control was doing the best job I can.”</p>

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Queensland schoolgirl threatened with suspension after refusing to stand for national anthem

<p>A nine-year-old schoolgirl is facing suspension after she refused to stand for Australia’s national anthem.</p> <p>Brisbane’s Kenmore South State School student Harper Nielsen, chose to protest against Advance Australia Fair, as she claimed it was not inclusive of indigenous Australians.</p> <p><a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/pauline-hanson-labels-australian-anthem-schoolgirl-a-brat/news-story/ce59f6b224bbd79360a049a4d7a9ea8c"><em>The Courier-Mail</em></a><span> </span>reported that the Year 4 student was given an ultimatum of either standing or leaving the building.</p> <p>When she refused to do either, the school issued Harper a detention card for “blatant disrespect.” She was then told that she could leave the office premises until she had signed a written apology and that she could be suspended.</p> <p>The event that occurred has caused major outrage throughout radio and television.</p> <p>Infamous Alan Jones and controversial commentator Mark Latham believes Harper was “defying the school.”</p> <p>“We used to have special schools for children with behaviour problems,” said Latham on the 4BC radio show. “Not standing is a behavioural problem, so kick her out.”</p> <p>Jones agreed with Latham’s sentiments, as he too was furious at the young girl’s decision.</p> <p>“What on earth do you do … other than call the parents in and say ‘listen, these are the rules here if you don’t like them you do as we say or go somewhere else because we’re not accommodating you.”</p> <p>Speaking to <em>The Courier-Mail</em>, Harper said that the line in the national anthem, “for we are young and free”, excluded Aboriginal people who lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years post-colonisation.</p> <p>Jones who was offended by this statement said that “colonisation brought the kind of tremendous wealth that all Australians now enjoy.”</p> <p>Latham went on to add: “The school only exists because of colonisation, what sort of fools are these?”</p> <p>But despite the grilling on 4BC, Harper has received a lot of support online.</p> <p>“I do applaud her for considering the words of the national anthem, a lot of people just rattle it off and don’t consider the meaning and I also applaud her strength of character to stand up for what she believes in,” said<span> </span><em>Today<span> </span></em>show host Georgie Gardner.</p> <p>But co-host Karl Stefanovic attacked the parents, believing they’re the real problem.</p> <p>“Her parents are obviously supporting her, and I think that’s the big problem here, her parents are supporting her in a way that I don’t think is appropriate,” he said.</p> <p>“The schools have rules, I’m exasperated by this this morning so if you don’t like that as a parent, if you don’t like that your child will have to stand for the anthem then go somewhere else. Schools have rules and they have to be abided by.”</p> <p>Whose side are you on? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

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