Australia stabbings: attacker and four victims named – as it happened

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Mental health dimension to Bondi Junction attack – police

Cooke says “nothing that we have, no information we have received, no evidence we have recovered, no intelligence we have gathered that would suggest that this was driven by any particular motivation, ideology or otherwise”.

We know that the offender in the matter suffered, suffers from mental health. We are continuing to work through the profiling of the offender but very clearly to us at this stage it would appear that this is related to the mental health of the individual involved. Investigations will very clearly continue through the day.

We will make arrangements promptly to ensure that people are advised how they can go about retrieving whatever that might be, including for example motor vehicles. But, as you would understand, it is absolutely necessary that we do what is necessary to ensure that we provide a detailed and precise brief of evidence in relation to this incident which has occurred yesterday.

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Joel Cauchi: who was the Queensland man who carried out the Bondi Junction mass stabbing?

Police say 40-year-old was an itinerant who moved to NSW last month and had a history of mental illness

Queensland man Joel Cauchi has been named as the man who killed five women and one man at the Bondi Junction shopping centre during a horrific mass stabbing on Saturday.

The 40-year-old was shot dead by a police officer, Amy Scott, who responded to the attack at the busy shopping centre while on duty for an unrelated matter.

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Police officer who shot Bondi Junction attacker wielding a ‘massive’ knife hailed as a hero

Anthony Albanese has praised a lone police officer who pursued a man on a stabbing spree through a shopping mall, saying ‘there is no doubt that she saved lives through her action’

A New South Wales police inspector has been hailed as a hero after she shot dead a man who stabbed six people to death in a shopping centre in Bondi Junction.

The senior officer was conducting routine duties nearby when she was directed to head to Westfield shopping centre following reports a man was using a “massive” knife to stab shoppers.

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Faulty ebike battery sparks fire that guts Sydney apartment

Several people lucky to escape North Bondi blaze that has prompted a warning about lithium-ion batteries

Several people have been lucky to escape after a faulty ebike battery sparked a fire that engulfed a Sydney beachside apartment.

The ebike had been left to charge in the bedroom of a North Bondi unit overnight, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) said on Friday while warning of the risks posed by lithium-ion batteries.

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Bondi Junction shooting: police operation under way after reports of shots fired in Sydney’s east

Police are investigating a possible link between the alleged shooting and a burnt-out car in Zetland

A police operation is under way in Sydney’s eastern suburbs after reports shots were fired on Tuesday morning.

A spokesperson for New South Wales Ambulance confirmed they had multiple vehicles also on the scene.

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Bondi becomes nude beach as thousands take part in Spencer Tunick’s Sydney installation

Legislation had to be changed to permit public nudity on the beach

For the first time in its history, Bondi has been declared a nude beach.

On Saturday, thousands of bodies huddled together in the early morning light to model in artist Spencer Tunick’s latest Australian installation – and his first in the name of skin cancer.

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Over 50% of Australians over 16 are fully vaccinated; Berejiklian reopening plans coming ‘next week’ – as it happened

All the day’s news, as it happened. This blog has now closed

Enjoy your evening, all, and thanks for having me! Here’s just a taste of what we learned today:

In case you missed this earlier (I did) please enjoy this piece by Arwa Mahdawi on cancel culture, critical race theory and ... sexy seahorses.

It’s very easy to laugh at a bunch of rightwing moms clutching their pearls over sexy seahorses – but there’s nothing funny about the systemic, organised way in which conservatives are trying to rewrite history and restrict freedom of speech.

Related: Laugh at the outrage over ‘sexy seahorses’ – but there’s nothing funny about conservatives trying to rewrite history | Arwa Mahdawi

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Covid Australia live updates: Morrison to announce NSW support package after 89 new cases and one death; three cases in Victoria

A man in his 70s from Sydney’s east has died of coronavirus; Queensland keeps border open for now; support package for NSW to include increased payments for people who have lost work. Follow the latest updates live

It’s a little late today, but pleased to keep up Matilda Boseley’s tradition of highlighting the bizarre graphic design choices of the Queensland premier’s social media team.

Today’s special announces 100 new Tafe scholarships. Someone has spent time etching the bloke’s arm in front of the graphic, for some reason.

100 TAFE scholarships valued at up to $5,000 are up for grabs.

The skills TAFE offers can change lives and set people up for stable and rewarding careers. pic.twitter.com/9TOHAsIbuz

Looks like we’re learning about that Covid relief package at 3.30pm.

Just enough time to take a breath, grab a coffee, watch a couple of episodes of he Office and settle in for the announcement.

Very glad @joshgnosis tweeted these together. pic.twitter.com/yCJ9AWus1o

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Two apartment blocks in hard lockdown in Sydney and Melbourne to contain Covid outbreak

Residents in Bondi Junction under police guard after eight cases in block, while residents in Maribyrnong building ordered to isolate after an infected removalist worked there

Concerns about the spread of the Delta variant in apartment buildings has prompted a hard lockdown of two residential complexes in Sydney and Melbourne.

An apartment building in Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east remains under police guard after eight cases of Covid-19 were detected across five of the 29 apartments, while residents of an apartment building in Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s north-western suburbs, have been ordered to isolate after a removalist with Covid worked there last week.

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Half of 24 new Covid cases in NSW infectious while in community as NT flags extending Darwin lockdown

New coronavirus cases in New South Wales include aged care worker and healthcare worker, while the NT records one new case

New South Wales recorded 24 new cases of Covid, including an aged care worker believed to be unvaccinated and a second healthcare worker, as the state’s coronavirus outbreak rose to 195.

The premier, Gladys Berejiklian, expressed concern that “around half” of the new cases on Thursday were out in the community while infectious and urged anyone with symptoms to get tested and isolate.

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Australia Covid live update: NSW reports 24 local cases and Qld two; second Sydney hospital worker tests positive

Gladys Berejiklian says half of new cases were active in the community while infectious; Simon Birmingham admits Australia is ‘back of the queue’ for Pfizer vaccines; Atagi co-chair says AstraZeneca should only be used by under-40s in ‘pressing’ circumstances; Follow latest updates

Ahead of the daily health press conference in Victoria, premier Daniel Andrews has said he is “determined” to avoid another lockdown in the state, and part of that will be arguing in national cabinet on Friday for a reduction in the number of people able to return through hotel quarantine.

He repeated that it was better to lock out a small number of people than lock down whole cities or states, particularly while Victoria will not have a dedicated quarantine facility up and running in Mickleham until January.

Talk to your doctor, talk to your pharmacist. They’re the people to talk to, because whether it’s Atagi or others, there can be very broad statements made. Safety is always a concern – they are risk averse, they need to be. But everyone’s individual circumstances are different, and many people come to this question of ‘should I, shouldn’t I’ when, what vaccine with pre-existing conditions, with all sorts of other issues. So the best thing to do is not to be getting your epidemiological or your vaccination advice from politicians.

Talk to your GP, that’s what I would ask Victorians to do.

NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller is up now:

In the last 24 hours, 65 personnel infringement notices were issued. One of those of concern was a hairdresser in Auburn in the shopping area of Auburn.

In the last 24 hours, 65 personnel infringement notices were issued. One of those of concern was a hairdresser in Auburn in the shopping area of Auburn.

What police will be doing is matching our taskings to those areas and places of concern on the health website, but in particular today I want to send a very clear message that we will double our efforts in terms of visibility and compliance in south-western Sydney, in particular, around that Auburn, Bankstown area, in those shopping areas, the central business areas, and also back to the eastern suburbs as well. The message is quite clear – police continue to be visible in the community, on public transport. We are stopping and proposing many people and, again, it is just disappointing that infringements continue to be issued.

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Australia Covid update: outbreaks sweep nation as NSW reports 30 new infections, and Perth, NT and Qld record local cases

Sydney’s Bondi cluster grows to 110, Virgin Australia flight attendant tests positive, Darwin locks down, WA imposes restrictions and Queensland reports outbreak of Alpha variant

New South Wales reported 30 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday as a string of new outbreaks across Australia forced states and territories to introduce sweeping new restrictions, and prompted urgent calls for vaccine eligibility to be widened.

On the first full day of lockdown for the entire greater Sydney region since May 2020, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the city to prepare for a further increase in cases over the coming days as the Bondi cluster which sparked the new outbreak grew to 110.

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NSW Covid update: New Zealand suspends travel bubble as alert issued for Wellington flights

New Zealand suspends travel bubble with NSW over ‘several unknowns’ including unlinked case in a primary school student

New Zealand has paused quarantine-free travel with New South Wales after the state recorded 10 new locally acquired cases of coronavirus.

NSW Health subsequently said a confirmed case had flown from Sydney to Wellington on the night of Friday 18 June and from Wellington to Sydney on Monday morning.

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NSW Covid update: Sydney cases visited Bondi and eastern suburbs venues while potentially infectious

Health authorities say contact tracing under way after man in his 60s, who drives international flight crews, tests positive along with household contact

A man who lives in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and works as a driver for international flight crews has tested positive to Covid, as has a household contact, with the New South Wales health department listing a string of hotspot venues they visited while potnetially infectious.

NSW Health revealed on Wednesday afternoon the man in his 60 had tested positive before announcing later that night his household contact had also tested positive with “further venues of concern identified”.

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Volleyball on Bondi and Tamarama beaches under review after complaints of risk to beachgoers

Waverley Council reconsidering popular practice, which could lead to new restrictions, a reduction in nets or a ban on the sport

Australia’s most famous beaches may restrict volleyball following complaints the sport poses a risk to other beachgoers.

Informal games of beach volleyball are a regular sight at Sydney’s Bondi and Tamarama beaches, which allow three and four nets respectively.

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Man behind Bondi beach club unveils plans as hostility grows to proposal

Janek Gazecki says Amalfi Beach Club is no more controversial than ‘a restaurant on the sand’ and entry would be free

The man behind a proposed Italian-style beach club on Bondi beach says he is pushing forward with the controversial plan despite vigorous opposition from locals and politicians.

The founder of the proposed Amalfi Beach Club, Janek Gazecki, said media reports had misrepresented his plan when it first hit headlines in October last year, which described it as an “exclusive” or “private” club, targeting “high net worth” individuals such as doctors, surgeons and models.

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Police officer says three-week search for retiree who died in Westfield Bondi stairwell ‘consumed’ her

Bernard Gore was found dead in shopping centre’s fire stairs which stretched for 14km

A police officer has broken down while recalling the fruitless search for a retiree whose body was later discovered in the stairwell of a Sydney shopping centre, while a colleague has suggested they should have searched the stairs themselves.

Bernard Gore, 71, was found dead in the fire stairwell at Westfield Bondi Junction in late January 2017 some three weeks after he went missing.

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Bondi Pavilion restoration to begin in June in rare win for community rights

Construction union lifts green ban after being convinced plan will preserve site for public

Bondi Pavilion, the grand old deco lady of Bondi overlooking Australia’s most famous beach, is finally about to get a facelift.

After nearly a decade of rancorous debate, lustful looks from developers, community protests and a green ban, the work on restoring the pavilion is expected to begin in June.

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Bondi beach and Bronte welcome back swimmers as coronavirus lockdown relaxed – in pictures

Waverley council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has reopened Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches to swimmers and surfers between 7am and 5pm on weekdays. The beaches were closed as Australia’s coronavirus restrictions came into force. They are to remain closed on weekends, and only the water is ‘open’, with sunbathing, walking and jogging on the beach not allowed

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