In a remarkable and unexpected encounter that has marine biologists buzzing, a volunteer diver has shared unprecedented footage of an endangered great white shark spotted in the Mediterranean Sea, between the coastlines of Tunisia and Sicily. The diver, who asked not to be named, recalled experiencing intense shaking as he came face-to-face with the massive predator, an encounter that most divers only ever dream of. Great white sharks are rarely documented in this part of the Mediterranean, making the new footage a significant contribution to marine ecological research. Sightings of the species have dropped sharply across the globe in recent decades due to overfishing, habitat degradation, and accidental bycatch, leading to their classification as an endangered species by major conservation organizations. Marine researchers say this rare documentation offers a critical new clue about the species’ range and potential habitats in the Mediterranean, a body of water that has long been understudied when it comes to large predatory sharks. Conservation teams are now hopeful that this sighting will highlight the need for stronger protections for marine biodiversity in the region, and help scientists better understand how endangered shark populations are adapting to changing ocean conditions.
作者： admin
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Hong Kong proposes to let city leader decide what counts as national security offense
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government tabled new subsidiary legislation to the city’s legislature on Monday, introducing a formal mechanism that lets the city’s chief executive label specific criminal acts as national security offenses. The move marks the latest step in the regional government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen national security frameworks in the Asian financial hub, a process that has drawn sharp scrutiny from critics who argue it is accelerating the erosion of long-held civil liberties.
This new legislative proposal comes in the wake of two major national security measures already enacted in the city. First, after large-scale pro-democracy protests upended daily life in Hong Kong in 2019, the central Chinese government in Beijing implemented a sweeping national security law that has been used to detain dozens of high-profile pro-democracy activists. Most recently, in 2024, the Hong Kong government passed a second standalone security law targeting offenses including espionage and unlawful disclosure of state secrets.
Critics of these existing frameworks argue that the two laws have effectively gutted the Western-style civil liberties that Beijing agreed to preserve under the handover agreement when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. But regional authorities have repeatedly pushed back against this criticism, maintaining that robust national security legislation is a non-negotiable foundation for the city’s long-term political and social stability.
In the official document submitted to the Legislative Council on Monday, the Hong Kong Security Bureau and Department of Justice laid out the details of the new subsidiary legislation, which aims to formalize and codify the classification process for what the existing legal framework labels “other offenses endangering national security.”
Under the proposed rules, if the chief executive issues an official certificate confirming that a given criminal act in a pending case involves national security interests, that case will automatically be classified as a national security offense. The proposal also specifies that if a suspect faces both a primary national security charge and an alternative secondary charge stemming from the same actions, the alternative charge will also be categorized as an offense endangering national security.
Officials emphasized in the document that amid today’s increasingly complex global geopolitical environment, national security threats remain a persistent risk for Hong Kong. Codifying this classification mechanism through subsidiary legislation, they argued, will strengthen both the legal framework and enforcement infrastructure that Hong Kong relies on to protect national security.
The authorities added that the new legislation is designed solely to refine procedural details and add greater clarity and predictability to the implementation of existing national security provisions. Crucially, officials stressed that the subsidiary legislation does not create any new criminal offenses, introduce harsher penalties, or grant new enforcement powers to authorities.
The Hong Kong government has called for the legislative process to be completed as soon as possible, noting that the final text of the proposal will be adjusted to incorporate feedback from sitting legislators before it is finalized. Once approved, the legislation will go into effect immediately on the day it is published in the Hong Kong government gazette.
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As Ukraine fights off Russia’s invasion, some regions see a rise in premature births
In the frontline-adjacent Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, Marharyta Nekhoroshyva knows all too well the dual terror of raising a child in a war zone. When her son Mark was born at just 26 weeks gestation, weighing a mere 940 grams, Nekhoroshyva — a self-described non-believer — found herself praying desperately for his survival. Now nine months old, Mark is active, but he lives with chronic respiratory conditions that require frequent hospitalizations. What makes her struggle even heavier is that she bears it alone: her husband is on the front lines fighting Russian forces, and Russian missile and glide bomb strikes are a constant threat that has left local hospitals boarding up windows to mitigate blast damage.
Mark’s story is far from unique. Three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, official United Nations data and independent scientific research have confirmed a stark, alarming trend: while the total number of births across Ukraine has fallen sharply due to mass displacement, wartime emigration and economic uncertainty, the share of babies born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) has jumped dramatically, almost doubling in some of the regions closest to active combat.
Data compiled by the U.N. tracks the sharp escalation across hard-hit regions: in southern Ukraine’s Kherson, where frontline combat and regular strikes on civilian infrastructure have devastated communities, the preterm birth rate climbed from 5.4% in pre-war 2019 to 9.8% in 2025. In neighboring Zaporizhzhia, another frontline southern region, the rate rose from 5.7% to 7.6% over the same period. Even in Poltava, a northeastern region further from active ground combat but regularly targeted by Russian airstrikes, the rate grew from 7.7% to 9.8% between 2019 and 2025.
Medical experts explain that while multiple factors contribute to preterm birth, the unrelenting psychological and physical stress of living through a full-scale invasion is a key driver of this upward trend. Dr. Andrew Weeks, a professor of international maternal healthcare at the University of Liverpool, notes that existing research has long linked prolonged psychological strain to elevated preterm birth risk, particularly because stress can increase vulnerability to infections — a well-documented trigger for premature labor. Access to timely, appropriate diagnosis and treatment for these infections is often severely limited in war zones, further pushing up risk. Beyond premature births, the U.N. Population Fund has also recorded increases in emergency cesarean sections and other life-threatening pregnancy complications across Ukraine. Isaac Hurskin, a spokesperson for the fund, says the data makes the connection clear: acute wartime stress directly correlates to poor pregnancy outcomes.
This public health crisis risks deepening Ukraine’s already severe demographic crisis. Hurskin notes that Ukraine’s national fertility rate has plummeted to roughly one child per woman, one of the lowest rates in the world and far below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to sustain a stable population.
Providing life-sustaining care to these fragile preterm infants is an extraordinary challenge amid constant conflict. At Zaporizhzhia’s maternity hospital neonatal intensive care unit, a 30-week gestational newborn weighing just 700 grams — well below the World Health Organization’s 2,500 gram threshold for low birth weight — lies in a temperature-controlled incubator, sustained by IV nutrients, medication and a mechanical ventilator. A blanket is draped over the incubator to protect the baby’s developing eyes from harsh ward lighting. Dr. Andrii Lobanov, head of neonatology at Zaporizhzhia’s children’s hospital, explains that even minor missteps in care, such as improper oxygen level management, can cause permanent damage like blindness. Many preterm infants require lifelong care for respiratory, neurological, developmental or immune system conditions, placing a massive financial strain on Ukraine’s war-budgeted healthcare system.
“It is very expensive and of course a country in a war situation has to decide what it’s going to spend on, so hospital services invariably get hit. Both literally and metaphorically,” Weeks said.
Air raid sirens are now a constant background presence in neonatal intensive care units across frontline regions. When alerts sound, doctors do not evacuate the most fragile infants to underground shelters: moving the incubator-bound newborns would be far more dangerous than remaining in place, and sirens sound too frequently to halt care every time. Dr. Nataliia Bohuslavska, head of the neonatal unit at Zaporizhzhia’s maternity hospital, who has worked at the facility for 26 years and was born there herself, recalls a recent typical day: it began with incoming missile alerts, and by afternoon a Russian glide bomb had struck a local commercial district, killing 12 civilians. Through it all, care continued: doctors performed two cesarean sections, delivered a full-term infant, and treated a 42-year-old woman who suffered a miscarriage after witnessing the airstrike. The next day, a black mourning flag hung at the hospital entrance.
Bohuslavska knows every mother on her ward personally, aware of their fears and their unique struggles. Many, like Nekhoroshyva, are going through the experience alone while their partners fight on the front lines. For some, the trauma goes even deeper: when a mother calls to report her husband has been killed in combat, Bohuslavska’s only promise is that the hospital team will stand by her. “We have to support her constantly, so that even in the midst of this terrible loss, she can find the strength to give new life a chance and save her baby,” she said.
Not all stories end in despair, however. For Mariia Skladan, who was told her rare liver disease made conception almost impossible, the birth of her daughter Elina at 26 weeks in January was already a miracle. After five months of intensive care, Elina grew to a healthy 3.5 kilograms, and doctors cleared her for discharge. When Skladan walked out of the hospital with her daughter, her family waited outside with flowers, and Skladan wept tears of joy. “If there’s a war, what does it mean? Not to live?” she said. “You want to keep going.” But even this small victory was fragile: just one day after going home, Elina was readmitted to intensive care after contracting a viral infection, a reminder that the fight for these preterm infants is never over.
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Iran fires missiles at Israel in retaliation for continued attacks on Lebanon
In a sharp escalation of Middle East tensions that has upended months of tentative ceasefire efforts, Iran launched a barrage of missiles toward northern Israel on Sunday, carrying out a long-threatened retaliation for Israel’s expanding military campaign in Lebanon. The attack marks the first direct Iranian strike on Israeli territory since a fragile truce was reached in April, and it has pushed the region closer to a full-scale regional conflict that risks drawing in major global powers.
Prior to launching the strikes, Iranian leaders issued a clear ultimatum: Israel must immediately halt its air assaults across Lebanon, particularly intensified targeting of Beirut’s southern Dahieh suburb, or face severe consequences. Following the missile launch, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) explicitly tied the operation to Israel’s recent escalation in Lebanon, confirming that the attack was a direct response to Israeli strikes that had crossed what Iran called “all red lines.”
“We had previously warned that if the crimes in the Dahieh area of Beirut expand, we will attack targets in the occupied territories,” the IRGC’s top joint military command stated in an official announcement after the strikes.
Israeli military officials confirmed that they detected the incoming missile launches immediately and activated their layered air defense networks to intercept the projectiles. Despite interception efforts, the incident has dramatically raised stakes, with an unnamed Israeli official warning that any direct Iranian attack on Israeli soil would trigger an immediate military retaliation, and could even open a window for Israel to restart its full cross-regional military campaign.
General Ali Abollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, doubled down on Iran’s warnings Sunday, as Israeli air defense crews worked to neutralize the incoming missile salvos. “The Israeli army must stop its attacks on southern Lebanon and the suburbs, and if it expands its attacks to that region or responds to Iran’s action, it will face more devastating and regrettable blows,” Abollahi said.
The escalation has already derailed ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire deal, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said that Sunday’s Israeli strike on Beirut had ruined momentum that had been building toward a final agreement, which he said was expected to be finalized as early as this week.
“I had expected an agreement could be signed “on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and now this takes place,” Trump said. He added that he was “not happy” about the Beirut strike that prompted Iran’s retaliation, and confirmed that the Israeli operation had not been coordinated with the U.S. government.
Trump also noted that Iran’s missile launch would only further hinder diplomatic progress, saying “it is certainly not going to help negotiations.” Amid the escalating crisis, the U.S. president confirmed that American military forces positioned across the Middle East have been placed on high alert.
The current tensions grow out of a broader conflict that began in February, when Trump launched U.S. air strikes alongside Israel against Iran. Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have remained deadlocked in recent weeks, even as the Trump administration has pushed for a quick final deal. Just days before the latest escalation, in an interview recorded Friday and broadcast Sunday during Trump’s visit to his New Jersey golf course, he repeated his aggressive threat to resume large-scale bombing if Iran did not accept a deal swiftly.
“We’re very close to a deal, or I’m going to blow the hell out of them,” Trump told NBC News.
The rapid sequence of escalations — from Israel’s expanded strikes in Beirut to Iran’s direct missile attack on Israel — has once again stoked widespread fears that the localized conflict could spiral into a full-scale regional war that draws in multiple neighboring countries and major powers beyond the immediate combatants.
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Australia urges de-escalation after Israel, Iran exchange fire days after ceasefire takes effect
A fragile, recently brokered ceasefire in the Middle East has collapsed into a dangerous new cycle of cross-border violence, drawing sharp international response as Australia pushes all parties to return to dialogue and avoid full-scale regional war. The latest escalation traces back to an Israeli airstrike carried out Sunday, local time, on the Dahieh neighborhood of southern Beirut, Lebanon. The attack killed two civilians and injured at least 20 more, multiple sources confirmed, with children among those harmed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the Beirut strike as a retaliatory action against Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned militant group that has been engaged in cross-border skirmishes with Israel for months. He said the attack was a direct response to recent rocket fire launched from Hezbollah positions into Israeli territory.
Within hours of the Lebanese strike, Iran launched three sequential waves of missile attacks targeting northern Israel. The Israeli military reported that all incoming Iranian projectiles were successfully intercepted by its air defense systems, with no fatalities recorded from the assault. That exchange, however, quickly expanded further: by early Monday local time, multiple explosions were reported across major Iranian population centers, including the capital Tehran, as well as the key economic hubs of Isfahan and Tabriz. The Israeli military later issued an official statement confirming it had targeted “military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime” in central and western regions of the country. Separately, Al Jazeera Arabic also reported fresh explosions audible across multiple locations in Lebanon, deepening fears of a widening conflict that has already displaced a fifth of Lebanon’s entire population since fighting escalated in February.
The ongoing crisis has already had devastating humanitarian consequences for Lebanon. Since Hezbollah launched rocket attacks into northern Israel in early March – days after a joint US-Israeli strike on Iran opened the current phase of conflict – the small Mediterranean nation has been dragged fully into the regional war. Independent United Nations human rights experts have raised alarming allegations that Israel’s widespread evacuation orders, paired with the systematic destruction of residential housing that displaced residents would otherwise return to, may amount to ethnic cleansing of Shiite communities in southern Lebanon.
In response to the rapidly deteriorating situation, top Australian officials have issued clear calls for an immediate end to hostilities. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy described the sudden escalation just days after a US-brokered ceasefire was agreed to as “incredibly unhelpful” in comments to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday. He reiterated Australia’s longstanding position that all parties must step back from confrontation to protect both regional stability and the global economy.
“ We want the ceasefire to hold and a long term peace to be negotiated and agreed to so that the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened and resources can flow to and from that region,” Conroy said. “That’s critical to the global economy. And, all parties need to take a breath, de-escalate and find a solution to what’s occurring there.” Conroy acknowledged that the existing ceasefire remains extremely fragile, but emphasized that a negotiated end to conflict is in the interest of the entire global community. “It’s in the interest of the entire globe and the sooner this conflict gets resolved the better,” he added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed Conroy’s call for de-escalation, but stood firm on his earlier decision to back US and Israeli actions when the current conflict broke out in February. “Iran can’t be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. That was the position that we took. That’s the right position,” Albanese said. “We’ve called for a de-escalation. We’ve called for a clear exit plan out of this and we’ve done that consistently for a long period of time. This needs to conclude.”
Internationally, the US has also pushed for restraint: Reuters reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official, that US President Donald Trump spoke with Netanyahu to urge caution in responding to Iran’s initial retaliatory strike. Despite that diplomatic pressure, the latest wave of attacks has already pushed the region closer to full-scale conflict than it has been in weeks, leaving global leaders scrambling to prevent a wider war that would carry catastrophic humanitarian and economic consequences.
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‘Fine to play’: Jason Ryles provides positive Mitch Moses update as Laurie Daley names his squad for Origin II
As State of Origin II draws near at Melbourne’s MCG next week, uncertainty hangs over the New South Wales Blues’ starting lineup after coach Laurie Daley opted to release his 22-man squad in alphabetical order this Monday, leaving fans and analysts guessing over key positional selections. The biggest question mark surrounds star playmaker Mitchell Moses, who is in line to make his return to the Origin stage after a late hamstring injury forced him out of the series opener just 24 hours before kickoff in Sydney.
Moses’ last-minute withdrawal came after a training incident 48 hours before game one, where the Blues pulled off one of the most memorable comebacks in Origin history: overturning a 20-point deficit to steal a win against the Queensland Maroons after Maroons fullback Kalyn Ponga was sent off early in the second half. Stepping into Moses’ spot on debut, 20-year-old Ethan Strange delivered a breakout performance, crossing for a try and making several game-changing plays to anchor the Blues’ stunning comeback, and he retains his spot in Daley’s squad for game two.
While the alphabetical team announcement leaves it unconfirmed whether Moses will start in the halves alongside game one man of the match Nathan Cleary – which would mark just the second time the pair have partnered at Origin level – positive updates have emerged from Moses’ NRL club Parramatta. Parramatta head coach Jason Ryles confirmed the playmaker sat out the Eels’ tense loss to Canterbury Bulldogs on Monday to manage his recovery, but insists he is on track to take the field next week.
“Our medical team have advised that if he is selected and completes all his hamstring rehabilitation protocols, he will be fully fit to play,” Ryles told reporters. “He didn’t play today, but if we had a match this weekend, I’m confident he’d be out there with us. And when you get the chance to represent your state at Origin, you never turn that down.”
Daley has made three other key changes to the squad following the game one win. Star front-rower Payne Haas returns straight to the lineup after missing the opener through his own injury, pushing Knights prop Jacob Saifiti out of the matchday squad – Saifiti did not get any game time in Sydney. A broken arm to incumbent hooker Blayke Brailey has opened the door for Wests Tigers rake Api Koroisau to earn his first Origin selection since 2023, edging out New Zealand Warriors hooker Wayde Egan for the reserve spot. Dolphins young gun halfback Isaiya Katoa has also been called into the squad as a backup halves option, providing Daley with a contingency plan if Moses suffers a late setback in his recovery.
The full 22-man NSW Blues squad for Origin II, released via the team’s official social media channels on June 8, 2026, is: Mitchell Barnett, Nathan Cleary, Stephen Crichton, Addin Fonua-Blake, Payne Haas, Isaiya Katoa, Api Koroisau, Tolu Koula, Dylan Lucas, Casey McLean, Mitchell Moses, Cameron Murray, Haumole Olakau’atu, Victor Radley, Reece Robson, Kotoni Staggs, Ethan Strange, James Tedesco, Brian To’o, Isaah Yeo, Hudson Young.
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Ten dead after migrant boat capsizes near Malta, Italian coastguard says
A deadly maritime disaster has unfolded off the coast of Malta, where an overloaded vessel carrying migrants capsized, leaving at least 10 people dead and dozens more rescued, according to statements from Italy’s coast guard. The ill-fated boat, which departed from Libya’s northern coastline, was carrying approximately 60 migrants when it overturned in the Central Mediterranean, one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes.
After the vessel capsized left multiple people struggling in open water, Maltese authorities formally requested assistance from Italian search and rescue teams to respond to the emergency. An Italian coastal patrol craft was immediately deployed to the incident site, where it joined a nearby fishing vessel that had arrived first on the scene. By the time initial rescue efforts wrapped up, the fishing boat had pulled around 48 surviving migrants from the water, authorities confirmed.
As of Sunday afternoon, search operations were still active across the area, with rescue teams working to locate any additional passengers who may still be missing amid rough open waters.
This latest tragedy underscores the persistent human cost of irregular migration across the Central Mediterranean. Data from the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows that at least 827 people have already lost their lives attempting this dangerous crossing in 2023 alone. Last year, the total death toll for the route, which stretches from North African departure points to destinations in Italy and Malta, surpassed 1,330, cementing its status as one of the deadliest migration corridors on Earth.
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Stabbing wounds six at New York’s Penn Station
On a Sunday when the New York metropolitan area was finalizing security preparations for two of the world’s biggest upcoming sporting events, a stabbing attack at the city’s iconic Penn Station left six people injured, sending shockwaves through the region just days before thousands of visitors are set to arrive for the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup. According to city Mayor Zohran Mamdani, initial official reports had put the number of victims at five, but updated on-site investigation confirmed six people sustained stab wounds in the attack, and the alleged perpetrator has been taken into police custody. The New York Fire Department confirmed that all victims were rushed to nearby medical facilities, with one person suffering life-threatening injuries. All casualties are expected to recover from their wounds, city officials later confirmed. While the full context and motive behind the attack remain under investigation in the immediate aftermath, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine noted on social media platform X that early accounts from law enforcement identify the suspect as a homeless individual experiencing an emotional crisis. Photographers who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident reported clear signs of the emergency: blood stains, discarded medical gauze and used gloves scattered across the platform near tracks 5 and 6, where law enforcement quickly established a cordon to preserve evidence and secure the area. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul issued a formal statement condemning the incident, calling it an “act of horrific violence.” She reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to public safety, saying “New Yorkers deserve to feel safe wherever they go, and we will never stop working to make that a reality.” The timing of the attack has drawn particular attention, as it unfolded at one of the busiest transit hubs in the United States, just days before the city hosts two high-profile global sporting events that are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators from across the country and around the world. Madison Square Garden, the iconic indoor arena located directly above Penn Station in Lower Manhattan, is scheduled to host Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals on Monday and Wednesday, featuring the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. Just across the Hudson River in New Jersey, MetLife Stadium will welcome its first FIFA World Cup match this coming Saturday. Notably, former President and current U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed he will attend Monday’s NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden, after accepting an invitation from Knicks owner James Dolan. New York City officials had already implemented heightened security protocols across the city in advance of the two events, and the emergency notification system issued an advisory shortly after the stabbing urging the public to avoid the Penn Station area, warning of expected traffic delays, road closures, mass transit disruptions and a heavy emergency response presence in the neighborhood. In a separate development tied to the lead-up to the NBA Finals, city officials announced the cancellation of a planned outdoor watch party for Monday’s game outside Madison Square Garden, a decision that came before the Penn Station stabbing. The cancellation followed a chaotic watch party held on Friday for Game 2, which drew thousands of fans to the streets outside the arena. Authorities reported that the event turned rowdy, resulting in an assault on a police officer and 26 arrests of unruly attendees.
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Mechelle Turvey, mum of murdered schoolboy Cassius Turvey, awarded OAM in 2026 King’s Birthday Honours
In a moving recognition of extraordinary resilience and community leadership, Mechelle Turvey — the mother of 15-year-old Cassius Turvey, a Perth schoolboy murdered in a random, unprovoked attack in 2022 — has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) as part of the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours. The honour celebrates her dedicated service to Western Australia’s Indigenous communities, where she has transformed personal grief into systemic change for victims of crime.
The tragedy that reshaped Turvey’s life unfolded on an ordinary school afternoon, when Cassius and his friends were walking through Perth’s eastern suburbs. Unconnected to any prior conflict, the group was targeted, chased down and assaulted by a gang of older men. Cassius sustained life-threatening head injuries in the attack, and succumbed to his wounds 10 days later. After a high-profile investigation and trial, two men — 25-year-old Jack Brearley and 31-year-old Brodie Palmer — were convicted of his murder, bringing a close to the legal proceedings but opening a new chapter of advocacy for Turvey.
In the immediate aftermath of Cassius’s death, as vigils drawing thousands of attendees were held across Australia to honour the teen and protest racial violence, Turvey made a deliberate public call for calm, a choice that earned widespread respect for her steady leadership amid national outrage. Just months after losing her son, she accepted an advisory role with the Western Australia Police Force, tasked with helping frontline officers better understand the unique needs of Indigenous crime victims. She has since risen to the role of Aboriginal Affairs Assistant Director within the force, and founded the innovative Take 5 program, which trains officers to prioritize intentional engagement, active listening, and empathetic support for victims and their grieving families.
In an official statement celebrating Turvey’s OAM award, a Western Australia Police spokesperson highlighted her transformative impact on policing and community relations. “Her work has supported Aboriginal families through trauma, strengthened culturally safe practice, and promoted trust through listening and respectful engagement across the community,” the spokesperson said. “Her sustained contribution to safer and more inclusive practice, and her service to the Indigenous communities of Western Australia, make her highly deserving of recognition through the Order of Australia Medal.”
This latest national honour adds to a growing list of recognitions for Turvey’s community work. In 2024, she was named Western Australian of the Year and City of Swan Citizen of the Year, and in 2023 she received the title of Midland NAIDOC’s Female Elder of the Year. As of this report, Turvey has not released a public comment on her OAM appointment.
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SA consumer watchdog names and shames dodgy tradies
A sweeping new compliance crackdown on unethical and unlicensed building work across South Australia has seen the state’s consumer regulator publicly name and penalize eight tradespeople and businesses, with total fines issued this year exceeding $200,000. South Australia’s Consumer and Business Services (CBS) launched a specialized, dedicated enforcement team earlier this year to target bad actors in the building industry, a sector that has long drawn complaints from homeowners over shoddy work, unfinished projects and unlicensed operation. As part of the crackdown, the regulator has published a public list of all businesses and individuals hit with enforcement penalties to warn consumers and deter future rogue practices. The highest-profile individual on the new list is 38-year-old home renovator Jase Henry, who operates under the business name SOS Home Renovations from Klemzig. Just last week, CBS issued a public warning about Henry after receiving 13 separate consumer complaints about the quality of his work. He has now been hit with $25,000 in expiation penalties for five counts of advertising and working as a licensed building contractor without holding the appropriate license. When approached by local outlet *The Advertiser*, Henry’s legal representatives declined to comment on the penalties, and CBS confirmed that investigations into additional potential violations by Henry remain ongoing. Other penalties handed down in the crackdown include a $75,000 fine against 49-year-old Khorshed Alam of Seacliff Park. Alam was penalized for three counts of operating without a license and three additional counts of completing building work without required builders indemnity insurance, after he claimed to be an owner-builder for three separate properties across Salisbury and Elizabeth East. Other small business operators received penalties ranging from $5,000 to $10,000: Anu Anand, 44 of Findon, trading as The Décor Planet SA, was fined $5,000 for unlicensed operation; Ras Pro Pty Ltd, led by director Hassan Ayoub, 25 of Hope Valley, received a $5,000 penalty for advertising building work without a license; Mohammed Konneh, 29 of Parafield Gardens who trades as MFK Roofing, was also fined $5,000 for unlicensed advertising following consumer complaints about incomplete and low-quality work; Michael Wheeler, 38 of Port Noarlunga, trading as Maintena Property Maintenance, received a $5,000 penalty for unlicensed operation; 24-year-old Brady Lachlan Moldenhauer of Gawler South was hit with $10,000 in penalties for failing to attend two mandatory consumer conciliation conferences; and Toby Brett Maple-Harradine, 31 of Aldinga Beach, received a $5,000 penalty for skipping a required conciliation conference. CBS emphasized that Moldenhauer and Maple-Harradine have not been accused of unlicensed operation. Speaking to the purpose of the public naming and crackdown, South Australia’s Consumer and Business Affairs Minister Michael Brown noted that for most local residents, a home construction or renovation project represents the largest single investment they will ever make. “Most tradies do the right thing by their customers and follow licensing rules, but we accept no excuses for unlicensed work, missing indemnity insurance or leaving homeowners stranded with half-finished projects,” Brown said. “We refuse to tolerate this behavior, and our dedicated compliance team is actively cracking down on these rogue operators.” Of the eight named individuals, only Konneh responded to requests for comment, telling *The Advertiser* he had recently relocated to South Australia from Brisbane and completed up to six jobs worth between $25,000 and $30,000 total before being asked to take down his advertising website. He added that he planned to reach out to CBS to resolve the issue. All other named parties did not respond to media inquiries.