A botched attempted carjacking targeting a father waiting to pick up his daughter from school in one of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs has been laid out in detail at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, with investigators revealing how the two accused offenders spent hours hiding in suburban shrubbery before their eventual arrest. The court proceedings on Wednesday centered on 40-year-old Boris Ristic’s bail application, one of the two men charged over the February 24 incident. According to Detective Acting Sergeant Terry Harvey, the victim had parked his luxury Mercedes-Benz on Wellington Street in Kew just after 4:30 p.m. when a white Mitsubishi Triton pulled up alongside his vehicle. Two men exited the truck, which then drove off from the scene, and brandished a knife to threaten the victim into surrendering his car keys, Harvey told the court. Prosecutors allege Ristic was the man who tried to drive off with the stolen Mercedes, but he was unable to shift the vehicle into gear. For roughly one minute, witnesses and the victim reported hearing the car engine rev repeatedly before the two frustrated suspects gave up and ran away down Wellington Street. Initial searches by police failed to locate the pair, but a breakthrough came just before 9 p.m. when a local resident on nearby Scott Street contacted emergency services. After checking her home security system, the resident spotted two unidentified figures entering the front yard of the property across from her home and hiding in dense front-yard bushes. The two men did not leave their hiding spot until approximately 8:50 p.m., the court was told. Police immediately cordoned off the neighborhood and quickly arrested 33-year-old Maker Jal in the backyard of a Scott Street property. Investigators say they found the victim’s Mercedes-Benz key in Jal’s possession, alongside a small quantity of methamphetamine. Ristic was captured only after a short manhunt, during which he allegedly jumped over multiple residential fences and hid on rooftop areas before being detained by the Critical Incident Response Team. Near Ristic’s arrest location, officers discovered a black Tommy Hilfiger holding $1665 in cash, three Valium tablets, a small bottle of Fireball cinnamon whiskey, and a replica firearm, Harvey confirmed. Lucien Richter, Ristic’s defense lawyer, has challenged the prosecution’s case, pointing out key inconsistencies in witness testimony. The victim described both suspects as Black men, while Ristic is Caucasian, Richter noted. He also argued that no evidence directly linking his client to the attempted carjacking was found on him at the time of arrest, adding that the CCTV footage of the incident is heavily obscured, making positive identification unreliable. Ristic, a professional painter with no prior criminal record, has the full support of his family, with his mother offering to put up a $20,000 surety to secure his bail. Richter told the court his client already has confirmed work waiting for him and is rooted in a stable, responsible family environment that would ensure he complies with any bail conditions. Magistrate Phillip Goldberg adjourned the bail application part-heard, with the next court hearing scheduled for April 15. Jal faces three charges: carjacking, theft, and possession of a controlled drug, and he is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Thursday.
分类： society
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Steam-cleaner with non-compliant power adaptor recalled over risk of death
Australia’s consumer safety watchdog has issued an urgent public recall and warning for a widely sold portable steam cleaner linked to severe, potentially fatal hazards including electric shock, burns and fire. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Product Safety Department announced the recall after testing confirmed the bright yellow “portable electric high pressure” steam cleaner sold by online retailer Ozstock fails to meet the country’s mandatory national electrical safety standards.
The dangerous non-compliance centers on the device’s power adapter, a core component that allows the unit to draw household electricity. Manufactured in China, the recalled steam cleaners were distributed and sold to customers across all Australian states and territories via the Ozstock online platform between September 28, 2023, and March 19 of this year. ACCC documents note the product had been listed for sale on the platform for multiple years before safety concerns prompted the recall order, leading to widespread distribution among Australian households.
In addition to electrical risks, the ACCC warns the faulty device poses direct threats of death, serious injury, and property damage from uncontrolled fire or accidental burns. The regulator has issued clear guidance for all consumers who may have purchased the product: stop using the device immediately, and store it in a secure location completely out of reach of children to prevent accidental exposure to hazards.
Digitel International, the official Australian supplier of the recalled steam cleaners, has committed to providing a full refund to all customers who properly and safely dispose of their faulty units. Consumers who own the product are encouraged to reach out directly to Digitel International to arrange for their refund and confirm safe disposal protocols. The ACCC is also urging consumers who bought portable steam cleaners from Ozstock in the specified time frame to check their product against the recall description to confirm if they own the hazardous unit.
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Billion-plus people, three million officials, 33 questions – India begins huge census
On Wednesday, India officially kicked off the largest population enumeration exercise in global history, marking the first full national population count the country has conducted in over 15 years. What began as a routine decennial survey scheduled for 2021 was delayed first by the COVID-19 pandemic, and later pushed back further by administrative and electoral logistics — the first time India has missed its decennial census schedule in modern history.
When complete, this 12-month, two-phase initiative will have counted every single one of India’s more than 1.4 billion residents, carried out by a team of more than 3 million trained enumerators across 36 states and union territories, covering more than 640,000 villages, 9,700 towns and 7,000 sub-districts. Most field workers are drawn from existing public sector ranks, including schoolteachers, local government officials and state administrative staff.
Today, India holds the title of the world’s most populous country, having overtaken China in total population in 2023 according to United Nations Population Fund estimates. Even with gradually falling national fertility rates, the country retains its status as one of the world’s youngest major nations, with a median population age of just 28 and nearly 70 percent of its population falling within the working-age bracket.
This 16th national census, the eighth conducted since India gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947, marks a major milestone in the evolution of the country’s data collection efforts. For the first time ever, the entire operation will leverage digital infrastructure: enumerators will use custom mobile applications to collect and submit data in real time, and authorities have introduced a new self-enumeration option that allows residents to submit their own details via a multilingual online portal that generates a unique verification ID for census workers to confirm.
The rollout will proceed in staggered phases. An initial pilot launch across selected regions including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Mizoram and Odisha will open with self-enumeration running from April 1 to April 15, followed by the first national phase of data collection: the House Listing and Housing Census, to be completed between April 16 and May 15 in these pilot areas. This first phase of the national operation gathers 33 core points of data covering housing type, access to basic amenities, household assets and household structure, covering questions ranging from roofing material to primary cereal consumption to internet access and the number of married couples residing in a single home. The second phase, full population enumeration scheduled for February 2027, will collect granular demographic data on education, migration history, fertility rates, and for the first time in decades, will include full caste enumeration — a long-debated and politically sensitive topic in Indian public life.
The scope and structure of India’s census has evolved steadily since its colonial origins, reflecting shifting administrative and policy priorities across the decades. The first attempted nationwide census in 1872 included just 17 questions, focused almost entirely on recording basic household structure and core identity markers such as age, religion, caste and occupation. The first fully synchronized nationwide census followed in 1881, establishing a core template of identity markers, social classifications, and basic questions around literacy and disability. Over the early 20th century, questions on occupation, language and literacy were refined to capture more nuanced details, including secondary employment and economic dependency. By 1941, the survey had expanded to 22 questions, shifting from purely identity tracking to capturing how Indians lived, adding new metrics for fertility, employment status, economic dependency, migration and job search that signaled a growing policy focus on economic outcomes.
After independence, the scope expanded further: the 1951 and 1961 censuses added questions on nationality, displacement from the 1947 Partition, land ownership and expanded employment categories. From the 1970s onward, the census adopted an explicitly socio-economic focus, adding standard questions on migration history, duration of residence, detailed fertility patterns and granular employment classifications. The 2001 and 2011 rounds adapted to India’s rapid modernization, adding tracking for commuting patterns, distinctions between marginal and full-time work, school attendance and more detailed disability and fertility data. The 2026 round continues this evolution, updating social classifications to recognize changing relationship norms: couples in live-in relationships may now be recorded as married if they self-identify their relationship as a stable union, a quiet shift toward acknowledging evolving social realities across the country.
As the scope of data collection has expanded, so too have public and expert concerns over data use and potential misapplication. Some analysts note that prior efforts to build centralized national databases including the National Population Register, alongside intensive revisions to national electoral rolls, have stoked public anxieties that population counting could be tied to citizenship verification and exclusion.
“Although the census has nothing to do with citizenship, this can create anxiety, prompting some families to over-report or list absent migrant members during the census to avoid any perceived exclusion,” explained KS James, an Indian demographer affiliated with Princeton University.
Beyond these public concerns, experts emphasize a more fundamental policy gap that the census is set to address: for 15 years, India has crafted national policy without an updated full population baseline. In the absence of a fresh enumeration, policymakers have relied on sample surveys to track everything from consumption expenditure to labor force trends, with the national statistics ministry working to maintain broad representativeness, but gaps remain.
For Ashwini Deshpande, an economist at Ashoka University, the census does more than count people: it updates the basic geographic and social map of India itself, reclassifying areas as rural, urban or the fast-growing peri-urban category that has emerged alongside rapid economic growth. Most current geographic classification still relies on 2011 census data, even though decades of urbanization have blurred traditional boundaries that shape how policy is targeted.
“That has real consequences for India’s vast welfare and public spending system,” Deshpande noted. If program eligibility relies on outdated or inaccurate geographic and population data, the number of eligible beneficiaries can be wildly misjudged, distorting service and fund delivery. For example, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the country’s flagship rural jobs scheme, depends on accurate definitions of which areas count as rural — a classification that has shifted dramatically across 15 years of rapid development.
Without up-to-date full population data, millions of urban migrant workers, most of whom work in informal sectors and live in informal housing, remain undercounted in policy design — a gap that was starkly exposed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when millions of workers were left without access to state support.
“This census is crucial — it is the definitive snapshot of India, capturing everything from caste and religion to jobs, education and amenities, and offering the most complete picture of how the population lives,” Deshpande said.
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Pear blossoms in full bloom in one of the world’s Best Tourism Villages
Nestled in the mountainous terrain of Sichuan province, the Tibetan village of Jikayi has emerged as a springtime spectacle with its ancient pear trees bursting into full bloom. This natural phenomenon coincides with the village’s recent designation among the UN World Tourism Organization’s Best Tourism Villages, drawing increased attention to its unique cultural offerings.
Situated in Danba county at approximately 2,000 meters elevation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s southeastern fringe, Jikayi received this prestigious international acknowledgment in October. The recognition highlights the village’s successful integration of natural preservation, cultural heritage, and sustainable tourism development.
The village landscape is dominated by numerous century-old pear trees that create a breathtaking floral canopy each spring. Beyond the botanical attractions, Jikayi provides visitors with immersive experiences in Gyalrong Tibetan culture, including traditional culinary practices and preservation of intangible cultural heritage. The village maintains ancient watchtower construction techniques and distinctive coming-of-age ceremonies that offer insights into the region’s rich cultural tapestry.
Photographs circulating from the area show tourists capturing memories beneath the flowering branches, illustrating the growing appeal of this destination. The seasonal transformation has positioned Jikayi as both a natural wonder and cultural crossroads, where visitors can engage with traditions that have been maintained for generations while enjoying the visual splendor of the blooming landscape.
The UN recognition has catalyzed increased tourist interest, providing economic benefits to local communities while encouraging the preservation of both environmental and cultural assets. This balance between tourism development and heritage conservation represents a model for rural communities seeking sustainable growth strategies.
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Writer with cerebral palsy pens love letter to Yinxu culture
In a remarkable display of determination and intellectual passion, Zhao Dian, a 38-year-old writer from Anyang, Henan province, has overcome severe physical challenges to compose over one million words of literary work. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Zhao has never attended a formal classroom yet mastered reading, writing, and the complex Wubi input method—a character-based typing system that doesn’t require pinyin pronunciation.
Surrounded by stacks of books in her home, Zhao types meticulously on her mobile phone while maintaining complete bodily stillness. Her mother, 66-year-old Zhao Li, maintains an organized library within reach to support her daughter’s literary pursuits. Since publishing her first novel at age 18, Zhao has devoted countless late nights to her writing craft.
Her latest focus has turned to historical themes, particularly the rich cultural heritage of her hometown. The newly opened Yinxu Museum, which debuted in February 2024, has captured her imagination. This archaeological treasure preserves the first documented capital city from the late Shang Dynasty (approximately 16th-11th century BC), featuring oracle bone inscriptions that have dramatically expanded understanding of China’s ancient civilization.
Despite describing herself as “an ordinary person who longs for freedom but can’t take care of herself,” Zhao channels life’s obstacles into creative energy, maintaining an exceptionally positive outlook through dedication to her passion.
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China mandates funeral service pricing transparency
In a significant move to protect consumers, Chinese regulatory authorities have introduced comprehensive new rules requiring full pricing transparency throughout the nation’s funeral service industry. The joint regulation, issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, addresses long-standing concerns about opaque pricing practices and excessive charges that have burdened families during vulnerable times.
The sweeping mandate, which takes effect May 31 on a trial basis, establishes both general requirements for all funeral service providers and specific provisions tailored to different business types within the sector. Under the new framework, operators must clearly display pricing information for all funeral goods and services, implement standardized service contracts, and provide online price disclosure mechanisms.
Additionally, businesses are now required to publicly display service supervision and complaint hotlines, creating formal channels for consumers to report pricing concerns. This represents a fundamental shift in an industry where vague service descriptions, limited pricing information, and cultural reluctance to discuss funeral costs have previously created an environment ripe for exploitation.
The regulation recognizes funeral services as essential public welfare matters that affect every family. By addressing the information asymmetry that has characterized the industry, authorities aim to create a more equitable and transparent system that respects both consumer rights and the sensitive nature of end-of-life services.
This intervention marks one of the most substantial regulatory actions in China’s funeral industry in recent years, potentially transforming how services are priced and delivered across the country.
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National safety education day for middle and primary school students marked across China
Schools across China transformed into interactive safety laboratories on March 30, 2026, as the nation observed its annual National Safety Education Day for middle and primary school students. The comprehensive initiative saw educational institutions from Jiyuan city in Central China’s Henan province to districts nationwide conducting practical safety drills and awareness programs.
In visually documented scenes, young pupils actively participated in hands-on safety demonstrations, including proper fire extinguisher operation techniques. The photographic evidence from Xinhua News Agency captures the engaging learning environment where students transitioned from theoretical knowledge to practical application under professional guidance.
This nationwide observance represents China’s proactive approach to institutionalizing safety awareness within educational frameworks. By dedicating specific calendar space to safety education, authorities demonstrate commitment to building disaster preparedness from foundational levels. The program encompasses multiple safety dimensions including fire prevention, earthquake response, traffic safety, and emergency evacuation procedures.
Educational experts emphasize that early exposure to safety protocols significantly enhances children’s crisis response capabilities. The visually-driven, interactive teaching methods employed during the observance day help transform abstract safety concepts into memorable, life-preserving skills. This initiative aligns with broader national efforts to create safer learning environments while fostering a culture of preparedness among younger generations.
The synchronization of safety activities across provincial boundaries creates a unified national safety education front, ensuring standardized safety knowledge dissemination regardless of regional differences. This coordinated approach amplifies the program’s effectiveness while facilitating best practice sharing among educational institutions nationwide.
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Food waste harms environment and leaves millions hungry
On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Waste, a United Nations environmental specialist has issued a stark warning regarding the escalating global food waste crisis, revealing its devastating environmental impact while millions face severe hunger worldwide.
Clementine O’Connor, Management Officer of the UN Environment Programme’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme, disclosed in an exclusive interview that approximately 19% of food reaching consumers is ultimately wasted. This alarming figure supplements the 13% of food lost during production and distribution phases before even arriving at retail establishments.
The distribution of food waste presents a concerning pattern, with households accounting for 60% of total waste, food service establishments contributing 28%, and retail operations responsible for the remaining 12%.
The environmental ramifications are particularly severe. Food loss and waste generate between 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with decomposing food in landfills releasing substantial methane—a potent climate-changing gas. Specifically, food waste alone contributes up to 14% of worldwide methane emissions, positioning it as a critical short-term climate intervention opportunity.
Beyond atmospheric pollution, this wastage drives unnecessary consumption of land, water, and agricultural resources, intensifying pressure on fragile ecosystems and accelerating biodiversity decline. Nearly 30% of global agricultural land currently produces food that never reaches human consumption, while industrial food systems remain the primary driver of biodiversity loss through land conversion and intensive farming practices.
O’Connor emphasized that reducing food waste could significantly alleviate pressure on forests, water resources, and wildlife habitats. She identified waste reduction as a high-impact climate solution that could help nations fulfill their Paris Agreement commitments and Global Methane Pledge obligations.
The economic toll is equally staggering, with the Food and Agriculture Organization estimating annual global food loss and waste costs exceeding $1 trillion.
The humanitarian paradox is particularly troubling: while over 1 billion tons of food are wasted globally each year, approximately 673 million people experience hunger, and about 150 million children under five suffer from stunting due to chronic nutrient deficiencies.
This contradiction underscores that hunger stems not merely from food availability issues but also from problems of access, affordability, and systemic inefficiencies. Structural challenges consistently prevent food from reaching those most in need, allowing food waste and food insecurity to coexist.
In developing regions like Africa, the crisis assumes additional dimensions due to structural constraints within food systems. Inadequate storage facilities, poor transportation networks, and insufficient cold chain infrastructure frequently cause significant losses before food reaches consumers. These challenges diminish farmers’ incomes, increase price volatility, and limit nutritious food availability in local markets. Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, an alarming 30-40% of food is lost across supply chains.
O’Connor advocated for comprehensive approaches combining national strategies, public-private partnerships, behavior change initiatives, and cross-supply chain collaboration and innovation. She outlined three global priorities: encouraging consumer behavior modification, mandating business measurement and reporting of food waste, and enhancing systems for organic waste collection and management.
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Kenya relocates Nairobi Animal Orphanage to boost wildlife care
In a landmark conservation initiative, Kenyan authorities have announced comprehensive plans to relocate and modernize the iconic Nairobi Animal Orphanage, marking a significant advancement in the nation’s wildlife protection efforts. The strategic move aims to substantially enhance animal welfare standards, alleviate spatial constraints, and bolster conservation capabilities within the renowned Nairobi National Park ecosystem.
Established in 1964, this facility has served as a vital sanctuary for six decades, providing critical rescue, rehabilitation, and care services for injured, orphaned, and vulnerable wildlife. According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the institution has been instrumental in safeguarding countless animals through its extensive operational history.
The decision to transition the orphanage stems from evolving international animal welfare protocols, escalating visitor traffic, and growing demands for wildlife rescue services that have collectively surpassed the current facility’s capacity. KWS officials characterized the project as “a meticulously planned, lawful, and forward-looking initiative designed to elevate wildlife conservation, animal welfare standards, conservation education, and visitor engagement.”
The future facility will incorporate expansive, naturalistic enclosures aligned with contemporary welfare benchmarks, alongside a fully equipped veterinary treatment unit featuring surgical capabilities. The complex will also include specialized quarantine zones, nursery accommodations for rescued animals, and designated release areas to facilitate successful rewilding programs.
Enhanced visitor infrastructure will comprise improved walkways, relaxation areas, regulated parking facilities, and outdoor educational spaces for conservation programming. Ecological restoration plans for the original site will reinforce the park’s environmental integrity, while the new development is projected to generate over 500 direct employment opportunities for Kenyan citizens.
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Education Ministry launches nationwide first-aid education project for schools
China’s Ministry of Education has initiated a comprehensive three-year national project to significantly improve emergency medical response capabilities within primary and secondary educational institutions across the country. The public welfare program, announced through an official notice, represents a major advancement in student safety protocols through the strategic deployment of life-saving equipment and specialized training.
The ambitious initiative will see the installation of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools located in regions with limited emergency medical resources. Additionally, the project mandates the establishment of dedicated first-aid education studios in every district and county nationwide, with each county receiving two fully-equipped studios containing three AED training units and medical mannequins.
Implementation will follow a phased regional approach, with eleven provincial-level regions including Beijing, Hebei, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Guangdong participating in the initial 2026 rollout. Eleven additional regions will join the program in 2027, with the final ten regions completing national coverage by 2028.
The ministry has outlined specific training requirements, with each studio training four certified instructors to create a professional teaching workforce. Provincial education authorities will develop age-appropriate training curricula, ensuring primary students receive classroom-based instruction while secondary students engage in practical hands-on activities and field training exercises.
The Ministry has called for close collaboration between local education authorities, the China Teacher Development Foundation, and technology giant Tencent to ensure effective implementation. Priority will be given to establishing first-aid education studios within youth activity centers or larger school campuses to facilitate regular training sessions and maximize accessibility.