分类： society

A disturbing violent incident unfolded in Melbourne’s southeastern suburb of Clyde North early Thursday morning, leaving a local truck driver with significant injuries. At approximately 5:30 a.m., a 42-year-old man was preparing to depart for work from his Brumich Way residence when two unidentified assailants launched a surprise attack.

Closed-circuit television footage obtained by authorities depicts the harrowing sequence of events. The visual evidence allegedly shows one individual striking the victim in the head with sufficient force to propel him backward onto the roadway. A second assailant then joined the assault, with both men proceeding to punch and kick the defenseless victim while he lay incapacitated on the ground.

Despite sustaining a fractured skull and broken nose in the brutal beating, the victim demonstrated remarkable resilience by managing to return to his household where family members remained asleep during the altercation. His sister, Suman, provided a chilling account to Nine News, describing extensive blood distribution throughout the home and on the victim’s face. She characterized the assault as potentially lethal in intent, stating the attackers appeared determined to ensure his demise through targeted head trauma.

Victoria Police representatives confirmed the victim received hospital treatment for injuries classified as non-life threatening. Law enforcement officials conducted comprehensive area searches but failed to locate the perpetrators. Although the precise motivations remain undetermined, authorities have explicitly stated they are not treating this as a random act of violence. The criminal investigation continues with police urging residents possessing relevant information or additional surveillance footage to contact Crime Stoppers immediately.

Thailand’s infrastructure sector faces a severe crisis following two catastrophic crane failures within 48 hours, both linked to the nation’s prominent construction firm Italian-Thai Development. The tragic sequence began Wednesday when a massive launching gantry crane collapsed onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, resulting in 32 fatalities and 64 injuries in one of Thailand’s deadliest rail accidents in recent history.

The tragedy deepened Thursday morning when another crane operated by the same company collapsed at the Rama II Expressway construction site near Bangkok, claiming two additional lives. Verified dashcam footage obtained by AFP captured the terrifying moment when the massive structure plummeted, generating massive dust clouds and sending debris across the busy highway as vehicles scrambled to avoid falling wreckage.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed Italian-Thai’s involvement in both incidents, expressing bewilderment at the consecutive failures. ‘We have to find out the facts, whether it was an accident or something else,’ the minister told local media. The company, one of Thailand’s largest construction contractors, has faced multiple deadly accidents at its sites in recent years.

The Rama II Expressway project, designed to connect Bangkok with southern regions, has earned the grim nickname ‘Death Road’ due to its history of fatal incidents. Prior to this week’s tragedies, the corridor witnessed a concrete beam collapse in March that killed several workers, a November 2024 crane accident that claimed three lives, and two additional fatal incidents in 2023 and early 2024.

At the Nakhon Ratchasima site, where the crane remains suspended from concrete pillars intended for the Thailand-China high-speed rail project, construction workers gathered Thursday to document the wreckage while relatives of victims conducted silent prayers. The Chinese-backed rail initiative represents a significant joint venture between the two nations.

Italian-Thai has issued formal condolences and committed to compensating victims’ families while covering all medical expenses. Thailand’s rail operator has ordered an immediate construction halt pending comprehensive investigation. Minister Phiphat has vowed accountability for all parties involved, including both Italian-Thai and their Chinese consultancy partners.

A Melbourne court has been informed that Benjamin Joseph Swann, currently serving a 13-year sentence for child homicide, will admit guilt in a separate case of recklessly causing injury to another individual. The 31-year-old former carpenter appeared before Magistrate Kieran Gilligan where prosecutors confirmed the resolution of this additional case.

The assault incident occurred on January 6, 2024, in Manor Lakes—merely 13 days before Swann fatally injured 115-day-old Elijah, his former girlfriend’s newborn son. During Thursday’s proceedings, the prosecution withdrew four charges, leaving a single count of recklessly causing injury to which Swann will formally plead guilty during a May hearing.

Swann received his current sentence in November after admitting to the January 20 homicide of premature infant Elijah, who had spent most of his brief life hospitalized. Justice James Gorton described how Swann, attempting to establish himself as a ‘father figure,’ was caring for the child when he inflicted fatal blunt force trauma to the infant’s head in a moment of frustration.

The court previously heard that Swann responded to the child’s distress by violently assaulting him, then attempted to shift blame onto the infant’s mother while showing no remorse. Justice Gorton characterized the killing as ‘a serious instance of this serious offence’ given Elijah’s vulnerable state.

Swann will remain eligible for parole after serving nine years and six months of his current sentence. The separate case will proceed to plea hearing on May 7, where sentencing will be determined for the earlier assault incident.

A violent altercation between two groups of men escalated into a daylight stabbing in South Melbourne on Thursday, leaving two individuals with serious injuries and sparking a police manhunt for three fleeing suspects. The incident occurred shortly before 11:30 AM local time at the intersection of Clarendon and Bank Streets, transforming a public thoroughfare into an active crime scene.

Victoria Police confirmed that responding officers discovered two victims suffering from wounds consistent with a stabbing. Emergency medical services promptly transported both men to a nearby hospital, where they are being treated for their serious, yet non-life-threatening, injuries. Preliminary investigations indicate that all parties involved were acquainted with one another, suggesting the conflict was not a random act of violence.

Authorities have established a perimeter as forensic specialists and detectives work to piece together the sequence of events that led to the brawl and subsequent stabbing. The investigation is ongoing, with law enforcement actively appealing to the public for assistance. They are urging any witnesses, or individuals who may have captured dashcam or mobile phone footage of the incident, to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers anonymously to aid in identifying and locating the three men who fled prior to the arrival of police.

In a dramatic reversal, the Adelaide Festival Corporation has reinstated its invitation to Palestinian-Australian author Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah for the 2027 Writers’ Week event, following intense criticism over her controversial exclusion. The organization issued formal apologies to both Dr. Abdel-Fattah and former festival director Louise Adler, retracting its previous statement that cited “cultural sensitivity” concerns regarding the writer’s comments about Israel and the October 2023 attack.

The initial decision to remove Dr. Abdel-Fattah from this year’s literary festival triggered mass withdrawals from dozens of participating authors and culminated in the resignations of multiple board members along with Director Louise Adler. The escalating controversy ultimately forced the complete cancellation of the planned 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week.

Festival representatives acknowledged their failure to uphold intellectual and artistic freedoms, stating: “Intellectual and artistic freedom is a powerful human right. Our goal is to uphold it, and in this instance Adelaide Festival Corporation fell well short.” The corporation offered an unreserved apology for the harm caused to Dr. Abdel-Fattah.

The acclaimed author accepted the apology as validation of collective efforts against what she described as “anti-Palestinian racism, bullying and censorship.” While indicating she would consider the 2027 invitation, Dr. Abdel-Fattah notably expressed that she would participate “in a heartbeat” if former director Louise Adler were to return.

The festival’s statement also praised Adler’s princistand resignation and her outstanding contributions to Australian literature, acknowledging her as “a revered figure” held in the highest regard by staff and literary communities alike.