标签： Oceania

The largest Islamic religious gathering of the year reached its dramatic climax on Wednesday, as more than 1.7 million Muslim pilgrims gathered in Saudi Arabia’s Mina Valley to carry out the symbolic “stoning of the devil” — the final core ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

From the first light of dawn, throngs of faithful from across the globe moved through designated routes in the valley, located just southeast of Islam’s holiest city Mecca, to hurl small collected pebbles at large concrete pillars that stand in for Satan. This centuries-old practice reenacts a foundational moment in Islamic tradition: when the Prophet Abraham encountered Satan at three separate sites, where the devil attempted to tempt him into disobeying God’s command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Abraham’s rejection of temptation, marked by driving the devil away with stones, is remembered and recreated by pilgrims each year.

For able-bodied Muslims with the financial means to travel, completing the Hajj at least once in a lifetime is one of the five central pillars of Islam. This year’s gathering, which brings together believers from every corner of the world, has unfolded against a challenging backdrop of dual pressures: extreme seasonal heat and simmering regional conflict.

For the third consecutive year, the holiest festival in Islam has been overshadowed by geopolitical unrest across the Middle East. This year, the shadow comes from the ongoing US-Israeli standoff with Iran that has drawn in Gulf nations. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8, largely halting active hostilities, but diplomatic efforts to negotiate a permanent end to the conflict have yet to produce a conclusive breakthrough.

Compounding the security and diplomatic uncertainty, pilgrims have had to endure extreme high temperatures through the sequence of mostly outdoor rituals that make up the week-long pilgrimage. On Tuesday, one day before the stoning ritual, pilgrims climbed and prayed atop Mount Arafat — the site where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon — where mercury hit 45 degrees Celsius. Following the day of prayer, the faithful spent the night camped under open skies at Muzdalifah, a stretch of desert between Mount Arafat and Mina, where they collected the smooth pebbles they would use for the next day’s stoning.

After completing the climactic stoning ritual on Wednesday, pilgrims will make their return to Mecca to carry out a final circumambulation of the Kaaba, the sacred cuboid structure at the center of the Grand Mosque that is the qibla — the direction all Muslims face when performing daily prayers.

The final day of the Hajj coincides with Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s major religious holidays that honors Abraham’s willingness to obey God’s command. According to tradition, before Abraham carried out the sacrifice of his son, the angel Gabriel intervened, allowing Abraham to sacrifice a ram in Ishmael’s place. The holiday is traditionally marked by the ritual slaughter of sheep, with a portion of the meat distributed to low-income and needy communities around the world.

Australia’s national consumer protection regulator has enacted a permanent, nationwide ban on all unsupervised baby bottle self-feeding devices, following ongoing safety warnings that the products pose life-threatening hazards to infants.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the country’s leading consumer watchdog, announced the full ban this week, noting that the devices — which are designed to let babies feed from a bottle without constant adult holding and supervision — put young children at severe risk of choking, aspiration of liquid into the lungs, and suffocation, all of which can lead to permanent injury or death.

Under the new regulatory order, it is now illegal to manufacture, hold for sale, or supply any of these devices anywhere across Australia. Businesses that fail to comply with the ban, including manufacturers, advertisers, and retail sellers, face substantial financial and legal penalties for violating the new rule.

ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe explained that infants lack the physical capability to control the flow of milk from a fixed-position bottle, or remove the bottle from their mouth independently if they experience distress. This developmental limitation means the products present an unacceptable level of risk that cannot be mitigated, she said.

“This permanent ban makes clear that products which undermine safe infant feeding practices will not be tolerated in the Australian market,” Lowe stated in an official announcement. “Suppliers should be aware that it is now illegal to supply these products in Australia, and penalties may apply for businesses that do not comply.”

The regulator has also issued a public warning to Australian caregivers, urging anyone currently using these devices to stop immediately. The ACCC emphasized that active adult supervision is a non-negotiable requirement for safe infant bottle feeding, and no automated product can replace this critical oversight.

The ban covers the full range of products designed for unsupervised self-feeding, including devices that clamp or position a bottle directly in an infant’s mouth, wearable devices that hold a bottle for feeding, and flexible straw-connected bottle systems that allow hands-free feeding. Notably, the ban does not extend to breastfeeding support systems, sippy cups, trainer cups, or straw training cups for older children, which are not classified as unsupervised bottle self-feeding devices.

Consumer safety advocates have welcomed the ban, noting that multiple informal safety warnings about these products had circulated in parenting communities for years before the formal national regulatory action was taken.

A multi-day investigation into an alleged hit-and-run that left a 12-year-old schoolboy seriously injured has resulted in the driver of the striking vehicle being identified by New South Wales Police, with the case still moving forward as authorities continue their probe.

The incident unfolded just after 3:20 p.m. on Monday along Milperra Road in Revesby, a suburb located in Sydney’s southwestern corridor. Emergency dispatch received urgent reports that a child had been struck by a vehicle in the westbound lanes between Edgar Street and Mons Road, prompting first responders to rush to the scene immediately.

Ambulance paramedics provided on-site emergency care to the young victim before transporting him to Sydney Children’s Hospital. As of the initial response, the boy was recorded as being in serious but stable condition, giving medical teams a foundation to treat his injuries.

Witnesses who were at the location when the crash occurred shared key details with investigators that helped narrow down the search for the vehicle. They told officers the boy was hit by the rear passenger side of an orange-gold Nissan Navara, which was outfitted with a hardtop canopy, a silver bullbar and black wheel hubs. After the collision, the vehicle fled the scene rather than stopping to assist the injured child.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, NSW Police launched a public appeal for information to locate the driver of the distinctive utility truck. By Wednesday evening, police confirmed they had successfully identified the person behind the wheel. A police spokesperson shared details of how the identification unfolded, noting that “following inquiries and a public appeal for information, the driver – a 50-year-old man – presented to Bankstown Police Station, and spoke to officers about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.”

While the driver has now come forward and spoken to investigators, police confirmed that formal inquiries into the full circumstances of the incident are still ongoing. Authorities are still asking any member of the public who was in the area at the time of the crash, or who has dashcam or security footage that could provide additional context for the investigation, to contact Crime Stoppers to share their information.

A tight-knit rural Queensland community has come together to honor the life of 14-year-old Brayden James McDonald, a beloved local teenager who lost his life to catastrophic injuries sustained in a weekend motorcycle collision near his Bloomsbury home. The tragedy has left residents reeling, but an outpouring of generosity has already raised tens of thousands of dollars to support Brayden’s grieving family during their devastating loss.

The crash unfolded just after 2:30 p.m. last Saturday on Lindeman Drive, a short distance from Brayden’s property, when his KTM motorcycle collided with a white Toyota HiAce van. Critically injured, the teenager was airlifted to Townsville Hospital for emergency care, but doctors could not reverse the damage of his wounds. He passed away around 24 hours after the collision, on Sunday morning.

Friends and neighbors remember Brayden as a vibrant, kind-hearted teen with a wide range of passions and a personality that left a lasting mark on everyone he met. A former Army Cadet, he had recently embarked on an exciting new chapter: a school-based apprenticeship training to become a butcher. When he wasn’t learning his trade or volunteering with the cadets, he could be found out on his motorcycle, fishing in local waterways, or entertaining friends with his unforgettable, one-of-a-kind stories.

Tegan King, a close family friend of Brayden’s mother, launched a GoFundMe fundraising page just days after the accident to cover the teenager’s funeral costs and ease any ongoing financial burdens for the family. In a heartfelt tribute shared on the page, King described Brayden as a gentle, quirky boy with the kindest soul imaginable. “He would give the shirt off his back if you needed it,” King wrote. “He had the kind of personality that made it impossible not to love him. In his 14 short years he lived life to its fullest and made the most of every moment.”

King added that the accident was an unthinkable, random tragedy. Brayden, she noted, was a seasoned country boy who had been properly trained to ride his motorcycle and knew the local roads better than almost anyone. “It was a freak accident, nobody ever thought this sort of thing would happen,” she said. “We are all still in shock after what happened and don’t really want to believe it is true.”

The community’s response to the fundraiser has been overwhelming. By Wednesday afternoon, just a few days after the page went live, total donations had already surpassed $32,000, far exceeding initial fundraising goals. King said that Brayden’s mother has been inundated with messages of love and support alongside the donations, and she is deeply grateful for every act of kindness from the community. “She’s been just taking every day as it comes, and she is just so appreciative of all the support,” King added.

Queensland Police have launched an ongoing investigation into the exact circumstances of the collision. Investigators are asking any members of the public who saw either Brayden’s motorcycle or the Toyota HiAce driving along Lindeman Drive in the minutes before the crash to come forward and share any information that could help with their inquiry.