Headlines Of The Week
OJ Simpson died
Pool Photo by Vince BucciO.J. Simpson, the 76 year old American former football great who was famously accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife and her friend, has passed away.
Back in May of 2023 Simpson revealed on X that he had recently "caught cancer". Although he didn’t provide any details of the nature of his diagnosis, he said he "had to do the whole chemo thing" and he “looks like [he will] beat it."
Contrary to his comments in May, Simpson reportedly underwent cancer treatment in February. The extent of Simpson's illness was not specified at this time, however he posted on X denying that he was in hospice care.
On April 12 Simpon’s Family posted on X, “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace”.
Simpson originally rose to fame for multiple broken records as a college and professional football player, going onto build his celebrity profile as a prominent sports broadcaster, actor, and corporate spokesperson.
The media attention that Simpson received proliferated in 1994, when his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her alleged affair partner, Ron Goldman, were stabbed to death outside of her Los Angeles home.
He was soon announced as the primary suspect for the murders. In the end he surrendered himself to police and was represented by none other than Robert Kardashian in the sensationalised trial.
AP Photo/Rick Meyer, Pool) (Staff file photo / Los Angeles Times)After 11 months in 1995 the Jury acquitted Simpson of the Charges that were televised daily.
Simpson was finally arrested in September 2007 after he led a group which robbed a Las Vegas hotel and casino at gunpoint. Simpson was charged with kidnapping and armed robbery.
He was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison and was released on parole in 2017.
Israel airstrike kills 7 aid workers
The killed aid workers (top row left to right:) James Henderson, James Kirby and John Chapman; (bottom row left to right): Damian Sobol, Lalzawmi Zomi Frankcom, Jacob Flickinger and Saif Issam Abu Taha Composite: World Central Kitchen/Getty ImagesOn April 1st Israel Launched yet another airstrike on Gaza, which has recently become one of the most densely populated places on earth.
This Strike caught global attention for killing seven aid workers.
Benjamin Neanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, admitted that Israeli forces killed seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza, saying “This happens in wartime,” and described it as “a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip.”
Multiple UN spokespersons have condemned Israel for the strike, including UN secretary general, António Guterres, who said that such actions could “lead to broader conflict in an already volatile region, with devastating consequences for civilians who are already seeing unprecedented suffering in Syria, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian Territory”.
It has long been claimed by the Israeli armed forces that the high incidence of civilian casualties is a result of Hamas using Human shields.
These allegations have been largely unsubstantiated.
The group of seven Aid workers had been working for the World Central Kitchen (WCK) and travelled in clearly two labelled armoured vehicles. WCK said the tragically murdered aid workers were from the UK, Australia, Poland, the US, Canada and Palestine.
The WCK has now suspended operations in the Palestinian territory.
This horrific attack has brought the death toll of humanitarian personnel killed in Gaza during the ongoing conflict to at least 224. This is more than three times as many humanitarian aid workers killed in any single conflict recorded in a single year.
According to Aljazeera the death toll stands at 34,005 Palestinians and 1,139 people killed in Israel since October 7.
Curfew in NT continues
Late last month an emergency declaration was issued for a curfew in Alice springs with the aim of reducing youth crime rates.
It mandates that any person under the age of 18 found by police on the streets overnight without reason, will be tescored to a safe place or to a responsible adult.
Last week, the curfew was extended by six days in order to cover the rest of the school holidays, raising questions if this is an effective solution long-term.
Central Australian community members and leaders are saying more action is required in all remote communities right across the Red Centre, not just in Alice Springs.
William Tilmouth, Arrernte man and Children's Ground chair, told the ABC that the current responses which aim to rectify Indigenous disadvantage are akin to "an ambulance at the bottom of a cliff".
Rather than measures which are prescribed by governments, he believes First Nations people need better access to employment opportunities.
"Let the people on the ground decide what they want, what they need and how they can make their lives so much more fulfilling," he told the ABC.
Mr Tilmouth cites the top-down approach of the government as a catalyst of many of the issues in Alice Springs. He went on to explain that they merely disempower Indigenous Australians to independently find meaningful employment.
"We want to be upstream, working with families and working with communities and empowering them to have a voice."
Scott McConnell, an active member of the Alice Springs political community, told the ABC education and job opportunities for Indigenous Australians need to be the focus in the mid to long term.
"Let's not be quick to condemn people who get angry, people who are frustrated with their lives, people who lack opportunity, people who don't have income, people who suffer an amazing amount of illness."
References:
AJLabs. (2023, October 9). Israel-Hamas War in Maps and charts: Live Tracker. Aljazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
Morgan, T. (2024, April 11). Beyond curfew, Alice Springs leaders outline what they want done. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-11/alice-springs-curfew-crime-rates-solutions/103681136
Shapiro, E. (2024, April 12). OJ Simpson, former football star acquitted of murder, dies at 76. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/oj-simpson-former-football-star-acquitted-murder-dies/story?id=16354000
Walters, J., Belam, M., Lowe, Y., & Fulton, A. (2024, April 2). Middle East crisis: Israel criticised for strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza – as it happened. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/apr/02/middle-east-crisis-live-updates-israel-gaza-war-today-gaza-foreign-aid-workers-killed-idf-investigation?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-660c196c8f08bf76da23e42a#block-660c196c8f08bf76da23e42a