U.S. aims to return to U.N. rights body, shield Israel

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. President Joseph Biden's new administration said on Wednesday it would continue its international re-engagement by seeking election to the U.N. Human Rights Council where it will press to eliminate a "disproportionate focus" on ally Israel.

Under former President Donald Trump's more isolationist approach, Washington quit the council in 2018 but the Biden government has already returned as an observer.

"I'm pleased to announce the United States will seek election to the Human Rights Council for the 2022-24 term," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the council by video. 

"We humbly ask for the support of all U.N. member states in our bid to return to a seat in this body."

Elections for three-year membership on the 47-member council are due at the U.N. General Assembly in October. 

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‘Don’t know if he’s insane or evil’: Man accused of murder secretly recorded and tracked wife, court told

Before Mourad Kerollos stabbed his wife to death, he installed a GPS tracker in her car, secretly recorded her conversations and bombarded her with phone calls demanding photos of her companions, a court has heard.

Mr Kerollos is facing a judge-alone trial in the NSW Supreme Court accused of murdering Gihan “Gigi” Kerollos, 48, by stabbing her in the neck outside Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick at about 8.30pm on May 18, 2019.

The 62-year-old does not deny killing his wife, but has pleaded not guilty due to mental illness. Acting Justice Peter Hidden must decide if Mr Kerollos was so mentally ill that he is not liable for murder, or if his liability is reduced to manslaughter.

A forensic psychiatrist is expected to tell the trial that Mr Kerollos was experiencing a mental disorder such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, which included auditory hallucinations, delusional beliefs, referential ideation, and a “delusion of infidelity” also known as “the Othello syndrome”. 

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‘Game Over’: Facebook post before alleged sledgehammer attack in CBD hotel

A man wanted by police after a woman was attacked at a luxury hotel in Sydney’s CBD allegedly wrote on Facebook hours earlier: “Game Over”.

A warrant for attempted murder has been issued for the arrest of Matthew Donaldson, 41, who police believe may be in the Blue Mountains area and may be armed with a firearm.

He is described as being of Caucasian appearance, approximately 182 centimetres tall and of a solid build with light brown hair.

Mr Donaldson allegedly posted two photos from inside a hotel room on Facebook on Tuesday night with the caption “Game Over”. 

Asked on the 9.17pm post what game he was playing, he replied: “life or death, I lost.”

Emergency services were called to the five-star Primus Hotel on Pitt Street following reports a woman had been hurt about 11pm. 

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Major twist in search for missing millionaire Melissa Caddick as the accountant's colleagues hand some VERY interesting information to police - and she could soon be NSW’s ‘most wanted’

Missing financial adviser Melissa Caddick could soon be one of 'New South Wales' most wanted woman' as police move one step closer to placing her on the notorious list.

The 49-year-old Sydneysider is alleged to have stolen about $25million from investors in a pyramid scheme before vanishing without a trace from her Dover Heights mansion one day after fraud investigators raided her home in November.

Her disappearance has been shrouded in mystery but NSW Police are growing more certain the alleged conwoman is still alive and on the run.

In the past week former colleagues claimed to police she went on a shredding spree after learning she was under investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, reports say.

It is understood police are preparing to open a criminal investigation alongside the missing persons probe, and even add her to NSW's most wanted list. 

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Melissa Caddick’s trail of ‘emotional and financial devastation’

Missing Dover Heights woman Melissa Caddick left behind a trail of emotional and financial devastation, according to Bruce Gleeson who has been appointed by the court to unravel her complex financial affairs.

After reviewing thousands of pages of financial documents, Mr Gleeson, a principal of insolvency firm Jones Partners, said he could not identify a single genuine document Ms Caddick provided to her investors.

The 49-year-old vanished in mid-November, hours after the Federal Police raided her eastern suburbs home on behalf of the corporate watchdog, ASIC. Court documents have since revealed that Ms Caddick allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars from her clients. 

Investors, most of whom knew and trusted Ms Caddick, were suffering “emotional and financial devastation” with many of them losing their life savings, said Mr Gleeson.

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‘We are not paying that bill’: Queensland holds PM to ransom for quarantine hub

Queensland will refuse to cough up cash it owes New South Wales for hotel quarantine stays until Prime Minister Scott Morrison approves a proposed pop-up quarantine hub near Toowoomba.

The quarantine mega-hub on the outskirts of Toowoomba, which would be built and paid for by local construction firm Wagners, needs federal government approval to go ahead. 

Applying pressure on Mr Morrison to move ahead on the pitch, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the Queensland government would refuse to pay a $30 million quarantine bill issued by NSW until the federal government allowed repatriation flights to land at Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport.

Mr Miles said his state was “stepping up where the Commonwealth have failed” by proposing the national quarantine facility in southern Queensland. 

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Doctor who administered incorrect dose of COVID-19 vaccine had not been trained

The doctor who administered incorrect doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to two aged care residents in Queensland had not completed the compulsory vaccination training.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has asked the Department of Health to take action against the doctor and Healthcare Australia, the company tasked with providing vaccinations within aged care facilities.

The aged care provider that runs the Brisbane facility where the incident occurred said they will also report the doctor to the medical regulator.

Mr Hunt on Wednesday morning said the doctor had trained in Australia, was registered with the medical regulator and had undertaken the necessary COVID vaccination training. 

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Facebook brings back news after Australian government amends upcoming law

Facebook will restore news content to its platform in Australia after the government agreed to amend its proposed News Media Bargaining Code. In an update posted today, Facebook’s William Easton, managing director of Australia and New Zealand, said that the company is “satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns.” News content will return to the platform “in the coming days,” Easton said.

Facebook and Google have been at loggerheads with the Australian government about an upcoming law that will require them to pay publishers for content shared on their platforms. In response to the proposed bargaining code, Facebook took the extreme measure last week of blocking news from being shared on its platform by Australian users and publishers.

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