1. Mother of three-month-old killed in Bourke Street attack thanks public for support.
The mother of three-month-old Zachary Bryant, who was killed when 26-year-old Dimitrious Gargasoulas allegedly drove through the crowded Bourke Street Mall, said she feels “grateful” for the public’s support after the tragedy.
Nawwar Hassan Bryant wrote on Facebook that “it isn’t getting any easier” to adjust to life without her baby boy.
“I know in time, it will… but right now we are just missing our beautiful Zachary so much. Every move I make, every corner of the house and every sight we pass by reminds me of my child,” she wrote.
“Amidst all this sadness I feel so grateful to know there is so much love and kindness all around us.”
Bryant said she is choosing “love, kindness and compasion” in the wake of the tragedy.
“I feel I need these to heal and not anything else. To remember my son touched so many lives and even though for a moment in this world, he did so much,” she wrote.
“He exuded so much love. Even more than I could have ever done. He may not be physically in my arms anymore but besides photos and memories I will always remember him by wearing his birth scars on my body as badges of honour to have given birth to such an angel.”
Three-month-old Zachary is the youngest victim of Gargasoulas’ alleged attack. A sixth victim died in hospital last night.
2. A father discovered the bodies of six teenagers in his garden shed.
A father found the bodies of the bodies of five men and a woman, all aged 18 or 19, in his garden shed when he went searching for his missing children.
The discovery was made after the German father, of Arnstein in Bavaria, became worried his two children hadn’t returned home from a party the night before, news.com.au reports.
It is unclear what caused the death of the six youths, with police revealing there was no indication of a violent crime.
Police are currently pursuing lines of inquiry the teens may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, as there was a wood-burning stove in the shed.
Autopsies should help determine the cause of death of the group, but could take several days.
3. Schoolboy, 15, is the first Australian to be denied US entry after Trump’s immigration ban.
Melbourne schoolboy Pouya Ghadirian is believed to be the first Australian denied a visa to enter the United States under President Donald Trump’s immigration ban.
Ghadirian was born and raised in Melbourne and holds dual Iranian-Australian citizenship, SBS News reports.
He was in the process of applying for a non-immigrant tourist visa to attend a “dream trip” to a space camp in the US with his school. The 15-year-old would visit Orlando, Washington and the US Space and Rocket Centre as part of the trip.
When he arrived at the US Consulate office in Melbourne with his dad, he was told the “rules had changed”.
“They were a bit shocked and they didn’t know how to handle it. They said they had terrible news,” Ghadirian told AAP.
“They said it was the first time it had happened in an Australian embassy. I was really and upset when I found out that I couldn’t go and had been looking forward to it for around a year.
“I have an Australian citizenship. I was born here. It doesn’t make sense and it can’t be right.”
4. Four girls have been hospitalised after tree falls on them at school.
Four girls from a South Sydney high school have been taken to hospital after a large branch fell on them, 7 News reports.
The Year 12 students from Heathcote High School had just returned after the summer holidays when the tree branch fell around 1:30pm.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, with firefighters using a chainsaw to cut the girls free before they were taken to hospital for treatment for a range of non-threatening injuries to their heads, necks and backs.
5. Canadian PM labels Quebec mosque shooting an ‘act of terrorism’.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has labelled an attack on a Quebec mosque that left six people dead “a despicable act of terrorism”.
“This was a group of innocents targeted for practicing their faith,” he told the House of Commons, reports NBC News.
“Make no mistake: This was a terrorist attack.”
The shooting began during evening prayers at around 8pm, leaving six dead and a further 17 wounded.
Two men have been detained after the attack, with Quebec Police confirming only is one being treated as a suspect.
One man was apprehended at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center, while another, Alexandre Bissonnette, was arrested after calling 911 and telling police he was ready to surrender.
Bissonnette, a 27-year-old French-Canadian, is believed to be responsible for the attack after he allegedly phoned police 20 minutes after the shooting to tell them he “felt bad”.
6. Mum found guilty of stabbing former partner in a park in front of their young daughter.
Perth nurse Michelle Fernandez has been found guilty of grievous bodily harm after she attacked her former partner with a 20cm kitchen knife in October 2015, The West Australian reports.
Fernandez attacked her former husband in front of their young daughter at a busy playground. Mr Fernandez was left with organs hanging out after the stabbing, and required hundreds of stitches for wounds on his hands and chest.
Fernandez argued that her ex-husband was the one who came at her with a knife, telling the court she had acted in self-defence.
She was taken into custody after the decision was read out, and is due to be sentenced on March 16. She faces up to 10 years in jail.
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