We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.
1. The latest on the impending execution of the Bali Nine duo.
Complaint over prison chief’s ‘selfie’ with Andrew Chan.
A Senior DFAT official will call Indonesian ambassador Bapak Nadjib Riphat Kesoema to complain about a photograph of Senior Commissioner Djoko Hari Utomo posing with Andrew Chan while Chan was being transported to Nusakambangan on Wednesday.
The embassy in Jakarta is also lodging a complaint with the Indonesian government.
The photograph which was leaked to Indonesian media has caused great anger over the lack of respect it shows to Andrew Chan- reflected in the terrified look in the young man’s eyes.
For more on the photograph read this post here.
The DFAT official is also expected to complain about the over-the-top military-style security for the transfer of the two men – which contrasted greatly to a Nigerian drug smuggler who was also transferred to the prison, but in a small van.
Not in Isolation
According to News Limited the two men are not yet in official “isolation” but are being housed in separate cells, where they can talk to each other.
Ursa Supit, a supporter of a fellow prisoner Raheem Agbaje Salami, told News Limited that the men are in a renovated block of four individual cells in Besi prison; each cell has a place to sleep and a toilet.
Execution could be 10 days away.
There are reports that the execution of the men could be delayed for up to 10 days. Indonesia’s Attorney-General HM Prasetyo told reporters he wanted to be prepared for the smallest problem before the Bali Nine pair and up to eight others go to the firing squad for their drug offences.
“About notification, it’s a minimum three days before the execution,” he said.
“It could be 10 days.”
The head of the AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin has denied the federal police have blood on their hands over the two men’s initial arrest.
“I’m prepared to say that much of the information that’s been circulating in recent weeks doesn’t accurately reflect our role and doesn’t accurately reflect the work we did in 2005,” he said last night.
He then called on the Indonesian government to spare the lives of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
Prisoner swap
Indonesia has said that a prisoner swap is not an option.
Yesterday it was revealed that Foreign Minister Julie Bishop offered a prisoner swap with a deal that could involve three Indonesians in prison in Australia.
Attorney-General H.M. Prasetyo said a prisoner swap was irrelevant to Indonesia’s plans to execute Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
“What is certain is that it has never been done and is unthinkable,” he said.
Indonesia considering suspending the death penalty.
Indonesian diplomats have been at the United Nations’ Human Rights Council discussing how to abolish the death penalty.
Diplomats from Indonesia are reported to have said a moratorium on the death penalty was a topic for discussion.
2. Do girls put too much pressure on themselves?
A report from the OECD Program for International Student Assessment has found that high achieving girls out perform boys at school, but “choke” under pressure and end up in lower paid jobs.
The reports says “High-achieving girls are more likely to suffer from high levels of anxiety than high-achieving boys. Given girls’ keen desire to succeed in school and to please others, their fear of negative evaluations, and their lower self-confidence in mathematics and science, it is hardly surprising high-achieving girls choke under — often self-imposed — pressure.’’
The Australian reports that the OECD report said that just three per cent of Australian teenage girls contemplate a career in engineer or computing, compared to 17 per cent of boys.
3. Student told he can not take same sex date to formal.
A student from Anglican Church Grammar School – known as Churchie – has been told to “keep with school tradition” and bring a female to his Year 12 formal.
The Courier Mail reports that the headmaster, Dr Alan Campbell has said the formal which is to be held in June was a “social and educational opportunity” for boys to learn how to “mix and mingle” with “ladies”.
For more read this post here.
4. Perth bushfire threatens homes.
Two bushfires in Perth have been threatening homes. One in the eastern Perth suburbs of Bassendean and Ashfield has been brought under control overnight.
The second in Beeliar Regional Park has a watch and act notice.
The fire has burnt through about 28 hectares of bush land.
For more go to the DFES.
5. Parents, principals concerned about potential inaccuracies in NAPLAN results, research shows.
By Rebecca Barrett
Parents and principals are concerned about the potential for inaccuracy in reporting NAPLAN results due the exclusion of some students from the tests and extra coaching by teachers, new research into the value of the My School website has found.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) commissioned research firm Colmar Brunton to investigate the value parents and principals place on the My School website, which provides financial figures, school profiles and details of academic performance for almost 10,000 schools.
ACARA identified more than 300 public and private schools achieved above-average gains in NAPLAN scores compared to similar schools.
The research centred on 10 focus groups — five with teachers and five with students — who had visited the My School website in the last 12 months.
It showed some parents believed “certain schools place greater emphasis on ‘coaching’ children for NAPLAN tests and/or exclude some less able children from the test”.
Some parents raised concerns about the reliability and validity of the NAPLAN scores “as a measure of comparison on the basis that they do not reflect a holistic view of the school”.
The research found that: “Those with a more negative view cite the too narrow perspective of schools’ performance provided by My School (in particular the heavy focus on NAPLAN).”
“Attitudes towards the website have become more positive over time, and fears such as the large-scale publication of league tables and negative outcomes for schools that perform not as well on NAPLAN have not eventuated.”
It shows that “most parents are using My School only as a starting point in their decision making” about their child’s education.
Education Minister Christopher Pyne said “NAPLAN is a vital part of the education system”.
“It makes everyone accountable to students and to parents,” he said.
“By publishing test results all governments — state and territory — and the Commonwealth can see what progress we’re making.
“As a diagnostic tool it is really important for teachers to see the weaknesses in their students and the strengths in their students.”
A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission.
6. The one way to get hired at Facebook.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed the one rule he has when hiring employees.
At a conference in Barcelona he said “I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person. It’s a pretty good test and I think this rule has served me well.”
7. Knox Grammar: Kings headmaster Dr Tim Hawkes outraged at handling of child sex claims at old school.
By Nicole Chettle
The headmaster of Sydney’s prestigious Kings School has told an inquiry he is outraged by the handling of child abuse complaints at Knox Grammar, where he was a teacher in the late 1980s.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was told Dr Tim Hawkes was boarding master at MacNeill House when a sleeping teenager was indecently assaulted by a man wearing a balaclava in 1988.
Dr Hawkes said he alerted the headmaster at the time, Dr Ian Paterson, immediately, and trusted authorities would be informed.
“I felt that I had been faithful and effective in the exercise of my duty in alerting him to the incident,” he said.
“I was given very, very firm assurances by the headmaster that the matter was going to be dealt with properly and appropriately.
“I believed him and fully expected him to take all those necessary actions which included notifying the police.”
Dr Hawkes said that when he left Knox Grammar School in 1989 he was only aware of one sexual assault – the “balaclava man” incident.
“What I now know is an extraordinary litany of betrayal, predatory activity, and it has broken my heart,” he said.
“The welfare of students is something which for me is absolutely vital, and indeed a great part of my own professional career has been spent professionalising the Australian boarding industry.
“It was my particular privilege to write the major training course for boarding staff in Australia and indeed to be an active mover to the adoption of national boarding standards.
“My heart does break and I feel, as I think many of the existing Knox community, the past Knox community and the boys, a huge anger and a real sense of betrayal and it stays with me to this day.
A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission
8. Anti- drugs messages lead students to drugs.
An advisory board on drugs in the UK has made the startling admission that anti-drugs lessons at schools may be inadvertently encouraging children to take up illicit substances.
reports that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has warned government ministers that many popular prevention techniques are “ineffective at changing behaviour” and “may even increase the risks of drug use”.
Anti-drug lessons have been taught in schools for generations.
Some of the counter-productive lessons include “scared straight” tactics where authority figures like police officers inadvertently make drug taking appear “sexy” to teenagers and encourage them to experiment.
9. Australia’s first mobile app connecting women with family violence support launches.
A groundbreaking new app, called Daisy has been launched which connects women experiencing sexual assault and domestic and family violence. Daisy is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
It functions as a one-stop shop for women experiencing gendered violence, allowing them to access services for their own situation – from specialist services, to legal support and advice, through to crisis accommodation – all from the one place.
Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the initiative provided women with an easy way to access a wide range of services.
“Women experiencing violence can have well founded fears around the concept of ‘just leaving’. We cannot forget the frightening statistics that every week, one woman is killed by a current or former partner,” Minister Cash said.
“As responding to violence requires a whole-of-government approach, Daisy also lists essential legal, housing, finance and children’s services,” Minister Cash said.
“Recognising that technology can be used by perpetrators to control, stalk and intimidate, Daisy includes a number of security features such as a get help button that allows users to quickly call 000 and a quick exit button to leave screens containing service information. Daisy also has a technology tips section on how to increase safety online and when using mobile phones.”
For more info visit Daisy.
10. New York City to give all students Muslim holiday.
In a move reflecting the diversity of New York City the major has announced that all students will from now on get the major Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha off.
New York City’s mayor Bill de Blasio said “All students, no matter what their religion, will get a day off school on September 24 in recognition of Eid al-Adha.”
“Hundreds of thousands of Muslim families will no longer have to choose between honouring the most sacred days on their calendar or attending school. This is a common sense change, and one that recognises our growing Muslim community and honours its contributions to our city.”
What’s making news today in your world?