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Live breaking news: Twerking at ship opening causes furore, UN fears war in Myanmar, Scott Morrison slaps down Holgate's call, Suez Canal blocker's insane punishment

The recent formal commissioning of a war ship has caused outrage among some politicians after the ceremony included a racy dance routine.

Ben Graham and Phoebe Loomes
less than 2 min read
April 14, 2021 - 1:55PM
HMAS Supply Twerking dancers

The recent formal commissioning of a war ship has caused outrage among some politicians after the ceremony included a racy dance routine.

The ABC captured footage of the event, which took place last weekend, and included dancers in bright red body suits, black hot pants and red berets energetically dancing in front of the Navy’s newest ship.

A government frontbencher called the event a “sh*tshow” and asked what Admiral Nelson, first Navy Officer, would have thought of the performance.

This live blog has now ended. Visit the news.com.au homepage for the latest stories or read on for earlier updates on Wednesday's breaking news.

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Twerking at ship opening causes furor

Politicians have spoken out on the recent formal commissioning of a military warship with a twerking dance routine, saying it was not appropriate.

The ABC captured footage of the event, which took place last weekend, and included dancers in bright red body suits, black hot pants and red berets energetically dancing in front of the Navy’s newest ship.

A government frontbencher called the event a “sh*tshow” and asked what Admiral Nelson, first Navy Officer, would have thought of the performance.


Liberal backbencher Philip Thompson also questioned whether the dance routine had been “appropriate” noting the Chief of the Defence Force, MPs and the Governor General had all been present.

Online, people were more enthused about the event, with some saying they couldn’t stop watching the video.

Man allegedly performed ‘lewd act’ on public bus

Police are appealing for information from the public, after reports a man performed sex acts on public buses in inner west Sydney.

A man travelling on a bus between Enmore and Redfern allegedly “performed a lewd act in front of a passenger” before he left the bus on Cleveland St in Redfern, NSW Police said. The incident occurred about 2pm, and was reported to the police. After investigations, police linked the incident to other sex acts on buses.

Those include an incident on February 11, when a man boarded a bus on King St in Newtown and departed Liverpool St in the CBD.

On the same day, a man boarded another bus on King St in Newtown and departed the bus on George St near Central Railway Station.

On March 15, a man boarded a bus at Museum Railway Station and departed at Parramatta Rd near Buckland St, Broadway.
Police have released CCTV images of a man they believe can assist in their inquiries.

Picture: NSW Police Force

He is described as being Caucasian, in his 60s, with a thin build, with greying black hair and a grey beard.

He is shown wearing a lime green T-shirt, brown pants and white or blue shoes. He wears a red patterned hat with “AUS” written on it and a white face mask.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

‘Bloody days coming’: UN warns of ‘full blown war’

The UN has warned Myanmar is spiralling towards a “full blown” bloody conflict after two months of deadly unrest in the country that has left hundreds dead.

The south east asian nation has been in chaos since the military seized power on February 1, with a local monitoring group claiming the unrest has killed more than 700 people, including dozens of children.

“There’s many more bloody days coming ahead. Many more bloody weeks coming ahead, even more bloody months coming ahead” Dr Sasa an exiled politician from Myanmar told CNN. He spoke from an undisclosed location.

“How many more dead bodies will it take for the international community to take action,” he asked.

“The world must cut off financial access to this military regime.”

The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has urged countries to push Myanmar’s military to stop its “campaign of repression and slaughter of its people”.

Picture: Anonymous / AFP

At daily rallies in the country, protesters are being met with bullets — recent figures say some 710 civilians, including 50 children had been killed on Monday.

“I fear the situation in Myanmar is heading towards a full-blown conflict,” Ms Bachelet said in a statement.

“There are clear echoes of Syria in 2011,” she warned, referring to the start of a civil war that over the past decade has killed nearly 400,000 people and forced more than six million to flee the country.

In recent weeks, several of Myanmar’s ethnic rebel groups in some lawless border territories have stepped up attacks on the military and police, raising fears of a broader civil conflict.

Builders of $700k 'half house' explain what went wrong

A man who spent $700,000 on his Sydney home has been left furious after a miscommunication left him with only half a house.

Now the building company has explained what went wrong.

Nepalese man Bishnu Aryal moved to Australia and saved for a deposit on a $398,950 block of land in Edmondson Park where he planned to build the perfect home for his family.

After years of saving, Mr Aryal employed the services of Zac Homes for a custom off-plan build worth $322,400.

Picture: A Current Affair

The construction company, Zac Homes, said the build initially began as a single freestanding home but claimed it later had to be altered to fit with Liverpool Council regulations, which reportedly stated the block had to be an attached dwelling.

They claimed Mr Aryal – who speaks English as a second language – was made aware of the change of plan and were given opportunities to pull out of the contract more than once.

Since the house was featured on A Current Affair on Monday night, Zac Homes have released a released a lengthy statement on Facebook in order to “provide some context to the dreadful situation”.

“The disagreement that’s causing the holdup is between the certifier and Liverpool City Council and we’re working hard with them both to try and rectify the situation as quickly as possible,” the company said.

“The fact is the owners of the lot next door have failed to proceed with building their home and that’s why the certifier has continued to refuse to issue an Occupation Certificate.”

Pictures that have the world on edge

The world is nervously watching as pictures reveal a disturbing escalation in tensions on Europe's eastern front between Russia and Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian presidency, 80,000 Russian troops – about 40,000 on the eastern border and about 40,000 in Crimea – have been mobilised in recent weeks.

Fighting between the Ukrainian army and separatists has intensified in recent weeks, raising fears of a major escalation in the long-running conflict over the mainly Russian-speaking Donbas region.

The build-up has caused growing concern in the West in recent days, with the United States saying that troop levels are at their highest since 2014, when war first broke out with Moscow-backed separatists.

Pictures from the region show tanks being mobilised and soldiers carrying heavy weaponry.

Pictures from AFP show Ukrainian servicemen patrolling a position at the front line with Russia-backed separatists not far Avdiivka, Donetsk region.

US President Biden urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to ease mounting tensions that have alarmed NATO allies.

As a new report from American intelligence said Russia was not seeking direct conflict with the United States, Biden in a telephone conversation with Putin proposed a summit between the two leaders at a neutral venue in the coming months.

Biden “voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions,” the White House said after the phone call.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was “not looking for an establishment of trust as much as a predictability and stability” in relations with Russia.

The Kremlin said it would “continue dialogue” without accepting the offer for a first summit with Biden, who came to office vowing a tougher line on Russia including over its alleged interference in US elections and harsh treatment of ailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has travelled to the country’s eastern frontline as the G7 foreign ministers called on Russia to stop its “provocations” and “de-escalate tensions”.

Neighbours star speaks about racism on set

Neighbours is in crisis after a third star has come forward with claims she experienced “direct, indirect and casual racism” while working on the soap opera.

Sharon Johal played Dipi Rebecchi on Neighbours for four years before announcing last month that she was leaving the show.

She decided to speak out about her experience on the show after fellow Neighbours stars Shareena Clanton and Meyne Wyatt last week detailed racist incidents they say they experienced on the set of the iconic show, claims which prompted the production company to launch an independent legal investigation.

Read more

Family finds snake in bag of Aldi lettuce

A horrified Sydney shopper had the fright of their life after finding a live snake in a bag of Aldi cos lettuce.

The Mosman woman claims her son found a “baby pale headed snake” in the packaged salad item, sharing two photos of the dangerous reptile slithering among the green leaves.

She explained her shocked son was forced to contact Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) which came and collected the misplaced snake.

Read more

PM slaps down Holgate's call for apology

Scott Morrison has refused a call for him to apologise to ousted Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate.

Ms Holgate stood down from her role after the political fall-out following the purchasing for four Cartier watches for executives worth approximately $20,000.

This morning, she said an apology would make a big difference to her after she claimed she was "bullied and humiliated" through the process.

However, Mr Morrison has since spoken to the West Live podcast this morning, where he was asked straight up whether or not he would be offering an apology.

"My language on that day was very strong and I see that has caused some very strong reaction from Christine and it hurt her deeply," he said.

"That was not my intention so I regret that, but at the same time the issue here was how taxpayer's funds were being used in a government-owned company.

He said he appreciated that Ms Holgate went through a difficult time but issues in public life like running organisations Australia Post and being Prime Minister they are roles where people have to be accountable for their decisions.

"Whether you are running a large organisation like Australia Post, or indeed the Prime Minister, we are all accountable for the decisions we make," he said.

"It was about Cartier watches being handed out to well-paid executives for doing their jobs, that is not something my government supported."

He also knocked back suggestions that the move was gender related.

PM speaking later this morning

We're expecting him to speak in about 90 minutes and we'll bring you the key details here.

Mystery as dead body found on freeway

Gold Coast Police are trying to find out what happened to a man who was found dead on the M1 overnight.

A member of the public alerted police about an “unconscious male” on the Pacific Motorway at Worongary about 1.25am on Wednesday.

Queensland Ambulance paramedics and Queensland Police officers responded and discovered the man’s body, a police statement read.

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