Australia’s diplomatic mission in Vanuatu says getting citizens home after the Pacific Island nation’s earthquake tragedy is a priority, as rescuers expand a search for trapped survivors to ‘numerous places of collapse’ beyond the capital Port Vila.
Yolanda Borucki has been found not guilty of computer hacking after she went to the media about Australia’s worst pedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith, with a magistrate finding the prosecution failed to prove basic essential elements of the charge.
Australians stranded in Vanuatu after the devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake and who missed out on emergency RAAF flights say they’re being turned away from the high commission.
Australia’s worst pedophile, Ashley Paul Griffith, was accused 15 years ago of sexually abusing a little boy at a daycare centre in a complaint that was almost instantly dismissed by Queensland police.
A building popular with holiday-makers and locals in Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila is at the centre of a major rescue and recovery operation.
![This screengrab taken from handout video footage posted on the Facebook account of Michael Thompson on December 17, 2024 shows a member of security inspecting a collapsed building in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila after a powerful earthquake hit the Pacific island. The 7.3-magnitude quake struck on December 17 at a depth of 57 kilometres (35 miles), some 30 kilometres off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu's main island, at 12:47 pm (0147 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey. (Photo by MICHAEL THOMPSON / Facebook account of Michael Thompson / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE â MANDATORY CREDIT «AFP PHOTO / FACEBOOK / MICHAEL THOMPSON» - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS â DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS [- NO ARCHIVE ]](https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/ae7cd6cb117bcfdc9ed9ebc661c97a7c?width=650)
No Australians are among the 14 deaths in Vanuatu after a massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake flattened large parts of the capital, with Australian teams heading for the Pacific Island nation.
Poisoned pina coladas are suspected to have struck down seven people including four Australians at a five-star Fiji resort, with witnesses reporting horror stories of victims bleeding from the ears and foaming at the mouth.
The 52-year-old man from Morningside in Brisbane’s south has been charged under new hate crime laws.
New details of the fatal incident can be revealed after Rohan Dennis fronted court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge that still carries a lengthy prison sentence.
A plot to import 2.3 tonnes of cocaine into Australia came hopelessly unstuck, with two of the smugglers’ boats breaking down before the crime syndicate eventually had to be towed to shore by police who had been monitoring them the entire time.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/david-murray