Cleo Smith: Terence Darrell Kelly pleads guilty to abducting four-year-old Australian girl from campsite - Sky News

A 36-year-old Australian man has pleaded guilty to abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith and keeping her inside his home for more than two weeks.

Terence Darrell Kelly has appeared in Carnarvon Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to a charge of child stealing.

The 36-year-old could face up to 20 years in prison on a conviction of forcibly taking a child aged under 16.

Image: Cleo and her mum leaving a house where they spent the night after the four-year-old was rescued. Pic: AP

He was arrested after detectives raided his home on 3 November and found the youngster locked inside a room, playing with dolls.

Mr Kelly has not admitted to other criminal charges he faces, including assaulting a police officer, which have been adjourned to a later date.

Advertisement

He is due to appear in a Western Australian state district court in Perth on 20 March.

Western Australia police minister Paul Papalia said: "Today's guilty plea is confirmation of the excellent policing work and just how strong a case had been presented by Western Australian Police force."

More on Australia

Related Topics:

The toddler disappeared from her family's tent on a campsite in Western Australia in October last year.

Initially, a huge land and sea search got under way on the assumption she had wandered away from her tent.

Eighteen days later, police officers found Cleo "alive and well" inside a locked house in her hometown of Carnarvon.

At the time, her mum, Ellie Smith, wrote on social media: "Our family is whole again."

Western Australian police released heart-warming audio of the moment Cleo was rescued.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

0:21

Police release audio of 'my name is Cleo' moment

During the exchange, Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine asked for her name to which she responded: "My name is Cleo."

He then said: "We're going to take you to see your mummy and daddy, okay?"

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiiwFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9jbGVvLXNtaXRoLXRlcmVuY2UtZGFycmVsbC1rZWxseS1wbGVhZHMtZ3VpbHR5LXRvLWFiZHVjdGluZy1mb3VyLXllYXItb2xkLWF1c3RyYWxpYW4tZ2lybC1mcm9tLWNhbXBzaXRlLTEyNTI0MDky0gGPAWh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FtcC9jbGVvLXNtaXRoLXRlcmVuY2UtZGFycmVsbC1rZWxseS1wbGVhZHMtZ3VpbHR5LXRvLWFiZHVjdGluZy1mb3VyLXllYXItb2xkLWF1c3RyYWxpYW4tZ2lybC1mcm9tLWNhbXBzaXRlLTEyNTI0MDky?oc=5

2022-01-24 06:14:58Z
1265200981

Kiev puppet is a part of Putin's toolkit in Ukraine, warns US - The Times

Russia is exploring multiple ways to destabilise Ukraine and topple the pro-western government, the United States warned yesterday after details emerged of an alleged plot to install a puppet leadership in Kiev.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, declined to comment on the specific intelligence behind the plot, revealed by Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, but said that such tactics were “very much part of the Russian toolkit”.

Truss, 46, said on Saturday that MI6 intelligence suggested that Russian security agencies wanted to replace President Zelensky with Yevhen Murayev, a former Ukrainian MP. The unusual statement prompted an angry reaction from Moscow, and mockery from Murayev himself. He implied that Britain’s spy agency had been duped, dismissing the story as “more Mr Bean

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXRpbWVzLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUva2lldi1wdXBwZXQtaXMtYS1wYXJ0LW9mLXB1dGlucy10b29sa2l0LWluLXVrcmFpbmUtd2FybnMtdXMtYjVmbmhyc3Nr0gEA?oc=5

2022-01-24 07:05:00Z
1260207353

Berlusconi quits Italy's presidential race as health rumours grow - The Times

Silvio Berlusconi has pulled out of the running to become Italy’s next president amid reports of the former prime minister’s growing health problems.

Berlusconi, 85, claimed yesterday he had enough backing from the 1,009 MPs and regional politicians due to elect a new president this week. The media tycoon, whose controversial career has been marked by sex scandals and a fraud conviction, said he was leaving the race out of a sense of “national responsibility” and an effort to avoid “polemics and lacerations”.

He added that he wanted Mario Draghi, the current prime minister, to stay on in government until a general election in 2023 — a shot across the bows of the former European Central Bank governor who has hinted he too wants the

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXRpbWVzLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUvYmVybHVzY29uaS1xdWl0cy1pdGFseXMtcHJlc2lkZW50aWFsLXJhY2UtYXMtaGVhbHRoLXJ1bW91cnMtZ3Jvdy1yMzk2bXBscjPSAQA?oc=5

2022-01-23 18:00:00Z
1241673897

Ireland raises concerns with Russia over planned naval exercises - The Irish Times

Ireland has raised concerns with Russia over controversial naval exercises planned for next month within the State’s exclusive economic zone.

The Irish Aviation Authority has said it has been made aware that a Russian military drill will take place in international waters 240km off the southwest coast, amid concerns that the drill will include a so-called ‘live fire’ exercise.

A spokesman for Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said on Sunday that his department had raised the matter “at senior level with the Russian authorities and will continue to do so in the week ahead”.

Civilian aircraft will be routed away from the area during the exercises, between 5am and 3pm during the period from February 3rd and 8th.

“The Minister will also be discussing Russia and tensions on the border with Ukraine at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels tomorrow,” the spokesman said.

While there is understood to be deep unhappiness in Iveagh House over the exercise, the view is also that the Russians have complied with international law by informing civil aviation authorities of the exercise, which is in international waters.

A notice to air traffic control from the IAA stated that “pursuant to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) annexs 11,15 and for safety of air traffic in the area you are kindly requested to issue international notam (a notice to airmen) to temporarily close above area for flights from surface to 11,000 metres”.

Embassy meeting

Russian ambassador to Ireland Yury Filatov and Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lt Gen Seán Clancy met on Friday to discuss armed contacts between the two countries. The meeting took place at the Russian Embassy on Orwell Road, Dublin.

“Parties discussed the issues of Russia-Ireland relations and international agenda, as well as prospects of contacts between (the) armed forces of (the) two countries,” the embassy said on Twitter on Friday.

In response, the Department of Defence said the meeting was a “routine courtesy call”.

“As the recently appointed Chief of Staff, it is normal for foreign ambassadors to pay routine courtesy calls. This is one of a series of meetings. Such meetings are a matter for the chief of staff, not the minister. There is no ongoing military cooperation with Russia and there is no intention to do so.”

Independent TD Cathal Berry said he believed the meeting has to do with a proposed naval exercise that the Russian navy intends to undertake in February. Independent TD Cathal Berry said he believed the meeting has to do with a proposed naval exercise that the Russian navy intends to undertake in February.

‘Militarily weak’

Dr Berry, a former army ranger, said the live firing exercise, while being legal, is a “warning to Ireland that we are militarily weak”.

He believed it was designed as an international provocation as it is close to flight paths and underwater submarine cables.

Regarding the planned Russia military exercises, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said there was a “very worrying gap” in Ireland’s defences as the State has no primary radar system.

“Despite this being known certainly since 2015 when there was a white paper published, precious little has been done,” she said. “As I understand it no law is being broken by this exercise but we have to be very concerned that we don’t have adequate surveillance at this time.”

Responding to recent comments from Taoiseach Micheál Martin that Sinn Féin is a pro-Putin party, Ms McDonald told RTÉ’s This Week that the build-up of Russian troops on the Ukraine border is “extremely worrying”.

“I believe the answer to this point of conflict is not through war and conflict, it is through politics. We absolutely respect and everyone must respect the integrity of Ukranian territory,” she said, adding that her party has “zero tolerance… for any form of bullying, coercion or threats particularly by larger and very powerful states against their smaller neighbours.”

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmlyaXNodGltZXMuY29tL25ld3MvaXJlbGFuZC9pcmlzaC1uZXdzL2lyZWxhbmQtcmFpc2VzLWNvbmNlcm5zLXdpdGgtcnVzc2lhLW92ZXItcGxhbm5lZC1uYXZhbC1leGVyY2lzZXMtMS40NzgzODQ00gEA?oc=5

2022-01-23 16:47:00Z
CAIiEODqhbZvki2xqCMpHFRYv0oqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowqfqFCzD7v4MDMIO9jQY

COVID-19: New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern postpones wedding as she places country under strict coronavirus restrictions - Sky News

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been forced to postpone her wedding after she placed the entire country on the highest level of COVID-19 restrictions.

She made the announcement after nine cases of the Omicron variant were detected in a single-family that flew to Auckland earlier this month.

From Monday, New Zealanders will face strict coronavirus restrictions and the prime minister herself has been forced to delay her wedding to long-time partner Clarke Gayford.

The wedding was expected to take place next weekend at Gisborne on the North Island's eastern coast.

"Such is life," Ms Ardern said.

Advertisement

"I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill. That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience."

Image: Ms Ardern with partner Clarke Gayford and their baby Neve Te Aroha in 2018

New Zealand had been among the few remaining countries to have avoided any outbreaks of the Omicron variant, but Ms Ardern acknowledged last week that a new wave was inevitable given the transmissibility of the variant.

More on Covid

Related Topics:

The country managed to contain the Delta variant, with an average of about 20 new cases each day but, since it opened its borders in November, it has seen an increase in people arriving into the country and going into mandatory quarantine who are infected with Omicron.

That has put a strain on the quarantine system and prompted the government to limit access for returning citizens while it decides what to do about reopening its borders.

What is the 'red setting'?

The "red setting" of New Zealand's pandemic response includes heightened measures such as mandatory mask-wearing and limits on social gatherings.

Businesses and schools remain open and domestic travel can continue but vaccine passports are required for entry to most non-essential businesses.

Up to 100 vaccinated people can gather under a red alert but the prime minister said her wedding would not proceed in a restricted form.

Ms Ardern stressed that "red is not lockdown", adding: "Our plan for managing Omicron cases in the early stage remains the same as Delta, where we will rapidly test, contact trace and isolate cases and contacts in order to slow the spread."

About 93% of New Zealanders aged 12 and over are fully vaccinated and 52% have had a booster jab.

The country has just begun vaccinating children aged between 5 and 11.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMipQFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9jb3ZpZC0xOS1uZXctemVhbGFuZHMtcHJpbWUtbWluaXN0ZXItamFjaW5kYS1hcmRlcm4tcG9zdHBvbmVzLXdlZGRpbmctYXMtc2hlLXBsYWNlcy1jb3VudHJ5LXVuZGVyLXN0cmljdC1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1yZXN0cmljdGlvbnMtMTI1MjMyNTLSAakBaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2NvdmlkLTE5LW5ldy16ZWFsYW5kcy1wcmltZS1taW5pc3Rlci1qYWNpbmRhLWFyZGVybi1wb3N0cG9uZXMtd2VkZGluZy1hcy1zaGUtcGxhY2VzLWNvdW50cnktdW5kZXItc3RyaWN0LWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXJlc3RyaWN0aW9ucy0xMjUyMzI1Mg?oc=5

2022-01-23 05:23:05Z
1266519998

German navy chief’s Crimea comments lead to diplomatic row - Financial Times

Germany’s naval chief has resigned after controversial comments he made about Russia and Crimea sparked a damaging diplomatic row with Kyiv just as fears grow of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Vice-Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach was filmed at an Indian think-tank last week saying that Vladimir Putin should be given the “respect he probably deserves” and claiming that Crimea would never be returned to Ukraine.

The comments showed sympathy with Russian policy at a time of mounting western alarm at Moscow’s intentions towards Ukraine. Russia has amassed 106,000 troops on the border with its western neighbour and Nato officials fear a Russian invasion is imminent.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry summoned Germany’s ambassador to Kyiv to protest Schönbach’s comments that Ukraine will never regain control of Crimea and meet the criteria for Nato membership.

It said it had also communicated to the German ambassador to Ukraine, Anka Feldhusen, its “deep disappointment” over Germany’s continued refusal to provide Kyiv with weapons. Germany has long pursued a highly restrictive policy on arms exports and is making no exception for Ukraine.

In a statement, Schönbach said he had asked the defence minister to relieve him of his duties as inspector of the German navy “with immediate effect”.

“The ill-considered remarks I made in India about security and military policy are an increasing burden on my office,” he said. “In order to avert further damage to the German navy, the Bundeswehr and above all the Federal Republic of Germany, I consider this step advisable.” He added that the defence minister, Christine Lambrecht, had accepted his resignation.

The German government had been quick to distance itself from Schönbach’s comments. But Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said they were part of a pattern of unhelpful behaviour by German officials.

“Ukraine is grateful to Germany for the support it has provided since 2014, as well as for its diplomatic efforts to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict,” Kuleba tweeted on Saturday. “But Germany’s current statements are disappointing and run counter to that support and those efforts.”

The reaction to the scandal in Berlin political circles was furious. Reinhard Bütikofer, a senior figure in the German Green party, one of the partners in Germany’s coalition government, said Schönbach’s comments were “more than an embarrassment”.

“Utterly unacceptable. There must be consequences! But this is NOT the position of the German foreign ministry,” he said.

The row coincides with a frantic diplomatic drive to deter Russia from invading Ukraine. Putin has vowed an unspecified “military-technical response” if the west rejects his security demands. These include a call for Nato to remove all its forces from Bulgaria, Romania and other ex-communist states in eastern Europe that joined the alliance after 1997 — a move the alliance has deemed unacceptable.

The tension over Schönbach’s faux pas comes just weeks after Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov criticised Germany in a Financial Times interview for blocking the supply of weaponry to Ukraine.

Reznikov said Berlin had vetoed Ukraine’s purchase of anti-drone rifles and anti-sniper systems via the Nato Support and Procurement Agency. Germany has since relented on the first item, after deeming it non-lethal.

Ukraine has also been highly critical of Germany’s support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will bring Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine. Its critics say it will weaken Kyiv and also tighten the Kremlin’s grip on European energy markets.

The video of Schönbach shows him saying that Putin should be treated as an equal by the west, and referring to Russia as an “old . . . and important country” that the west and India needed “against China”.

“What he [Putin] really wants is respect,” he said. “And by God, giving someone respect is low-cost, even no-cost . . . it is easy to give him the respect he really demands — and probably also deserves.”

Schönbach also said that the “Crimean peninsula is gone, it will never come back, this is a fact”. That contradicts the official western line that the annexation of Crimea was illegal and must be reversed.

The German defence ministry said Schönbach’s comments “do not in any way correspond to the ministry’s position, either in terms of content or in choice of words”.

Additional reporting by Roman Olearchyk in Kyiv

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiP2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZ0LmNvbS9jb250ZW50LzliMTE3ZTIwLTMxNWUtNDMzNy1iOGJhLThkNjRjMjlmMDEwN9IBAA?oc=5

2022-01-22 21:59:40Z
1266050912

German navy chief’s Crimea comments lead to diplomatic row - Financial Times

Ukraine said it had summoned Germany’s ambassador to protest comments by the head of the German navy, who was filmed saying Russia only “wants respect” and Ukraine would never regain Crimea, remarks that have plunged Kyiv and Berlin into a damaging diplomatic row.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said it “strongly rejected” the claim by Vice-Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach that Crimea will never return to Ukraine and Kyiv will never meet the criteria for Nato membership.

It said the government also communicated to the German ambassador to Ukraine, Anka Feldhusen, its “deep disappointment” over Germany’s continued refusal to provide Ukraine with weapons.

The German government was quick to distance itself from Schönbach’s comments, made at a think-tank in India, in which he appeared to openly sympathise with Russia’s position in the Ukraine crisis.

But Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said they were part of a pattern of unhelpful behaviour by German officials.

“Ukraine is grateful to Germany for the support it has provided since 2014, as well as for its diplomatic efforts to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict,” Kuleba tweeted on Saturday. “But Germany’s current statements are disappointing and run counter to that support and those efforts.”

The reaction to the scandal in Berlin political circles was furious. Reinhard Bütikofer, a senior figure in the German Green party, one of the partners in Germany’s coalition government, said Schönbach’s comments were “more than an embarrassment”.

“Utterly unacceptable. There must be consequences! But this is NOT the position of the German foreign ministry,” he said.

The row coincides with a frantic diplomatic drive to deter Russia from invading Ukraine.

Russia has amassed more than 106,000 troops close to its border with Ukraine in recent weeks and Vladimir Putin has vowed an unspecified “military-technical response” if the west rejects his security demands.

These include a call for Nato to remove all its forces from Bulgaria, Romania and other ex-communist states in eastern Europe that joined the alliance after 1997 — a move the alliance has deemed unacceptable.

The tension over Schönbach’s faux pas comes just weeks after Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov criticised Germany in a Financial Times interview for blocking the supply of weaponry to Ukraine.

Reznikov said Berlin had vetoed Ukraine’s purchase of anti-drone rifles and anti-sniper systems via the Nato Support and Procurement Agency. Germany has since relented on the first item, after deeming it non-lethal.

Ukraine has also been highly critical of Germany’s support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will bring Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine. Its critics say it will weaken Kyiv and also tighten the Kremlin’s grip on European energy markets.

The video of Schönbach shows him saying that Putin should be treated as an equal by the west, and referring to Russia as an “old . . . and important country” that the west and India needed “against China”.

“What he [Putin] really wants is respect,” he said. “And by God, giving someone respect is low-cost, even no-cost . . . it is easy to give him the respect he really demands — and probably also deserves.”

Schönbach also said that the “Crimean peninsula is gone, it will never come back, this is a fact”. That is in contradiction to the official western line that the annexation of Crimea was illegal and must be reversed.

The German defence ministry said Schönbach’s comments “do not in any way correspond to the ministry’s position, either in terms of content or in choice of words”, adding that the vice-admiral would “have an opportunity to make a statement to the Inspector General” of the Bundeswehr, Eberhard Zorn.

Schönbach tweeted that his remarks “reflected my personal opinion on the ground at that moment . . . [and] in no way correspond to the official position of the Bundeswehr.”

He later added that the comments were “thoughtless, misjudged in the situation, I shouldn’t have done it. There’s no denying it, it was clearly a mistake.”

Additional reporting by Roman Olearchyk in Kyiv

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiP2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZ0LmNvbS9jb250ZW50LzliMTE3ZTIwLTMxNWUtNDMzNy1iOGJhLThkNjRjMjlmMDEwN9IBAA?oc=5

2022-01-22 16:56:46Z
1266050912