5 Jun 2019

Today's world news: What you need to know

8:04 pm on 5 June 2019

Police name accused Darwin shooter

Police car and officers in Australia

The suspected shooter, is now at the Royal Darwin Hospital, after being was apprehended by police on the outskirts of the city on Tuesday evening. Photo: AFP

An alleged shooter believed to have carried out a series of attacks that left four men dead and a woman injured in the Darwin CBD last night has been identified as Benjamin Glenn Hoffmann, who is 45.

The suspected shooter was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital after being apprehended by police on the outskirts of the city on Tuesday evening.

He was on parole after being released from prison in January.

He had serving a six-year sentence with a four-year non-parole period, but NT Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said he had had a minor violation of his strict parole conditions, and as a result served another two weeks in prison, being released in early May.

The gunman had been wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet for the duration of his spree, the Commissioner said.

An urgent review into the parole system has now been triggered by the NT Government, and into the use of electronic monitoring for parolees.

- ABC

Australian Police raid the ABC's offices in Sydney

Police raided ABC head office in Sydney.

Police raided ABC head office in Sydney. Photo: Photo / AFP

Federal police are searching Australian national broadcaster ABC's offices, saying they are looking for information relating to a series of 2017 stories known as "The Afghan Files".

The stories, by ABC investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan, and were based off hundreds of pages of secret Defence documents leaked to the ABC.

The search warrant named Oakes, Clark and the ABC's director of News Gaven Morris.

Three AFP officers entered the ABC's headquarters first, followed shortly afterwards by three police IT technicians.

The AFP told the ABC they want to search through email systems in relation to the people mentioned in the search warrant and were searching "data holdings" between April 2016 and July 2017.

- ABC

Read more:

  • Police raid ABC headquarters over Defence documents leak
  • Donald Trump praises US-UK relationship on day two of state visit

    US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May at a joint press conference.

    US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May at a joint press conference. Photo: AFP

    US President Donald Trump has said the US and UK have the "greatest alliance the world has ever known".

    In a news conference with British PM Theresa May, he promised a "phenomenal" trade deal after the UK leaves the European Union, but added that "everything is on the table" - including the NHS.

    Mrs May said the scope of trade talks had to be agreed by both countries.

    Mr Trump also said he had turned down a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, who addressed protesters in Westminster.

    The US president met Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage at the US ambassador's residence, Winfield House.

    Mr Farage tweeted that it was a "good meeting" and Mr Trump "really believes in Brexit".

    In his last day of a state visit , Mr Trump will join members of the Royal Family and representatives from ther UK's other World War Two allies to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

    - BBC

    Read more:

  • Trump praises 'extraordinary' US-UK alliance on state visit
  • Parkland deputy arrested

    A former sheriff's deputy has been arrested and charged over his failure to stop a mass shooting at a Florida high school last year.

    Scot Peterson has been taken into custody and faces seven counts of child neglect, culpable negligence and one count of perjury.

    Last month, surveillance video was released showing Mr Peterson, who'd been assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school, staying outside the building as a gunman shot dead 17 people, instead of going in.

    He has faced a barrage of criticism from parents who lost children in the shootings.

    - BBC

    Military cracks down in Sudan as Opposition vows more protests

    The number of people killed since security forces stormed a protest camp outside Sudan's Defence Ministry in central Khartoum two days ago has risen significantly to 60, says a doctors group linked to the opposition.

    The death toll had earlier been put at 35.

    Talks between the Transitional Military Council, which has ruled since President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in April, and the opposition have ground to a halt amid deep differences over who would lead a three-year transition to democracy.

    Protesters have now re-grouped in the outer suburbs of the capital Khartoum, with new street barricades being built on some major streets.

    - Reuters

    US cuts off Cuba, again

    The Trump administration banned cruises to Cuba under new restrictions on US travel to Cuba to pressure the Carribean island's Communist government to reform and stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

    The tightening of the decades-old US embargo on Cuba will further wound its crippled economy, as well as hurt US travel companies that had built up Cuban business during the brief 2014-2016 detente between the old Cold War foes.

    The State Department said the United States would no longer permit visits to Cuba via passenger and recreational vessels, including cruise ships and yachts, as well as private and corporate aircraft.

    The US Commerce Department told Reuters the ban would be effective from Wednesday, giving cruise lines no grace period to change destinations and creating confusion among cruise passengers.

    - Reuters

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