Ti Tree Local Court list, Friday, January 26 - NT News

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Ti Tree Local Court list, Friday, January 26  NT News
Ti Tree Local Court list, Friday, January 26 - NT News
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WA’s Local Hero: ‘Chief of push-ups’ Nick Hudson planning Canada challenge - The West Australian

While in Canberra this week, Nick Hudson had his mind somewhere else.

WA’s Local Hero for 2024, Mr Hudson was in the capital for the Australian of the Year award, where he was recognised for his work in setting up The Push-Up Challenge .

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WA’s Local Hero: ‘Chief of push-ups’ Nick Hudson planning Canada challenge - The West Australian
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Tasmania: Australia’s top destination for supporting local culture, craft and artisans - New Zealand Herald

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Tasmania: Australia’s top destination for supporting local culture, craft and artisans  New Zealand Herald
Tasmania: Australia’s top destination for supporting local culture, craft and artisans - New Zealand Herald
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Local heroes honoured in 2024 Australia Day Awards - Manly Observer

A collection of selfless and community-focussed high achievers were honoured at the annual Northern Beaches Council Australia Day Awards ceremony last night, Thursday 25 January.

The event, held at Glen Street Theatre in Belrose, recognised 13 individuals and two organisations for their dedication to serving and assisting the Northern Beaches populace. Recipients included Citizens of the Year and Outstanding Community Service awards.

Although the accolades highlighted their actions over the past 12 months, many of the recipients have devoted years, in some cases decades, to their respective charities, clubs and projects. Some have even saved lives.

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins praised them as deserving and inspirational.

“Each year, we recognise individuals and organisations who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and service to our community,” she said. “The judging panel had a very challenging job this year with so many amazing and worthy nominees.

“This year’s recipients exemplify the essence of our community,” she continued, “contributing significantly, often selflessly, across various fields and continually embody the spirit of the Northern Beaches. We heartily congratulate and thank our winners.”

Major recipients of the 2024 Northern Beaches Council Australia Day Awards. Photo: NB Council

List of Australia Day 2024 Award winners

Citizen of the Year – Jimmy Arteaga (Forestville), Unit Commander for Broken Bay Marine Rescue, which aids people and vessels in distress.

Senior Citizen of the Year – Aileen Ogilvie (North Narrabeen), a former Lifeline Counsellor, has been on the Community Drug Action Team (CDAT) for 22 years and is a founding member of MoWaNa Safe Space in the Mind Café in Narrabeen.

Young Citizens of the Year – Lachlan O’Callaghan and Cooper Morgan, from Narrabeen Sports High and Northern Beaches Christian School, respectively, oversaw a rescue operation at The Quays Marina, Church Point, which saved the life of a drowning man.

Ben Tudhope in the Banked Snowboard event at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. Photo: Australian Paralympic Committee

Sportsperson of the Year – Ben Tudhope, the youngest ever Winter Paralympian and three times Paralympic Snowboarder was a Beijing 2022 Bronze Medallist, 2023 World Champion, six-times World Cup Champion and co-captain of the Australian Paralympic Team.

Community Event of the Year – BEACH2BEACH Charity Fun Run, an all-ages and all-abilities event hosted by the Rotary Club of Warringah. Beach2Beach has donated over $5 million to local community organisations since its inception (including Surf Life Saving Clubs, schools, Scouts and charities).

Community Group of the Year – The Country Women’s Association of NSW, Manly Branch. Manly CWA holds community fundraising events and market stalls in addition to hosting skills-teaching workshops.

Manly Country Womens Association, recipients of the Group of the Year Award at the 2024 Northern Beaches Council Australia Day Awards. Photo: NB Council

Outstanding Community Service Awards winners

David Price (Balgowlah Heights), member of Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club, volunteered his time to assist with the evacuation of people during the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires and the NSW floods in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Denver J Beven (Queenscliff) has been the driving force behind the removal of invasive plants and complete upgrade of the Freshwater Beach Undercliff Reserve (southern headland), now renamed Irene Crump Reserve (in honour of the woman who saved it from developers).

Denver is also co-founder of Charity Tour de Cure (TDC) which raises money for Cancer research. 

Gary Searles (Bilgola Plateau), President of Peninsula Cricket Club for the past three years and a committee member for a decade, he coaches and mentors young cricketers and has overseen the formation of three girls teams.

John Diamond (Terrey Hills) founded the Lions Club of Frenchs Forest in the early 1960s and has served as President and as the elder statesperson of the club, attending meetings for over 65 years. He has also contributed to the fundraising of millions of dollars to help the Northern Beaches community and charities.

Jon Russell (Cottage Point) was the driving force behind a telecommunications tower installation at Cottage Point that covered what was previously a ‘black spot’ area that had no emergency coverage.

Kelly Barr-Jones (Allambie Heights), Parents & Citizens’ President of Forest High School, P&C Vice President of Allambie Heights Public School, and Chairperson of the Diversity & Inclusion subcommittee of both Forest High School and Allambie Heights Public School. Kelly plays an integral part in supporting and raising awareness of parents and carers of neurodiverse students.

Marilinda Winter, Outstanding Community Service Award winner. Photo: NB Council

Marilinda Winter (Narraweena), for over 14 years she’s coached football (soccer) at several clubs on the Northern Beaches, including Manly Vale, Collaroy Cromer Strikers, St Augustine’s, and Beacon Hill. She’s also developed a program on “How to Coach Female Players”, encouraging girls and women into the sport. In 2023, Marilinda’s Manly Vale division 1 under 18s female team won the Football NSW State Cup and the Football NSW Champion of Champions trophy.

Terry Cook (Ingleside) is the president and coordinator of Peninsula Seniors Toy Recyclers, which refurbish toys, games, dolls and bicycles rescued from landfill and reused by a number of charities that care for children in need.

Northern Beaches Council Australia Day Awards Honour Roll website: https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/community/awards/australia-day-awards/honour-roll-2024

Beach2Beach Charity Fun Run, winners of the Community Event of the Year at the 2024 Northern Beaches Council Australia Day Awards. Photo: NB Council

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Qld dinosaur pioneer David Elliott named 2024 Local Hero - The New Daily

David Elliott was mustering sheep when he stumbled across a dinosaur fossil.

His chance discovery in 1999 led to the revival of palaeontology in Australia and the creation of a tourism industry that put outback Queensland on the map.

As scientists flocked to the region, Elliott and his wife Judy established a dinosaur and natural history museum.

The couple conducted dinosaur digs on their Winton property and built a collection of fossils.

The not-for-profit operation quickly expanded and moved onto an alternative site.

It has grown to become a major tourist attraction and centre for palaeontology, housing the world’s largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils.

For his contribution to science, Elliott has been named Australia’s Local Hero for 2024.

“I simply represent the hard work and passion of a lot of people, and I’m just proud to be one of them,” he said.

Elliott said the dinosaurs helped bring income to regional centres that were dying as people moved to bigger cities.

“Keeping the small communities of outback Australia alive is imperative, our nation depends on them.”

Australia’s children must also be taught about the nation’s past in order to better care for it, he said.

National Australia Day Council chair John Foreman said the Order of Australia Medal recipient had helped his entire community.

“David, an everyday Queensland pastoralist who discovered something extraordinary, has dedicated himself to sharing Australia’s dinosaur history and the importance of keeping regional Australia viable and sustainable,” Mr Foreman said.

-AAP

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Qld dinosaur pioneer David Elliott named 2024 Local Hero - The New Daily
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Katherine Local Court list, Thursday, January 25 - NT News

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Katherine Local Court list, Thursday, January 25  NT News
Katherine Local Court list, Thursday, January 25 - NT News
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Australia Day citizenship ceremonies cancelled by 81 local councils - SBS

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Australia Day citizenship ceremonies cancelled by 81 local councils  SBS
Australia Day citizenship ceremonies cancelled by 81 local councils - SBS
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Local councils move Australia Day ceremonies from January 26 as attendance declines - msnNOW

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Local councils move Australia Day ceremonies from January 26 as attendance declines  msnNOW
Local councils move Australia Day ceremonies from January 26 as attendance declines - msnNOW
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7 fun local multiplayer games available with PlayStation Plus - PlayStation

You ever get one of those awkward phone calls from your cousin that he and his family are in town and want to drop in for an unexpected house visit? Or your buddy texts you about arguing with their roommate, and they need to come over and cool down. Or, perhaps, the most dread-inducing — your coworker’s kid-sitter canceled, and they need an emergency backup. Suddenly, you’ve got guests over, and you need to keep them entertained for a while. Fortunately for you, you’ve got a PlayStation Plus membership and extra controllers, which means one thing:  it’s local multiplayer time.

But even if you’re not in an urgent need to keep a surprise audience entertained, getting a group of players together on the couch to have a good time is one of the best uses of your PlayStation. There are plenty of amazing PS4 and PS5 games you can always boot up whenever you need a good serving of multiplayer mayhem. Here are some of our favorites available with PlayStation Plus.*

Nobody Saves The World

• Drinkbox Studios
• PS4/PS5
• 2 players 

Everyone’s a hero in this chaotic transformation-focused action/RPG. With the aid of a magic wand, your bland amorphous humanoid character assumes myriad different forms, each with a unique playstyle–and, with a friend in tow, you can take on forms that cover for each other’s weaknesses or double up on your strengths. With hundreds of combinations of forms and abilities to explore and blast through foes, you’ll have hours of fun with bodily modification.*

*Available as a PlayStation Plus January 2024 Monthly game.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

• Gearbox Studios
• PS4/PS5
• Up to 4 players on PS5, 2 players on PS4

The weirdness and humor of the beloved Borderlands series continues in this tabletop fantasy-themed spinoff. You and three of your friends/frenemies can play together in a weird and wild fantasy loot-driven FPS with your own customizable characters in classes like Stabbomancer and Brr-zerker. Use melee weapons, spells, and (of course) lots and lots of crazy guns to eradicate enemies and get all the sweet, sweet rewards. Play in either normal co-op mode or coopetition mode, where you’ll need to squabble to decide who gets what loot.*

*Included in the Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships.

Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection

• Capcom
• PS4
• 2 player competitive

We all know and love Street Fighter. Even if your play partner’s never thrown a Hadoken in their life, it’ll only take a couple of minutes to learn, and then you’ve got even more fun and strategy to dig into. With 12 different Street Fighter games in one package, you can stick with the classic Street Fighter II titles, or dig deep into the later Alpha and III series. You don’t have to be able to do the Daigo Parry to have hours of fun digging into the storied history of Street Fighter with a friend–but once you’ve had fun playing competitively, you may want to take your skills to the next level.*

*Included in the Classics Catalog with PlayStation Plus Premium memberships.

Dragon’s Crown Pro

• VanillaWare/Atlus USA
• PS4
• Up to 4 players

Don’t have your dice and Dungeon Master gear on hand for your tabletop roleplaying session? Boot up Dragon’s Crown Pro and take your gang of adventurers on a gorgeous side-scrolling journey through realms of treasure and fantasy. Play as one of six classes and travel into dungeons as a band of up to four players, felling fearsome foes in fierce action gameplay and returning to the tavern with tales of bravado and plenty of sweet loot. Customize your warrior with skill trees to create your dream fantasy fighter. Will you discover the legendary Dragon’s Crown?*

*Included in the Classics Catalog with PlayStation Plus Premium memberships.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

• Tribute Games/Dotemu
• PS4/PS5
• 6 players on/offline 

Take a trip back to the days of multiplayer Turtle beat-em-up action at the local arcade, but with brand-new visuals, super special moves, loads of secrets, and no need to worry if some kid before you spilled orange soda on the player-three joystick. Run through the single-session arcade mode with up to six players or, if you’re spending a while together, play through Story Mode co-op to build custom character loadouts and aim to conquer special challenges. Add the DLC expansion Dimension Shellshock for a new Survival mode and even more playable characters.*

*Included in the Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

• Sumo Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment
• PS4/PS5
• Up to 4 players

LittleBigPlanet’s star sets out with some friends on an incredible family-friendly journey through a beautiful 3D world. The very fabric of Craftworld is abundant with stretchy, bouncy, tactile joy that allows you to use Sackboy’s robust movement skills in delightfully enjoyable and creative ways. But to get the most out of this Big Adventure, you’ll want to visit with friends (up to three more), as some stages and challenges require cooperation to conquer.*

*Included in the Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships.

The Ascent

• Neon Giant/Curve Games
• PS4/PS5
• Up to 4 players 

Well, it looks like the megacorporation that you and your buddies were employed (read: enslaved) by in the cyberpunk world of Veles suddenly collapsed. Now, everything in your neighborhood’s going to hell. It’s time to get the guns out and solve problems. Explore neon-lit, dilapidated environments in an open world from an isometric viewpoint while blasting through foes and hazards with twin-stick shooter action. Augment yourself with upgrades and hack into forbidden areas as you acquire new skills, strengths, and loot. And don’t neglect to take cover when you have to. It’s better than becoming a bullet-ridden shell.*

*Included in the Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships.

*Titles available with PlayStation Plus memberships at the time of article publish.

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Everybody appearing at NSW Local and Environment Court, Wednesday, January 24 - Daily Telegraph

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Everybody appearing at NSW Local and Environment Court, Wednesday, January 24  Daily Telegraph
Everybody appearing at NSW Local and Environment Court, Wednesday, January 24 - Daily Telegraph
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7 fun local multiplayer games available with PlayStation Plus - PlayStation

You ever get one of those awkward phone calls from your cousin that he and his family are in town and want to drop in for an unexpected house visit? Or your buddy texts you about arguing with their roommate, and they need to come over and cool down. Or, perhaps, the most dread-inducing — your coworker’s kid-sitter canceled, and they need an emergency backup. Suddenly, you’ve got guests over, and you need to keep them entertained for a while. Fortunately for you, you’ve got a PlayStation Plus membership and extra controllers, which means one thing:  it’s local multiplayer time.

But even if you’re not in an urgent need to keep a surprise audience entertained, getting a group of players together on the couch to have a good time is one of the best uses of your PlayStation. There are plenty of amazing PS4 and PS5 games you can always boot up whenever you need a good serving of multiplayer mayhem. Here are some of our favorites available with PlayStation Plus.*

Nobody Saves The World

• Drinkbox Studios
• PS4/PS5
• 2 players 

Everyone’s a hero in this chaotic transformation-focused action/RPG. With the aid of a magic wand, your bland amorphous humanoid character assumes myriad different forms, each with a unique playstyle–and, with a friend in tow, you can take on forms that cover for each other’s weaknesses or double up on your strengths. With hundreds of combinations of forms and abilities to explore and blast through foes, you’ll have hours of fun with bodily modification.*

*Available as a PlayStation Plus January 2024 Monthly game.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

• Gearbox Studios
• PS4/PS5
• Up to 4 players on PS5, 2 players on PS4

The weirdness and humor of the beloved Borderlands series continues in this tabletop fantasy-themed spinoff. You and three of your friends/frenemies can play together in a weird and wild fantasy loot-driven FPS with your own customizable characters in classes like Stabbomancer and Brr-zerker. Use melee weapons, spells, and (of course) lots and lots of crazy guns to eradicate enemies and get all the sweet, sweet rewards. Play in either normal co-op mode or coopetition mode, where you’ll need to squabble to decide who gets what loot.*

*Included in the Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships.

Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection

• Capcom
• PS4
• 2 player competitive

We all know and love Street Fighter. Even if your play partner’s never thrown a Hadoken in their life, it’ll only take a couple of minutes to learn, and then you’ve got even more fun and strategy to dig into. With 12 different Street Fighter games in one package, you can stick with the classic Street Fighter II titles, or dig deep into the later Alpha and III series. You don’t have to be able to do the Daigo Parry to have hours of fun digging into the storied history of Street Fighter with a friend–but once you’ve had fun playing competitively, you may want to take your skills to the next level.*

*Included in the Classics Catalog with PlayStation Plus Premium memberships.

Dragon’s Crown Pro

• VanillaWare/Atlus USA
• PS4
• Up to 4 players

Don’t have your dice and Dungeon Master gear on hand for your tabletop roleplaying session? Boot up Dragon’s Crown Pro and take your gang of adventurers on a gorgeous side-scrolling journey through realms of treasure and fantasy. Play as one of six classes and travel into dungeons as a band of up to four players, felling fearsome foes in fierce action gameplay and returning to the tavern with tales of bravado and plenty of sweet loot. Customize your warrior with skill trees to create your dream fantasy fighter. Will you discover the legendary Dragon’s Crown?*

*Included in the Classics Catalog with PlayStation Plus Premium memberships.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

• Tribute Games/Dotemu
• PS4/PS5
• 6 players on/offline 

Take a trip back to the days of multiplayer Turtle beat-em-up action at the local arcade, but with brand-new visuals, super special moves, loads of secrets, and no need to worry if some kid before you spilled orange soda on the player-three joystick. Run through the single-session arcade mode with up to six players or, if you’re spending a while together, play through Story Mode co-op to build custom character loadouts and aim to conquer special challenges. Add the DLC expansion Dimension Shellshock for a new Survival mode and even more playable characters.*

*Included in the Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

• Sumo Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment
• PS4/PS5
• Up to 4 players

LittleBigPlanet’s star sets out with some friends on an incredible family-friendly journey through a beautiful 3D world. The very fabric of Craftworld is abundant with stretchy, bouncy, tactile joy that allows you to use Sackboy’s robust movement skills in delightfully enjoyable and creative ways. But to get the most out of this Big Adventure, you’ll want to visit with friends (up to three more), as some stages and challenges require cooperation to conquer.*

*Included in the Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships.

The Ascent

• Neon Giant/Curve Games
• PS4/PS5
• Up to 4 players 

Well, it looks like the megacorporation that you and your buddies were employed (read: enslaved) by in the cyberpunk world of Veles suddenly collapsed. Now, everything in your neighborhood’s going to hell. It’s time to get the guns out and solve problems. Explore neon-lit, dilapidated environments in an open world from an isometric viewpoint while blasting through foes and hazards with twin-stick shooter action. Augment yourself with upgrades and hack into forbidden areas as you acquire new skills, strengths, and loot. And don’t neglect to take cover when you have to. It’s better than becoming a bullet-ridden shell.*

*Included in the Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships.

*Titles available with PlayStation Plus memberships at the time of article publish.

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7 fun local multiplayer games available with PlayStation Plus - PlayStation
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Wurrumiyanga Local Court list, Tuesday, January 23 - NT News

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Wurrumiyanga Local Court list, Tuesday, January 23  NT News
Wurrumiyanga Local Court list, Tuesday, January 23 - NT News
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Angus Olsen, Witiyana Marika among Australia's Local Hero Award finalists - The Canberra Times

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Angus Olsen, Witiyana Marika among Australia's Local Hero Award finalists  The Canberra Times
Angus Olsen, Witiyana Marika among Australia's Local Hero Award finalists - The Canberra Times
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Nichols Place Darwin Local Court list, Monday, January 22 - NT News

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Nichols Place Darwin Local Court list, Monday, January 22  NT News
Nichols Place Darwin Local Court list, Monday, January 22 - NT News
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BRICS bank to release bonds in local currencies - Modern Diplomacy

BRICS, a bloc of leading emerging markets, is preparing to launch new bonds in global markets, which will be available in local currencies rather than in the US dollar.

The BRICS bank, known as the New Development Bank (NDB), will soon release the bonds called ‘Maharaja Bonds’ worth $28 billion, IRNA reported on Sunday citing a press release by Watcher Guru, a website introducing itself as a leading source for finance focusing on cryptocurrency.

Watcher Guru did not specify the exact date the bonds will be released but said that NDB Chief Operating Officer Vladimir Kazbekov has announced that the bank is waiting for approvals from regulatory authorities.

The new bonds, according to the website, will be made available for governments, financial institutions, and regular investors.

They will be available for purchase in local currencies in an effort to strengthen them and to help boost their respective economies.

The plan to release the bonds is part of BRICS’s initiatives for de-dollarization as the alliance is moving ahead to reduce dependency on the American currency in an effort to reform the global economy.

BRICS is comprised of Brazil, China, Russia, India, and South Africa as well as six new members namely Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Argentina, and Ethiopia.

BRICS leaders, at their latest summit in late 2023, pledged to promote the use of local currencies as a way to ditch the US dollar, as they unanimously rejected exploiting the global economy for political purposes.

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BRICS bank to release bonds in local currencies - Modern Diplomacy
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Alice Springs Local Court list, Monday, January 22 - NT News

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Alice Springs Local Court list, Monday, January 22  NT News
Alice Springs Local Court list, Monday, January 22 - NT News
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Everybody appearing at Newtown Local Court, Monday, January 22 - Daily Telegraph

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Everybody appearing at Newtown Local Court, Monday, January 22  Daily Telegraph
Everybody appearing at Newtown Local Court, Monday, January 22 - Daily Telegraph
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Behind the scenes star wins Local Achiever Award - Warrnambool City Council

The spotlight is on Ailiche Goddard-Clegg, Warrnambool theatre stalwart and the recipient of the 2024 Warrnambool Local Achiever Award.

In addition to spending years working to grow and share theatre with the Warrnambool community, Ailiche is also a volunteer board member for Leadership Great South Coast and Beyond the Bell, as well as a former Warrnambool Adult Riding Club committee member.

Ailiche said that she was honoured and humbled by the award.

“Arts are our creative expression and they’re about coming together and expressing ourselves and telling great stories,” she said.

“That’s why theatre and the performing arts are so important for our community.

“I’m particularly proud of the work that we’ve done with the Warrnambool Theatre Company over the last 10 years. We have really embraced mentoring, skill-building, partnerships and bravery.

“We’ve brought the company back in to a really prosperous and strong position. 

“I think that you can gain a lot from volunteering and I really believe in volunteerism in our community. 

“A lot of people say that you are giving back to community, which is of course right, but it’s also gaining such a huge amount.

“You get to connect with a variety of people within these community organisations and I think you get to learn so many new skills and be a part of your community.”

Warrnambool Mayor Ben Blain said that Ailiche was a very worthy winner.

“Ailiche has been president of the Warrnambool Theatre Company for the last seven years and during that time, she has led a massive expansion in the company's partnerships, facilities, community events and performances,” he said.

“Community theatre in Warrnambool is booming, and it’s a credit to the hard-working people like Ailiche who make it all possible.

“So for her tireless contributions to enhancing creativity and culture in Warrnambool, it is my honour to name Ailiche Goddard-Clegg as the winner of the 2024 Local Achiever Award.”

Tom Richardson has been named Warrnambool Citizen of the Year, Courtney Mathew has been named Young Citizen of the Year and the F Project’s Fabric of Life Festival is the Community Event of the Year.

The winners will be officially recognised at a ceremony at the Lighthouse Theatre on Tuesday January 23 from 6pm. The event will also include a Citizenship Ceremony, where 29 people will take the pledge and officially become Australian Citizens.

All are welcome to attend.

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Behind the scenes star wins Local Achiever Award - Warrnambool City Council
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Everybody appearing at Grafton Local Court, Monday, January 22 - Grafton Daily Examiner

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Everybody appearing at Grafton Local Court, Monday, January 22  Grafton Daily Examiner
Everybody appearing at Grafton Local Court, Monday, January 22 - Grafton Daily Examiner
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EXCLUSIVE: First Look HMD Global Phone, Local Profits Revealed – channelnews - ChannelNews

We have finally got a look at the new HMD Global Branded Smartphones, and they look pretty ordinary with analysts questioning, why not stick with their Nokia licenced brand.

Nokia has been selling Nokia branded smartphones in Australia and in their latest financials filed a few months ago HMD Global only managed $293,241 profit on revenues of $47.4 million. This was up from the $33.6M in revenues in the prior year.

Liabilities for the local HMD entity have risen from 16.1M to $19.3M.

The Company claims that HMD Mobile Australia Pty Ltd are a wholly owned subsidiary of HMD Global Oy, a Company incorporated in Finland.

HMD Mobile Australia Pty Ltd claim that their business consisted of selling and marketing of mobile devices, accessories, and related services.

HMD is headquartered in Espoo, Finland, and is largely run by former Nokia executives.

Some in the market now claiming that HMD has either lost the rights to the Nokia brand or do not want to pay an increased licence fee.

One rumour doing the rounds ahead of Mobile World Congress is that a leading Chinese smartphone manufacturer has picked up the rights to the Nokia brand after 2025.

This has not been confirmed.

HMD Global has been the owner of Nokia brand for its smartphones since 2016 and their contract expires in 2025.okia

All of a sudden, the Company wants to launch their own HMD branded devices a move that failed when TCL replaced the highly successful Alcatel brand in favour of their own branded smartphones.

In Australia, the move was a disaster with retailers dumping TCL branded smartphones because of poor sales.

Over the weekend the first phone from the company surfaced in leaked renders and they were not impressive.

ChannelNews understands that HMD Global is set to use Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to reveal their new range of devices which are going to have to compete with a surging Motorola.

The leaked device appears to be a budget smartphone that would have to compete with a multitude of brands including models from Samsung, Oppo, Motorola and a carrier house brands.

The leaked device has a basic design language with a rectangular camera module on the back panel.

It houses two sensors and an LED flash unit. T

he rears panel also has HMD branding in the centre.

The device appears to have a slightly flat frame with the right edge housing power and volume rocker buttons, the SIM tray located on the left side.

On the front, the HMD Global-branded phone has a centre-aligned punch-hole cutout display.

The leaked device is black with a matte finish.

Two HMD Global phones were spotted on IMEI database with model numbers N159V and TA-1585 last November.

One of them could be the device that has emerged in the leaked render claim observers.

However, their key specifications remain a mystery as of now. As rumoured previously, HMD is tipped to launch its own branded phones in India as soon as April. We can expect more details to surface in the coming months.

Recently we revealed that In a significant shift for the mobile device market, HMD Global, announced a new strategy that will consolidate the sales of Nokia-branded mobile devices exclusively on its own website.

Starting February 1st, consumers looking to purchase Nokia phones will need to visit hmd.com, as the ‘Phone’ section on the Nokia official site is set to be removed and its content transferred to HMD Global’s platform.

About Post Author

David Richards

David Richards has been writing about technology for more than 30 years. A former Fleet Street journalist, he wrote the Award Winning Series on the Federated Ships Painters + Dockers Union for the Bulletin that led to a Royal Commission. He is also a Logie Winner for Outstanding Contribution To TV Journalism with a story called The Werribee Affair. In 1997, he built the largest Australian technology media company and prior to that the third largest PR company that became the foundation company for Ogilvy PR. Today he writes about technology and the impact on both business and consumers.

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EXCLUSIVE: First Look HMD Global Phone, Local Profits Revealed – channelnews - ChannelNews
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Australian of the year nominee Stephanie Trethewey divested shares in The Local Meat Co abattoir following animal ... - msnNOW

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Australian of the year nominee Stephanie Trethewey divested shares in The Local Meat Co abattoir following animal ...  msnNOW
Australian of the year nominee Stephanie Trethewey divested shares in The Local Meat Co abattoir following animal ... - msnNOW
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NT local governments charging rates to charities in Minister Paech’s crosshairs - NT News

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NT local governments charging rates to charities in Minister Paech’s crosshairs  NT News
NT local governments charging rates to charities in Minister Paech’s crosshairs - NT News
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Hidden camera footage from inside The Local Meat Co abattoir - ABC News

This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.

AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

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Local newspapers are withering under destructive owners. We should worry - The Guardian

Paul Moore vividly remembers the Baltimore Sun in its heyday, not so long ago.

“More than 400 newsroom staff, six foreign bureaus and a 12-person Washington bureau,” Moore recalled. He was the Sun’s deputy managing editor (and, for a time, its public editor) until 2009. “We were a full-service newspaper, covering the country, the region and the world.” And winning multiple Pulitzer prizes for the quality of its aggressive, ambitious journalism.

Then came all manner of misfortune – a series of bad owners, the stunning downturn in newspaper economics and – just this week – the paper’s purchase by David D Smith, who runs Sinclair Inc, a Maryland-based media company that made itself infamous a few years ago when it ordered its local journalists in dozens of markets to repeat, word for word, the same rightwing “editorial” about fake news. The identical segments had a hostage-video vibe.

This wasn’t news; it was Trump-inspired propaganda, carried out with all the finesse of a bulldozer blasting into a Waterford crystal factory.

“Everyone I know who cares about the Sun is aghast,” Moore told me by phone this week after the sale became public.

That’s because they all know the answer to the question posed by Joshua Benton in Nieman Lab: “Is there something worse for a newspaper than being owned by Alden Global Capital?”

Alden, reviled in the industry for strip-mining newspapers all over the country, was the Sun’s most recent owner. The once-robust staff has shrunk to well under 100.

But it turns out that Alden has something going for it: its executives don’t care about the content. That’s terrible, on one hand, because they ruthlessly slash the number of journalists in order to maximize profit. But they generally don’t impose their politics on the newsrooms.

Now the even-worse alternative has arrived.

In a demoralizing three-hour meeting this week, Smith told Sun staffers he “has only read the paper four times in the past few months, insulted the quality of their journalism and encouraged them to emulate a TV station owned by his broadcast company”, reported the Baltimore Banner, the digital startup that competes with the Sun.

Several times he told the journalists he had “no idea what you do”.

But they know what he does. For instance, as Benton recalled, Smith met with Donald Trump in 2016 and assured him his reporters stood ready to help: “We are here to deliver your message. Period.” After the election, Sinclair brought in the former Trump aide Boris Epshteyn as its “chief political analyst” and the TV stations were ordered to broadcast Epshteyn’s rightwing commentaries during their local news segments.

As David Simon, the former Sun journalist who created the renowned HBO series The Wire, put it: “The Baltimore Sun is now owned by someone who has delivered a news product with a hard ideological premise and then tailors all coverage and editorializing to fit.”

Simon urged Baltimore residents to support the Banner, founded with funding from the Maryland hotel magnate Stewart Bainum, who unsuccessfully tried to buy the Sun from Alden a few years ago.

Simon called the Banner “the last, best hope” for civic-minded news coverage in the region.

Baltimore is merely a particularly grim point of reference in the depressing trend I wrote about in my 2020 book, Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy.

For me, there’s a personal sadness. I have mourned as the vibrant regional newspaper where I spent three decades, the Buffalo News, has withered under chain ownership after being sold by longtime owner Warren Buffett; the News somehow still manages to do good work, as has the Sun in recent years.

You can see this trend almost everywhere. Newspapers have faded and the growth of digital news outlets – while encouraging – hasn’t kept up with the losses. There are far fewer reporters now than 15 years ago, and they are much more concentrated in places like Washington DC and New York City. Local newspapers go out of business every week.

That turns huge swaths of the US into “news deserts” – places where there is virtually no credible local journalism. Democracy suffers as citizens become less engaged and more polarized, and as government corruption flourishes because the watchdog has gone silent.

The irony is that local and regional journalism is more trusted than national reporting. But the old business model has failed as its lifeblood (print advertising) has dried up; digital advertising and subscriptions haven’t come on strong enough, and hedge funds have swooped in to peck out the end-stage profits.

Amid this nightmare, one often hears the wish for more local ownership because national vulture-capital chains have done so much damage.

But as Baltimore’s situation shows, local ownership can be just as bad. From the early signs – and given Sinclair’s history – it may be even worse.

• Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture

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Local newspapers are withering under destructive owners. We should worry - The Guardian
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Australian of the year nominee Stephanie Trethewey divested shares in The Local Meat Co abattoir following animal welfare issues - ABC News

Stephanie Trethewey, Tasmanian Australian of the Year for 2024, pictured at the awards ceremony in November.(Supplied: Salty Dingo)

An Australian of the Year finalist divested shares in an abattoir owned by herself and her husband in the wake of "animal welfare issues".

Stephanie Trethewey, the founder of online rural mother's group Motherland, is Tasmanian Australian of the Year for 2024 — meaning she is in the running for the national title on January 25.

But as she waits to find out whether she will claim the country's top gong, Ms Trethewey says she has found herself "the target" of animal activists over a company she says she has had no involvement in.

Animal welfare activists broke into The Local Meat Co abattoir and installed hidden cameras in September.(Supplied: Farm Transparency Project)

In September, activists from Farm Transparency Project installed hidden cameras inside The Local Meat Co — an abattoir based in the north-west of Tasmania then co-owned by Ms Trethewey and her husband, Sam.

In early December, vision was released showing workers at the Sheffield abattoir roughly handling animals, including throwing and punching sheep. An expert familiar with abattoirs also told the ABC they had concerns about the facility's design and equipment.

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The abattoir, along with several others, is now under investigation by the state's Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Media 'falsely naming someone as an owner'

In a statement on December 22, The Local Meat Co described the "illegally obtained footage" as unacceptable. The company also condemned "all mistreatment of animals".

The statement finishes with a note claiming there have been some "historical inaccuracies in the [media] reporting to date".

"Including falsely naming someone as an owner of The Local Meat Co who is not an owner or shareholder, as evidenced via an ASIC search," it said.

The Local Meat Co abattoir is near Sheffield, south of Devonport.(Supplied: Farm Transparency Project)

Ms Trethewey, a former AgriFuture Rural Women of the Year, has since denied having an "operational" involvement with the company, instead describing herself on social media as a former "minority shareholder".

But according to ASIC records, up until December, a company named SST & Co was the sole shareholder of The Local Meat Co.

The shareholders of SST & Co are Stephanie Trethewey and her husband, Sam Trethewey, and records show the company is based at their home in Dunorlan.

Stephanie and Sam Trethewey co-owned The Local Meat Co abattoir, but Sam is now the sole owner.(Supplied: Salty Dingo)

On December 11, 7 Tasmania News aired the footage taken inside The Local Meat Co abattoir and named Ms Tretheway as a co-owner.

ASIC documents show that three days later, SST & Co submitted documents notifying ASIC that it had divested its shares in The Local Meat Co, with Ms Tretheway's husband becoming the sole shareholder of The Local Meat Co.

The change was listed as occurring on December 1.

'Family owned' branding scrapped

Past versions of The Local Meat Co's website also refer to it as a "family owned" meat and processing business "run by Sam and Stephanie Trethewey".

The current website has removed references to the couple and the phrase "family owned".

Changes on The Local Meat Co's website from October 2023 to January 2024.(ABC News/thelocalmeatco.com.au)

In a series of stories on Instagram, Ms Trethewey said she had never been involved in the business operationally.

"I was a minority shareholder until December, and am no longer a part owner," she said.

"Yet my name (and only mine) has been dragged through the mud with the AOTY [Australian of the Year] award as the hook.

"Sam (who oversees the business but does not work in it day to day or has anything to do with processing) fired two staff last month when he was sent the footage, made upgrades to the facility immediately and has worked closely with government."

Stephanie Trethewey runs an online rural mother's group called Motherland from her farm in Tasmania.(ABC News)

She also said she had switched her personal account and Motherland's account to private, after "becoming the target of some truly disgusting animal activists".

"I've received death threats and have been bullied via messages, emails and phone calls all day. I have closed off comments on our farming business too and am genuinely concerned for my family's safety," she said.

"All I can say is that I am in touch with lawyers, have reported certain individuals to police, spoken to journalists and have faith that the good ones do their research before rolling with what a group of crazy vegans say."

In another post on Instagram, Ms Trethewey said she had some "exciting ideas" on how to "protect other rural families from future organised crime, hate, and defamation by these evil people".

'We decided to remove myself from the ownership register'

After the ABC contacted her, Ms Trethewey said it was "a matter of public record" that she was a part owner until December.

"The business was leased as a family, even so, I have never had any management or operational involvement of the facility whatsoever," her statement said.

Stephanie Trethewey says her husband Sam immediately fired two staff and made upgrades to the abattoir after being sent the footage.(ABC News)

"When the issues around animal welfare were raised – and addressed immediately by The Local Meat Co – we decided to remove myself from the ownership register to reflect the reality that I have no operational involvement with the facility.

Ms Trethewey also said that she, "strained under social media voiced against [her] part ownership".

"This has been personally taxing for someone with a history of mental health struggles, all at a time I am trying to be a proud representative of Tasmania," she said.

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Australian of the year nominee Stephanie Trethewey divested shares in The Local Meat Co abattoir following animal welfare issues - ABC News
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