Landmark ruling finds Russia shot down MH17 with 38 Australians on board
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How Russia was responsible: Landmark court ruling on downing of MH17
First judgment of its kind after years of legal dispute. European Court of Human Rights found Russia and its agents engaged in ‘manifestly unlawful’ conduct in the July 2014 attack. Decision was part of broader ruling that also found Russia responsible for years of human rights abuses.
In the first judgment of its kind after years of legal dispute, the European Court of Human Rights held unanimously that Russia and its agents engaged in “manifestly unlawful” conduct in the July 2014 attack.
Agent to the European Court of Human Rights for the Netherlands, Babette Koopman, right, hugs plaintiffs after the European Court of Human Rights issued its judgment. Credit: AP
The decision was part of a broader ruling that also found Russia and its leaders responsible for years of human rights abuses, including torture and summary executions, since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Taken as a whole, the vast volume of evidence before the court presented a picture of interconnected practices of manifestly unlawful conduct by agents of the Russian state… on a massive scale across Ukraine,” it found.
Unburied treasure: a viking hoard found by a Scottish detectorist and its ‘bizarre’ link to South Australia
In AD900, marauding Vikings buried a hoard of treasure – jewellery, gold, silver and more – in Scotland. It wasn’t until 2014 that it was unearthed. Metal detectorist Derek McLennan was prospecting in a ploughed field near Dumfries and Galloway when he came across the hoard. It turned out to be the most significant Viking-age collection ever found in the UK or Ireland. The hoard made its international debut earlier this year in the Treasures of the Viking Age exhibition at the South Australian Museum. By chance, the detector he used (a waterproof, all-terrain CTX 3030, for the cognoscenti) was made by an Australian company based in Adelaide, Minelab. The company sells detectors for coins and treasures, for gold prospecting and for finding landmines in conflict zones. They are now helping field testers who are testing its technology for signals – such as burned metals – which do not belong to them.
Metal detectorist Derek McLennan was prospecting in a ploughed field near Dumfries and Galloway when he came across the hoard, which turned out to be the most significant Viking-age collection ever found in the UK or Ireland.
The Galloway hoard made its international debut earlier this year in the Treasures of the Viking Age exhibition at the South Australian Museum.
By chance, the very detector McLennan used (a waterproof, all-terrain CTX 3030, for the cognoscenti) was made by an Australian company based in Adelaide, Minelab.
Minelab’s engineering general manager, Mark Lawrie, says it was a “bizarre” and “happy” coincidence, and the museum confirmed it had no relationship with the company.
Minelab sells detectors for coins and treasures, for gold prospecting and for finding landmines in conflict zones. With names such as Excalibor, Equinox and Manticore, the machines have helped customers around the world find treasures such as a pirate knife, sterling silver with an ivory handle and a Bronze-age torc. There are coins and rings, and American civil war relics, arrowheads and, in one case, a 1906 dog registration tag.
View image in fullscreen Conserved bird pin from the Galloway hoard. The trove was found in a ploughed field near Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. Photograph: National Museum of Scotland
And then there was that amazing cache in Scotland.
“I unearthed the first piece; initially I didn’t understand what I had found because I thought it was a silver spoon, and then I turned it over and wiped my thumb across it and I saw the saltire-type of design and knew instantly it was Viking. Then my senses exploded,” McLennan said at the time.
In Scotland, treasure seekers are paid for their finds – in this case, National Museums Scotland paid Derek McLennan a reward of almost £2m (about A$4m) for the 5kg of gold, silver, textiles and other objects he found.
When he discovered it, the hoard of treasure was topped with a layer of silver bullion with an Anglo-Saxon cross, thought to be a decoy. Under it was another layer – of gravel – under which was a much larger stash of silver bullion, then elaborate, silver arm-rings and a box of gold objects, including a gold bird-pin. Next was a silver-gilt vessel, packed with valuables and wrapped in fabric, and inscribed with a “fire-altar” associated with Zoroastrianism, the state religion of the last Persian imperial dynasty, in modern-day Iran.
The Vikings buried their loot as they fled danger, perhaps hoping to later recover it – or to see it in the afterlife.
Content coordinator at the SA Museum, Stephen Zagala, says apart from the looted treasures in the hoard, there are other objects that are perhaps more interesting.
View image in fullscreen Pectoral cross detail from the Galloway hoard. Detectorist Derek McLennan said his ‘senses exploded’ when he made the find. Photograph: National Museum of Scotland
“It’s these glass beads and curios and heirlooms which are really more like a time capsule than a treasure hoard,” he says. “Heirlooms that have been passed down over several generations, and they intended to pass them on further, and it never happened.
“They were just left in the ground for a thousand years.”
One of his favourite objects is the rattle-stone, also known as a charm-stone.
“The inside has been eroded by water and left some sort of little fossil or other bit of stone inside, so that it rattles when you shake it like a seed pod,” he says.
Zagala explains that the rattle-stone was often used in Scandinavia to help “loosen” a baby during childbirth.
“It speaks to magic and mysticism,” he says. “It speaks to maternal care and memories and relationships in a community.”
Mark Lawrie says Minelab started working with McLennan and his wife, Sharon – who is from Kalgoorlie – after their 2014 find. They are now field testers who help Minelab fine-tune its technology. They are testing, for example, technology to weed coke – which sends similar signals as metals do – from burned wood in Scotland, to be used for energy.
While detectorists hunt for archaeological treasure and Viking hoards in Europe, in Australia it’s more about looking for gold, old coins or lost objects.
Australia’s famous gold nuggets are one of the reasons Minelab is in Australia. Another is that an inventor in the 1990s worked out how to get detectors to work on the iron-heavy red dirt of the outback.
Now, Lawrie says, they have a big market in Africa. There, people on the poverty line can make a living out of finding gold.
Minelab also makes landmine detectors for humanitarian projects in Cambodia, Laos, Afghanistan and Ukraine, “everywhere where there has been conflict,” he says.
Lawrie is a detectorist himself and describes it as “meditative”.
“If you like hunting, or fishing, anything to do with dreaming of the thing you’re going to get, and then preparing all your equipment and then going and doing it and, by and large, not actually finding anything most of the time, but being OK with that … that’s very similar,” he says.
“They sometimes call it ‘dirt fishing’.”
Researchers will be studying the Galloway hoard for years, if not decades to come, particularly the more exotic items: the surviving silk, those curios, a rock crystal jar.
And there are two balls of compact earth containing flecks of gold, which might have been gathered from a religious shrine or sacred place. But for now they’re calling these things, which McLennan fished out of the earth, “dirt balls”.
In a landmark ruling, court finds Russia guilty of shooting down flight MH17, killing 298 onboard
The European Court of Human Rights found Russia guilty of shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2017, killing all 298 passengers and crew onboard. The court’s president, Mattias Guyomar, said that Russian forces engaged in “manifestly unlawful” conduct in the July 2014 attack on the flight. The Kremlin has maintained that it would ignore what it described as a “largely symbolic judgment” Ukraine, on the other hand, lauded the court, calling the ruling “historic and unprecedented” Kyiv went on to call the verdict an “undeniable victory” for the embattled country. The victims of the crash came from 17 countries and included 198 Dutch nationals, 43 Malaysians, 38 Australians and 10 from the UK. The European court will now rule on compensation at a later date, but it is also important to note that the decisions in Strasbourg are separate from a criminal prosecution in which two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel were convicted of multiple murders for their roles in the downing of MH17.
Families of the victims of the MH17 disaster say they see the decision as an important milestone in their 11-year quest for justice. Reuters
Europe’s top human rights court delivered damning judgements against Russia on Wednesday, including the ruling that it was Moscow which shot down MH17, killing all passengers, including 38 Australians. The judges at the European Court of Human Rights were delivering rulings on four cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands.
On Wednesday, the judges ruled that Russia was responsible for widespread violations of international law. Moscow was apprehended for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, back in 2014, along with murder, torture, rape, destruction of civilian infrastructure and kidnapping of Ukrainian children after it full-scale invasion of 2022, The Guardian reported.
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The decision was read out in a packed courtroom in Strasbourg. The court’s president, Mattias Guyomar, said that Russian forces engaged in “manifestly unlawful” conduct in the July 2014 attack on the flight. “The court agreed that the evidence suggested that the missile had been intentionally fired at flight MH17, most likely in the mistaken belief that it had been a military aircraft,” the court said in a statement.
“It was not necessary for the court to decide exactly who had fired the missile, since Russia was responsible for the acts of the Russian armed forces and the armed separatists.” “The court found that no measures had been taken by Russia to accurately identify military targets, in breach of the principles of distinction and precautions,” Guyomar furthered.
Russia reacts
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has maintained that it would ignore what it described as a “largely symbolic judgment”. Ukraine, on the other hand, lauded the court, calling the ruling “historic and unprecedented.” Kyiv went on to call the verdict an “undeniable victory” for the embattled country.
The 501-page ruling noted that Russia’s refusal to participate in the proceedings also was a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, the treaty that underpins the court. When asked about the proceedings before the judgment was read, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the case altogether. “We won’t abide by it, we consider it void,” he said at that time.
Meanwhile, families of the victims of the devastating crash saw the judgment as an important milestone in their 11-year quest for justice. Thomas Schansman, whose 18-year-old son, Quinn, was aboard the jetliner, said the judgment made it clear who caused the disaster. Russia “is responsible for killing my son”, Schansman said.
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The tragic story of MH17
On July 17, 2017, a Boeing 777 aircraft was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels loyal to Moscow. All 298 passengers and crew onboard lost their lives in the tragic incident.
The victims of the crash came from 17 countries and included 198 Dutch nationals, 43 Malaysians, 38 Australians and 10 from the UK. In the Wednesday ruling, the judge found that Russia’s refusal to acknowledge its involvement in the plane crash violated international law.
The court also charged Russia for failing to properly investigate the disaster “significantly aggravated the suffering” of the relatives and friends of the dead. “Russia never took any opportunity to tell the truth,” Schansman said. In May this year, the UN’s aviation agency also found Russia responsible for the crash.
The UN body gave the decision after Australia and the Netherlands launched legal proceedings against Russia under Article 84 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. It is pertinent to note that the ECHR is an important part of the Council of Europe, the continent’s foremost human rights institution.
The court’s governing body expelled Moscow in 2022, after it launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine. However, the court still has the authority to deal with cases against Russia dating from before its expulsion and, legally, the country is still obliged to participate in the proceedings.
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The European court will now rule on financial compensation at a later date, but Russia’s departure leaves little hope that damages will ever be collected. It is also important to note that the decisions in Strasbourg are separate from a criminal prosecution in the Netherlands in which two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel were convicted in absentia of multiple murders for their roles in the downing of Flight MH17.
Tiny fungus farming beetle from WA could wreak havoc on Sydney’s heritage trees
The Botanic Gardens of Sydney is warning of an imminent and deadly risk to the city’s trees posed by an invasive beetle. The tiny polyphagous shot-hole borer, which is native to south-east Asia, is a “fungus farmer’ that burrows into trees and can spread a fungus that kills the host tree. About 4,000 trees, including Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs – which are not native to WA – have been cut down in attempts to eradicate the beetle. It is not known how many types of tree species in Australia – native and introduced – could become targets. Overseas, more than 400 host species have been recorded. The beetle was first detected in a tree in Perth in 2021 and a year later had spread to more than 200 locations across the Western Australian capital. The focus is shifting from eradication to management in WA, it was “inevitable” that the beetle would spread further in Perth.
The tiny polyphagous shot-hole borer, which is native to south-east Asia, is a “fungus farmer” that burrows into trees and can spread a fungus that kills the host tree.
The larvae of the beetle feed on the fungus, which then colonises the tree’s water and nutrient conducting vessels and blocks them, causing stress and dieback that can eventually lead to the tree’s death.
View image in fullscreen A polyphagous shot-hole borer. Photograph: Karl Magnacca/iNaturalist
The beetle was first detected in a tree in Perth in 2021 and a year later had spread to more than 200 locations across the Western Australian capital. About 4,000 trees, including Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs – which are not native to WA – have been cut down in attempts to eradicate the beetle.
The beetle can’t establish the fungus in all tree species and it is not known how many types of trees in Australia – native and introduced – could become targets. Overseas, more than 400 host species have been recorded.
The Western Australian government has its own list of species found to be susceptible.
The WA government announced last month that a national management group made up of state, territory and federal representatives had determined it was no longer feasible to try to eradicate the invasive pest and control strategies would shift to managing it.
‘Concern is now heightened’
The chief scientist at Sydney’s botanic gardens, Brett Summerell, said they had been preparing for the beetle to make its way to eastern Australia, where it could have a huge impact in places such as formal gardens.
“We’ve been concerned for the past couple of years, but that concern is now heightened because the potential for it to be accidentally brought into the Sydney region is quite significant,” he said.
Summerell said with the focus shifting from eradication to management in WA, it was “inevitable” that the beetle would spread further in Perth, and there would be increased opportunities for it to expand – likely via the transportation of infested wood such as firewood.
“I just see the opportunities for people to pick up infested wood and travel east, even all the way to the Sydney region. That risk is going to be heightened because we’re moving from eradication to management.”
He said because it was not known how many tree species were susceptible, “it’s just a big experiment about to happen”.
In Sydney there are large populations of known hosts such as plane and fig trees meaning there was the potential for large numbers to be severely affected, Summerell said.
Shot-hole borers could affect the heritage values and appearance of popular parks and gardens – and the amenity trees provide through natural urban cooling.
‘One of the highest priorities should be to contain it’
The policy director at the Invasive Species Council, Carol Booth, said it was critical that governments fund research to investigate more control options, including collaboration with overseas researchers.
“One of the highest priorities should be to contain it for as long as possible to give us the time to develop more effective control methods,” she said.
The council wants to see more work to investigate the potential impacts of the shot-hole borer in Australia and which native species might be susceptible.
“The big unknown is what is going to be the environmental impact,” she said. “What the impact is going to be overall in forests. It’s really uncertain.”
Signs of polyphagous shot-hole borer infestation included tiny entry and exit holes – about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen – in a tree’s bark and wilting and dieback of branches, often starting in the upper canopy.
Summerell said monitoring for the presence of the beetle was critical, as was educating the public to identify the signs of a potential infestation, which could start in a back yard tree.
“The more sets of eyes we have looking for potential problems, the more likely we are to find it early,” he said. “If there are little holes and dots in the trees where it’s obvious a borer has been … they should report that.”
Australia news live: universities, cultural bodies and broadcasters to be targeted in antisemitism envoy plan
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says there is no place in Australia for antisemitism. Special envoy Jillian Segal says reported incidents of antisemSemitism increased ‘over 300%’ in a year, including “threats, vandalism, harassment and physical violence’ The Coalition opposition has backed Segal’s plan but claims Labor has demonstrated a ‘lack of leadership’ on the issue. X CEO Linda Yaccarino has announced she will resign after two years at the helm of the social network. Canstar Blue says more than half of NBN providers have passed on an increase in wholesale costs to customers – including Telstra, Optus and TPG – but some have chosen not to do so. Shopping around and being willing to switch providers could save customers $325, according to a comparison site Canstar Canstar’S Tara Donnelly, editor-in-chief of Bluestar Blue, said today. She said: “I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around and transforming X’
4m ago 04.21 BST Josh Butler Coalition backs antisemitism plan but accuses Labor of a ‘lack of leadership’ The Coalition opposition has backed Jillian Segal’s plan to tackle antisemitism, but claims the Labor government has demonstrated a “lack of leadership” on the issue. The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, noted Anthony Albanese had not directly committed to implementing any specific measures from the antisemitism envoy’s recommendations. She said Australians “deserve some clarity” on the government’s plans. “This report shows antisemitism is not just a problem of security or law enforcement. It’s a cultural and societal cancer that needs attention through our schools, universities, media, and even the arts,” she said. The shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, also accused Labor of a “lack of commitment”. “Fighting the tidal wave of antisemitism cannot be left to the envoy alone, it needs the prime minister’s commitment, not just to hear the envoy’s advocacy, but to action her policies,” he said. The Jewish community is telling us that Australia now leads the world in firebombings and other violent attacks on Jews. In such an environment we want to see the prime minister leading the fight on antisemitism and being accountable for the outcome. It’s time his actions matched his words. The shadow home affairs minister, Andrew Hastie, called for “a whole-of-government response”, demanding “the full weight of the commonwealth’s resolve, starting with the prime minister”. Share Updated at 04.23 BST
41m ago 03.44 BST The CEO of X, Elon Musk’s social network, has announced she will resign. “After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of 𝕏,” Linda Yaccarino wrote. Musk replied to her tweet: “Thank you for your contributions.” The outgoing CEO said, “When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App.” Read more from reporters Blake Montgomery and Nick Robins-Early here: Linda Yaccarino stepping down as CEO of Elon Musk’s X Read more Share Updated at 04.07 BST
1h ago 03.28 BST Internet prices on the rise Internet prices are on the rise for a majority of Australian households, according to a comparison website. Canstar Blue said more than half of NBN providers have passed on an increase in wholesale costs to their customers – including Telstra, Optus and TPG – but some providers have chosen not to do so. Shopping around and being willing to switch providers could save customers $325 a year, the comparison site said in a statement today. Canstar Blue’s utilities editor, Tara Donnelly, said that at “a time of increased cost of living, there’s no doubt news that it will cost more just to access the internet would be hard to hear for plenty of households around Australia”: While it might seem easier for some to just accept the increase, taking 10 minutes to review what they’re currently paying against competitive offers in the market could mean switching to a better plan that may save hundreds of dollars. Share Updated at 03.35 BST
1h ago 02.55 BST PM reiterates PBS, media bargaining code and biosecurity laws ‘not on the table’ in Trump tariff negotiations Anthony Albanese says the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, media bargaining code and biosecurity laws “are not on the table for negotiations” with the US. The prime minister was asked whether the government’s “planned local content on streaming services or the news media bargaining code” will be “potential … bargaining chips” to protect exports as the US president, Donald Trump, threatens a potential 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals. Albanese said: On trade and tariffs, we are continuing to engage in the national interest with the United States but I’ve made it very clear that the issues such as the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, the media bargaining code that is about not tax, that is about journalists being paid for the work that they do, and our bio laws to protect our agricultural interests are not on the table for negotiations, they are a part of who Australia is. So we will continue to engage. My government has made considerable effort to make medicines cheaper for Australians, and they will be $25, the same price that they were in 2004 … That is what Australians voted for on the third of May and they voted for it in substantial numbers. Share Updated at 02.59 BST
2h ago 02.36 BST PM avoids question over potential funding withdrawals Asked whether institutions like arts bodies and universities could have funding withdrawn over antisemitism within the year, Albanese says: The concept from this report … about making sure that that is clearly articulated to the different decision-makers and things like that, is something that is already possible, and something that there are extractions that can be taken as of this report, but I wouldn’t like to put a deadline on something. Share Updated at 03.21 BST
2h ago 02.30 BST More from joint conference from PM and special envoy to combat antisemitism Asked whether his government is committing to the plan recommended by the special envoy to combat antisemitism in full, Albanese says his government will “work constructively with the envoy”: We welcome the plan, to be very clear. Some of the plan requires a long-term approach, some of it requires action by state governments, some of it requires action by society. By the people watching this media conference as well. What we will do is work constructively with the envoy. Share Updated at 02.34 BST
2h ago 02.29 BST Albanese: ‘I have been an advocate of two states in the Middle East for my entire political life’ Asked about how the government will ensure the plan recommended by the special envoy to combat antisemitism “does not prevent legitimate criticisms of Israel including from Jewish Australians,” Anthony Albanese says: I have released statements with other leaders that have been critical of the actions of the Netanyahu government. I will continue to put forward a position that is consistent with the position that we have taken on the Middle East. But you can put forward those views respectfully. And those criticisms are also made, it might be said, by people in Israel. There are demonstrations in Israel that are bigger than any of the demonstrations that have been held in Australia. That is a good thing in a democracy. But it is a good thing if it is done in a respectful and clear way. And we will continue, I have been an advocate of two states in the Middle East for my entire political life. Share Updated at 02.36 BST
2h ago 02.22 BST Put forward views respectfully, peacefully and in an orderly way, PM says Responding to a question about whether protests are “fuelling … attacks”, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says “you should be able to express your view” in a democracy. He is speaking live alongside special envoy to combat antisemitism Jillian Segal. Albanese says: In a democracy, you should be able to express your view here in Australia about events overseas. Where the line has been crossed is in blaming and identifying people because they happen to be Jewish. Regardless of your views on the Middle East, and there are a range of views across Australian society, put forward those views respectfully, peacefully, orderly. Do not target individuals. Share Updated at 02.58 BST
2h ago 02.15 BST Education ‘central’ to special envoy to combat antisemitism’s recommendations The special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, is delivering recommendations in response to the arson attack at a Melbourne synagogue, alongside the prime minister: We will look at whether it is now necessary to strengthen hate crime legislation, including provisions relating to not only incitement and vilification and prohibitive symbols which we have, but actual hatred and the speaking of hatred and demonstrated hatred. I look forward to working with the various Attorneys-General, police, prosecutors and the judiciary will be supported with training to apply the laws and understand antisemitism. A national hate crime database, already announced by the government, is in the process of being established, which will improve reporting, monitoring and transparency. Public-funded institutions like universities and cultural bodies and broadcasters will be expected to uphold consistent standards and demonstrate accountability in fighting antisemitism. Education is central. It shapes not only what young Australians know but how they think and how they treat others. The plan promotes a nationally-consistent approach to teaching, about the history, harms and modern forms of antisemitism through the lens of democracy, social inclusion, shared civic responsibility in Australian values. We need to support professional development of teachers and public servants. We need to promote cultural understanding, back trusted voices online and encourage responsible media reporting. Education is the key. Segal says the plan “is a whole society plan”: We need leadership from government but we need society, businesses, unions, sporting codes, community associations will be invited and encouraged to take part in this national effort. Universities will continue to be held accountable for improvements. Digital platforms will be engaged directly. Share Updated at 02.41 BST