What we learned: Friday, 8 May
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Have a lovely weekend, our fantastic team will be back tomorrow for all things Farrer-election-day.
Here were the major developments of the day:
A Sydney woman charged with joining the Islamic State will remain in custody after prosecutors argued the case against her was “strong and straightforward”. Two women arrested in Melbourne yesterday after their return from Syria have been charged by the Australian Federal Police.
Richard Lewer has been awarded the 2026 Archibald prize for his portrait of Pitjantjatjara elder, traditional healer and senior artist Iluwanti Ken.
All four Australians onboard the cruise ship where a hantavirus outbreak has so far been linked to the deaths of three passengers remain en route to the Canary Islands.
The former foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has resigned as the chancellor of the Australian National University, in a move praised by independent ACT Senator, David Pocock, the student union and National Tertiary Education Union.
And reporters from the ABC were denied entry to One Nation’s press conference in Albury earlier this morning in an incident independent Michelle Milthorpe has criticised as being “quite rude”.
Updated
All four Australians onboard cruise ship linked to hantavirus outbreak remain en route to Canary Islands
All four Australians onboard the cruise ship where a hantavirus outbreak has so far been linked to the deaths of three passengers remain en route to the Canary Islands.
Some media outlets reported that one Australian has already returned home after joining more than two dozen passengers who disembarked from the MV Hondius in St Helena on 24 April - 11 days before the first case of hantavirus was confirmed. However, a spokesperson for Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed to the Guardian that all four Australians who boarded the MV Hondius at Ushuaia, Argentina, at the beginning of the Atlantic cruise on 1 April remain onboard and in self-isolation.
One New Zealander was among the 30 passengers who disembarked at St Helena, along with the body of the 70-year Dutch national who died onboard 10 days into the cruise. These passengers’ subsequent movements are being traced by international health agencies coordinated through the World Heath Organisation. The cruise company spokesperson said there were presently no symptomatic individuals onboard.
The MV Hondius left Cape Verde on Thursday (AEST) and is expected to arrive in the port of Granadilla in the Canary Islands at some point towards the end of the weekend.
“Oceanwide Expeditions remains in close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding our exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, and a precise timeline,” the statement said.
Updated
