Foreign News
Domestic employee of former Indian high commissioner to Australia forced to work every day for 17.5 hours and paid just $9 per day
The Federal Court has ordered India’s former high commissioner to Australia to pay a former domestic employee thousands of dollars in compensation for unpaid wages and unfair working conditions.
Seema Sherghill arrived in Australia in April 2015, and spent about a year working for then-high commissioner Navdeep Suri Singh at his Canberra home.
The Federal Court heard Ms Sherghill worked seven days a week, for 17.5 hours per day. Her duties included cleaning the house, preparing meals and tidying the garden, and she was only let out of the house to walk Mr Suri’s dog. Ms Sherghill was initially paid the equivalent of about $7.80 per day, before she complained, and Mr Suri increased her rate to $9 per day. In total, she received about $3,400 for her 13 months of work.
Bosses were ‘very demanding’
Ms Sherghill had previously worked for Mr Suri while he served as India’s Ambassador to Egypt, but said this was a much different experience, as she was solely responsible for the upkeep of the eight-bedroom house. “I was responsible for doing everything,” Ms Sherghill said. “When he and his wife were away, instead of my usual chores, Mr Suri or his wife usually would ask me to make large batches of samosas and freeze them, or to clean the silverware.
“They would call and check up on me, to ensure that I was working.”
Ms Sherghill said Mr Suri’s wife was also “very demanding”. “She often nagged me to work harder, and said to me things such as, I was earning too much money,” she said.
Ms Sheghill fled the residence in May 2016 without taking any of her belongings. She became homeless, before finding her way to the Fair Work Ombudsman, who put her in contact with the Salvation Army. Ms Sherghill was granted Australian citizenship in 2021.
Judge scathing of working conditions
Mr Suri did not appear at the hearing, but Justice Elizabeth Raper granted an order for the case to proceed in his absence. Justice Raper found Mr Suri contravened four separate sections of the Fair Work Act.
“Ms Sherghill’s employment conditions bore no resemblance to what one would expect under Australian law,” Justice Raper said. “Her passport was taken from her, she worked seven days a week, was never permitted to take leave and was only allowed outside the house for brief periods a day when looking after Mr Suri’s dog.”
Justice Raper also found Mr Suri was ineligible to claim foreign state immunity, because Ms Sherghill did not work for the High Commission itself, nor diplomatic immunity, as the engagement of a domestic worker was not an official function of his position.
She has ordered Mr Suri to pay Ms Sherghill more than $136,000 plus interest, within 60 days.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-05/former-indian-high-commissioner-compensate-domestic-employee/103066848?utm_campaign=newsweb-article-new-share-null&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
(ABC News)
Emergency evacuations are taking place in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands as a super typhoon bears down on the US Pacific territories.
Bavi is forecast to make landfall early on Monday morning, with winds of up to 257km/h (160mph), according to the US National Weather Service (NWS).
It warned the “very dangerous” storm could cause “catastrophic” damage, with “significant flooding from torrential rains” possible and waves potentially nearly 11m (35ft) high on Monday.
The western Pacific region is particularly prone to tropical cyclones. While storms of this strength are unusual for the US islands, scientists say climate change is making powerful typhoons more common.
Bavi is expected to pass directly over Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands by Monday afternoon, but the NWS warned that destructive conditions could be expected for eight to 10 hours prior to or after the arrival of the storm’s centre.
“The window is rapidly closing to evacuate if directed to do so by local officials, or if your home is vulnerable to high winds or flooding,” the agency said, adding that winds “will pose a deadly threat to those venturing outside”.
Guam, usually a sun-soaked tourist destination with a population of about 170,000, has opened five evacuation centres in its schools. These sites have a maximum capacity of around 1,700 and are primarily intended for vulnerable people.
The island’s civil defence office said at 13:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Sunday that one of the evacuation sites had already reached maximum capacity and that people were being redirected to another site.
Bavi has been classified as a super typhoon by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), a part of the US Navy responsible for monitoring tropical storms in the western Pacific.
A super typhoon has winds in excess of 130 knots (150mph). JTWC predicts that Bavi will have winds of 150 knots (173mph) when it arrives over the islands, with gusts reaching as high as 180 knots (207mph).
The NWS considers super typhoons to have the equivalent destructive potential as a category four or five hurricane.
Pinky Cubacub, 55, told news agency AFP that she had been boarding up the windows of her eatery in Guam with $500 (£373) worth of plywood.
“I cannot afford to lose so many days. It hurts,” she said. “Because I just started, whatever we’re making right now is just for rent, utilities, and my people, and supplies. I don’t even pay myself yet.”
Japanese tourist Miku Sakurai, 25, told AFP that her return flight to Tokyo on Sunday had been cancelled. “We will stay in the hotel when the storm comes. I am scared,” she said.
Bavi will be the 11th category four or five tropical cyclone to hit US territory in the past decade – one more than the total recorded in the prior 57 years.
A strong El Niño event – a periodic warming of an area of surface water in the Pacific that contributes to weather patterns – is expected to push more tropical storms into these higher intensities.
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have already experienced one super typhoon this year – Sinlaku in April, which killed 17 people and caused about $1.5bn (£1.1bn) in damage.
Warmer sea surface temperatures drive more moisture into the atmosphere, supercharging storms.
[BBC]
Large-scale public commemorations for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have commenced in the capital, with authorities promoting a message of continuity for the Islamic Republic and vengeance for his killing.
Khamenei, 86, was targeted in an airstrike at the start of the war with the United States and Israel on February 28, after ruling Iran with absolute power for nearly 37 years
Red flags, commonly associated with martyrdom but also viewed as a symbol of revenge in Shia Islam, were seen throughout the Grand Mosalla commemoration site in Tehran and other mass gatherings.
“We must rise,” was the official slogan used for the ceremonies, accompanied by an image of Khamenei’s clenched fist on a red and black background.
Thousands gathered inside the huge religious complex used for the funeral from the early hours of Saturday morning to pay their respects to the assassinated supreme leader.
Khamenei’s coffin, carried to the funeral site by a lorry, was displayed at the centre of the stage and draped in flags. Positioned on an elevated platform in the central court, surrounded by glass and guarded by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel, authorities were ready to deal with crowds attempting to reach his coffin.
Visiting men and women were separated by a large barrier to observe Islamic values. Religious chanting and slogans blasted from loudspeakers around the complex.
Videos circulated by state media showed crowds chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” at a number of metro stations.
“We are all here to seek blood vengeance for our leader,” Fatemeh, a 55-year-old woman travelling in a group of women clad in black chadors, told Al Jazeera while waiting to enter through a northern gate of the complex.
“We will all listen to his son. He will guide the revolution forward,” she said, in reference to Mojtaba Khameni, who was quickly selected as supreme leader by a clerical body in March following his father’s killing.
![The commemoration has attracted thousands of people from across Tehran to mourn Khamenei [Maziar Motamedi/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/9-1783177414.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C580&quality=80)
A heavy security presence continues in the capital, with armoured vehicles, heavy machine guns and snipers visible throughout the areas surrounding the farewell ceremonies.
Men were body searched as they entered the Mosalla, while electronic devices – such as power banks, earphones and lighters – were confiscated from the mourners by security.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since he took office, will not attend the funeral due to security concerns.
State-affiliated newspapers and television reported that the supreme leader’s killing had rallied supporters of the Islamic Republic government, which has been in power since the 1979 revolution overthrew Iran’s last shah, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
Authorities are expecting similar huge numbers as attended the 1989 funeral of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. At least eight mourners died in the crowds, forcing the military to evacuate his body by helicopter.
Thousands of “mokebs”, or temporary religious service stations, were set up across Tehran, blasting out Islamic Shia chants and rhythmic eulogies to Khamenei.
![Government messages and images of Khamenei were plastered across Tehran during the commemoration [Maziar Motamedi/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3-1783178247.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C580&quality=80)
Some volunteers handed out flags, banners and images to the crowd. As temperatures rose to 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit), other mokebs were equipped with giant cooling fans and volunteers distributed free drinks to the thousands of mourners.
Emergency services were stationed across the area to assist with any health problems due to the crowds or the heat, but so far authorities have reported no security incidents or medical emergencies.
Large parts of Tehran have been cordoned off with barriers and non-official vehicles are barred from entering or exiting.
The whole of Iran has been effectively shut down until the end of Monday, in an apparent effort to encourage public participation, with 10 million Iranians expected to take part in the proceedings across the country.
Khamenei’s remains are expected to be moved through Tehran during the funeral procession on Monday. It is then expected to pass through some of Shia’s holiest sites, including Qom, Najaf and Karbala, before burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
Some Iranians have used the public holiday to escape the crowds and the heat of Tehran for the cooler northern provinces by the Caspian Sea, as they regularly do on multi-day public events in the capital. Long lines of traffic were seen on the Tehran-Shomal Freeway leading to the provinces, with travellers stuck for hours in jams.
IRGC commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi, who made his first appearance since the start of the war, told state TV during an event on Friday to grieve Khamenei so that “enemies will take their wish for our surrender to the grave”.
“The enemies must know that the pure blood of our martyred imam was another turning point in the victories of dear Islam against the global infidel front,” he said.
![Red flags, associated with martyrdom in Shia Islam and carrying religious messages, were carried by mourners [Maziar Motamedi/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/1-1783178093.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C580&quality=80)
IRGC aerospace chief Majid Mousavi, responsible for launching ballistic missiles and drones across the region during the war, also made a public appearance.
The central headquarters of armed forces issued a statement to warn against any military action during the ceremonies, after Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said Mojtaba Khamenet was marked for dearh.
Representatives from dozens of countries were in Tehran on Friday to pay their respects to Khamenei and speak with Iranian officials during televised state ceremonies.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate talks between Iran and the US, was among the most senior officials present. Other countries sent lower-level dignitaries, while European countries were reportedly not invited.
Among the most prominent attendees on Friday were members of the IRGC-backed “Axis of Resistance”, including members of Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Hezbollah delegation included members of Hassan Nasrallah’s family, the long-time head of the armed group killed by Israel in 2024, and relatives of Imad Mughniyeh, the commander killed by a car bomb in Syria in 2008.
(ALJAZEERA)
Warning: This story contains distressing details
At a port storage facility transformed into a makeshift morgue in La Guaira, the same scene repeats itself again and again.
Families – many of whom have already spent days searching hospitals, shelters and rubble – wait hours to try and confirm the deaths of their loved ones.
As the death toll of Venezuela’s twin earthquakes surpasses 2,600, officials face the challenge of not only recovering victims, but identifying them.
The scale of the disaster has overwhelmed local services, forcing institutions to improvise.
With little infrastructure left standing nine days after the tremors, bodies have been put outside or in temporary tents.
Under the blazing sun, dozens of families wait with a mixture of anguish and dread.
Rows of chairs have been placed inside and outside Los Silos, where sadness is contagious. No one speaks. Some stare blankly into space, others check their phones, reading the news or answering messages.
Just a few metres away, armed personnel from the Bolivarian Armed Forces control access to the site.
“I’m afraid of what I’m going to see in there, but it’s the only way to end this agony,” a woman says before passing through the gate. She has been searching for her nephew for nearly a week. “I’ve looked for him everywhere: in the building, in the hospitals, I’ve spoken to everyone… and no one knows anything.”
Inside, the smell of decomposition is the first thing that greets you. Some family members cover their mouths with their hands. Most wear cloth masks, which offer little relief. Within minutes, many stop reacting. They seem to grow used to it.
Nearby, hundreds of bodies lie in rows, wrapped in plastic bags and exposed to the sun. In the sweltering heat, decomposition is rapid.
The bodies are arranged according to when they were recovered.
At one end of the site, a tent offers free cremation services. At the other, forensic specialists use dental records to help identify victims whose bodies have become difficult to recognise.
Families face two options. Those who think they can identify a loved one by their clothing are taken to one area.
Most relatives, however, are directed to two television screens. There, a different ordeal begins.
More than 1,000 images of bodies flash across the screens in a sequence that feels endless. Many are swollen, have darkened skin or bear the marks of injuries, making identification difficult.
Families search for any trace that might help identify their loved ones – a tattoo, a bracelet, a piece of clothing, or an item from their home.
Sometimes there is a pause, a moment of hope. The two workers scrolling through the photos on an iPad zoom in on teeth, tattoos, or scars.
In front of one of the screens, a woman bursts into tears as she recognises her son thanks to a dusty blanket. Another woman, a stranger, embraces her.
A phone rings and breaks the silence. A young man whispers into the phone that he is trying to identify his mother. But he says the state of the bodies is making it difficult.
“This is like a horror movie,” Liliana González, a 60-year-old resident of Catia La Mar, says as she leaves. She had come to look for her aunt, but in the end identified her 37-year-old nephew by his tattoo. “He wasn’t on the list,” she says. “I had to look at the images.”
“I saw my mum when she died, but this… this isn’t the same.”
Modesta Alemán, 56, travelled from Carayaca, in western La Guaira, to look for her older sister Matilde. Her sister lived in Playa Grande – one of the hardest-hit areas.
“They told us there were no survivors,” she says. Volunteers later said they could hear voices calling from the building, “but no one could get them out”.
Modesta does not enter the makeshift morgue and waits outside while other relatives handle the identification process. Perhaps, she says, it is better this way.
The process can take hours. Once a body is identified, the arrangements to remove the remains begin. After identification, fingerprints are taken, if possible.
Then, the bodies are placed in coffins. Later, the paperwork for the death certificate begins – an essential document so funeral homes can collect the remains.
Jéssica Soto, 42, sits in a chair at the entrance to Los Silos.
For two days, she has been waiting for the remains of her 15-year-old daughter and three-year-old granddaughter, who got trapped in their apartment after the earthquakes. Their bodies were recovered on Tuesday, nearly a week later.
“They keep you waiting and waiting for the paperwork, the trucks, and who knows what else,” she tells BBC Mundo.
“They have had them there in a coffin, sitting out in the sun since yesterday. I have no choice but to wait and trust in God.”
Liliana says she panicked when she was told she would have to identify her nephew by herself. “But then, seeing me like that, two workers accompanied me to the body. They helped me find him so I wouldn’t suffer as much,” she recounts. “Thank God, because in a moment like that, it’s good to feel someone’s hand.”
Her aunt remains buried in the rubble. She fears having to return to the morgue in the coming days to repeat the process all over again.
[BBC]
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