BRAVE MAG

(Corrects Tuesday story and an earlier version of it to add context about decision to disinvite Abdel-Fattah in paragraphs 4-5, her previous statements about Israel in paragraphs 7-8)

By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - One of Australia's top writers' festivals was cancelled on ​Tuesday, after 180 authors boycotted the event and its director resigned, saying she could not be party to silencing a Palestinian author ‌and warned moves to ban protests and slogans after the Bondi Beach mass shooting threatened free speech.

Louise Adler, the Jewish daughter of Holocaust survivors, said on Tuesday she was quitting ‌her role at the Adelaide Writers' Week in February, following a decision by the festival's board to disinvite a Palestinian-Australian author.

The novelist and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah said the move to bar her was "a blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship".

The Adelaide Festival Board said on Tuesday it had disinvited Abdel-Fattah, because "given her past statements" it would not be culturally sensitive to include her in the event "so soon after Bondi", a reference to last month's shooting ⁠rampage on a Jewish event that killed 15.

The board ‌did not cite any specific statement made by Abdel-Fattah that led to the decision.

Disinviting Abdel-Fattah was done "out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event", the board said in a statement. "Instead, this decision has ‍created more division and for that we express our sincere apologies."

Abdel-Fattah's past comments about Israel have been criticised by some Jewish and pro-Israel groups, and the Jewish Community Council of South Australia had lobbied against her participation at the Adelaide festival.

In March 2024 she wrote on social media platform X: "Armed struggle is a moral and legal ​right of the colonised and brutalised... Western governments which use the blood of Palestinians as the ink to write international law have zero authority ‌to define genocide, terrorist, self-defence, resistance, proportionality."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday announced a national day of mourning would be held on January 22 to remember the 15 people killed in last month's shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach.

Police say the alleged gunmen were inspired by the Islamic State militant group, and the incident sparked nationwide calls to tackle antisemitism, and prompted state and federal government moves to tighten hate speech laws.

The event would not go ahead and remaining board members will step down, it added.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, British author Zadie Smith, ⁠Australian author Kathy Lette, Pulitzer Prize-winning American Percival Everett and former Greek finance minister ​Yanis Varoufakis are among the authors who said they would no longer appear at the ​festival in South Australia state, Australian media reported.

The festival board on Tuesday apologised to Abdel-Fattah for "how the decision was represented".

"This is not about identity or dissent but rather a continuing rapid shift in the national discourse around the breadth of ‍freedom of expression in our nation ⁠following Australia's worst terror attack in history," it added.

Abdel-Fattah wrote on social media that she did not accept the apology, saying she had nothing to do with the Bondi attack, "nor did any Palestinian".

Adler earlier wrote in The Guardian that the board's decision to disinvite ⁠Abdel-Fattah "weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation, where lobbying and political pressure determine who gets to speak and who doesn't".

The South Australian state government ‌has appointed a new festival board, saying this was to "safeguard the festival for the future", after the previous board resigned.

(Reporting by ‌Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates, Michael Perry and William Mallard)

BEIJING (AP) — Faced with new global challenges, the leaders of China and Canada pledged Friday to improve relations between their two nations afteryears of acrimony.

Xi Jinping told visiting Prime Minister Mark Carney that he is willing to continue working to improve ties, noting that talks have been underway on restoring and restarting cooperation since the two heldan initial meetingin October on the sidelines of a regional economic conference in South Korea.

"It can be said that our meeting last year opened a new chapter in turning China–Canada relations toward improvement," China's top leader said.

Carney, the first Canadian prime ministerto visit China in eight years, said better relations would help improve a global governance system that he described as "under great strain."

He called for a new relationship "adapted to new global realities" and cooperation in agriculture, energy and finance.

Those new realities reflect in large part the so-called America-first approach of U.S. President Donald Trump. The tariffs he has imposed have hit both the Canadian and Chinese economies. Carney, who hasmet with several leading Chinese companiesin Beijing, said ahead of his trip that his government is focused on building an economy less reliant on the U.S. at what he called "a time of global trade disruption."

No announcement was made on tariffs between China and Canada, which is a sticking point in the relationship.

Canada followed the U.S. in puttingtariffs of 100%on EVs from China and 25% on steel and aluminum under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney's predecessor.

China responded byimposing dutiesof 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola, an industry group has said.

China is hoping Trump's pressure tactics on allies such as Canada willdrive them to pursuea foreign policy that is less aligned with the United States. The U.S. president has suggested Canada could become America's 51st state.

A jury found an 83-year-old Ohio man guilty of murder in the2024 shooting of an Uber driver, whom he believed was trying to rob him after scam phone calls deceived them both.

William Brock was convicted of three counts of murder, one count of felonious assault, and one count of kidnapping on Jan. 14, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 21, court records show.

Authorities said Brockfatally shot Lo-Letha "Letha" Toland-Hall, 61, an Uber driver instructed to retrieve a package from Brock's home in South Charleston through the Uber app in March 2024. South Charleston is a village about 37 miles east of Dayton, Ohio.

Brock testified during the trial that he felt that his life was in danger and he shot Hall in self-defense, according to local television stationsWKEFandWHIO. Brock said he had received a scam call that involved threats against his family and demands for money, and he believed that Hall was part of the scheme.

Investigators said both Brock and Hall were targets of the same scam, court records show. In April 2024, Brock was arrested and charged with murder, authorities said.

At the time, his bond was set at $200,000, according to court records. With the guilty verdict, court records show Brock's bond was revoked, and he was taken into custody.

"Both families have lost loved ones because of this, and there are no winners here," Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll said following the verdict, WKEF reported. "The really sad part about this is that we know that the scammers, the folks who started this, haven't been brought to justice. And hopefully one day the FBI will bring those folks, and we'll be able to prosecute them right here in Clark County for what they did."

Lawsuit: Ohio man shot Uber driver multiple times

A civil lawsuit, filed in March 2025 on behalf of Hall's estate, alleges that Brock and the unidentified scam callers are liable for her death. According to the suit, Hall arrived at Brock's residence at around 10:52 a.m. local time on March 25, 2024.

After Hall arrived at the residence, Brock exited the home and held her at gunpoint while she attempted to walk away, the suit states. When she threatened to call 911, the suit states that Brock told her she was not leaving and shot her in the leg.

At the time, Hall did not know that Brock had been called by a scammer who instructed him to deliver money in a package to the driver of the car in his driveway, according to the suit. Hall then attempted to explain to Brock that she was there to pick up a package and that she worked for Uber, but Brock threatened to shoot her in the head.

Brock then shot Hall multiple times before calling 911 to report the shooting, the suit states. Brock told the dispatcher that he was the shooter and that the victim was lying in the driveway.

"At no time was there any justification for shooting Lo-Letha Toland-Hall, nor did she pose any threat to the defendant," the suit states.

'I'm too smart to fall for that':She ignored 'scam' texts telling her she owed money. It backfired

Suspect initially reported a robbery attempt

At the time, theColumbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that the Clark County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call from Brock, who said he had "shot someone attempting to rob him."

Initial investigations revealed that Brock had been the subject of a scam call, and Hall was also the victim of a scam call from the same caller or an accomplice instructing her to retrieve a package from Brock's residence through the Uber app, according to authorities.

Hall arrived at Brock's residence and asked about the package, at which point Brock held Hall at gunpoint and demanded she reveal the identity of the caller who first contacted him, the Columbus Dispatch reported. Investigators said Brock took Hall's phone to prevent her from making calls and refused to let her leave the scene.

First responders transported Hall to the hospital, where she died from her wounds while in surgery, according to authorities.

FBI report:Cybercriminals and scammers stole a record $16B in 2024

Uber banned scammer's account

Following the shooting, Uber said it was assisting local enforcement with the investigation and provided information that could help with the case. The account of the person who instructed Hall to pick up a package from Brock's residence was banned from the platform, Uber said.

"This is a horrific tragedy, and our hearts continue to be with Loletha's loved ones as they grieve. We have been in contact with law enforcement and remain committed to supporting their investigation," an Uber spokesperson told USA TODAY in April 2024.

Contributing: Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY; Jason Rossi, Columbus Dispatch

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ohio man, 83, guilty in fatal 2024 shooting of Uber driver