SYDNEY: An Australian teen dubbed “Egg Boy” for cracking an egg on the head of a controversial right-wing lawmaker said he has given almost A$100,000 ($70,000) donated for his legal expenses to support victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings.
Will Connolly, 17, came to prominence when he “egged” far-right Senator Fraser Anning at a news conference after Anning had said letting “Muslim fanatics” migrate to New Zealand was the cause of the mosque shootings in March.
Police cautioned Connolly over the incident but he quickly became a cause célèbre, drawing support from all corners of the globe, including the backing of basketball star Ben Simmons. Donations flooded in to fund his legal defense.
However, Connolly said late on Tuesday he would give away A$99,922 that he had received because he was no longer required to face court.
“I decided to donate all monies to help provide some relief to the victims of the massacre ... it wasn’t mine to keep,” Connolly wrote on his Instagram account.
“To the victims of the tragedy, I wholeheartedly hope that this can bring some relief to you.”
A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers on March 15, killing 51 worshippers and wounding dozens. The attack was broadcast live on Facebook.
Australian Brenton Tarrant has been charged with 51 murders and engaging in a terrorist act. He has not been required to submit a plea and is due to appear in court again on June 14.
Australia’s ‘Egg Boy’ donates $70,000 to Christchurch attack victims
Australia’s ‘Egg Boy’ donates $70,000 to Christchurch attack victims
- A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers on March 15, killing 51 worshippers and wounding dozens
India marks ‘significant stride’ in space sector with launch of its heaviest satellite
- Wednesday’s mission also marks India’s 100th orbital launch
- India plans to launch its first human space mission in 2027
NEW DELHI: India launched its heaviest communication satellite on Wednesday, marking the latest feat in the country’s efforts to establish itself in the global space industry.
The Indian Space Research Organization launched a LVM-3 rocket carrying the BlueBird Block-2 satellite, which weighs over 6 tonnes, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota island off the Bay of Bengal at 8:55 a.m. local time.
Codenamed LVM3-M6, the mission was the ISRO’s 100th orbital launch and involved deploying the US-built satellite in low Earth orbit.
“A significant stride in India’s space sector,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X soon after the mission was declared successful by the ISRO.
“It strengthens India’s heavy-lift launch capability and reinforces our growing role in the global commercial launch market.”
The BlueBird Block-2 satellite was the “heaviest payload ever launched” from Indian soil, breaking a record set by the ISRO only last month, when it launched the CMS-03 communication satellite, which weighs about 4.4 tonnes.
“The successful LVM3-M6 launch of ISRO’s heaviest commercial payload to date marks a quantum leap in India’s launch capabilities, pushing the boundaries of LVM3’s performance in low Earth orbit,” Lt. Gen. (Retd) A. K. Bhatt, director-general of the Indian Space Association, said in a statement.
The mission exemplified the Indian space agency’s capability to handle “heavier payloads that cater to the global demand for advanced satellite constellations,” he added.
Under Modi, India has been making breakthroughs in the space industry.
For the past few years, the government has been creating the environment and long-term investment for the industry to flourish and involve the private sector. The ISRO has achieved significant milestones to add to India’s status as an emerging space superpower.
The achievements include a successful space docking mission in January. And the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 moon rover making history in 2023 by landing on the lunar surface. This made India the first country to land near the lunar south pole and the fourth to land on the moon — after the US, Soviet Union and China.
The ISRO is planning to use a modified version of the LVM-3 rocket for its future space missions, including India’s first human spaceflight program, the Gaganyaan mission, in 2027.
Its long-term space ambitions include building a modular space facility, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, by 2035, and sending the first Indian to the moon by 2040.
