Arj Barker has defended asking a mother to leave his show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The woman said she was humiliated after being asked to leave while breastfeeding her baby during Barker’s performance.

Melbourne

Comedian Arj Barker has found himself at the center of controversy during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival after asking a breastfeeding mother to leave his show. The incident took place at the Athenaeum Theatre, where Trish Feranda was in attendance, breastfeeding her seven-month-old daughter. According to Feranda, the experience left her humiliated, especially after Barker encouraged the audience to support his decision to ask her to leave.

Explaining his actions, Barker highlighted the sensitive acoustics of the Athenaeum Theatre, where even minor noises can distract the audience. He justified asking Feranda to leave as a necessary measure to maintain the show's quality for other attendees. Feranda recounted how Barker rallied the audience against her, leading to a situation where she felt compelled to exit the theatre. This is not Feranda’s first theatre outing with her baby, having previously attended a show by comedian Dave Hughes without incident.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s policy allows for "babes in arms" but advises parents to sit near exits to minimize disruption in case their baby becomes noisy. Feranda believed she had taken adequate precautions to comply with this policy. In the wake of the incident, Arj Barker has offered Feranda free tickets to another showing, an offer she is unlikely to accept, given her expressed disenchantment with the comedian. Feranda is considering raffling the tickets to benefit breastfeeding mothers. Several audience members reportedly left the show in solidarity with Feranda.



Comedian criticised for removing breastfeeding mother from show

When Trish Feranda went to watch her favourite comedian at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, she never expected to become the joke. Then he called on the crowd and said, oh, you know, basically, do we want them to leave? You know, we want them, you know, and sort of got them to kind of boo us out. The mother of three was seated in the audience of Arj Barker's show on Saturday night at the Athenaeum Theatre, breastfeeding her seven-month-old daughter. It should be normal. And, you know, it's sad that it's not. And why should I stop? Because he obviously couldn't cope with it. But in the Athenaeum, sound travels like you can hear the drop of a pin. And I've seen already that that noise doesn't take much to distract an audience. After rousing the audience, Arj Barker asked Trish to leave the theatre. It was a very difficult situation. But yeah, I think I would do it again. It was pretty humiliating. It's not the first show the young mum has attended with baby Clara after seeing comedian Dave Hughes just a few weeks ago. He did note her. He did work a little bit of a skit into his show about there being a baby. And then he just carried on. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival says babes in arms are allowed at shows, but parents are advised to sit at the back of the theatre so they can quickly and easily leave if the baby gets noisy. So we thought it'll be OK if she starts to sort of be disruptive. I can quickly just get out. Several other people also left in solidarity with Trish. Arj Barker has offered free tickets for her to attend another performance without her baby, but she says she's no longer a fan. No. Maybe I'll ruffle them off and see if anyone wants to raise some money for, I don't know, breastfeeding mums. Jessica Maggio for 10 News First.

Three people have been arrested in Mexico in relation to the disappearance of two Perth brothers who went missing during a surfing trip in Mexico's Baja region, along with an American man who was travelling with them.

Baja California

Arrests made over disappearance of missing Perth brothers

China has launched an uncrewed spacecraft on a nearly two-month mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the far side of the moon, the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.

Wenchang

China launches mission to far side of the moon

Britain's opposition Labour Party won a parliamentary seat in northern England on Friday (May 3) and control of several councils, inflicting heavy losses on the governing Conservatives to pile more pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

London

U.K.'s Labour claims big early win over Conservatives

Turkey has announced that it is halting trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza. Israel denounced the decision as breaking trade agreements.

Ankara

Turkey to stop trade with Israel until Gaza ceasefire

Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders warned of declining government support for press freedom as it unveiled its annual world rankings on Friday, highlighting Argentina among the countries where the situation has deteriorated.

Paris

States doing less to support press freedom, says watchdog

Arizona's Democratic governor signed a bill overturning an 1864 law banning abortion, a month after the state's supreme court said the Civil War-era rule was valid.

Arizona

Arizona governor signs bill repealing 1864 abortion ban

U.S. President Joe Biden said that both freedom of speech and the rule of law must be respected in protests at college campuses over Israel's war in Gaza. In response to a reporter's question, Biden said that the campus protests had not forced him to reconsider his policies in the Middle East.

Washington

Biden breaks silence on protests at University Campuses

From suspensions to expulsions to criminal charges, college students across the U.S. involved in these pro-Palestinian protests could face life-changing consequences. Some are demanding amnesty for these protesters.

New York

More than 1,000 student protesters arrested across U.S.

English voters are heading to polling stations to pick mayors, councilors and a new lawmaker in the last electoral test for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before a national vote later this year.

Voters head to polls in last test for U.K.'s Sunak

The US State Department accused Russia of having used a chemical weapon against Ukrainian forces in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also announcing fresh sanctions against Moscow. In addition to the chemical agent chloropicrin, Russia also used "riot control agents (tear gas) as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC," the department said in a factsheet.

Zaporizhzhia

Ukraine Invasion

U.S. accuses Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine

There are grave concerns for Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson who are missing on a surf trip in Mexico's Baja region. The pair have failed to arrive at their accommodation and are not responding to contact from their families.

Council of the City of Sydney

Grave fears for brothers missing on Mexico surf trip

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has kept open the prospect of tax incentives in the budget as business warned that changes to foreign investment laws. It comes amid criticism that budget spending could prompt further inflation and prompt rate rises.

Government hints at further tax incentives in Budget

Colombian President Gustavo Petro says his country will break diplomatic relations with Israel. He's criticised Israel's conduct since the start of the war on Gaza. Petro requested to join South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.

Bogotá

Israel-Gaza War

Colombia ends diplomatic relations with Israel

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, pushing to get more aid into Gaza, while urging Hamas to accept a deal that would halt fighting and bring some hostages home from the enclave.

Jerusalem

Blinken pushes for sustained aid into Gaza during Israel trip

Police in Georgia fired teargas and rubber bullets at protesters demonstrating against a bill that would require organizations – including media and NGOs – that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as agents "pursuing the interests of a foreign power." The bill has been dubbed the "Russian law" by its detractors.

Tbilisi

Thousands protest against Georgia's 'foreign influence' bill

A diplomatic push is underway to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, with the U.S. exerting pressure on Hamas to agree to Israel's terms. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to attack Rafah in southern Gaza, whether there's a ceasefire or not.

Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah 'with or without' ceasefire deal

Qantas has apologised to customers after its app exposed personal passenger data. The airline blames a technical disruption and says the data breach was not a cyber security incident.

Qantas app data breach exposes customer data

The International Court of Justice has ruled against issuing emergency measures over German arms sales to Israel as requested by Nicaragua, which had argued that there was a serious risk of genocide in Gaza amid Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory.

The Hague

ICJ rejects measures over German arms exports to Israel

New York police have entered Columbia University and arrested protesters barricaded inside a building who have been calling on the New York school to divest itself from companies associated with Israel.

Police enter Columbia University, arrest protesters

A smiling and healthy-looking King Charles returned to public duties on Tuesday (April 30) for the first time since he was diagnosed in February with cancer, paying a visit to a treatment center for the disease in London.

King Charles returns to public duties, visits cancer center

A 14-year-old boy is dead and multiple people injured after a daylight sword attack in Hainault, in east London. The alleged attacker tasered and arrested by Police shortly afterwards.

Hainault

Teenage boy killed in London sword attack

Brittany Higgins has failed in a bid to delay a defamation trial brought against her by Senator Linda Reynolds over social media posts made in July last year. Fiancé David Sharaz, also named in the case, calling for the Senator to drop the case.

Canberra

Brittany Higgins fails in bid to delay defamation trial

Since taking office four months ago, Argentina's new president Javier Milei has slashed public employment in an effort to cut the country's deficit. So far, 24,000 people have been let go, and Milei has said he wants that figure to hit 70,000, about 10 percent of overall government employees.

Buenos Aires

Argentina's Milei slashes 24,000 government jobs

A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in a popular seafront park in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa killed at least five people and injured 32, local officials said. Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian missile and drone attacks, particular port infrastructure.

Odesa

Russian missile attack kills five in Ukraine's Odesa

Scotland's leader Humza Yousaf resigned, further opening the door to the UK opposition Labour Party regaining ground in its former Scottish heartlands during a national election expected to be held later this year.

Edinburgh

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf quits

A 17-year-old girl charged with the stabbing murder of her 10-year-old sister in a suburb of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales will remain in custody.

Lake Macquarie

Teenager faces court over murder of 10-year-old sister

Columbia University began suspending pro-Palestinian activists who refused to dismantle a tent encampment on its New York City campus after the Ivy League school declared a stalemate in talks seeking to end the polarizing protest.

Columbia University suspends pro-Palestinian protesters

The debris from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Jan. 2 was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, United Nations sanctions monitors told a Security Council committee in a report seen by Reuters on Monday (April 29).

Kharkiv

U.N. experts say North Korea missile landed in Kharkiv

Columbia University's president said that talks with pro-Palestinian activists over a protest encampment on the Ivy League campus in New York City had reached an impasse and urged demonstrators to voluntarily disperse or face suspension.