Anti-nuclear rally held in Tokyo

THOUSANDS of anti-nuclear demonstrators have rallied in Tokyo ahead of the second anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster, urging Japan's new government to abandon nuclear power.

Saturday's gathering of some 15,000 people, according to organisers, at a park in central Tokyo drew disaster victims and celebrities, including Nobel laureate writer Kenzaburo Oe, before the anniversary on Monday of the disaster that killed 19,000 and sparked reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Protesters marched through the capital later in the day and issued a statement calling on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office late December following his party's election win, to dismantle all nuclear plants.

Abe, whose conservative Liberal Democratic Party has close ties with the nation's powerful business circle, has repeatedly said he would allow reactor restarts if their safety could be ensured.

"The new administration should not misunderstand that the (election) victory can mean approval of policies to maintain nuclear power," the statement said.

"We will request policies to swiftly begin procedures in decommissioning nuclear reactors and disapprove any plans to newly build nuclear plants," it said.

Japan turned off its stable 50 reactors in the wake of the disaster on March 11, 2011, but restarted two of them citing possible summertime power shortages.

Radiation from the plant, some 220 kilometres (140 miles) northeast of Tokyo, has been spread over a large area in the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Malta votes in general election

Malta's Labour party, led by Joseph Muscat, is ahead by 12 points in a general election. Source: AAP

MALTA has gone to the polls in a general election expected to bring the opposition Labour party to power in the eurozone's smallest member state for the first time in more than 15 years.

The party's 39-year-old leader Joseph Muscat, who has promised to unite the Mediterranean island and boost its economy, is ahead by 12 points in the polls against his rival, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of the Nationalist Party.

Polls close at 2100 GMT on Saturday (0800 AEDT Sunday) and vote counting will begin on Sunday.

The tiny island state is a rare example of a eurozone state with low unemployment, respectable economic growth and solid public finances.

The unemployment rate is 6.0 per cent and, according to the latest estimates, the country clocked 1.5 per cent economic growth last year.

Muscat has run a slick US-style campaign calling for change, accusing his rival of failing to ensure stability by ruling with a one-seat majority.

Originally an opponent to Malta joining the European Union, Muscat has since changed his views and is a former member of the European Parliament.

Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2008.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pakistan PM arrives in India

Pakistan's PM Raja Pervez Ashraf (R) arrived in India for a pilgrimage to a revered Muslim shrine. Source: AAP

PAKISTAN'S premier Raja Pervez Ashraf has arrived in India for a pilgrimage to a revered Muslim shrine, with Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid welcoming him with "open arms".

Khurshid's warm words for Ashraf - making his first visit to India as prime minister - come despite strained relations between the nuclear-armed rivals over recent border clashes.

"It's in our culture to welcome our guests with open arms," Khurshid said on Saturday ahead of a lunch he will host for Ashraf at the Rambagh Palace, a luxury heritage hotel in the tourist city of Jaipur in northern India.

An Indian foreign ministry official told AFP however there would be no "substantive talks" at the meeting.

"India is happy to host a lunch for the Pakistani prime minister. We are just extending our hospitality," a senior Indian foreign ministry official told AFP.

Ashraf is the most senior Pakistani to visit India since last April when President Asif Ali Zardari made a similar pilgrimage and had lunch with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Ashraf and his family planned a day-long private trip to the 13-century shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz in Ajmer, 130 kilometres from Jaipur.

Tensions spiked between New Delhi and Islamabad in January and February as a total of six soldiers were killed in exchanges along the de facto border in Kashmir, a region claimed by both countries. Four of the soldiers killed were from Pakistan while two were from India.

One of the Indians was beheaded allegedly by Pakistanis.

India, which has fought three wars with Pakistan since independence in 1947, accuses Islamabad of fomenting cross-border militancy - a charge that the Islamic republic rejects.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nine dead in South Korea fishing boat fire

Nine people have died after their 20-tonne fishing vessel caught fire off South Korea. Source: AAP

NINE people have died after jumping off a fishing boat that caught fire off South Korea's west coast, with efforts under way to rescue one missing crew member.

The 20-tonne vessel caught fire off the port city of Gunsan, forcing 11 crew to plunge into freezing sea waters to avoid flames and smoke, Yonhap news agency said on Saturday, citing local police.

Ten crew were plucked from the water by rescuers but nine of them were pronounced dead later.

"It seems that many of the people jumping into the sea died because of hypothermia caused by excessively low water temperature," a police officer was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

Police were investigating the exact cause of the fire, with efforts under way to hunt for one missing crew member, Yonhap said.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

North Korea scraps peace pacts

The US says it is "fully capable" of defending itself against any North Korean missile strike. Source: AAP

AN enraged North Korea responded to new UN sanctions with fresh threats of nuclear war, vowing to scrap peace pacts with South Korea as it upped the ante yet again after its recent atomic test.

Pyongyang is renowned for its bellicose rhetoric, but the tone has reached a frenzied pitch in recent days, fuelling concerns of a border clash with both North and South planning major military exercises next week.

It has even threatened a "pre-emptive nuclear attack" against the United States and South Korea - a notion dismissed as bluster by analysts, but not without dangerous, underlying intent.

North Korea "abrogates all agreements on non-aggression reached between the North and the South", the state-run Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said on Friday.

The CPRK said the pacts would be voided as of Monday, the same day that Pyongyang has vowed to rip up the 1953 armistice agreement that ended Korean War hostilities.

It also announced the immediate severing of a North-South hotline installed in 1971.

State television, meanwhile, showed North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un laying preparations for "all-out war" as he visited a frontline military unit involved in the shelling of a South Korean island in 2010.

The November shelling came eight months after the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel with the loss of 46 lives that was also blamed on Pyongyang.

While North Korea is not deemed capable of any nuclear strike on the US mainland, there are growing fears that it will mount some provocation in the form of a missile test or a similar artillery assault.

"To me, this feels like the most dangerous situation since the Korean War," said Paik Hak-Soon, a North Korean analyst at the Sejong Institute in Seoul.

"The North is cornered more than ever in the international community and will keep pushing ahead with even more confrontational moves militarily," said Paik.

South Korea's new president, Park Geun-Hye, who was sworn in less than two weeks ago, said the situation had become "very grave" but vowed to "deal strongly" with any provocation from the North.

The CPRK statement came hours after the UN Security Council beefed up existing sanctions on the communist state in response to its February 12 nuclear test.

The resolution adopted by the 15-member Council tightened restrictions on North Korea's financial dealings, notably its suspect "bulk cash" transfers.

The new sanctions will "bite hard", said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice. "They increase North Korea's isolation and raise the cost to North Korea's leaders of defying the international community."

China wants "full implementation" of the resolution, said its UN envoy Li Baodong, while stressing that efforts must be made to bring North Korea back to negotiations.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged "relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint, and avoid actions that might further escalate tensions," describing the situation as "highly complex and sensitive".

Prior to the Security Council meeting, the North Korean foreign ministry had threatened a "pre-emptive nuclear attack" against the United States and all other "aggressors".

The United States responded by saying it was "fully capable" of defending itself and its allies - including South Korea - against any missile strike.

Friday's CPRK statement condemned the UN resolution as proof that Washington and its "puppets" in Seoul were "hell bent" on confrontation.

"North-South relations have gone so far beyond the danger line that they are no longer reparable and an extremely dangerous situation is prevailing... where a nuclear war may break out right now," it said.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld premier accused of contempt over CMC

Campbell Newman called on the CMC chairman to consider resigning, saying he's failed the state. Source: AAP

THE head of Queensland's top crime fighting body, the Crime and Misconduct Commission, has resigned as he continues his battle with cystic fibrosis, amid allegations he's failed the state.

CMC chairman Ross Martin resigned late on Friday afternoon, and revealed he's preparing to undergo a lung transplant after a long battle with cystic fibrosis.

He's been in hospital for the past 10 days.

"I no longer have the resources of health necessary to continue to perform the job," he told reporters.

Mr Martin boss has been under fire all week after errors that saw the watchdog release some sensitive files, and shred others, from the historic Fitzgerald inquiry into police corruption.

Premier Campbell Newman said earlier on Friday that he had failed the state.

Mr Newman said Mr Martin should be held to account in the same way ministers are, and made to resign.

"My concern is we have a senior important public servant who doesn't seem to understand his responsibility or his accountability to the people of Queensland," he said.

Mr Martin admitted ministerial responsibility was an informing principle in regard to his position, but warned that a CMC chair shouldn't be too ready to resign, lest the watchdog's independence be undermined.

"The CMC chair's position has a powerful statutory entrenchment to defend its security against political whim," he said.

That job will now fall to Assistant Commissioner Warren Strange, who has assumed the position of acting chair.

The opposition said the circumstances behind the resignation showed how badly the government had handled the issue, by failing to find out the facts before seeking to force Mr Martin to quit.

Comment has been sought from Mr Newman.

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said he was saddened to learn of Mr Martin's medical condition.

"We wish him all the very best in the weeks and months ahead," he said in a statement.

"The commission is facing a number of challenges. The government will work with the acting chairman to ensure Queenslanders can have confidence in the commission."

Mr Martin thanked his family and the officers and staff of the CMC.

"My family have suffered my pursuit of a career for too long. They are entitled to as much of my time as I can give them," he said.

"I thank my staff for their dedicated, largely unsung, devotion to the virtues of fighting crime and of integrity.

"I will not be coming back.

"I wish my successor and CMC generally the very best in its vital work."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bin Laden's son-in-law to face US court

OSAMA bin Laden's son-in-law was due to appear in a New York court on Friday to face charges that he conspired to kill Americans in his role as al-Qaeda's top propagandist, as a landmark prosecution on US soil takes aim at one of the terror network's senior leaders.

Officials said Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was captured in Jordan over the last week.

The Kuwait-born al-Qaeda spokesman, part of bin Laden's inner circle, lauded the attacks of September 11, 2001 and warned there would be more.

The case marks a legal victory for the Obama administration, which has long sought to charge senior al-Qaeda suspects in US federal courts instead of holding them at the military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Charging foreign terror suspects in American federal courts was a top pledge by President Barack Obama shortly after he took office in 2009 - aimed, in part, to close Guantanamo Bay.

Republicans, however, have fought the White House to keep Guantanamo open, and bringing Abu Ghaith to New York immediately sparked an outcry.

Abu Ghaith will appear on Friday in US federal court in New York, according to a Justice Department statement and indictment outlining the accusations against him.

US Attorney General Eric Holder defended holding Abu Ghaith in New York.

Holder reluctantly agreed in 2011 to try self-professed al-Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a Guantanamo Bay military court instead of a civilian court after a fierce Republican backlash.

"No amount of distance or time will weaken our resolve to bring America's enemies to justice," Holder said in a statement.

The Justice Department said Abu Ghaith was the spokesman for al-Qaeda, working alongside bin Laden and current leader Ayman al-Zawahri, since at least May 2001.

Abu Ghaith is a former mosque preacher and teacher and urged followers that month to swear allegiance to bin Laden, prosecutors said.

The day after the September 11 attacks, prosecutors say he appeared with bin Laden and al-Zawahri and called on the "nation of Islam" to battle against Jews, Christians and Americans.

A "great army is gathering against you," Abu Ghaith said on September 12, 2001, according to prosecutors.

Shortly afterward, Abu Ghaith warned in a speech that "the storms shall not stop - especially the airplanes storm" and advised Muslims, children and al-Qaeda allies to stay out of planes and high-rise buildings.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Asian markets rise as GFC recedes

ASIAN markets climbed following another record-breaking close for Wall Street's Dow Jones index, while Tokyo hit its highest level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

The Japanese currency fell on Friday to a three-and-a-half-year low against the dollar and also sank against the euro as investors look to the Bank of Japan's next policy meeting, on expectations of a further loosening of monetary policy.

Tokyo closed up 2.64 per cent, or 315.54 points, at 12,283.62, its highest level since the collapse of Wall Street banking giant Lehman Brothers heralded the start of the global financial crisis.

Sydney gained 0.28 per cent, or 14.2 points, to 5,123.4, Seoul was flat, edging up 1.61 points to 2,006.01, while Hong Kong added 1.41 per cent, or 320.51 points, to 23,091.95.

Shanghai fell 0.24 per cent, or 5.68 points, to 2,318.61 despite data showing China's exports had surged a much better-than-expected 21.8 per cent on year in February, even with the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, while imports tumbled 15 per cent.

In New York the Dow ended at an all-time high for the third straight session, with analysts saying the market's stellar performance had attracted more buyers.

The Dow ended 0.23 per cent higher after breaking on Tuesday its previous record set in October 2007. The S&P 500 was up 0.18 per cent and the Nasdaq climbed 0.30 per cent.

Adding to buying pressure was another batch of upbeat data.

New claims for US unemployment benefits fell to 340,000, suggesting modest strength in the jobs market in the week before the "sequester" of $85 billion in deep federal budget cuts kicked in on March 1.

The report, which came a day after figures showed a rise in jobs growth in the private sector, boosted confidence that Friday's much-watched US payroll and unemployment data would be strong.

Japanese shares enjoyed another bump as the yen resumed its downward trend, with investors betting that the man expected to take over at the BoJ will introduce more aggressive easing at his first policy meeting next month.

The greenback was changing hands at 95.38 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade - its strongest since August 2009 - from 94.83 yen in New York late Thursday, while the euro was buying 124.82 yen, compared with 124.28 yen.

The single currency dipped to $1.3085 against $1.3107.

There was also some good news on the economy front for Tokyo, with data showing the country had emerged from recession.

Gross domestic product expanded 0.2 per cent on an annualised basis in the three months to December, following contraction in the two previous quarters.

Oil prices were mixed. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April was up two cents to $91.58 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for April dipped two cents to $111.13.

Gold was at $1,579.00 at 0830 GMT compared with $1,581.45 late Thursday.

In other markets:

- Taipei rose 0.69 per cent, or 54.63 points, to 8,015.14.

TSMC rose 0.49 per cent to Tw$103.5 while HTC fell 2.44 per cent to Tw$259.5.

- Manila climbed 1.62 per cent, or 108.64 points, to 6,833.77.

SM Investments gained 4.66 per cent to 1,100 pesos while Ayala Land rose 0.48 per cent to 31.15 pesos.

- Wellington rose 0.47 per cent, or 20.55 points, to a record high 4,354.03.

Xero surged 5.9 per cent to NZ$9.10 while Warehouse soared 8.3 per cent to NZ$3.79.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

European stocks rise at open

EUROPE'S main stock markets rose at the start of trading, as traders looked ahead to monetary policy decisions due from both the ECB and Bank of England.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index on Thursday morning gained 0.29 per cent to 6,446.38 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 won 0.19 per cent to 7,934.19 points and in Paris the CAC 40 gained 0.20 per cent to 3,781.45.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Infighting, insults plague NT government

THE Northern Territory's ruling Country Liberal Party (CLP) is dealing with infighting and insults in the wake of a failed leadership bid.

On Thursday NT Chief Minister Terry Mills admitted that Transport Minister Adam Giles challenged him for the leadership at a marathon meeting of CLP parliamentarians on Wednesday.

"There was a change in direction for a time where there was a discussion over a tilt at the chief minister's position," Mr Mills said.

"The room resolved, and I can report to you, that that was not acceptable and then we turned back to the matter at hand," he told reporters.

Indigenous Advancement Minister Alison Anderson said the CLP was "bleeding" during the meeting that saw hours of infighting.

On ABC radio Ms Anderson described some at the meeting as boys with big egos.

"We have got infighting with boys who think they want to be chief," she said.

She later told AAP Mr Giles could have been the NT's first Aboriginal treasurer and deputy chief minister but he threw that back in the face of his colleagues.

"He said, 'I don't accept it because I want to be the chief minister,' and he just threw a spanner in the works," she said.

"We sat there for hours while this infighting was happening and the party bleeding everywhere."

Mr Mills expressed his frustration that details of the meeting were leaked to reporters, including information that four MPs from bush seats had threatened to sit in the parliament as independents if Mr Giles took the leadership.

He said he was disappointed and concerned that those comments were made public because they could create divisions between bush and urban communities and between black and white Territorians.

Ms Anderson confirmed that a group of four MPs threatened, as a means to act as a circuit-breaker, to move onto the crossbenches but said it was never intended to tear the CLP apart.

On Wednesday Mr Mills announced he had sacked health minister Dave Tollner from cabinet.

Former CLP minister Daryl Manzie later said Mr Tollner had been in an argument with Mr Mills at a cabinet meeting earlier in the week and had thrown papers at him.

According to reports the fiery meeting saw Mr Tollner shout expletives at Mr Mills before walking out.

Wednesday's challenge was the second time Mr Mills' leadership had come under pressure in just a few weeks, after Attorney-General John Elferink ended his own bid for leadership last month when he realised he didn't have the numbers.

The NT's only independent MP, Gerry Wood, said the events were like an episode from the 80s television comedy Yes Minister.

"I just feel nearly ashamed that our government can't put its act together and get on with the job of governing," Mr Wood said.

Meanwhile the NT government announced its revamped ministry in the wake of this week's events.

Mr Mills' responsibilities have been cut from 11 ministries to six, while Mr Elferink has been made treasurer.

The 28-year-old Lia Finocchiaro was added to cabinet as the new Minister for Sport and Recreation, Racing, Young Territorians, Senior Territorians, and Statehood.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family shocked as death driver walks free

A WEST Australian family has greeted with shock the suspended jail term handed over to a young P-plate driver who killed their elderly relative.

Christopher Ryan Caddick, 24, was convicted of causing the death of wheelchair-bound Joan Woodcock, 81, when his Holden Commodore careered into the back of a Mercedes van last March at Ocean Reef in Perth.

Mrs Woodcock, a passenger in the van, was thrown through its side window onto the road.

Caddick had a blood alcohol level of 0.036 at the time - over the limit for a probationary driver - and had five previous convictions for drink-driving.

Despite the convictions and being suspended from driving at the time of the accident, Judge Ronald Birmingham said he would still impose a suspended jail term.

As he walked free from court, Mrs Woodcock's daughter Joanne attempted to make sense of the sentence.

"We can't ever have her back. The decision he made that day took my mum's life, she did not have a choice in the matter," Ms Woodcock said.

"When do you start to grow up, and learn that life can be snuffed out by a decision you take in a split second?"

The trial last year heard Caddick had drunk two cans of pre-mixed vodka before attempting to overtake three vehicles on Ocean Reef Road north of Perth, colliding with Mrs Woodcock's vehicle on the wrong side of the road when it tried to turn right at an intersection.

While Caddick was not speeding, and the alcohol in his system was not said to have been a contributory factor in the crash, the jury still found his dangerous driving caused Mrs Woodcock's death.

Caddick was not entitled to drive at the time because of non-payment of fines, while having also admitted to a drink-driving offence two months earlier.

He was awaiting sentence, and a mandatory disqualification, when he ploughed into Mrs Woodcock's vehicle.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also fined a total of $1700, and disqualified from driving for two years and three months, to run concurrently with his previous three-year disqualification.

Caddick's suspended sentence is conditional on his completing courses on driver training and alcohol. He was also disqualified from driving for three years.

He refused to comment outside court.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jailed Pussy Riot punk seeks parole

JAILED Pussy Riot performer Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, serving a two-year sentence in a Russian prison camp, has asked to be released on parole, Russian media quoted her lawyer as saying.

Tolokonnikova, 23, has asked a regional court that she be released on parole on several grounds, including the fact that she has a five-year-old daughter, lawyer Irina Khrunova told the Kommersant daily.

The prisoner "has every reason to be released soon", Khrunova said on Thursday, saying Tolokonnikova had good character references, did not have conflicts in the prison camp, and had received job offers she could take up on her release.

The court is not due to hold a hearing on her parole request until April at the earliest, Khrunova said.

Under Russian law prisoners are eligible for parole when they have served half their sentences.

Tolokonnikova, a philosophy student, was sent to prison camp in October along with bandmate Maria Alyokhina, after being convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for singing a "punk prayer" in a Moscow cathedral protesting President Vladimir Putin's close links with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The women have been in custody since first being detained in March 2012, several weeks after the February cathedral protest.

A third bandmate, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released with a suspended sentence because of her peripheral role in the performance.

The other jailed woman, Maria Alyokhina, 24, was recently refused a request to postpone her sentence until her five-year-old son becomes a teenager.

She also has received two reprimands, which would affect her chances of parole, but nevertheless plans to petition for one next week, Khrunova said.

Supporters of Pussy Riot plan to hold a series of one-person pickets outside the prison service in Moscow on Friday, which is International Women's Day.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Victorian govt not in crisis: Ryan

Victorian Deputy Premier Peter Ryan says he does not believe the government is in crisis. Source: AAP

VICTORIAN Deputy Premier Peter Ryan says he does not believe the government is in crisis following MP Geoff Shaw's resignation from the Liberal Party.

Mr Ryan, the leader of the National Party, said Mr Shaw's announcement was a matter for him and the implications for the coalition government were yet to be seen.

But he denied the government was in crisis.

"I don't believe we are facing a constitutional crisis," he told reporters.

"The reality is the numbers have been tested on the floor of the parliament as we speak."

He said the government had the numbers until the Lyndhurst by-election in April.

"We will see what eventuates, one thing at a time," Mr Ryan.

"I think that the premier will make decisions around these important issues as he sees fit and he will make them, I can assure, like he does with all things, in the best interests of Victorians."

Mr Shaw's resignation leaves the coalition with just half of the seats in the 88-seat lower house and the ALP with 43, assuming it retains the safe Labor seat of Lyndhurst at a by-election in April.

Mr Ryan said the relationship between the Liberals and its coalition partners the Nationals was "as strong as an ox".

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Carr critical of DFAT over Zygier case

Foreign Minister Bob Carr says his department's handling of the Ben Zygier case was unsatisfactory. Source: AAP

KEVIN Rudd and Stephen Smith don't remember ever being briefed about the arrest of Melbourne man and suspected Israeli spy Ben Zygier three years ago, despite evidence their offices were told.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr on Wednesday criticised the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) handling of the case as he handed down a report, which sets out who knew what and when about Zygier's arrest on January 31, 2010.

Senator Carr ordered the internal investigation last month after Mr Zygier was named as Israel's mysterious "Prisoner X".

The dual Australian-Israeli citizen was detained for alleged Israeli national security offences and died in a supposedly suicide-proof cell in December 2010. It's believed he worked for Israeli spy agency Mossad.

The DFAT report shows ASIO spies found out about the arrest on February 16, 2010, and told senior DFAT officials Dennis Richardson, now head of the defence department, and Greg Moriarty, now ambassador to Indonesia, eight days later.

Soon after, DFAT told then-foreign minister Mr Smith's chief of staff, Frances Adamson. But Ms Adamson - now ambassador to Beijing - told the investigation she doesn't recollect any such conversation.

ASIO later distributed two ministerial submissions to senior officials in the offices of then-prime minister Mr Rudd and Mr Smith on March 1. A further submission went to Mr Smith's office on May 13.

But Mr Rudd and Mr Smith on Wednesday both said they had "no recollection" of ever being briefed about Mr Zygier's case.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said it "beggars belief" Mr Smith in particular was not told.

"It is extraordinary for him to claim that he has no recollection of it, or it was not brought to his attention," she told AAP.

"This represents a serious breakdown in the minister's administration of his office."

She called on Mr Smith to give a full explanation to parliament.

Mr Rudd also expressed concerns, particularly at the decision not to tell Australia's ambassador in Tel Aviv - who didn't find out about Mr Zygier's arrest until his death.

Mr Rudd says he wasn't even told of the case when he visited Israel as the new foreign minister in mid-December 2010 - days before Zygier died.

Senator Carr said the case highlighted a lack of clarity in government decision-making over its consular responsibilities.

"This is where the department appears to have failed," he told reporters in Sydney.

"There should have been more attention, more visits."

Senator Carr has ordered five recommendations aimed at improving consular processes be implemented - particularly on matters involving security, intelligence and dual citizens.

The case also raises fresh questions about Israel's use of Australian passports to conduct intelligence operations, and the implications for passport holders.

Australia expelled an Israeli diplomat in May 2010 after it emerged forged Australian passports were used in the assassination of Hamas agent Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

There is no evidence tying Mr Zygier to the Dubai operation, but the DFAT report confirms Australia issued him with three passports under three different names.

"If the world thinks Australian passports are routinely debauched by another country then Australians presenting their passports all over the world could well place their lives in danger," Senator Carr said.

"We can't live with that."

The Inspector General of Intelligence Services, Vivienne Thom, said there was no evidence ASIO had acted improperly in its handling of the Zygier case.

Mr Zygier - a father of two also known as Ben Alon and Ben Allen - trained as a lawyer in Melbourne but moved to Israel in 2000.

Seven days after he was found hanged in his cell at age 34, his body was flown back to Melbourne, where he is buried in a Jewish cemetery.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

SA economy to grow, premier says

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill says the state's economy is robust. Source: AAP

THE South Australian economy will continue to grow this year as it has for the past decade, Premier Jay Weatherill says.

Brushing off grim spending figures and opposition suggestions the economy is in recession, Mr Weatherill said SA's finances remained robust.

He said some sectors of the economy were soft, but government measures to support areas such as housing construction were paying dividends.

"We have grown every year for the past 10 years," the premier told reporters on Wednesday.

"Last year we grew by 2.1 per cent and we expect to grow this year as well."

Opposition treasury spokesman Iain Evans raised the recession question after the state's final demand figures retracted over the past two quarters.

He also pointed to falling exports.

"On all the key economic measures South Australia has gone backwards for two consecutive quarters in both trend and seasonally adjusted terms," Mr Evans said.

"How would the premier define a recession?"

But Mr Weatherill said final demand figures only measured a portion of economic activity and the state's overall performance was best measured in terms of gross state product which was only calculated at the end of the financial year.

In the recent mid-year budget review the government forecast the economy to grow by 1.75 per cent in 2012/13, down from the May budget forecast of 2.5 per cent.

On other matters, Mr Weatherill has given some support to a call from independent MP Bob Such for all government agencies to be subject to an efficiency and effectiveness review ahead of the next state budget.

"That's a worthy thing to give some consideration to," he told state parliament.

Mr Weatherill said there had been a "pretty mindless" debate recently about the size of the public service when the real issue was its effectiveness.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sharp announces share sale to Samsung

SHARP has announced a Y10.4 billion ($A109 million) deal with South Korean rival Samsung.

In a rare move for a Japanese firm, it will sell a three per cent stake to the South Korean company.

The deal, announced after the markets closed on Wednesday, will make Samsung Sharp's biggest foreign shareholder.

Early reports of the deal sent Sharp shares soaring more than 17 per cent in early trade before ending 14.04 per cent higher. Samsung was up 0.65 per cent.

The Japanese firm said the deal would help shore up its troubled finances while boosting "mutual trust" as the firms look to benefit from Sharp's leading liquid-crystal display technology for mobile phones and tablets.

Samsung said the investment "would lay a firm foundation to secure a steady supply of LCD panels from diversified sources".

Sharp, which has announced a separate 4.94 billion yen capital injection deal by US chipmaker Qualcomm, is also a major panel supplier to Samsung rival Apple.

The decision to accept a capital injection from a foreign firm marks a major comedown for both Sharp and Japan's manufacturers, said Hiroshi Sakai, chief economist with SMBC Friend Research Centre.

"For Japan, it is symbolic and shocking news, as Sharp, which used to be a frontrunner in the panel industry, is struggling while its rival Samsung has raced past it," he said.

He added that the news "should not be any surprise" given Samsung's leading position in the global electronics market.

The deal will not solve all of Sharp's woes, he added, as the firm cuts jobs and overhauls its business after saying in February its loss in the nine months to December had doubled to about $US4.6 billion.

Given the sector's struggles, deals between Japanese and foreign rivals are likely to increase, Sakai said.

"Many other Japanese electronics makers are struggling to survive. But they still have attractive technologies and some foreign rivals are quite interested in them," he said.

Sharp - which last year put up its Osaka headquarters as collateral to clinch crucial bank loans - has been hammered by lower-cost rivals in its liquid-crystal display business.

Rival Sony, meanwhile, is selling off its headquarters in Manhattan and a major building in Tokyo to raise cash, while Panasonic is undergoing a similar painful restructuring after losing about $US6.77 billion in the nine months to December.

The Samsung-Sharp deal gives the South Korean company more access to the market without investing in new production plants, analysts said.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA premier set to add to the PM's problems

UNBACKABLE: Premier Colin Barnett, a firm favourite to win the state election, will give the federal Labor leadership another headache. Source: The Sunday Times

AS if the polls, the carbon tax, the mining tax, the lack of a budget surplus and Kevin Rudd weren't enough for Julia Gillard, the prime minister looks set to be handed another problem this weekend.

It can be summed up in a name: Colin Barnett.

The incumbent Liberal West Australian premier has been one of the most vocal and strident political critics of the prime minister's style and substance since her ascension in 2010.

And with the member for Cottesloe an unbackable $1.02 favourite to lead the Liberals to a state election win this weekend, Ms Gillard can expect a newly-mandated Mr Barnett to renew his attacks with even more vigour if WA votes the way the polls and bookmakers have long predicted.

She may have been out of sight during the build-up but Ms Gillard has never been far from the mind of the Liberal party since it began officially campaigning in early February.

After it became clear Ms Gillard would keep her distance until polling day, Mr Barnett has consistently used her absence from the side of WA Labor leader Mark McGowan to link the party's federal woes to its local team.

Kelly O'Dwyer, Liberal federal MP for Higgins, said the lack of election support from a sitting prime minister for a state election candidate was "unprecedented".

"The reason they don't want the prime minister in WA is because they know it will lose them votes," Ms O'Dwyer said.

Mr McGowan has staunchly deflected such commentary, saying the March 9 poll was a state election fought on state issues and the prime minister was free to travel where and when she wanted.

He also vowed to be firm but fair if given the chance to work with his Canberra colleagues.

"It is possible to be tough with Canberra and get results and that's what I'll do," Mr McGowan said.

But the fact no federal minister has been seen with Mr McGowan over the entire campaign - and only three set foot briefly in the state in that time - gave some weight to the Liberal argument of a state and federal party that were not talking, let alone able to work together.

In contrast, federal opposition leader Tony Abbott was effusive in lauding Mr Barnett - and buttering up the locals - at the Liberals' official election launch.

"How much I respect the premier of this state, how much I have learnt from him, how much I wish to model myself on him, should I get the opportunity to lead our country," Mr Abbott said.

"The Barnett government has become a model for all the governments that we run or hope to run. That's the kind of government that I wish to run in Canberra.

"Every Australian owes a debt to Western Australia and in an important sense, West Australians are the best Australians."

Mr Barnett has continued to play on WA's ingrained and parochial mistrust of much that emanates from Australia's east coast with his mantra to "stand up to Canberra", pointing to the mining tax and the state's GST share as examples of how the state was being diddled by Labor.

And so, if Mr Barnett proves victorious on Saturday night, Ms Gillard can expect no favours from WA, which had an economy valued at $239 billion in 2011/12 and accounted for 46 per cent of Australia's exports last year.

First on Mr Barnett's hit list is likely to be Ms Gillard's Gonski education reforms, set to be discussed at the Council of Australian Governments' meeting on April 19.

"We have never indicated we would sign up to Gonski, and we are not going to sit back and suddenly let the commonwealth take over the running of our schools," Mr Barnett said.

"They come out and denigrate our hospitals, denigrate our schools, and then pretend to have a solution. That is not good government."

And not a good sign Ms Gillard is going to get any peace from Mr Barnett as she approaches her date with the nation on September 14.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA Labor's Wyatt targets two Lib ministers

WEST Australian opposition young gun Ben Wyatt has taken rapid fire aim at two government ministers, calling for one to be sacked and warning that the other has his eye on the state's top job.

Mr Wyatt was swift to decry corrective services minister Murray Cowper on Tuesday after it emerged he was being investigated over alleged illegal land clearing at Wedge Island's holiday shack community, 30km north of Lancelin.

Mr Cowper said he used a small earthmover to clear sand piled up next to his shack, which it turns out is not allowed under the Environmental Protection Act.

Mr Wyatt pounced, saying it was not tenable for a minister to be under investigation and that he should be sacked.

Tuesday was also the second consecutive day Treasurer Troy Buswell was firmly in Labor's sights, with the opposition warning the scandal-prone minister was next in line behind Mr Barnett.

Mr Buswell is a predictable target for Labor given his previous varsity-style antics and his current defamation action against former lover and independent MP Adele Carles.

Labor is unrelentingly warning voters that a vote for the Liberals is a vote for Mr Buswell, as Saturday's state election approaches.

But Mr Barnett shot back, "As I have said previously, if re-elected, I will serve a full second term".

He recently indicated that he might even stick around for the 2017 election.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Mark McGowan is on board a campaign bus touring WA's south including the hotly contested seat of Albany, held by the party's Peter Watson with a margin of 0.2 per cent.

Deputy Premier Kim Hames was also in Albany, announcing a promise to inject more funds into the Centennial Park Precinct development.

Mr Barnett has been to Albany twice since Labor kicked off its election campaign in late January.

Back in the metropolitan area, the Liberals pledged to move more than 500 public servants to a new building in Joondalup in Perth's north as part of their push to decentralise many state government functions to suburban office precincts.

After the daily election promises petered out, the bunfight began again, with Mr Barnett saying a new Labor radio advertisement claiming Fiona Stanley Public Hospital in the city's south had been privatised by the Liberals was untrue.

"Labor's claim is a desperate lie designed to scare members of the WA community," he said.

"Labor claims we will privatise public assets. This is also untrue.

"We will not privatise Western Power, we will not privatise the Water Corporation, and we will not privatise hospitals.

"The claims by Labor are simply lies."

It's the second time a radio advertisement has stoked flames during the campaign.

Labor took exception last week to a Liberal ad that claimed the opposition's planned airport rail line would terminate 1.5km from the terminal, calling for it to be immediately pulled from the airwaves.

The ad continues to run.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA court dismisses Puddy killer appeal

CONVICTED murderer Cameron Mansell has had an appeal against his conviction for contempt of court dismissed.

Mansell was sentenced to life in prison with an 18-year minimum in November 2011 after a jury found him guilty of murdering Perth multi-millionaire Craig Puddy, who went missing in May 2010.

After his conviction, Mansell had 48 counts of stealing, regarding a separate matter, to address in Perth Magistrates Court.

He was warned that he would be held in contempt when he refused to appear in court via video link from prison on three occasions in December 2011, despite an order from Magistrate Joe Mignacca-Randazzo and instruction from the prison superintendent and his own lawyer.

The matter was discussed at a later hearing in which Mansell was given an opportunity to argue why he should not have a contempt of court conviction against him.

Mansell appeared in person on December 22 and tendered three letters he had written to the court, including one where he apologised to the two magistrates involved.

In the letter to magistrate Mignacca-Randazzo, Mansell stated that a person in custody should have a right to choose to appear in person before the court.

He claimed that appearing via video link in prison clothes would be prejudicial to how he was perceived.

His lawyer also argued that it was not Mansell's intention to show contempt.

But magistrate Mignacca-Randazzo still recorded a conviction.

Mansell appealed the matter, claiming that because he was not present in the courtroom his act of refusal could not constitute contempt "in the face of the court" as the law suggested.

He also questioned the fairness of the proceedings.

Mansell suggested that his acts were not serious enough to constitute contempt or, alternatively, that the magistrate should have exercised his discretion not to record a conviction.

However, in the court of appeal on Tuesday, Justice Stephen Hall rejected the appeal.

"Whilst the appellant's letters have been referred to as 'letters of apology' that is a characterisation which may be doubted," he said.

"The letters do contain expressions of regret for what occurred. However, they also seek to justify the appellant's course of action."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

No evidence of 457 visa rorts: coalition

THE federal government's crackdown on 457 visas amid claims of rorting is based purely on union rhetoric, not evidence, the opposition says.

PM Julia Gillard and Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor have failed to produce any departmental report as evidence of widespread rorting of the scheme, Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says.

"Instead, they have simply channelled the rhetoric of their union masters," Mr Morrison said in a speech to the Urban Development Institute of Australia's National Conference.

The crackdown also undermined the government's views on the scheme from just two months ago, he said.

"If there is widespread rorting of 457s, as the Prime Minister now claims, then her previous minister, Chris Bowen, clearly didn't think so," Mr Morrison told the conference in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Only in January, he said, a spokesman for Mr Bowen had said the government "had the balance right" on the visas.

"The only thing that has changed since then is that the prime minister is desperate to shore up the union support that keeps her in the job."

Even if the rorting claims proved to be true, the government only had itself to blame for failing to protect Australia's borders and policing its skilled migration program, Mr Morrison said.

A record high number of the visas occurred last financial year, with more than 125,000 granted, he said.

"If Labor believes that the current number of 457s being granted is too high, it is their own doing, it is their own record," Mr Morrison said.

Temporary migration with a focus on skills is vital both to Australia's economy and its historical reputation as arguably the most successful immigration nation on earth, he said.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM says she understands families' problems

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard "understands" how bleak life can be for families and says it's unfortunate Labor's attempts to help people deal with cost-of-living pressures will be contested at the federal election.

Ms Gillard told the Nine Network on Monday that Labor has been working to alleviate cost-of-living pressures in western Sydney and elsewhere in Australia.

"I understand it can be really tough," Ms Gillard said.

"Which is why we have got the school kids' bonus to help with the costs of getting kids to school.

"You know, shoes on the feet, the uniforms that you need to buy, the books, the pens, the paper.

Unfortunately, the bonus and other measures would be contested at the next election, she said.

"We are saying they should definitely stay because they help people manage cost-of-living pressures."

In a lighthearted interview on Ten Network's The Project, Ms Gillard was asked whether Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's appearance in western Sydney on Monday amounted to stalking and what she was going to do about it.

"I don't think that there's anything that I could take up in a legal way, or anything like that," Ms Gillard joked.

"(I'm) not worrying about it. He can kind of, you know, knock himself out and do whatever he wants to do, and I'll get on with my job."

Broadcaster Steve Price alluded to her 2010 election stop at Rooty Hill, and "a whole range of promises that you've not been able to keep".

"Why should anyone believe any of the promises you're making this time around?" he asked.

"You're always such a bundle of joy, aren't you?" Ms Gillard quipped.

"It's just such a positive outlook on the world.

"I don't know what happened in your household this morning, but I got out of bed feeling very energetic and ready to get out in western Sydney."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM says she understands families' problems

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard "understands" how bleak life can be for families and says it's unfortunate Labor's attempts to help people deal with cost-of-living pressures will be contested at the federal election.

Ms Gillard told the Nine Network on Monday that Labor has been working to alleviate cost-of-living pressures in western Sydney and elsewhere in Australia.

"I understand it can be really tough," Ms Gillard said.

"Which is why we have got the school kids' bonus to help with the costs of getting kids to school.

"You know, shoes on the feet, the uniforms that you need to buy, the books, the pens, the paper.

Unfortunately, the bonus and other measures would be contested at the next election, she said.

"We are saying they should definitely stay because they help people manage cost-of-living pressures."

In a lighthearted interview on Ten Network's The Project, Ms Gillard was asked whether Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's appearance in western Sydney on Monday amounted to stalking and what she was going to do about it.

"I don't think that there's anything that I could take up in a legal way, or anything like that," Ms Gillard joked.

"(I'm) not worrying about it. He can kind of, you know, knock himself out and do whatever he wants to do, and I'll get on with my job."

Broadcaster Steve Price alluded to her 2010 election stop at Rooty Hill, and "a whole range of promises that you've not been able to keep".

"Why should anyone believe any of the promises you're making this time around?" he asked.

"You're always such a bundle of joy, aren't you?" Ms Gillard quipped.

"It's just such a positive outlook on the world.

"I don't know what happened in your household this morning, but I got out of bed feeling very energetic and ready to get out in western Sydney."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wife's photo helped Qld skipper survive

WITH nothing but a small, blinking light to illuminate the inside of his capsized boat, fisherman David Burger says a photo of his wife prompted him to fight for his life.

Mr Burger was the skipper of the 15-metre prawn trawler which capsized and sank in seas off the Gold Coast early on Friday morning, leaving friend and deckhand Gavin Kelly missing.

Authorities called off the search for Mr Kelly on Monday after finding no trace of the 39-year-old, and police are preparing a report for the coroner.

It's the second major tragedy to hit the Kelly family in recent times, after Gavin's twin brother Stephen died in a pearl-diving accident in 2009.

The tragedy has left Mr Kelly's mother distraught, according to Mr Burger.

The experienced skipper, who rejected claims the boat capsized after hitting a snag, described a "loud bang" as the only warning something was amiss before it listed.

Trapped in an air pocket, Mr Burger was fearing he was about to drown in a "steel coffin" when he chanced upon his wallet in the floating debris.

Inside the wallet was a picture of his wife Janine and he says it was her image which prompted him to take decisive action.

"I thought, 'I'm getting out of here, I'm going home,'" Mr Burger told reporters on Monday.

"I've got four kids. I'm not going to the bottom of the ocean. You can't get me that easy."

After freeing himself and clambering onto the boat's upturned hull, Mr Burger faced another ordeal when he realised the stricken vessel was sinking.

Fortunately, as it sank, a life raft floated to the surface complete with the emergency beacon he used to alert authorities.

After two more hours, an emergency helicopter crew located the 54-year-old and winched him to safety.

Mr Burger said his only concerns now were for Mr Kelly's wife and his three children.

"I just feel for his family, they've had so much tragedy," he said.

"Losing the boat, that's just possessions. But losing a good bloke like that, it's just a shame."

The incident won't keep Mr Burger, a third generation fisherman, from taking to the sea again but he hopes others will hear his story and be more careful.

"Our boats are pretty safe. We have all our safety gear," he said, still at a loss as to what happened on that night.

"Normally they don't roll over so quick ... this was just a freak of nature and I just pray to God it never happens to anyone ever again."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Focus on long-term weather changes: Hunt

Opposition spokesman Greg Hunt says the long-term weather trends are what matter on climate change. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S summer may have been the hottest on record but it's the long-term trends that matter, not figures for one season, opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt says.

After all, over the same period Russia, China and the United States shivered through their coldest weather on record, he says.

Mr Hunt was responding to a new report from the government's Climate Commission that found global warming was directly linked to the extreme weather events of summer 2012/13 in Australia.

The commission noted it was the hottest summer in more than a century of records, capped by the nation's longest and most extreme heatwave.

The average temperature in Australia on January 7 sizzled at a record 40.3 degrees Celsius and the commission warned a shift in the climate system would bring more extreme events in the future.

"We recognise that it's been a hot summer," Mr Hunt told ABC Radio on Monday.

"The long-term trend however is the important thing."

In its latest annual climate summary the Bureau of Meteorology concluded the overall temperature last year was just 0.11C warmer than average, he said.

Mr Hunt accepted the science that showed global temperatures were increasing but said care was needed when looking at short-term events such as the record cold temperatures abroad.

"It would be wrong to interpret those as a disproof of any long-run global temperature change in the same way it would be wrong to use any short-term record in any one part of the world," he said.

"It's the long run that matters."

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne says the federal opposition needs to abandon its policy to repeal the carbon tax because the commission report shows hotter weather is here to stay.

"It is incumbent on all politicians, especially those in the coalition, to stop talking of extreme weathers as one-offs," Senator Milne said in a statement.

Mr Hunt said the best global action on climate change would be an agreement between China and the United States to cut emissions.

Australia's carbon tax had delivered a lot of pain to electricity consumers but "bizarrely" had not cut greenhouse gas output, he said.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More