US billionaire awarded $US12m in wine case

A US billionaire has been awarded $12 million in his dispute over phony vintage wine. Source: AAP

A JURY has awarded a Florida billionaire $US12 million ($A11.4 million) in his dispute over phony vintage wine, and he's vowed to do more to expose wine frauds.

He also proclaimed on Friday his happiest day since winning the America's Cup in 1992.

"Out of sight! Over the moon!" William Koch said as he described his feelings after emerging giggling with glee from a courtroom in US District Court in Manhattan.

"We weren't even expecting any damages and we got $12 million. Unbelievable!"

The verdict came against businessman Eric Greenberg, who insisted that he never intentionally sold a fake bottle of wine in auctions that generated about $US42 million for him over an eight-year period. The trial involved alleged counterfeit bottles of Bordeaux labelled as if they were made from 1864 to 1950.

In a statement, Greenberg called the verdict "a disappointment because I believed all the consigned wine to be authentic".

Outside court, Greenberg declined to comment beyond his statement.

Koch's lawyer, John Hueston, suggested that a criminal probe of Greenberg was under way, saying: "We're co-operating with the FBI." He declined to elaborate.

In a chilly drizzle outside court, the 72-year-old Koch celebrated with his lawyers, posed for pictures and met briefly with at least one of the eight jurors who decided on Thursday that Koch had been defrauded, awarding him $380,000 in compensatory damages.

Jurors returned on Friday to hear Koch and Greenberg testify again and deliberate over punitive damages.

"I'm very sorry I had counterfeit wine," Greenberg told them. "It's a horrible thing. Both of us have lost millions of dollars."

The verdict was another blow to Greenberg, a former billionaire who built two internet consulting companies before the 2000 collapse of those stocks reportedly reduced his net worth by as much as 90 per cent.

Koch said he planned to use the $12 million to continue his crusade to clean up the wine auction industry, including by creating a website that highlights fake wines and who sells them.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt's Mubarak retrial hits a glitch

THE retrial of Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak after he appealed against a life sentence began in Cairo and was immediately adjourned as the judge recused himself amid chaotic scenes.

Mostafa Hassan Abdallah recused himself after Saturday's hearing that lasted just seconds, sending the case back to the Court of Appeal which will then refer it to a new court.

As the judge filed out of the courtroom, there was an uproar with people shouting and waving their arms.

Civil society lawyers attending the trial chanted: "The people want the execution of the president."

Last October, the very same judge had acquitted the defendants in the infamous "Battle of the Camels" trial, who were accused of sending men on camels and horses to break up a protest during the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.

Earlier on Saturday, television footage showed Mubarak, dressed in white and wearing sunglasses, wheeled out of an ambulance on a stretcher and taken into the capital's Police Academy in a suburb of the capital for the hearing.

Inside the courtroom, he was seen sitting up, smiling and waving from inside a barred cage, although it was not clear if he was greeting anyone in particular.

In the cage with him were his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, and his former security chief Habib al-Adly, who were due to face retrial.

Earlier, a handful of Mubarak supporters outside the courthouse held up posters of their former leader, but were outnumbered by security officers.

Mubarak was flown to the academy that was once named after him by helicopter from the Cairo military hospital where he is being treated, the official MENA news agency said.

He left the compound the same way.

His original trial in August 2011 was a major moment for both Egypt and the region, being the first time an Arab leader deposed by his people had appeared in court in person.

Mubarak, Adly and six security chiefs were again in the dock - albeit briefly - for their alleged complicity in the murder and attempted murder of hundreds of peaceful protesters on January 25-31, 2011.

Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, once symbols of Egyptian power and wealth, also faced retrial on corruption charges. Another defendant, business tycoon Hussein Salem, was to be tried in absentia.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Japan quake leaves 23 people injured

Meteorologists say there is no risk of a tsunami after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit western Japan. Source: AAP

A STRONG earthquake shook Japan near the southwestern city of Kobe, leaving 23 people injured, seven of them seriously - mostly elderly tripping while trying to flee, police said.

No one was killed.

Saturday's 6.3 quake left some homes with rooftop tiles broken and cracked walls, while goods fell off store shelves, according to the Meteorological Agency and Japanese TV news footage.

The earthquake was centred on Awaji Island, just south of Kobe, at a depth of 15km.

The quake was in the area where a 7.2 temblor killed more than 6,400 people in 1995.

TV news footage showed that some areas of the island had liquefied, a common effect of strong earthquakes.

The agency warned there may be aftershocks for about a week.

Japan is among the most quake-prone nations in the world. In March 2011, northeastern Japan was struck with a giant earthquake and tsunami, killing nearly 19,000 people and setting off a nuclear disaster.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Plane crashes in Bali with 108 on board

A Lion Air plane carrying 108 people has overshot the runway at Bali's international airport. Source: AAP

A LION Air plane carrying 108 people has overshot the runway at Bali's Denpasar International Airport.

The plane crashed into the water as it came in to land at the airport about 3.50pm local time (5.50pm AEST) on Saturday.

Early reports said that all passengers and crew were safe.

An Indonesian Transport Ministry official was quoted by AFP as saying that there were more than 130 people on the flight.

However, Eko Diantoro, an official from Bandung Airport said the flight manifest showed that there were 101 passengers and seven crew.

The Lion Air fight 904 was due to arrive at Denpasar at 3.40pm local time (5.40 AEST).

"Then I got information that the plane had an accident or an overshoot," Eko said.

"We don't know the cause of the accident," he said.

It is not yet known if any Australians were aboard the Lion Air plane.

It's understood that all passengers and crew had been evacuated and taken to the terminal building at Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport.

Photographs shown on Indonesian television showed the plane's fuselage had split into two parts just behind its wings, and the plane half submerged in shallow water.

The Boeing 737-800 had been flown from Bandung in West Java to Denpasar.

A spokeswoman with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said efforts were being made to ascertain whether any Australians were on the flight.

"The Australian Consulate-General in Bali is making urgent inquiries to determine whether any Australian citizens may have been involved in air crash is Bali on Saturday afternoon," the spokeswoman said.

"At this time we are not aware that there are any Australian victims."

Lion Air commercial director Edward Sirait said some passengers had been taken to a hospital in Denpasar.

"All passengers and crew are safe, 101 passengers and seven crew. They've been taken to the nearest hospital," he said.

Mr Sirait said that the plane was new, and began operating last year.

"The plane is Boeing 737-800 NG, Next Generation. It's a new one, a 2012 product," he said.

"It actually has sophisticated technology to anticipate accident. Let's see what the data says about that accident."

Lion Air started operating in 2000 and services more than 36 destinations, mostly in Indonesia.

The airline last month agreed to buy 234 Airbus planes and announced that it planned to target new routes in Asia, as well as a venture in Australia.

Hospital officials and paramedics said at least seven passengers were taken to Sanglah Hospital with head wounds and broken bones, the Associated Press reports.

Many passengers arrived with wet clothes and bruises.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abusers 'prey on disabled and vulnerable'

DISABLED and vulnerable children are more likely to be targeted by sexual predators because there's less risk they will tell someone, an inquiry has heard.

A leading academic says children without strong family networks are easier for pedophiles to manipulate and access.

This means child victims are vulnerable to further abuse, University of Sydney Associate Professor Judith Cashmore says.

"Unfortunately the children who are most vulnerable are those with disabilities and those who have already been abused and neglected and removed from their homes," Prof Cashmore told the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations on Friday.

She said studies involving interviews with offenders about how they selected victims showed they were very strategic.

"They look for children where they're less likely to be believed.

"It's no accident that the sort of circumstances in which children are abused are those where people are standing in as parents - because they have unsupervised access."

Statistics show girls are more likely to be abused than boys but they are also more likely to report abuse, the inquiry heard.

In an institutional setting, boys are more frequently victims.

In instances of clergy abuse, boys account for approximately three-quarters to 80 per cent of victims.

Under these circumstances the abuse was more likely to be violently sexual and involve multiple perpetrators, Prof Cashmore said.

The victims of clergy are also likely to be older children approaching adolescence.

"It really has a dramatic impact on their sexuality," Prof Cashmore said.

It also inhibits reporting because men fear being labelled a possible perpetrator in the future.

The sense of shame and guilt was one of the long-term impacts outlined by Prof Cashmore in her submission to the inquiry.

Anxiety and depression, feelings of helplessness, vulnerability, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress, suicide and difficulty forming adult relationships are some of the things abuse victims have to deal with.

The high levels of stress may be linked to more serious life-long health problems such as chronic back pain, heart disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Despite this, Prof Cashmore said with support and understanding there was hope for recovery.

"Not everyone who's sexually abused is going to suffer irreparable harm," she said.

"A lot of people can recover."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man threatened NSW police with chainsaw

A MAN who ran at police with a running chainsaw after they were called to a home in Sydney's east has been charged.

About 9.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday police went to a Queens Park home responding to reports of a domestic incident.

When officers arrived, a man with a chainsaw charged at them, police say.

They were forced to retreat and call for back-up but were able to arrest the man a short time later when his chainsaw ran out of fuel.

The chainsaw-wielding assailant was then taken to Prince of Wales Hospital for assessment.

About 1.30 pm on Friday a 28-year-old man was taken to Waverley police station and charged with possessing a dangerous thing with intent to injure and assault officer in execution of duty.

He was granted bail with strict conditions and is due before Waverley Local Court in May.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW ports privatised in $5 billion deal

NSW Treasurer Mike Baird has announced a deal to privatise the state's ports for the next 99 years. Source: AAP

THE NSW government has accepted a bid to privatise two of Australia's biggest ports, in a deal that will earn $4 billion for infrastructure projects in the state.

The 99-year lease for Port Kembla and Port Botany was awarded to the NSW Ports consortium for $5.07 billion.

The consortium is comprised of three Australian companies, Industry Funds Management (IFM), Australian Super and QSuper, and Tawreed Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi government.

About $4.3 billion of the net proceeds will be invested in the state government's infrastructure fund, NSW Treasurer Mike Baird announced on Friday.

It means the government's $1.8 billion commitment to the WestConnex motorway between the M4 and Port Botany was now funded, he said.

The sale would also provide funding for the Princes Highway, the Bridges for the Bush program and a further $100 million for projects in the Illawarra region.

"It's a great win for NSW, the infrastructure funding for this state has had a massive boost," Mr Baird said.

However, opposition Treasury spokesman Michael Daley has criticised the sale, saying the money raised was a "drop in the ocean" when it comes to building major projects like the $10 billion WestConnex.

He said the sale would also cause a rise in petrol prices because the new operators had "unfettered powers" to increase all port fees, rents and charges.

"The industry has long warned that petrol and LPG prices could soar under the privatisation of ports because new fees and charges will be imposed," Mr Daley said on Friday.

"It's also likely to compel a number of lease holders to move their operations to other ports such as Brisbane and Melbourne."

Mr Daley also criticised the government for removing the cap on the number of components that would move through the port each year.

"This will mean a massive increase in trucks in and around Port Botany and the airport," he said.

The head of the company that led the NSW Ports consortium, IFM CEO Brett Himbury, wouldn't confirm if the ports would be expanded.

"We expect the state of NSW will continue to grow rapidly and with that there will be a level of growth, but that will be done in a responsible manner that ensures the community also benefits," he told reporters in Sydney.

The Sydney Business Chamber welcomed the sale, saying it would free up billions in capital to reinvest in new assets.

The Australian Industry Group's NSW Director Mark Goodsell, meanwhile, said the port privatisation should "give confidence" that the electricity network can also be safely privatised in the future.

Some employees of the Sydney Port Corporation and Port Kembla Port Corporation would transfer to the new port lessee, Mr Baird said.

Those on enterprise agreements would receive a two-year employment guarantee, a transfer payment of up to 30 weeks' pay and retain their current superannuation and other entitlements and conditions.

The NSW government would also retain regulatory oversight of the ports, as well as responsibility for safety and security.

Infrastructure Partnership Australia (IPA), Australia's peak infrastructure body, said the NSW government should be congratulated on the sale of the ports.

"The excellent sale price will allow the state to make meaningful inroads into tackling the state's substantial infrastructure backlog and will prove a win for taxpayers, commuters and the state's freight sector," IPA chief Brendan Lyon said in a statement.

"The recent negative credit outlook from rating agencies reinforces the need to sell assets and rein in spending."

Mr Lyon said the sale should give other governments the confidence to follow the NSW government's lead.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Asylum-seeker boat may have sunk

ONE asylum seeker boat is feared to have sunk on its way to Australia while another has been detained by the Indonesian navy after running aground near Sulawesi.

Indonesian search and rescue authorities are trying to locate where a boat carrying about 70 asylum seekers reportedly sank in the Sunda Strait at about midnight (3am AEST).

The Indonesian national search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, confirmed on Friday there were reports some people had been rescued by a fishing boat.

"We received information from Australia from AMSA that around 12am a ship carrying immigrants has sunk in south of Sunda Strait. It's said that it carried around 73 people," a BASARNAS spokesman told AAP.

He said BASARNAS was trying to find the exact location after being informed of the possible sinking on Friday morning by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

"We don't have the co-ordinates for the area where we could search," a Jakarta search and rescue officer told AAP.

"We only received information from BASARNAS that it's in south of Sunda Strait and they've been rescued by local fishermen. But where is it? We're now contacting local ports and others if they have such information."

But an Indonesian navy patrol was able to pick up and detain 82 asylum seekers including scores of Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar when their boat ran aground as they headed to Australia from southwest Sulawesi, an immigration official said on Friday.

The 51 Rohingya, 24 Iranians and seven Somalis had been heading from Sulawesi island, in the east of the country, to East Nusa Tenggara, one of the closest Indonesian provinces to Australia, he said.

"They were heading to Australia, as usual," immigration official Muhammad Bakri told Agence France Presse.

The migrants, including several children, were taken to the nearby city of Makassar where they were being registered and questioned by immigration officials.

Meanwhile, the Australian Federal Police on Friday said it played a key role in the Pakistani police bust of a people-smuggling syndicate responsible for an asylum-seeker boat which sank leaving 94 people dead.

The Pakistani Federal Investigations Agency (PFIA) arrested four key syndicate members involved in the first boat sinking last year, an AFP spokesman said on Friday.

The AFP helped the PFIA and the Indonesian National Police identify the organisers and facilitators responsible for that vessel.

The first boat, carrying 152 ethnic Hazara asylum seekers, left Indonesia for Australia in June 2012 and sank south of Java, killing 94 people.

The syndicate apparently sent asylum seekers on valid visas to Malaysia, from where they travelled to Indonesia to board boats for Australia.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woodside tipped to shelve Browse project

WOODSIDE Petroleum is remaining tight-lipped on rumours that it is about to shelve its controversial $40 billion Browse liquefied natural gas project.

The energy giant has reportedly told the federal and West Australian governments that its Browse joint venture partners have decided not to proceed with plans to build a LNG processing plant at James Price Point, near Broome.

Contractors doing preliminary work at the site have been told to demobilise and that no further progress payments will be made, The Australian Financial Review's website reported on Thursday.

A Woodside spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on market speculation.

Meanwhile, WA Premier Colin Barnett has denied he was told last week by Woodside and its joint venture partners that the James Price Point project would not proceed.

"I have not received advice to that effect from the joint venture partners at all," he told parliament.

However, he said he had been in continuous talks with Woodside.

"It's not for me to comment publicly, particularly to market sensitive information as to what the decisions might be."

Woodside received conditional state government planning approval last week to build a $120 million camp to house more than 850 fly-in, fly-out workers at the proposed gas hub.

The company recently said it was sticking to its June schedule for a final decision on building the onshore processing plant.

Analysts believe the proposal is not economically viable due to spiralling costs and challenges securing labour.

Joint venture partner Royal Dutch Shell prefers a floating liquefied natural gas facility.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic govt says regions need to grow faster

VICTORIA'S regional cities need to grow much faster than Melbourne, starting with Geelong, the state government says.

A growth blueprint for the state's second-largest city flags higher density living in the central business district and existing suburbs, such as Norlane and Corio, which could accommodate 80,000 extra people.

Faster growth is also slated to Geelong's west, with plans for Colac to gain 5000 people, bringing the population to 20,000, and Winchelsea an extra 6300.

Premier Denis Napthine said on Thursday it was hoped the regional growth would be achieved over the coming decades.

"I want to grow those populations in regional cities even faster than the Melbourne population growth to get better balanced development across the state," he said.

The Geelong region is currently home to almost 300,000 people - expected to increase to 500,000 by 2050.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy said the government wanted to encourage greater density living to breathe life into the Geelong city centre.

Twenty dwellings per hectare could be built in urban Geelong, he said.

"We can't keep having a statewide planning policy that focuses on Melbourne accommodating population (growth) alone - those days are over," he said.

Mr Guy said the coalition wanted to grow local employment so Geelong residents weren't forced to commute to Melbourne.

"The whole concept of simply having Geelong as a dormitory suburb for jobs in Melbourne is not sustainable," he said.

The G21 report predicts the region's population could grow by up to 2.5 per cent annually over the next 10 years with major investment.

An additional 80,000 jobs in sectors such as agriculture, education, health and tourism will be needed to accommodate the projected population growth.

Geelong Mayor Keith Fagg said there was an opportunity for higher rise living in the city's CBD and the future for Geelong's economy lay with small to medium businesses.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Salvo abuse claims dealt with privately

THE Salvation Army did not go to police with almost 500 child sex abuse complaints against its officers, paying out $15 million as it dealt with claims privately, an inquiry has been told.

The Salvation Army denies there was a culture of abuse or that it was endemic in its children's homes but has apologised for the pain and suffering victims endured.

A senior army officer says nothing has been proven against approximately 50 officers named in abuse claims, because the organisation takes a "non-adversarial" approach to such complaints.

This is to spare victims further distress, Salvation Army legal secretary Captain Malcolm Roberts told a Victorian parliamentary inquiry.

Since 1997 the Salvation Army has received 474 abuse claims, 470 of which arose from its children's homes, over a period of 30 to 40 years.

Citing anecdotal evidence from a small handful of the 35,000 wards who passed through Salvation Army homes, Capt Roberts said instances of abuse were the result of individuals and not a culture within the organisation.

He would not accept the suggestion abuse was endemic across the organisation.

"From the evidence we have seen at the other end, dealing with claims, I don't see that endemic is the correct word," Capt Roberts said.

But he said the Christian charitable group was ashamed of what the victims in its care had endured.

"This should not have happened and this was a breach of the trust placed in us," Capt Roberts told the child abuse inquiry on Thursday.

"We are deeply sorry."

Thirty-seven of the officers named in the claims are dead, three or four have been jailed and two are still active officers.

Capt Roberts said the two serving officers were very young at the time of the incidents in which they'd been named.

"They were very young officers 25-30 years ago in homes and they are still working, but there's been nothing that's been proven against them," he said.

"Our process doesn't require a victim to prove anything."

Capt Roberts said the Salvation Army had never conducted an internal investigation into the sexual abuse complaints involving the children's homes it ran up until the 1980s.

Nor had it reported any of the allegations to police.

He said that was because the claims were made by wards who were now adults, who had the responsibility to go to police.

Capt Roberts said the Salvation Army did everything to encourage victims to go to the police.

"We've got a policy of mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse," Capt Roberts said.

"Our view is when people are adults, those adults should have the responsibility of reporting to the police."

The organisation has paid out approximately $15.5 million to claimants, including legal costs, with a further $4 million available for future claims.

Counselling was provided to claimants where necessary, Capt Roberts said.

He said he could give no explanation as to why alleged perpetrators named in the inquiry were not held to account when complaints were made.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

New clues flow from slain nurses inquest

The final two witnesses will give evidence at an inquest into the 1974 murders of two Sydney nurses. Source: AAP

NEARLY 40 years after Sydney nurses Wendy Evans and Lorraine Wilson were murdered and dumped in bushland near Toowoomba, a new inquest has led to fresh evidence about the killings.

Relatives of the two women were clearly relieved after the second coronial inquest into the murders was adjourned on Thursday following three and half days of harrowing evidence.

For the victims' families, it was a long battle to give their loved ones a courtroom hearing and now there's hope their killers may be brought to justice.

"It's a great relief," Ms Wilson's brother Eric Wilson told reporters outside the court.

"We've waited nearly 40 years for this and now it's come to an end."

Michelle Tuitufu, the sister of Wendy Evans, raised her arms in a gesture of victory as she walked through the front doors of Toowoomba Magistrates Court.

Coroner Michael Barnes will decide whether there's enough evidence to lay charges after hearing from a final witness, who has been unable to testify because of illness, at a date to be set in Brisbane.

Witnesses are still coming forward with fresh evidence 37 years after the two nurses' skeletal remains were found in 1976, two years after they went missing.

A Toowoomba man appeared on Thursday as a last-minute witness after contacting police this week.

Gary John Cullinan, 57, believes he saw the nurses drinking at a nightclub with a man he knew as "Shorty Hilton" one Saturday night in 1974.

It's unclear whether he was referring to dead suspects Allan John "Shorty" Laurie or Wayne "Boogie" Hilton, or another man.

He said he ascertained the women were nurses from Goondiwindi and seemed to be having a good time, but they had seemed reluctant as they got into a car with "Shorty" and Allan Neil "Ungie" Laurie, another suspect.

Ms Evans and Ms Wilson had hitchhiked from Goondiwindi to Brisbane before they vanished.

Outside court, Toowoomba police Inspector Kerry Thompson said a number of fresh leads had emerged as a result of publicity from the inquest and they would be followed up.

Earlier, a key witness retracted what he told police in a 2008 interview.

Desmond Hilton went on record saying his cousins "Ungie" Laurie and "Shorty" Laurie had talked about having "given two girls a good hiding down the bottom of the range".

He also told police he'd seen blood in the back of their car.

On Thursday, he told the inquest his cousins had said they'd given "two people" a good hiding and couldn't recall any blood being in the car.

He blamed his memory loss on alcoholism.

During the inquest, a number of witnesses have told the inquest they believed they'd seen Ms Evans and Ms Wilson being forced into a green Holden around the time of their disappearance.

Key surviving suspects Allan "Ungie" Laurie and Terrence "Jimmy" Neil denied any involvement in the murders.

The inquest also heard that a gang of local men had regularly abducted women from the Toowoomba's main street in the 1970s, and that dead suspect Wayne "Boogie" Hilton had once confessed to his boss that he and his brother killed two nurses.

Ms Wilson, 20, and Ms Evans, 18, disappeared while hitchhiking in Queensland in October 1974.

Their remains were found two years later in bushland, at Murphys Creek, near the southern Queensland city of Toowoomba.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oakajee push part of royalties rebate

A ROYALTIES payment reprieve for magnetite iron ore miners was in part designed to resuscitate the shelved Oakajee port project in Western Australia, Premier Colin Barnett says.

Mr Barnett chose the official opening of the state's first magnetite mine in the Mid West on Tuesday - a joint venture between Perth's Gindalbie Metals and China's Anshan Iron and Steel Group - to announce a 50 per cent royalty rebate for the first 12 months of magnetite production.

Asked about the largesse after farmers complained they needed more help than the mining industry, Mr Barnett described it as an act of goodwill.

He said magnetite mining was capital intensive as processing was required, unlike the hematite iron ore mined in the Pilbara, so the industry needed assistance to get going.

"It's related to getting a magnetite industry established," Mr Barnett told Fairfax radio.

"It's trying to build confidence in what is an emerging, high-value part of the mining industry, also to keep a good relationship with China and build that, and also to try and get enthusiasm for Oakajee.

"It's a goodwill gesture to the Chinese companies.

"And let's face it, Australian policy out of Canberra to China on mining has been awful. What I'm trying to demonstrate is that Chinese investment is welcome here and we'll take a partnering approach."

He said Anshan would be a major sponsor of the project if it went ahead.

And there was still a possibility the company would build a steel mill in WA - as mooted before lower iron ore prices and the mothballing of Oakajee put a dampener on the goal of turning the magnetite-rich Mid West into another Pilbara.

Mr Barnett said senior government officials were in Beijing trying to drum up Chinese investment in Oakajee and he would follow in coming months.

While there were 30 potential magnetite mines in WA, it was likely 10 at the most would get up, the premier conceded.

But investment in the commodity was worthwhile as it would enhance the state's minerals processing capability and had already driven infrastructure improvements in the region.

"Can I say magnetite matters? It's good for the state and it finally builds on that dream of value adding," Mr Barnett said.

"This is part of broadening our economy."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Dead' Qaeda leader delivers message

AL-QAEDA in the Arabian Peninsula has posted online an audio message from its second-in-command, Saeed al-Shehri, whose death was announced by Yemen in January, a monitoring group says.

The 14-minute audio produced by AQAP's media arm Al-Malahem Foundation is accompanied by what the US-based SITE Monitoring Service said was a new photograph of the Saudi militant.

Shehri's death has been announced several times by the Yemeni authorities, most recently on January 24.

It was unclear when the latest audio message, posted on jihadist forms on Tuesday, had been recorded.

Most of the message is directed against Saudi Arabia, which Shehri accuses of allowing Americans to attack "the faithful of Yemen" from their soil.

"We must get rid of the Al-Saud regime by all means," he says.

He was clearly referring to US drone strikes against Al-Qaeda targets in Yemen which jihadists claim are launched from bases in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

Shehri has long been been hounded by Yemen's security forces and has survived a number of attempts on his life.

Yemen's Supreme National Security Committee had in January reported that Shehri succumbed to wounds received in a counter-terrorism operation in the northern Saada province on November 28.

Last October, he denied a September announcement by Yemen's defence ministry that he had been killed in an army raid, in an audio message posted on extremist internet forums.

SITE had also quoted a radical Islamist as reporting on Twitter that Shehri had died "after a long journey in fighting the Zionist-Crusader campaign."

In the latest message, Shehri made no reference to reports of his death.

The militant leader was released from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba in 2007 and was flown to Saudi Arabia, where he was put through a rehabilitation program.

After completing the program, he disappeared and later resurfaced as AQAP's number two.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld govt declares Gonski a 'conski'

DENOUNCING Canberra's Gonski education reform plans as a "conski", the Queensland government has issued a list of schools throughout the state it claims would be worse off under the initiative.

Federal Minister for School Education Peter Garrett says the list is wrong and should be ignored.

Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek on Wednesday released a list of 102 schools throughout the state he claimed would be poorer under the Gonski plan.

Mr Langbroek said schools in the state, Catholic and independent sectors would receive 10 to 18 per cent less funding than they were currently receiving.

"We've had a number of different models given to us by the federal government that show significant issues for schools in Queensland," he said in a statement.

"That's why the premier and I have been so strident about this; we are not going to sign up to a plan where 102 Queensland schools will lose funding in real terms."

However, Mr Garrett insisted Canberra will guarantee every school in Australia will get its funding, plus indexation of three per cent as a bare minimum.

"The vast majority of schools will receive increases in funding on top of their current allocations, which will also be indexed," he said.

"This means no school will be worse off in real terms.

"We can't be any clearer than that."

Mr Garrett accused Mr Langbroek of scaremongering with a political purpose.

"He is pursuing this distraction because the Queensland government has failed to commit to investment in schools, and has no policy on how to meet the needs of Queensland students," Mr Garrett said.

Mr Langbroek denied Mr Garrett's claims that all states have details of funding for the Gonski plan.

"Mr Garrett is not telling the truth," he said.

Mr Langbroek said modelling details from Canberra all carry a disclaimer that the figures "do not represent a final position or offer from the commonwealth".

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW Library welcomes Ned Kelly poster

An original wanted poster for Ned Kelly will be featured in a gallery at the State Library of NSW. Source: AAP

AN original wanted poster for Ned Kelly and a letter from Captain James Cook are among 60 relics and rare books that will go on public display for the first time in Sydney.

The items are featured in a new gallery at the State Library of NSW showcasing the personal collection of Sir William Dixson.

The AMAZE gallery was built with the support of Australian manufacturer Michael Crouch, who donated $1.4 million to the library.

It will open with the Dixson 60 exhibition on April 11 and primarily showcase the library's acquisitions and celebrate historic anniversaries.

Sir William - whose generosity earned him a library wing and gallery bearing his name - bequeathed his extensive collection to the library in 1952.

The Dixson 60 exhibition also includes rare letters and diaries, including a journal from the First Fleet, as well as sea atlases and maps produced centuries ago and a copy of the 1918 children's book The Magic Pudding.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Gold-digger' claims at Sydney inquest

COSMETIC surgeon and hotelier Jerry Schwartz was in a tumultuous relationship with a woman described as a "gold-digger" when his mother died in unusual circumstances, a Sydney inquest has heard.

NSW State Coroner Mary Jerram is investigating whether Dr Schwartz acted appropriately in signing the death certificates of his mother Eve Schwartz, 79, and her best friend Magda Wales, 76, who died three weeks apart in 2005.

Medical board guidelines advise against doctors performing such duties for family or friends.

Dr Schwartz, along with his late parents, founded the Schwartz Family Company, which owns a dozen hotels in NSW and Victoria, a shopping centre, a medical centre, and a brewery.

The death certificate Dr Schwartz signed for his 79-year-old mother Eve listed her cause of death as lung cancer and a collapsed lung which cut off her oxygen on August 20, 2005.

He made no mention of cuts on her wrists.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Mark Higgins, said it was very unusual for a woman such as Mrs Schwartz to have such cuts, given her lack of a demonstrated mental illness.

At the time of his mother's death, Dr Schwartz had been in a de facto relationship with Liliane Viselle, which the inquest heard was "tumultuous" and "aggravated".

Since 2010, the two have been embroiled in a civil suit concerning the division of Mrs Schwartz's multimillion-dollar estate.

Mrs Wales' son George told Glebe Coroner's Court on Tuesday that in the two years before his mother's death, she and Mrs Schwartz had tried to distance themselves from Ms Viselle.

He said Eve Schwartz had made it clear she thought Ms Viselle was after the family's money.

"Towards the end, (my mother) was genuinely trying to distance herself" from Ms Viselle, Mr Wales said.

"I believe the term 'gold-digger' was used," Dr Schwartz's defence counsel Patrick Saidi said of Ms Viselle.

Ms Viselle, did not tell Dr Schwartz of Mrs Wales' death, despite knowing they were lifelong family friends.

"He was absolutely like a wild man, running backwards and forwards and tearing out his hair," said Ms Viselle's friend Anne Godfrey, describing his response when he learned of the death at Mrs Wales' unit.

"He said, 'Why does that f***ing bitch keep interfering in my life and my business?'"

Police Inspector Craig Lowery said Dr Schwartz was acting strangely when he asked to see Mrs Wales' body.

"His behaviour was odd at the time - it's hard to put my finger on it, but it was not right," he said.

Dr Schwartz told police he was Mrs Wales' friend and doctor and he would sign her death certificate, but he was refused.

"A conversation I had with him led me to believe he was not her treating doctor," Insp Lowery said.

Dr Schwartz eventually signed the certificate, saying Mrs Wales had suffered an "acute cardiac event", ischaemic heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Mrs Wales' son said he knew his mother was being treated by Dr Schwartz in the years before her death, and he had no doubt she died a natural death.

The inquest continues.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bob Carr defends briefing US diplomats

Foreign Minister Bob Carr says reports that he was a US informant are ridiculous. Source: AAP

FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr has dismissed as unremarkable revelations that he briefed US diplomats about internal Labor politics nearly 40 years ago.

US diplomatic documents from 1974, published on the WikiLeaks website on Monday, show the former Australian Young Labor president and then education officer with the NSW Labor Council, briefed US diplomats about the Whitlam government.

He expressed "deep concern" to the US consul general about the "impact of Labor disputes on prospects of (the) Labor government".

Senator Carr said media reports suggesting he was a US informant were ridiculous.

"It's ridiculous to think that Australian political activists don't talk to diplomats - of course we do and we talk about Australian politics," he told Sky News on Tuesday.

As a young Labor activist, he had no access to cabinet secrets or intelligence matters, Senator Carr added.

"I must say I don't do that as foreign minister - I've got a business-like agenda.

"But there is absolutely nothing remarkable in this whatsoever."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kerry meets Netanyahu in Israel

John Kerry says he's pursuing a "quiet strategy" to coax Israel and Palestine back to negotiations. Source: AAP

TOP US diplomat John Kerry has met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the third day of talks seeking to piece together a plan to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to return to negotiations.

Speaking to reporters late on Monday, Kerry said he was pursuing a "quiet strategy" for ending decades of mistrust between the two sides, who have not met for direct talks since September 2010.

He refused to give specifics, but indicated that one area of focus was trying to build up the teetering Palestinian economy.

Kerry said movement in areas such as the economy "could be critical to changing perceptions and realities on the ground, all of which can contribute to forward momentum."

Netanyahu and Kerry met at David's Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, after "very productive" dinner talks late on Monday.

"I think it's fair to say we made progress," he said.

The two leaders had agreed "to do some homework" over the next few weeks "with a view to seeing how we can really pull all of the pieces together," he told reporters, praising Netanyahu for his "good faith efforts".

"I'm determined not only to resume the peace process with the Palestinians, but to make a serious effort to end this conflict once and for all," Netanyahu said.

For Israel, questions of "recognition and security" were key issues, he said in a reference to Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

Israel's top-selling Yediot Ahronot said Kerry was hoping to get Israel and the Palestinians to sit down in Amman for four-way talks with the United States and Jordan.

And the Al-Quds daily said Jordan was to be involved as a key player in negotiations over the status of Jerusalem, which Israel claims as its capital while the Palestinians want the annexed eastern sector as capital of their future state.

There was no immediate confirmation of either report, but Jordan has been a key player in the peace process since it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Momentum is also gathering among Arab nations to revive the stalled peace process, with a delegation from the Arab Peace Initiative (API) committee to visit Washington later this month.

The 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, first proposed by Saudi King Abdullah, offers pan-Arab diplomatic recognition of Israel in return for an end to the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas attended a meeting of the API committee in Doha on Monday, a day after he held talks with Kerry at his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah.

During the meeting, Abbas told Kerry the release of prisoners held by Israel was a "top priority" for resuming peace talks, his spokesman said.

Abbas also wants Netanyahu to present a map of the borders of a future Palestinian state before talks can resume.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coalition NBN policy is a lemon: critics

THE coalition's plan to deliver earlier and cheaper broadband to Australia has been dismissed as slow and inadequate by the government and IT experts.

In announcing the coalition's first major policy of the election year, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott promised that if elected, his government would offer all households and business minimum download speeds of 25 megabits a second (Mbps) by the end of its first term in 2016.

But Labor's National Broadband Network (NBN) offers download speeds of up to 100 Mbps, with a plan to give households and businesses access to speeds of up to one gigabit per second to those connected by the end of 2014.

Critics say the main plan to roll out optic fibre cable to "nodes" - cabinets on street corners - short-changes the nation's communications infrastructure future.

"It cannot deliver the high-speed services that Australians require to take full advantage of broadband-enabled healthcare, education and business opportunities," Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said in a statement.

RMIT University telecommunications expert and senior lecturer Mike Gregory said the policy wasn't a sensible answer to Australia's communications needs.

"This is the biggest lemon in Australia's history," Dr Gregory told AAP.

"What they are trying to do is offer us a bag of lollies by saying we can do it cheaper and faster, but what we are really being sold is a lemon."

The coalition's NBN would cut costs by using Telstra's copper network from the node to premises in city and most rural areas - bypassing Labor's plan to roll out optic fibre cable all the way.

"We will build fibre-to-the-node and that eliminates two-thirds of the cost," Mr Abbott told reporters in Sydney.

The capital cost of the NBN under the coalition's plan is $20.4 billion, against Labor's $37.4 billion.

Including other funding, the cost rises to $29.5 billion to complete the project by 2019, while Labor's project would be $44.1 billion to finish by 2021.

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull said the policy was based on what telecommunication companies and other governments were doing around the world.

"What we are presenting here is a plan that is consistent with the best practice in the world," he said.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne said installing tens of thousands of boxes on street corners meant most households would be "stranded" on a decaying copper network, while new housing estates received modern fibre technology.

"It's a farce," Senator Milne said in Hobart.

An incoming coalition government would aim to have its fibre-to-the-node rollout fully under way by the second half of 2014, following several reviews into the NBN project.

And if it wins a second term it promises to increase the minimum download speed to 50 Mbps for 90 per cent of Australians by 2019.

Mr Abbott said 25 Mbps was more than enough to cater to the average household's broadband needs.

"We are absolutely confident," he said.

Download speeds are currently around 5 Mbps.

Meanwhile, the director of Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society, Rod Tucker, said the coalition's fibre-to-the-node network would use twice as much power as Labor's.

"There is more energy being consumed by that network, which in turn creates a greater greenhouse impact than a fibre-to-the-premises network," Prof Tucker told AAP.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Reveal NBN costs, Conroy tells opposition

COMMUNICATION Minister Stephen Conroy says it's time for the coalition to reveal details and costings of its alternative high-speed national broadband network (NBN) plan.

The federal government owned-NBN Co Ltd is pushing ahead with its plan to roll out a NBN by mid-2021 at a cost of $37.4 billion.

But a coalition analysis suggests the final cost of the NBN could push up to $90 billion and would take an extra four years to complete.

Senator Conroy on Monday rejected the figures and challenged communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull to come clean on the coalition's plans.

"They rely on misleading statistics and misleading data to try and make these scare campaigns," the minister told ABC radio.

Mr Turnbull could release the long-awaited coalition's plan as early as Tuesday.

So far, the opposition favours rolling out fibre optic cable to the node, or street corner, rather than all the way to the home as NBN Co is doing, and making greater use of wireless technology.

Independent MP Rob Oakeshott, chair of a joint federal committee overseeing the NBN project, said the coalition's policy must ensure reliable and affordable services for people living in regional areas.

Meanwhile, a lobby group representing 60,000 Australian businesses, including telecommunications companies, said Labor should have conducted a cost-benefit analysis on the project from the beginning.

"It's a project that the business community broadly supports, as long as it's done properly and with the proper costings in place," Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said.

NBN Co is rolling out fibre optic cable capable of delivering speeds of up to 100 megabits per second to 93 per cent of homes and businesses across Australia by 2021.

The remaining seven per cent will be serviced by fixed wireless and satellite technologies.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Women's screams haunt Qld witnesses

CHILLING witness accounts of two women being abducted and bloodcurdling screams in the night have emerged at a cold-case inquest in Queensland.

Fresh evidence about how two Sydney nurses died almost four decades ago and who might have killed them was revealed in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Monday.

The evidence in the second coronial inquest into the 1970s deaths of Lorraine Wilson and Wendy Evans raises serious questions about the initial police investigation.

Wilson, 20, and Evans, 18, disappeared while hitchhiking in Queensland in October 1974.

Their skeletal remains were found, bound and with multiple skull fractures, two years later at Murphys Creek, near Toowoomba.

A 1985 inquest failed to result in charges being laid but police have uncovered new evidence.

On Monday, for the first time, the names of seven persons of interest were revealed in court.

A former officer described how in 1974 he had listened helplessly to two women's distant screams for more than half an hour, unable to detect where they were coming from in the bush.

Former Toowoomba policeman Ian Hamilton had been about four or five kilometres from where the women's bodies were eventually found.

He and his partner were called to a youth camp near Murphys Creek near the foot of the Toowoomba Range one night in October 1974.

"(It's) probably the only time in the service I've ever experienced the hairs stand up on the back of my neck," he told the court.

"They were just the most blood-curdling, horrendous screams I've ever heard in my life.

"It was obvious that they were in desperate trouble."

Other witnesses told of seeing two women matching the victims' descriptions being manhandled by two or more men into a green Holden by the side of the road at Toowoomba.

One woman screamed: "Help me, oh God help me", according to witness Brian Britcher, who said he was too scared to stop or call police until at least the next day.

"I've lived with that for (more than) 30 years," he said.

The inquest was played a recording of a 2008 police interview with one of the three surviving people of interest.

In it, Desmond Roy Hilton tells of hearing some of the persons of interest bragging "that they gave two girls a good hiding ... down the bottom of the range".

Mr Hilton is to give evidence at the inquest on Wednesday.

A former police investigator told the inquest he believed there was enough evidence to arrest Hilton's cousin, Wayne Hilton, for the murders, but he'd died in 1986.

Former senior sergeant Paul Ruge also called the original police investigation inadequate, saying lines of inquiry weren't followed up.

Outside court, Wendy Evans' sister Michelle Tuifufu said it was a difficult day but the two murdered women needed "their day in court".

Lorraine Wilson's brother said it was harrowing listening to the account of what was possibly his sister's screams.

"Something should have been done way back then," Eric Wilson said of the failed investigation.

"It would have saved a lot of angst, a lot of grief."

The inquest continues in Toowoomba on Tuesday.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ex hospital chair rejects WA minister slur

THE ex-chairman of the company that operates the troubled Peel Health Campus has rejected "a slur" by West Australian Health Minister Kim Hames that he interfered in the running of the hospital.

Dr Hames revealed on Monday that stock exchange-listed Ramsay Health Care was set to take over the operation of the public hospital from Health Solutions WA - before Ramsay told the market.

Dr Hames also criticised Jon Fogarty, the former chairman of Health Solutions WA, saying he constantly interfered with the running of the hospital, causing several managers to leave.

The hospital is the subject of an independent inquiry into claims doctors were paid incentives to admit patients to the facility.

"I think taking away the interference that he has will let the system operate much more efficiently and effectively," Dr Hames told ABC radio.

But Mr Fogarty said it was disappointing that news of "a great development for the people of Peel ... has been given a negative slant with a slur on me".

"I have lived in Singapore for the past four years and have not interfered with hospital management in any meaningful way," he said.

"I rightly became involved in the oversight of the performance of senior management and dealing with failures or issues which nobody else in the organisation could resolve."

Ramsay said it expected to finalise the deal with Health Solutions WA, subject to state government approvals, by the end of May.

Ramsay also said it was committed to expanding the hospital.

Meanwhile, WA Labor leader Mark McGowan said it was "a bit rich" for Dr Hames to be critical of Mr Fogarty, given the Liberal party was previously "close" to Health Solutions WA.

A report stemming from the inquiry into the hospital was recently handed to the state government, and will be reviewed by the Public Sector Commission and cabinet before being tabled in parliament.

Mr McGowan says it should be released as soon as possible.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia, China agree to annual talks

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has reassured China that Australia is open to foreign investment ahead of signing an historic "strategic partnership" deal with Premier Li Keqiang involving annual summit talks between the two countries' leaders.

The agreement will be signed in a formal ceremony in Beijing on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People, a move that's been hailed as a significant upgrading of bilateral ties.

Ms Gillard used a speech in Shanghai on Monday to encourage China to open its economy further and drive social reform, citing Australia's own journey to modernise.

"The growing importance of China's domestic and social reforms - like strengthening health care and expanding social security - will denote a growing importance for local and provincial leadership," she told the China Executive Leadership Academy on Monday.

"This has long been vital to your social and human development.

"In coming decades, it will be vital to balancing and sustaining national economic growth - vital to national success."

Ms Gillard earlier on Monday announced an agreement to allow direct trading of the Australian and Chinese currencies for the first time.

The Australian dollar will join the Japanese yen and the US dollar to become the third currency to enjoy the benefits of direct yuan trading, which should make it easier for businesses to transact with each other and offer better rates to tourists.

"This reflects the rapid growth of our bilateral trade and the value of two-way investment," she said.

Ms Gillard pointed to Australia's experience in taking difficult but necessary steps to modernise its economy by floating the Australia dollar, cutting tariffs and opening up its financial sector to foreign competition.

"Australia is a stronger, fairer, smarter nation as a result," she said.

She defended Australia's foreign investment and environmental protection rules after being asked by a Chinese academy student about the foreign investment debate, following comments by Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce that not all investment by China was in the national interest.

"We are a capital-hungry economy," Ms Gillard told the academy.

"Australia is open for investment."

Investment in Australia is a touchy issue in China after a series of outbursts by some commentators, particularly over buy-ins of rural and mining assets by Chinese state-owned enterprises.

During Labor's term in office, 380 investment proposals from Chinese companies had been accepted.

"Only six of them had conditions put on them and none - not one - has been rejected," Ms Gillard said.

On environmental protections, Ms Gillard said Australia's "sophisticated environmental management" rules weren't specifically directed at foreign investors.

"There is one rule for everyone," she said.

The prime minister is now halfway through her China trip and heading to Beijing, where she will meet Premier Li Keqiang.

Ms Gillard is likely again to raise concerns about an escalation in North Korea's anti-US and South Korean rhetoric, which has aroused fears the North could start a war on the Korean peninsula.

Ms Gillard is expected to hold talks with business leaders and education-sector representatives in Beijing on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, ANZ and Westpac will be the first Australian banks to directly trade the currencies on the Chinese foreign exchange market after receiving licences from the People's Bank of China.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Offshore accounts used in law-breaking

A TROVE of data obtained by a US-based journalists' group that details thousands of offshore accounts reveals several instances of swindles and other financial crimes, The Washington Post newspaper reports.

Among the 4000 US individuals listed in the records, at least 30 were American citizens accused in lawsuits or criminal cases of fraud, money laundering or other serious financial misconduct, the report said on Sunday.

They include billionaire hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, who was convicted in 2011 in one of the biggest insider trading scandals in US history, and Paul Bilzerian, who was convicted of securities fraud, the paper noted.

The report was the latest by prominent newspapers around the world which were given copies of the data for scrutiny by the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The head of the ICIJ, Gerard Ryle, obtained the data - involving 2.5 million records of more than 120,000 companies and trusts set up by two offshore companies operating in the British Virgin Islands and in Asia and the South Pacific - on a hard drive after investigating a fraud and offshore haven case in Australia.

Several newspapers, including France's Le Monde and Britain's Guardian, have been publishing revelations based on the data.

The Washington Post's report said the records contained information on at least 23 companies linked to an alleged $US230 million ($A221.44 million) tax fraud in Russia that was investigated by a Moscow-based lawyer named Sergei Magnitsky.

After Magnitsky informed Russian authorities of his findings, he was accused of fraud himself and thrown in prison, where he died in 2009 under suspicious circumstances.

One of the companies mentioned in the records was used to set up Swiss bank accounts, into which the husband of a Russian tax official deposited millions in cash, the paper said.

Today, there are between 50 and 60 offshore financial centres around the world holding billions of dollars at a time of historic US deficits and budget cuts, The Washington Post said.

Groups that monitor tax issues estimate between $US8 trillion and $US32 trillion in private global wealth is parked offshore, according to the paper.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fatal Vic shooting may be accident: police

POLICE suspect illegal drugs were used moments before a woman was shot dead - possibly accidentally - at a house in Melbourne's west.

A man shot the 21-year-old Keilor Downs woman at a house in Currumghi Circuit, St Albans, just after 5am (AEST) Sunday before fleeing in a red car.

A hunt is now under way for the man. Police said the pair knew one another.

Homicide squad Detective Senior Sergeant Rod Iddles said there may have been some illicit drug use at the house, but did not believe the dispute was about drugs.

He said police will explore every avenue, including that the shooting was accidental.

"Here we have a 21-year-old girl, not even in the prime of her life, and her life's been taken away," Det Sen Sgt Iddles told reporters.

"There may have been some illicit drug use; during the course of that a gun's been produced, and at this stage I can't tell you whether it's gone off accidentally or deliberately."

The offender is described as Caucasian, in his early 20s, 195cm tall with a solid build and dark hair.

The small red car he fled in is believed to be a Toyota.

Police are appealing for the man to hand himself in to any police station.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW teens badly hurt in league games

A TEENAGE NSW mid-north coast rugby league player is in critical condition with a severe head injury sustained in a weekend match, reports say.

The 15-year-old Sawtell Junior Rugby League Football Club player was hurt during a game on Saturday at Rex Hardaker Oval at Toormina, near Sawtell, APN News and Media reports.

He reportedly remained in a critical condition at Coffs Harbour hospital on Sunday but this could not be confirmed.

In another rugby-league incident a 15-year-old boy was knocked out for several minutes and injured his back during a game in inner-west Sydney.

It's believed the Sydney teenager fell headfirst to the ground after he jumped high to take the ball during a game at Birchgrove Oval on Sunday afternoon.

The CareFlight rescue helicopter arrived just before 4.30pm (AEST) so its onboard doctor could work with paramedics on the ground.

The 15-year-old was taken by ambulance to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition.

AAP st/

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

After gang-rape, India looks for action

A HUNDRED days after India mourned the death of a gang-rape victim and vowed to fight sex crimes, the torn clothes and tears of Bharti Kagra bear testimony to a tide of violence that refuses to ebb.

Kagra is one of the 812 women whom police say have been molested in New Delhi since the death of the medical student, who was brutally assaulted by six attackers in a moving bus on December 16 last year.

The student died in a Singapore hospital on December 29. The savagery of the attack triggered nationwide protests, prompting MPs to toughen punishments for sexual offences and pledge to make India safer for women.

Optimists called it a "turning point", while Delhi's under-fire top police officer said his force had been "jolted" and would institute "major changes in the way offences against women are dealt with".

Kagra's experiences give reason to doubt whether the outpouring of anger from women across the country, many of whom took to the streets in some cities, will result in better protection.

Carrying the clothes she says were ripped by her husband and brother-in-law during an assault on her, she struggles to register a case at a south Delhi police station where no female officers are present - even though they are mandatory under the new anti-rape law.

"First, the men humiliated me and now when I come out to seek justice the cops insult me ... some even suggested that I should make peace with my husband," she told AFP inside the police station in the Moti Bagh district of the capital.

In response to her shouts and cries, two policemen reluctantly register her complaint. Kagra allowed AFP to use her name, to publicise the problems women still face in registering such complaints.

Women currently make up only 6.5 per cent of India's police force and major recruitment changes will be needed to enforce the new sex crime law, which requires a female officer to record molestation and rape complaints.

This ruling risks going the way of so much legislation in India - well-meaning but mostly ignored in practice. Rights groups say real change will only come when widely held patriarchal and sexist attitudes change.

"I don't see enough initiative to change the mindset of the law enforcement agencies, especially the police," said Ranjana Kumari, director at the Centre for Social Research in New Delhi.

However, one consequence of the Delhi gang-rape is that women are more confident in reporting sex crimes, she says.

Delhi police reported a 148 per cent leap in rape cases lodged between January 1 and March 24 compared with the same period in 2012, and a 600 per cent rise in molestation cases reported up until April 3.

"Many women and families are becoming conscious and are coming forward to report abuse, but what is disappointing is that after 100 days ... rapes and all kinds of sexual offences are not stopping," Kumari said.

The Press Trust of India news agency has reported more than 250 rape cases across the country since the death of the Delhi gang-rape victim.

It's not just Indian women who have been targeted. A Swiss tourist was gang-raped last month while camping in central India, an offence that led to another flurry of negative headlines.

Many Western countries have warned female tourists to exercise caution in India, a move that has hit the tourism industry which earned over $US16 billion ($A15.4 billion) from foreign travellers in 2011.

The family of the victim of the December 16 gang-rape are still in shock and the trial of the men alleged to have murdered her continues in court.

Lawyers have cross-examined 65 out of 80 witnesses, including the doctors who tried to save the victim before her death. The court is also expected to summon the victim's family.

One of the five men on trial for murder, robbery and gang-rape was found dead in his cell last month, having apparently committed suicide. The sixth suspect, a 17-year-old, is being tried separately in a juvenile court.

On April 1, the mother of the Delhi gang-rape victim held a small religious ceremony in memory of her 23-year-old daughter.

"I prayed for her and as a mother, I can tell you my daughter's soul will rest in peace only when the accused are punished," she said.

"She died, but she has give every woman the courage to fight against violence."

16.57 | 0 komentar | Read More