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NSW road toll rises to eight

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 29 Desember 2012 | 15.02

The NSW holiday road toll has risen to eight after a motorcyclist died in the state's north. Source: AAP

THE NSW holiday road toll has risen to eight after a motorcyclist died following a collision with a ute in the state's north.

Police said a man in his 60s was riding his motorbike on the Summerland Way, near Whiporie, when it hit a Mazda ute at about 10.45am (AEDT) on Saturday.

The motorcyclist died at the scene while the driver of the ute was not hurt, police said in a statement.

They said the Summerland Way was closed as a result of the crash.

The latest fatality followed the death of a 50-year-old male motorist at Mudgee on Thursday and a grim Boxing Day in which there were five deaths on NSW roads.

A 79-year-old woman was the first fatality of the holiday season after she died in a collision at Mount Ousley, near Wollongong, on Sunday.

Meanwhile, police said the number of people injured in car accidents over the holiday period so far had jumped by 17 per cent from last year.

They said 369 people had so far been injured in crashes during Operation Safe Arrival, which runs from December 21 to January 4, compared with 316 injuries at the same point last year.

Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander John Hartley said the increase in the number was "one of the biggest concerns for police".

Police have so far charged 415 people with drink driving and 6573 motorists with speeding over the holiday period.

* The national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2012, until 2359 January 3, 2013, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Japan eyes security ties with Australia

Japan's new PM Shinzo Abe (pic) has sought to expand the Japan-US security partnership to Australia. Source: AAP

JAPAN'S hawkish new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to expand the Japan-US security partnership to Australia and India as it faces a bitter territorial row with China, a newspaper reports.

"The Japan-US alliance is the cornerstone," Abe, sworn in as prime minister on Wednesday, said in an interview with the mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun on Saturday.

"It's good to expand it to security co-operation among Japan, the United States and India. (Co-operation) among Japan, the United States and Australia will also contribute to stability in the region," Abe said.

"It is important to regain the region's power balance," he added without elaborating.

Abe won conservative support in national polls earlier this month with forthright pronouncements on the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, vowing not to budge on Japan's claim to them.

China also lays claim to the island chain, which it calls the Diaoyu.

Beijing has sent ships into the islands' waters many times since Tokyo nationalised the chain in September, with analysts saying China intends to prove it can come and go as it pleases.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fukushima an 'unprecedented challenge'

THE clean-up at Fukushima after its tsunami-sparked nuclear meltdowns is unlike anything humanity has ever tried, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says.

"The massive work toward decommissioning is an unprecedented challenge in human history," the newly elected Abe said on Saturday during a tour of the plant.

"Success in the decommissioning will lead to the reconstruction of Fukushima and Japan."

Abe was at the crippled Fukushima Dai'ichi facility just days after being sworn in following the triumph of his pro-business Liberal Democratic Party in national elections.

The prime minister's trip to the still-ruined site, on which he was accompanied by an AFP journalist, is part of a push by his administration to tackle an issue that has been a major talking point in Japan over much of the past two years.

Observers widely expect Japan to restart its nuclear program on the LDP's watch, despite public concerns that the party was partially responsible for the extent of the catastrophe because of a culture of complicity during its more than five-decade rule.

His government announced on Thursday that it would review a pledge by the previous administration to scrap nuclear power within three decades and would give the green light to any power plants deemed safe by regulators.

Japan's entire stable of 50 reactors was shuttered for safety inspections in the aftermath of the March 2011 disaster at Fukushima, where a tsunami swamped cooling systems, sparking meltdowns.

The reactors at the plant raged out of control for months after the initial catastrophe, spewing radiation over a wide area and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

Abe's visit comes around a year after experts said they had brought the wrecked units under control. However, melted fuel remains inside their cores and their full decommissioning and cleaning-up is expected to take decades.

Dressed in a protective suit and wearing a face mask, Abe was taken by bus to see two of the damaged reactors.

Thanking workers for their efforts at this time of year, when many people are celebrating New Year at home with their families, he said: "Decommissioning work is hard work, but it is progressing. We owe it all to you.

"We, the government, will give full support."

The disaster at Fukushima was the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. Work to clean up at the site in Ukraine is still going on, more than a quarter of a century after a reactor exploded.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

National road toll rises to 29

The holiday road toll has risen to 29 after the death of a pedestrian hit by two cars in Tasmania. Source: AAP

THE death of a pedestrian killed after being hit by two separate cars in Tasmania has taken the holiday road toll to 29.

The 21-year-old man was standing on the Tasman Highway when he was struck by a ute at Cambridge, east of Hobart, at about 2.40am (AEDT) on Saturday.

The ute did not stop and shortly afterwards a sedan travelling west on the highway ran over the man, who was injured and lying on the road. The man died at the scene.

In Victoria, a man died following a crash involving two cars at Hoddle Street in East Melbourne.

One car ran into the back of the other vehicle just before 5.20am (AEDT), propelling it into a tree on the footpath.

A male passenger in one of the cars died at the scene.

Meanwhile, a NSW motorcyclist died following a collision with a ute in the state's north.

The man in his 60s was riding his motorbike on the Summerland Way, near Whiporie, when it hit a Mazda ute at about 10.45am (AEDT).

The motorcyclist died at the scene while the driver of the ute was not hurt, police said.

On Friday night, a 38-year-old woman died after a head-on collision near Bundaberg in central Queensland.

Four other people were taken to hospital as a result of the crash.

* The national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2012, until 2359 January 3, 2013, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.


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30 people rescued after WA shark sighting

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 28 Desember 2012 | 15.02

SURF lifesavers have rescued 30 people stranded on a rock off the Perth coast after reports of a six-metre great white shark lurking in the area.

Surf Life Saving WA said Twilight Beach in Esperance was closed between 11.15am and 12.30pm (WST) on Friday after a helicopter tour group spotted the shark.

It said 30 people were on a rock a short distance from the shore, but rather than ask them to swim back, a boat was sent to pick them up.

"Lifesavers transported 30 people via boat from Twilight Rock to the mainland without incident," Surf Life Saving WA said.

It follows the sighting of several other sharks in the south west region on Friday including three one-metre sharks that were feeding near Margaret River.


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India gang-rape victim has brain injury

Doctors in Singapore are battling to save the life of the student gang-raped on a bus in India. Source: AAP

AN Indian gang-rape victim is "struggling against the odds" to survive after suffering a heart attack and brain injuries, as medics criticised a decision to fly her to Singapore.

In a bulletin issued the day after her arrival in Singapore, doctors at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital said the 23-year-old was battling an infection in her lungs and remained critically ill after the December 16 assault in Delhi.

"The patient is currently struggling against the odds, and fighting for her life," Kelvin Loh, chief executive officer of Mount Elizabeth Hospital where she was airlifted to from India, said in a statement on Friday.

"Our medical team's investigations upon her arrival at the hospital yesterday showed that in addition to her prior cardiac arrest, she also had infection of her lungs and abdomen, as well as significant brain injury," he added.

"A multi-disciplinary team of specialists has been working tirelessly to treat her since her arrival, and is doing everything possible to stabilise her condition over the next few days."

On Thursday night, the hospital revealed that the woman, who is a student in Delhi, had undergone "three abdominal surgeries and experienced a cardiac arrest in India" as it gave the first detailed rundown of her condition.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been treated in Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital since she was thrown off a bus in the capital after six men took turns to rape her at the back of the vehicle on December 16.

She also suffered severe intestinal injuries as a result of being assaulted with an iron bar, according to police and prosecutors.

The decision to fly her in a special air ambulance was taken at a meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cabinet on Wednesday, the government having already promised to pay all her medical bills.

But while ministers have insisted that the decision was taken purely on medical grounds, newspapers have suggested that authorities who have struggled to control nationwide protests over the attack were keen to have her transferred out of the country.

An unnamed doctor who was part of a team of experts consulted about the transfer told The Hindu newspaper that they had only been asked whether it was safe to move her rather than if it was the best course of action.

"The question was not whether there were any deficiencies in treatment that would be met by moving her.... She was being given the best possible care."

Samiran Nundy, chairman of the organ transplant and gastro-surgery department of Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told the paper that the transfer made little sense.

"I just can't understand why a critically ill patient with infection in blood and body, high grade fever and on the ventilator is being transferred," he said.

"It will take weeks in this case to even look into the possibility of an intestinal transplant so why hurry and take the patient out from a facility which works so well. It seems more of a political move."

Singh has ordered an official inquiry into the gang-rape and promised new laws to protect women as well as stiffer penalties for the worst sex crimes.

The government announced on Thursday that it would post the photos, names and addresses of convicted rapists on official websites to publicly shame them. The campaign will begin in Delhi, which has been dubbed India's "rape capital".

"Our prayers are with the brave young girl. The best possible medical care is being provided to her," the premier told reporters on Friday.

"You have my assurance that our government is committed to bring the guilty to justice as soon as possible."

His comments were echoed by Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the main ruling Congress party and India's most powerful politician.

"Our only wish today is that the victim recovers and culprits are punished and no time is lost in bringing perpetrators of such barbarous and heinous crimes to book," she said alongside Singh.

The woman's family has flown to Singapore to keep a vigil at the hospital.

Although they have not spoken to reporters, Singapore's Straits Times newspaper quoted an official who had spoken to her father and two brothers.

"These are simple, rustic people, who have never dreamt of boarding an aircraft, much less travel to a foreign country in an air ambulance," said the source.

"The father said he is reassured that the best is being done for his daughter and the rest lies in the hands of God."


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Paper ordered to hand over Buswell notes

WEST Australian newspaper The Sunday Times has been ordered to hand over documents relating to an article it published containing allegations about the behaviour of state Treasurer Troy Buswell.

Mr Buswell, who is also WA's transport and emergency services minister, has launched a defamation case against his ex-lover, independent MP Adele Carles, after she made a string of accusations about him that were published in the newspaper.

A subpoena was issued seeking the correspondence between Ms Carles and the journalist including handwritten notes, emails, letters and audio recordings.

At a hearing in the WA Supreme Court on Thursday, lawyers for the newspaper argued the subpoena should be set aside because it was an abuse of process, a "fishing exercise" and had no legitimate forensic purpose.

However, Justice John McKechnie dismissed the application from the newspaper on Friday and ordered that The Sunday Times provide the documents by Monday.

Justice McKechnie rejected any argument that the subpoena would cause the newspaper to disclose confidential information.

"No question of journalist's privilege, if such a thing exists, or protection of sources arises," he said.

"The article purports to quote the defendant directly, and of course, names her prominently.

"Confidentiality alone or in combination with other factors is insufficient to set aside the subpoena."

Mr Buswell's lawyer, Martin Bennett, told reporters outside court he wanted to see all relevant notes made by the journalist that would provide some context for the comments extracted for the two stories published on December 9.

"They're all necessary documents to formulate a proper pleading in a defamation matter," he said.

Mr Bennett said there was currently no prospect of the defamation case being settled out of court.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indian teen pressed to drop case

A 17-YEAR-OLD Indian girl who was gang-raped has taken her own life after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers, police and a relative say.

Amid the ongoing uproar over the gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi earlier this month, the latest case has again shone the spotlight on the police's handling of sex crimes.

One police officer has been sacked and another suspended over their conduct after the assault during the festival of Diwali on November 13 in the Patiala region in the Punjab, according to officials.

The teenager was found dead on Wednesday night after swallowing poison.

Inspector General Paramjit Singh Gill said on Thursday that the teenager had been "running from pillar to post to get her case registered", but officers failed to open a formal inquiry.

"One of the officers tried to convince her to withdraw the case," Gill, the police chief for the area, told AFP.

Before her death, there had been no arrests over her case although three people were detained on Thursday. Two of them were her alleged male attackers and the third was a suspected woman accomplice.

The victim's sister told Indian television that the teenager had been urged to either accept a cash settlement or marry one of her attackers.

"The police started pressuring her to either reach a financial settlement with her attackers or marry one of them," her sister told the NDTV network.

Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India reported that a police officer has been suspended for allegedly refusing to register a rape complaint in the northern state of Chhattisgar.

The woman and her husband later brought the case to the attention of a more senior officer and a hunt has been launched for her attacker, an auto rickshaw driver.

Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year in India were against women.

The real figure is thought to be much higher as so many women are reluctant to report attacks to the police.

During an address to the chief ministers of India's states on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to bring in new laws to cover attacks on women.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

1500 farmers stay put as volcano erupts

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 27 Desember 2012 | 15.02

ABOUT 1500 farmers living on the slopes of the San Cristobal volcano have refused to leave, despite being ordered to evacuate as the volcano spews gas, sand and ash.

"People have not evacuated because we do not want to go and leave the area abandoned," Maria Pereira told AFP on Wednesday.

Pereira lives in Grecia 4, a community of about 600 people at the base of the volcano, in the Chinandega department.

She said columns of ash "bathed the trees, houses, and roads in white" and "pretty sand fell" in the morning. She said by early afternoon volcanic activity had decreased, though in the evening new columns of ash shot up.

In another community near the volcano, Bethlehem, some farmers resisted efforts of civil defence officials to convince them to obey the evacuation order.

Around 140 civil defence troops have been deployed to "persuade" farmers to move away from the danger zone, state deputy Colonel Nestor Solis told reporters.

The government issued a yellow alert on Wednesday, ordering the evacuation of 300 families living near the volcano.

Reiterating the evacuation order on Wednesday, first lady Rosario Murillo, a government spokeswoman, said "the situation of the volcano is unstable".

But she did not specify how many had obeyed the evacuation order or where they were being housed.

San Cristobal, the tallest of Nicaragua's seven active volcanoes, is believed to have erupted for the first time in 1685.


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US paper publishes list of gun owners

A NEW York newspaper has sparked outrage by publishing a detailed map with thousands of names and addresses of gun permit holders in the wake of the Newtown school shooting.

The publication came amid a heated debate over gun control revived after the Connecticut massacre and drew intense criticism on social media outlets from gun owners, who called it a violation of privacy.

The Journal News in New York state's Westchester County obtained the publicly available information from county clerks and published it earlier this week in an interactive map alongside an article entitled The Gun Owner Next Door.

The paper obtained the names and addresses of more than 33,000 permit holders in two counties, though it said more than 13,000 had no activity in the past five years, and could belong to people who moved or passed away.

It said it was awaiting information on 11,000 permit-holders from a third county.

The newspaper defended the publication, saying the information was legally obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and that its readers had a right to know whether their neighbours owned firearms.

"We knew publication of the database would be controversial, but we felt sharing as much information as we could about gun ownership in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings," said CynDee Royle, editor and vice president of the Journal News, a Gannett Publication.

"People are concerned about who owns guns and how many of them there are in their neighbourhoods," she said. The newspaper had also asked for information about the type and number of weapons people owned, but that request was denied.

Critics slammed the move as an invasion of privacy that could put gun owners at risk, and the newspaper said it had received hundreds of calls from people who feared for their safety or felt their privacy had been violated.

"You're giving a shopping list to criminals," the newspaper quoted Tom King, president of the New York Rifle & Pistol Association, as saying.

"Does it matter if you own 47 guns or you own one gun? Everybody likes to think that someone who has all of these guns is evil, that there's some nefarious reason they have all these guns. There are collectors."

The newspaper's Facebook page drew hundreds of comments, positive and negative, with several irate users publishing the home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of the daily's publisher and editors.

"Don't you idiots realise you have just classified the law-abiding gun-owning citizen with sex offenders who have been released from prison?" wrote one user, identified as Sheila Gray.

"You also have told the street thugs where the armed homes are and where there are no guns."

The school shooting at Newtown, Connecticut earlier this month - in which 26 people, including 20 young children - were shot dead, has sparked renewed calls for new gun regulation.


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Spain seizes 11 tonnes of hashish

Spanish police have seized around 11 tonnes of hashish in one of the country's biggest drug busts. Source: AAP

SPANISH police have seized 11 tonnes of hashish smuggled from Morocco on trucks with fuel tanks rigged to hide the drugs and arrested 35 people in what has been described as the breakup of a major smuggling ring feeding the European market.

The haul was displayed across a patio outside the headquarters of the National Police, with some hashish packaged in small amounts resembling bars of soap, while much of it was held in suitcases made out of tape and packaging material.

It was described as one of Spain's biggest drug seizures, but officials did not provide details of previous confiscations for comparison purposes.

Authorities said the hashish travelled in trucks that took cargo ferries from Morocco to southern Spain, and were then driven to a Madrid suburb where the hashish was extracted from the vehicles' fuel tanks. From there, some of the hashish was sent to Madrid for sale while the rest was put aboard other trucks carrying legal merchandise to countries including Belgium, Britain, France and Holland.

Those arrested included 31 Moroccans, three Spaniards and a Belgian woman. One of the Spaniards and the Belgian woman were truckers driving rigs with loads of carrots and clothing with the hashish hidden amid the legitimate cargo, National Police chief Ignacio Cosido said.

Cosido declined to put a value on the hashish seized except to say "it's very profitable".

Police in 17 raids also seized numerous bags of marijuana, 150,000 euros ($A190,000) in cash, 14 vehicles valued at 400,000 euros and 109 mobile phones during the course of an eight-month investigation that started when authorities broke up a Madrid hashish selling ring and went after that group's suppliers.

The ring used GPS systems to track the movements of their hashish loads, and the specially designed fuel tanks to hold the drugs were put back together again for reuse after being dismantled, said Jose Luis Conde, who heads the National Police's Madrid division.

Conde declined to say whether the hashish originally came from Morocco, a major producer, saying only that it was from North Africa.


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Myki only ticket in Melbourne from weekend

Melbourne's public transport system will only accept the myki smartcard from Saturday. Source: AAP

AFTER Friday, myki will be the only ticket in town.

Melbourne's public transport ticket Metcard will be relegated to the history books to make way for the new $1.35 billion myki smartcard system.

Metcard sales on trams and buses and Metcard use on trains, trams and buses ends on Friday, with myki the only ticket that can be used from the first service on Saturday.

This means commuters will need a myki card before boarding and there will be no top-up facilities on trams.

Cards can be topped up online, at a myki retail outlet or 7-Eleven, at a Premium Station ticket office or at a myki machine, found at all Metro train stations and some tram stops and bus interchanges.

Meanwhile, the Public Transport Users Association has welcomed the reintroduction of paper tickets as an alternative to myki on Mornington Peninsula buses.

The paper ticket will only be available to seniors card holders on routes 787 and 788.

Their introduction comes after it emerged the seniors daily fare covering that region would no longer be available under myki, forcing commuters to pay between $5.42 and $9.02 for a day's travel compared to the current $3.80.

The seniors ticket, which can be bought from the bus driver, is valid for one day's travel on the peninsula and in metropolitan Melbourne.

Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said the paper seniors ticket is "proof positive" that paper tickets can be made to work alongside myki and that two-hour and daily short-term tickets should be retained.

"Given the system can accommodate this option, it should be made available to occasional travellers, visitors and tourists who neither want nor need to pay $6 for a myki card that won't be used again for months," he said.

Regional centres such as Geelong will receive myki in the first half of next year.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abe endorsed as Japan's next PM

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 26 Desember 2012 | 15.02

SHINZO Abe has been endorsed as Japan's prime minister by the lower house of parliament after he swept to power on a hawkish platform of getting tough on diplomacy while fixing the economy.

The powerful lower house on Wednesday named the 58-year-old as the country's new leader following a resounding national election victory for Abe's Liberal Democratic Party this month over the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

"This chamber decides to name Mr Shinzo Abe as prime minister," said lower house speaker Bunmei Ibuki after the vote.

Japanese MPs voted in Abe's favour by 328 votes to 57 for the DPJ's newly chosen leader Banri Kaieda, the industry minister during last year's Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Earlier on Wednesday, the yen tumbled against the US dollar on growing speculation that the Bank of Japan will usher in further easing measures to boost the economy - a key plank of Abe's campaign.

As Japan's seventh prime minister in less than seven years, Abe replaces Yoshihiko Noda, whose DPJ suffered a stinging defeat at the polls.

The party, which came to power in 2009, was seen as being punished for policy flip-flops and its clumsy handling of last year's atomic disaster at Fukushima.

As expected, Noda's cabinet resigned en masse on Wednesday morning before the LDP-controlled lower house named Abe as next leader.

Abe, who previously served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007, is expected to form a new cabinet later in the day as he rushes to draft an extra budget to spur the nation's flagging economy.

Japanese media have suggested Abe was likely to tap close associates and senior party members for key posts.

Taro Aso, another former prime minister in Japan's revolving-door political system, was widely expected to be named as both Abe's deputy and also finance minister, the reports said.

The new foreign minister was likely to be Fumio Kishida, who served as a state minister in charge of Okinawan affairs during Abe's previous tenure.

The expected appointment was seen as a reflection of Abe's desire for progress on the relocation of US military bases in the southern island chain.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Xmas Day storms blamed for 3 deaths in US

TORNADOES across the US south and brutal winds, have knocked down countless trees, blown the roofs off homes and left many Christmas celebrations in the dark.

Holiday travellers in the nation's much colder midsection battled treacherous driving conditions from freezing rain and blizzard conditions from the same fast-moving storms.

As predicted, conditions were volatile throughout the day and into the night with tornado warnings still out for some parts of Alabama. The storms were blamed for three deaths and several injuries, and left homes from Louisiana to Alabama damaged.

In Mobile, Alabama, a tornado or high winds damaged homes, a high school and a church, and knocked down power lines and large tree limbs in an area just west of downtown around nightfall.

Meanwhile, blizzard conditions hit the nation's midsection.

Earlier in the day, winds toppled a tree on to a pickup truck in the Houston area, killing the driver, and a 53-year-old north Louisiana man was killed when a tree fell on his house.

Icy roads already were blamed for a 21-vehicle pile-up in Oklahoma, and the Highway Patrol there says a 28-year-old woman was killed in a crash on a snowy highway near Fairview.

The snowstorm that caused numerous accidents moved out of Oklahoma late on Tuesday, carrying with it blizzard warnings for parts of northeast Arkansas, where 25 centimetres of snow was forecast. Wind gusts of up to 48km/h also caused about 71,000 customers to lose electricity.

Blizzard conditions were possible for parts of Illinois, Indiana and western Kentucky with predictions of 10 to 17.5 centimetres of snow.

An apparent tornado caused damage in the west Alabama town of Grove Hill, located about 130km north of Mobile.

Trees fell on a few houses in central Louisiana's Rapides Parish but there were no injuries reported, said sheriff's Lt Tommy Carnline.

Near McNeill, Mississippi, a likely tornado damaged a dozen homes and sent eight people to the hospital, none with life-threatening injuries, said Pearl River County emergency management agency director Danny Manley.

Mississippi governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in the state, saying eight counties have reported damage and some injuries.

At least three tornadoes were reported in Texas, though only one building was damaged, according to the National Weather Service. Tornado watches were in effect across southern Louisiana and Mississippi.

More than 500 flights nationwide were cancelled by the evening, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.com. More than half were cancelled into and out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport that got a few centimetres of snow.

Christmas lights also were knocked out with more than 100,000 customers without power in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.


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Manila fires spark riots

ANGRY residents beat a man to death and threw rocks at firefighters after a shantytown fire left thousands of people homeless and another Christmas Day blaze in the Philippine capital left seven people dead.

A resident was beaten to death by his neighbours after shouting that he started Tuesday's shantytown fire in suburban San Juan city, a senior fire officer said.

The man was reportedly drunk and was not responsible for the fire, which started in a house where children were playing with lighted candles, the officer said.

About 5000 people were left homeless and 13 people were hurt in the shantytown. The injured included two firefighters and a volunteer hit by rocks thrown by residents who were impatient and tried to grab fire hoses to save their own shanties.

As firefighters struggled to penetrate the narrow alleys, one of them was mauled by a mob and rescued by a police officer. Two fire trucks also were damaged in the violence.

"It's Christmas and many of the men in the neighbourhood were drunk," the officer said, adding that some residents brandished knives.

In Quezon City, another of the 16 cities that make up metropolitan Manila, a pre-dawn fire on Tuesday killed a veterinarian and six household members who were trapped inside a house, an arson investigator said.

The blaze was suspected to be triggered by an overloaded electrical circuit, he said.


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Man held over elderly Vic couple's death

VICTORIAN police have made a breakthrough during the investigation of the deaths of an elderly couple found dead in their burning house at Yarraville last Saturday.

They have arrested a man in relation to the deaths and are now interviewing him.

At this stage they are not releasing any more details about the arrest other than to say the man is assisting police with their inquiries.

The fire that destroyed the house is believed to have been deliberately lit with police treating the circumstance of the deaths as suspicious.

On the day of the fire detective inspector John Potter described the incident as "gruesome".

He said police believed both people, aged in their 70s and 80s, could have been killed before the house was set alight.


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Free Christmas lunches spread cheer in NSW

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 25 Desember 2012 | 15.02

Thousands of people got some festive cheer as volunteers hosted free Christmas lunches in Sydney. Source: AAP

FROM back-alley barbecues and plates of sandwiches for a few needy people 50 years ago, Sydney's free Christmas Day lunch volunteers now feed and cheer up thousands.

Not even heavy downpours could dampen spirits at the free lunches in the city on Tuesday, hosted to help out the homeless, the hard-up and the lonely.

Reverend Graham Long of the Wayside Chapel at Potts Point said an annual Christmas Day street party had been hosted there since 1964.

"Originally it started out as a smallish barbecue in the back alley and it just grew over the years," he said.

An estimated 1000 people were fed on Tuesday.

New volunteer Sheila said it was her first time skipping Christmas Day mass, but she'd waited 35 years for an opportunity to contribute at Wayside.

"Just very gently, you've touched somebody in your life," she said.

Ken Sharpe, 80, said he thought the party was "a damn good idea".

"Look around - the feeling. As the daughter says, she hugs and kisses people that another time you'd cross the street to get away from," he told AAP.

"People should do good things for other people and they don't need religion as a crutch - they should just do it."

At a Christmas Day lunch at Ashfield in Sydney's inner west, the Exodus Foundation laid on more than 65 hams, 55 turkeys, 220 litres of gravy and 330 litres of custard to feed an expected 3000 people.

Reverend Bill Crews it was the foundation's 27th free Christmas Day lunch and each year there were increasing number of people turning up.

He said the annual lunch began with a plate of sandwiches for two lonely people 27 years ago and this year was set to be the biggest yet.

"Just because you're lonely or you can't afford Christmas doesn't mean you have to go without," Reverend Crews said.

At Eveleigh in inner Sydney the Salvation Army's Streetlevel Mission fed about 1500 people in its 16th year of operation, with 150 volunteers giving part of their day to help out.

Meanwhile, thousands of worshippers attended church services across the state.

It was standing room only at St Mary's Cathedral for the morning service led by the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.

In his homily, Cardinal Pell said the birth of Jesus contained a message "that produces love and goodness".

"This baby did grow up to redeem us by his life, death and resurrection," he said.

Outside church, one worshipper, Sean, said the service was a chance to connect with his family's past.

"My father has always come, my grandfather has always come, and my son has decided he wants to come - it goes back generations," he said.

Sydney's St Andrew's Cathedral hosted a Lord's supper on Tuesday morning, followed by services through the day, including an address by Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen.

In his annual Christmas message released earlier, he said Christmas was a time to fix feuds and forgive.


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US killer ambushes firefighters

A US ex-convict set a house and car ablaze, and shot dead two firefighters before killing himself. Source: AAP

A FORMER convict set a house and car ablaze in his lakeside New York state neighbourhood to lure firefighters, then began shooting at them, killing two.

He then engaged police in a Christmas Eve shootout before killing himself.

Several homes were damaged by fire while police used an armoured vehicle to evacuate the area.

Police could not establish a motive and said the killer's sister was unaccounted for.

Police said the gunman, 62-year-old William Spengler, shot at the arriving firefighters, probably with a rifle.

"It does appear it was a trap," town police chief Gerald Pickering told a news conference.

"These people get up in the middle of the night to go put out fires. They don't expect to be shot and killed."

Spengler had served more than 17 years in prison for beating his 92-year-old grandmother to death in 1980 at the house next to where Monday's attack happened, Pickering said.

Spengler was granted parole in 1998 and had led a quiet life since, authorities said. He lived with his 67-year-old sister, Cheryl Spengler, and mother, Arline, who died in October.

Police said he was not allowed to own weapons.

A friend said Spengler didn't seem violent but "couldn't stand" the sister who lived with him. Roger Vercruysse said Spengler "loved his mama to death".

He said he believed Spengler "went crazy" after she died in October.

Two firefighters died at the scene on Monday and two were taken to hospital. A fifth man who was passing by was also injured.

Two of the firefighters arrived on a fire engine and two in their own vehicles, Pickering said. After the gunman fired, one of the wounded men managed to flee, but the other three couldn't because of flying bullets.

Pickering said seven houses were destroyed and police have not been able to get inside to determine if there are any more victims.

The incident happened in a neighbourhood which is popular with recreational boaters but is normally quiet at this time of year.

"We have very few calls for service in that location," Pickering said.

"Webster is a tremendous community. We are a safe community, and to have a tragedy befall us like this is just horrendous."

The incident came after other shootings, including the massacre of 20 students and six adults at a school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Grieving firefighters declined to talk to reporters. At an impromptu memorial vigil on Monday evening, about 100 people stood in the cold night air, some holding candles.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man critical after boat capsizes off Vic

A MAN has been airlifted to the Alfred Hospital after nearly drowning in a boating accident at Venus Bay in Victoria's southeast.

The 22-year-old man was with three mates in an aluminium craft off Venus Bay when it tipped over, throwing them into the water, police said.

The three others got to shore safely but the young man had to be revived on shore by paramedics before being flown to hospital.


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Myanmar plane crash kills child, rider

A FLIGHT packed with Christmas tourists has crash-landed on a road in central Myanmar (Burma), killing two people and injuring 11.

Four foreigners were among the injured, state television reported on Tuesday. The airline said the injured were American, British and Korean.

The fatalities included an 11-year-old passenger believed to be a Myanmar citizen and a man riding a motorcycle on the road where the plane came down, state TV said.

The Air Bagan flight was carrying 63 passengers, including 51 foreigners, and six crew members.

It was flying from the city of Mandalay to Heho airport in Shan State, the gateway to a popular tourist destination, Inle Lake, Air Bagan said in a brief statement on its Facebook page.

The airline described the incident as an "emergency landing".

Authorities gave a different and more dramatic account, saying the pilot mistook the road for a runway due to bad weather.

"While descending, the plane mistakenly landed ... due to fog beside the runway," state television reported. It said the aircraft made a hard landing on a road and then came to a stop in a nearby rice paddy field.

"The rear end of the plane broke and caught fire," state TV said, carrying a statement posted on Deputy Information Minister Ye Htut's Facebook page.

Rescuers brought the fire under control about 45 minutes later, he said.

Witnesses said smoke filled the plane when it hit the ground and was still rising from the plane's badly charred wreckage hours later.

Airport officials in Heho said that injured passengers were taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Taunggyi for treatment.

Air Bagan is one of five private airlines that fly domestic routes in Myanmar. It is a unit of Htoo Trading Company, which is owned by business tycoon Tay Za.


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Bushfire threat eases near Wyong in NSW

Written By Unknown on Senin, 24 Desember 2012 | 15.02

EASING weather conditions have helped firefighters gain the upper hand over a bushfire that threatened homes on the NSW Central Coast.

More than sixty firefighters and six water bombing aircraft have been battling the blaze and protecting homes between Bumble Hill Road and Forest Road at Kulnara northwest of Wyong.

A watch and act alert was issued early on Monday afternoon but that was reduced to an advice later on Monday.

The Rural Fire Service said conditions had improved and the immediate threat to properties had eased.

But in an advice it warned residents in the area that embers may be blown ahead of the main fire front to start spot fires that could threaten homes


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Afghan policewoman kills US adviser

AN Afghan policewoman has killed an American adviser at the Kabul police headquarters.

Kabul's Deputy Police Chief Mohammad Daoud Amin says an investigation is under way to determine whether the killing on Monday was intentional or accidental.

It was not known if the victim was a military or civilian adviser. The NATO military command says it's looking into reports of the shooting but had no independent information.

At least 53 international troops have been killed by Afghan soldiers or police this year.

Most international forces are due to withdraw by 2014 and have speeded up efforts to train and advise Afghan military and police units.


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Indian prime minister appeals for calm

Police shot dead a journalist during a protest over a sex assault on an actress in northeast India. Source: AAP

INDIAN Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed for calm after violent protests sparked by the rape of a 23-year-old woman on a bus.

At least 68 protesters and 78 policemen were injured in Sunday's clashes as the police tried to evict the demonstrators from a high-security area of the capital, New Delhi. One policeman was reported to be in critical condition.

A dozen state buses and police vans were damaged as some of the protesters turned violent, breaking barricades and throwing stones.

Police fired tear gas and forcibly dispersed the crowd from the site near government offices and the presidential palace.

The woman, a physiotherapy student, was gang-raped on a moving bus and beaten unconscious before the attackers threw her and her male companion from the vehicle near New Delhi's airport on December 16.

The attackers, who were drunk, had stolen the bus. All the suspects have been arrested.

The woman is in critical condition on a ventilator, according to doctors.

"Anger at this crime is justified, but violence will serve no purpose," Singh said on Monday. "I appeal to all concerned citizens to maintain peace and calm."

Singh promised a speedy response to the "terrible crime" and said the government was examining measures to protect the safety of women and children.

Most of the thousands of protesters in the streets of the capital and several other cities were young people demanding swift action against rapists and safety for women.


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Man charged over Sydney stabbing

A 19-YEAR-OLD man has been charged over the stabbing of a 26-year-old man during a confrontation at Punchbowl in Sydney's southwest.

Shortly before 11.30pm (AEDT) on September 29 police found the 26-year-old with stab wounds at The Boulevarde and he was taken to St George Hospital for treatment to back wounds.

It's alleged he was stabbed during an altercation with a group of men.

On Monday, police arrested a 19-year-old man at unit in Punchbowl and charged him with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He was refused bail and was due to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Monday.


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NZ police trial surveillance drone

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 23 Desember 2012 | 15.02

NEW Zealand police are trialling an unmanned aerial drone using technology from war zones such as Afghanistan.

One drone has been bought and has been used twice in investigations. Police will decide in the coming months whether to continue using the technology, 3News reports.

The confirmation of the trial came after a complaint to the ombudsman.

The drone can provide high resolution images, infrared images at night, and 3D images to help with operational planning.

Police Association president Greg O'Connor says it is an innovative breakthrough for police.

Mr O'Connor said that despite concerns of privacy campaigners, innocent members of the public had nothing to fear.


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Emperor Akihito in good health on birthday

JAPANESE Emperor Akihito has reassured thousands of well-wishers on his 79th birthday that he has regained his health since heart by-pass surgery.

The softly spoken monarch gave his birthday address on Sunday from a glass-covered balcony at the Imperial Palace as crowds waving small flags braved bitterly cold weather.

"In February, I had heart surgery and worried many people. Please remain assured that I am now living normally like before," he said in a brief speech.

The Japanese throne is held in deep respect by much of the public, despite being stripped of much of its mystique and its quasi-divine status in the aftermath of World War II.

"He represents the people, and it was nice to see him in such good shape," said retiree Takeo Nagahashi, who was among more than 10,000 people who came to the palace to see the emperor's address.

"I was worried and seeing his healthy face made me happy. I hope he will live for a long time."

Another retiree, Yuichiro Sato, said: "It was a beautiful speech that reassured me. He seems healthy."

During his birthday address, Akihito said his thoughts were with those who have been unable to return to their homes since the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan in March 2011.

"I plan to spend my time praying for the happiness of all of the Japanese public, particularly those who were affected by the disaster," Akihito said, describing the year as a "difficult" one.

Before his birthday, Akihito told a ceremonial press conference he had recovered to the point where he could play tennis.

He said he wanted to continue carrying out his public duties at the same level as before, despite calls from his family and court officials to reduce his workload.

Since his heart surgery, Akihito and his wife, Michiko, have travelled around Japan. In May they visited Britain to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, the royal couple's first overseas trip since 2009.


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Driver dies in Tasmanian crash

Tasmania has recorded its first road fatality of the holiday road toll period. Source: AAP

A MAN has died north of Hobart in Tasmania's first road fatality of the holiday season.

The driver was alone in a car when it crashed on East Bagdad Road near Bagdad about 1.45pm (AEDT) on Sunday.

Police said the man was the only occupant, but further information was not immediately available.

* The national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2012 until 2359 January 3, 2013, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.

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Three die in Vic as road campaign begins

A man has died after his car smashed into a tree and flipped on its side in Melbourne's southeast. Source: AAP

THREE people have died on Victoria's roads in a horror start to the state's annual holiday road safety campaign.

Police say an elderly woman died after a car crashed into a light pole in Bentleigh East, in Melbourne's southeast, on Sunday afternoon.

She had been a passenger in the vehicle. The driver is in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The crash came only hours after a man died when his car veered off the road in nearby Moorabbin and smashed into a tree, flipping on its side.

He died at the scene.

The third crash came at 4.15pm (AEDT) in Kerang, in the state's far north.

Police say a sedan veered into oncoming traffic on the Murray Valley Highway and collided head-on with a truck.

The sedan driver, a woman and sole occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene while the truck driver was taken to hospital.

The three deaths came on the first day of Victoria's 12-day holiday road toll campaign.

There were nine deaths in Victoria during last year's campaign.

* The national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2012 until 2359 January 3, 2013, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More
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