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Man 'threatens' club staff with fake gun

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 02 Maret 2013 | 15.02

A man has been charged with threatening staff with a replica handgun at a licensed club in NSW. Source: AAP

A MAN has been charged with threatening staff with a replica handgun at a licensed club on the NSW Central Coast.

Police said they were called to the club in Halekulani, near Budgewoi, about 1.30am (AEDT) on Saturday after a 25-year-old man allegedly threatened staff with a handgun.

The man had argued with police earlier in the evening and had been evicted from the premises, police said.

The man was later arrested at a nearby unit, and police discovered the handgun was a replica.

The alleged offender was charged with a number of offences, including possessing an unauthorised pistol.

He was granted bail and is due to appear at Wyong Local Court on March 27.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama orders $US85 billion spending cuts

US President Barack Obama has blamed Republican for "dumb" and "unnecessary" spending cuts. Source: AAP

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has reluctantly ordered an $US85 billion ($A83.67 billion) austerity drive that could slow the US economy and slash jobs, after blaming Republicans for refusing to stop the "dumb" spending cuts.

Obama complied with his legal obligations and initiated the automatic, across-the-board cuts in domestic and defence spending Friday, following the failure of efforts to clinch a deal with Republicans on cutting the deficit.

The president signed an order bringing the arbitrary cuts into force, saying they should be made in "strict accordance" to US law, and a report by his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) detailing the cuts to each agency.

The measures could mean long lines at US border posts, reduced military readiness, cuts to special needs education programs, and will trim the resources of some emergency services, according to White House officials.

Obama had earlier blamed the austerity time bomb on Republicans, who refused to close tax loopholes for the rich and corporations combined with more targeted spending cuts, in his "balanced" approach to deficit reduction.

"I am not a dictator. I'm the president," Obama said, warning he could not force his Republican foes to "do the right thing," or make the Secret Service barricade Republicans leaders in a room until a deal is done.

"These cuts will hurt our economy, will cost us jobs and to set it right both sides need to be able to compromise," Obama said, before decrying the budget trimming as "dumb" and "unnecessary."

Only three months after winning re-election, and with the extent of his authority in Washington again constrained, Obama bemoaned his inability to do a "Jedi mind-meld" to get Republicans to change their minds, using imagery from Star Wars and Star Trek.

Obama was bound by law to initiate the automatic, indiscriminate cuts, which could wound the already fragile economy, cost a million jobs and harm military readiness, by the end of Friday.

The hit to military and domestic spending, known as the sequester, was never supposed to happen, but was rather a device seen as so punishing that rival lawmakers would be forced to find a better compromise to cut the deficit.

Both sides agree that the sequester is a blunt instrument to cut spending, as it does not distinguish between essential and wasteful programs - in what Obama has branded a "meat-cleaver" approach.

New Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned that the sequester could endanger the military's capacity to conduct its missions.

"Let me make it clear that this uncertainty puts at risk our ability to effectively all of our missions," said Hagel.

The Pentagon's budget is set to be slashed by roughly $46 billion.

The president appeared irritated but combative as he spoke to reporters after meeting with his chief foes - House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell - and allies Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi in the Oval Office.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Court slashes Samsung's $1b damages bill

A US judge slashed nearly half of the $US1 billion ($A984.40 million) damage award a jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple over the rights to the design and technology running market-leading smartphones and tablet computers.

US District Court Judge Lucy Koh lowered the damages awarded to Apple by $US450.5 million ($A443.47 million) for 14 Samsung products including some products in its hot-selling Galaxy lineup, saying jurors had not properly followed her instruction in calculating some of the damages.

She also concluded that mistakes had been made in determining when Apple had first notified Samsung about the alleged violations of patents for its trend-setting iPhone and IPad.

Koh ordered a new trial to recalculate damages for those products.

"We are pleased that the court decided to strike $US450,514,650 from the jury's award," Samsung spokeswoman Lauren Restuccia said.

"Samsung intends to seek further review as to the remaining award."

Apple declined to comment on the Koh's ruling.

The ruling reduced Samsung Electronics' bill to just under $599 million. The judge said the tab will probably increase after the appeals of both companies are resolved.

Apple is seeking more damages and Samsung a complete dismissal of the case in the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Washington, D.C.-based court that handles all patent appeals.

The new trial to recalculate the damages could also increase the award.

Still, the ruling was the second significant setback in Koh's courtroom since the headline grabbing verdict was announced.

In December, Koh refused to order a sales ban on the products the jury found infringed Apple's patents.

She said Apple failed to prove the technology is what drove consumers to buy a Samsung product instead of an Apple iPhone or iPad.

Samsung says that it is continues to sell only three of the two dozen products found to have infringed Apple's patents.

After a three-week trial closely followed in Silicon Valley, the jury decided that Samsung ripped off Apple's trailblazing technology and sleek designs and ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05b.

Samsung has emerged as one of Apple's biggest rivals and has overtaken it as the leading smartphone maker.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott and PM descend on western Sydney

TONY Abbott has fired the first shot in this week's war for western Sydney as Julia Gillard gears up for a five-day tour to reconnect with the Labor heartland and salvage support in once-safe seats.

The opposition leader descended on Campbelltown on Saturday, pledging to solve the area's transport woes and tackle crime as new polling highlighted just how hard the prime minister will need to work during her own visit.

The Fairfax Media/ReachTEL poll found the government is on track to lose the seats of Chifley, Blaxland, McMahon and Werriwa to the Liberals at the September 14 election. All four would normally be considered safe.

Such a result would result in frontbenchers Chris Bowen and Jason Clare and backbenchers Laurie Ferguson and Ed Husic being booted from parliament, in addition to Labor MPs in more marginal seats like Lindsay's David Bradbury.

And in particularly worrying news for Ms Gillard, the poll of 2550 voters spread across the four seats finds the collapse in Labor's support is due in large part to negative perceptions of her leadership.

Mr Abbott sought to highlight the local MPs' failings too.

"You've got Chris Bowen, who couldn't stop the boats. You've got Jason Clare, who can't stop the guns. And you've got David Bradbury, who wants to attack people's superannuation," Mr Abbott told reporters at Leumeah train station.

He rejected suggestions his visit to Campbelltown was aimed at stealing the spotlight from Ms Gillard.

"I know Sydney, I'm not a tourist in Sydney and this is my 47th visit since the election to western Sydney," he said.

Mr Abbott will return to the area in the coming days and says he will stop in at the Rooty Hill RSL - next door to where the PM is staying - on Monday at the invitation of a breakfast television program.

While Ms Gillard had no public appearances on Saturday, Trade Minister Craig Emerson sought to downplay the latest poll, suggesting it could not be trusted because it was automated, unlike the better known Newspoll and Nielsen.

"The people who are more likely to respond to those polls are the ones who have got a particular adverse view," Dr Emerson told ABC television on Saturday.

Former Labor leader Mark Latham, who lives in Sydney's west, says the party has lost touch with the area. He says the old working class is steadily vanishing and being replaced by more aspirational voters.

"And unless Labor understands that it too will vanish," he told Sky News.

Labor holds Chifley on a margin of 12.3, Blaxland on 12.2, McMahon on 7.8 per cent and Werriwa on 6.8 per cent. The poll suggests a leadership switch to Kevin Rudd could keep Chifley and Blaxland in Labor's hands.


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Profit season shows signs of hope

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 01 Maret 2013 | 15.02

THERE are signs of life and glimmers of hope in the market after a reporting season that beat expectations - albeit only slightly - and promised better things to come.

The February reporting season all but wrapped up on Friday with overall results coming in slightly ahead of analysts' expectations and outlooks from ASX-listed companies generating an anticipation that a recovery is on the way.

Deutsche Bank head of research sales Glenn Morgan said key themes to the reporting season were strong runs in yield stocks, stocks with New Zealand exposure, market proxies such as AMP and internet stocks such as REA Group.

"Profit expectations were at least met," Mr Morgan said.

"Outside resources, profits are growing rather nicely now, certainly among banks and industrials.

"They might have got there with cost-cutting and with some help from lower interest rates along the way, but they got there."

Resources stocks lost 0.5 per cent in February, while financial stocks gained 6.5 per cent over the same period.

During 2013 the Australian share market has gained 9.3 per cent, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closing at 5,086.1, down 18 points, or 0.35 per cent on Friday.

Goldman Sachs reported that headline results had beaten analysts' estimates by their highest level in seven years during the reporting season, nominating Wesfarmers, BlueScope Steel, JB Hi-Fi and Commonwealth Bank among those to deliver positive surprises.

JB Hi-Fi's $82 million net profit for the six months to December 31, up three per cent on the prior corresponding period, was one of the surprises of the season, causing a one-day 17 per cent surge in its share price and raised optimism around retail stocks.

Harvey Norman enjoyed two days of share gains on Thursday and Friday despite posting a 37 per cent fall in first half profit, with chairman Gerry Harvey pointing to a lift in January sales.

Financials fared well, led by the Commonwealth Bank reporting a record first-half profit of $3.66 billion.

Resources suffered, with BHP Billiton reporting a 58 per cent fall in first half profit, driven by lower iron ore, coking coal and oil and gas prices, cost increases and a weak US dollar.

However a focus on cost management - and management changes - at BHP Billiton and rival Rio Tinto have gained analysts' approval, with the majors expected to be well placed to capitalise on a lift in commodity prices.

"If there was a disappointment, it was among the second-tier resource stocks," Mr Morgan said, citing their lesser ability to take out costs.

Deutsche Bank equities strategist Tim Baker said that for the first time in three years a majority of companies had upgraded forecasts rather than downgraded them.

While only only a thin majority, the upgrades promised earnings growth, Mr Baker said.

"If you put resources to one side, industrials and banks are already growing profits reasonably well," he said.

Low interest rates also delivered a surprise for the season in the form of higher dividends and lower net interest expenses for companies.

Mr Morgan said the overwhelming sense in the market was that "the leverage hasn't come yet".

The world feels like it's getting a little better, companies have got nice and lean and there will be a lot leverage to the upside when that top line does come," he said.

"And there was enough in the reporting season to give us faith that it still should come."

Mr Morgan noted there was still a broad pattern of investors being underweight in equities.


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Iran pipeline work to begin this month

A CONSORTIUM will start work next week on a much delayed $US7.5 billion ($A7.38 billion) gas pipeline from Pakistan to Iran despite American warnings of possible sanctions.

The date was announced after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari held talks in Tehran with Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who urged Islamabad to press ahead with the project.

"The groundbreaking is going to be performed on March 11 on the Pakistani side of border and we hope that the presidents of the two countries will be present on the occasion," a senior Pakistani official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

He said the ceremony would mark the start of work by an Iranian-Pakistani consortium on the 780-kilometre pipeline earmarked for the Pakistani side of the border, which is said to cost some $US1.5 billion ($A1.48 billion).

A second Pakistani official also confirmed March 11 as the start date.

Although the pipeline on the Iranian side has almost been completed, Pakistan has run into repeated difficulties, both in financing the project and over a US threat of possible sanctions due to Iran's nuclear activities.

Sanctions-hit Iran eventually agreed to finance a third of the costs of laying the pipeline through Pakistani territory to Nawabshah, north of Karachi, with the work to be carried out by an Iranian company.

Pakistani officials said in mid-December that Iran had promised a $US500 million ($A492 million) loan and that Islamabad would meet the rest of the cost.

"The government has assured us that they will arrange this money through different sources including international financial institutions," a Pakistani official told AFP on Friday.

Pakistan suffers from a crushing energy crisis, but the United States says it is providing Islamabad with alternative means to help avoid sanctions.

"It's in their best interests to avoid any sanctionable activity, and we think that we provide and are providing... a better way to meet their energy needs," State Department deputy acting spokesman Patrick Ventrell said this week.

Ventrell said the United States was supporting large-scale energy projects, including one that will add 900 megawatts to the power grid by 2013, which would help supply electricity to an estimated two million Pakistanis.

But Islamabad says it will pursue the gas pipeline project regardless and that it plans to produce 20 per cent of its electricity from Iranian gas.

The country's energy crisis was most recently illustrated by a more than two-hour, nationwide blackout last Sunday.


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Man missing after trawler capsizes in Qld

EMERGENCY services are searching for a man after a fishing trawler capsized off the Gold Coast early on Friday morning.

The 39-year-old deckhand has now been missing for over 13 hours after he was washed overboard when the 50-foot boat flipped around 2am (AEST).

The skipper of the boat, who was later rescued by the crew of the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter, was trapped in an air-pocket inside the vessel for approximately two hours.

He told his rescuers he'd spent several hours on the stricken vessel before having to abandon the sinking vessel.

"He told us he made it to the bow and stayed there for about five hours when she started going under from the stern," helicopter crewman Tony Preston said.

"Luckily the life raft deployed and he was able to climb onto that and activate its beacon."

The 54-year-old skipper was taken to Robina Hospital with minor lacerations and hypothermia but is otherwise unharmed.

Gold Coast Water Police are continuing the search for the missing man.


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Manning pleads guilty to 10 charges

US Army private Bradley Manning has pleaded guilty to leaking classified information. Source: AAP

BRADLEY Manning, the Army private accused in the biggest leak of classified material in US history, could face 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to 10 charges.

Manning says he wanted to expose the US military's disregard for human life in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Military prosecutors said they plan to move forward with a court-martial on the 12 remaining charges against Manning, including aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence.

For the first time, Manning directly admitted leaking the material to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and detailed the frustrations that led him to do it.

"I began to become depressed at the situation we found ourselves mired in year after year. In attempting counterinsurgency operations, we became obsessed with capturing and killing human targets on lists," the 25-year-old former intelligence analyst in Baghdad told a military judge.

He added: "I wanted the public to know that not everyone living in Iraq were targets to be neutralised."

The slightly built soldier from Oklahoma read from a 35-page statement through his wire-rimmed glasses for more than an hour.

He spoke quickly and evenly, showing little emotion even when he described how troubled he was by what he had seen.

The judge, Denise Lind, accepted his plea to 10 charges involving illegal possession or distribution of classified material.

Manning was allowed to plead guilty under military regulations instead of federal espionage law, which knocked the potential sentence down from 92 years.

He will not be sentenced until his court-martial on the other charges is over.

Manning admitted sending hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan battlefield reports, State Department diplomatic cables, other classified records and two battlefield video clips to WikiLeaks in 2009 and 2010.

He said he was disturbed by the conduct of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the way American troops treated the populace.

He said he did not believe the release of the information would harm the US.

"I believed that if the general public, especially the American public, had access to the information ... this could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general," Manning said.

Manning said he was appalled by 2007 combat video of an assault by a US helicopter that killed 11 men, including a Reuters news photographer.

The Pentagon concluded the troops mistook the camera equipment for weapons.

"The most alarming aspect of the video to me was the seemingly delightful bloodlust the aerial weapons team happened to have," Manning said, adding that the soldiers' actions "seemed similar to a child torturing ants with a magnifying glass."

As for the sensitive State Department cables, he said they "documented backdoor deals and criminality that didn't reflect the so-called leader of the free world."

"I thought these cables were a prime example of the need for a more open diplomacy," Manning said.

"I believed that these cables would not damage the United States. However, I believed these cables would be embarrassing."


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Vic elective surgery list heads to 50,000

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 28 Februari 2013 | 15.02

VICTORIA'S elective surgery waiting list is edging closer to 50,000 people, many of whom are in pain as they wait their turn.

There were 4587 more people on the list at the end of last year than in December 2011, after the first 12 months of the state coalition government.

Peter Smith, 78, of Belgrave, is practically house-bound until he gets into Box Hill Hospital for a hip replacement.

It is more than a year since his GP sent him to a specialist, who has told him his health is suffering due to the lack of exercise.

"I don't get out very much," Mr Smith said.

"How would you be if you were almost house-bound because of what you feel is the inadequacies of the funding for our health service."

Eastern Health told Mr Smith last February he would have to wait longer than anticipated due to a $8.4 million commonwealth funding cut.

Mr Smith is still waiting for his operation.

The waiting list grew by 1332 people in the September quarter, which pre-dated the federal government's $107 million October funding cut.

The cut has now been reversed and state Health Minister David Davis has urged the commonwealth to pay the money now.

"I call on the federal minister to stop delaying, stop dithering - just pay the money as quickly as possible," he said.

Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said the September quarter waiting list surge was proof the state government's $616 million health cuts had hurt patients.

"Premier (Ted) Baillieu's political gamesmanship saw hundreds of beds close, operating theatre shutdowns and hospital staff sacked," she said.

"And now we have proof he is to blame for what happened."

The figures also showed 665 people waited in Frankston Hospital's emergency department (ED) for longer than 24 hours between July and September last year.

Mr Davis said the large figure was a result of an ED redesign, peak winter demand and a gastroenteritis outbreak that closed beds.

The average wait time for treatment in Victoria's busiest emergency department, The Alfred, was 19 minutes in the December quarter, three minutes longer than at the same time last year.

Patients at the Royal Children's Hospital ED had to wait an average of 42 minutes to get treated, while the longest average waiting time was 65 minutes at the Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital.


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NSW prison escapee charged

POLICE have charged a prison escapee who was captured in the NSW Snowy Mountains after two days on the run.

Convicted murderer Adam Bowhay, an inmate of Cooma Correctional Centre, ran away from Snowy Oval in Cooma about 1.15pm (AEDT) on Tuesday.

He was doing community work with two other inmates as part of an approved pre-release program.

Police conducted a large manhunt over the last two days.

The 34-year-old was recaptured at the township of Bredbo between Cooma and Canberra on the Monaro Highway at 11.40am (AEDT) on Thursday, after he was spotted by a member of the public.

The man was charged with escaping custody and larceny and will appear in Goulburn Local Court on Friday, police said.

Sergeant Paul Batista from Monaro Local Area Command said the larceny charges relate to items the offender allegedly stole from a local football club during his escape.

"They include some assorted tools and a backpack," Sergeant Batista told AAP on Thursday.

Bowhay has been returned to the custody of NSW Corrective Services.

He is serving a 23-year sentence for the stabbing murder of Steven Jarvis at Casino in northern NSW in 1997.


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Floodwaters receding in central Qld

AFTER peaking on Thursday morning, floodwaters at Maryborough in southern Queensland will start to drop overnight.

Water flowed through about 20 homes and businesses in the city after the Mary River broke its banks.

"It reached its highest level about 11am (AEST) at about 8.1 metres and will remain around that level for the rest of the day," said Bureau of Meteorology hydrologist Ian Rocca.

"It will start falling later this evening and overnight."

A trough over the state's southwest is forecast to move across the Darling Downs on Friday, bringing moderate to heavy falls with more rain likely in Brisbane on Saturday.

Mr Rocca said any heavy downpours could trigger local flash flooding.

"Everything's so wet at the moment in central and southeast Queensland and the Wide Bay, any rain will be runoff into the rivers now."

Despite the conditions people are still ignoring warning signs and trying to drive through floodwaters.

A 23-year-old Maryborough man was stuck for four hours on the roof of his car after ignoring road closed signs in the early hours of Thursday.

After allegedly returning an alcohol reading of 0.128 police charged him with a number of offences.

Upstream, supplies are again getting into Gympie, which was hit with a flood peak of 18.4m on Tuesday night.

The main street has been cleaned up and mayor Ron Dyne told AAP the fact that the sun came out on Thursday was a bonus.

"It may only be for a short time but it gives people confidence," he said.

Swollen rivers in the North Burnett haven't affected any homes or properties but some bridges have been damaged.

Mayor Don Waugh is in a better mood with floodwaters beginning to drop.

"The sky's blue, the sun's shining, the grass is green, you should come up and have a look at it," he joked.

In the Banana Shire, Mayor Ron Carrige says a lot of farmers getting over the January floods have been hurled back to square one.

"It's pretty disheartening."

And that's not the end of the problems around Biloela and other towns where venomous snakes have moved closer to towns due the floodwaters.

"It's very real," he said.

"Just in the town areas there are brown snakes. They are apparently pretty big ones too.

"People need to stay away from debris and long grass."


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RBS slumps to $8.9bn loss

STATE-RESCUED Royal Bank of Scotland said that net losses almost tripled to STG5.97 billion ($A8.9 billion) in 2012, when it was hit by compensation payouts and a Libor fine.

The vast loss after taxation compared with a shortfall of STG1.99 billion ($A2.98 billion) in 2011, the lender announced in a results statement, adding that 2012 had been a "chastening" year during which it sought to "put right past mistakes".


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US senator attacked for Taiwanese wife

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 27 Februari 2013 | 15.02

AIDES to top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has voiced outrage after a left-leaning group suggested he supported China over the United States due to his Taiwan-born wife.

McConnell, who faces re-election next year, is married to former labour secretary Elaine Chao. She was born in Taiwan to parents who fled mainland China and immigrated to the US as a child.

Progress Kentucky, a pressure group opposed to McConnell, posted a message on Twitter that noted that the Senate Republican leader was married to Chao and quipped: "May explain why your job moved to China!"

The group also linked to a press release in which China's Premier Wen Jiabao thanked Chao's father, businessman James Chao, for business deals that helped benefit the Asian economy's shipbuilding industry.

The comments were roundly condemned by Republicans and Democrats, and the group issued an apology on Tuesday, telling a local radio station its messages "included an inappropriate comment on the ethnicity" of Elaine Chao.

Jesse Benton, a spokesman for McConnell's re-election campaign, had earlier called Elaine Chao and her family "shining examples of the American Dream" who came to the US with little and built successful businesses.

"It is unconscionable that anyone would use blatant race-baiting for political gain," Benton said in a statement.

"Progress Kentucky should be ashamed of themselves. We hope all Americans can agree that these disgusting tactics have no place in American politics as we try to bring people together to solve our difficult problems," he said.

A spokesman for Progress Kentucky had earlier told WFPL, the Louisville radio station that first drew attention to the Twitter posts, that tweets should not be seen in the same way as official statements by the group.

But the group's executive director Shawn Reilly later issued a statement saying: "We apologise to the secretary for that unnecessary comment and have deleted the tweets in question."


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Boy's death prompts Qld health probe

NO stone will be left unturned in determining how a Palm Island boy died from viral pneumonia after repeatedly being given antibiotics and being sent home, Queensland's health minister says.

William John Bligh, 9, died in Townsville Hospital on Sunday morning after presenting with flu-like symptoms to a medical centre in the north Queensland city and again several times on nearby Palm Island.

The island's mayor Alf Lacey has called on Queensland Health to conduct a full review into health services in the community.

Townsville Hospital chief executive Julia Squire says the hospital is investigating the child's death.

"I have given the family, community and Palm Island mayor my commitment to review in detail the care of this patient and to share those findings with their family," Ms Squire said.

She has apologised to the child's family and the Palm Island community.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg says the tragic incident would be thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities.

Mr Springborg said a review on Palm Island would also be done.

"I can guarantee you that if there has been a failure, that will not only be identified or be exposed, but there will be appropriate action taken to address it," he told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.

"We need to be assured that no stone's been left unturned."

However, he said people should not jump to conclusions and should let the investigations take their course.

Mr Springborg also offered his condolences to the boy's family.


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'Pirate' ruling irrelevant: Sea Shepherd

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson described a US judge's opinion that he is a "pirate" as irrelevant. Source: AAP

SEA Shepherd founder Paul Watson has described a US judge's opinion that he is a "pirate" as one-sided and irrelevant.

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski used the term to criticise Mr Watson and the activist group in a court of appeal in San Francisco.

The court was overturning an earlier decision which had dismissed claims from Japanese whalers that Sea Shepherd boats had breached an order to stay 500 yards (457 metres) from them.

"You don't need a peg leg or an eye patch," Chief Judge Kozinski wrote in the unanimous three-judge panel's decision.

Mr Watson said the judge had ignored aggression from the Japanese fleet, which has clashed with Sea Shepherd vessels in recent days.

"I guess that puts me in the same boat as Johnny Depp," Mr Watson told AAP from aboard the Steve Irwin.

"That's an opinion, it's certainly not a judgment.

"He didn't mention anything in there about the fact that the Japanese have destroyed one of our ships (the Ady Gil in 2010), they've thrown concussion grenades at us, hit us with water cannons and laser beams.

"It seems to be a very one-sided opinion."

In the judgment it is Sea Shepherd that is accused of violence in the Southern Ocean.

"When you ram ships; hurl glass containers of acid; drag metal-reinforced ropes in the water to damage propellers and rudders; launch smoke bombs and flares with hooks; and point high-powered lasers at other ships, you are, without a doubt, a pirate, no matter how high-minded you believe your purpose to be," the chief judge writes.

Mr Watson rejected the accusations.

"We don't throw acid. We throw rotten butter," he said.

"I guess technically you can call it acid like you could call milk lactic acid or orange juice citric acid.

"We haven't rammed a single Japanese whaling vessel down here in the entire nine years.

"We've been rammed multiple times.

"The judge obviously has not seen the evidence or the facts; he's just making an opinion based on his own personal prejudices."

Footage released this week by both parties shows Sea Shepherd boats well inside the 500-yard limit but Mr Watson said the restriction applied only to the organisation's US branch.

He said Sea Shepherd USA had withdrawn from the campaign when the injunction imposing the limit was handed down in December last year, and the action was now being managed by the Australian branch.

"The whole thing is irrelevant," Mr Watson said.

"This is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit Court of the United States."

The ruling came as Japan's fisheries minister Yoshimasa Hayashi compared his country's whaling to Australians eating kangaroo meat.

"We don't eat those animals, but we don't stop them from doing that because we understand that's their culture," he said.


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India's TCS to pay $30m to settle lawsuit

INDIA'S biggest software outsourcer TCS has agreed to pay $US30 million ($A29.47 million) to settle a lawsuit filed by two former employees in the US relating to unpaid wages, media reports said.

The suit, filed in 2006 by former TCS staffers Gopi Vedachalam and Kangana Beri, alleged that the company did not pay them the salaries they were promised before arriving in the US, the Economic Times reported.

The workers also claimed TCS violated the rights of its non-US citizen workers in the United States.

TCS declined to comment on the amount they would pay to the claimants, but said that it had agreed to settle the lawsuit "to eliminate any ongoing distraction to its (the company's) associates and management".

"TCS believes that it always acted appropriately notwithstanding the allegations in this case. The company has admitted no wrongdoing and none has been found by the court," the company said in a statement.

The details of the court order and settlement of the suit were not immediately available.

TCS, part of the sprawling salt-to-steel Tata Group, earns a majority of its revenues from the United States and Europe.

Lawyers in the case said there are 12,800 past and present Tata employees who are potential beneficiaries of the precedent set by the settlement.

In 2011, rival Infosys also faced investigations and lawsuits in the US over allegations it violated work visa laws to send staff for short-term projects.

Indian IT firms fly thousands of employees each year to the US and elsewhere to work at their clients' locations as on-site technicians and engineers.


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No change to gun silencer law: O'Farrell

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 26 Februari 2013 | 15.02

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has denied hunters will be allowed to use silencers in national parks. Source: AAP

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has denied hunters will be allowed to use silencers on guns when shooting feral animals in the state's national parks.

Fairfax Media reported the proposal, which was leaked in a draft assessment report, would require loosening the state's prohibition on silencers, a ban designed to stop them falling into criminal hands.

But Mr O'Farrell has rubbished the report.

"There will be no change to the regulation of silencers to allow for the operation of pest eradication measures in national parks," the premier said in a statement.

National Parks Association of NSW campaign coordinator Justin McKee has said silencers were a safety risk as they removed people's awareness that hunting was taking place nearby.

From May, 77 national parks and reserves will be open to amateur hunting of feral animals.

The Public Service Association, which represents park rangers, called on Mr O'Farrell to release maps of all proposed "Zone C" unsupervised hunting areas.

"Rangers are anxious to know which parts of their parks will be opened to unaccompanied hunters, as reports emerge that ... rangers will be protected by nothing more than a high-vis vest," PSA General Secretary Anne Gardiner said in a statement.

Rangers had been told most of the total national park land opened to amateur hunters would be Zone C, Ms Gardiner said.

"The community has not received a definitive list of which national parks will include unsupervised hunting and where exactly these unrestricted hunting zones will be located," she said.

Opposition environment spokesman Luke Foley said the fact silencers were considered in the draft risk assessment report proved the hunting program had become a farce.

"There's one simple solution here, Mr O'Farrell can abandon this very bad policy of opening our national parks to amateur hunters," Mr Foley told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

He said the report also confirms Environment Minister Robyn Parker is "not up to the job" of managing the rollout of the program.

Mr Foley repeated opposition calls for Mr O'Farrell to take personal responsibility for the policy and commit to resigning if any person is shot by an amateur hunter in a NSW national park.

An employee at the company operating the balloon said the tourists were from Korea, Japan and Britain, as well as one Egyptian.

"This is terrible, just terrible," an employee told AFP, declining to give her name.

"We don't yet know what happened exactly or what went wrong."

The balloon which was carrying 21 people was flying at 300m over Qurna, in Luxor's West Bank, when it caught fire before exploding, a security official said.

Two survivors, including the balloon's pilot, have been taken to hospital, he said.


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Mixed reactions to summit on Qld's future

THE Queensland opposition says Premier Campbell Newman is too scared to hold his "future" summit in the southeast due to job cuts in the region.

Queenslanders have been invited to tell the state's 89 MPs what they want their state to look in 30 years' time at a meeting in Mackay on May 10.

A second summit will be held in September to review and prioritise feedback.

Mr Newman says those who contribute will help create The Queensland Plan which will influence the future decision making of all levels of government, industry and community groups.

"If we don't know where we want to be as a state, we could end up anywhere," he said.

"This is about Queenslanders taking ownership of our long-term future."

Those who can't make the summits can give feedback online.

The opposition says Mr Newman should have held the summit in the southeast, but couldn't handle the feedback over mass job cuts in the region and the push towards privatisation.

Deputy Labor leader Tim Mulherin says the Bligh government conducted six months of consultation at 13 forums before releasing the Queensland Regionalisation Strategy, the Queensland Infrastructure Plan, and the Bruce Highway Upgrade Strategy.

"If the premier had not fired all the senior public servants with all their corporate knowledge he would be aware that this data is already available to him," he said.

However, The Property Council of Australia welcomed the summit, saying it has long called for a strategy to map out where future generations will live.

Queensland executive director Kathy MacDermott said it should include necessary infrastructure, foster creativity and innovation, and provide measurable goals.

"It must go further than motherhood statements and generic reports," she said.

But Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says Mr Mulherin - the MP for Mackay - was failing his electorate by shunning the summit and the economic benefits it would bring to his community.

"I doubt any other community leaders within the Mackay region would share the member for Mackay's view that their city should not host this major conference," he said in a statement.

Mr Seeney described The Queensland Plan as "an inclusive, positive process" and said Labor's immediate response to oppose it showed how far out of touch the party was.


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It's time to improve NSW's accounts: A-G

NSW Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat says he'll back any move to lift the dismal quality of the state's accounting, including sending senior financial bureaucrats to boot camp.

"I have been making the point since 2009 that we really do have to tighten up these figures," Mr Achterstraat said after releasing yet another damning audit.

A total of 1265 errors were made by government agencies in financial reports for the year ending June 2012, including 164 mistakes by the department of premier and cabinet and 359 errors by health.

This represents an increase of nine errors from the same period last year.

"There are just too many errors in them and 2012 was no different from 2011," Mr Achterstraat said.

"There are lots of different errors and the net result is quite a large number - there are a number (of mistakes worth) over $100 million."

The mistakes this financial year added up to about $1 billion, he added.

"Some of it is just basic maths, some of it is just spreadsheets, wrong formulas, but others are the evaluations of assets."

Mr Achterstraat said people were using a market value "when there may not be a market".

"Or they might be using discounted cashflow when there might not be any income coming in on a particular building," he said.

"There are accounting standards which say it needs to be done this way or that way, and they have to be followed."

The most common asset-related mistakes concerned the evaluation of buildings and other large infrastructure.

Other mistakes featuring smaller amounts of money involved spreadsheets and accruals.

However, Mr Achterstraat conceded some of it "was quite complicated" so people needed "a fair bit of training".

In response to the audit, NSW Treasurer Mike Baird has announced new financial reporting and accountability measures, which were endorsed by cabinet on Monday night.

"It's clear that we have a long way to go to turn around the problems in reporting and forecasting that have been systemic in NSW for a decade," Mr Baird said in a statement on Tuesday.

The changes include greater accountability for financial reporting via enhanced performance agreements for public-sector CEOs and CFOs.

The government also has the option of appointing an investigative accountant to an agency should there be poor ongoing financial management.

"I think any steps which are going to increase capabilities of the people preparing the reports and increase the quality of the finances are most welcome," Mr Achterstraat told ABC Radio.

Late last year, Mr Achterstraat identified 37 major errors in financial statements for the 2011/12 budget, changing the bottom line by $1 billion.


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Aquino warns sultan in Malaysian stand-off

PHILIPPINE President Benigno Aquino has warned a sultan he would face the "full force of the law" unless he withdraws his gunmen from Malaysia, but the elderly ruler remained defiant.

Dozens of followers of the little-known Sultan of Sulu have been facing off with Malaysian security forces for two weeks, after they sailed from remote southern Philippine islands two weeks ago to stake a territorial claim.

With the incident causing increasing embarrassment to the Philippine government, Aquino made a nationally televised address on Tuesday to try to pressure the sultan into bringing his gunmen back from Malaysia's Sabah state.

"If you choose not to co-operate, the full force of the laws of the state will be used to achieve justice for all who have been put in harm's way," Aquino said.

"This is a situation that cannot persist. If you are truly the leader of your people, you should be one with us in ordering your followers to return home peacefully."

Aquino, flanked by his interior and justice secretaries, also warned the sultan that he may have broken laws, including one banning citizens from inciting war that carries a maximum prison term of 12 years.

But the 74-year-old sultan, Jamalul Kiram III, showed no signs of buckling, calling a press conference from his home in a poor Muslim enclave of Manila to insist the stand-off would continue unless his demands were met.

"As far as we are concerned we have not committed (a) crime," Kiram said, adding his followers cornered in a fishing village in Sabah on Borneo island would not initiate any violence with the Malaysian security forces.

"But we are prepared to defend our lives and aspirations."

Kiram says he is the head of the Islamic Sultanate of Sulu, which once controlled parts of Borneo including the site of the stand-off, as well as southern Philippine islands.

The sultanate leased northern Borneo to Europeans in the 1870s. While the sultanate's authority gradually faded as Western colonial powers exerted their influence over the region, it continued to receive lease payments for Sabah.

Kiram and his family, as heirs to the sultanate, still receive nominal annual compensation from Malaysia and they want more money.

Kiram said the gunmen would only lay down their arms if the Philippines and Malaysia agreed to negotiate terms for joint development of Sabah.

Pressed on details of the proposed development, Kiram's adviser Abraham Idjirani told reporters the sultanate should receive as royalties 50 per cent of proceeds from Sabah's economic growth.

But Kiram also said his followers wanted to remain in Sabah even if a financial deal was struck.

"(They want to) peacefully settle in Sabah, which is our homeland," Kiram said.

Malaysian authorities have sought to ensure tensions do not escalate at the site of the stand-off, surrounding the gunmen but keeping their distance.


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Lake Eyre under greatest threat in decades

Written By Unknown on Senin, 25 Februari 2013 | 15.02

MINING on its floodplains and irrigation along its rivers pose the greatest threat in decades to Australia's largest lake, an advocacy group warns.

Lake Eyre Basin is under the spotlight after the Queensland government's decision to rewrite legislation protecting the Channel Country rivers that feed it.

A three-day conference began on Monday in Longreach with delegates focussed on the health of the basin's river systems, and industries such as grazing and tourism.

Conference organiser Terry Korn, president of the Australian Floodplains Association, says mining and irrigation pose the gravest threat to the Lake Eyre Basin.

"The Murray Darling Basin should be a lesson to us all," Mr Korn told AAP.

The federal government is spending almost $12 billion of taxpayers' money to partly correct the mistakes that have been made there.

"We don't want to go down a path in the Lake Eyre Basin that ends up having the same mistakes being made."

Mr Korn said communities do not want irrigation along the Channel Country rivers which fill the lake, or mining along the flood plains.

Even small-scale irrigation along the system should not be tolerated, he said.

"Experience tells us in the Murray Darling basin and other systems throughout the world that from little things, big things grow.

"You end up with a larger irrigation system and a then a compromised ecological system and in this case large scale organic beef production being compromised as well."

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps says the Western Rivers Advisory Panel will report to him by the end of March on a fresh approach for the future management of the Cooper, Diamantina and Georgina Rivers.

"The Newman government will then make an informed decision on a balanced approach to river management that will preserve the environmental values of this unique part of Queensland as well as grow the economy in western Queensland," Mr Cripps said.


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Hockey says no compo in carbon plan

SHADOW treasurer Joe Hockey has backtracked from his comment that businesses affected by the abolition of the carbon tax would be compensated on a case-by-case basis.

Many Australian businesses involved in clean energy and other sectors are benefiting from the price on carbon dioxide emissions, which will move to an emissions trading scheme in 2015.

Asked on Monday what a coalition government would do to compensate those businesses, Mr Hockey told reporters in Launceston: "We will consider it on a case-by-case basis and we have allocated funds under our Direct Action plan to deal with initiatives that are under way."

Mr Hockey later said businesses would get incentives to cut emissions rather than compensation.

He told AAP in a statement the coalition's Emission Reduction Fund (ERF) would "provide incentives for businesses to cut emissions on a case-by-case basis, decided on the lowest cost per tonne of abatement".

"The coalition will not be paying compensation for repeal of the carbon tax," Mr Hockey said.

In addition, a coalition government would provide $150 million for "geothermal, tidal and solar towns and schools".

In his earlier remarks, Mr Hockey said the cost of the tax to households and business was "far greater than any money that is coming out of Canberra to compensate individual businesses".

He said the best way to improve the bottom line of all businesses was to get rid of the carbon tax.

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said Mr Hockey had admitted that repeal would trigger compensation claims from companies which have made investment and business decisions based on a price on carbon.

The coalition was struggling to show how its policy would cut emissions by five per cent by 2020, he said.

"Now Mr Hockey has revealed that he would raid Direct Action to compensate businesses, it is clear that a coalition government would do nothing to invest in clean and renewable energy or to cut carbon pollution," Mr Combet said.

The coalition has pledged to abolish the carbon tax as its first priority in government and permanently shut down the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation fund.

Instead, its ERF would be given $3 billion for clean energy projects.


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Earthquake shakes buildings in Tokyo

A STRONG 6.2-magnitude earthquake has hit north of Tokyo, shaking buildings in the capital but causing no risk of a tsunami, Japan's meteorological agency reported.

National broadcaster NHK said there had been no abnormalities detected at nuclear power plants near the epicentre in Tochigi prefecture.

"An earthquake occurred at about (1823 AEDT) today," the Japan Meteorological Agency reported.

"Its focus was in the north of Tochigi prefecture. Its depth is about 10 kilometres and its magnitude is estimated at 6.2."


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Lawyers to mount Vodafone class action

LAWYERS are preparing to mount a class action against Vodafone after years of complaints about the telecommunications provider.

Law firm Piper Alderman on Monday announced plans to proceed with the action but did not reveal further details.

Piper Alderman lawyers will outline details of the legal action at a media conference in Sydney on Tuesday morning.

Litigation fund LCM managing director Patrick Coope is also due to attend the conference.

The legal move comes more than a year after Vodafone said it was working hard to improve its service.

This followed a damning report that outlined more than 12,000 complaints ranging from patchy network coverage to poor customer service.

Last month Vodafone decided to wind up its Crazy John's mobile phones and accessories brand and said as many as 300 jobs were at risk as the company decided how it could deploy staff.

Telco joint venture operator Hutchison Telecommunications Australia (HTA) is one half of the Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) joint venture.

The other equal joint venture owner is Vodafone PLC.

The joint venture was formed in June 2009 after regulatory and shareholder approval.


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Cyclone threat to north coast of WA

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 24 Februari 2013 | 15.02

RESIDENTS have been warned to prepare for dangerous weather as a cyclone intensifies off Western Australia's north coast.

Tropical Cyclone Rusty is expected to bring gales late on Sunday night or early on Monday, as it tracks towards the coast, followed by very heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A blue alert for dangerous weather has been issued for coastal communities from Broome to Whim Creek, including areas around Port Hedland, Wallal and Broome.

At 2pm (WST) on Sunday, the category one cyclone was estimated to be 350km north of Port Hedland and 435km west of Broome, moving south at 8km/h, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

It will continue to intensify on Monday and there is a high risk that it will cross the coast as a severe tropical cyclone on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Tropical Cyclone Rusty is large and expected to move more slowly than usual, resulting in higher than normal rainfall, the bureau says.

Widespread very heavy rainfall is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday and is likely to lead to major flooding in the De Grey catchment and in the Fortescue.

Residents have been warned to review their family cyclone plan and organise an emergency kit with a portable battery-operated radio, torch, spare batteries and first aid kit.

The Port Hedland Port Authority said anchorage evacuation had begun and inbound shipping movements had been suspended.

Outbound movements will continue as scheduled overnight, but could be amended if flying is made difficult.


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One killed in clashes in southern Yemen

One person has been killed in an exchange between security forces and suspected insurgents in Yemen. Source: AAP

ONE person has reportedly been killed and three injured in an exchange of fire between security forces and suspected secessionist insurgents in southern Yemen.

The independent website Yemen News, citing medical sources, said on Saturday the dead man was a passer-by caught in the crossfire between the two sides in the southern port city of Aden.

However, officials in the separatist Southern Movement said he was one of its supporters and accused police of killing him.

Meanwhile, insurgents suspected of affiliation to the Southern Movement torched stores owned by northerners in the southern city of Hadramawt, reported Yemen News.

"They attacked my store, claiming I belong to the occupation forces," the site quoted a shop owner as saying.

The unrest came two days after three people were killed and dozens injured in a crackdown by police at an anti-government protest in Aden.

The Southern Movement calls for independence or autonomy for the former Marxist republic of South Yemen, which merged with more populous North Yemen in 1990.

Aden was the capital of the former South Yemen and is a stronghold of secessionists.


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Palestinians hurt in West Bank clashes

Three Palestinians have been wounded in clashes with Jewish settlers in the northern West Bank. Source: AAP

THREE Palestinians have been wounded in clashes with Jewish settlers from a wildcat settlement near a village in the northern West Bank.

Settlers from Esh Kodesh clashed with Palestinians from Qusra village, south of Nablus, on Saturday, throwing rocks at them and destroying olive trees that belonged to them, according to witnesses and Palestinian security sources.

One Palestinian was hit by a live round fired by the settlers, and the two others by rubber bullets shot by Israeli security forces who arrived on the scene.

A military spokesman said the clashes had broken out "between around 150 Palestinians and 25 Israelis from the West Bank who were throwing stones," adding that the security forces were on the scene.

Confrontations have multiplied this year between Esh Kodesh settlers and Palestinians living nearby.


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Storms destroy homes as floods swamp NSW

Homes on the NSW mid-north coast have been destroyed as waters continue to rise across the state. Source: AAP

GALE force winds have wreaked havoc across Sydney and the NSW south coast, while around 20,000 people are isolated by floodwaters in the state's north.

The SES received more than 4000 calls for assistance overnight, including around 2000 in Sydney, where 100km/h winds resulted in an asbestos scare.

In the city's southeast, savage gusts extensively damaged the roof of the RSL club in Malabar, causing sheets of asbestos to fly onto nearby homes and roads.

A number of streets were blocked off by Fire and Rescue NSW crews on Sunday, as private contractors were tasked with cleaning up the area.

Residents were told not to panic about air contamination but to contact the NSW Environment Protection Authority if they noticed asbestos near their homes or backyards.

"It was an asbestos roof and to be concentrated like that in an area is of some concern but there is no need for residents to be concerned that the air they breathe is contaminated," Superintendent Paul Bailey told Fairfax Media.

Elsewhere in Sydney's east, locals described wind gusts that felt like "mini tornadoes", which damaged a primary school and tore part of the roof off Fox Studios.

The SES also responded to around 400 calls on the south coast, where Kiama was the hardest hit, SES spokeswoman Becky Collings said.

"We had three homes that were completely written off, and seven others that suffered significant damage," she told AAP.

"We had a lot of trees down and roof damage."

Also on the south coast, seven campers were rescued by a helicopter on Sunday morning from their camping site beside the Clyde River near Ulladulla after they were stranded by rising waters.

It was one of 70 rescues carried out by the SES since the heavy rain and flooding began on Friday.

In the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, police and paramedics worked together to successfully locate three separate groups of bushwalkers who got lost in the extreme weather conditions.

Meanwhile, around 20,000 people isolated in the state's north - from the north coast to the mid-north coast - could remain cut off for up to a week.

"It really just depends how quickly the water can drain away," Ms Collings told AAP.

She said evacuation orders remained in place on the mid-north coast around the Macleay and Hastings rivers.

Properties at Port Macquarie were flooding on Sunday morning as the Hastings River swelled to its expected peak of 1.8 metres.

The Macleay River at Kempsey peaked at 7m on Sunday near the town's CBD, about 30 centimetres below expectations.

"A lot of the shops and homes have avoided inundation," Ms Collings said, but some parts of the town were under a metre of water on Sunday morning.

Townships on both the upper and lower Macleay remain isolated but were beginning to drop.

With calmer weather in many parts of the state on Sunday, the SES said its focus in the next 24 hours would be on recovery.

"The weather conditions have eased somewhat, so that will mean we can hopefully get through the rest of our jobs," Ms Collings said.

Flood warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) remain in place for 16 river systems across the state.

Power supplier Ausgrid said about 6,500 homes remained without power, mainly in Sydney's north and east and on the central coast, while Essential Energy estimated a there were a further 8,000 homes across Greater Western Sydney, the Illawarra, the Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven.

Two people have died in the floods.

On Saturday afternoon, the body of a man was found in his submerged car on a flooded road at Mylneford, about 20km northwest of Grafton.

On Friday, a 17-year-old boy died after he was swept into a drainpipe while collecting golf balls in waist-deep water in the town of Kew, near Port Macquarie.


15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More
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