Chinese tourists victims of crime in Paris

Mass muggings and attacks on Chinese tourists in Paris have spawned alarm. Source: AAP

MASS muggings and attacks on Chinese tourists in Paris have spawned alarm and warnings of a decline in the number of free-spending visitors from the Asian giant who swarm to France.

More than one million Chinese visitors come every year to France, a country which for them epitomises luxury, romance and quality products.

But that may very well change, said one expert, citing a slew of recent attacks which he says takes the sheen off the "City of Lights" for Chinese visitors.

"This has become a scourge. Since the past year, we have been seeing attacks almost every day," said Jean-Francois Zhou, the head of Ansel Travel, which specialises in tours to and from China.

On March 20, a group of 23 Chinese visitors were robbed in a restaurant shortly after they landed in Paris's Charles De Gaulle airport.

Their passports, plane tickets and cash were stolen and the group leader sustained an injury to the face.

"The situation is serious. If these attacks continue, we may have to pay the price," Zhou told AFP.

He said about 10 Chinese visitors were robbed on one day in October, mainly in the famed Louvre museum, right in the heart of the city.

And in February, "a minibus caught in a traffic jam was attacked, its windows were smashed and hand bags stolen", he said, adding there was a more recent attack on Chinese nationals at a four-star hotel in Paris.

Li Peng, who is in charge of consular affairs at the Chinese embassy in Paris, said: "There has been an increase in the number of complaints filed over the past year.

"In a week we could have five to six demands for travel documents" to replace stolen passports, Li said.

French Tourism Minister Sylvia Pinel has pledged that "everything will be done to find the perpetrators" of the latest mass mugging, and underscored "the determination of the French government to ensure the security of tourists in France".

Zhou, the travel agency boss, said the Chinese were targeted as they were big spenders, adding: "Some of them carry up to 20,000 euros ($25,000) for shopping."

The latest incident has fuelled concern and some anti-French feeling on China's talkative social media scene, but several Chinese travel agencies declined to comment to AFP on the possible consequences.

One municipal travel committee in China's Jiangsu province urged travellers to take precautions.

"Chinese tourists who travel abroad are recommended to take less cash, never show off money or valuables, never talk to strangers in public places or scenic spots, always keep an eye on personal belongings," it said on its weibo account, a Chinese website similar to Twitter.

They should "take proper care of valuable items including passports" and "avoid going outside alone at night or in any remote places", it added.

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'Hurt Locker' actor Jeremy Renner a dad

ACTOR Jeremy Renner is a dad.

The Hurt Locker star and girlfriend Sonni Pacheco confirmed on Friday that they are the parents of Ava Berlin Renner.

A statement released by Renner's spokeswoman Susan Patricola says the new parents "are beyond thrilled".

Renner played a military explosives expert in the 2008 Oscar-winning film.

Renner has also starred in The Bourne Legacy and The Avengers.

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Zumba teacher guilty plea to prostitution

A US Zumba instructor who has pleaded guilty to using her studio as a front for prostitution. Source: AAP

A DANCE instructor accused of using her Zumba fitness studio as a front for prostitution has pleaded guilty to 20 counts in a scandal that captivated a quiet US seaside town.

The agreement that followed a second day of plea negotiations on Friday spares Alexis Wright from the prospect of a high-profile trial featuring sex videos, exhibitionism and pornography.

Prosecutors will recommend a jail sentence of 10 months when she's sentenced on May 31.

Wright quietly answered "guilty" 20 times when the judge read the counts, which include engaging in prostitution, promotion of prostitution, conspiracy, tax evasion and theft by deception.

"We're very satisfied with it. It's an appropriate outcome, given the gravity of her actions," Assistant Attorney General Darcy Mitchell said after the brief court hearing.

The 30-year-old Wright was accused of conspiring with insurance agent Mark Strong Sr to run a prostitution business in which she kept detailed records indicating she made $US150,000 ($A144,314) over an 18-month period.

She was also accused of using a hidden camera to record sex acts without her clients' knowledge.

She was originally charged with 106 counts. All the counts in the agreement were misdemeanours, including three counts relating to welfare and tax fraud that were reduced from felonies.

Strong, 57, of Thomaston, was convicted this month of 13 counts related to promotion of prostitution and sentenced to 20 days in jail. He was originally charged with 59 counts.

The scandal became a sensation following reports that Wright had at least 150 clients, leading to a guessing game of who might be named publicly in the coastal town of Kennebunk, a community better known for its beaches and sea captains' homes than for crime.

Those who have been charged so far include a former mayor, a high school hockey coach, a minister, a lawyer and a firefighter.

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Charges over China school stabbing frenzy

A MAN who allegedly hacked and injured 23 school children in central China will be tried on charges of intentional homicide and jeopardising public safety.

The municipal prosecutor's office for the city of Xinyang in Henan province said in a statement that it has charged Min Yongjun, who allegedly broke into an elderly woman's house one morning in December last year and stabbed her with a kitchen knife before he went to a nearby elementary school in Chenpeng village in Guangshan county and injured the 23 children as they arrived for class.

The prosecutor's office says the woman and seven students were severely injured.

There has been a string of such stabbing attacks on schoolchildren in China in recent years, alarming parents and schools which increased safety measures.

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Cambodia court rules Pol Pot's deputy fit

A Cambodian court has ruled that Pol Pot's former deputy Nuon Chea will stand trial for war crimes. Source: AAP

CAMBODIA'S war crimes court ruled that Pol Pot's former deputy Nuon Chea was fit to continue standing trial after the death of a co-defendant renewed fears that the elderly accused may not live to see verdicts.

"The accused Nuon Chea is fit to stand trial," Judge Nil Nonn said at the UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes court on Friday after speaking with medical experts.

Despite the defendant's "advancing age and frailty", he said, he "remains capable of meaningful participation in his own defence".

Nuon Chea, 86, the most senior surviving leader of the genocidal communist regime which oversaw the "Killing Fields" era in the late 1970s, did not attend the hearing due to poor health, a clerk told the court.

He is on trial with former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, 81, over war crimes and genocide charges.

They include the forced movement of people - a policy of the brutal regime which emptied Cambodia's cities - and the execution of up to 3,000 former military officers found in mass graves in western Cambodia.

The pair deny charges.

The death on March 14 of regime co-founder Ieng Sary at the age of 87 intensified fears that the surviving pair may also die before verdicts can be reached in their trial, which began in June 2011.

Ieng Sary's widow Ieng Thirith, the regime's former social affairs minister, was freed in September after being deemed unfit for trial due to dementia.

Nuon Chea has suffered a number of illnesses, including high blood pressure, acute bronchitis and heart disease, prompting his defence team to argue that their client was too weak to stand trial.

The tribunal has been dogged by funding shortages since it was set up in 2006 and was hit by a strike by local staff earlier this month over unpaid wages.

Led by "Brother Number One" Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge from 1975-79 wiped out nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population through starvation, overwork or execution in a bid to create an agrarian utopia.

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Tokyo stocks, euro up in holiday-hit trade

JAPANESE shares ended higher at the end of quiet regional trade on Friday but the euro edged lower on lingering concerns over Cyprus despite the island's bank's reopening to relative calm.

Lenders in the Mediterranean nation began trading Thursday for the first time since a controversial bailout was agreed, with the first capital controls of their kind in the eurozone blocking a bank run that analysts feared could ripple across region.

Investors were also eyeing tensions on the Korean peninsula, as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered preparations for strategic strikes on the US mainland and military bases after US stealth bombers flew training runs over South Korea.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index ended 0.50 per cent higher, adding 61.95 points to 12,397.91. The market finished the first three months of 2012 almost 20 per cent higher.

In other markets Seoul gained 0.57 per cent, or 11.37 points, to end at 2,004.89, while Taipei finished up 0.66 per cent, or 51.73 points, at 7,918.61.

In late afternoon trade Shanghai was 0.10 per cent higher.

Markets in Hong Kong, Sydney, Wellington, Singapore, Jakarta, Manila and Mumbai were closed for the Easter holidays.

In forex trade, the euro edged up to $1.2804 from $1.2814 in New York late Thursday, while it bought 120.43 yen from 120.64 yen.

The single currency has been on a downward roll as traders fret about the situation in Cyprus, which this week agreed a rescue plan with its creditors that includes a levy on bank deposits over 100,000 euros.

There had been fears ahead of the reopening of the country's banks that savers would rush to take out as much money as they could - and lead to a knock-on effect in other troubled economies.

However, while the euro avoided a big sell-off analysts said the Cyprus crisis was still not over, while Italian politicians struggle to produce a governing coalition more than a month after elections despite the economy being in dire straits.

The dollar weakened to 94.06 yen, from 94.12 yen, ahead of a Bank of Japan meeting next week that is expected to see the launch of more aggressive easing by the central bank.

Traders will also have an eye on meetings of the European Central Bank and Bank of England.

Wall Street provided a healthy lead, with the S&P 500 hitting a record high thanks to growing confidence in the US economy, while the Dow, hit yet another all-time high itself.

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Woman burned in gas explosion

A WOMAN has suffered burns in a gas cylinder explosion at Berowra Waters in Sydney's north.

The woman, believed to be aged in her 20s, was standing near a barbecue when the cylinder exploded at about 1pm (AEDT) on Friday.

Police said the woman was airlifted to hospital.

She reportedly suffered burns to her chest, face, arms and legs.

Earlier on Friday the NSW Department of Fair Trading urged consumers of gas and electrical products to make sure their appliances were in proper working condition.

"All gas barbecues and small camping gas appliances must be approved to be legally sold, so make sure your product has an approval mark," NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said in a statement.

"Check hoses on barbecues, they can crack and perish," he said.

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Neighbour Day celebrated on Sunday

A DECADE since an elderly woman's remains were found in her Melbourne home two years after she died, Australians are being urged to celebrate Neighbour Day in tribute to her.

The special annual celebration of community was launched in 2003 just after 75-year-old Elsie Brown's body was found by police two years after she died.

Mail, store catalogues and newspapers had piled up at her front door but neighbours didn't connect that with anything being amiss.

Australians are being urged to get together with their neighbours on Sunday as the country celebrates Neighbour Day to promote safer and more tolerant communities.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard sent a message of support, saying Neighbour Day was an opportunity to remember the importance and value of of strong communities.

"We all have an obligation to keep an eye out for those around us, particularly those who are most vulnerable," she said in a statement.

Ms Gillard said small gestures such as having a chat with neighbours or organising a community get-together could go a long way to creating safer and more inclusive neighbourhoods.

"I encourage all Australians to take part in Neighbour Day."

One of the aims of the special day is to ensure protection of the elderly, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged in communities.

Neighbour Day founder Andrew Heslop, whose letter to the editor of The Age newspaper about Mrs Brown's case kicked of the idea, said on Friday the success of the day was a living tribute to her.

He said street parties, barbecues, lunches, festivals and other events run by councils, resident groups, tenancy associations, developers and churches would bring residents together.

"It could be as simple as boiling the kettle and having a cup of tea, a slice of cake or a Tim Tam," he said in a statement.

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Newman backflips on Cape York reforms

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman has backflipped on a decision to end indigenous welfare reform trials in Cape York.

Earlier this week Mr Newman said the state couldn't justify the cost of the program, even though it had been successful, and wouldn't fund it after 2013.

He insisted he wasn't abandoning the scheme, which has received about $100 million from the federal and Queensland governments.

He wanted a wider, more cost-effective rollout.

The trials have run since 2008 in four indigenous communities - Coen, Aurukun, Mossman Gorge and Hope Vale.

Part of the trial sees welfare payments withheld from parents who don't make decisions in the best interests of their children.

The premier's office issued a brief statement on Thursday afternoon to say the Cabinet Budget Review Committee had met and decided that it would spend another $5.65 million to extend the trial.

"We will continue to work with all indigenous communities to improve social outcomes," Mr Newman said in the statement.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who was in Brisbane on Thursday, said he wanted to see the reforms expanded to communities across the country.

"I'm happy to work constructively with all levels of government to make sure this happens," he said.

An independent report on the reforms, released on Thursday, said positive changes in education and social behaviour had been seen in the trial communities.

But gains in housing and economic development had been limited.

School attendance jumped - from four per cent below the rate in similar communities in 2008, to six per cent above it in 2011.

But keeping students in high school remained a significant challenge, the report said.

Residents say they're working towards becoming better parents and managing their money better to meet the needs of their families.

"Compared to three years ago, children are happier, more active and eating healthier food," the report said.

"Life is on the way up generally."

Progress was being made to remove legal and financial barriers to indigenous home ownership.

The reforms had also led to the creation of 220 jobs but had had a limited impact on the number of residents dependent on welfare.

The report concluded there could be no quick fix to challenges that were decades in the making.

"However, the trial of welfare reform points to a level of progress that has rarely been evident in previous reform programs."

The trial was supposed to end last year but was extended to December 2013 after the federal government kicked in $11.8 million.

In total, about $100 million has been spent on the reforms by federal and state governments.

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Thai man in jail over Aust TV rip-off

A THAI man was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Thursday for selling copies of a controversial Australian documentary about Thailand's royal family, his lawyer said.

The imprisonment of Eakachai Hongkangwan, 37, is the latest in a series of tough sentences handed down by the kingdom's courts for royal defamation, to the dismay of human rights campaigners.

"The court found him guilty of lese majeste and sentenced him to five years, but due to his useful testimony, the sentence was reduced to three years and four months," lawyer Anon Numpa said afterwards, adding his client would appeal.

Eakachai was also fined 64,000 baht ($A2,117) for selling CDs without a licence.

The documentary was broadcast by the state-funded Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) in 2010 in the midst of a military crackdown on anti-government Red Shirt demonstrations in Bangkok.

Thailand warned at the time that the broadcast could affect ties with Australia.

The royal family is an extremely sensitive subject in politically turbulent Thailand. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 85, is revered by many Thais but has been in hospital since September 2009.

Rights groups have criticised the kingdom's royal insult laws as an attack on freedom of expression.

Under the legislation, anyone convicted of insulting the Thai king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.

In January the European Union said it was "deeply concerned" by an 11-year jail sentence handed to a former magazine editor in connection with two articles deemed offensive to the royals.

Thailand has been riven by political divisions since the Red Shirts' hero, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, was topped by royalist generals in a coup in 2006.

Two months of mass street protests by the Red Shirts against the previous government in early 2010 triggered the kingdom's worst civil violence in decades with 90 people killed, mostly in a bloody military crackdown.

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Fears CSG water will poison Murray-Darling

Poison's could wash into the Murray-Darling because opportunistic mining, environmentalists say. Source: AAP

POISONOUS water could wash into the Murray-Darling because an opportunistic mining company is taking advantage of the NSW government's "piecemeal approach" to coal seam gas (CSG) waste water regulations, environmentalists say.

Despite the government banning evaporation ponds - which store chemical-laden water used to fracture bedrock to free CSG - the department of trade has allowed mining company Santos to build two "dams" in the Pilliga forest in northern NSW, the Wilderness Society said.

The "dams" have a capacity of 600 million litres and the water they will store contains arsenic, lead, chromium, salts and petrochemicals.

"It's really not just salty water like they say," Wilderness society campaign manager Naomi Hogan told AAP on Thursday.

The two mines are in areas that have recently flooded, Ms Hogan said, and if the "dams" are overfilled, water containing poisonous chemicals will be flushed into creeks that run to the Namoi River, which feeds the Murray-Darling.

"The arsenic and heavy metals in the water would certainly cause danger to any species that were to drink that water, any vegetation," she said.

"It's not drinking water standard this stuff, it's pretty nasty."

No plans have been developed to deal with an overflow of the "dams", Ms Hogan said, despite the risk and demands from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the water authority.

Santos plans to begin drilling at the site this year and Ms Hogan argues they been able to prepare the operation by exploiting the government's "piecemeal approach" to CSG waste water regulations.

Ms Hogan said the government body responsible for promoting mines, the department of trade and investment, is also tasked with approving them.

"It really is the fox in charge of the hen house," she said.

"They are pushing their own mining agenda at the expense of other input from Barry O'Farrell's supposedly strong and independent EPA, which is clearly being ignored."

Sam Crafter, Santos' manager of Community and Government Relations said: "Santos has committed to the community that we will operate at a high standard and the most effective way to do that over the long term is to build the new water treatment plant.  This will be the best solution from a long term environmental perspective and is a major component of our Pilliga rehabilitation."

"Investing in new purpose built facilities is the best way to ensure that the local environment is protected, the Pilliga Forest is rehabilitated and that jobs and investment can continue to flow into Narrabri."
 

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Two dead, one injured in Vic wall collapse

A SWARM of people dug through bricks and rubble but could not save two pedestrians crushed when a wall collapsed on a busy Melbourne street.

A man and a woman, believed to be in their late teens, were killed when a 15-metre long section of brick wall fell on Swanston Street in Carlton.

A 19-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries in the collapse on Thursday afternoon.

Witnesses say passers-by dug desperately through the rubble to help the people trapped underneath.

"I just frantically ran across and started digging because I could see their head and half their torso out, so I was frantically taking the bricks off her," Martin Setka told AAP.

"The whole wall just gave way."

Another witness, Jonathan Lian, said the scene resembled a war zone.

Mr Lian was sitting in a cafe opposite when the wall collapsed, and came out to see people running towards the wall.

"It was really bad. It was like a war zone," he said.

"There was dust everywhere, and they were trying to dig people out. It was like chaos."

Inspector Ian Lindsay said it appeared that strong wind gusts had caused the wall to collapse.

"It appears they've just been pedestrians in the wrong place at the wrong time when the wall has collapsed," he told reporters.

He said police were yet to confirm the identity of the people killed.

The collapse occurred at the old Carlton & United brewery site, which is now a vacant building lot owned by Grocon.

The company has said it plans to develop the site, which it purchased in 2006, but no construction work is currently underway.

The site is near Melbourne University and RMIT, but it is not known if any of the three young people were students.

The injured woman has undergone surgery and remains in a critical condition in the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Police, Grocon and WorkSafe are investigating the collapse.

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UK may freeze for another month

THE big freeze gripping the UK could last until almost the end of April, weather forecasters predict.

Temperatures are unlikely to recover to normal averages for the time of year until the latter part of next month, the Met Office suggested through its 30-day forecast.

Sub-zero temperatures look set to bring misery to thousands of people for the rest of the week and throughout Easter weekend as the dangerous wintry weather shows no immediate signs of abating.

Thousands of people in western Scotland face a sixth day without power on Wednesday after electricity pylons were damaged last week, and many transport routes across the UK remain impassable because of deep snow drifts.

Farmers have been left counting the cost of the blizzard conditions, with many having to rescue stranded livestock at the height of the lambing season.

An RAF Chinook helicopter was called in yesterday to help as part of an emergency operation in Northern Ireland as farms and families were cut off by huge snow drifts.

The severe weather has also been blamed for the deaths of a number of birds, including puffins, razorbills and guillemots, which have washed up on Britain's beaches.

The Met Office has issued a cold weather alert for much of England, with a 100 per cent probability of severe cold weather and icy conditions until Friday.

Its outlook for Sunday to April 9 predicts cold, dry weather, with a few light snow flurries and widespread frost and icy patches overnight.

And the Met Office predicts temperatures are unlikely to recover to nearer normal values until the latter part of April.

While there are no forecast for more big snow falls, temperatures as low as minus 6C are predicted overnight.

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No apology over NT forced adoptions

NORTHERN Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles has expressed regret to the victims of forced adoption in his jurisdiction, but stopped short of saying he was sorry.

"To all those Northern Territory families past and present who were separated by an adoption that was forced upon them, on behalf of this assembly I express our heartfelt sympathy," Mr Giles told the NT parliament.

"To all those affected by the policy of forced adoption please accept this statement of deepest regret in the spirit in which it is offered," he said.

Mr Giles said modern social services could not rescue people from the events of the past and the "dark practices" that changed lives forever.

Earlier Mr Giles told journalists he did not think it appropriate to apologise on behalf of the NT government, because the jurisdiction was not self-governing when the forced adoptions occurred.

"I find it abhorrent personally, but the point is we were not an NT government until 1978," Mr Giles told reporters.

"None of these adoption practices were undertaken post-1978."

Last week Prime Minister Julia Gillard made a national apology to women who had children taken from them.

From the 1950s to the 1970s an estimated 150,000 unwed Australian mothers had their babies forcibly adopted under a practice sanctioned by governments, churches, hospitals, charities and bureaucrats.

Some women were tricked into signing adoption papers, drugged and physically shackled to hospital beds.

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Linc hopes to raise $200m for development

LINC Energy hopes to raise $200 million to explore and develop oil and gas prospects following strong drilling results.

Shares in the company were placed in a trading halt on Wednesday ahead of an announcement about raising capital through a convertible bond issue.

Brokers say Linc is looking at issuing bonds for between $3.40 to $3.50 per bond, with the ability to convert them into shares in 2018.

The company's shares have more than tripled in the past four months following a series of strong drilling results and speculation that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is interested in Linc's oil reserves.

Linc chief executive Peter Bond, who owns 40 per cent of Linc shares, last year confirmed he had dined with Mr Abramovich, who is also a Chelsea soccer team owner, to discuss his interest in Linc's energy business, which produces diesel and jet fuel from gas released from underground coal.

Since November 29 last year, shares in the company have surged from 69.5 cents to $2.67 on Tuesday.

Late last year the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) asked Linc to explain a spike in the company's share price between December 7 and December 11.

Linc said it was not aware of any explanation for the price change.

IG Markets strategist Evan Lucas said the upcoming capital raising would allow the company to continue developing its oil and gas projects in the Cooper Basin in South Australia.

"The whole idea is to develop their exploration platforms," Mr Lucas said.

"The stock has rallied very hard, with their oil fields looking like they're on the way up."

Linc's recent drilling updates and speculation about its reserves had helped the stock.

Mr Lucas said $200 million could be used to take a feasibility study to a proposal and then into construction.

"The rumour about Abramovich being interested is a side issue," he said.

Linc owns traditional oil and gas assets in the United States and Australia, and also has separate clean energy and coal divisions with interests in China, Russia, Poland and the Ukraine.

Unless the ASX decides otherwise, Linc shares will remain in a trading halt until trading commences on Tuesday, April 2 or when the announcement is released to the market.

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Man in custody after Sydney siege

A MAN is in police custody after a brief siege in the inner Sydney suburb of Surry Hills.

Police in bulletproof vests locked down part of Devonshire Street near a housing commission block after 4.25pm (AEDT) on Wednesday when it was feared a man with a gun was holed up inside.

Around 6.25pm police said the man had been taken into custody and would be taken to the Rocks police station to be charged.

A police spokeswoman told AAP at the scene that the 36-year-old man was arrested without incident around 6pm.

It was alleged he had threatened another man with a firearm.

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Schapelle Corby's sister bashed in Bali

Mercedes Corby (pic), sister of Schapelle, has suffered a bone fracture during an assault in Bali. Source: AAP

SCHAPELLE Corby's sister Mercedes has undergone surgery in a Bali hospital after she was assaulted by a large group of men in Kuta.

The 39-year-old suffered a severely broken nose when a gang of up to seven men tried to snatch her bag last Thursday night as she made her way home.

Mercedes was released from the Kasih Ibu hospital in Denpasar on Tuesday after having surgery to correct her broken nose, leaving with her Balinese husband Wayan Widyartha.

"It was one against seven. They pulled her purse and she's trying to hold on to it and fought back," Wayan said as the couple left the hospital.

"She has undergone surgery. At the moment, she's resting."

He also vowed to track down the men involved in the attack.

"I will look for them until I find them. I will hit them. I've asked help from the village security people to also look for them."

An Australian man who witnessed the incident said Mercedes "had blood all over her face and her eyes were closed".

Mercedes and Wayan live in central Kuta with their two children.

The compound where they live is where her sister Schapelle would likely stay if granted parole.

Wayan has provided a letter confirming his sister-in-law would be able to live with them if released, and that they would provide her with financial and moral support.

Schapelle was sentenced to 20 years jail for smuggling four kilograms of marijuana into Indonesia in 2004.

Her prison term was slashed by five years after she was granted clemency last year.

Earlier this month the Australian government offered a guarantee to Indonesia that if she was granted an early release she would not breach parole conditions.

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Gillard seeks 3% school funding rise

Julia Gillard has challenged all states and territories to commit to a 3% rise in school spending. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has challenged all states and territories to commit to a three per cent rise in school spending each year.

Visiting a Catholic college in Perth on Tuesday, Ms Gillard said her national plan for school improvement needed the co-operation of premiers and chief ministers.

Federal education officials have been in talks with Catholic and independent school chiefs ahead of the Council of Australian Governments meeting in April which is expected to sign off on the plan.

"During all of those discussions it is becoming increasingly clear that in too many states around the nation we have seen cutbacks to funding going into schools," Ms Gillard told reporters.

"Those cutbacks not only hurt directly but they actually affect the indexation funding formula for the future.

"So I've got a clear message to state governments around the nation and that is to stop the cutbacks and it's also to properly index their funding for the future. They should be offering an indexation arrangement of at least three per cent for the future."

Ms Gillard also dismissed concerns that a Canberra-based bureaucracy would be running the school system, which varied from state to state.

"Our drive here is not for a national uniform model, but a nationally consistent model, recognising the flexibility that jurisdictions need to get on and manage their schools," she said.

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Suspend live export scheme: WA farmer

A PROMINENT West Australian farmer wants the federal government to suspend its live export supply chain system, saying it has damaged relationships with key markets and threatens to cause an animal welfare disaster in Australia.

Saudi Arabia's agriculture minister Fahad Balghunaim said last week during a visit to Perth that the key Middle Eastern export market would remain closed while the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme (ESCAS) remained in place.

The scheme places responsibility for the animals' welfare on Australian exporters, right up until the point of slaughter - and has closed doors in Saudi Arabia.

WA Farmers member and its former president Trevor De Landgrafft said the intent of ESCAS, to protect exported livestock, was admirable but it had offended the Saudis considerably.

"ESCAS has smashed our trade as farmers," Mr De Landgrafft told AAP.

"You can't tell a customer what to do."

Mr De Landgrafft said WA farmers were now stuck with too many sheep that the domestic market could not absorb, while the Saudis were doing everything they could to avoid buying Australian livestock, instead turning to north Africa.

"The Middle Eastern states have got money and they are apparently prepared to pay even more so they don't have to trade with Australia," he said.

A spokeswoman for federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said he held talks with his Saudi counterpart last week, which was a step in the right direction.

"Both Saudi and Australia support high standards of animal welfare and our aim is to ensure that is reflected in the trade," she said.

The federal government was committed to the livestock export trade, which would be made more sustainable through ESCAS, the spokeswoman said.

But Mr De Landgrafft said livestock producers probably needed to protest more about the scheme, as they were "going to go to the wall".

"We're going to end up with a livestock welfare issue because we can't get rid of all the animals," he said.

Mr De Landgrafft said it was reasonable that the federal government wanted trading partners to improve their animal welfare practices but this needed to be done over time and with Australia providing assistance.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will be confronted by both sides of the live export debate outside a community cabinet in the Perth suburb of Thornlie on Wednesday night.

Boyup Brook farmer and Save Live Exports group member Gemma Lee-Steere says she will hand a submission to Ms Gillard.

Stop Live Exports will also attend.

The last time the groups crossed paths, the animal welfare advocates said they were pelted with eggs.

They say they're not calling for an immediate end to the trade, as this would cause economic hardship to farmers. Instead they want it phased out over years, to be replaced with processing in Australia.

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Immigrant wins $US338m jackpot in US

A 44-YEAR-OLD immigrant from the Dominican Republic is the winner of a $US338 million ($A324.5 million) Powerball lottery jackpot in the US, and he's telling reporters in Spanish that he's "very happy".

Reporters were at the New Jersey liquor store where the ticket was sold when Pedro Quezada entered on Monday and had his ticket validated.

A lump-sum payout would be $221 million, or about $152 million after taxes. It's the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history.

Quezada told reporters his first priority would be helping his family.

His wife, Ines Sanchez, told the Bergen Record that Quezada called her with the news on Monday afternoon.

"I still can't believe it," she said. "We never expected it but thank God."

The family's apartment is in Passaic, part of the working-class suburbs sprawling from New York City. Neighbours stood in the rain on Monday night and spoke with pride that one of their own had struck it rich.

Eladia Vazquez described Quezada and his wife as "quiet and not overly talkative" but sensed that they seemed to be working all the time.

"This is super for all of us on this block," she said. "They deserve it because they are hardworking people."

Alberto Liranzo, who lives two floors below Quezada, said the lottery winner had five children and owned a bodega in Passaic.

Dominican immigrant Jose Gonzalez said he barbecued and played dominoes with Quezada in the summers in a backyard on their street.

"He sometimes would work from six in the morning to 11 at night, so I did not see him much," Gonzalez said in Spanish.

Neighbours said the Quezada family has suffered bad luck in recent years. Two years ago, thieves broke in and stole everything from clothing to jewellery. The year before, a fire destroyed much of their bodega.

Their Powerball success was a blessing for the neighbourhood, resident Daphne Robinson said. "It gives people hope that there is a blessing somewhere, for somebody."

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fiery gas buses to stay on Perth roads

PERTH'S fleet of gas buses will remain on the road despite another being destroyed by fire, as transport bosses demand answers from manufacturer Mercedes Benz.

A month after Perth drivers threatened to walk off the job unless answers were given about the cause of several gas bus fires, another caught fire at a depot in Welshpool on Sunday night.

The bus was not in service and there were no passengers or staff on the bus at the time.

But the blaze destroyed the bus, worth around $550,000, and damaged another.

It sparked more fears about the potential safety risks to drivers and passengers, and prompted more urgent action from the Perth Transit Authority (PTA).

The PTA's David Hynes said there was still no possibility of gas buses being taken off the road, because they represented about 40 per cent of Perth's total bus fleet.

"To take them off the road would absolutely cripple the bus service and public transport," Mr Hynes said.

"I can understand the drivers would be (concerned).

"We are doing everything we can."

In February, a Transperth bus driver ordered about 20 passengers off a bus after seeing a warning light on the dashboard.

The driver turned off the gas valve, but the back of the bus soon caught fire.

On December 14, another gas bus was engulfed in flames and almost destroyed.

Mr Hynes said urgent requests were being made to Mercedes in Germany in a bid to discover the cause of the fires.

"I would expect we are making some fairly robust phone calls at the moment asking them to be involved further," he said.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell had previously implemented a five-point plan, including doubling inspections and examining the capacity to improve fire suppression systems.

An upgrade of those systems, costing about $1.5 million, will be fast-tracked to begin this week.

A report on the possible causes of the previous fires is due to be released within a week.

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Govt seeks feedback on company tax change

THE federal government is seeking feedback from business on its plan to make company tax payments monthly instead of quarterly.

The proposal was announced in last October's mid-year budget review, raising an additional $8.3 billion in government revenue in the first three years.

Releasing the government's exposure draft legislation on Monday, Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury said the changes would make the tax system more responsive, efficient and consistent by better matching tax collections with the economic conditions faced by business.

"This change continues the reform of the company tax instalment system that began in the late 1980s," Mr Bradbury said in a statement.

Consultation on the exposure draft will close on April 12.

The changes are expected to be implemented in three stages.

Companies that meet or exceed a $1 billion annual turnover threshold will migrate to the new system from January 1, 2014.

Those that meet or exceed annual turnover thresholds of $100 million will change from January 1, 2015, and those of $20 million will be a year later.

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Good Day to Die Hard tops box office

IT'S "Yippee ki-yay" for A Good Day to Die Hard, with the latest Bruce Willis action film claiming the top spot in the Australian box office.

The films are based on the rough action man John McClane, whose catch phrase is "Yippee ki-yay".

Starring Aussie actor Jai Courtney as McClane's son, the fifth film in the Die Hard franchise raked in $3.824 million on debut.

Oz The Great and Powerful continued its hold over Australian audiences claiming the No.2 spot, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.

The new Hollywood adventure film Jack The Giant Slayer debuted at No.3 pulling in $1.122 million at the weekend.

Based on the fairytale, it stars Nicholas Hoult as Jack, along with Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci.

In its second week at the box office the comedy Incredible Burt Wonderstone, with Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey was pushed to the No.4 spot with $1.093 million.

Another comedy, 21 and Over, is still holding on in the top 10 at fifth place.

Meanwhile, the Aussie film Goddess, starring Magda Szubanski, Ronan Keating and Laura Michelle Kelly has dropped two places to No.6, taking $338,692.

And the UK rom-com I Give It a Year, starring Australians Rose Byrne and Simon Baker, sits at No.8.

The drama Performance, Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keneer, had a nice little jump in the ratings from No.12 to No.9.

Silver Linings Playbook, for which Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar for best actress, dropped to seventh while Broken City, starring Russell Crowe, is at No. 10.

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Arrested Collins clear of drugs: report

FORMER All Blacks hardman Jerry Collins says he was not on any illegal drugs when arrested for carrying a knife in Japan.

Collins is still in custody in Hamamatsu, about 250km southwest of Tokyo, after his arrest by up to 20 police officers in an upmarket department store about 10 days ago.

The 32-year-old told Campbell Live that he was carrying a knife because he feared for his safety.

Collins was not allowed to be filmed, but host John Campbell said Collins told him during a 15 minute visit that he was fine and being treated well.

He had got into a misunderstanding with a gang to a point where he feared for his life and threats to his life.

Collins said he was being followed the day he was arrested and feared for his life, and decided to enter the department store where he was arrested because he wouldn't be attacked with witnesses about.

Campbell said Collins told him he was relieved to be arrested.

An attendant at the department store told Campbell Live that Collins tried to enter a space without saying anything, and when security staff arrived, he showed them two knives, after which he was arrested.

Staff noted he was sweating profusely and thought he may have been on drugs, but Campbell said Collins told him he had been tested for illegal drugs and all the tests came back negative.

The gang involved was believed to be one largely of foreign workers, mostly expat Brazilians, who had disliked foreign rugby players from a time pre-dating Collins' 2011 arrival in Japan, Campbell Live reported.

Meanwhile, Collins' New Zealand lawyer Tim Castle has departed New Zealand, taking with him a number of support documents.

Mr Castle told One News he hoped to meet Collins on Tuesday and to meet with prosecution and police representatives.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld woman bashed with hammer, shot

A WOMAN has been bashed on the head with a hammer and shot in the hip by a masked man on the Queensland Gold Coast.

Police say the woman, 18, was walking along a footpath in Carrara about 2am (AEST) on Sunday when struck from behind on the head.

A man believed to be armed with a hammer then walked in front of her and hit her repeatedly before producing a gun and shooting her in the hip.

Police say a second unknown man drove the woman to hospital and left her.

The first male is described as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in appearance. He was wearing a bandanna over his nose and mouth.

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ALP MPs say another spill by June 3: Pyne

Senior Labor minister Anthony Albanese has called on his party to unite behind PM Julia Gillard. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION frontbencher Christopher Pyne says he's receiving text messages from Labor MPs still agitating for Julia Gillard's removal as prime minister before the election.

Mr Pyne's claim comes as the first opinion poll since the ALP leadership spill shows most voters believe the office of the prime minister has been damaged, as the party's primary vote languishes at rock-bottom lows.

He said he rejected former prime minister Kevin Rudd's statement that he would never return as Labor's leader following events of the past week.

"I'm still getting text messages from supporters of his in the caucus telling me that they plan to remove Julia Gillard in 71 days (June 3)," Mr Pyne told ABC television on Sunday.

"So the civil war continues and the losers from this are the Australian people."

Mr Rudd did not contest the ballot when he realised he lacked the numbers after Ms Gillard declared the leadership vacant on Thursday to end months of speculation.

A Galaxy Poll released on Sunday showed 56 per cent of Labor voters said the prime minister's office had been damaged by leadership instability, while 87 per cent of coalition voters agreed.

The coalition had a two-party preferred vote of 55 per cent to Labor's 45 per cent, which would give the opposition a 39-seat majority with a uniform swing at the September 14 election.

Senior minister Anthony Albanese called on the party on Sunday to unite and fight Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and the coalition instead of itself.

But Mr Pyne said Mr Albanese should not to be a part of Ms Gillard's new cabinet when she reshapes her ministry for the sixth time in nearly three years after eight Rudd supporters stood down last week.

Mr Pyne said it was untenable for Mr Albanese and fellow cabinet members Mark Butler and Bob Carr to continue in their roles given their apparent support for Mr Rudd.

"You can't have Anthony Albanese leading the House for Julia Gillard in whom he hasn't expressed confidence, whom he wanted to replace her deputy prime minister and treasurer with himself," Mr Pyne said.

Mr Albanese, however, says he will not resign.

"I believe it is certainly in the Labor Party's interest collectively that I continue to do the job that I've done both as a minister and particularly as Leader of the House," the transport minister told Sky News.

Ms Gillard refused to comment on her new cabinet while attending events in Melbourne and Sydney on Sunday.

After delivering a short speech at Greek Independence Day celebrations in Sydney, her only comment to reporters was: "It's a great day for our Greek community."

The coalition plans to place a no-confidence motion in the government when parliament returns on May 14.

Mr Abbott said if the crossbenchers were listening to their electorates they would join the coalition and vote for it.

Mr Pyne said a successful no-confidence motion could lead to a House of Representatives and half Senate election in July.

The Australian Electorate Commission states an election before August 3 would be for the House of Representatives and the four territory senators only.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Take holiday in tornado-hit area: Napthine

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine has toured areas of the state's northeast devastated by a tornado. Source: AAP

VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine is encouraging people to take their Easter holidays in towns where a tornado cut a devastating path.

More than 20 homes and 100 caravans were destroyed when the freak storm smashed through towns on the Victoria-NSW border on Thursday night.

The tornado packed winds of between 250 and 300 km/h, sending roofs, caravans, vehicles and trees flying, injuring 20 people.

Dr Napthine toured the affected towns of Koonoomooo, Yarrawonga and Bundalong on Sunday.

"The devastation in the area affected has just been horrific," he told reporters at Koonoomoo.

The premier said the best way for other Victorians to help was to holiday in the tourist-dependent region.

"Come up here over Easter. It'll be open for business," he said.

"Show your support for the local community. Spend a few dollars in the town and help rebuild the local economy of this devastated community."

Dr Napthine said emergency accommodation had been provided to all those whose homes had been left uninhabitable.

The federal government has made available disaster assistance payments for those affected by the tornado.

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Thousands celebrate Greek Independence

POLITICIANS and prominent Greek Australians have joined with thousands in a central Sydney park to celebrate Greece's independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, environment minister Tony Burke, opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison, NSW Liberal MP David Clarke and NSW opposition leader John Robertson were all at The Domain on Sunday for the occasion, along with an Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, the Cypriot high commissioner and the president of the NSW Greek Orthodox community.

Joining them to mark the 1828 exit of Greece from the Ottoman Empire were about 3000 people, mainly families who had come to watch their children's church or school group perform traditional Greek dances and songs.

In a speech to those enjoying the sunny weather and Hellenic festivities, Ms Gillard said it was "a day of seriousness and also of enjoyment".

"(It is) a day to commemorate great patriots and a day to celebrate what they won and what their descendants have built around the world," she said.

Chrys Rontziokos, 40, was at the celebration with her children and parents, who emigrated to Australia in 1966.

She said the event was a great chance to catch up with other members of the Greek community.

"Everyone gets together on this day, people we haven't seen for a very long time," she told AAP.

"It's a beautiful culture that we've got. People who aren't Greek love our culture."

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More