Talks fail to end Cambodia stalemate

Cambodian PM Hun Sen and head of main opposition have met face-to-face for the first time in years. Source: AAP

CAMBODIA'S king has brought Prime Minister Hun Sen face to face with the head of the opposition for the first time in years, urging the political rivals to find a peaceful solution to their post-election stalemate for the sake of national stability.

No agreement was reached at the brief meeting on Saturday at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, but Hun Sen is expected to meet opposition leader Sam Rainsy again Monday for further talks, opposition officials said.

Sam Rainsy's party says it would have won had the July vote been fair and has vowed to stage a new wave of protests on Sunday unless an independent committee investigates its claims of widespread voting irregularities.

The government has rejected the demands, and there are fears the protests could trigger violence.

As the two looked on, King Norodom Sihamoni read a statement saying he was "begging the leaders of the two parties to cooperate" to overcome their political differences in the interest of "maintaining peace and stability" in Cambodia.

Sihamoni urged all elected MPs to attend the opening session of parliament, which he will preside over on September 23.

The opposition has vowed to boycott the legislative session unless the dispute is resolved.

Saturday's talks lasted about 20 minutes, and Hun Sen left without commenting. Asked by reporters what had come out of the meeting, Sam Rainsy replied simply: "No, no, there is nothing."

Sam Rainsy's party made major gains in the July vote, although the ruling party retained a majority of legislative seats.

Official results ratified last weekend gave Hun Sen's party 68 seats in the National Assembly and Sam Rainsy's 55.

As the post-election standoff has dragged on, hopes had risen that Sihamoni could serve as a mediator, a role often played by his father.

The late Norodom Sihanouk helped broker an end to civil war in 1991 and arrange power-sharing agreements after the 1993 and 2003 elections.

Sihamoni, who took over the throne in 2004, has so far taken a less active role.

The meeting comes a day before the opposition has planned another mass protest in Phnom Penh.

Opposition leaders have said they expect 20,000 people to turn out again to demand an investigation into the election results.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Liberal lead narrows in McEwen

The margin is tightening in the nation's closest election race in the Victorian seat of McEwen. Source: AAP

THE margin is tightening in the nation's closest election race in the Victorian seat of McEwen.

Liberal challenger Donna Petrovich narrowly leads Labor incumbent Rob Mitchell, with just 142 votes separating them at lunchtime Saturday.

This has narrowed from Friday, with almost 85 per cent per cent of the vote counted.

In Victoria's other close contest, between Liberal Sophie Mirabella and independent Cathy McGowan in Indi, the latter's lead is widening.

On Saturday, Ms McGowan led by 805 votes with more than 88 per cent of the ballots tallied.

Mrs Mirabella this week ruled herself out of a cabinet post in the Tony Abbott government, saying her decision allowed the new prime minister to choose his ministry without waiting for the result in her seat.

Counting continues Saturday and Sunday.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police end Mexico City plaza occupation

Police have raided Mexico City's historic centre to remove striking teachers from Zocalo plaza. Source: AAP

RIOT police have swept thousands of striking teachers out of the heart of Mexico City.

The authorities used tear gas, flash grenades and water cannon against protesters to bring a swift end to weeks of occupation of the Zocalo plaza over reforms to the country's dysfunctional education system.

Three days before Mexican Independence Day, the teachers armed themselves with metal pipes and wooden clubs and blocked off the Zocalo with steel grates and plastic traffic dividers, threatening to scuttle the traditional national celebration in the massive colonial-era square.

Before moving in, the government had promised that Independence Day celebrations would take place in the Zocalo as scheduled, and the head of the federal police warned on national television that police would move in at 4pm local time.

The teachers, many veterans of battles with police in poor southern states, promised not to move from the square where they have camped out since last month.

Some fixed knives and nails to wooden planks and declared themselves ready to fight.

Others set up sewage-filled portable toilets in the path of police vehicles.

Shortly after 4pm, the police swarmed in, shooting tear gas from specially equipped fire extinguishers, tossing flash grenades and spraying water from armoured trucks.

Protesters hurled sticks and chunks of pavement broken from the streets around world-famous tourist attractions including the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Templo Mayor and the National Palace.

But within a half hour, police had cleared the Zocalo and much of the surrounding historic centre of virtually all protesters.

Union organisers said they would reassemble away from the main plaza at the nearby Monument to the Revolution.

Small knots of teachers, self-described local anarchists and other supporters hurled bottles and rocks at police on some of the main avenues of downtown Mexico City.

It was a dramatic reassertion of state authority after weeks of near-constant disruption in the centre of one of the world's largest cities.

The teachers have marched through the capital at least 15 times over the last two months, decrying a plan that aims to break union control of education with a new system of standardised teacher testing that become law on Tuesday.

The teachers say blocking the reform itself is no longer the point.

They say they are now trying to maintain pressure to protect their rights and privileges as the government puts the labour reforms into effect and reduces union control over teacher hiring and assignment.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Singer Joan Regan dies aged 85

BRITISH singer Joan Regan has died in London aged 85, the BBC reports.

Regan had chart hits in the late 50s and early 60s with records including Ricochet, May You Always and If I Give My Heart To You and also had her own BBC TV series Be My Guest.

Born in Romford, Essex, she was signed up by theatre impresario Bernard Delfont and went on to star on both sides of the Atlantic with artists including Perry Como, Max Bygraves and Cliff Richard and performed on many occasions at the London Palladium.

An accident in the shower in 1984 caused a blood clot on the brain and left her paralysed and without speech, but through therapy she made a complete recovery and was able to sing again.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rooftop negotiations continue at Qld jail

A BRISBANE prison remains in lockdown as talks continue with two inmates who've scaled the facility's roof in protest.

The men were on their way back from an oval when they climbed on top of a building at Brisbane Correctional Centre at Wacol in the city's west just before noon (AEST).

They are protesting a third prisoner being placed in solitary confinement.

A corrective services spokesman told AAP there was no threat to public safety, but the facility has been placed in lockdown and police negotiators called in to coax the men down.

Eight hours later, the men were yet to make any demands, the spokesman said.

"Police are still negotiating with the two on the roof," he told AAP just before 8pm on Saturday night.

The inmates have reportedly damaged CCTV cameras and the facility is expected to remain in lockdown until the men come down.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labor's friendly leadership battle begins

LEADERSHIP hopefuls Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese insist there is no 'I' in Labor and their civil showdown for the ALP's top job is headed for a contest of personal experience and popularity.

Both candidates say the 30-day leadership campaign - which will see them jetting around the nation - will be a gentlemanly joust, putting the party first and moving away from Labor's past division.

"Labor is drawing a line underneath the rancour of previous years," Mr Shorten told reporters in Canberra on Friday.

"We will not seek to publicly disparage each other in our efforts."

Separating them on policy will not be simple though.

Mr Albanese said both he and Mr Shorten support a price on carbon and would oppose the coalition government's plans to scrap the carbon tax.

Victorian Labor right powerbroker Mr Shorten agreed they had a lot of values in common.

But Mr Albanese, from the party's left, believes his parliamentary longevity gives him an edge.

"I come here as someone (with) 17 years in public office," he said.

"I think one of the things I would bring to the leadership is that I have had time in opposition, I know what it's like, I know what has to be done ... that experience I think does count."

Mr Shorten, a former Australian Workers Union national secretary, has just won his third parliamentary term and hopes his history as a "builder and a campaigner" combined with his energy and enthusiasm makes him leadership material.

But he added: "This ballot in the Labor party will not be the contest of personalities, it will be the contest of ideas".

Both men indicated they would happily work with the other should their leadership aspirations fail.

They both gave their sales pitches to a caucus meeting on Friday where outgoing leader Kevin Rudd accepted responsibility for Labor's election loss and said the party was well placed to win the next election no matter who led the party.

The party room was told Labor had to become more unified to move forward.

"Whoever it was who was tweeting out of the caucus today, it's got to stop," Mr Albanese said later.

"It's not helpful for people to be sitting in a caucus room to be tweeting out to members of the press gallery."

Outgoing Treasurer Chris Bowen has been given the interim party reins while the leader is chosen, in what he called the nation's most democratic election process.

"They will have been elected by the whole Labor party, by every eligible rank and file member, as well as by the parliamentary caucus," Mr Bowen said.

While now it's only a two-horse race, there could be another candidate. Nominations for leadership remain open for seven days, before ballot papers are sent to Labor members.

Caucus will cast their votes last but will not know the grass-roots ballot result when they do.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

High Court footage to go online

Canberra's High Court has announced plans to post recordings of cases online. Source: AAP

REAL-LIFE legal dramas will soon be available for download after Australia's most powerful court announced plans to post recordings of cases online.

In an Australian first, Canberra's High Court aims to make the judicial process more publicly accessible by sharing audio and visual recordings of cases from October.

Matters heard in closed court for legal reasons will not be published on its website.

As the process is established, recordings will be made available within days of each hearing, allowing for the vetting of information subject to non-publication orders.

"This delay is likely to be reduced as court experience grows," a court statement read.

Footage will be available by visiting the court's national website at www.hcourt.gov.au.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taliban bomb US consulate in Afghanistan

A truck bomb killed at least one person and wounded 18 outside the US consulate in Afghanistan. Source: AAP

SEVEN heavily armed Taliban suicide attackers have staged a dawn strike on the US consulate in the Afghan city of Herat, setting off two car bombs and sparking a shootout with US forces.

The sophisticated attack early on Friday in the western city, a key business hub near the Iranian border, underscores how the Taliban are able to strike outside their main centres in the south and east.

At least one Afghan guard was killed in the attack and 18 other people wounded, but US officials said there were no US casualties with all consulate staff safe and accounted for.

The US State Department said the attackers appeared to be wearing suicide vests and detonated a truck bomb that "extensively" damaged the front gate.

Afghan security officials said six attackers took part in the assault, detonating a minivan bomb and then a four-wheel drive vehicle, before engaging in a gunbattle with security forces.

The attack comes days after Pakistan said it would soon release its top Taliban prisoner, former military chief Abdul Ghani Baradar, in what Afghan officials hope can ignite peace talks.

The Taliban publicly refuse to negotiate with the Afghan government, branding Afghan President Hamid Karzai a US puppet, but opened a liaison office in Qatar in June billed as a step towards talks with the Americans on a possible prisoner swap.

Abdul Hameed Hameedi, the deputy security chief of Herat province told AFP that after the two vehicles were detonated, "five suicide bombers engaged in a gunbattle with the Afghan security forces, and after a while, all of these suicide bombers get killed in the attack."

He said an Afghan guard at the US consulate was killed and two other guards and two policemen wounded. A number of civilians were wounded because of the powerful explosion, he said.

Herat hospital spokesman Mohammad Rafiq Sherzai told AFP that 18 people were wounded, including four policemen and 14 civilians.

Abdul Raouf Ahmadi, a spokesman for Herat police, said US and Italian forces were called to the scene and cordoned off the area.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

US State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters the attack started at 5.30am when the gunmen, dressed in suicide vests, drove up to the front gate in a truck, opened fire and then detonated the truck bomb.

American and contracted security personnel reacted to the attack before it came to an end, Harf said.

US Ambassador James Cunningham condemned the attack and thanked Afghan and NATO troops for their quick response in securing the building and keeping consulate staff safe.

"We are reminded again of the very real human toll exacted by terrorism. The perpetrators of this attack have shed Afghan blood on Afghan soil," he said in a statement.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP in a telephone call that the militia were responsible.

"Our mujahedeen, armed with heavy and light weapons, attacked the US consulate in Herat. There are several casualties to Afghan and US forces," he said.

US-led NATO troops who have supported the Afghan government against the Taliban are due to end their combat mission next year, after Afghanistan holds key presidential elections.

Roughly 100,000 foreign troops now serve in Afghanistan, two-thirds of them from the United States.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Carmakers bet on alternative-fuel future

JUDGING by the slew of electric and hybrid vehicles being rolled out at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it might seem carmakers are tapping a large and eager market.

But in fact almost no one buys such cars - yet.

Every major carmaker is coming out with electric versions of existing vehicles - such as Volkswagen's all-electric versions of its up! city car and Golf compact.

And they are also showcasing models they have designed as electrics from the ground up, like small BMW's electric i3 city car.

Analyst Christoph Stuermer at IHS automotive called Frankfurt "the first full-throttle electric propulsion show" that's about "getting electric drive cars out of the eco-nerd, tree-hugger segment and into the cool group".

To whet appetites, carmakers are making high-performance, luxury versions that give up little or nothing in performance to conventional models. BMW's i8 goes 0-100 kph in a speedy 4.5 seconds.

Audi's Quattro sport concept - meaning it's for demonstration, not for sale - is an aggressive looking sports car with large air intakes flanking the grille and a whopping 700 horsepower from its hybrid drive. The company says it can reach 305 kph.

The Mercedes S-Class plug-in hybrid version, meanwhile, has a powerful six-cylinder internal combustion engine plus an all-electric range of about 30 kilometres.

This way, owners could commute all-electric during the week, recharging overnight but use the petrol engine on a family vacation.

The company says mileage is 3.0 litres per 100 kilometres.

All this, to cater to a market that doesn't really exist in mass terms. Only 0.2 per cent of all cars registered in Europe are hybrids, which combine batteries with internal combustion engines, or electrics, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

In the United States, the Toyota Prius hybrid has broken into the top 10 selling passenger cars. However, electric vehicles have struggled to increase sales numbers because of high prices and so-called range anxiety: buyers' fear of running out of power.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Keep Rudd asylum-seeker policy: Burke

TONY Abbott should swallow his pride and stick to Labor's hardline asylum-seeker policies because they are working, says outgoing Immigration Minister Tony Burke.

Mr Abbott did not speak to the media as he continued setting up his government on Friday, amid suggestions Indonesia will not accept part of his border-protection policies and news a fourth asylum-seeker boat had arrived since the coalition won the election.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa reportedly said this week his country won't accept part of the coalition's policy for a $20 million community engagement program to pay Indonesian village "wardens" to provide intelligence about people smugglers and a boat buy-back.

"We will reject his policy on asylum seekers and any other policy that harms the spirit of partnership and (Indonesian) sovereignty and national integrity," Mr Natalegawa told a House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday.

Mr Abbott's incoming foreign minister Julie Bishop was not available for comment either.

But she said in a statement that Abbott government policies would, where appropriate, be discussed during formal bilateral meetings with Indonesian officials in coming weeks and months.

Discussions would not be conducted through the media, she said.

Mr Burke says there was a "complete collapse" in boat arrivals after former prime minister Kevin Rudd changed the rules so that asylum seekers who arrive by boat without a visa are sent to PNG or Nauru and are ineligible for resettlement in Australia.

Mr Burke said that if Mr Abbott sticks with these policies people-smuggling operators won't be able to get their customers back.

"But he needs to swallow his pride and it's hard to swallow his pride so soon after what was such a big win for him," Mr Burke told reporters in Canberra.

The coalition's border-protection plan, called Operation Sovereign Borders, will officially begin when the new government is sworn in next week, Mr Abbott said.

Australian authorities intercepted a boat carrying 158 people, believed to be asylum seekers, north-west of Christmas Island overnight.

Meanwhile, the Australian Lawyers Alliance says Australia has spent almost $28 million on asylum seekers' compensation claims since 2000 - $21.1 million for unlawful detention in 299 matters and $6.9 million for breaches of duty-of-care and statutory duties towards 150 others.

And outspoken barrister Julian Burnside QC suggested the incoming Abbott government should fund a processing centre for asylum seekers in Indonesia to help prevent the perilous sea voyages.

He said Australia should prepare for more arrivals when international troops withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of the year.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic MP repays money for car misuse

VICTORIAN independent MP Geoff Shaw says he has repaid $1250 over the misuse of his taxpayer-funded vehicle as a gesture of goodwill.

The Frankston MP was grilled by a parliamentary committee on Thursday, after the Victorian ombudsman found last year that Mr Shaw used his parliamentary vehicle for commercial use and his taxpayer-funded fuel card to buy fuel for a private vehicle.

The hearing, which lasted about one-and-a-half hours, was closed to the public and media.

Mr Shaw, a former Liberal turned independent MP who now holds the balance of power in the Victorian coalition-led parliament, released a statement at the conclusion of the hearing confirming he had given evidence.

"Contrary to recent media reports, on 10th May, 2013, as a gesture of goodwill, I paid $1250 to Parliamentary Services, for the full amount identified by the Victorian ombudsman's inquiry, for the allegations made against me," he said.

"This was an offer that I made on the day these allegations arose, and again to the ombudsman, who noted it in his report."

Mr Shaw said he looks forward to the allegations being finalised and will continue to work in the best interest of people of his electorate.

Earlier on Thursday, opposition scrutiny of government spokesman Martin Pakula had called for the hearing to be in public for transparency.

"The reality is this is a very important hearing, the fate of the government potentially hangs in the balance," he told reporters.

As she entered the hearing, Labor committee member Danielle Green agreed, saying: "I think the community's view is that these things should be in public."

However, coalition minister David Hodgett, who is a member of the privileges committee, said while it is inappropriate for him to talk about Mr Shaw's matter he is entitled to fairness.

"He's entitled to natural justice," he told reporters.

"Mr Pakula should perhaps look at the Labor government's record of having hearings in public when they were in government.

"I think it's inappropriate for Mr Pakula to be trying to interfere with the workings of the privileges committee and I think he should know better."

As part of his findings, the ombudsman recommended the privileges committee consider Mr Shaw's case, after finding his actions might have breached parliamentary privilege, be a contempt of parliament or breach the code of conduct.

A separate police investigation into Mr Shaw for misconduct in public office is continuing.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clive shoots down AEC over military links

Clive Palmer claims at least 10 ex-military officers are working for the electoral commission. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer says ex-military officers are working for the electoral commission and may be part of a conspiracy to deny him victory in the seat of Fairfax.

Mr Palmer says at least 10 former military members have central positions in the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

"It's a bad thing because those people have links to the military and they have a network and camaraderie within the AEC because they have a common background," he told AAP.

"I think they may give orders to people in the system.

"The AEC should employ people who are independent."

The billionaire candidate wants the AEC to give him the names of people who signed ballots in Fairfax and specimens of their initials.

He said many ballot papers hadn't been initialled and suggested the ballot boxes had been tampered with.

"Now I'm not saying all electoral officers are crooks but if there is nothing to hide, then why won't they give us the names of people who initialled them?" he said.

Mr Palmer made the comments as counting showed his LNP opponent Ted O'Brien was eating away at his lead in the Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax.

He is in front by 1132 votes, down from 1440 on Wednesday night.

On Tuesday, Mr Palmer predicted he would lose Fairfax because of unfair electoral processes, including voting irregularities and ballot security.

He has threatened to have the Palmer United Party's two Senate bound candidates block legislation unless electoral reform is promised.

AEC spokeswoman Anne Bright said she was unable to comment on any specific allegations.

Any petition lodged needed to be evidence-based, she said.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brambles save cliff fall Australian in UK

AN 80-year-old Australian tourist who plunged 30 metres off a cliff in Cornwall was saved when his clothing caught on brambles, rescuers say.

They say the man slipped off a cliff path in Mount Edgcumbe Country Park but narrowly avoided falling down the last vertical drop onto rocks when his clothes became snagged.

Passing yachtsmen heard the man's cries for help and raised the alarm at about 11.30am local time on Wednesday.

Coastguards and Ministry of Defence Police rushed to the scene, where they found the man slowly slipping towards the vertical drop.

A spokesman for the police said Brixham Coastguard requested help from the Defence Police Marine Unit at HM Naval Base Devonport, Plymouth and vessels on warship escort in Plymouth Sound answered the call.

"They lowered him to the rocks below where a team from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency administered first aid.

"The injured man was placed on a stretcher and transported across Plymouth Sound on the MoD Police RIB to a waiting ambulance at Mill Bay," the spokesman said.

Inspector Gordon Peter, the marine unit commander, praised his officers for saving the walker from "serious injuries".

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labor faces leadership vacancy

Outgoing federal attorney-general Mark Dreyfus (pic) will back Bill Shorten to lead the Labor party. Source: AAP

LABOR faces the prospect of its own new internal processes leaving the party without a federal leader for weeks, while Anthony Albanese remains quiet on his ambitions.

Bill Shorten on Thursday became the sole candidate for the leadership, pressuring likely contender and incumbent deputy Mr Albanese to put up or shut up.

A contest between the two would trigger a ballot of rank-and-file Labor members as well as caucus to decide who takes the party's parliamentary leadership.

But as the ALP tries to scratch out a future following Saturday's election loss, the party remains racked by disharmony, as it faces a possible leadership vacuum.

Senior Labor Senator Stephen Conroy slammed the new guidelines which require 60 per cent support in a ballot of branch members to endorse a leadership candidate.

"These rules that have been put in place will make us an absolute laughing stock," Senator Conroy said.

"We have this ludicrous circumstances where we might not have a leader for four, six, eight weeks."

In his pitch for the top job, which included plans to win the next national poll, Mr Shorten addressed a wide audience.

"I shall submit myself to caucus colleagues and to thousands of Labor Party members across Australia and I welcome this ballot and the opportunity to start the momentum so that Labor can win the next election," he said.

The Victorian Labor right heavyweight was not fazed by a possible challenge from Mr Albanese, who hails from the party's left and is yet to officially stand.

"If Anthony nominates, he will be an excellent, outstanding candidate," Mr Shorten said.

"If he was successful, I would certainly work with him and accept the verdict of the members."

But the outgoing education minister also took the opportunity to champion his own qualities.

"I believe I bring energy, I bring optimism, I'm hungry for victory," Mr Shorten said.

The leadership will be discussed at the Labor caucus meeting in Canberra on Friday during which Kevin Rudd is set to stand aside.

Western Sydney MP Laurie Ferguson wants Mr Shorten for leader and outgoing health minister Tanya Plibersek as deputy.

"I think Plibersek's probably the only one that's kept her nose clean," he told AAP, adding that neither Mr Shorten or Mr Albanese "are pure".

The ninth-term MP also took a swipe at Labor's leadership transition rules saying they put the party in a difficult position.

The man responsible for the new process, Mr Rudd, offered no opinion of who should replace him as leader with a spokeswoman from his office declining to comment.

Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus said Mr Shorten would make a better party leader than Mr Albanese and distanced himself from Senator Conroy's criticism of what he considers an "open and democratic process".

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it taking a bit of time," he said.

"That's what democracy sometimes requires."

Mr Shorten had a clear message for those engaged in Labor's internal bickering.

"Please go into an empty room and say it to no one."

Labor Senator Doug Cameron, who supports the leadership ballot model, denied the incoming party leader would have problems operating with Mr Rudd on the backbench.

"We should get over that and just get on with the fact that (Mr Rudd) is the elected member and he is entitled to sit in the caucus, he is entitled to contribute," Senator Cameron told ABC TV, adding that he believed Mr Rudd's prime ministerial aspirations had come to an end.

He bluntly ruled out the need for any more departures from the party.

"My view is that we are almost anaemic, there should be no more bloodletting," Senator Cameron said.

"We should cauterise the wounds, we should get on with looking after the issues that the membership of the party want, that the community who voted for Labor in their millions want."

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bird in custody as bail hearing postponed

Perth man Dominic Bird says he's disappointed to be back in custody in Malaysia. Source: AAP

PERTH man Dominic Bird, acquitted by a Malaysian court last week on charges that carry the death penalty, has been remanded pending a decision on whether he will be granted bail.

Mr Bird was set free by the Kuala Lumpur High Court after being found not guilty of drug trafficking, but was rearrested on Monday just minutes before his flight back to Perth was to depart.

The 33-year-old was at the airport gate with his boarding pass in hand, but immigration officials held on to his passport to prevent him getting on the plane.

Arriving at court on Thursday, he said he was "disappointed" to be back in custody after briefly tasting freedom.

"Hopefully I will be back on that flight to Perth," Mr Bird said.

His lawyer, Muhammed Shafee Abdullah, had argued in court on Thursday that his client should be allowed to return to Australia, or at the very least be allowed bail, while the appeal process runs its course.

Mr Shafee said the authorities had purposely delayed Mr Bird's departure to buy prosecutors time to lodge a notice of appeal and secure an arrest warrant.

The warrant was issued on Monday morning when Mr Bird failed to appear at a hearing at the Malaysian Court of Appeal, scheduled for 9am local time.

But it has been revealed Mr Bird was unable to attend the hearing because he was in the custody of Malaysian immigration officials, who had taken him to the LCCT terminal at the international airport on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur from where he was to fly home to Perth.

His legal team were not advised of the hearing, and have alleged authorities arranged to ensure Mr Bird would not make the hearing so that they could secure the arrest warrant and prevent him from leaving Malaysia.

"The whole idea was to detain my client so that he is sitting pretty in a lock-up, so that the prosecution could serve him the papers," Mr Shafee said.

"The authorities consciously and deliberately violated the constitutional rights of the accused. They should not be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their transgression."

But Court of Appeal Justice Azahar Mohamed said more time was needed to consider whether Mr Bird should be released on bail, or continue to be remanded pending an appeal by prosecutors against last week's verdict.

The matter was adjourned until Tuesday morning.

Mr Bird was initially arrested in March last year at a cafe near his apartment in Kuala Lumpur after allegedly supplying an undercover police officer with 167 grams of methamphetamine.

Possession of more than 50 grams of the drug carries a mandatory death penalty in Malaysia.

Prosecutors are yet to detail the grounds on which they will appeal the case, while the circumstances surrounding Monday's drama have also prompted accusations from Mr Bird's lawyers that Malaysian authorities conspired to obtain an "unlawful" warrant for his arrest.

Mr Bird has always maintained he was set up by drug squad detective Inspector Luther Nurjib. Last month, Insp Nurjib was found guilty of contempt of court and fined RM2000 ($A665) after it emerged he had threatened and attempted to bribe a witness in the Bird case.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

US man, 107 shot dead by police

US police shot dead a 107-year-old man who opened fire on them on Saturday in Arkansas. Source: AAP

A 107-YEAR-OLD US man who died in a police stand-off had told officers months earlier that they would have to shoot him or throw him in jail before he went back home with his son-in-law.

According to police reports obtained by AP, Monroe Isadore made the comments in June after he said his daughter and son-in-law didn't want him around.

"Mr Isadore stated we would have to shoot him or throw him jail before he went back home with" his son-in-law, one of the reports said.

"Mr Isadore stated he was a hundred-and-seven-years old and GOD told him to do his will."

Isadore died on Saturday in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, after he opened fire on police and authorities shot him.

Authorities have said they tried using a camera, negotiating tactics and gas before shooting Isadore. But that hasn't answered questions from residents in Pine Bluff, a community of about 50,000 people some 72km southeast of Little Rock. Some are struggling to make sense of how someone known as a pleasant, churchgoing man who was hard of hearing and sometimes used a cane could die in such an explosive confrontation.

Police have said an officer involved in the shooting has been placed on paid, administrative leave.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Residents take stock after NSW fires

Easing conditions have helped firefighters control bushfires that raged through Sydney's west. Source: AAP

RESIDENTS have described an eerie purple hue and a roar like a steam engine as bushfires tore through Sydney's greater west, while the government has defended backburning operations.

And while some were hailing the bravery of firefighters who saved their homes, others had to deal with thieves who looted property from their burnt out homes.

NSW Rural Fire Service crews had contained fires at Castlereagh and Londonderry on Wednesday and were in the process of controlling one of the worst, in Winmalee in the Blue Mountains.

"It's nowhere as near as bad as (Tuesday), so we're not expecting problems," Deputy commissioner of the RFS, Rob Rogers, told Fairfax Radio.

Some Winmalee residents have raised concerns that recent hazard reduction burns in the area by National Parks may have got out of control on Tuesday with both the RFS and NSW Police investigating the cause and origin of the bushfires.

RFS Deputy Commission Rob Rogers said hazard reduction burns are necessary but conceded they are risky.

"We're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't with hazard reductions," he said.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell also defended backburning operations across the state.

"When you don't undertake hazard reduction you leave the fuel load as it is and it grows and that's even more lethal," he said.

The fire destroyed one home and several cars, boats and a fire truck on Tuesday, while livestock and pets were lost.

Residents like Josh Jones and his father Steve, of Winmalee were coming to terms with their experience on Wednesday.

"It was pretty scary, there were a couple of times we were engulfed in smoke and the flames were everywhere, we were on the borderline of getting out of here but we stood our ground and we held it off," Josh told the Seven Network.

Fellow Winmalee resident Janine Prendergast said fire fighters saved her house.

"They are the most amazing people in the world," she said.

The fire came uncomfortably close to Keith Greenaway.

"It was dark, it was that eerie purple colour," he said.

"The roar of the fire - people say it sounds like a steam engine, well it does."

In Marsden Park, Dave Morris lost precious family photos when embers got into his house. He later discovered someone had stolen his laptop.

"How can people do that? Come to someone's house after its been burnt out and take their stuff. They're just ***holes."

The Bureau of Meteorology says bushfire affected areas will be "on the fringe" of high danger on Thursday with a south-easterly change in the late afternoon bringing cooler, more humid air into the region.

"It should prove more favourable conditions for the guys fighting the fires," a spokesman said.

The fire danger would become moderate to low with a possibility of showers overnight on Thursday and Friday.

An Education Department spokesman said Winmalee Primary and High Schools would reopen for students on Thursday.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Zygier settlement to end further scrutiny

Israel will compensate the family of an Australian-born Mossad agent who hanged himself in prison. Source: AAP

THE Israeli government has agreed to compensate the Australian family of Mossad agent Ben Zygier, apparently to avoid ongoing media coverage that could threaten national security.

A statement issued by the Israeli Ministry of Justice confirmed a four million shekels ($A1.19 million) settlement has been reached with the family of the Melbourne-born spy who hanged himself in an Israeli prison in December 2010.

"The State of Israel agreed to the compensation in order to prevent further legal deliberations that may have led to the publication of information which could have caused substantial damage to national security," says an unofficial translation of the Hebrew statement obtained by AAP.

The settlement was reached after Mr Zygier's family claimed Israeli authorities were "negligent" in events surrounding his death.

An investigation released in April found Mr Zygier, who held Israeli and Australian citizenship and was known as Prisoner X, was not adequately supervised by prison authorities when he hanged himself.

The long-term detainee and father of two was visited by his wife on the morning of his suicide. She apparently asked him for a divorce, the report said.

"Under the agreement, the family receives a series of payments totalling four million shekels without attributing fault or liability to the state," the statement continued.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had no further information about the matter.

"This is a matter for the family and the Israeli government," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Comment was being sought from Julie Bishop, who is expected to be named foreign minister.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aussie kickboxer banged up in Bali - again

THE governor of Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail says it's probably "karma" that convicted Australian drug smuggler and former kickboxer Michael Sacatides has ended up in hospital with so-called boxing injuries.

The Sydney man, who had been working in Thailand as a kickboxing instructor before he was busted in 2011 attempting to smuggle almost two kilograms of methamphetamine into Bali, was admitted to Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar on Wednesday.

Prison officials have said the 45-year-old was injured on Tuesday but have rejected speculation Sacatides was involved in an altercation with another inmate.

But the governor of Kerobokan jail, Gusti Ngurah Wiratna, revealed on Wednesday that Sacatides had "punched many things" during his time at the prison.

"He likes to practise boxing. Even one time, our podium was damaged because he punched it," Mr Wiratna told AAP.

"I don't think it's fracture because it's said that his tendon got injured or maybe snapped, I don't know. Maybe it's his karma that he's treated in hospital now.

"This is basically because of his sin in my own opinion."

Mr Wiratna was clearly annoyed.

"We have to send two guards to watch him. That's less officers guarding here in prison," he said.

Sacatides, from Wentworthville in Sydney's west, was sentenced to 18 years in 2011 after he was caught at Bali's international airport with 1.7kg of methamphetamine, also known as ice, concealed in a hidden compartment in a suitcase he was carrying.

He has a severe injury to his right hand and may undergo surgery later this week.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prehistoric crocs 'ran like dogs'

Prehistoric crocodiles survived a dinosaur-dominated world by behaving like dogs, research found. Source: AAP

PREHISTORIC crocodiles survived a dinosaur-dominated world by running around like dogs, new research has found.

Unlike today's crocodiles that mostly live in freshwater habitats and feed on mammals and fish, their ancient relatives were extremely diverse.

Some behaved like dogs and others adapted to life in the open ocean, imitating the feeding behaviour of today's killer whales.

The research uncovers the hidden past of crocodiles - showing for the first time how the jaws of the fierce reptiles evolved, enabling them to survive in vastly different environments in a dinosaur-dominated world 235 to 65 million years ago.

The study was conducted by Tom Stubbs and Dr Emily Rayfield from the University of Bristol, together with Dr Stephanie Pierce from The Royal Veterinary College and Dr Phil Anderson from Duke University in the United States.

Mr Stubbs says the ancestors of today's crocodiles have a fascinating history that is relatively unknown compared to their dinosaur counterparts.

"They were very different creatures to the ones we are familiar with today, much more diverse and, as this research shows, their ability to adapt was quite remarkable," he said.

"Their evolution and anatomical variation during the Mesozoic Era was exceptional.

"They evolved lifestyles and feeding ecologies unlike anything seen today."

The research team examined variation in the morphology (shape) and biomechanics (function) of the lower jaws in over 100 ancient crocodiles, using a unique combination of numerical methods.

Dr Pierce said they were curious how extinction events and adaptations to extreme environments during the Mesozoic - a period covering over 170 million years - impacted the feeding systems of ancient crocodiles.

"To do this we focused our efforts on the main food-processing bone, the lower jaw."

By analysing variation in the lower jaw, the researchers provide novel insights into how the feeding systems of ancient crocodiles evolved as the group recovered from the devastating end-Triassic extinction event and subsequently responded to the distribution of ecological resources, such as habitat and foodstuff.

The research showed that, following the end-Triassic extinction, ancient crocodiles invaded the Jurassic seas and evolved jaws built primarily for hydrodynamic efficiency to capture agile prey, such as fish.

However, only a small range of elongate lower jaw shapes were suitable in Jurassic marine environments.

The study also revealed that variation peaked again in the Cretaceous, where ancient crocodiles evolved a great variety of lower jaw shapes as they adapted to a diverse range of feeding ecologies and terrestrial environments alongside the dinosaurs.

Surprisingly, the lower jaws of Cretaceous crocodiles did not have a great amount of biomechanical variation and, instead, the fossil record points towards novel adaptations in other areas of their anatomy, such as armadillo-like body armour.

"Our results show that the ability to exploit a variety of different food resources and habitats, by evolving many different jaw shapes, was crucial to recovering from the end-Triassic extinction and most likely contributed to the success of Mesozoic crocodiles living in the shadow of the dinosaurs," Dr Pierce said.

This exceptional variation has never before been explored numerically, with no studies ever having incorporated such a wide range of crocodiles over such a long time period.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The research was partially funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Four guilty of Indian bus gang rape

Four men have been found guilty of the rape and murder of a woman on a New Delhi bus in December. Source: AAP

AN Indian court has convicted four men of the gang rape and murder of a physiotherapy student on board a moving bus in a crime that sickened the nation.

Judge Yogesh Khanna said the men, who could now face the death penalty, were guilty of murdering a "helpless victim" as he announced that sentencing arguments will be held on Wednesday.

"I convict all of the accused," Khanna said on Tuesday.

"They have been found guilty of gang rape, unnatural offences, destruction of evidence ... and for committing the murder of the helpless victim."

The four - Mukesh Singh, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma - had all pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included murder, gang rape and theft.

The victim's parents, who wept in court as the verdict was announced, have led the calls for them to be hanged, saying that they could only have closure once the four were executed.

Their 23-year-old daughter, who cannot be named for legal reasons, died of her injuries on December 29 in a Singapore hospital.

Amid emotional scenes outside the courtroom, the lawyer of Mukesh Singh said that his client would launch an immediate appeal.

"My client was simply driving the bus. He confessed fairly that he was driving the bus but he did not know what went on inside," V.K. Anand told reporters.

"We will appeal this verdict in the High Court in a month's time. But we will see what happens tomorrow after arguments and the quantum of punishment."

Mukesh Singh's mother fell to Anand's feet and broke down in tears outside the courtroom. The lawyer and her husband both tried to pick her up.

A.P. Singh, the lawyer for Akshay Thakur and Vinay Sharma, said both his clients would also appeal.

"We will now go to the High Court with our appeal ... This is a political conviction," he told a scrum of reporters.

Any subsequent appeal by the defendants is likely to take years in India's notoriously slow legal system.

A juvenile has already been sentenced to three years in a correctional facility, while a fifth adult defendant, bus driver Ram Singh, was found hanging in his prison cell in March while awaiting trial.

"We will not accept anything below the death penalty," the victim's father told AFP from his home in southwestern Delhi in an interview last week.

"If all four are sentenced to death, I can't imagine anything being better than that... We will get closure."

During the trial, the prosecution produced DNA evidence, the victim's dying testimony and statements from a male companion who was beaten up during the attack.

The victim and her companion had spent the evening watching a movie at a mall in south Delhi when they were picked up by one of the many private buses plying the streets.

But rather than take them home, the group subjected the pair to a horrifying 45-minute ordeal that ended with both of them thrown out of the bus, virtually unconscious and naked.

In an interview ahead of the verdict, the 28-year-old companion told AFP the assault was beyond a nightmare.

"I never imagined that one human being could treat another so badly," he said.

The student's family were bitterly disappointed with the three-year sentence handed down last month on the youngest defendant, the maximum allowed by law as he was only 17 at the time of the attack.

India has the death sentence for the "rarest of rare crimes", but does not often carry out executions.

The attack sparked weeks of sometimes violent street protests across India with seething public anger about sex crimes against women.

It also led to tougher laws for sex offenders, including the death penalty for rapists whose victims die or are left in a vegetative state.

The gang rape of a photographer last month near an upmarket area of Mumbai rekindled public disgust at India's sex crime problem.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bushfires rage across northwest Sydney

A SIGNIFICANT part of Sydney's northwest is under threat from bushfires that have claimed two houses and injured several fire fighters.

A house was destroyed at Winmalee, in the Blue Mountains and two firefighters battling the blaze there suffered minor burns, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) says.

Another home has been lost at Marsden Park, in Sydney's west, and a shed has been destroyed near Castlereagh, where a fire raged through about 60 hectares of dry bush.

About 300 students from St Paul's Grammar School at Castlereagh were evacuated to Penrith's Whitewater park after an emergency warning was issued for nearby properties.

More than 2000 people were evacuated from a University of Western Sydney (UWS) campus after a power outage and the RAAF base at Richmond lost power due to a problem with an Endeavour Energy substation.

About 1000 firefighters with 350 trucks and 14 aircraft are fighting 63 bush and grass fires across the state, 31 of which are uncontained, NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell told parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

Five firefighters have been treated for smoke inhalation, he added.

Emergency services minister Mike Gallacher said "a significant part of northwestern Sydney" where there are "large numbers of homes" was threatened by the fires.

"These are all heavily urbanised areas," he told AAP.

Earlier on Tuesday smoke billowed over Windsor Downs Nature Reserve as water bombing helicopters and crews battled grass fires.

Residents Michael and Sandra Bellamy left work to return home and protect their house when they realised the fire was in the reserve bordering their property.

"I got a text message from my daughter saying that I should probably go home," Ms Bellamy told AAP.

However, police road closures prevented her from reaching the family home, where they have lived for 19 years.

Mr Bellamy is confident firefighters will be able to contain the bushfires.

An RFS spokesman told AAP "it's certainly been a monster effort".

Emergency warnings remain in place for three large uncontained fires in Sydney's northwest.

The warm winds, gusting at up to 80km/h and fanning the fire are likely to ease on Tuesday evening, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP.

And firefighters are hoping the southerly change lowers temperatures.

Crews will work thorough the night and probably the next few days to try and contain the fires, the RFS spokesman said.

"But that's still dependent on the weather and how strong the southerly change that comes through (is)," he told AAP.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bracks backs his diplomatic credentials

The Abbott government has been accused of pettiness after it axed Steve Bracks' diplomatic posting. Source: AAP

FORMER Victorian Labor premier Steve Bracks is defending his credentials for a high-profile diplomatic post after being axed by the incoming federal coalition.

The businessman and two-term Victorian premier was due to take up a role as Australia's consul-general in New York imminently after being appointed to the position in May, but the assignment was cancelled this week by Foreign Minister-elect Julie Bishop.

"My financial services background, my funds management background, my background as a premier obviously would have been well-suited to the role," Mr Bracks told reporters on Tuesday after receiving news he will not be heading to Manhattan.

"Nevertheless the new government will be having someone in the role and I wish them every success."

The coalition were critical of Labor's lack of cross-party consultation over the appointment, which came after then prime minister Julia Gillard had named an election date.

But the government wasn't under any obligation to consult on the appointment because it wasn't in caretaker mode in May when the job was announced.

Liberal Senator George Brandis said there were also concerns over Mr Brack's eligibility for the diplomatic post.

"Mr Bracks' credentials for the New York post - a former state premier - were not obvious to us," he said.

Having started official preparations for the new role a month ago, Mr Bracks said he may consider his legal rights, "but no more than that".

Labor's acting foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek slammed the coalition's move as "petty and vindictive", insisting Mr Bracks is "eminently qualified" for the role, while calling on Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott to reveal who will be sent instead.

"It is telling that the first act of an Abbott government is to play party politics in international affairs," Ms Plibersek said in a statement.

When Labor won government in 2007 it allowed former Liberal minister Amanda Vanstone to complete her posting to Italy.

Labor also appointed former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson as ambassador to the European Union and Tim Fischer as ambassador to the Vatican.

Taking a light-hearted approach to his scuppered diplomatic future, Mr Bracks said he looks forward to being in the crowd for some upcoming AFL action.

"The good news is I'll be able to get to the finals," he shrugged.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mirabella predicted to hang on to seat

THE gap between the two rivals in the battle for Victorian seat Indi is narrowing amid predictions Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella may hang on.

Independent Cathy McGowan leads Mrs Mirabella by 764 votes, with 80 per cent of the votes counted.

Ms McGowan has received 50.51 per cent of the vote to Mrs Mirabella's 49.49 per cent on a two candidate preferred basis.

There are still about 20,000 votes to be tallied, including at least 8800 postal votes which can take up to 13 days to arrive after the poll.

However, ABC election analyst Antony Green suggests Mrs Mirabella will get over the line.

He predicts Ms McGowan is not far ahead enough on pre-poll, postal and absentee votes, which usually favour the incumbent.

"Ms Mirabella would have written to every constituent in the electorate offering a postal vote application and traditionally they tend to favour the party that does that best," he told ABC radio.

Ms McGowan also wouldn't have had anyone handing out how-to-vote cards outside Indi to influence the thousands of absentee votes cast outside the electorate on polling day, he added.

The fight for the Victorian seat of McEwan is even closer, with just 331 votes the difference.

Liberal challenger Donna Petrovich is in front of sitting Labor member Rob Mitchell with 50.20 per cent of the vote on a two-candidate preferred basis.

About 78 per cent of votes have been counted, with at least 10,000 postal votes yet to be tallied.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

New treatment for ectopic pregnancy

Melbourne mum Elizabeth Cacencu has praised a new treatment for ectopic pregnancy. Source: AAP

MELBOURNE woman Elizabeth Cacencu lost one of her fallopian tubes when she suffered an ectopic pregnancy.

So when she experienced her second ectopic pregnancy there was a real danger she could lose her only remaining fallopian tube and her chance to conceive naturally again.

Ectopic pregnancies occur when the embryo embeds in the fallopian tube rather than the uterus. This dangerous condition affects up to two per cent of pregnancies.

Mrs Cacencu believes a new treatment for ectopic pregnancies saved her from having to have surgery and potentially lose her remaining fallopian tube.

Four months later she became pregnant again and today she is the mother of 22-month-old son Seth.

"I am extremely grateful to have avoided surgery as Seth would not be here otherwise," Mrs Cacencu said.

She was one of 12 women in a trial conducted by the Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR), which used two drugs - methotrexate and gefitinib - for the treatment for ectopic pregnancies.

Methotrexate is already used for the treatment of this condition. However, the trial has found that when both of these drugs were used the ectopic pregnancies were cured 34 per cent faster and more effectively than by giving methotrexate alone.

Dr Monika Skubisz, an author of the clinical trial research paper, said the other major benefit of this treatment is that the need for surgery to remove the fallopian tube is reduced in a significant number of cases.

The research was published on Tuesday in the prestigious journal Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

It was led by MIMR's Associate Professor Terrance Johns, Melbourne University's Associate Professor Stephen Tong and Edinburgh University's Dr Andrew Horne.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sports party to slip into Senate

HE only secured a handful of primary votes but the Australian Sports Party's Wayne Dropulich looks set to get a spot in the Senate.

Thanks to preferences, Mr Dropulich is poised to take the seat of Labor's Louise Pratt but wisely won't claim victory until the Senate count is completed in coming days.

The single-issue party, which promotes healthy living through sport, was formed at the beginning of the year and now has little more than the 500 members it needed to become registered.

So far, he has 1908 first preference votes, or 0.22 per cent of the vote.

Mr Dropulich, who has not previously been a member of any other political party, says there's nothing wrong with the way he's got to where he is.

"It's the system that the government's had in place for a long time and every party has the same opportunity to use the system," he told ABC radio.

"I'm happy if it does fall our way and I'll take great responsibility.

"Interesting times.

"I'm really excited."

Mr Dropulich said he'd had "one or two phone conversations and emails" with preference broker and Minor Parties Alliance mastermind Glenn Druery.

"That's really the extent of my contact with him.

"As far as we were concerned, we only found out about him late in our process. I'd already contacted quite a few of the other parties regarding preferencing and he pretty much gave us the contact details for a lot of the minor parties ... who to speak to.

"That's really all we got from him."

Mr Druery has had a falling out with Australian Independents leader Patricia Petersen, who claims he and the Shooters and Fishers Party cheated her out of a Senate spot by reneging on a preference arrangement they had.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic premier has first talks with new PM

VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine has discussed state projects including the East West Link with incoming prime minister Tony Abbott in what he says were constructive talks.

Dr Napthine had a telephone conservation with Mr Abbott on Monday to outline an agenda for Victoria.

"Terrific to chat to new PM discussing future Vic projects like #EWLink and need to immediately scrap ALPs failed FBT changes," Dr Napthine tweeted on Monday afternoon, referring to the federal coalition's plans to dump Labor's fringe-benefits tax.

"First of many constructive discussions."

The federal coalition has pledged $1.5 billion towards the East West Link, which would connect the Eastern Freeway to Melbourne's western suburbs.

Dr Napthine says the government is looking at ways to bring forward stage two of the $8 billion road project.

"Tony Abbott has said that he wants to be an infrastructure prime minister," Dr Napthine told reporters.

"We want to make sure that if we can work with the federal government to get the maximum benefit from the full East West Link sooner rather than later, let's do it."

Dr Napthine said the government wants to work with Mr Abbott to deliver other key infrastructure projects including the Port of Hastings development and Metro rail project.

He said Victoria delivered the biggest swing to the coalition in mainland Australia at Saturday's election, crediting a strong showing in the eastern suburbs to the coalition's pledge to the East West Link.

However, Victorian opposition leader Daniel Andrews says it is nonsense for Dr Napthine to claim the only reason Mr Abbott is in The Lodge is because of the East West Link.

The Victorian government will sign contracts for the state's biggest road project just eight weeks before the November 2014 state election.

"Denis Napthine's out there spinning because he knows he's got this wrong," Mr Andrews told reporters.

"If it's such the electoral asset the premier claims it is, then why is he seeking to sneak this through eight weeks before Victorians vote?"

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Giraffe in SKorea gives birth to 18th calf

OFFICIALS at a safari park in South Korea announced on Monday that a giraffe there has given birth to its 18th calf, which the park says is a new world record.

Officials at the Samsung Everland safari park said the mother giraffe, Jang-Soon, previously shared the record with a giraffe in Paris. Past record holders also include giraffes from Melbourne and San Diego that gave birth to 16 calves.

The park said it plans to have the record certified by the International Species Information System, a group that keeps a global database on zoo animals.

The birth on Sunday came coincidentally on Jang-Soon's 27th birthday. The reticulated-giraffe was bred in the safari park.

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation, a UK-based charity dedicated to giraffe conservation, estimates that less than 5,000 reticulated-giraffes exist in the wild.

Giraffes have an average life expectancy of 25 years, although captive giraffes live longer.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Microsoft offers free Xbox Music online

Microsoft announced its Xbox Music streaming service will be available for free on the internet. Source: AAP

MICROSOFT is making its Xbox Music streaming service available for free on the web - even to those who don't use Windows 8.

The expansion beyond Windows 8 devices and Xbox game consoles starting on Monday is intended to bring new customers into the software giant's ecosystem of devices and services and could help it compete with other digital music offerings like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes.

It's also an acknowledgement that the music service hasn't done much to drive sales of the Windows 8 operating system.

The move represents another step toward Microsoft's goal of becoming a company that sells devices and services, rather than primarily software, said Michael Turits, an analyst with financial advisory firm Raymond James.

It comes on the heels of Microsoft announcing it would buy the mobile phone handset manufacturing business of Nokia Corp for $US7.2 billion ($A7.87 billion) and that CEO Steve Ballmer would step down within 12 months.

"They've said they're going to be a devices and services company. We know they want to be a device company since they're buying the Nokia phone division," he said.

"This kind of thing gives more credibility to the idea they'll be more of a services company as well."

Most buyers of the new Windows 8 operating system discovered Xbox Music because it's the default player for music files that people have imported from elsewhere, according to Xbox Music general manager Jerry Johnson.

Opening it up to the broader public would give more people a chance to see the benefits of having multiple devices linked to Microsoft's platform.

Its music service, for example, will save favourites and playlists across PCs, Windows Phones and Xbox game consoles.

"To actually build that ecosystem, we need to bring people into it," Johnson said.

Xbox Music allows people to choose from 30 million tracks and stream them for free with ads.

The service sells downloadable tracks that have been kept off streaming services by artists or labels.

A radio service on Xbox Music also generates song playlists automatically along genres or similar artists.

The thinking is if new consumers enjoy the free experience online, some might upgrade to pay $10 a month for the Xbox Music Pass, which allows playback on mobile phones and Microsoft's game console, Xbox 360, and its upcoming version, Xbox One.

Microsoft is also launching apps for iPhones and Android devices that will allow paying subscribers to access Xbox Music.

Previously, you had to have a device running the Windows Phone 8 operating system to access the plan on the go.

The decision to allow Xbox Music to run on competitors' phone platforms is in line with Microsoft Corp's move in June to release app versions of its Office software on Apple's iPhone.

Microsoft is also updating its Xbox Music interface by reducing the size of cover art but adding tabs to make it easier to create and manage playlists.

Starting with its release on November 22, Xbox One users will also, for the first time, be able to play games while listening to Xbox Music simultaneously, a feature that isn't offered on the Xbox 360.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kerry reasserts Syria charge in London

IN a strong rebuttal to remarks by Syrian President Bashar Assad, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday there is very strong evidence that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against his own people.

In an interview by Charlie Rose, slated to air Monday on CBS "This Morning," Assad argued that the evidence Kerry has disclosed about chemical weapons use amounts to a "big lie" that resembles the case for war in Iraq that then-Secretary of State Colin Powell made to the United Nations over a decade ago.

Asked to respond, Kerry told reporters in London that he would be confident to take evidence that the US intelligence committee has gathered into any courtroom.

"What does he offer?" Kerry asked rhetorically of Assad. "Words that are contradicted by fact."

Kerry arrived in London Sunday afternoon from Paris where he held talks with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia and members of the Arab League's committed on the Mideast peace talks. He was returning to Washington later Monday to continue to lobby Congress to authorise a military strike against Assad's regime.

At a news conference with Foreign Secretary William Hague, Kerry also said that the British Parliament's decision against endorsing a military strike in Syria would not damage US-British relations. "Our bond is bigger than one vote - bigger than one moment in history," Kerry said.

Kerry, at another point, referenced the roughly 50 protesters outside the British foreign ministry who were chanting "One, two, three four, we don't want another war!" But he said he thinks it's important for nations to "stand up for humanity."

"This is a humanitarian catastrophe of global proportions," he said.

Kerry said the US realises that there is no military solution to conflict, but that a political resolution will not be possible if the Assad regime is allowed to continue killing the Syrian people without consequences.

"The evidence is powerful and the question for all of us is what are we going to do? Turn our backs? Have a moment of silence?" Kerry asked.

He said Assad's credibility is in question.

"He sends SCUD missiles into schools," Kerry said.

Hague agreed, saying: "Let's not fall into the trap of believing every word that comes out of this man's mouth."

Kerry said Assad could resolve the crisis by turning over "every single bit" of his weapons arsenal to the international community within a week. But he said he didn't believe the Syrian leader was "about to do that."

"We know that his regime gave orders to prepare for a chemical attack. We know they deployed forces," he said. Kerry said Washington also "knows where the rockets came from and where they landed ... and it was no accident that they all came from regime -controlled territory and all landed" in opposition-held territory.

Meanwhile, Russian and Syrian foreign ministers said Monday they planned to push for the return of United Nations inspectors to Syria to continue their probe into the use of chemical weapons.

Lavrov said after Monday's talks with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem that Moscow will continue to promote a peaceful settlement and may try to convene a gathering of all Syrian opposition figures who are interested in peaceful settlement. He said a US attack on Syria would deal a fatal blow to peace efforts.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maldives set for presidential run-off

Former Maldivian leader Mohamed Nasheed, who was ousted in 2012, has won the presidential election. Source: AAP

FORMER Maldivian leader Mohamed Nasheed has won presidential polls with a big margin but failed to secure an outright win to avoid a run-off later this month, results show.

Nasheed, 46, who resigned in what he later called a military-backed coup, garnered 45.45 per cent of the popular vote, but did not cross the 50 per cent mark to win in the first round.

He now faces a run-off with his nearest rival, Abdulla Yameen, the 54-year-old half-brother of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who ruled the Maldives for 30 straight years until its first democratic elections in 2008.

Yameen polled 25.35 per cent of the vote to challenge Nasheed in the run-off.

Yameen barely made it, pushing resort owner and leading businessman Gasim Ibrahim to third place with 24.07 per cent of the valid ballots.

The other candidate in the race, incumbent President Mohamed Waheed, came last with a humiliating 5.13 per cent, according to provisional results released by the independent Elections Commission on Sunday.

It said 88.43 per cent of the 239,593 electorate turned out to vote on Saturday, the second presidential election since the country adopted a new constitution creating a multi-party democracy in 2008.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chinese man convicted via Yahoo email free

CHINA has freed a dissident writer who was convicted of leaking "state secrets" in 2005 in a landmark case where his Yahoo emails formed key evidence against him, international writers' groups say.

Shi Tao, 45, was released on August 23 after serving nearly nine years of a 10-year sentence for "providing state secrets to overseas organisations," the Independent Chinese PEN Centre and PEN International said.

"We welcome news of Shi Tao's early release, at a time when there seem to be increasingly long shadows over freedom of expression in China," said Marian Botsford Fraser, head of PEN International's Writers in Prison Committee.

"Shi Tao's arrest and imprisonment, because of the actions of Yahoo China, signalled a decade ago the challenges to freedom of expression of internet surveillance and privacy that we are now dealing with," Botsford Fraser said.

Other dissident writers said they believed Shi was arrested because of online publications in which he criticised the ruling Communist Party.

The government said Shi had leaked details via email of a "certain important document" that he learned about through his work as a reporter in the southern city of Changsha.

Yahoo later apologised for handing over Shi's emails to Chinese authorities.

In 2007, it settled a lawsuit brought on behalf of Shi and another Chinese journalist who was convicted partly through information provided by Yahoo.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM-elect Abbott hits the ground running

Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott has declared Australia "open for business". Source: AAP

PRIME Minister-elect Tony Abbott has met with public service chiefs to discuss the coalition government's policy agenda and the economy, a day after his decisive win over Labor.

"My team will hit the ground running and deliver the stronger Australia and better future that you voted for," Mr Abbott said in an open letter to voters, released on Sunday.

The Liberal leader met in Sydney with three key department chiefs, Martin Parkinson (Treasury), David Tune (Finance) and Ian Watt (Prime Minister and Cabinet), before taking briefings from defence and intelligence agencies, including an update on the Syrian crisis.

Mr Abbott told the chiefs his first item of business was scrapping the carbon tax, along with other agendas.

"There's border security, there's economic security and the people expect, quite rightly, that the incoming government will build a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia," Mr Abbott said.

The Liberal-National coalition is expected to hold between 85 and 93 seats in the 150-seat parliament after Saturday's electoral drubbing of the outgoing Rudd Labor government.

Labor could hold about 57 seats, about seven seats more than expected earlier in the year when Julia Gillard was struggling in the polls.

The crossbench will include independents Bob Katter (Kennedy) and Andrew Wilkie (Denison) and Australian Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt who retained his seat of Melbourne.

Two other seats are in contention, which could be wins for billionaire Clive Palmer in Fairfax and independent Cathy McGowan who looks like ousting Sophie Mirabella in Indi.

Despite picking up a clear majority in the lower house, the new coalition government won't hold the balance of power in the Senate.

But Mr Abbott said the Senate should respect the mandate of the incoming government.

The Greens currently hold the balance of power in the Senate and will share the balance with other minor parties when new Senators take their places from July 1 next year.

Greens leader Christine Milne said Mr Abbott's negotiation skills would be tested.

"It's clear that people didn't want Tony Abbott to have control of the entire parliament," she said.

"Now Tony Abbott's going to have to negotiate with an extraordinary array of people whose policies nobody's got any idea about."

The coalition faces negotiating with independents, Greens, the Palmer United Party, Democratic Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party and the Australian Sports Party.

Labor is searching for a new leader after Kevin Rudd declared on Saturday night he won't recontest the post he seized back from Julia Gillard in June.

Victorian MP and Right powerbroker Bill Shorten could run.

"I'm certainly not resolved about what should happen. I'm genuinely undecided," Mr Shorten said.

Mr Rudd's deputy and acting Labor leader Anthony Albanese is also a potential successor.

Another potential leader is former treasurer Chris Bowen, who retained his western Sydney seat of McMahon against tough odds.

ALP national secretary George Wright said the party had many talented people from which to choose.

"But once the leadership of the party is settled, I would hope - regardless of the rules - that once we settle that, we take that leader through to the next election."

Mr Shorten was adamant Labor was right to switch back to Mr Rudd because he had helped save seats.

"But there's no doubt the Australian people have still marked us down for talking about ourselves and being too divided," he said.

Mr Abbott's deputy Julie Bishop said there would be a party room meeting in Canberra on Monday where a new cabinet would be discussed.

"We will be very orthodox and methodical as we move into government," she told the ABC.

With some seats still being counted they expect to swear in a new ministry early next week, and until then Kevin Rudd remains caretaker prime minister, Ms Bishop said.

She said a trip to Indonesia soon was still a priority of Mr Abbott, who has vowed to stop the boats and turn them back to Indonesia when it is safe to do so.

The first asylum seeker boat since the coalition won government on Saturday has been intercepted off the Northern Territory coast.

There were 88 passengers and two crew on board.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

It may be Albanese v Shorten on leadership

WHILE potential Labor leadership contenders were keeping their powder dry on Sunday, the contest looks like coming down to Bill Shorten or Anthony Albanese.

Their undeclared rivalry may be complicated by state jealousies, with sources close to Mr Albanese saying it's time the leadership went back to New South Wales.

As Labor started contemplating at least three years in opposition, Mr Shorten said he was "genuinely undecided" about standing for the leadership.

The Victorian right-wing power broker who's held several senior portfolios said he'd have to consult his family.

He was also concerned that the process be informed by past lessons - "no rancour, no external discussions, no divisions".

That remark was seen to suggest he'd be happier standing unopposed, especially as a recent rule change gives caucus and the party's grass roots an equal say in a leadership ballot. A difference of opinion between the two would be a fertile source of new divisions.

Mr Albanese, the NSW left winger who became acting leader when Kevin Rudd stepped down on Saturday night, wouldn't say if he was contemplating nominating.

"What I will do is take up the fight, that is what I do," added the former government leader in the house, a position that gave him daily opportunities for fighting.

The sources said he was "genuinely thinking" about running, adding that given the performance of the last two leaders, from Queensland and Victoria, it was time the post came back to NSW, where Labor's performance was not as bad as feared.

The pair, appearing on different television shows, exchanged compliments.

Mr Albanese said Mr Shorten would make a good Labor leader, though he also mentioned outgoing treasurer Chris Bowen, immigration minister Tony Burke and health minister Tanya Plibersek.

Mr Shorten said his potential rival was a remarkable politician.

Trade Minister Richard Marles weighed in, saying Mr Albanese had been a wonderful servant of the party, but Labor needed to move to a new generation.

He said Mr Shorten, at 46 only four years younger than Mr Albanese, would be very good. He also praised Treasurer Chris Bowen, 40.

Bruce Hawker, Mr Rudd's political strategist, called for fresh leadership and nominated Jason Clare, 41, and Tanya Plibersek, 43, as the "face of the future".

Peter Beattie, the former Queensland premier who was unsuccessfully parachuted into a Coalition-held marginal seat, endorsed Mr Shorten as the right man to help rebuild Labor.

Climate Change Minister and South Australian left leader Mark Butler said it was too soon to say who should take up the reins.

There are seven MPs with significant ministerial experience and some claim to leadership consideration who are aged between 40 and 50. But there are no stand-out contenders.

They are, disproportionately, from NSW and male.

Senator Penny Wong wouldn't be drawn on leadership speculation, saying she would discuss that in private with her Labor colleagues.

She wants Labor to remain committed to dealing with climate change.

"Climate change hasn't gone away just because Tony Abbott got elected," she told the ABC.

"Any party focused on the future has to have a proper climate change policy. The government that has been elected doesn't. As the opposition we should retain our principle position on this."

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

First boat arrives on coalition watch

HOURS after Tony Abbott was elected prime minister promising hardline policy and immediate action on asylum seekers arriving by boat, authorities found a suspected people-smuggling vessel off Australia's north coast.

The boat, carrying 88 passengers and two crew, was spotted by a border patrol aircraft northwest of Darwin on Sunday.

A Customs vessel went to assist the boat and those on board are being transferred to Christmas Island for assessment.

It is the first boat to be intercepted by Australian authorities since the coalition's election victory on Saturday.

Mr Abbott has promised instant action to deter asylum seekers.

"We will make a difference from day one. I believe we can stop the boats in a term of government," he has said repeatedly, including during his election campaign.

Mr Abbott said a coalition government will put in place processes to turn back boats when it is safe to do so.

"These are Indonesian crewed, Indonesian flagged, Indonesian home-ported vessels that have a right to access Indonesia," Mr Abbott has said.

Indonesia has rejected the coalition plan to turn back boats, sparking concerns that relations between the two countries could turn rocky.

But Mr Abbott said the Howard government successfully turned back boats without compromising the regional relationship.

AAP has sought comment from the incoming government on the latest boat arrival.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More