Police target drugs at Sydney festival

Police targeting illegal drugs will be out in force at the Listen Out music festival in Sydney. Source: AAP

POLICE targeting illegal party drugs will be out in force at the Listen Out music festival in Sydney.

Police said officers from the dog squad, mounted unit, transport command and central metro region would be patrolling the event, which runs from 2pm-10pm (AEST) on Saturday and is expected to draw a crowd of around 10,000 revellers.

The operation at Centennial Parklands is targeting alcohol-related crime, illegal drugs, and anti-social behaviour, police said in a statement.

Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate said there would be "a large contingent of overt and covert police, including drug-detection dogs".

"Anyone who brings drugs with them can expect to be caught," he said.

"Those who plan on breaking the law will be dealt with appropriately."

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

China blocks Belgian racing pigeons import

CHINESE customs authorities have held up live deliveries of more than 1600 Belgian racing pigeons - selling to Chinese enthusiasts for thousands of euros apiece - in a customs dispute.

An initial batch of 401 pigeons, worth 1.7 million euros ($A2.47 million), left Belgium in July but was held in customs in Beijing until last week, Belgian daily La Derniere Heure reported on Saturday.

The shipment included a pigeon called Bolt, sold in May for 310,000 euros - making it the world's most expensive bird, according to the newspaper.

The Beijing authorities have now seized a second delivery of 1212 racing pigeons in a customs row with their Belgian sellers.

The birds, which are liable to a 10-per-cent import duty and value added tax of 13 per cent, had been declared to have a value of 99 euros each, despite their actual price being far higher, Beijing said.

The Belgian vendors in turn said they had declared the pigeons' true value and blamed the issue on unscrupulous intermediaries.

The Belgian Foreign Ministry has reportedly intervened to clarify the matter.

Belgium, alongside neighbouring Germany and the Netherlands, is the cradle of pigeon racing, according to the sport's organisation PIPA.

It is growing increasingly popular in China, where the birds command high prices and lucrative prize money.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Roadside bombs kill five in Afghanistan

PROVINCIAL officials say two separate roadside bomb attacks have killed five Afghan civilians in the eastern and southern parts of the country.

Shafiqullah Nang, who is spokesman for the eastern province of Ghazni, said three civilians died Saturday when their minivan was struck by a roadside bomb as they were driving from Dayak district to Ghazni city.

He says that another eight people were wounded, including two women and two children.

In a second explosion, Fared Ayal, a spokesman for the police chief of southern Uruzgan province, said two men died when their car ran over a bomb on Saturday.

Roadside bombs are the number one cause of civilian deaths in Afghanistan, and casualties have risen as insurgents step up attacks as foreign troops withdraw.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two ships crash off Japan

Two cargo ships have collided off Tokyo leaving five crew members injured, and another missing. Source: AAP

TWO cargo ships have collided off Tokyo leaving five Japanese crew members critically injured, and another missing.

The five sailors rescued on Friday evening from the Japanese-flagged Eifuku Maru No 18 were found in a state of cardiorespiratory arrest, the Japan Coast Guard said.

The coast guard was searching for the sixth crew member, the Kyodo News Agency reported.

The 498-tonne ship and the 2,962-tonne Jia Hui, registered in Sierra Leone, collided at about 1.25am on Friday near Izu Oshima island, 100km south of Tokyo.

The Japanese vessel, found capsized with all its crew missing, was heading for Chiba, east of Tokyo, from Nagoya, central Japan.

The 13 Chinese and Myanmar nationals that made up the Sierra Leone freighter's crew were rescued from waters nearby, Kyodo said.

The Jia Hui was on its way to Busan, South Korea, from Kawasaki, south of Tokyo.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Asylum seekers 'abandoned' at sea

Authorities fear for up to 70 asylum seekers still missing after their boat sank off Java. Source: AAP

SURVIVORS from an asylum-seeker boat that sank off Indonesia claim their desperate pleas to Australian authorities for help were ignored as their vessel foundered in heavy seas.

The death toll from the tragedy was on Saturday expected to surpass 50, with 30 or so people still missing.

Indonesian authorities say that at least 21 people, including seven children, drowned when the boat, which was believed to be carrying about 80 passengers, sank on Friday off the coast of Java.

A decision on whether to resume the search would be made on Sunday morning, Indonesian officials said late Saturday.

The Australian government issued a statement on Saturday evening expressing its sympathies and saying that it would provide assistance to Indonesian authorities.

Immigration and Border Protection minister Scott Morrison said Australian authorities received a call about the vessel on Friday morning that placed the stricken boat about 25 nautical miles of Indonesia.

Mr Morrison said Rescue Coordination Centre Australia maintained co-ordination of the search and notified the Indonesian rescue agency.

An all-ships broadcast was issued by Australian authorities, but a merchant ship and a border protection aircraft were both unable to find the vessel.

The dead, wrapped in yellow bodybags, some stacked on top of each other, could be seen on Saturday, exposed to the sun and heat in an open storage room of a clinic in the village of Agrabinta, near where they had washed ashore the previous day.

Many were children.

One of the survivors, Lebanese man Hussein Khodr, had reportedly lost his pregnant wife and eight children in the disaster.

But some of the survivors say that more lives could have been saved, claiming that as many as 10 calls to Australian authorities were either eventually ignored or treated as a low priority.

"We called them and we told them we're sinking, we need anybody to help us," 28-year-old Abdullah al Qisi said, according to The Australian newspaper.

"And they were telling us 'we're coming, we're coming' and they didn't come," he said.

Initial reports suggested the boat first got into trouble about 10 hours into its journey and efforts were made to return to Indonesia before it sank.

There were also claims on Saturday that the crew had abandoned ship shortly after setting off, and that the passengers had been left to fend for themselves for five days, drifting around with no engine, before calamity finally struck on Friday.

A spokesman for the Indonesian search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, said his office was not advised of an incident involving an asylum-seeker boat until 8am local time on Friday.

He said the Australian Maritime and Safety Authority had contacted BASARNAS about the boat.

However, a police official from the district of Cianjur near where the boat sank said authorities were only alerted to the incident after bodies were discovered floating in an estuary on Friday morning.

Strong waves had limited search and rescue efforts on Saturday, although three more people were found alive, taking the number of confirmed survivors to 28.

It's the first known fatal attempted asylum-seeker crossing under the coalition government, which promised that it would stop boats reaching Australia after it won this month's federal election.

The sinking comes after another group of 44 asylum seekers were rescued by an Australian navy vessel in the Sunda Strait on Thursday.

It also emerged on Saturday that a third group of 31 asylum seekers had been rescued by an Australian navy vessel, and were set to be returned to Indonesia - the second "hand-back" in as many days.

The latest tragedy in waters between Indonesia and Australia comes amid an increase in tensions between Canberra and Jakarta over the asylum-seeker issue, and days ahead of talks in Jakarta between Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Mr Abbott and President Yudhoyno will meet on Monday, with asylum-seeker policy expected to be at the top of the agenda.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jill's march to show 'peaceful defiance'

A community-led peace march is being planned on Sunday to remember Melbourne woman Jill Meagher. Source: AAP

A SOCIAL media movement that prompted 30,000 people to march through Melbourne in memory of Jill Meagher has come together again.

Users of Facebook, Twitter and even bloggers are widely promoting a peace march being held this Sunday to honour the murdered woman and other victims of violence.

Artist and photographer Philip Werner, who started last year's giant peace rally with a single online post that went viral, says he's not sure what kind of turnout to expect 12 months later.

"How do you predict these things?" he said.

The anniversary march - to be held on September 29 at noon starting on Sydney Road and Moreland Road in Brunswick - will be an opportunity for people to come together in "peaceful defiance" once again, he said.

"We need to do something positive with these negative feelings."

The tragic case of Ms Meagher's death in September last year has continued to draw national attention and outrage.

The 29-year-old had been walking home from an inner-city Brunswick bar when she was raped, murdered and buried in a shallow grave.

The community has widely backed her widowed husband's push since then to change parole laws and fix failures in the justice system.

Her killer, Adrian Ernest Bayley, is serving life in prison and was on Thursday denied an appeal bid against his 35-year minimum sentence.

Mr Werner said he hopes the legacy of such a tragedy will also be how the community came together in the face of senseless violence.

"We saw how the vast majority of people do care, and care very deeply," he said of last year's march of 30,000 people.

"We won't be forgetting her for a very long time."

A police spokeswoman said there's no estimated crowd size for this year's march, but officers will be on hand for crowd control if needed.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Forrest steps down from Poseidon

Billionaire Andrew Forrest resigned as chairman of Poseidon Nickel due to his philanthropic duties. Source: AAP

BILLIONAIRE miner Andrew Forrest has stepped down as chairman of Poseidon Nickel, one week before the company is due to repay him an $8 million loan.

Mr Forrest has resigned from the board due to his overwhelming philanthropic duties, the company said in a statement.

Mr Forrest, the chairman and founder of iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group, is also Poseidon's largest shareholder with a 30 per cent stake.

He made a loan to the company in April 2012 as Poseidon Nickel sought to restart the historic Windarra nickel project in Western Australia.

But the company has since failed to secure $200 million in debt financing to get the mine up and running.

Nickel prices have been weak due to an oversupply since 2011.

The Windarra site was developed by a separate company also called Poseidon in 1969 during a boom in prices.

That boom was quickly followed by a dramatic crash, which led to a scandal known as the Poseidon bubble, which led to changes being made to share market trading rules.

Poseidon Nickel thanked Mr Forrest for his guidance and inspiration, saying the Windarra project had been taken from a concept to an exciting development ready for construction.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld cop killer faces lengthy prison term

Slain Gold Coast detective Damian Leeding's family will have to wait for his killer's sentencing. Source: AAP

THE family of slain Gold Coast detective Damian Leeding will have to wait to learn how long his killers will spend in jail.

But if prosecutors get their way, the man who gunned the detective down will be locked up far longer than the minimum 15 years he's facing.

The detective's killers Phillip Graeme Abell, 41, and Donna Lee McAvoy, 39, fronted the Queensland Supreme Court on Friday where they were due to be sentenced.

At the same time another Gold Coast police officer was recovering in hospital after being shot in eerily similar circumstances to Detective Senior Constable Leeding.

Members of Sen-Const Leeding's family, police and other supporters packed the courtroom expectantly on Friday.

Some sighed with disappointment when it became clear the hearing was to be adjourned at the request of Abell and McAvoy's lawyers.

Abell's barrister Jeff Hunter told the judge he'd been caught off guard by the magnitude of the sentence prosecutors were seeking.

It was five to 10 years longer than he'd been expecting.

Crown prosecutor Todd Fuller did not oppose the request for more time.

"I accept that the Crown is asking for significantly harsher sentences than have previously been imposed in this court," he said.

Gunman Abell and accomplice McAvoy are facing a minimum of 15 years' prison without parole for murder.

The judge can set a longer non-parole period if he chooses.

The court also heard Abell is awaiting sentencing for another armed robbery, and McAvoy is facing trial for a different alleged crime.

Lawyers want these cases finalised first because they could affect the murder sentences.

Mr Hunter also tendered an apology to the judge from Abell, who raised his middle finger to the judge after he and McAvoy were found guilty of murder on Monday.

Abell's sentencing was adjourned until next month, and McAvoy's put off to a date to be fixed.

Another accomplice Benjamin Ernest Power, 39, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will also be sentenced at a later date.

Sen-Const Leeding, 35, was blasted in the face with a shotgun after he was called to an armed robbery at the Pacific Pines Tavern on May 29, 2011.

The husband and father-of-two died in hospital three days later when his life support was turned off.

The hearing came on the same day Gold Coast dog squad chief Sergeant Gary Hamrey was shot as he investigated an armed holdup.

Sgt Hamrey was involved in the Leeding investigation and gave evidence during Abell and McAvoy's trial.

He was shot at Arundel Tavern, about 4km from where Sen-Const Leeding was shot.

Like the late detective, he was shot in the face without warning.

But police have said Sgt Hamrey will recover.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fire ban as NSW faces severe conditions

Homes on the NSW mid north coast are under threat from bushfires for a second day in a row. Source: AAP

A TOTAL fire ban is in place for parts of NSW as emergency workers continue to battle for control over a bushfire on the mid-north coast.

The warning for the fire near Shallow Bay and Coomba Park in the Great Lakes area has been downgraded after flaring up on Friday.

Brendan Doyle of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFNSW) said the fire reached emergency warning status at lunchtime due to spotting over Shallow Bay Road.

"The fire was moving slowly towards property but firefighters were able to stop the progression," he told AAP.

The blaze has burnt about 200 hectares and remains uncontained.

Firefighters are also working to strengthen containment lines around a bushfire south of Taree.

While the blaze is under control, Mr Doyle says hot, dry and windy conditions on Saturday will put pressure on containment lines.

The RFNSW has put in place a total fire ban on Saturday for New England, Northern Slopes, Greater Sydney region, Greater Hunter and North Coast areas.

While a drop in winds and temperatures have played in firefighters favour, conditions could flare up again on Saturday.

Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecaster Jake Phillips said Saturday would bring severe fire danger on the mid-north coast.

"Most of those areas as you go in a little bit inland will have west to south-west winds and the humidity is looking low as well," he told AAP.

"Sunday will be cooler with less winds and generally a lower fire danger."

In Sydney, temperatures are forecasted to reach up to 30 degrees on Saturday with gusty winds developing throughout the day.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

William and Kate get new coat of arms

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a new coat of arms to represent them as a married couple, Kensington Palace says.

The Conjugal Coat of Arms, shown publicly for the first time on Friday, was approved by the Queen this year and combines William's coat of arms and Kate's shield from the Middleton family coat of arms.

Designed by the College of Arms in London, conjugal arms traditionally show the separate shields of a royal husband and wife, side by side.

William's shield, on the left of the coat of arms, is his version of the Royal Coat of Arms granted to him by the Queen on his 18th birthday.

It sits alongside Kate's shield from the Middleton family coat of arms, granted to the family in 2011 ahead of her marriage.

The Conjugal Arms will be the couple's coat of arms forever, but parts of it could change as their own circumstances and roles change.

They will also keep their own coats of arms to represent themselves as individuals, Kensington Palace said.

The duchess was granted her own coat of arms by the Queen after her marriage to William in 2011. It was made by putting her father's arms next to her husband's, in what is known as an impaled coat of arms.

The left shield on the Cambridges' new conjugal coat of arms is taken from the coat of arms given to William by his grandmother on his 18th birthday and shows the various royal emblems of different parts of the United Kingdom: the three lions of England, the lion of Scotland and the harp of Ireland.

It is surrounded by a blue garter bearing the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense - Shame to those who think evil of it - which symbolises the Order of the Garter, of which he is a Knight Companion.

Kate's shield on the right shows her family arms, granted to her father Michael in March 2011 before the royal wedding.

It is divided vertically with one half blue and the other half red, and includes a gold chevron across the centre with white "cotises" either side.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Put your phone away and enjoy your holiday

Queensland's Sunshine Coast is taking action to help phone addicts make the most of their holiday. Source: AAP

WE use them on the toilet and let them interrupt our sex lives - our obsession with smartphones is so shameless one Aussie tourist destination is taking unprecedented action to curb it.

In a world first, Queensland's Sunshine Coast is introducing a 'smartphone code of conduct' to help phone-addicted visitors make the most of their holiday.

Tourism operators are also backing the code, which encourages holidaymakers to kiss their mobiles goodnight, remove phones from restaurant tables and enjoy their food before uploading photos of it.

Sunshine Coast Destination Limited (SCDL) CEO Simon Ambrose says the region's tourism operators like the initiative because they are finding it increasingly difficult to communicate with visitors.

"The general feeling you get when talking to business operators is that it can be a bit disconcerting when people are constantly talking on their phones," Mr Ambrose told AAP.

"What we are saying is you need technology - it's just what you do with it."

Tourism and Events Queensland uncovered disturbing trends from research they commissioned into our mobile habits.

Almost half of Australians (48 per cent) have been interrupted by their phones during sex, while 53 per cent admitted to using their phones on the toilet.

Etiquette expert Anna Musson says Australians are so hung up on their smartphones that they can't even put them down while on holiday.

"We are going away on holidays and we are still checking emails, responding to calls and taking photos of food before we've even eaten it," Mrs Musson told AAP.

"Australians have a severe case of FOMO - a Fear Of Missing Out - if they don't check their phone every 10 minutes."

The 'smarter smartphone code of conduct' will be plastered on everything from coasters to taxi interiors across the Sunshine Coast.

All major tourism attractions and a number of hotel and restaurants in the region are also introducing 'unplugged zones' that urge holidaymakers to be smart about phone use.

Mrs Musson applauded the Sunshine Coast for introducing mobile behaviour guidelines and hoped other destinations would follow suit.

"If it went national we'd be a nicer country," she said.

"We are losing the art of conversation because rather than making small talk with someone we are playing on our smartphones."

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pfizer plans to shut down Sydney plant

Pfizer Australia has announced the phased exit of its Sydney manufacturing plant by the end of 2015. Source: AAP

ABOUT 140 workers have found out they will be without a job when pharmaceutical company Pfizer shuts down its Sydney manufacturing plant in 2015.

Pfizer Australia announced on Thursday the phased exit of the West Ryde plant, which produces tablets and capsules for both humans and animals.

"This has been a difficult decision, and reflects the need to align our global manufacturing capacity with the needs of our business," manufacturing operations director Justin Mathie said.

"Our focus in the months ahead will be on those colleagues impacted by this decision, as well as ensuring we continue to make Pfizer medicines available to Australian patients."

Mr Mathie said the pharmaceutical industry is trending away from high-volume medicines towards those of higher value that target a specific patient population or disease condition.

"This requires more flexible manufacturing facilities and a different overall approach to manufacturing," he said.

Most workers will not be impacted until 2015.

Pfizer's other Australian plant, based in Perth, will stay open.

The Australian arm of the Pfizer American multinational pharmaceutical corporation currently employs more than 1600 people.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia keeps Greenpeace activists in jail

A RUSSIAN court has ordered the detention for two months of one of the 30 Greenpeace activists arrested over a protest in the Russian Arctic against oil drilling, the group and reports say.

Denis Sinyakov, a photographer working for Greenpeace, was the first of the activists to hear the decision by a court in the northern city of Murmansk, which is hearing each of the activists' cases one by one.

It is not clear whether the verdict for the other activists will be the same.

Sinyakov was "remanded in custody for two months until November 24," Greenpeace Russia said in a tweet.

The Interfax news agency also confirmed the judgment from the courtroom.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aged-care pay boost to be suspended

THE Abbott government has suspended processing new applications from aged-care operators seeking to sign up to the previous government's program offering workers a modest pay boost.

The former Labor government introduced earlier this year a $1.2 billion aged-care workforce compact that would give aged-care workers supplementary payments of one per cent over and above award increases.

To access the supplementary payments, employers had to sign up to enterprise bargaining agreements (EBA).

The payments of an extra $1 an hour kicked in from July 1.

However, some private and catholic aged-care facilities were concerned their staff would not be eligible and criticised what they said was a lack of consultation ahead of the move.

Assistant Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield said on Thursday the Abbott government was suspending applications for the supplement while it consults with the sector on alternative policy options.

He said aged-care facilities eligible for the supplement will continue to receive it and the Department of Social Services would continue to process current applications.

Senator Fifield said the government will consider transitional arrangements for these providers as it develops alternative policy options.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Toughest tent pitch has Guinness pegged

A designer is hoping to take out a Guinness World Record for his Darwin casino beachside marquee. Source: AAP

IN a city that gets its fair share of tropical cyclones, one man is hoping his tent design will blow the Guinness World Records away.

A local innovator has submitted his design for Darwin casino's beachside marquee to the Guinness World Records, aiming to take out the title of "strongest public temporary structure in the world".

The pavilion is certified to withstand winds of 250km/h, or a medium-range category-4 tropical cyclone.

"Some people think we Aussies are very stupid - why would you want to build a tent or marquee to take (that) wind speed? Why don't you just put a permanent building there? That's the attitude from overseas," designer Colin West told AAP.

"But we're different in Australia."

A permanent structure could not be built on the site, which is Aboriginal land.

So Mr West, along with consultant engineer Peter Russell, designed the 25m x 40m temporary structure, making sure it complies with the National Construction Code, and had aluminium parts such as rafters, columns and knee braces manufactured and shipped from Germany.

It was built for one-third of the cost of an equivalent permanent building.

"We're hoping (Guinness's) London office will accept it, because it is the strongest - unless someone proves us wrong," Mr West said.

"But we can't find anywhere in the world, any manufacturer that makes (such) structures or components; there isn't one."

The marquee has a curved inflatable fabric roof designed to cope with heavy rainfall.

It has a five-metre veranda, covers 1000 square metres and is 6.5 metres tall at its peak.

It also features an internal vent system, which lets the structure cope with potential changes to internal pressure during a cyclone.

The overall design will have wide-reaching implications for mining, oil and gas companies, which are building temporary facilities across northern Australia that need to be cyclone-coded, Mr Russell said.

"On crown or public land or foreshores, people don't like people building things, but (now) you can put up something temporary that meets the safety code, isn't going to blow down, no one's going to get hurt, and a few years later you can take it away," Mr West said.

He is hoping for a quick response from Guinness.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Community pool opens in shadow of Uluru

IT gets hot and dusty in the Aboriginal desert community of Mutitjulu and for seven years the kids near Uluru have had nowhere to cool down.

That has changed with a community investment of $1.6 million of rent money from the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to partly fund a swimming pool.

Opened on Tuesday, the pool should help improve both the health and welfare of the children.

"There's a number of sites around (neighbouring) Yulara with swimming pools but the kids weren't necessarily welcome there and were moved on, on many, many occasions," director of the Central Land Council David Ross tells AAP.

"There's all sorts of reasons: tourists, paying guests, maybe they didn't like the behaviour of the kids. Kids are pretty noisy, and people are there for their vacation."

Not everyone has access to a car in that southwestern corner of the Northern Territory, and it is hard for the children to get around.

"The kids were looking for something to do in the community, and were swimming and playing in muddy sewer water," Mr Ross says.

So in 2006, the traditional owners put $100,000 of the national park's annual rent toward the construction of the Mutitjulu Tjurpinytjaku Centre pool, with a $3 million grant coming from the Aboriginals Benefit Account.

The traditional owners also added another $1.5 million to ensure the pool operates until 2017.

Mr Ross says it will benefit the community in innumerable ways, by providing employment and lifting social, health and educational standard.

"We hear all sorts of anecdotal evidence that, if you have a pool, it'll improve long-term health and welfare for children with breathing problems, eye problems, ear, nose, throat, all those issues," he says.

"People are in water, so they're going to be much cleaner and they're physically doing something in that water rather than breathing in dust all the time."

A 'no school, no pool' policy will keep kids attending classes, he says.

"It's an improvement not just to the Commonwealth but the Northern Territory government's bottom line in terms of how much they spend on health and welfare and whatnot in communities," Mr Ross says.

After 2017, the community will need additional funding, so Mr Ross hopes the economic argument will sway the government to invest in an area.

However, he knows of three other community pools at Areyonga, Kintore and Santa Teresa in Central Australia that have had to close because they aren't receiving any funding.

Mr Ross said that costs would ideally be shared so traditional owners can invest their rent money in other community projects.

The Labor party promised to fund them all if re-elected, but Mr Ross says the CLC is still waiting on word from the new coalition government on whether it will support what he says is a great asset to the community.

"If you'd seen these kids jumping in the pool, they don't need to tell you (how happy they are)," he says.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

ADF releases Afghan insider attack report

A defence report questions the protection give to three Australian diggers killed in Afghanistan. Source: AAP

A DEFENCE inquiry into a rogue Afghan soldier's murder of three Australian soldiers is highly critical of the "relaxed" security at the time of the attack.

Vice Chief of the Defence Force Air Marshal Mark Binskin says there were shortfalls in protection and decisions made on the ground, but acknowledged that greater security still may not have prevented the deaths of Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, Sapper James Martin and Private Robert Poate.

"No matter how much you put in place you can never, 100 per cent, stop someone trying to commit a crime like this," he said.

"You can mitigate the risk as best you can but I don't believe you could ever stop someone who is intent on doing this."

Air Marshal Binskin said insider attacks remained a complex and evolving threat.

The three men died and two other diggers were injured when Afghan sergeant Hekmatullah fired 10 to 15 automatic rounds at Australian soldiers who were playing cards inside a patrol base 20km north of Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan province on August 29, 2012.

Air Marshal Binskin said the inquiry into the attack highlighted serious issues and made six recommendations to which defence has agreed.

Four relate to possible administrative action against three ADF members, including the patrol commander, which the chief of the defence force has referred to the chief of army for consideration.

The fifth concerns instant response capability that has been implemented and the sixth is that a commission of inquiry was not warranted.

Air Marshal Binskin said the decisions and actions made at the time were at the minimum level of authorised force protection to provide security for the soldiers.

"However, they did not adequately address the specific situation at the patrol base, that potentially placed personnel at significant risk to the threat of fire."

The inquiry officer found the decision to adopt a relaxed level of security was not in accordance with orders and meant the troops were not ready.

Some soldiers were dressed in gym gear and not wearing body armour. Two soldiers have since been disciplined over their inappropriate dress.

Air Marshal Binskin said it wasn't possible to make a link between protection arrangements and the reasons behind the insider attack.

"There were no weaknesses or deficiencies in our intelligence preparation and no information to Australian or coalition forces to suggest Hekmatullah was a threat to Australians," he said.

"In fact, his existence was unremarkable from a personnel or intelligence perspective."

He said they may never know what prompted the attack but bringing Hekmatullah to justice remained a key focus.

"Let me assure you, we will not let this go."

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Blunders from the top down led to fraud

A SERIES of blunders by officials and the state's crime watchdog allowed $16.6 million of taxpayers' money to fall into the hands of a Queensland Health employee who claimed he was a Tahitian prince.

One of the biggest mistakes was the failure to thoroughly investigate a tip-off in 2010 that Joel Morehu-Barlow would abscond to Paris to live a life of luxury after defrauding Queensland Health.

That email landed in the Crime and Misconduct Commissions's inbox 15 months before Barlow, a financial officer with the health department, took $11 million in a single transaction.

On Wednesday, the CMC conceded the handling of the complaint, received on August 5, 2010, had exposed a number of failures.

CMC Assistant Commissioner Kathleen Florian said investigations into the handling of the 2010 complaint revealed shortcomings in Queensland Health, Queensland Police and the crime commission.

Queensland police only conducted an Australian criminal check, despite the email stating Barlow was wanted in New Zealand.

The CMC had handballed the complaint to Queensland Health to deal with - but only on the day the email tip-off claimed Barlow was planning to skip the country.

Ms Florian said the CMC officer was right to refer the complaint to Queensland Health because it didn't allege the fraud was systematic or was being committed by a very senior officer.

"Where the CMC could improve was the timeliness of that referral," she told reporters on Wednesday.

"It was fortunate Mr Barlow did not in fact leave Australia for Paris."

Queensland Health also failed to thoroughly probe the claims made in the email.

The body's ethical standards unit contacted Barlow's then manager who advised there were no concerns about Barlow in the workplace and he had no opportunity to commit fraud.

The reality was Barlow had taken long absences from work and showered his colleagues with lavish gifts he told them he could afford because he was a member of the Tahitian royal family.

However the $11 million Barlow siphoned into a phantom health organisation in November 2011 was the red flag that couldn't be ignored.

In March, Barlow was sentenced to 14 years' jail over the $16.6 million fraud which occurred between 2007 and 2011.

The CMC's misconduct investigation found Barlow acted alone but some Queensland Health staff had inadvertently helped him.

The CMC report into the crime, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, found enough evidence to substantiate 24 misconduct claims against nine Queensland Health officers, including Barlow.

One worker has already been sacked and Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg says more may be given their marching orders.

However, some will remain in the public service.

Mr Springborg said two officers who had been exonerated would keep their jobs, while another three had been retrained.

He said a raft of changes had already been implemented to ensure a crime of similar scale could not occur again.

Three signatures are now required for any payments over $100,000, while crime checks for employees had been extended to include New Zealand, he said.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott recruiting for indigenous council

PM Tony Abbott has begun recruiting a team of experts for the indigenous advisory council. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott's new indigenous advisory council will complete a review of indigenous spending by early next year.

Mr Abbott has begun recruiting people for the council, which will oversee a shake up of indigenous affairs.

Warren Mundine on Wednesday officially signed on to be the council's chairman.

He said his preference was for the council to have seven or eight members.

The membership will be finalised before the end of October.

"It's not a representative committee ... it's a council of experts, indigenous and non-indigenous, who will be working in this space to get the socio-economic outcomes for indigenous people," Mr Mundine told AAP.

"It will be based on expertise, but the majority will be indigenous people on the council."

Mr Mundine confirmed former Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet boss Peter Shergold will be on the council.

In the early 90s Dr Shergold headed the now defunct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Commission.

The council will meet Mr Abbott and senior ministers three times a year.

Mr Mundine, a former Labor national president, will meet with Mr Abbott and Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion on a monthly basis.

Mr Mundine flagged that some meetings would be held in indigenous communities.

"We want to get out and about," he said.

The council's first task is to conduct a review of indigenous spending and how to get value for money.

Mr Mundine has stressed the review is not about budget cuts.

He expects the review to be finalised by February or March 2014.

* People can register their interest to be on the council by emailing indigenousadvisorycouncil@pmc.gov.au

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Putin says Arctic activists broke law

Russian agents will detain the "most active" of the protesters on the Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise. Source: AAP

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin says 30 Greenpeace activists arrested by Russia were not "pirates" but had broken the law in a protest against Arctic oil exploration, as the authorities detained all the campaigners pending trial.

On Tuesday, Russia opened a criminal probe into suspected piracy by the four Russian and 26 foreign Greenpeace activists, with charges carrying the maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.

Russian authorities placed the 30 activists in detention centres in and around the far northern city of Murmansk on Wednesday after they were moved ashore from the group's Dutch-flagged vessel following their protest in the Barents Sea earlier this month.

"I do not know the details of what has happened but it's completely obvious that of course they are not pirates," Putin told an international Arctic forum in the far northern city of Salekhard.

In his first comments on the high-profile seizure of the Greenpeace vessel, he said it was "completely obvious these people violated the norms of international law."

Putin's comments indicate the charges of piracy could be dropped during the investigation. A spokesman for the Investigative Committee also said earlier Wednesday the current charges might be changed if new evidence emerges.

Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for the Russian equivalent of the FBI, said in a statement that all the 30 activists had been detained "as suspects."

Greenpeace had been trying to draw global attention to the dangers of Russian-led efforts to develop the Arctic as ice breaks up due to global warming.

The group sent a team of inflatable boats to a platform of Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom in the Barents Sea earlier this month from the Arctic Sunrise.

The icebreaker was last week seized by the Russian authorities and towed to Murmansk.

The foreign activists are nationals of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Ukraine, France, Italy, Turkey, Finland, Switzerland, Poland and Sweden.

A representative of the regional investigators in Murmansk told AFP the high-profile case was overseen by Moscow-based colleagues.

"That means it is all very serious," she said on condition of anonymity.

The environmentalists' detention drew condemnation from Greenpeace and generated concerns in the West.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

PNG wants to scrap Westminster

PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill wants the current Westminster system replaced by a federal system. Source: AAP

PAPUA New Guinea prime minister Peter O'Neill has asked the nation's Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) to consider scrapping the Westminster system of government in favour of federalism.

Under the proposal, first raised by former prime minister Sir Julius Chan in parliament last week, the prime minister would be directly elected by the people, Mr O'Neill said.

Sir Julius, one of PNG's founding fathers, has been campaigning strongly for a federal system and argued it was fair and representative for PNG and it's more than 850 cultures.

Mr O'Neill said on Tuesday the change will consolidate political stability.

"I fully share (Sir Julius') views because if we are to progress as a nation, we must continue to find ways to improve and consolidate what we have," Mr O'Neill said in a statement on Tuesday night.

"We must never be afraid of change that will bring stability and prosperity for the future."

Mr O'Neill urged the CLRC to undertake a year-long nationwide consultation and report their findings to Parliament.

The Chief Secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc has been asked to liaise with the CLRC to work out the Terms of Reference for the consultation.

PNG last week celebrated its 38th year of independence from Australia.

Since then the country has been run by a single House of Parliament, where no one party has achieved the numbers enough to rule outright.

As a result, PNG's parliament has been periodically rocked by sudden and unexpected votes of no confidence as shaky coalitions realign.

In mid 2011 Mr O'Neill came to power by unseating PNG's longest serving PM, Sir Michael Somare, in a vote of no confidence while the veteran MP was in Singapore undergoing heart surgery.

The Supreme Court declared that move illegal, a decision that sparked a prolonged period of political unrest which included a failed military mutiny by supporters of Sir Michael.

At the end of the mid-2012 national election Mr O'Neill returned to the prime minister's chair, at the head of a coalition that included former prime ministers and former enemy Sir Michael.

Mr O'Neill earlier this year used his massive parliamentary majority to ban votes of no confidence in his government for 30 months.

Last week he convinced 82 of his 101 backers to pass constitutional amendments requiring a month's notice by a fifth of parliament to bring a vote of no confidence.

He pledged to resign as PM if ever lost the confidence of 56 of PNG's 111 parliamentarians.

The opposition, which currently number seven, have vowed to fight the vote of no confidence laws in the courts.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

US developing 'Richter' scale for fires

US researchers have been working on a system to measure and predict the destructiveness of wildfires - similar to the way officials use the magnitude scale for earthquakes and other tools to rate and evaluate tornadoes and hurricanes.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology hopes its Wildland Urban Interface Hazard Scale will tell residents the likely intensity of a wildfire burning into their neighbourhood.

The scale would allow city planners to assign better building codes for the millions of people who live in fire-prone areas in the US West and would also measure how those homes could contribute to the spread of a fire.

The proposed scale would range from E1 to E4 - with E4 being a location's highest exposure to fire, from grasslands to a forest in a remote mountain canyon. Building codes and buffer zones between homes and forest could then be set accordingly.

Nelson Bryner, research engineer for the institute's fire research division, envisions the day when TV stations report that a wildfire is burning in an E4 community. But he said the scale is primarily meant to form the technical foundation for tougher building codes for high-risk areas.

Insurers also are eager for results. Payouts after western wildfires have grown exponentially. In the 1970s, wildfires destroyed about 400 homes across the US. Since 2000, wildfires have destroyed about 3000 homes per year, according to NIST.

Researchers are analysing building materials, grasses, trees, shrubs, topography, weather patterns and especially the behaviour of wind-driven embers as ignition fuel.

NIST has already developed a mobile app and is developing other computer programs that will allow fire marshals, building inspectors and others to rate an area before a fire starts. Researchers caution it will be several years before that happens.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Assets seized in Mafia-linked case

ITALIAN authorities have seized assets worth more than 700 million euros ($A1.01 billion) belonging to a Sicilian businessman known as the "king of supermarkets," who has been convicted for his links to a fugitive senior mafia boss.

A court in Trapani approved on Tuesday the confiscation of 12 firms, 220 real estate properties and 133 plots of land, which 64-year-old Giuseppe Grigoli was said to have acquired through criminal activities, including money laundering.

Grigoli, who used to own most supermarkets in western Sicily, was arrested in 2007 and jailed for 12 years by an appeals court in July 2012. Judges established that he acted as a front man for Matteo Messina Denaro, one of the leaders of the Sicilian mafia.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shorten kicks off Labor leadership debate

Voters support Anthony Albanese (pic) over Bill Shorten as Labor leader, a new poll shows. Source: AAP

BILL Shorten has kicked off the Labor leadership debate, saying the big question is how Labor will remain relevant to the lives of Australians in the future.

He and Anthony Albanese are debating each other in Sydney as part of their nationwide campaign to sway rank and file members who will take part in an historic vote for Labor's parliamentary party leader under new Labor guidelines.

Mr Shorten said the party had to move on from the disappointing election loss and focus on its list of achievements and great history.

"It comes to a question of how will we help make Labor relevant to the lives of Australians in the future," he said.

"Not just in the next 24 hours or next week or next month. How does our Labor, as it has in the past and it should do in future, how do we make sure that our values and our ideas speak to the future lives of Australians?" he said.

In line with the pair's stated mission of keeping their campaigns civil, Mr Shorten said his rival would make a good Labor leader who would serve the party well.

Mr Shorten said Labor needed to be brave for people who needed a champion, such as victims of domestic violence.

Mr Albanese also praised his rival for the leadership before saying his objective was to lead a movement committed to a better Australia.

Mr Albanese said his vision for the party would simply be based upon what people were talking about around the kitchen table.

"They talk about simple things. How to get a better education for their kids. Is there good health care if someone in their family gets sick? Do they have adequate access to child care? Are their jobs secure with decent working conditions?" he said.

He added another priority if elected Labor leader would be sustainability.

"That is why the price on carbon is critical. Climate change didn't end when Tony Abbott became prime minister," he said.

"So that means enhancing our natural environment and it means clean energy and future jobs. It also means engagement in our cities."

A man in the audience received rousing applause after asking whether both leadership contenders were prepared to lose an election on a more humane refugee policy.

Mr Shorten and Mr Albanese both defended Labor's tough-love approach and spoke about the complexity of the issue.

"We do want an orderly migration program, but we also want to treat people with compassion and with respect and as people," Mr Albanese said.

"And that's something that during the last term the former government stopped doing."

Mr Shorten supports lifting the refugee intake and is pro-refugees, but is also concerned about lives lost at sea.

On the future of aged care, Mr Shorten flagged the need to look at financial instruments including Paul Keating's idea about a sovereign wealth fund for people to draw down on in their 80s or 90s.

"It's time for big thinking in aged care," he said.

When asked about the importance of Labor's legacy setting up the national disability insurance scheme, Mr Albanese shared a personal story about his single mum who suffered rheumatoid arthritis and was on an "invalid pension".

"My mum couldn't use a knife or fork... she was pretty crippled up," he said.

Eventually a friend helped arrange a surgeon to reconstruct her hands and feet.

"What that says to me is often in society people do get left behind," Mr Albanese said.

Labor needed to be both a constructive opposition and use its time to develop the next big ideas, such as the NBN, Mr Albanese said.

He said they needed to ensure sustainability was factored into Labor's big ideas and defended issues like carbon pricing.

Mr Shorten said the process of campaigning for leadership was strengthening for the party and if he won the vote the party would stand up for injustice and work as a team.

"The era of the messiah is over. No more messiahs," he roared to widespread applause.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Improve urban life: Bloomberg

New York's mayor is offering cities in Europe millions for plans to improve urban life. Source: AAP

NEW York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is offering European cities millions to come up with plans to improve urban life, tapping his personal fortune as the end of his tenure nears to extend his cities-as-civic-laboratories campaign outside America, as the end of his own tenure nears.

The billionaire businessman-turned-politician invited about 600 sizeable European cities Tuesday to compete for nine million euros ($A12.98 million) from his personal foundation.

The competition could signal how Bloomberg aims to maintain and broaden his impact on government after his 12-year tenure ends in December.

"I am a big believer in the power of cities to shape the future," Bloomberg said in a statement ahead of a news conference at London City Hall. He said the contest would spotlight "bold ideas which can take root in Europe and spread around the world."

Modelled on a Bloomberg Philanthropies contest that awarded $US9 million ($A9.60 million) to five US cities this year, the European competition seeks ideas that solve problems or make government more efficient or citizen-friendly.

It's open to cities with 100,000 or more residents in 40 countries. Winners of a five million euro grand prize and four one million euro awards will be announced next northern autumn.

In the recent US version of the Mayors Challenge, the $US5 million top prize went in March to Providence, Rhode Island. Its project aims to improve poor children's vocabulary by outfitting them with recording devices if their parents agree to it, counting the words the children hear and coaching parents.

Four other cities that won $US1 million apiece - Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Santa Monica, California - also are gearing up their projects.

As mayor, Bloomberg isn't shy about encouraging others to follow New York's lead on such new initiatives as trying to ban many eateries from selling super-size, sugary drinks. Meanwhile, he's borrowed bicycle-sharing and some other ideas from elsewhere.

The organisation also supports environmental, education, health and arts projects. It gave away a total of $US370 million last year.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

ALP wins McEwen in federal election

Labor's Rob Mitchell has retained the Victorian seat of McEwen by 345 votes. Source: AAP

THE ALP may have lost the election, but it has managed to hold onto the final undeclared Victorian seat of McEwen.

Counting is complete in the central Victorian seat and Labor MP Rob Mitchell has held onto it by about 345 votes.

Mr Mitchell will let the Australian Electoral Commission officially declare the seat, but said "it is just a formality now".

His Liberal opponent Donna Petrovich has contacted him and released a statement conceding defeat.

"It has been a long, challenging and extremely close count since election day, however as the final ballots are tallied I concede that Labor has retained the seat," she said in the statement.

Labor suffered a swing of about 10 per cent against it in McEwen and Mr Mitchell blamed this on the ALP's "internal issues".

Ms Petrovich gave up her upper house Victorian seat to contest the federal seat.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prince Harry to visit Australia

Britain's Prince Harry will make his first official visit to Australia in October. Source: AAP

PRINCE Harry will make his first official visit to Australia in October.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the royal visit on Monday, adding that he looked forward to welcoming the fourth-in-line to the British throne.

"Australians have great warmth towards members of the royal family," Mr Abbott said in a statement.

The playboy prince, 28, will attend numerous events held to mark the centenary of the first entry of the Royal Australian Navy's Fleet into Sydney, including the harbour city's International Fleet Review.

The event is being held from October 3-11.

Captain Wales, as he is known in the military, is an operational Apache helicopter pilot with the British Army Air Corps.

Although he visited Australia during a gap year in 2003, this will be the popular royal's first official visit representing the Queen.

The Prime Minister's office said further details of the visit would be released closer to the date.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fifteen charged following raids in Sydney

FIFTEEN people have been charged following Sydney raids on an Assyrian syndicate allegedly involved in murders, drugs and shootings.

About 340 police officers swooped on homes and businesses across the city on Monday, seizing drugs, a pill press, luxury items and cash.

Police allege those arrested are members or associates of the criminal gang DLAST HR, which may have overseas links.

They say the 15 are accused of a variety of offences.

A 34-year-old is charged with knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group and recruiting others to assist in carrying out criminal activities.

The youngest to be nabbed was a 21-year-old man, charged with participating in a criminal group and other matters, while the eldest was a 63-year-old Fairfield man charged with possessing a prohibited drug.

Two women, aged 22 and 24, also face charges.

During the raids 22 properties, including a real-estate and car dealership, were targeted in several suburbs, including Fairfield, Campbelltown and Rossmore.

South West Metro Region Commander Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli said the searches followed two years of hard work.

He said those targeted had been involved in public shootings and murders.

"Some of the information relates to cannabis but what we are talking about is an enterprise, a criminal group that have made thousands upon thousands of dollars through their criminal activities," he said.

The NSW Crime Commission was also been involved in the Strike Force Evesson investigation.

Items seized included eight kilograms of cannabis, almost $25,000 in cash, four jet skis, a boat and a Lotus sports car.

Fairfield Local Area Commander Superintendent Peter Lennon did not rule out links with a wider crime network outside Australia.

"They are domestic although we are aware of some other links that they have got," he said.

"I wouldn't call it international but ... it's a little bit more than just domestic."

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said police would not rest until every criminal was behind bars.

"It's one that we will be continuing to pay particular attention to and certainly from my perspective you can be assured the NSW police will do all we can to break up this and other similar groups," he said.

Strike Force Evesson will continue over the coming months.

Those charged will face courts across Sydney over the coming weeks and months.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tributes flow for couple killed in Kenya

A YOUNG Australian architect who gave his expertise and time helping the disadvantaged people of Eastern Africa has been killed along with his pregnant partner during a militant massacre at a Kenyan shopping centre.

Tasmanian-born Ross Langdon and his wife Elif Yavuz were expecting their first child in weeks when they were gunned down by Islamist attackers at Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre on Saturday.

The director of an architectural firm with offices in both Melbourne and London, Mr Langdon spent much of his time working on projects in East Africa, including offering his pro bono services for an HIV-Aids hospital and launching a "rusty roof exchange" program aiming to improve domestic housing.

Mr Langdon, who was much-decorated in his field, was about to start work on a $35 million museum.

"Besides a personal loss for myself, this is a major global loss," Tasmanian-based friend and sculptor Peter Adams wrote on his personal website.

"This cannot be underestimated or glossed over by the political pundits who will label Ross and Elif and their unborn child as unfortunate casualties in the war on terror."

Meanwhile, tributes have flowed around the world for Mr Langdon - who held dual British citizenship - and his Dutch wife.

"They didn't want to know if the baby was a boy or a girl, so they had chose names for both sexes," wrote friend Lisa, saying she had met with them in Nairobi in the past week.

"I have no words right now."

Ms Yavuz held a PhD in public health policy at Harvard University and was a specialist on malaria, working for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Kenya.

"Both had dedicated their lives to working for a peaceful world. Both had so much to offer," Mr Adams wrote of Mr Langdon and Ms Yavuz.

The pair are believed to have been aged in their early 30s.

An Australian lawyer in the shopping mall at the time it was attacked said there was confusion about what was going on during the incident.

"It sounded like scaffolding falling at first, I wasn't that concerned," Heidi Edwards, who works in the city for the Kenya Human Rights Commission, told the ABC.

"Then there was some panic going on and then another one (noise) in quick succession and then some gunshots."

She recalled how she and others found an unlocked staff access and hid in a stairwell until the gunfire stopped.

"There was no sirens which, for a Westerner was quite surprising - if that happened in Australia there would be sirens everywhere," she said.

"It was just confusion more than anything else."

Prime Minister Tony Abbott condemned the attack, which killed at least 69 and injured almost 200 others.

"That an Australian was among those killed in the attack is a terrible reminder that Australia is not immune from acts of terrorism around the world and that Al Qaeda-linked groups continue to present a serious global threat," he said in a statement.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kidman supports 'China Hollywood' bid

NICOLE Kidman attended a star-studded event that has seen China's richest man announce plans to spend 50 billion yuan ($A8.79 billion) to build the country's version of Hollywood in the northeastern city of Qingdao.

Wang Jianlin's red carpet event in Qingdao on Sunday underlined his outsized ambitions for China's entertainment industry. Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Travolta and Leonardo DiCaprio rubbed elbows with Chinese stars including Zhang Ziyi, Jet Li and Tony Leung at the event in Qingdao, best known for Tsingtao Brewery founded when Germany colonised the city a century ago.

Wang's success in attracting the A-list actors to his launch, held the same day as the Emmy entertainment awards show in Los Angeles, also highlights how the centre of gravity in the global film industry is shifting to the east.

The tycoon said his company, Dalian Wanda Group, will build a state-of-the-art film studio complex in a bid to dominate China's rapidly growing movie market.

The Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis's 20 studios will include a permanent underwater studio and a 10,000 square-metre stage that Wang said would be the world's biggest. The facility will also include an Imax research and development centre, cinemas and China's biggest film and celebrity wax museums. The first phase is planned to open in June 2016 and it will be fully operational by June 2017.

A yacht marina, eight hotels and a theme park will be built to attract tourists.

The company has signed a preliminary deal with "a number of global film and television giants and talent agencies" to shoot about 30 foreign films a year. It did not name the companies.

Wang also hopes to attract more than 50 Chinese production companies to make at least 100 domestic films and TV shows a year at the studios, where sets will simulate locations from Europe, the Middle East and China's Ming and Qing dynasties.

He predicted China's film market would become the world's biggest in five years, and compared it to a big cake that foreign studios would love to share.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Keith Urban has No.1 album in Australia

Country music star Keith Urban has scored his second No.1 album in Australia with Fuse. Source: AAP

KATY Perry has reclaimed No.1 on the ARIA singles chart with her track Roar.

Having been superseded by Redfoo last week, Perry returns to the top for a fourth week.

Redfoo's Let's Get Ridiculous has dropped to No.3, behind Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball.

At No.4 this week is Jason DeRulo with Talk Dirty, featuring rapper 2 Chainz.

Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness remix is steady at No.5.

Climbing to a new peak of No.6 is Something I Need for OneRepublic.

Avicii is back up one spot to No.7 with Wake Me Up, while Love Me Again by John Newman drops back two spots to No.8.

Drake's Hold on, We're Going Home has shot up five places to No.9 ahead of Eminem's Berzerk at No.10.

The top three albums in the country are all new entries this week, with Australian country music star Keith Urban taking out the top spot with his ninth studio album Fuse.

This becomes his second No.1 album in Australia after 2012's The Story So Far.

The debut album for Tom Bergling, better known as Avicii, enters at No.2.

Jack Johnson, who is heading to Australia for a national tour in December, has debuted at No.3 with his sixth studio album From Here to Now to You.

With three big new entries, it pushes last week's top four albums down three places each, with AM for The Arctic Monkeys down to No.4, If You Wait by London Grammar at No.5, The Truth About Love for Pink at No.6 and Fleetwood Mac's 25 Years - The Chain at No.7.

Passenger is back up one place to No.8 with All the Little Lights, followed by Loud Like Love from Placebo at No.9

Bruno Mars returns to the Top 10 at No.10 with Unorthodox Jukebox following the release of his new single Gorilla.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

5 Freo arrests as Dockers fans cheer

WA Police say only five arrests were made in Fremantle after the team won the AFL preliminary final. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of euphoric Fremantle Dockers fans have celebrated wildly in the port city after the AFL team's convincing win against Sydney Swans, but only five arrests were made for minor offences.

West Australian police said the charges mostly stemmed from offences like failing to obey a move-on notice and obstructing police.

All arrests were in the Fremantle CBD after the Dockers 25-point win over the Sydney Swans in Saturday night's AFL preliminary final in Perth.

"Given the huge numbers, the crowds were actually pretty well-behaved," a police spokeswoman said.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic man dead in highway crash

A man has died after his vehicle veered into the path of an oncoming car north-east of Melbourne. Source: AAP

A MAN is dead after his vehicle veered into the path of an oncoming car north-east of Melbourne.

The driver of a sedan, who died at the scene, was heading west on the Warburton Highway at Seville East when he veered into the path of a Nissan Navara heading east around 9.30am (AEST) on Sunday.

Police say three occupants of the Nissan were treated for minor injuries.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

The death brings the state's provisional road toll to 164 compared to 193 this time last year.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man terrorising Qld women drivers: police

Police have released an image of a man who is terrorising women in north Queensland. Source: AAP

POLICE have released an image of a man who is terrorising women in north Queensland.

A woman driving along Flying Fishing Point Road at Innisfail, south of Cairns, was assaulted after stopping for a man on the side of the road around 10pm (AEST) on September 19.

He approached the car and after a brief conversation, grabbed her hair before fleeing, police say.

Innisfail officers say a similar incident occurred two weeks ago on the same road where a man ran in front of a car and then tried to put his arm through the driver's window.

The woman escaped by driving off.

Police are encouraging other women who have experienced such incidents to come forward.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bombers kill 53 at Pakistan church

Two suicide bombers have killed at least 53 people attending a church service in Pakistan. Source: AAP

TWO suicide bombers have killed at least 53 people and wounded more than 100 attending a church service in restive northwestern Pakistan.

The Sunday attack in Peshawar is one of the deadliest for years on Christians in the overwhelmingly Muslim country.

The death toll was given by Doctor Sher Ali, deputy medical superintendent of the city's main Lady Reading Hospital.

Peshawar's commissioner Sahibzada Anees told reporters the bombers struck as the service ended.

"Most of the wounded are in critical condition," he said, adding special security had been in force to protect the church.

"We are in an area which is a target of terrorism and within that area there was a special security arrangement for the church."

Schoolteacher Nazir Khan, 50, said at least 400 worshippers were greeting each other when there was a huge explosion.

"A huge blast threw me on the floor and as soon as I regained my senses, a second blast took place and I saw wounded people everywhere," Khan told AFP.

Television footage showed ambulances rushing the wounded to hospital.

Grieved relatives gathered outside the church and shouted slogans against police over the security lapse.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the bombings.

"Terrorists have no religion and targeting innocent people is against the teachings of Islam and all religions," he said in a statement.

Sharif said such "cruel acts of terrorism reflect the brutality and inhumane mindset of the terrorists".

He expressed his solidarity with the Christian community and deep sympathies with bereaved family members.

Only two per cent of Pakistan's population of 180 million are Christian. The community is largely poor and complains of increasing discrimination.

17.52 | 0 komentar | Read More