Salvestro-Martin hits out at 'vile' claims

LABOR'S candidate for the federal seat of Bennelong says he has "total faith" the party would not sack him without first letting him answer corruption allegations.

Jeff Salvestro-Martin, a councillor for Ryde Council, is due to front the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) next week but says he's a protected witness.

The corruption watchdog is investigating whether he and five other councillors received undisclosed political donations, in the form of election advertising, ahead of last year's local government elections.

The NSW party branch on Friday recommended he be stood down as ALP candidate for the Liberal-held seat of Bennelong in northwest Sydney.

Late on Saturday Mr Salvestro-Martin said he had returned from holidays to media reports that he'd lost his preselection, but was yet to hear from the party.

"I have had no contact or discussions with the NSW ALP head office or the federal executive on my candidacy," he said in a statement.

"I have total faith that the party would not act unilaterally as reported in the media - that is, to make a decision without allowing me to answer any allegations."

Mr Salvestro-Martin said the corruption claims were "nonsense, baseless and vile".

"I make it clear that I am innocent of any wrongdoing and I am a protected witness at the upcoming ICAC inquiry," he said.

He plans to issue a formal statement about his candidacy on Sunday.

ICAC's public inquiry begins on Monday before Assistant Commissioner Theresa Hamilton.

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Track fault blamed in French train crash

A passenger train has derailed and crashed into a station outside Paris, killing at least seven. Source: AAP

A TRAIN derailment near Paris that killed six people was caused by a fault in the tracks, France's state rail company says, as the transport minister urged upgrades to aging regional lines.

The SNCF said the derailment on Friday, which left dozens injured, was caused by a connecting bar that had come loose at a rail switch at the station at Bretigny-sur-Orge, about 25km south of Paris.

The joint bar "broke away, it became detached and came out of its housing," said Pierre Izard, the SNCF's general manager for infrastructure.

It "lodged itself at the centre of the switch, prevented the normal progression of the train's wheels and seems to have caused the train's derailment," he said.

The company said the switch had been checked on July 4 and that it was immediately ordering checks of some 5000 similar joints on its network.

"We have decided to check equipment of this nature on the entire network and are starting now," SNCF chief Guillaume Pepy said.

Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier said human error was not to blame for the accident, praising the train's driver who he said "had absolutely extraordinary reflexes by sending the alert immediately", preventing a collision with an oncoming train.

But he said France's regional rail lines were out of date, after the SNCF focused much of its attention in recent years on high-speed TGV lines.

"We cannot be satisfied with rolling stock that is 30 years old," Cuvillier said, adding: "The situation is severe, with the deterioration in recent years of traditional lines because of a lack of resources."

A railway passenger association also denounced what it called "rust-bucket trains" and the practice of coupling different types of trains together, demanding proper inspections.

A minute of silence was held at noon on Saturday on all French trains and in all stations for the victims of the accident, which took place as many were leaving for summer holidays ahead of the Bastille Day holiday on Sunday.

A source close to the investigation said the dead were four men and two women, aged between 19 and 82.

In what officials described as a "catastrophe", the train came off the tracks and crashed into the station platform at 5.14 pm local time on Friday, as it travelled at 137km/h on its way from Paris to the west-central city of Limoges.

Four carriages of the train jumped the tracks, of which three overturned. One carriage smashed across a platform and came to rest on a parallel track; another lay half-way across the platform. There were 385 passengers on the train.

The local prefect's office said six people had been killed and nine seriously injured, including two in critical condition. Health officials said at least 50 people had been treated for injuries.

Rescuers worked throughout the night searching for victims potentially trapped in overturned carriages, but the prefect's office said no more were expected to be found.

The SNCF, judicial authorities and France's BEA safety agency were each carrying out separate investigations of the accident.

Witnesses said the crash site resembled a war zone, with 57-year-old passenger Marc Cheutin saying he had to "step over a decapitated person" to exit the carriage he had been travelling in.

The derailment was France's worst rail accident since 2008, when a train collided with a schoolbus, killing seven schoolchildren.

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World's media sweat it out for royal baby

THE media frenzy over the birth of Prince William and his wife Catherine's baby has reached fever pitch as the reported due date came and went with no sign of the royal heir.

A rumour that the Duchess of Cambridge had gone into labour on Thursday spread like wildfire on Twitter and reportedly caused British Prime Minister David Cameron's office to call Buckingham Palace to check on it.

It was another false alarm, but the dozens of international journalists camped outside the private London hospital where Kate is giving birth are on tenterhooks, knowing that it could happen any day now.

The palace has said the baby was due in "mid-July" and many editors have had this weekend in the diary for weeks - even though any parent knows that babies rarely arrive on time.

William's father, Prince Charles, revealed that it is not just royal observers waiting for the baby, as they attended a festival celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on Friday.

Charles, the heir to the throne who will become a grandfather for the first time, said "it won't be long now" as he surveyed a range of commemorative china to mark the new arrival.

His second wife Camilla, who is already a grandmother, added in conversation: "We are very excited. Immensely looking forward to it and waiting for the phone call."

The popularity of William and Kate, who married in a glittering wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011, has turned the birth of their first child into a global event.

Media organisations have been installed outside St Mary's Hospital in Paddington for almost two weeks now, and in the absence of news, time has been passing slowly.

For the television networks, the top priority is to hold their positions around the clock, working 12-hour shifts in baking summer heat.

That means fiercely defending their territory, never yielding an inch of space to a rival station, and woe betide anyone touching the gaffer tape marking out an organisation's patch.

The main British news broadcasters - BBC, ITN and Sky News - have got the prime spots, lined up in front of the major US networks, which have maximised their space with some mammoth pieces of broadcasting hardware.

Behind them, it is a scramble to get a decent angle to shoot the doorway where William himself first saw daylight in 1982, carried out of the Lindo Wing by his parents Prince Charles and Diana.

For the time being, the door is guarded by a police officer who is rapidly becoming the most filmed man on the planet.

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14 killed in traffic pile-up near Moscow

FOURTEEN people have been killed and 16 injured in a traffic accident outside Moscow involving a truck, a passenger bus and other vehicles, officials say.

Police said that according to initial information, the accident took place on Saturday when the truck which was carrying a cargo of gravel turned onto a main road and ploughed into the bus.

The interior ministry said that the 14 killed included a young child.

The bus, which was taking passengers on a regular public transport route from Podolsk to Zhokhovo in the Moscow region, was broken up into two parts by the force of the collision, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

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Apologies over plane crash gaffe

US officials have apologised for mistakenly confirming false and offensive names identifying the pilots of the Asiana flight that crashed in San Francisco, leaving three dead and scores injured.

Fox network affiliate KTVU news Channel 2 in Oakland identified the pilots in their noon broadcast on Friday as "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow."

KTVU cited the National Transportation Safety Board as their source, but quickly realised the mistake and apologised.

"These names were not accurate despite an NTSB official in Washington confirming them late this morning," KTVU said late on Friday.

The NTSB later apologised for the "inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed" as those of the Asiana pilots - and blamed the mistake on an intern.

"In response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft," the statement read.

The NTSB "does not release or confirm the names of crew members or people involved in transportation accidents to the media," the board said.

"Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated."

The NTSB told the San Francisco Chronicle the offensive names "originated at the media outlet," and that the intern did not realise they were offensive and was "acting in good faith and trying to be helpful."

Three people died when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport on July 6 and more than 180 were injured.

In Seoul, Asiana Airlines earlier identified the pilot flying the Boeing 777 that crashed as Lee Kang-Kuk, 46.

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Suicides hit all-time high in Singapore

SUICIDES in Singapore hit an all-time high of 487 in 2012 as more young people bogged down by stress and relationship woes took their own lives, a charity group says.

The tally, a 29 per cent increase from the 2011 total, was boosted by an 80 per cent rise in the 20-29 age bracket, the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) said in a statement.

"Common problems presented by this group of people involved stressful life events, and interpersonal relationship issues," said SOS, which aims to prevent suicides by providing emotional support through private counselling and a 24-hour telephone hotline.

"These include unemployment, stress with studies or work, financial worries, family life, and struggles with social interactions and feelings of loneliness."

Christine Wong, executive director of SOS, said young people under stress "tend to hide their pain behind a facade, not knowing where, how or who they can approach for help".

"People around them may not be aware of their distress and are hence unable to provide the support needed," she said in the statement.

Wong added the community should play an important role in "destigmatising" suicide by encouraging those under stress to talk about their struggles and suicidal feelings.

SOS received 39,994 calls on its telephone hotline in 2012, down from 40,025 in 2011.

Suicides cases have consistently hovered around two per cent of total deaths in Singapore, an affluent city-state of 5.3 million residents known for its pressure-laden school system.

Despite a virtually full employment rate, Singapore also has a highly competitive work environment.

Suicide is an offence in the compact island-state, and anyone who survives an attempt faces a jail term of up to a year, a fine or both.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) last year said one million people commit suicide every year worldwide, accounting for more deaths than wars and murders put together.

The number of suicide attempts is five times higher, WHO said, with five per cent of the people in the world having tried to kill themselves at least once during their lifetime.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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Thousands evacuated as typhoon nears

THOUSANDS of people have been evacuated in Taiwan and the entire island declared an "alert zone" as Typhoon Soulik edges nearer.

More than 8000 people have been moved from their homes, many from southern areas prone to landslides, the Central Emergency Operation Centre says as the typhoon is expected to pound the country with powerful winds and heavy rain over the weekend.

"The whole country is now considered an alert zone," an official from the National Fire Agency told AFP.

Around 5000 of those who have been evacuated were from the landslide zones in the south - 3000 were moved out of Kaohsiung city and 2000 others from Pingtung county.

They have been taken to local government buildings which have been turned into shelters.

Offices and schools closed in Taipei and eight other cities, with residents advised to stay indoors as the typhoon churns towards the island.

Packing winds of up to 209km/h, Soulik is expected to make landfall on the northeast coast around 3am on Saturday (0500 AEST), the Central Weather Bureau said.

The bureau downgraded Soulik from a super typhoon to a moderate typhoon but warned residents across the island to prepare for "extreme torrential rain" - classified as 350mm within 24 hours - and rough seas.

In the north, more than 600 residents were evacuated from six low-lying riverside villages on Friday morning.

In Wuchieh, a township in the northeastern Yilan county - which is forecast to bear the brunt of Soulik - over 2000 sandbags were snatched up by residents and two amphibious military vehicles deployed for rescue.

Waves as high as 1.5 metres hit the shore in Yilan on Friday afternoon as coastguards patrolled the beach to warn visitors to stay away while hundreds of fishing boats sought shelter.

"Many farmers have harvested rice, fruits and vegetables early as the typhoon is expected to impact our area," said Huang Hai-tao, an official in Jiaosi, a popular tourist destination in Yilan.

"The typhoon has also caused some damage to tourism as more than 90 per cent bookings for this weekend have been cancelled."

President Ma Ying-jeou urged government units and the public "not to let their guards down" in a statement, after inspecting the central government's disaster response centre.

A coastal highway in Yilan where 20 Chinese tourists were killed by landslides caused by Typhoon Megi in 2010 was also closed.

More than 2000 tourists had already been evacuated from the remote Green Island, southeast of Taiwan, on Thursday.

The storm has disrupted air travel to and from Taiwan with 65 flights cancelled according to the transport authorities.

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NSW teen catches fire, police hunt for ex

A HUNT is underway for a teenager whose ex-girlfriend was allegedly doused in accelerant as she stood near an open fire at a home south of Wollongong.

The woman, 19, caught alight and had to be airlifted to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital where she remained in an induced coma on Friday night.

She was found severely burned at a home in Koona Avenue, Albion Park Rail, about midday (AEST) on Friday, police said.

Police established a crime scene and seized several items for forensic analysis.

Investigators have been told the woman had previously been in a relationship with a 17-year-old male, who is now wanted for questioning.

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Mandela's wife now 'less anxious'

South Africa has marked 50 years since the police raid that led to Nelson Mandela's life sentence. Source: AAP

GRACA Machel, the wife of ailing South African icon Nelson Mandela, says she is less anxious about his condition, five weeks after he was admitted to hospital.

"He continues to respond positively to treatment. I would say that today I'm less anxious than I was a week ago," she told state-backed SABC television.

It is the latest in a series of upbeat accounts, which seem to suggest that while the 94-year-old's condition remains "critical", it has improved somewhat.

After visiting Mandela late Thursday, President Jacob Zuma said he was "responding to treatment."

"He remains as much of a fighter now as he was 50 years ago," Zuma said, marking the anniversary of a police raid that led to Mandela's life sentence in prison.

Earlier in the week Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, who is one of Mandela's nephews and king of his Thembu tribe, said the former statesman was "conscious".

"He could not talk, but he recognised me and made a few gestures of acknowledgment, like moving his eyes."

Two weeks ago the prognosis appeared much bleaker, with family massing at his Pretoria hospital as Zuma abruptly cancelled a trip to Mozambique.

Doctors are said to have ruled out switching off Mandela's life support machines unless there is serious organ failure.

Court documents filed on behalf of the family last month described Mandela's condition as "perilous", with one claiming he was in a "vegetative state".

Mandela, who turns 95 next week, was rushed to a Pretoria hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection.

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Popular roving UK broadcaster Whicker dies

ALAN Whicker, one of the most widely-travelled and popular UK broadcasters of his generation, has died aged 87.

The presenter and reporter died in the early hours of Friday at his home in Jersey after suffering from bronchial pneumonia, his spokeswoman said.

For more than 40 years he roamed the world for the BBC and independent TV networks, seeking out the eccentric, the ludicrous and the socially revealing aspects of everyday life from all over the globe.

He was probably best known for Whicker's World, his long-running documentary program which he presented from 1959 to 1990.

And he acquired over the years an enviable reputation of having no equal as a television commentator.

Alan Donald Whicker was born in Cairo, Egypt, on August 2 1925, but moved to England as a young child on the death of his father.

He attended Haberdashers' Aske's School and was commissioned as an officer in the Devonshire Regiment during the Second World War, serving as a captain.

He then joined the Army Film and Photo Unit in Italy in 1943, filming at Anzio.

Whicker was also responsible for taking into custody British traitor John Amery, who was subsequently executed.

In a 2004 TV series, called Whicker's War, he disclosed that he was one of the first of the Allied forces to enter Milan and that he took into custody an SS general and troopers who were looking after the SS money vault.

He also shot footage of the body of Mussolini.

After the war he became a journalist and broadcaster, acting as a newspaper correspondent in the Korean War, during which he was mistakenly reported as having been killed.

He joined the BBC in 1957 and was a reporter for the famous Tonight program.

Soon after that he began his Whicker's World series, which over the years consistently claimed a place in the top 10 ratings.

He was also instrumental in the launch of Yorkshire Television.

Whicker was noted for probing the private worlds of the rich and famous on cruise ships, the Orient Express, at cocktail parties, on world tours, in health spas and gentlemen's clubs.

He lured countless individuals into allowing him a privileged glimpse of sometimes extraordinary lives.

Among his "victims" were John Paul Getty and Haiti's feared dictator "Papa Doc" Duvalier.

On one occasion, while in the US, he heard about an Alan Whicker impersonation contest. He entered and came third.

He was also the man behind the popular advertising slogan Hello World for Travelocity.

Whicker was awarded a CBE in the 2005 New Year Honours list for services to broadcasting.

He had lived in Jersey and is survived by his long-standing partner Valerie Kleeman.

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China plans to further restrict car use

China will further restrict the sale of cars for private use in a bid to fight pollution. Source: AAP

CHINA is planning to up the number of cities that restrict vehicle purchases, in a bid to fight pollution and congestion.

Four cities including Beijing and Shanghai already curb the purchase of vehicles for private use, for example by restricting sales to 20,000 per year through a lottery system.

On Thursday, state media quoted the deputy secretary general of the government-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers as saying eight more cities are likely to announce similar policies.

The eight include port city Tianjin, near Beijing, metropolis Chongqing in the southwest and industrial powerhouse Shenzhen, not far from Hong Kong.

With more than 13 million cars sold in China last year, motor vehicles and their emissions have emerged as the chief culprit for air pollution in large cities.

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Russia finds dead lawyer guilty of fraud

A Moscow court has found the late Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky guilty of tax fraud. Source: AAP

A MOSCOW court has convicted dead Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky of tax evasion, provoking outrage over the posthumous prosecution of a man whose death in pre-trial detention led to a major diplomatic row with Washington.

Magnitsky was convicted along with his former boss, the US-born British citizen William Browder, the head of the Hermitage Capital investment fund, who was sentenced in absentia to nine years in a prison colony.

However the case against Magnitsky ended with his verdict and a refusal to exonerate him, as the authorities cannot take a case against a dead man any further.

The trial of a deceased person is almost unprecedented in post-Soviet Russia, and has raised concerns that the judicial authorities under President Vladimir Putin continued to persecute Magnitsky because of the political furore over his death.

Journalists packed the tiny courtroom of the Tverskoy District Court in central Moscow where the judge read the verdict so quietly that it could only be heard through headphones of television crews with microphones.

Browder, who is based in London, has overseen for several years a campaign to bring to justice officials who were implicated in Magnitsky's death. He vowed to continue his efforts despite the conviction.

"Today's verdict will go down in history as one of the most shameful moments for Russia since the days of Joseph Stalin," he said in an emailed statement.

President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, which had assumed the presidency of European Union this month, said the ruling was "symbolic and should be assessed negatively."

Magnitsky had accused interior ministry officials of organising a $US235 million ($A256 million) tax scam against Browder's investment company Hermitage Capital, but was then charged with the very crimes he claimed to have uncovered.

He was placed under pre-trial detention in 2008 and died of untreated illnesses less than a year later at the age of 37.

Browder and many Russian rights campaigners have said that Magnitsky was tortured to death with beatings and the refusal of proper medical care.

However after Putin said late last year that Magnitsky died of a heart attack, Russia dropped the probe into his death citing "lack of evidence" and acquitted an official of Moscow's Butyrka prison where the man was held.

Magnitsky's death led to one of the biggest Washington-Moscow rows in years with the US late last year passing the "Sergei Magnitsky Act" which imposed a visa ban and froze the assets of Russian officials implicated in the lawyer's death.

The move infuriated Moscow, which in retaliation passed legislation prohibiting Americans from adopting Russian children.

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Pope widens punishment for child abuse

Pope Francis has bolstered criminal legislation against child abuse in the Vatican. Source: AAP

POPE Francis has bolstered criminal legislation against child abuse in the Vatican and increased criminal liability for employees of the tiny city state in a legislative overhaul.

The Vatican said in a statement the Pope's decree included "a broader definition of the category of crimes against minors" including child prostitution, sexual acts with children and child pornography.

The new laws are part of an introduction of forms of crime indicated in international conventions that the Vatican has already ratified including against racism and war crimes and on children's rights.

"While many of the specific criminal offences included in these laws are undeniably new, it would however be incorrect to assume that the forms of conduct thereby sanctioned were previously licit," said Monsignor Dominique Mamberti, who is in charge of relations between the Holy See and other states.

"These were indeed punished, but as broader, more generic forms of criminal activity."

Francis also increased co-operation with other states against money laundering and terrorism in a continuation of reforms begun by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, to get the Vatican in line with international legislation.

The new norms also introduce the administrative responsibility of Vatican departments - a potentially radical change that would complement his plans to root out corruption from the scandal-ridden Vatican bureaucracy.

The Pope's reform "extends the reach of the legislation contained in these criminal laws to the members, officials and employees of the various bodies of the Roman Curia," the central body of the Catholic Church, Mamberti said.

"This extension has the aim of making the crimes included in these laws indictable by the judicial organs of Vatican City State even when committed outside the borders of the state," he said.

The laws will come into force on September 1.

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Global recovery to boost oil demand: IEA

GLOBAL economic recovery and emerging markets led by China will boost growth of oil demand to a record high total next year, the IEA forecasts.

Next year, consumption by emerging markets will dominate demand overall, a position "they should hold in perpetuity", the International Energy Agency said.

But the overall tone of the IEA monthly report stressed that the oil market is heading into a sea of "many uncertainties", partly because oil production in the United States is "set to grow strongly".

Supply from other countries outside the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), notably Brazil, Kazakhstan and South Sudan, would also rise, the agency forecast.

For this year, because unseasonally cold weather had caused a big increase in demand for heating oil in the northern hemisphere in the second quarter, the agency raised its estimate for global demand by 215,000 barrels per day (bd).

This took the overall estimated annual growth to 930,000 bd, and total consumption to 90.8 million barrels per day (mbd).

The IEA estimates show demand rising by a further 1.2 million bd next year to 92.0 million bd, a new record after record demand also this year.

In London, the price of benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil fell 24 US cents from the closing price on Wednesday to $US106.28, partly in response to the report but also due to comments on monetary policy from the US Federal Reserve, traders said.

Regarding supply, "upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa remains an overarching concern," the IEA warned.

"Emerging markets and developing economies are forecast to lead demand growth in 2014," the IEA said.

The growth of demand from countries outside the 34-member OECD had slowed "from the heady pace of recent years" but would "climb above total OECD demand in the second quarter of 2014," the agency said.

Against a background of the boom in production of shale oil in North America, the IEA said that the United States would play a role in "an expected steep increase in global refining activity in the third quarter of 2013".

Demand from countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development would shrink at a much slower pace than it had since the financial crisis began in 2008.

OECD demand would fall by 0.8 per cent this year and 0.4 per cent in 2014, on the basis that "OECD economies will on average return to growth in 2014".

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Ex-UK minister to be charged over expenses

Former UK MP Denis MacShane will be charged with false accounting over parliamentary expense claims. Source: AAP

BRITAIN'S former Europe minister Denis MacShane is to be charged with false accounting over his expenses claims in parliament, prosecutors say.

The Crown Prosecution Service said MacShane, 65, allegedly claimed STG12,900 ($A21,185) for research and translation services by a company that did not carry out the work.

MacShane, who resigned his seat in parliament in November, is to appear in a London court July 30 on a single charge of false accounting.

He had been a Labour Party MP since 1994 and was former premier Tony Blair's Europe minister from 2002 to 2005.

"Having thoroughly reviewed the evidence gathered by the police, I have decided there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring a criminal charge against Denis MacShane," Malcolm McHaffie, deputy head of the prosecution service's special crime division, said in a statement.

"This charge relates to fraudulent claims with a total value of 12,900 ... It is alleged that Denis MacShane claimed expenses for research and translation services carried out by a company that did not carry out that work."

Police began examining MacShane's expenses nearly three years ago before dropping the case.

But the investigation was reopened in the wake of a report in November by a parliamentary standards committee which found that he had faked receipts to receive thousands of pounds of public money.

The report included letters from the former Labour minister to the standards commissioner detailing his actions, which had not previously been seen by police.

MacShane stood down as the member of parliament for Rotherham in northern England after the committee recommended he be suspended from parliament's lower House of Commons for 12 months.

MacShane said in a statement: "I am disappointed at the CPS decision but as the matter is now in the hands of the court I will be making no further statement."

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Carr meets with Myanmar president

Foreign Minister Bob Carr (L) met Myanmar's president on a visit aimed at boosting relations. Source: AAP

FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr has met Myanmar's (Burma's) reformist leaders on a visit aimed at boosting relations with the former junta-ruled nation in reward for sweeping political changes.

Senator Carr discussed investment and aid with President Thein Sein and "offered Australian support" in efforts to end long-running ethnic rebellions during Wednesday's talks with senior officials in the capital Naypyidaw.

"Both parties agreed that there was more to be done in the reconciliation process," Senator Carr's media advisor Patrick Low told AFP.

He said talks with Thein Sein focused on raising living standards in the impoverished nation.

Canberra is increasing its development aid for Myanmar to $A100 million by 2015 - more than double its 2012 level - as it looks to support education in the country.

Australia was one of the first countries to roll back sanctions against the former pariah state last year. The removal of most Western embargoes has resulted in a slew of firms eyeing the resource-rich country.

"There are numerous Australian companies interested in investing, particularly in the resource sector. That's something that we encourage," Low told AFP, adding that Woodside, Australia's biggest energy firm, had already entered the country.

Senator Carr also met opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday for discussions centred on strengthening democratic institutions, Low said.

Since Thein Sein, a former junta general, took over the presidency in 2011 hundreds of political prisoners have been released and Suu Kyi has been elected to parliament.

Tentative peace deals have been agreed with all major ethnic rebel groups, but human rights concerns remain particularly in western Rakhine state where communal unrest has killed over 200 people and left tens of thousands of mostly stateless Rohingya Muslims homeless.

President Thein Sein visited Australia in March, becoming Myanmar's first head of state to do so since 1974.

At the time Canberra announced an easing of restrictions on defence co-operation including humanitarian and disaster relief activities, as well as peacekeeping, but said its arms embargo would remain.

Carr will end his visit on Thursday in the commercial hub Yangon (Rangoon), where he will discuss efforts to preserve the city's historic colonial era architecture.

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Aust expects Japan to accept ICJ rule

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has been presenting Australia's case against Japan's whaling program. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA expects Japan to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean if the International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds against it, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says.

Should the court rule for Japan, Australia would accept the decision but continue to work for an end to whaling through the International Whaling Commission, he says.

Mr Dreyfus, an experienced Queen's Counsel, has been presenting Australia's case against Japan's whaling program before the ICJ in The Hague, arguing that it is commercial whaling dressed up as science.

He says Japan is a good international citizen and will accept the final ICJ ruling.

"We expect that Japan will comply with any ruling of the ICJ just as Australia would comply with any ruling of the ICJ," he told ABC television's 7.30 Report on Wednesday.

"There are enforcement arrangements. I don't think it would come to that."

Mr Dreyfus said Australia would accept a decision for Japan.

"If the ICJ rules against us, that the whaling convention does permit Japan to do what it has been doing for many years, we will keep arguing in the whaling commission with other nations," he said.

"More than 30 other nations directly support the point we are making here in the ICJ."

Mr Dreyfus said Japan's whaling program in the Southern Ocean had killed more than 10,000 whales since the 1988 moratorium.

He said Japan simply continued whaling following the moratorium, using the same whaling company and doing pretty much as they had before.

"They were doing commercial whaling up to the introduction of the moratorium in the Southern Ocean. After the moratorium, they simply re-badged it as a scientific program," he said.

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Federal election leaves Gen Y cold

21-YEAR-OLD Dominique Erichsen isn't alone in feeling alienated by politics.

"If it was about me it probably wouldn't be about anything important. But sure, if it was about me I'd be more interested," she says.

The trainee florist from Sydney is enrolled to vote but like many of her generation, doesn't know who her local member is.

It's not that she doesn't care.

"I just have no idea where to start."

A national survey by The Australia Institute conducted in May and released on Wednesday reveals 30 per cent of people aged 17-25 are 'not really interested' in the upcoming federal election.

About 15 per cent are 'disinterested' and 68 per cent don't know who's representing them in parliament.

Executive Director of the Institute, Dr Richard Denniss, said the confusion and disinterest among the country's future leaders is "baffling".

"But I think for the most part it's not their fault. It's up to the politicians to engage them and win them over with policy," Dr Denniss said.

The survey of 806 people also found a significant 47 per cent believe no party best represents the needs of young people.

Associate professor at Sydney University and expert in political participation, Ariadne Vromen, agreed the onus is on politicians to engage with young people in the right spaces.

"So using social media to talk to them. Ninety-five per cent of under-25s are on Facebook so it's the kind of thing you'd think about'," she told AAP.

"I'm a bit disillusioned with this concept of 'let's blame the young people'. A lot of older people are disengaged with politics."

Professor Vromen described a flawed tendency to "homogenise people".

"Young people are talked about as being the same, when they have different social backgrounds, different ethnic backgrounds," she said.

She said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull had mastered the art of using Twitter to engage a younger audience because they interacted and showed a bit of their humanity - something politician don't often do.

"They tell you what they're doing on the weekend or when they're going to the movies, which people can relate to."

Dominique says she would relish the chance to be more engaged with policies that matter to her, such as the environment, the NDIS and education reforms.

"Those policies certainly aren't about me but they are good policies."

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Perth rated priciest city in Australia

PERTH is now Australia's most expensive city and the eleventh priciest to live in worldwide, according a renowned online cost of living index.

Numbeo, a website that claims to collate the world's largest database of user-contributed data about cities and countries worldwide, now rates the West Australian capital more expensive than Darwin, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne for consumer goods, including groceries, restaurants, transportation and utilities.

And the list also christens Perth as the second most expensive city in the southern hemisphere behind Luanda in Angola, with the rest of the top ten taken up by cities in Switzerland and Norway - with Stavanger classed as the most expensive place to live in the world.

The Numbeo index, which is updated weekly, is based on a worldwide comparison of prices compared to those in New York City - with Perth rating 121.99, meaning on their analysis the city is 21.99 per cent more expensive than Mew York.

Almost to prove the point, it was revealed petrol in Perth is set to rise 16 cents per litre on Thursday to a five-year high average of 156.3 cents per litre.

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Royal Mail privatisation plans announced

Royal Mail will be sold by the British government through flotation on the London Stock Exchange. Source: AAP

UP to 150,000 Royal Mail staff are to be handed thousands of pounds in free shares as part of a privatisation, the British government says.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said 10 per cent of the new company would be gifted to employees under the STG3 billion ($A4.89 billion) sell-off, which will begin over the next year.

"These shares will be free to eligible employees, recognising that many of them would otherwise find them unaffordable," he told MPs in a statement on Wednesday.

Cable said the final proportion of Royal Mail to be sold would depend on market conditions, although it would be a majority stake.

The shares will be available to the general public as well as institutional investors under the terms of the initial public offering (IPO).

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat government, led by Prime Minister David Cameron, relaunched plans to part-privatise Royal Mail three years ago and after the proposal was ditched by the former Labour administration.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown's Labour government scrapped the sell-off plans in 2009 as Britain struggled with recession following the global financial crisis.

But Royal Mail recently announced that its profit after tax soared to STG566 million in 2012-13 compared with a net gain of STG149 million during its previous financial year. Revenue grew almost 6.0 per cent to STG9.27 billion.

Royal Mail continues to operate most British postal services even though its more than 350-year-long monopoly of the letter-delivery business ended in 2006 as new rules kicked in to allow rival operators to win a slice of the market.

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Pakistani officials slammed over bin Laden

A report has lambasted all levels of Pakistan's government for failing to detect Osama bin Laden. Source: AAP

OSAMA bin Laden lived undetected in Pakistan for nearly a decade because of failures and gross negligence by the authorities, according to a new report detailing how he was once stopped for speeding and wore a cowboy hat.

The leaked report from a Pakistani government-appointed commission reveals fascinating details about his life on the run and the US Navy SEALs raid that killed him on May 2, 2011.

The raid near a military academy in the town of Abbottabad was one of the most humiliating episodes in Pakistan's history, exposing the country to allegations of collusion with al-Qaeda.

The government appointed a judicial commission to investigate how bin Laden hid for so long and how the US raid unfolded to fend off fears that a military investigation would not be independent.

The panel interviewed more than 200 people, including government ministers, intelligence chiefs and members of bin Laden's family before they were deported to Saudi Arabia.

But its findings were kept secret until the Al-Jazeera news network published a leaked copy of the report on Monday.

"Culpable negligence and incompetence at almost all levels of government can more or less be conclusively established by the testimonies of witnesses," the report said.

The commission said it had found nothing to support allegations of complicity but neither could it rule out the possibility of "'plausibly deniable' support" from current or former officials.

The 336-page report coined the expression "governance implosion syndrome" to explain the extent of the failures.

It said bin Laden arrived in Pakistan in the spring or summer of 2002 after the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

He stayed in Afghan border areas, spent six to eight months in the northwestern district of Swat, lived in a spacious home in Haripur and then settled in Abbottabad in August 2005.

Maryam, the widow of one of two Pakistani couriers who provided his core support network said they - including bin Laden - were once all stopped for speeding on a visit to a market in Swat.

Her husband "very quickly settled the matter with the policeman and they drove on", the report said.

In Abbottabad, it was an austere life and bin Laden paid the courier brothers just $US90 ($A99) a month.

He was nicknamed Miskeen Kaka, or "poor uncle" by other children in the house after they were told the reason he never went to the market was because he was too poor to buy anything.

All the bin Laden women observed strict purdah, which started for his daughters at the age of three, and extended to not watching men on television.

He oversaw the religious education and play of his children and grandchildren "which included cultivating vegetable plots with simple prizes for best performances".

The report contains dramatic details of the US helicopter raid recounted by the al-Qaeda chief's family.

Bin Laden had retired to his room with the youngest of his three wives, Amal, when they were awakened by what "sounded like a storm" shortly after midnight.

Suddenly Amal saw a US soldier pointing his weapon at the terror chief from the landing outside their bedroom. She rushed at him as the soldier shouted "No! No!" and shot her in the knee.

One of bin Laden's daughters, Sumayya, said she saw her father dead on the floor, his face "clear and recognisable".

The report condemned the US raid as an "American act of war" and said the Pakistani military should have responded much more quickly to an operation 160 kilometres inside its territory.

It was Pakistan's "greatest humiliation" since East Pakistan seceded in 1971, it said.

Pakistani officials have so far declined to comment on the report.

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Bishop given 'poison chalice': NSW inquiry

Detective Inspector Peter Fox has completed his testimony at an inquiry into child sexual abuse. Source: AAP

MICHAEL Malone believed he had inherited "a poisoned chalice" when he became bishop of the Maitland/Newcastle Catholic diocese, an inquiry into child sexual abuse has been told.

Whistleblower cop Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox told commissioner Margaret Cunneen Bishop Malone used that description when commiserating with the mother of a boy who had been repeatedly sexually assaulted during his teenage years by Hunter Valley priest James Fletcher.

Det Insp Fox said the mother told him in 2002 there was animosity between Bishop Malone and his predecessor Bishop Leo Clarke because Bishop Clarke had not revealed the extent of "indiscretions" and "bad decisions" that had taken place in the diocese, possibly for decades.

But the mother felt Bishop Malone was just "going through the motions" speaking to her and was not showing genuine pastoral care, Det Insp Fox said.

Det Insp Fox's evidence was stopped by an objection from a barrister for the diocese, Lachlan Gyles, on the grounds that it was hearsay.

Det Insp Fox on Tuesday completed his testimony after 13 days in the witness box. The special NSW Commission is considering how police and the church handled sexual abuse allegations involving Fr Fletcher and another Hunter Valley priest, Denis McAlinden.

Both priests are now dead.

The commission was prompted by assertions by Det Insp Fox that church leaders hindered police investigations and were assisted by a Catholic mafia within police ranks.

Bishop Malone, who retired in 2011, is scheduled to give evidence on Wednesday.

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European stocks advance on Alcoa results

EUROPEAN stocks have risen as investors took their cue from better-than-expected earnings from US aluminium giant Alcoa and after the eurozone released billions of euros in fresh aid for Greece, dealers say.

Meanwhile, economy and finance ministers from all 28 European Union countries gave the final green light to Latvia to join the eurozone from the start of 2014.

In late morning deals on Tuesday, London's FTSE 100 of leading companies advanced 1.01 per cent to 6,515.45 points and Frankfurt's DAX 30 gained 1.15 per cent to 8,059.84.

In Paris, the CAC 40 increased 0.79 per cent to 3,853.88 points, as investors also welcomed an electricity price tariff deal for energy giant EDF and takeover news in the fashion sector.

The European single currency rose to $US1.2880 from $US1.2868 late in New York on Monday. Gold increased to $US1,253.90 an ounce from $US1,235.25 on Monday on the London Bullion Market.

Sterling fell sharply against the US dollar and euro, after British manufacturing output and industrial production data disappointed the market.

"European markets are nicely up in green, adding to previous session's gains," said Gekko Markets analyst Anita Paluch.

"Two factors are the reason - better than expected Alcoa results and its upbeat forecasts that traditionally start the earnings season and the good news from the European front, where Greece secured the 6.8 billion euro tranche of financial aid ... which will prevent the default of the country's debt in August."

Eurozone finance ministers agreed in Brussels late on Monday to unlock the billions of euros in fresh aid for Greece on condition it presses ahead with urgently needed reforms.

The eurogroup gathering was held ahead of Tuesday's meeting of EU finance ministers, who have rubber-stamped Latvia to become the 18th member of the eurozone with effect from January 1, 2014.

Alcoa meanwhile revealed overnight that losses deepened in the second quarter from a year earlier as a result of lower aluminium prices and special charges related to capacity reduction and a US probe into offshore bribery, the company reported.

The aluminium producer said it lost $US119 million ($A131.04 million) for the quarter ended June 30, compared with a loss of $US2.0 million in the year-ago period.

However, excluding the charges, Alcoa reported earnings of $US76 million or seven US cents per share. That was one cent more than analysts' expectations.

"With Alcoa kicking off the earnings season in style last night and numbers topping estimates, there appears to be a degree of confidence about the round of corporate numbers we will be seeing in the coming days," said Mike McCudden, head of derivatives at online broker Interactive Investor.

In Paris on Tuesday, EDF rocketed to the top of the risers board, soaring 9.43 per cent to 19.43 euros after the energy giant clinched a new electricity tariff deal.

The French government authorised EDF to lift its electricity prices for residential consumers by 5.0 per cent next month, and by the same proportion in August 2014, in order to offset rising costs.

Separately, French luxury conglomerate LVMH agreed on Monday to take control of Italian exclusive ready-to-wear fashion group Loro Piana by buying an 80 per cent stake for about 2.0 billion euros ($A2.84 billion).

The deal sent LVMH shares 1.86 per cent higher to stand at 131.15 euros on Tuesday.

Across in London, Royal Dutch Shell saw its 'A' share price jump 1.08 per cent to 2,152 pence, as investors welcomed the appointment of downstream head Ben van Beurden as its new chief executive with effect from January.

British retailer Marks & Spencer saw its shares slide 1.85 per cent to 451.20 pence after posting weak first-quarter sales.

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Man who battled Fukushima disaster dies

Levels of radioactive substances in groundwater at Fukushima nuclear plant have risen dramatically. Source: AAP

THE former boss of Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, who stayed at his post to try to tame runaway reactors after the 2011 tsunami, has died of cancer, the operator says.

Masao Yoshida, 58, was at the power station on March 11, 2011, when towering waves swamped cooling systems and sparked meltdowns that released plumes of radiation.

Yoshida led the subsequent effort to get the crippled complex under control, as workers battled frequent aftershocks to try to prevent the disaster worsening.

Government contingency plans revealed after the event showed how scientists feared a chain reaction if Fukushima spiralled out of control, a scenario that could have seen other nuclear plants engulfed and would have meant evacuating Tokyo.

His selfless work is contrasted in the public mind with the attitude of his employers, who seemed willing to abandon the complex and are popularly believed to have shirked their responsibility.

"He died of oesophagal cancer at 11.32am today at a Tokyo hospital," said a spokesman for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) on Tuesday.

Yoshida left the plant soon after being suddenly hospitalised in late November 2011.

TEPCO has said his cancer was unlikely to be linked to radiation exposure in the months after the disaster.

The company has said it would take at least five years and normally 10 years to develop this particular condition if radiation exposure were to blame.

Soon after he underwent surgery for cancer, Yoshida was felled by a brain haemorrhage and underwent another operation in July 2012, TEPCO said.

He was still employed by the company at the time of his death.

The disaster saw three reactors go into meltdown, spewing radiation into the air, sea and food chain in the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

No deaths have been directly attributed to the radiation released by the accident, but it has displaced tens of thousands of people and left large areas of land uninhabitable, possibly for decades.

The plant itself remains fragile, with TEPCO struggling to deal with the tonnes of radioactive water left over from efforts to cool molten reactor cores.

TEPCO said on Tuesday toxic radioactive substances in groundwater have rocketed over the past three days and engineers did not know where the leak was coming from.

Samples taken on Monday showed levels of possibly cancer-causing caesium-134 were more than 90 times higher than on Friday, at 9,000 becquerels per litre, TEPCO revealed.

Levels of caesium-137 stood at 18,000 becquerels per litre, 86 times higher than at the end of last week, the utility said.

Scientists say fully decommissioning the plant will take 30 to 40 years.

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EU gives Latvia green light for membership

The EU has given Latvia, the region's fastest-growing economy, the green light to join the eurozone. Source: AAP

ECONOMY and finance ministers from the 28 European Union countries have given the final green light to Latvia to join the eurozone on January 1, 2014.

"ECOFIN has taken final decision approving Latvia's euro membership from 2014," the EU's current Lithuanian presidency announced via its Twitter account on Tuesday.

"Yes we are joining the euro as of January 1 next year," said Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, adding that it was "good news not only for Latvia but also for Europe and the eurozone."

Heading into the ECOFIN council's meeting earlier, Latvian Finance Minister Andris Vilks had described it as a "symbolic day".

Asked whether he had any qualms about joining the single currency at such a difficult time, Vilks acknowledged that "those hard times will last several years at least".

"We trust Europe and we trust the euro," he said later, adding that he hoped Latvia would prove to be one of the "best performers" in the single currency zone.

Latvia emerged from a crisis in 2008-09 to become the EU's fastest-growing economy, having posted GDP growth of more than five per cent year-on-year in both 2011 and 2012.

Vilks said Latvia was willing to share its experience of overcoming crisis with its eurozone partners.

Most important for the single currency area are "bold decisions, fast actions from politicians and very good social dialogue," he said.

And speed is of the essence, the minister added.

"If you are delaying this job, it is more and more complicated later on to do something. Europe should do something to get on the track otherwise it will be the loser in a global context," he said.

The situation in the euro area is currently better than before, Vilks added.

"Governments are doing the right job in many of the countries, in fact in all of the countries.

"But it's very difficult to get good results if it's going so slowly. The major issue is speed," he said.

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Suspended death sentence for ex-minister

China's former railways minister Liu Zhijun has been given a suspended death sentence. Source: AAP

CHINA'S former railways minister Liu Zhijun has been given a suspended death sentence for his role in a huge corruption scandal, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Liu, 60, was convicted of bribery and abuse of power by the No 2 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing. Under Chinese law suspended death sentences are normally commuted to life imprisonment.

The scandal surrounding Liu is reported to have involved as much as 800 million yuan ($A144 million)).

Liu was appointed to head the railways ministry in 2003 and sacked eight years later, said to have taken payouts while handing out contracts for the rapid expansion of China's flagship high-speed railway system.

According to the indictment, Liu took advantage of his position to help 11 people win promotions or contracts, and accepted 64.6 million yuan in bribes between 1986 and 2011, Xinhua reported previously.

He was responsible for "huge losses of public assets and of the interests of the state and people" it quoted the indictment as saying.

Under Chinese law the death penalty can be imposed for taking bribes exceeding 100,000 yuan.

China's rail system - which has cost hundreds of billions of dollars - has been one of its flagship development projects in recent years, and it now boasts the world's longest high-speed network.

But a high-speed crash in the eastern city of Wenzhou killed some 40 people in 2011, sparking a torrent of public criticism that authorities compromised safety in their rush to expand the network.

The country's new leaders President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have vowed to fight corruption, which the Communist Party has identified as a threat to its continued rule.

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Man quizzed over Melbourne laneway rape

A man has been questioned over the brutal rape of a young mother in a Melbourne laneway. Source: AAP

A MAN has been questioned over the brutal rape of a young mother in a Melbourne laneway.

The 28-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, interviewed and released without charge as the investigation continues, a police spokeswoman said.

The young mother, 23, had been celebrating the birth of her first child with friends when she was stalked, bashed and then raped on her walk home in the early hours of June 30.

Police say a man had followed her for about a kilometre from the city into North Melbourne before assaulting her.

Her screams startled nearby residents, prompting the man to flee with her handbag.

Detectives released CCTV footage last week of a person of interest in the attack.

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Heinz Kerry showed symptoms of seizure

US Secretary of State John Kerry's wife has been admitted to hospital in a critical condition. Source: AAP

TERESA Heinz Kerry, the wife of US Secretary of State John Kerry and heir to a ketchup company fortune, was hospitalised in a critical but stable condition on Monday.

This followed a day after showing symptoms consistent with a seizure, a person in close contact with the family said.

Heinz Kerry was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Sunday night after doctors at a hospital on Massachusetts' Nantucket Island stabilised her, said Glen Johnson, a spokesman for Kerry.

The secretary of state was with his 74-year-old wife as an ambulance first transported her to the island hospital, and also during her transfer to the Boston facility.

A spokesman for Nantucket Cottage Hospital said Heinz Kerry arrived in critical condition, although doctors were able to stabilise her.

Family members saw her exhibiting symptoms consistent with some sort of seizure, said the person in contact with the family, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorised to speak publicly about Heinz Kerry's condition.

Heinz Kerry was being evaluated by physicians on Monday morning, the person said.

Doctors treated Heinz Kerry for breast cancer in late 2009.

On Sunday, shortly after 3.30 pm, emergency officials on Nantucket got a call requesting medical aid at a home on Hulbert Avenue and dispatched an ambulance there, Nantucket Police Lt Jerry Adams said.

Online records show the property is connected to Heinz Kerry's family.

Heinz Kerry is the widow of former US Senator John Heinz and heir to the Heinz ketchup fortune.

Heinz died in April 1991 when a helicopter collided with a plane over a schoolyard in Merion, Pa. The senator was among seven people, including two children, who died in the crash.

Heinz Kerry and John Kerry married in 1995.

She enthusiastically participated in her husband's campaign for president in 2004 and became known for her strong opinions, sometimes attracting as much attention as the candidate.

Before Sunday's emergency, John Kerry had been at the Nantucket home since returning from a nearly two-week, around-the-world diplomatic trip to the Mideast and Southeast Asia in the pre-dawn hours of July 3.

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Tigers 'keep Aceh men up tree for 3 days'

Five men have spent three days in a tree in Indonesia to escape from a group of tigers. Source: AAP

FIVE men have spent three days in a tree in Indonesia to escape from a group of tigers that had killed and eaten a sixth member of the group, press reports say.

The group, residents of Simpang Kiri in Aceh province, on the northern part of the island of Sumatra, on Thursday entered the densely forested Gunung Leuser National Park, where they were attacked by a group of tigers after they accidentally killed a tiger cub with a trap meant for deer.

A group of about 30 people on Saturday went to rescue the five men after they used their mobile phones to inform others of their predicament.

The rescuers managed to chase the four tigers away, local police chief Dicky Sondani told The Jakarta Globe.

The men who took refuge in the tree entered the park to collect aromatic wood, which is used in the preparation of perfumes, aromatic oils and incense and grows in the park jungle, which is inhabited by protected and threatened species such as tigers, elephants and orangutans.

"It's worse this time because there are tigers waiting for the villagers," Dicky said.

"People keep entering the jungle to look for alim wood because it's very expensive; up to 5 million rupiah ($A550) per kilogram. But, well, that's the risk; there are many tigers and elephants in Gunung Leuser's jungle."

Tiger attacks on Sumatra have risen due to the sharp increase in the number of palm oil and pulp plantations that reduce the natural habitat of the felines and push them into zones inhabited by people.

It is estimated that more than 100 Sumatran tigers live in the Gunung Leuser park.

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Myanmar 'Godfather of Heroin' dies: report

A former drug kingpin, once dubbed the "godfather of heroin" has died in his home in Myanmar. Source: AAP

A FORMER drug kingpin and business tycoon that the US government once dubbed the "godfather of heroin" has died in his home in Myanmar (Burma).

A source close to the family says Lo Hsing Han died on Saturday in Yangon.

The man spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have authorisation to speak to the media.

Lo Hsing Han was believed to be in his mid-70s.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Lo Hsing Han's involvement in the drug trade began more than four decades ago.

The US Department of Treasury, dubbing Lo Hsing Han the "godfather of heroin," put him on the financial sanctions list in 2008.

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