Brisbane couples among passengers on MH370

Seven Australians are among almost 240 people missing on board a Malaysian Airlines flight. Source: AAP

TWO Brisbane couples and another two Australians are among 239 people feared dead after a Malaysia Airlines flight went missing en route to Beijing.

Contact with flight MH370 was lost about two hours after the Boeing 777-200 took off from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday morning (AEDT).

A major search and rescue operation was trying to locate the missing aircraft, which initial reports suggest may have perished about 220km off the Vietnam coast.

Aviation experts have expressed bewilderment at the aircraft's fate.

Online flight data suggested the aircraft may have experienced a very rapid loss of height and change of direction prior to slipping off the radar.

Authorities hold little hope for those onboard.

The plane was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew of 14 nationalities.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are deeply saddened this morning with the news on MH370," Malaysian Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told a press conference.

The missing Australians were Mary and Rodney Burrows and Catherine and Robert Lawton, all from Brisbane. The two couples were reportedly travelling together.

Li Yuan and Gu Naijun, believed to be from Sydney, were also missing.

Two New Zealanders were also aboard the flight.

One of the Lawtons' neighbours described them as a lovely couple who enjoyed travelling.

Australians used social media sites to express hope for all the passengers' survival.

"Praying for a miracle," one person wrote.

The 227 passengers included 152 Chinese and one infant, 38 Malaysians, 12 Indonesians, three passengers and an infant from the US, three French, two each from Ukraine and Canada and one each from Russia, Italy, Taiwan, The Netherlands and Austria.

Australian authorities said they "feared the worst" for all aboard flight MH370.

"Consular officials are currently in touch with Malaysian Airlines and with the families of the missing Australian passengers," Senator Brett Mason, parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, told reporters in Sydney.

"At the moment there is no clarity as to what has occurred.

"But can I just add that the families of the ... missing Australian passengers must be desperately concerned and the thoughts of the Australian government and I'm sure all Australians go out to them at the moment."

As of Saturday night there had been no request for Australian authorities to join the search and rescue operation.

One of the more puzzling aspects of the incident is that the flight appeared to relay no distress signal or give other indications that it was in trouble.

It was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, who had flown for the airline since 1981, the carrier said.

"The plane lost contact near Ca Mau province airspace as it was preparing to transfer to Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control," a statement posted on the official Vietnamese government website said.

Ca Mau is located at the southernmost tip of Vietnam.

The plane's signal was never transferred to Ho Chi Minh air traffic control.

Malaysia Airlines has a good safety record. Its worst-ever crash occurred in 1977, when 93 passengers and seven crew perished in a hijacking and subsequent crash in southern Malaysia.

The Boeing 777-200 model is also said to be one of the world's most popular jets.

The long-range jumbo jet has helped connect cities at the far ends of the globe, with flights as long as 16 hours.

But more impressive is its safety record: The first fatal crash in its 19-year history only came in July 2013 when an Asiana Airlines jet landed short of the runway in San Francisco. Three of the 307 people aboard died.

There were upsetting scenes at Beijing's airport as news of flight MH370 filtered through.

Screens first indicated that the flight was "delayed", but later updated its status to "cancelled".

Friends and relatives of those aboard broke down in tears and were pictured making frantic telephone calls.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sarkozy under court wiretap

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy's mobile phone has reportedly been under a wiretap. Source: AAP

FORMER French president Nicolas Sarkozy's mobile phone has been under a wiretap for nearly a year as part of an investigation into campaign financing, according to reports.

Le Monde newspaper reported on Friday that Sarkozy and two of his former interior ministers were placed under wiretap in April 2013 as part of the investigation into allegations his 2007 presidential campaign was partly financed by Libyan dictator Moamer Gaddafi.

The recordings reportedly revealed that a top prosecutor was using his access to confidential court documents to brief Sarkozy on another affair in which he was implicated - the Bettencourt affair.

Sarkozy was charged last year with exploiting elderly L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt in order to obtain contributions towards his 2007 election campaign.

The charges were later dropped but Sarkozy is still trying to contain the fallout by contesting the legality of the seizure of his presidential-era diaries.

Le Monde said the wiretaps showed that a public prosecutor who was not involved in the Bettencourt case, but who has access to judicial documents, secretly briefed Sarkozy's lawyer on which way the Court of Cassation was leaning on the matter of the diaries.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man bashed with tyre iron in home invasion

Emergency crews were called to a Mount Street address about 3.30pm after a 53-year-old man was assaulted. Source: Supplied

A MAN who was brutally assaulted in his Nerang home is being treated for head injuries at the Gold Coast University Hospital.

Emergency crews were called to a Mount Street address about 3.30pm after a 53-year-old man was assaulted in a possible home invasion.

A witness who wished to remain anonymous said the man was assaulted with a tyre iron.

"A girl and a guy turned up and kicked the door down…[they] have just gone in with the tyre iron and belted this guy. " the witness said.

According to the witness, the offenders hit the man five times with the weapon before decamping in a vehicle.

"So I called the cops and I've come out to see them jump in the car yelling out 'next time we'll kill you'."

"I've gone in there and he's come stumbling out with a big hole in his head basically and there's just blood everywhere," the witness said.

According to the witness, the altercation was sparked over an existing dispute over a motorbike.
Investigations are continuing.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fuel tanker in head-on highway smash

A FUEL tanker is on fire after it collided head-on with another vehicle between Mackay and Emerald.

The smash occurred just before 7pm with emergency crews closing the Peak Downs Highway.

Initial information suggests there are several people requiring medical attention.

More to come.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australians on board missing plane

A search and rescue mission is underway for a Malaysia Airlines flight, which has lost contact with air traffic control.

Flight with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board missing ... Malaysia Airlines service bound for Beijing lost. Source: Supplied

• Beijing-bound flight from Kuala Lumpur
• Plane lost contact at 5.40am AEDT
• 239 passengers missing, inclduing six Australians
• DFAT hotline: 1300 555 135 or 02 6261 3305

SIX Australians including two couples from Queensland one couple from New South Wales are missing and feared dead in a Malaysia Airlines crash in the waters off Vietnam.

Brisbane couples Rodney and Mary Burrows and Catherine and Robert Lawton of Springfield Lakes are believed to be friends travelling together.

It was the moment of unspeakable horror that changed the lives of three Aussie families forever.

"Dad phoned this morning and said 'Bobby's plane's missing','' said Robert Lawton's brother David.

"I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it.

"We just want to know where it is, where the plane's come down, if there's anything left.

"They went out for tea with my cousin in Kuala Lumpar and she dropped them off at the train station as they were going to the airport.

"That's the last she saw of them. She said they had a really good time last night.''

Robert and Catherine Lawton have daughters Amanda, Melissa and Glenda and two grandchildren. Cathy Lawton is visually impaired but that had not stopped her enjoying overseas trips with her husband.

"Bobby's a very good father, such a good person,'' David said.

Neighbours of the Lawtons described them as a lovely couple. Caroline Daintith, who had lived across the road from the Lawtons for years, said travel was a big part of the couples' lives.

Neighbour Mathew Cash, a member of the Royal Australian Airforce, said Mr Lawton was a wonderful neighbour who would keep an eye on other peoples' houses when they were away.

"And he even makes sure my wife is OK alone when I had to trouble with my work.

David Lawton's wife, Rhonda, said Cathy and Bob, both in their mid 50s, had been good friends with Mary and Rod Burrows and they had planned a holiday in China together. Family who had gathered at a Burrows family home yesterday waiting for news told The Sunday Mail they were too upset to speak.

The Burrows lived in the quiet Brisbane suburb of Middle Park, where neighbours last night described the tragic loss of two soul mates who always put family first.

"They are lovely people," said Don Stokes.

"They were excited about the trip.

"He just told me they were going to do extensive travel."

Fellow neighbour Mandy Watt added: "They were all about the kids. The kids had moved on... they're all successful, all happy. This was their time."

The couple from Sydney have been identified as Li Yuan and Gu Naijun. Their last known address is a peaceful townhouse in a complex on the northern tip of the Shire, where Boeings and Airbuses criss-cross in the skies above. Mr Li is believed to own the Metro petrol station in Miranda.

New Zealander Paul Weeks, who has spent the past two years living in Perth with his wife and children while working in the mining industry, was also onboard.

Mr Weeks was on his way to Mongolia to start a new job.

Last night his wife, who still lives in Perth, said she was trying to "process" the news.

On board the flight ... Catherine and Robert Lawton of Springfield Lakes. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

They are among the 239 people on board a Malaysia Airlines flight that lost contact with air traffic control and may have gone down in the Gulf of Thailand.

The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 5.40am (AEST).

"The flight was carrying 227 passengers (including two infants), 12 crew members," the airline said in a statement.

Malaysia Airlines said the passengers were from 14 different countries. Initial reports stated seven passengers were Australians but a subsequent statement from the airline put the number at six. Two were from New Zealand.

For hours after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens en route to Beijing the rumour mill was swirling.

Officials were forced to deny reports that the plane had landed in southern China, saying they were simply untrue.

They also said reports that the plane had crashed of the South Vietnamese coast had not been confirmed, nor could they rule out a terrorist attack or a complete loss of fuel.

The Vietnamese Navy claimed its military radar had recorded the plane crashing into the sea about 250km south of Phu Quoc Island, a popular Vietnamese tourist resort near Cambodia. That, too, remained unconformed.

Another report claimed the plane had suddenly plunged 200m and changed course shortly before all contact was lost. Aviation experts say this could have been due to a catastrophic engine failure, the pilots taking evasive action to avoid another aircraft, or an explosion.

But late into the night airline officials were still saying they simply did not know what had happened.

Raw ... in Beijing, a woman in tears is helped by airport workers to a bus waiting for relatives of the missing passengers. Picture: Han Guan Ng Source: AP

What is known is that three hours and 40 minutes afte takeoff the flight with 227 passengers from 14 countries and 12 crew ceased all contact with air traffic control near Ca Mau province in southern Vietnam.

Since then, no emergency message nor distress beacon has been heard.

"Normally, with a situation on a flight, they have time to check systems, activate emergency beacons, talk to other aircraft nearby and air traffic control," Adam Susz from the the Australian and International Pilots Association said.

"The thing about this type of incident is it seems to happen instantly.

"That's probably the last thing we want to hear is that it is a very sudden and unexpected sign."

Mr Susz said aircrafts were normally in constant communication with air traffic control, typically every 30 to 60 minutes, either by satellite or VHF.

Chinese and Thai authorities said the Boeing 777-200 did not enter their airspace.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the government "fears the worst" for those aboard the flight, and that they had so far confirmed the names of six Australians on the flight's passenger manifest.

"Our sympathies are with the families and friends of these Australians. We also extend our condolences to the families of the other passengers and to the governments of all those countries affected, in particular China, Indonesia and Malaysia who had significant numbers of nationals on this flight.

"Australian consular officials are in contact with family members living in Australia of those believed to be on the flight and will continue to provide the families with all possible consular assistance," the spokesperson said.

The world waits ... A spokesperson, right, from the Malaysia Airlines speaks to the media at a hotel in Beijing. Picture: Andy Wong Source: AP

"Australian consular officials are in urgent and ongoing contact with Malaysia Airlines. Malaysia Airlines has advised that it is contacting relatives of the passengers on the flight."

The airline has established a call centre – phone +60 37884 1234 – for those seeking more information.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 24 hour Consular Emergency Centre is contactable on 1 300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).

A total of 153 passengers were Chinese nationals.

There were also 38 from Malaysia, 12 from Indonesia, three from France, two from New Zealand, four from the USA, two from Ukraine, two Canadians, two Russians, one Italian, one from Taiwan, one from The Netherlands and one from Austria.

Tearful and angry, the friends and relatives of passengers on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have lashed out at the company as journalists besiege them in a Beijing hotel.

Many were taken there by the airline after going to the Chinese capital's airport to meet the flight, scheduled to land at around 6:30am.

A press conference was expected at the same location, and when others arrived later, they had to run the gauntlet of scores of Chinese and international reporters shoving microphones and cameras in their faces.

"They should have told us something before now," said one visibly distressed man in his 30s, from the Chinese city of Tianjin.

A man in his 20s struggled to help a grieving older woman, possibly his mother, into a quiet room as journalists shouted questions at her.

"They are useless," he said of the airline. "I don't know why they haven't released any information. We waited for four hours and all they told us was the very few details they released at the media conference."

Fighting back tears, a 20-year-old woman who had gone to the airport to meet a college friend said the passenger's family still had not been told by the airline she was on board.

According to Malaysia Airlines, 153 of the 239 people on board the missing flight - a codeshare with China Southern Airlines - are Chinese citizens.

Scores of family members spoke to airline officials in small groups in a room on the hotel's second floor.

Security at times struggled to hold back the huge throng of reporters crowding outside the door and making it difficult for relatives to enter or exit.

One woman in her twenties entered the room frantically crying, ignoring questions from the horde.

A man in his 60s wiped tears from his eyes with a handkerchief as he entered the room.

He hit a cameraman in the face who tried to film him as he walked by, as a security guard shouted "Don't you all have families?"

Grim news ... Malaysian Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya addresses the media near Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana Source: AFP

Reports on Twitter appeared to show a full list of names of passengers on board the flight, but its veracity had not been confirmed.

Pham Hien, a Vietnamese search and rescue official, said the last signal detected from the plane was 120 nautical miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Vietnam's southernmost Ca Mau province, which is close to where the South China Sea meets the Gulf of Thailand.

Lai Xuan Thanh, director of Vietnam's civil aviation authority, said air traffic officials in the country never made contact with the plane.

The plane "lost all contact and radar signal one minute before it entered Vietnam's air traffic control,'' Lt. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief of staff of the Vietnamese army, said in a statement issued by the government.

As darkness fell and a major search and rescue operation was under way off the Vietnamese coast, an airline spokesman said: "We are still trying to locate the current location of the flight based on the last known position of the aircraft.

"We are working with the International search and rescue teams in trying to locate the aircraft.

"So far, we have not received any emergency signals or distress messages from MH370.

"We are working with authorities and assure that all sources are deployed to assist with the search and rescue mission."

Malaysia and Vietnam have launched searches for a missing Malaysia Airlines jet.

The South China Sea is a tense region with competing territorial claims that have led to several low-level conflicts, particularly between China and the Philippines. That antipathy briefly faded as nations of the region rushed to aid in the search, with China dispatching two maritime rescue ships and the Philippines deploying three air force planes and three navy patrol ships to help.

"In times of emergencies like this, we have to show unity of efforts that transcends boundaries and issues,'' said Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, commander of the Philippine military's Western Command.

The ministry launched a rescue effort to find the plane, working in coordination with Malaysian and Chinese officials, the statement added.

Malaysian authorities dispatched a plane, two helicopters and four vessels to search seas off its east coast in the South China Sea, said Faridah Shuib, a spokeswoman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

The Philippines said it was sending three navy patrol boats and a surveillance plane to help efforts.

Yahoo News quoted local newspaper reports that the Vietnamese Navy said the plane went down into the sea about 153 miles south of Phu Quoc Island, just off the coast of the Vietnamese / Cambodian border.

Other media outlets reported that the Chinese Navy had deployed two vessels to the South China Sea to search for the missing plane.

"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their search and rescue team to locate the aircraft," Malaysia Airlines said.

Whatever happened to the flight, Indonesia-based independent aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said the clock was ticking on a "24-hour golden window'' for search and rescue efforts.

"You can't assume that there are no survivors, and if there are any, it is absolutely crucial that they are picked up within a day, or the chances of survival drops significantly,'' he said.

Search and rescue under way ... a map of the Malaysia Airlines flight's approximate flight path to Beijing. Source: Supplied

China's state news agency reported that the Malaysia Airlines aircraft lost contact over Vietnam while an unconfirmed report on a flight tracking website said the aircraft had plunged 200m and changed course shortly before all contact was lost.

The route would have taken the plane across the Malaysian mainland in a north easterly direction and then across the Gulf of Thailand.

Grief ... A possible relative cries at the Beijing Airport. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP

Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Chinese aviation authorities saying the plane did not enter China's air traffic control sphere.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement: "We are very concerned learning this news."

"We are contacting relevant authorities and are trying to confirm relevant information.''

The vice president of Malaysia Airlines told CNN that the missing plane had enough fuel for seven hours.

In shock ... A woman, center, surrounded by media covers her mouth on her arrival at a hotel which is prepared for relatives or friends of passengers aboard the missing plane, in Beijing. Picture: Andy Wong Source: AP

Malaysia Airlines' Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement: "We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am earlier this morning bound for Beijing."

MORE: PLANE CRASHES THAT CHANGED AVIATION HISTORY

MORE: MAJOR AIR DISASTERS SINCE 2009

Seven Australians have been confirmed to be on board a Malaysian Airlines flight which has gone missing.

"The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time (9.30am AEST).

"Subang Air Traffic Control reported that it lost contact at 2.40am (local Malaysia time) today.

"Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing B777-200 aircraft," he said.

"The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew — comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members. The passengers were of 13 different nationalities."

Recording the grief ... media hover over a possible relative of a passenger on the Malaysia Airlines flight. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP

The pilot was 53 year old captain Zahari Ahmad Shah, who joined the airline in 1981 and had over 18,000 flying hours.

"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," Mr Yahya said..

"We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am earlier this morning bound for Beijing.

"Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew.

"Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilise its full support.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."

Fearing the worst ... Chinese police stand beside the arrival board showing the flight MH370 (top red) at Beijing Airport. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP

Follow Malaysia Airlines on the incident on Facebook

Fuad Sharuji, Malaysian Airlines' vice president of operations control, told CNN that the plane was flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) and that the pilots had reported no problem with the aircraft.

Finding planes that disappear over the ocean can be very difficult. Aeroplane "black boxes'' - the flight data and cockpit voice recorders - are equipped with "pingers'' that emit ultrasonic signals that can be detected underwater.

Under good conditions, the signals can be detected from several hundred miles away, said John Goglia, a former member of the US National Transportation Safety Board. If the boxes are trapped inside the wreckage, the sound may not travel as far, he said. If the boxes are at the bottom of an underwater trench, that also hinders how far the sound can travel. The signals also weaken over time.

Air France Flight 447, with 228 people on board, disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean en route from Rio de Janiero to Paris on June 1, 2009. Some wreckage and bodies were recovered over the next two weeks, but it took nearly two years for the main wreckage of the Airbus 330 and its black boxes to be located and recovered.

The Malaysia Airlines plane, registration 9M MRO, is thought to have been a regular on routes to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Auckland.

A flight tracking website shows images of the plane descending at Kingsford-Smith airport in Sydney in 2010.

Showing the strain ... a Malaysian policeman stands guard outside a reception centre for family and friends at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana Source: AFP

The Malaysian Airlines flight was not the only air traffic incident to happen on Saturday.

An Indian jetliner with 170 people on board caught fire while landing in Nepal's capital, but there were no casualties reported.

The right wheels of the Indigo Airbus 320 caught fire during the landing and passengers were quickly evacuated through emergency doors.

Officials said the plane, which was arriving from New Delhi, was flying too low before landing.

Fearing bad news ... a woman talks on the phone at a reception centre for families and friends of passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana. Source: AFP

Malaysia Airlines is the national carrier of Malaysia and one of Asia's largest, flying nearly 37,000 passengers daily to some 80 destinations worldwide.

Malaysia Airlines has 15 777 planes in the fleet and is an experienced operator of this type of aircraft.

Aviation Week reported that the missing plane was a 777-2H6ER with tail number 9M-MRO and serial number 28420. It had been built in 2002 and had been used by Malaysian Airlines since that time.

The last major crash of Malaysia Airlines flight was in 1995, when a Fokker 50 (9M-MGH) crashed during approach in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia, killing 34 people.

In 1977, a Malaysia Airlines flight was hijacked and crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia, killing all 100 people aboard.

The crash represents one of the biggest passenger losses in recent time and the second fatal accident involving a Boeing 777 in less than a year after an almost spotless record.

Last year, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crash landed in San Francisco, killing three passengers with 200 people taken to hospital.

In 2005, during a flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur the crew received a "stall warning" forcing the pilot to turn back.

Boeing said it was "monitoring" the situation.

Other accidents involving Malaysia Airlines planes include a fatal crash last October in Borneo Island, which claimed the lives of a copilot and passenger.

In 1977, a jet crashed in southern Malaysia, killing all 93 passengers and seven crew.

Anyone wanting more information on the flight should call the airline on +60-378841234.

If you have any information that is relevant to this story, please email paul.tatnell@news.com.au.

Commercial flight missing ... The image from @flightaware shows the last known track of flight MH370 over southern Asia. Picture: Flightaware.com Source: Supplied

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sydney crash victim gets $251,000 damages

AN aspiring fashion designer has been awarded more than $251,000 in damages after a car hit her when she was attempting to cross a Sydney highway.

Helen Kamateros had been at the St George Leagues Club with two friends on November 11, 2005 to celebrate finishing her high school certificate exams.

Ms Kamateros, then 18, and her friends left the club to catch a bus from the opposite side of the Princes Highway at Kogarah.

However, a car struck Ms Kamateros as she crossed the road.

She launched a claim for damages in the NSW District Court in 2008 submitting the driver breached a duty of care.

In a decision handed down on Friday, the district court found in Ms Kamateros' favour and rejected driver Belinda Monk's claim there was nothing she could do.

According to the judgment, Ms Kamateros was behind a friend in crossing the road and was in the third lane, closest to the median strip, when the car struck her.

She told the court her friend suggested they cross the road as a bus would arrive soon, but denied she was hurried.

The trio had crossed the highway 60 metres south of a intersection with traffic lights.

Ms Monk told police on the night of the crash, she had been driving through a green light and saw three girls running across the road in front of her.

"There was one girl in each lane and there was nothing I could do," Ms Monk said in a statement to police.

"I applied my brakes but couldn't turn away or try and avoid them otherwise I would have hit all of them."

However, Judge Phillip Mahony SC did not accept the Ms Monk's submission.

"I therefore find that the defendant was driving at a speed which was excessive in the circumstances and in a manner that she was unable to avoid the plaintiff," he wrote in his decision.

"She therefore breached her duty of care to the plaintiff."

The judgment stated Ms Kamateros finished a TAFE course in 2009 in fashion design and had been working at the Johanna Johnston bridal boutique in Paddington.

She told the court she enjoyed working for the boutique but had to leave the job in 2010 because of back pain and headaches.

Ms Kamateros has had extensive physiotherapy for ongoing problems with her jaw, knee and lower back, the judgment stated.

The damages to be awarded were based on the assumption that but for her injury, Ms Kamateros would have had the opportunity to operate her own fashion business if she chose to.

After a reduction of 40 per cent due to contributory negligence, Ms Kamateros will be awarded $251,785.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man struck by lightning in Sydney's west

A man has been struck by lightning as severe thunderstorms sweep across Sydney. Source: AAP

A MAN has been struck by lightning as severe thunderstorms sweep across Sydney.

A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesman said the 65-year-old man was struck outside his home in Baulkham Hills, in northwest Sydney, at 5pm on Friday.

Fire fighters administered first aid to the man, who was conscious but disoriented, the spokesman said.

He has been taken to hospital.

There is a severe thunderstorm warning in place for parts of Sydney, particularly the western suburbs.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Melbourne siblings, 15 and 3, go missing

A 15-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother have disappeared from their home in Melbourne. Source: AAP

A THREE-YEAR-OLD boy and his teenage sister have gone missing from Melbourne's north.

Paris, 15, and Corey Prince were last known to be at their home in Reservoir on Monday.

Police have been told the siblings are with a male family member but are concerned for the children's welfare given their age and the ability of the family member to care for them.

Despite searching a number of locations the children have not been found and anyone who sees them is urged to call triple-zero.

Paris has coloured hair and a slim build, while Corey has brown hair.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kelly family hand over Kings Cross CCTV

The family of punch victim Thomas Kelly hope a new CCTV camera will serve as a preventative measure. Source: AAP

THE family of coward punch victim Thomas Kelly hope a new CCTV camera in Kings Cross will make people think twice before orchestrating a violent attack.

The Thomas Kelly Foundation was established following the 18-year-old's death in 2012.

Thomas was fatally punched while walking through Kings Cross with friends.

Last year Daniel Christie was punched on the same stretch of road.

He died in hospital from critical head injuries.

The foundation, established by Thomas' parents Ralph and Kathy Kelly, and the City of Sydney have funded a CCTV camera in Victoria Street to cover the spot where Thomas and Daniel lost their lives.

The Kelly family handed over the new camera on Friday.

Mr Kelly said he saw CCTV cameras as a preventative measure.

"Whilst they won't stop the assaults occurring by themselves, if it makes some people think twice before committing a violent attack, then they have an important role to play," he said in a statement.

Mr Kelly said the arrest of Thomas' attacker was supplemented by hours of vision from CCTV cameras.

The City of Sydney has a plan to install 10 extra CCTV cameras at night spots around Surry Hills, Kings Cross and the CBD.

The new cameras will be monitored 24 hours a day at the city's Security and Emergency Operations Centre at Town Hall.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius trigger-happy gun lover, ex says

A WITNESS at the murder trial of South African double-amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has depicted him as a gun lover who once shot through the sunroof of a car to amuse himself.

Pistorius' ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor testified on the fifth day of the trial on Friday that Pistorius always carried his gun with him and placed it next to his bed at night.

Taylor described an incident on September 30, 2012, when she was with Pistorius and their friend Darren Fresco in a car.

Police stopped them for speeding and saw Pistorius' pistol, prompting the athlete, who has a licence to carry a gun, to shout that the officer was not allowed to touch the weapon, she said.

After the three took off again with Fresco at the wheel, the two men said they wanted to shoot at traffic lights, she testified. Pistorius then fired a shot through the open sunroof of the car with both men laughing, she said.

"The shot was fired because they were angry with the police," Taylor said.

"They found it funny because they were irritating the police."

Taylor, who was the eighth witness to testify at the trial, said she broke up with Pistorius because he was cheating on her with Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius, 27, is charged with the premeditated murder of Steenkamp, his model girlfriend whom he shot through the bathroom door in his Pretoria home on February 14, 2013.

He said he mistook her for an intruder.

The athlete also faces three separate gun-related charges at the trial, which is expected to last two more weeks.

During Taylor's testimony, Pistorius stared steadfastly at the witness, who broke into tears several times.

Another witness this week described an incident in which Pistorius was with Fresco and other friends at a restaurant. The witness said Fresco handed Pistorius his gun and the athlete fired a shot at the floor, apparently accidentally. He then asked Fresco to take the blame for the incident, according to the testimony.

Both the alleged shots in the restaurant and through the sunroof are among the gun-related charges filed against Pistorius.

But the proceedings have focused on Steenkamp's killing with several witnesses testifying they heard a woman scream as if her life were in danger on the night she died.

One of Pistorius' neighbours who is also a doctor described on Thursday how he found Pistorius crouching next to the wounded Steenkamp. He said the athlete cried profusely and asked God to save her.

Pistorius, whose legs were amputated before his first birthday because of a congenital defect, became the first amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes in the Olympics in London in 2012.

His carbon-fibre prostheses earned him the nickname "Blade Runner".

Hundreds of journalists are in Pretoria to report on the world's most high-profile trial involving an athlete since the 1994-95 proceedings against American football star OJ Simpson.

The trial, featuring more than 100 witnesses, is the first in South Africa to be partly televised live.

If found guilty of murder, Pistorius could receive a life sentence, which would require him to spend a minimum of 25 years in prison.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bishop hopes for pressure on Russia

FOREIGN minister Julie Bishop has urged those with influence over Russia to pressure Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.

Ms Bishop said on Thursday night while Australia had been involved in debates with the United Nations security council on Russia's occupation in Ukraine, there was a limit to what Australia could do alone.

"So we are working with our friends and allies and others who have taken exception to Russia's aggression in breaching Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said.

"And hope that with pressure from those who have influence over Russia we will see Ukraine's integrity restored and its integrity no longer breached," she said.

Speaking outside The Sydney Institute on Thursday night, Ms Bishop said it lay in Russia's hands to ease the tensions in Ukraine.

Ukraine's new West-leaning government has accused Russia of staging a de facto invasion by deploying troops to the Crimean peninsula.

Russian forces are also positioned along Ukraine's eastern borders on the pretext of protecting ethnic Russians there, following the uprising against fugitive former president Viktor Yanukovych.

The Australian government has also allowed Ukrainian visitors to stay in Australia under special visa provisions while the situation in their country remained volatile.

Ukrainians on a visa due to expire and who might be affected by the unrest can apply to have their stay extended.

It followed the government upgrading it's travel advice to Ukraine.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Newborn found dead on Melbourne footpath

THE body of a newborn baby has been found on a footpath in Melbourne's west.

The homicide squad is investigating the discovery and a woman, 18, of St Albans, is assisting police with their inquiries.

A family member reported the death to police about 3pm on Thursday (AEDT).

Officers attended attended a property in Ruth Street, St Albans, and found the newborn's body on a nearby footpath.

Police said the exact circumstances surrounding the death were unknown and a post mortem was expected to be conducted on Thursday night.

Investigators want to hear from anyone who saw unusual activity in the Ruth Street area during the past week to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sanctions wouldn't affect Sochi: Bishop

ANY potential political actions against Russia would be unlikely to impact upon Australia's paralympians, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says.

As international outcry continues over Russia's actions in Ukraine, Britain has withdrawn its political delegation from the Sochi Games.

Australian did not send a delegation. However, team Chef de Mission Chris Nunn says the decision was pre-planned and has nothing to do with the current political situation.

Asked on Thursday night whether an Australian boycott was possible, foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop said the government was considering all options in response to the Ukraine crisis.

But whether Australian athletes decided to go to the Games was a matter for them, Ms Bishop added.

"I am aware of the volatility in the situation," she told reporters in Sydney.

"Its very fluid, its a highly charged atmosphere.

"But it is a matter for the individuals to determine with the best advice available to them whether they will participate."

Mr Nunn said the team had magnificent support from the Australian Federal Police.

"They've been advising us all along, and we are absolutely comfortable that we're in good hands," he said.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW man in coma after assault

A MAN is in an induced coma with head injuries after an assault on the NSW Central Coast.

Police were called to a house at Kincumber at 6.15pm on Thursday, with two men reportedly involved in an argument.

Police said the men were sitting outside the Kooronya Road property at the time.

A 47-year-old man was allegedly punched and fell to the ground, striking his head on the concrete.

He suffered head injuries and was airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital, where he was placed in a induced coma.

Police later said officers arrested a 26-year-old man at a nearby house who was assisting with inquiries.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

P-plater in SA allegedly six times limit

A P-PLATE driver has lost his wheels after being nabbed at six times the legal alcohol limit in suburban Adelaide, police allege.

Members of the public reported the man's driving to police and officers nabbed him driving near Royston Park after 3pm (AEDT).

The Royston Park man, 35, was then taken to the local police station where he allegedly blew a reading of 0.304, despite his P-plater status requiring him to drive without any alcohol in his blood.

The man had his licence suspended for 12 months and his vehicle impounded for 28 days.

He will be summonsed to court at a later date on driving offences.

19.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greens slam Tasmanian ALP, Liberals

Tasmania's Greens have slammed the Labor party for the progressive vote at the state election. Source: AAP

TASMANIA'S Greens have described the Labor party they shared power with for four years as a "shambles" in a pitch for the progressive vote at the state election.

Greens leader Nick McKim had already declared his party could be the official opposition in the island state after the March 15 poll with the ALP languishing in the polls.

He has used the Greens' official campaign launch to slam Labor and to warn Liberal voters of a "Hodgman/Abetz" government.

Mr McKim attacked Labor over rogue backbencher Brenton Best, who has called for Premier Lara Giddings to step down over the party's power-sharing arrangement with the Greens.

Mr Best renewed his attack on Ms Giddings on social media this week, referring to the premier as "La La".

"I say to progressive Labor voters your party is at war with itself," Mr McKim told Greens supporters in Hobart.

He accused opposition leader Will Hodgman of subservience to Tasmanian Liberal senator and federal employment minister Eric Abetz.

"I'd say this to some Liberal voters, particularly conservative people who hold traditional conservative values, that a vote for Will Hodgman is a vote for Eric Abetz and Tony Abbott," Mr McKim said.

The Greens have released a brochure declaring they stand for "real liberal values" more akin to Malcolm Turnbull's than Mr Abbott's.

It claims Tasmania's Liberals are controlled by "right-wing hardliners" such as Senator Abetz.

"Their policies are a mix of hard right-wing morality and old-fashioned corporate welfare," it says.

Mr McKim promised to create 10,000 jobs over the next decade by better marketing of Tasmanian products and produce.

He said the Greens would push a light rail proposal linking the city to the state's number one tourist attraction, the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).

The Greens would also make Tasmania Australia's healthiest state by 2030 with a $13 million preventative health policy.

Mr McKim was introduced by the party's former federal leader Bob Brown.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

S Sudanese flee into Darfur

Refugees from violence in South Sudan are so desperate they are fleeing to Sudan's Darfur region. Source: AAP

THE civil war in South Sudan has left people so hungry and desperate for relief that they are even fleeing across the border into Darfur, a long-troubled region of famine and suffering in neighbouring Sudan, the UN humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan says.

Some 900,000 South Sudanese are homeless since the war erupted in December, and about 195,000 of them have fled as refugees to Uganda, Ethiopia and even into Darfur, Tony Lanzer said on Tuesday.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan to become independent in 2011. Sudan's western Darfur region has been gripped by violence since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government.

"I never thought I would see people fleeing into Darfur," Lanzer said.

"It's a very painful thing for the world's youngest country if your people are fleeing."

South Sudan's civil war broke out in December between supporters of ousted Vice President Riek Machar, from the Nuer ethnic group, and the forces of President Salva Kiir, who is an ethnic Dinka. The two sides agreed to a ceasefire in January, but that agreement does not appear to be holding.

A total of 3.7 million South Sudanese are "food insecure," or unsure of where their next meal will come from, Lanzer said, out of a population of about 11 million.

Lanzer is organising donations for international relief aid in the coming weeks during the dry season, when roads are passable. The World Food Program hopes to pre-position 146,000 tons of food. By June, during the wet season, supplies would have to be airlifted at far greater cost.

"Now, 90 per cent of funds go toward relief, and 10 per cent to delivery," Lanzer said. By June, that ratio will have flipped.

Adding to the urgency, people need to sow crops before June but are afraid to go into the fields.

"There will not be a harvest if people do not cultivate," Lanzer said.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australian tells of detainment in N Korea

An Australian man detained in North Korea has recounted "long and gruelling" interrogation sessions. Source: AAP

TWO hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

Australian missionary John Short has revealed detail of his "long and gruelling" interrogation while detained in North Korea for breaches of the country's religious laws.

The 75-year-old was held for 13 days in the capital Pyongyang after being picked up en route to the airport on February 18.

In a statement issued on Wednesday Mr Short said recounting scripture helped him endure the "long and gruelling investigation".

"There were two-hour sessions each morning, which were repeated again in the afternoons," he said.

The keen walker who clocks up an average 5kms a day said his seated confinement was challenging.

"This I found to be most painful physically as an active senior person."

It was also stressful being under constant guard, he added.

When first detained Mr Short said he insisted he was not a spy and did not intend bringing hostilities to North Korea.

He was told that by distributing religious pamphlets at a Buddhist temple and in a crowded train he violated local laws which prohibit the dissemination of religious material, and faced 15 years in prison.

"I confessed that I had knowingly broken the law in what I believed is my God directed duty and as I do in every place and country I visit," Mr Short said.

The non-denominational Christian Evangelist, originally from South Australia, who has lived with his wife in Hong Kong since 1964, thanked his family along with consular officials who helped publicise his case and facilitate his release.

North Korea's official news agency, KCNA, reported that the decision to expel Mr Short without penalty was partly in consideration of his age.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leave scheme to go ahead: Hockey

The government will go ahead with its planned paid parental leave scheme, Treasurer Joe Hockey says. Source: AAP

THE federal government will push ahead with its planned paid parental leave scheme even if a commission of audit deems it too generous in the current budgetary environment.

Treasurer Joe Hockey said the coalition will keep its promise to deliver the scheme, which is planned to begin in July 2015 and cost about $5.5 billion a year.

"The paid parental leave scheme will be fully funded and it is fully funded," Mr Hockey told the ABC on Wednesday.

He did not reject an assertion that an interim report from the commission found the scheme too generous in light of the budget's unhealthy position.

He also flagged that the government could overlook other commission of audit recommendations in its May budget.

"We won't accept every recommendation of the report," he said.

"It is a report to the government ... all the commission of audit reports that have been around previously, I don't think any government has accepted all the recommendations."

In his signature paid parental leave policy, Prime Minister Tony Abbott wants to give working women their regular wage for six months, capped at $75,000, after they give birth.

Labor is opposed to the scheme and in late February Nationals senator John Williams said he will only back the plan if there is a significant economic turnaround.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Speaker should be neutral, Burke says

A Labor frontbencher has hinted a level of dissatisfaction with the federal parliamentary Speaker. Source: AAP

A FEDERAL Labor frontbencher has hinted there is community disquiet about the objectivity of parliamentary Speaker Bronwyn Bishop.

Clashes between the manager of opposition business Tony Burke and "madam speaker", as Ms Bishop is referred to in the lower house, have become a common fixture during question time.

Asked about Ms Bishop's style on Wednesday, Mr Burke said there are rules which limit what he can say outside of parliament.

"As a principle I guess the best way to describe it from my end, is: on the sporting field I don't think the referee ought to get involved in the sledging," he told Sky News.

"I think that's the sort of view I hear throughout the community a fair bit too."

Ms Bishop was appointed Speaker when the coalition came into power for the 44th parliament.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Senate votes to stop dumping in reef park

THE Senate has passed a motion calling for the reversal of a coal port terminal expansion approval allowing dredge dumping in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Greens senator Larissa Waters, a Queenslander, moved the motion on Monday calling on federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt to revoke the government's approval of the Abbot Point coal port extension.

In January, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) approved a proposal from the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation to dump three million cubic metres of dredge spoil in the marine park over several years.

Mr Hunt had earlier given approval to the dredging in Queensland's north, which will turn Abbot Point into one of the world's largest coal terminals.

But Senator Waters argued that new documents, obtained by Greenpeace, showed that GBRMPA had initially wanted to reject that plan to dump dredge spoil on a sand bed in the marine park, 25km from the port and 20km from the nearest coral reef.

"The Senate and the community are sending a strong message to the Abbott Government that dumping millions of tonnes of sludge in the Great Barrier Reef is unacceptable," Senator Waters, the Greens' environment spokeswoman, said.

"Minister Hunt has been telling us that the damage from the Abbot Point dumping can be offset but documents released under freedom of information this week show that's simply not the case.

"The documents show the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority found that it would be impossible to offset the damage because it was too great."

On Tuesday, Senator Waters' motion passed on the voices with support from Labor and the Greens.

GBRMPA chairman Russell Reichelt this week said the documents cited by Greenpeace were "preliminary working drafts which were never submitted" to the authority's senior management, with that draft assessment occurring before strict conditions were imposed on the dumping.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Former couple guilty of WA manslaughter

A former couple have been found guilty of killing a convicted drug dealer in Perth. Source: AAP

A FORMER couple have been found guilty of killing a convicted drug dealer in Perth.

Paulo Nunzio Stagno, 30, and Danielle Kovac, 28, had been on trial in the WA Supreme Court over the shooting death of Mite Naumovski in September, 2011.

The pair lured the 38-year-old to a house after a dispute over a drug debt.

They claimed Stagno acted in self-defence when he shot Mr Naumovski in the head.

Mr Naumovski's body was found in the back of a car less than two weeks after he disappeared with six gunshot wounds.

A jury on Tuesday acquitted the pair of murder but found them both guilty of manslaughter.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt cops jailed for killing of activist

An Egyptian court has sentenced two policemen to 10 years in jail for the killing of an activist. Source: AAP

AN Egyptian court has sentenced two policemen to 10 years in prison each for the 2010 killing of a political activist whose slaying was one of the sparks that led to the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak the following year.

The sentencing was the result of a retrial in the landmark case of the beating to death in the port city of Alexandria of 28-year-old Khaled Said.

Photographs of the dead Said's severely beaten face were posted on the internet and became a rallying cry against rampant police brutality under Mubarak.

The two policemen - Awad Suliman and Mahmoud Salah - had previously been convicted and handed sentences of seven years but that conviction was later overturned and a new trial was ordered.

In a separate development, prosecutors released the son of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi - Mubarak's successor - after he agreed to give samples for a drug test.

According to the state MENA news agency, 20-year-old university freshman Abdullah Morsi was freed late on Sunday after agreeing to give blood and urine samples for the test.

The young Morsi was detained on Saturday on suspicion of drug possession. He was with a friend in a parked car that was searched by a police patrol east of Cairo. Officers reportedly found two rolled hashish cigarettes in the vehicle.

Abdullah's older brother, Osama, had rejected the accusations, calling them fabricated.

Morsi was ousted in July last year by the military and faces a multitude of trials on charges that carry the death penalty.

He was in office for a year when he was removed by military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Mubarak himself faces two trials: a retrial over the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that toppled his 29-year rule and a second one, on charges that he and his two sons took for personal use state funds set aside for the upkeep and maintenance of presidential palaces.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM welcomes foresters to Canberra

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has opened parliament's doors to the "frowned upon" forestry industry. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has opened parliament's doors to the "frowned upon" forestry industry, saluting them as the nation's "ultimate conservationists".

Mr Abbott announced on Tuesday the government would establish a forestry industry advisory council to be co-chaired by Rob de Fegely, the president of the Institute of Foresters of Australia.

The council was necessary because too little is known about the industry, Mr Abbott told a forestry industry dinner in parliament house in Canberra.

The prime minister was "pleased" foresters were able to attend parliament after many years without feeling like they were in "hostile territory".

"For three years you were officially frowned upon in Canberra because we had a government that was over-influenced by the Greens," Mr Abbott told the 600-strong gathering, which was also attended by Labor ministers.

"I look around and I don't see people who are environmental vandals, I see people who are the ultimate conservationists.

"I want to salute you as people who love the natural world."

Mr Abbott defended the Coalition's decision to remove world heritage listing for 74,000 hectare area of Tasmanian forest earlier this year.

"We have quite enough national parks, quite enough locked-up forests," he said.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

UN court sets date for whaling judgement

AFTER years of diplomatic wrangling and clashes in the Southern Ocean, the UN's top court is set to rule on the heated whaling dispute between Australia and Japan.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will deliver its binding judgment on March 31.

Canberra has asked the 16-judge panel to ban Japan's annual hunt on the basis it's not "for purposes of scientific research" as allowed under Article 8 of the 1946 whaling convention.

During a three-week hearing in the Netherlands in mid-2013, Australia - supported by New Zealand - argued Tokyo's program was actually a commercial operation in disguise.

However, Japan countered that the court didn't have the authority to decide what was, or wasn't, science.

Japan insisted lethal research was both lawful and necessary.

In announcing the March 31 judgment date on Tuesday, the ICJ stated: "It is recalled that the judgments of the court have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned."

The decision will come seven years after then opposition leader Kevin Rudd first pledged a future Labor government would take legal action against Tokyo.

Rudd was duly elected prime minister in November 2007 but it took another 18 months before Labor instituted proceedings in mid-2010.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Govt to repeal Qantas Sale Act

Qantas would face national interest tests even if its ownership laws were repealed says Tony Abbott. Source: AAP

THE federal government has opened the door for Qantas to have more foreign investment but the airline may have to restructure and jobs could go offshore.

Qantas has asked the government to change the Qantas Sale Act to allow more foreign investment arguing the strings attached hampered its ability to compete on a level playing field with its rivals.

Federal cabinet on Monday rejected a debt guarantee sought by Qantas but agreed to repeal part of the Act that stops foreign airlines from holding more than a 35 per cent of Qantas or a greater than 25 per cent stake for any single foreign shareholder.

Mr Abbott said that under the proposed changes, Qantas foreign ownership would be limited still by the Foreign Investment Review Board and the Air Navigation Act.

"They do have to have 51 per cent Australian ownership, they do have to have their headquarters and the substance of their business based in Australia," Mr Abbott said.

Mr Abbott did not say how Qantas could capitalise on the change saying that was up to the airline, which could restructure itself.

He said that under what they are proposing, Qantas' international arm would "remain in every sense" an Australian airline.

"Qantas domestic, should there be a distinction, would remain a substantially Australian airline," Mr Abbott said.

The move means other government owned airlines will be able to take a majority stake in the domestic arm of Qantas for the first time even while foreign ownership of the international arm would have to remain capped at 49 per cent.

Some aviation analysts argue the best option for Qantas would be to split the company into three separate companies: domestic, international and ancillary services such as the Frequent Flyer program and freight.

Mr Abbott said the changes will provide business flexibility for Qantas consistent with other airlines based in Australia.

He conceded that some jobs may go offshore in any restructure.

"If some jobs have to go offshore in order to ensure that Qantas has a strong and viable long-term future, it may be regrettable but nevertheless it is the best way to guarantee Australian jobs for the long term," Mr Abbott said.

The coalition will take legislation to parliament as early as this week and hopes Labor will not prevent the bills from passing the upper house where the government does not have the numbers alone to pass laws.

"I don't believe that even the Labor party as currently constituted is going to stand aside and let Qantas bleed," Mr Abbott said.

But both Labor and the Australian Greens plan to oppose the repeal which means it is unlikely to pass in the Senate.

Labor believes the change will lead to a restructure that would see thousands of jobs going overseas.

Opposition transport spokesman Anthony Albanese said all previous indications from Treasurer Joe Hockey had suggested the coalition was more likely to offer Qantas a debt guarantee than repeal the Act.

"No one who had read the tea leaves ... in the past few months could have predicted that they would attempt to get rid of the entire section of the act," he said.

"Every single principle which makes the flying kangaroo an Australian is gone under this proposal."

The Australian Greens said they don't want to lose a national carrier and see jobs go offshore.

"Tony Abbott is out to kill Qantas as our national carrier," Deputy Leader Adam Bandt said.

Qantas acknowledged the coalition move "would have limited chance of passing through the Senate".

"If this proposal by the government to change the Qantas Sale Act is not passed, we would expect the government and the parliament to consider alternative measures to balance the unlevel playing field in Australian aviation."

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Online privacy a threat to kids: forum

Personal information about Australian children is up for grabs each time they log in at school. Source: AAP

DETAILED personal information about thousands of Australian children is up for grabs each time they log in at school, a forum has heard, and parents have no idea.

The Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) says free web tools such as Google apps and Gmail are widely used in Australian schools, and the company has agreed not to show advertising to in-school users of their online offerings.

But Jeff Gould, president of US tech privacy advocacy body SafeGov, told a forum in Sydney on Monday that children's online activities during school hours could still be scanned for personal data that could be used to deliver potentially troubling advertising to them beyond the school gates.

It's known as data mining, Mr Gould told AAP, and a joint SafeGov-ACSSO survey of 1000 Australian parents in 2013 showed most were clueless about the practice.

"The majority of parents, 54 per cent, basically don't know anything," he said.

Mr Gould said most parents were savvy enough to warn their children not to provide personal information, but data mining was more insidious.

A 13-year-old could log on at school, away from parents' watchful eyes and send an email about a topless picture.

"And when they go outside school, or log into YouTube, or some other site that has nothing to do with Google but where Google is selling an ad on that site, they will get an ad for nude webcams or sexy singles or whatever," Mr Gould said.

"Even if you're disclosing nothing they can still figure out all these things about you."

He told the inaugural Child Online Safety and Protection forum that schools needed to insist that tech giants agree not to use products designed for in-school use to gather data.

ACSSO president Peter Garrigan said as parents learned more about data mining, they overwhelmingly wanted the practice put to a stop.

"When we're using this stuff in a school environment, turn off the data mining. Protect the kids," he said.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hundreds protest outside Russian embassy

Members of Sydney's Ukrainian community are protesting outside a Russian embassy tonight. Source: AAP

ABOUT 200 members of Sydney's Ukrainian community have staged a loud protests outside a Russian embassy, calling on Russia's president to "keep his hands" off the troubled European country.

Ukranian, Georgian and European Union flags were waived as the eclectic crowd yelled at the Russian embassy for President Vladimir Putin to "get out" and "keep his hands off Ukraine" on Monday evening.

Banners depicting the ex-KGB hard man with Adolf Hitler's hair and moustache were shaken angrily at the Woolhara unit housing the Russian embassy, after prayers and songs of national pride.

Protester Yuri Mencinsky, who was involved at demonstrations outside the same embassy 40 years ago, told reporters the crowd was shouting "kacapy" - a derogatory Ukranian term for Russians.

Peter Shmigel, the public affairs director for the Australia Federation of Ukrainian Organisations said the international community needed to act, not just talk.

"Action like removal of Russia from the G8 so that it feels the economic consequences of breaking international law," he told reporters at the protest.

"Why should Russian be at the international table if it's operating in an outlaw manner?"

He added that Ukraine was a untied country and that there was no divide between Russian and Ukrainian speaking-citizens.

"That's a mythology," he said.

"Ukraine has been independent for 20 years. During that time there have been virtually no recorded instances of internecine violence between Russian communities and Ukrainian communities."

Russia's annexation of Georgian land in 2008, he added, should serve as a strong warning.

"Mr Putin looks at the world differently than the world looks at him," he said.

"We look at him as a political leader. He looks at us through the lens of a former colonel of the KGB, someone who swore an oath to uphold the USSR."

The protesters said further actions were planned outside the Russian embassy in Canberra.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius witness 'heard screams'

A WITNESS in the Oscar Pistorius trial has described hearing "bloodcurdling screams" on the night the Paralympian shot his girlfriend dead.

Michell Burger, who lived on the neighbouring estate to the Silverwoods Estate in Pretoria where Pistorius lived, described hearing a woman screaming followed by four gunshots on the night of model Reeva Steenkamp's death.

Her evidence came on the first day of Pistorius's highly-anticipated trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria today, where the six-times sprint champion formally pleaded not guilty to four charges including the murder of Steenkamp.

Prosecutors allege the 27-year-old shot model and reality TV star Steenkamp, 29, through the bathroom door of his home.

Burger, a neighbour of Pistorius who lives in the Silver Stream Estate, described waking up at around 3am to a woman's "terrible screams".

Speaking through an interpreter, she said: "We woke up from the screams. My husband jumped up and went to the balcony."

Ms Burger told the court it had been traumatic to hear the "bloodcurdling screams", adding: "It leaves you cold."

She said she also heard a man screaming for help, adding: "Three times he yelled for help."

Burger said she and her husband called security at their estate to report the screams and what they thought was a break-in.

She added: "I heard her screams again, it was worse, it was more intense. Just after her screams, I heard four shots, it was four gunshots that I heard."

Asked to describe the successive shots, she said there was a pause between the first and second which was longer between the second and third shots and the third and fourth.

She said: "I told my husband that I do not hope that that woman saw her husband being shot in front of her because after he screamed for help we didn't hear him again."

The start of the trial - which is being watched by the world - was delayed by an hour and a half today as the court waited for Afrikaans interpreters.

The double amputee is charged with the murder of Ms Steenkamp, whom he shot dead at his home on Valentine's Day last year.

Asked how he pleaded, he said: "Not guilty, my lady."

The Paralympic star, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie, entered not guilty pleas to four charges.

Pistorius, dubbed the "Blade Runner" for his prosthetic legs, admits shooting Miss Steenkamp dead at his home but claims he thought she was an intruder.

In court today, Pistorius, who was supported by family members including siblings Carl and Aimee and his uncle Arnold, came face to face with Steenkamp's mother June, who is attending the trial.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court: "They were the only two people in the house. There were no eyewitnesses.

"The state's case is based on circumstantial evidence."

He said evidence included what neighbours heard, and prosecutors would argue that "a certain inference" could be drawn from the scene.

"We argue that the accused's version in the bail application and today could not reasonably possibly be true, should be rejected," he said, adding: "The only inference from the circumstantial evidence would be that the accused shot and killed the deceased."

The court was read a statement from Pistorius in which he claimed he mistakenly thought there was an intruder in his home, leading him to open fire in an attempt to protect himself and Steenkamp.

The statement, read by Pistorius's defence lawyer while the athlete remained standing, said the scene had been contaminated and disturbed.

In it, the Paralympian said he did not intend to kill his then-girlfriend that night and they had not argued that night.

He said: "I deny this allegation in the strongest terms because there was no argument. The allegation that I wanted to shoot (or kill) Reeva cannot be further from the truth."

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wind fears for Vic coal mine fire

WINDIER conditions are expected to test firefighters battling Victoria's Morwell fire over the next two days.

Authorities have at least two extra strike teams on standby on Tuesday in case expected higher winds aggravate the fire that has been burning in the mine since February 9.

Incident controller Bob Barry says the fire fight in recent days has been successful in reducing fire activity in the mine.

However, provisions had been made to battle the challenging conditions expected for Tuesday and Wednesday.

This also includes plans to bring two additional aircraft to support the fire fight and extra ground crews are on standby to protect infrastructure outside the mine.

"The additional strike teams will be there to stop fires that escape from the mine - as occurred last week - so we don't have to divert resources from the mine," Mr Barry said.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, who visited Morwell on Monday, announced a $2 million assistance package for small businesses financially hurt by the coal mine fire that has seen many temporarily leave the smoke-choked Victorian town.

"When I have visited small businesses in Morwell one of the things they have emphasised to me whether they are the local coffee ship, the local hair dresser ... their turn over has gone down significantly," he said.

19.51 | 0 komentar | Read More