300 hurt in train accident in South Africa

A PASSENGER train packed with schoolchildren and rush-hour commuters has rammed into another full train near the South African capital Pretoria, injuring up to 300 people, medics say.

The accident took place before 8.00am (1700 AEDT) on Thursday when a commuter train heading from the suburbs to the capital ploughed into the stationary train on the same track.

Medical workers said up to 300 people had been treated for various degrees of injury.

"We do have 20 seriously injured," said Johan Pieterse of Tshwane Emergency Services.

"Both of the trains were full of commuters and between them were lots of school children on the way to school," said Pieterse.

"We counted about 50 plus children," he added.

At least three people were said to be in a "critical" condition, according to Chris Botha, a spokesman for emergency services provider Netcare.

"The people who were critically injured suffered multiple injuries to the body," said Botha.

At least one person was airlifted to the nearby Milpark Hospital, others were taken by ambulance and many were treated at the scene.

Rescue workers struggled to cut away the tangled wreckage of the trains to free the passengers.

One of the train drivers was freed from the carriage after he was trapped for two hours.

"He's critical at this stage," said Pieterse.

The trains were operated by Metrorail, the country's rail system in cities.

The cause of the accident is unknown.

"At this stage we do not want to speculate," said Metrorail spokeswoman Lillian Mofokeng.

It is just the latest serious rail accident to hit South Africa's urban rail network.

In 2011, 857 commuters were injured in Johannesburg's Soweto township when a passenger train smashed into a stationary train during the peak rush hour period.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South, has itself described its passengers as "travelling like cattle".

More than 90 per cent of commuter trains in South Africa are more than 50 years old, the most recent dating from 1986.

The network is currently undergoing a major revamp to upgrade its fleet, spending 123 billion rand ($A13.52 billion) over 20 years.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Revised Indian growth data show slowdown

INDIA has revised its economic growth figures for the previous two years, issuing new data that show a recent slowdown has been even more abrupt than previously thought.

The new figures show growth in the financial year to March 2011 was 9.3 per cent, instead of the previously issued 8.4 per cent, underlining how the economy had resisted the effects of the global financial crisis from 2008.

But since then, over a period of high inflation, rising interest rates and declining business confidence often blamed on the government's weak policy-making, growth has fallen dramatically.

In the financial year to March 2012, growth in gross domestic product fell to 6.2 per cent, the new figures from the Central Statistics Office showed on Thursday, less than the previously issued 6.5 per cent.

In the current financial year, the finance ministry forecasts expansion of 5.7 to 5.9 per cent, but the central bank sees it as 5.5 per cent and many private economists expect even less.

The weak figures come before national elections early next year, when the corruption-plagued government led by the centre-left Congress Party is expected to face a tough fight to stay in power.

A string of pro-market reforms starting at the end of last year and the first interest rate cut in nine months this week are expected to help boost the economy.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram recently said the economy could expand 7.0 per cent in fiscal 2014.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW homes still without power after floods

ABOUT 500 homes remain without power in the north of NSW following the extreme weather that lashed the state earlier this week.

In a statement, Essential Energy said its crews restored power to almost 3000 houses in northern NSW on Thursday, leaving about 500 residents still without electricity.

It said about 23,000 people had lost their power supply during the worst of the recent flood emergency in NSW.

It said power would remain off on Thursday night in the Tweed hinterland at Numinbah, Round Mountain, Boat Harbour, Murwillumbah, Ocean Shores, Upper Wilsons Creek, Federal, Eureka, Booyong, and Goonengerry.

A spokesman for Essential Energy said the biggest problem for crews trying to reconnect power was gaining access to many of the areas hit by this week's floods.

More than 1000 NSW flood evacuees are expected to return to their homes in the north of the state over the next few days, while about 23,000 people remain isolated.

With weather conditions easing, the SES is focusing on resupplying food and medicine to isolated communities, like Yamba and Iluka at the mouth of the Clarence River.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ericsson reports profit halved

ERICSSON, a leading provider of telecom equipment to global markets, reported on Thursday that net profit plunged by half last year, hit by a charge for its joint venture ST-Ericsson, but was confident about prospects this year as operators boost capacity.

Ericsson said in December that it would book a charge of eight billion kronor ($A1.21 billion) after the announcement that French-Italian group STMicro was pulling out of ST-Ericsson.

The joint venture has not reported a single quarter of profits since being created at the beginning of 2009. In the fourth quarter of last year it reported a net loss of $US133 million ($A128.5 million).

In 2012, Ericsson made a net profit of 5.575 billion kronor on sales of 227.779 billion kronor, about the same as in 2011.

Chief executive Hans Vestberg said that the company should benefit in the second half of 2013 from projects by telecommunications operating companies to increase the capacity of their networks.

The results for the fourth quarter were hit hard by the outcome at ST-Ericsson which Ericsson is reportedly seeking to sell.

Ericsson reported a net loss for the quarter of 6.462 billion kronor.

Sales for the quarter rose by 4.0 per cent on a 12-month basis to 66.936 billion kronor. This was better than the average of estimates by analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires, who had expected 65.66 billion euros.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Twenty die in Kazakhstan plane crash

ALL 20 people on board a domestic flight of Kazakhstan's SCAT airline have been killed in a crash.

The airline said there were "20 people were on board - five crew members and 15 passengers" when the plane crashed on Tuesday.

It was coming in to land at Almaty airport in bad weather.

"According to preliminary information there are no survivors," said the airline

The plane was flying to Almaty from the northern city of Kokshetau.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Machete attacker gets three-year jail term

A 23-YEAR-OLD man who struck a Mercedes-owner in the head with a machete in a bid to steal the vehicle has been sentenced to three years in prison.

The District Court of Western Australia was told Lawrence John Cashin attempted to carjack the 24-year-old victim while he sat with his girlfriend parked on a street in the northern Perth suburb of Girrawheen on May 13 last year.

During the attack, Cashin threatened to kill the male victim and struck him with a machete on the top of his head and near his ear.

Throughout the ordeal, the victim's girlfriend was cowering on the floor of the car.

"The victim was screaming, the girlfriend wouldn't get out of the car, and ultimately you ran off," Judge Gillian Braddock said during the sentencing.

"Not only did the victim suffer the deep lacerations to the top of the head and the ear, to need to go to hospital and be treated there, it must have been a totally terrifying experience for them."

Judge Braddock said Cashin was at high risk of violent reoffending, given he had a traumatic early life and addictions.

He was beginning to realise the need to address his problems and was attempting to parent his girlfriend's daughter, so there was hope for reform but it wouldn't be easy, Judge Braddock said.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Philips returns to profit, sells division

Philips has reported 2012 net profits of $A300 million and will sell its entertainment business. Source: AAP

PHILIPS has reported 2012 net profits of 231 million euros ($A300 million), after losses of 1.29 billion euros in 2011.

The company also announced the sale of its entertainment business to focus on health products.

Company profits were hit by a loss of 355 million euros in the fourth quarter because of a one-off 509-million euro European Commission fine for cathode ray price fixing, Philips said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under the entertainment deal, Philips long-term partner Funai will pay 150 million euros plus an unspecified licence fee to use the Philips brand in audio, multimedia and accessories for an initial period of five and a half years, with an option to renew for five years.

That deal will be closed by the end of 2013, while the video business will be transferred in 2017 because of Philips' existing licence arrangements.

"With this transaction we are taking another step in reshaping the consumer lifestyle portfolio and transforming Philips into the leading technology company in health and well-being," Philips chief executive officer Frans van Houten said in a statement.

"I am confident that today's agreement with Funai, our partner for over 25 years, will create a promising future for Philips audio, video and entertainment, and continuity for our customers.

Funai CEO Tomonori Hayashi said: "This is truly an exciting time for us at Funai."

"We will benefit from Philips' legendary know-how and innovation, as well as the excellent talent they have in place around the world."

In April last year Philips sold its troubled television division to TPV Technology.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Motorists tipped to pay 3c/l more

Fuel prices across Australia could rise by up to three cents a litre over the next fortnight. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN motorists can expect to pay up to three cents a litre more for petrol in the next 10 days as a better outlook for the global economy spurs demand for oil.

CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian said the key Singapore unleaded price rose by $A5.60 over the past fortnight to a four-month high.

"The main driver behind the gains in regional oil prices has been the better global economic data and improvement in investor risk appetite - fuelling the demand for commodities like oil," he said in an investor note on Tuesday.

CommSec forecasts the national pump price will rise by three cents a litre in the next seven to 10 days.

The Australian Institute of Petroleum released data on Tuesday showing the average national unleaded petrol price was unchanged at 141.9 cents a litre last week.

The metropolitan price rose by 0.2 cents to 140.2 cents a litre, while the regional average price fell by 0.4 cents a litre to 145.4 cents a litre.

Sydney had the cheapest average unleaded fuel, down 0.9 cents at 137.4 cents a litre, while Darwin was the dearest, unchanged at 159.1 cents a litre.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

31 dead after Egypt football riot verdict

A Cairo court has handed down death sentences over the deaths of 74 people in a stadium riot. Source: AAP

CLASHES killed at least 31 people in the Egyptian city of Port Said as violence raged into the early hours of Sunday in several cities including the capital following death sentences passed on 21 football fans after a riot.

The unrest came after a day of deadly protests against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, highlighting deep political divisions in the country and long-standing tensions between police and protesters.

Trouble flared just minutes after a court on Saturday handed down the death sentences against fans of Port Said club Al-Masry after 74 people were killed in post-match violence last February following a match with Cairo side Al-Ahly.

Health ministry spokesman Ahmed Omar said 31 people died in the canal city.

In Cairo, police clashed with protesters on the outskirts of Tahrir Square - the symbolic heart of the revolt that ousted president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 - firing volleys of tear gas, witnesses said.

Demonstrators blocked the 6 October bridge, a vital flyover linking east and west Cairo, as police and masked protesters clashed on the Nile corniche.

Many Egyptians believe last year's deadly stadium riots in Port Said were orchestrated either by the police or by Mubarak supporters, and any verdict was likely to trigger a highly charged response.

Diehard Cairo football fans known as Ultras had threatened widespread chaos if justice was not served, but Port Said residents said the ruling was politically motivated.

Ultras were among the most vocal and active members of the opposition in the anti-Mubarak revolution.

"The government delivered a political ruling that sacrificed our children to avoid chaos," Ashraf Sayyed, who lives in Port Said, told AFP.

"Our children are the scapegoats used to restore calm in the rest of the country."

On Saturday, protesters in Port Said attacked police stations and relatives of those sentenced to death clashed with security forces as they tried to storm the Port Said jail holding the defendants.

Some attackers used automatic weapons against police who responded with tear gas, witnesses said.

Medics told AFP all the fatalities were from gunfire.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indonesia landslides kill 11, 19 missing

TWO landslides triggered by heavy rains killed at least 11 people and left 19 others missing on Indonesia's Sumatra island, officials said on Sunday.

The National Disaster Management Agency said seven people were killed and three people were injured in a landslide in Agam district in West Sumatra province early on Sunday.

"At this point, seven people were found dead and three others were injured... and 18 were missing," agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a text message.

Fifteen houses were also buried by the landslide, he added.

Separately, a landslide caused by heavy rains late on Saturday killed four workers at a drilling site belonging to PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy in Kerinci district in Jambi province, the company said in a press release.

"The landslide killed four people, injured five people, and left one person missing. All victims were workers who were drilling," it said.

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, which is prone to frequent bursts of heavy rain.

Heavy rain in the capital Jakarta this month caused 32 deaths and at its peak forced nearly 46,000 people to flee their inundated homes, Nugroho told AFP earlier.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brisbane and Ipswich brace for floods

PARTS of Brisbane and Ipswich will flood but the levels will not be as devastating as they were in 2011, authorities say.

If current projections play out, 3600 residential properties will be affected in Brisbane and of those, 2100 are unit dwellings where only ground floor flooding is expected.

About 1250 business properties are also expected to be affected in Brisbane while about 50 homes are projected to be inundated in the Ipswich suburb of Goodna.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman says flood peaks would be much less than what was experienced in 2011.

Brisbane is expecting a 2.6 metre flood peak, nearly half of the 4.46m peak in 2011.

The Ipswich peak is expected to be five metres less than the 19.4m level in 2011.

"There will be flooding but the flooding is much much lower than what we saw in 2011," he said.

Mr Newman said the projections were based on the best scientific modelling by forecasters.

There would be minor floods in the Brisbane River, and in the Bremer River that flows through the city of Ipswich to the west of Brisbane.

"The peak of any flood will occur in Ipswich we believe around midnight (AEST) tomorrow (Monday) night," Mr Newman said.

"Similarly the peak at the western side of the Brisbane City Council boundary will be about midnight on Monday night."

Moggill is projected to be the first Brisbane suburb to be flood-affected on Monday afternoon.

Mr Newman said flood maps would shortly be released by the Brisbane and Ipswich councils, showing lists of affected suburbs.

The worst of the projected flooding would be seen further downstream around noon on Tuesday, with another peak expected at noon on Wednesday.

"If it doesn't occur, then I'm sorry in advance," the premier said.

"We want to give the communities in Brisbane and Ipswich, on the Brisbane and Bremer rivers, the best possible information as soon as it is available."

He urged people not to panic, but to check the flood maps and to prepare if they were in an area that may flood.

Mr Newman said there was flooding in the Lockyer Creek and the Bremer River which fed into the Brisbane River downstream from the Wivenhoe dam.

However rainfalls are easing in the Brisbane and Stanley river catchments, which flow into Wivenhoe and Somerset dams.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

French raids on Islamist bases in Mali

FRENCH fighter jets bombed Mali's far northern Islamist stronghold of Kidal and destroyed the home of the head of an al-Qaeda-linked group, a security source and local official said.

"There were air raids on Islamist bases in Kidal," 1,500 kilometres north of the capital Bamako, a Malian security source said, adding that the home of Ansar Dine (Defenders of the Faith) chief Iyad Ag Ghaly was destroyed.

A local official gave a similar account.

"The French planes fired on a military camp at Kidal and destroyed Iyad Ghaly's home. There were also strikes by French warplanes to the west of Kidal, not far from the village where Iyad Ag Ghaly was born," the official said.

Kidal has been a bastion of Ansar Dine, whose leader Iyad Ag Ghaly is a former soldier and a Tuareg ex-rebel, who formed the group last year.

In April last year after a coup in Bamako, an alliance of Tuareg rebels seeking an independent homeland in the north joined forces with several Islamist groups, seizing Kidal first and then the northern towns of Gao and Timbuktu.

The Islamists quickly sidelined the Tuaregs, imposing a harsh version of Islamic sharia law in the region. Transgressors were flogged, stoned and executed, they banned music and television and forced women to wear veils.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More