Pakistan PM arrives in India

Pakistan's PM Raja Pervez Ashraf (R) arrived in India for a pilgrimage to a revered Muslim shrine. Source: AAP

PAKISTAN'S premier Raja Pervez Ashraf has arrived in India for a pilgrimage to a revered Muslim shrine, with Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid welcoming him with "open arms".

Khurshid's warm words for Ashraf - making his first visit to India as prime minister - come despite strained relations between the nuclear-armed rivals over recent border clashes.

"It's in our culture to welcome our guests with open arms," Khurshid said on Saturday ahead of a lunch he will host for Ashraf at the Rambagh Palace, a luxury heritage hotel in the tourist city of Jaipur in northern India.

An Indian foreign ministry official told AFP however there would be no "substantive talks" at the meeting.

"India is happy to host a lunch for the Pakistani prime minister. We are just extending our hospitality," a senior Indian foreign ministry official told AFP.

Ashraf is the most senior Pakistani to visit India since last April when President Asif Ali Zardari made a similar pilgrimage and had lunch with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Ashraf and his family planned a day-long private trip to the 13-century shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz in Ajmer, 130 kilometres from Jaipur.

Tensions spiked between New Delhi and Islamabad in January and February as a total of six soldiers were killed in exchanges along the de facto border in Kashmir, a region claimed by both countries. Four of the soldiers killed were from Pakistan while two were from India.

One of the Indians was beheaded allegedly by Pakistanis.

India, which has fought three wars with Pakistan since independence in 1947, accuses Islamabad of fomenting cross-border militancy - a charge that the Islamic republic rejects.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Figures show foreign worker visas rising

Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor says 457 visa applications have increased 10 per cent. Source: AAP

NEW figures show a recent surge in 457 visa applications that justifies the federal government's planned crackdown on rorts, Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor says.

But the opposition says the government's figures show the increase was confined to the Christmas period and do not point to evidence the system is being rorted.

Mr O'Connor said the numbers support the government's decision to take action to close loopholes in the 457 program and ensure local jobseekers are not disadvantaged by unscrupulous employers bringing in temporary foreign workers.

"These January figures show that after the traditional December lull, 457s have continued to increase," he said on Saturday.

"At January 31, there were more than 105,000 people in Australia working on temporary 457 visas. That is an increase of 22.4 per cent compared to January 2012."

Mr O'Connor said he was concerned the growth in applications and granting of 457 visas were outstripping the total employment growth rate by a "very significant" margin.

"That says to me that there are now more 457 applications coming in where there are not demonstrable skill shortages," he said.

Mr O'Connor said the overall trend was clear - more people were coming in on temporary skilled worker visas at a time when the unemployment rate was flat, not falling.

That was particularly so in the IT industry, where 457 visas had increased by 68 per cent while vacancies for local IT workers were decreasing.

The 457 visa scheme was introduced in 1996 to allow local business to fill skills shortages with overseas workers able to stay for up to four years, who were also entitled to bring their families and travel in and out of Australia as often as they wanted.

Unions have long objected to the scheme but the opposition backs it as an effective means of filling skill vacancies when there aren't enough Australian workers.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the figures prove nothing other than that Labor had handed out more 457 visas than any other government.

Mr Morrison said the figures jumped from December to January because it was Christmas.

"To suggest there are rorts because more visas have been handed out is like suggesting there is a drought because the sun is shining. One is not evidence of the other," he told AAP.

"All I have called for in the wake of the government's announcement is to produce the report of the inquiry or the investigation conducted by the department that demonstrates the widespread rorting and abuse that the government claims, and that is absent."

Mr Morrison said this was just another desperate and cynical attempt to distract attention from the government's failure on border control.

"The prime minister should stop attacking skilled migrants who come the right because she can't stop people coming in boats the wrong way," he said.

"The unions have always said they don't like 457 visas and now the government is parroting the union line."

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Malaysia detains 79 'Borneo intruders'

Malaysian police have detained 79 suspects linked to Filipino intruders on Borneo Island. Source: AAP

MALAYSIAN police say they've detained 79 suspects linked to Filipino intruders in Borneo as they intensify an operation to flush out members of a Filipino Muslim clan who took over a village last month.

The armed clansmen have caused political havoc for Malaysia and the neighbouring Philippines by trying to stake a claim to Malaysia's state of Sabah in Borneo.

National police chief Ismail Omar said 79 men and women, held without trial under a security law, were being investigated for their links to the gunmen.

He said they were detained outside the conflict zone but didn't give further details. The detainees are believed to be informants or food suppliers to the gunmen but it's unclear if they were Malaysians or Filipino nationals.

Ismail said a Filipino gunman was killed early Saturday after he tried to escape a police cordon, raising the death toll to 61.

The clansmen are led by a brother of Jamalul Kiram III, who claims to be the sultan, or hereditary ruler, of the southern, predominantly Muslim province of Sulu in the Philippines. Malaysia's government has rejected a call by Kiram for a ceasefire and urged the gunmen to surrender unconditionally.

International rights group Human Rights Watch on Saturday echoed a call by the UN's chief to ensure protection of civilians and for humanitarian access to help those affected by the violence.

"The situation on the ground in the conflict zone in Sabah is still quite murky and the government of Malaysia should provide clear and accurate information on what has occurred," said its Asia deputy-director Phil Robertson.

The New York-based group said it was concerned over the use of a new security law to detain dozens of suspects and urged the government to charge or release them.

Fifty-three gunmen and eight Malaysian policemen have died, mainly in shootouts between security forces and the Filipino group and their suspected allies.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kabul suicide bomber kills nine

A bomb has exploded near Kabul's defence ministry during a visit by the US Defense Secretary. Source: AAP

A SUICIDE bomber on a bicycle has killed nine people outside the defence ministry in central Kabul during a visit to the Afghan capital by new US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The blast occurred on Saturday near the main entrance gate to the heavily-guarded ministry, and Taliban militants immediately claimed the attack was timed to send a message to Hagel, who arrived in Kabul late on Friday.

One Afghan soldier covered in blood at the scene said he had helped carry five people from the attack site, where several cars were damaged and a wall was left pock-marked.

Gunfire erupted after the loud explosion was heard across Kabul as streets around the blast were closed off by security forces.

Hagel was at a US facility in the city less than a mile from the attack but reporters travelling with him were told that he was not under any threat.

"The secretary was in a briefing when the incident occurred. The briefing continued as planned without interruption," a spokesman for the Pentagon chief said.

Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry, told reporters at the scene that the bomber had arrived on a bicycle and detonated himself 30 metres from the ministry gate.

Police said in a statement that nine civilians had died and 13 others were injured including two military personnel, without giving further details.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP: "This was not a direct attack to target him (Hagel) but we want to send a message that we are always capable of hitting Kabul even when the top US defence official is there."

Hagel arrived in Kabul as the international military coalition prepares to pull out by the end of next year and leave Afghan security forces to battle the Taliban insurgency that has raged across the south and east of the country.

"We have a lot of big issues and challenges ahead as we prepare for a responsible transition," he told reporters on his plane before he arrived.

In another suicide attack on Saturday, eight children and a policeman were killed in the eastern city of Khost in a strike that targeted a joint Afghan and international troop patrol.

Hagel was sworn in 10 days ago as heavy cuts loom for the US military, but he said Americans realised that Afghanistan remained a major conflict zone with US troops fighting against Islamist militants since the 9/11 attacks.

"We have 66,000 troops still at war in a combat zone," he said. "We're still at war in Afghanistan."

A total of 100,000 NATO-led international troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan, with all combat forces due to exit by the end of 2014.

President Barack Obama last month announced that 34,000 US troops would withdraw in the next year, halving the size of the current 66,000-strong US force.

Afghan forces are assuming control of security across the country, but there are widespread fears that they will be unable to face down the Taliban and that the country could tip into greater instability.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

North Korea scraps peace pacts

The US says it is "fully capable" of defending itself against any North Korean missile strike. Source: AAP

AN enraged North Korea responded to new UN sanctions with fresh threats of nuclear war, vowing to scrap peace pacts with South Korea as it upped the ante yet again after its recent atomic test.

Pyongyang is renowned for its bellicose rhetoric, but the tone has reached a frenzied pitch in recent days, fuelling concerns of a border clash with both North and South planning major military exercises next week.

It has even threatened a "pre-emptive nuclear attack" against the United States and South Korea - a notion dismissed as bluster by analysts, but not without dangerous, underlying intent.

North Korea "abrogates all agreements on non-aggression reached between the North and the South", the state-run Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said on Friday.

The CPRK said the pacts would be voided as of Monday, the same day that Pyongyang has vowed to rip up the 1953 armistice agreement that ended Korean War hostilities.

It also announced the immediate severing of a North-South hotline installed in 1971.

State television, meanwhile, showed North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un laying preparations for "all-out war" as he visited a frontline military unit involved in the shelling of a South Korean island in 2010.

The November shelling came eight months after the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel with the loss of 46 lives that was also blamed on Pyongyang.

While North Korea is not deemed capable of any nuclear strike on the US mainland, there are growing fears that it will mount some provocation in the form of a missile test or a similar artillery assault.

"To me, this feels like the most dangerous situation since the Korean War," said Paik Hak-Soon, a North Korean analyst at the Sejong Institute in Seoul.

"The North is cornered more than ever in the international community and will keep pushing ahead with even more confrontational moves militarily," said Paik.

South Korea's new president, Park Geun-Hye, who was sworn in less than two weeks ago, said the situation had become "very grave" but vowed to "deal strongly" with any provocation from the North.

The CPRK statement came hours after the UN Security Council beefed up existing sanctions on the communist state in response to its February 12 nuclear test.

The resolution adopted by the 15-member Council tightened restrictions on North Korea's financial dealings, notably its suspect "bulk cash" transfers.

The new sanctions will "bite hard", said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice. "They increase North Korea's isolation and raise the cost to North Korea's leaders of defying the international community."

China wants "full implementation" of the resolution, said its UN envoy Li Baodong, while stressing that efforts must be made to bring North Korea back to negotiations.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged "relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint, and avoid actions that might further escalate tensions," describing the situation as "highly complex and sensitive".

Prior to the Security Council meeting, the North Korean foreign ministry had threatened a "pre-emptive nuclear attack" against the United States and all other "aggressors".

The United States responded by saying it was "fully capable" of defending itself and its allies - including South Korea - against any missile strike.

Friday's CPRK statement condemned the UN resolution as proof that Washington and its "puppets" in Seoul were "hell bent" on confrontation.

"North-South relations have gone so far beyond the danger line that they are no longer reparable and an extremely dangerous situation is prevailing... where a nuclear war may break out right now," it said.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld premier accused of contempt over CMC

Campbell Newman called on the CMC chairman to consider resigning, saying he's failed the state. Source: AAP

THE head of Queensland's top crime fighting body, the Crime and Misconduct Commission, has resigned as he continues his battle with cystic fibrosis, amid allegations he's failed the state.

CMC chairman Ross Martin resigned late on Friday afternoon, and revealed he's preparing to undergo a lung transplant after a long battle with cystic fibrosis.

He's been in hospital for the past 10 days.

"I no longer have the resources of health necessary to continue to perform the job," he told reporters.

Mr Martin boss has been under fire all week after errors that saw the watchdog release some sensitive files, and shred others, from the historic Fitzgerald inquiry into police corruption.

Premier Campbell Newman said earlier on Friday that he had failed the state.

Mr Newman said Mr Martin should be held to account in the same way ministers are, and made to resign.

"My concern is we have a senior important public servant who doesn't seem to understand his responsibility or his accountability to the people of Queensland," he said.

Mr Martin admitted ministerial responsibility was an informing principle in regard to his position, but warned that a CMC chair shouldn't be too ready to resign, lest the watchdog's independence be undermined.

"The CMC chair's position has a powerful statutory entrenchment to defend its security against political whim," he said.

That job will now fall to Assistant Commissioner Warren Strange, who has assumed the position of acting chair.

The opposition said the circumstances behind the resignation showed how badly the government had handled the issue, by failing to find out the facts before seeking to force Mr Martin to quit.

Comment has been sought from Mr Newman.

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said he was saddened to learn of Mr Martin's medical condition.

"We wish him all the very best in the weeks and months ahead," he said in a statement.

"The commission is facing a number of challenges. The government will work with the acting chairman to ensure Queenslanders can have confidence in the commission."

Mr Martin thanked his family and the officers and staff of the CMC.

"My family have suffered my pursuit of a career for too long. They are entitled to as much of my time as I can give them," he said.

"I thank my staff for their dedicated, largely unsung, devotion to the virtues of fighting crime and of integrity.

"I will not be coming back.

"I wish my successor and CMC generally the very best in its vital work."

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bin Laden's son-in-law to face US court

OSAMA bin Laden's son-in-law was due to appear in a New York court on Friday to face charges that he conspired to kill Americans in his role as al-Qaeda's top propagandist, as a landmark prosecution on US soil takes aim at one of the terror network's senior leaders.

Officials said Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was captured in Jordan over the last week.

The Kuwait-born al-Qaeda spokesman, part of bin Laden's inner circle, lauded the attacks of September 11, 2001 and warned there would be more.

The case marks a legal victory for the Obama administration, which has long sought to charge senior al-Qaeda suspects in US federal courts instead of holding them at the military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Charging foreign terror suspects in American federal courts was a top pledge by President Barack Obama shortly after he took office in 2009 - aimed, in part, to close Guantanamo Bay.

Republicans, however, have fought the White House to keep Guantanamo open, and bringing Abu Ghaith to New York immediately sparked an outcry.

Abu Ghaith will appear on Friday in US federal court in New York, according to a Justice Department statement and indictment outlining the accusations against him.

US Attorney General Eric Holder defended holding Abu Ghaith in New York.

Holder reluctantly agreed in 2011 to try self-professed al-Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a Guantanamo Bay military court instead of a civilian court after a fierce Republican backlash.

"No amount of distance or time will weaken our resolve to bring America's enemies to justice," Holder said in a statement.

The Justice Department said Abu Ghaith was the spokesman for al-Qaeda, working alongside bin Laden and current leader Ayman al-Zawahri, since at least May 2001.

Abu Ghaith is a former mosque preacher and teacher and urged followers that month to swear allegiance to bin Laden, prosecutors said.

The day after the September 11 attacks, prosecutors say he appeared with bin Laden and al-Zawahri and called on the "nation of Islam" to battle against Jews, Christians and Americans.

A "great army is gathering against you," Abu Ghaith said on September 12, 2001, according to prosecutors.

Shortly afterward, Abu Ghaith warned in a speech that "the storms shall not stop - especially the airplanes storm" and advised Muslims, children and al-Qaeda allies to stay out of planes and high-rise buildings.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Asian markets rise as GFC recedes

ASIAN markets climbed following another record-breaking close for Wall Street's Dow Jones index, while Tokyo hit its highest level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

The Japanese currency fell on Friday to a three-and-a-half-year low against the dollar and also sank against the euro as investors look to the Bank of Japan's next policy meeting, on expectations of a further loosening of monetary policy.

Tokyo closed up 2.64 per cent, or 315.54 points, at 12,283.62, its highest level since the collapse of Wall Street banking giant Lehman Brothers heralded the start of the global financial crisis.

Sydney gained 0.28 per cent, or 14.2 points, to 5,123.4, Seoul was flat, edging up 1.61 points to 2,006.01, while Hong Kong added 1.41 per cent, or 320.51 points, to 23,091.95.

Shanghai fell 0.24 per cent, or 5.68 points, to 2,318.61 despite data showing China's exports had surged a much better-than-expected 21.8 per cent on year in February, even with the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, while imports tumbled 15 per cent.

In New York the Dow ended at an all-time high for the third straight session, with analysts saying the market's stellar performance had attracted more buyers.

The Dow ended 0.23 per cent higher after breaking on Tuesday its previous record set in October 2007. The S&P 500 was up 0.18 per cent and the Nasdaq climbed 0.30 per cent.

Adding to buying pressure was another batch of upbeat data.

New claims for US unemployment benefits fell to 340,000, suggesting modest strength in the jobs market in the week before the "sequester" of $85 billion in deep federal budget cuts kicked in on March 1.

The report, which came a day after figures showed a rise in jobs growth in the private sector, boosted confidence that Friday's much-watched US payroll and unemployment data would be strong.

Japanese shares enjoyed another bump as the yen resumed its downward trend, with investors betting that the man expected to take over at the BoJ will introduce more aggressive easing at his first policy meeting next month.

The greenback was changing hands at 95.38 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade - its strongest since August 2009 - from 94.83 yen in New York late Thursday, while the euro was buying 124.82 yen, compared with 124.28 yen.

The single currency dipped to $1.3085 against $1.3107.

There was also some good news on the economy front for Tokyo, with data showing the country had emerged from recession.

Gross domestic product expanded 0.2 per cent on an annualised basis in the three months to December, following contraction in the two previous quarters.

Oil prices were mixed. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April was up two cents to $91.58 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for April dipped two cents to $111.13.

Gold was at $1,579.00 at 0830 GMT compared with $1,581.45 late Thursday.

In other markets:

- Taipei rose 0.69 per cent, or 54.63 points, to 8,015.14.

TSMC rose 0.49 per cent to Tw$103.5 while HTC fell 2.44 per cent to Tw$259.5.

- Manila climbed 1.62 per cent, or 108.64 points, to 6,833.77.

SM Investments gained 4.66 per cent to 1,100 pesos while Ayala Land rose 0.48 per cent to 31.15 pesos.

- Wellington rose 0.47 per cent, or 20.55 points, to a record high 4,354.03.

Xero surged 5.9 per cent to NZ$9.10 while Warehouse soared 8.3 per cent to NZ$3.79.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family shocked as death driver walks free

A WEST Australian family has greeted with shock the suspended jail term handed over to a young P-plate driver who killed their elderly relative.

Christopher Ryan Caddick, 24, was convicted of causing the death of wheelchair-bound Joan Woodcock, 81, when his Holden Commodore careered into the back of a Mercedes van last March at Ocean Reef in Perth.

Mrs Woodcock, a passenger in the van, was thrown through its side window onto the road.

Caddick had a blood alcohol level of 0.036 at the time - over the limit for a probationary driver - and had five previous convictions for drink-driving.

Despite the convictions and being suspended from driving at the time of the accident, Judge Ronald Birmingham said he would still impose a suspended jail term.

As he walked free from court, Mrs Woodcock's daughter Joanne attempted to make sense of the sentence.

"We can't ever have her back. The decision he made that day took my mum's life, she did not have a choice in the matter," Ms Woodcock said.

"When do you start to grow up, and learn that life can be snuffed out by a decision you take in a split second?"

The trial last year heard Caddick had drunk two cans of pre-mixed vodka before attempting to overtake three vehicles on Ocean Reef Road north of Perth, colliding with Mrs Woodcock's vehicle on the wrong side of the road when it tried to turn right at an intersection.

While Caddick was not speeding, and the alcohol in his system was not said to have been a contributory factor in the crash, the jury still found his dangerous driving caused Mrs Woodcock's death.

Caddick was not entitled to drive at the time because of non-payment of fines, while having also admitted to a drink-driving offence two months earlier.

He was awaiting sentence, and a mandatory disqualification, when he ploughed into Mrs Woodcock's vehicle.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also fined a total of $1700, and disqualified from driving for two years and three months, to run concurrently with his previous three-year disqualification.

Caddick's suspended sentence is conditional on his completing courses on driver training and alcohol. He was also disqualified from driving for three years.

He refused to comment outside court.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

US, China in Pakistan naval drills

THE United States and China have begun naval drills in the Arabian Sea with Pakistan and other countries, the Pakistani navy said, in a show of strength against terrorism and piracy.

The AMAN-13 exercise involves ships from 13 countries and observers from 20 others and comes two weeks after China took control of a strategic Pakistani Arabian Sea port from Singapore's PSA International.

The five-day exercise, which began earlier this week with meetings and manoeuvres in port, will end on Friday and is aimed at "information sharing, mutual understanding and identifying areas of common interest", the navy said in a statement.

The manoeuvres - the fourth since 2007 - will also help develop and practise response tactics, techniques and procedures as well as improving cooperation between navies, the statement said.

One of the main objectives is to "display united resolve against terrorism and crimes in maritime domain", it said on Thursday.

The shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean have been plagued in recent years by attacks from Somali pirates, who have seized dozens of ships and earned millions of dollars in ransom for their release.

"All the nations participating in the AMAN have a common objective of ensuring peace and stability in the maritime arena to provide freedom of navigation and uninterrupted flow of trade," the Pakistan navy statement said.

The American destroyer USS William P. Lawrence was among the ships taking part, along with vessels from Australia, Britain, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and Turkey.

Russia and Germany are among the observers.

Ties between Washington and Islamabad are on the mend after a series of crises in 2011 including the discovery of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

European stocks rise at open

EUROPE'S main stock markets rose at the start of trading, as traders looked ahead to monetary policy decisions due from both the ECB and Bank of England.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index on Thursday morning gained 0.29 per cent to 6,446.38 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 won 0.19 per cent to 7,934.19 points and in Paris the CAC 40 gained 0.20 per cent to 3,781.45.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Infighting, insults plague NT government

THE Northern Territory's ruling Country Liberal Party (CLP) is dealing with infighting and insults in the wake of a failed leadership bid.

On Thursday NT Chief Minister Terry Mills admitted that Transport Minister Adam Giles challenged him for the leadership at a marathon meeting of CLP parliamentarians on Wednesday.

"There was a change in direction for a time where there was a discussion over a tilt at the chief minister's position," Mr Mills said.

"The room resolved, and I can report to you, that that was not acceptable and then we turned back to the matter at hand," he told reporters.

Indigenous Advancement Minister Alison Anderson said the CLP was "bleeding" during the meeting that saw hours of infighting.

On ABC radio Ms Anderson described some at the meeting as boys with big egos.

"We have got infighting with boys who think they want to be chief," she said.

She later told AAP Mr Giles could have been the NT's first Aboriginal treasurer and deputy chief minister but he threw that back in the face of his colleagues.

"He said, 'I don't accept it because I want to be the chief minister,' and he just threw a spanner in the works," she said.

"We sat there for hours while this infighting was happening and the party bleeding everywhere."

Mr Mills expressed his frustration that details of the meeting were leaked to reporters, including information that four MPs from bush seats had threatened to sit in the parliament as independents if Mr Giles took the leadership.

He said he was disappointed and concerned that those comments were made public because they could create divisions between bush and urban communities and between black and white Territorians.

Ms Anderson confirmed that a group of four MPs threatened, as a means to act as a circuit-breaker, to move onto the crossbenches but said it was never intended to tear the CLP apart.

On Wednesday Mr Mills announced he had sacked health minister Dave Tollner from cabinet.

Former CLP minister Daryl Manzie later said Mr Tollner had been in an argument with Mr Mills at a cabinet meeting earlier in the week and had thrown papers at him.

According to reports the fiery meeting saw Mr Tollner shout expletives at Mr Mills before walking out.

Wednesday's challenge was the second time Mr Mills' leadership had come under pressure in just a few weeks, after Attorney-General John Elferink ended his own bid for leadership last month when he realised he didn't have the numbers.

The NT's only independent MP, Gerry Wood, said the events were like an episode from the 80s television comedy Yes Minister.

"I just feel nearly ashamed that our government can't put its act together and get on with the job of governing," Mr Wood said.

Meanwhile the NT government announced its revamped ministry in the wake of this week's events.

Mr Mills' responsibilities have been cut from 11 ministries to six, while Mr Elferink has been made treasurer.

The 28-year-old Lia Finocchiaro was added to cabinet as the new Minister for Sport and Recreation, Racing, Young Territorians, Senior Territorians, and Statehood.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rudd, Smith deny being told of Zygier case

Foreign Minister Bob Carr says his department's handling of the Ben Zygier case was unsatisfactory. Source: AAP

KEVIN Rudd and Stephen Smith don't remember ever being briefed about the arrest of Melbourne man and suspected Israeli spy Ben Zygier three years ago, despite evidence their offices were told.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr on Wednesday criticised the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) handling of the case as he handed down a report, which sets out who knew what and when about Zygier's arrest on January 31, 2010.

Senator Carr ordered the internal investigation last month after Mr Zygier was named as Israel's mysterious "Prisoner X".

The dual Australian-Israeli citizen was detained for alleged Israeli national security offences and died in a supposedly suicide-proof cell in December 2010. It's believed he worked for Israeli spy agency Mossad.

The DFAT report shows ASIO spies found out about the arrest on February 16, 2010, and told senior DFAT officials Dennis Richardson, now head of the defence department, and Greg Moriarty, now ambassador to Indonesia, eight days later.

Soon after, DFAT told then-foreign minister Mr Smith's chief of staff, Frances Adamson. But Ms Adamson - now ambassador to Beijing - told the investigation she doesn't recollect any such conversation.

ASIO later distributed two ministerial submissions to senior officials in the offices of then-prime minister Mr Rudd and Mr Smith on March 1. A further submission went to Mr Smith's office on May 13.

But Mr Rudd and Mr Smith on Wednesday both said they had "no recollection" of ever being briefed about Mr Zygier's case.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said it "beggars belief" Mr Smith in particular was not told.

"It is extraordinary for him to claim that he has no recollection of it, or it was not brought to his attention," she told AAP.

"This represents a serious breakdown in the minister's administration of his office."

She called on Mr Smith to give a full explanation to parliament.

Mr Rudd also expressed concerns, particularly at the decision not to tell Australia's ambassador in Tel Aviv - who didn't find out about Mr Zygier's arrest until his death.

Mr Rudd says he wasn't even told of the case when he visited Israel as the new foreign minister in mid-December 2010 - days before Zygier died.

Senator Carr said the case highlighted a lack of clarity in government decision-making over its consular responsibilities.

"This is where the department appears to have failed," he told reporters in Sydney.

"There should have been more attention, more visits."

Senator Carr has ordered five recommendations aimed at improving consular processes be implemented - particularly on matters involving security, intelligence and dual citizens.

The case also raises fresh questions about Israel's use of Australian passports to conduct intelligence operations, and the implications for passport holders.

Australia expelled an Israeli diplomat in May 2010 after it emerged forged Australian passports were used in the assassination of Hamas agent Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

There is no evidence tying Mr Zygier to the Dubai operation, but the DFAT report confirms Australia issued him with three passports under three different names.

"If the world thinks Australian passports are routinely debauched by another country then Australians presenting their passports all over the world could well place their lives in danger," Senator Carr said.

"We can't live with that."

The Inspector General of Intelligence Services, Vivienne Thom, said there was no evidence ASIO had acted improperly in its handling of the Zygier case.

Mr Zygier - a father of two also known as Ben Alon and Ben Allen - trained as a lawyer in Melbourne but moved to Israel in 2000.

Seven days after he was found hanged in his cell at age 34, his body was flown back to Melbourne, where he is buried in a Jewish cemetery.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

SA economy to grow, premier says

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill says the state's economy is robust. Source: AAP

THE South Australian economy will continue to grow this year as it has for the past decade, Premier Jay Weatherill says.

Brushing off grim spending figures and opposition suggestions the economy is in recession, Mr Weatherill said SA's finances remained robust.

He said some sectors of the economy were soft, but government measures to support areas such as housing construction were paying dividends.

"We have grown every year for the past 10 years," the premier told reporters on Wednesday.

"Last year we grew by 2.1 per cent and we expect to grow this year as well."

Opposition treasury spokesman Iain Evans raised the recession question after the state's final demand figures retracted over the past two quarters.

He also pointed to falling exports.

"On all the key economic measures South Australia has gone backwards for two consecutive quarters in both trend and seasonally adjusted terms," Mr Evans said.

"How would the premier define a recession?"

But Mr Weatherill said final demand figures only measured a portion of economic activity and the state's overall performance was best measured in terms of gross state product which was only calculated at the end of the financial year.

In the recent mid-year budget review the government forecast the economy to grow by 1.75 per cent in 2012/13, down from the May budget forecast of 2.5 per cent.

On other matters, Mr Weatherill has given some support to a call from independent MP Bob Such for all government agencies to be subject to an efficiency and effectiveness review ahead of the next state budget.

"That's a worthy thing to give some consideration to," he told state parliament.

Mr Weatherill said there had been a "pretty mindless" debate recently about the size of the public service when the real issue was its effectiveness.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sharp announces share sale to Samsung

SHARP has announced a Y10.4 billion ($A109 million) deal with South Korean rival Samsung.

In a rare move for a Japanese firm, it will sell a three per cent stake to the South Korean company.

The deal, announced after the markets closed on Wednesday, will make Samsung Sharp's biggest foreign shareholder.

Early reports of the deal sent Sharp shares soaring more than 17 per cent in early trade before ending 14.04 per cent higher. Samsung was up 0.65 per cent.

The Japanese firm said the deal would help shore up its troubled finances while boosting "mutual trust" as the firms look to benefit from Sharp's leading liquid-crystal display technology for mobile phones and tablets.

Samsung said the investment "would lay a firm foundation to secure a steady supply of LCD panels from diversified sources".

Sharp, which has announced a separate 4.94 billion yen capital injection deal by US chipmaker Qualcomm, is also a major panel supplier to Samsung rival Apple.

The decision to accept a capital injection from a foreign firm marks a major comedown for both Sharp and Japan's manufacturers, said Hiroshi Sakai, chief economist with SMBC Friend Research Centre.

"For Japan, it is symbolic and shocking news, as Sharp, which used to be a frontrunner in the panel industry, is struggling while its rival Samsung has raced past it," he said.

He added that the news "should not be any surprise" given Samsung's leading position in the global electronics market.

The deal will not solve all of Sharp's woes, he added, as the firm cuts jobs and overhauls its business after saying in February its loss in the nine months to December had doubled to about $US4.6 billion.

Given the sector's struggles, deals between Japanese and foreign rivals are likely to increase, Sakai said.

"Many other Japanese electronics makers are struggling to survive. But they still have attractive technologies and some foreign rivals are quite interested in them," he said.

Sharp - which last year put up its Osaka headquarters as collateral to clinch crucial bank loans - has been hammered by lower-cost rivals in its liquid-crystal display business.

Rival Sony, meanwhile, is selling off its headquarters in Manhattan and a major building in Tokyo to raise cash, while Panasonic is undergoing a similar painful restructuring after losing about $US6.77 billion in the nine months to December.

The Samsung-Sharp deal gives the South Korean company more access to the market without investing in new production plants, analysts said.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

No Mardi Gras investigation: minister

GAY rights activists will rally in Sydney this week to demand an external investigation, apologies and compensation for alleged police brutality at last weekend's Mardi Gras celebrations.

Politicians and community groups called for an inquiry after a video emerged that appears to show a handcuffed 18-year-old, Jamie Jackson, being thrown to the ground by an officer at the festival about 11.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Bryn Hutchinson, 32, later came forward to say he had been thrown to the ground by several officers in Darlinghurst after a disagreement over whether he should be allowed to cross a road.

"I was pushed onto the ground, kneeled on and kicked several times," Mr Hutchinson told AAP on Wednesday.

It is understood both men have been charged with assaulting police.

NSW police have confirmed two internal investigations are being carried out and urged the community not to jump to conclusions about the arrests.

"While two incidents is still two too many, in the grand scheme of things we don't have a super big problem," NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Murdoch told reporters.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said he was confident a police investigation would "get to the bottom of what went on", and Police Minister Mike Gallacher said oversight from the ombudsman meant no additional investigation was necessary.

NSW Police Association president Scott Weber, a serving officer, said an internal investigation was appropriate as NSW police were subject to more oversight than any other force.

In the video of Mr Jackson, an officer is seen to throw the handcuffed man to the ground before standing with one foot on his back for at least 20 seconds.

The initial encounter between the young man and officers was not shown.

Mr Jackson said on Wednesday it was a "completely excessive use of force" and one of the police officers present had apologised to him.

"One of them was like, 'I'm actually so sorry,'" he told the Seven Network.

Mr Murdoch said the video showed only part of a larger incident and the full circumstances would be revealed later.

Activists aligned with the Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) group plan to march from Taylor Square on Oxford Street to Surry Hills Police Station on Friday, and say 1200 people have already said they will attend.

CAAH member Karl Hand told reporters he had met with Mr Hutchinson on Sunday morning, and the man's wrists were swollen and marked by deep handcuff grooves.

"He couldn't use his knife and fork. I had to cut up his food," Mr Hand said.

"Every Mardi Gras we talk to people who have been brutalised by police. It's been happening since 1978," he said.

His group wants the two men to receive apologies and compensation from police.

Human rights lawyer-turned-researcher Dale Mills said oversight by the ombudsman was not enough.

"In my opinion, the ombudsman's office is part of the problem. They don't have the legislative power, or the resources, or the political will," he said.

"Really what's needed is a separate statutory body that can investigate allegations of police misbehaviour."

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More