Sri Lanka bars Briton with Buddha tattoo

SRI Lanka has denied entry to a British tourist sporting a Buddha tattoo on his arm because he showed disrespect to Buddhism.

The unnamed Briton was turned back at Bandaranaike Airport, the daily Lankadeepa Sinhalese reported on Saturday.

"When questioned about the tattoo, he spoke very disrespectfully about Buddhism," an immigration official told the newspaper.

"If he expressed such views after entering the country, it would have been a threat to his own safety."

An airport official confirmed the report, but declined to give details.

Last August, three French tourists were sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for five years, for kissing a Buddha statue in what the authorities considered was a sign of disrespect.

In 2010, Sri Lanka prevented US rap star Akon from visiting because one of his music videos featured scantily clad women dancing in front of a Buddha statue.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope sets date to visit predecessor

Pope Francis has set a date to visit Benedict XVI at the papal summer residence, Castel Gandolfo. Source: AAP

POPE Francis will visit his predecessor Benedict XVI on March 23.

The Vatican said on Saturday that former Argentinian cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio would travel by helicopter to the papal summer residence, Castel Gandolfo.

Benedict has been staying at the residence since his resignation last month.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria regime expands use of cluster bombs

Syria's air force has launched new air strikes on rebel bastions near Damascus. Source: AAP

THE Syrian regime is expanding its use of cluster bombs, an international human rights group says as the conflict enters its third year.

In the past six months Syrian forces have dropped at least 156 cluster bombs in 119 locations across the country, causing many civilian casualties, the New York-based group Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.

Two strikes in the past two weeks killed 11 civilians, including two women and five children, a report by the group says.

The group bases its findings on field investigations and analysis of more than 450 amateur videos.

Cluster bombs open in flight, scattering smaller bomblets. They pose a threat to civilians long afterwards as many don't explode immediately. Most countries have banned their use.

The report came a day after Syrians marked the second anniversary of their uprising against President Bashar Assad.

The rebellion began with largely peaceful protests by has grown into a civil war that has killed some 70,000 people and displaced four million of Syria's 22 million people, according to UN estimates.

The conflict remains deadlocked, despite some recent military gains by the rebels, who control large stretches of northern and eastern Syria.

Late on Friday, rebel fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked group Jabhat al-Nusra and other Islamist factions seized a military base and munitions depot in the town of Khan Touman in the northern province of Aleppo, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group.

The observatory quoted witnesses as saying rebel fighters drove off with truckloads of ammunition and weapons. The Khan Touman base is only a few kilometres from a larger base, located in a military engineering academy, that is considered a key government stronghold in the province.

Fighting was also reported on Saturday in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, the Observatory said. Heavy gunfire was heard in an amateur video said to be showing the city. The narrator said regime forces fired mortar shells, while the Observatory reported a car bomb explosion.

The regime routinely pounds rebel strongholds with artillery and drops bombs from the air, sending civilians fleeing.

The rebels have appealed to the West for military aid, including anti-aircraft weapons, to help them break the stalemate.

On Friday, a European Union summit heard an appeal by Britain and France to lift a ban on arming the rebels.

The 27 national leaders were unable to reach a consensus and asked their foreign ministers, who will meet next week in Dublin, to try find a common position.

Samir Nashar, a member of the Syrian National Coalition, the main opposition group in exile, said he hoped France and Britain would defy the EU if the embargo remained in place.

"I prefer that there is a consensus and a joint resolution," he said on Friday in Istanbul. "But if there's no consensus, I still think France and Britain will act unilaterally."

The French foreign minister suggested earlier this week that his country might arm the rebels even if the EU disagreed.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

China names new foreign minister

China's parliament has nominated Wang Yi, a former ambassador to Japan, as foreign minister. Source: AAP

CHINA'S parliament has named a former ambassador to Japan, Wang Yi, as the new foreign minister.

Wang, currently in charge of Taiwan affairs, replaces Yang Jiechi, who has served since 2007.

Yang was nominated to the State Council, according to an announcement by the National People's Congress on Saturday.

The changes are part of a broad revamp of personnel as China concludes a once-a-decade leadership transition that saw Communist Party chief Xi Jinping elected president on Thursday.

The change at the top of the foreign ministry comes at a time of heightened tensions with Japan over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

Wang, 59, served as ambassador to Japan from 2004 to 2007 and was also a diplomat in China's embassy in Tokyo from 1989 to 1994. He reportedly speaks Japanese.

He has been in charge of Taiwan affairs on the State Council since 2008.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Most parts of SA face total fire ban

MOST of South Australia will be under a total fire ban on Tuesday following a spell of hot weather and minimal rainfall which have dried out fuel in the bush.

The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) has declared fire bans in 13 out of the 15 districts.

CFS State Coordinator Leigh Miller says the public should be aware of weather conditions and be mindful of the activities they carry out on Tuesday.

"We are urging the public to delay any activities that could potentially start a fire, and consider undertaking these when weather conditions are milder" Mr Miller said.

"Now is the time that people should be following their Bushfire Survival Plan."

He said the CFA was prepared for what is set to be a potentially very dangerous day.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Giant snail destroyed in Brisbane

A SNAIL the size of a cricket ball and posing a serious threat to Australia's biosecurity has been destroyed after it was found creeping across a Brisbane container yard.

Staff called the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) after finding the large snail crawling across the cement yard.

It was a Giant African Snail.

The exotic pest has an insatiable appetite and is capable of destroying 500 hundred types of plants including vegetable crops, fruit trees and Australia's native eucalypts.

Giant African Snails can live through harsh conditions, growing up to 20 centimetres in length and weighing up to a kilogram.

Acting DAFF regional manager Paul Nixon said on Monday officers found no evidence of other snails, eggs or snail trails when they inspected the container yard.

They will continue precautionary surveillance over the coming week.

"Giant African Snails are one of the world's largest and most damaging land snails," Mr Nixon said in a statement.

"Australia's strict biosecurity requirements and responsive system has so far kept these pests out of Australia and we want to keep it that way."

Meanwhile, a 42-year-old man was on Monday convicted and fined $7000 in the Brisbane Magistrate's Court for illegally importing 48 plant cuttings from France into Australia.

He had asked the seller to make a false declaration on the package when sending it to Australia, DAFF said.

It was found by a detector dog.

The department says plant cuttings pose a significant biosecurity risk and can carry disease as well as harbour exotic pests.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Insulation deaths inquest underway in Qld

THE employer of a teenager electrocuted installing home insulation under an axed federal government scheme has told an inquest the 16-year-old didn't receive formal safety training because staying safe was "common sense".

The director of Rockhampton-based Arrow Property Maintenance has told the Queensland Coroner's Court the only safety training provided to his workers installing insulation was being told "to keep their eyes out and their ears open" for hazards.

Rueben Barnes, 16, had been working for Arrow for just three weeks when he was killed laying fibreglass insulation batts in the ceiling of a house at Stanwell, near Rockhampton, in November 2009.

He was one of three Queenslanders killed while installing insulation in 2009 and 2010 under the federal government's axed Home Insulation Program.

The first-year carpentry apprentice collapsed when he came into contact with a metal part of the ceiling that was "live" due to a pre-existing electrical fault in the house.

Arrow director Richard Jackson gave evidence on the first day of a coronial inquest into the three deaths on Monday.

Appearing via video link he admitted the only safety training he gave workers installing insulation was to look out for hazards such as bare wires.

Asked how Rueben could have known what to look out for, Mr Jackson said: "I've got no idea, I suppose it's just common sense .... do the right thing and look out I suppose."

He agreed he thought the work was so simple no training was needed and said you "haven't got to have a degree" to complete it.

Arrow Property Maintenance was removed from the federal government's Home Insurance Program (HIP) after Rueben's death and subsequently fined $135,000 for breaching safety standards.

The company is now in liquidation.

Mr Jackson told the court it was common practice in the industry to leave the power on at a house when installing insulation.

He said signing up to the Home Insulation Program had been surprisingly easy and he and Arrow co-director Chris Jackson were told by someone from the scheme after they signed on to "go make money while the sun shines".

Mr Jackson said he couldn't remember seeing any of several federal and state government safety guideline notices sent to home insulation installers prior to Rueben's death.

Earlier, Rockhampton workplace health and safety investigator Sara Francis told the court according to her probe Arrow had not provided Rueben or two other workers accompanying him with any safety gear apart from sunscreen.

Matthew James Fuller, 25 and Mitchell Scott Sweeney, 22, also died while working on the same insulation program in 2009 and 2010, when they shot metal staples into live electrical cables.

The inquest will run for the rest of the week, with a further three days set down in early May.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hong Kong stocks end flat

HONG Kong shares closed flat on Monday, with disappointing Chinese economic data offsetting better-than-forecast US jobs figures and another record close on the Dow on Wall Street.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index edged down 1.13 points to 23,090.82 on turnover of HK$59.03 billion ($A7.50 billion).

The US Labor Department said the economy generated a net 236,000 new jobs in February, far more than expected, pulling the unemployment rate down to a four-year low of 7.7 per cent from 7.9 per cent.

The report reinforced views the recovery is strengthening, while analysts said underlying figures and upcoming spending cuts meant the Federal Reserve was unlikely to take its foot off its monetary easing soon.

The Dow broke the 14,400 line for the first time, before finishing at 14,397.07, up 0.47 per cent and a new record for a fourth straight session.

The S&P 500 also rose 0.45 per cent to 1,551.18, approaching its own record high, while the Nasdaq added 0.38 per cent.

However, results from Beijing on Saturday showed inflation at a 10-month high of 3.2 per cent in February while growth in industrial output and retail sales slowed.

The figures raise concerns that the pick-up in the economy may be slowing while dealers are also worried the government will unveil tightening measures to temper prices.

"The world's largest economy continues to recover, while the world's second-largest economy looks like it has run into a bit of a soft patch," Matthew Sherwood, head of investment market research at Perpetual in Sydney, told Dow Jones Newswires.

China Mobile rose 0.48 per cent to HK$84.60, HSBC added 0.35 per cent to HK$85.25 and Bank of China HK climbed 1.89 per cent to HK$26.90.

Among the losers, Foxconn slipped 0.30 per cent to HK$3.29 and Sun Hung Kai Properties eased 0.26 per cent to HK$114.60.

Chinese shares ended down 0.35 per cent. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 8.02 points to 2,310.59 on turnover of 73.9 billion yuan ($11.9 billion).

"The market will start consolidating as it digests signals from higher inflation and tighter property measures," Soochow Securities analyst Deng Wenyuan told Dow Jones Newswires.

Beijing this month issued rules to rein in housing prices, including a nationwide capital gains tax of 20 per cent on profits from the sale of residential properties.

Banking stocks led the declines. China Minsheng Banking lost 3.22 per cent to 10.22 yuan while Industrial Bank fell 3.15 per cent to 19.09 yuan.

Railway stocks bucked the trend, rising on hopes for improved profitability after China on Sunday announced plans to split its railway ministry into administrative and commercial arms to curb corruption.

Guangshen Railway gained 1.87 per cent to 3.26 yuan and Daqin Railway rose 0.78 per cent to 7.77 yuan.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

China to abolish rail ministry in shake-up

CHINA is to effectively abolish its scandal-plagued railways ministry as part of a sweep of government reforms aimed at tackling inefficiency and corruption, a top official has told parliament.

The changes include bolstering a maritime body as China engages in island disputes with its neighbours, and giving an economic development body more say over the one-child policy as the country faces a shrinking labour pool.

"The administrative system in effect still has many areas not suited to the demands of new circumstances and duties," Ma Kai, secretary general of the State Council, China's cabinet, told the National People's Congress parliament on Sunday at its annual gathering in Beijing, according to a copy of his speech.

Inadequate supervision had led to "work left undone or done messily, abuse of power and corruption," he said, adding that some areas were insufficiently managed while others had "too many cooks in the kitchen".

Analysts, though, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the moves.

David Goodman, a China politics expert at the University of Sydney, pointed out that reorganisation alone could not stamp out corruption.

"They are very serious reforms," he said, "but they are not going to attack that question of making officials more accountable and more responsible."

Since taking office at the head of the ruling Communist Party in November, China's incoming leadership has issued a barrage of promises to adopt humble ways and fight corruption, while state media have highlighted individual scandals.

But any broad anti-graft measures would require taking on powerful vested interests, and the official news agency Xinhua said the State Council had restructured the government seven times in 30 years.

Beijing will switch control of the railway ministry's administrative functions to the transport ministry and hand its commercial functions to a new China Railway Corporation.

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

But the expansion has seen a series of scandals and widespread allegations of corruption, with former railways minister Liu Zhijun, who was sacked in 2011, now awaiting trial on graft charges.

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

Meanwhile, the body that oversees China's one-child policy will be merged with the health ministry to form a new body, and nationwide population policy will now be handled by the National Development and Reform Commission, an economic planner.

The move comes after China saw the first drop in its labour pool in decades - a consequence of the restrictions imposed on families in the late 1970s that now threaten to impact the country's future growth.

But outgoing premier Wen Jiabao told parliament last week that the policy would be maintained this year.

China will also bring its maritime law enforcement bodies under a single organisation, allowing greater co-ordination as the country is embroiled in a bitter row with Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The State Oceanic Administration, which runs marine surveillance, will take over management of the coastguard from the public security ministry, fisheries patrols from the agriculture ministry, and customs' marine anti-smuggling functions.

Chinese marine surveillance vessels regularly patrol what Beijing says are its waters around the Diaoyu islands, prompting accusations of territorial incursions by Tokyo, which refers to the outcrops as the Senkakus.

Beijing is also at odds with several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, over islands in the South China Sea.

In other measures, the State Administration for Food and Drug will be elevated to a "general administration" amid a series of food safety scandals that have generated public concern.

Two censorship bodies, one for print media and the other for broadcast, will be merged.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

900 dead pigs found in Shanghai river

CHINESE officials say they have fished out 900 dead pigs from a Shanghai river that is a water source for city residents.

Officials are investigating where the pigs came from. A statement posted on Saturday on the city's Agriculture Committee's website says they haven't found any evidence that the pigs were dumped into the river or of any animal epidemic.

The statement says the city and Songjiang district governments started retrieving the pigs on Friday night. By late Saturday afternoon they had recovered and disposed of more than 900.

The statement says the water and environmental protection bureaus are ramping up monitoring of the river's water quality.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Identity of WA gunshot victim released

THE identity of a man found dead with gunshot wounds to his head in a Perth beachside park has been released.

The body of the man, David Liam Johnson, 32, was discovered at Lime Kiln Field in Swanbourne just before midnight (WST) on Friday.

A witness said they heard a gunshot shortly before the body was found.

Others reportedly heard tyres screeching afterwards.

Police, who are treating the man's death as murder, say the victim preferred to be known as Liam.

They said he was known to frequent Mandurah and Fremantle, and moved around a lot. No fixed address has been identified at this stage.

Police are seeking any information that could assist their investigation.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Attacks sway WA voters to Lib win: premier

WA Premier Colin Barnett says his party's win at the polls proves the Labor party is "on the nose". Source: AAP

WEST Australian Labor's last-ditch attempt to sway voters with personal attacks on the Liberals not only backfired, it may well have ensured the previously minority government romped it in.

Premier Colin Barnett's re-election was so overwhelming it will be a major shot in the arm for his federal counterpart Tony Abbott - who recently said he would model himself on the Perth politician - for the September 14 election.

While presiding over a booming economy and the historical likelihood of winning a second term was in the Liberals' favour, Labor kicked an own goal as the campaign drew to a close by repeatedly saying scandal-prone Treasurer Troy Buswell was the heir apparent to Mr Barnett.

While the opposition denied it, all fingers pointed to the Labor party when rumours swirled about Mr Barnett's age and health, and its transport spokesman Ken Travers conceded he had said the 62-year-old looked tired.

Mr Barnett was quick to dismiss the talk as grubby tactics and utter rubbish, and on Sunday he said the personal attacks had helped swing some voters' minds.

"People around the state don't like personality politics," Mr Barnett said.

Mr Buswell, dogged by bad press about his frat-boy sense of humour outside of parliament and sometimes in it, said Labor had wasted its breath, given most voters had already made up their minds about him.

Indeed, he achieved a swing of more than eight per cent in his seat of Vasse.

His swing matched that of the party which went from winning 24 seats in 2008 and needing an alliance with the Nationals to form government to potentially winning as many as 34 seats - and up to 40 for the coalition- to Labor's 19.

Along the way, the Liberals picked up previously safe Labor seats like Perth, Joondalup, Forrestfield, Balcatta and Belmont.

Counting will resume on Monday after being suspended on Sunday with 75 per cent of votes counted by Saturday night and a handful of seats still in doubt.

With the Liberal Party winning enough seats to govern in its own right, the make-up of the alliance will be of immediate interest to many, especially Nationals leader Brendon Grylls who reclaimed the seat of Pilbara off Labor.

Mr Barnett hinted strongly there would be a more Liberal imprint on where the Royalties for Regions money would flow.

"The focus will be more on basic services, country roads, rail upgrades, power distribution - those fundamental services, I think there is a need," Mr Barnett said.

On Sunday, Mr Barnett indicated it was insulting many had suggested his party's landslide win was because Labor was on the nose across the country.

It had more to do with good governing on local issues, he said.

"If it is all about federal issues, why is Labor ahead of the Liberal Party in Victoria? It does not add up," Mr Barnett said.

The party had its candidates selected long before the election was called, and they had put in the hours seat by seat, whereas the same could not be said for Labor.

Speculation has now turned to his cabinet line-up later this week, with environment minister Bill Marmion a contender for the crucial mines portfolio being vacated by the retiring Norman Moore.

And economists said it was business as usual for resources companies so active in the mineral-rich state.

The companies would continue to enjoy the support of a pro-business state government and a premier prepared to fight the federal government's mining tax.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More