Refugee activists march in Sydney

REFUGEE activists have clashed with police in a peak-hour march through inner Sydney.

Riot police were called in as hundreds rallied along George Street on Friday evening chanting "Free, free the refugees".

At times the throngs spilled onto city roads, disrupting traffic and prompting physical confrontations with police.

The demonstration comes after the death of 23-year-old Reza Berati during violent clashes at Australia's Manus Island immigration detention centre.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul told the rally the Iranian's death would not be forgotten.

"They want to push it aside," he said. "They want it to be covered up in the lies and the cover-ups which are now under way on Manus Island.

"We are not going to allow that to happen."

The protesters have called for the Papua New Guinea facility to be shut down and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to step down.

"Scott Morrison, blood on your hands," they cried as the march approached the Immigration Department's Sydney headquarters.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

LNP members push for more wild river cuts

LIBERAL National Party members want more wild river protections to be wound back.

Office holders will vote on whether to forward the policy to the LNP government, along with 27 other proposals, at the party's state council meeting in Toowoomba this weekend.

The resolution calls for wild river declarations of the Gregory and Staaten catchments, in the gulf, be rescinded.

Plans are already underway to revoke six other declarations across northern and western Queensland, with new protections to be offered under regional plans.

Other resolutions include increasing sentences by up to 100 per cent where alcohol and drugs were a contributing factor to the crime.

The Queensland Core Skills test should be aborted from 2014, and soon-to-be mothers should receive more support via social media and phone calls to decrease anxiety and depression.

There are a number of recommendations to reduce the cost of living, which was one of the LNP's election pledges.

Land rental on leasehold land should be frozen while a review to overhaul the system is undertaken, and solar feed in tariffs for any new customers should be immediately removed.

The existing solar feed in tariff scheme alone is now forecast to cost on average each customer, in 2015/16, around $276 per year.

Premier Campbell Newman and LNP president Bruce McIver will speak at the event on Saturday, and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss will address the crowd on Sunday.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

China busts major baby trafficking ring

CHINESE police have rescued 382 abducted babies and arrested 1094 suspects in a national operation that busted four major internet-based baby trafficking rings, the Public Security Ministry says.

The operation came after police in Beijing and the eastern province of Jiangsu last year found four websites selling babies under the cover of adoption, the ministry said, adding that internet technologies have assisted baby traffickers by providing more secretive covers for their businesses.

Child abduction is a major problem in China despite punishments as harsh as the death sentence for traffickers, and national-level busts of trafficking rings have been frequent in recent years.

Strict laws that limit many families to one child, a traditional preference for boys, poverty and illicit profits drive a thriving market in babies and children.

To address the problem, China is considering tougher penalties for parents who sell their children, as well as for the buyers.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Motorists suffer 'accident anxiety'

MOST motorists are suffering from "accident anxiety", and drivers aged 35-44 are the most worried, according to a survey.

As many as 79 per cent of those taking to the road are anxious about driving, the poll by Allianz Insurance found.

This concern is so great that 17 per cent of drivers have decided not to make a particular journey due to their worries.

Based on responses from 1000 people who drive regularly, the survey showed 83 per cent of drivers aged 35-44 get anxious on the road.

Overall, the biggest worry to drivers is tailgating, followed by road rage and uninsured drivers.

Of those who have accidents, 81 per cent said it was not their fault with 22 per cent saying they felt more worried, more stressed and less confident after a collision, with women being notably more worried than men after a crash.

Yet just seven per cent reckoned more driver training would be the answer.

Allianz Insurance chief executive Jon Dye said: "It's worrying to see that so many motorists feel they will have an accident, and yet so few feel more driver training would help. Drivers can only drive at their best if they feel calm and alert and not unduly worried about what other motorists are getting up to.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gordon Ramsay hit with bizarre lawsuit

GORDON Ramsay has been hit with an odd lawsuit from a man who claims he can't taste food after cutting his tongue at the celebrity chef's New York City restaurant.

German chef Markus Barthel visited the Brit's eatery at The London hotel last March, but claims he got much more than he bargained for when his meal arrived.

In the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Barthel alleges he ate a hard piece of plastic or ceramic that was hidden in his hamburger, and was left with "serious, severe and permanent injuries in his mouth, including... deep cuts in his tongue".

The documents also state that Barthel had to undergo surgery in order to repair the damage, but is "unable to perform the duties of a chef any longer."

His lawyer, Florian Bruno, told the New York Daily News that his client was unable to work for several weeks because of the incident.

"A chef needs his tongue like a pianist needs his fingers. They have to taste everything and he says there continues to be a loss of taste in his tongue," Bruno explained.

"The doctor said tongues are difficult to heal because people have to eat and they keep reinjuring themselves."

Barthel is seeking unspecified damages and compensation.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Anti-violence laws in force at weekend

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has lashed out at lawyers opposing new laws against alcohol violence. Source: AAP

ANTI-VIOLENCE campaigners have welcomed new laws to combat street violence but believe responsibility also lies with the judiciary and the rest of the country.

Mandatory minimum sentences for fatal alcohol and drug-fuelled assaults and earlier lockouts will be in place this weekend after NSW parliament passed anti-violence legislation on Thursday night.

Party-goers will be locked out of clubs from 1.30am in the Sydney city-centre entertainment precinct, including Kings Cross, and last drinks will be at 3am.

Steroid possession and supply will also attract a maximum jail term of 25 years, up from two years, while those convicted of fatal one-punch assaults while intoxicated or on steroids will be subject to the minimum eight-year mandatory jail term.

People will be considered intoxicated if their blood-alcohol concentration is above 0.15 per cent or they have taken illegal drugs.

Robert McEwen, whose son Michael was in a coma after being punched in Bondi in December, said he was concerned with mandatory sentences.

He gave the example in which a drunk person who throws a fatal punch would be jailed for eight years while a sober person, such as a gang member, who deliberately assaults someone who dies would not be exposed to the same mandatory sentence.

"People are upset about the light sentences that these people have received," he told AAP after the legislation was passed on Thursday.

"I think the judiciary has the scope to impose tougher sentences."

Enough is Enough campaigner Ken Marslew said NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell had shown real leadership.

"It's taken such a lot of work by such a lot of people," he told AAP.

However, Mr Marslew said the violence problems went far beyond Sydney's boundaries.

"This problem is all over the state from Wagga Wagga to Tweed Heads," he said.

He called on the federal government to establish a national model.

The reforms also remove voluntary intoxication as a mitigating factor for judges and magistrates considering penalties for drunk assaults.

A defence for people with a "significant cognitive impairment at the time of the offence" has been established and juveniles are exempt from most of the new measures.

NSW Police will also have new powers to conduct alcohol and drug testing on alcohol or drug-related assault suspects.

"The consequences couldn't be clearer for any thug heading out this weekend," Mr O'Farrell said.

"If you are intoxicated with drugs or alcohol and fatally assault someone, you will now be captured by a new mandatory minimum sentence of eight years' jail, with a maximum sentence of 25 years."

The Australian Hotels Association says some of the measures will unfairly harm businesses for which violence is not a problem.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bikie arrested over guns, drugs, reptiles

An alleged bikie gang member has been arrested after police found drugs and a crocodile in his home. Source: AAP

A BIKIE gang member has been charged with multiple offences after police allegedly found weapons, drugs, a python and a crocodile at his home on Sydney's northern beaches.

The 36-year-old alleged member of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang was arrested on Wednesday following the raid on a Dee Why home.

Officers allegedly found a rifle, replica firearms, BB guns, ammunition, multiple sets of handcuffs and knives, an extendable baton and electronic control devices at the home.

Police also seized amounts of cannabis, cocaine and methylamphetamines as well as a 50-centimetre saltwater crocodile, a South American bird spider and an albino python.

The 36-year-old was later arrested in Manly and charged with 18 firearm and drug offences.

The man was refused bail to appear in Central Local Court on Thursday.

Investigations into the seized reptiles are continuing with further charges expected to be laid, police said.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic Speaker slams Shaw, but mum on future

The Victorian Speaker will be in the chair when parliament resumes but he won't discuss his future. Source: AAP

THE Victorian Speaker says he will be in the chair when parliament resumes next week, but will not say what will happen after that.

Speaker Ken Smith, who has announced he will not contest the next election, said he will probably have something to say about his future when parliament resumes on Tuesday.

Mr Smith has slammed the behaviour of balance of power MP Geoff Shaw, who last year said he no longer had confidence in the Speaker, sparking chaotic scene in the parliament.

He said Mr Shaw, a former Liberal turned independent member for Frankston, loves the limelight.

Mr Smith announced earlier this month he would not contest the next election, but he and Premier Denis Napthine have been silent on whether he will remain in the Speaker's chair.

"I'll be in the chair at 2pm next Tuesday afternoon at Parliament House," Mr Smith told AAP.

Asked if he would be in the chair on Wednesday, Mr Smith replied: "That remains to be spoken about on Tuesday."

Pressed further, Mr Smith replied: "Just be patient it is only a few more days."

Mr Shaw announced to the parliament in November that he no longer had confidence in Mr Smith, a decision that meant the Speaker no longer had a majority in the house.

Mr Smith said the Frankston MP didn't even have the decency to speak to him about his decision.

"He had to just stand up in the house and decided then to do it, obviously after consultation with his friends in the Labor Party," he said.

Mr Shaw's announcement led to the Labor opposition continually trying to force a vote of confidence in Mr Smith.

The Speaker suspended parliament for the remainder of the sitting and when parliament resumed suspended two Labor MPs for the remainder of the year for poor behaviour.

Mr Smith expects neither Mr Shaw nor Labor will change their behaviour in 2014.

"(Mr Shaw) tries to shy away from the limelight, but he just loves it," Mr Smith said.

"I think he will probably be worse, he's had a couple of months to think about it over the holidays."

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gold smuggled in mobile phones

AT least 21 kilograms of gold worth nearly $US1 million ($A1.14 million) has been seized from a commercial plane in southern India, officials say.

"The gold was concealed in mobile phones, packed in 80 boxes in the cargo of the plane at Chennai airport Monday," senior Directorate of Revenue Intelligence official MM Pathriban said on Wednesday.

The plane had arrived from Hong Kong.

Mobile phones are rarely imported into India in air cargo, with most suppliers sending such consignments by sea.

Officials also seized more than six kilograms of gold being smuggled by passengers at Chennai airport at the weekend.

India is one of the world's largest consumers of gold, with Indians traditionally buying jewellery and hoarding it as a financial security.

Several high-profile cases of gold smuggling have been detected at Indian airports in recent months since the government imposed strict curbs on official imports of gold.

The measure was aimed at limiting its impact on a widening current account deficit.

In November, cleaners found 24 gold bars worth more than $US1.4 million dollars in the toilet of a commercial aircraft at Kolkata airport.

Duty on imports of gold jewellery was hiked from eight per cent to 10 per cent last year. The government would soon review the import curbs, federal Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said.

He estimated that up to 3000 kilograms of gold was being smuggled into the country each month.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

No one harmed in Vic 000 outage: report

IT was lucky no one suffered during potentially-life threatening failures to Victoria's triple-zero emergency line, a new report reveals.

Emergency service operators were forced to revert to manual technology when four outages between May and August last year shut down the computer-aided dispatch system for several hours.

The longest delay occurred in July when Victoria's triple zero (000) provider, the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), took just over 10 minutes to answer a call for police in regional Victoria.

Emergency Services Commissioner Michael Hallowes found all emergency services experienced response delays as a result of the outages but no one experienced any adverse impact.

"However, this was fortunate, as even short delays in dispatch of emergency services can have significant ramifications for community health and safety," Mr Hallowes said in a report released on Wednesday.

His report into the outages found different factors led to each outage and there was no repeat of the same fault.

But they forced Triple Zero call takers to rely on a manual system, recording incoming calls on a card, finding the incident on a map, then dispatching emergency crews after checking their availability.

This in turn increased average call handling times and risks to community health and safety, he said.

Mr Hallowes recommended ESTA implement a technology-based backup system as a matter of priority.

Although ESTA has been improving its computer aided dispatch systems since 2011, progress has been slow and industrial action by ESTA operational staff last year compounded delays, Mr Hallowes said.

Emergency Services Minister Kim Wells said ESTA is developing a business case for a new technology-based backup and has accepted all of Mr Hallowes' recommendations for improvements.

The Victorian government has given ESTA $10.3 million in 2011-12 and another $3.9 million in 2012-13 to upgrade its computer aided dispatch system.

ESTA expects to finish the upgrade by June.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More