One of FBI's 10 most wanted arrested

ONE of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives has been arrested in Mexico and returned to Los Angeles to face charges of murder, kidnapping and rape.

Reputed gang member Joe Luis Saenz was taken into custody on Thursday in Guadalajara following a joint operation with the Mexican government, said Bill Lewis, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles office.

Saenz returned to Los Angeles on Friday evening.

Investigators said Saenz shot and killed two rival gang members in July 1998 to retaliate for an assault on one of his associates.

Saenz suspected Sigrieta Hernandez, his girlfriend and the mother of his daughter, was going to tell police about the slayings, investigators said. He is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing her less than two weeks later.

Saenz also is believed to have killed Oscar Torres at his home in October 2008 because he failed to repay $US600,000 ($A580,635) in drug money after police seized the cash during a traffic stop.

Authorities said they had videotape from a surveillance camera at Torres' house that showed Saenz killing Torres and wounding another person.

Saenz, who is about 37, was believed to be hiding in Mexico, working as an enforcer and hit man for a Mexican drug cartel.

Saenz had been on the FBI's most wanted list since 2009, putting him among the ranks of Osama bin Laden and other notorious criminals. There was a reward of up to $US100,000 for information leading to his arrest.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bomb explodes near Pakistan procession

A BOMB has exploded near a Shi'ite religious procession in northwest Pakistan, killing three people and wounding more than a dozen.

The roadside device was planted on the route of a religious procession of the minority Shi'ite community in Dera Ismail Khan district on Saturday, police officer Ghulam Ahmed told AFP.

The blast took place as Shi'ite Muslims were gathering for a procession marking the death anniversary of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussain in 680, and security was tight across the country to prevent attacks.

"The bomb was planted in a dustbin, the blast was powerful and heard several kilometres away," another police official, Siddiq Khan, said.

He said more than a dozen people were wounded in the blast, including a police official.

Pakistan on Friday suspended mobile phone services in major cities to prevent terror attacks against Shi'ite Muslim commemorations, officials said. Mobile phones are often used to trigger bomb blasts.

Mobile phone services were temporarily blocked in the commercial capital Karachi, the southwestern city of Quetta and several cities and towns in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and central Punjab province as well as in parts of the capital Islamabad.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police praise schoolies after tragic week

Police say schoolies were well behaved, but the death of a teenage girl has overshadowed the event. Source: AAP

POLICE have praised the good behaviour of schoolies, but a teenage girl's fatal fall from a balcony has overshadowed the final night of festivities.

A total of 45 schoolies were arrested on 53 charges - mostly of public nuisance - across the Gold Coast on Friday night.

Police said schoolies were generally well behaved this year.

But the week hit a tragic note on Thursday night when 17-year-old Mt St Michaels graduate Isabelle Colman fell from the balcony of her 26th floor hotel room.

Police are still investigating the incident, which cast a pall over the usually upbeat event.

Celebrations have officially ended for Queensland students, but many school leavers from interstate are headed for the Gold Coast in coming days.

Superintendent Paul Ziebarth said police would still be targeting public drunkenness and underage drinking.

"I would say to these schoolies who intend on visiting pubs and clubs to ensure they maintain an appropriate and acceptable level of behaviour," he said.

"It is also timely to remind our interstate visitors that in Queensland it is illegal to consume alcohol in a public place."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Top Hong Kong racing trainer jailed

FORMER Hong Kong champion horse racing trainer Brian Kan has been jailed after losing an appeal over his conviction for offering a bribe in a local election.

Kan, 74, who had been on bail pending the appeal, was convicted last November for offering a HK$130,000 ($A16,450) bribe to persuade a village representative to vote for him.

The five-time champion trainer ran unsuccessfully in an election last March in Sheung Shui, a village in the rural northern New Territories, close to the border with mainland China.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption launched an investigation after the village representative handed over the money to the anti-graft watchdog.

According to a copy of the 26-page judgement released on Friday, the high court said the grounds of Kan's appeal "could not be established" and rejected it.

Public broadcaster RTHK said Kan was taken into custody to start serving a 14-week sentence after the judgement was handed down.

Kan has been branded by Hong Kong media as "the most influential horse trainer of his generation" and a powerful figure in the New Territories.

He is reported to have trained 844 winners during a 25-year career.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Third Sydney woman in bag snatch attack

AN 81-year-old visually-impaired woman has become the latest victim of yet another Sydney bag snatch.

The woman, who has a mild visual impairment, was walking in Oxley Park just after 1pm (AEDT) on Friday when she was approached by a man who stole her handbag, police say.

The bag contained cash and personal items.

The incident came as a teenager, charged over a bag snatch robbery of a heavily pregnant woman in Holsworthy on Wednesday, appeared in a Sydney court.

Luke Castles, 18, did not apply for bail which was formally refused.

Meanwhile, in a third bag snatch, a 27-year-old woman was punched in the face during a robbery in Sydney's inner west on Wednesday morning.

In that incident the woman was attacked by two men who got out of a car in Lewisham.

They approached the woman from behind and grabbed her handbag.

The woman fell to the ground during a brief struggle and was punched in the face before her attackers fled with her bag.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man gets 30 years for 'execution' death

A MAN who stabbed a teenager and then murdered the wife of a man whom he believed would give evidence against him will spend at least 30 years in jail for the "planned execution".

Mustapha Dib, 29, was found guilty of murdering Anita Vrzina, 20, and wounding her partner, Ahmed Banat, with intent to murder in a shooting at Punchbowl in Sydney's southwest in November 2000.

The court heard that Dib - previously known only as "Z" as he was 17 at the time of the killing - had waited outside the pair's home.

He then fired at least four shots into their car, hitting Ms Vrzina in the stomach and Mr Banat in the neck, after he got them to stop by flashing his lights.

In sentencing Dib at the Supreme Court on Friday, Acting Justice Graham Barr said he was satisfied the 29-year-old had sought to silence Banat, whom he believed was a police informer and potential witness against him in the fatal stabbing of Sydney schoolboy Edward Lee in 1998.

Dib subsequently pleaded guilty to the 14-year-old's manslaughter and was sentenced to a minimum of five years.

"Although I think it highly probable that the offender carried out this assassination to stop Mr Banat giving evidence implicating him in the Edward Lee stabbing, it is also possible that he took the action ... to express his disapproval of Mr Banat as an informer generally," Justice Barr said.

It was also a "principle" of Dib's that "informers' next of kin should be killed", he added.

During Dib's trial, the jury heard that while Banat was in hospital recovering from the shooting, he nominated the 29-year-old as the gunman, using his nickname "Fairy".

However, Banat later retracted this identification and repeatedly told the jury that the gunman was wearing a balaclava.

Banat, Justice Barr said, was an "unsatisfactory witness".

"He frequently took the opportunity to burst out and make speeches of his own devising ... he attacked the crown prosecutor verbally and threatened to do him violence."

Justice Barr said Dib had "planned and perpetrated a public execution".

"To assassinate a person to prevent their giving evidence strikes at the heart of our justice system," he said.

However, Justice Barr said the 29-year-old showed "prospects of rehabilitation".

"The offender's history of behaviour in custody and on parole suggests that he may become less rigid ... and less aggressive," he said.

"Of course, the length of the sentence I must impose will mean ... time alone will have made him a very different person."

Justice Barr sentenced Dib to a minimum of 30 years and maximum of 40, making him eligible for parole on July 2041.

It was noted that Dib faced trials on two previous occasions in 2003 over the charges, but both were aborted.

Banat left Australia only to be arrested in Syria and extradited back to NSW.

In the Sydney District Court earlier this week, a jury convicted Banat of four counts of perverting the course of justice in relation to evidence given against Dib.

He will be sentenced on this matter next month.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mandatory Opal rollout on the cards

SIX remote Australia petrol stations could face thousands of dollars in fines if they continue to refuse to stock non-sniffable Opal fuel.

The federal government made a policy U-turn on Thursday to support an amended version of an Australian Greens bill that will make mandatory what has been a voluntary Opal Fuel roll-out in parts of the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.

Opal fuel discourages petrol sniffing because it does not give off aromatic fumes that give users a high.

Greens senator Rachel Siewert said gaps in the current voluntary program needed to be plugged with a national approach.

"Petrol sniffing does not contain self-contained borders," she told the Senate, saying sniffers in some NT communities are crossing into WA or Queensland to defy the Opal program.

There have been outbreaks of petrol sniffing in Central Australia in places such as Papunya, Titjikala and Alpurrurlam with Tilmouth Well Roadhouse, Maryvale Station Store and Urandangi Roadhouse not stocking the low aromatic fuel.

There are 123 petrol stations selling Opal fuel in remote parts of Australia but six retailers in the roll-out zone don't.

Heather Goldsworthy, from Aryvale Station, near Alice Springs, said if the law changes the roadhouse would reverse its stance.

"Of course we'd stock it, but no one would buy it ... it will sit there, I'm not sure if it goes rotten," she told AAP.

"The tourists don't want it because it wrecks their motor cars."

She acknowledged the dreadful impact of petrol sniffing but said she didn't believe roadhouses had a social responsibility to stock Opal.

Northern Territory Labor senator Trish Crossin said a public awareness campaign was needed to let motorists know the only difference between Opal and regular unleaded fuel was the smell.

She said Labor would support the private member's bill, with amendments.

"It is another step along the way in ensuring young Aboriginal lives are not destroyed because the only end to their day is to stick their nose in a can of petrol and sniff it," she said.

Opposition indigenous affairs spokesman Nigel Scullion raised concerns about a potential legal loophole in the bill that would allow petrol stations that acted as sole traders or partnerships to avoid the legislation.

However, the Greens have proposed an amendment to fix that situation.

When the bill next comes up for debate, the Senate will consider 25 amendments from the Greens and Labor.

Tristan Ray, spokesman for CAYLUS, a Central Australian petrol sniffing prevention program, said the bill was an "absolute necessity."

"Day to day in the communities we work with, there is trouble with petrol sniffing because of the lack of capacity to force a handful of retailers to stock Opal fuel," he told reporters in Canberra.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Victoria wary of Murray plan costs

THE costs to Victoria of the Murray-Darling Basin plan need to be assessed before the state can support the plan, the government says.

Victorian Water Minister Peter Walsh said the state government would examine all aspects of the water management plan received on Thursday.

The intergovernmental agreement and the water recovery strategy would be considered with the plan to understand its implications for local communities and irrigators, Mr Walsh said.

He said a number of unresolved issues in the two documents must be finalised before Victoria could support the plan.

"Victoria needs absolute clarity on the issues of apportionment between the basin states and the sequencing and timing of the MDBP roll-out," he said.

He also said the commonwealth must clarify the compensation process for the states for costs incurred.

Environment Victoria says it is deeply disappointed by the plan, saying it will not restore the rivers of the Murray-Darling system to health.

Chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said the plan was a huge missed opportunity to fix the overuse of water on the Murray-Darling basin.

"It was our big chance to provide a sustainable future for the rivers and their communities and the plan presented by Minister Burke today fails this basic test," she said in a statement.

"The basin plan does not return enough water to rivers to protect their environmental values in the long term - it returns only enough water to meet a little over half of the environmental objectives set for the river system."

Ms O'Shanassy said state and federal governments must continue to work over the next few weeks to lock in the extra 450GL and give the plan a chance of success.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA Labor in early state election gambit

WESTERN Australia's universities look set to become an election battleground, with Opposition Leader Mark McGowan flagging a plan to give the state's seats of learning more financial and educational freedom.

In an early state election gambit, the Labor leader said there was a need for urgent reform to cut the red tape holding back WA's universities.

Mr McGowan said his plan would give colleges the power to create and run companies, freeing up more money for them to become innovation hubs and sell themselves as the smart state to the massive Asian educational market.

"I want to expand our service exports, especially education," Mr McGowan told a business function on Thursday.

"At present, WA educational exports are worth almost $1.2 billion a year but they could be much more.

"Red tape is one of the biggest disincentives to innovation and it's hampering our universities' ability to attract finance and gives them no security over how they are allowed to develop their land."

New laws proposed by the party would allow universities security of land tenure while giving them the freedom to generate income on the back of that, similar to Victoria's recent reforms.

"We will modernise the legislation binding WA universities to give them both security of land tenure and the ability to undertake commercial activity to create hubs of innovation and enterprise," Mr McGowan said.

"We will give our universities the tools to be entrepreneurial with their land ... to generate income that can be reinvested into all manner of research and innovation."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Newman suspects ALP crimes in registers

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman says he won't be afraid to call in police if he's convinced that official documents are missing because Bligh government ministers broke the law.

The premier wants Labor to release their lobbyist registers after continued scrutiny from Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk of his government's own documents.

"I've indicated I believe it looks like there's been some sort of criminal offence here," Mr Newman told reporters on the Gold Coast.

"If indeed I get that formally in writing from the relevant authorities within government it might well go to the police or the CMC."

Mr Newman said following their recent attacks on his ministers, it was hypocritical for Labor and Ms Palaszczuk to claim they didn't need to produce their own documents.

Bruce Flegg was forced to quit as housing minister last week amid claims he failed to record contacts his office had with his lobbyist son.

And Science and IT Minister Ros Bates has also faced scrutiny over missing information in her lobbyist register, which she later amended.

But Mr Newman said it was Labor who has been caught out by not doing the right thing.

"We've never seen their lobbyist contact registers. We've never seen their diaries," he said.

"I have dealt with ministers who've done the wrong thing - Labor never did."

Ms Palaszczuk defended herself against Mr Newman's claim that former Labor ministers had failed to lodge their diaries and lobbyist registers with the State Archives, as required, once they left office.

She said she has complied, but couldn't speak for other former government ministers.

"This is clearly a diversion from a government that is lurching week to week from crisis to crisis," she said.

It has been revealed Ms Bates accepted $3000 worth of campaign donations from IT company Technology One, which has since gained four meetings with the minister, organised by LNP-aligned lobbyist Santo Santoro.

But the premier insists all donations to Ms Bates' campaign were above board.

"Absolutely (they are)," he said.

He is also confident Ms Bates' position as a minister is tenable.

"I don't see why not? She's doing a great job. Ros Bates is the technology and science minister, seeing a technology company," Mr Newman said.

"That's perfectly okay."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coalition couldn't oppose 'motherhood' law

THE coalition will support Labor legislation to begin school funding reform despite complaining about its lack of detail.

Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said the Australian Education Bill, to be introduced to parliament next week, was so full of motherhood statements no one could disagree with it.

"Of course we'll support the bill," he told a forum in Adelaide organised by the Australian Education Union (AEU).

"It basically says that we should provide a better education for our children."

But Mr Pyne said he didn't support "these mad goals" of lifting Australian students into the top five globally in maths, reading and science.

That goal is one of three outlined in the legislation.

"I'm not going to promise all sorts of goals on the never never that cannot be achieved," Mr Pyne said.

AEU president Angelo Gavrielatos seized on this, saying it was contrary to previous statements by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

"Mr Abbott thinks Australia should aim to be the number one nation in the world with a broken funding system that is sending us backwards," Mr Gavrielatos said on Wednesday.

"Mr Pyne supports the broken funding system but thinks setting a target is mad."

The draft legislation commits to a new funding system for all schools, public or private, based on need, as recommended by the Gonski funding review panel.

But it doesn't include any details about what that new structure would look like or how much it would cost.

Schools Minister Peter Garrett again defended the bill - which in its draft form includes a clause making it not legally binding.

"As we reach agreement with states and independent school sectors so we will progressively add to that legislation," Mr Garrett told the forum on Tuesday.

"But this is a clear, crystal clear indication of how fair dinkum we are about it."

He is currently negotiating with state and territory education ministers about what advice they should give to the Council of Australian Governments in December regarding the structure and money needed for any funding reforms.

At their meeting on Tuesday several ministers expressed considerable disquiet about the lack of detail given so far.

However, they did reiterate the importance of working collaboratively to further national school funding reform.

South Australian Education Minister Grace Portolesi told the AEU forum, held after that meeting, her state did "give a Gonski".

"Clearly Gonski proposes a complete remodelling of the way that we're doing this stuff," she said.

"I think that it's absolutely time that we do that but we've got to work out the details."

But The West Australian newspaper reported on Wednesday WA education minister Peter Collier had written to Mr Garrett saying his state did not support the legislation.

One of his chief criticisms was the bill as drafted did not clearly outline the commonwealth would not be seeking to take control of schools or directly fund public schools.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Another Tinkler company to be liquidated

MINING magnate Nathan Tinkler's business empire continues to come under pressure after a court ordered the liquidation of another of his companies.

In the Federal Court in Adelaide on Wednesday, registrar Patricia Christie ordered that Patinack Farm Administration Pty Ltd be wound up in insolvency.

Ms Christie ordered that Anthony Matthews, an official liquidator, be appointed as liquidator of the company, following the legal action brought by creditor Workcover Corporation of South Australia.

Workcover's legal costs were to be fixed at $3648.17 and to be reimbursed in accordance with the Corporations Act, while the costs of supporting creditor, Workcover Queensland, were to be fixed at $500.

On Tuesday, NSW Supreme Court senior deputy registrar Nicholas Flaskas ordered that Mr Tinkler's Mulsanne Resources be wound up and Ferrier Hodgson's Robyn Duggan and John Melluish be appointed as liquidators.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bushfire races towards Port Lincoln

A serious bushfire is burning out of control near Port Lincoln in South Australia. Source: AAP

RESIDENTS have been evacuated as an out-of-control bushfire heads towards Port Lincoln in South Australia.

The Country Fire Service (CFS) says the fire which began at Coomunga burned out of control through Mungerowie Scrub on the Lower Eyre Peninsula near Big Swamp and is threatening homes and properties.

Deputy chief officer of the SA CFS Andrew Lawson said the fire had burnt out more than 500 hectares.

"We are most concerned about a strong south west wind change coming through the area this afternoon and this evening," he said.

The wind change had the potential to push the fire, which is about seven kilometres north west of Port Lincoln, in an easterly direction towards the town.

"We have responded with five fire bombing aircraft to this fire," Mr Lawson said.

Approximately 30 "fire fighting appliances" and 120 firefighters are battling the blaze.

"Residents are asked to implement their bushfire survival plan and only leave if it is known to be safe to leave."

Tegan Newman, from Endeavour Heights on the western outskirts of Port Lincoln, said she, her husband, their three children and dog had been evacuated from their home.

She said she had been returning home around midday with her youngest child when she faced a road block.

"We were able to get home, get the dog, our computer and our birth certificates," she said.

The family is now staying with her mother-in-law in Port Lincoln, which has a population of about 14,000 people.

Ms Newman said some neighbours had also been evacuated but she had been in contact with a neighbour who remained and "hopefully our house is going to be okay".

A bushfire-safe precinct has been established in Port Lincoln at the Curtain Point Bowling Club.

The CFS is responding to other fires throughout the state, where total fire bans have been declared in all but one of SA's 15 fire ban districts.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Virgin blames uncertainty for coy guidance

Virgin Australia expects an improved underlying profit in the 2012/13 financial year. Source: AAP

VIRGIN Australia has blamed uncertain economic conditions and strong airline competition for its reluctance to give firm profit guidance for the year ahead.

Chief executive John Borghetti told shareholders in Brisbane the airline expects to improve its underlying profits during the 2012/13 financial year.

The upmarket carrier also stuck to its previous forecast domestic capacity growth of eight to nine per cent in the first half.

While Virgin's guidance for this financial year has not changed since August, Mr Borghetti said uncertain economic conditions and poor consumer sentiment were hampering its ability to provide profit guidance.

"The state of the economy in general, the competitive nature within the industry, it's too unclear to give an outlook any more specifically," he told reporters after Virgin's annual general meeting on Tuesday.

Earlier, Mr Borghetti told shareholders the company expected to deliver a more balanced mix between first and second half-year results than has been achieved historically.

Three weeks after announcing plans to buy a 60 per cent stake in budget carrier Tiger Airways for $35 million, Mr Borghetti was confident of challenging the dominance of Qantas subsidiary Jetstar.

"Definitely, we would be a very, very strong challenger ... just like we've challenged Qantas in the business market," he told journalists, adding Tiger was still a small operator.

Virgin has also made a $98.7 million bid for Skywest, as it aims for a slice of the mining fly-in, fly-out market.

Virgin made an underlying pre-tax profit of $82.5 million in the 2011/12 financial year.

Its net profit in the same period was $22.8 million, and the recent Tiger and Skywest deals are likely to hit net profit in the 2012/13 year.

Ahead of the meeting, some shareholders had expressed concern about Mr Borghetti's $4 million pay packet.

However while shareholder groups CGI Glass Lewis and the Australian Shareholders Association urged investors to vote against Virgin's remuneration report, just 3.6 per cent of proxy votes were opposed.

One disgruntled shareholder asked why Mr Borghetti signed the remuneration report instead of non-executive directors.

Chairman Neil Chatfield responded by saying: "I can assure you that the remuneration committee manages that quite appropriately."

Meanwhile, Virgin has announced an expansion of its codeshare agreement with Singapore Airlines, which will enable travellers from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to fly to cities in Europe and the UK.

Mr Borghetti said the airline's transformation plans had progressed faster than expected, and the next phase of the program had begun.

Virgin Australia's shares shed 1.5 cents to close at 48 cents.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hoax collar bomber gets 10 years in jail

Paul Peters has been jailed for at least 10 years over the Madeleine Pulver (R) collar bomb hoax. Source: AAP

MADELEINE Pulver's relief at seeing her attacker jailed is "incredible", her dad says, but she may never know why she was targeted by the hoax collar bomber.

Paul Douglas Peters, who cornered the teenager in her bedroom last year, was on Tuesday sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in jail, and must serve at least 10 of them.

It marks the end of a bizarre and puzzling crime, but many questions remain unanswered.

Sentencing Peters in Sydney's District Court, Judge Peter Zahra noted: "There will always remain some uncertainty as to the reasons he decided to engage in an act of extortion involving violence of substantial gravity".

On August 3 last year, Peters - a wealthy businessman based mainly in the US - entered the Pulver family home in Mosman on Sydney's north shore, wearing a multi-coloured balaclava and armed with a baseball bat.

Ms Pulver was studying in her room for her HSC when he placed the hoax bomb around her neck.

A document attached to the device demanded an unspecified sum of money and said tampering with it would make it explode.

After a 10-hour ordeal, the device was confirmed as a hoax.

Peters was arrested in the home he shared with his ex-wife in Louisville, Kentucky about two weeks later and extradited to NSW.

In March, he pleaded guilty to aggravated breaking and entering and detaining with advantage.

During sentence proceedings, the court had been told Peters suffered from severe depression and bi-polar disorder, and that he claimed to have no memory of attaching the device to Ms Pulver's neck.

He told one psychiatrist he had "no idea" why he chose the Pulver home, saying he had never met Ms Pulver in his life.

The court heard he had taken on the role of a character in a book he was writing, and had intended to be caught.

"The end game was quite simple," Peters told one psychiatrist.

"To get caught, to stop drinking and to be in front of a psychiatrist, as well as assisting my novel."

Crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen, SC, submitted it was a deliberate extortion attempt and Peters in fact entered the wrong house.

The court heard Peters was tracking down the beneficiary of a multi-million dollar trust, but his target changed when he recognised a neighbour of the Pulvers from his Hong Kong business dealings.

Peters mistakenly believed he was entering that man's house on August 3 when he committed the "act of urban terrorism", Ms Cunneen said.

Judge Zahra said it was difficult to assess Peters' motive as he did not give evidence during the sentence hearings.

He said he did not believe Peters was suffering from a substantial mental impairment at the time, although he may have been depressed.

"He would have appreciated the enormity of what he was doing," the judge said, adding he would have instilled "unimaginable" fear in the 18-year-old.

"(Peters) intended to place his very young victim in fear she was going to be killed," he said.

Ms Pulver and her parents, Bill and Belinda Pulver, shed tears as the sentence was handed down.

Peters remained expressionless.

Outside court, Madeleine Pulver said she was pleased it was over.

"I can now look forward to a future without Paul Peters' name being linked to mine," she told reporters.

"We feel an incredible sense of relief today," her father added.

Peters had never apologised or given an explanation for what he did, Mr Pulver said.

"There's only one person in that room who really knows why Maddy ended up at the receiving end of his device," he said.

Taking into account time already served, Peters will be eligible for parole in August 2021.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teen Perth police impersonator avoids jail

A FORMER boy scout who posed as a policeman to enter some of the most secure buildings in Western Australia will avoid jail.

With the help of a friend who was working as an auxiliary police officer, 18-year-old Chris Bergroth donned a stolen uniform and managed to stroll into Perth's main criminal lock-up six times.

He also entered WA police headquarters and twice managed to get into a specialist crime unit building over seven weeks earlier this year.

He accessed confidential information on computers and even assisted at a traffic crash before being detected.

Bergroth also used police fuel cards to fill up his personal vehicle and avoided a speeding fine when he was caught driving 16km/h over the limit by saying he worked for the Tactical Response Group and was rushing to a job.

Bergroth, who had previously done work experience with the police force, pleaded guilty last month to 38 charges including wilfully misleading police and trespass.

In Perth Magistrates Court on Monday he was ordered to perform 100 hours of community work and fined $2000 plus costs.

The magistrate and prosecution accepted defence lawyer Michael Clarke's argument that Bergroth was living out his childhood dream of becoming a policeman and had been a benign, non-malicious threat to the force, even though he had eroded public confidence in it.

Bergroth was "crushed" that his offences meant he would never be a policeman and now planned a career in the defence force, Mr Clarke told reporters outside court.

He said Bergroth had created a "slippery slope" in a situation that got out of hand.

"It starts with one thing and leads to another, and downwards from there," he said.

The auxiliary officer, one of Bergroth's scout friends, was not charged and has since quit the force.

Mr Clarke said Bergroth had done the force a favour by showing up deficiencies in its security.

"It wasn't done by someone associated with organised crime or a terrorist organisation - it was done by a boy scout who genuinely wanted to help and serve the community."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snoozing through the only show in town

"JUST because there are more journalists ... don't show off," Stephen Conroy shouted across the Senate during question time on Monday.

There were indeed more journalists - nine rather than the usual one.

That's because this week the upper house, the unrepresentative swill of Paul Keating's cruel and not entirely accurate jibe, is the only parliamentary show in town.

And so the spotlight fell on political lions like the two Senate major party leaders, Chris Evans and Eric Abetz.

It would be nice to report they rose to the occasion.

But Evans' main contribution was to woodenly read a prepared answer about the royal commission into child abuse.

Abetz confined himself to interjections, which earned him a sharp "doesn't know what he's talking about ... doesn't understand statistics" from Penny Wong.

On the other hand, it was a little more civilised than the house of the people, though that's coming off a very low base. And it may just be that a chamber of 76, all else equal, will only make half as much noise as one of 150.

Conroy and George Brandis gamely tried to do the decibel work of many, exchanging a series of long and loud pleasantries across the chamber that drowned out Joe Ludwig, one of several ministers who had to field questions about their own portfolios as well as those held by lower house ministers.

The Senate gives each questioner two supplementary questions, thus allowing some degree of cross examination.

Alas, that doesn't always lead to more informative answers.

Ludwig, for example, was as blatant as anyone in the House of Representatives when it came to ducking and weaving - in his case about the second Kyoto commitment period.

His inquisitor, Simon Birmingham, appealed in vain for a straight answer.

And Conroy was as triumphalist as any Reps minister when boasting about the national broadband network roll-out.

Unlike the lower house, there was no theme, with every question different. The opposition asked about childcare costs, the disappearing mining tax, Kyoto and homelessness. The Greens wanted to know about the endangered Tasmanian Tarkine and the live cattle trade.

Also unlike the Reps, there was no obsession with Tony Abbott. In fact, the opposition leader wasn't mentioned.

The government took the odd swipe at their opponent, with Kim Carr sneering that its latest childcare policy was to have an inquiry to see if it needed a new policy.

But there was none of the nasty personal stuff.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust shares closed higher

THE Australian market closed higher after investors received a glimmer of hope that US politicians may be able to negotiate to avoid falling off the "fiscal cliff".

At close on Monday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 24.6 points, or 0.57 per cent, at 4,361.4, while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 22.5 points, or 0.52 per cent, at 4,382.6.

On the ASX 24, the December share price index futures contract was up 30 points at 4,378, with 22,566 contracts traded.

RBS Morgans private client adviser Bill Bishop said local investors were feeling optimistic on Monday after talks between the US Republican and Democrats to avoid the "fiscal cliff" appeared to be fruitful.

"Americans are feeling a little bit better about the fiscal cliff," he said.

"Our market takes notice of what happens overseas and had a nice little confidence rally."

The "fiscal cliff" refers to a series of planned tax hikes and spending cuts that economists fear could send the US into recession if a compromise is not reached between Democrats and Republicans.

US shares opened lower on Friday but took a jump upwards as the White House opened the talks with congressional leaders.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 45.93 points (0.37 per cent) at 12,588.31.

In Europe on Friday, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of top companies closed 1.27 per cent to 5,605.59 points lower and Frankfurt's DAX 30 index slid 1.32 per cent to 6,950.53 points, the first time it has closed below 7,000 points since September 5.

Shares in drilling company Boart Longyear jumped 10.5 cents, or 8.11 per cent, to $1.40 despite it announcing an earnings downgrade, with investors apparently more impressed with the $US70 million ($A68.08 million) cost cutting exercise it has launched.

Troubled retailer Billabong also had its shares surge 7.5 cents, or 10.14 per cent, to 81.5 cents after its head of US business Paul Naude said he was considering taking control of the company.

The mining giants closed mixed.

BHP Billiton soared 28 cents to $33.21, but Rio Tinto dived 19 cents to $56.71 and Fortescue fell five cents to $3.85.

The four major banks also had a mixed day.

National Australia Bank was up 16 cents to $23.38.

However ANZ dropped one cent to $23.65, Westpac fell two cents to $24.40 and Commonwealth Bank dived 13 cents to $58.15.

The Sydney gold price was $1722.69 per fine ounce, up $US8.79 from Friday's close of $US1,713.90.

National turnover was 1.326 billion shares worth $3.025 billion, with 494 shares up, 418 down and 361 unchanged.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Surplus gives RBA room to move: Swan

Treasurer Wayne Swan says Labor's management of the budget has paved the way for interest rate cuts. Source: AAP

TREASURER Wayne Swan says the federal government's "responsible budget management" has helped save the typical mortgage-payer around $4500 a year in repayments.

Mr Swan used his weekly economic note to draw attention to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) assessment of Australia's economy, released last week.

"(The IMF) makes the point the forecast return to surplus gives the Reserve Bank more room to move on interest rates," the treasurer said on Sunday.

"That's something that has been demonstrated time and time again over the past year with the equivalent of six cuts to the official cash rate."

Mr Swan pointed out that for a family with a $300,000 standard variable mortgage, the government's "responsible budget management" had helped deliver a saving of around $4500 a year in repayments compared to when the government came to office.

Meanwhile, government data released on Friday showed the budget deficit in August was $398 million wider than the Gillard government had forecast in its May budget.

CommSec chief economist Craig James said the data suggested the government had some work to do to reach its goal of delivering a budget surplus in 2012/13.

"The prime minister has referred to Australia's budget as the seventh economic wonder of the world," Mr James said in a statement.

"Certainly if the government does achieve the feat of returning the budget to surplus this year, it will be remarkable - even with accounting tricks - but there is still a long way to go to reach the aim."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW south coast braces for hail, winds

Residents in northeast NSW have been warned that severe storms may bring flash flooding. Source: AAP

NSW residents are being warned that large hailstones and damaging winds are on the way as severe thunderstorms bear down on the state's south coast.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP it was "not out of the question" that a thunderstorm could also hit the state's north coast, but no warning was in place by mid-afternoon on Sunday.

South coast towns in the warning area include Batemans Bay, Eden, Bega and Moruya Heads.

The State Emergency Service (SES) told residents to take all precautions including moving their cars under cover or away from trees, securing or putting away loose items around the house, and keeping clear of fallen powerlines.

The SES was called to more than 120 clean-up jobs on the NSW north coast on Sunday.

"The majority of jobs relate to roof damage and trees down and have centred around the area of Woodburn, west of Ballina," the SES said in a statement on Sunday.

"Wind gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour were reported yesterday and one home at Woodburn collapsed as a result of the severe weather."

The severe thunderstorm warning was later extended to the northern rivers and northern tablelands districts.

Towns including Lismore, Murwillumbah, Casino, Kyogle, Tabulam and Rappville could be subject to heavy rain and possible flash flooding on Sunday evening, the Bureau of Meteorology warned.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama begins fifth visit to Asia

President Barack Obama is heading to Asia on his first foreign trip since winning re-election. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama is due in Asia to intensify an American foreign policy pivot towards the fast-rising region on his first overseas trip since re-election.

Obama is due to arrive in Thailand on Sunday on a trip that will include a landmark visit to Myanmar.

He will be the first sitting US president to set foot in the long-time pariah, reflecting a dramatic thaw in relations brought about by sweeping political changes under a new reformist government.

Obama, who has dubbed himself America's first "Pacific president", will first touch down in Thailand, then make a one-day stop in Myanmar on Monday, before joining regional leaders in Cambodia for the East Asia Summit.

He is making his fifth visit to Asia since taking office in 2009 and the second this year, a period otherwise consumed by heavy-duty campaigning ahead of his poll triumph on November 6.

Obama's first stop in Thailand is meant to signal that Washington is committed to a strong set of alliances in a region preoccupied by the geopolitical implications of a rising China.

"Allies are the cornerstone of our rebalancing effort in Asia," said Ben Rhodes, a US deputy national security adviser, as Obama flew to Bangkok aboard Air Force One.

"Thailand is actually the oldest treaty ally of the United States, an ally since 1954 and a key partner in South-East Asia."

Soon after touching down, Obama will have an audience with Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has been in ill health, then hold talks and a news conference with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Obama plans to discuss US cooperation with Thailand, counter narcotics issues, terrorism, trade and trafficking, and will inaugurate a program to connect US and Thai universities.

On Monday, Obama will fly to neighbouring Myanmar on a trip that would have been unthinkable just a year ago, but which has been opened up by the dramatic reform drive spearheaded by President Thein Sein.

Obama will hold talks with the former general, then travel to the lakeside residence of Aung San Suu Kyi where his fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate was held for long years of house arrest.

Suu Kyi has now entered parliament after her rivals in the junta relaxed their iron fists and made way for a nominally civilian government, albeit in a system still stacked heavily in favour of the military.

Some human rights groups said Obama should have waited longer to visit, arguing that he could have dangled the prospect of a trip as leverage to seek more progress such as the release of scores of remaining political prisoners.

But officials say that Obama will encourage the regime to double down on more reform, and that his influence could be important at a crucial moment in Myanmar's emergence from decades of isolation and repression.

The US on Friday scrapped a nearly decade-old ban on most imports from the country, after earlier lifting other sanctions.

Meanwhile, Myanmar last week pardoned hundreds more prisoners, but activists slammed the move, apparently involving mostly common criminals and not dissidents, as a ploy to curry favour before Obama's visit.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More