Guns, cash looted after plane crash

Villagers in Guatemala have looted a crashed plane as six men lay dead in the wreckage. Source: AAP

A SMALL plane crashed in an isolated mountain area of western Guatemala on Friday, killing six men and causing scores of villagers to swarm the site and carry off bags of cash, according to a firefighters' spokesman.

The plane smashed into a hill in the town of Nuevo Porvenir about 150 kilometres from the Mexican border and was completely destroyed, said the spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Four of the victims, including the pilot, were identified as Mexicans and a fifth was Venezuelan. The nationality of the sixth was not known.

The spokesman said he saw a pistol among the wreckage and that local villagers were looting, taking luggage and cash in US dollars and Mexican pesos that the victims had been carrying.

Rescue crews and investigators abandoned the area for fear of the villagers, who blocked the road to the morgue as firefighters tried to transport the bodies, the spokesman said. He added that they demanded to be paid to pass.

The area near the border is known for many disputes among villages over land, water and drug trafficking territory.

The pilot's licence said he is native of Tamaulipas state in northern Mexico. The identification of another passenger in the plane said he was from Sonora, a state that also borders the United States.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Push for 50-50 deal on Brisbane rail plan

Kevin Rudd says he's willing to negotiate on a stalled major Brisbane rail project. Source: AAP

THE fight over who will pay for a major Brisbane rail project continues with the Queensland government saying they won't budge on a 50/50 deal with the commonwealth.

The federal Labor government has previously offered $715 million for the $4.4 billion Cross River Rail project.

However, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has told News Limited he's willing to negotiate on the deal.

State Transport Minister Scott Emerson has accused Mr Rudd of being all talk as he hasn't put forward any new offer.

"If Kevin Rudd wants to back Queensland and be fair to Queenslanders rather than short-changing them, then he'll sign it today," he said.

"Let's see if he's really genuine about backing Queensland or if he's all just talk."

Mr Emerson says if a deal can't be struck he'll go back to the starting blocks and look at what the state can afford.

He says the funding being offered by Labor would see Queensland paying an extra $1.25 billion for the project which would push up rail fares by 15 per cent.

He will put the same offer to the coalition if they win the federal election, he says.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has said a federal coalition government would not fund the project under present budgetary circumstances.

The Cross River Rail project includes an 18 kilometre passenger and freight line with new underground city stations.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW immigration detainees jailed over riot

FOUR immigration detainees, including one who kept falling asleep at his trial, have been jailed for their part in the Villawood detention centre riot.

Justice Robert Allan Hulme said the actions of the men in April 2011 were "prompted by frustration and perhaps despair" at their situation but he said it did not excuse the "mob violence" they engaged in.

Mohammed Naim Amiri, 26, Taleb Feili, 57, Ali Haidari, 29, and Majid Parhizkar, 27, were sentenced to minimum terms of between 14 and 22 months on Friday after they were found guilty of rioting at the detention centre.

A fifth man, Haider Hussein Ali, 40, was found guilty of affray and placed on a good behaviour bond for two years.

Several other men have previously been sentenced over the riot, which caused about $9 million in damage to the centre.

"Utter mayhem" broke out, with an office, bins and pillows set alight and tiles thrown at staff members.

The court heard staff were forced to cower behind walls to avoid being struck by the "torrent of missiles" from the roof, while other detainees were running rampant with fire extinguishers and setting fire to bedding, tables, chairs and other items on the soccer field.

Staff members, who were forced to evacuate, were put in "grave risk" and it was only by good fortune that no-one was injured in the riot, Justice Hulme said.

"Whatever views might be held about the regime of immigration detention within this country, the fact remains that it is pursuant to valid laws of the Commonwealth parliament," he said.

"Nobody can question that there is a right to protest, but ... violence is completely unacceptable."

The court heard the men, from Iraq and Afghanistan, had arrived in Australia by boat and suffered from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.

Justice Hulme said they all had prior good characters and good prospects of rehabilitation.

During the two-month trial earlier this year, a mental fitness hearing was held for Feili, who the court heard kept falling asleep during proceedings.

Feili, who suffered from depression and sleeplessness, said he wanted the trial to go ahead and he agreed he would try not to doze off.

At the time, Justice Hulme noted boredom may have been a contributing factor in Feili's sleepiness.

Feili and Haidari will be eligible for parole in June next year, Parkhizar in April next year and Amiri in October this year.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

No concerns about sex offenders in NSW

THERE are no "significant concerns" about high risk sex offenders currently on parole in NSW, a review has found.

It was carried out after a convicted murderer on parole allegedly tried to rape and kill a Sydney woman last week.

Attorney-General Greg Smith on Friday released the findings of a review into the management of sex offenders on parole.

"The findings give me some comfort that recent events represent an isolated case," he said in a statement.

But the review, which won't be released for security reasons, identified the need to increase the verification of information provided by parolees.

It also called for case plans to be updated in a timely manner.

Mr Smith said the Corrective Services commissioner had assured him these issues were being addressed "as a matter of urgency".

He conceded there was no fail-safe way of predicting the behaviour of human beings.

"(But) those high risk violent and sexual offenders who have shown no sign of rehabilitation, can be detained in custody, or kept under strict supervision orders."

In the last year, 3.4 per cent of sex offenders on parole were charged with further sexual offences, according to the review.

It found all of the offenders on parole had their risk assessments completed and had appropriate case management plans.

The frequency of contact with parolees had increased by an average of 16 per cent for sex offenders and 22 per cent for high risk offenders over the past three months.

This means 92 per cent of the offenders met their required contact frequency.

The remaining eight per cent of cases were within a few days of meeting the required frequency.

Mr Smith said the government was still awaiting a broader review of the parole system, and a separate review into last week's attack.

"I want to be absolutely sure that community safety is paramount in decisions regarding the granting of parole," he said.

"I also want to be certain that the processes for deciding who is ready to be released, and under what conditions, are sound."

Last week, 46-year-old Terrence Leary allegedly grabbed a woman and forced her to the ground as he tried to undress and rape her.

The woman screamed for help and tried to fight him off but was stabbed in the shoulder with a pocket knife.

The attack happened at a Hunters Hills bus stop 10 months after Leary was released on parole for the 1991 for the murder of 17-year-old Vanessa Hoson.

He has now been charged with eight offences including grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, inflicting actual bodily harm with intent to have sex and assaulting police.

Corrective Services commissioner Peter Severin said any offender who does not adhere to their parole conditions risks having it revoked.

"I want to make it clear that any failure to comply with the requirements of a supervision order will result in immediate breach action," he said.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dead people still "own" guns in WA

DEAD men aren't supposed to have guns.

Except in Western Australia, where almost 1000 firearms belonging to people who've died are unaccounted for.

An audit of the state's weapons has uncovered serious flaws in gun control, with police having no way of knowing exactly how many legal and illegal guns there are.

"We have no confidence in the accuracy of basic information on the number of people licensed to possess firearms or the number of licensed or unlicensed firearms," said WA Auditor General Colin Murphy.

"And in the absence of reliable information, the police are unable to effectively manage firearms licensing and regulation in WA."

The state government was reportedly preparing to announce a gun amnesty.

Before the audit more than 300 people were listed as owning a firearm despite being classified as unfit to do so because of a criminal conviction or being the subject of a violence restraining order.

Police say they have checked only half of those people to see if they still owned a gun and found none.

A loophole uncovered by the report revealed one property owner willing to take money in order to provide a reference letter to someone applying for a recreational firearm licence.

Another property owner provided letters to more than 270 applicants in just 17 months - a practice that's entirely legal.

Mr Murphy recommended changes to gun laws ownership law in the state, as well as making sure firearms were recovered promptly when people died.

"WA Police still have a long way to go to ensure the firearms register is operating effectively," Mr Murphy said.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shorten spent weeks pondering Rudd return

Gillard stalwart Bill Shorten says he's been thinking about the leadership change for a few weeks. Source: AAP

FORMER Gillard backer Bill Shorten says he had been thinking of switching his vote to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for "the last couple of weeks".

Mr Shorten's support for Mr Rudd in Wednesday's caucus ballot was one of the key factors to drive the former leader's return to the role after three years.

The Victorian Right powerbroker said he had spoken with Mr Rudd earlier in the week and believed he had "changed" his leadership approach and would be more consultative.

However, Mr Shorten made up his mind to back Mr Rudd only after former prime minister Julia Gillard called a leadership spill on Wednesday afternoon.

"The Australian people want to see in our democracy Labor be as competitive as possible," Mr Shorten told Fairfax Radio on Thursday.

"I don't believe it's in the nation's interests for a landslide outcome to the conservatives."

Mr Shorten said it had been "incredibly difficult" to change his mind about Ms Gillard.

"But I also know the cause which I serve ... is more than just about individuals," he said.

Mr Shorten did not believe he had been dishonest in telling the media over the past two weeks he was still supporting Ms Gillard.

"As I was going through the process of thinking what to do, do you think it is my job to be a public worry-wart? That just destabilises the situation," he said.

"Up until the spill ... I was going to support the prime minister."

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Yellow Pages jobs to go offshore

AUSTRALIAN Greens MP Adam Bandt has challenged the government to back its rhetoric on local jobs protection as almost 400 Yellow Pages employees are set to get the sack.

The Greens deputy leader plans to suspend standing orders to bring on an urgent bill to protect workers from Sensis's plan to produce the Yellow Pages overseas.

Sensis is a subsidiary of Telstra and produces the Yellow Pages and the White Pages business directory in Australia.

But from July 1, 390 jobs, including graphic design and call-centre positions, are set to be sent offshore.

"When people lose their jobs in the car industry, rightly the government is concerned, and pulls out all stops to do what it can to stop the sackings and keep the jobs local," Mr Bandt told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

"A job in graphic design or in a call centre should be treated with as much importance."

He asked the government to act two months ago when the offshore proposal was first raised.

He wants the government to support an amendment that would require Telstra's subsidiary to continue producing the directories in Australia.

"We hear a lot of rhetoric from the government about protecting local jobs - well, this afternoon they'll have the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is," Mr Bandt said.

Sensis made millions in profit last year, so it was not a lot to ask it to take a "small haircut" to ensure almost 400 jobs stay here, he said.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Transgender girl wins US rights case

A SIX-YEAR-OLD transgender girl will be able to return to school in Colorado after winning the right to use the girls' bathroom.

Coy Mathis' parents filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division after she was denied access to the girls' bathroom at Eagleside Elementary School in Colorado Springs.

On Monday, the Mathis family and its lawyers celebrated the civil rights ruling on the steps of the state capitol.

Coy, dressed in a glittering tank top, jeans and pink canvas sneakers, ran around a towering blue spruce tree as her mother spoke to reporters.

"Her future will be better if we get to this place where this is nothing to be ashamed of," Kathryn Mathis said.

As the country's gay rights movement has won mounting legal and electoral victories in recent years, advocates hope the latest decision will lend momentum to the struggles of transgender people.

"This is by far the high-water mark for cases dealing with the rights of transgendered people to access bathrooms," said the Mathis family's lawyer, Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund.

He and other advocates said the case is one of several potentially ground-breaking transgendered civil rights cases winding their way through US courts.

Coy was born a triplet with two sisters and identified as a girl before she began attending elementary school.

She showed little interest in toy cars and boy clothes with pictures of sports, monsters and dinosaurs on them. She refused to leave the house if she had to wear boy clothes.

After her parents accepted her identity, they said, Coy come out of her shell.

Coy was diagnosed with "gender identity disorder" - a designation the American Psychiatric Association removed last year from its list of mental ailments.

The removal reflected the growing medical consensus that identification as another gender cannot be changed.

The Mathises said they feared the district's decision would stigmatise Coy, who was reduced to tears when her teacher briefly put her in the boys' line.

When she came home, according to legal records, she cried to her parents: "Not even my teachers know I'm a girl!"

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

SA speeding fine photos go online

DRIVERS who receive red light or speed camera fines in South Australia can now access online photos of their alleged offences.

Police say colour digital photos from all fixed speed and red light cameras, as well as mobile speed cameras, will be available from Monday through the new free service.

The move is aimed at reassuring the public of "the accuracy and transparency" of the camera system.

SAPOL Deputy Commissioner Grant Stevens said drivers previously could ask for the photo to check the validity of their fine.

Last year, SAPOL provided more than 16,500 photos on request.

"However, SAPOL recognised the need to provide the public with better and easier access to expiation information," he said in a statement.

"Police are committed to road safety and speed and red light cameras deter speeding and control driver behaviour at traffic lights.

"That said, we want to reassure people that the system is fair and the technology accurate, so quick, online access to their photos is a way we can help do that."

Drivers can get their photos via the SAPOL home page: www.police.sa.gov.au and entering their expiation notice information.

For those who don't have online access, photos can still viewed at police headquarters in person or sent via email or post.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gunns' former chairman Gay in court

INFORMATION known to fallen timber company Gunns' board would have "seriously disturbed" investors, a court hearing in the insider trading case of former chairman John Gay has heard.

The author of a report for the Australian Securities and Investment Commission says a management report from October 2009 painted a different picture of the company to the information made public.

Wayne Lonegan, a corporate valuer, has told the Launceston Magistrates Court a comparison of figures from the 2008/09 and 2009/10 financial years would have affected the share price.

"The company had been historically profitable," Mr Lonegan said.

"What they're now looking at ... is a very significant deterioration.

"That's a very serious situation."

Mr Lonegan said stockbrokers were forecasting a modest downturn in profits, while Gunns management was expecting a decline of more than 100 per cent.

Gay has pleaded not guilty to two charges of insider trading in which it is alleged he sold 3.4 million shares, worth around $3 million, with knowledge about Gunns' performance that was not generally available.

Gunns reported a 98 per cent deterioration in half yearly earnings in February 2010 and its share price plummeted.

The preliminary proceedings hearing continues on Monday afternoon.

Gay's trial is scheduled for the Tasmanian Supreme Court in August.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Star casino owner unveils resort proposal

The owner of Sydney's The Star casino has unveiled plans for a resort linking harbour precincts. Source: AAP

THE owner of Sydney's The Star casino has unveiled plans for a "world first" resort linking harbour precincts, while leaving the door open for a restricted second casino from rival James Packer.

Echo and the rival Packer Crown Group submitted their duelling casino proposals to the NSW government on Friday.

Echo's $1.1 billion plan includes a $250 million offer to the NSW government, to extend its right to hold the state's sole casino licence for a further 15 years after it expires in 2019.

This would lock out Mr Packer's planned casino at Barangaroo - a tower featuring six-star hotel and VIP-only gaming facility.

Echo's plan involves the creation of a resort precinct with a $130 million pedestrian and cycle bridge and a multi million dollar upgrade of the city's light rail system.

"If approved, our plans will complete Sydney's new feature precinct, integrating Barangaroo, Darling Harbour and Pyrmont," Echo chairman John O'Neill announced on Sunday.

Echo proposes increasing the number of rooms at The Star to 1150 - with two international hotels including a six star luxury hotel and a five star premium hotel run by a premium Asian operator.

The company has also offered Premier Barry O'Farrell an alternative option to extending its sole casino rights.

Echo will support Crown's Barangaroo proposal alongside its proposed new precinct on the proviso that Crown be restricted to table games only and to customers strictly defined as VIP under NSW and international regulations.

The government would also forgo the additional $250 million exclusivity payment from Echo under such an arrangement, Mr O'Neill said.

The NSW Greens have called on the government to release both plans, to allow the public to have all of the information and "cut through the gloss".

Echo CEO John Redmond said the company wasn't proposing any more gaming tables or poker machines.

However he said there were no restrictions on the number of tables at The Star and additional tables would be added in response to demand.

"We don't need to add any more tables and we don't have any requirements to do or not to do so," he told reporters.

"But it will be anticipated since what you're seeing here is addressing future growth as well.

"As demand warrants we of course will add additional capacity, add tables on the floor to pick up that additional demand."

The Tourism and Transport Forum said an integrated resort of the kind proposed by Echo, as well as its second option allowing both casino proposals to go ahead, would be a huge boost to tourism.

"This is a best-of-both-worlds option and something we believe the New South Wales government should closely consider," chief executive Ken Morrison said.

A spokesman for Barry O'Farrell said the premier would not comment on the proposal until he had received a recommendation from the committee tasked with assessing the benefits to the state of both proposals.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Verdict looms in Berlusconi sex trial

A VERDICT is expected on Monday in a high-profile trial against former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute and abusing his official powers to favour her.

Prosecutors in Milan have called for the 76-year-old magnate to be banned from politics for life and serve six years in prison in a case which could trouble Italy's uneasy grand coalition government.

The trial relates to crimes allegedly committed in 2010 when Berlusconi was prime minister and revolves around what prosecutors say were erotic parties held at his luxury residence outside Milan.

Berlusconi is accused of paying for sex on several occasions with Moroccan-born Karima El-Mahroug, a then 17-year-old exotic dancer and busty glamour girl nicknamed "Ruby the Heart Stealer".

But in what the prosecution considers a far more serious charge, he is also accused of having called a police station to pressure for El-Mahroug's release from custody when she was arrested for petty theft - an abuse of his prime ministerial office.

His defence claims he believed El-Mahroug was the niece of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and wanted to avoid a diplomatic incident, but prosecutors say it was a bid to conceal their liaison.

They have called for Berlusconi to spend five years in jail for abuse of office, and another year for paying the former pole-dancer for sex after racy "bunga bunga" evenings in a basement room of his home.

Both the billionaire and El-Mahroug deny having sex together but prosecutor Ilda Boccassini insisted in May that Berlusconi "had sex with her and knew she was a minor".

Boccassini said El-Mahroug was the prime minister's "favourite" and had not admitted their relationship only because she had received as much as 4.5 million euros ($A6.4 million) from the flamboyant tycoon.

When the girl was detained on charges of stealing an expensive bracelet, Berlusconi "was forced to intervene and abuse his office" to stop her spilling details of their relationship, Boccassini said.

Berlusconi's lawyers called for the charges to be thrown out "because no crime has been committed".

His legal woes unnerve political watchers worried about the government's stability.

A guilty verdict could create tensions within Prime Minister Enrico Letta's centre-right and left coalition, which relies on the support of Berlusconi's People of Freedom party.

The former cruise ship singer has been under investigation or on trial ever since entering politics in the 1990s after a career in construction and media.

A Milan court last month upheld his conviction for tax fraud, confirming the punishment of a year in prison and a five-year ban from public office which is frozen pending a second appeal.

Prosecutors in Naples have also requested a trial against Berlusconi on allegations that he bribed a left-wing senator with three million euros ($A4.3 million) to join his party and topple a past centre-left cabinet.

Even if definitely convicted in any of the trials, Berlusconi is unlikely ever to see the inside of a prison cell because of lenient sentencing guidelines for over-70-year-olds.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More