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India's Kingfisher licence suspended

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 20 Oktober 2012 | 20.47

THE flying licence of India's Kingfisher Airlines has reportedly been suspended after the debt-laden carrier failed to satisfy concerns about its operations.

The licence of the airline has been "suspended until further orders", the Press Trust of India news agency said on Saturday, citing officials from the country's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The airline's fleet had already been grounded since the start of October after its staff went on strike over unpaid salaries.

Kingfisher, which has billions of dollars in debts, has not paid staff for seven months and is desperately seeking a foreign buyer to save it from complete collapse.

The DGCA had asked the carrier earlier this month why its licence to fly should not be cancelled as it was not adhering to flight schedules, "causing great inconvenience" to the travelling public.

A Kingfisher spokesman did not respond to calls for comment.


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Kuwaiti elections announced

KUWAIT'S ruler has set parliamentary elections for December 1 after months of a deepening political crisis that has pitted the pro-Western ruling family against opposition forces led by Islamists.

It will be the second time an election for the 50-seat chamber is held this year.

In a February vote, Islamists and allies took control of parliament but the country quickly fell into a political dispute over the results.

Recent opposition protests have directly blamed Kuwait's emir for dragging the Gulf nation into political conflict.

State media said Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah set the election date on Saturday.


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9 killed in clashes in southeast Turkey

CLASHES between Turkish security forces and Kurdish rebels in the southeast of the country have reportedly left nine people dead.

The Anatolia news agency said on Saturday three Turkish troops and three Kurdish rebels were killed in fighting that broke out in Hakkari province, near the border with Iraq.

The agency said rebels also attacked a military unit in Bitlis province, northwest of Hakkari, killing three government-paid village guards who are helping the Turkish security forces.

The attack comes amid a sharp escalation in violence over the past few months in Turkey's southeast, where the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, are fighting for self-rule for Kurds.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the group took up arms in 1984.


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ACT rejects Labor, Greens: Liberals

Triumphant Liberal leader Zed Seselja says ACT voters have rejected a Labor-Greens alliance in Saturday's election.

But he's stopped short of claiming victory, with the opposition falling one seat short of majority government in the 17-seat legislative assembly.

It will take days of negotiation with the Greens before a new minority government can be formed in the territory.

The Liberals, on the back of their biggest-ever primary vote, are on track to take eight seats to Labor's seven giving them their highest representation in the 23-year history of self-government.

With more than 70 per cent of the vote counted at 10.50pm (AEST), Labor had 39.1 per cent of the overall vote (up 1.7pc on 2008), to the Liberals 38 per cent (up 6.4pc) and the Greens 11 per cent (down 4.6pc)

A surprise Labor casualty could be Attorney-General Simon Corbell who might lose his seat to fellow Labor candidate Meegan Fitzharris.

The Greens drop from four seats to two with their leader Meredith Hunter still in a tight race with Summernats car festival founder Chic Henry, running for the Australian Motorists Party.

If she loses, the Greens would have only one seat in the assembly.

Mr Seselja said the election result was a rejection of both Labor and the Greens.

"Most importantly it is a rejection of their alliance," he told the party faithful.

"It would be a rejection of the verdict of the people if the Labor Party and the Greens were to now forge a closer alliance.

"We are ready to deliver the kind of government the ACT deserves."

Labor leader Katy Gallagher said it was not the night for victory speeches from any party.

"We're not arrogant, we're not coming out saying we have won this election," she told supporters.

"We've won the highest primary vote, we've increased our vote, we've held our seats and we've seen a swing towards us."

Ms Gallagher noted more than half the electorate voted for "a progressive government", referring to the combined Labor-Greens vote of 50.1 per cent.

Mr Seselja reiterated earlier pledges that he wouldn't offer the Greens a ministry as part of any negotiations, unlike in 2008.

But he shied away from questions on whether or not he would negotiate with them at all.

Liberal MLA Jeremy Hanson said: "Should we get eight seats we have a very strong case for government."

However, Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury said the minor party would not be taking the number of seats won into account.

"We want to make sure there's a stable government for four years," he told AAP.

"We delivered that this term, we expect to deliver it in the coming term."

The Greens had a duty to the one-in-eight Canberrans who voted for the party to deliver on as many of their policies as possible, Mr Rattenbury said.

"We're quite open to talking to both of them (major parties) and that's something we will start in the next few days," he said.

"We won't see an agreement to form a government, one way or the other, for quite some days yet."

Labor MLA Andrew Barr said a Liberal-Greens alliance would be "extraordinary" since "they are just a world apart".


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Flood evacuations in Catholic shrine town

FRENCH rescue services and police are evacuating hundreds of pilgrims from hotels threatened by floodwaters from a rain-swollen river in the Roman Catholic shrine town of Lourdes.

Lourdes' grotto is said to be the site where the Virgin Mary appeared to a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette in 1858. Officials say the town draws about 6 million visitors a year.

A spokesman for the Lourdes sanctuary said the grotto itself was under 1.5 metres of water after the Gave River overran its banks. Visits were temporarily suspended.

Regional government spokesman Anatole Puiseux said about 500 people were being evacuated from riverside hotels and more rain was forecast for later on Saturday.

The shrine has special meaning for the suffering, many of whom believe its spring water can heal and even work miracles.


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Car bomb rips through Beirut

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 19 Oktober 2012 | 20.47

LEBANON'S state-run news agency says a massive blast in east Beirut was caused by a car bomb and that there are casualties.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw bloodied people being helped into ambulances and heavy damage to what appeared to be residential buildings in the mostly Christian Achrafieh neighborhood.

The motive behind the blast was not immediately clear.

Lebanon has seen a rise in clashes and tensions in recent months stemming from the civil war in neighboring Syria.


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Three arrested for bar killings, fire

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 18 Oktober 2012 | 20.47

DENVER police say three people have been arrested in connection with the killing of five people at a bar that was then set on fire to hide the crime.

Police say the motive was robbery.

An officer on routine patrol around 2am Wednesday saw that Fero's Bar & Grill about five miles south of downtown Denver was on fire.

Inside, firefighters found the bodies of one man and four women, including Young Fero, the bar owner.

Police Commander Ronald Saunier says the suspects went to the bar to rob it before closing time, but he didn't go into details about how it turned into a murder case.


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Govt needs to act on working hours: union

THE NSW government should investigate the impact of longer working hours on the mental health and productivity of the state's workforce, Unions NSW says.

The state's peak union body says with 25 per cent of full-time workers doing more than 50 hours work per week, a government taskforce should be set up to examine the issue.

Secretary Mark Lennon says the health effects of longer working hours should be a major concern for the O'Farrell government.

"Sadly, the eight hour day has become a distant memory for a vast swathe of the NSW workforce," Mr Lennon said in a statement on Friday.

"The reality is that long hours are of no benefit to anyone, they increase stress and mental illness and eat away at productivity."

He said international research showed long working hours were impacting on the productivity and mental health of the workforce.

A cut back in excessive hours would help reduce compensation claims and workplace injuries, he added.


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Drive-by shooting in Sydney's west

A MAN shot in the thigh on Thursday night could have been injured in a drive-by shooting earlier this evening in Sydney's west, police say.

In a statement, police said they received reports of shots being fired in Garnett Street, Merrylands, just before 8pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

They said they suspected the shots were fired as part of a drive-by shooting.

About an hour later, a man, believed to be in his 20s, turned up at Auburn Hospital with a gunshot wound to his thigh, police said.

The man is in a stable condition and police are trying to ascertain whether he was shot in the incident at Merrylands.

Police have seized several bullet casings at the scene of the shooting.

They are currently interviewing local residents in an attempt to identify witnesses.


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March to protest violence against women

MELBOURNE residents are invited to take part in a night march on Saturday, protesting against violence and harassment towards women in the same area where Melbourne women Jill Meagher went missing.

Organisers of the Reclaim the Night march have organised the event in Sydney Road, Brunswick, where Ms Meagher disappeared last month.

Ms Meagher, 29, was killed in the early hours of September 22 during a short walk home after drinks with friends, triggering widespread public outrage.

The ABC radio employee was farewelled at a private funeral earlier this month.

Event co-organiser Natalie Pestana said the long-running march, which happens globally, is a statement that women should have the right to feel safe walking in public areas and not have to live in fear.

"We should be able to walk down the street without getting harassed," she said.

Ms Pestana said women also should not have to shoulder any blame if they encounter a violent or dangerous situation.

"When things happen to them, they should not be blamed," she said.

"Just because we're women, we get victim blamed."

The march will begin at 7pm (AEDT) on Saturday at the corner of Barkly Street and Sydney Road.

Adrian Ernest Bayley, 41, of Coburg, has been charged with Ms Meagher's rape and murder and is due to appear at a committal mention early next year.


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Chef Alain Ducasse to host culinary summit

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 16 Oktober 2012 | 20.47

AUSTRALIAN Tetsuya Wakuda is among 200 of the world's top chefs with a combined 300 Michelin stars who have been invited by legendary French chef Alain Ducasse to a culinary summit in Monte Carlo celebrating Mediterranean inspired cuisine.

The event is part of the 25th anniversary festivities for the flagship Monegasque restaurant Le Louis XV, where Ducasse received his first three star Michelin rating.

"The themes that are closest to me are related to the Mediterranean and its roots in the great south, and to the Riviera whose products have an essential place in my culinary beginning," Ducasse said in a statement.

Among the invitees, who represent 25 countries, are French chefs Joel Robuchon and Michel Guerard and American David Chang, and Australian Tetsuya Wakuda.

From November 16-18 the chefs will "express the richness of different culinary sensibilities" in an effort that "reconciles the traditional and the modern, the classic and the eccentric, the northern countries and the southern", organisers said.

A 1000-square metre temporary market will be set up in the showroom of the Sporting Monte-Carlo, and will feature "the 100 finest products of the region".

Ten renowned chefs will each use one Mediterranean product and their own culinary style to create a tasting for the experts.


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Liberals defend their talks with SBY

FEDERAL opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison has defended his leader Tony Abbott for not raising the controversial "tow back" policy in talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday

Mr Morrison said the policy, which would see asylum seekers towed back to Indonesia if it was safe to do so, was discussed with the Indonesian foreign minister who would have passed the details of the talks on to the president.

He refused to elaborate on the ABC's Lateline except to say the policy had been "significantly misrepresented" and he had taken the opportunity to give an accurate picture of what an Abbott government would do with asylum-seeking boats coming to Australia.

He described Prime Minister Julia Gillard as a "blow hard" after she called Mr Abbott a coward for not raising the issue with Mr Yudhoyono in talks at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday.

He said Mr Abbott had discussed a broad range of issues with the Indonesian president that included people smuggling and those themes were continued with talks with other ministers.

Mr Morrison said the opposition was not in business of megaphone diplomacy or disclosing details of private conversations.

"For the prime minister to come out today with what I thought was juvenile in terms of characterising these meetings betrays a deep insecurity on her part..." he said.

He said for Ms Gillard to call Mr Abbott a coward for not raising the issue with Mr Yudhoyono was a "bit blow hard".

"If she wants to engage in that sort of unhelpful rhetoric it betrays more about her insecurities than any on the part of the leader of the opposition."


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Shot schoolgirl makes 'steady' progress

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 14 Oktober 2012 | 20.47

A PAKISTANI schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban because she campaigned for the right to education is making "slow and steady progress" in her recovery, the military said Sunday.

The shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai has been denounced worldwide and by the Pakistani authorities, who have offered a reward of more than $US100,000 ($97,7000) for the capture of her attackers.

She is being treated at the country's top military hospital in Rawalpindi, the twin city of the capital Islamabad. On Saturday she showed signs of improvement by moving her hands and feet, though she was still unconscious and on a ventilator.

"Doctors have reviewed Malala's condition and are satisfied," military spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Sunday.

"She is making slow and steady progress, which is in keeping with expectations. Recovery from this type of injury is always slow."

Doctors are continuing to monitor Malala's condition and will carry out a detailed examination on Sunday evening, Bajwa said.

No decision has yet been made on whether to send Malala abroad for treatment, Bajwa told AFP.

"We are waiting for the doctors' decision -- we are ready to follow the doctors' advice," he said.

An official in the United Arab Emirates said the Gulf state was ready to send a plane to Pakistan to evacuate Malala for further treatment.

Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE, Jamil Ahmed Khan, told Pakistani television network Geo TV the air ambulance with six doctors would be on standby in case it was needed.

The cold-blooded murder attempt has sickened Pakistan, where Malala came to prominence with a blog for the BBC highlighting atrocities under the Taliban, who terrorised the Swat valley from 2007 until a 2009 army offensive.

Activists say the shooting should be a wake-up call to whose who advocate appeasement with the Taliban. But analysts suspect there will be no significant change in a country that has sponsored radical Islam for decades.

Thousands of people gathered in Karachi for a rally in support of Malala, organised by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) political party.

MQM leader Altaf Hussain called the attack claimed by the Taliban a shameful and cowardly act.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf visited Malala in hospital on Friday, paying tribute to her and two friends who were also wounded when a gunman boarded their school bus on Tuesday and opened fire.

Schools and mosques across Pakistan held special prayers for the wounded schoolgirl, who underwent surgery on Wednesday to remove a bullet from between her shoulders.

Bajwa told a news conference on Saturday that all available resources were being used to investigate the shooting, though he declined to say how many people were in custody.

Ahmad Shah, police station chief in the northwestern town of Mingora where Malala was shot, has said nearly 200 people were detained over the shooting, including the bus driver and a school watchman. But most had been released.

The shooting has heightened speculation that the army may finally launch a long-rumoured offensive against the Taliban in their stronghold of North Waziristan, on the Afghan border.


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