Palmer may be 'saviour' like Hanson: Truss

NATIONALS leader Warren Truss reckons Clive Palmer could go the way of other political "saviours" such as Pauline Hanson.

HE said those who voted for him in protest were ignoring their obligations to democracy and putting their country at risk.

Mr Truss, acting prime minister while Tony Abbott is overseas, said the coalition took its responsibilities seriously and would get on with the job of delivering what was important for Australia.He said other parties could worry about themselves.Asked if Mr Palmer's Palmer United Party was just a "flash in the pan", he said there had always been independent parties."We have had plenty of saviours in the past, like Pauline Hanson and Bob Katter. They all made a little bit of an impact for a while," he told reporters at the NSW Nationals conference in Queanbeyan.Mr Palmer was the big winner at the 2013 federal election, gaining his own seat and three Senate spots.Pauline Hanson roared onto the Australian political landscape in 1996 but was only in federal parliament for a single term.Despite big predictions, the vote for the Katter's Australian Party of longtime Queensland MP Bob Katter was disappointing at the last election, and Mr Katter's personal vote slumped.Mr Truss said there was always a protest vote."Sometimes these people will gain support from that element," he said."Those who throw away their vote in some kind of protest are in fact ignoring their obligations to their democracy but also putting their country at risk."

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Athlete from Fiji killed in US shooting

A RUNNER from Fiji has been killed in a gang shooting in northern California just weeks before he was set to attend the University of Louisiana, friends and authorities say.

ROY Ravana Jr and another man, Kevin Ohta, were shot on Monday in Sacramento County by two juveniles who opened fire with two handguns and a rifle on behalf of the Norteno street gang, prosecutors said.

The 21-year-old Ohta was expected to survive, the Sacramento Bee reported.The suspects, 17-year-old Elias Guevara and 16-year-old Rozco Gutierrez, have been charged as adults with murder and attempted murder. They were arraigned on Wednesday but did not enter pleas, Shelly Orio, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said.Orio said they were appointed counsel, but she did not have the lawyers' names.The exact circumstances of the shooting were unclear. Sheriff's Sergeant Lisa Bowman told the Bee this week it was not clear whether the victims fired any shots or whether they had gang affiliations.Friends and family of Ravana say they were not aware of his involvement in any criminal behaviour.Fiji's prime minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, called Ravana an innocent bystander and said he was a great athlete and wonderful role model."Many people dream of being given an opportunity to pursue success overseas," the prime minister said in a statement. "Roy was living that dream when he died. And many young Fijians, even those who didn't know him personally, will feel a sense of shock and loss at his passing."Ravana, 20, represented Fiji in the heats of the 60-metre race at the 2012 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Championships in Istanbul and later in the same year in the 400-metre race at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain, the association said in a statement. He was also a 400-metre hurdler.He went to the US two years ago and spent a year at Iowa Central Community College, according to the Bee.Ravana had come to Sacramento, where he has extended family, to await final word on his admission to the University of Louisiana, his friend, Ilene Lasaisamoa, 21, said.She said a confirmation letter came about a month ago, and Ravana was planning to start school in the autumn."We considered him family," she told the Bee.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sydney among most expensive to visit

SYDNEY is one of the most expensive city destinations in the world, a survey reveals.

The NSW capital came in 10th on a city cost-of-touring table compiled by TripAdvisor, with London the most expensive destination for visitors.

A meal with wine for two, plus pre-meal cocktails, two short taxi journeys and a one-night stay at a four-star hotel in Sydney costs on average $404.

The package cost $561 in London, $550 in second-placed Paris, followed by New York at $540 and Stockholm with $516.

The rest of the 10 most-expensive cities were Oslo, Zurich, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Toronto and Sydney.

The world's best-value destination surveyed was Hanoi in Vietnam, which came in at an average of $165.

While a four-star hotel in Sydney was priced more reasonably than London, Paris and New York at $211 a night, Sydney ranked the third most expensive city in the world for a meal at $140 for two with wine, behind Stockholm and Oslo, respectively.

TripAdvisor spokesman Scott Wegener said the results showed that Asian destinations were still the most affordable, while European destinations continued to top the most expensive list.

"However, eastern European countries such as Bulgaria and the Czech Republic seem to be bucking this trend, so may serve as the alternative places for Australian travellers looking for a city break in Europe."

The TripIndex Cities study compares the cost of an evening out in 48 key tourist cities.

13.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chief magistrate appointed Qld's top judge

Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody QC is believed to be the front runner to be Queensland's Chief Justice. Source: AAP

TIM Carmody's ascension from chief magistrate to become the state's top judge has finally been confirmed.

AFTER months of speculation and a public spat between the judiciary, Premier Campbell Newman made the announcement at the Supreme Court library on Thursday.

Judge Carmody, QC, who was recruited as chief magistrate from the bar nine months ago, will replace long-running Supreme Court chief justice Paul de Jersey who becomes Governor next month.Mr Newman said the government consulted widely on the appointment, including within legal circles, and he made the decision on Wednesday."His honour has the keen legal knowledge, administrative skills and integrity that are essential qualities for the role of Chief Justice," he said.Judge Carmody humbly accepted the appointment."I will work hard every day to prove worthy of the public's trust in me," he said.His elevation has split the legal fraternity.Several lawyers, including former Crown Solicitor Walter Sofronoff QC and former Supreme Court judge Richard Chesterman QC, have raised concerns about Mr Carmody's perceived closeness to the Liberal National government and his backing of its controversial anti-bikie laws.Mr Sofronoff, who resigned as solicitor-general in March, also questioned Mr Carmody's experience.Judge Carmody served as Counsel Assisting in the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption in the 1980s and became special prosecutor of official corruption arising from the landmark inquiry.From 1998 to 2002 he was Queensland's Crime Commissioner and was appointed a Judge of the Family Court in 2003, before returning to private practice in 2008.Before his appointment as District Court Judge and Chief Magistrate in September 2013, he served as Chairman of the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry.

13.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Banned heater starts Sydney blaze

A HEATER that caused a blaze in a unit block in Sydney's east was banned from sale by the fair trading watchdog after a spate of fires.

A 94-year-old woman had to be rescued from the burning building and was taken alongside her daughter to hospital on Tuesday night.

The elderly woman lived in a unit separate to her daughter and son, NSW Fire and Rescue said.

The women, who were treated for smoke inhalation, were released from hospital on Wednesday.

The Rose Bay fire started when a cabinet heater caught fire in a neighbouring unit.

The owner of the heater initially tried to put the fire out but it spread to the kitchen.

NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Tom Cooper said the gas bottle in the cabinet heater, banned by the NSW Department of Fair Trading, caught fire.

"They have been banned from sale in NSW but there are still a number of these items that are still around in the community," he said.

Last July, fair trading officers raided shops and markets in Sydney to remove the dangerous heaters.

The department said at the time that a cabinet heater had been responsible for a house fire in Port Macquarie and another at East Gosford.

The Rose Bay owner of the heater told emergency services he bought the troublesome item 12 months ago.

"If anybody has one of these heaters or knows someone that has one of these heaters or sees one for sale, immediately notify the Department of Fair Trading," Supt Cooper said.

Neighbour Ezri Lerba said he heard a large rumble before seeing the flames.

"I didn't hear an explosion but I could hear the eruption of a pipe, so a large siss noise," he told reporters.

13.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shark sighted near dead whale off WA

PEOPLE are being urged to avoid a 10 metre-long whale carcass on a West Australian southwest beach after a shark was sighted in the area.

The humpback whale was spotted on Saturday by a member of the public, partially submerged at Buffalo Beach near Australind.

A Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman said the carcass has several bite marks, possibly from a shark.

At least one shark has been sighted in the area.

The spokeswoman said the department was considering its options for removal of the carcass and requested people did not access the remote, 4WD-only beach while the whale was there.

Signs warning people to stay out of the water and away from the whale have been placed on the beach.

Shark sightings should be reported to Water Police on 9442 8600.

13.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

BHP axes 170 jobs at WA iron ore mine

BHP Billiton has slashed 170 jobs at its massive Mt Whaleback iron ore mine in Western Australia's Pilbara region, saying the cuts are part of the company's bid to increase export volumes while reducing costs.

The mining giant said it would assist affected employees through the process and seek redeployment opportunities where possible.

BHP Billiton said its iron ore unit regularly undertook reviews to ensure it was operating as efficiently as possible.

"This includes reviewing the size and structure of our workforce to ensure it supports the delivery of our productivity agenda," the company said in an emailed statement.

"We have been open with our employees about the work being done to improve productivity."

BHP Billiton last week axed about 100 staff from its iron ore division headquarters in Perth.

Chief executive Andrew Mackenzie last week told reporters in Beijing that the iron ore market was oversupplied.

"We don't quite see the case for the scale of investment we saw in the last 10 years," he said.

13.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kiwi gains amid interest rate speculation

THE New Zealand dollar gained on speculation the Reserve Bank will reiterate its projection for rising interest rates at this week's review.

The kiwi rose to 85.13 US cents from 84.89 cents at 8am in Wellington and up from 85.01 cents at the New York close on Friday. The trade-weighted index rose to 79.36 from 79.11 on Friday.

The Reserve Bank is expected to raise the official cash rate a quarter point to 3.25 per cent when releasing the monetary policy statement on Thursday.

But there has been speculation it may soften the track of future hikes to the OCR, signalling borrowing costs don't need to rise as much as it has flagged.

That leaves open a risk that governor Graeme Wheeler will reiterate the interest rate track given in March, stoking gains in market rates and the currency.

"Market pricing is quite a bit below where the RBNZ's track is," said Mark Johnson, senior client adviser at OMF. "The Reserve Bank is trying to prep the market for a normalisation of rates."

Still, the central bank governor may also repeat his view that the kiwi dollar is unsustainably high and can't keep appreciating.

Wheeler may be hoping the greenback eventually comes to their aid amid signs the US economy is recovering.

That was reinforced by US non-farm payrolls data on Friday that showed the world's biggest economy added more than 200,000 jobs for the fourth straight month, helping drive stock benchmarks on Wall Street to a record close.

The New Zealand dollar was little changed at 91.01 Australian cents from 90.95 cents on Friday. Australian banks are closed for the Queen's Birthday public holiday.

The local currency gained to 62.40 euro cents from 62.14 cents on Friday and edged up to 50.65 British pence from 50.48 pence. The kiwi rose to 87.29 yen from 86.83 yen on Friday.

13.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man dies in cliff fall south of Sydney

A MAN has died after falling over a cliff in the Royal National Park south of Sydney.

It's believed the man was with a group of walkers when he fell about 10 metres down the cliff, north of Little Marley Beach, about 10.30am on Sunday.

Police say the operation to retrieve the body will take several hours.

13.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA woman's death due to 'misadventure'

A WOMAN who died after a case of misdiagnosis still may not have survived if doctors had correctly identified her ailments sooner, a West Australian coroner has found.

Julissa Teresa Gilbert, 57, was an obese smoker with a history of hypertension, arthritis, asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease.

On September 17, 2008, she ate a hotdog for lunch, felt abdominal pain and vomited that night.

She visited Geraldton Regional Hospital and had an appendectomy the next morning.

The doctor who saw Ms Gilbert after her surgery believed her subsequent hypotension was due to septic shock and ordered more fluids with increased Aramine infusions.

But Ms Gilbert died a little over two hours later from an intra-abdominal haemorrhage.

In her findings, Deputy State Coroner Evelyn Vicker noted that because the doctor determined Ms Gilbert was suffering from septic shock rather than an internal haemorrhage, he considered it a medical problem rather than a surgical or anaesthetic problem.

As a result, he did not consult the surgeon or an anaesthetist, who may have offered a different perspective, Ms Vicker said.

"This may have presented an alternative view for the deceased's deterioration, but may still have been too late to have altered the outcome," she said.

The coroner noted there was some doubt about whether there would have been enough time to supply Ms Gilbert with sufficient blood products and return her to surgery to stem the bleed and save her.

Given how rapidly her condition deteriorated, it was impossible to predict whether a correct diagnosis earlier would have saved her, Ms Vicker said.

"The deceased needed blood or blood products in sufficient quantities to replace the loss and provide appropriate perfusion, and surgery to correct the source of the blood loss, if it could be located," she said.

Ms Vicker noted there had been changes made to medical practices since 2008, including improvements in the management of deteriorating patients.

She concluded that Ms Gilbert died due to misadventure.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More