Gunmen storm Indonesian jail

Indonesian police say a group of nearly 20 well-trained gunmen have stormed a jail on the main island of Java and executed four detainees accused of murdering a special forces soldier.

Local police chief Brig. Gen. Sabar Rahardjo says the masked gunmen were angry over the killing of a member of Indonesia’s elite military unit, known as Kopassus, allegedly by the four men detained in Yogyakarta’s Cebongan prison. The attackers tortured several guards and forced them to open the jail cell just after midnight Saturday.

The four detainees were dragged from their cell and shot with automatic weapons before the gunmen fled.

Rahardjo says two guards were injured during the five-minute attack. The Kopassus member was murdered at a cafe in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

Police and the army are investigating.

Source: nzherald.co.nz

New Zealander arrested over abduction of Canadian sex worker

Michael Farley has been arrested in Canada. Photo / File

A New Zealander has been charged over the alleged abduction of a sex worker in Canada.

Michael Edward Farley, 39, has been arrested in connection with the March 4th attempted abduction, where a woman was tied up and dragged behind a van in Vancouver.

Inspector Laurence Rankin with the Major Crime Unit says the arrest was possible thanks to the tips from the public and victim’s testimony.

“This woman was brutally victimised, and if it was not for her courage, we would not be here today,” said Rankin.

Canadian media reported that Farley was in the country illegally under the assumed identity of Robert James Clarke.

Farley is also listed as being wanted by Palmerston North police for breaching home detention and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The Global News website reported that during the course of their investigation, Vancouver police interacted with New Zealand police, the Canada Border Services Agency and Interpol to learn more about the suspect.

 

The website reported Farley has been in Canada for two years and was working as a handyman for a Lower Mainland company and was even in a relationship, the nature of which police cannot disclose.

Sgt. Ryan Kenney said Farley had now been charged with aggravated sexual assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault, assault, kidnapping, overcoming resistance by choking to commit a sexual assault and kidnapping, administering a noxious substance and uttering threats.

– Herald on Sunday

Bow Wow Blasts The French Porn Star Trying To Sue For $80K; “She Not Getting Nothing From Us”

You couldn’t have though Bow Wow wasn’t going to respond! The YMCMB rapper blasted the porn star for trying to get it where she (thought) she could. Bow Wow took to Facebook to tell the world how he really feels:

“That dumb a** porn star chick who ever she is aint getting a dime from us! We aint make no video. That video was mashed up by somebody on Youtube and i reposted cuz it was dope. People mash up artist videos all the time online. Everybody looking for a hustle. Then they tryna say drink in my cup is my song. That aint my song u dumb braud! Get a life. I dont play dem games. N**gas work too hard to give away free money.”

Is this girl even worth $80K?

ELLEN DeGeneres has declared her love for Australia as more than 3000 screaming fans packed the banks of Sydney Harbour for a taping of her show.

Ellen DeGeneres and her crew arrive by water taxi to tape the show. Picture: Craig Greenhill

Walking onto a stage on the harbour that is usually set up for the opera Carmen, the American TV host was greeted by deafening screams and cheers.

Fans go wild at the live filming of the Ellen DeGeneres show on Sydney Harbour. Picture: Greenhill Craig

 

“I love you guys,” DeGeneres told an audience delighted to be there despite the uncomfortable 30C heat.

“I love this country. I’m moving here,” she joked.

Portia De Rossi kisses Ellen Degeneres’ hand after they got off a boat at the Man O War steps at the Sydney Opera house after the live filming of Ellen’s show. Picture: Damian Shaw.

DeGeneres, alone on the stage in a red shirt and white pants, told her admirers they would be playing “a lot of games” as part of the pre-recording of the show, along with a Q and A at the end.

Along with the audience fortunate enough to gain admission, hundreds of fans were able to watch the show on a screen set up at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.

Ellen posted this photo to Instagram saying: ‘The only thing that’d look better is if you were here, too. Get here, Sydney!’. Picture: Instagram

Emma, 24, travelled from Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast and waited for five hours on Saturday morning to grab tickets for the show that were available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“It’s all worth it. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we’re just so excited that she’s here,” she said.

Russell Crowe joins Ellen on stage. Picture: Craig Greenhill

Ellen tweeted pictures of the set this morning saying there were still plenty of seats left.

“The only thing that’d look better is if you were here, too. Get here, Sydney!,” she tweeted, along with a picture of the set with the Sydney Opera House in the background.

Sydney Swans players joined Ellen on stage during the show. Picture: James Morgan/Destination NSW

She said she was looking forward to taping the show.

“This is gonna be so much fun, Sydney! I’ve got surprises, games & as much cash as they’d let me exchange at the airport. There’s still room!,” she tweeted.

These girls are hoping to stand out among the crowd at the taping of The Ellen show. Picture: Greenhill Craig

The TV host landed in Sydney yesterday for a highly-anticipated Australian visit, with a number of events planned over two days.

DeGeneres and her Aussie posse, including Geelong-born wife Portia and mum Betty, was mobbed from the moment she danced her way through Sydney Airport’s arrivals hall yesterday to her first brush with our wildlife on the tourism trail.

Shaking off jet lag and the lurgy which forced her first visit to Sydney and Melbourne to be postponed by a week, the 55-year-old hit the ground running. She shunned a secret VIP arrival and chose instead to stroll down the public entrance into Sydney Airport, holding hands with Portia.

The Emmy-winner was welcomed by thousands of fans and the Qantas choir, who set the tone for the celebratory trip ahead, which DeGeneres will use to acquaint herself with her wife’s home country and those devoted to her brand of positivity and fun.

Sydney turned on the weather for the taping of The Ellen Show. Picture: James Morgan/Destination NSW

NSW Environment Minister Robyn Parker welcomed the decision to choose the Royal Botanic Gardens as the site for the first ever overseas pre-recorded taping of the Ellen DeGeneres show from noon.

She said that with a Twitter fan base in excess of 17 million, DeGeneres will put a spotlight on the garden and attract many local and international visitors to it.

The NSW government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW is supporting Ellen’s visit to the state.

Destination NSW chief executive officer Sandra Chipchase said it was a major coup for NSW as it was the first time DeGeneres had taken her US show overseas.

Source: http://www.news.com.au

Complaint over koala statue’s bum crack

Councillor Greg Betts (inset) with the koala statue in question. Pics: David Clark

HOW much can a koala bare, particularly if it is a 1m tall statue?

Not too much if you’re a cheeky Burleigh koala which has angry residents having a crack at its behind.

A complaint has been made to the council about the “urban” koala, which is painted to look as though it is dressed in loose-fitting black pants and singlet, showing its polka-dot underwear.

The koala, which stands on the corner of Goodwin Tce and Gold Coast Hwy, also sports a “mum” tattoo and earring.

The controversial koala is part of the Animals with Attitude program which features 21 fibreglass marsupials placed in locations across the city to raise awareness of the dangers the animals face in the wild as well as to raise money for Currumbin Sanctuary.

The Animals with Attitude Sculpture Trail was designed by Molendinar-based Academy Award winner John Cox, who worked on the 1995 film Babe, with local artists decorating each koala with a different theme.

The 40kg urban koala was painted by Mudgeeraba-based artist Otto Schmidinger, who said he was glad his work had provoked a reaction.

“I wanted to show off the way some people walk around with their pants slightly down, showing off their underwear,” he said.

“It took two weeks to get it painted as well as re-sculpt it with pants and hair.

“I hope it did not offend anyone and I am glad people have taken notice of it.”

Area councillor Greg Betts said members of the community were divided over the koala’s appearance.

“I have mostly had positive feedback about the koala which is good, because this is all about raising awareness of their plight,” he said.

“Real koalas don’t wear pants and this one has attitude, which is fitting given they are part of the Animals with Attitude program.

“I selected this one as I felt it was fitting and had attitude, which Burleigh obviously has, too.”

Cr Betts chose the statue when his first choice, a lorikeet-themed koala was selected by Mayor Tom Tate.

Other koalas, including those based on Mickey Mouse and Star Wars’ villain Darth Vader, can be found across the city at Robina Library, Palm Beach Parklands, Griffith University and the Surfers Paradise foreshore.

The koalas have been turning heads across the city since they were installed last month and will be auctioned at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on May 4 to raise money for its animal hospital, which receives no continuous state or federal government funding.

Source: goldcoast.com.au

Right wingers clash with counter rally

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/Fairfax NZ

STAND-OFF: About 100 counter rally attendees came to protest the annual Right Wing Rally in Christchurch.

About 40 Right Wing Resistance members and 100 counter rally attendees came head to head in St Albans this afternoon at the annual Right Wing Rally.

There was a line of police separating the two groups to prevent confrontation.

One person was arrested at the beginning of the rally on an unrelated matter, police said. It was unusual to have a counter rally but generally people were well-behaved.

One counter rally attendee said he came because he wanted to show the RWR was not the face of Christchurch.

“I came to help there be more people to show there’s people against this. It’s not pride. It’s not free speech. They have Nazi symbols and Nazi signs. It’s hate speech,” he said.

Techie fired after tweeting ‘big dongle’ comment

Photo / Thinkstock

A female technology developer has been fired after tweeting about a group of men she said were making sexual comments at a Silicon Valley technology conference.

Adria Richards wrote on her blog, butyouragirl.com, that she was seated in a ballroom at the Santa Clara conference Sunday when the men behind her started talking about “big dongles”.

A dongle is a device that plugs into a computer, but Richards tweeted that the men made the comment in a sexual way.

After hearing their remarks, Richards turned around, took a photo of the men and posted it on Twitter with their alleged comments.

The men were escorted from the room by conference staff after Richards’ spoke to them about the men’s behavior and the staff saw her tweets.

The conference, PyCon 2013, was for people working on Python programming language.

Richards worked for SendGrid, a technology company with offices in Orange County and Colorado. CEO Jim Franklin wrote on the company’s website that SendGrid agreed with Richards’ right to report the incident to Pycon staff, but not the way she reported it.

 

“Her decision to tweet the comments and photographs of the people who made the comments crossed the line,” Franklin wrote in a blog post on the site. “Publicly shaming the offenders – and bystanders – was not the appropriate way to handle the situation.”

Franklin said Richards put the company’s business in danger, divided the developer community and could no longer be effective at the company.

The situation also has fed into an ongoing debate about the Silicon Valley’s image and whether it’s a boys’ club.

Richards, reached Friday by The Associated Press, said she couldn’t comment. But she confirmed her blog and tweets, along with the report that she was fired.

“Have you ever had a group of men sitting right behind you making joke that caused you to feel uncomfortable? Well, that just happened this week but instead of shrinking down in my seat, I did something about it ,” Richards wrote in her blog post about the incident.

She said she was spurred in part by a photo of a young girl on the stage at the time, and the thought that the men seated behind her would make it impossible for the girl to learn programming.

The men were not identified by name.

Richards said she also had confronted a man earlier after he told her what she thought was a sexist joke at the conference.

“There is something about crushing a little kid’s dream that gets me really angry,” Richards wrote. “Women in technology need consistent messaging from birth through retirement they are welcome, competent and valued in the industry.”

SendGrid was founded in 2009 and has developed a cloud-based email system, according to its website.

Source: nzherald.co.nz

Murder victim farewelled

George Taiaroa was shot and killed near Kinleith on Tuesday. Photo / Supplied

Road construction worker George Taiaroa was farewelled by whanau and friends near Levin today.

The 67-year-old was shot dead by a passing motorist while directing traffic on Tram Rd, Kinleith, south of Tokoroa on Tuesday afternoon.

He was farewelled at a private ceremony today.

Divers have been scouring the Waikato River in the search for clues as to who killed him but police said today that nothing of significance had been located.

The motorist who shot him was believed to have sped off in a blue four-wheel-drive vehicle, believed to be a Jeep Cherokee.

Air France: Man found in cockpit not an employee

Philippe Jernnard of La Rochelle, France. Photo / AP

A 61-year-old French man was arrested at Philadelphia International Airport and charged with impersonating a pilot after airline officials found him in the cockpit of a plane scheduled for takeoff, police said Friday.

The crew of a US Airways flight bound for West Palm Beach found Philippe Jernnard of La Rochelle, France, in the jump seat behind the pilot on Wednesday evening, removing him after he was unable to produce valid credentials and became argumentative, police said.

Jernnard, who was a ticketed passenger, was wearing a white shirt with an Air France logo and had a black jacket with epaulets on the shoulders, police said. Officer Christine O’Brien said police found him in possession of a counterfeit Air France crew member ID card.

Air France said Jernnard is not one of its employees and was not wearing the airline’s uniform.

It’s not clear how Jernnard got into the cockpit, but one security expert said he didn’t view it as a breach.

 

Pilots can typically ride for free in the jump seat of another airline, but they must make arrangements ahead of time and their presence would be noted on a passenger manifest. That manifest is reviewed by the pilot before takeoff – meaning that Jernnard didn’t have a chance of remaining, said Douglas Laird, former security director for Northwest Airlines.

“The guy can’t do any harm sitting up there. He has no access to the controls sitting there. I think the system worked,” said Laird, who now runs an airline security consultancy in Reno, Nev.

Police said there’s no indication Jernnard meant any harm. A US Airways spokeswoman referred questions to the FBI, which confirmed it is investigating but declined to comment Friday.

O’Brien said Jernnard initially became upset at the gate when he asked to be upgraded to business class.

“The (US Airways) employee gate agent told the male there was no space left in business class. He became irate,” O’Brien said.

Jernnard then boarded the plane and made his way to the jump seat.

He was charged with criminal trespass, forgery, records tampering, false impersonation of a person privately employed, and providing false identification to law enforcement. He was jailed on $1 million bail pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 5. Federal charges are also expected.

Jernnard is represented by the Philadelphia public defender’s office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In France, police in La Rochelle as well as the national police declined to comment, saying they are not allowed to disclose information about individuals.

Jernnard’s stunt mirrored one by con man Frank Abagnale Jr., whose exploits were chronicled in the 2002 hit film “Catch Me If You Can.” In the movie, Abagnale, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is able to make his way into a plane’s cockpit, bluffing his way past security and distracting the FBI by donning a pilot’s uniform.

Laird said he can recall a few other cases before the Sept. 11 attacks in which civilians talked their way into the cockpit and were not discovered until the planes had actually taken off.

“If you are civilian, you can’t pass yourself off as an Air France pilot because within about 30 seconds the pilots go, ‘This guy has not a clue,'” Laird said. “It would be like you and I passing ourselves off as surgeons.”

Source: nzherald.co.nz

11 Hilariously Awkward Family Photos

1. Crazy Guitar Mother Of The Bride

 

Image by creative / Getty Images

2. Creepy Face Holding Moment

 

Via: awkwardfamilyphotos.com

3. The Family That Hairsprays Together, Stays Together

 

Via: awkwardfamilyphotos.com

4. Worst Road Trip Ever

 

Via: coreyann

5. Terrified By Grandpa

 

Via: kim_scarborough

6. Just A Dad And Some Dogs

 

Via: awkwardfamilyphotos.com

7. A Gift From Nature

 

Via: awkwardfamilyphotos.com

8. A+ Accessories. Amazing I ❤ Mountains Pin.

 

Via: enderst07

9. Happy Holidays To Me

 

Via: awkwardfamilyphotos.com

10. Cool Crotch, Dad!

 

Via: gregor_y

11. There Are No Words

 

Via: awkwardfamilyphotos.com

 

Source: buzzfeed.com

Child Porn Goes Viral On Facebook: Report

There are several reports of child pornography going viral on Facebook Thursday.

A source told BuzzFeed that, by 9 p.m. Thursday night, a pornographic video of an infant had over 16,000 shares.

As the video started popping up in people’s Facebook newsfeeds, users took to Twitter to voice their outrage:

Gawker reports that the video, which apparently showed “a grown man sexually abusing an infant girl” got 32,000 shares and 5,000 likes before Facebook wiped it off the site after eight hours.

Gawker pointed out that many of the shares appear to have come from users who were disgusted by the content, not those trying to spread its contents to others.

In a statement obtained by the Daily Mail, a Facebook spokesperson wrote, ‘We have zero tolerance for child pornography being uploaded onto Facebook and are extremely aggressive in preventing and removing child exploitive content. We are pleased that this material was reported to us quickly enabling its swift removal.”

If you come across a post on Facebook that you believe could be child porn, report it here, instead of sharing it.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

Beyoncé Slays The Beach For H&M Summer Campaign

The Beyoncé storm is brewing and these girls better board up their windows. After releasing her highly discussed song, “Bow Down”, earlier this week, it has now been announced that The Mighty Bey will be the summer face of H&M.

Blue Ivy’s mama took to The Bahamas recently to shoot for the Swedish retailer’s upcoming campaign featuring pieces that reflect her personal style. The tropical commercial will even feature a new Bey song called “Standing On The Sun”.

Items include what’s described as “the perfect body-con dress,” a beach gown slashed to the thigh, high-waist shorts and a sleeveless shirt. In one of the ad images, Beyoncé wears a tie-dye bikini from the H&M for Water range, with a quarter of sales donated to the WaterAid charity.

So prepare your coin purse for some sexy new items at H&M this summer, before Kenya Moore twirls her black ass in there and snatches everything off the damn racks.

Source: WWD

Two teens arrested in baby killing

‘He shot my baby right in the face’

US mother Sherry West says two teenagers demanded her for money, then shot and killed her 13-month-old baby when she had none to hand over.

A pair of teenagers was arrested Friday and accused of fatally shooting a 13-month-old baby in the face and wounding his mother during their morning stroll through a leafy, historic neighborhood in the US.

Sherry West had just been to the post office a few blocks from her apartment Thursday morning and was pushing her son, Antonio, in his stroller while they walked past gnarled oak trees and blooming azaleas in the coastal city of Brunswick in Georgia.

West said a tall, skinny teenager, accompanied by a smaller boy, asked her for money.

“He asked me for money and I said I didn’t have it,” she told The Associated Press Friday from her apartment, which was scattered with her son’s toys and movies.

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“When you have a baby, you spend all your money on babies. They’re expensive. And he kept asking and I just said ‘I don’t have it.’ And he said, ‘Do you want me to kill your baby?’ And I said, ‘No, don’t kill my baby!'”

One of the teens fired four shots, grazing West’s ear and striking her in the leg, before he walked around to the stroller and shot the baby in the face.

Seventeen-year-old De’Marquis Elkins is charged as an adult with first-degree murder, along with a 14-year-old who was not identified because he is a juvenile, Police Chief Tobe Green said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the boys had attorneys.

Police announced the arrest Friday afternoon after combing school records and canvassing neighborhoods searching for the pair. The chief said the motive of the “horrendous act” was still under investigation and the weapon had not been found.

“I feel glad that justice will be served,” West said. “It’s not something I’m going to live with very well. I’m just glad they caught him.”

West said detectives showed her mugshots of about 24 young men. She pointed to one, saying he looked like the gunman.

“After I picked him, they said they had him in custody,” West said. “It looked just like him. So I think we got our man.”

West said she thought the other suspect looked much younger: “That little boy did not look 14.”

The slaying happened around the corner from West’s apartment in the city’s Old Town historic district. It’s a street lined with grand Victorian homes from the late 1800s. Most have been neatly restored by their owners. Others, with faded and flaking paint, have been divided into rental units like the apartment West shared with her son. The slain boy’s father, Luis Santiago, lives in a house across the street.

A neighbour dropped off a fruit basket and then a hot pot of coffee Friday as a friend from the post office dropped by to comfort West.

Santiago came and went. At one point he scooped up an armload of his son’s stuffed animals, saying he wanted to take them home with him. He talked about Antonio’s first birthday on February 5 and how they had tried different party hats on the boy.

“He’s all right,” Santiago told the boy’s mother, trying to smile. “He’s potty training upstairs in heaven.”

West said her son was walking well on his own and eight of his teeth had come in. But she also mourned the milestones that will never come, like Antonio’s first day at school.

“I’m always going to wonder what his first word would be,” West said.

Beverly Anderson, whose husband owns the property where West has lived for several years, said she was stunned by the violence in what’s generally known as a safe neighborhood where children walk to school and families are frequently outdoors.

Jonathan Mayes and his wife were out walking their dogs Friday, right past the crime scene, and said they’ve never felt nervous about being out after dark.

“What is so mind-numbing about this is we don’t have this kind of stuff happen here,” Mayes said. “You expect that kind of crap in Atlanta.”

It’s not the mother’s first loss of a child to violence. West said her 18-year-old son, Shaun Glassey, was killed in New Jersey in 2008. She still has a newspaper clipping from the time.

Glassey was killed with a steak knife in March 2008 during an attack involving several other teens on a dark street corner in Gloucester County, N.J., according to news reports from the time.

“He and some other boys were going to ambush a kid,” Bernie Weisenfeld, a spokesman for the Gloucester County prosecutor’s office, told the AP Friday.

Glassey was armed with a knife, but the 17-year-old target of the attack was able to get the knife away from him “and Glassey ended up on the wrong end of the knife,” Weisenfeld recalled.

Prosecutors decided the 17-year-old would not be charged because they determined that he acted in self-defense.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au

Customs officers charged with corruption

Two customs officers from Sydney Airport will face court charged with corruption and conspiring to import illicit goods into the country.

The Australian Federal Police said a 48-year-old man from Frenchs Forest and a 38-year-old man from Caringbah were arrested on Friday after an eight-month investigation.

The two officers from Sydney Airport were charged with conspiring to import prohibited tier 1 and tier 2 goods, abuse of public office, and receiving a corrupt benefit.

They were also charged with failing to store ammunition correctly, following searches of their homes.

An AFP spokeswoman said she could not provide more details about the nature of the illicit goods.

Customs and Border Protection chief executive Michael Pezzullo said the alleged offences were disappointing.

“I know that the vast majority of officers want those who have done the wrong thing to be dealt with decisively and justly,” Mr Pezzullo said in a statement.

“There is no place within the service for officers who breach the trust of their colleagues or the community.”

Customs said the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) had been monitoring the progress of the investigation.

The two men are due to front Parramatta Local Court on Saturday.

Meanwhile, two other men will also face Parramatta Local Court on Saturday charged with importing 10kg of methamphetamine into Sydney Airport.

Customs said the men arrived on a flight from Singapore on Friday and had the drugs hidden in their suitcases.

Both men were charged by the AFP on Friday.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au

Sydney readies for Ellen extravaganza

Tamara Bailey, Nassem Hammati and Laura McInnes line up at Mrs Macquaries Chair. Photo: Mick Tsikas

Fans queuing up in Sydney to see US chat show queen Ellen DeGeneres Saturday extended more than 300 metres police estimated.

The queue of predominantly young female fans began arriving at midnight outside the Royal Botanic Garden despite being asked not to arrive until 6am.

Some 3000 will see the show, parts of which will be recorded, but there were plans for an overflow with a large screen at Mrs Macquaries Point.

Dayna Nigem, Annabel Flitcroft and Piper Fraser line up at Mrs Macquaries Chair. Photo: Mick Tsikas

There did appear to be some confusion surrounding the venue with many fans going to the Opera House by mistake instead of the Opera on the Harbour in the Gardens.

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Ellen, using her usual means of communication, tweeted shortly after 8am: “Mornin’ Sydney! I couldn’t be more excited to see all of you faces at the Opera on the Harbour today. There’s already a few 100 people!”.

Also excited was Bethany Jenkins, 16, at the front of the queue having arrived at midnight from Ryde.

Ellen Degeneres. Photo: James Brickwood

She said: “I got the bus to Circular Quay and walked but I got lost. We love her so much, she’s a good role model and it’s not every day you get an opportunity like this.”

Lea Fox, 30, recently moved to Sydney from Perth, had a sign saying “Ellen for PM, oi, oi, oi”.

She said: “In the light of the turmoil in the Labor party we thought we would lobby Ellen to be prime minister of Australia. She’s kind to everyone.”

Ellen arrived yesterday with her wife, Australian-born Portia de Rossi, after the visit, sponsored by vitamin company Swisse, was delayed because the talk show star was sick.

Swisse CEO Radek Sali said his company didn’t know what the running order was which was part of Ellen’s attraction.

“It’s organic and that’s what this is about. She’s about keeping it fresh and not contrived. She’s unique and that’s unique in this day and age. This is like an Olympics for ladies.”

The company has declined to say how much it has invested into its tie up with the hostess but one of the biggest beneficiaries would appear to be tourism to NSW.

Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase, said, “This is a major coup for NSW as this is the first time that Ellen DeGeneres has taken her show overseas and it’s Ellen’s first visit to Sydney.”

Environment Minister Robyn Parker also welcomed the decision to choose the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, as the location for the first ever overseas pre-recorded taping of the show.

Ms Parker said with a 16-million strong Twitter fan base, Ellen DeGeneres should attract many local and international visitors to the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.

“We welcome these visitors with open arms to our great harbour city which has the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, a tourist attraction recognised overseas as one of the great botanic gardens of the world,” Ms Parker said.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au

Gold Coast in battle to draw back tourists

Wild weather severely damaged Gold Coast beaches. Photo: Ten News Queensland

Although the storm clouds have finally cleared over southeast Queensland, the Gold Coast tourism industry is still suffering the repercussions of the recent wild weather.

With little beach unaffected by erosion, the city is desperately trying to regain holiday bookings for the Easter period, traditionally the Glitter Strip’s second busiest time of the year.

“Southeast Queensland has suffered through some unseasonal weather and as a result, pre Easter bookings are below where we want them to be,” Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter said.

Village Roadshow Theme Parks corporate communications manager Darrin Davies said southeast Queenslanders’ absence on the coast was the most conspicuous.

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He said there had been fewer day trippers visiting Warner Bros Movie World, Sea World and Wet’n’Wild on the Gold Coast in March.

“The weather has particularly impacted the number of day trippers visiting, primarily due to the fact they can judge weather conditions on the day and decide not to come last minute,” Mr Davies said.

To stimulate tourist trade over the holidays, Gold Coast Tourism has launched a two-week marketing blitz in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Mr Winter said the campaign would motivate short-break and last minute consumers to book a Gold Coast Easter holiday.

Gold Coast Tourism Director of Communications and Marketing Services, Ben Pole said hotels were also dropping their rates to encourage last minute reservations.

“Indicators suggest that Easter bookings are 10 to 15 per cent below where they should be, but with a change in the weather and some great holiday deals, we know people will want to look at last minute bookings,” Mr Pole said.

A turn around couldn’t come soon enough for many

Professor Michael Blumenstein of Griffith University’s Gold Coast Campus said there was “no doubt that local businesses and hotels have suffered”.

The restoration of the Gold Coast’s February-March tourism numbers will, however, heavily rely on the condition of the beaches, which according to Gary Mays of the Gold Coast Combined Chamber of Commerce, could take up to six months to recover.

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Boy’s tragic death serves as warning to others

A Queensland boy has become Australia’s third victim of the bat-borne lyssavirus.

The boy suffered convulsions, severe abdominal pain and slipped in and out of consciousness.

But tests of his brain and spinal fluid were normal at first, baffling his doctors.

In one human case, the time period from the exposure to the bat to the onset of the illness was more than two years 

The little Queensland boy was intubated and ventilated in hospital. Ten days later, medical specialists detected the worst.

In the eight-year-old boy’s system doctors discovered levels of lyssavirus, but it was too late for treatment. The boy’s neurological condition deteriorated, and he eventually fell into a coma.

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He died on February 22, 2013.

His death was the third in Australia to result from the country’s deadliest bat-borne disease – Australian bat lyssavirus.

Not realising the risk, the adventurous eight-year-old from north Queensland, whose name has not been made public, failed to tell his parents he had been bitten by a bat while holidaying in the Whitsundays three weeks earlier.

His grieving family agreed for the details of his treatment to be revealed for the first time by the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases to serve as a warning to others.

Since it was first discovered in a flying fox near Ballina, NSW, in 1994, lyssavirus – a close relative of the rabies virus – has killed the only three Queenslanders to have ever contracted it.

Unlike the world’s more prevalent killers including HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C, which can be effectively mitigated with medication, diagnosis of the bat-borne disease is invariably followed by a hasty death.

In November 1996 a Queensland woman, who had recently become a bat handler, became ill. She initially suffered numbness and weakness in her arm, but it progressed to coma and death.

Two years later a Mackay woman was diagnosed with the disease after she was bitten by a bat. She later died.

Their rapid deterioration was identical to that of rabies victims overseas.

The victims suffered influenza-like symptoms before slipping into a coma from which they did not regain consciousness.

Dr Joshua Francis, who treated the eight-year-old boy at the Mater Children’s Hospital, warned victims might not develop symptoms for years.

“In one human case, the time period from the exposure to the bat to the onset of the illness was more than two years,” he said.

“If people have had a bite or a scratch from a bat any time in the past, it’s still worth presenting for medical attention. It’s that window period, before the disease commences that vaccines can be effective.”

The virus was found in the saliva of infected animals, Dr Francis said.

“There is a need for increased public awareness of the risk associated with bat contact,” he said.

“In short, people should stay away from bats.

“For anyone exposed, post-exposure prophylaxis is effective at preventing progression to disease, and should be considered as soon as possible in all cases that constitute a potentially significant exposure.”

Yet, there’s no reason for people to run screaming from the animals.

“Absolutely, people should avoid contact with bats, but I don’t think there’s reason to be terrified of them,” Dr Francis said.

“The approach should always be that if someone has had a bite or a scratch from a bat they should seek medical attention. They can receive a prophylaxis that can prevent the onset of the virus.”

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Ray J in Ray-Jing Fight After ‘Fat B*tch’ Insult

Ray J used another one of his appendages early this morning to beat down a dude in a violent confrontation that started when Mr. J called a large woman a “fat b*tch.”

Kidnapped Australian Warren Rodwell freed by Philippines terrorists after 15 months

Australian Warren Rodwell during his captivity in this screen grab from the last video released by the Abu Sayyaf. Photo: Al Jacinto

Australian adventurer Warren Rodwell has been released after almost 15 months being held captive in the southern Philippines.

Kidnappers believed to be from the Islamic Abu Sayyaf terrorist organisation released the former Australian army officer in Pagadian City, a regional centre on the south-west tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula, at 4.30am AEDT Friday. 

God has rewarded us and heard our prayers. 

It is not known if any money was paid to the kidnappers. Mr Rodwell, 54, was being taken to a hospital for treatment.

Hostage Warren Rodwell shown on Thursday the 27th of December 2012 in a YouTube video confirming that he is alive. Photo: Youtube

Recent photographs released on the internet by the kidnappers showed he had lost a lot of weight during his ordeal and looked gaunt and unwell.

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Army General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, the commander of the 1stInfantry Division, has confirmed the release of Mr Rodwell in Pagadian City and said a respected politician Al Rashid Sakalahul helped in the negotiations to free him.

“Rodwell was released in Pagadian City and has been secured by the authorities,” General Cruz told Fairfax Media.

Mr Sakalahul, vice-governor of Basilan province where Mr Rodwell was being held, said the the leader of the kidnappers, Puruji Indama, telephoned him to tell him the terrorists had freed Mr Rodwell and left him at a fisheries building in the city.

“I immediately called up our (Basilan) Provincial Police Director (Senior Superintendent Mario Dapillosa) and the (Philippine Army Infantry) Brigade Commander Charlie Galvez to contact their counterpart in Pagadian City,” Mr Sakalahul said.

Mr Rodwell, who has spent many years in Asia, was snatched by half a dozen gunmen posing as policemen on December 5, 2011. The kidnappers demanded a $2 million ransom after abducting him after a violent struggle at his home in the seaside town of Upil, in the restive region of Mindanao.

He was reported to have been taken initially to Basilan Island, off the Zamboanga Peninsula, and later moved to Sulu island to be held by a different group. The Sulu archipelago includes hundreds of small islands between the southern Philippines and the coast of Malaysia

At the time of his capture he had reportedly recently separated from his second wife, a 28-year old Filipina, Miraflor Gutang. Shortly after the kidnapping she said she was unable to pay any ransom amount.

Mr Rodwell also has a family and grown children in Australia.

After months with little news of his condition or whereabouts, his kidnappers released a two-minute video late last year showing him clutching a newspaper dated December 15, 2012. Looking gaunt and sounding tired and in poor spirits, he said he held ‘‘no hope at all for being released’’.

‘‘I do not trust the Abu Sayyaf, I do not trust the Australian government,’’ he said. ‘‘I just don’t trust anyone. Personally, I don’t care.’’

In the video Mr Rodwell said few of those around him spoke English, and he had no solid information about any negotiations that might be taking place.

The Australian government has discouraged reporting of Mr Rodwell’s plight and any speculation on ransom negotiations. The Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, welcomed the release of the video in December as ‘‘confirmation of Mr Rodwell’s welfare’’. He said the government was ‘‘assisting Philippines authorities where appropriate’’ but further comment would not be ‘‘helpful’’.

A month later a further proof-of-life photo was released showing Mr Rodwell holding a newspaper dated January 25. The Department of Foreign Affairs again requested a news blackout.

The kidnapping is likely to focus attention on how the department handled the kidnapping.

Mr Sakalahul told Fairfax Media that he “done my part, my duty and responsibility as an elected official of the province.”

“When the Filipino family of Rodwell sought my help three weeks ago, I told them that I will try all my best to help them and thank God that we succeeded in bringing out Rodwell safe and alive. God has rewarded us and heard our prayers,” Mr Sakalahul said, referring to Ms Gutang.

Mr Sakalahul said Mr Rodwell’s family negotiated directly with the kidnappers and that he did not know how much money was paid to the kidnappers.

The Abu Sayyaf were likely to have claimed a ransom under the guise of  “board and lodging” for Mr Rodwell, who they threatened to kill eight weeks ago if money was not paid.

On Thursday, Abu Sayyaf militants also freed a Malaysian fish merchant – Pang Choon Pong – who they had seized 17 months ago in Tawi-Tawi province, also in the southern Philippines. The 48-year-old native of Sandakan in Sabah Island has returned to his family after a successful negotiation by Malaysia. Mr Pang was kidnapped by five gunmen in the village of Larap on Sitangkai Island on October 5, 2011 in Tawi-Tawi province.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the release was secured through careful and tireless negotiations with the kidnappers. “We empathise with the family and the trauma they must have gone through. As such we decided to intervene and assist in securing Pang’s release,” he said.

Philippine police said the Abu Sayyaf is still holding a Japanese treasure hunter, Toshio Ito, 66, since 2010. He was last reported to have been helping the rebel group in cooking food for them and freely moves around.

Aside from the Japanese, the Abu Sayyaf is also holding Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani, 43, who went to Sulu province along with two Filipino assistants in June 2012 to secretly film the Abu Sayyaf for a documentary on Al Arabiya News Channel. The Filipinos were both freed this year.

Prior to his detention, Atyani has had previously travelled to the province in secrecy to interview terrorist leaders. The military has previously said it would arrest Atyani for espionage should he be released by the Abu Sayyaf. Atyani had also clandestinely interviewed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden before the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

Police said two European wildlife photographers – Ewold Horn, 52, from Holland; and Lorenzo Vinciguerre, 47, from Switzerland – kidnapped in February 2012 in Tawi-Tawi province had been brought to Sulu. Police in Tawi-Tawi said the duo was allegedly seized by members of the Moro National Liberation Front.

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Amy no tragic figure, says Bennett

Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse recorded the duet Body and Soul. Photo / Supplied

Tony Bennett doesn’t think Amy Winehouse’s life was tragic. He believes the British singer, who died at age 27, lived a complete life because she was able to achieve her goal of becoming a respected musician.

“Her dream was to become famous and a beautiful singer, and she accomplished that,” Bennett, 86, said yesterday at the first annual Amy Winehouse Foundation Inspiration Awards and Gala, where he received a lifetime achievement award.

“Even though she had a short life, she had a great life because she ended up praying for the success that she wanted, and it happened. This is what this night’s about.”

Winehouse died in 2011 from accidental alcohol poisoning. Though troubled, she was a critical darling and earned five Grammy Awards for her second album, Back to Black.

The foundation established in her name assists disadvantaged youth. It was launched in Europe in 2011 and last year in the United States.

Award attendees included Winehouse’s father, mother and brother, her ex-boyfriend Reg Traviss, Harry Belafonte, Jennifer Hudson, Sean Lennon and producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi.

 

Winehouse and Bennett won a Grammy last year for the duet Body & Soul.

Belafonte presented the lifetime achievement award to Bennett, who had introduced him to Winehouse’s music.

Before he invited Bennett to the stage, Belafonte’s cane fell to the floor with a loud thump.

“Excuse me, I just dropped my teeth,” Bennett said, to laughter.

Hudson performed three songs at the event, earning a standing ovation.

She called the event “beautiful” and said Winehouse was “such a talent, such a gift”.

Source: nzherald

Christopher Robinson, Busted For Allegedly Missing Child Support After Posting Facebook Money Pictures

 

Christopher Robinson, who owes three years of child support, is seen in this photo from his Facebook with a pile of cash. (Facebook)

Facebook helped the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office charge a wayward father for failing to pay child support.

Christopher Robinson, 23, is facing three felony counts of failure to support his 3-year-old child, according to a complaint filed with the criminal division of the Wisconsin Circuit Court.

The complaint indicates that for three years,  Robinson never made any of the required $150 monthly child support payments.

But pictures that Robinson posted to  Facebook that show him posing with cash and bottles of liquor helped the district attorney’s office build a case against him.

“What we do in these types of cases is we try to find out from other family members whether there is other information we may not be able to know about,” Milwaukee County Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern told ABCNews.com.

Although Lovern said he could not talk specifically about Robinson’s ongoing case, he said,  “Facebook has become a repository for information that we may not … know about.”

Investigations into Facebook profiles must be initiated by a complaint, Lovern said.  When there’s enough evidence to suggest a sufficient level of probable cause, the DA  can then ask the court to order Facebook to grant access to a Facebook profile.

Investigators can then look for details on whether a person has been misleading about his or her  lifestyle, Lovern said. For example, said Lovern, “Someone who claims to not have  resources to make their payments, actually does have resources.”

While it’s not known exactly whose money Robinson had displayed in his Facebook photos, or how he might have come to acquire such sums, the images allowed the district attorney’s office to obtain a search warrant to investigate further.

“It is an investigative tool,” Lovern said of Facebook. “It can be effective in assisting in the investigation and prosecution  of certain criminal targets.”

A representative for Facebook told ABCNews.com, ”We work with law enforcement to the extent required by law, and as needed to keep the site and those who use it safe.  Facebook devotes significant resources to evaluating requests for user information, and adheres to the letter of these laws when responding to requests for information.”

Robinson was served with an arrest warrant in February and failed to appear in court.  The arrest warrant is still active, but the DA’s office would not comment on whether it was actively looking for him, or if he had a lawyer.

Several attempts by ABCNews.com to reach Robinson were not successful.

If found guilty on all three counts,  Robinson could be sentenced to a  maximum of almost 11 years in prison

Source: ABCnews

 

Supermarket wars heat up

 

Brand new owner: Woolworths in Neutral Bay. Photo: James Brickwood

The battle between Coles and Woolworths has escalated with Coles using an elaborate tax haven structure to conceal its purchase of one of Woolworths’ most profitable stores.

Fairfax Media has obtained documents that reveal Woolworths’ arch rival Coles is now the landlord of its Neutral Bay supermarket.

The move has blindsided Woolworths, which was unaware that one of its most profitable stores was bought by Coles for $40 million.

”This is a surprise, and it’s not common practice by any means. I’m not going to commentate on what Coles’ motivation is, that’s for them to answer,” a Woolworths spokeswoman said after Fairfax informed the group.

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Coles concealed its involvement in the deal by using a $10 company ultimately owned in the British Virgin Islands tax haven to purchase the 4282 square metre site in the well-heeled lower north shore suburb.

Internal Coles documents show the purchase price was $40 million, which is a record price for a freestanding supermarket in Sydney. Coles is believed to have paid a premium of as much as 30 per cent above its value to secure the site.

The lease on the Neutral Bay location expires next year but can be renewed for 10 years. Under the terms of the lease the landlord, Coles, has the right to inspect Woolworths’ sales records and the site.

Five days before the property was bought a handful of Coles property executives were instructed to investigate whether the company would open itself up to retaliation from Woolworths when their own property leases expired.

The analysis is believed to have found that 120 stores with turnover of $3 billion were potentially vulnerable. Each property was assigned a risk rating.

The supermarket giants have been locked in a vicious battle for market share since Coles was bought by listed conglomerate Wesfarmers five years ago. It has resulted in price wars including $1 a litre milk and steep discounts on bread, petrol and beer that have antagonised suppliers and resulted in an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The property fight is believed to have been sparked after Woolworths turfed Coles out of its Katoomba store in the Blue Mountains in 2012 after more than 30 years in the spot. Woolworths had bought the site in 2000 and Coles had been forced to spend millions of dollars building a new centre down the road. The exercise took almost a decade.

A source said: “It was a disaster. They ended up in an inferior location with less turnover and its competitor Woolworths now in the Katoomba catchment.”

Coles retaliated in late 2011 when NSW-based company Vanbridge put the Neutral Bay property occupied by Woolworths up for sale. Records show that Vanbridge bought the Neutral Bay site in 1992 for $12.27 million and sold it almost 20 years later to Sino Ace Investment.

Sino Ace Investment is registered to Bernard Chiu, a Sydney lawyer who listed a “palatial” home in Sydney’s lower north shore for $13 million four months after the Neutral Bay deal with Vanbridge. The company is ultimately owned by a similarly named entity in the British Virgin Islands.

When contacted to explain his role in the transaction Mr Chiu hung up twice and said “contact the vendor”.

Vanbridge did not respond to requests for comment.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au