Body-conscious teens take risks with protein powders

 

On the go: Eloise Arnold has up to three protein shakes a day. Photo: Peter Rae

Australian teenagers are being lured into buying dangerous protein powders that are being sold over the internet, while cases of hospital admissions for high heart rates, dizziness, vomiting and even death have been attributed to some protein powders.

A boom in sports foods has led to a free-for-all on the internet for protein powders that are often made and distributed in unknown circumstances with mystery ingredients.

Experts are urging consumers – including body-conscious teenage boys, gym junkies, body-builders and people trying to lose weight – to buy only reputable brands and check all labels carefully.

All natural: Guy Lawrence with his own protein powder that he is now shipping to the US and Canada. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

This follows the NSW Food Authority’s investigation last year into supplementary sports foods that led directly to the banning by the Therapeutic Goods Administration of the ingredient 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA), found in some of the powders.

Advertisement

Director of enforcement and compliance at the Food Authority Peter Day said: “It’s very hard to track down those products which are not bought from store fronts.

”We found a number of hospital admissions of people with a very high heart rate, dizziness, stomach ache and vomiting from the misuse of products.”

Risks associated with DMAA include high blood pressure, psychiatric disorders, bleeding in the brain and strokes. In August last year, the West Australian Coroner found that a fly-in-fly-out mine worker died from taking DMAA, which he had bought over the internet.

Yet even without the presence of DMAA, some protein powders have been known to have an adverse effect on health, with the British Dietetic Association saying high levels of additional protein over a period of time can cause kidney and liver damage.

The popularity of consuming protein powders, commonly mixed with either water or milk as a quick drink, has taken off in recent years.

No precise figures exist but $80 million was spent by Australians last year on sports foods, a rise of 27.7 per cent over 2011.

Many of the protein powders contain synthetic chemicals, sugars and artificial flavourings, as well as the milk isolates or concentrates that make up the usual whey protein.

As a result, a number of consumers have reported side-effects, whether from the chemicals or from allergic reactions to contents.

“Some people think if it’s good to take two scoops, then four scoops will be even better,” Mr Day said. “They don’t read the instructions and end up with a high heart rate and the risk of a stroke.”

Melbourne mother of two-year-old twins Katerina Suszko, 36, started drinking one for lunch every day instead of eating a meal to try to lose weight, as well as a second one later in the day as a snack.

“But straight away I’d get a horrid, horrid ache in my stomach, and I’d be bloated and gassy,” Ms Suszko said. “I’d look like I was four to five months pregnant. I think I had a reaction to the sweeteners that many used, as well as the casein [milk proteins].

”But it’s hard to warn people that they could get a bad reaction until they do. It’s like telling smokers cigarettes are bad; they won’t believe you.”

Rockhampton health food shop worker Belinda Hotzhauser, 22, also had a bad experience with a sample of a new product. When she drank it, she felt sick and bloated, but hadn’t noticed that some had spilt on to her neck and chest.

“When I saw it, I wiped it off but it left a terrible red welt on my skin,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I then read the ingredients and there were so many artificial things in it, it was ridiculous. I wouldn’t touch that now. People have to be careful.”

Even where they don’t cause reactions, most have not been developed with still-growing teenagers in mind. Regular protein powders are now being taken by many teenage boys eager to put on muscle.

But, with the amount of sugar present in some of them, the powders just end up as expensive extra calories, associate professor in nutrition at the University of Sydney Jenny O’Dea said.

“They end up putting on weight and can end up fat,” she said. “A lot of them, we now recommend for weight gain.”

Nutritionists are also divided about the usefulness of protein shakes. The head of sports nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport Louise Burke said they had a place as the loss of muscle mass was becoming a big health issue in the community.

Also, people didn’t tend to eat protein evenly all through the day.

“They don’t eat protein for breakfast or lunch, then they have half a cow at dinner,” she said. “That’s one huge serve at night, but it’s important to have protein through the day, and some people don’t have the time to make sure they have something in the fridge and cook it. So it’s protein in a very convenient form.”

But some people took things too far, she said and had them instead of proper meals.

“They can be potentially dangerous and people should be careful that they haven’t been contaminated with banned substances, either hormones or stimulants, by mistake, or deliberately. They should look at labels carefully.”

Foodwatch’s Catherine Saxelby doubts most people need the extra protein. The National Health and Medical Research Council’s dietary guidelines recommend an intake of 40 to 50 grams of protein a day – the size of one piece of steak plus a wedge of cheese – but the average protein consumption in Australia is 100 grams for men, and 75 grams for women.

“Most of us consume more than we need so, if we want more, why not have an extra egg, a glass of milk or a bigger piece of fish for dinner?” she said. “Extra protein can put a lot more stress on the kidneys, breaking down the protein and flushing out nitrogen.

“I think taking these powders is just a fad at the moment. It’s fashionable, especially with the CSIRO diet, and the Paleo and Dukan diets all stressing protein.”

 

Shock over harmful additives leads to business bonanza

Personal trainer Guy Lawrence was working with cancer patients when he decided to recommend protein powders, in combination with exercise, to help them recover their health.

But when he took a closer look at the labels of many of the powders on the market, he was appalled at what he found. ”They had so many chemicals, artificial sweeteners, fillers, thickeners and preservatives, I thought they couldn’t possibly be healthy,” he said. ”I was looking for something pure, with good ingredients, without all those potentially harmful additives.”

Despairing that he could find anything to fit the bill, he paired up with a friend, Stuart Cooke, and formed 180 Nutrition to produce their own protein powder, with natural ingredients including whey from grass-fed cows, almonds, flaxseed, sunflower kernels, pepitas and sesame seeds.

Selling online from their office in the eastern suburbs, it immediately took off and is now stocked in hundreds of health-food shops around the country. As well, they are getting orders from the US and Canada.

”It’s been incredible,” Mr Lawrence, 38, said. ”We found people really wanted a wholesome product, one they knew they could rely on, that’s clean and safe. In just the past 12 months alone, we’ve experienced 250 per cent growth.”

The pair has been approached by manufacturers in the US keen to produce their protein powders there. ”We’ve heard a lot of people talk about the chemicals in other protein powders causing bloating and skin rashes and other problems,” he said. ”But we’re proud that everyone seems so happy with our product.”

 

Regular shakedowns to stay on top

A keen gym-goer, Eloise Arnold drinks at least two, sometimes three, protein shakes a day.

She’ll usually have one – with blueberries and coconut water added – after she works out in the morning to help her recovery, then have one as a snack, and the other after dinner to keep her full until morning.

“The last one also helps me sleep well,” Ms Arnold, 23, said. She is also finishing exams before joining the police force as well as working as a fashion and events stylist.

“The earlier ones help with muscle tone, recovery after exercise … and weight loss.”

Ms Arnold said she was careful to buy a reputable home-brand. “I have a very busy lifestyle and they fit in well with my routine,” she said. “I’m always on the go.”

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

Skydiving collision proves fatal

SAFETY FIRST: Peter Farley died in a skydive, despite his reputation for being safety conscious.

Two specks are falling from the sky, tumbling and twisting through the air. One man’s head hangs limp inside a blue helmet as his emergency parachute opens. Another man collapses into the ground and screams: ”F—! Someone hit me! Someone hit me!”

It is a clear summer morning. Cars hum along the Hume Highway near Picton, south-west of Sydney. Above them is ”absolute carnage” as a fatal midair skydiving collision leaves two men spinning madly towards the earth.

They barely knew each other before being brought into conflict some 2000 metres in the air. Minutes earlier, Scott Hingerty had chatted about his new Commodore wagon as the plane climbed steeply into the sky.

Everyone on board was in a good mood. Sitting nearby, Peter Farley waited nervously for the light in the cabin to go from red, to yellow, to green.

It was the first jump of the day for the group of 17 skydivers, who had travelled from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for a weekend of wingsuit flying, an extreme form of skydiving.

The 17 skydivers wore regulation parachutes as well as special jumpsuits that have extra fabric between the legs and arms to help them fly forward as they fall, like a human sugar glider.

When the small Cessna plane hit 4270 metres before 10am, pilot Juraj Dubovinsky switched on the green light and opened the rear door. The wingsuiters jumped out in quick succession in the order they’d rehearsed. Hingerty, 39, was the last.

He is friendly and thickset; a rigger who weighs about 100 kilograms, he falls fast.

”When I’m falling out of the sky, I feel alive,” he said.

The digital recording on his helmet-mounted camera was at 42 seconds when he jumped. It was Saturday, December 8, 2012. Thirty-nine seconds later, a brutal punch to his right side sent him into a spin.

‘‘I could not breathe, I couldn’t see, I was blacking out,” he said.

”My whole arm went tingly from my shoulder down to my fingers. My right leg I couldn’t move. I thought my back was broken.”

He has watched the footage often enough since to know what happened then.

”I did one barrel roll – I was looking at the ground and all of a sudden I am looking at the sky and then the ground again.

I recovered and tried to open my parachute, and then I did three flat spins to the left.

”I said to myself, ‘Scott, if you don’t do something right now, you’re going to die.”’

The earth from on high looks neat and tidy; conquerable.

”Down there you’ve got the hassle of work, the hassle of life, the bills, worries at home,” Hingerty said.

”While you’re falling out of the sky, you don’t have a worry in the world.”

An experienced skydiver with more than 800 jumps, he took up wingsuiting in November. That December day, he was flying safely when Farley’s blue-and-white wingsuit popped up in front of him and then disappeared, moments before the collision. Only later in the ambulance did he learn that it was Farley who had hit him and the man was dead.

While waiting for the cloud to clear that morning, the group had rehearsed the jump at Sydney Skydivers’ centre.

The group’s chief tutor, Hayden Galvin, had everyone practise the order in which they would exit the aircraft towards their assigned slot in the sky.

One of the other wingsuiters would later tell police he heard Hingerty ask: ”I have only three wingsuit jumps so far, is it okay if I come on this jump?” Galvin replied: ”No worries mate, you will be fine.”

About half of the 17 flyers that day lacked the prescribed Australian Parachute Federation ”star crest” qualification to perform jumps with more than 10 people, area safety officer Grahame Hill said. But no-one was asked about their experience or qualifications before they jumped.

Farley, 33, ”was out of his league up there”, Hill said.

”There was a bunch of people who had a duty of care to say something and didn’t.”

Farley’s close friend Andrew Ellard, who started skydiving with him in late 2007, said: ”Peter wanted to fly in formation that day and no-one will ever know exactly why he jumped. He was probably the safest skydiver I know. He took himself off a lot of plane-loads if he didn’t feel confident in his experience to complete the jump, or if a person on there was too inexperienced for his liking.”

Tutor Roger Hugelshofer recalled taking Farley for his first wingsuit flight last September.

”He was a little bit shaky but he did all right,” he said.

”When we jump we are very focused on what we do. I think we are all aware of the danger. We have all seen enough accidents in the past.”

On the day of the accident, Hugelshofer flew on his back towards the front of the formation. Forty-five seconds after jumping out of the plane, his camera shows two objects falling from the top left of the screen and out of view.

Alex Joannou sat next to Farley on the plane and they tried to chat over the roar of the 900-horsepower engine. He later told police how several jumpers flew ”violently” in the sky, swooping in and out at speed. It was ”absolute carnage”, he said.

Hugelshofer remembers it differently.

”When I landed I thought it was a great jump. It was a perfect day, everything went well.”

Moments later, Hingerty slid into the drop zone screaming in pain, the right side of his body a mess of deep bruises. He and Farley had collided like two opposing forces. Farley was whip-thin and tall – about 180 centimetres – and built for speed.

”His build meant if he put his body in a certain position, he was literally a rocket,” Hill said.

Hingerty was able to regain control in the air by arching his body and deploying his parachute.

”It’s just fortunate, if I can call it that, that the bloke [Farley] hit is built like a brick shithouse,” Hill said.

”If it had been somebody light-framed, there might have been two people dead.”

Hill has tracked Farley’s path using camera footage from at least five of the other flyers.

”It was a relatively straight flight, but Peter was coming from behind, overshooting and coming back.

”Other people weren’t flying as well as they could have, but they were just shunting each other. Peter was just at a very high speed – you look at it and go ‘wow’.”

Sydney Skydivers director Phil Onis was watching the group’s flight from the drop zone.

”They exited about two miles to the south, then they just started moving up in one flock.

”They were all supposed to fly in one straight line,” he said.

”Peter seemed to have trouble controlling the wingsuit and his body.”

Onis saw that Farley’s head was limp and hanging forward as he fell from the sky. As Farley passed 228 metres at speed, an automatic activation device in his pack opened his reserve parachute.

The wind carried the canopy over the highway and into a dump truck parked on a new housing construction site.

Senior first aid officer Jeffrey Richards was driving by with his window open when he heard a ”flapping sort of noise” and saw a ”white thing” 10 metres overhead.

By the time he reached the body, two skydivers had run over from the drop zone and started CPR.

Farley had no pulse and his tongue was swollen and blue. His neck seemed broken, Richards told police.

Whether Farley’s neck snapped in the midair collision or when landing will be determined by the coroner.

Wingsuit world record holder and emergency doctor Glenn Singleman said the neck is vulnerable in any high-speed collision.

”These suits are travelling anywhere between 100kmh and 200kmh; if you collide with anything, things are going to break,” he said, stressing he is not commenting directly on Farley’s case.

”The human body is just not designed to impact with something at 100kmh and that’s the problem with car accidents, that’s the problem with flying a wingsuit, that’s the problem with falling off a cliff or when rock climbing.”

Singleman said every wingsuit flyer knows two basic rules: Remember to open your parachute; and don’t run into anything.

”You’re taught from the very first jump that if you collide, you are very likely to die, so don’t collide.”

An investigation by Detective Senior Constable Gareth Dorey found Farley died between 9.40am and 9.50am on Saturday, December 8.

His equipment was in good working order and the skies were dry and clear, with minimal wind. Farley’s death was the ”result of an error he made”, he found.

But Hill, from the Australian Parachute Federation, said responsibility should be shared among several people.

Hill said Galvin, who declined to respond to Fairfax Media, was ”cavalier” about his duty of care. The federation suspended Galvin from tutoring students until August. It suspended Hugelshofer for 90 days and Onis lost his instructor rating for 12 months.

Onis has banned wingsuit flying at Sydney Skydivers.

”We don’t tell anyone skydiving is safe,” Onis said.

”But if you take care and you stick within the limits of your ability, I think it’s a great sport. It’s when people start to sit on the edge that things go wrong pretty quickly.”

The federation is also likely to tighten the rules governing wingsuit flying, including an increase in the minimum standards for participating in the extreme sport, as well as higher standards for tutors and instructors.

”We need to have rules in place to stop people’s enthusiasm overtaking their responsibility,” Hill said.

On the afternoon of Peter Farley’s death, his fellow flyers gathered by a river near the drop zone to remember their friend. Scott Hingerty spent much of the night in a hospital brace, not knowing whether his neck or back was broken.

He has rewatched the footage from that day hundreds of times.

”Every time I think how lucky I am to be alive. I’m not dead yet,” he said.

This month he was back flying in a wingsuit.

”We jump out of a plane – worst-case scenario you hit the ground and you die.

”But it’s freedom.

”People say we’re crazy, they say, ‘Don’t you think about dying?’ No, I think about living.”

– Sydney Morning Herald

False passport used to escape to Canada – police

A New Zealand man facing abduction and sex assault charges in Canada allegedly cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet and fled there under an assumed name.

New Zealand police have been hunting for Michael Edward Farley, 39, from Palmerston North, since his escape in July 2011 just before a court sentencing that would have probably have resulted in him being jailed.

Farley was arrested in Canada on Thursday, using surveillance videos and descriptions given by a 42-year-old woman who was tied up and dragged behind a van while trying to escape her captor.

It is alleged he drove into a secluded area after picking up the victim, then beat her and tied her up on March 4.

Witnesses saw her dragged behind the van after she partially freed herself and, fearing for her life, attempted to jump from the moving vehicle. She suffered serious cuts, ”road rash” and a head injury.

She was treated in hospital and is now recovering at home.

Vancouver major crime unit Inspector Laurence Rankin told Canadian media the arrest was possible thanks to 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.”

Farley had been living illegally in Canada under the name Robert James Clarke. His brother faces charges in New Zealand for allegedly helping to obtain a false passport for him.

Michael Farley was serving a sentence of home detention on charges of receiving stolen goods and was due to be sentenced on a further charge of perverting the course of justice at the time of his escape.

Detective Sergeant David Thompson told the Manawatu Standard that his escape showed ”pre-planning”.

At the time he took off, it was a ”distinct possibility” the outcome of his upcoming sentencing would have been jail, he said.

”It has been clear during this investigation that Farley has gone to extreme lengths to evade justice in this country. Equally, we have been determined to go to the same lengths to ensure that he faced justice.”

Canadian media report that Farley arrived there two years ago, had been working as a handyman and was in a relationship there.

His father in Palmerston North refused to comment. A woman at the family home,  believed to be his mother Doreen,  said: ”I feel sorry for the girl but I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

Farley faces charges in Canada of 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.

Police in New Zealand want him to be extradited to face charges that are likely to include escaping custody, and passport-related charges.

His brother, Kevin John Farley, 42, has been charged with making a false statement by providing incorrect details on a passport application. He has not yet made a plea and will appear in the Palmerston North District Court this month.

– © Fairfax NZ News

“Deep Throat” porn actor Harry Reems dies after turbulent life

 

She told the New York Times that her husband died on Tuesday in hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was reported to have been battling multiple health issues, including pancreatic cancer.

His death comes just months before the release of “Lovelace”, a biographical film starring Amanda Seyfried in the title role and Adam Brody as Reems which will put the spotlight back on one of the 1970s’ most active porn actors.

Reems’s rollercoaster life off set reads like a script for a Hollywood movie as he transitioned from the marines to porn movies to alcoholism and then to religion and suburban life.

He was born Herbert Streicher into a Jewish family from Brooklyn, New York, and joined the Marine Corps after school.

After leaving the marines, he struggled to make a career as a stage actor in New York so, needing money, worked in a number of pornographic films.

But his breakthrough came when director Gerard Damiano hired him as lighting director on “Deep Throat”. The original male lead failed to show up so Reems stepped in, playing a doctor helping Lovelace with a sexually sensitive area in her throat.

“Deep Throat” was the first porn film widely shown in theatres and made an estimated $600 million at the box office — although Reems claimed he only received $800 for his role.

It also became the nickname for a source who helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigate the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.

But the film also caused much outrage and Reems was convicted of obscenity in 1976. He admitted that the prospect of a five year jail sentence and trial put him under enormous pressure and set him on a path to alcoholism.

He launched a high-profile appeal backed by celebrities including Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty and the conviction was eventually overturned.

Reems, with a bushy black moustache and hairy chest exposed by his open shirts, went on to star in several other porn movies after “Deep Throat” but demand for his services started to wane by the 1980s as his battles with alcohol increased.

By the mid-1980s he was bankrupt, drinking heavily and homeless. It was not until 1989 that he sobered up, converted to Christianity, obtained a real estate license and married Jeanne in 1990.

In a 2005 interview with the Guardian, Reems described his battle with alcohol, his regret at going into the porn industry and the way his life had changed since he became sober.

“I’m happier today than ever. I saved my own life. I’m content with the way I conduct myself with my marriage, my home, my business,” said Reems.

“I live in a small town where everybody knows everybody and nobody thinks of me as a porn actor.”

Source: reuters.com

Japan Airlines may buy 20 Airbus A350 jets: Nikkei

The Japanese carrier is considering using A350-1000 jets on flights to Europe and the United States to replace its Boeing 777 jets, and is set to make a final decision on the purchase by around June, the newspaper said, without citing sources.

Japan Airlines and Airbus could not be immediately reached for comment.

The deal for the 350-seater planes would be the first with the European aircraft maker and includes a simulation facility for pilot training.

 

Japan Airlines is set to retire its lone McDonnell Douglas MD-90 jet after a final flight on March 30, leaving it with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, all manufactured by Boeing, the report said.

The carrier’s seven Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets have been grounded since mid-January after problems with its lithium-ion battery.

($1 = 94.4900 Japanese yen)

Source: reuters.com

Religious mobs in fatal clashes

The central Myanmar town declared a curfew for a second night on Thursday after clashes killed 10 people, including a Buddhist monk, and injured at least 20, authorities said. Photo: Reuters

Myanmar’s army took control of a ruined central city on Saturday, imposing a tense calm after clashes between Buddhists and Muslims left piles of corpses in the streets and buildings ablaze in the worst sectarian bloodshed to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year.

Truckloads of soldiers patrolled Meikhtila, taking up positions at intersections and banks as authorities delivered food and water to some 6000 displaced Muslims who fled to makeshift camps at a local stadium and a police station.

The government put the death toll at 32, according to state television, which reported that bodies had been found as authorities began cleaning up the area on Saturday.

President Thein Sein, a former general who vowed to bring democracy to Myanmar after half a century of military rule, imposed a state of emergency in the region Friday in a bid to end clashes that began two days earlier.

The unrest was the first of its kind in the country since two similar episodes shook western Rakhine state last year, and the spread of sectarian conflict has underscored both the challenges of reform and the government’s failure to rein in anti-Muslim sentiment in a predominantly Buddhist nation. Even monks have armed themselves and taken advantage of newfound freedoms to stage anti-Muslim rallies.

It was not immediately clear which side bore the brunt of the latest unrest, but at least five mosques were torched, and terrified Muslims, who make up about 30 per cent of Meikhtila’s 100,000 inhabitants, have stayed off the streets as their shops and homes burned and Buddhist mobs carrying machetes and hammers tried to stop firefighters from dousing the flames.

Residents complained that police had stood by and done little to stop the mayhem. But ‘‘calm has been restored since troops took charge of security,’’ said Win Htein, an opposition lawmaker from Meikhtila.

Some residents, who had cowered indoors since the mayhem began Wednesday, emerged from their homes to inspect the destruction.

Little appeared to be left of some palm tree-lined neighbourhoods, though, where the legs of victims could be seen poking out from smouldering masses of twisted debris and ash.

Broken glass, charred cars and motorcycles and overturned tables littered roads beside rows of burned-out homes and shops, evidence of the widespread chaos that swept the town.

Local businessman San Hlaing said he counted 28 bodies this week, all men, piled in groups around the town, including beside a highway.

The struggle to contain the violence has proven another major challenge to Thein Sein’s reformist administration, which has also faced an upsurge in fighting with ethnic Kachin rebels in the north and major protests at a northern copper mine where angry residents — emboldened by promises of freedom of expression — have come out to denounce land grabbing.

The devastation was reminiscent of last year’s clashes between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya that left hundreds of people dead and more than 100,000 displaced — almost all of them Muslim.

The Rohingya are widely perceived as illegal migrants and foreigners from Bangladesh; the Muslim population of Meikhtila is believed to be mostly of Indian origin.

This week’s chaos began Wednesday after an argument broke out between a Muslim gold shop owner and his Buddhist customers. Once news spread that a Muslim man had killed a Buddhist monk, Buddhist mobs rampaged through a Muslim neighbourhood and the situation quickly spiralled out of control.

Residents and activists said the police did little to stop the rioters or reacted too slowly, allowing the violence to escalate.

‘‘They were like scarecrows in a paddy field,’’ San Hlaing said.

Khin Maung Swe, a 72-year-old Muslim lawyer who said he lost all his savings, also complained authorities did nothing to disperse the mobs.

‘‘If the military and police had showed up in force, those troublemakers would have run away,’’ he said, inspecting the remains of his damaged home.

‘‘There would have

been no violence if the security forces had just fired shots into the air to scare them away.’’

San Htwe, a 39-year-old housewife, said she could see police and soldiers ‘‘everywhere’’ in Meikhtila on Saturday but did not feel at ease.

‘‘I’m afraid that the situation will be like in Rakhine’’ — where sectarian tensions have split an entire state and Buddhist and Muslim communities live in near-total segregation, constantly fearing more violence.

San Htwe said her 8-year-old son was already traumatised by the riots and could barely eat. ‘‘Whenever he hears shouting, he says, in panic, ‘Mom, let’s run! The kalar are coming.’’ Kalar is a derogatory word for Muslims.

‘‘I think most children here have experienced trauma,’’ she said.

‘‘I worry that it will remain in their minds forever.’’

Residents said rescue workers and volunteers were arriving from other towns to help, and that local Buddhists were giving food and water to displaced Muslims. Some Buddhists sought shelter at local monasteries.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the US was deeply concerned about communal violence, loss of life and property damage in Meikhtila, and that US Ambassador Derek Mitchell had raised the concerns with senior Myanmar government officials.

‘‘We welcome and encourage the efforts of government authorities, community leaders, civil society and political party leaders to restore calm, to foster dialogue and increase tolerance in a manner that respects human rights and due process of law,’’ Nuland told a news briefing.

Occasional isolated violence involving Myanmar’s majority Buddhist and minority Muslim communities has occurred for decades, even under the authoritarian military governments that ruled the country from 1962 to 2011.

Source: stuff.co.nz

Anna Tahitahi: One of New Zeland’s highest paid beneficaries

PHIL DOYLE/FairfaxNZ

THE MOTHER LOAD: Ann Tahitahi with some of the children for whom she cares.

Ann Tahitahi is one of New Zealand’s 50 highest paid beneficiaries.

The 55-year-old grandmother receives $1300 a week to look after eight of her grandchildren whose parents were incapable of caring for them. She has two more grandkids in her care that she doesn’t get paid to look after.

State-sponsored foster parents, paid to look after the children of parents incapable or unable to do the job, are New Zealand’s highest paid beneficiaries, receiving up to $113,776 a year from the taxpayer.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett was initially concerned at the amount paid to those looking after unsupported children. Now, she believes these caregivers deserve every dollar.

The first of Ann Tahitahi’s seven grandchildren came to live with Tahitahi because their parents were addicted to P.

“Mum and Dad got a house in Glenfield in the 90s. Everything was rosy – Dad was working, Mum was home. It was a good neighbourhood. But coffee time, turned into P time,” Tahitahi said.

She took responsibility for her grandchildren she saw being raised in a car, with coke in their baby bottles, while their parents were out doing deals.

“Most of their lives they have been through sh–,” Tahitahi said.

Now, despite a degree of chaos that comes with 10 children in a small home, the kids have a stable, positive influence in their lives.

It is a happy household most of the time.

“It is not happy when Nan is yelling. But they know where they are and Nan doesn’t run them down. I try to fill them with a lot of positive things.”

Despite her benefit Tahitahi still has to work fulltime, on the graveyard shift at a residential care home, to pay rent. Her 19-year-old grandchild minds the kids at night.

“I pay the rent out of my wages. After the bills are paid I like to have about $800 left. I like to have $600 to $800 a week left for food,” she said.

But even with a combined weekly income Tahitahi is struggling to make ends meet, keep healthy food on the table for her 10 grandchildren and provide for their future.

“It seems like a lot but I don’t save any money. Lunches come to around $250 for a decent lunch. It’s pretty basic – it’s a good sandwich, lettuce and Vegemite, ham, they have their fruit. It kills me,” she said.

She pays $75 a week for life insurance so that the kids will be looked after if anything happens to her.

“I signed up for insurance last year because if anything kills me, what would happen to the kids? I want to leave them a little something,” she said.

But since her two grandkids moved in unsupported, she has started missing payments.

Aged 14 and 11, the two grandchildren showed up in December after their mother had a mental breakdown. Their father is in prison for armed robbery.

“They came down at Christmas and refused to go home,” Tahitahi said.

Tahitahi, who has a diploma in social work and has nearly paid off her student loan, will continue to take in more grandchildren when they need help, teaching the children respect for others and themselves.

“I make sure they are at school every day. I feed them. This is a secure place. These children know they are safe here,” she said.

But the children remain fiercely loyal to their parents and she wants to give the children back to her daughter. But until her daughter can show she is clean of drugs and ready for the responsibility of children Tahitahi will continue to care for them.

“I’ll hopefully get her on the straight and narrow, not so much with the drugs, just with her total life. If she can prove that to me I do want to give the kids back because that is where they belong,” she said.

Tahitahi and her eight siblings were taken from her parents by the state not because they were neglected, but because they were just so poor.

“We had no shoes, we had no lunch. We were poor,” she said.

She was raised by her “staunch” aunt and minister uncle who provide support and morals.

She believes one positive influence is enough to change outcomes for poor children.

Three of her grandchildren, one aged 20 and two 19, have graduated from Tahitahi’s care and are now making lives of their own. One is in the army, one studying engineering and the last about to join the navy.

“One of the grandchildren told me, ‘None of our family would be here if it wasn’t for you’. That brought tears to my eyes,” she said.

Man ‘tried to run down cops’ after crash

A 28-year-old man was arrested in bushland after allegedly trying to run down two police officers with a stolen car south of Brisbane on Sunday morning.

The officers were patrolling in Beenleigh when they tried to pull over the stolen Holden sedan just after 1am on Sunday, police said.

The car sped off, but was later found crashed into a tree.

As the two officers walked towards the crash scene, the 28-year-old driver allegedly turned the car around and drove at them, forcing them to jump out of the way.

Advertisement

Another police car followed the vehicle to Logan Central, where the driver ditched the car and ran off into bushland near Wembley Road.

Officers arrested the man shortly after. They also searched the car and found drugs and a gun.

The man, from Eagleby, has been charged with 13 offences including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failing to stop, serious assault of police and possessing weapons and dangerous drugs.

He will face the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday.

No one was injured during the incident.

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

Train derails in North Queensland, Australia

Image: theaustralian.com.au

A train has derailed in north Queensland, spilling tonnes of zinc concentrate from 21 carriages.

The Aurizon train derailed on Sunday morning, 70 kilometres west of Townsville near the Flinders Highway at Mingela.

The train’s 21 carriages, laden with zinc concentrate, tipped in the derailment.

The locomotive was still intact and standing, a Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said.

Advertisement

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service scientific crews are at the scene assisting with the clean up, which could take several days.

No one was injured in the crash.

Aurizon, formerly QR National, recently signed a five-year agreement to rail 2.28 million tonnes of lead and zinc concentrates for MMG’s Dugald River mine near Cloncurry to the Townsville port.

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

Glitch costing iPhone users dearly

Leaking cash: A software bug may result in Apple customers being overcharged. Photo: Simon Bosch

Apple iPhone customers are potentially being overcharged by hundreds – possibly thousands – of dollars because a software bug is leading to excessive data being drained from mobile phones.

And telecommunications companies appear to be cashing in on the glitch, with only one of the major telcos admitting to taking proactive steps to alert customers to the problem.

An Apple spokesman refused to acknowledge there was a problem when questioned by Fairfax Media despite details of the glitch, and how to rectify it, being covered on Apple’s website. Online support forums dedicated to data drain among other issues have also attracted more than 250,000 hits on the digital media giant’s website.

Details of the glitch are on Apple’s website. Photo: Bloomberg

The iOS 6.0 operating system, released by Apple in September, contained a bug understood to have caused connection problems that led to devices switching to the 3G and 4G network when customers were connected to Wi-Fi.

This meant customers downloading or uploading large data files on their iPhones, believing they were connected to a wireless network, churned through their monthly data allowance. They were then faced with unexpected and expensive excess data fees.

Some customers have reportedly gone through gigabytes of data in days.

In most cases, those who contacted their service provider to investigate the reason for their increasing bills were advised to install the software that Apple subsequently released to address the bug and other glitches associated with the iOS6.0. Customer accounts have subsequently been credited, although all the major telcos this week refused to reveal the total amount they had credited customers due to what is an Apple problem. They also refused to explain why they had not told customers how to avoid being overcharged.

From next September, telcos will be required to alert consumers when they reach 50 per cent, 85 per cent and 100 per cent of their data usage under the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code.

But customers yet to update their iPhone software, or who do not monitor their bills closely, are still prone to the bug.

A spokeswoman for the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman said multiple complaints had been received from iPhone customers about unexpectedly high bills.

”We have been advised of a possible issue about some iPhone 5 devices roaming from wireless to cellular networks, and that this may cause additional and unexpected data usage by consumers,” she said.

”Consistent with our normal complaint handling procedures, we refer these consumers to their service provider to give them the chance to resolve the complaint in the first instance.”

A spokeswoman for the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network said the issue was a concern for consumers. ”Providers should be letting their customers know that there are issues with the software as Apple works to rectify the problem,” she said.

”It’s not the providers’ fault that the iPhones are behaving strangely and using up the data, but it’s the providers’ problem when they are passing on unnecessary charges to consumers.”

Telstra spokesman James Howe said while the company had not noticed a significant number of complaints by iPhone customers recently, ”we are happy to work with customers if they think their bill is higher than it should be”.

Optus spokesman Daniel Wong said he was not aware of problems with iOS6.0, but he encouraged customers experiencing billing inconsistencies to contact their provider.

A Vodafone spokeswoman acknowledged the bug had been a problem for customers when the iOS6.0 software was released, but said customers with unusual spending increases were contacted to determine whether it was related to their own phone activity. Customers were encouraged to update their software to rectify the problem and Vodafone agreed not to deduct the cost of the download.

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

Rihanna 4 hrs late to school performance

Rihanna has infuriated students after arriving over four hours late for an appearance at an American high school.

The 25-year-old singer was scheduled to address 2,000 kids in the gymnasium at Barrington High on Friday afternoon.

The students won a visit with Rihanna after placing first in a national competition to produce a video for her hit single Diamonds.

Students began lining up as early as 10:30am to catch a glimpse of the star for her scheduled 1:00pm arrival. But they began walking out in droves as 5:00pm rolled around and Rihanna had yet to show.

Students nicknamed the afternoon “the survive Rihanna event”, according to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper.

Seventh-grader Jaki Mora called the singer “pathetic”. “It’s one thing to be fashionably late. This is just rude. Our lives don’t revolve around a pop star,” another student, Patricia Halle, fumed to the publication. “Our school worked hard to win this. She should be more respectful,” she said.

Rihanna was eventually introduced at 5:30pm.
She blamed traffic for her tardiness when she tweeted on her way to the event earlier in the afternoon. “This Chicago traffic is not working,” she captioned a photo of herself on the freeway.

Rihanna’s appearance lasted a reported 16 minutes. The singer told the kids she was “impressed and touched” seeing their video and gave out hugs before making her exit.

 

Cover Showbiz

Source: http://www.3news.co.nz

Police attacked at South Auckland, New Zealand brawl

Forty officers, two police dogs and the police helicopter eagle attended the scene (file)

Police in south Auckland were attacked by a large number of youths armed with bottles and other weapons in the early hours of this morning.

They received dozens of calls from residents in the Russell Road area of Manurewa, reporting around 100 people fighting in the street.

Forty officers, two police dogs and the police Eagle helicopter were deployed in an attempt to restore order.

Inspector Andrew Brill says police were able to restore order reasonably quickly, but it was not without a struggle.

“It took around half an hour to get everyone rounded up and moved on, and arrest those who needed arresting, so it took a bit of effort,” he says.

Four people were arrested for breaching the peace and drunk and disorderly conduct.

Source: http://www.3news.co.nz

Emma Watson Strips Naked For Charity

Emma Watson has stripped off for charity.

The 22-year-old star – best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise – has been photographed topless and covered in muddy water with an exotic flower between her teeth for a series of portraits in a new photo book and exhibition called ‘Natural Beauty.’

The photo is part of a series of celebrity photos for the book, with all proceeds donated to Global Green USA.

The actress is clearly excited to be involved with the campaign, as she tweeted a photo of herself from the shoot, with the caption:

“‘My friend is supporting GlobalGreenUSA with his book Natural Beauty. It’s out now. : ) X’ (sic)”

While she is happy to take her clothes off in aid of a good cause, Emma has ruled herself out of playing the female protagonist Anastasia Steele in a film based on E. L. James’ best-selling erotic novel ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.

She tweeted: “Who here actually thinks I would do 50 Shades of Grey as a movie? Like really. For real. In real life (sic).”

BANG! Showbiz

Zynga loosens Facebook ties

Online game publisher Zynga has relaunched its website, allowing users to play its games without first signing on to Facebook, a significant step toward establishing its independence from Facebook.

The relaunch of Zynga.com is the latest step in the slow dissolution of a special partnership that once bound two of the most influential players in the social Internet industry.

Tim Catlin, general manager of Zynga.com, told Reuters he believed Zynga’s players wanted to create unique player names that were not tied to their Facebook accounts, which displays their real names.

“You had to use your Facebook account to play previously, but this is going to change going forward,” said Catlin, who added that existing players will still be able to log in with their Facebook accounts.

New players, however, will be able to easily sign up without using Facebook credentials – long a hallmark of many Zynga games.

“We’ve been able to greatly streamline that process,” Catlin said of the new Zynga.com website, which has been in the works for the past year.

Founded in 2007, Zynga achieved a searing growth rate in its early years by exclusively tapping Facebook’s network to gain new users while offering games directly within Facebook.com web pages.

For several years the companies enjoyed a lucrative and symbiotic relationship, with Zynga deriving close to 90 per cent of its revenues from Facebook games, while Facebook received roughly 15 per cent of its income in the form of fees from Zynga.

But Zynga’s competitive advantage on the world’s largest social network gradually shrank as other publishers entered the market, and the company’s leadership has been faulted for not diversifying away from Facebook’s platform earlier.

Last year, Facebook and Zynga announced that they agreed to amend a long-standing deal that had given Zynga special privileges on the Facebook platform.

Rather than relying on Facebook’s communications features, Zynga has focused on building out features of its own such as its “social stream,” a bar that is displayed within games to connect players to each other.

– Reuters

Mark Ronson has confirmed he’s recorded new material with Sir Paul McCartney.

Mark Ronson has confirmed he’s recorded new material with Sir Paul McCartney.

The music producer and DJ, who has worked with the likes of singers Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, collaborated with the Beatles rocker on three tracks for his upcoming solo album – an experience which Mark describes as “insane”.

He told Billboard: “He’s done every kind of music … I don’t know if [our stuff] is revolutionary, but they’re brilliant songs. I just tried to give him a sound he was looking for. You take a master class in production, like harmonies and layering sounds and arrangement. His ideas are just incredible.”

While Mark admitted to initially feeling justifiably nervous working with the music legend, he was grateful Paul understood his concern.

He added: “He writes really good songs. He understands that you’re so nervous to be working with Paul McCartney ’cause everyone is. He gives you a lot of leeway, but then at the end of the day you need to deliver the goods.”

The follow-up to last year’s ‘Kisses On The Bottom’ has been described as “classic Paul” by producer Ethan Johns, who has also helped with the album.

Ethan said: “He’s still one of the most extraordinary recording talents. There’s a song on the record called ‘Hosanna’ which is absolutely heartbreaking – just Paul and an acoustic guitar. It’s gorgeous.”

Paul recently announced plans for a 2013 tour called ‘Out There!’.

BANG! Showbiz

Two dates have been confirmed so far, one at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland on June 22 and the other at Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria on June 27.

Roadworker’s shooting a real mystery

BEN CURRAN/Fairfax NZ

MURDER MYSTERY: Police looking for clues under the bridge near where roadworker George Taiaroa was shot.

Police are today sifting through a number of shock leads in the murder of road worker George Taiaroa, including suggestions the vehicle involved was stolen from celebrity chef Cameron Petley; that Taiaroa was gunned down as a simmering vendetta after his testimony put someone in jail; and that poachers or drug growers were responsible.

In a murder mystery of a type not seen since Feilding farmer Scott Guy was gunned down in his driveway in 2010, police say they have received more than 30 calls with strong tips but are having trouble sorting fact from rumour.

Detective Inspector Mark Loper told the Sunday Star-Times yesterday that a motive for the killing was yet to be established, but police are still convinced it was deliberate. “We don’t believe it’s random. Something has occurred for this to happen,” Loper said.

Taiaroa, 67, was working as a stop-go traffic controller for HEB Construction near Atiamuri on Tuesday when he signalled for a car to stop. When the car drove off, he was on the ground with a bullet wound.

Fewer than 100 people live in the tiny settlement of Atiamuri, between Taupo and Rotorua, and these days many houses are holiday homes for Aucklanders. Taiaroa had been staying there while working on a construction site and had been out drinking several times at the Pukeko and Bull Hotel.

Those living in the town had a number of theories, but consistent themes have emerged.

A source who requested anonymity told the Sunday Star-Times the 4×4 vehicle police were seeking in relation to the cold-blooded murder was stolen from former MasterChef contestant Petley in Putaruru last year.

Petley last night said he was shocked, but confirmed he had no idea what had happened to his blue ute. Since Tuesday, police have described the blue vehicle as a “Jeep Cherokee-type” 4×4 but new information indicates a blue ute, like Petley’s, was also seen in the area.

A contractor, who would only give his name as Josh, was one of the first on the scene, arriving as workmates tried to revive Taiaroa. He saw a dark blue ute speed through the area.

Police would not confirm or deny the Petley link, saying they would not comment on specific pieces of information “that may or may not sit within the investigation as to do so could jeopardise its progress”.

A blue Jeep Cherokee was discovered abandoned and wrecked behind the Whakamaru service station on Wednesday, but police have ruled it out as being the vehicle they are seeking.

The source also said: “I was told that the licence plates were not on the truck when the man was shot.”

This matches other tips police have received from locals.

Atiamuri resident Erina Maui described the road where Taiaroa was shot as a haven for poachers and drug growers. They routinely race through the area’s network of logging roads, armed and with no licence plates on their vehicles.

“People have seen poachers and people going to check their weed [marijuana] crops out there sometimes. You know it’s them because they sometimes don’t have licence plates. I heard it was drug-related, but I don’t know.”

Loper said police believed the killer may have local knowledge, due to the way the car drove off down the “web” of rural and forest roads.

Similarly, police are sifting through a tangled web of leads, with a number of suspects nominated. A full investigation into Taiaroa’s past is also under way, including a tip that the shooting was a vengeance killing after he helped put a man in jail around 10 years ago.

Several people, including an HEB employee, have given similar information to the Star-Times.

“It’s pretty much what is going around our circles is that the man that shot George had just done a long lag in prison and was on the run.”

Loper said police had made inquiries but were yet to establish a case in which Taiaroa was a witness. “However, we will consider every piece of information and rumour,” Loper said.

In a later statement to the Sunday Star-Times, police said they welcomed “all information and whether it is provided as rumour or fact, its relevance to the inquiry will be assessed”.

Loper said anyone who came forward with information was assured of confidentiality.

The investigation team can be reached directly on 0800 Kingswood (0800 546 479). Alternatively information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A private tangi for Taiaroa was held yesterday, a haka ringing out as the white hearse left his family marae followed by family and friends in a cortege of 20 cars.

More than 100 mourners paid their respects at Ngatokowaru Marae in Levin, including co-workers at HEB and staff from Te Wananga o Raukawa, where his wife of 43 years, Helen, works.

– © Fairfax NZ News

Kate Ledger: ‘I miss Heath everyday’

Heath Ledger’s sister says she cries whenever she sees his daughter, Matilda. Photo: Francis Andrijich

His older sister Kate, 38, has written a series of children’s books called Twin Magic, inspired by her own identical twin girls, Rori and Scarlett, who turn nine in June.

The books, available in Australia and the US, feature twins Lottie and Mia, who use their magic ‘twin powers’ to help get them out of trouble and go on adventures.

“I had the idea years ago, when I saw my girls and realised how magical the twin bond really is,” says Ledger from her home in Perth, where she lives with her daughters and her husband, Nathan, 39.

“It was something I’d talked to Heath about. He knew all about the concept so it’s nice to know this was something he’d been aware of. I think he’d be proud of me.”

 

Heath Ledger pictured with then girlfriend, Naomi Watts and sister Kate Ledger. Photo: Fiona Hamillton

She worked as a film publicist for 11 years, as well as Heath’s personal publicist. But after his death she wanted to move away from the industry her brother had loved so much. She set up a production company with her friend Natarsha Larment, an ex-librarian, and started writing.

“It seemed the perfect time,” she says. “I needed to focus on something different. It had been a tough few years. I wanted to write something fun, that children would enjoy reading. I’ve loved writing them.”

She’s drawn on experiences from her own daughters: “Their teacher tells me that even if Rori and Scarlett aren’t sitting together, they’ll write the same things, or give the same answers. The other day Rori went to the nurse with a headache. Scarlett told me later she had one too but didn’t want to say anything because she didn’t want her teacher to think she was making it up.”

She and Heath shared a strong sibling bond, too – something she recalls fondly.  “When we were younger we used to fight a lot,” she admits, “but as we grew older we became close and he was very protective of me.”

Even when Heath was based in the US, they’d speak on the phone three or four times a day. “He’d be hanging around set and call me to see what I was doing – often I was going around the supermarket! He’d ask what was on my shopping list… We’d just talk about normal things.”

She admits she still isn’t used to the fact she can’t pick up the phone and speak to him: “Just the other day I thought, I’ll call Heath. It’s funny how you forget sometimes. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about him.”

 

Late actor Heath Ledger’s family, father Kim (from left), sister Kate and mother Sally, give their acceptance speech at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009. AFP PHOTO/Gabriel Bouys

The family adores Heath’s daughter Matilda, 7, who lives in the US with her mum, Michelle Williams, 32.

Ledger’s planning a visit in June. “Matilda is used to seeing Aunty Kate crying,” she says softly. “I can’t help it – she reminds me so much of Heath. She’s a beautiful girl.

“We’re in regular contact with Michelle,” she adds. “She’s a wonderful mum… I have nothing but praise for the way she’s bringing up Matilda. She has such a good moral compass and is wonderful with Matilda. She always sends us letters and birthday cards.”

April 4 would have been Heath’s 34th birthday. The Ledgers gather each year to commemorate the occasion and remember their much-missed family member. “We usually get together for dinner or drinks,” she adds.

“We have a good cry and laugh at the funny memories and times we had.” 

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

Mining women dig deep into buying in Western Australia

Marina Hibbitt, 28, is building a four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence in north-eastern suburb Aveley.

One of Western Australia’s biggest home builder companies has reported nearly 10 per cent of its current clients were single women building on their own rather than with a partner – double the number from 2011.

Dale Alcock Homes general manager Dean O’Rouke said not only did he expect the trend to continue but the numbers of single women building by themselves were fast equalling the number of single men building new homes.

“The single women are now catching up,” Mr O’Rourke said.

A case in point is Marina Hibbitt, 28, who is building a four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence in north-eastern suburb Aveley.

“I’ve always been a very independent person so I kind of enjoy building on my own,” Ms Hibbitt said.

“I’ve got my own independence and I don’t have to rely on a partner,” she said.

“I can choose the features and things I like for the house.

“If I meet someone eventually then that’s great but for now I’m not fussed – I can do it on my own.”

According to University of WA anthropology professor Martin Forsey there could be a number of reasons more single women were building homes.

“In general, people are getting married older, more people are getting divorced and more people are not marrying at all,” Mr Forsey said.

“If there are more single women in the population, you’ll have more buying houses.

“Women also have the economic wherewithal now; they’re better educated and have better economic resources.”

Home builder Ross North sales and marketing manager Ken Nair said there were certainly a lot of single women between 25 to 35 building new homes.

Mr Nair attributed the numbers to the amount of women in the mining industry.

“More women in the mining industry are choosing to build their own home rather than rent,” Mr Nair said.

“The more astute buyers with lots of disposable income are getting into property; lots of the boys are just buying cars and toys.”

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

Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky found dead in London

Pic: fpp.co.uk

Thames Valley police say his death is being treated as unexplained.

Police would not directly identify Berezovsky, but when asked on Saturday about him by name they read a statement saying they are investigating the death of a 67-year-old man at a property in Ascot, 40 kilometres west of London.

A mathematician-turned-Mercedes dealer, Berezovsky amassed his wealth during Russia’s chaotic privatization of state assets in the early 1990s.

After falling out with Putin, he sought political asylum in Britain in the early 2000s.

“Yes. He is dead. It was confirmed to me by his private lawyer this afternoon,” Berezovsky’s spokesman Tim Bell said.

Hi son-in-law, Egor Schuppe, said Berezovsky was depressed and had failed to keep in touch with friends and acquaintances, broadcaster Russia Today reported.

The tycoon was involved in a bitter multi-million pound legal battle with fellow tycoon and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich last year.

He sought more than $A4.39 billion in damages from Abramovich after accusing his rival of blackmail, breach of trust and breach of contract.

He lost the case and subsequently agreed to pay Abramovich $51.23 million in legal costs.

Berezovsky also ran up $365,898) in costs in a legal battle with his former partner, Elena Gorbunova, with whom he had two children.

Berezovsky’s colourful past is likely to prompt intense speculation about his death – he was paranoid about plots against his life, and in 1995 he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt that decapitated his driver.

His lawyer told Russian state television that he had been informed by contacts in London that Berezovsky had killed himself.

“Berezovsky has been in a terrible state as of late. He was in debt. He felt destroyed,” said Dobrovinsky. “He was forced to sell his paintings and other things.”

However, the oligarch’s friend Demyan Kudryavtsev firmly denied that Berezovsky had killed himself.

“No! This is not so!” he was quoted as saying by the Prime news agency in Russia.

“Nobody knows this. There are no external signs of a suicide. There are no signs that he injected himself or swallowed any pills. No one knows why his heart stopped.”

Born January 23, 1946, in Moscow, Berezovsky trained in forestry and worked as an academic for nearly two decades before becoming one of the super-rich oligarchs who dominated Russia in the 1990s.

Berezovsky’s power peaked after he helped Boris Yeltsin become president in 1996, but his subsequent help for Putin to take over after Yeltsin proved his undoing.

The fast-talking Muscovite with a taste for the high life became a key target of Putin’s crackdown on the oligarchs’ political independence and he fled to Britain, where he won political asylum in 2003 and from where he became a vocal Kremlin critic.

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

Police can set Tasers on children in Australia

A 13-year-old boy from Casino claims police used a Taser on him during an arrest. Police deny the claims. Picture: Jane Hanson

 

POLICE are free to use Tasers on children as young as 10, against the explicit warnings of the manufacturer of the device.

Stun guns have been deployed 149 times against juveniles in NSW since 2008 with the youngest offender just 10 years old.

Nearly half of the juveniles were under 17, one quarter were under 16, 18 were under 15 and six under 13.

Anna Brown, a solicitor with the Human Rights Law Centre, said the death of Brazilian student Roberto Laudisio Curti, who was 21 when he died after being hit by numerous Taser shots in February last year, highlighted the fact Tasers can be deadly and called for police to enact stricter controls on their use on children.

“We are talking about weapons that are highly dangerous and there should be extreme limitations and warnings when it comes to certain groups like young people, the elderly and pregnant women,” Ms Brown said.

Police confirmed there was no reference to Taser use on juveniles in standard operating procedures.

“In short, the Taser can only be discharged in accordance with the criteria for use,” a police spokesman said.

“This relates to the nature of the threat as opposed to the age of the person involved. There are no specific age restrictions.”

Police Minister Michael Gallacher confirmed through a spokesman he supported police in their use of Tasers on juveniles. “We have some of the strongest best-practices in the world with regards to Tasers,” the spokesman said. “It is hard to ask age when someone is running at you with a knife.”

Taser International, the manufacturer of the device, warns in the product manual that Tasers can cause “physiological and/or metabolic effects that may increase the risk of death or serious injury,” and that use near the chest of children can cause extra heartbeats, or cardiac capture, which can be fatal and more likely in children due to their size.

Taser International also advises Taser use on a “pregnant, infirm, elderly, small child, or low body mass index person could increase the risk of death or serious injury”.

A 13-year-old boy from Casino claims police used a Taser on him in an arrest for an alleged car theft on February 5 – a claim denied by police.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told The Sunday Telegraph he felt a shock and fell over as he tried to run away. “I felt a big shock into my body and I couldn’t walk after that,” he said.

Police took the boy to his mother’s home at 2am after the alleged Tasering.

Police said Tasers were not deployed at all on the day in question.

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

Dinosaur stolen from Canberra museum

Pic: tripadvisor

A large statue of a Utahraptor was stolen from outside the National Dinosaur Museum in Canberra’s north between Thursday and Friday.

The missing brown, striped dinosaur is 1.6m tall and 3m long.

Police are calling for witnesses or anyone with information about the dinosaur’s whereabouts to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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

Angry tourists say they were left ‘swinging in the breeze’ after the Kuranda Skyrail attraction failed on Saturday

ANGRY tourists on their return to the Skyrail terminal after a power cut kept them stranded in gondolas for more than four hours. PIC: Brian Cassey

OPERATORS of the Skyrail cable-car attraction near Cairns have been criticised for leaving tourists “swinging in the breeze” for hours after power was cut to the popular tourist attraction.

Approximately 54 sightseers sat suspended along the line for more than four hours yesterday afternoon after a fallen tree damaged the electrical control equipment around 4.20pm Saturday and crippled the cableway.

One cableway was back online within an hour and the other with 54 stranded tourists came back on at 8.25pm.

Visibly upset passengers, some arguing loudly with Skyrail staff, trickled back through the main terminal from about 9.30pm.

US tourist Sue Tempero said it was a terrifying ordeal.

“It was scary,” she said.

“We were stuck for five hours. It was cold, dark and it was raining hard. It was just like being stuck in a lift except you are hundred feet up in the air.”

She criticised Skyrail for a lack of communication.

However, a pair of honeymooning Mexican tourists said they didn’t mind the delay.

“We had a lot of time on our hands,” said Cinthya Prieto

“We did what all couples on honeymoon do. “Why not?”

She said she now had a story to tell.

“It was an adventure. I trusted everything would be okay. We had a great time. I thought we might have had to sleep there. I could have stayed up there all night.”

The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway experience is a 7.5km-long journey over ancient rainforest, Red Peak and Barron River Falls near Kuranda in the state’s far north.

It is usually a 2.5 hour round trip but a fallen tree crashed the entire Skyrail control system about 4.20pm yesterday.

It left 54 tourists – including the lovestruck couple – stuck in their gondolas up to 40m high in places until the cable way came back online about 8.20pm last night.

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

Violent Kiwi Sonny Naea, 20, deported to NZ after released from jail for assaults on taxi and delivery drivers

Sonny Naea, 20, claimed an accident four years ago involving his mother had inspired some of his six assaults on people who were simply going about their jobs.

He claimed to police that whenever he saw a taxi he thought about how his mother had been hit by a cab and had her legs broken in 2009, a tribunal has heard.

Naea was sentenced to two years and 10 months in jail in 2010 for assaulting and stealing from a pizza delivery driver, a taxi driver and a student at a bus stop, and assaulting a person at a fast-food outlet.

A month later he was sentenced to three years jail for robbing and assaulting two taxi drivers while on parole.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal heard that Naea told police that he punched the pizza delivery driver five to six times.

In December last year, the Queensland Parole Board decided that Naea could only be released on parole if he was to be deported.

The tribunal heard that Naea migrated to Australia with his family at the age of 10 and had been in custody, apart from a short parole period, since he was 17 years and eight months.

On Wednesday, AAT senior member Graham Kenny affirmed an Immigration delegate’s decision to cancel his visa, mainly because of the serious nature and frequency of his offending.

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