Ntaganda transfered to ICC custody

CONGOLESE warlord Bosco Ntaganda has been transferred to the custody of the International Criminal Court, where he is expected to face trial on war crimes charges.

Ntaganda - wanted by the ICC since 2006 and accused of recruiting child soldiers, organising sexual slavery and murder - walked into the US embassy in Kigali this week and asked to be transferred to the court in The Hague.

"Bosco Ntaganda is currently escorted by an ICC delegation that has left Kigali heading to the ICC detention centre in The Hague," the ICC said in a statement, noting that he is the first person to voluntarily surrender to the court.

Neither Rwanda nor the United States are parties to the ICC treaty, but they have pledged to co-operate with the court on Ntaganda's case.

Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwanda's foreign minister, also confirmed that the man known as "The terminator" was on a flight to Europe.

US embassy officials said he had left their compound in the care of an ICC delegation.

Analysts say that the 40-year-old Congolese militant handed himself in out of desperation, after his fighters suffered heavy losses.

His M23 rebel group, which operates out of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, split last month and his faction lost a series of heavy battles, forcing its leadership and fighters to flee to neighbouring Rwanda.

Rwanda and Uganda deny accusations by UN experts that they have violated arms sanctions and given key support to M23 in the past year.

The group is accused of carrying out serious abuses in the volatile east of the massive central African country.

Much of the fighting in eastern DR Congo is over the control of natural resources - including cobalt, used in mobile phones, and copper - and trade routes.

The only person tried and convicted at the ICC is Congolese man Thomas Lubanga, 52, who last year was found guilty of using child soldiers.

Lubanga and Ntaganda were in the same umbrella political grouping during the Congolese civil war, which ended in a fragile peace in 2003, though the east of the country is still home to numerous armed groups.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Italian marines arrive in India for trial

TWO Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen have returned to India after assurances that they would not sentenced to death if convicted.

Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were expected to report to a police station in New Delhi's diplomatic area before being taken to the Italian embassy, diplomatic officials said.

The marines arrived on a military plane accompanied by Italy's Deputy Foreign Minister Staffan de Mistura, NDTV said.

The marines were deployed on an Italian oil tanker when they allegedly shot the fishermen off the coast of Kerala in February 2012 after mistaking them for pirates.

India's Supreme Court last month allowed the marines, who were on bail awaiting trial, to travel to Italy for four weeks to vote in the general elections.

Italian ambassador Daniele Mancini had given a personal assurance to the Supreme Court that the marines would return in four weeks.

A diplomatic row followed after the Italy said on March 11 the marines would not return.

It said India had no jurisdiction to try the marines given the incident took place in international waters.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned Italy of "consequences" if the marines did not return and the Supreme Court ordered the Italian ambassador not to leave the country.

The Italian government did a turnaround and decided to send back the marines within the timeline set by the court.

"We clarified to Italy that if the marines comply with the Supreme Court's order and come back, they will not be arrested," Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said during a press briefing.

"We clarified to Italy that the nature of the alleged incident is such that there will not be death sentence in this case," Khurshid added.

In India, murder is rarely punished by death.

The Italian deputy foreign minister said on Thursday that the marines would be staying at the Italian embassy and would be free to move around New Delhi.

Indian politicians lauded the return of the marines as a victory.

Italian media have criticised the government's turnaround.

"In any case, we want to bring home the marines. It must be clear that our effort does not end here," Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata said in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt protesters storm Brotherhood office

A GROUP of men have stormed a Muslim Brotherhood office in the Egyptian capital, ransacking it and assaulting some of the group's members, the movement's spokesman says.

The attack on the office came as hundreds of protesters clashed with police and Islamists outside their main headquarters in another Cairo neighbourhood.

The Islamist group's spokesman Ahmed Aref said the men assaulted women in the office who were holding an event commemorating Mothers' Day, and then forced them into bathrooms before they destroyed the office's contents.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Refugee camp fire kills 30 in Thailand

THIRTY people have been killed and many wounded when a fire broke out in a camp in northern Thailand housing refugees from neighbouring Myanmar (Burma), Thai officials say.

"The fire destroyed 100 makeshift houses," an interior ministry official said.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Schoolgirl missing in west Sydney

POLICE are searching for a young girl who didn't return home after school in Sydney's west.

Police said Bella Roko, 11, was last seen leaving her school on John Batman Avenue, in Werrington County about 2pm Friday.

Police have not been able to locate her on Friday night, and the girl's family are concerned about her welfare.

She's described as being of Caucasian and Pacific Islander appearance, about 150cm tall, with olive skin, a thin build, and brown hair and eyes.

She was last seen wearing a white hoodie and black jeans.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Helicopter prison escapee close to release

A CONVICTED armed robber who in 1999 escaped from a Sydney prison by helicopter is reportedly on the verge of being released from jail.

Fairfax Media reports that John Reginald Killick appeared before a NSW State Parole Authority hearing at Parramatta Court on Friday, having served time for an armed robbery in 1999.

Killick reportedly said his life of crime had come to an end because he was no longer suffering from a chronic gambling addiction.

in 1999, Killick made a dramatic escape from Silverwater prison when his lover at the time, Lucy Dudko, hijacked a helicopter during a joyflight over Sydney, and ordered the pilot to land on the prison's sports oval to pick up Killick.

The helicopter then flew off as jail officers fired at the aircraft and fellow inmates cheered.

The pair spent about 45 days on the run before being captured by police at a Sydney caravan park.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic govt should consider sell-off: VECCI

THE Victorian government could sell off state-owned assets such as sporting grounds and public housing estates to fund key projects such as the East West Link road and Melbourne Metro rail tunnel, a business lobby group says.

The Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) has also urged the coalition government to consider taking on more debt, as long as the state's triple-A credit rating is preserved.

Executive policy manager Steven Wojtkiw said new ways of financing infrastructure such as the East West Link and Melbourne Metro rail tunnel must be examined, including selling off under-used public land.

"It's really about exploring some new options or approaches to potentially raise some additional money for the government in what is a very tight fiscal context," he told AAP as VECCI launched its May budget submission.

"We've mentioned some of the sporting precincts. There is potentially also surplus public land that's yet to be released."

Mr Wojtkiw said one option would be the privatisation of public housing commission sites.

"That obviously brings with it some social and equity issues for the wider community to discuss," he said.

Treasurer Michael O'Brien has vowed he won't use his first budget to go on a "debt-fuelled spending binge", stressing the importance of maintaining the state's triple-A credit rating.

Mr Wojtkiw said there were plenty of examples of countries, including Singapore, Canada and Germany, that maintained solid credit ratings while lifting net debt.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbas tells Obama no talks without freeze

PALESTINIAN president Mahmoud Abbas has told US President Barack Obama there can be no talks with Israel without a freeze on settlement construction.

"A resumption of negotiations is not possible without an Israeli settlement freeze in the West Bank and east Jerusalem," Abbas's political adviser Nimr Hammad quoted him as telling Obama during a two-and-a-half-hour meeting.

"Abbas, during his meeting with Obama, was very clear, telling him that settlement construction was an obstacle on the path to peace and to the resumption of talks, and that this was not possible without a settlement freeze," Hammad said.

Obama met Abbas in Ramallah in the West Bank on Thursday as part of a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The US president condemned Israel's ongoing settlement building as unhelpful to the pursuit of peace.

"We do not consider continued settlement activity to be constructive, to be appropriate, to be something that can advance the cause of peace," he said in a joint news conference with Abbas.

But Obama dodged a question about pushing for a freeze on settlement construction, simply saying: if each party "is constantly negotiating about what's required to get into talks in the first place, then we're never going to get to the broader issue, which is how do you eventually structure a state of Palestine."

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wild winds and tornado hit Victoria

TEN people have been hospitalised after a tornado swept across Victoria's northeast and fierce winds lashed the rest of the state.

Roofs have been ripped off houses and buildings damaged as the tornado hit about 8pm (AEDT) on Thursday, an SES spokesman said.

The tornado swept along Murray river townships near Bundalong, Rutherglen and Yarrawonga.

The SES fielded 60 calls for help in the region with 10 people hospitalised for injuries.

It comes as strong winds felled trees and damaged buildings across Victoria.

The spokesman said the greatest trauma risk was from falling buildings and roofs.

"It becomes dangerous and deadly debris," he said.

While the weather appeared to be a tornado, authorities had not yet officially confirmed it, the spokesman said.

"It definitely has tornado-like patterns. Certainly that's what it looks like," he said.

He said powerlines in the area are likely to be down.

SES volunteers have responded to more than 750 calls across the state since midnight on Wednesday amid wind gusts exceeding 100km/h.

Strong winds had hit Healesville, Nunawading and outer eastern metropolitan Melbourne, but the damage has been widespread.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

US stocks drop on concerns about Europe

US stocks have opened lower on growing concerns about the European economy and the Cyprus crisis.

Five minutes into trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 64.29 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 14,447.44.

The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 7.46 points, or 0.48 per cent, to 1,551.25.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index sank 20.15 points, or 0.62 per cent, to 3,234.04.

Markets were on edge over the continuing crisis in Cyprus, after the European Central Bank warned it may halt emergency funding for the tiny island-nation's banking system unless policy makers clinch a bailout deal by Monday.

A fall in the Markit eurozone purchasing managers index, to 46.5 in March from 47.9 in February, also reinforced the worries over the region's economy.

"The concern is that the downturn has gathered pace again," said Markit's chief economist Chris Williamson.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rosneft completes $54bn TNK-BP takeover

RUSSIA'S state oil giant Rosneft has completed a $US56 billion ($A54 billion) acquisition of the British and Russian stakes in the TNK-BP joint venture.

"Congratulations on the completion of this deal," President Vladimir Putin told Rosneft chief Igor Sechin at a special ceremony at the Kremlin chief's suburban Moscow residence.

"In my opinion, this was a very successful deal," news agencies quoted Putin as saying.

The takeover's terms allow BP to acquire up to 20 per cent of Rosneft's shares and give the British group an additional $US17 billion in cash.

Rosneft completed the all-cash acquisition of the Russian stake held by four Soviet-born tycoons earlier in the year.

The state-owned company says that TNK-BP's takeover makes Rosneft the world's largest public oil company by production and reserves.

TNK-BP - Russia's third-largest oil company - was hit by years of infighting between its British and Russian owners though it has generated around $US19 billion in dividends for BP since the company's formation in 2003.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Irish economy grows by 0.9% in 2012

IRELAND'S bailed-out economy grew by 0.9 per cent in 2012 but stagnated in the final quarter of last year, official figures show.

"Preliminary estimates indicate that GDP (gross domestic product) in volume terms increased by 0.9 per cent for the year 2012," said a statement from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Thursday.

"This is the second year in succession in which GDP showed an increase over the previous year following three years of declines ... during 2008 to 2010."

The annual figure was in line with the eurozone country's own government forecast.

The Irish economy meanwhile recorded zero growth in the fourth quarter of last year, compared with the previous three months, according to the CSO.

It managed to grow by 1.4 per cent in 2011 after it was rescued by an 85 billion euro ($A106 billion) bailout from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union in late 2010.

Ireland, once known as the 'Celtic Tiger' economy for its double-digit growth spanning a decade from the mid-1990s, has contracted sharply in recent years, hit by soaring state debt, a property market meltdown, the global banking crisis and surging unemployment.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyprus fails to win Russia's help

CYPRIOT Finance Minister Michalis Sarris has failed to win assistance from tough-bargaining Russia after his island's rejection of an EU bailout that would have slapped a painful levy on bank accounts.

Sarris met his Russian counterpart Anton Siluanov before holding talks with First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov about a possible new Moscow loan.

Cyprus also hopes to ease the terms of a 2.5 billion euros ($A3.13 billion) loan Moscow afforded Nicosia in 2011 that matures in 2016.

"We had a very good beginning. We had a very good, honest and open discussion," Sarris told reporters after his meeting with the Russian finance minister.

But a Russian government source told AFP a second round of talks with Shuvalov - a close aide to President Vladimir Putin who oversees the financial sector - produced no results.

Sarris has vowed to stay in Moscow until some agreement is reached that could help his country's banks avoid bankruptcy and the island from going into default.

Russian news reports said the talks would continue in Moscow on Thursday.

"It makes sense for Russia to extend the loan, but at what price - these are the things they are discussing now," said Renaissance Capital's chief economist Ivan Tchakarov.

The visit comes a day after furious Cypriot MPs flatly rejected a highly unpopular measure that would have slapped a one-time fee of up to 9.9 per cent on bank deposits over 20,000 euros as a condition for an EU-led 10-billion-euro bailout loan.

The European Commission said on Wednesday any new Cyprus bailout must ensure its debt burden is sustainable - a signal it expects the island to raise the remaining 5.8 billion euros believed necessary.

Cyprus badly needs the money in part to recapitalise its banks, which took a bruising in the Greek debt crisis.

Their collapse would leave the country bankrupt and in danger of going into default.

That in turn would put immense pressure on the eurozone and once again put the future of the single currency in doubt.

Cyprus is now scrambling for a Plan B that includes the option of turning to Russia.

Russians - many of them wealthy tycoons seeking to avoid taxes back home - have $US31 billion ($A30.05 billion) in private and corporate cash deposited in the island's teetering banks.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russian MP urged to quit over speech

A RUSSIAN parliamentary ethics committee has censured a high-profile young opposition MP and urged him to quit after he delivered a speech in the United States criticising President Vladimir Putin.

"The State Duma ethics committee has stripped Dmitry Gudkov, a lawmaker with A Just Russia faction, of the right to speak publicly at plenary sessions for one month and also proposed that he make a public apology and hand in his mandate," the ruling United Russia party said.

"This decision has been taken following an inquiry by all four parliament factions into Gudkov's trip to the United States," the party, which controls the Russian parliament, said in a statement.

In early March, Gudkov, 33, travelled to Washington where he gave a speech at a forum organised by Freedom House, a pro-democracy group funded by the US government and private groups.

In the speech, delivered in English, he lambasted "repressive methods of Putin and his minions", and called on Washington to help expose corrupt officials in Russia by providing information on their accounts in Western banks.

Gudkov, who regularly speaks at opposition rallies, is refusing to quit.

Writing on his blog, he said it was not the first prompting by pro-Kremlin MPs for him to hand in his mandate.

"As always, I will answer them: only after you, gentlemen!" he said.

The entire State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, was expected to address Gudkov's behaviour later this week at a plenary session, a Duma spokeswoman said.

Dmitry Gudkov's father, Gennady Gudkov - who is also a vocal member of the anti-Kremlin opposition - was expelled from the parliament in September over allegedly conflicting business interests.

Both men were expelled from their left-leaning party, A Just Russia, earlier this week due to their opposition activities.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

US oil output to surpass import

THE US will become a net oil exporter late this year as domestic crude production surpasses imports for the first time in 18 years, the Energy Information Administration says.

Helped by a surge in shale-based output in North Dakota and Texas, monthly crude production has pushed past seven million barrels a day and could reach eight million barrels a day by the beginning of 2014.

Imports had dropped below eight million barrels a day and should fall below domestic output by the end of 2013, the EIA said.

The EIA said based on current projections, by the end of 2014 the US could be producing two million barrels a day more than it imports, a huge turnaround in the country that, until China passed it just recently, was the world's largest oil importer.

The "unconventional" recovery of oil from dense rock strata like shale has driven a leap in domestic production in the past three years.

Average production rose from 5.5 million barrels a day for the full year 2010 to 6.5 million last year and is projected to average 7.3 million this year.

Imports have fallen from 9.2 million barrels in 2010 to a forecast average of 7.6 million for this year.

Meanwhile, Andarko Petroleum announced on Tuesday it had made a major discovery in deepwater Gulf of Mexico with its Shenandoah-2 well.

The company did not make an estimate on the size of the reserves in the new field, but said it had "the potential to become one of the most prolific new areas in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico."

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tens of thousands join British strike

AT least 95,000 civil servants have gone on strike in Britain, closing courts and museum galleries in a dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions timed to coincide with the government's annual budget.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union claimed almost 200,000 of its members joined the one-day walkout, although the government put the figure at 95,000.

Up to 200 people joined a rally outside parliament as Finance Minister George Osborne was delivering his 2013 budget, where he pushed ahead with his austerity program despite stagnant growth.

Ahead of the strike, designed to kick-off a three-month program of action, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka warned that the government's policy of cutting public spending was not working.

"Civil and public servants are working harder than ever to provide the services we all rely on but, instead of rewarding them, the government is imposing cuts to their pay, raiding their pensions and trying to rip up their basic working conditions," he said.

Picket lines were set up outside government offices across the country, while job centres and courts were forced to close or reduce services because of a lack of staff, the union said.

The Tate Liverpool and the National Museum of Scotland shut for the day, while other museums including the National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum in London had to close galleries.

"We believe the turnout is 78 per cent of our 250,000 members," a PCS official said.

"We're getting reports from all over the country that job centres and courts are being shut down."

However, the government minister with responsibility for public servants, Francis Maude, said the number of strikers was far lower.

"I can reassure the public that we are keeping essential services open. Our rigorous contingency plans are in place across all sectors and as a result there has been minimal impact on public services," Maude said.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Law reform package passes NSW Parliament

LAW reforms aimed at making criminal trials more efficient have passed through NSW Parliament.

In a statement, the government said the reform package, which passed parliament on Wednesday night, was a key part of its fight against organised crime.

The first tranche of the reforms allows juries to draw adverse inferences from silence in certain circumstances, according to the statement from Police Minister Michael Gallacher and Attorney General Greg Smith.

The second part mandates that both sides in criminal trials must follow a timetable for disclosing material before trials begin.

The legislation was opposed by Labor and the Greens.

Mr Smith said a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights found "similar laws in the UK were consistent with the right to a fair trial".

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

3000 Afghan troops, police killed in year

ALMOST 3,000 Afghan police and soldiers have been killed in the past 12 months, nearly the same as the number of NATO deaths in Afghanistan in the past 11 years of war, Kabul says.

In statistics marking the end of the lunar year in Afghanistan, the interior and defence ministries said 2,983 security personnel - 1,800 police and 1,183 soldiers - lost their lives from March 2012 to March 2013.

According to the independent website, icasualties.org, 3,270 coalition troops, including 2,190 Americans, have died since the invasion started in late 2001.

Afghan police and soldiers have been set up and trained by NATO to take on increasing responsibility for security as NATO combat troops gradually withdraw from the country by the end of 2014.

Today numbered at 330,000 and due to reach a target of 352,000, they have been increasingly targeted by Taliban insurgents fighting to evict the Western-backed administration in Kabul.

"It is a pity but understandable why we have witnessed such a huge loss of life and increase in ANSF (Afghan security force) casualties since they started taking responsibility from international troops," said analyst Jawed Kohistani.

"Given the fact that there has not been any effective strategy from the Afghan defence or interior ministries to deal with Taliban guerilla warfare tactics, we can expect more loss of life."

In 2012, 402 NATO members died in Afghanistan, the lowest number since 2008.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pregnancy eating disorders revealed

ONE in 14 women have an eating disorder in the first three months of their pregnancy, according to British research.

A survey of more than 700 pregnant women by University College London (UCL) found a quarter were "highly concerned about their weight and shape".

Two per cent of those questioned were found to fast, exercise excessively, induce vomiting, and misuse laxatives or diuretics to avoid gaining weight during pregnancy.

The study - funded by the National Institute for Health Research - also found one in 12 pregnant women said they would overeat and lose control over what they ate twice a week.

Dr Nadia Micali, from the UCL Institute of Child Health, who led the study, said: "There is good evidence from our research that eating disorders in pregnancy can affect both the mother and the developing baby.

"Greater awareness of eating disorders and their symptoms amongst antenatal health care professionals would help to better identify and manage such disorders amongst pregnant women."

The researchers have called for women to be screened for eating disorders at their first antenatal check-up due to the adverse affects on the health of the mother and the baby.

Writing in the European Eating Disorders Review, they warned that many pregnant women with eating disorders are currently being left untreated.

Dr Abigail Easter, also from the UCL Institute of Child Health, added: "Women with eating disorders are often reluctant to disclose their illness to healthcare professionals, possibly due to a fear of stigma or fear that health services might respond in a negative way.

"Typical pregnancy symptoms such as weight gain and vomiting can also mask the presence of an eating disorder. Many women with eating disorders may therefore go undetected and untreated during pregnancy."

About 1.4 million women nationwide suffer from eating disorders, around four per cent of the female population.

The women answered an anonymous questionnaire at their first routine antenatal scan, which asked about their eating habits in the six to 12 months before becoming pregnant.

Any symptoms were assessed during the first three months of their pregnancy.

22.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Carr says he was sourced incorrectly

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Bob Carr says he has been sourced incorrectly in a newspaper article about Labor ministers losing faith in Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday that Senator Carr has told colleagues that he lost confidence in Ms Gillard some time ago.

The report stated that the senator was disenchanted and angered by the Prime Minister's handling of two policy decisions.

One was Australia's vote on giving UN observer status to the Palestinians and the other was her decision not to give the cabinet notice that it was going to discuss media policy last week.

But Senator Carr sent out a statement less than two hours after the article was published online, saying it was wrong.

"An article in today's Age and Sydney Morning Herald makes comment on the ALP leadership," Mr Carr said in a statement early on Tuesday morning.

"The views attributed to me in this article are incorrect and no comment was sought from my office."

A

22.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope eschews tradition with silver ring

POPE Francis has eschewed tradition and chosen a silver Fisherman's Ring rather than a gold one - and one designed decades ago rather than created specifically for him, the Vatican said Monday.

The gold-plated silver ring, one of the papal symbols that the new Pope will receive during the inauguration mass on Tuesday, is modelled on a ring designed by Italian sculptor Enrico Manfrini, who died in 2004, for Paul VI.

"The ring is designed by Manfrini, who created several religious works and it was presented to the Pope by the master of ceremonies who had received the model from one of Paul VI's secretaries," said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi.

Nicknamed "the Popes' sculptor", Manfrini designed religious objects for several pontiffs, including Pius XII, Paul VI and John Paul II.

The simple ring, customarily worn on the pontiff's right hand, depicts a bearded and haloed St Peter holding a pair of keys - an emblem of the papacy which captures the moment Peter was given the keys to heaven.

It was chosen by Francis out of three ring models presented to him, Lombardi said.

"I don't know if the ring was used by Paul VI. The design stems from that period but it is not physically the same ring. The original ring was melted down but this is a ring based on the same design."

The Fisherman's Ring originally served as both a symbol of the papacy and a seal, but these days the Pope has a separate seal with which to mark documents.

There had been a lot of speculation over what sort of ring Francis would choose, following his decision to reject the papal gold cross necklace for his own simpler one at his first appearance after his election.

"It is not the first time that a pope has chosen to have a ring made of silver," Claudio Franchi, the Roman goldsmith who crafted the elaborate ring worn by Francis's predecessor, Benedict XVI, told AFP.

"It is quite unusual, however, to use a ring which already exists or has been made based on a design which already exists," he said.

The Vatican also unveiled the coat of arms and motto Francis will use - the ones he used as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

The coat of arms shows three symbols on a blue background: at the top, a sun with the letters IHS in the middle - the logo of the Jesuit Society - and underneath a five-point star and a lily, symbolising the Virgin Mary and St Joseph.

The Latin motto beneath the crest is "miserando atque eligendo" - which refers to a Bible passage showing Jesus Christ's "mercy" in choosing Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his disciples.

"The motto recalls Pope Francis's personal vocation and he wanted to keep it," Lombardi said.

22.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Web pioneers win Queen's engineering award

FIVE engineers who helped create the internet have been awarded a $US1.5 million ($A1.46 million) prize, which British organisers hope will come to be seen as equivalent to a Nobel prize for engineering.

Robert Kahn, Vinton Cerf and Marc Andreessen of the United States will share the first ever Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering with Louis Pouzin of France and Tim Berners-Lee of Britain.

"The emergence of the internet and the web involved many teams of people all over the world," said Alec Broers, chair of the judging panel.

"However, these five visionary engineers, never before honoured together as a group, led the key developments that shaped the internet and web as a coherent system and brought them into public use."

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who gives her name to the prize, will present the award to the winners in a formal ceremony in London in June.

Organisers said Kahn, Cerf and Pouzin had made "seminal" contributions to the design and protocols that make up the fundamental architecture of the internet.

Berners-Lee invented the world wide web, the information-sharing system built on top of the internet which allows us to use it in the way we do today.

Andreessen, meanwhile, created the first widely used web browser, Mosaic.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates was among those who pushed for the inaugural prize to be granted to internet pioneers.

"It would be difficult to point to any significant human endeavour that has not been touched profoundly through the invention and deployment of the internet," he said.

"We are living today in only the beginning of the transformations that will come through this enabling technology."

Around a third of the world's population use the internet today, according to UN figures.

The Queen Elizabeth Prize was created last year in a bid to boost the industry's profile and give greater recognition to the revolutionary impact it has on people's lives.

22.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

US stocks fall on renewed eurozone fears

US stock markets opened sharply lower on Monday amid concerns that the controversial Cyprus bailout could reignite the eurozone crisis.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gave up 97.55 (0.67 per cent) to 14,416.56.

The broad-based S&P 500, which last week appeared poised to break its all time record, declined 14.92 (0.96 per cent) to 1,545.78.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index declined 34.36 (1.06 per cent) to 3,214.71.

The requirement that the 10 billion euro ($A12.62 billion) bailout include a tax on deposits in Cyprus banks has stirred anger and worries that go well beyond the tiny island nation.

"There is heightened concern that this bailout plan will force a run on banks, particularly in troubled peripheral countries, as other depositors worry about the potential of being hit with a similar tax on deposits in the future," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.

"The structure of the bailout deal has opened a whole new can of worms, inviting talk of a possible Cyprus exit from the eurozone and reinvigorating concerns about the eurozone debt crisis," O'Hare added.

22.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld Health fraudster to be sentenced

THE man accused of fleecing $16 million from Queensland Health will be sentenced on Tuesday.

Joel Barlow, 37, is alleged to have defrauded the government department of millions of dollars while working there between 2007 and 2011.

Barlow, through his lawyer David Shepherd, indicated late last year that he would plead guilty.

He is in custody and due to face a Brisbane court on Tuesday.

22.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cash bonus plan for Vic jail operators

VICTORIAN jail operators could get up to $40,000 for each prisoner who stays on the straight and narrow for two years after their release.

The Herald Sun says bonuses are likely to be offered to the operator of the planned Ravenhall Prison and rolled out in the private jails at Port Philip and Fulham if the scheme is a success.

Corrections Minister Andrew McIntosh told the paper the bonus scheme is among a a number of options being discussed with potential private jail operators.

"The government is certainly willing to listen to and think about innovative suggestions to improve the way Victoria's prisons run," Mr McIntosh said.

The idea behind the bonuses was to encourage operators to focus on better rehabilitation programs and greater support for prisoners after their release.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fifth French soldier killed in Mali

A FRENCH corporal has been killed tracking down jihadist fighters in their northern Mali mountain bastions, bringing to five the number of French deaths since the January 11 military intervention, officials say.

France's Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the 24-year-old soldier was killed and three of his comrades wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb blast in the Ifoghas mountains.

Alexandre Van Dooren was "taking part in a search and destroy mission targeting terrorist weapons caches south of Tessalit" near the Algerian border, Le Drian said in a statement on Sunday.

According to army sources, two of the wounded were in serious condition.

With its special forces and aerial firepower, the French military took only days to reconquer the main cities in northern Mali, which al-Qaeda's North African franchise and its allies had controlled for nine months.

But the bulk of jihadist fighters moved north to fight from their remote mountain strongholds and France has admitted that flushing them out was the most perilous phase of its involvement.

President Francois Hollande's office paid tribute to the French forces involved in "the final and most difficult phase of their mission" in Mali.

Hollande has already said he planned to scale back French military presence in the former colony as early as next month and start handing over responsibility to Malian troops and an African stabilisation force.

The AFISMA force set up by regional bloc ECOWAS has been slow to deploy however. It needs funding and training.

France has said plans for a UN peacekeeping force, believed to potentially number as much as 10,000 troops, were afoot and could start deploying in June.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prince Harry hits town with girlfriend

PRINCE Harry and his girlfriend Cressida Bonas have spent a night out together in London a month after their much-publicised hug on a Swiss ski slope.

Britain's Sunday Daily Star declared on its front page that the Friday night drinks proved "She's the one".

The tabloid splashed photos of the pair leaving reggae bar The Rum Kitchen in Notting Hill.

"Friday night was her (Ms Bonas's) biggest test as the couple faced photographers after hitting several London nightspots," the newspaper stated.

"Dance student Cressida passed with flying colours."

The Mail on Sunday reported Prince Harry, 28, and Ms Bonas, 24, headed straight to The Rum Kitchen's basement nightclub where they drank rum cocktails and danced.

"They looked very much like a couple," the UK tabloid reported one onlooker as saying.

"They were very affectionate. They were hugging and they kissed a few times."

The pair reportedly left separately just after 1am on Saturday morning London time.

Prince Harry's well-documented embrace with Ms Bonas at the Swiss ski resort of Verbier in February led one royal correspondent to note at the time he'd declared his love "in an unprecedented public display of affection".

The third-in-line to the royal throne split with former flame Chelsy Davy in 2010. He was first linked with Ms Bonas in mid-2012.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Somalia frees rape interview journalist

SOMALIA'S Supreme Court has freed a reporter imprisoned for interviewing a woman who alleged she had been raped by soldiers, in a case that has sparked widespread international criticism.

Supreme Court judge Aidid Abdulahi Ilkahanaf said the charges had been dropped and the court "has given journalist Abdiaziz Abdinuur his freedom back".

Both Abdinuur and the woman were initially sentenced to a year in prison for "offending state institutions". But all charges were dropped against the woman earlier this month, while Abdinuur's sentence was halved.

His release, following more than two months' incarceration and after an appeals court ruled he must remain in jail, came as a surprise to many.

The 25-year-old reporter walked out of the courtroom offering prayers of thanks for his release and thanking those who had supported him.

"I'm very happy that I got my freedom back, I thank those who worked in this process that helped my release including my lawyers", he said.

Abdinuur was detained on January 10 while researching sexual violence in Somalia, but did not air or print a story after interviewing the woman.

He was also found guilty of "making a false interview, and entering the house of a woman whose husband was not present".

The court had initially deemed the woman's story to be false after a midwife conducted a "finger test" to see if she had been raped, which Human Rights Watch (HRW) said was an "unscientific and degrading practice that has long been discredited".

When she was sentenced, the woman was allowed to defer her prison term for six months to breastfeed her infant.

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said at the time he was "deeply disappointed" over the case.

Abdinuur works for several Somali radio stations and international media outlets.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alstom India boss rescued from kidnappers

THE India head of French multinational engineering group Alstom has been rescued over the weekend hours after being kidnapped near New Delhi, police say.

Police said Rathin Basu was abducted by a group of five men, at least one of whom was armed, late on Friday.

The kidnappers forced him to stop his car and pushed him into their white Camry in Delhi's satellite city of Noida before driving to the northern town of Meerut, said Meerut senior superintendent of police Deepak Kumar.

"We sent out 70 policemen to map the area from Noida to Meerut and after a firefight with the kidnappers, we finally found Mr Basu around 4am on Saturday," Kumar told AFP.

The executive, reportedly in his 60s, was found handcuffed in a small and dingy room, police said.

Kumar said a shopkeeper in Noida is thought to have masterminded the kidnapping. "He was in financial trouble and thought this would help, so he sent his servants and his drivers to do the job," the officer said.

The shopkeeper is being questioned by Noida police, after officers found phone records showing several overnight calls made by the alleged kidnappers to him during the incident.

Basu's family received no demands for ransom during that period, Kumar said.

Three of the five men involved in the kidnapping have been arrested on charges of abduction and attempted murder.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

I hope baby is a boy, Kate reveals

THE Duchess of Cambridge has told a soldier she would like her baby to be a boy as she attended a St Patrick's Day parade at a military barracks.

But Kate, who is five months pregnant, said the Duke, who attended the event with her, would prefer to have a girl.

Ahead of watching the parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire, the duchess suffered an embarrassing mishap when the heel of one of her shoes became stuck in a drain.

Kate, who showed patriotic spirit in the same green Emilia Wickstead dress coat she wore to the event last year, had to lean on William while she pulled it out with her hand.

Afterwards, the royal couple chatted to soldiers from the 1st Battalion Irish Guards in the Guardsmens' cookhouse.

Guardsman Lee Wheeler, 29, said: "I was talking to her about the baby, of course.

"I asked her 'do you know if it's a girl or boy', and she said 'not yet'.

"She said 'I'd like to have a boy and William would like a girl'. That's always the way.

"I asked her if she had any names yet and she said no.

"I said I suppose you've got to stick to traditional names."

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More