Southwest China floods kill 44

FLOODING in southwestern China over the past week has left 44 people dead and 18 missing, and has caused massive damage to housing and crops, the Civil Affairs Ministry says.

CONSTANT heavy rain beginning on August 31 has caused widespread destruction in Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, as well as the mega-city of Chongqing, where all but one of the deaths occurred and all of the missing were reported.

The ministry said 121,700 people had been moved to temporary shelters and put the number of collapsed or heavily damaged houses at 42,000.It estimated total damage at more than 3.3 billion yuan ($A577.77 million).Southwestern China's mountainous terrain increases the chances of landslides brought on by the loosening of rain-saturated hillsides.Seasonal rains cause major flooding around China almost every year.The worst in recent history was in 1998, when 4150 people died, most of them along the Yangtze River, China's mightiest.The massive Three Gorges Dam has largely contained Yangtze flooding, but the problem persists in other parts of the country apart from the arid northwest.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

US man held after Aust credit card fraud

Family lost in rubble of city horror

IT was a devastated John O'Brien who returned to grapple with the reality that the smoking rubble in front of him was his own home.

NSW

• 1 video
  • Sydney shop blaze - still a rescue mission 1:15

Terrible cost of Sam's one bad decision

SAMANTHA Enright, a popular Year 11 student from the coastal hamlet of Skennars Head, made a fateful decision that cost her life in Wednesday's tragic north coast fatal accident

NSW

• 1 video
  • Highway smash 2:07

Gang's every move under surveillance

A SUSPENDED police officer and his two co-accused had allegedly been staking out a money exchange business for three weeks.

NSW

• 1 video
  • Police officer arrested 1:57

'Big man' Barry back in the box

FELLED premier Barry O'Farrell is set to make a dramatic return to ICAC next week he was identified as "the big man".

NSW

• 1 video
  • Gallacher at heart of fund-funnelling 2:10

Fatherly love gives courage to mayor's cause

NEVER being able to walk his beautiful daughter down the aisle was a reality Bansktown mayor Khal Asfour didn't think he could face.

NSW

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Liberia Ebola patients 'lying in street'

DOZENS of residents have fled their homes after visibly ill Ebola patients were refused entry to an overcrowded isolation centre in Liberia's capital Monrovia, local newspaper Front Page Africa reports.

SIX Ebola patients had been dropped off by government ambulances and taxis in front of a quarantine centre in Monrovia's Paynesville neighbourhood.

But when the centre did not have capacity to admit them, they were left lying on the street, residents said.Some patients were vomiting and urinating, according to witnesses."I spotted them through the window. I came outside (and) when they tried come near me, I ran away," resident Betty Zamay was quoted as saying.Community leader Anthony Kpahn said Paynesville residents were living in fear and called on the Liberian government to address the issue.Health workers eventually arrived to disinfect the area.Liberia is the country most affected by the Ebola outbreak, reporting more than 200 cases a week for the past three weeks, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).The country has a severe lack of health workers, equipment and facilities to treat patients.The number of deaths from the Ebola epidemic has now surpassed 2100 in West Africa, the organisation said.In addition to 2097 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, eight people died in Nigeria, where the outbreak is limited.The WHO has counted 3944 suspected and confirmed cases in the hardest-hit countries, 23 in Nigeria and one in Senegal.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Push to return forensic teams to MH17 site

Tony Abbott will discuss the Malaysia Airlines disasters and counter-terrorism in Kuala Lumpur today Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA and Malaysia have signalled their intention to send investigators back to the MH17 crash site in war-torn eastern Ukraine before winter.

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott and his counterpart Najib Razak on Saturday agreed to intensify their efforts to recover any human remains still at the crash site and return them to their loved ones.

Australian investigators were forced to suspend their search in August as fighting around the crash site intensified.It was envisioned they would return but a timeline was never set.But there could be fresh urgency to get forensic experts back on the ground, with Mr Najib declaring they'd need "at least a few weeks" to scour the vast impact zone for any remaining evidence."We intend to send our teams to the crash site as soon as possible," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur following a meeting with Mr Abbott."We are very, very keen to re-enter the crash site, especially before winter sets in."Both leaders agreed that obtaining further evidence from the site would be crucial for building a criminal case to punish those responsible for the attack.Australia has pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of arming the separatists in eastern Ukraine suspected of downing the passenger plane.Nearly 300 people - including 38 Australian citizens and residents - were killed when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in July.The first bodies of the Australian victims from the tragedy arrived back home earlier this week.Mr Abbott said it was likely there were still human remains at the crash site and the families of those who died deserved justice and closure."We want to be absolutely confident that everything has been done to ensure that no one is left untended and alone," he said.Mr Abbott also provided an update on the next phase of the Australian-led search for missing plane MH370, due to begin in a fortnight.It's been six months since the plane disappeared without a trace and exhaustive search efforts in the Indian Ocean have so far turned up nothing.Earlier in the day he thanked Malaysian officials in person for their "courage and resilience" dealing with the twin disasters.The two leaders also discussed the rise of terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, with Mr Najib emphatically condemning Islamic extremism.Mr Abbott will return home on Sunday after a three-day trip to India and Malaysia.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hospital bombing kills 18 in Iraq

EIGHT newborns were among 18 civilians killed when Iraqi warplanes hit a hospital in the northern town of Hawija, which is controlled by Islamic State militants.

AT least 16 people were also wounded in the bombardment on Friday, a hospital official told independent Iraqi website Alsumaria News.

The hospital building was heavily damaged, while the premature baby ward collapsed, according to the report."Local residents helped in retrieving the bodies from the rubble and transporting the wounded to a nearby hospital," the official added on condition of anonymity.There was no official comment.Hawija is located near the oil-producing city of Kirkuk, around 250 kilometres north of the capital Baghdad.The Islamic State seized Hawija in June, when its forces captured huge areas in northern Iraq.Iraqi and Kurdish troops, backed by air cover, have in recent weeks wrested back several towns from the Sunni extremist group.Ten NATO allies and partners agreed on Friday to form a coalition to fight Islamic State.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama to delay immigration action

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has decided to delay any executive action on immigration until after the November congressional elections, abandoning his pledge to act on the issue by the end of summer.

THE move is certain to infuriate immigration advocates while offering relief to some vulnerable Democrats in tough Senate re-election contests.

Two White House officials said on Saturday that Obama had concluded that circumventing Congress through executive actions on immigration during the campaign would politicise the issue and hurt future efforts to pass a broad overhaul.The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the president's decision before it was announced, said Obama made his decision on Friday as he returned to Washington from a NATO summit in Wales.They said Obama called a few allies from Air Force One and informed them of his decision, and that the president made more calls from the White House on Saturday.The officials said Obama had no specific timeline to act, but that he still would take his executive steps before the end of the year.In a Rose Garden speech on June 30, Obama said he had directed Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder to give him recommendations for executive action by the end of summer.Obama also pledged to "adopt those recommendations without further delay".

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Downey Jr, wife talk babies at film fest

ROBERT Downey Jr and his wife Susan walked the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival with a future family member in tow.

THE Iron Man actor wryly noted the couple's upcoming baby was already hitting her first red carpet. His producer wife said "she'll be around in the next couple of months".

The couple has worked on numerous films including Iron Man 2, and the Sherlock Holmes series but their latest collaboration is pretty special.Their new film, The Judge, was holding its world premiere as the 10-day festival's opening film.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ceasefire could allow MH17 access: Bishop

Joan a veteran of the nip and tuck

THE great and tragic irony of Joan Rivers' death is that it hasn't come after yet another cosmetic surgery but after what may have been a mundane outpatient procedure, writes Annette Sharp.

Chessie's just a down-to-earth girl

HER famous uncle and grandfather battled with their weight but Francesca (Chessie) Barham, at just 19 years of age, is taking action against genetics with her own personal trainer.

Target unveils new Missoni range

TARGET is banking on Aussie families falling in love with Italian fashion and homewares, with the launch of its new collaboration with Missoni.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada to send military advisers to Iraq

CANADA is sending dozens of military advisers to Iraq as part of an effort to bolster Iraqi forces against Islamic militants.

PRIME Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday they will join the US in advising Iraq on how to enable security forces in the northern part of the country to be more effective against the threat posed by the group that calls itself the Islamic State.

Harper, in a statement from the NATO summit in Wales, said the group was a real threat to regional security and to the people of Iraq."Left unchecked, ISIL is also a direct threat to Canada and its Allies," Harper said, using one of the acronyms for the group."The deployment of members of the Canadian Armed Forces is a concrete measure to deter the murderous rampage of ISIL and respond to the humanitarian crisis it has caused."Canada's initial deployment will be for a period of up to 30 days and will be reassessed after that time.US Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes tweeted the "US welcomes PM Harper's announcement that Canada will send military advisers to Iraq as part of our effort to support Kurdish forces."Canada's contribution is in addition to the two Canadian military cargo planes that are ferrying weapons to Kurdish fighters.Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird visited the front lines in Iraq this week. The Harper government said opposition leaders in Canada are being briefed on this decision.Canada's former Liberal government refused a request to send troops when the US invaded Iraq in 2003, straining ties between the two neighbours. Canada then stepped up its mission in Afghanistan as part of an effort to repair ties with Washington.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scientists close in on eco-friendly sheep

SCIENTISTS have moved a step closer to developing a breed of sheep that belches less methane as part of a quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, New Zealand researchers say.

A STUDY by scientists from New Zealand's AgResearch institute and the US Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute, published in the journal Genome Research, discovered microbial differences in sheep that have high or low methane emissions.

"The study used the large sequencing and data analysis capabilities of the Joint Genome Institute to look at the occurrence, abundance and expression of methanogen genes between low and high methane-emitting sheep identified from flocks in New Zealand," said AgResearch scientist and project leader Dr Graeme Attwood.Methane is produced in a part of the stomach called the rumen, by microbes called methanogens.The release of methane gas from New Zealand's 30 million sheep, as well as emissions from cattle, account for almost one third of the country's greenhouse gas emissions.The differences revealed by the international team may help define the methane trait in sheep and assist in the selection of low-methane flocks in future.The study is part of a programme that aims to breed sheep for New Zealand farms which are low methane-emitters but maintain their ability to reproduce, as well as retaining or improving their meat and wool production.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola infected missionary heading to US

A missionary infected with Ebola while serving in Liberia has been sent to the US for treatment. Source: AAP

A MISSIONARY infected with Ebola while serving in Liberia is being flown to a US hospital for treatment.

OFFICIALS at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha say Dr Rick Sacra, 51, will begin treatment in the hospital's special isolation unit, believed to be the largest in the US.

Sacra served with the charity SIM. Its president, Bruce Johnson, says Sacra is receiving excellent care at a centre in Liberia, but the Nebraska facility provides advanced equipment and treatment options.Sacra went to Liberia after hearing that two other missionaries were sick.He was infected by the virus that has killed about 1,900 people.He's the third American aid worker infected by Ebola. The first two - Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol - have recovered since being flown to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for treatment.Dr Phil Smith, medical director of the Omaha unit, and several other doctors who head the team for the biocontainment unit, have repeatedly said Sacra's transfer to the US poses no public threat.Ebola is transmitted through close contact with an infected person.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aussie dies surfing in Indonesia

A SECOND Australian has died surfing in Indonesia in as many months, as the search for another missing man continues.

FRIENDS of the latest victim found him floating in the surf, about 100 metres from the shore at Sorga Beach, in Lombok, on Friday morning, local police say.

The 54-year-old was "very weak" when he was helped from the water and taken to a local clinic where he died a short time later."We suspect he was hit by a harsh wave," police chief Arif Budiman said.The man had been staying in the area for three days, he said.His death comes after Australian Peter Luke, 27, died after being hit by a huge wave on a remote beach on the island of Sumbawa last month.Mr Luke, originally from Warrnambool in Victoria, was surfing five-metre waves when his friends lost sight of him, and eventually found his body on a nearby reef.Meanwhile, on Nusa Lembongan, a small island just off the coast of Bali, the search continues for missing Queenslander Peter Maynard.The father-of-three from Noosa on the Sunshine Coast was last seen on August 27.His family, who arrived on the island on Friday, believe he went for a surf on that morning.Police say the conditions that day were relatively calm.

22.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

India a threat to no one: Abbott

Prime minister Tony Abbott will pay his respects to the victims of Mumbai's 2008 terror attacks. Source: AAP

TONY Abbott has defended a foreshadowed agreement to sell uranium to India, describing the South Asian nation as a "model citizen" with peaceful ambitions.

THE prime minister is expected to sign a long-awaited nuclear safeguards agreement with his counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on Friday.

The deal would allow Australia to start shipping its abundant reserves of uranium to the subcontinent, which is struggling to meet its vast energy needs.It's a controversial move because India has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which ensures uranium is used for civilian energy purposes and not weapons.But Mr Abbott said it signalled trust with the "world's emerging democratic superpower"."India has an absolutely impeccable non-proliferation record," he told reporters in Mumbai on Thursday."India has been a model international citizen. India threatens no one."But when asked how Australia could guarantee India used its uranium as promised, Mr Abbott declared: "It's not our job to try to tell India how to conduct its internal affairs."The Australian Greens condemned the deal, warning uranium wasn't any ordinary commodity."It is a strategic mineral and a trade that Australia should be getting out of," Greens senator Scott Ludlam said in a statement.Australia's refusal to sell uranium to India has been a sore point between the nations for years.Former prime minister John Howard first gave in-principle support to the idea, but Kevin Rudd promptly rescinded the agreement once elected to the office.It was Julia Gillard during her tenure who convinced Labor in 2011 to overturn its ban on uranium sales to India, and negotiations for a safeguards deal began the following year.India already buys almost $5 billion worth of Australian coal every year, but is keen to supply more of its energy needs from its 21 nuclear reactors.The Abbott government wants to capitalise on trade opportunities with the new administration of Mr Modi, who made energy security a key plank of his reform platform.Two-way trade with India is worth $15 billion - about one-tenth of that conducted with China, Australia's top trading partner.Mr Abbott has confessed that Australia hasn't invested enough time and energy in the subcontinent compared with the markets of North Asia."Our attention was elsewhere," he told reporters in Mumbai."Just think what could be achieved between Australia and India if there had been the same focus here as there has been there."He brought a top business delegation to India's financial capital Mumbai to explore new trade and investment opportunities with Australia's fifth biggest export market.The government's top trade priority still remains, however, a free trade deal with China, which it's confident will be inked by the end of the year.Mr Abbott will begin the official bilateral phase of his visit in New Delhi on Friday.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bishop receives rare Dutch distinction

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has been awarded a rare Dutch foreign ministry order of merit for her work helping secure access to the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine.

MS Bishop was presented with the medal by her Dutch counterpart Frans Timmermans during a brief meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Wales on Thursday.

It's just the eleventh time the order has been granted and Ms Bishop is just the third woman to receive it."Julie Bishop did a marvellous job this summer," Mr Timmermans said before pinning the medal on the Australian foreign minister's jacket."She helped the Netherlands, she helped Europe, she helped me personally to tackle one of the most difficult situations the Netherlands has ever had to face."The Dutch foreign minister said that together the pair, through the UN Security Council, convinced the world "that we should be allowed to repatriate the victims and their belongings".Without Ms Bishop's "brilliant interventions" the countries wouldn't have succeeded, Mr Timmermans added.Ms Bishop, who is now officially a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said she was touched and honoured to receive the medal "on behalf of the people of Australia".The first call the foreign minister took after Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was downed in mid-July - aside from her own staff and Australian journalists - was from Mr Timmermans."From that moment we resolved we would work together and do whatever it took to retrieve the bodies and commence an investigation," Ms Bishop said at the Celtic Manor golf resort in Newport.The foreign minister was honoured as Dutch air crash investigators announced they will release on Tuesday a preliminary report into what brought down flight MH17, killing 298 passengers."The preliminary report will present factual information based on sources available to the Dutch Safety Board," investigators said in a statement.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dyson launches robot vacuum cleaner

DYSON has launched its first robotic vacuum cleaner that owners can control via an app and which has a 360-degree "eye" to navigate itself around a room.

THE Dyson 360 Eye is the product of 16 years of research and uses infrared sensors and a panoramic camera lens on top of the machine to triangulate its position and plot its path with the help of landmarks like bookshelves and chairs.

The camera takes up to 30 images of the room every second and means the machine can constantly establish where it is, where it has been and where it still needs to clean.The machine has 20 to 30 minutes of battery life and manoeuvres around on tank-like tracks that can take it over small obstacles, meaning users can set it going via their smart phone while commuting, in the office or on holiday and come home to a clean house.Dyson follows Miele, Samsung and LG into the sector, but the company claims its use of a 360-degree camera that can see all around the room at once is unique and says the machine has the most powerful suction of any robot vacuum on the market.Its machine is powered by a V2 Dyson digital motor and uses the company's Cyclone technology to separate dust and dirt, capturing particles down to 0.5 microns - or 600 times smaller than a standard typed full stop.The brush bar, which extends to full width of the machine, uses patented carbon fibre technology to remove fine dust on hard floors and has stiff nylon bristles to agitate and clean carpets.Dyson said there were more than 420 patents and patent applications worldwide relating to technology used in the robot.The company is not yet revealing the price of the 360 Eye, but the vacuum will go on sale in Japan in the northern spring next year and in the UK in the summer.Dyson said the 360 Eye, known until now as Project N223, followed STG28 million ($A51.11 million) worth of research and development by a team of more than 200 Dyson engineers.Algebra, probability theory, geometry and trigonometry combined to create the "eye" of the machine, taking 31 software engineers more than 100,000 hours to create the navigation system.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

India a threat to no one: Abbott

TONY Abbott has defended a foreshadowed agreement to sell uranium to India, describing the South Asian nation as a "model citizen" with peaceful ambitions.

THE prime minister is expected to sign a long-awaited nuclear safeguards agreement with his counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on Friday.

The deal would allow Australia to start shipping its abundant reserves of uranium to the subcontinent, which is struggling to meet its vast energy needs.It's a controversial move because India has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which ensures uranium is used for civilian energy purposes and not weapons.But Mr Abbott said it signalled trust with the "world's emerging democratic superpower"."India has an absolutely impeccable non-proliferation record," he told reporters in Mumbai on Thursday."India has been a model international citizen. India threatens no one."But when asked how Australia could guarantee India used its uranium as promised, Mr Abbott declared: "It's not our job to try to tell India how to conduct its internal affairs."The Australian Greens condemned the deal, warning uranium wasn't any ordinary commodity."It is a strategic mineral and a trade that Australia should be getting out of," Greens senator Scott Ludlam said in a statement.Australia's refusal to sell uranium to India has been a sore point between the nations for years.Former prime minister John Howard first gave in-principle support to the idea, but Kevin Rudd promptly rescinded the agreement once elected to the office.It was Julia Gillard during her tenure who convinced Labor in 2011 to overturn its ban on uranium sales to India, and negotiations for a safeguards deal began the following year.India already buys almost $5 billion worth of Australian coal every year, but is keen to supply more of its energy needs from its 21 nuclear reactors.The Abbott government wants to capitalise on trade opportunities with the new administration of Mr Modi, who made energy security a key plank of his reform platform.Two-way trade with India is worth $15 billion - about one-tenth of that conducted with China, Australia's top trading partner.Mr Abbott has confessed that Australia hasn't invested enough time and energy in the subcontinent compared with the markets of North Asia."Our attention was elsewhere," he told reporters in Mumbai."Just think what could be achieved between Australia and India if there had been the same focus here as there has been there."He brought a top business delegation to India's financial capital Mumbai to explore new trade and investment opportunities with Australia's fifth biggest export market.The government's top trade priority still remains, however, a free trade deal with China, which it's confident will be inked by the end of the year.Mr Abbott will begin the official bilateral phase of his visit in New Delhi on Friday.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman found beheaded in London garden

A WOMAN has been found beheaded in a back garden in north London.

THE victim was found at an address in Nightingale Road, Edmonton, just after 1pm local time on Thursday.

Scotland Yard gave few details but said a man had been arrested after police were called to reports of a stabbing incident."On arrival officers discovered a female collapsed in a garden area."A man has been detained and remains in custody."At this very early stage we are not in a position to give further details."There is no suggestion that the killing had any terrorist motive following the recent beheadings of two US journalists in Syria by Islamic jihadists.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Better selfies with new Microsoft phone

MICROSOFT will seek to draw more people to its internet-based services with two new mid-range smartphones, including one designed to help people take better selfies.

BOTH devices it unveiled on Thursday are under the Lumia brand Microsoft bought from Nokia.

They run the latest version of Windows Phone 8 and feature Cortana, a Siri-like voice assistant available to help with directions, calendar appointments and messages.Many of those interactions will steer users to Microsoft services such as Bing search and OneDrive storage.Microsoft bought Nokia's phone business in April as it seeks to boost Microsoft's Windows Phone system, which has had little traction compared with Apple's iPhones and Google's Android system.Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has made mobile phones and internet-based services priorities for the company as its traditional businesses - Windows and Office software installed on desktops - slow down or decline.Microsoft used the IFA technology show in Berlin to announce the new Lumia 730 and 830 phones.The handsets won't have all the technical advances found in Microsoft's pricier flagship, the Lumia 930 phone, which is known as the Lumia Icon in the United States.The 730's rear camera takes 6.7 megapixel shots, while the 830 is 10 megapixels.By contrast, the 930 phone is at 20 megapixels, one of the highest in a smartphone.But the 730, in particular, will have features designed for better selfies.The front camera used for selfies will be 5 megapixels, higher than the 2 megapixels found in the 830 and many other phones.For even better shots, it'll be possible to take selfies with the rear camera.Users won't be able to see themselves on the screen, but an app called Lumia Selfie will use face-detection technology and beeps to guide users on where to hold the camera.Samsung's upcoming Note phones will have a similar feature, along with software to stitch multiple shots on the front camera to fit more people in.The 830 has a 5-inch screen, measured diagonally, and supports 4G LTE cellular networks. It will cost about 330 euros ($A470).The 4.7-inch 730 will cost 199 euros.It will have 3G connectivity and slots for two SIM cards, an important feature in emerging markets where wireless plans vary widely such that users switch services often to get the best deals.A 4G version will be known as the 735 and will cost 219 euros. That will have just one SIM slot.The new phones will start shipping in September, though not necessarily right away in all markets.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More