Diberdayakan oleh Blogger.

Popular Posts Today

Football codes urged to tackle concussion

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 16 Maret 2013 | 21.29

AUSTRALIA'S football bosses have been urged to review their concussion management guidelines to protect players from long-term damage.

Alzheimer's Australia NSW released a series of recommendations in a discussion paper on Sunday, asking the four major football codes to take a serious look at the way they manage head injuries.

The paper asks the codes to consider changing the rules of their game to better protect junior players.

Alzheimer's Australia NSW chief executive John Watkins said there was growing evidence of links between concussion and the development of brain injuries and dementia.

Players must be aware of the potential risks of later-life cognitive impairment and dementia from multiple concussive injuries, he said.

It was also critical to ensure younger players were adequately protected.

The paper called for Australian research into a degenerative brain illness known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which had affected dozens of former American football players.

Australian Medical Association NSW president Professor Brian Owler said he was pleased with the progress made by football codes.

"Encouraging the football codes to do more to minimise the risks and allow players with suspected concussions sufficient recovery time is only sensible," he said.

Former AFL star Greg Williams said last month he had significant gaps in his memory of his playing days, which he attributed to the heavy knocks he copped.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyprus shellshocked over eurozone bailout

RESIDENTS of Cyprus have reacted with shock after the government agreed to a 10 billion euros ($A12.62 billion) bailout that includes an unprecedented levy on all bank deposits.

The debt rescue package, agreed with the eurozone and International Monetary Fund early on Saturday morning after around 10 hours of talks in Brussels, is significantly less than the 17 billion euros Cyprus had initially sought.

It includes 5.8 billion euros to be raised through the bank deposit levy of up to 9.9 per cent, which will apply to everyone from pensioners to Russian oligarchs and tens of thousands of British expats.

At the same time, a "withholding tax" would be imposed on interest on bank deposits, and Cyprus will have to hike corporate tax to 12.5 per cent from 10 per cent and sell off state assets to help balance the public finances.

Though it was reached too late for Cyprus newspapers the bailout deal prompted some to queue up outside banks to withdraw cash from ATMs.

But analyst Sony Kapoor cautioned that there was no point, tweeting: "Dear Cyprus bank depositors, the time to line outside ur banks was last week, no point now."

A flood of angry comments flowed on the internet.

"The Cyprus deal is exactly why I don't keep money in the bank anymore. Brussels can commandeer your cash. Just like that," one person wrote on Twitter.

Government spokesman Christos Stylianides tried to calm shell-shocked Cypriots saying: "The situation is serious but not tragic, there is no reason to panic."

The levy will see deposits of more than 100,000 euros hit with a 9.9 per cent charge when lenders reopen their doors after a scheduled public holiday on Monday. Under that threshold and the levy drops to 6.75 per cent.

Co-operative bank branches, which, unlike the main lenders, usually open for business on Saturdays, kept their doors closed as their systems were shut down, officials said.

One furious customer reportedly parked his digger outside one such branch in the seaside resort of Limassol, claiming the government had "tricked" him into believing deposits were safe.

Cyprus - which accounts for just 0.2 per cent of the combined eurozone economy - is the fifth country to secure a debt rescue package from its eurozone partners in the three-year debt crisis.

The price tag is very small compared with two rescues for Greece worth some 380 billion euros, Ireland's 85 billion euros, Portugal's 78 billion and 41 billion for Spanish banks.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tense Zimbabwe votes on new constitution

ZIMBABWEANS have voted on a new constitution that would pave the way for crucial elections in a country plagued by political violence.

Voters are expected to roundly back the text, which would introduce presidential term limits, beef up parliament's powers and set elections to decide whether 89-year-old Mugabe stays in power.

Mugabe has ruled uninterrupted since the country's independence in 1980, despite a series of disputed and violent polls and a severe economic crash propelled by hyper-inflation.

The new draft constitution is part of a internationally-backed plan to get the country back on track. It is supported by both the veteran president and his political nemesis Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

But that has not prevented incidents of violence as activists keep one eye on the general election slated for July.

Shortly before polls in the constitutional referendum opened on Saturday, gunmen - later identified as plainclothes police detectives - seized a member of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change from his home southeast of Harare.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told AFP Samson Magumura had been arrested on charges of attempted murder in connection with a recent firebomb attack that injured a Mugabe ally.

But MDC Finance Minister Tendai Biti said police could not confirm where Magumura was being held.

As he cast his vote on Saturday, Mugabe, whom many blame for past unrest, urged Zimbabweans to ensure the referendum proceeded peacefully.

"You can't go about beating people on the streets, that's not allowed, we want peace in the country, peace, peace."

Mugabe also used the opportunity to castigate the West, vowing they would not be allowed to monitor the upcoming general election.

"The Europeans and the Americans have imposed sanctions on us and we keep them out in the same way they keep us out," he said.

Casting his ballot, Tsvangirai expressed hope that a positive outcome would help catapult the country out of a crisis that has been marked by bloodshed and economic meltdown.

"I hope it sets in a political culture where we move from a culture of impunity to a culture of constitutionalism," he said.

Official results of the referendum are expected to be released within five days of the vote.

The new constitution would for the first time put a definite, if distant, end date on Mugabe's 33-year rule.

Presidents would be allowed to serve two terms of five years each, meaning that, elections permitting, Mugabe could rule until 2023, by which time he would be 99-years-old.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Anglican leader to skip pope inauguration

THE new leader of the world's Anglicans, Justin Welby, will miss the inauguration of Pope Francis next week as he will be on a "pilgrimage of prayer", his residence has announced.

Welby, who became Archbishop of Canterbury last month, will be represented at Tuesday's inauguration mass at the Vatican by Britain's Archbishop of York, John Sentamu.

"Dr Sentamu will travel to Rome on the Archbishop of Canterbury's behalf on Monday in time for the celebrations the following day," Lambeth Palace said on Saturday.

Welby, leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans, will meanwhile be continuing a "journey in prayer" which he started last Thursday.

The tour encompasses five cities and six cathedrals in his province of Canterbury, which covers southern England.

On Saturday the journey took Welby to London, where he stopped to pray at various locations including St Paul's Cathedral.

A statement on his website said anyone was welcome to join the journey.

"Gather in the morning, pray for the whole day, or drop in whenever you have time," it said.

Welby's own official enthronement ceremony takes place next Thursday at Canterbury Cathedral.

Cardinal Kurt Koch will represent the new pope at Welby's enthronement.

Welby, a former oil executive, takes over as Archbishop of Canterbury from Rowan Williams, who led the Anglicans for the last decade.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Reporter detained in China live on TV

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 15 Maret 2013 | 21.29

A JOURNALIST and his camera operator have been detained in Tiananmen Square live on British television, in what he described as a surreal but telling episode about reporting in China.

Viewers of the 24-hour British channel Sky News on Friday were treated to the bizarre sight of reporter Mark Stone being directed into a police van live from Beijing.

He reported live from inside the van, admitting that the Chinese officials with him - one them filming Stone herself - probably did not realise he was speaking directly to London.

"Still in the police van, should be leaving in just a second for this rather surreal experience, which gives you a little insight into what can happen sometimes" in China, Stone said.

The team were then taken into a room where they were told to await questioning.

"We were here in Tiananmen Square filming, doing lives (live reports) through the day; now they've stopped us because of one word. We were talking about the 1989 protest, they didn't like that," Stone said.

The square is a popular tourist site near the regime's nerve centre and the scene of 1989 democracy protests that were crushed by the Chinese authorities.

A police officer was filmed asking the Sky team to switch off their camera, saying they were now inside the Forbidden City and did not have permission to film there.

Stone, who was in Beijing reporting on China's leadership transition, said the police had been "utterly civil" throughout the incident.

While they had permission to film in the square, Stone said police told him the team were not displaying their passes correctly, and noted he was not carrying his passport as required.

China's foreign ministry insists that press censorship does not exist in the country, but journalists report the constant threat of interference from government officials.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vatican rejects Argentina junta claims

THE Vatican has rejected claims that Pope Francis failed to do enough to protect two priests kidnapped and tortured by Argentina's military junta, saying he had in fact helped save lives.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first pope to hail from Latin America, has been criticised by leftist critics for his actions during Argentina's "Dirty War" in which 30,000 people died or disappeared from 1976 to 1983.

His role in the arrest of two young Jesuits, Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics, who were taken to a notorious torture centre by the brutal right-wing junta, has come under intense scrutiny.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi on Friday said: "There has never been a credible, concrete accusation against him. The Argentinian justice system ... has never charged him with anything."

He said the campaign against Bergoglio was "well known" but claimed it was defamatory and aimed at discrediting the Church.

"The accusations come from parts of the anti-clerical left to attack the Church and must be denied," said Lombardi, insisting that Bergoglio "did a lot to protect people during the dictatorship" when he was not yet a bishop.

Bergoglio himself has always denied any involvement in the case, and even says he intervened with the head of the junta, Jorge Videla, to beg for them to be freed. The two men were released after five months.

The newly-elected pontiff, who is also the first Jesuit pope, earlier urged the troubled Catholic Church that he has inherited not to succumb to "pessimism" and to find new ways of spreading the faith.

"Let us not give in to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day," he told an audience of the world's cardinals on his third day in office.

In a reference to the declining number of worshippers in many parts of the world, he urged the cardinals to find "the courage to persevere and also to find new ways to bring evangelisation to the ends of the earth".

Francis, 76, said he and they were "elderly", but old age brought wisdom.

"Let us give this wisdom to young people like good wine that gets better over the years," he told the cardinals.

Francis hailed his predecessor Benedict XVI's historic resignation as a "courageous and humble act".

Benedict, who last month became the first pope to stand down for 700 years, had "lit a flame in the depth of our hearts that will continue to burn", he said.

Francis wore white papal vestments but also plain black shoes, not the red shoes favoured by his German predecessor, for the address in the ornate 16th-century Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican.

He has signalled he will lead a more simple papacy, stripped of the fineries enjoyed by his predecessors.

On Thursday, he gave a stark warning that the Church, wracked by scandal and Vatican infighting, risked becoming just another charitable organisation if it strayed from its true mission.

His inauguration mass will take place on Tuesday - a significant date in the Catholic calendar because it is the Feast of St Joseph, the patron saint of the universal church.

The new pontiff is also due to meet his predecessor, who has withdrawn to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, in the coming days.

The surprise election of the son of an Italian emigrant railway worker, who was considered a rank outsider before the cardinals began their confidential deliberations, has sparked hope for change in the Church.

His elevation is being seen as a nod to the Church's power in Latin America, which is home to 40 per cent of the world's Catholics. In Europe, its traditional power base, it is ageing and declining.

Projecting an image as a simple man of the people, the pope chose to name himself after St Francis of Assisi, the 13th century saint who shunned the riches of his family to devote himself to God and the poor.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he lived in a modest apartment rather than the official residence, and he has already made his mark in Rome with his informal style.

The Vatican revealed that following his election Francis had chosen to ride in a minibus with his fellow cardinals rather than the papal limousine. He also returned to his lodgings to pay his own bill.

With health always an issue surrounding new popes - John Paul I only lived for just 33 days after he was elected in 1978 - the Vatican confirmed that Francis had part of a lung removed as a boy, but insisted that he is in good health.

The pope faces the challenge of stamping his authority on the Vatican machinery and trying to bring back people in the West who are turning their back on Catholicism.

He must also confront the continuing fallout from the sexual abuse of children by paedophile priests stretching back decades.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Unborn wallaby caught on camera

IT'S a wallaby, but not like one you've ever seen.

Australian scientists have for the first time videotaped a wallaby fetus - just 1.5mm in size - inside its mother's tummy.

The scientists, from Melbourne University, used a high-resolution ultrasound to capture the footage of the tiny creature three days before its birth.

The fetus, which weighs about 400mg, can be seen making climbing movements in the video as it rehearses from the trip into its mother's pouch.

It can be seen in the video making climbing movements about three days before birth, practising to climb to the pouch.

Professor Marilyn Renfree, from Melbourne University, said she was stunned by the footage even though she was part of the team that got it.

"It's incredible," Dr Renfree told AAP by phone.

"You can actually see it, and you don't have to have a great knowledge of ultrasonography to be able to understand what you're seeing."

She said the video was a breakthrough because it meant small creatures could now be observed in utero.

"What it shows is that we can actually measure even tiny, tiny foetuses in mammals which, until the recent past, nobody has been able to do," she said.

"Because marsupials are such a different branch of mammals they inform us in many ways as to how we develop.

"If we want to study development, all we have to do is open the pouch and have a look at the little fella."


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Black Death' skeletons found under London

WORKERS building a new railway in London have unearthed 13 skeletons thought to be victims of the Black Death plague that swept through Europe in the 14th century.

The remains were dug up at Charterhouse Square in central London during excavation work for the city's STG15 billion ($A21.94 billion) Crossrail project.

Archaeologists believe the site could be the location of a plague cemetery described in medieval records, where up to 50,000 victims of the Black Death were buried.

The plague wiped out a third of Europe's population between 1348 and 1353.

"The depth of burials, the pottery found with the skeletons and the way the skeletons have been set out all point towards this being part of the 14th century emergency burial ground," said Jay Carver, Crossrail's lead archaeologist, on Friday.

"This is a highly significant discovery and at the moment we are left with many questions that we hope to answer.

"We will be undertaking scientific tests on the skeletons over the coming months to establish their cause of death, whether they were plague victims from the 14th century or later London residents, how old they were and perhaps evidence of who they were."

Records refer to a burial ground in London's Farringdon area, where Charterhouse Square is located, that opened in 1348.

The 13 skeletons were found over the last two weeks, laid out in two rows a few metres below road level.

They will be taken to the Museum of London Archaeology for laboratory testing and possibly carbon dating to try to establish their burial dates.

Scientists are hoping to use the skeletons to map the DNA signature of the plague, in research they hope could help combat modern diseases.

"Many biologists are researching ancient diseases in the hope of better understanding the modern ones," said Carver.

These are not the first skeletons found during the construction of London's Crossrail.

Archaeologists have already uncovered more than 300 skeletons dating from the 16th to 19th centuries, near the former site of the notorious "Bedlam" psychiatric hospital in east London.

The Crossrail line, under construction since 2009 and due to carry its first passengers in 2017, will run across London on an east-west route.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wild cyclonic weather to hit Lord Howe

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 14 Maret 2013 | 21.29

A tropical cyclone is expected to cause extreme winds and surf on Lord Howe Island. Source: AAP

A TROPICAL cyclone is expected to pass close by Lord Howe Island on Friday morning, lashing the island with damaging winds and surf, the weather bureau says.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said on Thursday night that the category two cyclone was tracking south in the northern Tasman sea, and would pass to the east of the Pacific island on Friday morning.

On its website, BoM said the island off the NSW coast could expect "damaging surf, heavy swells and abnormally high tides" through the rest of Thursday and Friday.

This included wind gusts up to 150km/h until the early hours of Friday, it said.

BoM advised that the cyclone would weaken as it passed by the island.

It also said heavy rain caused by the cyclonic conditions would probably cause flash flooding overnight.

Residents and holidaymakers on Lord Howe Island were being warned to bunker down as the cyclone approaches.

Luke Hanson, the manager of the largest guest lodge on the island, said the conditions were "scary" as the cyclonic winds headed for the island.

"This cyclone's a direct hit, this will be the first time we've been whacked by a category two," Mr Hanson told AAP by phone.

"Everyone's a bit nervous, we've been getting all the guests settled, they've all had an early dinner and gone to bed, and they're just going to ride out the night.

"They don't come to Lord Howe Island in March thinking they're going to get hit by a cyclone."

He said residents had been strapping down outside furniture and sandbagging in preparation for the weather to worsen overnight.

Meanwhile, a high seas weather warning has been issued for Tropical Cyclone Tim, which is currently about 500km east northeast of Cairns.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man's body found near Broken Hill

THE body of an elderly man has been found near Broken Hill in outback NSW.

Police said two elderly men, aged 81 and 78, went missing on Wednesday near Broken Hill after leaving the isolated mining town in a four-wheel drive.

Police told AAP on Thursday night that a search for the men was launched on Thursday, and the vehicle was located on Thursday.

One of the elderly men was found deceased near the vehicle while the other man was found alive, they said.

The 4WD may have become bogged, police said.

The ABC reports that the men were on a prospecting trip in a remote part of the region.

It also reports that the man who was found alive has been taken to hospital and is in a stable condition.

In a statement, police said the 4WD was found in remote country known as Euriowie, about 70km north of Broken Hill, about 1.45pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

Police say a report will be prepared for the coroner.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK, France prepared to arm Syrian rebels

FRANCE and Britain are ready to arm rebels in Syria, even without full support from the European Union, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says.

UK government sources said on Thursday that no decision had been taken to seek the lifting of the EU arms embargo on Syria, but "all options" remain on the table.

Prime Minister David Cameron hinted earlier this week that Britain could decide to ignore the arms ban and supply weapons to rebels fighting Bashar Assad's regime, telling MPs that he hoped the EU would act together if it became necessary, but "it's not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way".

Cameron is visiting Brussels for a summit with other EU leaders, but Downing Street said Syria was not expected to feature on the agenda.

It is understood that Britain wants to see what impact is achieved by the recent move to supply "non-lethal" assistance - including armoured cars, body armour and secure communications equipment - before further decisions are taken.

Fabius on Thursday suggested London and Paris could ask for an EU meeting planned for May to be brought forward, possibly to the end of March.

Speaking to France Info radio, Fabius said Britain and France were asking the Europeans to lift the arms embargo "so that the resistance fighters have the possibility of defending themselves".

If unanimous EU support for lifting the measure is lacking, the French and British governments would decide to deliver weapons, Fabius said, adding that France "is a sovereign nation".

"We must move quickly," he said.

Responding to Fabius's remarks, a UK foreign office spokesman said: "Our objective is clear - an end to the violence and a political transition to a more democratic Syria through a political solution.

"As it stands, the political track has little chance of gathering momentum unless the regime feels compelled to come to the negotiating table. They need to feel that the balance on the ground has shifted against them.

"The foreign secretary has been clear he hasn't ruled out any options for the future."


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Govt lets down defence victims: taskforce

THE head of a taskforce investigating alleged abuses in the defence force says he's disillusioned with the federal government's failure to act on claims - and thinks victims may be too.

DLA Piper taskforce leader Gary Rumble told a Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade hearing on Thursday that he was disappointed none of the matters raised in a 2012 report had been acted on.

Law firm DLA Piper was commissioned to examine abuse allegations following the Skype scandal at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in 2011 and uncovered 775 plausible abuse allegations across every decade since the 1950s. The earliest related to events in 1951.

"I am deeply concerned that the government's lack of action and decision last year may have distressed individuals who were hoping for some response to their specific issue (and) worn down the willingness of those who told their stories ... to continue to be involved," Dr Rumble said.

He said he was worried the lack of action would encourage perpetrators and potential witnesses to think they could escape punishment.

Dr Rumble said the taskforce had been directed to write a second report for the Chief of the Defence Force and Service Chiefs but only the defence minister, Stephen Smith, had seen it.

Mr Smith wrote to him saying it would not have been appropriate for anyone other than him to see the report.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Smith told parliament new complaints to the taskforce's hotline had been building steadily since it opened last November.

At March 4, there had been 1041 complaints.

Just over 780 were made by personal phone call and in voicemail messages, while 260 were sent by email.

Taskforce chairman, retired judge Len Roberts-Smith, told Mr Smith there was no realistic prospect of its work being completed within the initial 12-month term, so the government has agreed to a six-month extension, with the taskforce now due to conclude its investigations by the end of May 2014.

As well, there will be an end-of-May 2013 deadline for new allegations to be made.

The taskforce is examining individual allegations, which if sufficiently substantiated could allow victims to claim up to $50,000 in compensation.

It is also considering whether a full royal commission is needed to address outstanding allegations at ADFA in the 1990s and allegations of sexual and other abuse of naval cadets at the former navy training centre, HMAS Leeuwin, which operated from 1960-84.

The taskforce said it appeared the abuse at Leeuwin occurred in the 1960s and 1970s.

"Much of the alleged bullying and violence appears to have been unreported," Mr Smith said.

Shadow Defence Minister David Johnston slammed the federal government's "snail pace" response and the way in which Mr Smith has handled the issue as if it were an "afterthought".


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fourth Bulgarian man sets himself on fire

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 13 Maret 2013 | 21.29

A BULGARIAN man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire outside the presidency, authorities say, in the fourth such case in a recent wave of protests.

The 51-year-old man was hospitalised with 25 per cent burns after dousing himself with petrol and setting himself ablaze in the capital on Wednesday, the interior ministry said.

Three other men have died after self-immolating in an upsurge of public anger since last month against poverty and corruption in the European Union's poorest country. The protests forced the resignation of the government on February 20.

A caretaker technocrat government took office on Wednesday to run the country ahead of early elections on May 12 that polls suggest will return a highly fragmented parliament.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dementia hospital stays, costs up: study

DEMENTIA care models must be tweaked to stem rising costs and decrease hospital stay times, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) says.

A new study into the costs of caring for dementia patients and the amount of time they spend in hospital, Dementia care in hospitals: costs and strategies, was released by the AIHW on Thursday.

It found NSW public hospitals spent $462.9 million on dementia patients during 2006-2007.

The study, which assessed 21,000 sufferers who spent at least one night in the public system during 2006-2007 also found care was more expensive for those suffering from dementia.

For a person without dementia, the average cost of care was $5010 but this increased to $7720 for those afflicted with it.

"Providing care to people with dementia within a busy hospital ward can be challenging due to difficulties in communication and their often complex needs," AIHW chief David Kalisch said.

The report said recent estimations indicate a dementia patient will spend 16.4 days in hospital.

This compares to 8.9 for someone without dementia, an AIHW spokesman told AAP.

"There are a couple of major drivers for the increased length of stay," he said.

"People with dementia just because they tend to be older and more frail tend to have other things wrong with them which contributes to the longer stay."

As well as assessing the costs of caring for and the length of time dementia patients spend in hospital, the study also recommends several ways to improve outcomes.

"Our review suggests that the greatest potential benefits to patients lie in a combined approach by hospital, mental health, residential aged care and community services," Mr Kalisch said.

"Simple measures taken in the hospital setting that appear to reduce length of stay for dementia patients and improve outcomes include staff training, discharge planning, dementia-friendly ward adaptations, and mental health and ageing liaison services."


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tunisian MPs approve new government

TUNISIA'S MPs have approved a new government formed to pull the country out of a deep political and economic crisis, as an impoverished vendor died after setting himself alight.

Premier-designate Ali Larayedh's broadly based coalition of his own Islamist party Ennahda, two secular parties and independents received 139 votes, or 30 more than needed, in a parliamentary session broadcast on television.

Another 45 MPs voted against, 13 abstained and 20 were absent from the session, which ended with the singing of the national anthem and shouts of "loyal to the blood of the martyrs" of the January 2011 revolution that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Larayedh's success was overshadowed by the death of Adel Khadri, 27, who torched himself a day earlier and who medics said had died early on Wednesday as a result of severe burns.

Just before the vote, Larayedh commented on Khadri's death, calling it a "sad incident" and saying "I hope we understood the message."

Witnesses quoted Khadri as shouting: "This is a young man who sells cigarettes because of unemployment," before setting himself on fire in Tunis.

Officials said Khadri, from a very poor family in the northwestern locality of Jendoubam, had arrived in the capital a few months ago to look for work.

The number of people committing suicide or attempting to has multiplied since young street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire on December 17, 2010, in a drastic act of protest against police harassment.

His self-immolation in the town of Sidi Bouzid ignited a mass uprising that ousted Ben Ali the following month and touched off the Arab Spring uprisings.

Economic and social difficulties were the key factors that brought down Ben Ali's regime and two years since he fled to Saudi Arabia, unemployment and poverty still plague the North African country.

The economy was badly affected by the revolution, which paralysed the strategic tourism sector, although the country is out of recession and posted 3.6 per cent growth in 2012.

The unemployment rate is about 17 per cent, and is especially high among young graduates.

In addition to economic hardships, Tunisia is grappling with a political crisis exacerbated by the assassination last month of Chokri Belaid, a leftist opposition leader.

The country is still without a fixed political system due to a lack of consensus between the main parties.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greenland to get first woman PM

GREENLAND is set to have its first woman prime minister after the social democratic Siumut party won general elections on a vow to tax foreign mining companies, final results show.

Aleqa Hammond's party garnered 42.8 per cent of the vote compared to 26.5 per cent at the last election four years ago. Leftwing incumbent Kuupik Kleist's Inuit Ataqatigiit took 34.4 per cent compared to 43.7 per cent at the last election.

Hammond, whose party favours taxing foreign companies tapping the island's vast mineral wealth, said it was clear voters were dissatisfied with the current leadership.

"Too much secrecy surrounding mining projects and problems in the fishery sector, as well as a lack of construction outside Nuuk, determined the outcome," she told the online edition of weekly newspaper Sermitsiaq.

"We have taken difficult decisions in fisheries, raised rents to be able to afford the necessary renovations, and high unemployment has probably also played a role," Kleist said of the defeat.

Official turnout figures for the 40,000 island electorate were not immediately available.

Hammond only has to choose one other smaller party for a majority coalition. Negotiations for a new government are expected to take several days.

"I will now be talking to my board before deciding how to move forward," the 47-year-old party leader told reporters after her victory became official.

Siumut, which fought its election campaign mainly on changing royalty conditions for foreign mining companies wanting to extract rare earth and other raw materials from the potentially rich Greenland underground, is also looking for independence from Denmark for the autonomous territory.

Denmark currently provides 3.2 billion kroner ($A545.84 million) per year in subsidies to Greenland under an autonomy agreement that gives the country full control of its natural resources, while Denmark maintains control of foreign policy and defence.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rate of temporary work concerning: ACTU

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 12 Maret 2013 | 21.29

EDS: Not for use before 0001 AEDT Wednesday, March 13

CANBERRA, March 13 AAP - Australia has overtaken recession-hit Spain as the OECD country with the second-highest rate of temporary workers.

Empirica Research to be released on Wednesday at a national summit on jobs and society shows 27.9 per cent of work in Australia is temporary.

Only Chile has a higher rate of temporary work.

ACTU President Ged Kearney will open the National Community Summit with a speech outlining how workplace changes are threatening social cohesion.

"We have forgotten that the burdens of economic change do not fall equally, that the drive to a more efficient and flexible economy has hurt some people more than others and increased inequality," Ms Kearney will say.

The Empirica Research also found 55 per cent of respondents' greatest concern for the future was their children not having access to good jobs when they grow up.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Take or leave media reform, says Conroy

THE government's proposed media reforms are a "take it or leave it" package which, if not passed by the end of next week, will be dumped, says Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

Senator Conroy said there will be no bartering or cross-deals to get the legislation passed, adding that the government won't be dragged around for months to try to get the reforms passed.

"It is a package, take it or leave it," Senator Conroy said.

He said an independently appointed advocate would overlook the media landscape and could rule on whether proposed mergers would go ahead.

He said there was enormous economic pressure coming to bear on the industry which could lead to consolidation of ownership.

Senator Conroy said Fairfax Media and the TEN Network were under pressure, while Nine had just emerged from a mountain of debt.

"Diversity of opinion is a vital life blood of any democracy so we cannot afford further concentration of media ownership in this country," he said.

The criteria to be used by the media advocate to define what is in the public interest would include a media organisation's audience reach, the frequency and depth of its services, and whether it going out of business was worse than blocking the merger and having a reduced number of voices.

Reforms were needed because the Howard government watered down the cross-media laws in 2007, he said.

"We have got greater economic pressure today to see greater merger activity and that is not going to be in the public interest of all Australians or the interest of a democracy to have less voices," he said.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cost cuts or peril, Access tells retailers

EDS: Not for use before 0001 AEDT Wednesday, March 13

By Colin Brinsden, AAP Economics Correspondent

CANBERRA, March 13 AAP - Short-term gains from discounting which come at the expense of profit margins have made it more important than ever for retailers to cut costs, an independent forecaster says.

Deloitte Access Economics expects soft consumer demand will continue to affect the sector in 2013, after a disappointing 2012.

In its latest quarterly retail forecasts report, real or inflation adjusted sales are likely to grow by 2.2 per cent in 2012/13 and by 2.5 per cent in 2013/14.

But by 2014/15, retail growth should improve by 3.6 per cent as broader economic conditions and housing activity improves.

"Retailers waiting for the cavalry to arrive are increasingly focusing on containing their costs in order to stay viable," Deloitte Access Economics partner David Rumbens said on Wednesday.

While discounting can help sales in the short term, he said it was often at the expense of profit margins.

"In order to keep prices low on a sustainable basis, and remain competitive in the market, cost control is key," Mr Rumbens said.

However, there were signs retailers were having some success, with wage growth in the sector slowing to the pace seen immediately after the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.

Mr Rumbens said Australia's underlying economic story was not as strong as it had been in recent years, providing the rationale for Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) interest rates cuts.

He said the cutting cycle was still to fully work through the economy.

"So future consumer spending growth should at least match income growth," he said.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Austria marks 75yrs since Nazi invasion

AUSTRIA solemnly marked Tuesday 75 years since German troops crossed the border unopposed on the early hours of March 12, 1938 and "annexed" Hitler's native country into the Third Reich.

"Already on the evening of March 11 swastika flags were fluttering over Vienna and other cities, including at police headquarters in Vienna ... even though not a single German soldier had yet set foot on Austrian soil," President Heinz Fischer said at a ceremony in the capital.

"Soon afterwards we were pulled into World War II, with all its consequences, and Austrians were massively involved in the crimes of National Socialism. This all became part of our history, and this is still painful to this day."

Three days after the entry of his troops, Hitler gave a speech in Vienna - the city he had left in 1913 as a failed artist - to a jubilant crowd of 250,000 people. A plebiscite soon afterwards sealed the annexation.

Among Austria's vibrant Jewish community, 66,000 were subsequently murdered and 130,000 forced to flee. Around 20,000 Austrians were killed in the Nazi's "euthanasia program" targeted at the mentally handicapped and 90 per cent of the country's Roma and Sinti perished, Fischer said.

Some 9500 Austrian opponents to Nazism were either executed or died at the hand of the Gestapo secret police and 247,000 Austrian soldiers died in the 1939-1945 war, as did 35,000 civilians.

Fischer, who also laid a wreath at a monument to victims of fascism and war, said the system of Nazi totalitarianism "could only come about through the cooperation of fanatics, followers and collaborators, as well as deliberately turning a blind eye".


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Portugal in worst recession in 37 years

Written By Unknown on Senin, 11 Maret 2013 | 21.29

PORTUGAL'S statistics agency says the economy contracted 3.2 per cent last year - its sharpest annual downturn since 1975.

Portugal is enacting broad debt-reduction measures, including tax hikes and pay and pension cuts, in return for a 78 billion euro ($A100 billion) international financial lifeline it received in May 2011.

Those austerity policies are widely blamed for the deepening recession and growing hardship.

The National Statistics Institute said on Monday that a drop in private consumption and slower export growth were the main factors behind the slump, with the economy shrinking 3.8 per cent in the fourth quarter.

Unemployment stands at 17.6 per cent, the third-highest rate in the 27-nation bloc after Greece and Spain.

The economy contracted 1.6 per cent in 2011. The government predicts a 2.0 per cent contraction this year.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Latest Newspoll gives Gillard a lift

MAYBE Julia Gillard's week spent in Sydney's western suburbs wasn't quite the disaster it was painted because the latest poll shows she is back in the lead as preferred prime minister and Labor's primary vote has lifted.

The Newspoll, conducted over the weekend and published in The Australian on Tuesday, showed Labor's primary vote had improved three percentage points in the past two weeks to 34 per cent.

And the poll revealed Ms Gillard's support as preferred prime minister jumped six points to 42 per cent as support for the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott slipped two points to 38 per cent.

The primary vote for the coalition fell three points to 44 per cent, with the Greens steady on 11 per cent.

The Australian said that based on preference flows at the 2010 election, this translates into a two-party preferred lead for the coalition of 52 per cent to 48 per cent, which is down from a 10-point gap two weeks ago.

The poll could quell further talk of Ms Gillard being replaced as leader, even though the survey indicated that former prime minister Kevin Rudd would be a far more popular leader than Ms Gillard.

He remains ahead of her as preferred prime minister with voters.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sharks, manta rays win trade protection

SEVERAL shark species and the manta ray have won international trade protection in a move hailed by conservationists as a breakthrough in efforts to save them from being wiped out by overfishing.

The deal at a major wildlife conference in Bangkok on Monday marked a rare victory in the fight by environmentalists to reverse a slump in populations of sharks - the world's oldest predator - due to rampant demand for its fins.

Rather than a complete ban, the 178-member Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted to restrict cross-border trade in the oceanic whitetip, the porbeagle, three types of hammerheads and the manta ray.

The agreement, which must still be formally approved by the CITES plenary session, delighted conservationists who warn that Asia's voracious appetite for shark fins is causing their population to plunge.

"The tide is now turning for shark conservation," said Elizabeth Wilson of Pew's Global Shark Conservation Campaign.

"With these new protections, oceanic whitetip, porbeagle, and hammerhead sharks will have the chance to recover and once again fulfil their role as top predators in the marine ecosystem."

Monday's deal would require countries to regulate trade by issuing export permits to ensure their sustainability in the wild, otherwise they could face sanctions by members of CITES, a global treaty which protects some 35,000 species.

Under the CITES framework, however, a party may ask to reconsider the decision at the plenary session, as happened in 2010 when an initial agreement to control international trade in the porbeagle was later overturned.

Conservationists say sharks are slow to reproduce and may become threatened with extinction without better monitoring and management.

"During their lifetimes they have relatively few offspring and they only start reproducing at a relatively late age - they're more like mammals in many ways than fish," said Colman O'Criodain, an expert with the WWF.

Asian nations led by Japan and China - where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy - tried in vain to block the proposals, which were pushed by countries including Brazil, Colombia and the United States.

If the deal gets final approval, the five species would join the great white shark, the whale shark and the basking shark, which already enjoy international trade controls. Members would have 18 months to introduce the new measures.

The CITES meeting is also discussing how to tackle illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn with environmentalists calling for wildlife trade sanctions against countries that fail to take sufficient action.

A proposed ban on international trade in polar bears was rejected last week, with opponents warning that it would distract from the bigger threat from global warming.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Frenchman to proclaim new pope to world

THE honour of announcing the next leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will fall to French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who will proclaim the outcome of the conclave from St Peter's Basilica.

The Bach-loving former Vatican diplomat will speak in Latin on a porch over St Peter's Square after the conclave of cardinals announces a new pope has been elected by sending out white smoke from the Sistine Chapel.

"Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus papam! (I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope!)", Tauran will say and then announce the name of the elected cardinal and the papal title he has chosen.

The 70-year-old from Bordeaux has the official title of "cardinal proto-deacon", meaning he is the most senior cardinal from the order of deacons.

The college of cardinals is divided up into three orders: bishops, priests and deacons.

Tauran used to be the top Vatican official for inter-religious dialogue. He previously served as head of the Vatican's diplomatic service and travelled the world for late pope John Paul II.

His own election is seen as highly unlikely but if this happens then it would fall to another cardinal to announce his name in front of the cheering crowds in St Peter's and TV cameras from around the world.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Karzai alleges US, Taliban colluding

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 10 Maret 2013 | 21.29

AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai has accused the Taliban and the US of working in concert to convince Afghans that violence will worsen if most foreign troops leave - an allegation the top American commander in Afghanistan rejected as "categorically false".

Karzai said two suicide bombings that killed 19 people on Saturday - one outside the Afghan Defence Ministry and the other near a police checkpoint in eastern Khost province - show the insurgent group is conducting attacks to help show that international forces will still be needed to keep the peace after their current combat mission ends in 2014.

"The explosions in Kabul and Khost yesterday showed that they are at the service of America and at the service of this phrase: 2014. They are trying to frighten us into thinking that if the foreigners are not in Afghanistan, we would be facing these sorts of incidents," he said during a nationally televised speech about the state of Afghan women.

US and NATO forces commander General Joseph Dunford said Karzai had never expressed such views to him, but said it was understandable that tensions would arise as the coalition balances the need to complete its mission and the Afghans' move to exercise more sovereignty.

"We have fought too hard over the past 12 years, we have shed too much blood over the last 12 years, to ever think that violence or instability would be to our advantage," Dunford said.

Karzai is known for making incendiary comments in his public speeches, a move that is often attributed to him trying to appeal to those who sympathise with the Taliban or as a way to gain leverage when he feels his international allies are ignoring his country's sovereignty.

In previous speeches, he has threatened to join the Taliban and called his NATO allies occupiers who want to plunder Afghanistan's resources.

Karzai also denounced the arrest of a university student on Saturday by Afghan forces his aide said were working for the CIA. It was unclear why the student was detained.

Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said the CIA freed the student after Karzai's staff intervened, but Karzai wants the Afghan raiders arrested. The president issued a decree on Sunday banning all foreign forces from universities and schools unless they obtain prior permission from the Afghan government.

The Karzai government's latest comments and actions come as it negotiates a pact with the US for the long-term presence of American forces in Afghanistan and just days after an agreement to transfer the US prison outside of Kabul to Afghan authority fell through. They also came during US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's first visit to Afghanistan since becoming the Pentagon chief.

Karzai said in his speech any foreign powers that want to keep troops in Afghanistan need to do so under conditions set forward by Afghanistan.

"We will tell them where we need them, and under which conditions. They must respect our laws. They must respect the national sovereignty of our country and must respect all our customs," Karzai said.

Karzai offered no proof of co-ordination, but said the Taliban and the United States were in "daily negotiations" in various foreign countries and noted the United States has said it no longer considers the insurgent group its enemy.

The US continues to fight against the Taliban and other militant groups, but has expressed its backing for formal peace talks with the Taliban to find a political resolution to the war.

Karzai said he did not believe the Taliban's claim they launched Saturday's attacks to show they are still a potent force fighting the United States.

"Yesterday's explosions, which the Taliban claimed, show that in reality they are saying they want the presence of foreigners in Afghanistan," Karzai said.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Seven children among 8 dead in German fire

AN early-morning fire at an apartment building in southwestern Germany has left eight people dead, seven of them children, police say.

Three other people were injured in the fire in Backnang, a town near Stuttgart, and taken to hospitals.

Police said the victims were of Turkish origin, news agency DPA reported, and Turkey's ambassador to Germany planned to travel to the scene.

Authorities were alerted to the blaze at 4.30am (1430 AEDT) on Sunday.

Police said they believe the fire broke out in a second-floor apartment, and said in a statement their investigation is focusing on a heater in the apartment.

The building is part of a former leather factory that was converted into a row of three-storey apartment blocks.

Police spokesman Klaus Hinderer told DPA that 13 people are registered as living in the two apartments worst affected by the fire, though it wasn't clear how many were there when the fire broke out.

Police said a German-Turkish cultural association has an office on the building's ground floor.

They said there was no indication that the fire might have been set deliberately or have been a racist attack.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Queen delivers Commonwealth Day message

THE Queen has promoted the theme of opportunity through enterprise in her Commonwealth Day message for 2013.

She said the theme was a celebration of achievements, "particularly those that may have seemed challenging, daunting or even impossible which have helped to build strength, resilience, and pride in our young people, in our communities and in our nations.

"Great achievements in human history have a number of common characteristics. From climbing the highest mountain, to winning a sporting competition, making a scientific breakthrough, building a successful business or discovering unique artistic talent, these outcomes all begin as a simple goal or idea in one person's mind.

"We are all born with the desire to learn, to explore, to try new things. And each of us can think of occasions when we have been inspired to do something more efficiently, or to assist others in achieving their full potential. Yet it still takes courage to launch into the unknown.

"Ambition and curiosity open new avenues of opportunity.

"That is what lies at the heart of our Commonwealth approach: individuals and communities finding ways to strive together to create a better future that is beneficial for all.

"Our shared values of peace, democracy, development, justice and human rights, which are found in our new Commonwealth Charter, mean that we place special emphasis on including everyone in this goal, especially those who are vulnerable.

"I am reminded of the adage, nothing ventured, nothing gained. As we reflect on how the Commonwealth theme applies to us individually, let us think about what can be gained with a bold heart, dedication, and teamwork.

"And let us bear in mind the great opportunity that is offered by the Commonwealth of joining with others, stronger together, for the common good."


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Voters give Napthine a tick as Vic premier

HE'S been in the job less than a week but the latest poll shows Denis Napthine is the preferred premier of Victoria.

The Fairfax Media/Nielsen poll, taken on Friday and Saturday in the wake of Ted Baillieu's shock decision to quit as premier, shows Dr Napthine is well ahead of his predecessor as preferred leader by 45 per cent to 38 per cent.

He also nudged out Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews as preferred premier by 40 per cent to 38 per cent, with 21 per cent of voters uncommitted.

However, the good news stops there because voters would elect Labor - 52 to 48 - in two-party preferred terms, signalling the Victorian coalition's first one-term government since 1955.

Dr Napthine became premier last Wednesday night after Mr Baillieu's sensational departure saying he was no longer confident of his party's support.


21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More
techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger