Sink hole swallows soldier's grave in UK

WORK is to begin next week on filling a sink hole that has appeared in a British military cemetery, swallowing the grave of a soldier called Private Ryan.

The grave in the Pembroke Dock war cemetery, Wales' only military graveyard, collapsed into a six metre-hole after a prolonged spell of heavy rain caused the limestone layer beneath Pte Ryan's coffin to shift.

Military chiefs are now working to prevent the headstone collapsing into the pit. Five other graves are also thought to be at risk of falling into the cavern.

The soldier, Private Francis Ryan, of the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment), was born in Longford in Ireland in 1875 and died in 1915, aged 40.

The Ministry of Defence has been unable to trace any living relatives of the deceased serviceman, whose name echoes the title of Tom Hanks' Second World War film.

The MoD says it has no plans to exhume the grave but instead intends to fill the hole to prevent it growing.

"Work to fill the sink hole will begin next week and will be completed by the end of March. The chosen option does not involve exhumation," a spokesman said.

Currently the hole is covered with just a protective metal grille to deter tomb raiders.

The west Wales graveyard will host events to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in August.

The cemetery is the final resting place for 23 Commonwealth servicemen killed during the First World War and 51 who died during the Second World War.

The affected section has been cordoned off to the public while work to make the graves safe continues.

21.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man drags boy from Melbourne playground

POLICE are searching for a man who dragged a six-year-old boy from a playground in Melbourne's southeast before letting him go.

The boy was in the playground on Dempster Way in Narre Warren when he was approached by an unknown man about 5pm on Saturday, police say.

"The man grabbed the boy by the arm and dragged him approximately 50 metres towards Melzak Way," police said in a statement.

He let go of the child when another adult approached him and then left the area with a young girl, believed to be known to him, police say.

The man was described as being of Indian sub-continental appearance and was wearing a black shirt, red shorts with a white emblem on the sides and glasses.

The boy wasn't injured and police are treating it as an isolated incident.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 00.

21.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

$2.5m of cannabis found in northern NSW

Police have seized more than 1200 cannabis plants, worth about $2.5 million, during raids in NSW. Source: AAP

MORE than 1200 cannabis plants valued about $2.5 million have been seized by police during raids in northern NSW.

The plants were found in bushland around Lillian Rock, Barkers Vale, Rappville and Woodburn during the latest round of the cannabis eradication program (CEP), which ran from Monday to Wednesday, police said.

More than $4 million of cannabis was found and destroyed after similar searches in the first week of February.

"The CEP has been running since the mid-1980s and, to date, has prevented cannabis with an estimated potential street value of more than $250 million reaching NSW streets," police said in a statement.

"The CEP is generally operational during cannabis-growing season, which stretches from the late spring through summer and into early autumn."

The drug squad, dog unit, aviation support branch and local police were involved in the raids.

More busts will take place in the coming months.

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Motorists suffer 'accident anxiety'

MOST motorists are suffering from "accident anxiety", and drivers aged 35-44 are the most worried, according to a survey.

As many as 79 per cent of those taking to the road are anxious about driving, the poll by Allianz Insurance found.

This concern is so great that 17 per cent of drivers have decided not to make a particular journey due to their worries.

Based on responses from 1000 people who drive regularly, the survey showed 83 per cent of drivers aged 35-44 get anxious on the road.

Overall, the biggest worry to drivers is tailgating, followed by road rage and uninsured drivers.

Of those who have accidents, 81 per cent said it was not their fault with 22 per cent saying they felt more worried, more stressed and less confident after a collision, with women being notably more worried than men after a crash.

Yet just seven per cent reckoned more driver training would be the answer.

Allianz Insurance chief executive Jon Dye said: "It's worrying to see that so many motorists feel they will have an accident, and yet so few feel more driver training would help. Drivers can only drive at their best if they feel calm and alert and not unduly worried about what other motorists are getting up to.

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qantas planes clip wings in LA

Two Qantas planes have clipped wings at LA airport, forcing the cancellation of two flights. Source: AAP

TWO Qantas planes have clipped wings while being towed out of a hangar in Los Angeles, causing the cancellation of two flights back to Australia.

No passengers were on board when the wing tips of an A380 and B747 came into contact at about 9pm LA time, Qantas said on Friday.

The damage was substantial enough to force the cancellation of flight QF94 to Melbourne and QF16 to Brisbane.

Customers have been put up in hotels and will be placed on the next available flights.

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Refugee activists march in Sydney

Refugee activists have clashed with police in a peak-hour march through inner Sydney. Source: AAP

REFUGEE activists have clashed with police in a peak-hour march through inner Sydney.

Riot police were called in as hundreds rallied along George Street on Friday evening chanting "Free, free the refugees".

At times the throngs spilled onto city roads, disrupting traffic and prompting physical confrontations with police.

The demonstration comes after the death of 23-year-old Reza Berati during violent clashes at Australia's Manus Island immigration detention centre.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul told the rally the Iranian's death would not be forgotten.

"They want to push it aside," he said. "They want it to be covered up in the lies and the cover-ups which are now under way on Manus Island.

"We are not going to allow that to happen."

The protesters have called for the Papua New Guinea facility to be shut down and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to step down.

"Scott Morrison, blood on your hands," they cried as the march approached the Immigration Department's Sydney headquarters.

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Signed Mein Kampf copies to be auctioned

TWO rare early editions of Mein Kampf, signed by Adolf Hitler could sell for more than $US20,000 ($A22,373) at an online auction, officials say.

Nate Sanders, owner of Nate D Sanders Auctions in Los Angeles, says he knows he'll catch a lot of flack for putting rare 1925 and 1926 editions of the racist screed up for bid.

"But it is a piece of history. It is a very rare item," he explained.

Hitler was arrested and jailed for the attempt to seize power. He dictated Mein Kampf, two volumes of autobiography and anti-Semitic manifesto, to Rudolf Hess while behind bars to raise money for his criminal defence.

Both volumes' fly-leaves feature Hitler's signature.

Sanders said volumes of Mein Kampf from the 1930s are common, but a copy signed by the author is rare.

Sanders is also auctioning off a leather trench coat he said was worn by Albert Speer, a Nazi government minister who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the Nazi regime.

Selling Nazi memorabilia is prohibited in many European countries that saw the horrors of World War II.

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Costa Concordia captain returns to ship

THE former captain of a luxury cruise liner that capsized off an Italian island has gone back aboard for the first time since the 2012 shipwreck that killed 32 people.

Francesco Schettino, who is on trial accused of manslaughter and abandoning ship, was allowed to board the Costa Concordia Thursday to help court-appointed experts inspect generators.

Schettino donned a life vest before taking a boat to the wreck, which was set upright in a complex engineering feat last year. Schettino, the sole defendant, claims that faulty generators and a poorly trained crew contributed to tragedy. The inspection was requested by defense and lawyers for consumer groups, which contend that Costa Crociere Spa, the cruise company, shares some blame.

Prosecutors contend Schettino deserves all the blame.

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indonesia wants to be great power: report

AUSTRALIA should prepare for Indonesia trying to assert itself as a great regional power in coming years, but the posturing won't be aimed at its southern neighbour.

A research paper from the Lowy Institute says the country will pursue a more ambitious role on the world stage, but it won't translate into greater diplomatic or military clout in the near term.

Lead author Dave McRae, a visiting fellow at the Australian National University, says even though Indonesia's economic growth has been impressive, it will still lack the resources to flex its muscles.

"As a foreign policy actor, Indonesia is not quite the next big thing," he writes in More Talk Than Walk, to be released on Thursday.

"It will project the image of a great power despite its middle-power abilities."

The report found that Indonesia's military spend in absolute terms is just one-third of Australia's annual budget and slightly less than tiny but wealthy Singapore.

It can't yet dictate an agenda to regional forums like ASEAN, despite being the only Southeast Asian nation in the G20 and the largest by size and population.

Indonesian finance minister Muhammad Chatib Basri told a forum in Canberra recently he was confident his country could remain the second-fastest-growing economy in the Asia region, despite fiscal challenges.

But it's unclear what impact a more assertive Indonesia would have on bilateral ties with Australia, which are on shaky ground after disputes over spying and asylum seekers.

Dr McRae said Indonesia wasn't likely to elevate its relationship with Australia to a top foreign policy priority any time soon because of its larger trading partners and strategic challenges to the north.

"Outside of periodic bilateral spats, Australia can appear invisible in Indonesian foreign policy discussions," he said.

ANU professor of strategic studies Hugh White said the recent diplomatic crisis had been caused in part by Australia's belief that it could dictate the terms of its relationship with Indonesia.

But those days are over, and Australia will have to shift its mindset as Indonesia ultimately emerges as a strong power in the region.

"Indonesia, in order to keep its own interests, is going to have to conduct itself differently in our region," Prof White told a recent forum at ANU.

Dr McRae said the "great uncertainty" in Indonesia's foreign policy would be the 2014 presidential election.

The frontrunner is an enormously popular local leader who is inexperienced on the world stage, while the next most likely candidate is a controversial former Suharto strongman who is banned from travelling to the US.

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More

Putin orders military tests amid tensions

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin has ordered massive exercises involving most of its military units in western Russia amid tensions in Ukraine.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised statement made at a meeting of top military brass in Moscow that the exercise is intended to "checks the troops' readiness for action in crisis situations that threaten the nation's military security".

Shoigu said Putin ordered the exercise on Wednesday afternoon. During the first two days, the military will be put on high alert and some will deploy to shooting ranges.

The actual manoeuvres will start on Friday and will last four days. The exercise will involve ships of the Baltic and the Northern Fleets and the air force.

Shoigu's statement didn't contain any reference to Ukraine, where tensions remain high following the toppling of Russia-backed President Viktor Yanukovych.

Russia has questioned the legitimacy of the new Ukrainian authorities and accused them of failing to control radicals who threaten the Russia-speaking population in Ukraine's east and south.

A senior Russian MP on Tuesday told pro-Russia activists in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula where Russia has a major naval base that Moscow will protect them if their lives are in danger.

21.29 | 0 komentar | Read More