Bikie boss caught in massive police raid

Police have reportedly arrested high-ranking Hells Angels and Comancheros bikies in Sydney. Source: AAP

HELLS Angels boss Felix Lyle is one of a number of high-profile gangland figures nabbed by police in one of the biggest firearm and drug operations in NSW history.

Lyle was one of four people charged on Tuesday after police made 19 arrests as part of Strike Force Alistair - a joint operation between police and the NSW Crime Commission targeting organised crime in the state.

Lyle, 56, from Sydney, has been charged with a firearm offence as well as five counts of supplying drugs - two involving a commercial quantity.

He will remain behind bars after being formally refused bail in a Sydney court on Tuesday afternoon.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell told parliament the operation was "one of the biggest firearm and drug operations in the history of this state".

He said around 30 people would be charged with a raft of serious offences, some of which carry sentences of life imprisonment.

The national president of the Hells Angels and vice presidents of the Rebels were among those charged, Mr O'Farrell said.

"This is the result of terrific work by the NSW police in targeting organised crime, drug supply and illegal weapons," the premier said during question time on Tuesday.

Police said drugs, firearms, a stun gun, a hand grenade, a ballistic vest and around $500,000 in counterfeit cash were seized in the raids carried out across Sydney.

The Crime Commission has also issued two restraining orders on assets.

As well as the senior Hells Angels bikie, three other men - aged 35, 33 and 25 - were charged with offences relating to the supply of a commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.

The older man was to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday afternoon, while the other two were to face Fairfield Local Court.

Speaking at Crime Commission headquarters, Detective Superintendent Mick Plotecki said 350 officers took part in the raids, executing 30 warrants across southwest Sydney, the northern metro area, the city, and the south coast.

The operation targeted senior members of the Hells Angels, Comancheros, and Rebels, as well as Asian and Balkan crime gangs, police said.

The arrests were the culmination of two years of work involving the Crime Commission and police, 95 surveillance warrants, 41 telephone intercept warrants and the monitoring of more than 500,000 phone calls.

Police said the raids came after a number of arrests three weeks ago over a conspiracy to import 400kg of amphetamines, also as a result of Strike Force Alistair.

Det Supt Plotecki said the charges would relate to commercial drugs supply, firearms offences, providing explosives, and counterfeiting cash.

He said a key component of the operation was "targeting those people that make these networks work".

"We're targeting particularly those people that go out and procure firearms and drugs, and also those that supply them," he said.

Police Minister Michael Gallacher has praised "the incredible efforts and success" of the police and the NSW Crime Commission.

He said everyone involved in the operation had "been relentless in smashing these criminal networks".

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Fire sparks evacuation in southwest Vic

FIREFIGHTERS waterbombing a fast-moving grassfire burning around the Cashmore area in Victoria's southwest have succeeded in reducing the threat.

An emergency warning has been downgraded to a watch and act alert for the fire in the Cashmore area, which was expected to impact the areas of Portland West and Trewalla, the CFA said.

"The fire is still going however fire activity has reduced a bit because of suppression activities and the weather situation," a CFA spokeswoman said.

"Waterbombing has had significant success in protecting assets and against spot fires."

The spokeswoman said 130 firefighters and seven aircraft are still fighting the blaze.

Firefighters are also still working to protect 30 homes on Dougherties Road in Portland West.

Residents have been urged to follow their bushfire survival plans.

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said strong winds on Tuesday and Wednesday were the most important focus for fire authorities.

"The weather conditions will see very strong winds not only during the day but also during evening and night hours," Mr Lapsley said.

"The key factor is we have seen winds come back again that we haven't experienced for over a week or so."

A total fire ban is in force in the southwest and Wimmera fire districts for Tuesday.

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Bushfire still burning south of Adelaide

A BUSHFIRE continues to burn in a pine forest south of Adelaide but firefighters are hopeful of bringing it under control.

The Country Fire Service (CFS) said the blaze had destroyed about 25 hectares at Wattle Flat by Tuesday afternoon and was being attacked on both the ground and from the air.

It was sparked as temperatures across the state surged into the high 30s ahead of a cooler change moving in from the west.

The Bureau of Meteorology expected the change to reach Adelaide late on Tuesday, dropping maximum temperatures on Wednesday into the mid-20s.

The CFS said a shift in winds with the change could help push the fire front back on itself.

While there were some farms in the vicinity of the fire, no properties were under immediate threat.

The CFS said crews were also responding to a bushfire late on Tuesday in the Onkaparinga area of the Adelaide Hills.

Local residents were urged to follow their bushfire survival plans.

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Cardinal Pell angered by newspaper 'smear'

Critics of Catholic Archbishop of Sydney George Pell lobby to prevent the Australian becoming pope. Source: AAP

CARDINAL George Pell has labelled an article about him in the Fairfax media on Monday as a "smear of the most vindictive kind".

A statement released by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney on Monday says the article misrepresents the outcome of a 2002 inquiry into an allegation against Cardinal Pell.

The inquiry, headed by independent commissioner Alex Southwell QC, cleared Dr Pell of allegations he molested a boy during a camp at Phillip Island, in Victoria, in 1961.

The church says the article said Dr Pell was tainted by sex abuse scandals and long dogged by allegations of sexual abuse against him.

"These statements are utterly false and seriously defamatory," the church said in a statement.

"They have no basis in fact and deliberately misrepresent the outcome of a 2002 inquiry by a retired Victorian Supreme Court judge which completely exonerated Cardinal Pell of allegations made against him."

The article also quoted Australian commentator Paul Collins as saying Cardinal Pell had "no chance" of being elected Pope after progressive Catholics lobbied overseas journalists and voting cardinals to make sure they were aware of a 2002 inquiry into allegations against the Sydney archbishop.

Cardinal Pell is in Rome to take part in the conclave that will elect a new Pope.

He was last week named at Number Five on a so-called dirty dozen list, compiled by the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.

The diocese's statement said Cardinal Pell "has worked hard to eradicate the evil of sexual abuse from the Church and to show his deep compassion for victims and survivors of sexual abuse not just by words but also by actions".

"Instead of presenting these facts and the outcome of the Southwell Inquiry fairly as it should, the Fairfax press has opted to publish a smear of the most vindictive kind."

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Japan marks second tsunami anniversary

Japan is marking the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives. Source: AAP

PEOPLE all over Japan bowed their heads in silence as they remembered the almost 19,000 who died when a ferocious tsunami surged ashore two years earlier.

Ceremonies were held in towns and cities throughout the disaster zone, as well as in Tokyo, where Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko led tributes on Monday to those who lost their lives in a disaster that also sparked a nuclear emergency.

As a mournful quiet descended, cold winds blew through the grounds of Okawa Elementary School, in Ishinomaki, where at least 70 children were swept to their deaths by the rising waters of March 11, 2011.

The city's tsunami alarms were sounded at 2:46pm (1646 AEDT), marking the exact moment a 9.0-magnitude undersea quake hit, sending a massive tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeast coast.

A total of 15,881 people are confirmed to have died and 2,668 others remain unaccounted for.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose government swept to power promising huge spending programs that would right the flattened region, said Japan had to learn from its terrible experience.

"I pledge to achieve reconstruction of the disaster-hit areas and restore the lives of affected people as soon as possible," he told officials and dignitaries during a sombre ceremony.

"I will make Japan a country resilient to disasters while standing on the side of people who were affected."

The Emperor paid tribute to those who lost their lives, including the more than 2,300 whose deaths have been recorded as being caused by the stresses of life in evacuation centres or temporary housing.

"I am always deeply moved by seeing how so many people lead their daily lives without complaining... and hope.... to be able to share their suffering, if only a little," he said.

Schoolgirl Rin Yamane recounted the horror of the day she lost her mother as they tried to escape the waves.

"Suddenly, we were in the middle of a black sea... When I saw her in a morgue a few days later, I knew then it was a reality," she said.

Efforts to rebuild the disaster-hit region have been slow. Figures show 315,196 people are still without a permanent home, many in cramped temporary housing units.

Tsunami-hit communities are divided among those who want to rebuild on land that may have been in the family for generations and those who want to move their towns to higher, safer ground.

The tsunami that swallowed coastal communities battered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which went through meltdowns and explosions in what was to become the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Anti-nuclear campaigners Greenpeace say the government has failed to provide enough support to people who fled the leaking radiation, saying some are "in financial ruin and divorces and mental breakdowns are mounting".

Nearly 10,000 aftershocks have been recorded since the original quake, including 736 jolts that measured above magnitude 5.0, some shaking the ground at the plant where there are still no permanent fixes for the damaged reactors.

The government says the plant is stable and no longer releasing radioactive materials. It says food products from the region are checked for radioactive contamination before being shipped to markets.

Despite reassurances, many consumers avoid Fukushima produce fearing it is contaminated, dealing another blow to the region's farming industry.

Dismantling the crippled reactors will take up to four decades, and the nation remains undecided over whether to continue using nuclear energy to power the world's third-largest economy.

Only two of its 50 commercial nuclear reactors have been restarted, with strict safety standards and political nervousness keeping the others offline.

But with no commercially viable alternatives available and staunchly pro-nuclear Abe at the helm, analysts say it is likely just a matter of time before some units are fired up again.

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Qld on hunt for defence sector business

THE Queensland government is sending out its own commando unit to hunt down business in the lucrative defence sector.

With a 26 per cent share of national defence industry activity, Queensland is already the second-biggest state for defence employment and home to a quarter of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel.

Premier Campbell Newman says the new Defence Industries Queensland (DIQ) unit will build on this.

"DIQ's approach will be shaped by future defence strategies and long-term procurement needs, growing a globally competitive industry," he told reporters.

The premier also announced the appointment of Lindsay Pears as the state's first Defence Industries Envoy.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said DIQ will guide businesses which are interested in land, sea and air defence projects, border protection and national or international security.

"Whether you want to be in the defence industry or are a defence multinational, Queensland is the place to be," Mr Seeney said.

The new DIQ unit will employ three staff redeployed from the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning.

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WA police name victim of shooting murder

POLICE have named the victim of a shooting murder, who was found dead in a Perth park with a gunshot wound to his head.

David Liam Johnson, 32, was found dead on Friday night after reports of a gunshot at Lime Kiln Field in the upmarket suburb of Swanbourne.

A witness said they had heard a gunshot shortly before the body was found.

Police said the victim predominantly used the name Liam Johnson.

The WA Police major crime squad said Mr Johnson was known in the Mandurah and Fremantle areas, but had no fixed address.

Police have called for anyone who drove along, or was in the area of Clement Street, Swanbourne on Friday night to contact Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous.

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Helicopter crash pilot named

POLICE have named a 39-year-old helicopter pilot from Wairarapa, who died after crashing in the central North Island.

Searchers found Mark Duncan Didsbury's body about 50m from the wreckage of the Robinson R-66 helicopter in the Oamaru Valley, near Turangi, about 11.30am on Sunday.

His body was airlifted out later in the day.

The alarm was raised when Mr Didsbury failed to return from a trip to drop off hunters in the area on Saturday.

Searchers located the crash site about 7pm that night.

On Sunday, they returned to search for the pilot aided by a fixed wing aircraft and the Taupo Rescue Helicopter, which winched six police officers and a police dog into the area.

Transport Accident Investigation Commission, which is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash, spent the afternoon at the scene assisted by police.

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China to abolish rail ministry in shake-up

CHINA is to effectively abolish its scandal-plagued railways ministry as part of a sweep of government reforms aimed at tackling inefficiency and corruption, a top official has told parliament.

The changes include bolstering a maritime body as China engages in island disputes with its neighbours, and giving an economic development body more say over the one-child policy as the country faces a shrinking labour pool.

"The administrative system in effect still has many areas not suited to the demands of new circumstances and duties," Ma Kai, secretary general of the State Council, China's cabinet, told the National People's Congress parliament on Sunday at its annual gathering in Beijing, according to a copy of his speech.

Inadequate supervision had led to "work left undone or done messily, abuse of power and corruption," he said, adding that some areas were insufficiently managed while others had "too many cooks in the kitchen".

Analysts, though, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the moves.

David Goodman, a China politics expert at the University of Sydney, pointed out that reorganisation alone could not stamp out corruption.

"They are very serious reforms," he said, "but they are not going to attack that question of making officials more accountable and more responsible."

Since taking office at the head of the ruling Communist Party in November, China's incoming leadership has issued a barrage of promises to adopt humble ways and fight corruption, while state media have highlighted individual scandals.

But any broad anti-graft measures would require taking on powerful vested interests, and the official news agency Xinhua said the State Council had restructured the government seven times in 30 years.

Beijing will switch control of the railway ministry's administrative functions to the transport ministry and hand its commercial functions to a new China Railway Corporation.

The rail system - which has cost hundreds of billions of dollars - has been one of China's flagship development projects in recent years and the country now boasts the world's largest high-speed network.

But the expansion has seen a series of scandals and widespread allegations of corruption, with former railways minister Liu Zhijun, who was sacked in 2011, now awaiting trial on graft charges.

In July 2011 a high-speed crash in the eastern city of Wenzhou killed at least 40 people, sparking a torrent of public criticism that authorities compromised safety in their rush to expand the network.

Meanwhile, the body that oversees China's one-child policy will be merged with the health ministry to form a new body, and nationwide population policy will now be handled by the National Development and Reform Commission, an economic planner.

The move comes after China saw the first drop in its labour pool in decades - a consequence of the restrictions imposed on families in the late 1970s that now threaten to impact the country's future growth.

But outgoing premier Wen Jiabao told parliament last week that the policy would be maintained this year.

China will also bring its maritime law enforcement bodies under a single organisation, allowing greater co-ordination as the country is embroiled in a bitter row with Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The State Oceanic Administration, which runs marine surveillance, will take over management of the coastguard from the public security ministry, fisheries patrols from the agriculture ministry, and customs' marine anti-smuggling functions.

Chinese marine surveillance vessels regularly patrol what Beijing says are its waters around the Diaoyu islands, prompting accusations of territorial incursions by Tokyo, which refers to the outcrops as the Senkakus.

Beijing is also at odds with several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, over islands in the South China Sea.

In other measures, the State Administration for Food and Drug will be elevated to a "general administration" amid a series of food safety scandals that have generated public concern.

Two censorship bodies, one for print media and the other for broadcast, will be merged.

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ACT police seek help for Grosvenor murder

ACT police are seeking help for the murder of Kathryn Grosvenor, whose body was found 11 years ago. Source: AAP

CANBERRA police have again appealed for public help to solve the murder of Kathryn Grosvenor whose body was found in Lake Burley Griffin 11 years ago on Saturday.

Detective Senior Constable Sarah Casey said there was a $500,000 reward for information leading to the killer and that was a powerful incentive for potential witnesses to come forward.

Ms Grosvenor, 23, was last seen at her home in the northern Canberra suburb of Nicholls on March 3, 2002.

There were two unconfirmed sightings in the Gold Creek area that night, including at the George Harcourt Inn where she was thought to have purchased cigarettes between 9.05pm and 9.15pm.

Around 9am on Saturday March 9, 2002 a canoeist found her body in Yarralumla Bay in Lake Burley Griffin, weighed down by a concrete bollard.

Sen Const Carey said a witness came forward in March last year, describing two men loading concrete into a black utility vehicle on Anthony Rolfe Drive.

"I would like to appeal to those two men or the people who know them, to seriously consider this reward and contact Crime Stoppers, this amount of money could be life changing," she said in a statement.

The $500,000 reward is for information which leads to the apprehension and subsequent conviction of the person or persons responsible for Ms Grosvenor's murder.

Police will consider an appropriate indemnity from prosecution for any accomplice who first gives information.

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