Military joins police raids on Vic bikies

Victorian Police called in the army to help raid a property linked to the Hells Angels bikie gang. Source: AAP

THE military has become involved in the latest Victorian police raid on a Hells Angels bikie gang property.

Police said on Saturday morning they were seizing a large prime mover from Craigieburn in Melbourne's north and Australian Defence Force personnel were assisting in the raid.

Police believe parts of the prime mover are stolen.

Earlier this week authorities seized guns, ammunition, drugs and $50,000 cash and arrested 13 people as part of a crackdown on the Hells Angels.

More than 700 police, including federal and customs officers, were involved in the raids on Thursday morning.

Police had hoped to find a high-powered AK-47 and a M1 carbine assault rifle used in recent drive-by shootings by Hells Angels members at rival clubhouses, but they were unsuccessful in locating the weapons.

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bali victims remembered 11 years on

The 88 Australians who died in the first Bali bombings 11 years ago have been remembered in Sydney. Source: AAP

LITTLE children clambered around the Bali bombing memorial in Sydney on Saturday, knocking the flowers laid by the friends and family of those killed.

One boy asked his new playmate, "Which one is yours?"

And she, a girl no older than seven, pointed to one of the names of the dead and said "He was my uncle".

They were not yet born when the bombs exploded at Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club on October 12, 2002, but they have grown up in the shadow of the attacks.

Eighty-eight Australians were among the 202 people killed in the attacks on Bali's tourist hub Kuta, and 43 of the dead were from NSW alone.

"The Bali bombing was our September 11," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a message read out to the hundreds who gathered at Coogee to mark the 11th anniversary of the blasts.

Randwick mayor Scott Nash said 20 of the dead came from Sydney's eastern suburbs, from Bondi to Malabar, and few locals had not been touched in some way by the attacks.

"The beautiful people that we lost were sons, mothers, fathers, daughters and friends," he said.

"Tough times often bring out the very best in humanity and we can see that today, as we see it each year."

Waves crashed and tourists frolicked on the beach below as mourners gathered at the Dolphins Point headland observed a moment's silence.

Among them was Kristie McKeon, who was just 12 when her mother, big sister and several family friends were killed in the bombings.

She and her father were injured but escaped with their lives.

"It was our last night in Bali," the 23-year-old recalled.

"I remember the bomb going off, being on the floor and trapped under the roof, escaping in panic through a hole and then reaching the back wall and being hoisted over as the fire grew."

The graphic designer said she had been forced to grow up without the two most important women in her life to guide her.

They will not be here to watch her marry next year.

"Family is something I lost, but something I look forward to finding again," she said.

"My only wish is that my mum and sister were here to be a part of it.

"I will never forget.

"I will always remember."

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

ALP leadership contest drawing to a close

Mark Latham believes Anthony Albanese (pic) will emerge the victor of the Labor leadership contest. Source: AAP

LABOR has called it historic, democratic and energising, but in less than a day the month-long leadership contest between Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten will be just one thing - over.

Both the party caucus and rank-and-file members have cast their vote for the next parliamentary leader, with ballots now closed and counting underway before Sunday's announcement.

ALP members and supporters will be the first to know the result when party headquarters sends out an email at about 2pm.

Under reforms introduced by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, caucus and members are given a 50-50 say in determining who will lead the fight against the Abbott government from opposition.

Mr Shorten is believed to have won the caucus vote and is "quietly confident" grassroots members will back him, while Mr Albanese will be hoping his popularity among the rank-and-file gets him over the line.

After a month of friendly debates and largely similar campaigns, both potential leaders laid low on Saturday ahead of learning their fate.

But former Labor leader Mark Latham had no qualms offering his tips, saying he believed Mr Albanese would prevail.

"I voted for Bill Shorten in the ballot and I'm hopeful he might win tomorrow, but on the balance, probably Anthony Albanese will get the job," he told the Seven Network on Saturday.

"The important thing is for Labor to get behind one leader who will be there at the next election."

Sunday's victor will be the party's seventh leader in four years, but it's hoped the new leadership process will stabilise Labor and end the revolving door of leadership.

Mr Latham said the process was designed to put the "sub-factional warlords" who control Labor's caucus out of business.

Shadow parliamentary secretary Matt Thistlethwaite, who backed Mr Shorten, said the caucus vote had been genuinely open and free of factional interference.

He didn't know who would emerge the victor, but said that was the "great beauty" of the new-look process.

"What we now can say is the Labor Party has a much more democratic, transparent and accountable system for electing our leader," he told Sky News on Saturday.

"I think overall it's been a win for the Labor Party."

About 30,000 of the party's 43,000 members are believed to have voted under the new rules, which senior Labor figures credit with renewed interest in the party in the wake of their election defeat.

ALP president Jenny McAllister said the leadership contest had been "incredibly energising".

"In the process we've also had about 4500 people make inquiries about how to join," she told the Seven network.

"People like to see us talking in positive ways about what we could contribute to the Australian public rather than tearing ourselves apart."

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Foul play ruled out in US hospital death

INVESTIGATORS have ruled out foul play in the disappearance and death of a San Francisco woman whose body was found in the stairwell of a hospital where she was a patient, a family spokesman says.

While the coroner hasn't established a cause or time of Lynne Spalding's death, investigators don't think the 57-year-old native of England was the victim of an attack, family spokesman David Perry told reporters at the hospital on Thursday.

Spalding's body was found on Tuesday in a fire exit stairwell at San Francisco General Hospital, 17 days after she went missing. She was admitted to the city-owned hospital with an infection on September 19 and reported missing from her room two days later.

Meanwhile, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced on Thursday he was hiring an independent consultant to investigate the hospital's security and patient safety protocols.

"This should not have happened, we all agree," Lee told reporters at a hospital news conference. "And we want to prevent it from ever happening again."

The investigation is separate from the probe into Spalding's death being done by the San Francisco police and from the internal investigation of hospital security measures by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.

"A thorough independent review is required, and we will do that," Lee said. "I will say this: The city is responsible for what happened here."

Lee, who was director of public works and city administrator for San Francisco before he was elected mayor, said that on Thursday he visited the floor where Spalding had been staying, both to comfort hospital staff members and to get a sense of the layout.

Lee said the hallway that runs from Spalding's room to the fire exit stairway passes elevators, a hallway leading to another wing and a number of doors. The area right by the door to the stairwell "seems a little bit isolated. You could turn the corner and nobody would see."

He said he opened the door to the stairwell and an alarm went off as it was supposed to, but that it may have been hard to hear elsewhere on the busy floor.

Perry, the family spokesman, said Spalding's family welcomes the mayor's promise of a thorough investigation.

"At this point, the real issue is not the reason she was in the hospital but how a search by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department failed to find her," Perry said. "Obviously a more thorough search should have been done if a woman's body was here for 17 days."

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sydney city bank robbed on closing

A SYDNEY city bank has been robbed in broad daylight.

NSW Police say two men held up the Bendigo Bank branch on Harris St at Pyrmont around 5pm (AEDT).

One was armed with a sledgehammer and they made off with a small amount of cash, police say.

A man whose daughter was a witness told Fairfax Radio a car was driving erratically down Harris St before the men got out and went into the bank.

"Next thing they drive up onto the footpath, they back up so the car was ready to get away," he said.

"I think it was three people raced into the bank ... they were only in there for about 30 seconds and they came out and screamed off into the car and nearly knocked over a couple of pedestrians and a cyclist."

Police say a dark blue Subaru WRX was last seen heading south on Harris Street.

No one was injured during the robbery.

The hold-up comes weeks after a Porsche Cayenne ram-raided a CBD bank in the middle of the day.

Three masked men crashed the luxury 4WD into an ATM outside a Westpac bank on Kent Street just before midday on September 13, causing the outer wall to collapse.

Armed with sledgehammers, the bandits then entered the bank through the opening and took money from the tellers.

They escaped in a blue Subaru sedan that was waiting outside with a getaway driver.

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

US woman sues Fed over Goldman Sachs

A FORMER employee has sued the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, saying she was wrongfully terminated because she refused to change the results of her investigation into the banking firm Goldman Sachs.

Carmen Segarra filed her federal lawsuit against the New York Fed on Thursday in Manhattan.

Segarra's lawsuit says the New York Fed interfered with her examination of Goldman Sachs' legal and compliance divisions and directed her to change her findings. She says she refused and was fired three days later, in May 2012.

The firing caused her career in banking to be "irreparably damaged," says her lawsuit, which seeks her reinstatement to her position as senior bank examiner, back pay, compensation for lost benefits, compensatory damages, lawyer's fees and other expenses.

Segarra's finding led to the New York Fed's Legal and Compliance risk team to approve downgrading Goldman's annual rating pertaining to policies and procedures, the lawsuit said.

It's not clear if the approval led to an actual rate change, but the lawsuit said two Fed officials, named as defendants in the lawsuit, were concerned that a downgrade would hurt the Wall Street bank financially.

A spokesman for the New York Fed declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit but said its personnel decisions "are based exclusively on individual job performance and are subject to thorough review."

"We categorically reject any suggestions to the contrary," spokesman Jack Gutt said.

Goldman Sachs said it had no knowledge of internal Fed discussions "nor the matters raised by Ms Segarra."

"Goldman Sachs has a comprehensive approach to addressing conflicts through firmwide and divisional policies and infrastructure," Goldman Sachs spokesman Michael DuVally said.

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld plan could force people to the regions

BRISBANE Oct 10 AAP - Half of Queensland's population and half of its public servants should live outside the southeast if the state is serious about regionalisation, Premier Campbell Newman says.

Mr Newman says changing Queensland's population dynamic will likely be a major objective in the state's comprehensive 30-year plan.

"It stands to reason that government must reflect that by having services out in the regions," Mr Newman told reporters at the Queensland Plan summit in Brisbane.

"If that's decided on, then I'm happy to say the government should commit to a long-term plan to actually have half of the public service outside southeast Queensland."

Mr Newman anticipates there will be about 200,000 Queensland public servants by 2043.

"That would mean you would have to have well and truly 100,000 people (government employees) outside southeast Queensland," he said.

Projections show Queensland's total population will increase to 7.8 million by 2043.

This means the population of regional Queensland will have to grow from 1.7 million to about 4 million over the next 30 years, Mr Newman said.

"We then have to craft policy and incentives right across the state to encourage that to occur," Mr Newman said.

He said tax breaks weren't necessarily the answer and local governments would have to work with the state to create jobs.

Delegates at the summit were also keen to see the capacity of the Bruce Highway increased.

Mr Newman said they wanted a four-lane highway from Brisbane to Cairns, with the section between the capital and the Sunshine Coast doubled to eight lanes.

Increasing life expectancy by 10 years in Queensland and improving older people's participation in the community are also likely to be among the targets in the blueprint.

The Queensland Plan will cover the economy, the environment, population growth, health, transport, communications and a range of other policy areas.

The plan is being shaped by 680 delegates who have travelled to Brisbane for the summit.

They have developed 39 goals, which will be reduced to 10.

Targets which don't make the top 10 will still be captured in the plan, Mr Newman said.

The blueprint is set to be drafted this year before being put to parliament in 2014.

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott warns of South China Sea risks

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says there's still a risk of conflict between China and its neighbours. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has warned there's still a risk of conflict between China and its neighbours in the South China Sea, one of Australia's major trading routes.

China's festering territorial disputes with Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei were once again a key focus of the East Asia Summit, which brings together 18 regional nations.

Mr Abbott joined with other leaders in calling for a clear code of conduct to help ensure no conflict erupts over the oil and gas-rich waters.

He says that would be a disaster not only for the countries directly involved but also the wider region, including Australia.

"Almost 60 per cent of our trade goes through the South China Sea, so strategic stability is very important," Mr Abbott said on Thursday at his second international summit since becoming prime minister.

He warns the risk of conflict has not entirely receded.

"There's some risk, no doubt about that. But I think it's a risk that's reducing because of the kind of work that is happening at a conference such as this."

Mr Abbott's comments came after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in which he expressed support for Abe's plan to amend Japan's pacifist constitution so it can build a bigger military - something China opposes, and has the potential to increase tensions in the region.

"As time goes by, and as Japan puts the wounds and the scars of World War II increasingly behind it, and other countries put the wounds and the scars of World War II behind them, Japan is going to play a more important part and, dare I say it, a more normal part in the life of the world," he said.

"And that's encouraging. Japan's a democracy, it's been a stable democracy for 60-odd years now."

Mr Abbott left Brunei on Thursday after five days of international talks. He earlier attended the APEC trade talks in Bali.

Mr Abbott confirmed he also wants free trade deals with Japan and South Korea sealed in the same ambitious 12-month timeframe he's attached to the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement.

"If you don't set some kind of a target you don't have the incentive to get things done," he said, adding the other leaders were "receptive" to his timetable.

He admitted he did not raise human rights concerns in his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, nor the issue of Japanese whaling during his meeting with Mr Abe.

But China knows how Australia feels about the rule of law, Mr Abbott said.

"We will say our piece when there are major human rights abuses taking place but, generally speaking, it's not the job of the Australian prime minister to stand up and give lectures to the wider world."

Mr Abbott's due back in Canberra on Friday.

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic bikie raids don't find military rifles

Police have raided every Hells Angels property in Victoria, including clubhouses and private homes. Source: AAP

POLICE are yet to recover two high-powered assault weapons used in recent drive-by shootings despite raiding Hells Angels clubhouses and homes across Victoria.

Guns, ammunition, drugs and cash were seized and 13 people arrested when more than 700 police, including federal and customs officers swooped on Thursday morning.

All of those arrested have significant roles within the Hells Angels and include office bearers, police say.

They include Hells Angels sergeant at arms Peter Hewat, 58, who faces 13 charges after $47,000 in cash and weapons were allegedly seized from his Craigieburn business and Mickleham home.

So much ammunition was uncovered at one clubhouse a trailer was needed to remove it.

The raids were the largest operation targeting a single bikie gang in Victorian history.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay is concerned they haven't found the military weapons - a high-powered AK-47 and a M1 carbine assault rifle - which were used in a number of recent drive-by shootings by Hells Angels members at rival clubhouses in Hallam, Dandenong and Clayton South.

He has vowed to track them down and put pressure on the gang.

"We haven't recovered those firearms so we will continue our operation, we will continue our work until we get those guns," he said.

"It is totally unacceptable that criminals have access to these firearms and we'll continue to push and push very hard until we have those firearms in our possession."

Police say the operation is ongoing and they will continue to target bikie gangs.

Mr Lay is also said he was ready to use new anti-fortification laws that came into effect last Sunday.

"We're preparing some affidavits now for a number of premises, we'll progress that matter to court definitely in the next little while and that will see another lot of action by Victoria Police to enforce those laws," he said.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Steve Fontana said they had not met any resistance from club members in the "high-risk operation".

"We've been working on this for a while, we're extremely concerned about these weapons, we're extremely concerned about the intel we've got about the tensions and the intentions of these clubs and so we thought it necessary to make a pretty strong stance here," he said.

Mr Fontana said Victoria Police was starting to work more closely with interstate and national counterparts.

"Victoria's not the only jurisdiction (affected by bikie gangs) and we're getting fed up with it and we're going to take them on," he said.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh rejected suggestions that such a large operation was unnecessary given what police found.

She said the indiscriminate use of firearms over the last fortnight was unacceptable and a swift and serious response was required.

Hewat was denied bail in an out-of-sessions court hearing on Thursday night after a police search of his home and towing business.

Hewat, who described the charges as "junk" when they were read to him during the hearing, will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

A 27-year-old Campbellfield man was charged with possessing a drug of dependence and has appeared in court.

Police said further people were expected to be charged.

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Monster truck driver charged

THE driver of a monster truck that careened into a crowd of spectators, killing nine, has been charged with manslaughter.

Chihuahua state prosecutors read the charges against Francisco Velazquez Samaniego during a hearing on Tuesday in which they also listed the names and injuries of the people killed.

"He didn't meet the age and health requirements needed to be part of the show," prosecutor Gerardo Carbajal said. He didn't say what those requirements are.

Velazquez Samaniego, 51, appeared before a judge wearing a neck brace as another person died at a hospital, raising the death toll from Saturday's incident to nine. At least 80 people were hurt during the monster truck exhibition in the northern city of Chihuahua.

Velazquez Samaniego said in court that his helmet came off as the truck bounced over old cars and he lost consciousness when his head hit metal bars inside the cabin.

"I was driving to one side and then I turned around and drove to the other side, my helmet came off and I hit my head and lost consciousness," he said. "I wasn't conscious when the truck fell" on the people.

Organisers of the event have said hundreds of people gathered without permission in the pit area of a makeshift arena in a park.

Veteran monster truck show organisers said spectators should never have been standing that close to the arena floor unprotected, regardless of the trajectory of the truck. They said properly organised shows take place in an arena with a safety zone separating spectators from the trucks, which the Chihuahua city show lacked.

Authorities have made no other arrests in the case.

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More