NZ 'committed to rescuing miners'

NZ 'committed to rescuing miners'

NZ 'committed to rescuing miners'

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 07:38 PM PST

Rescue workers in New Zealand are waiting for clearance to go into a mine where 29 men are missing after an explosion.


Pilot confirmed killed in Alaska F-22 fighter crash

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 10:37 PM PST

ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - The Air Force confirmed on Friday that the pilot of an F-22 fighter jet that crashed in Alaska earlier this week during a nighttime training mission perished in the accident.

BN to allow direct associate, affiliate memberships

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 11:24 PM PST

The Barisan Nasional (BN) Supreme Council today agreed to amend its constitution to introduce direct associate and affiliate memberships effective immediately, Prime Minister and BN Chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

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Australia sends experts to help NZ mine rescue

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 11:23 PM PST

SYDNEY, Saturday 20 November 2010 (Bernama) -- Australia on Saturday sent a team of mining rescue experts to New Zealand, to help free 29 trapped miners, according to Qatar News Agency.

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Stop sending Indon maids to Saudi

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 11:23 PM PST

JAKARTA, Saturday 20 November 2010 (Bernama) -- A speaker of Indonesian House of Representatives Marzuki Alie suggested to the government, to stop sending Indonesian migrant domestic workers to Saudi Arabia, if the authorities failed to tackle the recent case of torture against an Indonesian domestic worker Sumiati Salan Mustapa.

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Blast leaves tight-knit New Zealand community grief-stricken

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 11:15 PM PST

GREYMOUTH, Saturday 20 November 2010 (AFP) -- The tight-knit West Coast community of New Zealand was said to be "grief-stricken" after the mine hailed as an economic boon turned on them, trapping 29 miners after a gas explosion.

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N.Korea rejects UN human rights resolution as conspiracy

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 11:14 PM PST

SEOUL, Saturday 20 November 2010 (AFP) -- North Korea on Saturday snubbed a UN resolution condemning its human rights conditions, calling it a US-led conspiracy to topple the communist regime through pressure.

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India PM to prosecute wrongdoers in corruption probe

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 10:47 PM PST

NEW DELHI, Nov 20 — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today any wrongdoers in a widening telecoms scam, which is threatening his political survival, will be prosecuted.  In his first comments since the corruption scandal blew up, Singh told a leadership summit in Delhi that several investigating agencies were looking into the issue, which ...


Ice Magic

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 10:21 PM PST

Ice sculptures showing Manneken Pis and the Brandenburg Gate on display in Paris in a hall where the temperature is kept at -6 degrees Celsius, as part of the Ice Magic exhibition world tour.

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Anwar not like Suu Kyi: US lawyer

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 10:11 PM PST

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should not equate himself with Myanmar's democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, said a writer of an American right-wing website.

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20 November 2010

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 10:00 PM PST


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Rapper DMX is back in an Arizona jail

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 01:48 PM PST

PHOENIX: Troubled rapper DMX is back in an Arizona jail for drug-related probation violations including cocaine use, court officials said yesterday.

The rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was taken into custody without incident on Thursday night in Phoenix by probation officers, authorities said. He is being held in a county jail without bond.

Simmons, 39, was arrested on suspicion of seven probation violations, including illegal possession of the drug Oxycontin, failing to submit to drug testing and counselling programmes and driving with a suspended licence, according to court documents.

"Simmons has several felony convictions, and has been given multiple opportunities to succeed on probation," court papers said. "He has been directed to treatment, as well as chose his own treatment programme, and continues to use illegal drugs following these opportunities."

The rapper, whose albums include "It's Dark and Hell is Hot" and "Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood," last violated his probation in March by using illegal drugs and was sentenced to six months in jail and another 20 months probation by a court commissioner. At the time, authorities said he admitted using cocaine and failed to comply with the terms of his treatment plan.

It was unclear how long he might stay in jail for this new round of probation violations. An attorney for Simmons could not immediately be reached for comment yesterday.

DMX has a long record of arrests in Arizona for crimes that range from animal cruelty to reckless driving and weapons possession. He most recently served time in a Los Angeles County jail on a 2002 reckless driving charge.

Along with his music, the rapper starred in the movies "Romeo Must Die" and "Cradle 2 The Grave."

- Reuters

Parents of Aussie suicide twins in bedside appeal

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 01:38 PM PST

By Jeanie Stokes

DENVER: The parents of Australian twins who shot themselves appealed for privacy yesterday as they arrived at their surviving daughter's bedside, while police downplayed a link with nearby Columbine.

Ernest and Kelsay Hermeler said they were having an "extremely difficult time" coming to terms with the joint suicide bid, in which their 29-year-old daughters Candace and Kristin shot themselves at a shooting range.

"This is an extremely difficult time for our family," they said, thanking the local Arapahoe County Sheriffs' office in the western US state of Colorado for their efforts to determine "the facts and circumstances of this situation."

"We are also grateful to the paramedics who responded and assisted our daughters," they added.

In the statement issued by the Swedish Medical Center in nearby Englewood, Colorado, where Candace Hermeler remained in serious condition, they added: "We ask that you understand and respect our need for privacy at this time."

The twin sisters, who were in the United States on cultural exchange visas, tried to kill themselves Monday at the Family Shooting Center in Cherry Creek State Park, east of Denver.

A surveillance video showed the women fall backwards simultaneously from the shooting stall, but not the actual shooting, said the Denver Post which added they shot at targets for some 80 minutes before turning the guns on themselves.

Investigators who searched the girls' hotel room after the shooting found a photocopy of a Time magazine cover about the Columbine massacre, police said after their joint suicide bid near the site of the 1999 US tragedy.

Columbine link downplayed

But Captain Louie Perea played down the Columbine link, saying the one sister who survived told them she didn't care about the massacre, and there was nothing suggesting they were planning "sort of shooting rampage."

"What we found was a photocopy of the May 3, 1999, issue of Time magazine's cover story on the Columbine shooting," said Perea.

But he said: "There's nothing to indicate that they were going to cause harm to anyone other than themselves," adding: "There was nothing else in the property that suggested some sort of shooting rampage."

He added that no other material about Columbine was found, while the surviving sister had denied any interest in the massacre. "She said she did not give a hoot about it, in that it happened a long time ago," he said.

Thirteen people were killed in the Columbine school attack on April 20, 1999 – in nearby Littleton, a short drive west of Cherry Creek State Park – when teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a bloody rampage.

The surviving sister, who remained in serious condition at a nearby hospital, has refused to say why the twins tried to kill themselves, said Perea.

"She was frustrated, angry, agitated, which is to be expected, considering she's gone through a lot, with the injury to herself, the loss of her sister and being questioned by a foreign country's law enforcement officers," he said.

The incident was the third suicide involving rented guns at the Family Shooting Center since 2004.

Shooting centre staff were not immediately available for comment, although a recorded telephone announcement expressed appreciation for the messages of support from patrons over the tragic incident.

No criminal charges are contemplated as attempted suicide is not a violation in Colorado.

Pressed about a possible Columbine lead over the shootings, Perea said: "We're not following any leads. What we have to do is to look and determine if we believe a crime occurred.

"We do not believe a crime occurred. They shot themselves," he said.

- AFP

Canadian military burns uniforms of sex-murder colonel

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 01:36 PM PST

MONTREAL: The Canadian Armed Forces said yesterday it has burned the uniforms and military kit of former air force colonel Russell Williams, who last month was sentenced to life in prison for a spree of murders, sexual assaults and burglaries.

The armed forces usually recycles the belongings of former servicemen, but "in this case, all of his clothing had his name on it, and we felt it was actually more appropriate to actually dispose of it by burning the equipment," a spokesman said.

Four military representatives collected Williams' military gear with his permission from his home at the Trenton Air Base, the spokesman said.

"All his military clothes - boots, headdress, shirts and everything - as soon it was taken it was also disposed of, it was actually burned the same day." he added.

Williams commanded the country's busiest air force base, the 437 Squadron in Trenton, east of Toronto, for more than a year prior to his arrest in February.

The married pilot also flew the jet used to ferry Canada's prime minister as well as the British royal family on a visit.

Williams was convicted and sentenced in October to two life jail sentences – Canada's maximum punishment – for sadistically murdering two women, sexually assaulting two others, and for 82 burglaries and attempted burglaries in Ontario cities.

A stash of women's undergarments found at his Ottawa residence was linked to the burglaries near his home and job, and hundreds of photographs and videos of the sexual assaults and murders he committed were stored on his home computer.

- AFP

Poll: Cash-strapped Britons want royals to foot wedding bill

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 01:06 PM PST

LONDON: Most Britons want the royal family to foot the bill for Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding, as the country faces spending cuts following a deep recession, a survey said today.

A majority think next year's wedding will cheer the nation and strengthen the monarchy, but they believe that the royals should keep costs down, said the Harris poll for the Daily Mail newspaper.

The survey found that 82% of people said the royals should cover the cost of the event, with only 14% saying the bill should be split with the taxpayer and a tiny 4% saying the public should pay.

Fifty-one percent of people agreed that it should be "modest" while 24% believed it should be a "fairly extravagant occasion".

William and Kate announced on Tuesday that they would marry in spring or summer 2011 after a nearly eight-year romance.

The couple have not yet revealed a date or venue, but an August wedding in London's historic Westminster Abbey is the favourite with the bookmakers.

Nor has there been any announcement from the government or the royal family on how the cost of the wedding will be met, although the Daily Mail reported that the couple were expected to ask the royal family to foot most of the bill.

The survey showed support for William and the royals in general, with 68% of those surveyed saying he would make a good king and 53% believing the wedding would make the monarchy stronger.

But it was less encouraging for William's father Prince Charles, the heir to the throne: 48% of people said he should be prepared to step aside to let his eldest son with the late Princess Diana become the next monarch.

Just a day after a US television interview showed Charles for the first time saying that his second wife Camilla "could be" queen one day, the survey showed just 14% backed the idea, while 52% opposed it.

- AFP

US to streamline security checks for pilots

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 01:02 PM PST

WASHINGTON: US transport officials yesterday introduced streamlined airport security checks for pilots but exempted them from intrusive pat-downs amid mounting criticism of new search procedures for passengers.

"Allowing these uniformed pilots, whose identity has been verified, to go through expedited screening at the checkpoint just makes for smart security and an efficient use of our resources," John Pistole, head of the Transport Security Administration (TSA), said.

Under the new procedures, pilots for US carriers traveling in uniform on airline business would enter a secure area after presenting their identity papers to TSA officers, who would then check their credentials against a secure database.

The pilots have argued they have to fly US airlines and already have proper identification to perform their jobs.

Flight crew members may use the program as well, but would be subject to random screening and other layers of security, the TSA said in a statement.

The new measures come as rights groups and some congressmen have objected to new so-called "naked" scanners installed in 65 US airports that take full-body X-ray images including passengers' genitals.

The TSA has offered to manually pat-down passengers who refuse to be screened by the devices, but this has also led to a rash of complaints that the procedure is too invasive.

The tightened security measures were introduced after a series of bomb scares against planes heading to the United States from abroad.

The TSA has defended the scanners as necessary to protect fliers following a foiled Christmas Day plot to down a US jet by a man who concealed explosives in his underwear.

And a poll out on Tuesday showed that eight in 10 Americans support the new full-body scanners.

Health hazards

Pilots, who had opposed the scanners for fear of the potential health hazards from being forced repeatedly to pass through them, welcomed the new procedures.

"An enhanced screening process for airline pilots will provide a higher level of security while moving them efficiently through checkpoints," said Captain John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), a union representing over 50,000 pilots at US and Canadian airlines.

"Airline pilots will be treated in a manner that reflects their trustworthiness and responsibility as professionals."

The procedures were also endorsed by retired Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, a former US Airways pilot who rose to fame after safely landing an Airbus A320 in the Hudson River off Manhattan.

The US Travel Association, an industry group, also welcomed the changes.

"We hope that this will be the beginning of a trend at TSA to implement streamlined security procedures for all individuals who are 'trusted' and pre-identified as posing no threat while flying," it said in a statement.

Next week's Thanksgiving holiday will put the scanners to the test, with the blogosphere abuzz with calls for a "national opt-out day" on Nov 24 that would see fliers snarl air traffic by refusing the checks.

- AFP

Emotions spill over in New Zealand coal mine drama

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 10:03 PM PST

GREYMOUTH (Reuters) - New Zealand rescuers have yet to make contact with 29 trapped miners as fears of lethal gas levels prevented any chance of a rescue on Saturday, 24 hours after an explosion ripped through the remote colliery dug into the side of a mountain.

India PM hopes of growth of 9-10 pc from next year

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 09:34 PM PST

NEW DELHI, Nov 20 — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today he expects to return Asia's third-largest economy to a sustained growth of 9-10 per cent from fiscal year 2011-2012 onwards. Singh, giving a speech at a leadership summit in the Indian capital, also said that India needed to invest in infrastructure if it expected to reach 10 per ...


Facebook founder fodder for animated film

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 08:33 PM PST

SAN FRANCISCO, Saturday 20 November 2010 (AFP) -- A comic book based on Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is being turned into a short animated film tailored to television.

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US must keep 'eyes open' in Myanmar talks: Suu Kyi

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 08:31 PM PST

WASHINGTON, Saturday 20 November 2010 (AFP) -- Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed a new US engagement with Myanmar's junta, but warned against "rose-colored glasses" saying greater human rights and economic progress was still needed.

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