Northern Territory News
Taliban overrun another Afghan district
3 November 2007
TALIBAN fighters have overrun a second district in western Afghanistan, a district governor said today, warning the rebels could be planning to sweep into his area.
The police and administration heads of the strategic Bakwa district in Farah province had fled after days of attacks by scores of rebels, the official said, after the militants took the adjacent Gulistan district late on Monday.
Taliban insurgents have previously overrun several districts in remote parts of Afghanistan, including Bakwa, but have been easily ejected by the international militaries here to aid the country's weak security forces.
They have, however, held the district of Musa Qala, close to Gulistan, since February and the area is considered a Taliban base.
Bakwa police had made a “tactical withdrawal” to Delaram district after a new Taliban attack late yesterday, said Delaram governor Yahya Riadth.
“Taliban have control over Bakwa district now and the police and district governor have retreated to our district,” he said.
Mr Riadth warned his district, bordered by both Bakwa and Gulistan, could also be attacked.
“The Government needs to reinforce our district urgently; otherwise we have intelligence reports that the Taliban will attack us from both districts they have captured,” he said.
http://tools.ntnews.com.au/rss_article.php?news_id=474441
Tight budgets, tough on unions, says Swan
3 November 2007
ASPIRING treasurer Wayne Swan has outlined a tough and conservative plan to run tight budgets, keep cutting tariffs and also stamp out "thuggish union behaviour ... if and when it happens".
In a broad-ranging interview published in The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper today, Mr Swan pledges to keep the economy on track while delivering on Labor's election commitments.
Mr Swan said a Rudd Labor government would also not be tempted to freeze tariffs to protect industries suffering from the runaway Australian dollar.
“We're not going back, we're going forward,” he said.
“We won't be going back to a tariff wall.”
Mr Swan said he was prepared to turn down requests for big spending initiatives by his his cabinet colleagues.
“I'm absolutely prepared for it. I make no apologies for the fact that I will be tough.
"Keeping spending under control is critical.”
He said Labor would be prepared to deliver its inaugural budget in May, if elected on November 24.
Mr Swan also spoke of the importance of the independence of the Reserve Bank while also saying Treasury officials would be re-engaged as a vital source of advice on “a new wave of micro-economic reform”.
“This conjunction of an economy operating at the limits of its capacity and a new government with new priorities has several implications for the role of Treasury within government,” Mr Swan said.
http://tools.ntnews.com.au/rss_article.php?news_id=474431
Ambush claims 18 Indian policemen
3 November 2007
AT least 18 policemen were feared killed in an Maoist rebel ambush today in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, officials said.
The attack took place in the state's rebel-infested Bijapur district, a senior police officer said in the state capital, Raipur.
“Until we retrieve all the bodies, we cannot say for sure they are all dead,” he said, preferring not to be named.
The victims were deployed in a 23-man anti-Maoist patrol in the forests of Bijapur, where an unspecified number of guerrillas attacked them with firearms, he said.
“Five of the men have returned after the ambush,” he said.
Reinforcements were being rushed to the scene of the ambush.
The attack follows two separate gunbattles in which five policemen and four Maoist rebels were killed in Chhattisgarh and in nearby revolt-hit Jharkhand state.
In an attack on Monday, left-wing guerrillas fired
http://tools.ntnews.com.au/rss_article.php?news_id=474435
Cape Town airport closed after runway crash
3 November 2007
CAPE Town International Airport has halted flights indefinitely after an aircraft veered off the main runway after landing, a South African airport official said.
No injuries were reported.
Bongani Maseko, director of airport operations at the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), told SABC radio that officials were talking to South African Airways (SAA.UL) to establish what had happened.
“An SAA Airbus, landing from Johannesburg, landed safely on the runway and attempted a manoeuvre.
http://tools.ntnews.com.au/rss_article.php?news_id=474445
Arrest in Oprah Winfrey school abuse case
3 November 2007
SOUTH African police said they had arrested a former dormitory employee at Oprah Winfrey's leadership academy for girls on charges of abuse, including indecent acts.
At least seven alleged victims have submitted statements about the woman, police said.
“A former dormitory employee (27) has been arrested yesterday by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit on several charges of abuse,” police spokesman Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini said.
“Several charges including alleged assault, indecent assault, crimen injuria and soliciting girls under age to perform indecent acts are being investigated against her.
"At least seven victims have already submitted statements.”
The suspect is being held by police and is expected to appear before a magistrate on Monday.
The $40 million academy has been dogged by controversy since it opened in January with a launch attended by singers Mariah Carey and Tina Turner, actor Sydney Poitier and filmmaker Spike Lee.
In March, some parents complained the school was too strict and its restrictions on visits, phone calls and email contact were comparable to rules in prisons.
In May, some parents complained their children were not allowed junk food and when they visited the school they had to go through a security gate.
Crimen injuria refers to the crime of injuring another person's dignity.
This can cover racial abuse and sexual offences against children.
http://tools.ntnews.com.au/rss_article.php?news_id=474281
Last open garden as season changes
12Oct07
GARDEN lovers shouldn't miss this weekend's open garden, the last of the season.
Belle's Backyard in Malak, Darwin, is a cool and shaded place, made up of sheltering trees, winding, pathways and a lush understorey.
The tropical paradise, named after the family dog, includes begonias, ferns, heliconias, bromeliads, caladiums, crotons, hibiscus and native trees.
Owners Mary Noble and Robert Harris have an eye for potential recycling opportunities.
The "Ozziebo' -- an iron, timber gazebo -- is a garden highlight.
Ms Noble hopes visitors will be delighted by the forms and colours her garden has to offer.
"They'll enjoy the garden because there are so many aspects to it,'' she said.
Belle's Backyard, at 36 Todd Crescent, Malak will be open from 10am to 4.30pm Saturday and Sunday.
Entry is $5 for adults. Children free. Money raised goes to Medecins sans Frontieres.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/10/12/2322_ntnews.html
Grief, shock over newsreader's death
AAP
2 November 2007
THE sudden death of Network Ten journalist and news anchor Charmaine Dragun has sparked an outpouring of grief.
The television network where the 29-year-old had worked for eight years is tonight in a state of shock, as TV viewers turned to internet blogs to air their sorrow.
Ms Dragun's body was found at The Gap, in Sydney's east, shortly before 4pm this afternoon and police have described her death as non-suspicious.
“Colleagues and friends of Charmaine Dragun, co-presenter of TEN's Perth News at Five, mourn her tragic passing this afternoon,” TEN's chief executive officer Grant Blackley said.
“We are all in a state of shock and sadness at this terrible news.”
Mr Blackley said Ms Dragun was a highly intelligent, vibrant and caring person, universally liked and admired by her colleagues.
“Our deepest sympathies go to her partner, Simon, and her family.
“We are doing what we can to support them and urge everyone to respect their privacy at this time.”
http://tools.ntnews.com.au/rss_article.php?news_id=474095
Sydney Morning Herald
Missile strike kills at five in Pakistan
November 2, 2007 - 11:24PM
A missile attack launched by a drone aircraft killed at least five people and wounded several more near a madrasa run by pro-al-Qaeda mujahideen in Pakistan's volatile Waziristan region, witnesses said.
"A drone was flying very low and fired the missile. It destroyed three houses," a resident of Dandi Darpakheil village told Reuters, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, as drone attacks are typically launched by US forces across the border in Afghanistan.
The missile hit dwellings close to a sprawling religious school or madrasa founded by a veteran mujahideen commander, Jalaluddin Haqqani.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Missile-strike-kills-at-five-in-Pakistan/2007/11/02/1193619152869.html
The roses were dying: widow's lament for husband
November 3, 2007
THE widow of a grandfather who died on his front lawn in a fight over water restrictions says she regrets sending him out to water the roses in the afternoon.
Ken Proctor suffered a massive heart attack on Wednesday after he was allegedly punched in the head by a stranger, who then kicked him as he lay on the ground. He died a short time later in hospital.
Police will allege the attack occurred as the 66-year-old watered the garden of his Sylvania home and began as an argument about water use.
Mr Proctor had been complying with Sydney's water restrictions at the time of the attack.
Todd Munter, 36, also of Sylvania, has been charged with murder and is in custody following a court appearance yesterday.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/widows-lament-for-husband/2007/11/03/1193619156731.html
Evidence ruled out of case
Tom Allard National Security Editor
November 3, 2007
MISCONDUCT by ASIO and federal police officers has resulted in the Supreme Court ruling inadmissable all interview records with Izhar ul-Haque, a Sydney medical student charged in 2004 with training with a terrorist organisation.
The ruling yesterday by Justice Michael Adams represents the latest in a series of high-profile blunders by members of the national security establishment in unrelated investigations.
"I have decided that the records of interview are inadmissable because of the conduct of the ASIO and AFP officers," the judge said.
Two incidents underpinned the ruling. The first involved an interview with ul-Haque immediately after he was confronted by ASIO officers at Blacktown railway station as he returned home from the University of NSW.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/evidence-out-in-sydney-terror-case/2007/11/02/1193619145295.html
Ferry plan won't float: union
THE State Government's push to privatise Sydney Ferries and install a private operator for the city's future metro rail system is shifting blame for poor services, the head of Unions NSW has claimed.
John Robertson yesterday echoed a chorus of union frustration at the recommendation by Bret Walker, SC, after his seven-month investigation, to move the operation of a new fleet of ferries into private hands.
The Special Commission of Inquiry into Sydney Ferries Report, released yesterday, paints a new future for the troubled harbour service, but Mr Robertson said it reflected an agenda led by the Treasurer, Michael Costa, to outsource public services.
"The Government is trying to shift responsibility on a whole range of levels," he said.
"Outsourcing responsibility is a great idea if you don't want to be held accountable."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/ferry-plan-wont-float-union/2007/11/02/1193619145298.html
Possum goes on the rampage in NSW museum
November 2, 2007 - 12:50PM
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At first, mindless vandals were suspected after valuable historical artefacts were destroyed in a rampage through a NSW museum.
Today the culprit was behind bars.
It was a possum.
Members of the Moruya and District Historical Society, at Moruya on the NSW south coast, had initially blamed a "human hand" for the late night rampage, which caused thousands of dollars in damage.
The 280-member society established the museum more than 30 years ago, acquiring artefacts dating back to the 1830s to record the history of the area, and housing them in a building that itself is well over 100 years old.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/02/1193619113891.html
Young runaway made into sex slave
Geesche Jacobsen
November 3, 2007
A TEENAGE girl who ran away from home after a fight with her mother became "a sort of sexual slave" when a man persuaded her to prostitute herself at Kings Cross so he could buy food.
She had first encountered Antonio Salvatore, who she knew only as Brendon, when he had sent her an unsolicited text message, and, after she responded, he started to call her.
One day in April 2002, a month before she was due to turn 16, she left her western Sydney home after a fight with her mother, and met Salvatore.
On the second day she had sex with Salvatore, then aged nearly 24, who had told her "I am your boyfriend now". That same day he suggested she work for him as a prostitute. She refused.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/02/1193619145394.html
Children of doping athletes deformed
Jacquelin Magnay
November 1, 2007
THEY are the 69 children of a small part of the drugged generation of sporting stars. But instead of inheriting their parent's athletic ability, the children have been shown to have serious medical issues at rates much higher than that of the general population. Seven have physical deformities and four are mentally handicapped.
Frightening damage from East Germany's systematic doping of two decades of elite and promising sports stars in the 1970s and '80s has emerged in the next generation, according to the German researcher Giselher Spitzer.
A recently published two-year study of 52 Olympic and elite-level former East German athletes, now aged between 40 and 60, conducted by the Germany University, Humboldt, has revealed shocking medical consequences of the forced consumption of anabolic steroids.
Dr Spitzer said in addition to the high rate of physical and mental handicaps in the offspring of the 52 athletes, more than a quarter of the children have allergies and 23 per cent have asthma.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/31/1193618974100.html
Watershed in Malaysia over courts' autonomy
Hamish McDonald
November 3, 2007
MALAYSIA rarely makes our news these days, a sign the country is generally stable and prosperous and, at least since the retirement of the former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad four years ago, relatively free of abuses of authority.
But this week a battle has come to a head in Kuala Lumpur that will be crucial to whether Malaysia rolls back one of Mahathir's worst assaults on good governance and constitutional safeguards during his 22 years as leader.
It will either set the country's judiciary back towards the widely respected independence that Mahathir subverted, or confirm it as a pliable extension of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the party that has led government since the Malaysian federation was formed in 1963.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/watershed-in-malaysia-over-courts-autonomy/2007/11/02/1193619145418.html
Bush pick for top lawman in doubt
Anne Davies in Washington
November 3, 2007
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US PRESIDENT George Bush's choice of attorney-general is in serious doubt after Democrats in Congress indicated they may refuse to confirm retired judge Michael Mukasey.
They say his refusal to condemn the practice of "waterboarding" as torture in congressional testimony was inadequate.
Waterboarding is an interrogation technique that induces the sensation of drowning when water is poured on a shackled detainee whose face is covered. Reports have linked CIA interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects to the technique.
Mr Mukasey's nomination, initially popular and uncontroversial, has now become a new battleground between the President and Democrats, prompting Mr Bush to make a highly emotional public plea for his man. He summoned journalists to the Oval Office to put his arguments in favour of Mr Mukasey, a move considered highly unusual.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bush-pick-for-top-lawman-in-doubt/2007/11/02/1193619141700.html
Boxing clever: Jordan's women fight hard to keep their place in ring
Ed O'Loughlin Herald Correspondent in Amman
November 3, 2007
Page 1 of 2 Single page
AYMAN AWAT has turned up early for practice at Jordan's national boxing arena, and as he puts his gloves on, the previous trainees are still sparring in the ring.
The two fighters are hopelessly mismatched in both height and weight. The little one has to fight a desperate rearguard action, backing away from trouble behind a screen of frantic jabs.
"Easy, easy," the little one appeals, and the coach in the ring intervenes angrily. "What's all this 'easy?'," he demands. "You're supposed to be fighters!"
Awat, who boxes for the Jordanian national team, frowns at the pair sparring in the ring. "I don't agree with this at all," he says darkly. "Women aren't able to fight. It's a physical thing. They shouldn't fight, they should stay at home. A woman should be a lady, not a fighter."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/boxing-clever-jordans-women-fight-hard-to-keep-their-place-inring/2007/11/02/1193619145421.html
Giving it up; living it up
Ian Munro and Philippa Bourke November 3, 2007
Spiritual healing is a centuries-old tradition around Malibu and through the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. The sweeping cliff-top views of cobalt skies and the Pacific Ocean were once the province of Chumash Indians who believed sickness came from an ailing spirit.
Their medicine relied on herbs, massage, and heat therapy in domed, clay sweat lodges. They believed heat would purify the spirit.
In recent times, a similar philosophy has overtaken the region, with Malibu now a celebrity sick bay, accommodating a growth industry of residential clinics treating spirits beset by alcohol and drug addiction, depression and behavioural disorders.
What the Chumash might fail to understand today are the gated driveways and private hilltops that prevent just anyone from entering these havens.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/resortstyle-rehab-centres-may-not-help/2007/11/02/1193619150075.html
World's best bottoms
2007-11-02 15:20:25
Two winners have been awarded the hotly-contested title of the "world's most beautiful bottom".(01:25)
http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Breaking%20News&rid=32957
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