Thai cop arrested with 20 elephant tusks

A THAI policeman has been arrested after he was caught trying to smuggle 20 elephant tusks, officials say.

The haul was discovered when the suspect - in plain clothes but driving a police van - was stopped at a checkpoint in the southern province of Chumphon on Saturday, Police Colonel Chalard Polnakarn told AFP.

"We found 10 pairs of elephant tusks in the van and charged him with illegal possession of elephant tusks, which he confessed to during the investigation," Chalard said.

The origin of the tusks was unclear.

International trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989.

But a rise in the illegal trade in ivory has been fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks are used in traditional medicines and to make ornaments.

Conservationists say ivory from Africa is often smuggled into Thailand and passed off as coming from Thai elephants, as a legal loophole allows the legal trade in ivory from domesticated elephants.

Wildlife campaign group Freeland praised the latest seizure as a "valiant act of fighting corruption to protect wildlife".

"We need more officers like them to fight this new form of transnational organised crime," Freeland director Steven Galster said in a statement.

Freeland said that in the past year thousands of tusks had been seized as they were smuggled into Asia from Africa due to "rampant elephant poaching".

It comes as Thailand prepares to host the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Bangkok in March.

20.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Warning to boil water after e-coli detected

E. coli (EHEC) bacteria. Source: AFP

RESIDENTS in Marburg will be woken by a loud hailer truck on Sunday morning warning them that E coli has been found in their water supply.

About 1400 properties in the Marburg water supply zone are affected and an alert was issued about 5pm Saturday when two tests returned positive results for E coli.

The water ban was triggered when the bacterium was detected in a routine water sample taken on Friday.

A follow-up sample taken on Saturday also returned a positive result meaning water use was suspended and Queensland Health was advised.

A spokeswoman for Queensland Urban Utilities said the levels of E coli detected were "very low''.

Under Australian drinking water guidelines no level is acceptable.

"The chances of anyone falling ill or having any consequences we think are actually very low so it is precautionary," the spokeswoman said.

Chlorine doses will be increased to kill off the bacteria and the waterways will be flushed out with further tests will be carried out tomorrow.

Residents were door knocked today and warned of the danger with more warnings to be issued from a truck driving through the streets of Marburg early Sunday morning.

The utilities company have ruled out flood waters being the cause for the e-coli and the spokeswoman said the finding was "unusual but not unprecedented".

Bottled water is available at Marburg State School on Louisa St and the Edmond Street park.

The alert applies to residents of:

Arndt Road, Audreys Way, Cochranes Road, Dance Street, Edmond Street, Edward Street, Frederick Street, George Street, Gibson Street, Haigslea Malabar Road, Ida Street, James Street, Jane Street, John Street, Kennedy Street, Keogh Street, King Street, Kraatzs Road, Lawrence Street, Louisa Street, Main Street, Marburg Fernvale Road, Marburg Quarry Road, Moriarity Lane, Owens Street, Queen Street, Roderick Street, Rosewood Marburg Road, School Street, William Street, M Verrenkamp Road

Tips from Queensland Urban Utilities:

• Tank water should also be boiled in case it is filled up by the main water supply.
• Residents are asked to boil water, or use bottled water for the purposes of drinking, cooking, washing uncooked foods (such as salads), making ice, personal hygiene, washing hands, cleaning teeth, gargling, face washing of young children, making baby or infant formula, washing toys and children's utensils.
• Residents are advised to boil tap water for three minutes prior to use.
• Water should then be allowed to cool, stored in a clean container with a lid and refrigerated (if practical) before drinking.
• If access to a private water supply is available, i.e. a rainwater tank, please ensure this water is also boiled before use.
• Authorities have requested that residents ensure all members of impacted households are aware of the e-coli alert.
• Special care is advisable for some people including: people with severely weakened immune systems (the immunosuppressed), individuals receiving dialysis treatment, infants and aged individuals. Please contact a doctor for more information.

Check the Queensland Urban Utilities website for updates and a list of affected streets: www.urbanutilities.com.au

20.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gay marriage a step closer in France

FRANCE'S National Assembly overwhelmingly approved the first and most important article of a controversial law that will allow gay couples to marry and adopt children.

Deputies voted 249-97 on Saturday in favour of article one of the draft legislation which redefines marriage as being an agreement between two people rather than necessarily between a man and a woman.

20.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

23 killed in Taliban attack on outpost

Suicide bombers have attacked a military checkpost in Pakistan, killing 8 people, officials say. Source: AAP

TALIBAN militants wearing suicide vests and firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades have attacked an army post in northwestern Pakistan, killing 23 people including 10 civilians, officials say.

Twelve attackers were also reported killed in the assault before dawn on Saturday.

The raid followed a suicide bombing at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque elsewhere in the northwest on Friday that killed 24 people, police said. The blast was the latest in a rising number of sectarian attacks in the country.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for both attacks. The group has been waging a bloody insurgency against the government for years and also has sometimes targeted the country's minority Shi'ites, whom the militants consider to be heretics.

The Taliban and allied militant groups have stepped up the pace of attacks in Pakistan in recent months, an indication of their strength despite numerous army operations against their strongholds in the northwest.

The raid on the army post in Serai Naurang town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province began around 3.45am local time and lasted for several hours, said senior police officer Arif Khan Wazir. The militants were armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, he said.

Nine soldiers and four members of the Frontier Constabulary, a force that polices parts of northwestern Pakistan, were killed in the fighting, two security officials said. They said 12 attackers also died.

They say militants killed 10 civilians in a nearby house, including three women and three children.

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to The Associated Press from an undisclosed location. He said four suicide bombers were involved in the attack. He said that three of them were killed and the fourth was still resisting as of his call at around 9.20am local time.

Ahsan said the attack was retaliation for the recent deaths of two Taliban commanders in US drone strikes. He accused the Pakistani army of helping with the attacks. Pakistani officials often criticise drone operations as a violation of the country's sovereignty, but are known to have assisted some US strikes in the past.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he saw the bodies of three attackers with their suicide vests intact. Their features suggested they belonged to a group of Uzbek militants allied with the Taliban, he said.

He said other attackers detonated their explosives during the battle with security forces - one inside the house where civilians were killed. He did not say if this caused the civilian deaths.

The attack on the mosque Friday took place in Hangu town, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The town has experienced previous clashes between the Sunni and Shi'ite communities that live there.

20.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aussie DJs won't be charged over hoax call

BRITISH prosecutors said they would not bring charges over a hoax call by two Australian radio DJs to the hospital where Prince William's pregnant wife Catherine was being treated.

The Crown Prosecution Service said on Friday there was no evidence to support a charge of manslaughter, despite the fact that Indian-born Jacintha Saldanha, 46, apparently committed suicide after answering the call.

It added that while there was some evidence of possible offences under data protection laws "no further investigation is required because any potential prosecution would not be in the public interest".

Malcolm McHaffie, Deputy Head of Special Crime at the Crown Prosecution Service, said police had handed them a file in December and asked advice about whether a prosecution should be brought.

He added: "It is not possible to extradite individuals from Australia in respect of the potential offences in question.

"However misguided, the telephone call was intended as a harmless prank."

"The consequences in this case were very sad. We send our sincere condolences to Jacintha Saldanha's family."

Radio hosts Mel Greig and Michael Christian have since been taken off air by the Austereo network following the call, which resulted in details of Catherine's recovery from severe morning sickness being revealed on air.

The pair also received death threats over the call, in which they posed as Queen Elizabeth II, William's father Prince Charles, and one of the queen's corgi dogs.

An inquest heard that Saldanha, a mother of two, was found hanged in staff accommodation at the private King Edward VII's Hospital in central London and there were no suspicious circumstances over her death.

She also had marks on her wrist.

Saldanha left three notes, one of which reportedly criticised colleagues over her treatment at the hospital.

Australia's media watchdog has opened an investigation into the call.

20.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Huge storm front to hit southeast

A SEVERE storm is battering areas from Dalby to Toowoomba and as far down as the New South Wales border.

The Bureau of Meteorology warns that, at 10:05 pm, a line of severe thunderstorms were detected on weather radar from Esk to near Beaudesert and then to the southern border ranges west of Springbrook.

These thunderstorms are moving towards the east and forecast to affect Brisbane CBD, Coolangatta, Beenleigh, Logan City and Kilcoy by 10:35 pm and Cleveland, Strathpine, Redcliffe, Caboolture, Conondale and Kenilworth by 11:05 pm.

 Wind gusts of up to 100km/h have been recorded at the Oakley airport, north of Toowoomba.

A Bureau spokesperson warned that damaging winds of over 90km/h are likely to hit Brisbane tonight.

These winds would be on a similar scale to those experienced earlier this week when ex-cyclone Oswald tore through.

MMS your storm pictures to 0428 258 117 or email them

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Lauren Murphy said the storm developed over the Maranoa and Warrego region near St George earlier this morning.

The storm front is steadily moving east.

While winds are of a similar speed to ex-cyclone Oswald, Ms Murphy said this storm is not following the same patterns.

Large hail stones are also predicted; however as of 9.30pm none had been recorded in Toowoomba's CBD.

Emergency management Queensland is advising residents of Brisbane to move cars under cover, secure loose outdoor items and seek shelter indoors and away from trees and powerlines.

20.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two killed in blast outside US embassy

TWO security guards were killed and several others were wounded on Friday in an explosion outside the US embassy in Ankara that damaged nearby buildings, a police officer says.

Police cordoned off the street in the Cankaya neighbourhood where many other state institutions and embassies are also located.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast.

20.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyclist dies in collision with ute

A 24-YEAR-OLD Finnish man has died after his bicycle collided with a ute on Sydney's northern beaches.

Police say the crash occurred on Nioka Road at Narrabeen about 11am on Thursday.

The cyclist died at the scene, police said, while the driver of the ute was taken to hospital for blood and urine testing.

Police believe the cyclist was riding north in the southern lanes.

They are asking anyone who saw the collision to come forward.

20.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google makes Grand Canyon virtual trek

GOOGLE Maps are opening a virtual path to the Grand Canyon's wonders by adding panoramic images gathered by hikers with Android-powered camera systems strapped to their backs.

"These beautiful, interactive images cover more than 75 miles (120 kilometres) of trails and surrounding roads," Google Maps product manager Ryan Falor said in a blog post on Thursday.

"Take a walk down the narrow trails and exposed paths of the Grand Canyon: hike down the famous Bright Angel Trail, gaze out at the mighty Colorado River, and explore scenic overlooks in full 360-degrees."

The pictures were gathered by Google Maps team members who hiked the rocky terrain carrying 18-kilogram backpacks that held a camera system, "enduring temperature swings and a few muscle cramps along the way," Falor said.

People can view the photos while visiting online maps of the Grand Canyon.

Google's Street View team has been going off-road to gather pictures to show real scenes from places on maps.

Last year, Google Maps added pictures from Cambridge Bay in the Canadian Arctic and images from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

20.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thomson strip searched, lawyer says

CRAIG Thomson was stripped naked and searched by court officers on the NSW Central Coast in an attempt to intimidate him, the embattled federal MP's lawyer says.

Chris McArdle, who is representing Mr Thomson in his fight against 149 fraud offences, made the claim on Thursday night.

He said Mr Thomson, 48, was strip searched by two court officers after being arrested via a warrant from Victoria Police about 1pm (AEDT) on Thursday at his electorate office at Tuggerah.

"These two goons put on rubber gloves, one stood in front of him, one stood behind him, and they said 'take off your shirt'," Mr McArdle told Network Ten.

"They examined his shirt to see if there were any molotov cocktails.

"He had to take all of his clothes off and stand naked in front of these two galoots who then took him into the court and sat each side of him."

Mr McArdle described the treatment of his client as "absolutely extraordinary intimidation of an innocent man".

The former Labor member represented himself during a brief bail application in local court that police did not oppose.

Outside court, he made a brief statement and did not take questions even though it went "against the grain" as a politician.

Court documents state the alleged offences occurred between February 2003 and April 2008.

Mr Thomson's matter will come before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

20.07 | 0 komentar | Read More