Quiet New Year for NZ police
By Christie Anderson,WNS New Zealand CorrespondentIt has been a very quiet New Year in all the traditional hot spots leaving police breathing a sigh of relief. They say despite a number of arrests there have been no major problems. About 100 people have had a night in the specially constructed 'Alcatraz' facility in Mount Maunganui for breaches of the liquor ban. Bad weather in Wellington forced the event in Civic Square to be cancelled, and Whangamata is reporting its lowest number of arrests for years, just over 100.
In Wanaka, Sergeant Aaron Nicholson says the thirty extra police brought in from Dunedin helped keep arrests down there too. He says there were just a few minor street incidents and nobody got badly hurt. And there were only a handful of arrests in the crowd of three thousand at the Gisborne clock tower. None at all were made from a crowd of about 14,000 at the Waiohika Rhythm and Vines event.
New Year honours awarded
By Serene Hatt,WNS New Zealand Correspondent
AUCKLAND - A diverse pair of New Zealanders top the New Year's honours list - one is a religious scholar and the other a potter whose work graces galleries all over the world. At 92 Doreen Blumhardt's hands may not have the skill of her youth but she has not lost her feel for beauty. "I still enjoy creating, I think everyone should create in some form or another - it's the most satisfying thing you can do," says Blumhardt. "I don't feel any different. But I think it's wonderful that they've awarded me that."
Blumhardt has joined the Order of New Zealand, the elite group of fewer than 20 living New Zealanders. It is as an art teacher that Blumhardt has had her greatest impact and she shares the honour with another teacher, religious studies revolutionary Lloyd Geering. Ordained as a Presbyterian minister, Geering was charged with heresy after questioning the resurrection of Christ. He is the author of several books and the first university chair of religious studies in Australasia.
Another 200 New Zealanders were also honoured in fields ranging from embroidery to life-saving rescues and the arts. Actor Sam Neill, 59, is a little embarrassed at making it to Distinguished Companion of the Order of Merit. Actress Jennifer Ward-Lealand becomes an Officer of the Order of Merit while also in the world of acting and film, director Vincent Ward becomes an Officer of the Order of Merit. Consumer affairs champion David Russell has been made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order.
Howard backs nuclear power shift
By Howart Dan,WNS Australia Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister John Howard has backed a controversial report which calls on the country to start building nuclear power stations. Mr Howard said the report, released last month, showed that nuclear power was "part of the solution" to Australia's growing energy needs. It said Australia could have a nuclear power industry in 10 to 15 years. Critics say Mr Howard is using the nuclear issue to build his green credentials ahead of 2007 elections.
Mr Howard said nuclear energy was not a "silver bullet" to solve global warming or energy security. But a nation like Australia - which has the world's largest known uranium deposits - would be "crazy in the extreme if we didn't allow for the development of nuclear power", he said. Most of Australia's energy needs at present are met by coal and gas, bestowing on the country the highest per capita greenhouse emissions in the world. A shift to nuclear energy would also help the country tackle pollution and cut greenhouse emissions. "The reality is we won't have nuclear power stations tomorrow, but over time if we are to have a sensible response, we have to include nuclear power," he told reporters.
But the move towards nuclear has been questioned by Mr Howard's political opponents. The opposition Labor Party, which introduced a ban on any new uranium mines while in power in 1983, has asked him to explain where the nuclear reactors would be built and where the radioactive waste would be dumped. Mr Howard has called for the ban on new uranium mines to be lifted. His backing of nuclear power has also been opposed by the environmental and coal lobbies. Critics argue that Australia does not need nuclear power because of its huge coal resources. Australia is one of only two major industrialised nations not to have signed the Kyoto agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the other being the US. Australia faces international pressure to reduce emissions, and experts say nuclear power could be one way to do it. Australia currently has one small research reactor, located at Lucas Heights in Sydney.
Nature, not humans, blamed for Australia drought
By Margaret Hilda,WNS Sydney Correspondent
SYDNEY - Australia's devastating drought is far more likely to be part of a natural cycle than a result of the man-made greenhouse effect, an Australian climate scientist has said. Barrie Hunt, a researcher with government science agency CSIRO, dismissed suggestions that global warming, believed to be caused by carbon emissions, is responsible for the "Big Dry" gripping much of south-eastern Australia. "It is very, very highly likely that what we are seeing at the moment is natural climatic variability," Hunt told the Australian newspaper.
After studying a CSIRO model of Australia's natural climate patterns over the past 10,000 years, Hunt said the current drought, whose severity has led some scientists to label it a once in a millennium event, was by no means unique. He said historical data -- which used air pressure, temperature, wind and rainfall information -- put current conditions into perspective, revealing 30 periods of drought lasting longer than eight years in the past ten millenia. "The longest sequence was 14 years in Queensland-New South Wales, 11 in the south-east and 10 in the south-west."
He said that each of those significant dry spells occurred at random times and had an unpredictable duration. For example, the Queensland-NSW area went 800 years without a drought longer than eight years, "but there is another period of 462 years where you get five of these", he said. "When people talk about it as a 1,000-year drought, they haven't got the information. They don't understand that according to natural variability we could get another one in 50 years or it might be another 800 years, and there's no way of predicting it," Hunt said. However, he did not deny global warming risked raising Australia's temperatures, which CSIRO predicts will rise up to two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) by 2030 and six degrees Celsius (10.8 Fahrenheit) by 2070.
Australia doubles spy operatives
By Samson Zahn,WNS Australia Senior CorrespondentSYDNEY - An influx of Chinese spies has forced Australia's home espionage agency into a recruiting drive to counter the threat as well as that posed by Muslim extremists, a newspaper report said on Thursday. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has doubled the number of foreign-language speakers in its ranks since 2004, with most newcomers fluent in Chinese, the Australian daily reported, citing unnamed sources. Attorney General Philip Ruddock declined to confirm any increase in Chinese-language-speaking spies, but said ASIO had been on a major recruitment drive since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. "We have committed very significant resources which has enabled ASIO to expand its staffing to 1,200, double the number it had at 2001," Ruddock told local media. "This campaign that we have been engaged in has been certainly very innovative and recruited high-quality staff with a range of experience and backgrounds," he said.
The Australian newspaper said around 88 linguists had been employed since 2004 under the recruitment drive which plans to see ASIO grow to more than 1,800 by 2011. ASIO is Australia's domestic security agency, similar to MI5 in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for protecting the country against espionage, acts of terrorism and sabotage. Its sister agency, responsible for overseas intelligence and spying, is the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), which has close ties with Britain's MI6 and the CIA. ASIO agents have no arrest powers and are not armed. A government source said Australia, a close U.S. ally and major trading partner with Beijing, was being aggressively targeted by Chinese agents, who were mostly operating undercover as diplomats or business figures. "They have built up their capabilities over the last 10 years," the source told the newspaper. China's embassy in Australia has previously rejected spying accusations. China is Australia's second-largest trade partner, with exports of goods and services worth A$16 billion ($12.5 billion) in 2005. Australia, a staunch U.S. ally, also has close political ties with Beijing on the back of Canberra's refusal to publicly berate China over human rights abuses. But ASIO, like both the CIA and the FBI in the United States, was having less success recruiting fluent Arabic speakers, with fewer than a dozen working inside security and intelligence agencies, the newspaper report said. Arabic speakers were needed to monitor the Muslim community, which has complained of unfair targeting by Australian authorities. Australia has never suffered a major terrorist attack on home soil, although 92 Australians have been killed in bombings blamed on Islamic militants in neighboring Indonesia since 2002.
Boxing Day adds to $33bn festive splurge
By Trinity Hizon,WNS Australia Business CorrespondentSYDNEY - CROWDS in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne made it almost impossible to move about as some of the nation's biggest retailers experienced record Boxing Day sales. People began queueing outside David Jones's stores in central Sydney before 6am, and the crowds continued to swell throughout the day. Myer's Pitt Street Mall store was forced to close its doors for half an hour, just after noon, to reduce the crush. There were similar stories in Brisbane and Melbourne, while state laws kept large department stores closed across much of the rest of the country. In Adelaide, major retailers including Target, Big W and Portmans opened their doors at midnight. In Perth, with the city shut down, shoppers were forced to cool their heels until today. Australians are expected to spend $33 billion on a record festive-season splurge. Huge crowds squeezed into Melbourne shopping mecca Chadstone during the first hour of trading. Police had to close the Middle Road entrance to the shopping centre carpark. Centre manager Stephen Dewaele said about 5000 shoppers were through the doors by 8am. "Crowds have been definitely up on last year's 100,000," Mr Dewaele said. Rain did not deter shoppers in Brisbane as hundreds of people lined up outside stores before opening time. Security guards were posted at the Myer city store's escalators to ensure customers boarded in single file, after more than 60,000 customers filed through the doors.
Australian National Retailers Association chief executive Margy Osmond said sales had been strong around the country. She said the general expectation of a reduction in activity because of high petrol prices, interest rate rises and the drought had not come to pass. David Jones group general manager Paul Zahra said they had four times their normal staff in the Sydney stores. "The response has been phenomenal," he said. "We saw a million customers through our stores nationally last week alone and that is a record." He said the stores were so packed they had been forced to introduce crowd-control measures for the safety of staff and customers. Jennifer Marshall, 31, a Sydney school teacher, began queueing up outside DJs in Sydney shortly after 6am. "The crowds weren't too bad early but by 9am they were unbearable," she said. Department stores have flagged Nintendo's new Wii as the outstanding performer in the 2006 Christmas video game contest. The Wii has proved a surprise hit worldwide, attracting a new breed of players by opting for physical games that make use of its wireless remote control. Crowds also packed cinemas yesterday as children rushed to see the homegrown animated penguin musical Happy Feet.
Investigation into triple tragedy
By Marcus Timothy,
WNS Auckland Correspondent
AUCKLAND - Police are confident the Auckland officers involved in a pursuit which ended with three young men dead did everything by the book. The Police Complaints Authority is investigating after the three teenagers died when their car smashed into trees off the St Lukes off-ramp.The car was being pursued after the trio were seen drinking from a wine cask bladder in the city.
The 16-year-old driver was on a restricted licence. Police say he had driven away earlier in the evening after being ticketed for speeding. Inspector John Mitchell says the patrol officers were new in their roles, but appear to have followed procedures correctly.
Chase ends with triple fatality
By Greg Hilson,WNS New Zealand Bureau ChiefAUCKLAND - Three teenagers have died as they sped away from police in a horror start to the Christmas season on the roads. Six hours before the crash police had pulled the 16-year-old driver over for speeding and driving while unlicensed. Driver Lance Duff and his two mates, Cheyenne Freeman, 19, and Walter Russell, 17, were celebrating a birthday but their partying ended up in a fatal, high speed police chase. The trio were at a set of traffic lights in Auckland's CBD just before 4am when they were spotted by a patrol car.
"One of the occupants was standing half out of the sun roof, yahooing at pedestrians on Queen St," says Inspector John Mitchell, adding that the passengers were drinking from a bladder from a wine cask. Mitchell says a police officer started to record the driver's details but had only written his Christian name when the teen accelerated away. The chase reached speeds of 190 kilometres an hour along the northwestern motorway and the headlights were turned off during the chase. Police following 500 metres behind could not see the Honda Prelude clearly because it was a very dark blue and with its lights off. Mitchell says they pulled back to give the car more space. While exiting the motorway the driver lost control, ricocheting off a barrier into a wire fence, sending the car 15 metres in to the air and uprooting a tree on its flightpath before landing upside down in a gully. "First of all I thought a light aircraft had come down...I heard a vroomp...and then I heard snapping...and then I heard three thuds in quick succession," eyewitness Diana Futcher said. Mitchell says the crime car didn't witness the accident and drove past the scene initially due to the distance they were behind. It was not the 16-year-old driver's first brush with the law. Earlier in the night at 10pm he was pulled over by police for speeding and driving while unlicensed. When informed his car was to be impounded he drove off at speed but no pursuit occurred on that occasion. It is not yet known if he was drinking. The young driver also had driving charges relating to a pursuit in Henderson in March. He leaves behind a pregnant girlfriend. Unfortunately it's the same classic, tragic message about speed and alcohol and young, inexperienced drivers," says Inspector John Mitchell. A Police Complaints Authority investigation into the police chase is under way.
NZ firefighters return home
By Marcus Timothy,WNS Auckland Correspondent
AUCKLAND - A crew of New Zealand firefighters are returning to Auckland and Christchurch after helping battle bush fires in Victoria. All but one of the 48 crew is coming back, leaving behind a colleague who is still receiving treatment in Melbourne for smoke inhalation and burns. He is expected to come home on Wednesday. The New Zealanders have spent two weeks backing up Victorian firefightingcrews in the state's north-east. Eleven of the Kiwis that went to Australia were injured as a fire front turned unexpectedly onto them near Mansfield last weekend. Some of the men were forced to seek refuge in a ditch, and their faces and hands were scorched as fire raced over them.
Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) acting chief fire officer Tony Edgar said the Kiwi firefighters made an invaluable contribution to firefighting efforts. "They have assisted in protecting Victorian communities, working alongside DSE and CFA crews," Edgar said."The efforts of the New Zealand contingent have been greatly appreciated."We'd like to thank the firefighters, as well as their families and the New Zealand National Fire Authority, for their help and support during this difficult fire campaign."
Mad rush to be home for Christmas
By Greg Hilson,WNS New Zealand Bureau Chief
AUCKLAND - Christmas may be a few days away, but from Friday thousands of people are expected to make their way home for the big day via train, plane, ferry and automobile. Both the Interislander and Bluebridge ferries are fully booked. Bluebridge alone is preparing to serve 1,000 pies, 2,500 coffee's and nearly 2,000 pottles of chips to hungry Christmas passengers. If you are going by plane, Air New Zealand says make sure you leave for the airport in plenty of time - they are going to be carrying over 70,000 people on over 1500 flights in just three days. Because flights are so full, the airline is begging passengers not to go over the luggage limit.
On the roads police expect the bulk of our three million cars to be on the road at some stage over the next three days. They are asking motorists to drive with their headlights on both day and night, to increase visibility. Motorists are also being asked to watch their speed and following distances and to make sure they are not being distracted by things like cellphones or animals in cars.
Police are further warning drivers not to use cellphones while behind the wheel, with an accident near Blenheim on Wednesday night thought to have been due to a cellphone distracted driver. The man escaped unhurt after his truck and trailer unit rolled onto its side, blocking both sides of State Highway One south of Blenheim, but it is thought the man may have been using his mobile phone, when he failed to take a corner. Constable Dan Mattison of the Blenheim police says they are a huge distraction for drivers and he wants people to avoid using them when in the car. The official holiday road toll period begins at 4pm Friday and runs right through until 6am on Wednesday January 3.
Powerful Fiji chiefs gather to discuss stance on coup
By Malenie Judy,
WNS Pacific Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - Fiji's powerful indigenous chiefs have gathered to thrash out their response to the military coup that deposed the government of nationalist prime minister Laisenia Qarase. The Great Council of Chiefs (GCC), a powerful advisory body which also has the power to appoint the country's president and vice-president, has so far refused to recognise military commander Voreqe Bainimarama's regime. The chiefs have said they want to find a way to resolve the crisis caused by the December 5 coup but Bainimarama has refused to attend the meeting. The military has also prevented Qarase travelling from his home village in the remote Lau group of islands to the two-day meeting in the capital Suva. Bainimarama named himself as interim president following the coup but wants the GCC to reappoint Ratu Josefa Iloilo to the post so he can then name a caretaker government. The ailing 85-year-old Iloilo did not attend the first day of the chiefs' meeting. The chiefs debated their own proposal, under which the military would surrender power to Iloilo, who would name an interim government, which would eventually call fresh elections. Under the proposal, Qarase would not take any part in an interim government and the military would be given immunity from any legal action over the coup.
However, the plan – which will be voted on by the chiefs on Thursday – is unlikely to be accepted by Bainimarama. He said this week the military intended to retain power until alleged government corruption had been stamped out. Fiji's economy is in a precarious position following the coup, with the main industry tourism taking a hammering from thousands of cancellations and a slump in bookings for the popular South Pacific holiday destination.
The United States announced sanctions against the military regime Tuesday, joining Australia and New Zealand in trying to pressure Bainimarama. The US sanctions cover around 2.5 million dollars in primarily military-related aid and bar new economic assistance programs to Fiji, the State Department said in a statement. Washington suspended deliveries and sales of "lethal military equipment" and banned the country's military from US-sponsored military exercises or conferences. It also barred senior military officers and members of the army-installed interim government from visiting the United States.
Powerful Fiji chiefs gather to discuss stance on coup
By Geroge Dave,WNS World Affairs Correspondent
WASHINGTON - The United States have suspended financial aid and weapons sales to Fiji and have imposed travel bans on army commanders and other officials involved in a December 5 military coup against the Pacific nation's elected government, the State Department announced. The sanctions cover around 2.5 million dollars in primarily military-related aid and bar new economic assistance programs to Fiji, the State Department said in a statement.
Under the measures, Washington suspended deliveries and sales of "lethal military equipment" to Fiji and banned the Fiji military from US-sponsored military exercises or conferences. It also imposed visa sanctions on senior military officers and members of the army-installed interim government, barring them from visiting the United States.
In its statement, the US reiterated its condemnation of the coup led by army commander Voreqe Bainimarama and called on the military chief "to abandon his extra-judicial activities, withdraw completely from politics and restore Fiji's legitimate democratically elected government". Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth following the ouster of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and has also been hit by sanctions from Australia and New Zealand.
Bushfires kill thousands in wild
By Samson Zahn,
WNS Australia Senior Correspondent
SYDNEY - Hundreds of thousands of native Australian animals such as koalas and kangaroos have been killed in bushfires that have burnt across southeast Australia in the past two weeks, wildlife officials said on Monday. The bushfires, which are still burning in three eastern states, have been so big and intense that wildlife officials fear some species may become extinct as the fires destroy large swathes of animal habitats. "The fires are so devastating and moving so quickly that animals just don't have a chance to get out of the way," said Pat O'Brien, president of the Wildlife Protection Association. "Because of the heat and the fireballs that are happening the animals are just bursting into flames and just being killed even before the fire gets to them because its so hot," O'Brien told Reuters on Monday.
Koalas and possums, which instinctively climb to the treetops for safety, would have had no chance of escaping the blazes, and kangaroos and bush birds would have been unable to outrun the fast-burning fires, he said. This meant a very real threat of seeing species unique to the burnt-out areas, such as frogs and birds, becoming extinct, O'Brien said. "These fires will directly contribute to the extinction of a number of species and we won't know the full effects for another 10 years," he said. "It takes 100 years for some animals to move back in an area, if there's any available to move back in. In the case of gliders, which are rare and endangered anyway, they may never come back ... they'll just go into extinction."
Fires in Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales states have burnt more than 847,000 hectares (2 million acres). The worst fires are in Victoria where more than 4,000 firefighters are battling four large blazes which have blackened 750,000 hectares. Police say more than 30 homes have so far been razed. Firefighters said on Monday cooler conditions had eased the bushfire threat in the three eastern states but fires were still burning out of control. In Western Australia, a fire which has already destroyed 12,000 hectares is blazing unchecked.
New Zealand to extend Solomons mission
By Serene Hatt,WNS New Zealand Correspondent
WELLINGTON - New Zealand will extend its military mission to the troubled Solomon Islands until March, Prime Minister Helen Clark has said. New Zealand and Australia boosted their military presence in the Solomons in April after riots in the capital Honiara destroyed dozens of businesses owned by ethnic Chinese. Clark and Acting Defence Minister Annette King said the deployment of up to 50 defence personnel to the Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) helped ensure a secure environment.
"Extending the deployment is an important part of New Zealand's ongoing commitment to helping the people of Solomon Islands," Clark said in a statement. New Zealand also has 35 police officers serving in the Solomons. RAMSI arrived in the Solomons in mid-2003 to restore law and order following years of bloody ethnic conflict. Reinforcements were deployed in April when riots erupted following the election of unpopular Snyder Rini as prime minister. Rini resigned within eight days and was replaced by Manasseh Sogavare, who has called for a review of RAMSI's role in the impoverished South Pacific nation.
Coup puts Fiji's place in Pacific Forum under threat
By Malenie Judy,
WNS Pacific Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - Fiji's position within the influential Pacific Islands Forum was under threat Sunday as the military set about forming an interim cabinet following the recent coup. "The position of Fiji in the Forum is now under consideration," forum secretary Greg Urwin said in a statement. "The impacts of the (military) removal of the democratically elected government are already beginning to have serious consequences not only for the economy and the welfare of the people of Fiji but also the international reputation of Fiji and the region as a whole."
The forum, which groups 16 South Pacific regional nations, was also looking at new leadership arrangements after current chairman, Fiji's Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, was deposed. The coup "made it impossible as a matter of practicality for him to fulfil his duties as forum chair at the present time," Urwin said. Following his December 5 coup, military commander Voreqe Bainimarama has found little outside support. Fiji has been suspended from the British Commonwealth and faced sanctions from regional powers Australia and New Zealand, while the United States has cut aid.
Urwin said the Pacific Forum members had expressed "their collective commitment" to upholding democratic processes and institutions in member countries. "The crisis in Fiji must be resolved through negotiation, within the constitution and with respect for the rule of law," he said. But as Fiji faced economic hardship and isolation following the bloodless coup, Bainimarama continued to establish a new administration. After sacking the Qarase government he advertised cabinet posts in newspapers and received more than 400 replies. Military spokesman Major Neumi Leweni said shortlisted applicants would be interviewed soon, the Fijilive website reported.
Landslip devastates two families
By Serene Hatt,WNS New Zealand Correspondent
AUCKLAND - A holiday tragedy has devastated two Manawatu families. Three of their children were killed when a cliff-face suddenly gave way in the Pohangina Valley near Palmerston North on Friday. Rubble crashed into the river where the children were playing, leaving them little chance of escape. Tonnes of rock and debris mark the site of the triple tragedy. Four children were splashing happily in the Pohangina River when disaster struck. "Tragically as you can see a large section of the bank has given way causing a huge amount of debris to enter the river. And the three children have been pushed under the water and at this stage we believe just suffered huge injuries as a result of that," says senior constable Mark Glentworth of Ashhurst Police.
Pohangina local Melvyn Smith says his first reaction was to find the children. "And we located two of the children and the parents told me there was still one girl missing." Police named the children as Callum Langley, 10, his sister Keryn Langley, eight, and their friend Michael Liengme, 13. The fourth child, Liengme's brother, was treated at hospital for a minor leg injury and is now home. The family were sitting enjoying a picnic when the father noticed the rock begin to crumble. He shouted a warning but unfortunately the children could not get out of the water in time.
The scenic spot is popular with hundreds of locals flocking there in summer. Locals say there have been minor slips in the area but nothing to indicate the tragedy to come. "From time to time there's a little bit of debris lying in the river but never thought there'd be any hazard," says Smith. The Manawatu District Council says nothing could have been done to prevent the deaths. "We know that minor erosion does occur from time to time and that's what's happened in this case. But it's not the sort of thing you necessarily get warnings on," says Rod Titcombe of the council. But it's a bitter blow for a small community still reeling from the deaths of two boys on a farm bike in 2005. "It's a very tight knit community and you know they will be totally devastated by it all and you know it affects a lot of people involved," says Glentworth. The tapu lifting ceremony is planned for the site. A coroner's inquest will be held to determine the cause of the children's deaths.
Australian wildfires claim life
By Stamford Cavegh,WNS Australia Correspondent
SYDNEY - A volunteer firefighter has died and at least 20 homes have been destroyed as bush fires raged in southern Australia. Donald Dosser, 48, died after falling from a moving truck as he fought flames that destroyed 16 houses in his neighbourhood in Victoria state. The fire was believed to have been deliberately started and two teenagers are being sought. In the island state of Tasmania, four homes were destroyed in the coastal resort of Four Mile Creek. Residents fled to the beach to escape what was described as a "large fireball". Firefighters are battling to save the small town, which has been completely cut off with fires burning right up to the sea, cutting off evacuation routes. Cooler weather in the coming days is expected to ease the strain on the thousands of firefighters tackling the wildfires.
Premier of Victoria state, Steve Bracks, described the work of alleged arsonists in the Gippsland region as "reprehensible" and warned of hefty sentences for those who were caught. "I can say the full force of the law will be brought to bear and there'll be a proper investigation by police," he warned. The fire not only destroyed 16 homes but also claimed the life of Mr Dosser, who had been fighting a blaze near his home in Longford when he fell from a trailer and was hit by another truck behind. Police launched an urgent appeal to find two teenagers who were seen near the source of the blaze. Some 4,000 firefighters have been tackling at least a dozen wildfires, which have scorched vast areas of Victoria in south-east Australia recent days. Firefighters have also been tackling blazes in the neighbouring state of New South Wales.
Fire officers say they hope the coming days of cooler weather will give them time to build containment lines around the blazes. "But there is a lot of work to be done as it will get hotter and more dangerous next week," said Stuart Ord, Department of Sustainability and Environment (DES) spokesman. Bushfires are common in Australia's summer, but officials say the situation is even worse than normal this year, because of a long-standing drought. Many fires are caused by lightning, while others are started deliberately.
Qantas accepts Macquarie takeover
By Trinity Hizon,
WNS Australia Business Correspondent
SYDNEY - Australia's flagship carrier Qantas has accepted an A$11.1bn ($8.7bn) offer for the company, making it the world's biggest airline takeover. The Qantas board unanimously recommended that shareholders accept A$5.60 a share from a private equity consortium including Macquarie Bank. Thursday's move comes after the airline rejected an initial A$5.50 offer earlier in the week. Qantas chairman Margaret Jackson said it was a "momentous day" for the firm. Shares in the airline ended Thursday trading up 3.73% to A$5.28 following the announcement.
In addition to Macquarie Bank, Australia's largest investment bank, the Airline Partners Australia takeover consortium also includes Australian finance company Allco, US firm Texas Pacific Group, and Canada's Onex. The deal has been structured so that it meets Australian rules which limit foreign ownership of Qantas to 49%, with each foreign business only allowed a 25% share. Allco's stake in the consortium is 46%, while Macquarie and Texas Pacific both have 15%, Onex 9% and other unnamed foreign investors also 15%.
The takeover still needs approval by Australian regulators and Qantas shareholders, but the consortium has already pledged not to cut services. "Qantas will retain the current Australian management and their growth strategy, a strategy that does not involve a break up of the airline, cuts to regional services, or the movement of maintenance operations overseas," said Airlines Partners Australia director Bob Mansfield. Despite suffering from the steep increase in fuel prices in recent years, Qantas remains one of the few global carriers to make a profit. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he wanted the airline to maintain its traditional character. "I hope that the Qantas we know is the Qantas we keep," he said. "People like Qantas, it is an icon." The takeover consortium plans to de-list the airline and take it private.
Canberra aid for bushfire victims
By Robert Hudson,
WNS Canberra Correspondent
CANBERRA - Australia's government has announced emergency payments to victims of the country's bush fires that continue to burn out of control. Firefighters in the southern state of Tasmania have been stretched to the limit as the outbreaks intensify. Fires have destroyed vast areas of forest and farmland along with several homes across four Australian states. Flames have torn through inaccessible areas, making some fires impossible to contain. The fires are also threatening several small towns and villages. In Tasmania, emergency crews - many of which are volunteers - are struggling to cope.
Conditions over the next 24 hours are expected to be even more hostile, with high temperatures and strong winds. Residents in the state of Victoria are preparing for the onslaught of a large fire front. The federal government has announced financial relief to farmers and small businesses. Grants worth several thousand dollars will be available to those who have seen their livelihoods ruined by the bush fires. Prime Minister John Howard said parts of the country faced a long, hot summer as the fires continue to rage. Many are caused by lightning, while others are started deliberately. A 58-year-old man has been charged with arson by police in Western Australia. So far few injuries have been reported, although the authorities across this arid continent are warning that the worst may still be to come.
Qantas rejects takeover approach
By Peter Joseph,WNS Sydney Business Correspondent
SYDNEY - Australian airline Qantas has rejected an A$10.9bn ($8.6bn) takeover bid from a consortium led by Macquarie Bank. The airline said the bid, which was made last month, was inadequate. Speculation about the future of Qantas has proved controversial, with unions and some politicians saying a bid could result in thousands of job losses. But Prime Minister John Howard has insisted his government will not stand in the way of a deal nor alter ownership laws to block a bid.
Current ownership laws mean that no investor can own more than 25% of the firm's shares while no foreign company can hold a majority stake. To meet these requirements, Macquarie had brought on board a wide range of potential partners including private equity firm Texas Pacific and Canadian firm Onex. Qantas said the terms of the bid approach were "not acceptable".
Australia announces citizenship test for migrants
By Samson Zahn,WNS Australia Senior Correspondent
SYDNEY - Migrants who want to become Australian citizens will be forced to sit an English language test and demonstrate their knowledge of the country's laws and values, Prime Minister John Howard announced Monday. "This test will involve a working knowledge of the English language," Howard told reporters in Sydney. "It will also involve a further test to require people to have an understanding of basic aspects of Australian society, our culture and our values and certainly some understanding of our history."
Howard's announcement comes a year after racial riots erupted on Sydney beaches when white mobs attacked Lebanese-Australians in order to "reclaim the beach". The conservative prime minister, who has tightened immigration rules while in office to deter refugees from arriving here by boat from South East Asia, said the test was not intended to be discriminatory. "It is not designed in any way to keep some people out," he said.
"It is designed not as some kind of Trivial Pursuit, but it is designed to ensure that people understand and have a working capacity in the national language, which is English. "It will be similar in, I guess, design, although not in detail, to the citizenship tests of many other countries." Howard said the tests would apply to all new migrants who apply for citizenship. Migrants will also have to sign a statement saying they understand the country's social values including freedom of religion and sexual equality and are committed to obeying local laws.
Winds fan Australian bush fires
By Anthony Chance,WNS Australia Correspondent
MELBOURNE - Flames fanned by strong winds and high temperatures are hampering thousands of firefighters tackling bush fires in south-eastern Australia. Victoria's fire authority has reported 14 major fires across the state. The worst is north-east of Melbourne, where there are fears that several fires will merge into a huge blaze. The fires have burned out more than 200,000 hectares (495,000 acres) of land and left a pall of smoke over Australia's second largest city. It is so dense that medical authorities have warned people with respiratory problems to stay indoors.
One home was destroyed at Stonyford, in Victoria's south-west, despite the efforts of firefighters working in temperatures of 41.1C - the hottest December day in more than 50 years. Dozens more houses are under threat. Military personnel have been mobilised to help volunteer civilian fire crews fight the bush fires. Specially modified planes and helicopters are dumping water on the flames from above. Environment department spokesman Stuart Ord said crews were being stretched by trying to tackle fast-moving fires on several fronts in extreme conditions. "There is no doubt the fire will hit settlements, the question is which ones?" he said. Victorian Premier Steve Bracks has compared the situation to the state's "Black Friday" in 1939, when 71 people died in bush fires.
No-one has died in the current emergency, but Mr Bracks said the danger remained critical. "We expect the next two weeks are going to be really like standing on our toes, waiting and hoping the communities are protected as the fires rage and move through," he said. He condemned arsonists who, early on Sunday, lit grass fires on the outskirts of Melbourne that threatened homes before they were brought under control. "The full force of the law will be brought to bear to find these people, to bring them to justice," Mr Bracks said. "We have increased penalties in place."
Australia sends in troops amid worst bushfires in 70 years
By Howart Den,WNS Australia Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - Australia has mobilised the army as some of the worst bushfires in 70 years threatened homes and shrouded Victoria State in thick smoke that closed the airport and grounded firefighting aircraft. Army personnel reinforced a battalion of some 4,000 firefighters, already bolstered by crews from other states as well as New Zealand, who fought 14 major fires which had so far ravaged at least 180,000 hectares (445,000 acres) of the parched region. Authorities feared the scale of the devastation could balloon to 600,000 hectares in coming days. Firefighters frantically dug containment lines and helped prepare residents in towns directly under threat. A hospital was evacuated and the Red Cross urged residents in vulnerable townships to leave their properties and register at relief centres.
While temperatures did not rise above an expected 40 degrees, authorities predicted there would be no reprieve in conditions before Monday, with rising winds expected to worsen the situation Sunday. A thick pall of smoke cloaking much of the state prompted a rush of calls to the main emergency phone line, grounded firefighting aircraft, and delayed flights in and out of Melbourne airport. Authorities said that even if they could contain the fires soon, it would be months before they could put them out.
The sheer magnitude of the bushfire emergency, not seen since the state's "Black Friday" catastrophe of 1939 which left 71 people dead, prompted the federal government to consider the emergency from a national perspective and offer extra assistance.
Fiji suspended from Commonwealth after coup
By Suzie Decker,
WNS London Correspondent
LONDON - The Commonwealth on Friday suspended Fiji with immediate effect after a military coup there earlier this week that it condemned as showing "total disregard" for the island's elected government. Following an emergency meeting in London, Commonwealth ministers and high commissioners (ambassadors) expressed their support for the Fijian people, who are planning peaceful protests against the takeover, according to the deposed prime minister Laisenia Qarase, who remains defiant.
The Commonwealth suspension added to the international outcry over the coup. The United Nations Security Council, the United States, the European Union and several nations have condemned the takeover, while regional powers Australia and New Zealand have announced measures. "The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) unanimously and unequivocally condemned the military takeover of Fiji's democratically elected government, in total disregard of the authority of the prime minister and parliament," the ministers and high commissioners said in a statement. "Fiji's military regime should forthwith be suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth pending the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in that country."
The suspension means that representatives of the military regime are excluded from participation in all inter-governmental Commonwealth meetings and from all other inter-governmental Commonwealth activities. Fiji's army chief Voreqe Bainimarama seized power in a bloodless coup on Tuesday and has tightened his grip since then by dismissing senior police chiefs and other government department heads. The former British colony's fourth coup in two decades capped months of confrontation between Qarase and Bainimarama, who accused the government of corruption and demanded it withdraw legislation which included an amnesty to the plotters of a 2000 coup.
Australian military fights fires
By Howart Dan,WNS Australia Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - Australia's military on Thursday rushed to help battle bushfires that threaten to merge into a giant fire-front ahead of what authorities said could be one of the most dangerous weekends for blazes in the country's south. Army bulldozers and fuel tankers were sent to Victoria state in the country's southeast, where 1,800 firefighters are struggling to contain 50 blazes burning in the rugged, inaccessible mountains of the Victorian Alps. An urgent call for help was also sent to New Zealand and Victorian state Premier Steve Bracks said he hoped about 40 remote-area specialist firefighters would arrive ahead of four days in which temperatures were tipped to soar to 40 degrees Celsius.
"It is a critical time now, but it is more critical as we approach this weekend," Bracks told reporters. "It's going to be one of our most difficult fire weekends in the history of this state." Firefighters say Australia faces an extreme fire danger this summer after a worsening drought left rural areas bone dry. Scientists fear climate change will bring more frequent higher temperatures and less rainfall to parts of Australia. Authorities said the blazes stretching 150 kilometers from the central King Valley to the southern coast could destroy more than 600,000 hectares in coming days as fires merged in the face of strong winds. A 25-kilometer-wide smoke plume covered Australia's east coast in photos taken from space and shown in newspapers. Fire authority spokesman Greg Leach said at least seven towns were under immediate threat. "We had a number of larger fires merge overnight. We've had 10 years of drought in Victoria and the forests are extremely dry, and we are seeing fire behavior that we haven't witnessed before," Leach said.
In neighboring New South Wales there was some relief with the discovery that large fires burning there had not destroyed one of the healthiest remaining colonies of koalas in the country, as earlier feared. Leach said four houses had been destroyed in Victoria and residents in Dargo, Licola, Bairnsdale and Maffra towns would have to decide whether to flee or fight approaching blazes. "Obviously firefighter safety and the safety of the community are our key objectives, but we are going to try and control these fires," he said.
Fiji imposes state of emergency
By Malenie Judy,WNS Pacific Bureau ChiefSUVA - A state of emergency has been declared on the South Pacific island state of Fiji, as the military tightens its grip a day after a bloodless coup. The army has dissolved parliament, sworn in a caretaker prime minister and sacked Fiji's acting police chief. "The military will suppress very quickly any uprising against us," said coup leader Cmdr Frank Bainimarama. The coup, the fourth in two decades in the Fijian archipelago, was condemned by the international community. The UN secretary general has demanded that the government be restored and the UK, the US and New Zealand have suspended aid. Deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has called on Fijians peacefully to oppose the coup. "I believe there will be a peaceful reaction by thousands and thousands in the next few days," Mr Qarase told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation before leaving for his home village on the remote Lau islands, at the request of the military. Despite being banished, he has insisted he remains Fiji's legitimate leader. Jona Senilagakali, a doctor with no political background, was sworn in as interim prime minister at a ceremony in the capital, Suva, on Wednesday. Cmdr Bainimarama said the military wanted a peaceful transition of power to an interim administration. He said he had declared a state of emergency after intelligence reports suggested some people were planning civil disruption. Lt Col Jim Koroi was appointed as acting police commissioner after the incumbent, Moses Driver, was sacked. He had refused to take orders from the new regime. "For those who do not agree with what we are doing, we respect your opinion, but do not interfere with the process that is currently under way," Cmdr Bainimarama said in a national broadcast. "There is no point in debating the legality or otherwise of our actions. Qarase and his cronies are not coming back." Cmdr Bainimarama said that next week he would ask the Great Council of Chiefs to restore executive powers to President Ratu Josefa Iloilo. The president would then appoint an interim government and elections would follow at an unspecified date, the military chief said. Urging Fijians to carry on life as normal, he added: "If we are pushed to use force we will do so. The military is staying the course we have set."
Fiji's PM is 'under house arrest'
By Malenie Judy,WNS Pacific Bureau Chief
SUVA - Fiji's prime minister has said he is under house arrest as army soldiers blockade his residence in the South Pacific island's capital, Suva. The country's president denied comments by New Zealand's prime minister that he had agreed to dissolve parliament. The reports appeared to suggest that the president was backing the military's attempt to stage a coup. Military chief Cmdr Frank Bainimarama has repeatedly threatened to unseat Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Cmdr Bainimarama is expected to give a press conference in the coming hours.
Earlier, New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clark, blasted reports of the president's decision to dissolve parliament as a result of what she said was the military's "bullying, intimidation and threats". She warned of "fearful consequences for the people of Fiji unless the military and president pull back from the brink". The embattled elected leader refuses to step down voluntarily. "I am at home but there are soldiers at the gate negotiating their way to come in," Mr Qarase said from his complex in the centre of the capital, Suva. "If they want to carry out an illegal act, that is their choice," he said, "but I will not resign." He said Fiji's powerful Pacific neighbours Australia and New Zealand had "flatly said no" to sending military support after the Fijian police were disarmed on Monday. Both neighbours have said that they feared that sending in troops would only inflame a delicate situation. Checkpoints have already been set up across the capital in what Mr Qarase described as a "strangling of the government of the day". Cmdr Bainimarama is angry at the way Mr Qarase has handled the aftermath of a coup in 2000, offering an amnesty to those responsible.
Mr Qarase says that at least 800 of those involved have already been convicted. Australia, Britain and New Zealand have advised their citizens to stay away from the tourism-dependent former British colony. They have also warned of dire social, economic and diplomatic consequences if the military completes its coup. Fiji has seen three coups in the last 20 years.
Fiji army moves to control Suva
By Malenie Judy,WNS Pacific Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - Fiji's military has moved to take control of the capital, Suva, amid speculation an army coup was imminent. Troops disarmed the police and ministerial bodyguards and set up roadblocks around Suva. Military chief Cmdr Frank Bainimarama refused to say if a coup was under way but said the moves were aimed at preventing any outbreak of violence. He has repeatedly threatened to unseat PM Laisenia Qarase over plans to grant amnesty to those behind a coup in 2000.
Truckloads of heavily-armed soldiers were seen leaving the army's barracks in Suva. They were putting up roadblocks around the capital during the night, and had reportedly cut off several roads into the city. Earlier, troops arrived at the headquarters of the country's only armed police unit, the Tactical Response Unit, outside Suva. They loaded weapons belonging to police on to army trucks and took them away. Troops also went to a police armoury in the city to remove more weapons. Bodyguards for the prime minister and other ministers were also disarmed. Cmdr Bainimarama told reporters his troops had taken weapons off the police "to ensure that police weapons are not used against the military". But he insisted the police still had a role to play. "The police and the (military) will work together to ensure the security and safety of all the people of Fiji," he said in a brief statement. The move was called "unlawful and unnecessary" by acting police commissioner Moses Driver. Cmdr Bainimarama gave no indication whether a coup was under way during his statement to reporters, despite local media reports that he has drawn up a 13-member interim cabinet. When asked who was running the country, he replied: "I don't have any comments right now". He originally gave the government until last Friday to resign or face Fiji's fourth army takeover in two decades. In a TV interview at the weekend, he said he expected the prime minister to "give in peacefully" and leave office on Monday. Prime Minister Qarase remained defiant on Monday, insisting he was still in charge. He said he had called a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday to consider Cmdr Bainimarama's "latest and ever-changing demands".
Australia and New Zealand have warned of dire economic and social consequences if the military deposes Fiji's elected government. "It is clear Fiji is on the brink of a coup," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told his parliament. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark warned Cmdr Bainimarama that sanctions would follow any coup, including a possible travel ban to New Zealand where he has family.
Fiji's army head warns of action
By Malenie Judy,WNS Pacific Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - Fiji's army head, who is threatening a coup against the government, says the sooner the military acts the better. In a TV interview, Cmdr Frank Bainimarama said the army would "find ways" to make Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase resign if he refused to do so. He said he planned to appoint an interim civilian administration and hold elections at a later date. But Cmdr Bainimarama did not specify a deadline, amid media reports he plans to act early on Monday. Tension has been rising for weeks in the Pacific island nation amid a stand-off between Cmdr Bainimarama, the head of Fiji's military, and the prime minister. A Friday deadline the military leader set for Mr Qarase to step aside has already passed. Early on Thursday, the military staged night-time operations to secure strategic areas of the capital, Suva, in what it described as a training exercise.
Speaking to Fiji One television, Cmdr Bainimarama said Mr Qarase had to step down. "Our plan is for (Qarase) to accept the military demand for him to resign," he said. If he resists, "we will find ways for him to resign", he said. Asked when the military planned to act, Cmdr Bainimarama did not give a specific timing, saying: "What I can say is, the sooner the better."
Local daily the Sunday Post reported that troops planned to move early on Monday morning, citing unnamed sources. Cmdr Bainimarama dismissed the report, calling it "rumours". But in a Fijian-language TV interview, he said that "transition is expected to take place tomorrow as a deadline", Reuters news agency reported.
The feud between the two men goes back several months. It relates to legislation that Mr Qarase is seeking to pass, which offers a pardon to people involved in the 2000 racially-motivated coup and allocates the ownership of coastal land to ethnic Fijians. Cmdr Bainimarama played a key role in putting down the uprising and was at one point forced to flee for his life. He has made it clear that he does not feel the government has done enough to bring its perpetrators to justice.
Fiji's PM returns to capital as coup looms
By Malenie Judy,WNS Pacific Bureau ChiefSYDNEY - Fiji's military commander Voreqe Bainimarama has declared he is in charge of the country as Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase returned to the capital Suva to avert a looming coup. The political situation remained in limbo Saturday afternoon, a day after a deadline expired for the government to accept a series of demands or be forced from office by Bainimarama. The military had taken no overt action to take control while Qarase insisted the cabinet remained at the country's helm, although he and other key ministers went into hiding Friday as the deadline passed. Local reports said Qarase returned to the capital Saturday and was to hold a meeting with Vice-President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, who undertakes many of the functions of head of state for ailing President Ratu Josefa Iloilo. Despite the lack of military action to take over the reins of power, Bainimarama insisted in an interview with the Fiji Sun published Saturday that he was now "in control". "Qarase should come out into the open and I assure him that he will not be kidnapped or put under any form of house arrest," he said. "It will be a peaceful transition so I'm calling Qarase to come back to his home in Suva." Bainimarama denied claims by Qarase that the military was split over overthrowing the government, saying it was united in its intention to uproot the "lies that have brainwashed the Fijian people since 2000." The military chief accuses Qarase's nationalist United Fiji Party government on going soft on plotters of the racially-fueled coup of 2000 and of favouring the indigenous majority in the country over the ethnic Indian minority. Qarase said in a radio interview Saturday it was "no secret that a lot of the military personnel are not happy with what the commander is trying to do". The latest tensions came to a head after Bainimarama labelled talks with Qarase earlier in the week as a failure, rejected wide-ranging concessions from the prime minister and set a Friday deadline for the government to accept his demands. The military had demanded the dropping of legislation which would have offered amnesties to coup plotters, along with two other bills Bainimarama said unfairly discriminated against ethnic Indians. Among other demands Bainimarama wanted moves to charge him with sedition dropped. Qarase said it would be illegal for the government to accept the demands and said "divine intervention" was needed to resolve the issue. Bainimarama has said little about his plans to take control or when he would carry them out, other than to say the military would appoint an interim government. Foreign governments and international organisations have urged Bainimarama to step back from what would be the fourth coup in the South Pacific nation of 850,000 people in nearly two decades. Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon said Friday the republic's Great Council of Chiefs -- an influential advisory body of traditional chiefs -- should take the lead in resolving the situation "once and for all". "The Commonwealth unreservedly condemns military action against democratically elected governments," said McKinnon, after speaking with Qarase and other regional leaders. "Any such action would be a serious violation of the Commonwealth's fundamental political values and would be a threat to democracy everywhere. Pacific foreign ministers on Friday threw their support behind Fiji's embattled government but ruled out armed intervention if the coup goes ahead.
Fiji coup deadline passes quietly
By Malenie Judy,WNS Pacific Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - Fiji's military leader held talks with the country's president as a coup deadline passed without incident. Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, who threatened to overthrow the government by noon (0000 GMT), met President Ratu Josefa Iloilo but there was no immediate news on what was discussed. On Thursday the military chief set the deadline for Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to accept a series of "non-negotiable" demands or face "a peaceful transition of power". As the deadline passed, there were no signs of large troop movements or other major activity at the military headquarters in the Queen Elizabeth II barracks outside Suva. Four patrol vehicles with armed troops in full battle gear were seen entering the camp in the hour before the deadline but otherwise activity was low-key.
Bainimamara spent about half an hour meeting with the president and vice president Joni Madraiwiwi at the president's residence. Prime minister Qarase was out of Suva in the nearby town of Sigatoka on scheduled official engagements, a spokesman said. The prime minister's office said he may respond to Bainimarama's demands later in the day. Bainimarama has repeatedly threatened to overthrow the government over three controversial pieces of legislation, including one which would have allowed plotters of the 2000 coup to apply for amnesty.
Among his other demands, he wants the police to drop an investigation into possible sedition charges against him for his repeated threats against the government. Although Qarase has offered wide-ranging concessions they were rejected by the military leader. As his noon deadline passed, foreign ministers from the Pacific region were meeting in Sydney to discuss the coup crisis. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the meeting hoped to show Bainimarama that Pacific nations wanted respect for the rule of law and democracy throughout the region.
