100 illegal guns seized in Qld raids 

 

POLICE hunting black-market gun traders in Queensland have seized more than 100 weapons and arrested five people.

The haul, which included silencers, was seized during raids in southeast and central Queensland as part of a state and federal police operation launched in September.
Police executed search warrants at Mount Archer near Rockhampton and Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, and Tweed Heads, on the Queensland-NSW border.

Qld's chief magistrate wants independence 

 

QUEENSLAND'S chief magistrate has warned judges not to undermine the Newman government's law and order agenda.

Tim Carmody has used an address to warn all three arms of government to respect the separation of powers, and "keep their hands to themselves, and off the others".
The chief magistrate used a welcome ceremony for two new magistrates to remind the judiciary it must implement laws set by the government, regardless of what they think of them.

Pair escape injury after SA plane crash 

 

TWO people have escaped injury after a light plane crashed into a paddock south of Adelaide.

The twin-engine Piper made an emergency landing in the paddock, about one kilometre from the Aldinga Airport, on Wednesday about 11.30am (CDT).
Police say the two people on board appear to have escaped injury, but may be suffering from shock.

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'Wage explosion' claim astonishes unions 

 

UNIONS are "gobsmacked" by Employment Minister Eric Abetz's suggestion Australia is on the verge of an explosion in wages, while one of his ministerial colleagues says wage growth is likely to be subdued.

Business groups agree wage growth is likely to be moderate but say unions are still able to put too much pressure on businesses to cave into demands.
Senator Abetz warned in a speech on Tuesday of a "wages explosion" that would push thousands of people out of work if employers and unions didn't take a responsible line in wage agreements.
Australian Council of Trade Unions president Ged Kearney says Senator Abetz's claim is irresponsible and false.

Man, 82, critical after driveway accident 

 

AN 82-year-old man is in a critical condition after his car rolled backwards, in the third driveway accident in Adelaide this year.

Police say the man was knocked to the ground in the Davoren Park driveway on Tuesday night.
He was taken to hospital, where his condition deteriorated and he is now considered critical.
On Monday, an 82-year-old Adelaide woman died when her car rolled down a Wynn Vale driveway and hit her.

Vics waiting longer for ambulances: report 

THE wait for Victoria's most urgent ambulance patients is getting longer, with paramedics taking more than 20 minutes to arrive at some cases, a new report shows.

The annual Report on Government Services shows Victorians waited an average of 11.2 minutes for a code one ambulance in 2012-13, the longest wait of any state.
Ten per cent of Victorians waited nearly 23 minutes for a code one ambulance, longer than in 2011-12.

Police locate two bodies in northern NSW

POLICE searching for a missing father and daughter have located two bodies at Pottsville in northern NSW.

Police said the two bodies were located by an SES volunteer in dense bushland at the Pottsville sand dunes.
Greg Hutchings, 35, and his four-year-old daughter Eeva Dorendahl-Hutchings have been missing from Pottsville since January 11 after failing to meet up with family at a local park.

Govt cool on support for fruit processor 

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has talked down the prospects of government help for fruit processor SPC Ardmona ahead of a cabinet meeting this week.

The Victorian-based company wants $50 million from the federal and Victorian governments to upgrade its product development facilities, which would be topped up by a larger investment from parent company Coca-Cola Amatil.

Tai chi program reduces blood sugar: study 

 

AN Australian-developed tai chi-based exercise program has helped people reduce their blood sugar and blood pressure, according to a new study.

The gentle program is based on movements from the ancient Chinese form of exercise, but is specifically designed to help people with chronic diseases, says University of Queensland researcher Dr Xin Liu.
The 52 people who participated in the study experienced encouraging health improvements, regardless of their diet or other factors, said Dr Liu.

Human remains found near croc attack site 

 

HUMAN remains have been found near where a 12-year-old boy was taken by a crocodile in the Northern Territory.

Authorities have shot dead three crocs in the search for the reptile that snatched the boy while he was swimming with friends in a billabong west of Jabiru in the Kakadu National Park on Sunday.
Another boy, 15, was bitten but released by a croc during the attack.
Acting Police Commander Michael White says search teams have found human remains near where the boy was taken.

US court won't stop execution of Mexican 

 

A US federal appeals court is refusing to halt the execution of a Mexican national convicted of killing a Houston police officer, despite diplomatic pressure and pleas from the Mexican government.

Edgar Tamayo is scheduled for lethal injection at a Texas prison on Wednesday evening.
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals considered an appeal that renewed an earlier contention that Tamayo was mentally impaired and therefore ineligible for execution. But the court said the appeal, which was filed last week, came too late.

Fiery exchanges over Assad's fate at talks 

THE biggest push yet to end Syria's bloodshed has been marked by fiery exchanges as the warring sides and global powers clashed over President Bashar al-Assad's fate at a UN peace conference in Switzerland.

After a day of formal speeches set to be followed this week by talks involving the two sides, UN leader Ban Ki-moon urged Syria's regime and opposition to finally work together at the table.
"The world wants an urgent end to the conflict," Ban said on Wednesday in a closing press conference at the talks in the Swiss town of Montreux.
"Enough is enough, the time has to come to negotiate."

US court won't stop execution of Mexican 

 

A US federal appeals court is refusing to halt the execution of a Mexican national convicted of killing a Houston police officer, despite diplomatic pressure and pleas from the Mexican government.

Edgar Tamayo is scheduled for lethal injection at a Texas prison on Wednesday evening.
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals considered an appeal that renewed an earlier contention that Tamayo was mentally impaired and therefore ineligible for execution. But the court said the appeal, which was filed last week, came too late.
Tamayo's lawyers are now taking their appeal to the US Supreme Court.
They also are appealing a judge's refusal on Tuesday to stop the Texas parole board from a clemency recommendation in Tamayo's case.
The 46-year-old inmate was convicted in the January 1994 slaying of Guy Gaddis.

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Chinese activist stays mum in court 

 

THE founder of a grassroots movement to boost accountability for Chinese officials has gone on trial on charges of disrupting public order.

But Xu Zhiyong didn't utter a word during the six-hour, closed-door proceedings to protest what he considers an unjust case.
The trial of the legal scholar and New Citizens founder reflects the determination of the government led by Xi Jinping to quash the loosely knit activists before they can challenge Communist Party rule, even though their goals largely overlap with the party's stated drive to root out corruption and build a fairer society.

Oily fish 'can increase brain size' 

EATING more oily fish can increase brain size in later life and may help prevent age-related mental decline, a study has found.

People with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil preserve bigger brains as they age, the research shows.

In particular, they maintain more nerve cells in the hippocampus, the brain's key memory centre.

The larger neural volume linked to omega-3 intake is equivalent to reducing the effects of brain ageing by up to two years, say scientists.

Pope draws 6.6 million at Vatican in 2013 

THE Vatican says Pope Francis drew more than 6.6 million people to his audiences, Masses and other Vatican events in 2013, more than twice as many as his predecessor Benedict XVI did in his first year as Pope.

The statistics released on Thursday cover only events held at the Vatican starting from Francis' March 13 election.
They don't include his trips, including World Youth Day in Brazil and trips within Italy: The Vatican estimated that some 3.7 million people attended Francis' final World Youth Day Mass in Rio alone, though statisticians put the true figure at about half that.

Lawyer fined for outing Rowling identity 

A LAWYER who let slip JK Rowling's secret thriller-writer identity has been fined STG1000 ($A1800) for breaching client confidentiality rules.

Chris Gossage of London law firm Russells Solicitors - which represents Rowling - told a friend of his wife that the Harry Potter creator was author of The Cuckoo's Calling, published last year under the name Robert Galbraith.

Men quick to give up new year diets: study 

A QUARTER of men who make a New Year's resolution to lose weight have already given up on their diets by January 2, a poll suggests.

Some 26 per cent of men abandon their diets after one day, a survey found.
Meanwhile, one in 10 women cave in to cravings for unhealthy food after 24 hours and 31 per cent give up their diet within one week, according to health company Bupa.

Barack Obama, John Key hit the golf course 

US President Barack Obama has played golf with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in Hawaii, in an unusual holiday encounter.

The statesmen hit the green at a US Marine Corps base on the northeastern coast of the island of Oahu on Thursday.
Obama and his family are spending more than two weeks in Hawaii and have rented a house near the base, about 20 kilometres from Honolulu, where Obama was born.
The leaders, joined by Key's teenage son Max and White House aide Marvin Nicholson, hit several balls and joked around in front of reporters.

Alicia Keys and Blackberry part ways 

ALICIA Keys and Blackberry are set to part ways at the end of January, just one year after the singer signed on as "global creative director".

The Canadian company confirmed Keys' upcoming departure to Reuters on Thursday.
It comes as Blackberry shifts its focus away from the consumer market and towards businesses and governments.