Senate to investigate Newman government

Bushfire risk to one million homes across NSW

ONE million homes are at risk across NSW in the upcoming bushfire season with the hot, dry effects of El Niño expected to make conditions even worse than the devastating 2013-14 season.

Man left for dead in Sydney street

A MAN has been taken to hospital suffering multiple fractures and serious head injuries after being hit by a car in Sydney's inner west overnight.

No ban on burqas for employers

MUSLIM women wearing burqas and niqabs can have their driving licence photographs taken after hours and can enter public sector work.

Kids fear dad was killed by IS

THE family of an Australian man tortured and killed in Afghanistan fears he may have been murdered by Islamic State militants.

The Farmer wants a Liberal seat

ULTRA marathon runner Pat Farmer wants to stage a comeback for the Liberal Party in former minister Chris Hartcher's state seat of Terrigal.

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Vic man in court on terror financing

A MELBOURNE man allegedly provided funds to the terrorist organisations ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra, a court has heard.

HASSAN El Sabsabi allegedly provided funds to the groups knowing they were terrorist organisations over five months this year, at a number of locations in Melbourne's western and northern suburbs, according to charge sheets lodged with the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

El Sabsabi, 23, of Seabrook, was arrested following a series of raids on homes across Melbourne on Tuesday morning.He appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon charged with six counts of intentionally making funds available to a terrorist organisation.Federal police allege that in March this year El Sabsabi made funds available to ISIL, also know as Islamic State. Police also allege that between March and August, he made funds available to Jabhat al-Nusra.The amount of funds allegedly made available was neither stated on the charge sheets nor during his court appearance.Police earlier told reporters about $12,000 had allegedly been provided to a man in the United States, allowing him to join militants in Syria some months ago. He continues to fight there.Prosecutor Andrew Doyle told the court the investigation commenced about eight months ago from information from the FBI.Mr Doyle said there were 25,000 pages from social media accounts and 500 telephone calls and messages to go through as part of the investigation."A substantial amount of material will be sourced from overseas," Mr Doyle told the court.El Sabsabi's lawyer Trieu Huynh asked for his client to be transferred from the Melbourne Custody Centre to the Melbourne Assessment Prison as soon as possible."Given the nature of the charges (and) it's his first time in custody, it's extremely onerous on him," he said.He also asked for a doctor to examine his client as soon as possible for his medical conditions, which Mr Huynh said he would not outline in open court.Deputy Chief Magistrate Dan Muling granted a prosecution application for more time to prepare the brief of evidence.El Sabsabi did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody to reappear on February 3.

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US-led strikes hit IS 'near Turkey border'

ACTIVISTS say the US-led coalition has struck targets of the Islamic State group near a besieged Kurdish town along Syria's border with Turkey.

IT was not immediately clear if Tuesday's airstrikes succeeded in halting the militants' advance on Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab.

The opposition Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes hit Islamic State fighters east and west of Kobane.The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, also confirmed the airstrikes on the town's outskirts.Kobane has been under attack by the Islamic State group since mid-September.Despite US-led airstrikes, the militants were able to advance toward the town over the past few days.The Observatory said fighting around Kobane on Monday killed 57 fighters on both sides - the town's Kurdish defenders and the Islamic militants.

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500,000 admit to lying on credit

HALF a million Australians have lied or omitted information on a credit application.

DATA bureau Veda, which provides information and analysis to lenders and borrowers, said its research found three per cent of Australians had admitted being less than straight-forward on their applications.

"It's really a form of fraud if people are doing that," Veda spokeswoman Belinda Diprose said.Recent changes in legislation will allow lenders to see a range of credit details that expose lies and omissions, she said.The newly available information includes: when accounts are opened and closed, the type of account, the credit limit and, importantly, the repayment history."It gives lenders a much more complete picture when they're assessing you for credit," Ms Diprose said."It also gives consumers the opportunity to be a lot more proactive in managing their credit history."Veda says it is just as alarming that 2.1 million Australians, or 13 per cent of those using credit, are at risk of default in the next year.This is a slight reduction from the previous year, down from 15 per cent.Veda found 601,380 people, four per cent of credit users, were classified as being at high to extreme risk.Veda records a default if borrowers and billpayers are more than $150 and 60 days overdue.The survey results are part of the second annual Veda Australian Credit Scorecard, combining analysis of 955,000 individual credit scores with separate research on 1000 Australians.Despite the risk of default, Veda's research found 79 per cent of Australians were not concerned about their credit history, and 78 per cent have never checked their credit report.And when it comes to financial savvy, women come out ahead of men.Two-thirds of women expressed financial confidence, compared to 58 per cent of men.

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Indonesian leader 'to restore local votes'

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wants to reintroduce direct elections for governors. Source: AAP

OUTGOING Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he is seeking to overturn a new law that abolishes direct elections for local officials, amid criticism of his party's failure to block it.

THE House of Representatives on Friday voted 226 to 135 to approve the bill, according to which governors, district chiefs and mayors would be elected by the local legislatures.

"We want to maintain direct elections, with improvements," Yudhoyono said."If Plan A fails, I will resort to Plan B," he said, without elaborating."I hope we will find a way."The president said he had been advised that neither he nor his Democratic Party had standing to challenge the law in the Constitutional Court.Yudhoyono's party legislators boycotted the parliamentary vote after their proposed amendments failed.Under the current system, local leaders - including the former Jakarta governor and now president-elect Joko Widodo - have been elected directly by voters.Proponents of the new legislation said direct elections were too costly, prone to fraud and often sparked violence among supporters of rival candidates.Joko's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and two other parties that backed his candidacy criticised the bill as a setback for democracy.Much of the public anger over the legislation has been directed at Yudhoyono on social media like Twitter and Facebook.The president will still be directly elected, but critics said it would be impossible for reform-minded leaders like Joko to emerge under an indirect election system.They also said the bill was a ploy by Joko's opponents, who form the majority in the upcoming parliament, to control local governments and undermine his leadership.Direct local elections began in 2005 as part of efforts to decentralise political power after the fall of dictator Suharto in 1998.Joko, who also opposed the bill, will be sworn in as president on October 20.

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South Sudan factions agree on federal govt

MEDIATORS say South Sudan's warring factions have agreed on the installation of a federal system of government in South Sudan.

THE regional body IGAD, which is mediating peace talks in Ethiopia, announced on Tuesday that the structure and functions of a transitional government of national unity have been "mostly agreed on".

Mediators said, however, that the parties are yet to agree on when to introduce federalism in the world's newest country.Representatives for the rebels want immediate implementation but the government favours a 30-month transitional period before the next administration can be formed.South Sudan was plunged into violence last December after the government accused the ousted vice president of launching a failed coup.Thousands of people have since been killed in violence pitting government forces against renegade troops.

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WA premier hears of Muslim harassment

Bushfire risk to one million homes across NSW

ONE million homes are at risk across NSW in the upcoming bushfire season with the hot, dry effects of El Niño expected to make conditions even worse than the devastating 2013-14 season.

Man left for dead in Sydney street

A MAN has been taken to hospital suffering multiple fractures and serious head injuries after being hit by a car in Sydney's inner west overnight.

No ban on burqas for employers

MUSLIM women wearing burqas and niqabs can have their driving licence photographs taken after hours and can enter public sector work.

Kids fear dad was killed by IS

THE family of an Australian man tortured and killed in Afghanistan fears he may have been murdered by Islamic State militants.

The Farmer wants a Liberal seat

ULTRA marathon runner Pat Farmer wants to stage a comeback for the Liberal Party in former minister Chris Hartcher's state seat of Terrigal.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

One in three Aust seniors live in poverty

Bushfire risk to one million homes across NSW

ONE million homes are at risk across NSW in the upcoming bushfire season with the hot, dry effects of El Niño expected to make conditions even worse than the devastating 2013-14 season.

Man left for dead in Sydney street

A MAN has been taken to hospital suffering multiple fractures and serious head injuries after being hit by a car in Sydney's inner west overnight.

No ban on burqas for employers

MUSLIM women wearing burqas and niqabs can have their driving licence photographs taken after hours and can enter public sector work.

Kids fear dad was killed by IS

THE family of an Australian man tortured and killed in Afghanistan fears he may have been murdered by Islamic State militants.

The Farmer wants a Liberal seat

ULTRA marathon runner Pat Farmer wants to stage a comeback for the Liberal Party in former minister Chris Hartcher's state seat of Terrigal.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More