WHO: Ebola death rate rises to 70 per cent

THE death rate in the Ebola outbreak has risen to 70 per cent and there could be up to 10,000 new cases a week in two months, the World Health Organisation warns.

WHO assistant director-general Dr Bruce Aylward gave the grim figures during a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

Previously, WHO had estimated the death rate at about 50 per cent.Aylward said the 70 per cent death rate was "a high mortality disease" in any circumstance and that the UN health agency was still focused on trying to get sick people isolated and provide treatment as early as possible.He told reporters that if the world's response to the Ebola crisis isn't stepped up within 60 days, "a lot more people will die" and there will be a huge need to deal with the spiralling numbers of cases.For the last four weeks, there have been about 1000 new cases per week - including suspected, confirmed and probable cases, he said, adding that the UN health agency is aiming to get 70 per cent of cases isolated within two months to reverse the outbreak.WHO increased its Ebola death toll tally to 4447 people on Tuesday, nearly all of them in west Africa, from 8914 cases.Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have been hardest hit nations in the current outbreak.Aylward said the agency was still focused on trying to treat Ebola patients, despite the huge demands on the broken health systems in west Africa."It would be horrifically unethical to say that we're just going to isolate people," he said, noting that new strategies such as handing out protective equipment to families and setting up very basic clinics - without much treatment - was a priority.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Storm batters Sydney causing chaos

A RAGING storm has been tearing through NSW's east coast, battering homes and causing delays at Sydney Airport.

THE NSW State Emergency Service has received more than 300 calls for emergency assistance, including eight flood rescues under way on Tuesday night, with more calls expected to come.

SES spokesman Phil Campbell said trees and power lines were down and conditions were too hazardous in some areas for crews to go out."They'd go kite surfing across the ditch and end up in New Zealand," he said."Obviously the safety of our volunteers is paramount."We are responding to lots of calls for help. We're getting several per minute."Sydney's south, particularly Kogarah and the airport, had been hardest hit, he said.About 5500 homes in Sydney's south have lost power, according to electricity network Ausgrid.Wind gusts of 95 km/h were recorded about 9pm at Sydney Airport and passengers have taken to social media to report on delays and storm battered planes."Storm so severe its pushing our stationary A330 Airbus sliding around the Tarmac at Sydney Airport," tweeted Annalie Killian."Been stuck on this plane now for 4 hours... Piss off storm!" wrote Brett Leonard.Passengers have reported ground crews were nowhere in sight as they sat on planes, waiting for hours before cancellations."Please pray for me! The airport is a mess," one person posted on Facebook.Despite reports the airport had shut down, a spokeswoman told AAP it was operating."The thunderstorms are causing delays," she said."Flights are coming in and out, the weather is causing delays to unloading aircrafts ... it will contribute to knock-on delays."By about 9.30pm, wind gusts increased to 98 km/h at the airport, while in the state's south winds of 161 km/h were recorded at Wattamolla.At Strathfield, almost 90mm of rain has fallen in two-and-a-half hours with flooding expected in low lying areas of Tempe, in Sydney's inner west.Wind and rain hasn't been the only result of the storms as snow fell heavily around the Blue Mountains.About 5cm has fallen in Lithgow, with roads affected by snow and ice.The SES reported 60 passengers have become stuck on a train between Kingsgrove and Bexley North, sparking a rescue operation.By 11.15pm, the Bureau of Meteorology expects the dangerous thunderstorm to hit Parramatta, Hornsby and Manly.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

JP Morgan returns to profit in Q3

JPMORGAN, the largest US banks by assets, has reported third-quarter profit after booking a loss in the same period a year ago.

THE bank on Tuesday reported earnings of $US5.6 billion ($A6.06 billion), or $US1.36 share, compared with a loss of $US380 million, or 17 cents a share, in the same period a year ago.

Revenue for the period rose five per cent to $US24.25 billion from $US23.12 billion a year ago.The results missed the expectations of Wall Street analysts who had forecast earnings of $US1.38 a share, according to FactSet.JPMorgan shares were down 36 cents, or 0.6 per cent, at $US57.80 in pre-market trading. The stock is down 0.5 per cent this year.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius' charity work downplayed

OSCAR Pistorius only used charitable work as a marketing tool, the prosecution says as the sentencing hearing of the South African athlete enters its second day.

PROSECUTOR Gerrie Nel downplayed arguments on Tuesday by Pistorius' manager Peet Van Zyl that the double-amputee Olympic sprinter had engaged in volunteer work and donated funds to help disabled people.

Getting involved in charity "is merely an advancement of your career," Nel told Van Zyl. "If you see it that way," the manager answered.Pistorius' defence is trying to depict him as a generous man of good character in an attempt to allow him to avoid a prison sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14, 2013.The 27-year-old athlete fired at the 29-year-old model through the bathroom door in his Pretoria home.Judge Thokozile Masipa accepted his version that he took her for a burglar and found him guilty of manslaughter on September 12.The sentencing hearing is expected to conclude this week. Masipa then has a wide discretion in choosing the sentence, which could range from a fine to 15 years in prison.Pistorius' therapist told the court on Monday that he had felt deep and genuine remorse for killing Steenkamp and had been left "a broken man" by his ordeal.A representative of South Africa's Correctional Services Department recommended that Pistorius be punished with house arrest and community service.Nel called the suggestion a "shockingly inappropriate" punishment.The judge said in her September decision that Pistorius did not mean to kill anyone, but acted negligently and unreasonably, knowing there was someone in the toilet with little room for manoeuvre when he fired the shots.The verdict sparked an outcry, with many saying Pistorius intended to kill and should have been found guilty of murder.The 41-day trial of Pistorius - the first double-amputee to compete against able-bodied sprinters in the 2012 London Olympics - was watched closely around the world.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

Suicide car bomb in Baghdad kills 19

A SUICIDE bomber has rammed his explosive-laden car into a security checkpoint in northern Baghdad, killing at least 19 people, including civilians, an Iraqi police official says.

THE attack happened on Tuesday in Baghdad's Shi'ite-majority Khazimiyah district. The official says at least six police officers were among the dead. Another 35 people were wounded.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke anonymously as they are not authorised to brief the media.A series of attacks on Shi'ite-majority neighbourhoods in Baghdad on Monday killed 44 people.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

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.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

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.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

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.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

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.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More

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.

00.00 | 0 komentar | Read More