Man, girl found at north Qld campground

A man and a girl are missing after leaving a Townsville home to look for a campsite, police say. Source: AAP

A MAN and a young girl who were missing for 24 hours near Townsville have been found.

Police say the man, 32, and the six-year-old girl left a home in Lansing St, Mount Louisa, to scout for a camping site about 1.30pm (AEST) on Friday.

The pair did not take their camping gear with them and had been expected to return, but they hadn't come back by 9pm and relatives raised the alarm.

After an extensive search involving a police helicopter, the pair were found safe and well at a camping-ground car park about 1pm on Saturday.

Police said the pair had decided to sleep the night in their ute after darkness made it difficult to find their way back.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rescue setback for ice-stranded ship

A Chinese rescue icebreaker has been forced to turn back from rescuing a ship stranded in sea ice. Source: AAP

AN Antarctic rescue mission has suffered a setback after two icebreakers abandoned efforts to free a research ship stranded deep in sea ice.

A group of Australian scientists, explorers and tourists has been stuck on the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy since Christmas Day.

The ship, with 74 people on board, sent a distress call after becoming trapped in heavy sea ice, which has continued to expand around it over the past three days near Antarctica.

Three ice-breaking ships were sent to free the stranded vessel, located more than 1500 nautical miles south of Hobart.

China's Snow Dragon icebreaker was the first to arrive and rammed through much of the sea ice until it came within six-and-a-half nautical miles of the locked-in vessel.

But in a setback to the rescue mission, the icebreaker had to turn back on Saturday after it, too, encountered heavy sea ice that threatened the ship's own safety.

"It can't break through any further," said Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokeswoman Andrea Hayward-Maher.

"That vessel is now making its way back from the direction it came in."

A French icebreaker, L'Astrolabe, had also been heading to the remote area but was released by rescue authorities from having to continue with the mission around midday on Saturday.

That leaves Australia's Aurora Australis as the only remaining ship that can help, but it's not expected to reach the vessel until Sunday evening.

The wedged-in ship had been undertaking the Spirit of Mawson voyage, which is retracing Sir Douglas Mawson's Antarctic expedition.

Professor Chris Turney of the University of NSW is leading the expedition, consisting of both Australian and New Zealander scientists and explorers.

He's been keeping supporters updated via social media and a satellite connection, saying everyone onboard is in good spirits despite the ordeal.

Ms Hayward-Maher said authorities are still weighing up their options on how to free the ship come Sunday.

The Aurora is rated at a slightly-higher ice-breaking capability than both the Chinese and French ships that were sent away, she said.

But if the Aurora can't battle through the ice, a second option may be to consider ferrying trapped explorers with a helicopter onboard the Chinese vessel.

The Snow Dragon remains in the area in case its helicopter will be needed.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW's 12km traffic queue spoils holidays

HOLIDAY makers in NSW are facing traffic jams up to 12 kilometres long, with queues growing throughout Saturday.

Southbound traffic at Macksville was backed up 12kms at 2pm, adding 60 minutes travel time.

In Woodburn, near Lismore, Northbound traffic is backed up 10km and causing delays of 75 minutes, the Transport Management Centre (TMC) said in a statement.

Traffic is also banked up 4.5km at Hexham, near Newcastle, and 5km at Ewingdale.

On the South Coast southbound traffic queues of 8km and 7km are causing hour-long delays at Gerringong and Bateman's Bay.

"Motorists are advised to plan their trip, allow plenty of additional travel time, expect delays and take regular breaks," the TMC said in a statement on Saturday.

In the Hunter and on the North Coast, traffic has eased northbound on the M1 Pacific Motorway (F3) approaching John Renshaw Drive.

Traffic has also eased at Urunga and Frederickton.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kids to benefit from big federal programs

KIDS with bad teeth are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries of two federal government programs focused on children starting in the new year.

A new schools funding system begins in 2014 and will pump hundreds of millions into schools and their more than three million students around the country.

The federal government has pledged an extra $2.8 billion in total over the next four years, although the individual state allocations are still being finalised.

From January 1, a $4.1 billion dental benefits scheme aims to improve the oral health of children aged two to 18 years and adults on low incomes. The scheme is to run for six years.

Parents will be able to access Medicare payments capped at $1000 over two years for a wider range of specific services, from basic dental check-ups and cleaning through to emergency care.

Previously, eligible persons could get money back from the government to help pay for only a single dental check-up each year.

The new package will cover 3.4 million children and one million adults.

Elsewhere, federal parliamentarians will face a crackdown on expenses rorting when a new system comes into force after a number were this year forced to pay back travel expenses.

From January 1, MPs and senators required to repay claims found to be ineligible will be hit with a "significant financial penalty" worth 25 per cent of their claim.

Repeat offenders and their offices will receive mandatory training on expenses rules.

In the workplace, victims of office bullying will be able to take their cases to the Fair Work Commission, which can hold mediations and has new powers to make orders to prevent bullying.

But it won't have the power to order compensation.

Some 2000 of Tasmania's unemployed are set to benefit from the federal coalition government's Apple Isle jobs program, after it was brought forward by six months to Wednesday.

Businesses in Tasmania, which suffers from high unemployement and little economic growth, will be in line for one-off payments of $3250 if they hire a job seeker for at least six months' full-time work.

There's also potential for lower grocery prices from January 1, after retailing giants Coles and Woolworths agreed to stop funding fuel discounts through their supermarket divisions.

Future fuel discounts will be covered by their fuel retailing businesses, after an agreement was reached this year with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

There would have been more federal changes from January 1, but these have been held up in the Senate where the legislation is still being examined.

These include plans to halt tax benefits for families whose teenage children have finished school, tighten pension eligibility criteria for Australians living overseas and replace student tertiary "start-up" scholarships with loans.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Firms not liable on apartheid: US judge

TWO German companies, carmaker Daimler AG and defence group Rheinmetall AG, cannot be held responsible for atrocities committed by the apartheid government in South Africa, a US judge ruled Thursday.

New York District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin said the companies could not be sued for compensation under a US law, called the Alien Tort Statute, which dates from 1789.

Victims of racial segregation and violence in South Africa claimed the two companies had supported the apartheid regime because of business dealings with the government there in the 1970s and 1980s, including the sale of cars and munitions.

"We hope that this decision will finally bring to an end more than 10 years of legal dispute," a spokesman for Daimler said.

The judge did not dismiss similar claims made against the US companies Ford Motor Corp and IBM Corp.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA govt's shark kill plan proceeds

THE West Australian government has revealed the beaches where up to 72 baited hooks will be used to catch and kill sharks this summer under its controversial new "mitigation" policy.

The Liberal state government has come under fire for recently stepping up the measures after a spate of fatal attacks in WA waters, with plans to set baited hooks one kilometre offshore from January.

This has prompted outrage from conservation groups, with some even threatening to remove bait from the drum line hooks to prevent shark deaths.

On Friday, Premier Colin Barnett revealed the metropolitan Perth beaches where the devices will be set: Ocean Reef/Mullaloo, Trigg/Scarborough, Floreat/City Beach, Cottesloe/North Cottesloe and Port Leighton.

The areas will be patrolled until April.

In the South West region, drum lines will be set at Old Dunsborough, Meelup/Castle Rock and Gracetown - where the most recent fatality occurred - up until the end of school holidays in February.

Thereafter, surfing hotspots south of Cape Naturaliste will be the focus.

Mr Barnett said there had been a significant number of shark sightings at the locations, which were frequented by a large number of water users.

Despite substantial opposition to the plan, he reiterated that the new measures were necessary after a surge in shark activity in the state's waters in recent years.

"We have had 20 fatal shark attacks in WA in the past 100 years - seven of them in the past three years," he said.

On Tuesday, the WA government called for professional shark fishermen to apply to patrol the state's waters and kill any shark bigger than three metres spotted in the designated zones.

After the death of surfer Chris Boyd in Gracetown last month, Mr Barnett said the WA government "had to intervene more directly".

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cops to speak to men injured in NSW crash

A single-vehicle crash on the M1 motorway on the NSW Central Coast has claimed the lives of two men. Source: AAP

POLICE are waiting to speak to three men injured in a horror crash on the NSW Central Coast that claimed the lives of two friends.

Police said the crash happened just before 5am (AEDT) on Thursday when a south-bound vehicle hit the embankment north of Jolls Bridge.

One man, 31, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. A second man, 22, was trapped in the wreckage and died before he could be released.

Three other men, aged 29, 22 and 27, were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics then taken to hospital in a stable condition with non life-threatening injures.

Police said they hoped to speak to the injured men, all of whom were from the Sydney suburb of Auburn.

Traffic in the area was disrupted for five hours after the crash.

The national road toll period runs from midnight December 23, 2013 until midnight January 3, 2014, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic journo appeals to Thai governor

AN Australian journalist, increasingly anxious over law suits brought against his Thai-based website by the Royal Thai Navy, has lodged an appeal with a provincial governor to try to persuade the navy to drop the charges.

Alan Morison, formerly of Melbourne and editor of online news website Phuketwan, based in southern Thai resort island of Phuket, and journalist, Chutima Sidasathiam, face up to seven years jail if convicted on charges of criminal defamation and breaches of the Computer Crimes Act.

The charges followed publication in July of a news story by the Reuters news agency of an investigation into allegations of Royal Thai Navy personal involvement in the trafficking of Myanmar (Burma) Rohingya refugees whose vessels sail into Thai waters on their way to Malaysia.

Morison says the Royal Thai Navy immediately pressed charges against Phuketwan in July but only recently made them aware of the charges. Earlier this week the two were summoned for questioning by Thai Police for three hours then allowed home.

On Wednesday Morison lodged a letter of appeal with the Phuket Governor Maitree Intrusud as the governor was preparing to meet with senior Thai Navy and Army personnel to discuss security.

"It's impossible for us to know with absolute certainty what might happen." Morison told AAP.

"This whole action was brought to defend the reputation of the navy and in fact, if anything, the action itself has been extremely damaging for the navy and will continue to be damaging for the navy as long as (the action) exists," he said.

Burma's Rohingya, especially from Western Arakine State, are largely stateless, with hundreds fleeing each year by boat to try to reach the Muslim states of Malaysia and Indonesia.

But many craft fall short of their destination and are sighted in Thai waters north of Malaysia.

Thailand's official policy has been to assist boats by providing water and food, but there have ben allegations about human rights abuses and links between naval personnel and human trafficking gangs.

Morison says it appears to be the first time the Thai military has used the Computer Crimes Act against a media outlet.

"In principle we think these two laws are onerous. The principle of criminal defamation in itself is quite wrong and the use of the Computer Crimes Act is very contentious in every possible way, and for the military to sue the media anywhere in a democracy is an extreme measure," he said.

Morison, who launched the website five years ago, says he has been planning to sell or close the website as it is largely funded from personal savings from working as a journalist in Australia.

But the navy's action has changed the outlook.

"Now that the navy has acted against us we have no intention of shutting it down unless we're forced to."

Morison says freedom of the media in this case is "so obviously at risk that we'd be prepared to go to jail if necessary to prove this point."

Morison and Chutima were told by Thai police this week to appear in court in early January.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA woman charged over $1.5m drug stash

A 47-YEAR-OLD woman has been charged over a drug stash, estimated to be valued at more than $1.5 million.

Police raided a home in Morley in suburban Perth on Tuesday, uncovering about three kilograms of drugs believed to be methylamphetamine.

They also found more than $17,000 in cash.

A Morley woman, 47, was charged with possession a prohibited drug with intent to sell/supply.

She appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday and will re-appear on January 7.

Police conducted the search warrant as part of a joint investigation with Australian Customers and Border Protection Services into illegal tobacco trade.

They estimate the drugs found are valued at more than $1.5 million.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two men arrested over SA police chase

Two men have been arrested after a police pursuit in Adelaide's southern suburbs. Source: AAP

TWO young men have been arrested on Christmas Day after a police pursuit through the southern suburban streets of Adelaide.

While responding to reports just after 2.30am of a suspicious car at Elizabeth Road at Christie Downs, south of Adelaide, police spotted one of the men allegedly marking graffiti on a building.

The man then drove off in a Nissen sedan, police said.

Officers pursued the car through several backstreets before calling off the chase.

The car was found a short time later in Christine Street, Morphett Vale.

The driver ran off but was quickly caught by police.

An 18-year-old Flagstaff Hill man has been charged with marking graffiti, engaging in a police pursuit and hindering police.

An 18-year-old man from Morphett Vale was arrested for breach of bail.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man charged after NSW church-goer stabbed

A man has been charged after a woman was allegedly stabbed while walking to church in Sydney. Source: AAP

A MAN has been charged after a woman was allegedly stabbed while walking to church in Elizabeth Bay.

The 44-year-old woman was walking along Roslyn Street on her way to midnight mass on Tuesday night when she was approached by a man who allegedly stabbed her in the abdomen.

The woman was treated by NSW ambulance paramedics before being taken to St Vincent's Hospital, where she is reported to be in stable condition.

Witnesses alerted police and followed the man to a block of units in Ward Avenue at Potts Point where he was arrested.

A 38-year-old Potts Point man was taken to Kings Cross Police Station where he charged with one count of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He was refused bail and will appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Wednesday via video link.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thousands turn out for community lunches

THOUSANDS of Sydney-siders who would otherwise be alone for Christmas will spend the festive season celebrating with their communities.

More than 600 people - including a few famous faces - turned out for the Wayside Chapel Christmas lunch in King's Cross.

Blaxland resident Stephen South has attended the lunch and church service for four years.

"I don't have any family and this is my family," Mr South told AAP.

"On a day like today, if you don't have family it's really hard."

The Wayside Chapel's 200 volunteers provided 80 turkeys, 40 hams, 700 mince pies and 140 bags of potatoes for the day.

Actress Claudia Karvan made her third visit to the street party this year, and actor David Wenham attended.

"I can't stay away - it just puts a smile on my face that stays there for the whole day," Karvan said.

"It totally encapsulates the spirit of Christmas, I think.

"The open-heartedness, the generosity of the day, the inclusiveness - everyone from all different walks of the community, whether you're sleeping rough or wealthy and isolated, it doesn't matter, you can come down here."

Between Christmas singing, Wayside chief executive Pastor Graham Long said the day was about people not being alone.

"Don't be alone and miserable," he said.

"Come and be miserable with us."

In Ashfield, more than 3000 people were expected at the Exodus Foundation's free Christmas lunch on Liverpool Road.

Volunteers prepared 65 hams, 50 turkeys, 400 kilograms of potatoes, 200 kilograms of green veggies, 400 kilograms of pumpkins, 1300 litres of gravy, 2500 mini puddings and 330 litres of custard.

"You can imagine, we've been preparing for this for months," Reverend Bill Crews said.

Santa Claus will give presents to needy children and adults.

"All these presents have been donated, which is another example of how generous Sydney-siders are," Rev Crews said.

At Redfern's Australian Technology Park, the Salvation Army hoped to feed 1200 of Sydney's less fortunate and disadvantaged.

"Every year we're humbled by the generosity of the over 150 volunteers who give up part of their Christmas Day to bring joy, hope and happiness to those who would otherwise go without," Salvation Army spokeswoman Robyn Evans said.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

PaperlinX to axe jobs in Europe

PAPER merchant and packaging supplier PaperlinX will cut 75 jobs in Germany and 65 in the United Kingdom as it continues to restructure its operations.

The redundancies will take effect in the second half of the current financial year.

PaperlinX said jobs would go in Germany as it consolidates a number of warehouses and sales offices into a central warehouse in Biebesheim.

In the UK, PaperlinX will close sites in Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds, and move to a central information technology platform.

The changes are the latest in the company's restructuring over the past six months, which in total have resulted in the loss of 340 full time employees, or 8.4 per cent of its workforce.

A pre-tax restructuring charge of about $9.5 million will be included in PaperlinX's accounts for the six months to December 31.

Further charges are expected in the second half of the 2013/14 financial year as the company seeks further cost cuts.

PaperlinX also confirmed its previous guidance of marginally profitable underlying earnings for the 2013/14 financial year.

It expects to realise an underlying earnings loss in the six months to December 31 of about $10 million to $11 million, which would compare to a loss of $13.7 million in the prior corresponding period.

Shares in PaperlinX gained 0.1 of a cent to 4.4 cents.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Welby posts Christmas video message

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has posted a Christmas video message on Instagram.

The Most Rev Justin Welby appears in the short clip on the photo-sharing website as part of the Church of England's social media campaign called Christmasmeans.

Mr Welby, who has more than 48,000 followers on Twitter, joined Instagram in October in his drive to spread the Christian message to the app's 150 million users worldwide.

In his Christmas message, the Archbishop says: "Christmas means that, through Jesus, God shows unconditionally that he loves us. I pray that he gives you a very blessed Christmas."

The video, posted on Lambeth Palace's Instagram account, is also being tweeted by the Archbishop and through the Lambeth Palace Twitter page, lambethpalace.

Mr Welby is joining the Archbishop of York John Sentamu in promoting the Christmasmeans hashtag on Twitter this year.

The campaign is urging the 77 million Anglicans across the globe to get out their mobile devices on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and complete the sentence: Christmas means...

"The purpose of the 2013 Christmas Twitter campaign is to let as many people as is possible know the joy and meaning of Christmas," a Lambeth Palace spokesman said.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man stabbed, woman left unconscious

A MAN has been found with stab wounds to his neck and a woman has been found unconscious in Sydney's west.

Police were called to a house on Woodville Road, Guildford, just after midday on Tuesday after reports of a man and woman fighting in the yard of the premises.

The man was found with stab wounds to his neck while a woman, aged in her mid-20s, was found unconscious.

The man's age is not known.

Both were treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics and taken to Westmead Hospital.

Their condition is not yet known, police say.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, while a crime scene has been established on Woodville Road with two southbound lanes closed.

They will be examined by specialist forensic officers.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thiess wins $230m coal contract

LEIGHTON Holdings-owned Thiess has won a $230 million, one-year contract extension at Glencore Xstrata's Mt Owen Coal Mine in the NSW Hunter Valley.

Engineering services group Thiess will provide full services operating the mine until December 2016, the company said in a statement, and has an option for another year.

Thiess has operated the mine for 17 years.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Batts royal commission gets underway

Commissioner Ian Hangar outlines his priorities for Royal Commission into the Home insulation program

A royal commission into the Rudd government's home insulation scheme is set to begin in Brisbane. Source: AAP

A ROYAL commission will investigate whether the former Labor government was warned about its bungled home insulation scheme that's been blamed for the deaths of four young men.

The commission has been given wide ranging terms of reference to establish "what really went wrong".

It will "fill the gaps" of other administrative reviews and coronial inquests, Commissioner Ian Hangar QC, says.

Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney and Marcus Wilson all lost their lives while working on the "pink batts" program established by the former Kevin Rudd led government in early 2009.

The program has also been blamed for at least one serious injury, fire and damage to scores of homes as well as serious financial losses to both businesses and individuals.

When opening the first public hearing into the bungled program on Monday, Mr Hangar said he would probe the actions of the government and the public servants involved.

The commission would also investigate whether the government sought or received advice or warnings about the program and how it responded, he said.

Counsel Assisting Keith Wilson said the inquiry would place a particular emphasis on workplace health and safety.

Those affected by the bungled scheme will be called to appear.

Mr Wilson said 76 summons and notices to produce are being served on those with information relevant to the inquiry.

Public sittings are expected to be held in March and April next year, with the commission to deliver its findings mid-year.

The commission has been adjourned to a date yet to be fixed.

After the hearing, Kevin Fuller said the life of his son, Matthew, was ultimately lost due to a combination of "arrogance, stupidity and assumptions".

Mr Fuller said previous inquires had established that employers "did things wrong" but were limited in their scope.

He said public servants, both state and federal, have a lot to answer for and hopes the royal commission will get to the bottom of the debacle.

"I'm pleased that the terms of references are extremely broad so they can get to the truth," he told reporters.

Mr Fuller said four lives had been lost, and others risked, to save the economy.

"We don't talk about the huge number that got almost killed or got seriously injured ... so it's the whole impact not just the four deaths," he said.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Anti-govt protests in Bangkok

THOUSANDS of anti-government protesters have surrounded a Bangkok electoral office to block political parties from registering for the February 2 national polls, but failed to stop 35 parties from being declared eligible.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban had urged tens of thousands of his followers to march on a sports complex in northern Bangkok to disrupt the registration process.

But the demonstrators did not reach the site early enough on Monday to prevent nine parties, including the ruling Pheu Thai Party of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, according to Election Commission deputy secretary general Somsak Suriyamongkol, the Bangkok Post online reported.

The commission advised the 26 parties that had been blocked from the site to complain at a nearby police station and effectively register there.

Somsak said 35 parties are considered eligible to contest the polls as they registered their complaints before the deadline, the Bangkok Post reported.

An estimated 600 protesters had gathered outside the police station, witnesses said.

On Sunday, more than 150,000 protesters spread throughout Bangkok in an effort to force Yingluck and her cabinet to resign, and allow an appointed "people's council" to set up an interim government and legislate reforms prior to new elections.

Tens of thousands of protesters occupied key intersections in the capital, paralysing traffic.

The opposition Democrat Party, of which Suthep was an executive member and parliamentarian before he began leading the street protests, is boycotting the election.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Spacesuit flaw postpones ISS repairs

A NEW flaw has emerged with a US-made spacesuit, forcing NASA to delay until Christmas Eve the next outing to repair the International Space Station.

The problem came up in a system that handles water condensation in veteran astronaut Rick Mastracchio's spacesuit after he re-entered the space station airlock following a spacewalk that lasted more than five hours, NASA said.

It was not believed to be the same type of issue that caused a dangerous water leak in the helmet of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano in July.

An investigation into that situation is ongoing.

Faced with unexpected repairs due to an equipment cooling breakdown at the orbiting lab on December 11, NASA arranged makeshift snorkels inside the 35-year-old spacesuits and absorbent pads in the helmets for these spacewalks in case such a leak happened again.

"During repressuristion of the station's airlock following the spacewalk, a spacesuit configuration issue put the suit Mastracchio was wearing in question for the next excursion - specifically whether water entered into the suit's sublimator inside the airlock," the space agency said in a statement.

"This issue is not related to the spacesuit water leak that was seen during a July spacewalk."

Now, astronauts are resizing a spare spacesuit aboard the ISS for Mastracchio, 53, to wear on the next spacewalk to complete the pump replacement.

The outing was planned for Monday, but will now take place Tuesday, beginning at 7:10am (2310 AEDT).

NASA released the news late on Saturday, after the spacewalk by the two American astronauts ended with the successful disconnection and removal of the old pump.

NASA mission control in Houston checked in with them frequently to see if they were experiencing any wetness in their helmets, and each time the spacewalkers reported no problems.

Space agency officials told reporters this week that Hopkins, 44, would be wearing the suit Parmitano had worn when he experienced the leak that nearly drowned him, noting its water pump system had been replaced.

The spacewalks were called for after a faulty valve forced a partial shutdown in the system that regulates equipment temperature at the space station.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man critical after CBD assault

POLICE are searching for a man who intervened in a couple's fight, seriously injuring a 38-year-old man in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The couple were arguing on the footpath of Queen Street near the intersection with Wharf Street around 4am when an unidentified man stepped in, seriously injuring the 38-year-old.

Brisbane region detective inspector Ian Park said the partner of the injured Arana Hills man was by his bedside in hospital.

"She's very upset obviously by what's happened," he said.

He said the man today remained in Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a critical condition with serious injuries after being resuscitated at the scene.

Insp Park said alcohol may have been a factor.

"I guess it's a fair assumption that at 4 o'clock there is going to be alcohol involved, so we would appeal to people to just be careful with alcohol and look after themselves and each other and not to drink to excessive levels, which is always a deadly cocktail."

There were reports that people performed CPR on the man before paramedics arrived.

Alessandro Vosolo, who is staying on the 44th floor of the building, said the fight sounded violent and lasted less than four minutes.

"Fighting, screaming, arguing like guys getting thrown around, that sort of thing," he said.

One witness said he was on the 20th floor of the hotel and heard the fight.

"A dude got beat up... We heard it but then police rocked up."

Police insp Park said a number of witnesses had already been interviewed but appealed for more people to step forward, particularly the man, understood to be Caucasian and in his 30s, who was involved in the fight.

The injured man was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a critical condition.

"Initial information suggests that a man and a woman were seen arguing on the footpath of Queen Street near the intersection with Wharf Street when another man intervened just before 4am," police said in a statement.

Police said the two men were then involved in a fight in which a 38-year-old Arana Hills man sustained a serious head injury.

-----

Detective inspector Ian Park said police were also investigating the assault of a man who got into a fight with a hotel staff member at the Orient about 4.30am.

A 37-year-old man fell down the stairs and suffered serious head injuries when his head hit the concrete pavement.

"I believe the may have been a disagreement between this person and a staff member but as to what actually took place is subject to investigation," Insp Park said.

The man was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital where he is in a serious condition.

-----

In a third incident, a man was allegedly glassed in the face at the Family Nightclub on McLachlan St in the Fortitude Valley about 3am Sunday.

Police said a 19-year-old was struck in the face with a glass, receiving cuts to his cheek area. Police said the man did not have life-threatening injuries.

A spokesman said security staff and patrons stopped the alleged attacker and held him until police arrived.

A 20-year-old Calamvale man has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm. He is due to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday morning.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two men killed in gyrocopter crash

A PILOT and his passenger were checking fire damaged bushland when their gyrocopter crashed northeast of Melbourne, killing both.

The bodies of the 51-year-old pilot from Melbourne, and a second unidentified man, were found in rugged terrain in Victoria's Kinglake National Park about 7am on Sunday (AEDT).

A police plane spotted the wreckage in dense bushland that has regenerated after bushfires.

Searchers had been scouring the park for the men, who failed to return from what was to be a 15-minute flight from the Yarra Valley conference centre on the Melba Highway at Dixons Creek about 7.20pm on Saturday.

Benalla Acting Senior Sergeant Colin Anderson said the pair were flying over a remote area of the ranges to view bushfire damage.

Emergency services were notified when the men failed to return as planned.

An extensive search on Saturday evening failed to find the pair and was called off when it got dark, resuming early Sunday.

Acting Sen Sgt Anderson said next of kin were yet to be notified and he was unable to confirm reports the second man was from overseas.

The bodies are expected to be retrieved from the wreckage on Sunday afternoon, with the help of the SES, he said.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash and will prepare a brief for the coroner.

"There's experts coming to view the wreckage and from that, that report will be prepared for the coroner," he said.

Acting Sen Sgt Anderson said it was a tragedy.

"It's devastating to all concerned - people involved that have to retrieve people from the situation and those directly involved with the people that have been killed," he said.

11.25 | 0 komentar | Read More