US man denies charges in Silk Road case

A US man has denied charges he operated a website where users could anonymously shop for drugs. Source: AAP

A US man denies charges that he operated an encrypted website where users could anonymously shop for drugs, his lawyer says.

"We deny all charges. That's the end of the discussion," said federal public defender Brandon LeBlanc, who is representing defendant Ross Ulbricht.

The denial came after Ulbricht, looking calm, appeared in federal court in red prison clothes and shackles for a bail hearing.

LeBlanc asked US Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero to postpone the hearing, saying the case was complex.

Spero granted the request and rescheduled the hearing for October 9.

Ulbricht has been charged in New York with narcotics trafficking, computer hacking and money laundering in connection with the website known as Silk Road, which is believed to have collected more than $US1 billion in revenue.

He is also charged in Maryland with arranging to pay someone to kill a witness.

FBI agents arrested the 29-year-old San Francisco resident - allegedly known online as Dread Pirate Roberts - on Tuesday in the science fiction section of a small branch of the San Francisco public library, where he was chatting online.

The arrest came after a federal investigation that began in 2011.

Agents said they determined Ulbricht was "altoid," someone who was posting information about Silk Road on other drug-related websites under federal surveillance.

Since then, Ulbricht's online behaviour has been tracked, and agents gathered evidence that allegedly connected him to Silk Road.

If convicted, Ulbricht could be sentenced to life in prison.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gun licence revoked from NSW Nomads bikie

AN alleged Nomads Outlaw Motorcycle Gang chapter vice-president has had his firearm licence revoked and more than 240 ammunition rounds seized.

The NSW Police Force's Firearm Registry revoked a 42-year-old man's firearm licence on Friday after Strike Force Raptor confirmed the man held the senior bikie gang position.

Police allege investigators seized two semi-automatic pistols, a revolver, a rifle and 247 rounds of ammunition from the man's Cumberland Road home at Greystanes, near Parramatta.

The man was also served with a Notice of Revocation regarding his gun licence.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW bushwalking church group rescued

ELEVEN children and three adults are reported to be in good spirits after becoming separated from their church bushwalking group and getting lost overnight in bushland in southern NSW.

Police were called to Bungonia State Conservation Area near Goulburn about 7pm on Thursday after reports 14 people, including 11 children and teens aged between 11 and 17, were lost near Adam Point Lookout in sub-zero temperatures.

An initial search of the area located 12 of the bushwalkers who were led to safety and later given the all-clear by medics.

A 50-year-old man and 15-year-old student were found in more dangerous terrain that could not be accessed from a helicopter.

They were walked to safety by police about 2am (AEST).

Acting Inspector Laurie Godkin from Goulburn Local Command said the two walkers dealt well with the sub-zero temperatures.

"I didn't speak to them but everyone seemed to be in fairly good spirits," he told AAP.

"They knew help was there (and) on the way."

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

High level boat talks underway in Jakarta

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says there is no change to the border protection policy. Source: AAP

HIGH level talks are underway in Jakarta between Australian officials and their Indonesian counterparts on strategies to combat asylum seeker boats and people smuggling.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the first team of Australian officials arrived in Jakarta on Friday for bilateral talks.

Indonesia agreed to the meetings during Prime Minister Tony Abbott's visit to Jakarta earlier this week.

Operation Sovereign Borders acting commander Air Marshal Mark Binskin, Australian Federal Police commissioner Tony Negus and retired major general Jim Molan will join another delegation to Jakarta next week.

But Mr Morrison said the federal government would not be briefing the media on the matters discussed.

"Our dialogue, like our operations, will be undertaken with Indonesia with total discretion to ensure the success of that dialogue," he told reporters in Sydney on Friday.

"They will not ... be undertaken through the media."

Mr Morrison will be travelling to Nauru for the first time as minister next week, following five visits whilst in opposition over the past three years.

He plans to deliver a blunt message to asylum seekers that "they will not be coming to Australia".

Mr Morrison met with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) this week about increasing the number of people who voluntarily return home from the facilities on Manus Island and Nauru.

Mr Morrison said the "full arsenal" of the coalition's border security policies remains on the table.

"There is no change to the government's policy on border protection," he said.

"Our resolve...(is) indeed stronger than ever before."

Air Marshal Binskin also gave an update on the latest asylum seeker boat arrivals after the usual Monday briefing was moved forward because of the public holiday on October 7.

He said one asylum seeker boat had arrived this week, on September 30.

It was carrying 79 asylum seekers.

The asylum seekers will later be transported to centres on Nauru or Papua New Guinea's Manus Island.

Air Marshal Binskin said 334 asylum seekers had been transferred to the offshore processing centres since Operation Sovereign Borders commenced on September 18.

In total, 953 people are being detained in Manus and 801 on Nauru.

An additional 43 are in transit.

There are 2263 people at the Christmas Island facility.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Solid rains help Australia's irrigators

SOLID rainfall has helped the value of Australia's irrigated agricultural production soar to levels not seen in more than a decade.

NSW irrigators took particular advantage of the extra water allocations, using an additional 781,000 megalitres than in the previous year.

Cotton, vegetables and fruit - the commodities with the highest value in 2011/12 - accounted for more than half of the total Australian $13.5 billion in irrigated production in that year.

The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show consecutive years of good rainfall saw more water available for agriculture.

Pasture, cereals, cotton, sugar cane and rice were the big winners, with the latter three also recording strong increases in gross value over the previous year.

Cotton increased by 35 per cent to $2.2 billion. But vegetables and fruit decreased to $2.6 billion and $2.4 billion respectively due to reduced area irrigated for these crops, the ABS

The total volume of water applied for irrigation was 8.2 million megalitres, nearly 25 per cent higher than in the previous year.

The eastern states saw the biggest increases in the area watered. More than half of all the irrigation water was used to grow cotton, pasture for grazing and rice.

Nearly half of all Australia's irrigated crops came from the Murray Darling region, which boosted its output by nearly 15 per cent to $6.7 billion.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW man dies after being hit by truck

A MAN has died in an apparent hit-and-run by a truck driver in southwest Sydney.

The man was found lying on the road near the intersection of Frost Road and Johnson Road in Campbelltown on Thursday morning.

Emergency services were unable to save him and he died at the scene.

Witnesses say the man, believed to be in his fifties, was hit by a truck, which then drove off.

Police want to speak to the driver of the truck, which is described as a green, large flat-bed vehicle with a black front.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Federal industry minister tours SA Holden

FEDERAL Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane says it will be "one hell of a challenge" to save car maker Holden but he wants the company building vehicles in Australia for the next 100 years.

The minister toured Holden's Elizabeth plant in Adelaide on Wednesday and urged all those involved not to play politics with the issue.

He says he doesn't know at this stage where the money to assist the company will come from and has warned parent company General Motors that it could take some time to find a solution.

"This is one hell of a challenge. One hell of a solution is required," Mr Macfarlane told reporters.

"There will be one shot at this."

Immediately after Wednesday's plant tour Mr Macfarlane entered discussions with Holden boss Mike Devereux and South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill.

Mr Devereux declined to reveal how much extra assistance the company now required after initially securing an agreement last year for $275 million to be provided.

Holden is now thought to need close to $500 million before committing to develop and build two new car models from 2016.

"The discussions that we're going to have begin today and those discussions are likely to be ongoing," Mr Devereux said.

Mr Macfarlane said the federal government intended to press on with a review of car industry assistance by the Productivity Commission and urged Holden's parent company General Motors to be patient.

He said the government also intended to stand by its election policy to cut $500 million from total auto industry assistance.

"It won't break the car industry. I'm confident I can get around that," he said.

"I'm not concerned about the next six months, I'm not concerned about the next three years.

"My goal is to see Australian cars built here for 100 years."

But the minister said the industry had to become internationally competitive and survive without ongoing government assistance.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mechanical fault suspected in tanker crash

A MECHANICAL fault is believed to have caused a fuel tanker to overturn and explode on Sydney's northern beaches, killing two people.

Emergency crews have removed the charred remains of the truck from Mona Vale Road where it lost control on Tuesday, ploughing into a power pole and four cars before erupting in a fireball.

Two men, one a local and one from Western Australia, died in the blaze and six people were taken to hospital.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner John Hartley told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday it appeared the roadway was not at fault.

"It appears to be a mechanical fault, not the fault of the roadway," he said.

As investigations continued Superintendent Ian Krimmer of NSW Fire and Rescue said the clean-up at the site of the accident was going smoothly.

He said about 300 litres of petrol spilled onto the road in the process of getting the truck upright but the spill was contained by an earth dam.

Energy and traffic authorities were working on repairing powerlines and cleaning up the road, he said.

Fuel contamination has been contained within a 1.5km radius of the crash site.

An unknown amount has run into local drains, but does not pose a threat to residents, Supt Krimmer said.

He said the clean-up could be complete within days.

"Petrol is one of the easiest contaminants to deal with because natural forces such as warm weather and wind will evaporate the fuel very rapidly," he said.

Police said the truck appeared to have lost control, hit a power pole and four cars before turning on its side and dousing the road in fuel.

It's likely the huge explosion that followed was caused by a spark from the friction of the crash, Supt Krimmer said.

The Roads and Maritime Service later said it was inspecting more than 80 fleet vehicles from Cootes Transport, which have been directed to checking stations in Sydney and Newcastle.

"The results of these inspections will inform a decision on whether or not other vehicles in the Cootes' fleet will be subject to roadworthiness inspections," RMS said.

Results of the fleet inspections are expected in coming days.

NSW Police are preparing a report for the coroner.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sydney bushfire under control

FIREFIGHTERS have contained a bushfire that potentially threatened homes in Dural in Sydney's northwest.

The blaze near Dons Road and Quarry Road had been burning in very high fire danger conditions, with strong winds making it difficult to control.

But Inspector Ben Shepard of the NSW Rural Fire Service said fire crews had gained the upper hand on Tuesday and the fire was under control.

The fire burnt through half a hectare of bush, Insp Shepard said.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

German tuatara, 240m years old, discovered

A 240-MILLION-YEAR-OLD fossil bone found in Germany has added up to 15 million years to the history of New Zealand's tuatara.

The 1cm-long jaw bone was dug up in Vellberg.

The find pushes back the history of the tuatara by a further 10 to 15 million years.

Rainer Schoch of the Stuttgart Natural History Museum said in the magazine BMC Evolutionary Biology that the find, along with later discoveries including a complete skeleton, would provide further knowledge on the evolution of the line of reptiles.

They are related to both snakes and monitor lizards.

The species, which measured between five and 10 centimetres, has the unusual characteristic of the teeth growing directly out of the jaw.

"Our early specimen is a very complete tuatara," Dr Schoch said.

Tuatara, often described as "living fossils," continue to live on several islands off the New Zealand coast.

"I don't like the term 'living fossil' but this is the case here to some extent. This line is very long and very conservative," Dr Schoch said.

The site in south-western Germany has yielded more than 25 new species over the past 13 years. Dr Schoch hopes that many more will be found in the rocks.

The biggest finds at Vellberg range up to 6 metres in length.

Palaeontologists from Washington, Buenos Aires, London and Berlin are assisting with the dig.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Retail spending growth stalls

ONLINE retail spending growth stalled in August, reflecting mixed business conditions for some parts of the sector.

National Australia Bank's (NAB) online retail sales index fell by 0.1 per cent in August, seasonally adjusted.

In the year to August, online sales were up 9.6 per cent to $14.2 billion.

"Rates of growth were particularly weak in daily deals and fashion, and muted in personal and recreational goods, homewares and appliances and toys and electronic games," NAB chief economist Alan Oster said.

Online sales represent 6.3 per cent of traditional retail spending in Australia.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release retail spending figures for August on Tuesday.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

NZ PM to make day trip to see Abbott

NEW Zealand Prime Minister John Key will make a flying visit to see his new Australian counterpart Tony Abbott later this week.

Mr Key flies to Canberra on Wednesday afternoon for his first meeting with the Liberal leader since he won the election.

The pair will talk for about an hour before a private dinner together, before Mr Key jumps on a plane back to Auckland.

The pair, who know each other well and text-message regularly - even before Mr Abbott's election, are expected to affirm strong trans-Tasman ties, but a bone of contention will be entitlements for Kiwis living across the ditch.

There are 300,000 New Zealanders on special category visas in Australia, who pay billions of dollars in taxes but are denied some key benefits of permanent residency, such as disability care, welfare and social housing.

Ahead of the election, Mr Abbott, who has been married to a New Zealander for 25 years, was oblivious, saying he didn't believe that "New Zealand has ever complained".

However, Mr Key has raised the issue repeatedly since taking office in 2008, with former Labor prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shot Qld police happy to be alive

A GOLD Coast police officer shot in the face by an armed robbery suspect says he is just happy to be alive.

Dog squad officer Sergeant Gary Hamrey walked out of hospital on Sunday morning, two days after he was shot tracking two armed robbery suspects.

With his cheek bandaged, the policeman said he had a clear memory of what had happened.

"I think those memories will stay with me for quite some time," he told reporters.

"I think there's a certain amount of shock, that goes with it," he said.

"It happened quickly, hurt a lot and there was a lot of blood."

Sgt Hamrey said he was eternally grateful to those who came to his aid.

He'd realised he was lucky the bullet had missed other parts of his head.

"I'm pretty happy that I'm still here," he said.

The sergeant said he felt "pretty good" and plans to return to work in about six weeks, although he may need further surgery.

Sgt Hamrey was shot when he tracked down two men armed with a gun and a machete as they hid beside a garden shed after allegedly holding up the Arundel Tavern at Parkwood early on Friday morning.

Despite his injuries, he and a colleague returned fire, striking the alleged bandits in the legs and feet.

The two alleged robbers sustained gunshot wounds to their legs and feet but their injuries weren't life-threatening.

The pair were charged late on Friday with one count each of attempted murder, three of armed robbery and 14 counts of deprivation of liberty.

The 23-year-old and 47-year-old, both from the Gold Coast, appeared before a hospital bedside hearing and have been remanded in custody until November 11.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Westpac Rescue Helicopter marks 40 years

IT began with a band of daring surfies rescuing swimmers off Sydney's beaches.

Now the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter celebrates its 40th birthday as a full rescue service that has helped people caught in some of the nation's worst disasters.

Two helicopters flew in formation over Sydney Harbour on Sunday to mark the occasion, four decades after a group of surf lifesavers founded the service in 1973 with a MASH-style single-engine light helicopter, the Bell C47.

Then it was known as the Wales Bank SLSA Helicopter Surf Rescue Service.

Today it has a fleet of 15 helicopters across twelve bases around the country, and has helped rescue Australians involved in the Waterfall train crash, the Milperra bikie massacre and the Thredbo landslide, where the service helicopter was on hand to fly sole survivor Stuart Diver to Canberra Hospital after he was trapped in rubble for almost three days.

But the more things have changed, the more they've stayed the same, according to CEO Stephen Leahy.

"The reason we go out hasn't changed in those 40 years, we were set up to help the people of Sydney and NSW and we're still doing that today," he told AAP.

"The only things that have really changed are the helicopters themselves - what we use now are bigger, better and faster."

Even the bank that helped launch the fledgling service in 1973 with a $25,000 cheque remains the same, despite a name change.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More