Rudd to attend Yunupingu's state funeral

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd will be flying to the Northern Territory on Sunday to pay tribute to Mr Yunupingu at his state funeral.

The former lead singer of Yothu Yindi will be remembered at a service at Gulkula in northeast Arnhem Land.

A spokeswoman for Mr Rudd confirmed he would be attending the ceremony and is expected to arrive in the Northern Territory sometime before noon.

Mr Yunupingu, an Aboriginal elder, educator and 1992 Australian of the Year, died aged 56 at his home in the small town of Yirrkala on June 2.

He was the first indigenous person from Arnhem Land to gain a university degree and the Northern Territory's first Aboriginal school principal when he was appointed head of Yirrkala Community School in 1990.

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Snowden's father seeks deal with US govt

THE father of fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has revealed he is trying to broker a compromise with the government that could bring his son back to the United States.

In a letter to the Justice Department, Lonnie Snowden said through his lawyer that his son wanted "ironclad assurances" he would not be held in jail before trial or subjected to a gag order, and would be allowed to choose where he would be tried on federal espionage charges.

The elder Snowden said the offer could end the impasse that has kept his 30-year-old son stuck in the transit zone of a Moscow airport and raised tensions between the US and other countries, including China, Russia and Ecuador, where the former National Security Agency contract employee is seeking political asylum.

"We believe you share our objective of securing Edward's voluntary return to the United States to face trial," Washington DC attorney Bruce Fein wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder on behalf of Snowden's father.

Lonnie Snowden, Fein wrote, "is reasonably certain that his son would voluntarily return to the United States if there were ironclad assurances that his constitutional rights would be honoured, and he were provided a fair opportunity to explain his motivations and actions to an impartial judge and jury".

If any of the conditions were "dishonoured," Fein added, then the prosecution "would be dismissed".

Justice Department officials did not comment on the proposal.

Meanwhile, the president of Ecuador demanded that the US stop suggesting that the small Andean country is provoking the situation by offering to shield Snowden from US justice, much as it has protected Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

For the last year, Assange has lived in Ecuador's embassy in London after he was granted sanctuary.

"It is outrageous to try to delegitimise a state for receiving a petition for asylum," Ecuador President Rafael Correa said in a speech in Ecuador.

Correa contended that the news media at first welcomed Snowden's leaks about secret US programs to collect phone logs and emails but later suggested the actions were treasonous.

"What a joke!" the president said in a tweet.

The media, he said, are "making everyone forget the terrible things that he denounced in front of the American people and the entire world".

Correa added that, for the asylum request to be processed and approved, Snowden first must find his way to Ecuador's embassy in Moscow or to Ecuador.

"We don't know how it'll be resolved," he said.

Officials in Hong Kong, where Snowden flew when he left Hawaii, said they remained concerned about his claims that the NSA had hacked into Hong Kong's computer systems.

In the future, they said, Snowden will no longer be permitted in Hong Kong.

"We are very disappointed," said Lai Tung-kowk, Hong Kong's secretary of security.

"We hope the US government will as soon as possible give a full answer and explanation to the Hong Kong people."

US State Department officials said they were concerned about their worsening relationships with Hong Kong and Ecuador.

"These issues have an impact when we have a breakdown on co-operation," Patrick Ventrell, a spokesman, said in response to Hong Kong's statements.

Regarding Ecuador, Ventrell said it "would not be a good thing" if the country granted Snowden asylum.

"That would have grave difficulties for a bilateral relationship," he said.

Lonnie Snowden, who has not spoken with his son since April, said on NBC's Today show: "I love him. I would like to have the opportunity to communicate with him. I don't want to put him in peril, but I am concerned about those who surround him.

"I think WikiLeaks, if you've looked at past history, you know, their focus isn't necessarily the constitution of the United States. It's simply to release as much information as possible."

"At this point I don't feel that he's committed treason. He has in fact broken US law, in the sense that he has released classified information," Lonnie Snowden told NBC.

"And if folks want to classify him as a traitor, in fact he has betrayed his government. But I don't believe that he's betrayed the people of the United States."

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Man with axe robs Tas supermarket

His mates begged Scott not to get in the car

THE grief-stricken dad of a man killed in a horror crash says police were told he was in a car with an alleged "drunk driver".

This winter sucks? You bet it does

SYDNEY today received more than 18mm of rain and smashed through double its June average of 131mm. And it's not done yet.

Mathieson laughs off gay slurs

FORMER first bloke Tim Mathieson laughed off gay slurs against him and revealed his parents' reaction to it in a hilarious a radio interview.

LIVE: Wallabies v Lions II

WATCH LIVE: DON'T miss a thing during the crucial second test between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne.

Home loan rates to stay low

INTEREST rates have lingered at historically-low levels and experts believe homeowners have plenty of time yet to enjoy cheap rates.

Did two sharks kill Peter Perfect?

BLOOD on the boat, no contact with emergency services, no exact location and no corroborative evidence. So did two great white sharks kill diver Peter Clarkson?

Celebs couples secretly lust after

REVEALED: The celebrities that husbands and wives most want a 'hall pass' with. How do they compare with your list (not that you have one)?

Who wants to be a billionaire?

AUSTRALIA'S super rich are eating a larger slice of the economic pie. Choosing your parents wisely might be the best financial decision you make.

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Rowhani envisages Iran detente with world

IRAN'S president-elect Hassan Rowhani has vowed to implement a policy of "constructive interaction" with world powers to build trust and diffuse tensions.

"Moderation in foreign policy means neither surrender nor confrontation but constructive and efficacious interaction with the world," Rowhani said in his first live televised remarks since his election on June 14.

"In moderation, a balance must be achieved between realism and idealism," he said.

Iran is at odds with world powers over its controversial nuclear activities and its support for the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Rowhani, who won almost 51 per cent of votes in the election to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, did not mention either issue directly but said he would move to build trust and ease tensions after taking office on August 3.

Under Rowhani's administration, "interaction and dialogue will be based on reciprocity, respect and mutual interest, and seeking mutual detente," he said.

Rowhani said, without elaborating, that he would fight for "all of Iran's rights and the nation's demands".

Iran insists its nuclear activities are aimed at civilian applications, under which it has the right to enrich uranium, whose highly enriched form can be used as the fissile core of an atomic bomb.

The US and Israel suspect that the drive hides military objectives.

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Bowen must reject GrainCorp takeover: Nats

Treasurer Chris Bowen should reject the takeover of GrainCorp by a US food giant, the Nationals say. Source: AAP

THE Nationals are calling on new Treasurer Chris Bowen to reject a foreign takeover of Australia's largest grains handler GrainCorp.

US food giant Archer Daniels Midland is awaiting approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) and Chinese regulators.

But the Nationals say the takeover is not in the interest of grain growers or the nation.

Senator Fiona Nash says GrainCorp has a virtual monopoly on grain storage, handling and logistics on the eastern seaboard of Australia, holding almost all the ports and about 280 receiver sites.

"This is potentially going into the hands of an enormous grain giant multinational," she told reporters in Canberra on Friday.

"Our system will become a tiny cog in that giant empire, so we're calling on the treasurer to reject any approval from the FIRB on this takeover."

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Thursday said it would not oppose the $3 billion-plus takeover, as GrainCorp directors this week urged shareholders to accept the offer under a deal where shareholders would receive $13.20 per share.

Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce said the issue was a challenge for the new treasurer to prove he was up to the job.

"The treasurer has got to prove his mettle and that he works on behalf of the Australian people and Australian farmers," he said.

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Sony launches waterproof smartphone

SONY has launched a new waterproof android smartphone.

The Xperia Z Ultra can be used underwater up to a depth of 1.5m, even allowing people to take pictures and film video in full HD below the surface, the company said.

Launching it today, Sony claimed the handset, which has a 16.3cm screen, has the biggest display and is the thinnest large-screen smartphone on the market.

Calum MacDougall, Sony's director of Xperia marketing, said: "The Xperia Z Ultra is the most exciting revolution in large-screen smartphone entertainment devices with both the slimmest and largest full HD smartphone display in the world that is second to none."

The phone will include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor which Sony says is the world's fastest processor.

The screen also features handwriting recognition software that allows it to be used with pencil or stylus.

The phone was launched at the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai, alongside the Sony SmartWatch 2 SW2, a "second screen" for any Android phone worn on the wrist.

Sony say it will allow people to remotely handle calls, read emails, alter the volume on their music and even take pictures remotely using a built-in camera app.

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Priest held in Vatican bank probe

A SENIOR Catholic cleric has been arrested on suspicion of fraud and corruption in connection with a sweeping probe of the scandal-plagued Vatican bank, Italian media reports say.

Contrary to earlier media reports, the arrested cleric Nunzio Scarano is not a bishop but a priest from Salerno in southern Italy who is called "monsignor" in recognition of his seniority at the Holy See, Vatican senior media adviser Greg Burke said.

Scarano was arrested after an investigation into the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), as the bank is known, unearthed a suspected international fraud scheme, reports said.

The senior cleric was suspended from his position as a member of the administration that manages the Vatican's assets (the APSA) "about a month ago, after his superiors learnt about an investigation into his activities," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said.

Scarano was arrested along with a former member of the Italian secret services and a financier, reports said.

Police declined to confirm the arrests, saying a press conference would be held later on Friday.

ANSA news agency said the three arrested men were suspected of plotting to illegally move 20 million euros ($A28.29 million) from Switzerland to Italy.

The money allegedly belonged to friends of Scarano and was brought into Italy on board a private jet belonging to Italian former secret service agent Giovanni Maria Zito, the reports said.

Zito purportedly received 400,000 euros for the service.

According to the daily La Repubblica, Scarano is also under investigation by the Salerno prosecutor on suspicion of money laundering.

"They called him Monsignor 500... because of the great number of 500 euro notes he had at his disposition," which he allegedly used to launder money for friends in southern Italy, the newspaper said.

It added that it was an initial investigation into Scarano's bank account at the IOR which led to the discovery of the suspected racket.

In a bid to tighten control of the bank's activities, Pope Francis announced on Wednesday a sweeping study of the bank before a possible clear-out of top management at the Holy See.

In his first real step towards reform, the pontiff is to take a hands-on approach, ensuring that everything a special five-member commission uncovers will be reported directly to him.

Pope Francis, elected amid an in-house debate over whether it is necessary to have a Vatican bank at all, has railed against the cult of money, calling for a "poor Church".

He has also quipped that "St Peter did not have a bank account", and warned the IOR and other Vatican staff that "offices are necessary but they are necessary only up to a certain point".

The IOR, which does not lend money, manages assets of 7 billion euros and handles funds for Vatican departments, Catholic charities and congregations as well as priests and nuns living and working around the world.

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Grounded eagle at home in Sydney zoo

A wedge-tailed eagle that refuses to fly home has baffled keepers at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Source: AAP

FLYING higher than an eagle is hard without any wind beneath your wings.

Keepers at Taronga Zoo are baffled why a Wedge-tailed eagle found in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges - a species known for its ruthless ability to hunt in the air - doesn't want to take a flight to freedom.

At first they thought it wasn't able to fly, but now it seems the bird just likes hanging around with people.

"It doesn't want to fly away, which is why the vets thought he was unable to," Taronga Zoo's Mark Williams told AAP on Friday.

"We think it's been in contact with people and has become 'imprinted'."

So rather than release the bird into the wild, where it is unlikely to be able to hunt and survive, Taronga Zoo has trained the young male for its bird show.

"We're getting him used to things and taking him for walks in the zoo," said Matt Kettle, Taronga's bird show supervisor.

The Wedge-tail, Australia's largest bird of prey, was found in the suburb of Monbulk.

Vets at the Healesville Sanctuary determined the 12-month-old bird was able to fly but failed to do so when released and was sent to Sydney.

The eagles are known for a wingspan that can reach 2.5 metres, and can fly up to 2000m above the ground using thermal air currents.

Their advanced eyesight also enables them to accurately spot and capture their prey, with special bony rings around their eyes that squeeze the eyeball like a telephoto lens.

Wedge-tailed eagles are also known to confront hang-gliders who are in their territory - a scenario that at least for now seems unlikely for this feathered friend.

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Dutch boys, 5 and 7, joyride in nan's car

DUTCH police have briefly detained two brothers aged five and seven who crashed a car after a short joyride.

"A police patrol this morning saw a car with the doors open and two young boys stood next to it," in Bloemendael, west of Amsterdam, police spokeswoman Lenny Beijerbergen said on Saturday.

"The seven-year-old boy told police that he had driven the car around one-and-a-half kilometres, hit a metal post on the pavement and come to a standstill," Beijerbergen said.

A policeman tweeted a photo of the crash scene, saying the car belonged to the boys' grandmother.

The photo, which was quickly removed from Twitter, showed the boys, the car and the uprooted post in a residential street strewn with debris from the car.

"At least I had my seat belt on! And my brother was in the child's seat," the seven-year-old driver said when police turned up, national news agency ANP reported.

"The boys were taken to the police station, given a talking to and made aware of what they've done," Beijerbergen said.

"Then they were taken home. Thankfully they were both unhurt."

She said there was considerable damage to the car and the pavement.

"This is really quite remarkable. I've never seen anything like it. Seven is very young," Beijerbergen said.

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Snowden extradition could take years

The US government's battle to extradite Edward Snowden from Hong Kong could take years, experts say. Source: AAP

ATTEMPTS to extradite ex-intelligence technician Edward Snowden, charged with espionage by US authorities, will result in a protracted legal battle in Hong Kong that could last years, experts said.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that retained a separate legal system when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has a long-standing extradition treaty with the US, but Beijing has the potential to veto any ruling.

However Beijing has appeared to distance itself from any decision on the possible extradition of Snowden, who is in hiding in the southern Chinese city after blowing the lid on vast US surveillance programs targetting phone calls and internet traffic.

Hong Kong officials remained tight-lipped on Saturday as to whether they will hold Snowden a day after Washington charged the former CIA contractor with espionage, theft and "conversion of government property".

Hong Kong lawmaker Alan Leong said that if local authorities proceed with extradition, it could result in a lengthy legal battle.

"If every appeal opportunity is taken, I suppose the process will last between three and five years" at the very least, he told AFP.

The case could possibly drag "through at least the magistrates' court, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Final Appeal. So, at least three levels of (Hong Kong) courts," he said.

Snowden can claim fears of political persecution and ask for political asylum, which will buy him time, said Christopher Gane, the dean of law school of Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"If the court decides this man cannot be sent back, this is the end of it. He can't be sent back," he told AFP.

"But if the court decides he could be sent back, it is still up to the Hong Kong chief executive to decide whether to do so. This is when all kinds of possible considerations can come in," Gane said.

Experts have claimed that Snowden is testing Hong Kong's civil liberties under its "one country, two systems" framework by retreating to the former British colony.

Snowden has exposed details on vast US surveillance operations, leaking documents that appear to show huge quantities of private telephone and internet data -- such as emails and call records -- have been scooped up with little or no judicial oversight.

The revelations have embarrassed US President Barack Obama's administration.

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Snowden charge 'intimidation': Assange

Julian Assange's planned address from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy has been postponed. Source: AAP

THE United States has charged leaker Edward Snowden with espionage in an attempt to bully other countries into abandoning him, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says.

US authorities have filed espionage charges against rogue intelligence technician Snowden and asked Hong Kong to detain him.

Assange criticised the move on Saturday in a speech the Australian had planned to deliver from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he's been holed up for over a year.

But WikiLeaks said via Twitter the appearance was postponed "due to a security situation" and instead released a copy of the speech.

Police weren't commenting and a response was being sought from the Ecuadorean embassy.

In the speech Assange says he's been able to work in relative safety from a US espionage investigation only because he sought asylum in the diplomatic mission.

"The charging of Edward Snowden is intended to intimidate any country that might be considering standing up for his rights," Assange said in the written speech.

"That tactic must not be allowed to work.

"The effort to find asylum for Edward Snowden must be intensified. What brave country will stand up for him and recognise his service to humanity?"

Assange this week revealed he'd been in contact with representatives of Snowden to discuss his possible bid for asylum in Iceland following his disclosure of US surveillance programs.

The 41-year-old on Saturday said the US government was spying "on each and every one of us" but it was Snowden who'd been charged with espionage.

"It is getting to the point where the mark of international distinction and service to humanity is no longer the Nobel Peace Prize but an espionage indictment from the US Department of Justice," Assange said.

"Edward Snowden is the eighth leaker to be charged with espionage under this president."

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino earlier this week revealed Assange had told him he was strong enough to remain in the embassy "for five years ... rather than face legal proceedings in the US".

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UK fugitive killer arrested in Queensland

A BRITISH killer who escaped prison after being jailed for a frenzied knife attack on his aunt has been captured on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Simon Hennessey, 49, has been on the run since he walked out of an English prison in December 1998.

In 1978 aged just 14 Hennessey mutilated his aunt Mary Webber, 72, in a brutal knife attack at her home on the English south coast city of Plymouth, stabbing her 70 times.

He admitted killing his aunt but pleaded mental illness and was jailed for life in the same year.

He served 20 years of that sentence before disappearing 15 years ago, but had escaped from a number of prisons before that.

Queensland police have confirmed that a man they have charged with a series of fraud offences is Hennessey.

A spokeswoman for Queensland Police said he had been arrested earlier this month in Maroochydore.

He appeared before Maroochydore Magistrates' Court on June 17 and is currently in custody pending his next hearing in July.

"There is not much more we can say because of the court situation but we are aware that he is a wanted criminal in the UK," she said.

Hennessey's arrest is understood to be related to a sophisticated credit card scam running to tens of thousands of dollars.

He could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted in Australia but UK police have already contacted Australian authorities to discuss his extradition.

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Dutch boys, 5 and 7, joyride in nan's car

DUTCH police have briefly detained two brothers aged five and seven who crashed a car after a short joyride.

"A police patrol this morning saw a car with the doors open and two young boys stood next to it," in Bloemendael, west of Amsterdam, police spokeswoman Lenny Beijerbergen said on Saturday.

"The seven-year-old boy told police that he had driven the car around one-and-a-half kilometres, hit a metal post on the pavement and come to a standstill," Beijerbergen said.

A policeman tweeted a photo of the crash scene, saying the car belonged to the boys' grandmother.

The photo, which was quickly removed from Twitter, showed the boys, the car and the uprooted post in a residential street strewn with debris from the car.

"At least I had my seat belt on! And my brother was in the child's seat," the seven-year-old driver said when police turned up, national news agency ANP reported.

"The boys were taken to the police station, given a talking to and made aware of what they've done," Beijerbergen said.

"Then they were taken home. Thankfully they were both unhurt."

She said there was considerable damage to the car and the pavement.

"This is really quite remarkable. I've never seen anything like it. Seven is very young," Beijerbergen said.

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Snowden extradition could take years

The US government's battle to extradite Edward Snowden from Hong Kong could take years, experts say. Source: AAP

ATTEMPTS to extradite ex-intelligence technician Edward Snowden, charged with espionage by US authorities, will result in a protracted legal battle in Hong Kong that could last years, experts said.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that retained a separate legal system when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has a long-standing extradition treaty with the US, but Beijing has the potential to veto any ruling.

However Beijing has appeared to distance itself from any decision on the possible extradition of Snowden, who is in hiding in the southern Chinese city after blowing the lid on vast US surveillance programs targetting phone calls and internet traffic.

Hong Kong officials remained tight-lipped on Saturday as to whether they will hold Snowden a day after Washington charged the former CIA contractor with espionage, theft and "conversion of government property".

Hong Kong lawmaker Alan Leong said that if local authorities proceed with extradition, it could result in a lengthy legal battle.

"If every appeal opportunity is taken, I suppose the process will last between three and five years" at the very least, he told AFP.

The case could possibly drag "through at least the magistrates' court, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Final Appeal. So, at least three levels of (Hong Kong) courts," he said.

Snowden can claim fears of political persecution and ask for political asylum, which will buy him time, said Christopher Gane, the dean of law school of Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"If the court decides this man cannot be sent back, this is the end of it. He can't be sent back," he told AFP.

"But if the court decides he could be sent back, it is still up to the Hong Kong chief executive to decide whether to do so. This is when all kinds of possible considerations can come in," Gane said.

Experts have claimed that Snowden is testing Hong Kong's civil liberties under its "one country, two systems" framework by retreating to the former British colony.

Snowden has exposed details on vast US surveillance operations, leaking documents that appear to show huge quantities of private telephone and internet data -- such as emails and call records -- have been scooped up with little or no judicial oversight.

The revelations have embarrassed US President Barack Obama's administration.

18.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snowden charge 'intimidation': Assange

Julian Assange's planned address from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy has been postponed. Source: AAP

THE United States has charged leaker Edward Snowden with espionage in an attempt to bully other countries into abandoning him, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says.

US authorities have filed espionage charges against rogue intelligence technician Snowden and asked Hong Kong to detain him.

Assange criticised the move on Saturday in a speech the Australian had planned to deliver from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he's been holed up for over a year.

But WikiLeaks said via Twitter the appearance was postponed "due to a security situation" and instead released a copy of the speech.

Police weren't commenting and a response was being sought from the Ecuadorean embassy.

In the speech Assange says he's been able to work in relative safety from a US espionage investigation only because he sought asylum in the diplomatic mission.

"The charging of Edward Snowden is intended to intimidate any country that might be considering standing up for his rights," Assange said in the written speech.

"That tactic must not be allowed to work.

"The effort to find asylum for Edward Snowden must be intensified. What brave country will stand up for him and recognise his service to humanity?"

Assange this week revealed he'd been in contact with representatives of Snowden to discuss his possible bid for asylum in Iceland following his disclosure of US surveillance programs.

The 41-year-old on Saturday said the US government was spying "on each and every one of us" but it was Snowden who'd been charged with espionage.

"It is getting to the point where the mark of international distinction and service to humanity is no longer the Nobel Peace Prize but an espionage indictment from the US Department of Justice," Assange said.

"Edward Snowden is the eighth leaker to be charged with espionage under this president."

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino earlier this week revealed Assange had told him he was strong enough to remain in the embassy "for five years ... rather than face legal proceedings in the US".

18.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK fugitive killer arrested in Queensland

A BRITISH killer who escaped prison after being jailed for a frenzied knife attack on his aunt has been captured on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Simon Hennessey, 49, has been on the run since he walked out of an English prison in December 1998.

In 1978 aged just 14 Hennessey mutilated his aunt Mary Webber, 72, in a brutal knife attack at her home on the English south coast city of Plymouth, stabbing her 70 times.

He admitted killing his aunt but pleaded mental illness and was jailed for life in the same year.

He served 20 years of that sentence before disappearing 15 years ago, but had escaped from a number of prisons before that.

Queensland police have confirmed that a man they have charged with a series of fraud offences is Hennessey.

A spokeswoman for Queensland Police said he had been arrested earlier this month in Maroochydore.

He appeared before Maroochydore Magistrates' Court on June 17 and is currently in custody pending his next hearing in July.

"There is not much more we can say because of the court situation but we are aware that he is a wanted criminal in the UK," she said.

Hennessey's arrest is understood to be related to a sophisticated credit card scam running to tens of thousands of dollars.

He could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted in Australia but UK police have already contacted Australian authorities to discuss his extradition.

18.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dutch boys, 5 and 7, joyride in nan's car

DUTCH police have briefly detained two brothers aged five and seven who crashed a car after a short joyride.

"A police patrol this morning saw a car with the doors open and two young boys stood next to it," in Bloemendael, west of Amsterdam, police spokeswoman Lenny Beijerbergen said on Saturday.

"The seven-year-old boy told police that he had driven the car around one-and-a-half kilometres, hit a metal post on the pavement and come to a standstill," Beijerbergen said.

A policeman tweeted a photo of the crash scene, saying the car belonged to the boys' grandmother.

The photo, which was quickly removed from Twitter, showed the boys, the car and the uprooted post in a residential street strewn with debris from the car.

"At least I had my seat belt on! And my brother was in the child's seat," the seven-year-old driver said when police turned up, national news agency ANP reported.

"The boys were taken to the police station, given a talking to and made aware of what they've done," Beijerbergen said.

"Then they were taken home. Thankfully they were both unhurt."

She said there was considerable damage to the car and the pavement.

"This is really quite remarkable. I've never seen anything like it. Seven is very young," Beijerbergen said.

18.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snowden extradition could take years

The US government's battle to extradite Edward Snowden from Hong Kong could take years, experts say. Source: AAP

ATTEMPTS to extradite ex-intelligence technician Edward Snowden, charged with espionage by US authorities, will result in a protracted legal battle in Hong Kong that could last years, experts said.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that retained a separate legal system when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has a long-standing extradition treaty with the US, but Beijing has the potential to veto any ruling.

However Beijing has appeared to distance itself from any decision on the possible extradition of Snowden, who is in hiding in the southern Chinese city after blowing the lid on vast US surveillance programs targetting phone calls and internet traffic.

Hong Kong officials remained tight-lipped on Saturday as to whether they will hold Snowden a day after Washington charged the former CIA contractor with espionage, theft and "conversion of government property".

Hong Kong lawmaker Alan Leong said that if local authorities proceed with extradition, it could result in a lengthy legal battle.

"If every appeal opportunity is taken, I suppose the process will last between three and five years" at the very least, he told AFP.

The case could possibly drag "through at least the magistrates' court, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Final Appeal. So, at least three levels of (Hong Kong) courts," he said.

Snowden can claim fears of political persecution and ask for political asylum, which will buy him time, said Christopher Gane, the dean of law school of Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"If the court decides this man cannot be sent back, this is the end of it. He can't be sent back," he told AFP.

"But if the court decides he could be sent back, it is still up to the Hong Kong chief executive to decide whether to do so. This is when all kinds of possible considerations can come in," Gane said.

Experts have claimed that Snowden is testing Hong Kong's civil liberties under its "one country, two systems" framework by retreating to the former British colony.

Snowden has exposed details on vast US surveillance operations, leaking documents that appear to show huge quantities of private telephone and internet data -- such as emails and call records -- have been scooped up with little or no judicial oversight.

The revelations have embarrassed US President Barack Obama's administration.

18.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snowden charge 'intimidation': Assange

Julian Assange's planned address from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy has been postponed. Source: AAP

THE United States has charged leaker Edward Snowden with espionage in an attempt to bully other countries into abandoning him, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says.

US authorities have filed espionage charges against rogue intelligence technician Snowden and asked Hong Kong to detain him.

Assange criticised the move on Saturday in a speech the Australian had planned to deliver from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he's been holed up for over a year.

But WikiLeaks said via Twitter the appearance was postponed "due to a security situation" and instead released a copy of the speech.

Police weren't commenting and a response was being sought from the Ecuadorean embassy.

In the speech Assange says he's been able to work in relative safety from a US espionage investigation only because he sought asylum in the diplomatic mission.

"The charging of Edward Snowden is intended to intimidate any country that might be considering standing up for his rights," Assange said in the written speech.

"That tactic must not be allowed to work.

"The effort to find asylum for Edward Snowden must be intensified. What brave country will stand up for him and recognise his service to humanity?"

Assange this week revealed he'd been in contact with representatives of Snowden to discuss his possible bid for asylum in Iceland following his disclosure of US surveillance programs.

The 41-year-old on Saturday said the US government was spying "on each and every one of us" but it was Snowden who'd been charged with espionage.

"It is getting to the point where the mark of international distinction and service to humanity is no longer the Nobel Peace Prize but an espionage indictment from the US Department of Justice," Assange said.

"Edward Snowden is the eighth leaker to be charged with espionage under this president."

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino earlier this week revealed Assange had told him he was strong enough to remain in the embassy "for five years ... rather than face legal proceedings in the US".

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UK fugitive killer arrested in Queensland

A BRITISH killer who escaped prison after being jailed for a frenzied knife attack on his aunt has been captured on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Simon Hennessey, 49, has been on the run since he walked out of an English prison in December 1998.

In 1978 aged just 14 Hennessey mutilated his aunt Mary Webber, 72, in a brutal knife attack at her home on the English south coast city of Plymouth, stabbing her 70 times.

He admitted killing his aunt but pleaded mental illness and was jailed for life in the same year.

He served 20 years of that sentence before disappearing 15 years ago, but had escaped from a number of prisons before that.

Queensland police have confirmed that a man they have charged with a series of fraud offences is Hennessey.

A spokeswoman for Queensland Police said he had been arrested earlier this month in Maroochydore.

He appeared before Maroochydore Magistrates' Court on June 17 and is currently in custody pending his next hearing in July.

"There is not much more we can say because of the court situation but we are aware that he is a wanted criminal in the UK," she said.

Hennessey's arrest is understood to be related to a sophisticated credit card scam running to tens of thousands of dollars.

He could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted in Australia but UK police have already contacted Australian authorities to discuss his extradition.

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