School staff accused of ‘gang-rape’

JIS is one of Asia's top schools, and has a large body of Australian students. Source: Supplied

A PRESTIGIOUS international school in Indonesia has been confronted by accusations of staff raping children as young as five.

Parents have made allegations of gang rape, sexual abuse being video-taped and institutional cover-ups at Jakarta International School.

The saga began in March, when the parents of a five-year-old boy alleged that he had been anally raped by cleaners in the school toilets.

The families of three children have accused teaching staff at JIS of rape. Source: Supplied

They said they noticed something was wrong when the child became aggressive, began wetting himself at school and started having nightmares in which he screamed, "Please don't hurt me, please let me go", The Independent reported.

His mother discovered bruises on his stomach and anus, she said, and the boy then told his parents what had allegedly happened. A medical exam was said to have revealed anal infections, pus and lesions.

Six members of staff from cleaning contractors ISS were arrested, but the boy's mother went public with the details after being disappointed with the slowness of the school's response, her lawyer Andi Asrun told Fairfax media.

Four of the five men admitted to the crime, but later retracted their statements, saying they were obtained under torture, The Independent said. The fifth man died in custody — apparently committing suicide by drinking bleach. The last person arrested was a woman.

School cleaner Agun Iskandar went on trial for the alleged sexual abuse in August. Source: News Corp Australia

A second mother came forward a few weeks later and said her son had also been attacked by cleaners, but had fought them off.

At the time, the school said little in public, and calls for its closure grew louder, alongside graffiti sprayed on the gates, harassment of students as they left and attacks on the school's lax dress code.

The first set of parents launched a $14 million lawsuit, not long before further scandal broke in late April, when it emerged that US paedophile William Vahey had worked at the school from 1992 to 2002.

The second mother later told Fairfax media that her son's abusers were school administrator Neil Bantleman and Indonesian teacher's assistant Ferdinand Tjiong, in conjunction with the cleaners. They deny the allegations.

A letter from the accused teaching staff on a petition calling for their release. Source: Supplied

The mother said her son was taken to school offices, and given drugs either intravenously or in a "light blue potion" before being sexually assaulted, often on video. No video footage has been found.

She said he was threatened with death if he told anyone about the rapes, which allegedly numbered more than 20.

At this point a third alleged victim emerged, a friend of the first two children.

In late May, the first parents increased their claim against the school tenfold to $142 million, saying their son would require care for the rest of his life. The second mother sent emails identifying the alleged perpetrators to 12 sets of parents with pre-school children, saying her son had identified them as victims.

The families of three children say they were attacked by teaching staff. Source: ThinkStock

By June 11, all three parents were saying that teaching staff were involved.

Police transcripts leaked to the Wall Street Journal revealed claims by the alleged first victim of secret rooms in the school and a "magic stone" used to anaesthetise the children.

The documents identified eight other boys who were allegedly abused this year at the school.

Bantleman and Tjiong were arrested on July 14, but the school's founding embassies weighed in publicly, issuing a statement saying they were "deeply concerned" about the teachers' detention and that: "We are surprised at these developments given the presumption of innocence in Indonesian law."

The school said it was co-operating fully with police, but also expressed doubts about the claims against its staff, suggesting the ideas may have been planted in the children's heads.

There are suggestions that the children involved may have fallen victim to the power of suggestion in questioning. Source: Supplied

Headteacher Timothy Carr told the Wall Street Journal: "How credible were those original allegations when they were delivered by someone who has changed their story so dramatically over time?"

The teaching staff involved are suing the parents for defamation, with Bantleman's wife Tracey insisting there is no evidence and Tjiong's wife saying her husband is "ashamed" of the Indonesian justice system.

But the first and second mothers accused the school of a cover-up, and lawyer Mr Asrun said the school had "tarnished its image".

JIS educates more than 2000 children of well-off expats and Indonesians, including many Australians, and is one of Asia's top schools.

It is now holding weekly vigils, attended by some parents, in support of the staff members, and a petition to release them has gained more than 10,000 signatures.

But one mother said she had withdrawn her child from the school because "everyone was constantly talking about his case. It was just too heavy for me."

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Woman ‘smuggled $79K in stomach’

Bizarre ... a woman alleged tried to smuggle more than $70,000 into the Dominican Republic in her stomach. Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

A WOMAN has been arrested for trying to smuggle $US70,000 ($79,000) into the Dominican Republic — in her stomach.

A National Drug Control Agency spokesman said the cash, likely tied to drug trafficking, was divided up among 16 capsules. The 40-year-old woman also allegedly carried $US69,000 hidden inside her suitcase.

The alleged smuggler was arrested at the airport in the popular tourist district of Punta Cana after arriving on a flight from Brussels. Her name has not been released.

Dominican authorities say this is the first time they have arrested someone who was smuggling money in their stomach.

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11 things you don’t know about Michael Jordan

Retro Michael Jordan and Spike Lee Commercial for Nike's Air Jordans. Courtesy: Nike.

It's 30 years since Michael Jordan played his first NBA game. Source: AP

Although he was chosen third overall in the 1984 NBA Draft and initially didn't make his varsity basketball team in high school, Michael Jordan would go on to have arguably the greatest basketball career of all time.

Six NBA championships. Five NBA Most Valuable Player awards. Fourteen NBA All-Star appearances.

Jordan was even so influential during his reign that he's credited with starting the baggy shorts fad when he required bigger shorts so he could continue wearing his University of North Carolina shorts underneath his Chicago Bulls gear during every game.

In honour of the 30th anniversary of Michael Jordan's NBA debut on October 26, here is a round-up of a few facts you didn't know about the eternal King of Chicago.

These are 11 things that will make your head spin about MJ:

1. "THE FLU GAME" MIGHT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY SOMEONE POISONING JORDAN'S PIZZA

Someone messed with MJ's margherita Source: Getty Images

IN THE famous "Flu Game" in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz, despite almost passing out in Scottie Pippen's arms, Michael Jordan scored 38 points and led the Bulls to victory. The game is certainly one of Jordan's most memorable performances, but the flu might not have been to blame for Jordan's sickness.

Tim Grover, Michael Jordan's former personal trainer, recounted what happened the night before:

"Yes, 100 per cent poisoned for ('The Flu Game'). Everyone called it a 'Flu Game,' but we sat there and we were in the room, we were in Park City, Utah, up in a hotel. Room service stopped at like nine o'clock. And he got hungry, and we really couldn't find any other place to eat so we ordered ... I said, 'Hey, the only thing I could find is a pizza place.' He said, 'All right, order pizza.' We had been there for a while, so everybody knows what hotel ... Everybody kind of knew where we were staying. So we order a pizza, they come to deliver it, five guys come to deliver this pizza ... I said, 'I got a bad feeling about this.' ... Out of everybody in the room, he was the only one that ate. Nobody else ... then two o'clock in the morning, I get a call to my room. I come to the room, he's curled up in the foetal position ... Immediately I said, 'It's food poisoning.' Guaranteed. Not the flu."

Coach Phil Jackson has also said that the Bulls guard Ron Harper also claimed it was "bad pizza" to blame.

2. JORDAN PLAYED A CARTOON SUPERHERO IN A SHORT-LIVED SERIES WITH WAYNE GRETZKY AND BO JACKSON

"PROSTARS" lasted for two seasons in the early '90s and featured the three sports stars living together in a gym and saving the world from villains.

Michael Jordan was the leader and brainy one of the group, often explaining long scientific reasonings for plans.

Jordan and the other stars would do real-life Q&As alongside the cartoon, but none of the actors provided their actual voices for their characters. A few of the episodes have survived on YouTube.

3. THE INSPIRATION FOR JORDAN STICKING HIS TONGUE OUT CAME FROM WATCHING HIS FATHER DO THE SAME WHILE HE WORKED

James and Michael Jordan. Source: Getty Images

WHEN Michael Jordan's father was fixing things around the house, he'd stick out his tongue. His father actually clarified and said it stretched even farther back in the lineage.

"As far as I can remember it originated from my grandad. My grandad stuck his tongue out and if I'm working on my car or something around the house I find myself going (sticks tongue out) really concentrating."

In 1989, the Chicago Tribune did an in-depth report on what Jordan's "tongue-wagging" actually means and decided the move fit in with anthropologist Desmond Morris' categorisation of the "Concentration Tongue."

Quoting Morris about this classification:

"The gesture gradually revealed itself, not so much as a pure 'concentration' gesture, but as a 'please leave me in peace' gesture ... Once the action was understood as a social rejection gesture, it began to fit in with the infantile breast rejection movement."

Well that's one theory!

4. JORDAN DONATED HIS FIRST YEAR SALARY WITH THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS TO THE RECOVERY EFFORT AND VICTIMS' FAMILIES OF 9/11

The day Michael Jordan joined the Wizards Source: AP

FOR his first year out of retirement with the Washington Wizards, Michael Jordan was paid $1 million, a sum he gave away entirely.

With the tragic events of 9/11 happening just a short time before the NBA season was set to start, Jordan decided to help the recovery effort.

"It's my way of giving back and hopefully aiding those in need during a terrible time," he said.

Jordan went on to lead the Washington Wizards in points, assists and steals that season.

5. JORDAN'S JERSEY WAS ONCE STOLEN IN ORLANDO, FORCING HIM TO WEAR THE NUMBER 12 WITH NO LAST NAME

ON Valentine's Day, 1990, a still unknown thief stole Michael Jordan's jersey right out of the locker room just a bit over an hour before tip-off.

Unable to recover the jersey and unsure what to do, the Chicago Bulls had Jordan try on a fan's replica jersey, but unfortunately the fit was too small.

The equipment manager then came up with an extra jersey kept for emergencies that simply had the number 12. It would have to do.

"That has never happened to me before. It's pretty irritating because you're accustomed to certain things and you don't like to have things misplaced," Jordan said to the Orlando Sentinel. He ended up scoring 49 points, although the Orlando Magic won this game in overtime.

6. GROWING UP, JORDAN'S NICKNAME WAS 'MAGIC JORDAN' — AFTER MAGIC JOHNSON

TALKING to Playboy in 1992, Michael Jordan revealed that Magic Johnson was an idol of his despite having career strife when he first came into the league:

"I liked him when I was in high school. They used to call me Magic Jordan. My first car had a license plate with Magic Jordan on it. It was a 1976 Grand Prix ... There was a little bit of envy because of the way I came into the league. Magic came in with even more flair and even more success. And he should have been even bigger than I was in terms of endorsements and business opportunities. But he wasn't marketed that way. And I was fortunate to have good people. So there was some envy ... During my third year, he invited me out to play in his summer charity game. We ironed out our differences in private in the locker room and we began a relationship."

7. STARTING IN NOVEMBER 1990, MICHAEL JORDAN AND THE CHICAGO BULLS NEVER LOST THREE GAMES IN A ROW

MICHAEL Jordan went eight years without a three-game losing streak.

Although this math has been called into question, Ben Blatt of the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective figured out the insane odds for accomplishing this feat and determined it was ".2114 per cent, or about one out of 500."

A more updated math led to Blatt determining the number might be closer to one out of 140, which is still ridiculously improbable.

This span included 500 regular season games and 126 playoff games for a total of 626.

8. JORDAN'S BEST FRIEND IS THE LIMO DRIVER WHO PICKED HIM UP WHEN HE ARRIVED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CHICAGO

FIRST landing at the Chicago O'Hare airport in 1984, the Chicago Bulls had neglected to send anybody to pick up Michael Jordan.

A limo driver named George Koehler took pity on him and offered to help.

Koehler was a young man as well and the two hit it off, despite an initial confusion.

Koehler recounted, "I was excited because I knew who he was and I thought, 'Holy smokes, it's Larry Jordan.' I played four years in high school with a guy named Larry Jordan so that name was stuck in my memory bank ... When I saw Michael, I said, 'Larry Jordan.'"

Larry was Michael's brother and so they bonded over Koehler attending the same school as his sibling.

Koehler only charged Jordan 25 dollars and offered him to show him around the city to help him find a beer.

A couple of weeks later, Jordan called him to hang out. Koehler explained the development of their friendship:

"And 25 years later I don't drive the limo for him, but we're still really close friends. I've met just about everyone under the sun through Michael. If you picked up a book about Michael's life, it would be my life, just Michael's name on the cover. I don't know if you believe in fate, but I obviously do. My whole life could've been different if my customer had showed up that day. Michael likes to tell the story and say, 'George was the first person I ever met in Chicago. He gave me a ride and has taken me for a ride ever since'."

9. THE MIAMI HEAT ALSO RETIRED HIS NUMBER 23 JERSEY OUT OF RESPECT

You can wear No. 6 in Miami, LeBron. Source: Getty Images

THE first jersey that the Miami Heat ever retired was Michael Jordan's 23.

The ceremony took place on April 11, 2003, before a game between the Washington Wizards and the Heat.

"No one will ever wear number 23 for the Miami Heat. You're the best," Heat president Pat Riley said to Jordan.

Riley had coached against Jordan many times when he still played with the Chicago Bulls.

The Wizards won this game.

10. THERE'S A LEGEND THAT A UNC GEOGRAPHY PROFESSOR TOLD HIS STUDENTS THE AVERAGE STARTING SALARY FOR THEIR MAJOR WAS $250,000, BUT THEN ADMITTED THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE OF MICHAEL JORDAN

THE story is now often used as a peril for always trusting the "mean average" in statistics. Michael Jordan's salary for his first year on the Chicago Bulls for the 1984-1985 season was $550,000.

Presumably, Jordan's graduating class would have had to be very small for this salary to skew the average so much, but perhaps this is just a legend anyway.

The Huffington Post reached out to the current chair of the University of North Carolina's Geography department, but did not hear back.

11. MICHAEL JORDAN'S FAVOURITE DUNK EVER WAS ON PATRICK EWING

No one dunked like Jordan Source: News Limited

IN A promotional video for the NBA 2k14 video game, Michael Jordan revealed that his most memorable dunk of all time was against his longtime friend Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks.

The dunk happened in Game 3 of the 1991 NBA playoffs and happened in Ewing's home court of Madison Square Garden.

Jordan explained: "My most memorable dunk that I think about very, very often is the Patrick Ewing dunk. That's only because Patrick and I are such great friends. (Charles) Oakley was a part of that whole process because he thought he could defend. We got into a screen-and-roll and I spun back and Patrick, I told him Georgetown guys don't block shots they just take charges. And I dunked it so hard on him it was unbelievable."

Jordan claimed he won't let Ewing forget the moment and said, "Every time I see him that's the first thing I remind him of."

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‘Ebola’ boy, 5, isolated in NYC

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state wants to encourage health workers to go to West Africa to treat Ebola, amid concerns about the impact of new state rules on mandatory quarantines. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)

New case ... emergency workers in Hazmat suits outside Bellevue hospital in New York. Source: Supplied

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy admitted to a hospital in New York with possible Ebola symptoms developed a fever overnight and is being tested for the virus, health officials said on Monday.

The boy, who was transported by emergency workers in hazmat suits, did not have a fever when he was initially examined Sunday night at Bellevue, according to the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. He developed the fever about 7am Monday (10pm AEDT).

The latest developments come after a nurse being held in nearby New Jersey under mandatory quarantine after she flew in from Africa where she was treating Ebola patients has been told she can go free.

The New Jersey Health Department said in a statement that Kaci Hickox, 33, had been symptom-free for 24 hours and would be taken on a private carrier to Maine, where she lives.

Hickox lashed out about "inhumane" and "prison-like" conditions during the time she was being held.

Going free ... Kaci Hickox told CNN the process of keeping her isolated is "inhumane." Picture: AP Source: AP

New York City Health Commissioner Dr Mary Bassett said on MSNBC that the hospitalised boy has a low-grade fever and that the test results are expected by early afternoon.

The boy returned with his family from Guinea, one of three West African countries ravaged by the disease, on Saturday night and five members of his family were being quarantined inside their Bronx apartment, sources told The New Post.

The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, after consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, decided to test the boy for the virus because of his recent travel history and pattern of symptoms. He also is being evaluated for other childhood illnesses.

Disease detectives also are tracing the boy's contacts to identify who may be at potential risk.

Victim ... Dr Craig Spencer, 33, is currently being treated for Ebola in New York City. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The boy was taken to Bellevue Hospital where US Ebola patient Dr Craig Spencer is currently being treated.

Nurses working in teams of two are currently treating Dr Spencer, "with one serving as a buddy watching the other," said Health and Hospitals Corporation spokeswoman Ana Marengo.

Officials said the 33-year-old Médecins Sans Frontières volunteer — who worked with Ebola patients in Guinea — has entered the next stage of the illness with gastrointestinal symptoms. He is in a stable condition.

Dr Spencer received antiviral therapy soon after being admitted on Thursday and has also reportedly been administered plasma from Ebola survivor Nancy Writebol, an aid worker who contracted the disease in Africa.

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‘Ebola’ boy, 5, isolated in NYC

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state wants to encourage health workers to go to West Africa to treat Ebola, amid concerns about the impact of new state rules on mandatory quarantines. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)

New case ... emergency workers in Hazmat suits outside Bellevue hospital in New York. Source: Supplied

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy admitted to a hospital in New York with possible Ebola symptoms developed a fever overnight and is being tested for the virus, health officials said on Monday.

The boy, who was transported by emergency workers in hazmat suits, did not have a fever when he was initially examined Sunday night at Bellevue, according to the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. He developed the fever about 7am Monday (10pm AEDT).

The latest developments come after a nurse being held in nearby New Jersey under mandatory quarantine after she flew in from Africa where she was treating Ebola patients has been told she can go free.

The New Jersey Health Department said in a statement that Kaci Hickox, 33, had been symptom-free for 24 hours and would be taken on a private carrier to Maine, where she lives.

Hickox lashed out about "inhumane" and "prison-like" conditions during the time she was being held.

Going free ... Kaci Hickox told CNN the process of keeping her isolated is "inhumane." Picture: AP Source: AP

New York City Health Commissioner Dr Mary Bassett said on MSNBC that the hospitalised boy has a low-grade fever and that the test results are expected by early afternoon.

The boy returned with his family from Guinea, one of three West African countries ravaged by the disease, on Saturday night and five members of his family were being quarantined inside their Bronx apartment, sources told The New Post.

The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, after consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, decided to test the boy for the virus because of his recent travel history and pattern of symptoms. He also is being evaluated for other childhood illnesses.

Disease detectives also are tracing the boy's contacts to identify who may be at potential risk.

Victim ... Dr Craig Spencer, 33, is currently being treated for Ebola in New York City. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The boy was taken to Bellevue Hospital where US Ebola patient Dr Craig Spencer is currently being treated.

Nurses working in teams of two are currently treating Dr Spencer, "with one serving as a buddy watching the other," said Health and Hospitals Corporation spokeswoman Ana Marengo.

Officials said the 33-year-old Médecins Sans Frontières volunteer — who worked with Ebola patients in Guinea — has entered the next stage of the illness with gastrointestinal symptoms. He is in a stable condition.

Dr Spencer received antiviral therapy soon after being admitted on Thursday and has also reportedly been administered plasma from Ebola survivor Nancy Writebol, an aid worker who contracted the disease in Africa.

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‘Ginger jihadist’ in new Islamic State video

An image of 'ginger jihadist' Abdullah Elmir from the video. Source: News Corp Australia

AUSTRALIAN teen Abdullah Elmir, dubbed the "ginger jihadist", has appeared in a new video for terrorist group the Islamic State.

Elmir, 17, left his home and high school in Sydney to fight with the group in Iraq, and sits surrounded by a throng of jihadists, carrying a rifle in the six-and-a-half minute YouTube video.

The group are shown eating, praying and reciting religious texts by the Tigris river.

It is the second video the red-haired teen features in for IS.

Last week he railed against Tony Abbott, Australia and other western nations in another clip.

Meanwhile, Australia's Special Forces troops have obtained the final clearance to go into Iraq and join the war against Islamic State terrorists, according to Defence Minister David Johnston.

GO-AHEAD: DEFENCE CLEARED FOR ACTION AGAINST IRAQ

AFP WARNS GINGER JIHADIST HE FACES 25 YEARS IN JAIL

PARENTS ALARMED OVER TEEN TERRORIST

Two weeks after the Government first announced the deal had been finalised to send the troops in, Senator Johnston said the legal frameworks were finalised and "we are very ready.''

Around 200 Special Forces, mainly Commandos, have been waiting in the United Arab Emirates for six weeks for approval to enter Iraq to train and assist the Iraqi defence forces in their war against the IS jihadis.

Senator Johnston said Air Chief Marshal Binskin had told him things were "going to plan.''

The news comes as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop yesterday confirmed the number of Australians known to be fighting with the jihadis, or supporting their case, had grown to 185. Seventy-three passports have now been cancelled, she said.

Originally published as 'Ginger jihadist' in new Islamic State video

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Woman ‘smuggled $79K in stomach’

Bizarre ... a woman alleged tried to smuggle more than $70,000 into the Dominican Republic in her stomach. Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

A WOMAN has been arrested for trying to smuggle $US70,000 ($79,000) into the Dominican Republic — in her stomach.

A National Drug Control Agency spokesman said the cash, likely tied to drug trafficking, was divided up among 16 capsules. The 40-year-old woman also allegedly carried $US69,000 hidden inside her suitcase.

The alleged smuggler was arrested at the airport in the popular tourist district of Punta Cana after arriving on a flight from Brussels. Her name has not been released.

Dominican authorities say this is the first time they have arrested someone who was smuggling money in their stomach.

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Qantas goes to business class war

Virgin Australia announces a $355m loss, following Qantas' $2.8b shortfall.

QANTAS will today take the battle for corporate travellers up another notch, with the launch of its new business class suite in Sydney.

First revealed more than a year ago, the latest "unveiling" will be the final version of the Marc Newson designed suites to be installed in the airline's A330s by the end of the year.

Artist impression ... the new business class suite in a Qantas A330, from August 2013. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Featuring a lie-flat bed, more storage space and a larger In Flight Entertainment (IFE) selection, the new offering will go head to head with Virgin Australia's "Super Diamond" suite unveiled in Singapore last month.

At the time Virgin Australia boss John Borghetti said the Super Diamond suite was superior to the Qantas version, because it offered bigger seats, more leg room and a larger entertainment screen.

RELATED: Virgin Australia's flash new business class suite revealed

He also made a point of thanking Qantas for revealing their suite early, and giving Virgin a chance to "tweak" its own design to ensure it was a better product.

Yesterday Qantas was remaining tight-lipped about its updated offering, saying only that it had undergone "several improvements" since the August 13 reveal.

Another artist impression ... Qantas originally unveiled this as its new A330 business class suite in August 2013 but it has since gone back to the drawing board. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The changes mean both airlines will soon offer aisle access from every business class suite as well as seats that convert into "fully flat" beds.

In Virgin's case, the airline is even removing some economy seats to give high-paying business passengers more room.

Qantas will be the first to fly with the flash new look, with Virgin's refurbishment of its A330s and Boeing 777s not expected to be completed until mid-2015.

Passengers on domestic and international flights will get to experience the new level of luxury that is expected to coincide with a gradual increase in fares.

Virgin Australia's sleek new business class suite will be on board its A330 and Boeing 777 fleet by mid-2015. Source: Supplied

The latest Federal Government index on domestic airfares shows business class prices are already higher than they were at the same time last year.

Corporate travellers are paying an average of 87.4 per cent of "full price" compared with 81.2 per cent in October 2013.

In the same period, discount economy fares also crept up slightly from 56.7 per cent of full economy, to 59.5 per cent.

Corporate customers continue to be the main battleground for Qantas and Virgin Australia with both airlines doing all they can to woo the business and government market.

Qantas also announced yesterday it would build a new domestic business lounge at Perth Airport next year, adding 30 per cent more lounge capacity.

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Sydney teen Marlisa wins X Factor

X Factor 2014 winner Marlisa Punzalan / Picture: Supplied Source: Channel 7

SHE has been the outsider to win throughout the competition, yet in the final hours of voting ­Sydney teen Marlisa ­Punzalan stormed to the front to take out the 2014 X Factor crown.

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Rosie Batty: Fatal flaws failed my Luke

Rosie Batty wants the coronial investigation to uncover the systematic failings which she believes occurred in the lead-up to her son?s brutal death

ROSIE Batty called police asking them to apprehend the man who would go on to kill her son, Luke - but nothing happened, even though there was a warrant out for his arrest.

The explosive revelation emerged at the Coroners Court on Monday.

Ms Batty said officers later told her that a "gap" in the police database was to blame.

"They said there was no record (of the warrant).

"They dismissed me, like I didn't know what I was talking about," Ms Batty said.

Luke Batty was killed by his father, Greg Anderson, on a cricket oval. Picture: Jason Sammon

Ten months later, Greg Anderson breached an intervention order by attending his son's cricket training, and murdered him.

Ms Batty said that despite that intervention order, she decided against phoning 000 because previous dealings with police had been "traumatic, stressful and unpredictable".

"I'd had some really unpleasant situations involving the police at the oval," she said.

"I didn't trust the situation ... I looked at Luke and thought, this is going to be the third time I've tried to have this man arrested in front of Luke and his friends at that bloody oval."

Greg Anderson and son Luke Batty as a toddler.

Anderson had been playing with Luke at the cricket oval in the town of Tyabb in February when he suddenly attacked and killed him. Police then arrived and shot Anderson dead.

SUSIE O'BRIEN: TO HONOUR LUKE, WE MUST LISTEN TO ROSIE

The court heard Luke would have felt no pain after the initial blow.

Anderson, 54, ran at witnesses who tried to approach to help Luke, telling them: "He's in heaven now."

Rosie Batty and ex-husband Greg Anderson with their son Luke aged three to four months old.

Ms Batty said that a week before the murder she had given police Anderson's address, after they asked her for help in locating him.

He was wanted on outstanding warrants and she presumed he had been arrested.

Ms Batty had also phoned her local police in April last year to report Anderson after he had turned up at football training to watch Luke.

An intervention order was in place to protect Luke, after his dad threatened him with a knife, telling him "this could be the one to end it all". Anderson did not attend court for the hearing that banned all contact with his son.

Rosie Batty outside the Coroner's Court for the inquest into son Luke's death on Monday. Picture: Jason Sammon

When Ms Batty saw him at football training she phoned police but nothing was done.

She said police told her there was a "gap" in the system and they hadn't seen the warrant for Anderson's arrest.

The Herald Sun revealed in February that police failed to act despite multiple outstanding arrest warrants for Anderson when Luke was killed.

Bail documents showed that on one occasion a police prosecutor didn't oppose Anderson's bail application, despite the investigating officer clearly stating he opposed bail. Anderson walked from court.

Ms Batty told the inquest she had never meant to put Luke in danger.

"There was never any doubt in my mind that I should set aside animosity between Greg and me for what I believed was the best interests of Luke," Ms Batty said.

"When people would say to me 'Do you think it's a good idea for Luke to know his dad?' I would be very clear and certain he gained more from knowing his dad than not. He always wanted to see his dad.

"As Luke got older, as Greg's situation declined, it was just a constant test. not knowing what the right thing to do was. I thought I was making the right decision."

Ms Batty said Luke had never been frightened of his father and his father had never been violent to him.

"He was everything. I made every decision for him. Now I think I'm still trying to do it, but I can't get him back," she said.

"I never want anyone to be sitting where I'm sitting."

Police and the Government on Monday refused to comment on the inquest.

Jess Jackson, for Police Minister Kim Wells, said: "As this is a matter subject to a coronial inquest it is inappropriate to comment".

In March, the Government announced a $2.5 million program to streamline arrest warrant processes, which began in April.

Victoria Police also refused to discuss its internal inquiry.

Legal advice to the Herald Sun is that nothing stops officials commenting on the tragedy and system failures.

shannon.deery@news.com.au

Originally published as Rosie Batty: Fatal flaws failed my Luke

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Stranger saves dad from house fire

Stranger ... as the house burned, a man in a blue hat and shirt suddenly appeared and disappeared into the house. Picture: The Fresno Bee/YouTube Source: Supplied

INCREDIBLE video shows the moment a brave bystander casually walked into a burning home and carried out a father as flames exploded behind them.

Beth Lederach told The Fresno Bee she was standing outside the Fresno, California, home with the victim's small child, who was frantically screaming that her father was inside.

As neighbours tried to douse the flames with hoses, video shows a man appear from out of the blue and casually walk into the burning building.

Large explosions are heard as some people who were trying to help, fled.

But to the shock of bystanders, the unknown hero emerges from the home less than a minute later carrying the victim on his shoulder.

"I couldn't believe it," Ms Lederach said. "I was so relieved, I just wanted to cry."

Brave ... a passer-by incredibly rescued a man from a burning house, carrying the victim out on his shoulder. Picture: The Fresno Bee/YouTube Source: Supplied

The man and victim, who have not been identified, were treated for smoke inhalation.

The Saturday fire, which claimed the homes of six families, is under investigation.

"People just stepped up to give their cooperation, compassion and courage to help out," Ms Lederach said. "It was pretty amazing."

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Goal celebration ends in death

Deadly injury ... Peter Biaksangzuala's teammates rush to help the fallen scorer. Source: Supplied

A YOUNG footballer has reportedly lost his life after injuring his spinal cord while celebrating a goal he had scored.

Peter Biaksangzuala, 23, fell backwards on his head as he took a series of somersaults after scoring the equaliser for his team in a local match in Khawzawl town close to India's eastern border with Myanmar last Tuesday, the Times of India said.

As he lay on the ground in pain, unsuspecting teammates jumped on him to celebrate before they realised the extent of the injury and summoned an stretcher to rush him to hospital.

Biaksangzuala died on Sunday after his condition deteriorated in hospital as doctors attempted to repair his damaged spine, the newspaper quoted hospital staff as saying.

Lal Hmar, a football official in Mizoram state, told reporters in capital Aizawl that the young footballer had donated his eyes before his death.

"Peter was a very talented player who dreamt of playing in the national league," Mr Hmar said. "His death has come as a big shock to all of us. We all thought he will recover."

Mr Hmar said the local association was planning to hold a charity match in Biaksangzuala's memory.

Footballers are known to injure themselves while celebrating a goal, but there is no recorded instance of it causing a death.

Originally published as Goal celebration ends in death

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Tourism about to go cray cray

A good reason to travel down under? The West Australian blue ridge marron. Source: Supplied

THE closely guarded guest list for the dinner of the year has been unveiled — and former tourism darling Lara Bingle has been pushed aside for a blue crayfish.

The Blue Ridge Marron from Western Australia promises to be one of the stars of the Restaurant Australia finale at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart.

The strikingly colourful crayfish will carry the hopes of the nation's tourism operators on its spindly legs when it is served up to the world's most influential foodies at the gala dinner next month.

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Colourful ... this little guy will hopefully inspire 80 international foodies to tell their millions of followers to travel to Australia for our food and drink. Source: Supplied

Organised by Tourism Australia, the $40 million campaign aims to convince overseas residents to travel down under to experience the food and wine, as much as the spectacular scenery.

The guest list for the gala dinner includes celebrity chefs, food bloggers and other media identities with a combined following of more than 400 million people worldwide.

Former tourism darling Lara Bingle missed out on an invite, but the face of Indian cuisine Sanjeev Kapoor will be among the diners, along with celebrity chef and author Eric Ripert, acerbic British food critic Adrian Anthony Gill and American cookbook queen Alice Waters.

A total of 16 countries are represented, all of which are considered key target markets for Australia's tourism industry.

Former face ... Lara Bingle at the launch of Tourism Australia's So where the bloody hell are you? campaign. Picture: Toby Zerna Source: News Corp Australia

Australian model ... Lara Bingle in the 2006 'Where the bloody hell are ya?' Tourism Australia campaign that started her career. Source: News Limited

Tourism Australia ... has staged other Restaurant Australia dinners around the world, including London, as part of its campaign to lure people here via their tastebuds. Source: Supplied

Although the three-course menu remains tightly under wraps, News Corp has learnt that marron will feature along with Blackmore beef and Tasmanian oysters, lobster and abalone.

Sydney super chef Neil Perry will share cooking duties with fellow Australians Peter Gilmore and Ben Shewry, who are all too aware of the significance of the meal.

"The most important message is the fact that our food is world-class and exciting with amazing produce and innovative ideas," said Mr Perry.

"What we have going for us in Australia and what makes us unique are the people, the produce and sense of place.

"Hopefully that all comes together on the night."

On deck ... Award winning Australian chef Neil Perry will share responsibility for the Tourism Australia gala dinner with fellow chefs Peter Gilmore and Ben Shewry. Picture: Jack Tran Source: News Corp Australia

Tourism Australia managing director John O'Sullivan said the venue had been chosen for its "fit with the campaign".

"All State and Territory Organisations were invited to put forward recommendations on how they might host the "Invite the World to Dinner" gala," said Mr O'Sullivan.

"Tasmania was selected as the host, because of the international status of MONA, the venue itself and the setting."

Location ... MONA in Hobart is considered one of the hottest Australian travel destinations for 2015. Source: Supplied

In the lead up to the November 14 dinner, guests will be treated to a personalised four-day gastronomic blitz of the country covering every state and territory.

While some might go mudcrabbing in the Northern Territory, others will forage for sea vegetables off Tasmania's east coast, shuck oysters on the New South Wales coast or explore Melbourne's laneway cafes and bars.

Mr O'Sullivan said hopefully the guests would share their "incredible stories through their huge followings" and help inspire many others to travel in their footsteps.

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‘Burglar’ gets stuck in chimney

Love hurts ... Genoveva Nunez-Figueroa became stuck in the chimney of a man she met online. Picture: Ventura County Sheriff's Office Source: Supplied

FIREFIGHTERS were forced to use soap to free a woman from the chimney of a man she met online, in a suspected burglary gone awry.

The rescue team arrived at the Thousand Oaks, California home at around 6am on Sunday (6pm AEST), following reports a woman had become trapped in the brick tower on the roof, according to NBC.

They first attempted to dismantle the chimney, revealing the woman's blackened arm.

It then took a good glob of dish soap to finally set the alleged intruder free, Ventura County Fire Captain Mike Lindbery said on Twitter.

The woman, later identified as Genoveva Nunez-Figueroa, was arrested on suspicion of illegal entry and giving false information to police.

ABC7 reports it was the second time the woman was found on the roof of the home.

The male resident said he had met Nunez-Figueroa online and went on a few dates with her, but recently ended the relationship.

"I'm going to be a little more cautious of who I invite into my house now," he said.

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Meet the family cat worth $140,000

A real-estate sale has included a cat after the buyers agreed to meet the reserve only if the feline was included in the sale.

Michael and Fran Perceval with estate agent Glen Coutinho and Tiffany. Picture: DAVID CAIRD Source: News Limited

THE Perceval family prize their pet cat, Tiffany.

But she's not priceless. In fact, she's worth her weight in Tiffany's jewellery: $140,000, to be exact.

No kitten around.

The Percevals auctioned their five-bedroom Glen Iris home of 19 years on Saturday.

The property was passed in at $2,060,000.

And it was then, as real estate agent Glen Coutinho negotiated to try to close a deal, that a cat clause entered the sales contract.

Mr Coutinho, of RT Edgar, said that a child of one of the bidders had fallen in love with Tiffany during the inspections of the home.

"Tiffany decided she would sit on the couch," Fran Perceval told the Herald Sun.

"People would come through, and she'd observe them and be patted.

"She loved all the attention — she does look a bit ornamental," she said.

Ms Perceval had even jokingly suggested to Mr Coutinho that Tiffany could be included in the sale, because after all "she believes the house is her property".

But then the bidder offered to buy the home for $2.2 million — as long as Tiffany was included in the deal.

Ms Perceval said they agreed to terms — but her son, Sam, 19, isn't too pleased.

"He bought her himself," Ms Perceval said.

"She was at the pet shop, the last of the litter, and he felt sorry for her," she said.

"We're thinking we'll put $20,000 in a pile next to the cat and say to Sam: you choose," Ms Perceval said.

Given her $140,000 price tag, the new owners better hope Tiffany, 4, has nine lives.

Ms Perceval said that the family — who also have two dogs, two rabbits and fish — would be sad to say goodbye to Tiffany.

"We're an animal-friendly family ... She's a bit of a princess. She's beautiful to look at," Ms Perceval said.

"OK, she's an expensive cat — but she's our cat.

"It is quite difficult to part with her."

tom.minear@news.com.au

Originally published as Meet the family cat worth $140,000

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Air France pilot: 'F**k, we're dead'

Disaster ... sailors from Brazil's Navy recover debris from the Air France jet which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. Picture: AP Source: AP

TWO of three Air France pilots were asleep, leaving a rookie at the controls, minutes before the plane crashed into the sea in 2009, killing all 228 people board.

Disturbing new recorder information from Flight 447 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean five years ago also reveals one of the pilots shouted 'F**k, we're dead' as the plane went down.

The shocking details have emerged in a new investigation, published in the October edition of Vanity Fair magazine, which exposed the troubling "piloting culture" within Air France at the time.

Recorded conversations between 37-year-old David Robert, Pierre-Cedric Bonin, 32, and Marc Dubois - the 58-year-old captain - reveal that two of them were sleeping when the Airbus 330 experienced trouble in a tropical storm. The plane was flying from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France.

According to Vanity Fair, Bonin, dubbed the "Company Baby" with only a few hundred flight hours under his belt, was left in charge while the captain slept. It was known that the veteran captain only got one hour of sleep the previous night, spending most of his time with his travel companion, an off-duty flight attendant and opera singer.

"If the captain had stayed in position through the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone, it would have delayed his sleep by no more than 15 minutes, and because of his experience, maybe the story would have ended differently," chief investigator Alain Bouillard is quoted as saying.

"But I do not believe it was fatigue that caused him to leave. It was more like customary behaviour, part of the piloting culture within Air France. And his leaving was not against the rules. Still, it is surprising. If you are responsible for the outcome, you do not go on vacation during the main event."

According to the investigation, the plane was suffering from a loss of lift and its airspeed sensors had malfunctioned. But instead of following procedures and lowering the plane's nose, the junior pilot raised it.

Dubois finally entered the cockpit one minute and 38 seconds after the malfunction - but it was too late.

Robert said: "F**k, we're going to crash! It's not true! But what's happening?" Then either Robert or Bonin say: "F**k, we're dead" before the plane crashed. 

According to Vanity Fair, the turbulence and malfunction should have been a "non-event" that could have been easily handled. However, the "airplane was in control of the pilots, and if they had done nothing, they would have done all they needed to do". 

It took authorities about two years to retrieve bodies and essential records from the bottom of the ocean.

Air France has denied its pilots were incompetent, but have improved their training program. Both Air France and Airbus are facing manslaughter charges and there have been detailed investigations.
 

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TV doctor ‘broke Ebola quarantine’

Spotted...NBC News medical correspondent Dr Nancy Snyderman was spotted grabbing take away, despite being under quarantine for possible Ebola after reporting on the epidemic in Africa. Picture: NBC Source: Supplied

AN NBC News crew was ordered under mandatory quarantine for possible Ebola infection after the network's chief medical correspondent was allegedly spotted on a food run to a New Jersey restaurant, according to a report.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman and her crew had agreed to a voluntary quarantine when they returned to the United States from West Africa last week following their exposure to a cameraman who contracted the deadly virus, The New York Post reports.

But Snyderman, who lives in Princeton, New Jersey, was spotted outside the Peasant Grill in nearby Hopewell on Thursday afternoon, according to Planet Princeton.

Snyderman, who was wearing sunglasses and had her long hair pulled back, waited while a man went inside the eatery to pick up a takeout order, Planet reported.

Another man was sitting in the back seat, according to the local news blog.

Epidemic...a hazmat worker cleans outside an apartment building of a hospital worker who has tested positive for Ebola in Dallas, the first case of Ebola transmission in the US. Picture: AP Source: AP

A spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Health said there was no need to decontaminate the restaurant or warn anyone who was inside because the CDC says people without Ebola symptoms aren't contagious.

"The NBC crew remains symptom-free, so there is no reason for concern of exposure to the community," spokeswoman Dawn Thomas said.

The incubation period after exposure to Ebola can last 21 days, and the mandatory quarantine order runs until Oct. 22.

Snyderman did not immediately return a call seeking comment. An NBC spokeswoman declined to comment.

Ebola-stricken cameraman Ashoka Mukpo is being treated in Nebraska.

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Oscar’s house arrest ‘inappropriate’

Oscar Pistorius begins his sentencing hearing after the South African Paralympian was found guilty of culpable homicide last month

Fallen hero ... Oscar Pistorius, pictured arriving at court tonight, was convicted of the culpable homicide of Reeva Steenkamp. Picture: Themba Hadebe Source: AP

CORRECTIONAL authorities have recommended to a South African court that Oscar Pistorius be sentenced to three years house arrest for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and that he do 16 hours a week of cleaning duties at a museum.

The recommendation, from a social worker at the Department of Correctional Services, was made at Pistorius' sentence hearing in Pretoria for the charge of culpable homicide of his lover.

Social worker Joel Maringa denied Prosecutor Gerrie Nel's suggestions that such a sentence was "shockingly inappropriate" for Pistorius' crime in killing an innocent woman inside a locked toilet cubicle.

Mr Maringa said correctional supervision or house arrest was "as harsh as any other sentence" in that Pistorius would be subject to strict rules and would be required to attend programs about how to handle negative emotions and would only be allowed to go out with permission.

The social worker clashed with Prosectuor Nel, who questioned his knowledge of the facts of the sensational case.

The recommendation came after Pistorius' defence team kicked off the sentence hearing with a bid to paint the fallen athlete, known as the Blade Runner, as a "broken man", crippled with guilt and suffering a severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder who still carries around pictures of his slain lover.

OSCAR PISTORIUS: How he was found guilty of culpable homicide

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Judgment time ... Oscar Pistorius arrives in court today to face sentencing for the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Picture: AP Source: AP

Pistorius' personal therapist, Dr Lore Hartzenberg, said she had overcome initial reservations and decided to testify for him about the 18 months she has counselled him since he shot dead his lover.

But the State aggressively countered, subjecting her to forceful cross-examination, in their bid to have Pistorius given a hefty sentence, and to portray him as self-obsessed. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel outlined that Ms Steenkamp's family too was a broken family — Mr Steenkamp had suffered a stroke as a result of his daughter's death and her mother, June, collapsed in uncontrollable tears on the floor of her home.

And Prosecutor Nel referred to a media report that Pistorius has since found new love, questioning why the doctor had never discussed this with him.

He also pointed out that Dr Hartzenberg had cried in court on the day that Pistorius was required to take off his prosthetic legs.

Trauma counsellor, psychologist Dr Hartzenberg, first began treating Pistorius nine days after he shot Ms Steenkamp dead in the toilet of his home, believing she was an intruder. Initially she was treating Pistorius for grief counselling which then became trauma therapy.

Nervous ... Oscar Pistorius, right, talks with one of his lawyers on his arrival in court. Picture: AP Source: AP

Dr Hartzenberg said Pistorius is a "broken man who has lost everything" — his lover, his reputation, his friends, his career and financial independence and his own voice — and now suffers post traumatic stress disorder.

Dr Hartzenberg detailed her sessions with Pistorius, which were often punctuated by the athlete weeping and crying and retching and during which no counselling could be conducted. She sometimes saw him daily, weekly, monthly. Initially she had not wanted to appear in court but had done so yesterday at Mr Pistorius' request.

"He was very emotional ... we could not conduct some of the sessions, some of the sessions were just him weeping and crying and me holding him and then other sessions we could get somewhere, so it varied," Dr Hartzenberg said.

Support ... Oscar Pistorius, centre, hugs his sister Aimee, right, on his arrival in court. Picture: AP Source: AP

She described Pistorius as having been in an "unresolved spiral of grief without resolution" since the day he shot Ms Steenkamp dead and said he had told her of his plans for a future with the law graduate and model, including paying a deposit on a home for them to share.

"He felt he had met the right person. It was somebody he wanted to introduce to his family. In his heart and mind Ms Steenkamp was the one. That's what he said to me," Dr Hartzenberg said.

She opined that Pistorius' remorse and pain were genuine.

Learning his fate ... Oscar Pistorius will be sentenced tonight. Picture: Themba Hadebe Source: AP

"What we are left with, My Lady, we are left with a broken man who has lost everything. He has lost his love relationship with Ms Steenkamp. He has lost his ... and professional reputation. He has lost friends. He has lost his career and therefore his earning potential and also his financial independence. On an emotional level his self-perception, his self-worth and identity have been damaged," Dr Hartzenberg told the court.

"He is unlikely to fully recover for the shooting incident that occurred on 14 February, 2013."

Dr Hartzenberg said Pistorius was distressed at not being able to make any personal contact with Ms Steenkamp's parents Barry and June. The couple sat stony-faced in court as the evidence was relayed. And he had been deprived of the opportunity to grieve and attend her memorial service and funeral.

Barry Steenkamp, father of Reeva Steenkamp, at the Oscar Pistorius trial. Picture: AP Source: AP

June Steenkamp, mother of Reeva Steenkamp, at the Oscar Pistorius trial. Picture: AP Source: AP

Dr Hartzenberg detailed how Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp first met, through friends who introduced them and organised for the model to accompany him to a sporting event for which he did not have a date.

The defence also called Pistorius's manager, Peet Van Zyl, who began his testimony about Pistorius' numerous charitable works.

He said Pistorius lost all his lucrative sponsorship deals and future contracts the moment he was convicted of killing Reeva Steenkamp.

Mr van Zyl said that prior to the Valentines Day 2013 shooting, to say that Pistorius's future was bright would have been an understatement.

But all that was stripped from him upon confirmation of his guilt of culpable homicide, including several new brand ambassadorships for companies which were to have been announced soon after the killing.

"I can categorically state that at this point in time all contracts have been officially terminated," Mr van Zyl told the court.

Called as a defence witness in the sentence hearing, Mr van Zyl told of Pistorius' charitable works, of his benevolence and generosity and of how he worked with charities striving to source prosthetic limbs for people and bodies such as Unicef. A series of letters, emails and photographs testifying to this were tendered to the court.

Mr van Zyl will continue his evidence when the court resumes on Tuesday morning.

The final defence witness will be a probation officer, and the State will call at least one witness but did not specify how many.

Both sides agreed the sentence hearing would not take more than a week.

The latest developments come as Reeva Steenkamp's parents Barry and June Steenkamp were also in the courtroom. Their "victim impact statement" is due to be read in court.

The Paralympian — who went on to compete in the London 2012 Olympics — was sensationally cleared of the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp and found guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

Tragic beauty ... Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead through the door of a toilet cubicle by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius. Picture: AP Source: Supplied

A life sentence was therefore taken off the table and it is now possible that he could be spared a jail term completely and instead receive a suspended sentence or a type of house arrest.

The sentence will be decided by Judge Masipa, the same judge who cleared him of murder and of two unrelated firearms charges in September.

During her verdict Judge Masipa found that Pistorius had not intended to kill Ms Steenkamp and that he had believed he was firing a hire-powered weapon into a locked toilet cubicle at an intruder in his Pretoria home.

Judge Thokozile Masipa will deliver Oscar Pistorius's sentence. Picture: AP Source: AAP

Judge Masipa's verdict divided the South African legal community, many of whom opined that she had erred at law in not finding Pistorius guilty of murder in that he was negligent and should have known his shots would kill whoever was in that toilet cubicle.

Pistorius has maintained, from day one, that he had no idea that his lover of four months was inside the toilet cubicle and that he believed there was a dangerous intruder in his home. He thought Ms Steenkamp was still in bed when he took his gun and fired the four fatal shots.

During her verdict, Judge Masipa said she was not persuaded that a reasonable person with Pistorius's disabilities and in the same circumstances would have fired four shots into the small toilet cubicle.

The tragic life of Reeva Steenkamp

"I am of the view that the accused acted too hastily and used excessive force. Under the circumstances it is clear that his conduct was negligent," Judge Masipa said in her judgment.

Now as part of the sentence process she will look at the degree of Pistorius' negligence or recklessness in firing those shots. Many legal experts have said that given it is Pistorius' first offence he is likely not to face any jail at all.

The defence are also expected to argue that Pistorius would suffer greatly if jailed, given his disability. He has two prosthetic legs after both legs were amputated when he was a baby after being born without fibulas.

South African jails are notoriously overcrowded and desperate places to end up and many legal experts say that Judges are urged to avoid jail terms which add to overcrowding, if possible.

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X Factor final three shocks devoted fans

X Factor finalist Reigan Derry gives Sydney Confidential a taste of her rendition of Florence + The Machine's You've Got the Love.

BROTHERS 3, Marlissa Punzalan and Dean Ray will face off in the 2014 X Factor Grand Final.

The trio go through to next week's season final after Reigan Derry was voted off the show last night.

"I'm so proud of myself for what I have achieved," Derry said.

"I'm happy I got to do it all."

Derry, 25, was mentored by judge Redfoo.

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The X Factor Elimination ... Reigan Derry with mentor Red Foo. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Gone ... the X Factor Elimination saw Reigan Derry say goodbye to fans with Red Foo. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

"I'm still in shock. She is the best artist I've ever worked with in my life. I just don't understand how this could happen. I feel crazy right now. It has been a wonderful journey and I know for a fact she is going to be a superstar."

Going forward ... the boys from Brothers 3, on The X Factor set. Picture: Sam Ruttyn Source: News Corp Australia

Of Redfoo's support, Derry said: "I could never imagine what you've shown me and what you've given me. These are life lessons. I really feel like you (Redfoo) have changed me and turned me into a stronger person."

Final chance ... Dean Ray from X-Factor. Picture: Nicole Cleary Source: News Corp Australia

Strong voice ... Marlisa Punzalan is in The X Factor Grand Final as well. Source: News Corp Australia

The loss of Derry from the Grand Final line-up left fans in shock, who expressed their disappointment on social media after the announcement aired.

Reigan Derry's shock elimination from the X Factor has all but handed the title to Dean Ray according to the odds from online bookmaker sportsbet.com.au.

In the past week Ray has firmed from $2.85 to now stand at short odds of $1.45 going into Sunday's Finale.

Brothers 3, somehow still in the competition, are now second favourites at $3.50.

Marlisa having just survived the sing off with Derry, finds herself as the outsider on $7.00.

"It's Dean's to lose now … unless Brothers 3 pull off the greatest upset in X Factor history!'' sportsbet.com.au's Will Byrne said.

Derry will take part in a live Facebook chat from The Daily Telegraph office at 1pm tomorrow.

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Cruz ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’

Divine ... Spanish actress has been burning up movie screens for more than two decades. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

PENELOPE Cruz has been anointed Esquire's 'Sexiest Woman Alive'.

The Spanish actress is just the 11th woman to be given the nod by the magazine.

Previous honourers have included Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Rihanna, Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson.

Cruz told Esquire that she had "an attraction to drama" in her teens and 20s but "could not be less interested now".

The Oscar-winner is married to fellow actor Javier Bardem, and the couple has two children. She wouldn't comment on her family to the magazine, saying, "That is for us."

Next up, Cruz will be seen in the Spanish-language film Ma Ma and in Grimsby with Sacha Baron Cohen.

Smoking ... Esquire magazine has named Penélope Cruz 'Sexiest Woman Alive'. Picture: AP/Esquire Source: AP

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Swift’s beloved cat ‘weird’: Cleese

Not impressed ... Taylor Swift looks a little grim as she fields questions about whether her Cat, Olivia, lost her ears in an accident. Picture: BBC America Source: Supplied

TAYLOR Swift will be writing songs about John Cleese soon, after the legendary comedian dissed her beloved cat on British television.

Swift and Cleese were both guests on The Graham Norton Show, when the talk show host showed the audience a photo of one of the singer's two cats (the brilliantly named Olivia Benson).

"It's the weirdest cat I have ever seen in my life," Cleese told Swift, asking if the cat had been in some kind of accident.

(Mind you, Cleese's own feline is an enormous Maine Coon, that Norton also showed to guests.)

John Cleese's wife Jennifer Wade with their gigantic Maine Coon cat. Source: Supplied

John Cleese is actually a cat lover — he just likes them with bigger ears. Source: Supplied

Judging by her reaction, Swift was not overly impressed by the remark, although not as horrified as she looked when English cricketer Kevin Pietersen (another guest on the show) revealed that he didn't like cats at all.

Attacking shot ... cricketer Kevin Pietersen discloses his disdain for cats. Picture: BBC America Source: Supplied

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‘John the Beatle’ spotted in Syria

Australia has entered the war against Islamic State, launching an F/A 18F Super Hornet Stike in Iraq.

THE Islamic State beheader known as "John the Beatle" has reportedly been located by American-built drones in Syria.

The drones, operated by British special forces near the town of Raqqa, also spotted a group of Islamic State hostages wearing orange jumpsuits, Britain's DailyMail said.

But high British military officials believe a "kill or capture'' mission now would end in disaster because the fanatics' forces are too strong.

They instead advised a bombing campaign of several weeks before trying any raid.

"Right now, a raid would be suicidal,'' a source told the newspaper.

Also dubbed "Jihadi John," the Islamic State fanatic is said to have been the executioner in several beheadings, including that of US journalist James Foley.

Spotted ... the Islamic State executioner thought to be responsible for James Foley's murder has reportedly been sighted in Syria. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: Supplied

In another development, FBI chief James Comey told the US 60 Minutes that about a dozen Americans have gone to Syria and are fighting alongside ISIS.

He said officials believe they know all the alleged defectors' names.

Asked how they can be kept from returning to the United States and staging acts of terror, he replied, "An American citizen, unless their passport's revoked, is entitled to come back. So someone who's fought with ISIL, with American passport wants to come back, we will track them very carefully.''

ISIL is another acronym for Islamic State.

Mr Comey branded homegrown terrorists "lone rats," saying he preferred the term over the more widely used "lone wolves."

"People who use that term [lone wolves] — it's not one that I like because it conveys a sense of dignity I don't think they deserve," he said.

International support ... Islamic State fighters march through Raqqa, Syria. Picture: AP Photo/Militant website Source: AP

"These homegrown violent extremists are troubled souls who are seeking meaning in some misguided way. And so they come across the propaganda, and they become radicalised on their own, independent study, and they're also able to equip themselves with training again on the internet, and then engage in jihad after emerging from their basement."

Still, despite the proliferation of other savage groups, such as Khorasan and al-Nura, Mr Comey said the US is safer than it was when al Qaeda was at its peak.

"We are better organised as an intelligence community,'' he said. "We're better organised and equipped at the border. We have relationships with our foreign partners ... The transformation since before 9/11 is striking."

Meanwhile, British authorities are on high alert, fearing lone jihadis would respond to Islamic State's calls to launch attacks, the Times of London said.

They increased patrols and searches of people, homes and cars, paying special attention to extremist sympathisers and others who had been to Syria.

Counterterror police have even been analysing reports of attacks on animals, including a number of mutilations.

This story originally appeared on NYPost.com.

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'Shemale' cooked by monster chef

A Facebook photo of Teneriffe murder victim Mayang Prasetyo. Source: Facebook

A TRANS woman murdered and cooked by her husband in their swank Brisbane apartment was a "high-class" prostitute using profits from sex work to support her family in Indonesia.

Mayang Prasetyo was charging up to $500 an hour for her services, marketing herself online as a "top high-class Asian shemale''.

The married couple at the centre of the weekend's grim murder-suicide had both recently spoken to family and given them no indication of problems in their relationship.

TWIST: Transgender prostitute killed and cooked

INSIDE: Scene of inner urban horror story

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Yet friends of Ms Prasetyo said yesterday they had held concerns about her husband Marcus Peter Volke, 28, saying he was quiet, difficult to get to know and "extremely cold".

As police continued to speak to witnesses yesterday and clean up the grisly inner-city unit, it was revealed Volke recently went to hospital with a cut hand, claiming to have been sliced by his partner.

A Facebook picture of Teneriffe murder victim Mayang Prasetyo. Source: Facebook

Ms Prasetyo's mother spoke exclusively to The Courier-Mail yesterday from her home in Lampung, Indonesia, saying she was devastated at the loss of her eldest child, whom she referred to as her son Febri, the family's breadwinner. Febri sent money home to Indonesia to support the family, including two sisters, aged 18 and 15.

"He put the sisters through school," Nining Sukarni said.

Read more on this story at The Courier-Mail.

Originally published as 'Shemale' cooked by monster chef

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Game to tackle world’s biggest brekkie?

Is the world's biggest brekkie? Source: Facebook

WHAT'S your brekkie of choice: porridge, Vegemite on toast, scrambled eggs? How about tackling the "Hibernator" at the Bear Grills cafe in Congleton, in Northern England ...

This humungous fry-up, so named because "if anyone completes it, they'll have to sleep for a year" includes four fried eggs, eight bacon rashers, eight sausages, four hash browns, a four-egg cheese omelet, four waffles, four pieces of toast, four pieces of fried bread, four pieces of black pudding, two scoops of baked beans, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, chips, and a 1 litre milkshake.

The ingredients in the Hibernator brekkie at Bear Grills cafe. Source: Facebook

Total kilojoule count: more than 33,000. That's four times the average male's total daily allowance. And all for just £19.95.

Bear Grills owner Mark Winder makes customers sign a waiver before ordering the Hibernator, just in case it makes you very, very ill. Nobody has made it through the monster feed yet, but Winder is offering a refund to anyone who does.

Two customers tuck into the Hibernator at Bear Grills cafe. Source: Facebook

He told Metro: "Younger guys come in, and it is all men who have tried the challenge, and they look at the ingredients up on the board and say: 'I am going to smash that.'

"But then they see it come out on the big platter all heaped high and start to cry on the phone to their friends. They give up after about twenty minutes."

Would you be game to try it?

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Hostage letter: ‘I am scared to die’

Alleviating suffering ... when Peter Kassig was captured, he had founded an aid group through which he trained some 150 civilians to provide medical aid to people in Syria. Source: AFP

THE parents of American hostage Peter Kassig, who is being held by the Islamic State group, have released a letter he wrote in June in which he said he was "scared to die".

The 26-year-old former US soldier was paraded at the end of an IS video last week that showed the murder of British aid worker Alan Henning.

The video ended with a threat to kill Mr Kassig.

Peter Kassig's parents plea for son's release

Peter Kassig with his mother, Paula, at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Kentucky. Picture: courtesy Kassig family Source: AP

Peter Kassig fishing with his father, Ed, on the Ohio River in southern Indiana. Picture: courtesy Kasig family Source: AP

Hostages threatened at the end of four previous, near-identical IS videos have subsequently been murdered.

Mr Kassig's letter referred to his conversion to Islam during captivity, which his parents Ed and Paula Kassig said took place voluntarily at some point between October and December 2013 when he shared a cell with a devout Syrian Muslim.

They noted that Mr Kassig had observed the holy fasting month of Ramadan in July-August 2013 before being taken captive and "spoke of the great impact this spiritual practice had on him."

Mr Kassig also took the Muslim name Abdul-Rahman, and has been following the religion's practices, such as praying five times a day.

"We see this as part (of) our son's long spiritual journey," his parents said in a statement released Saturday.

The Kassigs did not indicate how they obtained the letter, saying they had received it in June and were releasing it now in an effort to "more fully" tell his story to the world.

The militant group has justified killing Western hostages as retaliation for US-led air strikes on the group over swathes of territory it has seized in Iraq and Syria.

"We continue to pressure the government to stop its actions and continue to call on his captors to have mercy and release him," the Kassigs said in releasing portions of their son's June 2 letter.

The text was edited to remove unspecified "sensitive information," though his parents said all words were written by him.

Helping hands ... Peter Kassig's aid group gave food, cooking supplies, clothing and medicine to the needy in Syria. Source: AFP

"I am obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping and wondering if I should even hope at all. I am very sad all this has happened and for what all of you back home are going through," Mr Kassig writes in the letter.

"If I do die, I figure that at least you and I can seek refuge and comfort in knowing that I went out as a result of trying to alleviate suffering and helping those in need."

Mr Kassig had founded an aid group through which he trained some 150 civilians to provide medical aid to people in Syria.

His group also gave food, cooking supplies, clothing and medicine to the needy.

His parents have said he had disappeared in Syria on October 1 last year.

"In terms of my faith, I pray every day and I am not angry about my situation in that sense. I am in a dogmatically complicated situation here, but I am at peace with my belief," Mr Kassig wrote.

The letter ends with a simple: "I love you."

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Zoo shows how not to breed hyenas

Breeding fail ... zookeepers tried to breed these two spotted hyenas for two years, before discovering both were male. Picture: Maruyama Zoo Source: Supplied

A JAPANESE zoo spent two years trying to get a pair of "confrontational" hyenas to mate — before discovering they were both males.

Spotted hyenas Kami and Kamutori arrived as "a couple" at Maruyama Zoo from South Korea in October 2010 and were put in the same cage for breeding in 2012.

But in a statement, the zoo said the animals fought so badly, they eventually had to be put in separate cages.

"They remained confrontational, leaving bite marks on each other," one of the zookeepers said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

When Kami, who was believed to be female, failed to show signs of reaching reproductive age, the zoo decided to verify its sex.

"We have determined that the two animals are both male after conducting ultrasound imaging and hormone tests on them under anaesthesia," the zoo said.

A spokesperson said it was difficult to tell a hyena's sex from its external genitalia.

The zoo is now considering getting a female spotted hyena to have another crack at a mating program.

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‘Shemale’ killed, cooked by monster chef

A Facebook photo of Teneriffe murder victim Mayang Prasetyo. Source: Facebook

A TRANS woman murdered and cooked by her husband in their swank Brisbane apartment was a "high-class" prostitute using profits from sex work to support her family in Indonesia.

Mayang Prasetyo was charging up to $500 an hour for her services, marketing herself online as a "top high-class Asian shemale''.

The married couple at the centre of the weekend's grim murder-suicide had both recently spoken to family and given them no indication of problems in their relationship.

TWIST: Transgender prostitute killed and cooked

INSIDE: Scene of inner urban horror story

SHOCK: Human remains 'boiling in chemicals'

Yet friends of Ms Prasetyo said yesterday they had held concerns about her husband Marcus Peter Volke, 28, saying he was quiet, difficult to get to know and "extremely cold".

As police continued to speak to witnesses yesterday and clean up the grisly inner-city unit, it was revealed Volke recently went to hospital with a cut hand, claiming to have been sliced by his partner.

A Facebook picture of Teneriffe murder victim Mayang Prasetyo. Source: Facebook

Ms Prasetyo's mother spoke exclusively to The Courier-Mail yesterday from her home in Lampung, Indonesia, saying she was devastated at the loss of her eldest child, whom she referred to as her son Febri, the family's breadwinner. Febri sent money home to Indonesia to support the family, including two sisters, aged 18 and 15.

"He put the sisters through school," Nining Sukarni said.

She said Ms Prasetyo was "fine" when they last spoke on Thursday. Ms Sukarni said Volke, whose nickname was "Hit", had visited Indonesia with his wife last year. He seemed "quiet" and "submissive" and had just started working in a Brisbane restaurant.

Before they married overseas in August 2013, Ms Prasetyo asked Ms Sukarni for her blessing. Ms Prasetyo came to Brisbane to be with Volke but had complained of being "bored" and wanted to return home to Bali, where the couple owned a home.

Human remains and a man's body have been discovered by police in Brisbane's inner suburb of Teneriffe.

Ms Sukarni said Ms Prasetyo could be "jealous" and "temperamental".

"Febri did not feel at home in Brisbane, however, he started to breed dogs about a month ago and hoped that would keep him occupied," Ms Sukarni said.

"I told him to be good with one another and not to fight."

Ms Prasetyo described herself online as a high-class "international escort", with listings dating back to 2011. One advertisement read "grab me now before late", with prices ranging from $200 for 30 minutes up to $500 for an hour outcall.

One ad read: "Better in real life. Pictures are always real. Real deal pre-op functional hot TS. With a great fit and hot body to enjoy."

A Facebook picture of killer chef Marcus Peter Volke. Source: Facebook

Teneriffe neighbour Hamish Guinn said he first met the couple last month when he was invited to look at their dogs.

"The strange little guy opened the door and said nothing to me," he said.

"The vibe was very strange, with him just smiling an intense creepy smile at us while she tried to coax us into her apartment. Something felt off so I quickly declined the offer."

Friends of Ms Prasetyo spoke to The Courier-Mail from Indonesia yesterday and confirmed the couple were married in Europe after meeting when they worked on a cruise ship.

One friend, who didn't want to be named, said Ms Prasetyo had applied for a partner visa.

A Facebook picture of killer chef Marcus Peter Volke. Source: No Source

"We were very close before; however, when Volke came into the picture she never wanted to say a lot about her relationship with him," the friend said.

"I remember him to be a quiet person ... it was difficult to start a conversation with him because we did not feel comfortable. He was very quiet. He was also extremely cold, I have never met anyone like him before.

"Mayang was a cheerful person, easy to make friends ... Sometime she can also be temperamental. When she is really angry she can explode too."

Priska Geraldin, who lives in the same Indonesian village as Ms Prasetyo's family, said she was shocked over her best friend's death as Volke was a "nice guy".

Facebook picture of Marcus Peter Volke and Mayang Prasetyo. Source: Facebook

Killer went to hospital with injury

A BRISBANE chef who dismembered his transsexual prostitute partner then killed himself had attended hospital with a cut hand around the time his partner was last seen alive.

The Courier-Mail has been told Marcus Peter Volke, 28, attended a hospital late last week and told staff his partner cut him in a domestic incident.

Neighbours told police they heard an argument in Volke's Teneriffe unit on Thursday night, which is the last time residents told police they saw his partner Mayang Prasetyo alive.

The recently opened Teneriffe apartment block where the grisly crime took place. Pic: Mark Calleja Source: News Corp Australia

"I heard fighting coming from the apartment," a neighbour told The Courier-Mail. "I thought it was two guys arguing but one person was definitely angry with someone else.

"My partner heard one of them yelling about cleaning or something. They were speaking English but it was hard to tell exactly what they were saying because of their accents."

Detectives are delving into the chef's life but say he had no criminal history or record of mental illness. No drugs were found in the unit, which the couple had been living at for three weeks.

A Facebook picture of Teneriffe murder victim Mayang Prasetyo. Source: Facebook

A neighbour in the unit complex said Volke approached them when they were walking dogs about 11pm last Thursday to borrow their phone because he forgot his keys. He told them he had just returned from hospital.

"He looked really nervous," they said. "How he spoke was kind of stuttered and he was scratching his head a lot. He kept walking up and down the foyer area and was talking quite a lot."

When police arrived at the unit on Saturday night in response to a complaint about a smell, Volkes is understood to have fled through another exit before slitting his own throat.

Facebook picture of Marcus Peter Volke. Source: Facebook

Originally published as Monster chef killed, cooked 'shemale'

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Beggar caught driving new car

'You drive a better car than me!' ... a man lets fly at beggar in a new car. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

A MAN has been filmed furiously confronting a beggar he donated to daily, after he spotted the woman driving a new car.

The foul-mouthed exchange, filmed by another woman who also claims to have been duped, took place at an Oklahoma service station where the elderly panhandler was seen in a 2013 red Fiat.

"This is crazy!" the man yells.

"You are asking for money in the middle of street and you drive a 2013 car?"

Gesturing with rage, the man says he gave the woman money every day, claiming to have skipped lunch one afternoon to give her $4.

"Listen, I work hard for my money. I don't appreciate this s***. And that's why people like you take advantage of people like me. This is bulls***!

"You drive a better car than me!"

The woman claims the car isn't hers, and that her son is going to pick her up.

"So you're telling me you're not going to drive this car?" he fires back, threatening to "bust a window" if he sees her in the car again.

The video, which has been shared more than 50,000 times on Facebook, was uploaded by Brandi Newman.

"I gave the lady in this video money the other day on Penn and 140th because she was holding a sign that said 78 year old widow needs money for food," she captioned the clip.

"So today I pull up to the Shell on that same corner and see her sitting in a cute little Fiat.

"As I'm sitting there thinking 'I got scammed by a little old lady', a man approached her car ......and this is what happened next."

Watch the video here (warning:strong language).

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