Several passengers who became ill while on a Qantas flight from Chile to Sydney have been met by ambulance officers at Sydney airport. …read more
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Tag Archives: Sydney
Australia nurse gets life sentence for nursing home fire
A nurse who set a Sydney nursing home on fire, killing 11 residents and wounding several others, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison, with the judge slamming the man’s actions as heinous and reprehensible. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Australian nursing home killer jailed for life
A man convicted of deliberately lighting a blaze that ripped through a Sydney nursing home, killing 11 elderly residents, was Thursday sentenced to life in jail with no chance of parole. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
A beautiful pest: Invasive marine worm spotted in Sydney
Marine scientists at the Australian Museum have sounded the alarm over an invasive underwater worm discovered in Sydney’s Botany Bay—the farthest north the pest has ever been spotted in NSW. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Australian Labor powerbrokers acted corruptly: inquiry
Criminal charges were Wednesday recommended against two former high-profile Australian Labor ministers over corruption allegations following an explosive inquiry that gripped Sydney for months. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Cane toad pioneers speed up invasions
(Phys.org) —Climate change is one of a number of stressors that cause species to disperse to new locations. Scientists must be able to predict dispersal rates accurately, as the movement of a new species into an area can have a significant, and sometimes detrimental, effect on that area’s ecology. When studying dispersal rates of cane toads in Australia, Tom Lindstrom of the University of Sydney and his colleagues found that toads that are first to move into a new area travel at faster rates than toads that arrive later. Their research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that failure to account for this has caused scientists to severely underestimate dispersal rates. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Study finds introduced mosquito species active all year round
Australia has plenty of ‘home grown’ mosquitoes but one introduced species is active all year round, according to a three-year study by University of Sydney researchers. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Welbeck, Lingard star in Man United win
Danny Welbeck and Jesse Lingard scored doubles as Manchester United hit form on their Asian pre-season tour with a 5-1 win over Australia’s A-League All Stars in Sydney on Saturday. …read more
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Francis calls on Benedict before leaving for Rio
Pope Francis has visited Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI ahead of his trip to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day — a trip Benedict had planned to make before retiring in February.
The Vatican said Francis spent about a half-hour Friday with Benedict and asked him for his prayers for the July 22-28 trip. Francis gave Benedict the booklet outlining the program as well as the commemorative medal that has been prepared for the trip.
Benedict participated in three World Youth Day events: in Cologne, Germany, soon after he was elected in 2005; in Sydney, Australia, in 2008; and Madrid, Spain, in 2011.
His doctors reportedly warned him against making the transatlantic flight to Rio for the 2013 edition, one of the reasons behind his decision to retire.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Aussie star Harris 'could have played for England'
Australia pace bowler Ryan Harris tormented England on the first day of the second Test at Lord’s and then revealed he could have been an Ashes hero for the hosts.
Harris ripped the heart out of England’s top order on Thursday with three valuable wickets, including two in five balls, to keep Australia in contention for a crucial victory in the battle to regain the Ashes.
The 33-year-old dismissed Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen and then returned to make another important breakthrough when he tempted Jonathan Trott into a rash stroke.
After England finished the day wobbling at 289-7, Harris admitted he could just as easily have been wearing England’s colours instead of the famous baggy green Australian cap.
Sydney-born Harris has a British passport because his father was born in Leicester and, while playing for English county Sussex in 2008, he had considered committing himself to his dad’s country of birth.
But Queensland, impressed by his form for Sussex, moved in to sign him on condition he committed himself to Australia.
Speaking in the England and Wales Cricket Board offices after play closed on Thursday, he said: “Last time I was in this building I had a meeting with (former England captain) Mike Gatting about that passport.
“I travelled here to play a little bit, and having an English passport made it a bit easier.
“But dad moved over to Australia when he was 10 or 11, so he was brought up an Aussie and brought me and my brother up as Aussies.
“It was a messy situation. I had a really good offer for Queensland that came through at the time, and that’s where I thought I might have one last crack at trying to play for Australia. Obviously, it was the right move.”
Thursday’s success was a cathartic moment for Harris, who has battled back from a series of ailments that threatened to wreck his career following his belated Test debut aged 30 in 2010.
“It was a great feeling to be back, having that new ball in my hand this morning at Lord’s felt pretty special,” he said.
“It’s been pretty frustrating absolutely. I know if I’m bowling well I can play at this level but for me it’s trying to stay fit.
“I’ve got constant niggles which any fast bowler has so it’s just a matter of managing that.”
Harris has been plagued by a series of injuries including a chronic knee problem that will be with him until he retires.
The most frustrating of those injuries came during the 2010-11 Ashes series just as Harris was starting to fulfil his potential.
When he took nine wickets at Perth to help level the series, it seemed Australia had unearthed a real gem.
But Harris suffered a stress fracture to his left ankle in the fourth Test in Melbourne, England went on to win the series 3-1 and the pace bowler has never quite been able to shake off the injury-prone tag.
A shoulder complaint that needed surgery in 2012 left Harris sidelined for several months, while an Achilles injury earlier this year cut …read more
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Moyes hopes for good news on Fabregas bid
Manager David Moyes said Friday he hopes to have some good news about the possibility of Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas joining Manchester United in the “next day or so”.
Moyes is looking to bring some new players into the squad in his first season in charge at Old Trafford and has been linked with the Spanish international midfielder, while Wayne Rooney’s future remains unresolved.
The English Premier League champions are in Sydney as part of their pre-season tour and are taking on the A-League All Stars on Saturday.
But all interest has been on Moyes’ behind-the-scenes transfer manoeuvrings, with the British press reporting the club has lodged a 26-million-pound ($39 million) bid for midfielder Fabregas, which has yet to be rejected by Spanish champions Barcelona.
“I’m in contact with the chief executive who has been dealing with it and hopefully I’ll know a bit more in the next day or so,” Moyes told a press conference when asked how the Fabregas negotiations were progressing.
“It’s the middle of the night back home in England so I might have a bit more info in the next day or so about how it is going.”
Club chief executive Ed Woodward left the pre-season tour earlier this week to attend what he said was “urgent transfer business”.
Moyes, who has been tight-lipped over the Rooney situation this week, gave little away when he said Friday “the club’s position hasn’t changed on Wayne Rooney, there’s no change to that”.
“Besides that… we’re trying very hard to make some additions to the squad and hopefully there will be some good news in the not too distant future,” he added.
Spicing up the Rooney situation is an offer from new Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho for the England international striker for a reported 10 million pounds ($15.1 million).
United has repeatedly said he is not for sale.
With the new English Premier League season fast approaching, former Everton boss Moyes said the enormity of his new job has sunk in since Manchester United have been feted on their pre-season tour in Asia and Austalia.
“It has sunk in because the amount of supporters we have in Australia, in Thailand, where we have been so far, it is incredible,” he said.
“The enormity of the job sunk in even more yesterday when I was fortunate enough to see an incredible video on Manchester United under Matt Busby, followed by Sir Alex Ferguson.
“So if I didn’t know the enormity before I certainly do now after seeing what those two gentlemen did in the job before me.
“It’s a great job, a fantastic football club, a club that every person in the world knows the name of. I’m very fortunate and privileged that I was given the opportunity to manage and I hope I can come as close as I can to the success of the two gentlemen before me.”
Moyes’s reign at Manchester United began with an embarrassing 1-0 defeat against Thailand’s Singha All-Star XI in Bangkok last Saturday. His team have been training hard this week for their next match against the A-League …read more
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How Music and Beer Inspired Australia’s New Indie Games Publishing Label
Surprise Attack today launched Surprise Attack Games, a publishing label focused on partnering with Australian independent game developers and taking their games to global markets.
Surprise Attack Games will target all games platforms, including PC, Mac, Linux, mobile, tablet, console, and browser. Outside of marketing and distribution, Surprise Attack Games will assist its developers to secure the development funding and creative resources they need complete their projects.
Surprise Attack Games has three titles currently signed: Particulars from Sydney-based See Through Studios, Wolfdozer from Melbourne-based Anomalous Interactive, and Burden from Melbourne-based Pixel Pickle Games.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games
US commander says China ties 'collegial'
The United States’ top naval commander in Asia described military relations with China as “collegial” and rejected Cold War comparisons, urging “methodical and thoughtful” diplomacy in the region.
Vice Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the Japan-based US 7th Fleet and in Sydney for bilateral exercises, said maritime security was an increasingly important issue in the Indo-Pacific region as both trade and militarisation boomed.
“Economic power is being converted to military power in many parts of the region, which may increase the temptation to use coercion or force in an attempt to resolve differences between nations,” he said in a speech to the Lowy Institute foreign policy think-tank.
“The rising of the seas and the opening of the (Arctic’s) Northern Passage will bring new security challenges that must be dealt with as well,” he added, speaking of global warming’s impact in the region.
Swift said he was “very encouraged by the pace” of military connections in the region amid escalating tensions over issues including the South China Sea.
China claims nearly all of the sea, rejecting competing claims to parts of it by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Some of the claimants have expressed concern at Beijing’s increasingly assertive military and diplomatic tactics to stress its control.
US President Barack Obama warned China last week against using force or intimidation in its maritime disputes and urged a peaceful resolution.
Swift said his focus was on inclusive military operations, seeking “to the maximum extent possible multilateral exercises”, adding he had had “very collegial exchanges with PLAN (Chinese navy) ships throughout the region, and really throughout the world”.
“We need to be methodical and thoughtful about the process by which we pull the relationships together,” he said.
“In the past I think there’s been a rush to achieve a form of success without fully understanding what success is, especially in the context of the parties that are coming together.”
Swift said he believed military collaboration with China was “bringing us closer” to a naval understanding similar to that which existed between the US and the Soviet Union to prevent conflict at sea during the Cold War.
But he distanced himself from comparisons with the 40-year US-Soviet standoff, saying there were “very, very different circumstances”, starting with the fact that the 7th Fleet was as large as the entire Chinese navy.
“We have much more in common than we do have in competition with China,” Swift added.
“The Cold War was really a competition between governments, competition between our militaries, who was the strongest was the question of the day. I just don’t see that in today’s maritime environment.”
Swift said he was “heartened” by the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the region and welcomed discussions about whether its mandate should extend beyond economic issues.
“The instability that is resident within the South China Sea is really ringed by all those countries that are participants in ASEAN, so its relevance is much higher than what it was even four or five years ago,” he said.
“If it grows into a maritime focus more than what …read more
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Ancient crop could help safeguard world's wheat
(Phys.org) —Using a crop popular in the Bronze Age but almost unknown today, University of Sydney scientists have helped pave the way to creating wheat resistant to the fungal disease stem rust. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Thieves steal exotic reptiles from Australian zoo
Thieves stole a horde of exotic reptiles from an Australian zoo, including a baby alligator, leaving their keepers fearing they could be destined for the black market.
Twenty-three creatures, mostly snakes, lizards and geckos, were taken from their enclosures at the Australian Reptile Park north of Sydney during a night-time raid on Sunday, senior curator Liz Vella said.
“They had smashed through the enclosures and broken doors,” she told AFP, in a robbery which lasted about seven minutes.
“These guys obviously came in with the purpose of taking the animals. They definitely knew what they wanted.”
Vella said officials were still speculating on the motive behind the robbery, but usually such thefts were by young people who “wanted a bunch of reptiles for their home and to show off to their friends”.
“(But) it’s definitely a concern that they will try to sell them on the black market,” she said.
She said the black market value of the animals sold together was only about Aus$10,000 (US$9,000) but their value to the keepers who had cared for them, often for years, was “a lot more”.
Reptile park staff said none of the animals stolen was dangerous but they feared they may not survive being pulled from their specially-controlled environments, particularly during the cool of the southern hemisphere winter.
They might also present a danger to each other if kept in close proximity.
Vella said staff were devastated that the animals, which included an alligator hatchling, had been taken.
Police are investigating the robbery.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Man Utd's Moyes still coming to terms with scrutiny
Manchester United boss David Moyes said on Sunday he still needs to come to terms with the level of scrutiny he faces as manager of one of the world’s biggest football clubs.
The Scot, who has been in the high-profile job for just two weeks after replacing Alex Ferguson, on Saturday lost his first match with his new side 1-0 against the Thai All Stars in Bangkok.
Moyes, 50, said the pressure of managing at Old Trafford did not compare with his decade in charge at English Premier League rivals Everton.
“I have to put this in perspective and it is completely different,” Moyes told reporters at a news conference after touching down in Australia.
“The amount of support we’ve had, the amount of interest we’ve had from you people (media) … constantly we are watched and scrutinised and it’s something I’ll need to come to terms with.”
Moyes was speaking ahead of next weekend’s sold-out pre-season tour match against the Australian A-League All Stars in Sydney.
“The previous manager, Sir Alex, told me what to expect. He told me especially what the tours were going to be like and I think if you have a football club like Manchester United, you have to make sure you go to your supporters worldwide,” Moyes said.
“I’m following probably the finest football manager that’s ever lived,” he said of Ferguson, who won a string of honours including 13 Premier League titles.
“I’m always saying if I can even win a quarter of what he won, I’ll have done very well.
“But the first thing I’ve got to do is settle into the job, get to know everybody and find my way around.”
United stalwart Ryan Giggs, who made his debut for the club in 1991, said it felt strange working under a new manager, but out on the pitch it wasn’t on players’ minds.
“I’ve only had one manager for 20 years, so it’s strange, but you move on,” he said.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. Just like any other pre-season, you’ve got to work hard, knuckle down and prepare yourself as best you can for the first (EPL) game of the season against Swansea (on August 17).
“This is the start of the journey this season and I hope to be lifting a trophy at the end of it.”
Moyes said he expected the A-League All Stars to prove a stiff test, adding that the trip to Asia and Australia was an important part of his squad’s pre-season.
“It’s a big part of our preparations coming here. We’re actually looking forward to a good week’s training,” Moyes said.
“The way the tour works out, this is our longest stay, so we’ll use your fine facilities to try and pick up the training a little bit and get prepared.”
Moyes confirmed star striker Robin van Persie would link up with the squad in Sydney. Wayne Rooney and captain Nemanja Vidic are out injured.
Moyes did not comment on unsettled Rooney’s future, saying the England international would be out of action for two to three weeks with a hamstring injury.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Sydney drinks to 'small bar' movement
When Martin O’Sullivan opened his small Grasshopper bar in Sydney’s awkwardly-named Temperance Lane three years ago, his friends thought it was madness.
What would entice drinkers down a tiny lane into a basement last inhabited by a printing business when there were plenty of lively pubs and beer barns nearby?
“Everyone thought I was a nut case,” he says.
But in the ever-thirsty city the Grasshopper has flourished, at the vanguard of an explosion in small bars after a change in liquor licensing laws allowed a move away from the traditional large pub to intimate drinking holes.
“It’s about the cultural change, because pubs have had a good run for some 180 years,” says O’Sullivan, whose restaurant bar serves drinks in glass jars and decants wines into glass laboratory flasks.
When the idea of amending liquor licensing laws to help bring smaller, boutique bars to Sydney was first floated it was scoffed at by then-president of the New South Wales Australian Hotel Association, John Thorpe.
“We aren’t barbarians, but we don’t want to sit in a hole and drink chardonnay and read a book,” the publican told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2007.
O’Sullivan said the comment struck a chord.
“There couldn’t have been a better quote. A lot of men were like ‘I don’t mind a beer, but the idea of sitting in a pub that smells like cigarettes with pokies (slot machines) in the background and the TAB (betting agency) isn’t particularly my idea of a lovely drinking establishment’.”
He says one of the drivers of the growth in small bars has been their appeal to women, who up until the 1960s were banned from entering the public bar in many Australian pubs, instead being ushered into the ladies’ lounge.
“When these small bars started, there was a huge influx of women. And they weren’t coming in and getting drunk,” says O’Sullivan, who heads the Small Bar Association of New South Wales.
“We don’t have TVs, we don’t have the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship),” he says, adding that small bars tend to focus on quality wines, artisan products, cocktails and great service.
In 2008, the New South Wales state government agreed to change laws which cut the costs for some liquor licences.
The move allowed small, boutique bars to flourish, with more than 70 opening within the city precinct, and many more across Sydney in the years since.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore was instrumental in helping push through the law, believing the change would not only broaden options for drinkers, but bring other benefits.
“Not everyone wants to drink in a large pub or a noisy club, and small bars offer an intimate, boutique alternative,” a council spokesman said.
“They are a key component of the city’s efforts to revitalise Sydney and bring life and variety back to our laneways and small streets.”
It means that a rash of distinctive bars have popped up in basements and other hidden niches in the city, including Stitch with its old-fashioned sewing-machines, the Baxter Inn whisky den, and Absinthe Salon which specialises in the wormwood spirit.
“It’s not so …read more
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Chiefs, Bulls finish in Super 15 top two
New Zealand holders Waikato Chiefs finished top of rugby’s Super 15 final season standings after surprise defeats for title rivals Northern Bulls and ACT Brumbies this weekend.
The Chiefs improved their chances of hosting this season’s final next month with a 26-16 bonus-point win over a 14-man Auckland Blues at Eden Park on Saturday.
The Waikato team stayed top on 66 points after the Bulls crashed 30-13 to the Western Stormers in Cape Town to finish second, three points adrift. Both teams will have a bye when the first phase of the playoffs get underway next weekend.
The Brumbies botched their chance of finishing in the top two in a shock 21-15 loss to the lowly Western Force in Perth and they will host South Africa’s Central Cheetahs in Canberra in next Sunday’s qualifier.
Seven-time champion Canterbury Crusaders will have home advantage in the other playoff when they take on the 2011 winners Queensland Reds next Saturday.
The Crusaders ensured a home playoff with a nervy 25-17 victory over the Wellington Hurricanes in Christchurch on Friday.
The Reds clung on for a 14-12 win over the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday to finish fifth ahead of the Cheetahs, who had a final round bye.
The Chiefs bounced back from their 15-43 defeat to the Crusaders the previous week, but they were made to struggle against an understrength Blues.
As if the long flight home from South Africa during the week was not enough of a handicap for the Aucklanders, they were further hamstrung in the 22nd minute when Kane Barrett was red-carded for stamping as they trailed 3-8.
With their season already over, the Blues could have given up but they increased the pressure on the New Zealand Conference winners to the final whistle.
The Bulls were fortunate that the Brumbies lost to the Force hours earlier after they went down to the Stormers.
The Pretoria-based Bulls had no answer to the brilliant attacking and defending of their long-time foes, and slipped to second in the final standings.
A bonus-point New Zealand derby victory for the Chiefs meant the Bulls needed to make it 10 wins in a row to remain on top, but they were always on the back foot from the kick-off.
Western Force stunned the Brumbies, scoring the first three tries of the match to post one of the major upsets of the season, notching just their fourth win to finish a tough campaign on a high.
Fortunately for the Brumbies, they had already booked their berth in the playoffs so the result did not have any significant repercussions, aside from dented confidence heading into the business end of the season.
In Christchurch, the Crusaders and Hurricanes scored three tries apiece but Dan Carter’s goalkicking proved the difference with two conversions and two penalties to Andre Taylor’s lone conversion.
The Reds needed a determined defensive effort in Sydney to survive as Wallaby back Berrick Barnes narrowly missed with a penalty attempt and botched a shot at drop goal after the final siren.
The Reds scrambled home on a try by Ben Lucas and …read more
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Moyes buoyed by emerging Zaha, Januzaj
David Moyes took heart from sparkling debuts by two emerging stars after his reign as Manchester United manager got off to a low-key start with an upset loss in Thailand.
A generally flat performance was enlivened by the eye-catching trickery of Belgian teen Adnan Januzaj, before new signing Wilfried Zaha came on and nearly snatched the equaliser.
After 27 years and 38 trophies under Alex Ferguson, Moyes admitted losing 1-0 to the Singha All-Star XI — a team pulled together from the best players of the Thai league — “wasn’t a brilliant result”.
But he was sufficiently encouraged by Zaha, the hero of Crystal Palace’s promotion to the Premier League, to suggest he is in line for his competitive debut this season.
“I thought when Wilf came on he gave us a little lift. He was certainly unlucky not to score with his attempt at goal,” said Moyes, adding, “I hope so” when asked if Zaha would get an opportunity this season.
“We’ll see how he does. We’re bringing him here to give him a chance,” said the Scot.
“It’s the first time I’ve worked with him, first time I’ve had a chance to see him up close so he’ll certainly be part of the squad and we’ll see if we can fit him in (to the first team) as often as we can.”
After coming on in the second half, Zaha missed a header from close range but with eight minutes left, he nearly spared United’s blushes when he rattled the far post with a curling shot from inside the box.
Januzaj, the top-rated 18-year-old with highlight reels on YouTube, started the game on the right but he impressed all over the pitch with his one-touch control, pace, quick feet and passing.
And the slight Belgian, United’s reserve team player of the year last season, popped up for their best chance of the first half but disappointingly volleyed Fabio’s cross over the bar.
“I thought he played well tonight, I thought he was a plus for us,” said Moyes of Januzaj.
“It’s always good when you give a young player a chance and he shows up, and I thought he did tonight. The more he plays like that, the more opportunities he’s liable to get.”
Moyes fielded a side missing Robin van Persie, captain Nemanja Vidic, Shinji Kagawa and Wayne Rooney, who fuelled transfer speculation when he pulled out of the Asian tour on day one with a hamstring injury.
England striker Danny Welbeck, the only forward still on tour, played alone up front with Anderson, Tom Cleverley, Ryan Giggs, Januzaj and Michael Carrick in midfield.
Whether the team-sheet can one day match the 19,500 pounds ($30,000) fetched recently by a copy of Alex Ferguson’s debut line-up — for a 2-0 defeat at Oxford United in 1986 — remains to be seen.
But Moyes showed few concerns over the loss. United flew straight to Sydney to continue their tour, with the Premier League title defence not starting until August 17.
“I said to (the players), this isn’t the one we desperately needed to win. It’s …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Police: Gun seized in Australia was used in 2006 shooting of officer
SYDNEY, April 27 (UPI) — A Glock pistol seized this week in a drug raid in the Sydney area was used to shoot a police officer in 2006, police in australia said.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at UPI Odd News