Australian military hit by 1,000 abuse claims (AFP)

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

SYDNEY (AFP) – More than 1,000 people have made allegations of sexual and other abuse against the Australian Defence Force, lawyers assessing the complaints for the government said Tuesday.

The review was ordered in the wake of a scandal at the elite Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra in which a teenage female cadet alleged that she was unwittingly broadcast having sex with another cadet to classmates.

DLA Piper, the law firm conducting the review on behalf of Defence Minister Stephen Smith, said more than 1,000 people had since come forward with allegations, including complaints made in the media and direct to the minister.

"The allegations range from relatively minor matters to very serious matters," DLA Piper said in a statement.

"Some of the allegations are made by victims or parents or partners of victims, some are made by witnesses and some are made by people who have no direct knowledge of the incident which they allege/report."

"We need to proceed with care because the issues involved are serious and sensitive. We are taking advice on our processes from an expert in dealing with victims of sexual abuse," the firm added.

DLA Piper said there was a surge in complaints after fresh allegations were broadcast by the media last week, and extra lawyers were drafted in to take calls.

The firm said it was now carefully considering how best to gather more detailed information, responding to criticism that the process was too formal or that the review was a "cover-up" exercise.

"The Minister expects the Review to provide our own honest assessment and recommendations, regardless of whether or not doing so may involve criticism of aspects of Defence's response to allegations," DLA said.

"The Review members would not be participating in the Review if we thought it was a sham."

The Australian Defence Force has been stung by a string of allegations, some decades old, of abusive and sexist behaviour in its ranks.

Cases aired in the media involve the hushing up of gang rape and the brutal bashing and bullying of military cadets.

Minister Smith has called the allegations "very concerning" and promised they would be "methodically and exhaustively" assessed.

Australia's top military brass have stressed that such practices are completely unacceptable, and that the defence force has improved and reformed over the years.

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Ill penguin stranded in NZ is offered a lift home (AP)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A young emperor penguin stranded in New Zealand has survived two medical procedures and now has an offer of a lift home.

Yet the aquatic bird that many are calling Happy Feet — after the lighthearted 2006 movie — is not out of danger yet. The penguin remained on an intravenous drip Saturday and faces another procedure Monday to remove more sand from its digestive system.

If it does pull through, a businessman wants to take it by boat to Antarctica next February.

Happy Feet arrived on Peka Peka Beach, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Wellington, last Monday, the first time in 44 years that an emperor penguin has been spotted in the wild in New Zealand. Typically, emperors spend their entire lives in and around Antarctica.

At first Happy Feet seemed fine, but as the week progressed, the bird became more lethargic. It ate a lot of sand, apparently mistaking it for snow, which emperor penguins eat in Antarctica to hydrate themselves during the frozen winters.

By Friday, conservation officials decided its condition had worsened to the point that it would likely die without intervention. So they transported the penguin in a tub of ice to the Wellington Zoo.

Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker said the bird was put on anesthesia for 2 1/2 hours Friday while veterinarians flushed its throat and stomach with water to remove sand. A second procedure on Saturday was more of the same, yet the penguin's digestive system still remained clogged.

Baker said staff want to give the bird a break Sunday but plan a third flushing procedure Monday. The bird remained on an intravenous drip Saturday to help it rehydrate.

New Zealand investment adviser Gareth Morgan, who is leading an expedition to Antarctica next February, on Saturday offered Happy Feet a trip home aboard a Russian icebreaker. But it would not be for another eight months.

"Of course until that time Happy Feet will have to be cared for here in Wellington, where we're lucky enough to have a great community of wildlife experts, capable not just of pumping sand but also ensuring this wayfaring fellow is hosted appropriately until it's time to set sail," Morgan wrote on his website.

"A sea passage is far more akin to the animal's natural rite of passage across the Southern Ocean than any trip in a Globelifter jet might be, with no risk of deep vein thrombosis," Morgan added jokingly.

Whether officials choose to take Morgan up on his offer may depend on Happy Feet's health.

Peter Simpson, a program manager for New Zealand's Department of Conservation, said earlier in the week that there was a chance the bird might have picked up a disease in warmer climes which staff wouldn't want to introduce back into the Antarctic colony.

If a trip back to the Antarctic doesn't pan out, there's always the offer of a more sheltered life.

Lauren DuBois, assistant curator of birds at SeaWorld in San Diego, which has the only colony of emperor penguins in North America, said SeaWorld would be willing to step in and help. Thirty birds live there in a 25-degree Fahrenheit (minus 4 Celsius) habitat that simulates Antarctica, with up to 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) of snow blown in every day.

Estimated to be about 10 months old, Happy Feet probably was born during the last Antarctic winter and may have been searching for squid and krill when it got lost. Experts haven't yet determined whether it is male or female.

The rare venture north captured the public's imagination, with school groups, sightseers and news crews coming to the beach to see the penguin and photograph it from a distance.

The amazing journey of emperors, the tallest and largest species of penguin, to breeding grounds deep in the Antarctic was chronicled in the 2005 documentary "March of the Penguins," which highlighted their ability to survive — and breed — despite the region's brutal winters.

___

Associated Press writer Sue Manning in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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Aborigine jail rate a 'tragedy': Australian report (AFP)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

SYDNEY (AFP) – Aborigines account for one quarter of Australia's prisoners despite making up just 2.5 percent of the population, a report found Tuesday, describing the figures as a "national tragedy".

The "Doing Time" report, prepared by a government committee on Aboriginal affairs, said entrenched social and economic disadvantages meant younger generations were following their forebears into the criminal justice system.

Young Aborigines were 28 times more likely to be jailed than non-Aborigines, the report found, a "shameful state of affairs" that saw them accounting for 59 percent of the juvenile prison population.

A landmark inquiry 20 years ago into Aboriginal prison deaths aimed to reduce jail rates, "yet the incarceration rate of indigenous Australians... is worse now than at any other time since", it added.

"Although indigenous Australians make up only approximately 2.5 percent of the population, 25 percent of prisoners in Australia are indigenous," the report said.

"This is a national tragedy, and questions must be raised as to why the situation has worsened so dramatically after the sweeping reforms recommended by the Royal Commission."

The number of Aboriginal men in custody had spiked 55 percent in the past 10 years, while there were 47 percent more indigenous women in prison -- a "disturbing" trend for community and family stability, the report said.

As a proportion of the Aboriginal population, total imprisonment rates grew 66 percent from 2000 levels, with 1,891 in every 100,000 indigenous people now behind bars.

"Intergenerational dysfunction" meant many young Aborigines were exposed to domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, poor housing, health and school attendance and a lack of job skills and employment opportunities.

"This situation is a national disgrace," it said, adding that government at all levels had "failed to adequately address this problem".

The committee urged "rapid and effective" action, including a review of alternatives to detention for Aboriginal youth and better programmes both inside prisons and post-release, aimed at successful reintegration into the community.

It called for quotas or dedicated seats in the nation's parliament for Aborigines and said greater engagement with and empowerment of indigenous leaders was key to reversing disadvantage.

The committee also recommended flying the Aboriginal flag in schools and using local indigenous languages to name school sports teams and classrooms so as to boost pride in, and respect for, the nation's first people.

The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomed the report.

"We must act now before we lose another generation to the criminal justice system," said Aboriginal commissioner Mick Gooda.

Australia's original inhabitants, the country's most impoverished minority, are believed to have numbered around one million at the time of white settlement, but there are now just 470,000 in a nation of 22 million.

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Foster's rejects $10 billion SAB Miller bid (AFP)

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

MELBOURNE (AFP) – Australian beer giant Foster's on Tuesday rejected an initial Aus$9.51 billion (US$10 billion) takeover bid from SABMiller, but the global brewer said it would still pursue the group.

Foster's said it had received an unsolicited, incomplete, non-binding and conditional proposal from SABMiller for all of its stock at Aus$4.90 per share.

The offer represented an 8.2 percent premium on Monday's closing price but is below the firm's Aus$5.14 finish on Tuesday as it surged 13.47 percent on the prospect of a sweetened offer or a rival bid.

"The board of Foster's believes that the proposal significantly undervalues the company in the context of a change of control and, as such, it does not intend to take any further action in relation to it," it said in a statement.

Foster's, which owns Australia's largest brewer Carlton and United Breweries, recently split its beer division from the underperforming wine assets which had suffered because of a grape glut and soaring local dollar.

The prospect of a takeover of Foster's, one of Australia's best known brands, had been anticipated since the demerger and the move follows consolidation within the Australian beverage industry.

SABMiller said the proposal to buy the Australian company was in line with it strategy to create a global spread of businesses and it would continue to pursue discussions with Foster's.

It said Australia had a strong, wealthy and growing economy, was well positioned to benefit from continued economic growth in Asia, and had a profitable beer market in which Foster's was the leading brewer.

"SABMiller can conclude a transaction quickly and will continue to seek engagement with the board of Foster's to put an agreed proposal to Foster's shareholders," chief executive Graham Mackay said in a statement.

He said the company had a proven track record of acquiring and integrating brewing companies and it aimed to strengthen the Foster's brand.

The Australian company has been battling intense competition in the beer industry, affecting its flagship brands VB, Crown and Carlton Draught. Foster's estimated the domestic beer market shrank 7.0 percent in the second half of 2010.

SABMiller is one of the world's largest brewers and its brands include Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Grolsch.

Citigroup analyst Andy Bowley said in a note: "We expect SABMiller to return with a higher bid though question whether it can meet our view of the board's expectations given limited synergies, low post-deal returns, and added risk given current Australian dollar strength."

In 2009, Japan's Kirin Holdings acquired Australia's second largest beer-maker Lion Nathan Ltd. for about Aus$3.3 billion and some analysts view fellow Japanese brewer Asahi Breweries as a potential bidder for Foster's.

SABMiller said it had an agreement with its Australian partner Coca-Cola Amatil to buy its share of their Pacific Beverages joint-venture if the Foster's transaction completes.

-- Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this story --

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Former Australian PM Hawke hospitalised (AFP)

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

SYDNEY (AFP) – Former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke has been admitted to hospital for pneumonia but was recovering, the hospital said Wednesday.

The 81-year-old, who was leader for eight years until the end of 1991, making him Australia's longest serving Labor prime minister, was hospitalised last week after picking up a virus on an international flight.

A statement from St Vincent's Private Hospital in Sydney said Hawke was "sitting up in bed recovering from pneumonia".

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Cathay, Virgin flights 'minutes from crash' (AFP)

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

SYDNEY (AFP) – A commercial jet from Hong Kong came within minutes of a mid-air crash with an Australian flight in 2009 after air traffic control failed to notice they were on collision course, a report found on Friday.

The Melbourne-bound Cathay Pacific A330 was two minutes from smashing head-on into a Melbourne-Darwin Virgin flight over Australia's arid north when it radioed in to request advice on the plane, which was directly in its path.

"The flight crews of both aircraft reported that they considered the situation to be significant enough to commence diversions right of track without obtaining clearance prior to their respective manoeuvres," the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said, handing down its final report into the December 2009 incident.

It found the air traffic controller on duty had failed to identify the problem and had been insufficiently trained to recognise potential collisions "particularly in relation to opposite direct traffic".

He also had received just 11 weeks initial training in recognition of his prior studies and started "final field training with a level of knowledge and skills that was below the required standard," it said.

"The air traffic controller managing the airspace did not effectively control the resolution of the developing confliction," the ATSB said.

"The flight crews of both aircraft identified the traffic confliction and initiated avoidance action to maintain separation."

The ATSB also found that the controller was monitoring a "large volume of airspace" at the time and using a wide-range screen rather than one appropriate for spotting the type of collisions he was almost faced with.

The planes were just 55 kilometres or two minutes apart when the Cathay crew radioed the tower for advice.

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Danger heats up for Australia's platypus (AFP)

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

SYDNEY (AFP) – Global warming could shrink the habitat of Australia's duck-billed platypus by a third, researchers warned Friday, with hotter, drier temperatures threatening its survival.

A confusion of bird, mammal and reptile characteristics, the timid platypus is one of Australia's most cryptic creatures, feeding at night and living in deep waterside burrows to dodge predators such as foxes and eagles.

But its thick, watertight fur coat -- one of the key tools to ensuring its survival in the cool depths of rivers and waterholes -- could spell disaster in a warming climate, according to a new study from Melbourne's Monash University.

Using weather and platypus habitat data stretching back more than 100 years, researchers were able to map declines in particular populations in connection with droughts and heat events.

The team then extrapolated their findings across a range of climate change scenarios laid out by the government's science research agency, CSIRO, to model how global warming would affect the unusual native species.

"Our worst case scenario at the moment suggested a one-third reduction in their suitable habitat," researcher Jenny Davis told AFP of the work published in the journal Global Change Biology.

Other human impacts, including land clearing and the damming of waterways for hydroelectric projects, had and would continue to diminish platypus homes, she added.

"Under a drying climate we'll be taking more water away from the environment because of our human needs, and predators are going to become more of an issue for (the) platypus," she said.

The most dire predictions suggested the platypus would disappear from Australia's mainland entirely, able only to live on Tasmania and the southern King and Kangaroo islands, said Davis.

Davis said the nocturnal creature already appeared to be responding to increases in Australia's average temperature, with certain populations receding from the 1960s, when a warming trend first became evident.

"Compared with 50 years ago some places have become too warm for them. Their habitat is shrinking," she said.

Classed as "common but vulnerable", the platypus is already extinct in the wild in South Australia state, and Davis said she feared it could meet a similar fate to the Tasmanian devil, whose numbers had dwindled rapidly.

"What could happen is that we could see a crash in an iconic animal and by the time that happens it's too late to do something about it," she said.

Platypus fur is finer and denser than that of a river otter or polar bear, and it has two layers: a long sleek outer and a woolly undercoat, ensuring it stays dry even when fully submerged in water.

Their average body temperature is 32 degrees Celsius (89 Fahrenheit) -- lower than most other mammals -- and they overheat rapidly when exposed to warm conditions out of the water.

Of most concern, however, is the drying up of waterways where they forage for aquatic invertebrates, with the platypus needing to eat about 30 percent of their own body weight every day to survive.

Davis said the creature's demise was "just another warning sign" of global warming's impact on Australia's unique wildlife.

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