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Freed drug charge mum scared

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 11 November 2012 | 23.08

Emma L'Aiguille after being released from Kajang prison in Malaysia. Picture: Azhar A Rahim

A VICTORIAN mother of six spared the death penalty in Malaysia fears being abandoned to life on the streets.

Emma L'Aiguille, who was freed from prison on Friday after drug trafficking charges against her were dropped, says she is now alone, has limited money, and no home.

The 34-year-old struck a deal that will see her appear as a star witness in an impending drug trafficking trial.

But conditions attached to her release mean she can't work or leave the country without authorities' permission.

Ms L'Aiguille, who is on medication for depression, yesterday begged the Federal Government to help her.

"I've just been let out with nowhere to go," she said. "I'm going to be homeless.

"I can't work, so what's going to happen to me?

"I don't want to be here any more, and need to get home and be with my family." 

Ms L'Aiguille was charged with drug trafficking on July 17 after police moved in on her and another man as they sat in her boyfriend's car, parked in a busy Kuala Lumpur street. Police found 1kg of methamphetamine under the passenger seat.

Her boyfriend, known as Tony, ran from police and remains at large.

Ms L'Aiguille has agreed to give evidence against the man in the car. But her decision to co-operate with police and become an informer has Ms L'Aiguille fearing retribution.

Her legal team is currently talking to the prosecution to see if she can stay in Australia until the court case.

But unless a deal can be struck, she will have to remain in Malaysia for at least six months.

Ms L'Aiguille said her situation in Malaysia was so dire that prison would be a better alternative.

"Why did I come out?" she asked. "I mean, I don't want to go back, but at least I had a bed and food."

Ms L'Aiguille has only one small travel suitcase containing thongs and three changes of clothes.

Her ex-boyfriend has sold off all her other belongings, and the house in which they lived is no longer available.

Ms L'Aiguille said she wanted to move back to Melbourne.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it would consider Ms L'Aiguille's concerns.

"The Australian High Commission in Malaysia will be discussing with Ms L'Aiguille her future needs for consular assistance," she said.


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Girl, 5, caused fatal chopper crash

A BILLIONAIRE who died along with four others in a 2010 helicopter crash allowed his 5-year-old daughter to sit on his lap in the co-pilot's seat where she kicked the controls and caused the accident, according to federal investigators.

The US National Transportation Safety Board reviewed the crash that killed Services Group of America founder and owner Thomas Stewart, 64, for nearly three years before releasing its final probable-cause report last week.

Stewart's young daughter, wife, brother-in-law and company pilot also were killed in the crash on Valentine's Day 2010.

The NTSB found that Stewart allowed his daughter, Sydney, to sit on his lap on a trip from his northern Arizona ranch to his home in Scottsdale, where SGA is headquartered.

It was "highly likely" that the child suddenly pushed down with her foot on the copter's controls.

Either Stewart or his pilot then quickly pulled up on the controls, causing the helicopter's main blades to bend and strike the aircraft's tail, the report said.

The helicopter plunged into a dry stream bed in Cave Creek, Arizona, killing everyone aboard instantly.

Madena Stewart, 40; her brother, Mailang Abudula, 38; and company pilot Rick Morton, 63, were also killed in the crash.

The report's conclusion was immediately challenged by the lawyer for the pilot's family, who has blamed a faulty rotor blade for the crash, and by Stewart's company.

"That's their interpretation, and it does not comport with what our experienced investigators believe happened," said Gary C. Robb, an attorney who specializes in aviation accidents.

Robb has sued Eurocopter and others involved in repairing one of the helicopter's blades after a previous mishap.

He said he believes the repair was faulty and the blade came apart in flight, causing the crash.

The NTSB found no evidence of that. It concluded that the repaired blade hit the tail rotor drive shaft and broke.

Read more at azcentral.com


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Melissa George's Morning meltdown

Australian actress Melissa George. Picture: Simon Bullard Source: The Daily Telegraph

CHANNEL 7 spoke out yesterday about a tirade unleashed by former Home And Away castmember Melissa George, who threw a hissy fit on Friday's The Morning Show because the segment referenced her days at Summer Bay.

The brekkie newsroom was still reeling from the outburst yesterday, which witnesses described as "erratic" and "unbelievable", as the Aussie actress threatened to walk off the set if hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies made mention of the character that made her a star, Angel Parrish.

"She kept saying she's had so many bigger roles since Home And Away that it was offensive to talk about it - she even said she'd send Seven an invoice because she inadvertently promotes it through the media," an insider said.

The program's executive producer Sarah Stinson, said she originally thought the meltdown was a prank.

"At first I thought I was being Punk'd because it seemed so surreal," she told Confidential. "We're genuinely proud of Melissa's achievements, she's done a lot of great work, and I didn't realise she had such an issue with her roots. Most of our guests are usually proud to embrace where they've come from and we never would have done anything to purposely upset her."

George, who has appeared in The Amityville Horror remake, Grey's Anatomy and Alias, said the Australian press were "disgusting" for constantly aligning her with the soap.

"I don't need credibility from my country any more, I just need them all to be quiet," she said. "If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don't speak to me any more. I'd rather be having a croissant and an espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City.

"I've never spoken out about it because I have to be the loyal good Aussie, who goes away and comes home.

"But I'm a really hard-working woman and people have to respect me for what I've done ... my next call will be to Home And Away to ask them to pay me because nobody does more promotion for that f ... ing show than me."


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Virgin Mary, Jesus 'appear in windows'

Roman Chatholic devotees offer prayers in front of an image said to be the Virgin Mary (unseen) that appeared on the window of a Malaysian hospital in Subang, outside Kuala Lumpur. Source: AFP

An image said to be the Virgin Mary appears on the window of a Malaysian hospital in Subang outside Kuala Lumpur. Source: AFP

HUNDREDS of Catholics have gathered outside a Malaysian hospital after seeing an image said to resemble the Virgin Mary on one of the windows.

Pictures of the image have gone viral among local Christians on Facebook and large crowds have gathered at the Sime Darby Medical Centre just outside Kuala Lumpur.

Those assembled overnight maintained they can now also see an image of an adult Jesus Christ just two windows away from his mother.

Nearly 100 Catholics were still at the hospital overnight, lighting candles, singing hymns and saying prayers. Several tourist buses added to the congestion.

Some have come from as far as Singapore, over 300 kilometres away, to see the image on a seventh-floor window which they describe as a miracle.

"We believe Mary, mother of God, has a message for us, as she is looking down on us and then at a Malaysian flag. We can also see Jesus and he is also moving, they are not static," Eunice Fernandez, who lives nearby, said.

The 54-year-old housewife dismissed claims the image could be a hoax.

Sime Darby, which is primarily a plantations conglomerate, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Father Lawrence Andrew, editor of Malaysian Catholic newsletter The Herald, said the church would need to investigate and verify the authenticity of the images and "the experiences of the witnesses".

"It could be private revelations. We have to make sure they are not imagined but real apparitions," he said.

Catholics make up a sizeable minority in Muslim-dominated Malaysia.


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'Grave fears' for missing women

Missing women Sandra Pevitt (inset) and a silver Hyundai similar to her vehicle. Source: Herald Sun

THE family of a missing Melbourne woman have told of their pain at her mysterious disappearance.

Police and those close to Sandra Pevitt of Werribee have grave fears for her safety after she vanished five days ago.

Ms Pevitt, 45, left home at 8.30am on Wednesday and had told a family member she was going to see a doctor that day.

But she did not see the doctor and she and her silver Hyundai car have not been seen since.

Her sister Leanne Snaize said there had been nothing to indicate anything was wrong.

She said her sister loved her nieces and nephews and was deeply missed.

"She walks in the room and you know Sandra's there. Sandra makes the party," Mrs Snaize said.

Sandra Pevitt's partner Paul Czech and sister Leanne Snaize. Picture: Mike Keating Source: Herald Sun

Ms Pevitt's partner Paul Czech said there was no explanation. He said she was a sensitive person with a great sense of humour.

"Obviously everybody's desperately worried. Everybody has been trying every avenue they can possibly try (to find her). We miss her terribly," he said.

Mr Czech urged Ms Pevitt to get in touch. 

"She's loved. Please, make contact with somebody," he said. Detective Sen-Constable David Reynolds of Werribee CIU said the disappearance was "very much out of character".

"Police and family hold grave fears for her safety and welfare," he said.

He said Ms Pevitt had never gone missing before.

Ms Pevitt is 167cm tall, of medium build with brown shoulder-length straight hair, brown eyes and wearing frameless glasses.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a grey sports top, brown and white knitted jacket and white runners with a pink trim.

Her vehicle, a 2010 Hyundai i30 wagon, is registered XVL-284.

Meanwhile, police are looking for a second woman who went missing in a separate incident.

Katie Dircks, 30, is believed to have caught a tram in South Melbourne to Flinders Street shortly after 7pm on Friday and has not been seen since.

Police said Ms Dircks emailed a friend around 11.30am on Saturday, but had made no further contact.

She suffers from a medical condition which requires regular medication and family members have concerns for her welfare.

Missing woman Katie Dircks. Source: Herald Sun

She is described as Caucasian, around 156cm tall with a solid build, long brown hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing a navy blue dress with buttons down the front and a black cardigan with white lace pockets.

Anyone with information can call 000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

- with AAP


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Bullying filth on school Facebook pages

An investigation of more than 4800 Australian primary and high schools has revealed more than 10 per cent have a Facebook page on which students are taunting each other and teachers with abusive language and offensive pictures.
 
Source: The Sunday Telegraph

STUDENTS at almost 500 schools are running Facebook sites dedicated to humiliating their peers as more and more children are forced to carry the incessant burden of cyber-bullying outside the school gates.

A News Ltd investigation of more than 4800 Australian primary and high schools has revealed more than 10 per cent have a Facebook page on which students are taunting each other and teachers with abusive language and offensive pictures.

Many of the posts are too offensive to reprint, but include graphic sexual discussion of students and teachers, shocking gore photos of suicide and accident victims, underage girls labelled "sluts'', male teachers named as pedophiles and references to Nazism.

The majority of pages - many which carry the school's full name and logo - contain homophobic, racist and misogynist jokes and drug references.

Some of the most insidious pages, typically called "burn books'' or "goss pages'', name and tag students in vicious rumours, which are then "liked'' and shared around other students' social networks.

One of the most shocking pages, from a school in Queensland, features gory photos of suicide and accident victims and a horrific picture of a battered child with an accompanying "joke'' about domestic violence, all alongside references to the school and photos of the campus.

Also on the page, which has accrued more than 760 fans since being launched in late August, is a photograph of a baby with a gun to its head with the caption "one like = one baby shot'', and a cartoon advocating methamphetamine use.

Another school page, from NSW, names a teacher as a "child molester'' and calls another a "c***'', while students who have posted complaints have been abused with homophobic slurs.

A page from WA featured a photograph of a male teacher and female students overlaid with the logo of a pornography website, accompanied by snide comments joking that he was a pedophile.

The page, which accrued more than 600 fans since its launch in mid September, also featured photographs of students fighting, jokes about female Year 7s being "sluts'' and arguments between students using extremely offensive language, all underneath the school's official logo.

That page has since been deleted, but two others using the school's name still exist.

Scroll down to see the worst examples from around Australia
 

One principal admitted his school had little control over what students did on the internet outside of school hours.

"You can block all these things on our intranet and they can't do it at school but they have their own ways from home,'' he said.

But another principal added: "If students make threats over Facebook we are going to deal with them ... as if it were an incident in the schoolyard."

Cyber-bullying expert Dr Barbara Spears, from the University of South Australia, said "liking'' nasty Facebook posts was the new face of schoolyard bullying.

"Clearly, `liking' such pages contributes to the ongoing humiliation of others, and bystanders - those who contribute to bullying by not doing anything about it - are actively supporting it,'' she said.

Studies suggest 15 to 30 per cent of children are bullied at school, and around 10 per cent have been cyber bullied.

Dr Spears said bullying was not shifting from the schoolyard to the screen, but "expanding'' there.

Constant access to technology meant "there is no escape'', she said.

Child psychologist and National Centre Against Bullying founder Michael Carr-Gregg said traditional playground bullies were taking their warfare online.

"What we're finding now is that a lot of these kids are using the technology to literally make other people's lives hell and the burn books are a really good example of this because so many people see it,'' he said.

Dr Carr-Gregg said vulnerable children could not brush off that kind of humiliation.

"For them, they've already got depression or they've already got anxiety so the gun is already loaded and the cyberbullying, the burn book, simply pulls the trigger,'' he said.

The most serious forms of cyber bullying can attract stalking, harrassment or defamation charges.

And it is illegal to use a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence under federal law, but a Federal Police spokeswoman said no minor had ever been charged.

She said parents should try to deal with cyber-bullying through schools and only go to police as a last resort.

Dr Carr-Gregg said too few people were charged over their heinous online behaviour.

"Some of these burn books can result in young people harming themselves so I don't think the law is up to scratch,'' he said.

"I think we need a social norm that says this type of behaviour is unacceptable and it needs to be enforced."

Have you been targeted by bullies? Tell our reporter. Email Petra Starke

WORST OF THE WORST

Examples of depravity on Australian schools' Facebook pages

  • Photo of a baby with a gun to its head, a photo of a battered child, gory pictures of suicide and accident victims, graphic pornography (QLD)
  • Photo of a male teacher with female students captioned that he is a pedophile (WA)
  • Male teachers pictured and captioned as ``child molester'' and "raper'' (NSW)
  • Messages telling students to kill themselves (NSW)
  • Students threatening to rape other students (NSW)
  • Female student named as having an affair with a teacher (NSW)
  • Female student named as having AIDS (QLD)
  • School classrooms pictured and captioned as "rape dungeons'' (WA)
  • Male student named as having had sex with goats (SA)
  • Graphic sexual discussions about a female teacher (SA)
  • Female teacher called ``slut'' and ``hooker'' (WA)
  • Student with a speech impediment pictured and teased (SA)
  • Black male student pictured and called a "n****r'' (WA)
  • Page with a profile picture that reads "kill yourselves'' (QLD)
  • Pictures of Hitler and references to Nazism (NSW)
  • Praise for students who egged a teacher's car (VIC)
  • Message to students about a particular teacher: "spit on her shoes and s*** on her face'' (VIC)

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Life's a dream for miracle girls

Guardians Moira Kelly and Atom Rahman with Krishna (in white) and Trishna. Picture: Alex Coppel Source: Herald Sun

THREE years after conjoined twins Krishna and Trishna were amazingly separated it's time for school, swimming lessons and other small miracles.

FOR two long and difficult years, conjoined twins Trishna and Krishna's fragile fates were fused together as intricately as the skull and brain tissue that joined them.

Three years after the marathon 32-hour operation to separate them, the only thing these sisters now have to share is love.

The Bangladeshi-born twins' brave fight for survival captured the nation's hearts in 2009.

On the brink of death, when saved by Children First Foundation, the little pair defied all odds to survive extraordinarily complex surgery and take baby steps towards new lives as individuals.

Trishna, always the larger and healthier of the pair, is looking forward to her first day at school next year.

Gallery: Krishna and Trishna thriving since being separated

Like any five year-old, she's cheeky, loves to dance and play chasey with her friends.

For Krishna, the road to recovery has been much harder. But she, too, has defied the odds and, with extensive physiotherapy, has been able to walk supported by water in a pool this year.

She has also begun learning to count. And, in addition to the names of her loved ones she has now begun saying the names of her childhood heroes The Wiggles.

Though full of love for Krishna and admiration for the efforts she must make to do the very things that come so naturally to her, Trishna has no memory of the fact they were ever joined or recollection of the surgery needed to save their lives.

"She's walking," Trishna said, bursting with pride over her sister's recent efforts to walk for the first time, assisted by water.

"She's lovely."

Krishna and Trishna are forging ahead leading new lives as individuals. Picture: Alex Coppel Source: Herald Sun

For the twins' guardian, Moira Kelly, and co-guardian Atom Rahman, it is difficult to reconcile that these are the same girls they collected from a Bangladeshi orphanage five years ago, joined at the head and only weeks or months away from death.

"I still can't believe they are the same children," Ms Kelly said. "I can never get that image out of my head, or the fear ... "

As Trishna bosses and charms everyone around her, there certainly doesn't appear to be any lingering side effects of her years joined to her sister, or the two years of operations it took Royal Children's Hospital specialists to separate them.

Extremely social and interactive, Trishna reads in bed each night and, although she will soon turn six and start school a year older than her classmates, has caught up to their abilities.

She also wants to start learning ballet and enthuses that her favourite activity is playing chasey.

Apart from a serious case of scarlet fever a fortnight ago, Trishna has had no medical problems since her life-changing operation.

Ms Kelly said after the girls' ordeal, a "normal" childhood health scare such as scarlet fever was almost a quiet joy.

It has been much harder for Krishna, who Ms Kelly feels is still haunted by her experiences.

The sight of somebody putting on rubber gloves to clean the house sends her into a panic as it no doubt reminds her of the many medical procedures she endured.

Krishna (left) and Trishna with their neurosurgeons Wirginia Maixner and Alison Wray. Picture: Royal Children's Hospital/Robert Reitmaier Source: Herald Sun

But in the past two months, the smaller twin has taken giant strides, astounding Ms Kelly by walking unaided while in the middle of a regular pool therapy session. And she has continued the poolwalking since.

"It's like something has happened the last two months, as though she has joined the world," Ms Kelly said. "Maybe it's that in herself she feels safe. It's just like a connection has been made and it has all come together."

For Mr Rahman, the most beautiful change has been Krishna's temperament.

"She is a lot calmer, a lot more engaged," he said. "It's like she finds herself here at the pool, she can find her freedom."

As well as taking steps, Krishna has recently learnt to count to 10 and started coming out of her shell at music classes.

Krishna's sudden progress has seen her carers begin taking her to kinder for supported orientation sessions and she will begin classes next year.

Krishna's program will see her swimming three times a week, attending physiotherapy twice a week, speech therapy once a fortnight, music therapy each week, Gymbaroo twice a week, occupational therapy and speech therapy once a fortnight.

Just as the pool was the scene for the girls' most recent triumph, it was also the setting for an all-too real reminder of just how fragile they can be.

Krishna and Trishna (in white dress) mett the Queen last year. Picture: Craig Borrow Source: Herald Sun

While seated in a high chair after swimming, a huge seizure 10 days ago saw Krishna go limp and an ambulance called to rush her back to the RCH.

Six hours later Krishna was cleared of damage and allowed to leave.

"Unlike other kids, who have seizures and it is a bit frightening, with Krishy I just think, 'Oh my God is this going to do some damage', because you just know her brain isn't normal and her circulation isn't normal," Ms Kelly said.

The smaller twin also has to visit the hospital several times a year to see specialists about her poorly functioning kidneys and have her brain monitored.

The past three years have allowed the girls' mother, Lovely Goldar, to build up contact after only learning of their survival after they had been separated.

Ms Goldar calls from her home in rural Bangladesh every fortnight and visits once or twice a year.

Her own future looks brighter after getting a sought after government job working in agriculture.

Trishna is learning to speak Bangladeshi so she can speak to her mother rather than have Mr Rahman translate for her.

Mr Rahman also makes sure Trishna attends activities in the Bangladeshi community several times a month, dressing in traditional clothing, while Krishna attends cultural celebrations.

"We don't ever want her to feel she isn't a part of the culture she was born in," he said.

"But this (Australia) is the place where they have their future."

AN AMAZING JOURNEY

December 22, 2006: Trishna and Krishna born in Bangladesh. The twins started life in Dhaka orphanage after their parents decided they could not care for them.

November 2007: Brought to Australia by humanitarian Moira Kelly in November 2007 to see if doctors believe they can be safely separated.

December 22, 2007: The twins celebrate their first birthday at the Royal Children's Hospital.

November 16, 2009: The major operation to separate the twins starts at 10am in the Royal Children's Hospital. The head of surgery at the hospital, Leo Donnan, said the chances of the twins pulling through successfully were only 25 per cent.

November 18, 2009: After more than 27 hours, doctors announce the operation was a success.

July 2010: Their biological mother, Lovely Goldar, visits Australia to meet her daughters.

November 2010: A year on from their separation, Trishna is walking, talking, singing and dancing, while Krishna continues to make huge strides in her development having overcome life threatening health issues.

October 2011: The twins' biological mother meets her four year old girls for the second time. Moira Kelly reveals that Krishna has special needs and may never walk.

October 5, 2012: Krishna walks for the first time


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Time-wasting at work costs $87b a year

Bludgers, who make up just 5 per cent of the workforce, account for more than 20 per cent of time wasted across the day, a report has found. Picture: Thinkstock
 
Source: The Advertiser

AUSTRALIANS are getting more productive in the workplace but time-wasting still costs organisations $87 billion a year, a new report claims.

The average amount of time wasted in the workplace has fallen by 4 per cent since October 2011, the Ernst & Young Australian Productivity Pulse report found.

That may not sound like much, but it's not a bad boost considering Australian workplaces have been operating in a declining productivity environment for about 10 years, Ernst & Young managing partner Neil Plumridge says.

"We're producing more from the same amount of hours worked than 12 months ago," Mr Plumridge said.

"An extra 15 minutes of productive time every day at work can mean a great deal for individuals as well as the organisations they work for."

Four out of five Australian workers surveyed took productivity very seriously and were making a real effort to work "smarter" to get more out of the day.

But bludgers, who make up just 5 per cent of the workforce, account for more than 20 per cent of time wasted across the day, the report found.

Unnecessary meetings, unimportant emails and the use of social media at work were the biggest time-killers, costing businesses big dollars in lost wages.

Tasmania was ranked the most productive state, and healthcare and social workers the most gung-ho employees.

NSW was the least productive state, with finance and insurance workers the least time-efficient.

West Australians, motivated by job security, clocked the longest hours, while their South Australian counterparts clocked the least.

The findings were based on a survey of more than 2100 employees across seven industries in both the public and private sectors.


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