Live: Liverpool v Manchester City

Liverpool fans deliver a touching tribute on the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster with a stirring rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone.

Stunning first-half from Liverpool. Source: AFP

LIVERPOOL has its Premier League title destiny in its hands after a pulsating 3-2 win over Manchester City.

The clash was played at a heaving Anfield, full of emotion on the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

The home side made an extraordinary start, with first-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel.

But Manchester City showed its championship qualities with a resounding fightback - levelling the scores in the second period with goals from David Silva and a Glen Johnson own goal.

With action sweeping from end to end, a howler from City skipper Vincent Kompany gifted the ball to Philippe Coutinho, who finished with aplomb past Joe Hart.

Re-live how the night unfolded in our live event blog below.

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Who was crowned Biggest Loser?

Craig Booby wins The Biggest Loser: Challenge Australia, after shedding 79.8kg. Courtesy: Network Ten

Fitness blitz ... Biggest Loser trainers Shannan Ponton, Michelle Bridges and Steve 'Commando' Willis took on the town of Ararat. Source: Supplied

CRAIG Booby is looking for love now that he has won The Biggest Loser: Challenge Australia.

The Ararat sales manager dropped a staggering 43.51 per cent of his body weight to snatch victory in the Channel 10 weight-loss show.

Overjoyed .... Craig Booby, winner of The Biggest Loser 2014, has lost 79.8 kilograms. Source: Supplied

The future of the program, however, is under a cloud due to poor ratings.

The 34-year-old was this year's heaviest male contestant at 183.4 kilograms when he weighed in at the start of The Biggest Loser and left the competition 79.8 kilograms lighter.

TRANSFORMED Biggest Loser star Cameron is unrecognisable

CHALLENGE Mary the biggest female contestant ever

Booby now has his sights set on finding a partner and starting a family. His last relationship ended five years ago and he blames the break-up on his then ballooning weight.

"I've certainly got a lot more confidence than I've ever had," Booby says. "Before I was always self-conscious and worried about how people saw me. Now I'm going out there proud of who I am and what I've achieved.

"I think that will help me meet someone and start a family, for sure."

Battle ... Craig weighed 183.4 kilograms when he entered The Biggest Loser house. Source: Supplied

BIGGEST LOVE Big Kev proposes to girlfriend

CONTROVERSY: Fitness trainer sparks bikini war

Biggest Loser trainer Steve 'Commando' Willis has praised Booby's dedication to toughing out the show's 11 weeks of gruelling challenges.

"Craig was the definition of hard work," Willis says. "From the moment he entered the Biggest Loser house he gave it his all.

"I constantly encouraged him to strive for more and dig deeper to be the best possible version of himself."

Booby takes home a $75,000 cash prize for his win.

Biggest loser contestant Caitlin shows her favourite recipe to The Commando; the 'vegemite cheese cup' of glory.

The Ararat community - which was this year a feature of the series - lost a total of 40,000 kilograms,well ahead of the town's 26,000 kilogram target.

Booby finished ahead of Toni Stockwell who shed 38.41 per cent of her starting weight — from 124.2 kilograms to 76.5 kilograms.

Sharon Bassett lost 36.61 per cent — down from 109.8 kilograms to 69.6 kilograms.

Katrina Pianta rounded out the final four — dropping 33.41 per cent — from 131.1 kilograms to 87.3 kilograms.

"I knew from the start that I had a goal and I set aside time in my life to achieve it," Booby said.

"Nothing was going to get in my way. I've come too far and I realise how much healthier and happier that I am. Knowing the hard work I've put in there's no way I'll let it slip away (put weight back on)."

Watch as Mary from The Biggest Loser is voted off the show. Courtesy: The Biggest Loser/Network Ten

Channel 10 is yet to commit to another series of The Biggest Loser which has struggled against My Kitchen Rules and The Block: Fans v Faves in recent months.

"An announcement regarding the next season of The Biggest Loser will be made later in the year," a Ten spokesperson said.

But Ten CEO Hamish McLennan appeared to foreshadow the show's demise in an interview with The Australian last week.

He revealed that the current season of Loser actually finished shooting nine months ago.

"Some of the franchises that rode off the back of Sochi like The Biggest Loser are getting towards the end of their life cycle, and much of the content was in the can nine months ago, so we have to run it out," he said.

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

‘She’s a poor ugly dog’: Housewives turn nasty

The Real Housewives of Melbourne will feature six new housewives who enjoy the lavish, pampered and cultured lifestyle who own private jets, amazing homes and are married to high profile businessmen, including one to a rock star and another to a plastic surgeon

Real Housewives of Melbourne cast in Queensland L-R: Jackie, Chyka, Gina, Andrea, Lydia, Janet. Source: Supplied

Brace yourselves, Real Housewives of Melbourne fans. We're only a couple of episodes away from the end of the season, and things are getting nasty.

As episode eight opens, helicopter enthusiast Lydia arrives at her friend Lisa's house to fill her in on the dramatic goings-on of last week's trip to Mission Beach.

Realising this is her chance to score a recurring role on the show, Lisa goes hell-for-leather with the sassy quips. She informs Lydia that she hasn't eaten any carbs since 1964 (a joke that's rather lost on her: "Wow, really?"), and remarks that "you can never be too rich or too thin."

"Lisa and her one liners? She's hilarious!" Lydia exclaims.

How many canaries had to die to make this outfit? Source: Foxtel

Audition out of the way, Lisa asks Lydia about her continuing issues with Gina. What exactly is the problem?

"Look, she basically … she … arrives late," is Lydia's feeble response.

As the conversation continues, Lisa admits that she's stressed. She's taken a leading role in the business she and her husband own, and it's a high pressure situation — in the past week alone, she's had to raise $1 million for a project.

"Ultimately, you've still got to be a sexy girl and a beautiful wife, because men love that," is Lydia's not-exactly-feminist advice. Honestly, the Spice Girls must be rolling in their graves right now.

Next up we're with Andrea, who's at Hardie Grant books for a meeting with their Publishing Director, Fran Berry. She's here to pitch her 'how to' guide for other mums, Wanna Be Like Me? Then Get Off Your Arse And Do Something You Slack Moll (note: may not be actual book title).

"I've had so many different babysitters and nannies, and it's all of my tips on how you select the perfect babysitter," she tells Berry.

"I can haz book deal now pleez?" Source: Foxtel

She then divulges further details about the book: it's written in the form of an extended angry letter to a fellow real-life mother who Andrea said had judged her parenting style.

Berry explains that a book written purely out of spite might not make for the most enjoyable read. She also makes this face a lot:

"Why didn't I have that panic button installed under my desk when I had the chance?" Source: Foxtel

Berry suggests that Andrea start a blog to gain a following, then come back and pitch her book again in, y'know, a few years. OUCH.

By the end of the meeting, Andrea's made up her mind: She doesn't need some so-called 'Publishing Editor' of a 'book company' telling her whether or not she can have a book deal. She'll publish it herself, haters be damned!

It's all business this week, because next we're with Jackie (ShineShineShine™) and husband Ben as they visit a distillery to discuss their line of pre-mixed cocktails, La Mascara (it's Italian for 'The Mascara', doncha know).

The distillery manager, John, gives the couple a wake-up call: they haven't organised suppliers, packaging, or ingredients. Heck, they haven't even purchased a domain name for the business. How exactly do they plan to get La Mascara off the ground?

For the 187th time this series, Jackie utters the words that strike fear into the hearts of men:

"John, I don't know if you know this, but I'm actually a professional psychic."

John tells Jackie and Ben that, psychic or not, there's just no way they can get everything organised in time for the planned product launch.

"Well I don't LIKE that answer. I know you've got to look at things from a realistic point of view, but I'm a realistic person, and I believe you can have things done today, not yesterday," says Jackie.

Then she gives him one of her trademark wide-eyed crazy-person smiles to seal the deal.

"So you'll do everything I say, yes? YES?" Source: Foxtel

Meeting adjourned, Jackie and Ben had to the distillery's lab where chemist Norm, who'll actually be creating their drinks, crunches the numbers on how much it'll cost to get product on the shelves: around $129,000 in alcohol taxes alone.

"F**k," Jackie says, succinctly.

Jackie suspects that if she winks at the chemist, he may fix her a drink. Source: Foxtel

Afterwards, Ben's reeling from the day's events.

"The most shocking thing about visiting the distillery was hearing about all the little details we hadn't thought about: the bottles, the liquid, bottling them ..."

So, like, everything ?

Next we head to Armadale, where Lydia and Andrea catch up for a girl's lunch to gossip, natter, and drag Gina's good name through the mud. OH FUN!

Andrea announces that she's decided to distance herself from Gina, which, considering Gina abandoned a luxurious free holiday early so she wouldn't have to be near Andrea, seems a little like dumping someone after they've already broken up with you.

"Should I ask the women at that table if any of them will publish my book?" Source: Foxtel

"I feel very sorry for [Gina], because she doesn't have the forsyth to see what she's doing," says Andrea, who has written a book so yes of course she meant to say forsyth and not foresight.

That evening, the ladies assemble for the opening of Andrea's newly-renovated skin care clinic, Liberty Belle. She addresses the partygoers with a truly inspiring speech about Her Brave Struggle:

"Behind me was 60sqm of residential apartments, and we've now turned it into a world class centre of excellence for cosmetic medicine."

Beautiful words. We're sure the people who lived in those apartments would be happy to hear them, whichever bridge they're sheltering under now.

Talking to the girls after her speech, Andrea has a fun suggestion: "Hey, let's launch into Gina!"

"I think we're at your beautiful event, I think we're having a really fun night and I think we should go inside and take a look," says Chyka, prompting a glare from Andrea that says 'Why did I even invite you."

"Chyka? More like FREAK-A! Oh that's a good one I'm totally putting that in the book" Source: Foxtel

"I agree, but I'm really glad that silly clown is not here tonight, " says silly clown Lydia.

Chyka tries to reason with Lydia, pointing out that she and Gina have been friends for eight years.

"Chyka, she's a dog. I don't want to go to bed with someone that's got fleas. She's crossed the line, she's got a gutter mouth," says gutter mouth Lydia.

"Well I've got a gutter mouth," offers Jackie.

"No, no, but you're very sophisticated," counters Lydia, who is obviously now talking CRAZY TALK.

"You've got to understand what has really triggered this: She's lonely and she's so ugly. We're rich, and that would annoy her," says Lydia, whose comments we've helpfully highlighted for your reading pleasure.

Andrea finishes their bitch session by proposing a toast "to health, happiness and friendship."

"SEND IN THE HELICOPTER, BOYS" Source: Foxtel

The fivesome then go on a tour of the new facilities, and at one point jokingly restrain Lydia to an operating table.

"I love being tied up," she purrs. Lydia, we're sure there are a few viewers who'd be happy to oblige after your comments about Gina.

The next day, Jackie and Lydia go lingerie shopping. Ben's taking Jackie on a romantic date, so she wants to buy something noice, different and unusual.

"Let's get him all hot and horny. I want to make sure he's pleased in every way possible," she says.

Jackie and Lydia go lingerie shopping. Source: Supplied

Jackie tries on a few options — they're all subtle, sophisticated looks, as you can see below.

"I looked at her and thought, what beauty. The youth, her beautiful long legs, and this beautiful lace around her private bits was just so sexy … my god Ben's lucky," sighs Lydia, who so far this season has expressed attraction towards her stepson, a helicopter and now another of the housewives.

In the event of a water landing, Jackie Gillies can be used as a flotation device. Source: Foxtel

Delicates purchased, it's time for Ben and Jackie's date. Over dinner, he suggests that once La Mascara's up and running, they should start a family.

"Let's put more Bens in the world," is his way of putting it.

After dinner, he surprises her with a boat trip on the Yarra River (although it wasn't actually a surprise to Jackie: she's psychic, which you might remember her mentioning once or twice), and the pair start mackin' on something hectic. It's a sight to behold.

Fun fact: This is the only way to stop Jackie Gillies from saying 'Shine shine shine' Source: Foxtel

For the episode's climactic scene ("Mmm, climactic" — Lydia, probably), Chyka hosts a grand soiree catered by her company. Everyone's invited, although Gina hasn't RSVPed. The others all agree that they can't imagine she'd dare show her face.

"I was so looking forward to seeing everyone without Gina there," says Andrea.

"No Gina equals no drama and no-one running late."

Isn't it ironic (in the Alanis Morissette, not-actually-ironic-at-all sense) that at that very moment, Gina's at home, getting ready to attend the party and indeed, RUNNING LATE.

Gina seems a bit nervous about turning up because she's busy applying an extra layer of make-up for the occasion.

Trust us, Gina Liano is somewhere under there. Source: Foxtel

Unaware of Gina's imminent arrival, Andrea and Lydia get stuck into slagging her off yet again.

"I understand their anger, but come on ladies — let's let go of the past and let's just move forward," says Jackie. OK, when Jackie Gillies is the most sensible person in the room something has gone TERRIBLY WRONG.

Suddenly, the crowd parts and Gina emerges, heavily painted game face on. While the others plaster on fake smiles and kiss her hello, Andrea handles the surprise with trademark tact.

"Oh no she di'ent" Source: Foxtel

The girls welcome to Gina is stilted to say the least, but she doesn't care.

"When you've experienced and survived cancer, when you've been down in the trenches with your clients who are staring down the barrel of going to jail or losing their children or losing their home, the girls' behaviour is so trivial that it's just nonsense," she says.

As the housewives settle in to the party, Andrea's husband appears and makes small talk with Gina (because nobody else seems willing to).

Asking if she had a good time on the Mission Beach holiday, he seems utterly unaware that the getaway culminated in his lovely wife giving Gina the finger and telling her she was too disgusting to look at.

"In a word, no." Source: Foxtel

"It seemed odd that Chris hadn't heard what had happened at Mission Beach, and how hideously behaved his wife was," Gina says.

As the episode ends, Andrea issues an ominous announcement to the viewers at home: "Gina and I are still at war."

Andrea, we've got three words for you:

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH370 ‘flown like fighter jet’

The search zone for missing plane MH370 has narrowed to an area about 50 kilometres by 40 kilometres.

MISSING Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 was "thrown around like a fighter jet" in the moments after it lost contact with authorities in a bid to avoid radar, an investigator has said.

The plane climbed 10,000ft above its cruising altitude to 45,000ft, then dropped to just 5,000ft. "It was being flown very low at very high speed. And it was being flown to avoid radar," a source close to the investigation told the Sunday Times.

Flight MH370 was carrying 239 people — most of them Chinese — when it disappeared March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing.

After a week of optimism over four underwater signals believed to be coming from the missing Malaysian plane, the sea has gone quiet and Prime Minister Tony Abbott is warning that the massive search will likely be long.

No new electronic pings have been heard since April 8, and the batteries powering the locator beacons on the jet's black box recorders may already be dead. They only last about a month, and that window has already passed. Once officials are confident no more sounds will be heard, a robotic submersible will be sent down to slowly scour for wreckage across a vast area in extremely deep water.

"No one should underestimate the difficulties of the task still ahead of us," Mr Abbott said in Beijing, on the last day of his China trip.

Growing caution... Prime Minister Tony Abbott answers questions from Chinese media. Source: News Corp Australia

Mr Abbott appeared to couch his comments from a day earlier, when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to brief him on the search.

After analysing satellite data, officials believe the plane flew off course for an unknown reason and went down in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast.

Abbott expressed confidence that the signals heard by an Australian ship, which is towing a US Navy device that listens for flight recorder pings, were coming from the missing Boeing 777's black boxes. But he said the fading batteries were making the job much harder. Recovering the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders is essential for investigators to try to piece together what happened to Flight 370.

"There's still a lot more work to be done and I don't want anyone to think that we are certain of success, or that success, should it come, is going to happen in the next week or even month. There's a lot of difficulty and a lot of uncertainty left in this," he said.

In Malaysia, Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Saturday refuted a front-page report in a local newspaper, the New Strait Times, that a signal from the mobile phone of copilot Fariq Abdul Hamid was picked up by a telecommunications tower near the Malaysian city of Penang shortly before the plane disappeared from radar. The newspaper report said the signal ended abruptly before contact was established.

View from the bridge... HMAS Toowoomba is one of the naval vessels deployed to the search zone. Source: AFP

Hishammuddin, who is also the acting transport minister, told the Malaysian national news agency Bernama that he should have been aware of the phone call earlier, but that wasn't the case.

"I cannot comment (on the newspaper report) because if it is true, we would have known about it much earlier," Hishammuddin said after praying at a mosque in southern Jofor state, according to Bernama.

He added that it was irresponsible for anyone to take the opportunity to make "baseless" reports.

Four sounds heard April 5 and April 8 by the Australian ship Ocean Shield, which was towing the ping locator, were determined to be consistent with signals emitted from the two black boxes.

The underwater search zone is currently a 1300-square-kilometre patch of the seabed, about the size of Los Angeles.

Fading hopes... Crew on HMAS Toowoomba scan the seas for signs of the missing jet. Source: AFP

The searchers want to pinpoint the exact location of the source of the sounds — or as close as they can get — before sending the sub down. It will not be deployed until officials are confident that no other electronic signals are present.

The Bluefin 21 submersible takes six times longer to cover the same area as the ping locator, and will need about six weeks to two months to canvass the current underwater zone. The signals are also coming from 4500 metres below the surface, which is the deepest the Bluefin can dive.

The surface area being searched on Sunday for floating debris was 57,506 square kilometres of ocean extending about 2200 kilometres northwest of Perth. Up to 12 planes and 14 ships were participating in the hunt.

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Napping can cut years off your life

Power nap ... Scientists say napping can increase the chances of a premature death by a third. Picture: Thinkstock Source: ThinkStock

IT might boost your energy in the short-term, but regular power napping could increase the likelihood of an early death by a third, a study has found.

People who snooze for an hour or more are two-and-a-half times more likely to die from respiratory illnesses such as emphysema, pneumonia and bronchitis, than those who only sleep at night, MailOnline reported.

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, claims that napping can cause inflammation in the body which may trigger various lung diseases.

Cambridge University researchers, who monitored the lifestyles of 16,000 British adults over 13 years, found that people who dozed for less than an hour in the day increased the chance of death by around 14 per cent.

It rose to 32 per cent if the nap lasted for more than an hour.

Researchers also concluded that frequent napping could also be a sign of a medical problem.

However Professor Jim Horne, from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, told MailOnline that most people are not at risk from napping.

He was not connected to the study.

"The findings actually show that the great majority — about 85 per cent — of those people who napped less than one hour were at no greater risk," he said.

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brave Chloe tells who took her

Friends of the Campbell family believe Chloe was snatched to scare her father in an act of retribution.

CHLOE Campbell has described her apparent abductor as "daddy's friends" as investigations into her unusual kidnapping continue.

The three-year-old used the words when answering family and friends about her mysterious two-day disappearance.

Detective Inspector Bruce McNab told The Courier-Mail the little girl had provided police with "information (they) can use".

He said Chloe's secrets had led police to pursue a particular line of inquiry, but detectives were keeping an open mind and pursuing several leads.

But Insp McNab said Chloe had not referred to "daddy's friends" when questioned by specialist police investigators who have spoken to her several times.

"At no time has she made that reference (about daddy's friends") to police," he said. "Chloe has obviously spoken to family but they've never told us about daddy's friends."

Chloe is happily reunited with parents Garth Campbell and Tammy O'Donnell as police continue to investigate her abduction from the family home. Picture: Sabrina Lauriston

Police were yesterday taking statements and interviews following The Courier-Mail's revelations Chloe's apparent kidnapping could be payback.

It comes amid mounting speculation that the innocent child was used as a pawn to threaten her father Garth Campbell.

READ MORE AT THE COURIERMAIL.COM.AU

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Liverpool wins epic at emotional Anfield

Liverpool fans deliver a touching tribute on the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster with a stirring rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone.

Philippe Coutinho celebrates his vital winner. Source: Getty Images

PHILIPPE Coutinho's 78th-minute winner gave Liverpool a crucial 3-2 victory over Premier League title rivals Manchester City on a day of raw emotion at Anfield on Sunday night.

City fought back from 2-0 down to level the scores, but a mistake by captain Vincent Kompany let Coutinho slam home a first-time shot that leaves Liverpool within sight of their first league title since 1990.

An afternoon that began with tributes to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster ended with Liverpool seven points clear of City at the top of the table, albeit having played two more games.

It was a 10th successive win for Brendan Rodgers's side, who scored first-half goals through Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel, and means that they will be crowned champions if they win their remaining four games.

City responded impressively in the second half to draw level. David Silva scored and then forced an own goal by Glen Johnson, but their destiny is no longer in their hands.

It was to prove a costly encounter for both teams, however, with City midfielder Yaya Toure and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge limping off, while Liverpool's Jordan Henderson was shown a straight red card for an injury-time lunge on Samir Nasri.

Liverpool repaid their fans' touching Hillsborough tribute by scoring two first-half goals.

A solemnly observed minute's silence in memory of the 96 Liverpool fans who died after a crush at Sheffield's Hillsborough stadium in an FA Cup semi-final in April 1989 made for a fervent atmosphere at a sun-drenched Anfield, and the home side quickly clicked into gear.

Kompany was declared fit to play after an injury scare in training on Saturday, but the City defence was immediately made to look vulnerable as Liverpool took a sixth-minute lead.

Luis Suarez freed Sterling with a fine, incisive pass and the 19-year-old exhibited superb composure to send Kompany and goalkeeper Joe Hart one way and then the other before shooting into an unguarded net.

Liverpool's Martin Skrtel, left, celebrates his goal with Luis Suarez. Source: AP

In reply, Toure ballooned a shot over the bar but seemed to injure himself in the process. Javi Garcia entered the fray in his place moments later.

- Silva inspires fightback -

Liverpool have made storming starts their calling card at Anfield this season -- they went 4-0 up against Arsenal in only 20 minutes -- and after Sturridge had poked wide from a Sterling cross, they doubled their lead in the 26th minute.

There was a stunning tribute before the match. Source: Getty Images

Hart brilliantly tipped a header from Steven Gerrard over the bar after the Liverpool captain was left unmarked at a corner, but within a minute he was picking the ball out of his net.

Gerrard swept the resulting corner towards the near post and Skrtel outmuscled Kompany before glancing a header past Hart to claim his fifth goal in 10 games.

City finished the first half strongly though, with Sterling and Johnson combining to clear a Kompany header off the line and Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet blocking a volley from Fernandinho.

David Silva put in a world class display. Source: AP

City manager Manuel Pellegrini introduced James Milner for Jesus Navas early in the second half and in the 57th minute he created the goal that gave City a foothold in the game, swapping passes with Fernandinho and crossing for Silva to tuck the ball home.

Suddenly the visitors had their tails up, with Silva to the fore, and after drilling in a cross that narrowly eluded Dzeko, he forced the equaliser with a centre that was diverted into the net by Johnson.

Raheem Sterling was unplayable in the first half. Source: AFP

To make matters worse for Liverpool, Sturridge limped off injured in the aftermath of the goal, with Joe Allen coming on.

Pellegrini sent on the fit-again Sergio Aguero and he almost laid on the winner for Silva with a low cross from the left, but the stretching Spaniard managed only to brush the ball with his studs.

It was to prove a telling moment. Minutes later, Kompany's sliced clearance fell straight to Coutinho and the Brazilian slammed home a first-time shot to leave Anfield dreaming of glory again.

RE-LIVE HOW THE NIGHT UNFOLDED IN OUR BLOG BELOW:

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman attacked by five bears

Uninvited guests... The bears were looking for food in the woman's garage. Picture: John Moore Source: AFP

A US WOMAN made a dramatic escape after she was attacked by five black bears she discovered rooting through the bins in her garage.

The unnamed 45-year-old was dragged out into the driveway by the animals, leaving her with a number of cuts and scrapes to her body.

Miraculously though the woman got away from the bears and ran back into her home and alerted her husband, who called police.

The attack happened in Lake Mary, in Seminole County, Florida. The bears "dragged her from inside the garage out into her driveway," Seminole County Sheriff Pete Brenenstuhl told the local WKMG TV station.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission warned that black bears and their cubs have started moving around in search of food after winter.

"Now is the time to expect bears to show up looking for food," Dave Telesco, the head of the wildlife commission's bear management program, said in an advisory.

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sophie’s family reveal heartbreak

Benjamin James Milward is wanted by Queensland police over the murder of French student Sophie Collombet.

Sophie Collombet, 21, was murdered in a suspected random attack on Brisbane's Southbank. Source: Supplied

INSIDE an envelope kept in a handbag on the sideboard of the Collombet kitchen there is a single photograph.

It's a private image that for now they only share with those close. It was taken a year ago and shows Sophie Collombet standing by the kitchen table surrounded by her brothers Guillaume and Lionel and parents Guy and Corrine.

THE VIOLENT PAST OF HUNTED MAN

A SMILE, A WAVE - AND SHE WAS GONE

It records a happy moment, broad smiles on all, particularly Sophie's face, and was taken on the day she was leaving for her latest "adventure", as she called it, to Brisbane. She had promised to come home to France.

"It was one of the last photos taken we have of her," her mother said yesterday as the family stood around the same table almost in the exact spot, in a near identical image one year on — except the smiles are long gone and one person is missing.

Overwhelming grief ... Sophie Collombet's brothers and parents - Lionel, Guillaume, Corinne and Guy - are in daily contact with Queensland Police. Picture: Ella Pellegrini Source: DailyTelegraph

No words are spoken, the photo is passed around in silence between family members again.

The distress Sophie's murder has taken on her family is etched on their creased faces and tired bloodshot eyes. In their home in the village of St-Julien-Mont-Denis high in the French Alps a saucepan with coffee is permanently on the stove for visiting well-wishers, the family's genuine village hospitality maintained in the face of unimaginable sorrow and pain. A cordless phone is also nearby as are an assortment of mobiles which ring regularly with offers of support from close friends as well as a daily call from a member of the Queensland police.

But words cannot heal the family's pain, not now at least.

Waiting for answers ... Corinne and Guy, the parents of murdered student Sophie Collombet, at their home in the village of St-Julien-Mont-Denis. Picture: Ella Pellegrini Source: DailyTelegraph

"It was a Monday," Mrs Collombet starts finally as she recalls the final words she shared with her 21-year-old daughter.

"We normally speak on a Sunday but she was telling me about a website where we could check the results of the local (French) council elections. She wanted to know what was happening in the village and told us how she was following on the site."

They would never speak again.

When Sophie's housemate reported her missing, a friend in France found a news web page with details of jewellery found on an unidentified body. She passed the web link to the family and together with Sophie's boyfriend Boris the jewellery was identified as those belonging to Sophie. Then came the call no parent should have to take.

Love of travel ... murdered French student Sophie Collombe with her boyfriend Boris. Source: Supplied

"Yes it was difficult (the call from police)," Mrs Collombet told News Corp. "We still can't believe it, we thought 'it can't be true, it's not true, it's not real' we still can't believe it has happened."

Mrs Collombet speaks haltingly, all the family members do and when one can't finish a sentence another will do it for them. It's the way it's been all week.

Guillaume said when they saw that jewellery on the website having already learnt Sophie had not been seen by friends for two days they instantly knew the worst.

"From that moment we knew straight away," he said. "All our family live around here and they all came to this home to talk about it. We would speak with Sophie once a week on (Skype) usually on a Sunday, normally from (our parents' home). Sometimes it was just my parents but other times me or Boris or Lionel and friends. It was a thing. She would tell us how great it was in Brisbane. She was an adventurer, very curious and loved travelling. She had friends everywhere."

Horrific ... CCTV footage shows Sophie Louise Collombet on the night she was murdered. Source: Supplied

Mr Collombet said he could not believe the support his family has had from Brisbane but also from across Australia

"The French embassy, the policemen, the (Brisbane) Town Hall people, everybody in Australia has done absolutely everything that is possible to help in any way," he said. "There is a website made for us in Australia where people have been posting messages and they get translated into French. French people living in Australia offer support, many people. The problem now is to get her back as soon as possible."

When asked why the family did not go to Brisbane when fingerprint and dental x-ray records kept matched what police found in the park near William Jolly Bridge, Mr Collombet becomes emotional.

Beyond comprehension ... floral tributes at the rotunda in Kurilpa Park where Sophie Collombet's body was found. Source: News Corp Australia

"At the beginning we couldn't decide as soon as we got the news, we couldn't make decision and also the first information they told us was she was unrecognisable so we didn't go for that reason," he said.

"But after a while we found out she was still pretty, beautiful."

Evidence of Sophie is everywhere about the Collombet home. On the mantle is a clock in the shape of a map of Australia which Sophie sent over for her mother's 50th birthday; on the fridge are postcards of koalas, Brisbane by night, Australian landscapes. Her image is also on a cushion on the sofa where family dog Isope likes to sit.

"She was happy always, always with a smile," Lionel, who travelled to Brisbane to see his sister last September, said. "She got along with everybody and had many friends everywhere."

Police have released CCTV footage of Sophie Collombet leaving a bus at the Cultural Centre Bus Stop from the night she was murdered.

Her wide circle of friends were across the globe, explains Mr Collombet.

"She studied a lot overseas, starting when she was really young not even 18. She did one year of languages in Chambery (south-eastern France city) then she went to Denmark in her second year and she was still not quite 18. She could have stayed in Chambery but she wanted to go. Third year she came back to France to study in Chambery again, then after that did work experience with a company in Berlin, Germany, then after to Australia. She was to come back in June."

When asked where she considered home, all said without a doubt France and the village of St-Julien-Mont-Denis surrounded by alpine peaks where she loved to ski.

"She was coming back in two months, to say hello to friends and family and then leave maybe again," Lionel said. "She didn't have an idea of where to go next, although maybe she knew and didn't tell us."

Mrs Collombet added: "That was her life. She wanted to travel she didn't want to stay too long in the same place. She would come back to France and go and come back to France again and go away to discover."

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH370 flew around Indo airspace

Australian planes may be sent to the southern Indian Ocean search where a 'pulse signal' was detected.

THE missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may have flown around Indonesian airspace on the night it disappeared, in what may have been a deliberate attempt to avoid radar detection.

CNN reported a senior Malaysian government source saying that the missing jet made the detour after it had left the range of Malaysian military radar.

The latest details emerged as new satellite calculations put the likely location of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the same spot where Chinese patrol vessel Haixun 01 detected deep water acoustic sounds on two consecutive days.

In the strongest lead to date, Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston said the Haixun 01 picked up sounds coming from about 4,500m down, in two locations just two kilometres apart, on Friday and Saturday.

The searchers are seeking the jet's two black boxes, the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder. This has raised the possibility the Haixun 01 may have heard frequencies from the two separated boxes from a crashed and broken plane.

Hopes of breakthrough ... Chinese vessel the Haixun 01 detected the signal hours after it picked up an initial pulse signal. Source: AFP

While Mr Houston viewed the developments as positive, he warned against any drawing any conclusions until the sounds had been properly evaluated.

He said the Australian Defence vessel Ocean Shield had also detected acoustic noises from its towed pinger locator on Sunday morning, in a more northern area.

But given the strength of the Chinese lead, Ocean Shield would likely be deployed to join Haixun 01 once it had fully investigated what it was picking up.

She and HMS Echo, which also has deep-sea listening equipment, would not likely arrive till later on Monday or Tuesday, in a new search area which appears to be about 1500km west of Shark Bay.

This location coincides with new advice from experts calculating the plane's likely flight path, now placing it slightly further south than they thought.

It is understood the revision is because they found issues with the satellite when it was receiving information from the flight as it headed wildly off-course on March 8.

The Chinese have reported seeing white objects floating about 90km from the new area.

News of Friday afternoon's acoustic detection was released to the world by the Chinese government's Xinhua news agency, via reporters on the boat.

Mr Houston, who is leading the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, agreed this was how he first heard about it.

Signs of hope ... the towed pinger locator on the deck of the Ocean Shield. Source: Supplied

The Australians approached the Chinese asking for more information.

"This morning we were contacted by the Chinese authorities and advised that Haixun 01 had late yesterday afternoon redetected the signals for 90 seconds within just two kilometres of the original section," Mr Houston said.

He would not be drawn to criticising the Chinese method of information sharing, preferring to see it as a positive.

"This is an important and encouraging lead, but one which I urge you to treat carefully," he said.

"Based on the new advice, the southern area (of the existing search zone, where Haixun 01 is operating) now has a higher priority."

Air and sea searchers will converge on the Haixun 01 location today, with 10 military, two civil aircraft and 13 ships participating.

Search for debris ... an observer watches as a smoke flare is deployed to mark an unidentified object. Source: Getty Images

Neither Mr Houston nor the RAN's Commodore Peter Leavy talked in terms of the vessels picking up frequencies at 37.5 kHz per second, which is the international standard beacon frequency for black boxes.

They instead talked of "fleeting acoustic events". Mr Houston said Haixun 01 stayed in the area after hearing the first sound, and picked up a more sustained event lasting 90 seconds yesterday.

As the search entered Day 30 yesterday, the batteries in the black boxes are due to fail at any time, putting greater pressure on the multinational task force.

Pleading with the media not to draw conclusions that the plane had been found, Mr Houston said for the sake of families all information had to be treated as unverified until it was confirmed.

It has been a month since Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared en route to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Chinese state media say China detected a pulse signal from the black box in the search for missing jet MH370

Time running out to find black box

Batteries in the Malaysia Airlines 777's two black boxes are due to expire by Monday.

Australian planes may be sent to the southern Indian Ocean search area where the "pulse signal" was detected.

But the Australian team leading the international search has warned there is no confirmed link to the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

Big guns ... a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft flies over Perth returning from search operations. Source: AP

Late on Saturday it was reported by the Xinhua News Agency — apparently from Chinese reporters on the vessel — that a 15-second pulse was picked up at around 4.30pm.

The pulse was reportedly emitting pulses every second at 37.5kHz — the international standard beacon frequency for black boxes.

The Malaysia Airlines jet had two black boxes aboard, the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder.

It would be expected that a boat such as Haixun 01, which is thought to have a hull-mounted beacon-listening device, would initially pick up a signal and then lose it as it passed over the location. It would then retrace its steps to refine the location.

The JACC did not say whether the Australian Defence support vessel Ocean Shield, which has been towing a pinger locator in areas east of the Haixun 01, will now be moved to Haixun's location.

Searching ... Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield in the search area for MH370. Picture: LSIS Bradley Darvill/Australian Defence Force Source: AFP

The location, which according to Xinhua is 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, places it in a new area beneath and above areas that have already been searched, roughly 1500km west-north-west of Shark Bay.

Chinese naval vessels Jinggangshan and Kunlunshan have already joined up with Haixun 01. Now it remains to be seen if there will be a convergence of ships and planes on the area.

An update from Mr Houston could come at around 11am WST, if he has anything to add.

In an interview with News Corp yesterday, prior to the Xinhua report, the mission commander on the Ocean Shield, James Lybrand, said it was to be expected that if a boat picked up black box signals, the sound would quickly fade as the ship moved away.

Vigil ... Malaysian Buddhists offer prayers for passengers onboard missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in Kuala Lumpur. Source: AFP

It would then be required to turn back over the search area and "localise" the frequency emissions, which could take many hours.

Commander Lybrand said on Saturday there was "negligible" chance any pings at 37.5kHz was from biological sources, such as whales, and would almost certainly be from one of the two black boxes.

These sounds, or pulses, cannot be heard with human ears.

Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News cited its reporter on board the patrol ship as reporting that the ship's crew had "basically confirmed" that the signal was from the missing Boeing 777-200.

However, experts have cautioned that the same signal could come from "a variety of things".

"It could be a false signal," oceanographer Simon Boxall told CNN. "We've had a lot of red herrings, hyperbole on this whole search."

Waiting for answers ... MH370 has been missing for a month. Picture: Lai Seng Sin Source: AP

The view is not necessarily shared by searchers, who believe the beacon frequencies are too distinctive to be confused for anything else.

If the signals do turn out to be from the black boxes, the priority will be to narrow the location to as small an area as possible, and then to send an automated underwater vehicle (AUV) down.

It is not clear whether the Chinese have such a vessel, but the Ocean Shield does. It can take high-resolution images and has robotic arms that would be able to grab the black boxes if they were accessible.

The AUV would be controlled by underwater search experts from private firm Phoenix International, who are aboard the Ocean Shield with RAN, and the US Navy's Supervisor of Salvage.

It would also be likely the British sub MHS Tireless, which is operating in the search zone, would also be sent to the area if it was determined the pulses were a credible lead.

Urging caution ... Retired Royal Australian Air Force Air Marshall Angus Houston is heading up the Joint Agency Coordination Centre. Picture: Rob Griffith Source: AP

Mr Houston said last night that its rescue coordination centre was now in contact with the Chinese searchers.

"The RCC in Australia has spoken to the RCC in China and asked for any further information that may be relevant," he said last night.

"The deployment of RAAF assets to the area where the Chinese ship detected the sounds is being considered. I will provide further updates if, and when, more information becomes available."

It has been a month since Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared en route to Beijing on March 8 with 239 people on board.

Up to 10 military planes, three civilian jets and 11 ships have been scouring a 217,000-sq-km of ocean northwest of Perth near where investigators have hypothesised the plane went down.

Australian Defence Minister David Johnston was asked last night about Chinese reports during a live cross on ABC24 for the WA Senate election.

"I know nothing. I don't want to confirm anything because I think there has been a lot of this sort of false positives," Senator Johnston said.

"Let's wait until we have an official release.

"But look, I'm excited, I'm optimistic, but let me tell you it's a very, very big ocean out there and up until this time, we've had a lot of disappointment."

23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More