World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

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World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

Mother jailed for manslaughter of four-year-old forced to ride motorbike

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 01:41 AM PDT

Ashlee Polkinghorne and her partner made her daughter get back on bike repeatedly despite massive injuries

An Adelaide mother who laughed as she filmed her injured four-year-old daughter repeatedly falling off a motorbike has been jailed for at least four years for the girl's manslaughter.

The mother and her then partner made the 17kg girl get back on the 50kg motorbike over a three-day period, despite her suffering massive injuries from repeatedly falling off and crashing.

Asylum seekers fail in legal bid to stop transfer to Western Australia

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 01:30 AM PDT

Lawyers say transfer condemns detainees to 'very lonely, sad existence' as case over data breach comes to a head

A last-minute legal bid to prevent the transfer of asylum seekers from Sydney to a remote detention centre in Western Australia has failed.

Lawyers working for the group of asylum seekers told the hearing at the federal circuit court in Sydney on Wednesday that the transfer would make it impossible for them to offer effective representation to their clients.

Australia should increase reliance on GST and fuel excise: Treasury secretary

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 01:19 AM PDT

Martin Parkinson says indirect taxes can support growth and higher living standards

Australia needs to consider increasing the proportion of government revenue collected from indirect taxes such as the goods and services tax or fuel excise, the Treasury secretary, Martin Parkinson, has argued.

Parkinson, who was one of the Abbott governments high-profile bureaucratic sackings, has now had his term as Treasury secretary extended at least until after the G20 leaders meeting in November.

Japanese mobsters launch their own website

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:58 AM PDT

Yakuza underworld syndicate in bid to prove humanitarian credentials with corporate song and a strong anti-drugs message

Japan's biggest organised crime syndicate has launched its own website, complete with a corporate song and a strong anti-drugs message, as the yakuza looks to turn around its outdated image and falling membership.

The clunky-sounding Banish Drugs and Purify the Nation League website is an offering from the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza grouping.

Asio chief David Irvine to step down in September

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:58 AM PDT

Director general of security agrees to stay on six months past his five-year contract while George Brandis seeks successor

The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, David Irvine, will leave his role in September, it was revealed on Wednesday.

Irvine told staff on Wednesday that he would step down as director general of security, after agreeing to stay on for an extra six months past his five-year contract while the attorney general, George Brandis, searches for a suitable replacement, Fairfax reported.

MH370: Malaysia's police chief warns plane mystery may never be solved

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:58 AM PDT

Investigators still have few clues about Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared as three more ships head to search zone

The investigation into Malaysia Airlines' flight 370's disappearance may never find the true cause, the country's police chief warned on Wednesday.

Khalid Abu Bakar said the case "may go on and on and on" and urged people to be patient as he briefed reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

Icac: Moses Obeid invokes Clinton defence during AWH questioning

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:37 AM PDT

Obeid tells commission that $3m transaction was not an investment but a loan and his family 'did not have investor relations with that company'

Moses Obeid invoked former American president Bill Clinton while denying his family had interests in Australian Water Holdings worth potentially millions of dollars.

Obeid told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) in Sydney on Wednesday that a transaction listed as a $3m investment into Australian Water was actually a loan from his brother, Eddie jnr, to AWH chief executive and family friend Nick di Girolamo.

Third gender must be recognised by NSW after Norrie wins legal battle

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:26 AM PDT

Norrie applied for non-recognition of gender in 2010 after surgery in 1989

The Australian high court has ruled that New South Wales must recognise a third gender after handing down its decision in the long-running case of Norrie, who has been fighting since 2010 to have a sex change recognised as non-specific.

Norrie, who was identified as male at birth, had applied for a name change and non-specific gender in 2010, having not identified as either sex since gender reassignment surgery in Scotland in 1989.

Renewable energy agency warns companies of potential cuts in budget

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:21 AM PDT

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is advising companies there is a 'substantial risk' the organisation could lose more funding

Companies planning to apply for grants from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency have been warned there is a substantial risk the organisation could suffer even bigger funding cuts in the May budget.

ARENA took the unusual step Wednesday of writing to stakeholders to advise that given the fiscal outlook and media speculation concerning the forthcoming budget on 13 May 2014, the future of ARENAs funding is unclear.

Chile earthquake sparks tsunami warning and evacuation of thousands

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:16 AM PDT

Deaths reported and people on coast spending night in the hills after magnitude 8.2 undersea quake triggers emergency

An earthquake of magnitude 8.2 has jolted northern Chile, triggering a tsunami alert and the evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas. At least five people were killed and more than 300 women escaped from a coastal prison.

The quake was centred under the Pacific Ocean 61 miles north-west of the city of Iquique and struck at 8.46pm as thousands of residents were arriving home from work.

NT chief minister dismisses rebel Indigenous MPs as a 'sideshow'

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:11 AM PDT

Adam Giles tries to shrug off spat with three backbenchers as Alison Anderson calls him a 'little boy'

The chief minister of the Northern Territory has called rebel MP Alison Anderson a "sideshow" as she continues to rock the government.

Anderson and two fellow Indigenous government backbenchers, Larissa Lee and Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu, have had the NT in a tailspin since walking out of parliament last week.

Chile earthquake: five dead as tsunami warning triggers coastal evacuation live updates

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 11:45 PM PDT

  • Earthquake triggers tsunami warnings, mass evacuations
  • Five people are reported to have died in the aftermath
  • Authorities have called for 'preventative evacuation'
  • Tsunami warnings cancelled, advisory in place for Hawaii

We're going to wrap up our live coverage of the earthquake and aftermath in Chile for the moment. Here's a summary of how events unfolded today:

An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck 60 kilometres northwest of the city of Iquique on Tuesday evening in Chile at 8:46pm, killing at least five people and allowing 300 prisoners to escape a nearby prison. Tremors have continued following the initial quake, and there have been more than 20 aftershocks in the region according to the United States Geological Survey.

My colleague Jonathan Franklin has just filed this update on events in Chile:

An 8.2 earthquake jolted Northern Chile killing at least 5 people and permitting more than 300 female inmates to escape a coastal prison. The quake, some 60 kilometres northwest of the city of Iquique, hit at 8:46pm as thousands of residents were arriving home from work.

As air raid sirens blared and emergency warnings urged residents to evacuate by foot to higher ground, in several coastal cities traffic jams ensued as panicked residents sought to escape the coast. The first tsunami surge measured 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) and flooded low lying areas of Iquique including a medical clinic and a bus terminal.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has indicated in their latest release that a major Tsunami is not expected to strike Hawaii - but it should be stressed the tsunami advisory is still in place:

Based on all available data a major tsunami is not expected to strike the state of Hawaii. However...sea level changes and strong currents may occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbours and marinas. The threat may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.

The latest update from the United States Geological Survey indicates there have been at least 25 after shocks following the initial 8.2 magnitude quake. The subsequent shocks range from 4.7 to 6.2 magnitude and are scattered in the same region off the Chilean coast.

Here's a little background on the state of emergency declared by Chilean president Michelle Bachelet from Jonathan in Chile:

Under Chilean law the state of emergency provision signed by President Bachelet allows members of the armed forces to patrol the streets and assist with law enforcement.

For many Chileans, the sight of military troops on the streets rekindle ugly memories of the Pinochet dictatorship in which thousands were killed and many more systematically tortured by security forces. But because of looting during earlier national emergencies - notably the 2010 earthquake in Southern Chile city of Concepcion - Chilean authorities, including socialist president Michelle Bachelet, are not shy about bolstering public security in moments of national disaster.

Aftershocks and further earthquakes are continuing. There have been more than 10 aftershocks since the initial 8.2 magnitude quake.

In the last few hours low and medium sized earthquakes have struck Arica, Parinacota, Tarapaca and Antofagasta.

With the coastal regions of Chile evacuated, tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of people have fled to higher ground.

Tsunami warning sirens were set off when a magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit at a depth of approximately 10km off the Pacific coast of the north of Chile. In videos taken shortly after the alert, people could be seen fleeing through the streets and climbing to hilltops.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning centre has cancelled the tsunami warnings for Peru and Chile.

"Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated," said the statement. "It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre."

There have been 11 hospitals evacuated due to floods, but all others are operating normally, National Director of ONEMI, Ricardo Toro said. The evacuated hospitals are: Mussels, Chañaral, Guasco, Taltal Toltén, Corral, Queilén, Achao, Balmaceda, Swans and Puerto Chacabuco.

The Chilean president has declared a state of emergency for Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá, reports CNN.

There has been some flooding in the streets of coastal areas, but no damage from the tsunami waves which reportedly reached more than 2m in some areas.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami advisory for Hawaii.

"Based on all available data, a major tsunami is not expected to strike the state of Hawaii," it said.

Ricardo Toro, head of the ONEMI national emergency services agency, has confirmed to media the entire Chilean coastline has been evacuated.

The Chilean minister of the interior has confirmed the five deaths to media. Peñailillo also said 11 coastal hospitals have been evacuated for fears of tsunami and a planeload of prison guards and riot police is en route to Iquique.

Omeni has confirmed some roads have been cut by landslides in Arica, Tarapaca, San Marcos and by floods in Coquimbo. Drinking water has been "preemptively" stopped in Arica.

CNN is reporting five people have been reported dead in the aftermath of the earthquake. Two reported earlier are believed to have died from heart attacks.

A Santiago Times report from last week shows the Iquique region may be better prepared for this event than it would usually.

A March 16 earthquake, in the same area near Iquique and measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale, prompted the evacuation of 100,000 people and left over 22,000 without power.

Tsunami energy map following M 8.2 earthquake in Chile http://t.co/MAczHoBmMn pic.twitter.com/sjwXwg1hBm

Three people have been seriously injured, including a two year old child, hurt when a wall collapsed, reports Cooperativa.

Cartes Mitchel, the mayor of Tarapaca has told Cooperativa more than 80,000 people along the Chilean coastline have been evacuated. Classes have been suspended in coastal regions including Valparaiso, west of Santiago.

Power remains out in Iquique, and there are unconfirmed reports of accidents in some mines - conflicting earlier information from mine operators.

Electricity is out in Iquique in Chile, and partially lost in the Peruvian cities of Tacna, Moquegua and Arequipa, reports Reuters.

Mining firms have reportedly said there has been no significant damage to their operations. There are reports of damage to at least one airport.

This just in from Jonathan Franklin. The mayor of Alto Hospicio, a municipality next to Iquique, has delivered the first reports of deaths during the earthquake. According to the mayor, one person died of a heart attack. The other death is being investigated.

The Chilean Interior Minister, Rodrigo Peñailillo, has just told media the tsunami warning will remain in place for another six hours.

Jonathan Franklin has provided a few more details on the prisoner escape. The prisoners are all female, and an adhoc force of carabineros - national police - and what Interior Minister Rodrigo Peñailillo said were 300 members of the "armed forces" (likely the Chilean Army) have been brought in to help control the city, Franklin reports.

An emergency flight of another 100 riot police was being organised.

PDI ya ha recapturado 16 internas producto de una fuga en la cárcel de mujeres de Iquique.

The large earthquake was felt on the North American continent as well, as this seismograph shows.

Alabama seismograph captured M8.2 Chile #earthquake - image via @alabamaquake: M8.2, pic.twitter.com/qpu4YIz0IC

Jonathan Franklin reports 300 prisoners have escaped during the earthquake in northern Chile city of Iquique, according to the Chilean Interior Minister, Rodrigo Peñailillo.

Speaking at a hastily arranged press conference, Peñailillo said that an emergency flight of 100 riot police would be flown immediately to northern Chile to maintain order. Peñailillo said that 300 members of the armed forces (presumed Army) have been sent to the streets to work alongside Carabineros police force.

The Pacific tsunami warning centre has cancelled its earlier tsunami warning for all areas except Chile and Peru - where a warning remains in place.

There were some earlier reports that had the magnitude of the quake at 8.0, but the official measurement by the United States Geological Survey lists a magnitude of 8.2.

Our correspondent Jonathan Franklin has just sent through another update on events:

Throughout Northern Chile, air raid type sirens and pre-recorded Tsunami warnings are sending tens of thousands of Chileans to higher ground. Memories of the February 27 2010 8.8 quake are still fresh. In that earlier quake waves topped 65 feet and killed dozens along the coast.

President Bachelet mobilising entire government in response given the huge criticism of her previous administration's response to February 2010 quake.

Looting reported in northern Chile city of Iquique after massive 8.3 Chilean quake. Calls on social media for Police help. #Chilequake

There have also been early reports of landslides in some areas, according to Reuters:

Chile's ONEMI emergency office said that it has initial reports that the massive earthquake that struck off the country's north Tuesday night has caused landslides which are partially blocking some roads and highways.

Here is the United States Geological Survey analysis of the Chilean quake:

The April 1, 2014 M8.2 earthquake in northern Chile occurred as the result of thrust faulting at shallow depths near the Chilean coast. The location and mechanism of the earthquake are consistent with slip on the primary plate boundary interface, or megathrust, between the Nazca and South America plates. At the latitude of the earthquake, the Nazca plate subducts eastward beneath the South America plate at a rate of 65 mm/yr. Subduction along the Peru-Chile Trench to the west of Chile has led to uplift of the Andes mountain range and has produced some of the largest earthquakes in the world, including the 2010 M 8.8 Maule earthquake in central Chile, and the largest earthquake on record, the 1960 M 9.5 earthquake in southern Chile.

The April 1 earthquake occurred in a region of historic seismic quiescence termed the northern Chile or Iquique seismic gap. Geodetic modeling indicates that the subducting and overriding plates are partially to fully-locked, implying that large earthquake are possible along the plate boundary megathrust. Historical records indicate a M 8.8 earthquake occurred within the Iquique gap in 1877, which was preceded immediately to the north by an M 8.8 earthquake in 1868.

A video has been posted of the coastline that shows Chilean residents taking part in the evacuation.

The Guardian's John Franklin has just sent through this update about events on the ground:

First waves hitting northern coast around eight feet high. Fears that next round of waves could be worse. Evacuation order for huge swaths of Northern Chile to be in effect throughout the night. Traffic jams as citizens ignore pleas to evacuate on foot.

Reuters have more on the tsunami warning and the scope of the potential risks:

A major earthquake of magnitude 8.0 struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami that hit the northern part of the country and a tsunami warning for all of South and Central America's Pacific coast.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was very shallow, only 6.2 miles below the seabed, and struck at 6:46 p.m. local time (2346 GMT) 62 miles northwest of the mining port of Iquique, near the Peruvian border.

Chilean authorities have issued a "preventative evacuation" call for the northern coastline of Chile following a magnitude 8.2 earthquake off the coast. There are reports that waves may have already struck some parts of the coast, but they have not been large enough to cause any damage. We'll be following events closely, and below is a summary of how events currently stand:

Alexander Downer: from fishnet stockings to foreign envoy

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 11:40 PM PDT

Australia's new high commissioner to London is a staunch conservative who gave unstinting support for US invasion of Iraq

During his time as Australias longest-serving foreign minister, Alexander Downer was frequently portrayed by cartoonists as wearing fishnet stockings.

The caricature dates back to an incident that Australias incoming high commissioner to the UK would probably prefer to forget.

Chile residents flee coast after earthquake triggers tsunami warnings video

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 10:26 PM PDT

Tens of thousands of people have fled to higher ground after a major earthquake off the coast of Chile. Tsunami warning sirens were set off when a magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit at a depth of approximately 10km off the Pacific coast of the north of Chile. In videos taken shortly after the alert, people could be seen fleeing through the streets and climbing to hilltops. Authorities said the tsunami alert would last about six hours. Chile is in an area prone to seismic activity

Washington primary: Muriel Bowser wins mayoral nomination

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 10:26 PM PDT

Democract on track to take reins of city in November election after corruption claims hurt incumbent Vincent Gray

A corruption investigation into the Washington mayor, Vincent Gray, torpedoed his hopes of winning a second term on Wednesday as voters in the key Democratic primary election overwhelming favoured alternative candidate Muriel Bowser.

Though Bowser must still face former Republican David Catania, who is running as an independent in November's general election, her landslide primary win over Gray all but ensures she will take control of the Democrat-dominated city.

Brisbane police seek public's help to find killer of young French woman

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 10:21 PM PDT

Twenty-one-year-old is the fourth young foreign national to be murdered in Brisbane since November

Police are appealing for assistance in the search for the killer of a 21-year-old French woman, whose body was found in a Brisbane park on Friday.

Sophie Collombet had been studying at Griffith university since arriving in February last year.

Tsunami emergency in Chile after magnitude 8.2 earthquake

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 09:33 PM PDT

Widespread evacuations ordered and deaths reported as big quake out in ocean sends waves surging towards mainland

A powerful magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck off Chile's northern coast on Tuesday night, causing landslides and sparking a tsunami alert that led to an evacuation of coastal areas.

Asylum seeker reports department to federal police over 'punitive' transfer

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:45 PM PDT

Lawyers for a group of asylum seekers due to be transferred from a western Sydney detention centre to remote WA claim that the decision is an interference with the judicial process

An asylum seeker has reported the Department of Immigration to the Australian federal police for what the complaint describes as the criminal transfer to a remote detention centre in Western Australia.

Some 83 asylum seekers, mostly Sri Lankans, Iranians and Afghans, held in the Villawood detention centre in Sydney were told on Monday they would be transferred to Curtin in the Kimberley region of WA on Thursday.

MH370: Chinese teams search for flight recorders video

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:39 PM PDT

Authorities have continued to comb the Indian Ocean for signs of missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370. Chinese teams have been using audio equipment to attempt to pick up signals from the black box recorders on board the Malaysia Airlines jet, while teams from the New Zealand air force dropped markers in the area of potential debris sightings

Icac: Barry OFarrell was lobbied by AWH chief over mine plan

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:24 PM PDT

Nick di Girolamo lobbied the premier's office on behalf of Anconna Resources over a proposed $800m coalmine

The New South Wales premier, Barry OFarrell, was lobbied by the chief executive of Australian Water Holdings to approve a controversial mine proposal, Wallarah 2, a corruption inquiry has heard.

Nick di Girolamo was working for Anconna Resources when he lobbied OFarrells office, though the two did not meet, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) was told.

$425m Powerball winner claims prize

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:18 PM PDT

Northern California man with sole winning ticket in $425m draw says he will set up charity and keep out of limelight

The sole winner of February's $425m Powerball jackpot came forward to claim his prize on Tuesday.

Officials said B Raymond Buxton, a northern California man, claimed the prize at the California Lottery headquarters in Sacramento.

Washington state mudslide survivors consider shrine at site

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 07:52 PM PDT

Rescue teams press on as some of those from the area say they don't want to rebuild homes that were lost

Survivors of a mudslide in Washington state that has left dozens dead or missing say they favor turning the area into a shrine to honor those who perished once the bulldozers clear away the destruction wrought by a vast wall of debris.

Rescue teams pressed on for an 11th day of efforts to find victims of the slide, triggered when a rain-soaked hillside collapsed above the north fork of the Stillaguamish River, north-east of Seattle.








Tasmania set to allow logging in areas previously protected by peace deal

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 07:47 PM PDT

Will Hodgman says his government should unveil its alternative to the Tasmanian Forestry Agreement within the next week

Tasmanias new Liberal government is set to outline an expansion of logging in areas earmarked for protection, despite the forestry industry voicing its support for the peace deal that set out the reserves.

Will Hodgman, the Tasmanian premier, is expected to unveil the governments alternative plan to the Tasmanian Forest Agreement, or TFA, within the next week.

Tsunami warning siren blares as Chile put on alert video

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 07:16 PM PDT

A tsunami warning has been issued for Chile after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake off the north coast of the country. Video posted to YouTube purports to show a tsunami warning siren in the town of Antofagasta. Authorities have requested the 'preventive evacuation' of the country's northern coastline. The US Geological Survey says the quake was very shallow

BP closes Brisbane refinery, with hundreds of jobs to go

Posted: 01 Apr 2014 07:05 PM PDT

Up to 380 jobs will go in closure sparked by competition from large Asia-Pacific refineries, says company president

BP has announced its Bulwer Island refinery in Brisbane will close by the middle of 2015, with up to 380 jobs lost.

The president of BP Australasia, Andy Holmes, said the growth of large refineries in the Asia-Pacific region was putting huge commercial pressure on its Australian operations.


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