Saturday, 22 March 2008

Excellent holiday weather in store - CELEBRATING EASTER, Weekend Australian, 22 March, 2008.

Excellent holiday weather in store - CELEBRATING EASTER

Stapleton, John. Weekend Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 22 Mar 2008: 5.
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"The dominant feature in NSW is a significantly cooler change, which began on Thursday and has moved progressively across thestate," duty forecaster at the NSW Bureau of Metereology Jake Phillips said.
"The weather pattern we have had for the past couple of weeks has finally broken. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are forecast over the inland across the Easter period as a trough deepens over western NSW."
"If you're a metereologist, it's all a bit boring," Mr [Don White] said.
HOLIDAYMAKERS can expect fine weather around the country for the Easter weekend, with the exception of NSW, which is finally experiencing cool weather after some regions experienced a record-breaking heatwave.
Many parts of NSW, including Sydney, which peaked at 19C yesterday, had their coolest day of March. Wet and windy weather is expected in the north of the state.
The cooler weather is being welcomed. In the far west of the state, Broken Hill had 13 consecutive days over 35C, easily breaking theprevious March record of six days.
"The dominant feature in NSW is a significantly cooler change, which began on Thursday and has moved progressively across thestate," duty forecaster at the NSW Bureau of Metereology Jake Phillips said.
"The weather pattern we have had for the past couple of weeks has finally broken. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are forecast over the inland across the Easter period as a trough deepens over western NSW."
Canberra, Brisbane and Darwin can expect a few light showers, but otherwise there are few clouds in sight outside NSW. In the ACT, a trough passed over the region on Thursday, leaving a moist airstream and occasional cloudy conditions in its wake.
Another trough is forecast for the middle of the week, making showers likely.
Similarly, in Victoria showers are forecast for later in the week.
Don White of the consultancy Weatherwatch said Melbourne and Adelaide would be fine and sunny for the remainder of Easter, with temperatures in the high 20s.
Perth would have temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s.
"If you're a metereologist, it's all a bit boring," Mr White said.
"There are no extreme events and nothing startling is going to happen in the coming week. Long term, it has been pretty dry but we're on track for average rains for autumn as a whole."
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Thursday, 20 March 2008

Tearful leader thanks hospital, The Australian, 20 March, 2008.

Tearful leader thanks hospital

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 20 Mar 2008: 2.
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He recalled bleeding heavily and being fully conscious after the shooting as he was taken in "a very old battered ambulance" to anAustralian field hospital in Dili.
"I remember every detail from the moment I was shot," he said. "On the way to the heliport I fell off the chair a few times because there were no belts. I remember, even though I was bleeding, I was holding on tight. And I was telling the driver, `Go slow'. But maybe he was wise because it was only a matter of minutes for me to arrive there.
He also paid tribute to the staff of the Australian field hospital where he was first taken in East Timor, and then to all the staff in [Darwin], from the doctors to the cleaners. Asked if he had a message for his country, he said: "Please forgo violence and hatred with weapons, machetes, with arson -- we only destroy each other and the country."
FIGHTING back tears, East Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta yesterday gave his first chilling recollections of the moment he was shot, and bade farewell to the Darwin hospital staff who treated him.
The Nobel Peace laureate was discharged yesterday from hospital after multiple surgeries and five weeks of treatment following theFebruary 11 shooting.
Rebel troops shot Mr Ramos Horta outside his home and on the same day ambushed Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who escaped unharmed.
During an emotional reunion with Royal Darwin Hospital staff, a thin and pale Mr Ramos Horta thanked those who cared for him and recounted the attack for the first time in public.
He recalled bleeding heavily and being fully conscious after the shooting as he was taken in "a very old battered ambulance" to anAustralian field hospital in Dili.
"I remember every detail from the moment I was shot," he said. "On the way to the heliport I fell off the chair a few times because there were no belts. I remember, even though I was bleeding, I was holding on tight. And I was telling the driver, `Go slow'. But maybe he was wise because it was only a matter of minutes for me to arrive there.
"And then I arrived here in your hands. I thank all of you."
He then put his hands to his face and fought back tears.
He recovered his composure when a nurse told him quietly: "You have done very well."
Airlifted to Darwin on the night of February 11 in a critical condition, Mr Ramos Horta had suffered serious gunshot wounds to his chest and stomach in a shoot-out with rebels led by Alfredo Reinado, who was killed in the attack.
As revealed in The Weekend Australian two weeks ago, the Royal Darwin Hospital's leading trauma surgeons moved swiftly to stabilise the President, who had three bullet holes on the right side of his back and a huge wound lower down in the rib area.
He was then transferred to the Darwin Private Hospital from which he was discharged yesterday.
Having made the short trip back to Royal Darwin Hospital
he smilingly knocked back offers of the use of a wheelchair as he warmly greeted a group of 25 doctors, nurses and other staff.
He presented them with gifts, including Timorese coffee, which he claimed to be a natural aphrodisiac, as well as copies of pictures of himself with the Pope, who he said had prayed for his recovery.
He also paid tribute to the staff of the Australian field hospital where he was first taken in East Timor, and then to all the staff in Darwin, from the doctors to the cleaners. Asked if he had a message for his country, he said: "Please forgo violence and hatred with weapons, machetes, with arson -- we only destroy each other and the country."
Mr Ramos Horta is expected to remain in Darwin for several weeks for further treatment.
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Monday, 17 March 2008

The party's over as auctions take a dive, The Australian, 17 March, 2008.

The party's over as auctions take a dive

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 17 Mar 2008: 6.
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"The market is very delicately poised," he said. "Anecdotal evidence from agents suggests interest rates have affected buyer confidence. The auctions this weekend were erratic; some went gangbusters and some were disappointing. These are very interesting times."
"I think the auction clearance rates will get worse than this by the end of the year," he said. "The party is over."
Robert Caulfield, head of Archicentre, the institute's building advisory service, said the record number of properties for auction over the weekend and the record number of unsold houses created a buyer's market, but present circumstances meant this really was a case of "buyers beware".
AUSTRALIA'S property market has taken a nosedive, with falling auction clearance rates in most capital cities at the weekend.
Brisbane performed worst, with a clearance rate of 24 per cent, less than half the rate at the same time last year.
In Sydney, the clearance rate dropped below the psychologically important 50 per cent mark, with only 48.3 per cent selling, a drop of 11 per cent on the same time last year.
Volumes were markedly higher than last year in all states, partly because of the coming Easter weekend but also because mortgage stress is forcing a large number of people to put their homes up for sale.
Experts said the falling clearance rates reflected the dramatic drop in consumer confidence.
In Melbourne, clearance rates were 67 per cent on record volumes, with more than 1400 homes and units up for offer.
President of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria Neil Laws said clearance rates had been slowly declining since a peak of more than 80 per cent last October.
"The market is very delicately poised," he said. "Anecdotal evidence from agents suggests interest rates have affected buyer confidence. The auctions this weekend were erratic; some went gangbusters and some were disappointing. These are very interesting times."
Australian Property Monitors general manager Michael McNamara said present circumstances made it "hard not to be pessimistic about the property market".
He said the sharp fall in consumer confidence, widely reported last week, was being reflected in the property market.
He said confidence had been "beaten around" by two month-on-month hikes of 25 basis points in the cash rate, which had been compounded by the banks increasing their rates independently of the Reserve Bank.
"The fall below 50 per cent in Sydney is not a good sign, which is a shame because there were signs of a recovery late last year," he said.
"Now any hope of a strong recovery in the Sydney market has pretty much vanished. There are a lot of people for whom these last couple of lifts in the cash rates are the straw that broke the camel's back. The rise in the cost of living, record petrol prices -- all of these things are biting."
He said Melbourne's clearance rates, which had gone up to 90per cent last year, were now hovering in the 60s. In Adelaide, clearance rates were at 50 per cent, a drop from 62 per cent only last week. Brisbane's abysmal clearance rate of 23.7 per cent was less than half the same time last year.
"I think the auction clearance rates will get worse than this by the end of the year," he said. "The party is over."
Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects has warned that the mortgage crisis and the flood of home owners being forced to sell because of mortgage stress would increase the number of houses coming on to the market with serious faults.
Robert Caulfield, head of Archicentre, the institute's building advisory service, said the record number of properties for auction over the weekend and the record number of unsold houses created a buyer's market, but present circumstances meant this really was a case of "buyers beware".
He said home buyers usually added the cost of repairs or renovations on to their mortgages, but this had stopped as interest rate rises and family budgets came under pressure.
"The fact that we have 300,000 families likely to lose their homes this year because of interest rate rises and 750,000 families coming under extreme mortgage pressure, means the quickie makeover is a popular strategy for a quick sale. In normal circumstances these home owners would spend the necessary funds to repair their properties."
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Party's over as auctions take a hammering, The Australian, 17 March, 2008.

Party's over as auctions take a hammering

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 17 Mar 2008: 6.
Show highlighting
"The market is very delicately poised," he said. "Anecdotal evidence from agents suggests interest rates have affected buyer confidence. The auctions this weekend were erratic; some went gangbusters and some were disappointing. These are very interesting times."
"I think the auction clearance rates will get worse than this by the end of the year," he said. "The party is over."
Robert Caulfield, Head of Archicentre, the institute's building advisory service, said the record number of properties for auction over the weekend and therecord number of unsold houses created a buyer's market, but present circumstances meant this really was a case of "buyers beware".
AUSTRALIA'S property market has taken a nosedive, with falling auction clearance rates in most capital cities at the weekend.
Brisbane performed worst, with a clearance rate of 24 per cent, less than half the rate at the same time last year.
In Sydney, the clearance rate dropped below the psychologically important 50 per cent mark, with only 48.3 per cent selling, a drop of 11 per cent on the same time last year.
Volumes were markedly higher than last year in all states, partly because of the coming Easter weekend but also because mortgage stress is forcing a large number of people to put their homes up for sale.
Experts said the falling clearance rates reflected the dramatic drop in consumer confidence.
In Melbourne, clearance rates were 67 per cent on record volumes, with more than 1400 homes and units up for offer.
President of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria Neil Laws said clearance rates had been slowly declining since a peak of more than 80 per cent last October.
"The market is very delicately poised," he said. "Anecdotal evidence from agents suggests interest rates have affected buyer confidence. The auctions this weekend were erratic; some went gangbusters and some were disappointing. These are very interesting times."
Australian Property Monitors general manager Michael McNamara said present circumstances made it "hard not to be pessimistic about the property market".
He said the sharp fall in consumer confidence, widely reported last week, was being reflected in the property market.
He said confidence had been "beaten around" by two month-on-month hikes of 25 basis points in the cash rate, which had been compounded by the banks increasing their rates independently of the Reserve Bank.
"The fall below 50 per cent in Sydney is not a good sign, which is a shame because there were signs of a recovery late last year," he said.
"Now any hope of a strong recovery in the Sydney market has pretty much vanished. There are a lot of people for whom these last couple of lifts in the cash rates are the straw that broke the camel's back. The rise in the cost of living, record petrol prices -- all of these things are biting."
He said Melbourne's clearance rates, which had gone up to 90per cent last year, were now hovering in the 60s. In Adelaide, clearance rates were at 50 per cent, a drop from 62 per cent only last week. Brisbane's abysmal clearance rate of 23.7 per cent was less than half the same time last year.
"I think the auction clearance rates will get worse than this by the end of the year," he said. "The party is over."
Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects has warned that the mortgage crisis and the flood of home owners being forced to sell because of mortgage stress would increase the number of houses coming on to the market with serious faults.
Robert Caulfield, Head of Archicentre, the institute's building advisory service, said the record number of properties for auction over the weekend and therecord number of unsold houses created a buyer's market, but present circumstances meant this really was a case of "buyers beware".
He said home buyers usually added the cost of repairs or renovations on to their mortgages, but this had stopped as interest rate rises and family budgets came under pressure.
"The fact that we have 300,000 families likely to lose their homes this year because of interest rate rises and 750,000 families coming under extreme mortgage pressure, means the quickie makeover is a popular strategy for a quick sale."
In normal circumstances these home owners would spend the necessary funds to repair their properties."
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Thursday, 13 March 2008

Police seize 250kg of cocaine in 'staggering' bust, The Australian, 13 March, 2008.

Police seize 250kg of cocaine in `staggering' bust

Stapleton, John; Trad, Sanna. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 13 Mar 2008: 7.
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NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione described the amount of drugs as "staggering." High quality cocaine sells in Sydney for about $300 a gram. "This is 250kg of cocaine that will not be adding to Australia's drug misery," he said.
AUSTRALIAN Federal Police yesterday celebrated the seizure of 250kg of cocaine, with a street value of $87.5 million, and predicted the bust would seriously affect the supply of the drug.
The seizure, the fourth-biggest in Australia, was made after police became suspicious about millions of dollars being transferred to bank accounts in Southeast Asia during January.
Three people faced court in Sydney yesterday over the bust. A 50-year-old man and two women aged 28 and 25, all from south Sydney, were charged with importing and trying to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine.
They were arrested on Tuesday after police raids on nine different properties across the city.
Police alleged the cocaine was concealed in one kilogram portions inside packets labelled "green tea". The packets were contained in 10 boxes inside a shipping container of furniture.
Acting on a tip-off, investigators from the Joint Asian Crime Gang inspected the shipping container when it arrived in Sydney from Southeast Asia last week, substituting similar looking material to cocaine and monitoring the delivery to a warehouse in Auburn, in Sydney's west.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione described the amount of drugs as "staggering." High quality cocaine sells in Sydney for about $300 a gram. "This is 250kg of cocaine that will not be adding to Australia's drug misery," he said.
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