EAST TIMOR: 23 JAILED FOR ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION
A court in East Timor has convicted 23 rebels over the attempted assassination of the president and prime minister in 2008, the BBC reported (3/3/10). The defendants - most of them former soldiers and police officers - were jailed for up to 16 years.
President Jose Ramos-Horta was shot and seriously wounded in the attack outside his home in the capital Dili. The Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, escaped injury when his motorcade was ambushed on the same day.
A further five defendants were acquitted, including an Australian woman, Angelita Pires, who was the girlfriend of the rebel leader killed in the assassination attempt.
REPORT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8547011.stm
GERMAN WOMAN, 80, NOW TELLS OF RAPES BY SOVIET SOLDIERS
An 80-year-old German woman has smashed a decades-long taboo by going public about the rapes she endured at the hands of Soviet soldiers during World War II in a searing book about the Red Army's crimes as it marched on Berlin, The Age reported (2/3/10).
Why Did I Have To Be A Girl? by Gabriele Koepp is the first book published about the rapes under a victim's real name. It is a harrowing, un-self pitying scrutiny of agony that the Russian establishment continues to deny to this day.
REPORT: http://www.theage.com.au/world/german-woman-breaks-taboo-on-soviet-rapes-20100301-pdic.html
ELDERLY SEEN AS 'BURDEN ON SOCIETY'
New research has found some Australians still see older people as a burden on society. Deakin University researchers questioned 113 people about their views on the over-65s for a report commissioned by the Victorian aged care organisation, Benetas.
The university's Associate Professor David Mellor says young people and baby boomers perceived older people as unproductive.
“That ties in with baby boomers talking about older people as having no ambition, or as being fragile and being a burden on society." The research revealed a number of reasons why older people were not treated with respect: "Things like the smaller family size, broken families, the pressure of time that affects people who are working, and the rise of technology," he said. REPORT: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/02/2833740.htm
‘TOUGH ON CRIME' IS REALLY 'TOUGH ON TAXPAYER'
Former Australian judges Harold Sperling, Tony Fitzgerald, and Chris Geraghty have joined academics and defence lawyers to argue for change in thinking about NSW prisons. They are lobbying for ''justice reinvestment'' policies starting to operate in the UK and USA. They concentrate on spending money to reduce numbers in prison and repeat offending.
Former Australian judges Harold Sperling, Tony Fitzgerald, and Chris Geraghty have joined academics and defence lawyers to argue for change in thinking about NSW prisons. They are lobbying for ''justice reinvestment'' policies starting to operate in the UK and USA. They concentrate on spending money to reduce numbers in prison and repeat offending.
The newsletter of Civil Liberties Australia (1/3/10) says the CLA has been saying for some time that "tough on crime" policies are really "tough on taxpayers" - they don't cut either crime rates or fear of crime in the community.
REPORT: http://au.mg1.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=1&.rand=35g4uhm91jogq
REPORT: http://au.mg1.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=1&.rand=35g4uhm91jogq
ROCK STAR ANGRY’ ANDERSON DISCUSSES STREET VIOLENCE WITH POLITICIANS
Lead singer from rock band Rose Tattoo, youth advocate and Member of the Order of Australia Gary ‘Angry’ Anderson was due to front an Australian parliamentary inquiry into youth violence on Monday to discuss underlying factors that lead some young people to engage in violent and aggressive behaviour.
“Mr Anderson has a keen interest in strategies to reduce levels of street violence among young people and the committee is keen to learn more about his experiences in this area,” Chairperson of the Family and Youth Committee Annette Ellis said.
Several other key organisations and individuals are giving evidence. Dr Wayne Warburton, representing the Australian Council on Children and the Media, will speak about the impact of exposure to media-based violence on young children and adolescents.
ACON (formerly the AIDS Council of NSW) will address the increased risks of bullying and violence experienced by young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people.
In its submission ACON says, “For the GLBT community, the fear of violence, bullying and harassment is real; particularly because 85 per cent of people in our community have experienced some form of homophobic violence.” Nina Funnell, spokesperson for survivors of sexual assault, and Mission Australia and UnitingCare were also to contribute.DETAILS: www.aph.gov.au/fchy;Secretary on 02 6277 4566; fchy.reps@aph.gov.au; www.aph.gov.au/fchy
PRUDENTIAL OF UK TO BUY AIG UNIT IN ASIA FOR $35 BILLION.
Prudential, the British insurance company, said on Monday it had agreed to buy American International Group's big life insurance business in Asia in a deal valued at $35.5 billion. The sale of American International Assurance would allow AIG to make the biggest repayment yet toward the more than $180 billion it received as part of a US Government bailout: http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na
Prudential, the British insurance company, said on Monday it had agreed to buy American International Group's big life insurance business in Asia in a deal valued at $35.5 billion. The sale of American International Assurance would allow AIG to make the biggest repayment yet toward the more than $180 billion it received as part of a US Government bailout: http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na