* A former driver of Osama Bin Laden, who claimed he scouted Afghanistan for a suitable school for his children, while overseas and on disability, has claimed insult at being allegedly labelled a 'terrorist.'
* Conveniently forgetting that his party clouded the issue, Rudd promises to fast track another republic referendum .. or kabosh another if he isn't elected PM?
* Inflation higher than expected, but with clear deflationary future from trade with a high dollar
* Norfolk Island Killer gets 24 years
Picture:TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Serial Pest Alleges Insult
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Habib accuses police of terror slur
By Evelyn Yamine
FORMER Guantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib accused a police officer of calling him a "terrorist" in a confrontation outside a Sydney court today.
Mr Habib was in Bankstown Local Court today where he faced charges of offensive conduct and using offensive language during an incident at a Bankstown McDonald's restaurant on May 25.
Although his court matters finished quickly when he pleaded not guilty to both charges, Mr Habib, 51, claimed a constable called him a "terrorist" outside the court.
It is alleged the officer approached Mr Habib, his wife Maha and their 19-year-old son Moustafa after Moustafa took a photo of the car she was driving, parked in a no stopping zone outside court.
Moustafa said the car had been following him so he took a photo on his phone and when the police officer asked him to delete the image and they refused, Mr Habib claimed she said, "you terrorist", before walking away.
Mr Habib's solicitor Philip Stewart told The Daily Telegraph he witnessed the entire exchange.
"The irony should not be lost when he is turning up to court being prosecuted for offensive language and offensive conduct and a police officer says to him 'you terrorist'," Mr Stewart said.
"It's just outrageous, it's unacceptable and it will be reported," he said.
The constable, who is attached to Fairfield detectives, said she would not comment on the matter and would speak about it with her superior.
Rudd plans republic referendum
from news.com.au
OPPOSITION Leader Kevin Rudd says another referendum on whether Australia should become a republic will be held if Labor wins office.
Mr Rudd said Australians would again be asked to decide if they wanted the British monarchy to continue as head of state, but did not know when.
"Can I say, we're going to consult the people again. We haven't fixed a time frame for doing that, and I think the time will come before too much longer when we do have an Australian as our head of state," he said during a visit to a home in Melbourne's southeast today.
Mr Rudd, a republican, said he did not believe the republic issue was a "first order concern" for working families right now, but the time would come when it was.
"I think what they want us to deal with are the problems we've been talking about here, the kitchen table concerns – housing affordability, child care, health costs as well as Work Choices and the affect on penalty rates and overtime," he told three families gathered at the house in Aspendale Gardens.
"It will just take a little while. We've asked the people once, they said no, you've got to respect that.
"But we'll work out when we'll ask them again."
Mr Rudd also said the question posed in any future referendum would be clear-cut, as he said the previous referendum had confused many people.
The 1999 referendum asked Australians whether Australia should become a republic with a president appointed by Parliament, and whether Australia should alter the constitution to insert a preamble.
Neither passed, and 54.4 per cent of Australians said no to the first question.
Living costs soar, food and petrol up
By Nicki Bourlioufas
AUSTRALIA'S inflation rate has jumped, driven higher by essential living costs such as petrol and a sharp rise in rents and fruit and vegetable costs, with no relief in sight.
The sharp rise in inflation will add to pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates, possibly next month.
Over the June quarter, the consumer price index (CPI) jumped 1.2 per cent, well above economists' expectations.
In a big hit to Australian households, the most significant price rises this quarter were for fuel (up 9.1 per cent), hospital and medical services (up 3.4 per cent) and fruit costs (up 8.4 per cent).
Other big contributors were rents (up 1.6 per cent), vegetables (up 6.1 per cent), furniture (up 3.9 per cent) and house purchase costs (up 1.0 per cent).
ANZ chief economist Saul Eslake said the rise in rents was the biggest quarterly jump since the September quarter of 1989.
JPMorgan chief economist Stephen Walters said price rises for rent, petrol, food, furniture, hospital care and household goods were expected, but the magnitute of the across-the-board increases was a surprise.
"Clearly, there's a lot of prices pressures out there," he said. "There's a lot more to come over ... the next half of the year."
Rate pressure rises
Over the year, inflation rose 2.1 per cent over the year to the June quarter, within the central bank's 2 to 3 per cent inflation target.
But underlying inflation, which strips volatile prices from the inflation rate, rose 2.7 per cent, well above analysts' expectation.
The number isn't good news for Australian households as it adds to pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to raise interest rates.
The RBA sets interest rates to keep inflation between 2 and 3 per cent.
Since 2002, Australians have faced eight interest rate rises and some analysts are now predicting a rate rise before the federal election.
"It's making it much more likely that we get an interest rate increase and possibly in August," said Grange Securities research director Stephen Roberts .
"The two quarterly readings of 0.9 per cent for the weighted medium and trimmed mean ... are the highest quarterly readings we've had over the past four years."
Housing costs soar
Over the twelve months to June quarter 2007, housing costs rose 3.6 per cent.
This rise was mainly attributable to a sharp lift in rents (up 5.2 per cent), a rise in house prises (up 2.7 per cent), and property rates and charges (up 5.6 per cent).
Annually, housing costs were led by rises in Darwin (up 7.3 per cent), Perth (up 5.7 per cent) and Brisbane (up 5.1 per cent).
Other costs which rose rise well above the official inflation rate were essential costs such as health (up 4.1 per ent over the year) and education (up 4.3 per cent).
But some good news came for those with money to spend. Price falls for domestic holiday travel and accommodation (down 3.5 per cent) and TV and computing equipment (down 2.4 per cent) helped offset the quarterly rise in the CPI.
The Australian dollar rallied on the news, as traders increased bets of an interest rate rise this year. At 12.24pm, the Australian dollar was quoted at US88.34 cents.
A strong dollar has helped to keep Australia's inflation rate down, by cutting the costs of imported goods such as TVs and computers.
With AAP
Nicki Bourlioufas is the business editor of NEWS.com.au
Norfolk Island killer gets 24 years
from news.com.au
NEW Zealand chef Glenn McNeill was today jailed for at least 18 years for the "callous" murder of Janelle Patton on Norfolk Island.
Ms Patton, 29, was found several hours after she disappeared on Easter Sunday 2002. She suffered more than 60 injuries including stab wounds, cuts and broken bones.
McNeill, 29, originally told police he had run over Ms Patton and later stabbed her with a fishing knife before dumping her body.
But he retracted the claims at his trial, saying he was suffering mental health problems when he confessed.
In March, a Norfolk Island Supreme Court jury found him guilty of murder, and Chief Justice Mark Weinberg today sentenced him to a maximum of 24 years in prison.
McNeill may be eligible for release after 18 years. Conditions would include good behaviour for six years and a $5000 bond.
Sentencing McNeill today in the Norfolk Island Supreme Court - sitting in Sydney but broadcast live to Norfolk's courthouse - Chief Justice Weinberg called the crime "callous and senseless" and seemingly without reason.
"You took the life of an innocent young woman intentionally and without any semblance of justification or excuse," he said.
"She was a total stranger to you and had done you no harm. She died in the most appalling way.
"Your crime has shocked the small community of Norfolk Island, it has sickened the people of Australia, it demands severe punishment."
Ms Patton, from Sydney, had been living on Norfolk for 2-½ years.
Her murder, the first there for 150 years, sparked fear and suspicion among residents of the tiny former penal colony off Australia's east coast.
McNeill was arrested in New Zealand after forensic and fingerprint evidence linked him to the crime.
Ms Patton's parents Ron and Carol Patton, and McNeill's partner, were in Sydney today as the sentence was handed down.
McNeill will serve his sentence in NSW, with no adequate facilities on the island for long-term inmates and no prisoner transfer arrangements with New Zealand.
He intends to lodge an appeal against the conviction.
The maximum penalty for murder on Norfolk Island is life imprisonment.
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