Australia could bolster Afghanistan troop numbers

CANBERRA: Australia welcomed a U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan and could also send more soldiers, if European allies agreed to do the same, Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said Wednesday.

Fitzgibbon told Australian television he looked forward to discussing details of the plan to deploy an additional 17,000 U.S. troops to battle al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a NATO forum in Krakow, Poland, this week. President Barack Obama’s administration has not yet requested a larger Australian contribution, but such a request would be considered, Fitzgibbon said.

source : jang.com.pk

Australia wildfire arsonist given in police custody

MELBOURNE: Australian police called for calm Monday as a suspected arsonist was named in court after a swarm of wildfires killed more than 180 people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

A magistrate lifted an order suppressing the name of 39-year-old Brendan Sokaluk, who prosecutors say started a fire that killed some 11 people and razed about 200 homes.

Sokaluk, who has been charged with arson causing death and intentionally lighting a bush fire, did not appear in court and was remanded in custody until the next hearing on April 14.

He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in jail if convicted on the arson charge.

Sokaluk was arrested in a small country town last Friday over a bush fire near Churchill east of Melbourne before being transferred to the Victoria state capital for his own safety.

Earlier, state police chief Christine Nixon had appealed to the public to stay away from the court.

“We hope that we don’t have to deal with a gang of people who are angry and concerned about this arrest. We know people are,” state police commissioner Christine Nixon told reporters.

“Coming to court and protesting is not an appropriate thing to do.

“We will make sure he is protected and can go before the justice system, as he should, and be dealt with through that process.”

There was a heavy police presence in court for the hearing Monday, but no angry protesters turned up.

Police are still investigating some of the other fires that raged through Victoria state, with arson suspected in at least one other major blaze that destroyed the town of Marysville and killed up to 100 people.

“Our teams are working hard. We hope to be able to come to some conclusions about that fire (Marysville), particularly, in the not too distant future,” Nixon said.

Firefighters were still battling eight blazes burning out of control as the government announced Monday that a national day of mourning for the victims would be held.

The death toll of 181 is expected to rise as more bodies are found in the charred rubble of homes and towns, police say.

Suspect charged in deadly Australian fire

MELBOURNE, Australia – Authorities charged a man Friday with lighting one of the wildfires that killed a total of more than 180 people in Australia, and whisked him into protective custody to guard him from public fury.

Police said the suspect was charged with one count of arson causing death and intentionally lighting a wildfire near the town of Churchill that killed at least 21 people. It was one of hundreds of fires that raged through southeastern Victoria state Feb. 7, leaving 7,000 people homeless and razing entire towns.

The suspect also was charged with possessing child pornography.

The disaster’s official death toll is 181, but efforts to find and identify victims were continuing and officials expected the final tally to exceed 200. More than 1,800 homes and 1,500 square miles (3,900 square kilometers) of forests and farms were burned.

The suspect’s identity was being kept secret for his own safety, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Dannye Moloney told a news conference. He was brought to the state capital of Melbourne from Morwell, 75 miles (120 kilometers) to the east and near the the town of Churchill.

“He has been moved from that area and moved to the Melbourne metropolitan area for security reasons,” Moloney said.

Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported from Morwell that the suspect was formally charged in the town’s magistrate’s court, but that he did not appear. He was ordered to be held in custody and to undergo psychiatric evaluation, the broadcaster said.

Police said in a statement that Magistrate Clive Allsop banned publication of any details or photographs of the man that could identify him. Another court hearing was scheduled for Monday.

If found guilty, the man faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison for the deadly arson charge, and a maximum of 15 years on the second arson charge.

Police have said they believe foul play was the cause of at least two of the deadly blazes, including the Churchill fire. Those suspicions disgusted the country and prompted Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to describe the fires as possible mass murder.

Ruth Halyburton, whose home in the town of Marysville was burned to the ground, said Friday she could not comprehend why anyone would want to light wildfires.

“Words can’t describe how I feel about them,” Halyburton told The Associated Press at a relief center in nearby Alexandra. “I’m a Christian, but I don’t think to kindly of people if they go light a match and destroy people’s property and lives. They don’t have a brain in their head.”

Marysville, a town of some 500 people, was almost completely destroyed Saturday by one of the fires — but not the Churchill blaze.

Firefighters still struggled to contain about a dozen blazes and one of them flared up Friday and menaced the town of Healesville, coming within less than a mile (1 kilometer) and sending embers dropping like rain over houses.

The threat was downgraded after a few hours, but it served as a reminder that the disaster may not be over yet.

“You can’t see anything. All you can see is smoke, and you can’t even see where the fire is actually coming from,” plant nursery owner John Stanhope told ABC radio from Healesville during the flare-up. “It’s just thick smoke everywhere and everyone is just very much on edge.”

Firefighters raced to take advantage of cooler weather, rain and lighter winds and lit controlled burns Friday in efforts to prevent further breakouts.

The catastrophe’s scale became clearer Friday. Officials raised the tally of destroyed homes by 762 to 1,831, and the number of people left homeless or who fled their homes and have not returned was raised by 2,000 to 7,000.

Officials said the nation had pledged more than 75 million Australian dollars ($50 million) in donations to various charities for survivors. Rudd ordered military bases to be opened to house some of the homeless.

The disaster increased the urgency for a nationwide fire warning system, which has been snarled for years in bickering between state and federal officials.

“I am determined to see this thing implemented across the nation,” Rudd said late Thursday. “If it means cracking heads to ensure it happens we’ll do that.”

Officials partly blamed the dramatic death toll on the number of people who appeared to have waited until they saw the fast-moving blazes coming before trying to flee. Many bodies were found in burned-out cars.

source : news.yahoo.com

World offers support as Australia battles fires

SYDNEY: Offers of help and aid have poured in from around the world as Australia battles raging bushfires which have killed 181 people and destroyed entire towns, officials said Tuesday.

Close allies such as Britain, New Zealand and the United States have been joined by nations including Andorra, Brazil and Iran in offering their sympathies or assistance.

US President Barack Obama telephoned Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to offer his condolences over the wildfires after holding the first press conference of his young presidency, the White House said.

"The president offered his prayers to the people of Australia and his condolences to the victims. The president asked if the US could provide assistance to the government and people of Australia to assist with the fire," said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Australian wildfire death toll rises to 181: police

SYDNEY: The death toll in Australia's worst ever wildfires has risen to 181, police said Tuesday.

Asia stocks sink as investors eye US stimulus plan

HONG KONG: Asian stock markets were mostly lower in erratic trade Tuesday, as investors’ awaited details of massive U.S. spending plans to revive the world's largest economy and bolster its troubled financial industry.

Markets fluctuated throughout the day after rising sharply last week on hopes the U.S. stimulus measures will speed recovery in its recession-hit economy.

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average was down 23.09 points, or 0.3 percent, at 7,945.94, while South Korea's Kospi shed 3.82 points, or 0.3 percent, at 1,198.87. Benchmarks in Australia, New Zealand the Philippines and Thailand also fell.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng was up just 0.4 percent at 13,824.45after swinging in and out of negative territory throughout the session. Markets in India and Taiwan also gained. In mainland China, Shanghai's key index _ which had surged about12 percent over the last six trading days _ rebounded from the red to close 1.8 percent higher as figures showed the country's inflation eased to just 1 percent in January.

For the most part, Asian trade matched a listless session in the U.S., where markets wavered ahead of announcements from Washington. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 9.72, or 0.12 percent, to 8,270.87. The blue chips fluctuated between gains and losses 49 times during the session. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.29,or 0.15 percent, to 869.89. Wall Street futures pointed to a lower open in the U.S. Dow Jones industrial futures were down 63 points, or 0.8 percent, at 8,155.Standard & Poor's 500 futures were down 7.9, or 0.9 percent, at 857.2.