Russian army in Ukraine disturbs Bishop

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop says she's gravely worried about reports of a Russian military presence in Ukraine.

Her comments came amid reports of masked troops in Crimea, including at its international airport, and after the Australian government increased its travel warning for the strife-torn nation, with tourists urged to exercise extreme caution.

"We are deeply concerned about the instability in Ukraine," Ms Bishop told AAP.

"We are disturbed by reports overnight that there is activity in the Russian military on the borders.

"So we call for calm. We call for a political solution and we hope that any Australians seeking to travel reconsider the necessity of doing so."

23.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man drags boy from Melbourne playground

Cheap eats: $10 dinner bargains

To satisfy our desire for a bargain and our increasingly diverse dining tastes, here are the top 25 dinners for under $10 in Sydney and NSW.

Medical student can resume degree

A FIRST-year medical student suspended for alleged ''non-consensual sexual contact" with a female student on campus has won a bid to resume his degree.

23.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pharrell, U2 rock Oscar rehearsals

HAVING the number one song on the charts does not exempt an artist from Oscar rehearsals.

Pharrell Williams ran through his catchy hit Happy more than half a dozen times on Friday in preparation for the Oscar telecast. He even shared the spotlight with a spate of stars: Jamie Foxx, Brad Pitt and Kate Hudson showed up to rehearse while he was on stage.

"All I care about is the fun," Williams said to Hudson, who boogied in the audience as he practised his dance-heavy number. A choir of high-school students and 20 professional dancers accompany his colourful performance.

Also rehearsing on Friday were Broadway star Idina Menzel, who's set to sing Let It Go from animated film nominee Frozen; U2, which is nominated for its song from the Mandela movie, Ordinary Love; and rocker Karen O, who is nominated for The Moon Song from best picture nominee Her.

Menzel was awed by the technology that allowed the Oscar orchestra, playing off-site at the Capitol Records building, to coordinate with her live at the Dolby Theatre.

"Hi, Bill, can you hear me?" she said into the microphone to conductor William Ross, whom she could see on a monitor from inside the theatre.

"I'm trying to get that telepathic vibe with you because I'm alone up here and this is my first time (on the Oscars).

"You look very handsome," she added.

Karen O, front woman of the rock band Yeah Yeah Yeah's, took notes from director Spike Jonze as she practised her performance.

"Spike just asked me to hold the mic a little bit lower, so I need a little more level," she told a sound engineer. Jonze sat in a front-row seat in the audience.

Accompanied by Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig on acoustic guitar, O sang the song again and again, sitting on a corner of the stage in a long floral dress, leather motorcycle jacket and killer blue boots.

Williams arrived wearing a polka-dot jacket, patterned scarf and his trademark hat.

He ditched the chapeau for rehearsals, emerging onstage in just a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. He danced through the audience, pausing to shake hands with show producer Craig Zadan, saying, "Thanks for having me."

Foxx arrived in the middle of Williams' rehearsal. He quickly joined the dancers on stage, much to their amusement, pretending to stretch alongside them and offering unneeded dramatic direction.

"Walk, walk, curiosity! And retreat," he said to a chorus of laughter.

U2 also wasn't above rehearsals, running through their nominated song late into the night.

23.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA man dies when vehicle rolls off road

A MAN has died after a vehicle drove off a Perth road, entered bushland and rolled over.

Police were notified of the single vehicle rollover off the Great Northern Highway about 30-kilometres south of Wyndham at 10.30am (WST) on Saturday.

It appears the vehicle left the road at or near a bend, entered bushland and rolled over.

A deceased male was located by police at the scene.

23.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK science minister tours WA SKA site

UK Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts has had his first taste of the outback touring the site of what will be the world's largest and most powerful radio-telescope.

The beginnings of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) are emerging at the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory in central Western Australia, with two precursor projects, the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) already started.

The MWA, led by Curtin University Professor Steven Tingay, began operating last year while the ASKAP is due to kick off in earnest later this year.

The Brits are playing a key role in the multi-billion dollar, ten nation collaboration. It will see millions of antennas installed in South Africa and WA, where the Murchison area offers excellent radio quiet.

The SKA will have image resolution 50 times greater than the Hubble telescope and have a discovery potential 10,000 times greater than the best present-day instruments.

Mind-boggling amounts of data will be processed and questions are expected to be answered, such as, how did the universe begin, what is dark energy, what generates giant magnetic fields in space and what and where are the conditions for life.

"I'm here to see some fantastic science, being delivered with Australian grit in creating these extraordinary facilities here in the outback that is part of this international project," Mr Willetts told reporters.

"This is going to get radio signals from the time when the universe was in its earliest stages, when stars were being created. It's going to get us back to the first light, when the universe was beginning."

Mr Willetts - who saw kangaroos and termite mounds in the wild for the first time on Saturday as he endured searing temperatures and an abundance of pesky flies - said the SKA was not only a boon for astronomers but also for computing.

"There's going to be more data collected from here and South Africa than the current flow of data across the complete world wide web. That's then got to be analysed and that's going to require innovations in computing and software."

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who accompanied Mr Willetts on the tour, emphasised the immense power the SKA will have and the job opportunities it will create.

"This is Australian research and science at its very best," Ms Bishop said.

"It will be a staged process over time and we hope that the Square Kilometre Array can be completed by 2022 and then the excitement really begins, as the telescope will be able to scan the universe in ways never known before.

"All sorts of technological and scientific breakthroughs can result as we continue to work with this incredible project.

"It really is cutting edge."

23.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sink hole swallows soldier's grave in UK

WORK is to begin next week on filling a sink hole that has appeared in a British military cemetery, swallowing the grave of a soldier called Private Ryan.

You have reached your weekly Guest Access
limit of 5^* FREE ARTICLES.

^*Subject to change

23.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boys, 12 and 14, charged over crime spree

TWO boys, aged 12 and 14, have been charged with intimidation, assault and other offences after a two-day crime spree in a northwestern NSW town which started with a Molotov cocktail being thrown in front of a house.

Police were called to the house in Walgett on Thursday night after the boys allegedly threw the Molotov cocktail, but the pair fled.

The following afternoon police were called again to the home after the two boys allegedly threw rocks at the house and a 19-year-old man, hitting him a number of times and allegedly threatening him with a knife.

Police found the older boy and he allegedly threatened police with a knife and iron bar before running into a nearby home.

Both boys were arrested at the home, where police allegedly found equipment believed to have been used in break ins.

The 14-year-old was charged with possess/use prohibited weapon, custody of knife in public place, stalk/intimidate, intimidate officer, assault and assault officer in execution of duty.

The 12-year-old boy was charged with common assault, stalk/intimidate and possess housebreaking implements.

Both were granted conditional bail to appear at children's court on March 13.

23.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Berkshire Hathaway's 4Q profit up 10%

WARREN Buffett's company says fourth-quarter earnings rose 10 per cent to nearly $US5 billion ($A5.60 billion) as its insurance, rail and energy businesses generated major profit gains.

You have reached your weekly Guest Access
limit of 5^* FREE ARTICLES.

^*Subject to change

23.56 | 0 komentar | Read More