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最后发表： flyday
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In a long-awaited political breakthrough, Chinese and Taiwanese carriers will receive a much needed boost with the launch early next month of regular flights between the two countries for the first time in nearly half a century.

The new flights between Taiwan and mainland China will provide a financial boost to 11 carriers in a move that most commentators believe will not adversely impact carriers from Hong Kong and Macau, which have traditionally carried a large chunk of Taiwan-China traffic.

Six Chinese and five Taiwanese carriers have been authorised to operate 36 weekly flights combined across the Taiwan Strait following a landmark agreement reached last week between China and Taiwan.

Regular flights have not been allowed between China and Taiwan since 1949 when the two sides split following a civil war. For the last three years the two sides have agreed to allow a few ad hoc charter flights during the Chinese New Year holiday season.

Under the new agreement regular charter flights will be allowed every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, starting on 4 July.

The flights represent a significant breakthrough for Taiwanese carriers, which have been hoping for years to serve mainland China and have been banking on the market opening up to offset the rapid decline of Taiwan's domestic market since the launch of high-speed train services at the beginning of 2007.

Taiwanese carriers, many of which are now struggling financially, have since seen the domestic market drop by about two million passengers per year, or 25%.

The ability to operate regular flights to Taiwan comes also at a good time for Chinese carriers because in recent months they have seen a drop in demand in their domestic and international markets.

The 36 flights are expected to carry a little less than one million passengers annually, based on an average aircraft size of 250 seats. But more significantly, as part of the deal the Chinese government will begin allowing up to 3,000 mainland Chinese residents to visit Taiwan per day.

This will result in an extra two million passengers per year travelling across the Taiwan Strait, meaning the extra demand caused by the agreement will far outstrip the extra supply.

The Taipei Airlines Association, which represents all five of Taiwan's active scheduled carriers, says the mainland China-Taiwan market now consists of about 8 million passengers annually, based on visitor data from Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, and this will immediately grow to 10 million.

However, figures from IATA's PaxIS product, which is based on tickets issued, show the size of the market is now about 6 million passengers annually. Shanghai-Taipei is by far the largest city pair (see chart), accounting for about 40% of all passengers travelling between mainland China and Taiwan.

Besides Shanghai, flights will be operated to Taiwan from Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Xiamen.

Association of Asia Pacific Airlines director general Andrew Herdman points out that the market has traditionally been mainly a business market due to visa restrictions but this will change quickly as more mainland Chinese are permitted to holiday in Taiwan.

"I think we'll see the market increase substantially. The market could double or triple in size," he says. "There is a lot of latent demand."

This is good news for the Hong Kong and Macau airports and carriers based in these two special administrative regions of China.

Historically about 60% of traffic between mainland China and Taiwan has transited in Hong Kong, 30% in Macau and the rest at other points such as South Korea's Jeju island. Air Macau and Cathay Pacific subsidiary Dragonair, in particular, have historically relied heavily on the mainland China-Taiwan market, although in recent years they have adjusted their strategies to diversify their business in anticipation the market would eventually open up to non-stop flights.

Industry sources say the Chinese government wants to make sure Hong Kong and Macau are not impacted by the new policy.

They expect the cap of 36 weekly flights will gradually be increased over the next few years, perhaps reaching 100 flights, but the Chinese government is expected to make sure that the capacity provided by the new direct flights equals or is less than the extra demand generated by the new policy.

The Airport Authority of Hong Kong says it "welcomes the launch of direct cross-strait air services", adding: "We believe that in the short-run, the impact for Hong Kong's aviation and logistics industries will be relatively small.

"In medium- to long-term, we believe that the launch of direct cross-strait air services will help foster closer ties of economic partnership, trade, social and cultural exchange between Hong Kong, Taiwan and Chinese Mainland.

"It will also bring more economic and tourist activities as well as increasing demand for air services. We are confident that in the long-run, Hong Kong will be benefited by the increasing flows of passenger and cargo."

Herdman agrees, pointing out that while some traffic flows will change, the market will grow in size overall and that many of the Taiwanese have business connections in the Pearl River Delta region of China, which is accessed easily from Hong Kong.

"The key thing is to focus on what is the size of the market," he says. "The warming of relations across the Strait is positive in terms of commercial business and in terms of the size of the market."

Taiwan accounted for 18% of Hong Kong's 45 million passengers in fiscal 2006-07, according to the Airport Authority of Hong Kong.

In fact, Hong Kong-Taipei is the largest and one of the most lucrative routes in the world. Roughly 60% of traffic between Hong Kong and Taipei - and about 80% of traffic between Macau and Hong Kong - now connects on to flights to mainland China.

While Dragonair and Air Macau offer connecting flights between Taiwan and mainland China, Taiwanese carriers also have in place comprehensive interline and pro-rate agreements with mainland Chinese carriers that ensure they receive a good chunk of the lucrative mainland China-Taiwan market.

Figures from IATA's PaxIS product show the average one-way fare in the market was $422 last year, up from $414 in 2006. In March of this year, the latest month available, the average one-way fare had increased to $455.

The fares in the mainland China-Taiwan market are generally set by pro-rate and interline agreements.

Sources say the new non-stop flights will be priced slightly higher, with passengers being asked to pay for the added convenience of non-stop flights.

Costs for these flights, however, will be significantly lower due to their more direct routing and avoidance of transit costs. Therefore, the flights are expected to be highly profitable with load factors at or near 100% due to the fact demand will far outstrip supply.

If the market fully liberalises and airlines are free to fly as many flights as they want across the Strait, significantly lower fares would likely result and this would stimulate the market and lead to a dramatic increase in the number of passengers.

But this is unlikely to happen as the mainland China-Taiwan market is expected to remain highly regulated with a cap that will force most passengers to continue to travel via Hong Kong and Macau.

As a result, major carriers are expected to reap the benefits while low-cost operators will at least initially be shut out of this important new market.

All five of Taiwan's active scheduled carriers have been authorised to operate the new flights - China Airlines, EVA Air, Mandarin Airlines, TransAsia Airways and UNI Air. China has authorised six of its carriers - Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.

Leading city pairs in China-Taiwan market
City Pair 2005 2006 2007
Shanghai-Taipei 1,056,000 1,179,000 1,249,000
Beijing-Taipei 227,000 257,000 274,000
Shanghai-Kaohsiung 167,000 183,000 198,000
Xiamen-Taipei 149,000 141,000 134,000
Shenzhen-Taipei 81,000 99,000 55,000
Fuzhou-Taipei 71,000 74,000 72,000
Guangzhou-Taipei 70,000 61,000 69,000
Hangzhou-Taipei 65,000 100,000 104,000
Nanjing-Taipei 61,000 92,000 84,000
Source: IATA PaxIS. Notes: one-way traffic China to Taiwan

最后发表： nizi
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everybody love yummmmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiiii  food

最后发表： harvey.liu
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China vows to 'smash' Dalai Lama
By China correspondent Stephen Mcdonell and wires

Posted 5 hours 7 minutes ago
Updated 4 hours 47 minutes ago


China has used the Tibet Olympic torch relay to attack the Dalai Lama. (Reuters/Kyodo)

Related Story: Riot police patrol Tibetan streets ahead of torch relay Related Story: Olympic torch relay starts in Tibet The Olympic torch relay has finished in Tibet with Government officials vowing to smash the Dalai Lama.

Amid tight security, the torch arrived in front of Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama's former chief residence, carried by Caidan Zhuoma, a famous Tibetan singer.

Local Government officials used the event to attack the Tibetan spiritual leader.

"Tibet's sky will never change and the red flag with five stars will forever flutter high above it," Tibet's hardline Communist Party Secretary General Zhang Qing Li said at the relay ceremony.

"We will certainly be able to totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai Lama clique."

As paramilitary police kept a close watch, the flame from the torch was mixed with the special flame that was carried to the top of Mount Everest during an earlier leg of the lengthy relay.

The crowds today were small and specially selected, with most locals told to stay in doors until after the relay.

The entire event, scheduled to last for three hours, ended after less than two. No immediate explanation was given for the shortened period.

The area was cordoned off to everyone except those given special passes to attend the relay, according to a photographer on the scene.

最后发表： seaglesun
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FIRST CLASS CHEF BUT SECOND CLASS PERSON CAME

最后发表： nizi
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[localimg=259,480]1[/localimg]
Keira Knightley turned heads for all the wrong reasons last night as she arrived for the London premiere of her new film The Edge Of Love.

The naturally slender actress looked painfully thin in a purple strapless confection, her protruding collarbone more pronounced than ever.

She arrived for the screening alone, but was later joined by her co-star and close friend Sienna Miller, who started out the evening in a red party frock before slipping into a demure cream number.

Her presence meant Keira's tiny frame wasn't the only issue in focus - Sienna's split with Rhys Ifans was also a talking point, albeit an equally unwelcome one.

Their costar - and Sienna's former boyfriend - Matthew Rhys was asked about the attention Sienna has been receiving.

He said that the amount of attention young women receive in show business was difficult adding: "The boys get it much easier."

When Rhys would not be drawn on whether he preferred Keira or Sienna he was asked if he would choose blondes or brunettes.

Rhys replied: "I've never had a preference. I'm always grateful."

Rhys was asked on the Richard & Judy Show if there was truth in rumours that he had rekindled his romance with Miller and replied: "Categorically no!"

Speaking in Mayfair Rhys said the part of Thomas gave him a deeper understanding of a man who has a "godlike status" in Wales.

Keira simply said the press attention Sienna had been given was "disgusting".

She said Sienna was "a wonderful girl and a wonderful actress".

She continued: "It's really difficult to find really good roles for women, let alone two in one film. I just thought it was a really beautiful story, completely."

Keira said she fell in love with the character of Vera.

She said: "I fell in love with the fact that she smiles when she wants to cry."

Sienna was asked about playing the part of a free-spirited, free-loving young woman.

She said: "Do you really think that I would think twice about taking on (the part of) a free-spirited, free-loving young woman?"

She said life was about "trial and error" adding: "This is what I'm supposed to be doing and everything that comes with it is something to learn from."

She continued: "I like my job enough to tolerate the things that I really don't like."
She said the day when that superseded the enjoyment of her work was the day when she would not do it any more.

Talking about the strong and feisty character of Caitlin, Miller said everyone had been in unpleasant situations in which they responded in perhaps not the most mature or perfect way.


Director John Maybury described the chemistry between Knightley and Miller as "astonishing".

He said of Sienna: "She's given a mind-blowing performance in a really great film."
He said he could not think of another, similar film with two female characters at the core apart from Thelma and Louise.

Talking about the chemistry between the four main actors Maybury said he had seen a phone video of them belting along a Welsh cliff top on horseback.

Talking about the levels of attention aimed at Sienna and Keira he said: "They are subjected to a level of scrutiny (which) at times is perverse. They deserve to be taken seriously as actors."

最后发表： nizi
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CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian authorities have charged an American with murder following an inquest into the death of his bride while scuba diving on their honeymoon in 2003.

The Coroner in the tropical northern city of Townsville issued a warrant for the arrest and extradition of David Gabriel Watson, 31, from Alabama, to face charges of murder for death of Tina Watson.

Watson refused to return to Australia to give evidence at the coroner's hearing into the death of his wife, who died 11 days after the couple were married in the United States.

Police and prosecutors must now prepare an extradition request, to be put before Australia's Attorney-General Robert McClelland, who would then pass it on to U.S. authorities.

"There are lengthy legal procedures that are involved but obviously we are keen they will be done as quickly as possible," Townsville police Inspector Warren Webber told reporters.

最后发表： naughtybaby
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Sydney opens NSW's first Confucius Institute
16 June 2008


In the wake of the Prime Minister's call for Australia to become the "most Asia-literate nation in the Western world", the University of Sydney is pleased to announce the launch of the first Confucius Institute in NSW.

"The Confucius Institute's establishment is very timely given the Rudd government's policy to strengthen the teaching of regional languages in high schools and at University," said Professor Robyn McConchie, who is overseeing the Institute launch.

The Institute will be at the forefront of revitalising Chinese language and culture education in NSW schools. "We are already in talks with the NSW education department about developing teacher-enrichment programs," said Professor McConchie.

Professor Marie Bashir AC CV, Chancellor of the University of Sydney, has welcomed the Confucius Institute as an important contribution to developing and strengthening the relationship between China and Australia.

"Australia's strong trade partnership with China has extended the desire of the wider community to have a deeper understanding of Chinese language and culture. The Confucius Institute at the University of Sydney will provide a valuable resource in this regard," Professor Bashir said.


Confucius Institute programs will include Chinese language training and workshops on understanding the business, legal and cultural aspects of China. Occasional Chinese film screenings will also be held, and the Institute will host an Olympic banquet on 16 August in MacLaurin Hall.

The Institute will become a leading Chinese cultural and language centre in NSW, catering to lifelong learning in Chinese culture and language and influencing the way these subjects are taught in primary and secondary schools, through to higher education and beyond.

The Confucius Institute operates under an agreement between the University of Sydney and Fudan University in Shanghai, in partnership with the Office of Chinese Language Council International in China (Hanban). It is jointly managed by the International Institute, Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific (RIAP) and the Faculty of Arts. Fudan University President Professor Wang said the Institute "will be significant in furthering Australia and China's long friendship and connection".

What:Launch of the Sydney University Confucius Institute
When: 2pm, 17 June 2008
Where: Men's Courtyard, Old Teacher's College,Manning Road, University of Sydney Camperdown Campus.

Notes to editors

The two-hour event will commence with an opening address from Professor John Hearn, DVC-International.Key speakers are Professor Marie Bashir, Chancellor, Mr Qiu Shaofang, Consul General, People's Republic of China in Sydney, Professor Gavin Brown, Vice-Chancellor, and Professor Zhu Yongsheng, President Representative from Fudan University.

The 'Rudd Report'
When Prime Minister Kevin Rudd worked for the then premier of Queensland Wayne Goss, he developed a multi-million dollar strategy for the Keating government to promote education about Asia in schools. In 2002 the Howard government cancelled the program and Asian languages and Asian studies in schools have since declined.

[ 本帖最后由 naughtybaby 于 17-6-2008 14:32 编辑 ]

最后发表： chubbykitty
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http://www.theage.com.au/nationa ... -20080613-2pxv.html

NSW Education Minister John Della Bosca has quit the NSW ministry pending the outcome of a police investigation into events that took place at a Central Coast nightclub last weekend.

The NSW police are investigating conflicting claims over what transpired at Iguanas Waterfront in Gosford last Friday night in an incident involving Mr Della Bosca and his wife, Federal Labor MP Belinda Neal.

"Earlier this week, I accepted the statement of the minister and the apology he received from the establishment,'' Mr Iemma said.

"Mr Della Bosca should have disclosed to me at that time the exact nature of his involvment in negotiating the terms of the apology.

"Anyone offering a retraction has the right to seek certain content.

"In the interests of public accountability, the exchange of documents should have been acknowledged. The minister agrees with this.''

At the club, Ms Neal is accused of aggressive behaviour, including threatening the club with the loss of its liquor licence, claims she has denied, even though several staff members have signed statutory declarations confirming their version of events.

Della Bosca's position had become untenable today, after a Sydney Morning Herald report this morning that Mr Della Bosca had written the apology for the club to sign, even though his office had denied that he had done so.

The club issued an apology to Mr Della Bosca clearing him and his wife of any wrongdoing at the nightclub last Friday.

While Mr Della Bosca has stood aside, Mr Iemma said that the Attorney-General John Hatzistergos will assume the education portfolio while the Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal will take over the industrial relations portfolio.

Mr Iemma told reporters today's action did not mean Mr Della Bosca had lied, or that he was being pre-judged.

Nightclub staff last weekend swore statements alleging Ms Neal and Mr Della Bosca threatened and abused them. Some, but not all, of those were later withdrawn and an apology issued by the nightclub.

The couple have released statutory declarations from four of their dining companions backing their side of the story.

Police are investigating those conflicting statements. It is an offence to lie in a statutory declaration.

with AAP

最后发表： woody81
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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was accused by a government colleague Thursday of applying a sexist double standard by insisting that a woman lawmaker seek anger management counseling when male politicians' similar behavior has been overlooked.


Prime Minister Kevin Rudd interrupted a trip to Japan to telephone the lawmaker accused of misbehavior.

Rudd took the extraordinary step Wednesday after the lawmaker Belinda Neal became the focus of a series of media reports alleging threatening or violent behavior.

Neal, a 45-year-old former union leader, has been accused of threatening and abusing staff at a nightclub last week and of kicking an opponent during a recent football match.

Neal has denied threatening or abusing nightclub staff and denied the football player's account of Neal's rough tackle, which led to her being barred from playing for two matches in the women's amateur league she plays in.

But when Rudd interrupted a business trip to Japan to telephone her Wednesday, she said she accepted his advice to undergo anger management counseling.

"I have agreed that I will attend counseling to deal with how I deal with conflict with other people," she told reporters after the phone call.

Rudd told reporters in Tokyo that he warned Neal that her political career could be in jeopardy. Neal was elected to Parliament in the November polls that brought Rudd to power.

"I spoke to Belinda Neal today and said to her that there appears to be a pattern of unacceptable behavior," Rudd said Wednesday.

But Julia Irwin, a lawmaker in Rudd's Labor Party for a decade, said former party leader Mark Latham was not required to seek counseling when he broke a Sydney taxi driver's arm during a beer-fueled argument over a fare.

"We seem to allow some of our male politicians to be aggressive and pushy, but women are expected to be meek and mild," Irwin told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Thursday.

"This is not just about Belinda Neal, this is about double standards," she added.

Rudd was in Indonesia on Thursday and was not immediately available for comment.

But Julia Gillard, Australia's first female deputy prime minister, said she supported Rudd's response which, she added, had nothing to do with Neal's gender.

Neal was not available for comment Thursday.

Latham was never charged over the 2001 fracas with the taxi driver. But after leaving politics, he pleaded guilty in 2006 to a charge of malicious damage after destroying a newspaper photographer's camera.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, although Latham's punishment was a court order to pay more than $5,000 -- the cost of a new camera.
From CNN

最后发表： woody81
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Higher food prices are a worry for the Chinese authorities
China's consumer price inflation fell back to an annual rate of 7.7% in May, official figures show, as efforts to slow food price growth kicked in.

The decline from April's 8.5% rate had been expected, but analysts warned that the surging price of crude oil posed a continued threat.

Beijing had pledged that tackling price rises was a priority.

Food costs rose 19.9% in May from a year earlier driven by demand for pork, but this was slower than in April.

Non-food prices rose by 1.7% in the period, compared with 1.8% in April, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

Despite inflation slowing, the key Shanghai stock market fell by 3.3% on expectations that there would be a further tightening of credit to stem inflation further.

Lending curb

High inflation increases worries that China's economy may be overheating.

However, despite the government declaring it wants to tighten monetary policy in the battle against inflation, the authorities have not yet increased interest rates in 2008 although there were six rate rises in 2007.

Instead, banks have been told to increase the amount of money they hold in reserve and curb lending to limit credit growth.

Earlier, figures had showed that China's trade surplus fell 10% in May from a year earlier on the back of the surging price of imports such as oil and other raw materials.

But the $20.2bn surplus for May was still up from $16.7bn in April and larger than many had predicted.

The surge of money into the country from exports poses a risk of pushing inflation even higher.

Observers say that a global economic slowdown - which is resulting in richer nations importing fewer goods - may cut China's surplus.

From BBC NEWS

最后发表： woody81
回复内容：
well，what about a nap？

最后发表： ritaclin
回复内容：
http://www.theage.com.au/nationa ... -20080611-2otk.html
Olympic silver medallist Scott Miller has pleaded not guilty to drug charges in a Sydney court.

Miller briefly faced Manly Local Court today, where he pleaded not guilty to possessing a tablet press, possessing a prohibited weapon, and two counts of possessing a restricted substance.

The 33-year-old former swimmer was charged on April 16 after a raid on a storage unit at Brookvale, on Sydney's northern beaches, which allegedly uncovered a tablet press capable of producing 27,000 pills an hour and a professional tablet counter.

It is alleged police also seized capsicum spray, the anabolic steroid stanozolol and Stilnox sleeping tablets obtained without a prescription, from Miller's Dee Why unit.

Miller, who was dressed in a black suit and appeared relaxed in court, told reporters outside, "I'm feeling very calm''.

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he won a silver medal in the 100m butterfly and a bronze in the men's medley relay.

AAP

最后发表： naughtybaby
回复内容：
Thx guys~!!!  I'll start working on it after I finish my exams, say, som time in July

最后发表： ritaclin
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最后发表： chubbycat
回复内容：
Knife frenzy suspect warned: It's time

    * Story Highlights
    * Man suspected of knife rampage in Tokyo foretold mayhem in Internet posts
    * One posting just before attack said: "It's time," reports said.
    * Attack occurred in a video game district of downtown Tokyo Sunday
    * Next Article in World »

    * Read
    * VIDEO

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TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- The man arrested after seven people died in a knifing rampage in Tokyo foretold the mayhem in a series of messages posted to the Internet, including one just before the attack saying, "It's time," police and media reports said Monday.
art.japan.stabbing.ap.jpg

Rescue workers gather to help the injured in Tokyo's Akihabara district.

Tomohiro Kato, accused of ramming pedestrians with a truck on Sunday and then stabbing 17 bystanders in Tokyo's Akihabara district, posted a string of messages on an Internet bulletin board from his cell phone, a police spokesman said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing protocol, refused to release the messages, but news reports said they were posted in a threat titled, "I will kill people in Akihabara," starting hours before the stabbings.

"I want to crash the vehicle and, if it becomes useless, I will then use a knife. Goodbye, everyone," Kyodo News agency quoted one message as saying.

That was followed chillingly several hours later, the report said, by a message sent from Akihabara via cell phone that read: "It's time."

The killing started 20 minutes later.

The reported messages gave Japan a limited glimpse into the mind of man accused of one of the worst knife attacks in Japanese history. Police say the assault was the deadliest stabbing assault in Tokyo in recent memory.

Kato said he had "gotten sick of the world," police said, but investigators are still trying to find out his motives and the reason why he chose Akihabara, or whether he had planned the criminal act over the past few days as reported.

Police say Kato -- reportedly a factory worker -- rammed a rented two-ton truck into a crowd of afternoon shoppers in Akihabara, a prime shopping area for electronic goods and a hangout for young people, particularly comic book fans.

Kato himself reportedly had a penchant for computer games and anime -- like vast numbers of Japanese youths. Kyodo said that he listed a female computer game character as his "favorite person" in his junior high school yearbook.

After ramming the pedestrians, the killer jumped out and began stabbing the people he had knocked down with the truck before turning on horrified onlookers, police said.

The assault shocked Tokyo, which has a relatively low murder rate, because of its seeming mindlessness.

On Monday, the crime scene was covered with offerings of flowers, comic books and soft drinks left for the souls of the dead. The offerings were shielded from the rain by a small white tent.

Takashi Kiuchi, who was on a high school judo team with one of the victims, said many Japanese live with the assumption that their country is safe, but that assumption was under attack. Video Watch report on stabbing spree »

"It's gotten so you can't even walk down a crowded street," he said.

Kato reportedly made his way to Tokyo from a neighboring region where he worked and headed for Akihabara because its main streets are closed to cars and open to large numbers of pedestrians on Sundays.
Don't Miss

    * Man stabs 17 in Tokyo

Guns are tightly restricted in Japan, and shootings are extremely rare, with the one exception being gangsters, who most often use them against each other and do not generally victimize the general public.

Stabbings, however, are less rare.

In March, one person was stabbed to death and at least seven others were hurt by a man who went on a slashing spree with two knives outside a shopping mall in eastern Japan. In January, a 16-year-old boy attacked five people in a shopping area, injuring two of them.

A spate of knife attacks also have occurred in schools, the worst on June 8, 2001, when a man with a history of mental illness burst into elementary school near Osaka killing eight children. He was executed in 2004.
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Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told reporters Monday the government was considering tightening restrictions on large-bladed survival knives like the one apparently used in the attack, which had a 13-centimeter blade and is easily available in stores.

"Everyone says that Japan is a safe country, but I'm not sure if that's true anymore," said Sayaka Itoda, a young woman who came to donate flowers at the memorial, which stood on a street in front of an electronics store and a giant TV display screen.

最后发表： chubbycat
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Gas price record above $4.02 as oil slips

Price at the pump heads higher after breaking the $4 barrier; oil softens after record-breaking rally.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The national average price for a gallon of gas set another record above $4.02 a gallon, while crude oil prices eased following a massive spike in the previous session.

At the pump, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline rose above $4 a gallon on Sunday for the first time ever, according to motorist group AAA.

Gas prices climbed Monday to a record $4.023 a gallon, which is more than 10% higher than $3.692 a month ago and nearly 29% higher than the $3.091 average a year ago, according to the AAA figures.

Meanwhile, light, sweet crude for July delivery fell $1.44 to $137.10 a barrel in pre-market trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

On Friday, the contract shot up nearly $11 - the largest single-day jump on record - to settle at a record $138.54 a barrel.

Friday's rally was fueled by a combination of geopolitical jitters, the dollar's decline and a report from Morgan Stanley predicting oil could reach $150 a barrel by July 4.

Last week's runup in crude prices helped push the Dow Jones industrial average down nearly 400 points Friday. Many investors see higher gas prices crimping household budgets, damping consumer spending and undermining the economy.

But stock futures pointed to a recovery early Monday morning.  To top of page

最后发表： woody81
回复内容：
June 9, 2008
THE Federal Government will spend $460,000 on a suicide prevention strategy, as part of a focus to improve men's health.

The money will be spent in four areas — $122,000 for a men's health information and resource centre at the University of Western Sydney, $80,000 for the Toowoomba older men's network, $150,000 for the workplace program OzHelp Tasmania, and $117,000 for INCOLink, a Victorian program aimed at preventing suicide for apprentices in the building industry.

Another $95,000 will go on a campaign to encourage men to get preventive health checks.

Figures released by Health Minister Nicola Roxon's office showed men were expected to live 4.8 years less than women and were three times more likely to commit suicide. They also experience 70% of the burden of disease related to injury.

Average life expectancy of indigenous Australian males is just 59 years, 20 years less than for non-indigenous men.

AAP

最后发表： naughtybaby
回复内容：
So the lame joke can be scientific n predictive~

" The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on
prostitutes and beer...."     From :  http://www.freeoz.org/forum/thread-787124-1-1.html

最后发表： ritaclin
回复内容：
Nowadays I take No. 11 bus

最后发表： ritaclin
回复内容：
I planned to take the beautiful cat with me when I would have my own place...
She had kittens and later they were killed before I could buy an apartment...
Later I moved to OZ...
Still I do regret for the promise that I failed to keep

最后发表： coredump
回复内容：
FROM: http://www.itwire.com/content/view/18633/1095/

At a seminar in Canberra on Thursday 5 June organised by the,overlapping, carrier grouping behind the Tell The Truth Telstra (T4)web site, the CCC presented a report by the Centre for InternationalEconomics. The report claimed to have determined that "Australianconsumers will pay 15 percent more for broadband services if Telstrawins the rights to build and manage a National Broadband Network."

Furthermore, it concluded that:
- Australian consumers and the economy would be $897 million worse offunder a Telstra owned and operated National Broadband Network;
- Telstra's targeted return on its capital investment was relativelyhigh and "may be consistent with the abuse of market or monopoly power";
- The build-cost scenarios for Telstra's broadband network wouldincrease inflation, reduce national growth, lower wages and reducenational consumption;
- The impact of Telstra's network would "lead to a general contraction of the Australian economy."

Strong stuff! And Telstra's response was immediate and ferocious. Itdid not attempt to counter the report's finding in any detail, simplydismissing the report as 'bogus' and accusing it competitors of having"sunk to new lows in their bid to stop Australia getting a high-speedbroadband network."

Group managing director for Telstra Wholesale, Kate McKenzie said:"This is a completely bogus report that has been bought and paid for bya bunch of competitors who want one thing only - to stop the buildingof Australia's national broadband network and keep their current cosyarrangements. "The report has no basis in fact. It is a dishonestdistortion that is designed to do nothing but delay the process."

When you want to discredit a report you an always find a few words toquote selectively in support of your cause. Thus we have McKenzieclaiming "The report itself says: 'estimates presented in this reportmay not be precise' and that the 'estimation error in the WACCcalculations presented in this report may be significant'."

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THE mistress and colleague of a NSW Crime Commission investigator accused of planning to import illegal drugs was recently moved to the body now investigating corruption in the secretive crime-fighting agency.

The woman, an intelligence analyst, was employed at the Crime Commission but was moved to the Independent Commission Against Corruption about 15 months ago. The transfer followed a request from Crime Commission head Phillip Bradley, who cited the affair with an unnamed senior officer.

Mark Standen, 51, has been charged with conspiracy over an alleged plot to import enough pseudoephedrine to produce 480 kilograms of the drug ice. He is one of the most senior Australian law enforcement officials ever charged with corruption.

Some of the country's most high-profile drug, murder and internal affairs investigations could be reviewed as a result of his arrest.

Mr Bradley also confirmed that he had recently become aware that Standen had a gambling problem, which appeared to have been widely known among law enforcement officers.

The ICAC said the woman who had been having an affair with Standen was not a suspect in the Standen matter, and her presence had not jeopardised the investigation.

"Senior management has been kept informed at all times about the Australian Federal Police investigation, including her involvement with the subject officer," an ICAC statement said.

"This information has been kept strictly confidential within the executive of the commission and managed in a way which would not in any way jeopardise the integrity of the investigation by the Federal Police."

Standen was taken to Sydney's Central Local Court in a caged van yesterday, but was not required to appear.

His lawyer, Paul King, said: "He's obviously stressed and upset about the whole thing. I think it's all taken him by surprise."

Standen and Bakhos Jalalaty, 45, were charged with conspiracy to import a precursor chemical, conspiracy to supply a large quantity of drugs and con- spiracy to pervert the course of justice.

AFP deputy commissioner of operations Tony Negus said police would allege they were trying to import 600 kilograms of pseudoephedrine, which could have produced ice worth $120 million.

The chemicals were allegedly due to be shipped to Australia inside a container of rice from Pakistan, via several other countries.

But Mr Negus said that when the container was searched on arrival in Australia, no chemicals were found. He refused to comment on reports that the shipment was stolen en route by a rival crime gang.

Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus told Federal Parliament it would be alleged Standen "used his position to provide advice to the syndicate on law enforcement methods and information on drug enforcement activities".

Mr Bradley admitted the allegations were "very damaging", but rejected calls for a royal commission. "This is an isolated incident, one person engaging in crime," he alleged.

He said Standen was involved in many cases. "We will look at the ones that we think will need to be reviewed jointly with the AFP, based on the evidence we've collected," he said. "I'm not aware of the basis for a retrial in any of those matters."

Sources said Standen used a payout while he was working for federal police to finance his debts.

An AFP spokesman confirmed Standen had taken a voluntary redundancy in 1996 and had left with "a clean employment record".

The spokesman would not comment on rumours of Standen's gambling problem, or that he had used a windfall while at the AFP, the redundancy or part of his superannuation fund to pay off gambling debts.

Standen worked with former NSW police commissioner Peter Ryan and deputy commissioner Mal Brammer on internal affairs investigations.

Among the cases Standen investigated recently was one involving an international cocaine ring said to include baggage handlers at Sydney Airport.

Standen has also been involved in an investigation into whether the shooting murder of two Yugoslav migrants in 1993 was linked to the 2001 killings of barman Ian Draper and convicted drug dealer Terry Falconer.

The NSW Crime Commission has no direct oversight body, unlike virtually every other law enforcement agency in Australia.

The NSW Police Association yesterday called for a new body, saying the commission had extraordinary powers.

A NSW Department of Corrective Services spokesman said Standen was in maximum security. "He will be on suicide watch," the spokesman said.

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Barack Obama has sealed the Democratic presidential nomination in a historic step toward his once-improbable goal of becoming America's first black president.

A defeated Hillary Clinton is manoeuvring for the vice-presidential spot on his ticket.

Senator Obama had been on the verge of securing the 2118 delegates needed to win the nomination heading into today's final primaries.

But even before polls closed, it was clear he had sealed his victory as 22 elected delegates and "superdelegates'' - party officials who can vote as they please - privately confirmed their intentions to The Associated Press.

Senator Obama, 46, a first-time senator from Illinois, began the campaign as an underdog but surprised Senator Clinton by raising enormous funds via the internet.

His message of change, hope and a less divisive form of politics has won strong support among young voters and tertiary-educated Democratic voters.

By the end of his campaign, his rallies were attracting as many as 75,000 people.

On the eve of the last two primaries, the Clinton camp is suggesting that Senator Clinton would settle for the vice-presidential slot, as it looks likely that New York congressman Charlie Rangel, who is close to Senator Clinton, said publicly that Senator Clinton is open to being second on the ticket.

Senator Obama's campaign had no reaction to Senator Clinton's comments, which raised anew the prospect of what many Democrats have called a "Dream Ticket'' that would put a black man and a woman on the same ticket.  

Senator Obama's victory sets up a five-month campaign against Republican John McCain, a race between a 46-year-old opponent of the Iraq war and a 71-year-old former Vietnam prisoner of war and staunch supporter of the current US military mission.

They will vie to succeed President George Bush, whose popularity has plummeted as the economy weakens, petrol and food prices soar and the war continues in its sixth year.

Senator Obama, a first-term Illinois senator who was virtually unknown across America four years ago, defeated Senator Clinton, the former first lady and one-time campaign front-runner, in a 17-month marathon for the Democratic nomination.

His victory had been widely assumed for weeks. But Senator Clinton's declaration of interest in becoming his running mate was unexpected.

She expressed it in a conference call with the congressional delegation from her state after congresswoman Nydia Velazquez predicted Senator Obama would have great difficulty winning the support of Hispanics and other voting blocs unless Clinton was on the ticket.

"I am open to it'' if it would help the party's prospects in November, Clinton replied, according to a participant who spoke on condition of anonymity because the call was private.

The fast-paced developments unfolded as the long Democratic nominating struggle ended with primaries in Montana and South Dakota.

Only 31 delegates were at stake, the final few among the thousands that were once up for grabs among Obama, Clinton and six other Democratic candidates into the campaign.

Senator Obama arranged an evening appearance in St Paul, Minnesota, sending Senator McCain an unmistakable message by claiming his victory in the hall where Senator McCain will accept his party's nomination in September.

Senator Clinton was in New York for an appearance before home-state supporters. Officials said she would concede Senator Obama had the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, effectively ending her bid to be the nation's first female president.

Senator McCain, who wrapped up the Republican nomination months ago, campaigned in Memphis.

Senator Obama's success amounted to a victory of hope over experience, earned across an enervating 56 primaries and caucuses that tested the political skills and human endurance of all involved.

Together, Senator Obama and Senator Clinton drew record turnouts in primary after primary - more than 34 million voters in all, independents and Republicans as well as Democrats.

Yet the race between a black man and a woman exposed deep racial and gender divisions within the party.

Senator Obama drew strength from blacks, and from the younger, more liberal and wealthier voters in many states. Senator Clinton was preferred by older, more working class voters, and women.

Senator Obama's weakness with Hispanic and white working class voters could be a serious vulnerability in the November election, especially in industrial states that are crucial to Democratic hopes.

But Senator Obama has demonstrated his political strength through his prodigious fund-raising, meticulous organising and his theme of change aimed at an electorate opposed to the Iraq war and worried about the economy - all harnessed to his own gifts as an inspirational speaker.

with AP

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FROM: http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23762989-5013641,00.html

WITH all the brouhaha over the planned national broadband network - the price of which seems to go up every time Sol Trujillo opens his mouth somewhere around the world (the latest estimate is $15 billion) - little attention is being paid to the travel-happy Telstra chief's biggest task.

[ 本帖最后由 coredump 于 3-6-2008 16:56 编辑 ]

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FROM:http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23802212-421,00.html

HEAVY fog has stopped planes in Melbourne, ferries in Sydney and cars in Brisbane.
Three domestic flights and six international flights were diverted from Melbourne airport, mostly to Adelaide, after visibility was reduced to 100m. The fog also disrupted flights between Melbourne and Hobart.

                                        Melbourne ... The MCG makes an appearance through the fog as seen from the Eureka Tower Skydeck. Picture: Jay Town