School closed as Bremer Bay keeps burning

FIRE THREAT: A bushfire continues to burn out of control 3km north of Bremer Bay on the south coast. Source: PerthNow

MORE than 100 people are battling a bushfire which continues to burn out of control just north of Bremer Bay, about 515km south-east of Perth.

The fire, which started on Thursday, has burnt bushland about 3km north of the Bremer Bay township and 5km south-west of Quaalup.

Bremer Bay Primary School will be closed tomorrow and Wednesday due to the current situation.

FESA says the fire is not contained and not controlled. It has crossed the Bremer River and Gordon Inlet Road and Doubtful Islands Road in parts and has entered the Fitzgerald River National Park.

The western portion of the national park is closed. Approximately 10,230 hectares have been burnt.

Neighbouring landowners have been notified of the fire and people camping along Doubtful Islands Road and Gordon Inlet Road have been asked to leave the area.

There is no threat to lives or homes but those in and around the area need to be aware and keep up to date in case the situation changes.

Bushfire advice remains for people in the Bremer Bay and Quaalup townships in the Shire of Jerramungup.

A number of roads have been closed including Ocumup Road between Borden-Bremer Bay Road and Swamp Road and the Gordon Inlet Road, also known locally as the sandbar crossing.

Motorists should avoid the area and be aware of fire and other emergency services personnel working on site.

Road closures are likely to remain in place until the end of the week.

About 120 personnel from local bushfire brigades, WA Police, the Forest Products Commission and the DEC are trying to put the blaze out.

People need to be aware of the potential for the situation to change with the forecast for north-east winds on Tuesday and north-west winds on Wednesday and to stay alert for changes to the bushfire information being issued.

There will be a community meeting today at 5.30pm at the Bremer Bay Primary School.

A lightning strike is believed to have caused the fire.

Visit www.dec.wa.gov.au, www.dfes.wa.gov.au, or call 1300 657 209 to find out more information about the blaze.

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Perth shoppers dish out retail love

Perth shoppers are spending more than three times the national figure, as retailers cross their fingers for another rate cut tomorrow to spur on Christmas shopping. Source: AFP

PERTH shoppers are spending more than three times the national figure, as retailers cross their fingers for another rate cut tomorrow to spur on Christmas shopping.

New figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show West Australian's spent nearly $2.7 billion at cash registers in October - up nearly 1 per cent from September, seasonally adjusted.

Retail sales in the state have grown by nearly 10 per cent compared to October 2011 - much faster than the national growth of 3.1 per cent.

The only state to out grow WA in October was the Northern Territory, which after three months of contraction, grew by 1.5 per cent.

Meanwhile national retails sales were flat with no growth between September and October - leaving businesses hoping for an early Christmas present from the Reserve Bank of Australia tomorrow.

Locally shoppers are tipped to spend $3.4 billion during the Christmas period - up 7.8 per cent on last year, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA, which believes the states booming population is aiding the growth.

Nationally, though, the Australian Retailers Association is estimating shoppers will spend just 3.9 per cent more than last year totalling $41.2 billion on presents before Christmas Day.

Last month the RBA left the country's official cash rate at 3.25 per cent, after cutting the rate by 25 basis points in October.

Australian's have enjoyed a full percentage point cut to rates in 2012 to date.

But Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said the banks hadn't been quick enough to pass on the last rate cut, and today's retail figures showed another cut was necessary to get shoppers spending.

He said the national year on year growth of 3.1 per cent was evidence retail growth had come to a "grinding halt".

"Consumers (are) reigning in their spending as household budgets are pressured by increased costs associated with utilities and the carbon tax introduction," he said.

"A rate cut tomorrow might be just what consumers need to be able to get out there and start their Christmas shopping. In fact, retailers are now relying on any consumer relief in order to save the silly season.

"Many retailers have started Christmas trading feeling positive about what they can bring to their customers and having invested in offering the best possible shopping experience- the investment is a leap of faith as they wait with bated breath for key regulatory changes and sensible decisions regarding monetary policy."

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Perth man 'offered drugs to undercover cop'

Perth man Dominic Bird is facing the death penalty in Malaysia if convicted of a serious drug charge. Source: PerthNow

PERTH man Dominic Bird remains in good spirits despite facing a mandatory death sentence if convicted by a Malaysian court on drugs charges.

The 32-year-old appeared in the Kuala Lumpur High Court today for the first day of what is likely to be a lengthy legal process.

Bird has pleaded not guilty to two charges, the most serious of which relates to drug dealing and carries a mandatory death sentence.

He has also been charged with drug use.

Bird was arrested in a police sting on March 1 at Old Town White Coffee, a cafe on Jalan Dang Wangi in central Kuala Lumpur.

It's alleged he offered to sell undercover police 167 grams of methamphetamine.

The drugs Bird had allegedly been carrying in a Mr Potato chips container were presented to the court today.

Handcuffed and dressed in a black pinstripe suit and wearing a white and grey-striped tie, Bird was accompanied in court by his father and sister, as well as a number of close friends, who sat huddled behind him.

Earlier, before the trial began and during an adjournment, they chatted with an apparently upbeat Bird, who smiled at times and shared an occasional joke.

Despite the prospect of a death sentence hanging over him, Bird appeared to be in good spirits.

The prosecution will call eight witnesses, and is expected to complete its case by Friday.

Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib told AAP that it was highly likely a verdict would not be delivered until next year.

Mr Gharib has vowed to appeal if Bird is acquitted.

He said he expected Bird's legal team would also appeal if he is convicted, ensuring a lengthy legal process.

The appeals process would mean that it would be 2014 at the earliest before Bird learns his fate.

The trial has been adjourned until tomorrow.

Malaysia has executed three Australians for drug offences.

Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers were arrested in 1983 at the airport on the Malaysian resort island of Penang and charged with drug trafficking after they were caught with 141.9 grams of heroin.

They were hanged in July 1986 in Kuala Lumpur's notorious Pudu jail.

Another Australian man, Michael McAuliffe, was executed in June 1993.

However, recent history suggests Malaysia has moderated its use of the death penalty.

Out of the more than 100 people given death sentences in 2010, it's understood that only one person has been executed.

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Brother stabbed over 'prophet insult'

A YOUNG man tried to stab his brother to death for insulting a Muslim prophet, a court has heard.

Safaa Allami, 22, is accused of attempting to murder his older brother Ali Allami during a row at their Cloverdale home in Perth's eastern suburbs.

Ali Allami was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, prosecutor Nicholas Cogin said.

It is claimed he was stabbed seven times in the chest, back and flank, suffering a pierced liver and kidney that could have cost him his life.

A Supreme Court jury heard on Monday that Safaa Allami left the family home shortly after the stabbing on October 12, 2010, before police arrived.

Mr Cogin said he went to the home of his friend Elyas Ali, his clothes stained with his brother's blood, and was recorded confessing to the crime later that day.

Safaa Allami, who was born in Iraq and denies he attempted to kill his brother, then tried to make a getaway and bought a ticket to Brisbane the following day, the jury was told.

"The state says that Safaa Allami is a very religious man, but his brother wasn't, and that his brother defamed the prophet,'' Mr Cogin told the court.

"As a result of that, that was the final straw that caused Safaa Allami to stab his brother.''

During the recorded admission made to Mr Ali, Safaa Allami is alleged to have said he ''would do it again'' if the opportunity arose, the court was told.

Ali Allami has never said his brother stabbed him, defence lawyer Steven Shadgeet said.

The defence claims Ali Allami was involved in organised crime and threats had been made against him earlier in October 2010.

His brother did not want the perpetrator to know police had been called over the stabbing, Mr Shadgeet said.
It is claimed he made the comments to Mr Ali in a bid to avoid any retribution.

Mr Ali is said to have thought his friend was ``exaggerating and making things up as he went along'', however.

The trial, due to last eight days, continues.

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Bikie's mate scared to reveal all to CCC

The United Motor Cycle Council bike ride on the freeway from Yanchep to Mundajong. Picture: Ross Swanborough Source: PerthNow

A FRIEND of a senior Coffin Cheater bikie is on trial for giving false evidence to Western Australia's corruption watchdog over a vicious gang brawl that led to one man being shot and another having three fingers sliced off.

Mohammed Alamdar, of Mosman Park, is accused of giving false and misleading evidence to the Corruption and Crime Commission at secret hearings in 2010 in 2011, following the bikie brawl at the Kwinana Motorplex in Perth's south.

The showdown between the Coffin Cheaters and the Finks at the motor racing venue in late 2010 left Finks members Stephen Wallace with three fingers missing, David Marrapodi with a gunshot wound and Troy Smith with serious head injuries.

The Perth Magistrates Court was told today that Alamdar had struck up friendships with two Coffin Cheaters, including Paul Martino, while installing security windows and doors at their headquarters in Bayswater.

He was summonsed to appear before CCC hearings twice, after investigators established he was present at the Motorplex on the day of the brawl.

Video recordings of Alamdar's evidence to the CCC were played to magistrate Peter Malone, in which he claimed his memory was impaired after being dropped on his head as a child and consistently said he could not remember details of his association with the Coffin Cheaters.

He initially told the CCC he was not that close to the Coffin Cheaters members, before admitting he had spent time in his native Iran with Martino and the bikie had stayed in the home of his deaf, elderly mother while there.

He was charged with misleading the CCC after giving evidence to former commissioner Len Roberts-Smith that he had not spoken to Martino the day before the brawl, had not travelled with him to the motorplex and had not witnessed the violence.

But phone intercepts revealed he had arranged to drive Martino to the event and even took advice from Martino as to what to wear on the day.

When directly questioned about whether it was his voice on the intercepted phone call, Alamdar said: "That's not me, buddy."

Mr Roberts-Smith warned Alamdar at the time that his vague answers could be regarded as "constructive refusal" to answer, and that he could face criminal charges.

A guilty finding could result in a $100,000 fine, or a five-year jail term, or both.

Finks members and associates Smith, Stephen Laurence Silvestro, Clovis Chikonga and Tristan Roger Allbeury have already been jailed for two years on contempt charges relating to the CCC hearings.

Coffin Cheaters members Benjamin Ortin and David Reid were also called before a CCC hearing and refused to answer questions, but avoided charges after the CCC dropped the case.

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Aussies less educated than Kiwis

The report was designed to help identify the common elements of effective education that lead to better social outcomes. Source: Herald Sun

AN Aussie, a Kiwi and an Irishman walk into a pub ...

According to the latest rankings in the global education index, it might be Australia's turn to be the butt of the joke, after ranking behind New Zealand, Ireland and ten other countries in a global education index.

Published in a report called The Learning Curve by worldwide education firm Pearson, the index compares the cognitive skills and education attainment of 40 countries.

Finland tops the list, followed by South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

The UK is ranked at number six and New Zealand, Canada and Ireland also rank above Australia, which languishes at 13 in the list.

But we can take comfort in the fact that the United States falls behind Australia at number 17.

Pearson said the report was designed to help policy makers and educators identify the common elements of effective education that lead to better social and economic outcomes.

Pouring money into schools and increased family incomes do have a positive affect on educational outcomes, the report said.

But the more valuable factor was the cultural importance placed on education, as indicated by the results out of Finland, Canada and South Korea.

"On the surface, money and education seem to create a virtuous circle, with rich countries and individuals buying good educations for their children who, in turn, benefit economically," it said.

"A closer look, though, indicates that both higher income levels and better cognitive test scores are the result of educational strategies adopted, sometimes years earlier, independently of the income levels existing at the time."

There was no substitute for having a good teacher, the report added.

"Having a better one is statistically linked not only to higher income later in life but to a range of social results including lower chances of teenage pregnancy and a greater tendency to save for their own retirement," it said.

But the biggest problem was that there is no "universal recipe" for finding them.

The index was based on research carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and used Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data.

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Schoolboy, 14, jumps in to stop brawl

Jack Slater, 14, jumps in to pull off one of the alleged attackers from a security guard. Picture: CCTV Source: Supplied

A SCHOOLBOY, 14, stepped in to a "frightening" brawl at a shopping centre and helped pull off one of the alleged thugs who attacked security guards.

Jack Slater has been praised and rewarded for his bravery. Wearing his school uniform, he dived in as shocked shoppers looked on as the brawl ensued at The Mall Chequers in Maidstone, Kent, in the UK, KentOnline reported.

Four security guards were punched, kicked, head-butted and bitten after a group of four men were asked to lave the shopping centre for being drunk and causing a nuisance.

The security guards struggle to control the group of four men who punched, kicked, bit and head-butted them. Picture: CCTV Source: Supplied

Jack, who was with a friend, was given $77 (£50) in shopping vouchers during a special presentation at his school Oakwood Park Grammar.

"The security guards were getting flung around a bit and one of them looked like he was getting overcome," he said at the presentation.

"I ran over and grabbed the shoulders of the person he was struggling with and pulled him away.

"I've never done anything like this before and it was only afterwards I thought, 'I could've been hurt there'.

"My friend tried to stop me and said I was stupid for getting involved but it was a spur of the moment thing."

Police have launched an appeal for witnesses to the brawl. Four men have been arrested and charged.

The security guards try to control the group of four men in the shopping centre in Maidstone, Kent. Picture: CCTV Source: Supplied

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Adults tried to spear croc which took boy, 12

TRAGEDY: A boy, believed to be 12, has been taken by a crocodile in the Northern Territory. Source: The Daily Telegraph

A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has been taken by a crocodile in the Northern Territory.

The attack happened about 12.30pm while the boy was swimming with a group of people at Port Bradshaw, about 80km south of Nhulunbuy.

Superintendent Michael White said adults within in the group tried to save the boy by spearing the croc.

"But the crocodile dragged the child out to deeper water," he said.

"Officers from Nhulunbuy Police Station are currently at the scene of the attack and searching for the boy and the crocodile."

"Members of the local sea rangers will also assist the search this evening, with the hope of a positive outcome."

"This is a tragic circumstance for the child's family and friends and highlights the dangers of swimming in waterways in the Top End."

It's the second attack on a child in recent weeks.

On November 17, a seven-year-old girl was taken by a 3m saltie at Gumarrirngbang outstation, near Maningrida.

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Women thrown through Fremantle restaurant

INJURED: A man was taken to Peel Health Campus overnight after being hit in the head with a weapon. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: The Sunday Times

TWO women required medical treatment when they were thrown through the front window of a Fremantle restaurant during an argument over a purse early today.

The incident happened about 4am in Queen Street.

Police say a 20-year-old woman was claiming her purse had been stolen and she became involved in a verbal altercation with a number of people.

The situation escalated when the 20-year-old woman and a 19-year-old woman both ended up going through the front glass window of a restaurant.

The 20-year-old woman was taken to Fremantle Hospital for treatment to her injuries which are believed to be minor.

The 19-year-old woman initially refused treatment by paramedics however police took her into custody and took her to Fremantle Hospital where she is receiving treatment for her injuries which are believed to be more serious.

Inquiries are continuing into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
 

Man struck in head in Mandurah

A MAN who was attacked in Mandurah overnight may have been hit in the head with a pole or a stake, police say.

The 32-year-old man was assaulted near the Old Mandurah Bridge on Pinjarra Road about 11pm.

He had just left a nearby tavern when he was attacked by another person who may have been part of a group of people.

"It is believed the victim was struck to the head with some kind of pole or stake," a police spokesman said.

The victim was taken to Peel Health Campus for treatment to his injuries.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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WA's 'party bus' called to Beechboro riot

TO THE RESCUE: WA Police didn't have to wait long for their new "party bus'' to be called into action, just days after it was launched. Source: PerthNow

FIFTEEN juveniles were rounded up onto the new WA Police "party bus" during a wild party in Beechboro overnight during which bottles were hurled at officers.

Police were called to the disturbance at the corner of Altone Road and Thorburn Avenue. Beechboro, about 10pm last night after reports that up to 50 people were in the street, shouting and arguing.
 

Mounted police and officers from the Canine Squad also attended.

Officers attended and dispersed the group from the area.

The new Police Transport Vehicle, otherwise known as the "police party bus", was used for the first time at the scene of the disturbance and 15 juveniles were detained and put onto it.

One of the juveniles was arrested in relation to an outstanding bench warrant and a further two were arrested for disorderly conduct.

The juveniles were deemed to be "at risk" given the time, location and circumstances surrounding their detention and they were taken to the Midland Police Station where arrangements were made for responsible adults to collect them.
 

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