Second AirAsia plane incident

Second AirAsia plane incident

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LATEST UPDATES: At least 40 bodies of the victims from AirAsia flight QZ8501 are being recovered from the water while a shadow on the seabed is believed to be the jet.

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More than 40 bodies found

Indonesian officials have found six bodies in the AirAsia search area, three of which have been recovered.

Items resembling an emergency slide and a plane door were spotted in the search for missing AirAsia plane.

Objects spotted around where the plane disappeared from radar. Source: AFP

MORE than 40 bodies from the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 have been found along with debris, authorities have confirmed.

A navy spokesman says an Indonesian warship has recovered the bodies from the sea during the search.

"Based on the navy radio, it has been reported that the warship Bung Tomo has retrieved 40 bodies and the number is growing. They are very busy now," Manahan Simorangkir said.

Some bodies did not have life jackets on.

Members of an Indonesian search and rescue team. Source: AFP

Indonesian officials have confirmed that debris spotted earlier today is from the missing plane. The debris is about 10 kilometres from when it was last seen on radar.

Search area for the missing Air Asia flight QZ8501. Source: Supplied

Indonesia's director general of civil aviation, Djoko Murjatmodjo, told AFP: "For the time being it can be confirmed that it's the AirAsia plane and the transport minister will depart soon to Pangkalan Bun."

Members of an Indonesian search and rescue team carry body bags to a waiting aircraft. Source: Getty Images

Objects that have been found include an emergency door and a life jacket while a plane 'shadow' was spotted on the seabed.

Distraught family members of passengers on-board the missing AirAsia flight. Source: AFP

As relatives of the passengers were assembled in a room in Surabaya to watch the search efforts, they watched images of a floating body that had been broadcast on local TV.

Many screamed and wailed uncontrollably, breaking down into tears while they squeezed each other. One middle-aged man collapsed and was rushed from the room on a stretcher.

This aerial photo shows an object floating on the waters of the Java Sea. Source: AP

"Based on the observation by search and rescue personnel, significant things have been found such as a passenger door and cargo door.

A rescuer is lowered on rope from a hovering helicopter near a body in Java Sea waters. Source: AP

"It's in the sea, 100 miles (160 kilometres) southwest of Pangkalan Bun," he said, referring to the town in Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo.

The search. Source: Getty Images

Following the confirmation from Indonesian officials, AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes tweeted his condolences and said he was on his way to Surabaya.

A search for the aircraft has been underway since Sunday afternoon when it lost contact with Indonesian air traffic control.

The plane, with 155 passengers and seven crew, was less than an hour into a flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore when it is believed to have encountered a violent thunderstorm. Its pilots requested a change of flight path due to bad weather, just minutes before contact was lost.

EARLIER: How the search for AirAsia QZ8501 unfolded

Chiara Natasha at right (who was not on the flight) pictured with her mother Indahju Liangsih. Chiara Natasha lost her parents and two brothers on the flight. Photo: Facebook Source: Supplied

The Herald Sun reports a Melbourne-based student was on-board the plane when it disappeared. Monash University student Kevin Alexander Soetjipto was travelling from Indonesia to Singapore with relatives when the plane vanished over the Java Sea.

Mr Soetjipto is from Malang in Indonesia and it is believed he was in Australia on a student visa.

More to come.

With Rebecca Sullivan, Frank Chung, Debra Killalea, Andrew Koubaridis and Sherine Conyers.

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Search shouldn’t take long

An Indonesian official says Australian planes have spotted objects in the sea in the AirAsia search area.

A member of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) points to a map of a search area during a briefing prior to a search and rescue operation of the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501. Picture: AP/Tatan Syuflana Source: AP

THE search for QZ8501 should take a matter of days, rather than weeks or months, an Australian oceanographer has predicted.

Dr Erik van Sebille from the University of New South Wales said it should be possible to see the fuselage of the AirAsia Indonesia A320 on the floor of the Java Sea, from the air, if it crashed into the water.

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HI-TECH SEARCH: Inside Australia's plane joining the AirAsia hunt

A specialist from the Singapore Ministry Of Transport's Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) displays their devices ready to be deployed for the search of the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501. Picture: AFP/ Mohd Fyrol Source: AFP

"The Java Sea is really an inland sea that's roughly 40-50m deep everywhere," said Dr van Sebille.

"Light travels up to 100m in the ocean so it should be theoretically possible to see the fuselage lying on the ocean floor."

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In addition, the currents in the Java Sea were weak, meaning the plane should be in almost exactly the same place where it hit the water, he said.

"The difficulty is going to be the weather. It's monsoon season there," Dr van Sebille said.

"The other thing that will very much complicate the search is all the debris.

Search planes and ships resume the hunt for AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501, which went missing over the Java Sea with 162 people on board. Sarah Toms reports.

"This is one of the filthier parts of the ocean – it's full of plastics, old fishing nets, or ghost nets 10 to 20m in size."

Any underwater search was likely to be much more straightforward than that currently underway for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean.

"You don't need deep submersibles for a search in 40 to 50m of water," said Dr van Sebille.

"The equipment required can pretty much be bought off the shelf."

The area being searched is large at 124,000 square kilometres, but the aircraft's last coordinates have given searchers a fair indication of its final resting place.

More than 20 aircraft and vessels are involved in the search including a Royal Australian Air Force P3-Orion.

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Teen killed by shark near Albany

A man, believed to have been spearfishing, has been taken by a great white shark east of Albany. Source: Supplied

A 17-YEAR-old boy killed in a shark attack at Cheynes Beach, near Albany, was spearfishing with a teenage friend who shot at the predator.

Jay Muscat, of Albany,was an avid fisher whose family runs a small business in Albany. He was at Three Stripes Beach with a male friend of about the same age.

The attack, 70km east of Albany, occurred just before 12.20pm.

Department of Fisheries director Rick Fletcher said it was suspected it was a white shark because of the size of the injuries on the 17-year-old's leg.

"Based on the reports and the advice we had about the injury it appears that it was a very large shark, probably 4-5m and probably a white shark," Mr Fletcher said.

"It appears that the shark swam past one diver and bit the other on the leg which resulted in fatal injuries to the diver.

"It is possible that the shark was injured during the attack, therefore what we're going to do is do patrols on the beach as well.

"This is obviously an extremely tragic event for all the families involved and our sympathies go out to those particular families."

Mr Fletcher said the other diver saw the shark and fired a shot from his spear gun at the creature.

He said the divers had been spearfishing for some time before the incident and had caught fish which could have "potentially" attracted the shark.

The beaches around Cheynes Beach have been closed today and would remain closed tomorrow.

Drumlines are being deployed and if any shark of a comparable size — about 4m to 5m — is caught it would probably be destroyed.

The Department also has two vessels deployed in the area searching for the creature.

WA Police have made contact with the victim's family.

"Based on information we have been able to gather so far, it appears the deceased was diving and/or spear fishing in the area, with another person nearby," a police spokesman said.

"It is believed a shark approached both of them, and at that time the deceased appears to have received a shark bite injury.

"The second person is not believed to have received any serious injuries."

Friends and relatives of Jay Muscat have rallied after news broke of the teen's sudden death.

A sign informs holidaymakers that beaches are closed from 3 Stripes to Bluff Creek after a fatal shark attack today. Picture: #9newscomau Source: Supplied

Albany mayor Dennis Wellington told AAP the boy was attacked about 40m offshore.

"It's not a long way out, but Three Stripes is a popular spearfishing site," he said.

Albany City Council rangers have closed the beach until further notice.

WA Police will prepare a report for the coroner and are working closely with the Department of Fisheries.

First fatal this year

The shark attack at Cheynes Beach is the first in WA since Bunbury man Sean Pollard was attacked by a white pointer while surfing off an Esperance beach in October. Mr Pollard lost an arm and his other hand in the attack.

Cheynes Beach, as pictured recently by Beau Pearson, Ten News. Source: News Corp Australia

Today's attack is the first fatal shark attack since surfer Chris Boyd was mauled to death off Gracetown, in the South West in November 2013.

According to the State Government's Shark Smart website, no sharks have been seen or detected along the Great Southern coast for the last 30 days.

A worker at the local Cheynes Beach caravan park said sharks were not commonly seen in the area, except for a few bronze whalers.

It is peak season at the caravan park, which is currently at maximum capacity.

According to the State Government's Shark Smart website, no sharks have been seen or detected along the Great Southern coast for the last 30 days. Source: Supplied

In April last year a massive 4.1m great white shark was accidentally caught in commercial fishing nets at Cheynes Beach.

While the herring nets were set near Cheynes Beach the monster shark became entangled in the lines and was unable to escape, eventually drowning.

It was not discovered until the nets were pulled up the following morning.

A 4.1 metre great white which was accidentally trapped in herring nets at Cheynes Beach last April. Source: Supplied

Cheynes Beach fisherman Dumpy Wheatcroft said it was not unusual for white pointers to be seen during the herring season and usually if they got caught in the nets, they would chomp their way out.

Mr Wheatcroft said the great white, initially thought to be 4.4 metres long, was one of the biggest he had seen.

WA'S GRIM SHARK TOLL:

TODAY'S death at Cheynes Beach is believed to be the 12th fatal shark attack in WA waters since 2000.

November 23, 2013: 35-year-old Chris Boyd was killed while surfing the Umbies break off Gracetown.

-July 15, 2012: Surfer Ben Linden, 24, fatally mauled by a great white shark near Wedge Island, north of Perth.

-April 1, 2012: Father-of-two Peter Kurmann, 32, taken by a 4m white pointer shark after a morning dive off Geographe Bay with his brother.

-October 23, 2011: American George Thomas Wainwright, 32, died after a great white attacked him while scuba diving off Rottnest Island.

-October 10, 2011: Perth businessman Bryn Martin, 64, disappeared while swimming off Cottesloe Beach. His shredded swimming costume was later found.

-September 4, 2011: 21-year-old surfer Kyle Burden died in Bunker Bay after his body was ripped in half by a shark.

-August 17, 2010: Nick Edwards, 31, bled to death after being attacked while surfing in Gracetown.

-December 27, 2008: Fisherman Brian Guest, 51, was taken by a shark when he was snorkelling at Port Kennedy in Perth's south.

-March 19, 2005: Geoffrey Brazier, 26, attacked by a 6m shark, believed to be a great white, as he snorkelled near the Abrolhos Islands, off Geraldton, 500km north of Perth.

-July 10, 2004: Surfer Brad Smith, 29, is attacked by two sharks believed to be a great white and a bronze whaler while surfing a popular reef off Gracetown.

-November 6, 2000: Businessman and father-of-three Ken Crew, 49, died after his leg was torn off by what Fisheries officers believe was a white pointer shark up to 4m long at North Cottesloe beach.

●Are you staying at Cheynes Beach or do you have any information about today's incident? If so, you can email us at staff@perthnow.com.au

Originally published as Teen killed by shark near Albany

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‘Our shoes were melting’

A rescue operation in Greek waters is being hampered by winds as a ferry carrying 466 people caught fire.

A Greek ferry carrying 411 passengers and 55 crew is on fire. Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

A DRAMATIC rescue operation is under way to rescue 478 people from a burning ferry in gale-force winds off the Greek island of Corfu, Greek officials said.

Vessels close to the stricken ANEK Lines "Norman Atlantic", which caught fire 33 nautical miles off the small Greek island of Othonoi, rushed to give assistance after picking up its distress signal, the Greek coast guard said.

With high winds gusting up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour and packing torrential rain and sleet, Greek authorities described efforts to rescue the passengers "as particularly difficult and complicated".

The blaze on board is said to have broken out in the ferry's car deck. Greek television network Mega said there were also tankers holding olive oil on the deck.

"Our shoes were melting while we were in the reception area," one passenger told the station.

It was unclear if there had been casualties or if there were any passengers in the water however

one passenger reportedly said via mobile phone, that many passengers had jumped into the sea in an effort to escape the flames.

The Greek maritime ministry said 268 of the passengers were Greek, with the crew made up of 22 Italians and 34 Greeks.

Around 55 passengers were transferred to one Greek ship, while 150 others in a lifeboat were reportedly picked up by another merchant vessel, according to the Italian ANSA news agency.

Seven vessels were near to the ferry to take passengers on board, with Greek and Italian firefighting ships on their way to the scene, which is in the middle of a busy shipping lane. At least three Italian and Greek helicopters circled overhead.

The "Norman Atlantic" had left the Greek port of Patras at 05:30am (0330 GMT) and had been heading to the Italian port of Ancona when the fire took hold.

The first rescued passengers were picked up by the Greek ship "The Spirit of Piraeus".

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias told Mega that Italian authorities had responded to a Greek plea for assistance and they had now taken charge of the rescue operation. The rescue operation was being coordinated from the Italian ship "Europa".

The car deck of the Italian-flagged "Norman Atlantic", which is operated by the Greek ferry company ANEK Lines, was believed to have been holding 195 vehicles when the fire broke out.

According to rescued passengers, the intense heat rapidly affected the rest of the ship.

ANEK Lines was not immediately contactable by AFP for comment. The Italian navy said on Twitter it was sending three helicopters to the scene from its bases in Grottaglie and Catania in Sicily. Four coast guard patrol boats were also on their way.

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Air Asia ‘search and rescue’ mission

An AirAsia flight flying from Indonesia to Singapore has reportedly lost contact with air traffic control.

An AirAsia Airbus A320-200 has lost contact with air traffic control. Source: Supplied

The families of passengers aboard the missing AirAsia flight QX 8501 react with shock in Surabaya and Jakarta. Courtesy: TV One Indonesia/ Metro TV

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has phoned Indonesian President Joko Widodo and offered an Australian plane to join the search for AirAsia QZ8501.

Mr Abbott told the Indonesian President a P3 Orion and crew had been placed on standby to assist with the mission.

Mr Widodo said he would order his Defence Minister to speak with Australian Defence Minister Kevin Andrews to determine if Australia would be required to assist.

He told Mr Abbott he was aware how much work Australia had done in the region, particularly with MH370.

Mr Abbott said Australia would do whatever "we humanly could" to assist.

It follows news that Singapore authorities had also offered to help with a major search and rescue operation for the missing flight.

Airbus released a statement offering its full co-operation with the ongoing investigation into the flight which was travelling from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore when it disappeared off the radar.

There were 155 passengers and seven crew on-board.

Air Asia A320-200, the same model plane which has gone missing in Indonesia. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul) Source: AP

Indonesia Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa said the aircraft lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control tower at 6.17am local time.

It vanished just 42 minutes into the three-and-half-hour flight to Singapore.

He said the plane, an Airbus A320-200, had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact.

The plane requested a flight path change due to bad weather just before contact was lost, Air Asia has confirmed.

The pilot reportedly asked to increase its altitude from 32,000ft to 38,000 ft to "avoid clouds".

The flight was due in Singapore around 11.30am AEDT.

CNN reported AirAsia now classified the incident as a search and rescue operation.

"At this time, search and rescue operations are being conducted under the guidance of the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority," AirAsia told CNN.

But the plane is still yet to be located.

The Singapore Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC), a conglomerate of air agencies including the country's air force and navy, has offered support to Indonesia to help search for and locate the missing flight.

In a statement, Airbus said it regretted to confirm the A320-200 had gone missing.

The manufacturer said the twin-engine single-aisle aircraft could seat up to 180 passengers and came off the 2008 production line and had done 23,000 flight hours on around 13,600 flights.

"Airbus will provide full assistance to the French safety investgation authority, BEA, and to the authorities in charge of the investigation," the statement said.

"Airbus will make further factual information available as soon as the details have been confirmed and cleared by the authorites."

Relatives of passengers of AirAsia flight QZ8501 comfort each other at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia. Source: AP

A relative of an Air Asia flight QZ8501 passenger weeps as she waits for the latest news on the missing jetliner at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia. Source: AP

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the plane was more than 200 nautical miles south east from Singaporean airspace at the time.

An Air Asia statement late this afternoon said there were 156 Indonesians, three South Koreans, and one each from Malaysia, Singapore and France on the flight which included flight crew.

Indonesia Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan told a media conference the plane went missing not far from the shoreline between Tanjung Pandan and Pontianak.

The search would begin there and then widen, the Minister said, before going to meet with families of those onboard.

Before the confirmation of the nationalities Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said the Australian government was urgently seeking more details about the Air Asia flight.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Ms Bishop said she had been in touch with the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the High Commission in Singapore and her office was attempting to confirm if there were any Australians on board.

Initial reports say no Australians were aboard an AirAsia flight that's lost air traffic control contact.

An electronic sign board shows information for AirAsia flight QZ8501 bound for Singapore International Airport on December 28, 2014. Panicked family members have arrived at Surabaya Airport seeking information. Source: AFP

She told a news conference tonight Australia had offered to assist in the search and rescue operation but hadn't had a response yet from Indonesia or Singapore.

Ms Bishop had also requested the manifest to see if there were any dual citizens or permanent residents on the flight.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade added anyone who had concerns about the welfare of their Australian family and friends should contact its 24 hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1 300 555 135 (or +61 2 6261 3305 if calling from overseas.

The Singapore Airforce has sent two C-130 aircraft to aircraft's last reported site, near Belitung Island in the Java Sea, according to The Daily Telegraph.

AirAsia says the pilot of missing flight QZ8501 had requested flight 'deviation' due to bad weather.

The blue line shows where contact was lost. Picture: Flightradar24.c0m Source: Supplied

There was reported bad weather in the area Air Asia flight QZ8501 last had contact. Source: Supplied

Oscar Desano is listed as a flight attendant on board the AirAsia flight. Source: Supplied

Oscar Desano is listed as a flight attendant on board the AirAsia flight which lost contact with air control between Indonesia and Singapore on Sunday.

In a post to his Twitter account on Christmas eve, he wrote: "Merry Christmas to all my beautiful friends who celebrate it"

He has posted many tweets earlier in the year about MH17 and MH370 disasters.

One read: "My deep condolences also for the (passengers') family, may all the casualties rest in peace..."

As concerned relatives began arriving at Surabaya Airport, officials posted a list of those on-board.

In a statement Air Asia said a search was currently underway.

"At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service."

Air Asia said there were two pilots, four flight attendants and one engineer on board. The pilot had a total of 6,100 flying hours and the first officer 2, 275 flying hours.

The plane, registration PK-AXC, last had maintenance on November 16.

Of the people on-board there were 138 adults, sixteen children and one infant.

Air Asia is Malaysia's low-cost airline based in Kuala Lumpur, however the missing jet is from the Indonesian subsidiary.

The company is based in KL, and is considered a good airline with an impeccable safety record.

The disappearance of QZ8501 is the third major incident involving an Asian airline this year.

MH370 went missing on March 8 with 239 passengers on board and was flying from Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing in China.

Despite an extensive search, no trace of the plane has yet been found.

Then in July, MH17 was shot down by a missile over rebel-held Ukraine with 28 Australians among the 298 dead.

Meanwhile Air Asia has changed its Facebook profile picture from red to grey after announcing the disappearance of the A320-200.

Air Asia's chief executive Tony Fernandes wrote on Twitter: "Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We must stay strong."

As well as the Malaysia and Indonesian subsidiaries Air Asia also operates out of Thailand and India.

It employs more than 15,000 people and, according to its website, carries 250 million passengers a year and operates 160 aircraft.

It has won the world's best low cost airline award in the World Airline Survey by Skytrax since 2009.

An Emergency Call Centre has been set up for family or friends of those on board the aircraft. The number is: +622129850801.

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The agonising search for my child

CCTV footage shows the last known movements of 15-year-old Yao Li, shown here in pictures her desperate parents circulate in the hope of finding her. Source: AP

IN the grainy video, Zhang Xiuhong can see her daughter ride her bike down a country road on her way to school one spring afternoon six years ago.

In the next shot, Yao Li rides down a driveway a few moments after her classmates walk by. Then, the pictures stop: The 15-year-old disappeared just minutes after that surveillance footage was taken, leaving only a shoe as a clue in a nearby ditch.

Zhang and her husband have since searched all over China for Yao Li, hoping to rescue her from a child trafficking industry that swallows up thousands of boys and girls every year. Along the way, the couple have also been harassed, arrested and jailed repeatedly by police who accuse them of stirring up trouble by joining with other parents and taking their search to the streets.

Hopeful ... Zhang Xiuhong, left, shows a ripped poster of her missing daughter, which she says was damaged by police, as her husband Yao Fuji arranges other photos, at their rented room in Beijing. Source: AP

"We go out and search, and then all these police surround us," Zhang said in the dingy room she and her husband share near where her daughter was last seen. "Nobody's watching for my daughter. Nobody's doing anything. How can we have any more hope?"

In a tightly monitored society where authorities detain even relatives of air crash victims demanding government action, Zhang and other parents of missing children have learned that they must fight on two fronts.

Two fights on their hands ... Yao Li's parents are up against her abductors and the authorities who refuse to look for her. Source: AP

First, they're up against a sprawling, opaque network of abductors and illegal buyers and sellers of children. And since police efforts to find children often leave parents unsatisfied, they must negotiate with authorities to hunt for the kids themselves.

As many as 70,000 children are estimated to be kidnapped every year in China for illegal adoption, forced labour or sex trafficking, making it one of the world's biggest markets for abducted children, according to the state-run newspaper China Daily. By comparison, in the US, about 100 children are abducted annually by people who are strangers to them, said the Polly Klaas Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to preventing crimes against children and assisting in the recovery of missing ones.

Desperate search ... the US says China does not fully comply with the minimum standards for ending trafficking. Source: AP

The US State Department said in its annual trafficking report this year that China "does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking."

Chinese authorities have tried to show they're tackling the problem, including launching a special anti-kidnapping task force in 2009, which government media say has busted 11,000 trafficking gangs and rescued more than 54,000 children across the country.

In October, the issue was highlighted in the Chinese-produced movie "Dearest," which told the true story of a couple who found their abducted son after searching for three years.

Still, many parents say they toil largely on their own, with the police at best leaving them alone.

Xiao Chaohua, whose son was 5 when he disappeared outside his shop in 2007, said appeals to government-run TV to broadcast pictures and names of individual children are largely rejected, as are suggestions to develop a Chinese version of US Amber Alert warning systems to spread information about missing children through roadway signs or other means.

"They won't broadcast it because if they do, it'll expose one of China's problems — the fact that children go missing here," Xiao said.

Bereaved ... Xiao Chaohua's son was five when he was taken from the front of his dad's shop in 2007. Source: AP

The Public Security Ministry, which runs the anti-kidnapping task force, did not respond to several phone calls and a fax seeking comment.

According to Pia Macrae, China director for the international non-profit group Save The Children, Chinese police are often more willing to help families with greater means, and even then frequently don't tell parents what they're doing.

"The parents feel uncommunicated to and want to take actions," Macrae said. "We have seen a real effort to reach out from the police to improve things and we hope it will get better."

While China has strengthened laws against trafficking and raised more public awareness of the issue, several parents said they were operating on their own.

On their own ... Xiao's van aims to bring attention to hundreds of unsolved missing children cases. Source: AP

In fact, they said police harassment usually started when they gathered in groups of more than 20 wearing poster boards and handing out flyers with pictures of their children. Xiao said police have also stopped him when he drives his van pasted with photos of missing children.

Chinese police regularly crack down on any groups they perceive to be organising without government approval and threatening official authority, no matter the cause.

The parents of missing children, however, refuse to give up.

About 1000 families have formed a Beijing-based support group that shares leads about missing children and negotiates with police to allow parents to search for their children. They often go to cities where child and sex trafficking rings are reported to be operating and try to track down suspected traffickers.

"I've dedicated myself to finding him," Xiao said of his son. "If I stop, I can't do anything because I'll be thinking of him."

Over the past six years, the group has found two children, both of them abducted from small cities and sold to adoptive families, Xiao said. The group found one boy in an orphanage in central Henan province, rejected by his purchasers because of a heart condition and just days from being sent overseas for adoption.

Causing trouble? Galvanised parents, looking for their children, have managed to find two missing children. But the government says they are troublemakers. Source: AP

After China toughened its anti-trafficking laws in 2009, prices for abducted children shot up as much as tenfold to $32,000 for boys and nearly $10,000 for girls, he said. Children considered particularly attractive fetch even higher prices.

Wu Xingfo, whose 1-year-old son was stolen while sleeping at home in 2008 in central Shanxi province, said he too has been harassed by police for trying to find his child.

"All the parents in Shanxi created our own group to find our children, but the government said our act was causing trouble in society," Wu said. "I've been imprisoned for two days. They've torn up the photos I've passed around of my son. I don't understand why the police don't take this seriously. It's like you lost a dog or a purse to them."

Zhang — the woman whose daughter was last seen riding a bicycle — said she felt her "heart run cold" when police stormed a rally of more than a dozen parents she was attending in July in the southern city of Guangzhou, near where the country's biggest trafficking networks are reported to operate.

Like Xiao, Zhang and her husband, Yao Fuji, spoke with a haunting lack of emotion, clearly exhausted from years of anguish.

"They say China has human rights, but this isn't the case at all, not a single bit," Yao said. "Before this happened with our child, we thought everything was great, just like we saw on TV. Now, we know it's all fake."

As her husband spoke, Zhang silently replayed the video of her daughter riding to school, rewinding again and again to the moment she appeared on screen, just before she vanished.

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How to lose $9 billion in a year

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Source: Supplied

JEFF Bezos had more fun this year being Amazon's CEO than he did being Amazon's biggest shareholder.

The Seattle-based billionaire saw his personal wealth tumble in 2014 by $9.85 billion, or 23 per cent, to $34.5 billion — a painful markdown that works out to losing more than $27 million a day.

That ranks Bezos as the third biggest loser of 2014 among the 400 richest people in the world, according to a ranking of billionaires by Bloomberg, The New York Post reports.

Only right-wing casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson and Ikea founder Ingvar Kemprad, who lost $11 billion and $10.3 billion, respectively, lost larger piles of their wealth, according to Bloomberg.

The lost loot also leaves Bezos, ranked No. 23 as of Friday, trailing two places behind his fast-ascending rival — Jack Ma.

The Alibaba founder vaulted into the No. 21 spot with a net worth of $35.3 billion as he reaped more than $30 billion with the China-based internet retailer's September debut on the New York Stock Exchange.

Founder and CEO of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos. Photo by Mireya Acierto/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Bezos's 84-million-share stake in Amazon, equal to 18 per cent of the company, has tanked more than 22 per cent this year as Wall Street has grown increasingly impatient with his free-spending habits as CEO of the company.

This year, Bezos has ordered lavish investments on everything from the acquisition of video-gaming site Twitch to new warehouses to drone research.

The result: surprisingly wide losses that have spooked Wall Street, even as the company's sales have continued to swell.

On Friday, Amazon said it added 10 million members during the quarter to its Prime free-shipping service — an operation that is seen by analysts as costly to maintain.

By contrast, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has watched his personal fortune surge by $13.5 billion this year to $44 billion, landing him the No. 13 spot overall.

The social-networking site's shares have surged despite Zuckerberg's own controversial February acquisition of text-messaging service WhatsApp for $22 billion.

Elsewhere this year, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has reclaimed the spot as the world's richest man as his fortune surged to $107.5 billion, up $11 billion from a year ago.

Gates edged out No. 2 Warren Buffett, whose wealth soared to $91 billion as he added $16.2 billion to his coffers. Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim fell into third place as his fortune shrank slightly to $89 billion.

Amazon share rose 2 per cent on Friday, to $USD390.09.

This article originally appeared on The New York Post

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Ailing superpower’s $37bn stimulus

some here now." convenient and delicious." Hundreds queued outside Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) branches in Tokyo, Wednesday, in anticipation of the chain's annual Christmas menu. Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan, but due to a successful marketing campaign, many Tokyo locals have been eating at the KFC's various outlets every Christmas for the last 40 years. Many even pre-order their dinners up to two months in advance. The tradition began in 1974 after an expat, unable to find turkey during the holidays, decided to settle for chicken at a KFC outlet in Aoyama. An employee reportedly saw the potential market for a yuletide menu, kicking starting the company's "Christmas Chicken" campaign.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks is planning about 3.5 trillion yen ($27 billion) in fresh stimulus, including subsidies and job-creating programs, to help pull the world's third-largest economy out of recession. Picture: AP / Shizuo Kambayashi Source: AP

JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzō Abe is planning about Y3.5 trillion ($37 billion) in stimulus, including subsidies and job-creating programs, to help pull the world's third-largest economy out of recession.

Officials on Friday said details of the plan would be approved by the Cabinet on Saturday as it wrapped up work for 2014. The plan reportedly includes 420 billion yen in help for stagnant regional economies.

Abe took office for a third term on Wednesday and faced strong pressure to do something to restore growth after a sales tax hike in April put Japan back in recession.

Data released on Friday showed inflation eased slightly in November as household spending dropped, hindering the government's effort to get the economy out of recession and back to sustainable growth.

BROMANCE: ABBOTT EMBARRASSES THE NATION OVER ABE

JAPAN: TONY ABBOTT TO SIGN NEW SUBMARINES DEAL

A pedestrian checks her mobile phone in front of next year's "Year of the Sheep", part of a display window at a department store, in the Ginza shopping district of central Tokyo on December 26, 2014. Picture: AFP / Toshifumi Kitamura Source: AFP

Core consumer prices, excluding food, rose 2.7 per cent, while the inflation rate, excluding food and energy, was 2.1 per cent. The inflation rate was 2.9 per cent in October.

Overall incomes fell 1.1 per cent in November from a year earlier, while household spending was down 2.5 per cent.

Unemployment was flat at 3.5 per cent.

Abe's stimulus plan will focus on providing more support to lower income families and to Japan's regions where growth has stagnated, reports said on Friday.

Japan's central bank is buying up to 80 trillion yen in assets each month, mostly government bonds, to help spur inflation, but so far has not attained its target of two per cent price increases overall. Meanwhile, since wage increases have not kept pace with inflation, rising share prices and corporate profits have done little to stimulate consumer demand, apart from a rush of purchasing ahead of the April tax hike.

Shoppers walk down a busy street in the Ginza shopping district in central Tokyo on December 26, 2014. Picture: AFP / Toshifumi Kitamura Source: AFP

A large share of the proposed support for local governments will be handouts to local governments, to be used for shopping vouchers to entice people to spend more, local media reported.

The government will also provide funds to back loans to small and medium size businesses that have struggled with rising costs thanks to a weakening yen, which has boosted the prices Japanese pay for energy, food and other imported goods.

Another key aim is to ensure improved job prospects for younger Japanese in regions that are suffering severe population decline as jobseekers crowd into the cities.

Not all of the proposals enjoy universal support. Talk of tax breaks for companies that relocate offices out of Tokyo and into regional cities worries officials in the capital trying to boost investment in the city.

"Japan won't move forward unless Tokyo leads the country as a locomotive," the Jiji news agency cited Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe as saying in a recent interview. "Tokyo should not be regarded as evil."

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Adelaide train brawl footage being investigated

Commuters on an Adelaide train line were shocked to see this fight, caught by one bystander, unfold.

TRANSIT police are seeking information about a fight on an Adelaide suburban train after a video of the ruckus emerged on social media.

The video shows two teenage boys, one wearing dark tracksuit pants, the other in tan shorts and short, white sox, exchanging wild punches as shocked commuters yelled for them to "break it up''.

The brawling boys fell to the floor before bystanders separated them as several other teens, including a girl, become involved.

It is unknown when the fight happened but police say they are investigating.

"The circumstances surrounding the video are being investigated and anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A screen grab of footage of the brawl on an Adelaide train.

"You can remain anonymous,'' a police spokesman said.

Originally published as Adelaide train brawl footage being investigated

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‘My father gave me to Boko Haram’

Unwilling bombers ... 'Zaharau' says she was given to terrorist organisation Boko Haram by her father, but refused to detonate her bomb. Source: Supplied Source: Supplied

A 13-year-old says her father gave her to Boko Haram extremists and that she was arrested after refusing to explode a suicide bomb at a market in Kano, Nigeria's second largest city in the north.

Nigeria has suffered numerous suicide bombings in recent months carried out by girls and young women. That has raised fears that the insurgents are using kidnapped girls.

She says she told her captors she did not want to be a suicide bomber but allowed them to strap her into a vest primed with explosives because they threatened to bury her alive.

The girl, known only as Zaharau, told a news conference Wednesday night that she saw many people being buried alive at the Boko Haram camp where her father took her in Bauchi state, east of Kano.

She said her captors asked if she wanted to go to paradise and, when she said yes, explained she would have to be a suicide bomber.

"When I was told I would have to die to enter paradise, that I would have to explode a bomb and die, I said I cannot do it," she said.

When they threatened to kill her, she allowed them to strap her into a vest primed with explosives, saying "I was afraid to be buried alive."

She says she was taken to Kano's textile market where two other girls detonated their bombs. Police said four people were killed and seven people — including Zaharau — in the December. 10 attack.

The girl says she then went to a hospital for treatment from injuries she sustained in the attack.

Police presented the girl at a news conference yesterday.

The West African nation's homegrown Boko Haram group attracted international condemnation when its fighters kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from a boarding school in northeast Chibok town in April. Dozens escaped but 219 remain missing.

Thousands of people have been killed and 1.6 million driven from their homes in the 5-year-old uprising to create an Islamic state in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation of 160 million people divided between mainly Muslims in the north and Christians in the south.

Police Superintendent Adenrele Shinaba said the girl was arrested in the hospital with a leg wound. A taxi driver took her to the hospital, and she said she left her suicide vest on the seat. The driver alerted police.

Shinaba said she will remain in custody while investigations continue. He said they had been unable to find her father, who the girl said belongs to Boko Haram.

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Christmas: You’re doing it wrong

How's your Christmas tree? Pic: Reddit. Source: Reddit

AH CHRISTMAS. That time of year where you get a whole heap of stuff you didn't ask for, spend a lot of money on people avoided all year, only to find they hate what you bought them anyway.

Bahumbug.

If you're tired of the fake smiles as people open your gifts with horror and disdain, you're not alone.

It seems the interweb is right behind you with social ineptitude when it comes to Christmas.

Reddit users have proven that even epic Christmas fails can bring joy to even the most un-Christmassy of us.

So let's get the gift-thing over with, load up on eggnog and get into the Christmas spirit (like brandy) while you look for ways to auction off the stuff you got online tomorrow.

It might help pay off the January debt.

Giving fail: Sometimes there's no pleasing people.

Like CaptainObvious_1 who just can't seem to get the gifts right after five years with his girlfriend.

Sometimes it seems girlfriends are hard to get gifts for. Picture: Reddit. Source: Reddit

Or this guy, anxious about the cost of Christmas.

ZooPants "My wife starts Christmas shopping today"

Stay on budget. Picture: Reddit. Source: Reddit

Or the guy who struggles to pick a gift.

"Umm, hope you like them. I hate Christmas shopping." lemystery

Awkward Christmas gift moment. Pic: Reddit. Source: Reddit

Perhaps some homemade Christmas knitting mastery.

"Christmas Knit-a-thon has been halted because I am now the owner of the worlds biggest sock" katiedidit

The gift for when one foot is bigger than the other. Picture: Reddit Source: Reddit

Or those awkward Christmas trees.

Where are you plugging those lights in? Picture: bi24fGamer/Reddit. Source: Reddit

That great sporting family.

"My family's Christmas tree is made out of hockey sticks". ablair24

Have a very sporty Christmas. Source: Reddit

And finally, the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

"My wife just texted me this. She told me she was Christmas shopping." Mctalbayne

Pants are always good at Christmas. Picture: Reddit. Source: Reddit

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What’s the deal with Boxing Day?

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Source: News Limited

It's the biggest shopping day of the year and there are plenty of ways to grab a good deal.

THERE are a lot of special things we only do at Christmas.

We put up a tree, we give each other presents, we go to church at midnight, we eat fruitcake. But does anyone really know why we do these things? We'll tell you.

First thing's first: Why does Christmas exist?

Christmas is traditionally a Christian holiday, celebrated each year to remember the birth of Jesus, God's son, in Bethlehem some 2014 years ago. Some people still celebrate Christmas for this reason, and others look at it as a chance to spend quality time with family and friends.

So, is it Christmas, or Xmas?

It's not unusual to see 'Christmas' shortened to 'Xmas'. While many believe that Christmas was dubbed Xmas because people wanted to remove all associations with Jesus from the day, that's a bit of an urban myth — the X in Xmas literally means Jesus.

The New Testament in the Bible was written in Greek, and the word Christ begins with the letter X:

Explained, in pictures! Source: Supplied

According to Vox, "most scholars agree that the first appearance of this abbreviation for Christmas dates to 1021, when an Anglo-Saxon scribe saved himself space by writing XPmas. Parchment paper was quite expensive, so any techniques for saving space were welcome. The abbreviation stuck and eventually was shortened to Xmas."

Interestingly, the name 'Christmas' is in itself a kind of abbreviation — it's derived from 'The Mass of Christ', which is a special service to honour the birth of Jesus. It traditionally takes place after sunset on Christmas Eve but before sunrise on Christmas Day, and while it's officially known as 'The Mass of Christ' it's more commonly dubbed 'midnight mass'.

So, Christ-mas, Christmas, Xmas — it's all essentially the same thing.

And why December 25?

As you'll soon see, a lot of our Christmas traditions come from the northern hemisphere, and the day we celebrate Christmas is no exception. Although Christmas is a Christian holiday, the date Christmas falls on is not Jesus' actual birthday. December 25 was selected as the day to commemorate it by the Western Church sometime in the fourth century, because it lined up with a few other celebrations at the time. The Winter Solstice was one of them, which was a festival signifying new life — spring was coming, and the sun had conquered the winter darkness. For Christians, Jesus is the thing the signifies new life, and the early Christians thought that having a celebration at that time of year too was a good fit. It was Pope Julius I who officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December.

Is this the way to Bethlehem? Source: Supplied

So where did Santa enter the picture?

Contrary to popular belief, Santa Claus was not invented by Coca-Cola. Today's Santa is based on a saint who existed during the 4th century called Saint Nicholas. He went around giving presents to children in need, in his official Bishop's red robes. After he died, people gave gifts to children in his honour until Martin Luther decided the ritual should coincide with December 25, so the focus could be on Christ as the 'ultimate gift-giver', instead of on a saint.

There's also a touch of inspiration for Santa from Odin, a pagan god who led a hunting party atop a Sleipnir, which is a horse with 8 legs. Odin travelled with Sleipnir and eight reindeer, and would ride about filling children's boots with candy on the German holiday Yule, which is celebrated around the same time as Christmas.

As for the whole naughty/nice thing, that's a notion that is thought to have originated from Denmark. They have a slightly more sinister legend about a Dutch 'Sinterklass' who wears red and white, a bishop's hat, travels to Denmark on steam boat from Spain, and knows if you've been naughty. He has helpers known as Zwarte Piets, who give good kids gifts, but punish the naughty ones with jutes and willow canes.

So, the Santa we have today seems to be a bit of a mishmash of Saint Nick, the Dutch Sinterklaas and Odin. The one thing they all have in common is that they give presents, and that seems to be why we do, too.

Christmas stockings full of Christmas treats. Source: Supplied

And where do we get the whole stocking thing from?

The 1823 poem T'was the Night Before Christmas is not only a Christmas tradition in itself, but the first known publication of the ritual of hanging up stockings. Now whether this is legend or myth or reality I'm not sure, but Time magazine say that "the original Saint Nicholas, who travelled around bringing gifts and cheer to those in need, came upon a small village one year and heard of a family in need.

"An impoverished widower, devastated by the passing of his wife, could not afford to provide a dowry for his three daughters. St. Nick knew the man was too prideful to accept money, so he simply dropped some gold coins down the chimney, which landed in the girl's stockings, hung by the fireplace to dry." Who are we to argue with that?

Why do we sing carols?

The word 'carol' actually means a dance or a song of praise and joy, and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Christmas. Carols were originally sung during Winter Solstice celebrations, before early Christians put Jesus-centred words to them. It's thought that the first Christmas carol was a song called Angel's Hymn, written in AD 129 by a Roman Bishop.

Let's move onto food … and pudding

The Christmas pudding seems to be one of those things that's evolved over time across many countries, dating as far back as ancient Rome. The tradition of making things like fruitcakes and puddings for special occasions, however, became popular in the 17th century because of the extravagance of the ingredients. Nuts, raisins, spices, candied fruit, rum … it became so decadent that at one time, it was banned by the Puritans!

As to how the pudding became associated with Christmas, one theory is that in 1714, King George I tasted it as part of a Christmas meal, and made it legal to create again. Another theory is that, because its ingredients were so expensive, people would candy fruit throughout the year at different harvest times, and at the end of the year, put them all in a pudding to serve at a special occasion — and what's a better end-of-year special occasion than Christmas?

Christmas pudding, yum. Source: ThinkStock

How about Candy Canes?

The most popular theory about the origin of the Candy Cane is that a choirmaster in Germany in 1670 wanted to give the kids at the Christmas service something to eat to keep them settled. He gave them white sugar sticks, made into an upside-down J shape to resemble the shepherd's staffs.

The candy cane then spread from Germany to the rest of Europe, into America and then the rest of the world. Sometime around the 1900s the peppermint flavour was added, as well as red and green stripes.

Speaking of red and green …

Clearly the colours of Christmas, we have the European continent to thank for the prevalence of red and green. During their winter, things like holly, ivy, pine trees and mistletoe were used to brighten up homes and churches and Christmas plays. Christians later reinterpreted the red and green to resemble new life (green) and Jesus' blood (red).

Red and green everywhere. Source: Supplied

Now that we've mentioned mistletoe …

Mistletoe is a plant that grows on apple and willow trees, and it's spread through bird poo. In fact, its name is derived from two Anglo Saxon words which literally mean poo on a stick. So how did we go from that to it being something we kiss under?

Well, in Norse Mythology, mistletoe is a sign of love and friendship. Somewhere along the way the English caught on, and every time a berry was picked from the mistletoe, they would give someone a kiss. When the berries ran out, so did the kisses. Somehow, possibly because of its colour, mistletoe wheedled its way into being used as a Christmas decoration, and the two traditions were rolled into one.

And what about the Christmas tree?

Well it wouldn't be Christmas without a tree now, would it? The Christmas tree has its roots in pagan Europe, where trees were worshipped during the Winter Solstice. The tree made the jump into being a Christmas symbol in Germany, where they were used on Adam and Eve day, which falls on Christmas Eve, to symbolise the Garden of Eden. Latvia also used a tree in their town square in Riga in 1510 as part of their Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The German royal family are largely credited for bringing the tree to England, thanks to Prince Albert's marriage to Queen Victoria in 1840. He erected a pine tree in their Windsor Castle home, and had their children decorate it. All it took was a family portrait taken by a London paper with the beautifully decorated tree in the background for the idea to take off around the UK.

Oh, Christmas Tree! Source: Getty Images

Why do we say 'Merry Christmas'?

The short answer is, no-one's really sure. Because the day is a happy one? Quite possibly, but some credit Charles Dickens with popularising the term in his 1843 story A Christmas Carol.

Why do we have Boxing Day?

Get ready to email this piece of information on: Boxing Day is traditionally the day people receive gifts from their bosses. Say what now?!

In the 17th century, servants used to have their day off on December 26, because of course they had to work on December 25. So, as a goodwill gesture, their employers would pop things like leftover food and a little bonus money in a box to give out the day after Christmas.

These days, we get a public holiday, there are of course the Boxing Day sales, and people who want to keep the tradition alive give a gift in a box.

See ya next Christmas. Source: News Limited

More: whychristmas.com | The remarkable origins of Christmas | Christmas for Dummies | A brief history of Christmas traditions

There is a lot of information out there about Christmas, and we've endeavoured to pull the most accurate explainer together as possible. Did we miss something? Tell us in the comments below. And Merry Christmas!

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Explosion blows CBD manhole into air

Explosion ... A build-up of gas and an electrical fault caused the manhole to fly into the air. Source: AAP

A FIFTY kilogram concrete and steel manhole has shot more than a metre into the air in an explosion under a Sydney CBD intersection.

Smoke poured from the hole after the loud blast startled Christmas shoppers walking past on Wednesday afternoon.

No one was hurt, but one passer-by said he was terrified by the unexpected explosion, especially in Australia's current security environment and after the recent Lindt Cafe siege.

On alert ... NSW police were patrolling the Sydney CBD today after an Australian man was charged on December 24 with possessing documents connected to a planned terrorist attack. Source: AFP

An Ausgrid worker said the explosion happened because of a build-up of gas and an electrical fault.

It wasn't yet known if there'd been any damage inside the manhole, the energy company representative said.

However, it was possible the cover could be blown off again, although that was unlikely, the worker said.

A NSW Fire and Rescue service member said firefighters wouldn't enter the manhole until it had been checked by Ausgrid.

The manhole cover put back into its casing and normal traffic resumed.

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The picture changed the world

An attack by the militants of IS on a People's Protection Unit in the city centre of Kobane, as seen from the outskirts of Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border, October 20. Photo: Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

THE small, tucked away place of Kobane was thrown onto the world stage this year when Islamic State (ISIS) militants stormed the Kurdish town in northern Syria in September.

It triggered some of the fiercest fighting the world has ever seen and marked a point of no return for the conflict that has now engulfed the region.

The above picture was captured by Getty photographer Gokhan Sahin and shows the moment an explosion rocked Kobane during a reported suicide car bomb attack by the militants of IS.

Getty photographers have covered more than 16,000 news events, 28,000 sporting events and 50,000 entertainment events this year and have witnessed countless moments that rocked the world. Here's their pick of the defining images of 2014.

DISEASE DISASTER

A woman crawls towards the body of her sister, Mekie Nagbe, 28, as Ebola burial team members take her for cremation on October 10, in Monrovia, Liberia. Nagbe, a market vendor, collapsed and died outside her home earlier in the morning while walking to a treatment centre, according to her relatives. The burial of loved ones is important in Liberian culture, making the removal of infected bodies for cremation all the more traumatic for surviving family members. The World Health Organisation says the Ebola epidemic has now killed more than 4000 people in West Africa.

Photo: by John Moore/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

TOTAL DESPAIR

Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 is shown smouldering in a field on July 17 in Grabovo, Ukraine, near the Russian border. MH17, on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and carrying 295 passengers and crew, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile, according to US intelligence officials and Ukrainian authorities. The area is under control of pro-Russian militias.

Photo: Pierre Crom/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

RAINING DOWN

The New Zealand rugby team perform the Haka after winning the final of the 2014 Hong Kong Sevens against England at Hong Kong International Stadium on March 30.

Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

GOODBYE MY FRIEND

Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke pays his respects to his teammate during the funeral service for Phillip Hughes on December 3 in Macksville. Hughes died in November, aged 25, as a result of head injuries sustained during the Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and NSW at the SCG.

Photo: Cameron Spencer — Pool/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

ROYAL WALK

LEFT: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William walk down Kuniya Walk at the base of Uluru on April 22. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand, the first official trip overseas with their son, Prince George.

BUNNIES WIN

RIGHT: South Sydney Rabbitohs captain John Sutton holds aloft the premiership trophy after winning the 2014 NRL Grand Final.

Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Photo: Scott Barbour/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

TIANANMEN 25 YEARS ON

June 4 marked the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Photographer Dario Mitidieri was one of the few photographers to cover the massacre and that same year won Press Photographer of the Year at the British Press Awards for his work. This image from 1989, Beijing, China, shows a wounded soldier of the Chinese army being rescued by students after his tank was destroyed during the Tiananmen Square massacre during the night between June 3 and 4.

Photo: Dario Mitidieri /Getty Images Source: Getty Images

DAY OF SILENCE

A Balinese man throws a burned coconut husk during the "Mesabatan Api" ritual ahead of Nyepi Day on March 30 in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. Mesabatan Api is held annually a day before the Nyepi Day of Silence, symbolising the purification of the universe and human body through fire. The national holiday is one of self-reflection and meditation and activities such as working, watching television or travelling are restricted between 6am and 6pm.

Photo: Agung Parameswara/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

AUSSIE CHAMP

Australian Nick Kyrgios during his Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day eight of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 1 in London, England.

Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

THE WALL FALLS

The first section of the Berlin Wall is pushed down by crowds of determined people on the morning of November 10, 1989 — 25 years ago this year.

Photo: Tom Stoddart/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

GRAND PRIX CRASH

Japan's Kamui Kobayashi gets off the track after crashing into Felipe Massa of Brazil and Williams during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 16 in Melbourne.

Photo: Vladimir Rys Photography/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

FLANDERS SOLDIERS

June 28 was the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand — the shot that would bring the world to war. Supporting troops of the 1st Australian Division here are walking on a duckboard track near Hooge, in the Ypres Sector. They form a silhouette against the sky as they pass towards the front line to relieve their comrades, whose attack the day before won Broodseinde Ridge and deepened the Australian advance.

Photo: Frank Hurley/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

HAWKS FLY HIGH

Hawks players celebrate with the Premiership Cup during the 2014 AFL Grand Final match between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorn Hawks at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 27.

Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

SOCHI

Krystyna Palka of Poland competes during the Women's 4 x 6km Relay during day 14 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Laura Cross-country Ski and Biathlon Center on February 21 in Russia.

Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

FERGUSON OUTRAGE

Police force protesters from the business district into nearby neighbourhoods on August 11 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed in St Louis. The day before, 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson.

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

GRUDGE MATCH

Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone attend the Grudge Match premiere on January 7 in Rome, Italy.

Photo: Franco Origlia/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

You can vote for the images of 2014 that move you via yearinfocus.gettyimages.com

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‘Mummy is in heaven and heaven is in my heart’

Family and friends of Sydney siege victim Tori Johnson have gathered for his funeral.

The partner of Tori Johnson, Thomas Zinn and family members carry the casket in at the funeral of Tori Johnson. (AAP Image/Nikki Short) NO ARCHIVING Source: AAP

THERE have been emotional scenes today at the funeral services of Sydney siege victims Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson as family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes.

At the service for siege hero Mr Johnson at Sydney's St Stephen's Uniting Church this morning senior public figures and members of the police force joined his family, partner and workmates, including some who were also hostages during last week's siege.

Throughout the hour-long service as the 34-year-old's was remembered in a celebration of Tori's "love, generosity and life", the order of service booklet for the private ceremony read.

The church is about 100 metres from the Lindt cafe, where Tori worked as manager, and also where he was tragically killed in the early hours of December 16 as the Martin Place siege ended.

Mr Johnson's father Ken and partner of 14 years, Thomas Zinn, spoke at the service that began with 'Ave Maria' playing in the church.

Supplied personal photo of Tori Johnson and is partner Thomas Zinn. Source: Supplied

Supplied image of Tori Johnson, victim of the Sydney Siege at the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. Source: Supplied

Supplied personal photo of Tori Johnson and is partner Thomas Zinn. Source: Supplied

Traffic was halted on Macquarie St outside the church as a white hearse bearing Mr Johnson's coffin arrived for the 11am service.

Fellow hostages bravely attended the service. Many of them only knew Tori for the hours they were trapped inside the cafe by crazed gunman Man Haron Monis.

Elly Chen, Fiona Ma, Jieun Bae and Joel Herat arrived with Premier Mike Baird, while Harriette Denny, Selina Win Pe and Jarrod Joffman also paid their respects.

NSW police commissioner Andrew Scipione and Governor David Hurley were also among mourners at St Stephen's church.

The partner of Tori Johnson, Thomas Zinn and family members carry the casket into St Stephen's Uniting Church. Source: AAP

St Stephen's cathedral. Source: Supplied

Siege victims Joel Herat (2nd L), Elly Chen (2nd R) and Fiona Ma (R) pay their respects at wreath laying ceremony after the funeral for Tori Johnson at Martin Place. Source: Getty Images

Well-regarded barrister and mother to three Katrina Dawson will also be farewelled in a memorial service at the University of Sydney's Great Hall beginning at 2pm this afternoon.

Ms Dawson's husband Paul Smith will give the eulogy, while there will be tributes from her parents Sandy and Jane Dawson and also by her brothers Sandy and Angus.

MORE: Heartbreaking songs picked by Katrina's kids

Speakers for the ceremony include Julie Taylor, the pregnant colleague and friend who was trapped inside the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place with Ms Dawson during the siege.

Organisers have also asked for donations to be made to the Katrina Dawson Foundation instead of flowers.

The charity was set up last week by former governor-general dame Quentin Bryce, who is expected to attend this afternoon's service.

More than 1500 people have attended the service. Among them is siege survivor John O'Brien and Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife Margy.

Photos showing Ms Dawson with her husband and children were shown on a large screen in the university's sandstone Great Hall.

A message from Ms Dawson's son Ollie said: "Mummy is in heaven & heaven is in my heart, so mum will be with me all the time."

Memorial service for Katrina Dawson at University of Sydney, picture Craig Greenhill Source: News Corp Australia

Memorial service for Katrina Dawson at University of Sydney, picture Craig Greenhill Source: News Corp Australia

One of the hostages arrives at the memorial service for Katrina Dawson at the The Great Hall at Sydney University in Sydney. Picture: Adam Taylor Source: News Corp Australia

Photos showing Katrina Dawson (L) and Tori Johnson (R) sit among the flowers left outside the Lindt cafe in Sydney's Martin Place. Source: AFP

Sydneysiders paid their respect to the two victims in floral tributes. Source: News Corp Australia

Many of the mourners wore aqua, the popular barrister's favourite colour, while her favourite classical music is being played.

Former colleague Jeremy Stoljar SC told those gathered: "We're going to do our best, despite everything to remember the happy times."

"She had it all. She looked after the younger ones, she worked with the older ones," Mr Stoljar said.

"She put 100 per cent into everything she did ... she was the best friend anyone could have."

In the wake of the pair's tragic deaths, thousands of Sydneysiders have visited Martin Place where the public outpouring of grief has manifested in a sea of floral tributes. Several thousands of bunches of flowers were removed from the makeshift memorial site this morning ahead of wet weather which officials feared may destroy the notes left with flowers which have been collected to return to the victim's families.

The flowers will be mulched and used in a memorial set to be determined in consultation with Ms Dawson and Mr Johnson's families.

"At an appropriate time we'll also discuss with them the establishment of a permanent memorial," Premier Mike Baird said.

A smaller tribute site has been established under a marquee in Martin Place and a bouquet from Mr Johnson's funeral service will be laid at the new site. — with Andrew Koubaridis

RFS, SES and the Australian Red Cross assisted in removing flowers from Martin place today. Source: News Corp Australia

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Why lady tradies are better on the tools

The trade industry is dominated by men, but women are proving tops on the tools. Source: News Corp Australia

WANT a trade job done professionally, on time and with great communication?

Get a woman to do it.

Female tradies not only exist, but women are increasingly likely to take up a trade as a career — and they are gaining high feedback scores on the quality of their work.

According to an ABS survey of Education and Work, males were much more likely to be employed as a trade apprentice than females in 2005, with six males for every female.

But by 2011, census data showed the rates of women in trades were increasing with 1432 female electricians, 676 female carpenters, 931 female motor mechanics and 638 female plumbers across Australia.

Melbourne-based Sally Liddell is one of those trade women.

The 28-year-old owns her own business, Right Connection Electrical, and said she loves it.

"I wanted to do something different and something that would challenge me," she told news.com.au

"My uncle was an electrician, so that kind of got the ball rolling on it being a career option. He changed industries and went into real estate, and I thought, well, I can do that too, I can change industries as well.

"I was mainly working in call centres at the time, and I'd done three years of a four year teaching degree when I realised it just wasn't for me. I was about 23 then, and I enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship course," she said.

"I did quite well at trade school, so a lot of the guys turned it into a bit of a competition because they didn't like the idea of being beaten by a female.

"I just laughed if off."

In NSW, women make up 13 per cent of trade apprentices and trainees and several agencies are now set up to deal specifically with them.

Girls in Trades and support service The Lady Tradies Australia are two key contacts.

Online industry directories have started to take notice.

Melbourne-based electrician Sally Liddell. Source: Supplied

"It's always really exciting when we see female tradies join hipages.com.au," David Vitek, CEO and co-founder of hipages Group, told news.com.au

"They always get great feedback scores on completed jobs. The female tradies we have come across score higher for communication, punctuality and professionalism than the general population of trades.

"We love seeing women tradies take on work that is traditionally male dominated. For us, we get so excited to see them doing a great job, and getting recognised for it."

Ms Liddell said the stigma around female tradies was wearing off.

"I do think the attitude in the industry is definitely getting a lot better," she said.

"There are a lot of younger electricians who are more open minded, it tends to be the older ones who have the issue.

"They don't like the idea of a girl doing the hard stuff, but then, they can't do the hard stuff themselves anymore, so it doesn't really work."

The trade industry is dominated by men, but women are proving tops on the tools. Source: Supplied

While the attitude in the industry may well be changing, Ms Liddell said she had certainly been subjected to casual sexism.

"Once I rang up about a job and the man I spoke to was like, 'Are you a woman?' When I answered that yes I was, he said, 'It's very hard work you know, you have to crawl under houses and in roofs!' I assured him I could do that and I emailed my resume through, but of course I never heard back from him.

"That's part of why owning my own business was always dream. It's part of what appealed to me about the trade industry.

"I saw an opportunity to make that a reality, and have had my own business since June.

"I want to employ female apprentices to get more females into the trade, because I found it so hard to get one myself, being a woman."

Sally Liddell at work. Source: Supplied

Since starting her own business, things have gone from strength to strength for Ms Liddell — but people still double take when they realise she is a qualified electrician.

"If people call up the business and I answer, some people think I'm the office lady. A lot of people kind of take a minute, they're surprised that I'm the electrician.

"Some people still don't get it until you turn up to actually do the work!

Ms Liddel believed it wasn't that clients thought she couldn't do the job, they just didn't expect a female.

"People just aren't used to it. That's the thing we can change.

"Until now really, having a trade hasn't seemed like an option to a lot of women, there is still a bit of stigma around it," she said.

"A lot of women might be intimidated at the prospect of working in an all-male environment, but I'd still definitely recommend it.

"The electricians I have worked with are all pretty good. You might get comments about there not being many females around, but I haven't really had any issues.

"It's so interesting this job, you're constantly learning, you don't have to go to the same place for work every day," she said.

"It's not as hard as people might think.

"Don't let the ideal of a male dominated industry put you off.

"Just go for it."

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Seven pregnant after school trip

Stop motion video creates a detailed record of one woman's journey through pregnancy

Shocking revelation ... Five schoolgirls, aged 13 to 15, fell pregnant after going on a five-day trip to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

SEVEN girls, aged 13 to 15, have fallen pregnant after a five-day school trip to their country's capital city and their parents are being blamed.

The schoolgirls, from the city of Banja Luka, went to the Bosnia and Herzegovina capital, Sarajevo.

Nenad Babici, the National Coordinator for Reproductive Health of the Republika, told Inserbia.info that it was discovered that the seven schoolgirls fell pregnant on the school trip.

The school in Banja Luka had taken 28 girls to the nation's capital city for a five-day trip to visit museums and historic sights in the city, ranked among the finest in the world.

Furious parents are demanding to know why there was such a lack of teacher supervision, reported the Daily Mail.

However, Babici blamed parents for not educating their children properly.

OSTEITIS PUBIS IN PREGNANCY: "I was in a bit of a dark place"

CAUSE FOR PAUSE: Teenage pregnancy in Australia

Twenty eight taken on school trip ... Seven of them, aged 13 to 15, fell pregnant. Picture: Catherine Yeulet Source: News Limited

He said that early engagement in sexual relations later lead to adverse consequences such as infertility, various diseases, miscarriages and premature births.

Senad Mehmedbasic, a Sarajevo gynaecologist, said a growing trend of underage pregnancies in Bosnia and Herzegovina is worrying.

"That is the trend of today. But we cannot continue to allow our children to be educated about sex on the street and not in school," he told Inserbia.info.

Educational institutes and parents should, he said, play a stronger role in providing effective sex education.

"It is obvious that children do not have enough knowledge of health education so they engage in such activities, not knowing the consequences.

"We have to be more direct in the educational system, it must not be allowed that street teaches children about intimate matters, and that they are later slapped by life."

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Police oppose bail for murder accused mum

Mersane Warria. Picture: File Source: Supplied

POLICE say they will oppose bail for the Cairns woman charged with murdering seven of her children and a niece.

Raina Mersane Ina Thaiday was today formally charged with eight counts of murder in a bedside court hearing in Cairns Hospital, where she is being treated for injuries suffered during her alleged rampage on Friday.

Four girls aged 14, 12, 11 and two and four boys aged nine, eight, six and five were found stabbed to death in a Murray St home on Friday.

Warria has been under police arrest in hospital recovering from non-life threatening self-inflicted knife wounds. She is also due to undergo mental health assessments.

The charges will be heard in Cairns Magistrates Court tomorrow but police say Warria, also known as Raina Thaiday, has been remanded in custody and will not appear.

"She is currently under police guard and will remain so until a decision's made about any future accommodations,'' regional crime co-coordinator Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said.

Family and and friends of some of the dead children attended a media conference at Cairns police station where Insp Asnicar confirmed the charges, but they did not speak with journalists.

Murder accused cannot ply for bail in the Magistrates Court but Insp Asnicar said police would "obviously" oppose if she makes a Supreme Court bail bid.

He said Warria was "conscious and lucid" but would not comment on her reaction to the charges.

The families of the dead children had also been informed of the murder charges, he said.

"It'd come as no surprise that this is a very raw and emotive time for everybody," he said.

"The family's deeply, deeply upset but the community's pulling together. It's as good as it can be out of tragic, tragic circumstances."

Asked how the five different fathers of the eight dead were bearing up, Insp Asnicar said: "You don't need too much of an imagination to understand how they're feeling."

Insp Asnicar said autopsies had not been completed and the house at 34 Murray St, Manoora, was expected to remain a crime scene for days.

Local MP Gavin King said the future of the Housing Commission house would be decided once police had finished their investigation and will announce details of a public memorial to the children tomorrow.

He also announced a public appeal for donations to the families through UnitingCare.

the public were also being urged to donate household goods to the Salvation Army to help accommodate extended family members travelling to Cairns from across Queensland to mourn the children.

Mr King backed police comments dismissing fears of unrest in Manoora over the mass murder.

"Most people understand this is a tragedy of untold horror - it's not a time for retribution," he said.

Originally published as Police oppose bail for murder accused mum

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Cyclist’s terrifying brush with death

The near-miss took place in the Chinese city of Ningbo. Source: Supplied

THIS could be the luckiest man alive.

A Chinese cyclist has escaped a brush with death after being knocked down and run over by a semi-trailer.

In CCTV footage obtained by UK TV network ITN, the truck can be seen running down the cyclist as it turns through a pedestrian crossing.

The rider managed to escape with minor cuts and bruises after managing to avoid all 14 wheels of the truck, with the entire length passing over him.

ITN reports the local police put the blame on the near-miss, which took place in the eastern city of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, on the driver of the truck.

After the vehicle passes over him, the dazed rider can be seen sitting up in the middle of the road.

The driver reportedly did not stop.

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Aussie brothers accused of Bali glassing

Arrested ... Scott O'Hehir at North Kuta Police station. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: Supplied

TWO Australian brothers could face four years jail in Bali for being accused of glassing a local restaurater after urinating in front of him while on a drunken night out.

Tim and Scott O'Hehir of Perth, in Western Australia, are in police custody after they allegedly attacked Wayan Mudipa, who owns the Apa Kabar Restaurant in North Kuta.

When Mudipa saw the two brothers on his property, he said he yelled out: "Hey, what are you f**king doing here?"

Under renovation ... the front of shop in North Kuta. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: Supplied

Mudipa, 35, told News Corp Australia he was working at the busy restaurant on Friday night, when he saw Scott, 32, urinate behind a temple near his eatery and younger brother Tim, 27, urinating inside a nearby shop owned by Mudipa, which is under renovation.

Mudipa alleges Tim then hit him with his hand and grabbed his neck.

Being questioned ... Scott and Tim O'Hehir in North Kuta Police station. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: News Corp Australia

Moments later, Mudipa alleges Scott struck his forehead with a beer bottle causing injuries to the shop owner's hands, face and head.

Police have been told the brothers then allegedly fled the scene of the attack, before local Balinese people caught Tim on the run.

Injured ... Wayan Mudipa in front of the shop in North Kuta. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: Supplied

He was taken to North Kuta Police Station where he was questioned. Scott later turned himself into police.

Police confirmed the pair were under the influence of alcohol on the night of the alleged attack but claim Scott denied hitting Mudipa.

Police evidence ... broken beer bottles at the scene of the alleged attack. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: Supplied

Authorities said Scott confessed he saw Tim hit the victim once with his hand - something police say Tim confirmed.

"It is their confession. But the victim and several witnesses said that they hit the victim by bottle," North Kuta Police Chief Ronny Riantoko Eppang said.

Giving information ... Scott O'Hehir at North Kuta Police station. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: Supplied

When asked what they wanted to say to their family after leaving the interrogation room, Scott said: "Very sorry".

But if Mudipa withdraws his claims against them, police said the pair could be freed.

Waiting ... Scott O'Hehir in Bali. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: Supplied

The brothers were staying at the Echoland villa in North Kuta and were on a three week holiday together.

Their arrest occurred while they were one week into their trip.

Tim now lives in Singapore and works for Raffles Medical Group as a dentist while Scott lives in Perth, working as a director for Checkside, a human resources firm.

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