Iraqi militants 'executed 300 civilians'

ISLAMIC State extremists have executed around 300 Sunni Iraqis in retaliation for the government's launch of a major offensive to regain the western province of Anbar from the radical militia, security sources say.

THE victims, members of local Sunni tribes, were shot dead in the Islamic State-held western town of Qaem near the border with Syria for alleged collaboration with government troops trying to recapture Anbar, the sources said, without giving details.

The Iraqi government started the onslaught to drive Islamic State out of Anbar - the country's largest province - on Wednesday.Last week, Iraqi troops, backed by Shi'ite militiamen and US-led airstrikes, recaptured the strategic northern city of Tikrit in the hardest blow yet to the jihadists, who control vast parts of northern and western Iraq.A security official said that government troops were on Thursday making significant advances in their push to retake mostly Sunni Anbar.Security forces, backed by Sunni and Shi'ite loyalists, have made "big progress" in driving militants out of the area of Sijariya, east of Anbar's capital city of Ramadi, Mohammed Hamed, a senior officer in the province's police, told DPA."Security forces are about to fully liberate Sijariya from the grip of Daesh," he said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.Six soldiers were killed and 15 wounded in battles with the jihadists in Sijariya, military sources said.Government forces and volunteers were meanwhile imposing a complete siege on Fallujah, a main Anbar city that has been under Islamic State's control for months, Shi'ite militia commander, Juma al-Jamili, said."The next few hours will witness the storming of Fallujah, which is being besieged from all directions," al-Jamili told independent Iraqi news site Almada Press.Most of Anbar, which stretches from Baghdad to the Syrian border, has been under the control of radical Sunni Islamic State and anti-government Sunni insurgents since last year.

23.09 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Sydney woman returns home

JESSICA Bialek has returned to her Sydney home after a public, emotional plea from her father following her disappearance.

THE 38-year-old mother vanished from her Coogee home on Wednesday morning, sparking a desperate search by her family, friends and police.

Her father Michael Bialek pleaded on Thursday with his daughter to call home.He fought back tears as he told reporters: "She's got a darling little daughter who's missing her and a loving husband, and we're desperate to find out from her that she's safe. If there's a reason she wants to be on her own, we just want to know she's safe."Ms Bialek's husband posted on social media later that evening she had been found."Jessica Bialek is safe and at home. Found. Thank you," Sabino Matera posted on Facebook just after 6.30pm.Her family raised the alarm on Wednesday afternoon after she left home on foot to run errands just after 8.30am.Mr Bialek said his daughter, her husband and their young girl had just returned from an Easter visit with family in Melbourne.He described her as a "complex character" but said it would be very strange for her to leave behind her daughter or not make contact with her family or friends."She's a loving mother, a wonderful sister, a wonderful daughter, so all of those things make us very suspicious about what it is that's made her go missing."Friends scoured the eastern suburbs on Thursday, posting "Missing" flyers as police doorknocked and checked hotels in an effort to find out where Ms Bialek spent last night.As news of her return filtered through, friends spoke of their relief."And now we can breathe again," wrote Baci Hillyer on Facebook."Thank God. I hope she is ok and knows how much she is loved. Xxx," said Donna Anthony.Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate earlier told reporters it was unusual for Ms Bialek to disappear."It's totally out of character for Jessica to go missing. We haven't been able, and the family have not been able, to contact her," Supt Dengate said.Ms Bialek is a freelance photographer who has worked for the Australian Ballet, Opera Victoria and the Bangarra dance theatre.A NSW Police spokesman said officers would speak with Ms Bialek to check on her welfare and discuss her absence."We are all very relieved that she is home, safe and well," the spokesman told AAP.

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Accused NZ drug mule collapses in court

A NEW Zealander on trial for smuggling drugs into Bali has fainted in court after clutching at his chest and complaining he couldn't understand the court translation.

ANTONY de Malmanche, 52, had to be carried from the Denpasar courthouse on Thursday and was then driven to hospital in the prosecutor's car.

The Wanganui man was arrested in December at Bali's International airport and charged with carrying 1.7kg of methamphetamine in his backpack.He faces charges that carry the death penalty.Before the trial resumed on Thursday, de Malmanche complained to the judge that he couldn't understand the translation.Translator Wayan Ana then tried to withdraw himself from the trial, saying "every time, he has complaints".The judge persuaded Mr Wayan to continue with a slower translation.Lawyer for de Malmanche, Chris Harno, then complained about the conduct of the prosecution at last week's hearing, when a customs officer told the court the Kiwi was soaked with sweat at customs, which was suspicious, given the cold airport.Mr Harno said the prosecution was "trying to hide the possibility that he is a victim of a syndicate"."We just want to seek justice," he said.Judge Cening Budiana agreed Mr Harno could discuss the possibility of bringing CCTV footage from the airport to trial, and two further witnesses from customs.Bali drug squad officer Gede Suparta was the only witness to front the trial on Thursday, before de Malmanche took ill.The officer told the court that on taking custody of de Malmanche, his team took him to the hotel he had reserved, along with his mobile phone, in expectation of people named April and Michael collecting the drugs."This was conducted based on the defendant's testimony," he said.After two days, no one showed up.Mr Harno - who has already tried to have the police dossier rejected because his client was not told of his rights for representation in the first 48 hours - asked if the officer had offered a lawyer or translator.He replied: "No, it's not my authority".Asked if he conducted fingerprinting, he said no.The judge was to call a second drug squad witness when he observed de Malmanche looked sick.The hearing was adjourned, three hours in, and the prisoner was given water and invited to lay on the bench.He then fainted, and was taken to hospital in the prosecutor's car.De Malmanche's lawyers plan a novel defence that will argue he is a victim of human trafficking, rather than a trafficker.They say he had travelled to Hong Kong believing he would meet his internet girlfriend "Jessie" before flying to Bali on the instructions of a man he thought to be her assistant.

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'Fake relative' claims Germanwings flights

GERMAN police are looking into an allegation that a woman got free flights to the south of France by pretending to be a relative of one of 150 people killed in the Germanwings crash.

GERMANWINGS, the budget airline in the Lufthansa group, provided free flights for mourners visiting the French Alps scene of the March 24 crash, which French and German prosecutors believe was deliberately caused by the plane's co-pilot.

The freeloader claimed to be a cousin of a female teacher who died, reported the Halterner Zeitung, a newspaper in Haltern, Germany, quoting the teacher's father. Haltern's high school lost 16 schoolchildren and two teachers in the disaster.An airline spokesman told DPA, "The incident is known to Lufthansa," but would not discuss details, except to say Lufthansa lawyers were examining if they could sue her.A fraud inquiry had begun in Hoexter, another town in North Rhine Westphalia state, police there told DPA. They said they were acting on a complaint from Lufthansa.The father said the phantom cousin, who was neither a kinswoman nor friend of his daughter, flew twice to the Alps and back, taking three other unidentified persons with her, according to the newspaper.She even received the counselling that was offered free to the rest of the mourners.

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Sex of second Royal baby still unknown

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have thanked the public for their warm wishes ahead of the birth of their second child - but they still don't know if it will be a boy or girl.

A HEAVILY pregnant Kate is expected to give birth towards the end of April and for the delivery will return to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington where Prince George was born.

The Duke and Duchess have sent a message saying they are very grateful for the warm wishes they've received from people throughout the UK and around the world over the last few months.

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