CONROY SAYS ABSOLUTELY NOT TO RUDD RETURN

AAP Updated June 21, 2012

AAP ©

Cabinet minister Stephen Conroy insists Kevin Rudd will not return as Labor leader despite reports that supporters of Julia Gillard are growing nervous about a spring leadership offensive.

They believe the prime minister is in danger of losing the majority support of caucus if the carbon tax and its compensation package is not the "game-changer" she promised them, Fairfax newspapers said on Thursday.

One "number-cruncher" said about 10-12 MPs had shifted their support from Ms Gillard to Mr Rudd since the February ballot.

Asked on ABC Radio whether there was a chance of a Rudd return, Senator Conroy said: "Absolutely not. The prime minister, Julia Gillard, is giving this country the leadership it needs.

"She is not in a popularity contest."

Senator Conroy, a Gillard supporter, said she had shown extraordinary courage and determination.

"People constantly underestimate her strength."

As the second anniversary of Mr Rudd's dumping nears, Senator Conroy insists it was the right decision to replace him with Ms Gillard.

"We are in a situation where the Australian people elected a minority government, and that has presented different challenges that any government in many years has had to deal with.”

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/14000895/conroy-says-absolutely-not-to-rudd-return/

ARREST WARNING TO HOLED-UP ASSANGE

AAP June 21, 2012,

AP ©

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains holed-up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, with police saying he faces arrest for breaching the terms of his bail if he leaves the building.

The 40-year-old Australian is inside the building in Knightsbridge, having gone there to request political asylum under the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.

The South American country, whose UK ambassador Anna Alban met British government officials on Wednesday, says he is under its protection as it considers the application, which comes after his failed bid to avoid extradition to Sweden under a European arrest warrant to face sex crime accusations.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) confirmed in a statement that he was "beyond the reach of the police" while he remains in the building.

Alban said she held "cordial and constructive" talks with the British.

"I welcome the statement from the UK Government last night in which they stated that they would work with the Ecuadorian government to find a resolution," she said in a statement.

"I also took the opportunity to explain that the decision on Mr Assange's application would be assessed by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Quito and would take into account Ecuador's long and well established tradition in supporting human rights.

"I also emphasised to the UK Government that it was not the intention of the Ecuadorian government to interfere with the processes of either the UK or Swedish governments.

"I have made clear that I will make myself available to meet with the UK Government's representatives at any time so that we can find a just and fair solution to this situation."

The Metropolitan Police said it had been told at 10.20pm on Tuesday that Assange had breached a condition of the STG200,000 ($A310,000) bail imposed by the High Court, that he stay at a bail address between 10pm and 8am.

"He is now subject to arrest under the Bail Act for breach of these conditions," a police spokeswoman said.

"Officers are aware of his location."

A small group of protesters arrived at the embassy on Wednesday, waving placards that read "Free Assange, No Rendition" and "Free Assange, No Extradition", and a large sign reading: "Free Assange! Free Manning! End The Wars."

Gavin Macfadyen, from the Centre for Investigative Journalism at City University, emerged from the embassy to say of Assange: "He is fine, he is in very good humour and grateful for the hospitality of the embassy.

"He is meeting with the lawyers now to discuss all of it.

"It's a very fluid situation, he is in good humour and the generosity of the embassy is impressive and moving.”

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/14000261/arrest-warning-to-holed-up-assange/

POLICE LOOK FOR WHY VET KILLED FAMILY, SELF

• Photo:In this 2007 photo provided by the Superior Telegram, Pfc. Matthew Magdzas listens to family members outside of the National Guard Armory in Superior, AP

By TODD RICHMOND, Associated Press Writer Todd Richmond, Associated Press Writer – Fri Aug 20, 3:21 am ET

MADISON, Wis. – An Iraq war veteran who police say shot and killed his pregnant wife and young daughter before turning the gun on himself left behind no clues to explain what might have prompted the bloodshed, investigators say.

There was no note and no evidence that there had been trouble between 23-year-old Matthew Magdzas and his wife, 26-year-old April Oles-Magdzas, before the shootings, detectives said.

Oles-Magdzas' mother found the bodies of the couple, their 13-month-old daughter, Lila, and their three dogs on Wednesday — the same day Oles-Magdzas was set to deliver her second daughter, friends said.

Detectives said they haven't found any evidence the couple was having money issues or was overly stressed by the pending birth of their daughter. They apparently had been faithful to each other, investigators said, adding they had no reports of any domestic disputes between them.

"Unfortunately, sometimes in these things, if they don't leave a note, we don't definitely have a why. (It's) tough for the family, tough for the friends, tough for the community," said Superior Police Capt. Chad La Lor.

La Lor said investigators plan to subpoena Magdzas' military medical records to see if he had complained of or been treated for signs of post traumatic stress disorder.

Lt. Col. Jackie Guthrie, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin National Guard, said the military can not disclose Magdzas' health records to the public.

Magdzas enlisted in the National Guard during the summer of 2004, between his junior and senior years in high school, said Guthrie, a Wisconsin National Guard spokeswoman. He had completed his training by October 2005 and was assigned to the Superior-based 950th Engineer Company.

He volunteered to deploy overseas with the Milwaukee-based 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery Regiment in 2006. The unit was tasked with protecting convoys moving from Kuwait into northern Iraq, Guthrie said.

He served as a vehicle gunner and was involved in a small-arms battle in Iraq in November 2006, she said. She did not know exactly where the battle took place. His deployment ended in 2007.

After returning to Wisconsin, Magdzas went to work as a firearms instructor for Better Defense, a shooting school that provides classes in northern Wisconsin and southern Minnesota. According to his profile on the school's website, Magdzas began shooting before he was 12 years old. It also said he received the Purple Heart, an award given to U.S. military personnel wounded or killed in battle. Guthrie said there is no record he received the honor.

The school's chief executive officer and master instructor, Gary Bjergo, did not respond to phone messages Thursday.

Oles-Magdzas attended Carlton High School in Carlton, Minn. Her science teacher, Deb Saunders, described her as an artistic, "sparkly" young lady who was into dancing and cheerleading. She often stopped sad-looking students in the halls to ask them what was wrong, Saunders said.

Tessa Buscko, 36, of Duluth, Minn., said she worked with Oles-Magdzas, and briefly with Magdzas, at Community Connections, a Duluth foster care facility for people with brain injuries. Oles-Magdzas had recently left the home, however, to take a job as an assistant cheerleading coach at Duluth East High School.

"April's passion for working with young people was evident to everyone that came into contact with her," the school's activities director, Shawn Roed, said in a statement. "She will be sadly missed and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends."

Buscko said Oles-Magdzas was due to give birth by C-section the day her body was found. She said Oles-Magdzas planned to name the baby Anna.

She didn't know what could have driven Magdzas to wipe out his family.

"He must have had a flashback or something. I don't know. That's crazy. Matt doesn't seem like that type of person," Buscko said. "The only thing people can think of is coming back from the war and trying to live a normal life."

Investigators recovered a 9-millimeter handgun in the house they believe Magdzas used. They also discovered what appeared to be a bomb in a backpack in the house, but explosives experts later determined it likely wasn't and destroyed it.

"Wow, he must have really ..." Buscko said, trailing off. "It's just sad all the way around."

WE'RE ALL BOAT PEOPLE, SAYS HAWKE

Alison Bell and Peter Veness, AAP August 13, 2010, 1:39 pm
Bob Hawke says there is no way to "stop the boats" as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has claimed he will do to the asylum-seeking craft regularly arriving on islands off Australia's north-west coast.
The former Labor prime minister repeated his attack on Mr Abbott describing him as "mad as a cut snake" and said Australia needed people like those arriving by boat to claim asylum because they had initiative and courage.
Mr Hawke offered a range of thoughts across many issues to a Financial Services Council conference in Melbourne on Friday.
Mr Hawke admitted he had early concerns about Prime Minister Julia Gillard's re-election prospects but believed the Labor campaign was looking up for her now.
He also said there was no way to "stop the boats" as Mr Abbott has promised.
"We're all bloody boat people," he said. "That's how we found the place."
Mr Hawke said he understood the frustration of many voters at "queue jumpers", but said "we have to look at the other side of the coin".
He said the coalition's approach to the boat people question was "nonsense".
"We cannot turn the boats back," Mr Hawke said.
"These people have got initiative, guts and courage and Australia needs people like that."
He pushed Indonesia as the location for an asylum seeker processing centre, saying it would be "fair enough, as long as the conditions there are humane".
Mr Hawke also spoke about his South Australian-based work with a centre focused on improving relations between the Islamic community and others, saying the real challenge for Australia in his eyes was not to "demonise Muslim people".
On the wider question of the August 21 poll, Mr Hawke was happy to admit the five week campaign had not started well for Labor, after a series of damaging leaks and the issue of former leader Kevin Rudd's rolling.
"Julia hasn't been able to shine in the first half of the campaign," he said, but he genuinely felt that Labor would win