Taxi hijacked in knifepoint attack
TAXI driver robbed at knifepoint after picking up passengers in Mount Barker, Phillip Street.
A TAXI driver held at knifepoint and taken on a terrifying half-hour ride through Adelaide by a group of thugs - including two women who threatened to kill him - was more worried about the public than his own safety.
Amin Jan, 23, feared people would be killed when his mini-bus was hijacked by eight knife-wielding bandits and driven "recklessly" through the Hills early yesterday morning.
One man held a knife to his side and forced him into the back seat of the vehicle, while another took over the wheel and started speeding down the Princes Hwy towards the city.
Mr Jan, an engineering student who arrived in Australia from Pakistan in July and drives for Mt Barker Taxi Service, picked up the six men and two women from an address in the town's centre about 1.30am yesterday.
Once on the freeway, a male passenger in the front seat persuaded him to pull over so he could use the toilet. But when he returned to the vehicle the drama began.
"When he came inside the van he just put something on my neck, I thought it might be a ballpoint or something, I thought he was joking," Mr Jan said. "Then I was told to step out of the car and then I was sure that it was a knife. He just started to push it a little harder.
"Then he showed me, `I've got a knife', then he put it here (against my neck) again."
Mr Jan was then forced into the back seat where another man held the knife against his side and the first man took the wheel.
"The girls were like, `if you do something wrong we will kill you'," he said. "So many things were going in my mind ... what if he hits the van, maybe he'll kill somebody else."
When the journey finally ended just after 2am on Philip St, near the Adelaide Remand Centre, one of the men came at Mr Jan with scissors, cutting the cabbie's hand. The attackers stole the van's GPS unit and set fire to the front passenger seat before fleeing.
A police spokesman said inquiries had been made at the address where the group had been picked up. Detectives are also hoping to find security camera footage of the incident.
An unfazed Mr Jan said he will return to work this weekend. "I really like to drive the van .... and come across some really nice people every time, except this time."
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Aussie news 2
Past year 22 per cent rise in of homeless in Sydney
The rise comes more than a year after the federal government's pledge to halve the number of homeless nationally by 2020.
In a white paper on homelessness launched in December 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd pledged to outlay $1.2 billion over four years to build new housing and increase services for the homeless.
But the City of Sydney council says the problems are actually getting worse.
There were 416 people sleeping on the inner-city streets, or in a temporary overnight shelter, when the latest count was conducted on Tuesday between 1am (AEDT) and 3am.
The count, which takes place twice a year and has been running since 2008, was conducted by 146 volunteers, including those who were or had previously been homeless.
Those sleeping rough were found in suburbs including Woolloomooloo, Kings Cross, Paddington, Glebe, Surry Hills, Ultimo and Redfern.
The figure is 22 per cent higher than those counted in February 2009.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the situation was worrying and had to change.
"Our street counts show a concerning, consistent rise in the number of people counted sleeping in our parks, streets, trains, train stations and in overnight temporary shelters since we started conducting these counts in August 2008,'' she said today.
She says the City of Sydney is committed to ending chronic homelessness through funding and coordinating a number of services and projects.
Despite continuing problems with issues of homelessness, welfare advocates say they're not keen to throw cold water on the government's 2008 white paper on the issue.
"It's not all talk and no action,'' the Wayside Chapel's Graham Long told AAP.
"And a lot of the talk is very good talk.''
That said, Reverend Long said the problem could not be addressed by merely "flicking a switch''.
"It's a problem that, if we are going to make progress ... it will be a progressive, slow kind of thing,'' he said.
"And I think most of us believe progress can be made.''
Reverend Long named the adoption of the Common Ground concept, which began in New York in 1990, as a worthwhile outcome of the 2008 white paper into homelessness.
The aim of the concept is to build and operate a range of housing options for homeless and low-income individuals.
It has recently been taken up in most Australian states.
In August 2009, former NSW premier Nathan Rees announced a purpose-built building in Camperdown, in Sydney's inner west, to accommodate homeless people and people on low incomes.
The project will be based on the Common Ground model.
In 2008, Mr Rudd's wife, Therese Rein, was appointed patron of the Common Ground network in Australia.
"In one sense, it's a way of diverting money away from teaching homeless people how to play the guitar and giving them a roof over their head first,'' Reverend Long said.
He said people living in housing projects based on the Common Ground concept were encouraged to take an interest in their community.
"It's like (being on a) body corporate, almost,'' he said.
"I see that as coming out of the white paper and I see it as very positive.
"But it's only a start,'' he added.
The rise comes more than a year after the federal government's pledge to halve the number of homeless nationally by 2020.
In a white paper on homelessness launched in December 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd pledged to outlay $1.2 billion over four years to build new housing and increase services for the homeless.
But the City of Sydney council says the problems are actually getting worse.
There were 416 people sleeping on the inner-city streets, or in a temporary overnight shelter, when the latest count was conducted on Tuesday between 1am (AEDT) and 3am.
The count, which takes place twice a year and has been running since 2008, was conducted by 146 volunteers, including those who were or had previously been homeless.
Those sleeping rough were found in suburbs including Woolloomooloo, Kings Cross, Paddington, Glebe, Surry Hills, Ultimo and Redfern.
The figure is 22 per cent higher than those counted in February 2009.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the situation was worrying and had to change.
"Our street counts show a concerning, consistent rise in the number of people counted sleeping in our parks, streets, trains, train stations and in overnight temporary shelters since we started conducting these counts in August 2008,'' she said today.
She says the City of Sydney is committed to ending chronic homelessness through funding and coordinating a number of services and projects.
Despite continuing problems with issues of homelessness, welfare advocates say they're not keen to throw cold water on the government's 2008 white paper on the issue.
"It's not all talk and no action,'' the Wayside Chapel's Graham Long told AAP.
"And a lot of the talk is very good talk.''
That said, Reverend Long said the problem could not be addressed by merely "flicking a switch''.
"It's a problem that, if we are going to make progress ... it will be a progressive, slow kind of thing,'' he said.
"And I think most of us believe progress can be made.''
Reverend Long named the adoption of the Common Ground concept, which began in New York in 1990, as a worthwhile outcome of the 2008 white paper into homelessness.
The aim of the concept is to build and operate a range of housing options for homeless and low-income individuals.
It has recently been taken up in most Australian states.
In August 2009, former NSW premier Nathan Rees announced a purpose-built building in Camperdown, in Sydney's inner west, to accommodate homeless people and people on low incomes.
The project will be based on the Common Ground model.
In 2008, Mr Rudd's wife, Therese Rein, was appointed patron of the Common Ground network in Australia.
"In one sense, it's a way of diverting money away from teaching homeless people how to play the guitar and giving them a roof over their head first,'' Reverend Long said.
He said people living in housing projects based on the Common Ground concept were encouraged to take an interest in their community.
"It's like (being on a) body corporate, almost,'' he said.
"I see that as coming out of the white paper and I see it as very positive.
"But it's only a start,'' he added.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
My Thursday Night at INTI
Now i am in my small pretty room with my friends, 7 of them in total. We all are gathering here right now in my room. nice!! nice!! my room tonight full of laughter. They all keep shouting and screaming all the time. What they are doing now??? tick!!!tock!!! tick!! tock!!! playing cards or in more direct way, they are gambling....all got talents one...everyone seemed enjoying their times. Although i did't involve in the games i still enjoy and happy with it.. hahaha!!!! Oh one more meaningful activity i did today!! That is first economics presentation. It's about shampoo advertisement. After one week discussion and practice, every group did all their best..and of course it is really well-present. it's really funny and everyone enjoyed that moment. I am sure that every SAM students will remember this moment very well. Some groups came out with creative and crazy ideas that made everyone in class laughed non-stop.hahaha... i just realised that most of the guys in our class had tendency to become a she-male. hahaha..They looked very happy with the acting today. hohoho..i hope that it is not going to become a reality..let we all pray for it!!!
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