Man jailed for life over deadly Sydney nursing home blaze - BBC বাংলা

31 July 2013 Last updated at 23:07 ET

Roger Dean (seated, receiving oxygen) admitted starting the 18 November 2011 blaze

A man who started a fire that killed 11 elderly people at a nursing home in the Australian city of Sydney has been jailed for life without parole.

Roger Dean, 37, pleaded guilty in May to 11 counts of murder in connection with the 18 November 2011 blaze at the Quakers' Hill Nursing Home.

The fire engulfed a building that was home to dozens of elderly residents.

Five people died at the scene or in the immediate aftermath of the fire, and six more later from their injuries.

Dean, who also admitted eight counts of grievous bodily harm, worked as a nurse at the home. He said he had been "corrupted with evil thoughts".

Police said he set the fire to conceal his theft of painkillers from the home.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Megan Latham described his crime as "atrocious", saying those who died must have suffered "pain and terror".

"For those who were unable to move independently and who faced the prospect of being burnt alive or suffocated by smoke, a worse fate is difficult to imagine," she said.

During the fire hundreds of fire-fighters battled flames and plumes of thick smoke to evacuate more than 80 residents.

The nursing home had no sprinkler system - something which is now mandatory in such facilities in the state of New South Wales.

Australian gets life term for nursing home fires - MiamiHerald.com

SYDNEY -- A nurse who set a Sydney nursing home on fire, killing 11 residents and wounding several others, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison, with the judge slamming the man's actions as heinous and reprehensible.

Roger Dean, 37, showed no reaction as New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Megan Latham handed him the maximum sentence for setting two fires that engulfed the nursing home in the Sydney suburb of Quakers Hill on Nov. 18, 2011. Dean pleaded guilty in May to 11 counts of murder and eight counts of grievous bodily harm.

Police said Dean, who started one blaze in a bedroom where two residents were sleeping, lit the fires after discovering he was under police investigation for stealing more than 200 prescription pills from the home. The fire was an apparent attempt to destroy evidence in the case.

Dean told officials that lighting the fire was stupid, and blamed his actions on the devil.

"You won't believe it, but it was like Satan saying to me that it's the right thing to do," he said in a videotaped interview with police. "I love the residents very much and I have a really good rapport with them. So I feel extremely bad and I just feel evil — that I'm just corrupted with evil thoughts that had made me do that."

During the sentencing hearing, psychiatrist Michael Diamond, who examined Dean's recorded police interview, said there was no indication Dean was confused, delusional or withdrawing from medication after the fire.

On Thursday, the judge described Dean's actions as "heinous," "atrocious" and "greatly reprehensible."

"The pain and terror experienced by all of the victims must have been horrific," Latham said. "For those who were unable to move independently and who faced the prospect of being burned alive or suffocated by smoke, a worse fate is hard to imagine."

Dean gave an interview to reporters who were at the nursing home shortly after the fire, painting himself as a heroic rescuer.

"The smoke is just overwhelming, but we got a lot of people out so that's the main thing," he breathlessly told a television news crew.

Dozens of the victims' friends and family members, some wearing pins with their loved ones' photos, filled the courtroom on Thursday. One woman watching the proceedings collapsed and had to be carried out by court officials.

After the sentence, several of the victims' loved ones cheered and hugged outside court.

Elly Valkay, whose 90-year-old mother Neeltje Valkay, died in the fire, called Dean's sentence "wonderful."

"I hope he suffers as much in jail as my mother suffered in the last days of her life, which was horrendous," Valkay told reporters.

Amanda Tucker, whose 80-year-old grandmother, Dorothy Sterling, was killed in the fire, said a life sentence wasn't a harsh enough punishment.

"Every time we picture my nana, we wonder whether she was in pain or if she was scared or screaming or needing help," Tucker told reporters outside court. "He walked straight past her and didn't help ... so a life sentence is never going to be good enough. ... It's never going to take the pain away from any of these families."

Five-star $152 million Randwick grandstand gives Sydney racing a quantum leap - The Daily Telegraph

Check out the redevelopment of the Royal Randwick grandstand.

Horses parade in the Theatre of the Horse behind the new grandstand at Royal Randwick. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Limited

The Chairman's Room in the new $152 million grandstand. Picture: Anthony Reginato Source: The Daily Telegraph

A view of the rear of the new grandstand. Picture: Anthony Reginato Source: The Daily Telegraph

Royal Randwick's brand new $152million grandstand. Picture: Reginato Anthony Source: DailyTelegraph

The new restaurant on level four of the grandstand of the Australian Turf Club, Royal Randwick. Picture: Reginato Anthony Source: DailyTelegraph

IT’S the great Randwick rise, but not as you know it. Far from being the slight uphill slope along the famous 410m straight, this Randwick rise is far more spectacular.

As this amazing time-lapse video shows, the new centrepiece of racing in Sydney – Royal Randwick’s $152 million five-star grandstand – is complete.

After 20 months in the making, today marks the handover of the grandstand from builders Brookfield Multiplex to the Australian Turf Club.

View of the new and old members grandstand at Royal Randwick. Picture: Reginato Anthony Source: DailyTelegraph

Stretching 110m alongside the track and towering five levels above the finishing post, the Randwick upgrade has been delivered in time for spring.

Featuring a 4500-capacity amphitheatre surrounding the Theatre of the Horse parade ring, the largest LED screen in the southern hemisphere and impressive views of the track for both members and the public alike, it’s what Sydney racing has been crying out for.

UNSW holding exams inside the ground level betting area of the new grandstand at Royal Randwick. Picture: Reginato Anthony Source: DailyTelegraph

Sydney’s feature race carnivals in the spring and autumn have been marred in recent seasons by the 2007 equine influenza outbreak, the Papal visit in 2009 and the construction of the Randwick grandstand.

But that is all in the past.

View of the track from level three of the new grandstand at Royal Randwick. Picture: Reginato Anthony Source: DailyTelegraph

So is the grandstand’s ‘soft launch’ in autumn, when Randwick held its traditional big races in front of heavily restricted crowds while construction was still underway in the background.

While the ATC was forced to turn people away then, there will be no such problem this spring when capacity more than doubles from 23,000 people to 52,000.

The new mounting yard at Royal Randwick. Picture: Reginato Anthony Source: DailyTelegraph

ATC chief executive Darren Pearce said he couldn’t wait for punters to watch feature races like the Chelmsford Stakes, George Main Stakes, Epsom Handicap and Spring Champion Stakes from the ‘new’ Randwick.

“This is one of the most exciting times ever for Sydney racing and we are thrilled to be able to fully get our hands back on Randwick’s new grandstand,’’ Mr Pearce said.

View of the mounting yard looking towards the CBD from level 4. Picture: Reginato Anthony Source: DailyTelegraph

With eight new restaurant and dining spaces, four undercover terraces on each level facing west over the Theatre of the Horse, providing CBD views across Centennial and Moore Parks and high-capacity WiFi throughout, punters won’t be disappointed.

“Not only will we have a track with world-class racing and facilities but we will also be able to use it for large and small functions with fabulous views, all right near the centre of the city," Mr Pearce said.

Angelina Jolie leaves Sydney after spending just one day here on a mystery ... - The Daily Telegraph

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt could be looking for property in Sydney. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

HOLLYWOOD superstar Angelina Jolie flew out of Sydney this morning after a private whirlwind visit.

Confidential understands Jolie, 38, flew in to Sydney on a commercial flight from Tokyo on Wednesday, joined by son, Pax, nine.

The visit comes less than two months after Jolie's partner, Brad Pitt, visited Sydney to promote his film, World War Z. During that trip, he was also with Pax, who was seen carrying a large purple plush toy around town.

This trip, onlookers again spotted the boy with the instantly recognisable purple bear.

They flew out by private jet from Sydney Airport at around 8.30am today.

Jolie and Pitt are also parents to 11-year-old Maddox, seven-year-old Zahara, six-year-old Shiloh, and four-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

Confidential earlier this years reported the family was looking to buy property in Sydney with rumours Pitt would star in 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

Walking the red carpet at The Star for World War Z in June, Pitt told Confidential he was not attached to the project to be helmed by David Fincher.

However, he said it was inevitable he and Jolie would work here in the future.

"We are migratory workers, we go where it takes it and it is just not out of the question," he said.

"We tend to go where the rebates are and where you can film the cheapest and a lot of stuff is going to the UK right now, that is how the business works.''

Of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, he said: "David Fincher is developing that and it's really good. I've seen the visuals but that's not me. I'm not coming for that.''

%caption%href="http://redirect.viglink.com?key=11fe087258b6fc0532a5ccfc924805c0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.news.com.au%2F2385152958%2526assetId%3D1226642621640%2526assetType%3DNews_Rich_Media%2526subType%3DVideo"/>Jolie earlier this year bravely revealed she'd had a double mastectomy to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Could her trip to Sydney mean the couple is still looking to set up home in Australia?

Angelina Jolie walks with children Maddox (left), Zahara (second left, obscured), Pax (third left) and Shiloh in 2010. Picture: AFP Source: News Limited

Sydney residents take precautions after boil water advisory - CTV News

CTV Atlantic

Published Wednesday, July 31, 2013 6:21PM ADT

Last Updated Wednesday, July 31, 2013 7:15PM ADT

From buying bottled water to taking extra precautions at restaurants and hospitals, thousands of people in the Sydney area are doing whatever they can to cope with a boil water order.

Wednesday marked the second day of the advisory, which is among the most widespread the area has seen in years.

Coffee shop co-owner Carrie Annesty says the boil water order is making for extra work at her shop.

“We have to boil all the water then cool it down. Ice cubes are affected, we have to take temperatures on our coffee to make sure everything is up to code,” she says.

Bottled water is selling fast at local grocery stores and some storeowners have had to bring in emergency shipments to restock empty shelves.

“My neighbour told me he went looking for water and couldn’t find it,” says shopper Marilyn Thompson. “I don’t know where they ended up finding it.”

The CBRM Water Utility issued the advisory for the Sydney water system on Tuesday after one of the 21 test samples taken at the beginning of each week showed the presence of some sort of bacteria.

The advisory affects roughly 27,000 customers in the Sydney area.

“We actually did the first follow-up results to those samples today and those samples are clear, so we’re halfway there to lifting the boil water advisory,” says Water Operations Manager Greg Penney.

People are urged to boil their water for two minutes before drinking or consuming it in any way.

The advisory won’t be lifted until two consecutive samples, taken 24 hours apart, turn up clean. Until then, people are being advised to take precautions, particularly those in the health-care industry.

“We’re watching our water use in places like renal dialysis, where we used water that comes through a special system,” says Greg Boone, a spokesperson for the Cape Breton District Health Authority.

“But we’re adapting and our infection prevention control people are watching and monitoring the situation fairly closely.”

If Thursday’s samples show the presence of bacteria, the boil water advisory could last into the weekend.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald

It's on again: property prices in Sydney, Perth, Canberra smash previous records - BRW (subscription)

Low interest rates and the shift away from less risky assets like cash are driving property price increases, says RP Data. Photo: Louise Kennerley

Things are looking up for housing investors in most capitals, with the latest RP Data-Rismark home value figures showing capital growth far out-stripping inflation in a range of cities and potentially surpassing 10 per cent over the calendar year.

Over the past three months, three capital cities - Sydney, Perth and Canberra - have all overtaken previous peaks and moved into the highest city-wide median prices on record.

Low interest rates and the shift away from less risky assets like cash are driving the increase, Lawless says.

Home values in Perth rose 4.4 per cent in the three months to July, according to RP Data-Rismark, taking total gains in the past 12 months to 8.3 per cent. Sydney home values aren’t far behind at 3.7 per cent over the quarter, taking year on year growth to 6.5 per cent. And Melbourne values are up 2.4 per cent over the quarter despite a potentially over-supplied apartment market.

The combined value growth of all eight capitals was 2.3 per cent over the quarter.

RP Data research director Tim Lawless says there are signs Perth is starting to cool, with early signs that steep rental growth is slowing. But he sees no sign of Sydney’s growth abating in the near future and says he wouldn’t be surprised if growth surpassed 10 per cent this year.

“The Sydney market arguably has some of the strongest fundamentals,” Lawless says. “We’re still seeing strong population growth and there hasn’t been strong growth in dwelling construction.”

But investors, who are currently driving the market, might be put off by falling rental yields in Sydney as values climb, Lawless says.

“Investors are more focused on yields these days. I think you will find investors focus on areas that offer higher yields like the inner city unit markets and areas with strong rental demand close to major jobs centres.”

Lawless says the market remains a mixed bag, with cities like Adelaide, Brisbane and more recently Darwin showing more sedate conditions. Values have fallen in all three, and also in RP Data-Rismark’s national “rest of state” index which measures regional housing markets.

“If you look at Brisbane where affordability isn’t much of an issue, we’re still seeing values 11 per cent lower than their peak,” Lawless says. “There’s not a great deal of difference in wages between Brisbane and Sydney, only about 6 per cent according to the ABS, so Brisbane is a really soft market at the moment.

“My view of Brisbane, and being a local I can see the change in sentiment, an incrase in the growth rate in Brisbane is probably just around the corner. We’re seeing more demand in the marketplace and transactions rising, we just haven’t seen it show up in values to date.”

But poor affordability and the unwinding of government first-home buyer incentives in most states has kept first-time buyers on the sidelines.

“If you look at NSW, first home buyers are less than 8 per cent of all owner occupier purchases,” Lawless says. “It shows how the has been significantly manipulated by the different concessions that have been available.”

Sydney school mum 'bit, kicked, scratched cops' - NEWS.com.au

The 37-year-old mum has been charged with driving under the influence while collecting her child from school. Picture: File Source: News Limited

A Sydney mother charged with drink-driving while collecting her child from school allegedly bit, kicked and scratched police officers as she was being arrested.

Police have charged the 37-year-old woman with driving under the influence, negligent driving and assault after a multiple car crash at Menai yesterday afternoon.

Officers attending the incident were told the woman had collided with a number of vehicles along Anzac Avenue, and submitted the woman to a breath test, recording a high reading.

Police allege the woman bit, kicked and scratched a number of police as she was arrested and taken to Sutherland Police Station.

She was later taken to Sutherland Hospital for treatment to injuries sustained in the accident.

The woman was given conditional bail and is expected to appear in Sutherland Local Court on August 15.

Man charged with indecently assaulting blind woman on Sydney train journey - ABC Local

Posted August 01, 2013 08:37:42

A man has been charged after a visually impaired woman was followed and indecently assaulted as she made a train journey across Sydney.

The 23-year-old woman was indecently assaulted by a man while she was in a lift at Ashfield station two weeks ago.

She was then followed on her journey, via Central station, to Sydney's south and indecently assaulted between Jannali and Sutherland stations.

CCTV footage showing a man following the woman, who has a degenerative eye disease, was released by police.

A 25-year-old man was arrested in Merrylands last night and charged with indecent assault.

Topics: law-crime-and-justice, sydney-2000, australia

Sydney L. "Syd" Burgee, hospital official - Baltimore Sun

Sydney L. "Syd" Burgee, former vice president of operations at Union Memorial Hospital, died Friday of liver disease at his Bel Air home. He was 80.

The son of an accountant and a homemaker, Sydney Lanier Burgee was born in Baltimore and raised in Hamilton.

After graduating in 1951 from City College, he earned a bachelor's degree in 1955 from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

He served with the Army in Alaska from 1955 to 1957. After being discharged and working in sales and in a pharmacy, he joined the staff of the old Hospital for the Women of Maryland in Bolton Hill.

Mr. Burgee later went to work at Union Memorial Hospital, where he was named director of the pharmacy in 1964.

When the hospital was planning a major expansion in the 1970s, Mr. Burgee returned to college and earned a master's degree in business from what is now Loyola University Maryland in 1977.

He was appointed vice president for operations, where he oversaw the installation of a materials management system, with additional responsibilities including the outpatient surgery center, MRI and CT scanners, and a new power plant.

Mr. Burgee retired in the late 1980s.

He had been president and a board member of the Maryland Association of Hospital Pharmacists. He was the first recipient of the organization's W. Arthur Purdum Memorial Award for his contributions to hospital pharmacy practice.

Mr. Burgee also served two terms on the executive committee of the Maryland Pharmaceutical Association. He later served on several committees of the Maryland Hospital Association.

He enjoyed working with his computer and reading.

"He liked keeping up with pharmaceutical matters," said his wife of 56 years, the former Jean Michetti

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Aug. 7 at Schimunek Funeral Home, 610 W. MacPhail Road, Bel Air.

Also surviving are a daughter, Linda Owen of Columbia; a brother, Richard A. Burgee of Bel Air; and two granddaughters.

fred.rasmussen@baltsun.com

Sydney FC's $1m strip - Fox Sports

Sydney FC's marketing masterstroke Alessandro Del Piero. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source:DailyTelegraph

IT'S the $1 million kit which proves once again the power of the Del Piero effect.

Sydney FC will today announce new sponsorship deals for their kit which, combined, bring in a seven-figure sum, a rise which the club puts at 25 per cent on last season and comes on the back of a season when Sydney failed even to make the finals.

But it was also the season when they signed Alessandro Del Piero and, by most significant off-field measurements, the effect has been dramatic.

Travel company Webjet has re-signed as major sponsor, having made the most fortunate corporate foray of last year by signing up for $400,000 barely a month before Del Piero joined.

Destination NSW and Caltex complete the trio of upgraded kit sponsorships, with Sydney FC CEO Tony Pignata pleased to have completed the deals before the club heads to Italy tomorrow for a three-week pre-season camp organised by Del Piero.Concluding the Webjet deal was Pignata's first act on becoming FC's CEO, after a season in which the club had played without a shirt sponsor.

"I was over the moon for them because they committed to us long before all this happened," Pignata said. "Last year turned into a fantastic opportunity for them and for us, but they came on board as an act of faith in the first place."

Though Pignata conceded that Sydney's priority was substantial improvement on the pitch, he said the new deals indicated a return to health in non-playing areas.

"A lot of it is to do with the exposure that the companies associated with us got last season, thanks to the huge interest generated by Alessandro," he said. "Even now, in the middle of our off-season, Destination NSW is getting the benefit of our trip to Japan and the three-week camp in Italy, not to mention the intense coverage we get during the season itself.

"The fact that we have games beamed live back into Italy is fantastic exposure."

Sydney accept they will never come close to a profit on Del Piero's time at the club, thanks to a gross salary of $3.4 million, but Pignata said the club was making steady progress towards agreed figures for commercial and supporter income.

"Sponsorship overall is at 80 per cent of our target already and memberships are at about 75 per cent of where we want to be," he said.

"The target there is 10,000, and so far we're at around 6200 as of today. But this time last year we were at less than 4500, so the increase is substantial and of course we expect to see a steeper increase as we get towards the season, and especially once Alessandro is back here."

Sydney took on Macarthur last night in their latest pre-season game, and Pignata said that also showed a difference from a year ago.

"This is our fourth game already, I think, and last year we ended up only playing five or six in total thanks to injuries and cancellations," he said.

"The trip to Italy gives us an opportunity for every player bar the two injured ones to get some game time under their belts. I don't think there's any doubt (coach) Frank (Farina) will have the team well prepared for the season."

Backgrounder: The factors driving the bikie war on the streets of Sydney - ABC Online

Updated July 31, 2013 10:00:05

Some are calling it a bikie war; others a cultural change in the Sydney crime scene, one that features a new breed of gangster.

Two shooting deaths on Monday night brought the total number of shootings in Sydney this year to 72. Fourteen of them have happened in the last month alone.

"You've got a war going in the streets of Sydney between different motorcycle gangs fighting over drugs and fighting over turf," Federal Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare, who represents the western Sydney seat of Blaxland, said in response to Monday night's killings.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione described the shootings as "a betrayal of what we hold to be important in Australia," but disagreed with the idea that the city's gangs are at war.

"If there is a war raging, it is half what it was a year ago," he said.

Speaking at the same press conference, Superintendent Scott Cook of the State Crime Command said: "I've got to put this to rest. There's a lot of shootings, and a lot of people engaged in organised crime activity, but not all of them are linked".

"Most of them are not linked. There is no war going on."

Numbers show gun crime was more prevalent in the late 1990s

According to New South Wales Police, 21 of Sydney's shooting incidents this year were related to organised crime in the city.

The other 70 per cent of incidents were the result of disagreements, some very minor, settled in violent ways.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics show that despite the recent spate of shootings, gun crime was more prevalent in the late 1990s.

In 1997 there were 1,252 robberies with firearms in the state, and 231 assaults with firearms.

What has changed, say police, is the reckless nature of today’s gun crime.

According to Superintendent Cook, police have seen "a cultural change in respect of guns," with hoodlums increasingly adopting a "gangster approach".

Commissioner Scipione described a new breed of criminals who he said were "living the life of wannabe gangsters".

Stolen guns and illegal imports flooding onto the streets

Both of Monday night's victims were known to police before the shootings. One of them, 18-year-old Bassil Hijazi, is believed to have had links to the Comancheros bikie gang. Hours before the shooting Hijazi reported to St George police station as part of bail conditions related to recent drug charges.

Map: Sydney shootings in July

The contribution of illegal guns to the current crime wave is not in dispute. In 2012, 711 firearms were stolen in New South Wales. State police claim the biggest issue is not stolen guns but illegal gun imports, and urge the Federal Government to do more to tighten Customs and border security.

Mr Clare has argued for enhanced gun seizure laws in New South Wales.

"We need to give police more power to go in and seize the guns," he said.

"In South Australia they have these powers, they are called firearm prohibition orders, that give the power to randomly search criminals."

New South Wales Police reserved their strongest message in the wake of Monday night's shootings for the families and friends of people known to carry illegal guns, urging them to break the code of silence protecting the perpetrators.

"If you want to stop your loved ones, your friends, your family falling at the end of a gun, then make the call to police, and make that call as quickly as you can," police said.

Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, sydney-2000, australia, nsw

First posted July 31, 2013 08:52:57

Sydney set for six-match Italy tour - Fox Sports

Sky Blues striker Alessandro Del Piero will tour his native Italy with Sydney FC. Source: Atsushi Tomura / Getty Images

SYDNEY FC will play six matches against sides from Italy’s Serie A, Serie B and Serie C when they depart for Italy on Friday for an historic three-week pre season tour.

The Sky Blues will play a marquee match against Alessandro Del Piero’s first professional club Padova, as well as fixtures against Venezia, Vicenza Calcio and Reggiana while they will also take on the reserve sides from Serie A side Udinese and A.S. Cittadella.

The matches offer coach Frank Farina a wide range of opponents to allow a strong test for the 23 members of the squad travelling to Italy, where they will combine the six matches with twice-daily training sessions at the Stadio Comunale Picchi in Jesolo.

"I’m really happy with the matches we’ve secured," Farina said.

"This tour will give us a great opportunity to put into practice the changes we are making to our style of play while taking on good opposition in hot conditions similar to what we will experience during the season.

"We will also be training twice a day to make sure we come back from the tour ready to enter the final phase of pre-season leading up to the start of the A-League.

"We’ve also managed to organise a good cross section of games against opposition of varying quality so every member of the squad will be able to take part in matches where they will be tested."

Squad: Ivan Necevski, Sebastian Ryall, Marc Warren, Pascal Bosschaart, Matt Jurman, Brett Emerton, Pedj Bojic, Corey Gameiro, Alessandro Del Piero, Tiago Calvano, Mitch Mallia, Terry McFlynn, Joel Chianese, Peter Triantis, Nick Carle, Vedran Janjetovic, Yairo Yau, Ali Abbas, Rhyan Grant, Daniel Petkovski, Josh MacDonald, Nick Taneski, Alec Urosevski.

Sydney Leathers: Anthony Weiner 'Too Busy Jacking Off' To Be Mayor (VIDEO) - Huffington Post

The woman behind Anthony Weiner's latest lewd online conversations told Howard Stern on Tuesday that the embattled mayoral candidate is "too busy jacking off" to run New York City.

Sydney Leathers weighed in on the sexting scandal, telling Stern she became "pissed off" upon watching Weiner on the campaign trail insisting he had changed.

"The hypocrisy got to me," Leathers, 23, said. "I am proof you have not changed...I was flattered that he trusted me enough to send [his naked photos] in the moment. And also just completely baffled that someone so book smart could be so stupid in life."

Leathers also provided rather cringeworthy details behind their sexting relationship, commenting on his penis size and various fetishes.

When asked if she would consider doing a porn, Leathers told Stern she was open-minded and keeping her "options open."

The radio appearance follows several public comments Leathers has made since the scandal broke, including Thursday's interview on "Inside Edition," in which she likened her relationship to Weiner to that of two characters on the political drama "House of Cards."

Since admitting he had continued to sext "six to ten" women after his resignation from Congress, Weiner has plummeted in the polls, with a slew of politicians calling upon him to withdraw his campaign for mayor.

Despite the mounting pressure, Weiner has remained defiant and is refusing to drop out of the race.

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Man accused of abducting baby in Sydney turns himself into police - ABC Online

Updated July 31, 2013 07:45:47

A 24-year-old man wanted for allegedly abducting his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend and their eight-month-old baby in Sydney has handed himself into police.

He was arrested and subsequently charged with a number of offences.

The man allegedly forced his way into a house in Chester Hill in Sydney's west last Thursday and abducted the girl and baby at knifepoint.

The girl was later released and the child was handed to police by a relative the following day.

Police spent nearly a week searching for the man before he turned himself into Bankstown Police Station late last night.

"He was arrested and subsequently charged with a number of offences, including take and detain person with intent to obtain advantage and take or detain child with intent to remove from parental control," police spokeswoman Felicity Jenkins said.

The man has been refused bail and will appear in Bankstown Local Court today.

Topics: law-crime-and-justice, chester-hill-2162, sydney-2000, bankstown-2200, nsw, australia

First posted July 31, 2013 05:50:03

Antonis keen to stay with Sydney FC - Fox Sports

Midfielder Terry Antonis is reportedly keen to stay with Sydney FC, despite having signed a deal with Serie A club Parma. Picture: Brett Costello Source: DailyTelegraph

MIDFIELDER Terry Antonis has turned his back on a move to Italian club Parma and now wants to stay with Sydney FC, according to Sky Blues coach Frank Farina.

But the Young Socceroo captain is still caught in a contract hiatus, having apparently signed a deal with the Serie A club before getting the injury that ruled him out of last month's youth World Cup.

Antonis will not travel to Italy with the rest of the Sydney squad for a pre-season camp on Friday, as he continues a long recovery from a quad he tore the day before Paul Okon's Australia squad left for the U20 World Cup.

Farina admitted that Antonis's legal situation remained uncertain, but said the player's intention was now to stay in the A-League.

"That's still a bit of a curved one - he supposedly has a signed contract with Parma but he wants to stay now," Farina said. "Can he get out of it, or can he not? At the moment I'm not 100 per cent sure. The kid wants to stay, and I always said I thought he should. He was captain of the U20s and going to Parma, the world was his oyster. All of a sudden he tears a quad, he's a way off (being fit) and no one from Parma has rung him."

Striker Blake Powell will also miss the Italian trip with a knee problem that may require minor surgery to fix.

"We'll find out today or tomorrow (if Powell needs the operation), but I don't think he'll travel to Italy, along with Terry Antonis," Farina said. "Blake wants to go, he told me he started last year with it and nursed it through but that's the problem - I want him fit for the start of the season.

"He's still got 10 weeks to go, and there's plenty of time for him to hit the ground sprinting once he does start."

The full itinerary of Sydney's trip sees them play six games in total, with three earmarked for the Sky Blues' likely second-string players. The tour opens against Padova, Alessandro Del Piero's first professional club, on August 7.

Blind woman assaulted on Sydney train - NEWS.com.au

A CityRail train service pulling into platform at Central Station in Sydney. Picture: File Source: News Limited

A YOUNG blind woman has been groped in two separate incidents within hours, while travelling through Sydney.

Police on Wednesday released CCTV footage of a man they believe can help with their inquiries.

The 23-year-old woman said an unknown person touched on her breast in an elevator at Ashfield, in Sydney's inner west, between 11am and midday (AEST) on July 17, police say.

She later felt a hand on her breast while she was on a train in the city's south, between Jannali and Sutherland railway stations, when she also heard a man talking to her.

The man followed the woman when she moved to another seat and continued speaking to her, before leaving her alone after a short discussion, she told police.

Police want to speak to a man described as of Indian appearance with a thin build, who was seen carrying a backpack and wearing a distinctive brown and white striped jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Pink Sydney concert proves to be a balancing act - Sydney Morning Herald

Review

Trying too hard? Pink performing in Sydney on Tuesday night. Photo: Lisa McMahon

Reviewer rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Pink needs a parachute. Surely that's the only way she could top her energetic opening sequence to her song Raise Your Glass which included a trapdoor, bungy cords and the singer hanging off an apparatus with some half-naked men. (For her next concert she's going to have to parachute in, I thought, a little too smugly).

But by the time Pink's show was finishing with a thrilling high wire act, which appeared to involve her flying across much of the breadth and width of the Sydney Entertainment Centre while singing So What (one of the most extraordinary closing sequences you're ever likely to see at a pop show) to be honest, even a parachute seemed a little lame by comparison.

Alecia Moore, aka Pink, is no longer just a singer or a brattish pop punk but also an all-spinning, all-flying, all-dancing entertainment machine. She has clearly come to believe the fans expect nothing less, but she might be surprised. Because despite the genuine thrills, it's starting to feel a little like her choreography - and the use of stage characters, such as an odd, sleazy clown named Rubix von Fukenhurtz to anchor her show - is over-compensating.

Balancing act: Pink performs at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Photo: Lisa McMahon

Despite her incredible popularity (this show was one of 45 on the tour) is Pink trying too hard? For when she is singing with just her backing band, without her bag of tricks constantly on show, in anthems such as Trouble, she is truly at her best.

Just when she seems to connect, there's another whiz bang, whirly, twirly, up-in-the-air, upside down sequence. Her stage set-up alone boasted nine video screens (including a large loveheart screen) plus two giant ones belonging to the venue, so at times it was a dizzying visual overload. And yes, Pink can spin and sing - well, it's hard to tell just how well, because her back-up singers were sometimes clearly holding the floor (with their mics up louder than hers) in songs such as Try and Sober.

But none of Pink's fans seemed to mind too much. And isn't that indeed the the truth about love, well the ardent love of pop fans anyway? They didn't balk when Pink occasionally had a hoarse edge to her voice (very unusual for such a highly polished singer) and when she charmingly joked about forgetting some lyrics - she restarted her piano song The Great Escape. Because it's easy to love Pink when she's real, when she laughs off her occasional faults. But in a large-scale concert such as this, the balancing act between art and artifice is a fine line to tread. Especially when people go home talking about high wires, not high notes.

Pink rocks Sydney with Truth About Love tour - NEWS.com.au

The whirling, twirling, bungy-jumping Pink thrills her Sydney fans in a dazzling show. Source: News Limited

IF PINK ever quits her day job, she could make gazillions teaching the rest of the world how to enjoy their gig.

Her Australian fans were well educated about her impressive vocals and athleticism as she rolled The Truth About Love tour into the Sydney Entertainment Centre last night.

Hey, she is the ONLY performer who can bungie and sing at the same time. And that's for the opening song Raise Your Glass.

Where Pink excels where so many strutting our stages don't is she is clearly loving every moment, even in the middle of 40 odd shows.It is the big grins, the shout outs, the pointing to the favoured who catch her attention, the requisite emotion etched on her face for each lyric which make a Pink concert an immersive experience.

Circus staging, sexy dancers and a naughty host - Pink kept her Sydney audience engaged. Source: News Limited

Add the circus staging and a very naughty host and risque bits and you have got Willy Wonka for adults.

And the kids, of whom there are as many as there are grandparents, love the spectacle. They love Pink.

One of her finest achievements of the production is its carefully crafted pacing.

Pink deftly balances the dancing and singing, the pop songs with the rock outs and the ballads and keeps the audience engaged for almost every second.

Her only misstep may be with the covers which after mote than 20 hits on the Australian charts, she simply doesn't need in the set.

While Chris Isaak's Wicked Game fits the Truth About Love theme, the small exit to the bathrooms might suggest they want Pink and only Pink.

However her acoustic rendition of Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time resonated strongly with those keen for a singalong.

One of the cutest moments of her opening Sydney concert was the distraction thrown up by Punk spotting a seven-year-old boy holding a sign asking if he could marry her three-year-old daughter Willow. Yep, it was too cute.

Pink continues her pop princess reign at the Sydney Entertainment Centre for seven more shows before returning with four shows at Allphones Arena in September.

Music guru Molly Meldrum got a round of applause from fans at Pink’s Sydney concert. Source: News Limited

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Two attacks rock Sydney, including home invasion involving up to ten men - Sydney Morning Herald

Police are investigating two violent attacks on Tuesday night in Sydney, including a home invasion involving up to ten men.

Police are searching for up to ten men who violently broke into a home in southern Sydney.

About 9:30 pm, a number of armed men broke into a home on Minnesota Avenue in Riverwood.

An ambulance arrived soon after and a victim was treated for head wounds.

Police could not confirm whether the men left with any property, or suggest any motive for the home invasion.

Police were also unable to confirm reports that the men were armed with guns.

Meanwhile police are investigating reports a 17-year-old bashed and robbed by a group of men outside a shopping centre in the western Sydney suburb of Emerton, about 10:30 pm.

Anthony Weiner's Sexting Partner Sydney Leathers -- The Big Bikini Shoot - TMZ.com

Sydney Leathers is now going public with the body she once privately photographed for Anthony Weiner ... in a bikini photo shoot that begs the question: was she really worth it, Mr. Weiner?

Worth it?

Total Votes: 120,388 *Poll Results

NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time.

Back to Poll Results

The 23-year-old -- who famously sent Weiner more than 30 nude photos during their illicit online relationship last year -- sashayed her bikini-clad bottom for photogs in an obviously-staged beach photo shoot recently.

Clearly, Leathers is proud of what she's working with ... but we still gotta ask ...

Get TMZ Breaking News alerts to your inbox

Pink rocks Sydney with Truth About Love tour - The Daily Telegraph

The whirling, twirling, bungy-jumping Pink thrills her Sydney fans in a dazzling show. Source: News Limited

IF PINK ever quits her day job, she could make gazillions teaching the rest of the world how to enjoy their gig.

Her Australian fans were well educated about her impressive vocals and athleticism as she rolled The Truth About Love tour into the Sydney Entertainment Centre last night.

Hey, she is the ONLY performer who can bungie and sing at the same time. And that's for the opening song Raise Your Glass.

Where Pink excels where so many strutting our stages don't is she is clearly loving every moment, even in the middle of 40 odd shows.It is the big grins, the shout outs, the pointing to the favoured who catch her attention, the requisite emotion etched on her face for each lyric which make a Pink concert an immersive experience.

Circus staging, sexy dancers and a naughty host - Pink kept her Sydney audience engaged. Source: News Limited

Add the circus staging and a very naughty host and risque bits and you have got Willy Wonka for adults.

And the kids, of whom there are as many as there are grandparents, love the spectacle. They love Pink.

One of her finest achievements of the production is its carefully crafted pacing.

Pink deftly balances the dancing and singing, the pop songs with the rock outs and the ballads and keeps the audience engaged for almost every second.

Her only misstep may be with the covers which after mote than 20 hits on the Australian charts, she simply doesn't need in the set.

While Chris Isaak's Wicked Game fits the Truth About Love theme, the small exit to the bathrooms might suggest they want Pink and only Pink.

However her acoustic rendition of Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time resonated strongly with those keen for a singalong.

One of the cutest moments of her opening Sydney concert was the distraction thrown up by Punk spotting a seven-year-old boy holding a sign asking if he could marry her three-year-old daughter Willow. Yep, it was too cute.

Pink continues her pop princess reign at the Sydney Entertainment Centre for seven more shows before returning with four shows at Allphones Arena in September.

Music guru Molly Meldrum got a round of applause from fans at Pink’s Sydney concert. Source: News Limited

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