Another death at China iPhone maker's plant

* Latest death takes apparent suicide toll to 10 this year

* Foxconn denies report of another jumper who survived

* Clients including Apple, Dell investigating conditions (Adds latest suicide attempt, paragraph 3)

HONG KONG/TAIPEI, May 27 (Reuters) - A 10th employee of iPhone-maker Foxconn jumped to his death late on Wednesday, just hours after the company's chairman promised to make life better for employees at the sprawling production site in southern China.

The company did not give details of the death but China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday that an initial police investigation indicated the 23-year-old man from northwest China had committed suicide by jumping from a seventh floor dormitory balcony.

Another employee at Foxconn's Shenzhen campus attempted to slit his wrists, but survived with medical attention, the Xinhua news agency said late on Thursday.

The deaths have thrown a spotlight on the labour practices of Foxconn, a unit of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry, whose clients include Apple, Hewlett Packard and Sony Ericsson.

Apple and other clients have said they are investigating working conditions at Foxconn, which has some 420,000 employees at its base in Shenzhen and has come under fire for its secretive corporate culture.

Workers live inside the factory complex and churn out products for the world's leading computer and phone companies in round-the-clock shifts.

Taipei-based Hon Hai spokesman Arthur Huang confirmed the 10th death but denied reports on three Taiwan TV stations that another person, a young woman, had also jumped late on Wednesday, surviving with serious injuries.

Just hours before the latest reports, the usually media shy Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou had opened the company's sprawling facilities in Shenzhen to reporters and vowed to take sweeping action to prevent more deaths.

Gou made another trip back to the plant on Thursday following the Wednesday media tour. Pictures on Taiwan TV stations showed him boarding his private jet.

SAFETY NETS INSTALLED

All 10 of the deaths have been of young migrant workers, among the millions who leave the poor hinterlands of China for the boom towns of the south and east coastal areas in search of work and high wages.

Two others have been seriously injured after also jumping from buildings, in incidents that labour groups say expose the harsh working conditions at Foxconn.

Li Ping, secretary general of the Shenzhen municipal government, told a news conference on Wednesday that the pressure of being away from home with little care from society was part of a complex set of factors underpinning the suicides.

He said the government was joining with police and Foxconn to consider a range of ideas such as building up sports and cultural facilities to improve the living environment, Xinhua reported.

The firm was training about 100 mental health counsellors and installing 1.5 million square metres of netting, Xinhua said.

"Although this seems like a dumb measure, at least it could save a life should anyone else fall," Gou was quoted as saying.

In a report to clients, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch said that while the incidents would affect Hon Hai's image, they are unlikely to cause a significant impact on earnings, a view echoed by UBS, which noted that Hon Hai remains a "top-notch supplier".

Foxconn shares rose 4.2 percent in a Hong Kong market up 1.2 percent, having fallen to a seven-month low earlier this week. Hon Hai shares fell 0.4 percent in Taiwan, with the broader market up 1.1 percent.

In another sign of labour discontent in south China, Japanese car maker Honda said on Thursday a dispute had shut down one of its parts plants, causing the closure of four car-making plants. (Reporting by Simon Rabinovitch and Lucy Hornby in BEIJING, James Pomfret in HONG KONG and Jonathan Standing, Roger Tung and Baker Li in TAIPEI; Editing by Chris Lewis and Lincoln Feast) ((simon.rabinovitch@thomsonreuters.com; +86 139 0111 6692; Reuters Messaging: simon.rabinovitch.reuters.com@reuters.net)) ((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))

guardian.co.uk 27 May 2010

This is the miracle of capitalism / free enterprise / globalisation.

A company - eg. DELL, APPLE can support the practise of SLAVE LABOUR via another company.

Naturally an inquiry will not indicate '$weat $hop' conditions or any breaches of Human Rights.

Independant assesment will show the company has followed the law and it was the individuals that were unstable, which is Standard Cover-up Practice.

Penthouse Pet makes claim on Pratt fortune

A former Penthouse Pet of the Month has a made claim in court for a portion of the fortune of late cardboard king Richard Pratt.

Madison Ashton, a mother of two from Sydney's eastern suburbs, made a claim against the Pratt estate in the NSW Supreme Court last Monday, A Current Affair reported on Tuesday night.

Mr Pratt, chairman of Visy, was one of Australia's richest men.

The legal challenge comes just weeks after Pratt's former Sydney mistress, Shari-Lea Hitchcock, and the couple's daughter, Paula, went to court to contest the will in a bid to gain access to a larger slice of the Pratt empire.

According to Nine News, 12-year-old Paula inherited more than $20 million in shares from her father in his will.

Pratt's widow Jeanne is listed as the executor of his estate.

Both Ms Ashton, 35, and her lawyer refused to comment on the exact contents of the statement of claim.

Outside of her modelling career and the adult entertainment industry, Ms Ashton is listed on the Australian Security and Investment Commission register as the director of several consultancy companies.

According to a report on A Current Affair, she first became acquainted with Mr Pratt through his mistress Shari-Lea Hitchcock.

A Current Affair also alleges that Mr Pratt encouraged Ms Ashton to leave her job and promised that money would be paid to her.

ninemsn 25 MAy 2010

What only 2 mistresses outside of matrimony? UNBELIEVABLE !!!

Come one girls ! Come out!

Show just what sort of cheater this person really was.

Man charged with knowingly spreading HIV

A circus acrobat accused of spreading HIV to a woman through unprotected sex is being extradited from Sydney to the Gold Coast.

Queensland police have charged Godfrey Zaburoni, 31, with two charges, including grievous bodily harm, after a woman who tested positive to HIV made a complaint against him.

Health officials say other women in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria could have been infected.

Acting Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Col McCallum says Zaburoni, who has been HIV positive since 1997, has given authorities the names of 12 women with whom he has had sex.

"What we're urging for is for anybody involved with this person to come forward. Firstly and primarily we're concerned about their health and wellbeing," he said.

"And we ask them to contact Queensland Health. If they have further concerns, we ask them to contact the police through the CrimeStoppers hotline."

Zaburoni, a Zimbabwean-born Australian citizen, has appeared as a contestant on Channel Seven program Australia's Got Talent.

A Sydney court this morning approved his extradition to Queensland and he will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young says it is possible more women could have been infected.

"I'm not confident about the numbers. I think there's a number. Of those 12, not all of those are in Queensland," she said.

"Seven of those were in Queensland. The others were in New South Wales and Victoria, but he's also been in other states.

"Unfortunately, he was not able to give us sufficient information so we could contact those women directly."

abc.net.au 25 May 2010

Filthy 'human' garbage, that should be executed.

Google street cars captured personal data

Cars used for Google's "Street View" mapping service have been mistakenly collecting personal data that people sent over unsecured WiFi networks for several years.

The Internet giant said it was "profoundly sorry for this error," which is likely to intensify criticism of "Street View" expressed by privacy advocates and officials in a number of countries.

Google said it was ending the collection of WiFi network information entirely by the Street View cars which have been used in over 30 nations.

It was also taking steps to delete the private data, which was scooped up as the cars drove around taking photographs and gathering publicly broadcast WiFi information for mobile versions of the online mapping service.

Street View, which is available for the United States and certain countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, allows users to view panoramic street scenes on Google Maps and "walk" through cities such as New York, Paris or Hong Kong.

Amid concerns that thieves could use pictures of private houses to gain access and that photos of people were being published without their consent, Street View already automatically blurs faces and car registration plates.

The collection of WiFi network information by Street View, which was launched in 2006, has also been controversial, particularly in Germany.

Google had insisted previously that it was only gathering publicly broadcast information such as a WiFi network name and a MAC address, the unique number given to a device like a WiFi router.

"It's now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (ie non-password-protected) WiFi networks," Alan Eustace, Google senior vice president for engineering and research, said in a blog post.

Eustace said a coding error was responsible for the collection of personal data sent by people over unsecured WiFi networks.

He said Google discovered that personal wireless data had been collected a week ago following a request for information from the Data Protection Authority in Hamburg, Germany.

"As soon as we became aware of this problem, we grounded our Street View cars and segregated the data on our network, which we then disconnected to make it inaccessible," he said.

"We want to delete this data as soon as possible, and are currently reaching out to regulators in the relevant countries about how to quickly dispose of it," Eustace said.

"Given the concerns raised, we have decided that it's best to stop our Street View cars collecting WiFi network data entirely," he added.

Eustace said personal wireless data was mistakenly collected only from unsecured, or non-password-protected WiFi networks, and "we never used that data in any Google products."

"Maintaining people's trust is crucial to everything we do, and in this case we fell short," he said. "The engineering team at Google works hard to earn your trust — and we are acutely aware that we failed badly here.

"We are profoundly sorry for this error and are determined to learn all the lessons we can from our mistake."

A Google spokesperson said that about 600 gigabytes of personal information had been gathered, roughly the amount as in a standard computer harddrive.

Eustace said the data was just fragments. "Because our cars are on the move, someone would need to be using the network as a car passed by, and our in-car WiFi equipment automatically changes channels roughly five times a second," he said.

Google said Street View cars have been collecting WiFi data in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United States.

afp 15 May 2010

Yet another means of cataloging the world's population.

There was NO MISTAKE made. Cars fitted with WiFi Sniffing (War Driving) equipment have that sole purpose to acquire data from wireless networks, which , is totally different from video / picture capturing hardware.

This move was DELIBERATELY made.

There is NO GUARANTEE that the information will be deleted.

Google one of the world's largest data aquisition companies.

A move supported by governments in keeping tabs on the masses.

KFC fined $A31,000 over food hygiene

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was ordered to pay out almost STG19,000 ($A31,000) on Monday after a cockroach was found eating a chip in one of its busiest branches in Britain.

The insect was seen on a food dispensing counter near takeaway boxes and tongs used to serve chicken by an environmental health officer in a restaurant in London's West End.

City of Westminster Magistrates' Court heard that during an inspection at the Leicester Square branch, the officer also saw a mouse, flies and dried chicken blood on the floor.

The Westminster City Council inspector also said there was no hand wash in dispensers in the food preparation area.

"There was no soap in the ground-floor food preparation room so, on the day of the inspection at least, it was not possible for food preparation staff to wash their hands properly," said Michael Goodwin.

The fast food giant admitted breaching five hygiene rules after the inspection in August 2008.

PAA 10 May 2010

One of the few cases that make it out into the public arena.

Truly Food for Canon Fodder, and an excellent staple for the mentally retarded.

Banks gouge away during crisis: report

A study has revealed that big banks have used the global financial crisis as an excuse to gouge customers while boosting staff pay packets and posting record profits for shareholders.

The University of Canberra study has found banks are overcharging customers through bigger profits on mortgages, higher fees and lower savings rates compared to before the global financial crisis, News Ltd newspapers say.

The study says official statistics prove banks have been lying to the public about their financial health.

"They (Westpac, the Commonwealth, NAB and ANZ) have been crying poor throughout the global financial crisis and yet official data shows that they have been misleading, to put it mildly," said Milind Sathye, professor of banking and finance at the University of Canberra.

The university has used statistics from the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) to monitor the banks' financial well-being.

"This means our conclusions can be openly scrutinised," Professor Sathye said. "The banks, on the other hand, make their arguments based on data that only they can see. And on that basis, they can argue almost anything."

The most recent APRA data shows that, far from cutting back during the crisis, banks actually increased remuneration for management and staff from $14 billion to $16 billion a year - a healthy 14.2 per cent increase - all while millions of ordinary workers were suffering pay freezes or reduced hours.

Banks have also slashed the rates they pay to savers, sometimes by almost half.

aap 9 May 2010

This is the way of the New World Order.

Bankers, financiers and Politicians ARE above the law and

there is nothing anyone can do about it

Gang rape brother to be freed from jail

One of four Pakistani brothers jailed over the gang rapes of teenage girls in Sydney eight years ago has been granted parole and will be released from prison despite opposition from NSW's head of Corrective Services.

The brothers - who cannot be identified because two were aged under 18 at the time of the sexual assaults - were each convicted over the attacks on two girls aged 16 and 17 in 2002.

Known as MRK, the second youngest brother was 17 when the girls were gang raped at the brothers' Ashfield home in Sydney's inner west on July 28, 2002.

A spokesman for the State Parole Authority on Monday confirmed that the man, now aged 25, was granted parole last Thursday and will be released from Long Bay jail between May 18 and May 25.

"I can confirm that a parole order was made last Thursday," the spokesman told AAP.

MRK was sentenced to serve at least six years and nine months in custody with an earliest possible date of release in July 2007.

The sentence came after a trial that attracted great public interest and in which MRK was convicted of nine counts of aggravated sexual assault in company.

"He has been refused bail in 2007, 2008 and 2009," the spokesman said, adding that in 2009 MRK was convicted of another historical criminal matter while in custody, which delayed his original non-parole period until April 30, 2009.

"In making its decision the authority would have had in mind that his full-time (sentence) expires in July 2012, so there is a need for supervision in the community right through until July 31, 2012."

MRK has been granted parole to live at an approved address, believed to be in Sydney.

NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham had opposed the decision.

"The commissioner opposed the release of (MRK) and made submissions to the State Parole Authority to that effect," a Corrective Services spokesman said on Monday.

The State Parole Authority said the decision came after consultation with the Serious Offenders Review Council, which had been partly responsible for MRK's progress while in custody.

"The parole order includes that he live at an approved address, continue to receive psychological counselling and comply with all conditions of the Child Protection Register," the parole authority spokesman said.

"That order prohibits him from being in the company of any person under the age of 16 unless accompanied by a responsible adult."

MRK is also prevented from contacting or approaching any of his victims or frequenting areas where they live or commonly visit.

After the brothers' sentencing, an investigating police detective described the offences as one of the most violent rapes he had ever investigated.

"No sentence, no matter how harsh, will ever compensate the victim(s)," he said.

MRK immigrated to Australia from Pakistan with his family. He is not expected to be subject to deportation upon release.

His three brothers, aged between one year younger and six years older than him, remain in custody.

NSW shadow attorney-general Greg Smith said he believed the brothers were all Australian citizens and had immigrated "years ago" with their family.

"I'm very concerned that the parole board has been so quick to grant parole in the face of opposition from the corrective services commissioner," Mr Smith told AAP.

He said MRK's involvement - which included detaining the girls and taking away a mobile phone which one of the victims tried to use to call for help - had been denied by the offender throughout his court trial.

"That lack of contrition makes it difficult for him to face any kind of guidance or counselling or rehabilitation," he said.

"He showed a lack of respect for Australian women which is totally unacceptable to the community."

ninemsn 3 May 2010

Racist Pakistanis.

The above behavior CLEARLY indicates RACISM.

The politics of the media is to indicate that white's are racist against other nationalities BUT does not show how other nationalities are also racist.

The ANGLO-MASONIC Law System CLEARLY supports criminal activity.

Freemasonry Housing Grab

In a never ending effort to broaden their asset base, the brotherhood has resorted to another entrepreneurial scheme.

This time the victims are pensioners, e.g. little old ladies. The masons target widows who cannot afford the up keep of their homes, and offer them a proposal.

The masons agree to carry out any maintenance work on the property in exchange for the title (or deed) to the property. This is naturally executed in a legally legitimate manner.

The target audience for the freemasons are the ones close to death so that the maintenance of the property does not have to be carried out for too long. From a financial perspective the reward is SIGNIFICANT.

If the average house in a working class suburb in Australia is worth $500,000, the ownership immediately becomes the property of the brotherhood. Maintenance of the property may equate to $5,000 per annum.

If the old lady lives 5 years or is murdered, then the total outlay could equal $25,000.

By that time the property value has increased (approx 20-30% per annum) to over $1,000,000. So from $25,000 to $1,000,000 in 5 years from the freemasons.

Better than ANY stock trading schemes.

Carl Williams - Police Corruption

The death of one of Melbourne's leading 'public' crime figures, Carl Anthony Williams, signifies the end of another loose end in the Melbourne Crime Cartel.

Williams made a deal with authorities, to benefit his family in exchange for names of crime figures AND police that were on his payroll.

The authorities are all aware of who the major players are as members of the police force are in company with major crime identities, at closed door parties.

The Herald Sun on 21/04/2010 prints a story, that it would be an idea that the authorities check the records of prison guards and/or police in order to establish payoffs.

WRONG !!!

Payoffs / bribes / blackmail are done in the new fashion of handing over 'plastic' (card) which the person has been given a PIN and is able to withdraw up to $1000 per day from an account.

Authorities / news media are FULLY AWARE of this fact. This practice has been going on for quite some time.

Governments and authorities have been aware of the activities of these criminals, BUT have deliberately turned a blind eye.

It was only when Carl thought he was too good, and the crimes have been spilled into the public arena, then the authorities HAD to show that they were doing something.

Australia's drug industry is worth $1.5 Billion per month.

Same Law - One for the rich one for the masses

People are living in a delusion if they believe that the same law is enforced in the same manner for the ruling elite, business, financial, criminal sector as it is for the masses, i.e. The Joneses, The John Does, and in general the community at large.

The law is structured in such a manner that it punishes abiding citizen, for committing the SAME crime as the more influential members of the community, being it thought the help of the (masonic) brotherhood, or any other influential sources.

Here is a list (all factual) compiled that clearly shows the deliberate short fall of the law:

The drink-driving offence was his fifth traffic violation since March 2006, the court heard.
Magistrate Alan Taylor heard defence arguments that any conviction would jeopardise Langer's prospects for international travel and would therefore threaten his career. Mr Taylor said Langer's eagerness to plead guilty entitled him to "some discount" and no conviction was recorded.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/alfie-langer-relieved-of-licence-and-1000-for-drink-rap-but-wont-apologise/story-e6frg6nf-1225852948190

************************************************** *********************************

Magistrate Dennis Beutel fined probationary constable Justin Gunter Royes Heinemann $150 and disqualified him from driving for one month, but did not record a conviction against him.

************************************************** *********************************

Victoria's Chief Magistrate has come to the defence of a newly appointed magistrate who lost his licence for drink driving.
John O'Callaghan had his licence suspended for six months after blowing 0.07 in 2003.
"He was fined and suspended. It did not go to court. There was no conviction," he said.

************************************************** *********************************

NO conviction has been recorded against controversial NSW magistrate Pat O'Shane, who pleaded guilty to a drink driving charge

************************************************** *********************************
Peter Saggers appeared for a promising local footballer charged with drink driving in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on 20 March 2009. After hearing submissions and being referred to the visa requirements for sports people travelling to the United Kingdom, the sentencing Magistrate did not record a conviction.
http://blog.howdensaggers.com/blog/?p=39

************************************************** *********************************

Bulldogs player Ben Roberts has had his drink driving conviction quashed on appeal.
The P-plater was fined and had his licence disqualified for three months.
A District Court judge today found the offence was proven but did not record a conviction.

************************************************** *********************************

Darryl Somers gets let off without a conviction despite blowing .098 after drinking 5 glasses of wine and then getting behind the wheel on November 9 last year

************************************************** *********************************

Henry Bolte: the former Victorian Premier got done for drink driving but the blood sample famously disappeared.

************************************************** *********************************

Bob Charles: The Federal Liberal MP got off with a good behaviour bond after blowing 0.145%.

************************************************** *********************************

Justice John Gallop: Raymond Hoser claims that the ACT Supreme Court Judge was picked up with a blood alcohol limit of .1 and was fined without a conviction or licence suspension.

************************************************** *********************************

Kathryn Greiner, the wife of the former NSW Premier Nick Greiner, was arrested and charged with drink-driving, where her blood-alcohol was measured at 0.11, more than double the limit. Under normal conditions, this offence would mean automatic licence loss however her case was dismissed. Obviously automatic licence loss does not apply when the rich and famous are involved.

************************************************** *********************************

Dave Grohl: The Nirvana/Foo Fighters guru copped a fine and no conviction in the Gold Coast court last year, for being drunk on a rented motor scooter. Our spy reckons he might have blown .15%.

************************************************** *********************************

Lady Sonia McMahon, the widow of former Prime Minister Billy McMahon, was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.13 and was put on a $1000 12-month bond but escaped conviction.

************************************************** *********************************

Former world champion surfer Barton Lynch was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit but was allowed to keep his driving licence and escaped conviction.

************************************************** *********************************
in Newcastle, Senior Constable Glenn Smyth crashed his car while drunk. He recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.178, but was placed on a $400 bond and not convicted.

************************************************** *********************************

Former NSW minister Michael Yabsley was allowed to keep his driving licence despite being booked by police and recording a blood alcohol reading almost four times the legal limit.

************************************************** *********************************

Stephen Whelan, the son of the then NSW Police Minister, was allowed to keep his provisional driving licence after being caught with a blood-alcohol level five times the legal limit. This offence would normally result in instant cancellation of a provisional licence for a lengthy period, at least some years. Showing some backbone for a change, the Department of Public Prosecutions appealed the decision and Whelan's licence was cancelled, but for a minuscule three months.

************************************************** *********************************

Millionaire high profile Sydney businessman John Singleton was let off without a fine, loss of licence or conviction after being caught speeding at 160kph in his Bentley on a highway with a speed limit of 110kph. At the time, this offence carried a monetary penalty of $668, instant licence cancellation and a criminal conviction. Singleton did not offer any form of mitigation, such as that he might have been speeding to a hospital because a passenger had suffered a heart attack. Without an apparent sign of contrition, Singleton merely said that it was perfectly safe to drive his Bentley on that road at that speed

************************************************** *********************************

Well-known millionairess and socialite Susan Renouf pleaded guilty to negligent driving and leaving the scene of an accident, an offence that normally results in a criminal conviction. However she was not convicted but fined $200, a paltry sum to a woman of her wealth.

************************************************** *********************************

Anton Faber-Castell, all of 17 years old and newly licensed, drove his father's BMW 740i on Sydney's 100kph speed limited F3 freeway at an astonishing 200kph and was clocked twice at that speed by police radar. He only held a probationary driving licence, which meant that he was not permitted to drive over 90kph at any time. Normally probationary drivers automatically lose their licences if they are caught driving at any speed over the posted limit. The maximum penalty for driving at such an excessive speed as 200kph is a $2200 fine, nine months in jail and licence disqualification for three years. However Faber-Castell's penalty was even more astonishing. He was given a 12 month good behaviour bond, his conviction was not recorded and he was ordered to pay $56 in court costs and incredibly, the magistrate even allowed him to keep his licence. Any reasonable person would wonder why Faber-Castell received such a pittance of a penalty instead of having the book thrown at him by the magistrate. Could it be because Anton Faber-Castell is the heir to the German Faber-Castell stationery manufacturing fortune and his extremely wealthy family has great influence?

************************************************** *********************************

The curator of the NSW Art Gallery and well-known socialite Edmund Capon was frustrated by crawling traffic in exclusive Double Bay, so he took matters into his own hands by driving his car over the kerb and proceeding down the footpath. When stopped by a policeman, the excuse he offered was that he was easing traffic congestion. He was also not even wearing a seatbelt at the time. Was the very wealthy Mr Capon taken to court for these offences? Of course not. He was not even booked by the policeman, who himself was not proceeded against for dereliction of duty

corpau.blogspot.com 15 April 2010