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Labor spruiks teacher wage review

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 24 Januari 2015 | 23.15

The ALP has promised to review teaching classifications and their pay rates in Queensland. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk is pledging $6 million to pave the way for the state's best teachers to get a pay rise.

THE opposition leader says if elected the ALP will fund a review to establish two new classifications that identify "highly accomplished" and "lead" teachers.

But she concedes the process could take up to four years to complete.That means those eligible could have to wait until after the next state election to benefit."What we've seen over the last few years is teachers leaving our profession to get higher paid jobs," she said on Saturday."This is going to be encouragement to teachers to come back into the classroom."Initial estimates suggested the most experienced teachers could earn up to $120,000, Ms Palaszczuk said.But she was tight-lipped when asked how the party would fund the initiative, simply insisting it wouldn't rely on asset sales.The details would be available when the party's costing were released in the coming week, she said.Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the plan falls far short of the LNP's master teachers program, which recruits teachers capable of lifting academic results.He said hundreds of master and mentor teachers would be deployed from Tuesday as part of the scheme - which even his Labor counterpart, Andrew Lynham, admitted had its merits."We want to make sure our students don't have to wait years for better improved results and better quality teaching," Mr Langbroek said.The LNP has pledged $1 billion for 22 new schools and existing school upgrades, as well as a $90 million innovation fund and 500 scholarships for education degrees so far this election.Meanwhile, Labor has promised to hire hundreds of new teachers in state schools over three years, employ more guidance counsellors and cut class sizes in state primary schools.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukrainian church desecrated in Sydney

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 21 Juni 2014 | 23.15

A UKRAINIAN church in Sydney has been desecrated with racial slurs in an attack the NSW government has labelled vicious and abhorrent.

MEMBERS of the Ukrainian community woke on Saturday morning to find the St Andrew's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Lidcombe covered in spray paint.

Among the vandalism is a swastika symbol and the message "traitors fascists".Father Simon Ckuj said the church partly commemorated Ukrainians who fought against Nazism in World War Two."This act completely defiles the memory of those who died fighting fascism," the parish priest said on Saturday.Despite the offensive crime, the church says it will pray for the graffiti artists at a Sunday morning service.Peter Shmigel, of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, says the act trashed the principals of a multicultural and democratic Australia."There is no room for people like those who attacked our church to import their foreign conflicts to Australia and Sydney, where our community has made a positive contribution for 65 years," he said in a statement.The church says the graffiti, once translated to English, also reads "burn in hell for the sins of Poroshenko", referring to the President of Ukraine.Communities and Citizenship Minister Victor Dominello said the act was completely unacceptable."To use an international racial dispute to vilify a community in Sydney is abhorrent," he said."The use of swastikas as a means of denigrating and attacking any community in NSW is utterly offensive."The church says the vandalism has been reported to police.

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Royals defend apartment spending

The Voice star Joel comes clean

The Voice star Joel comes clean

THE Voice coach Joel Madden has opened up about his hotel room drug bust and beating the odds to become a ­successful rock star, husband and father.

Early bird gets the Christmas toy

Shoppers about to head out for mid-year sales

CHRISTMAS shopping has begun early as bargain hunters cash in on midyear sales with thrifty, time-conscious mums expected to lead the charge.

You pay for sister city excursions

Monash mayor Geoff Lake

VICTORIANS are spending more than half a million dollars on overseas travel so councillors and staff can connect with their international sister cities.

Teenagers turn off technology

Building better kids

PARENTS are increasingly turning to school back-to-basics programs which force children to abandon technology with the aim of building life skills.

Cold case search for the $6m man

 Roadgang hijacked an Armaguard van with $2.3 million on board on Punt Rd. Nov 12 1997 /robberies Picture: Supplied

POLICE suspect the same people are behind a string of serious crimes spanning at least 26 years. ANDREW RULE and MARK BUTTLER report


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Another Tamil man sets himself on fire

ANOTHER Tamil man has set himself alight, the latest in a spate of self-immolation cases involving asylum seekers who fear being sent back to Sri Lanka.

THE 40-year-old man splashed himself with petrol and ignited it, but his housemates intervened and managed to put out the fire.

It happened late on Friday at a home in the Melbourne suburb of Noble Park, according to a statement from the Tamil Refugee Council.There were similar incidents in May, when Leo Seemanpillai burned to death outside his Geelong home, and also in April when a Sydney-based Tamil man also set himself alight but survived with burns to 75 per cent of his body.In the latest case, the man suffered burns to his legs and was taken by ambulance to Dandenong Hospital."We are very lucky on this occasion that the man's housemates were aware of what he was planning to do otherwise we may have had another death on our hands," council spokesperson Sri Samy said."I have had seven young men tell me in the past few weeks that they are thinking of doing this."They are fearful of being sent back to Sri Lanka and say they would prefer to die here than be sent back to torture, which is what the Australian government is doing to many Tamil asylum seekers."The man involved in this latest case came to Australia by boat in 2012, and he was on a bridging visa awaiting assessment of his asylum claim.He fled Sri Lanka, leaving his wife and daughter behind, after security police broke his legs.The council said last week he had learned his brother, held in a Sri Lankan prison for four years, had disappeared and was feared dead.The man feared the same fate if returned to Sri Lanka."The previous Labor government, and the current Coalition government, have sent back more than 1000 Tamil asylum-seekers under an enhanced screening process," Mrs Samy also said."That does not allow time for proper assessment of asylum claims."She called on Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to alleviate fear among Tamil asylum seekers by granting protection to genuine refugees.* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hendra virus kills NSW horse

Hendra virus has killed a horse in northern NSW, causing authorities to quarantine a property. Source: AAP

HENDRA virus has killed a horse in northern NSW, causing authorities to quarantine a property as they run tests on its stablemates and the five people who handled the animal.

IT'S the first case of Hendra discovered in NSW this year.

"The 31-year-old stockhorse gelding died overnight on Thursday after being found in a dam earlier that day and receiving treatment from a private veterinarian for very low body temperature," NSW deputy chief vet Therese Wright said in a statement."Three people who handled the horse plus the veterinarian and an assistant are being assessed and monitored by NSW Health."In recent weeks no horses have moved off the property, west of Murwillumbah, and there are no dogs or cats about, Ms Wright added.The paddock where the horse was kept "has regular flying fox activity," she said.Horses are believed to contract the Hendra virus from feed contaminated by urine, saliva or birthing fluids from flying foxes."Do not place feed and water under trees and cover feed and water containers with a shelter so they cannot be contaminated from above," Ms Wright said.Hendra virus was found in four horses and a dog across four separate mid-north coast properties last year."Winter is the season when horses have been infected with Hendra in NSW in the past so now is the time to get a vaccine booster for your horse," Ms Wright said.In Queensland four people have been killed by Hendra virus since 1994.And in December councils across the state were given permission to trim trees and use smoke, lights and loud noises to drive flying fox colonies away from urban areas without needing a permit."If a horse becomes sick, owners should contact their veterinarian immediately," Ms Wright warned.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thailand disappointed at US blacklist

THAILAND says it is disappointed with a decision by the US State Department to blacklist it for its failure to do enough to fight human trafficking.

BUT the southeast Asian country vowed it would continue to fight the scourge.

The United States on Friday released its assessment of how governments around the world have performed in fighting the flesh trade and other forms of exploitative labour.The report lowered Thailand to its lowest ranking, "tier 3". President Barack Obama has 90 days to determine whether to apply sanctions which could hurt Thailand's lucrative seafood and shrimp industries.Sihasak Phuangketkeow, permanent secretary of Thailand's foreign affairs ministry, told reporters on Saturday in Bangkok that Thailand had stepped up its struggle to combat trafficking.

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Pregnant woman airlifted to hospital

A PREGNANT woman has suffered serious head injuries after a car crashed into a northwest Sydney house, also injuring a teenage girl and another woman.

THE 25-year-old, who is four months pregnant, has been airlifted to Westmead Hospital with serious head and leg injuries, police say.

The girl, 14, also suffered head and leg injuries and was taken to hospital along with a 48-year-old woman, who sustained pelvic injuries."All three remain in a stable condition," police said.They were hit while standing on the front veranda of a Windsor Downs home on Saturday afternoon.The male driver was treated by paramedics and has been taken for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.His male passenger wasn't hurt.Police have established a crime scene and are investigating.

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SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q fired on

A gunman has fired on an SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q after a concert in Colorado. Source: AAP

A GUNMAN with a rifle fired on an SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q after a concert at the popular Red Rocks outdoor amphitheatre near Denver but he wasn't hurt.

THREE other people suffered non-life threatening injuries during the attack late on Thursday in a parking lot at Red Rocks.

Investigators speaking Friday did not release a possible motive for the shooting and said they do not know if ScHoolboy Q was targeted. No arrests have been made."We have a lot to learn," said Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.ScHoolboy Q, whose birth name is Quincy Matthew Hanley, is from Los Angeles. His most recent album, "Oxymoron," debuted at No. 1 earlier this year and reflects his life as a father and former gang member.He and Kendrick Lamar, who was nominated for seven Grammys this year, are members of Black Hippy.ScHoolboy Q said on Twitter Friday that he was OK."im str8...... dont trip," he wrote.Ray Alba, a representative for ScHoolboy Q, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.The rapper and at least four other people were in a white SUV that was fired on at the venue in the foothills west of Denver, authorities said.They drove themselves to a Denver intersection about 24 kilometres away, apparently in search of a hospital, before being stopped by Denver police and taken for medical attention, Kelley said.ScHoolboy Q and another uninjured person were briefly handcuffed while police assessed the situation, but no one in the vehicle was arrested. Kelley said ScHoolboy Q was not a suspect in the shooting.Nas and Flying Lotus also performed at the concert that benefited three groups, including the Gang Rescue and Support Project of Denver."We want to know what's going on so we can help out in any way," said Cisco Gallardo, director of the gang rescue group."There could have been (a) prior beef, prior problems."About 4500 people attended the concert at the amphitheatre, which seats as many as 9525 people.Promoters said the gang rescue group got five per cent of the profits. Two other groups also got five per cent each: Preserve the Rocks, which helps preserve the Red Rocks venue, and Helping Our People Excel, a Denver-area charity with a food pantry and other services.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

10 Islamists sentenced to death in Egypt

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 07 Juni 2014 | 23.15

An Egyptian court has sentenced 10 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood movement to death. Source: AAP

AN Egyptian court has sentenced ten supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement to death in absentia on charges of inciting violence and blocking a road last July.

Judge Hassan Fareed on Saturday referred the sentence to the Grand Mufti, the highest Islamic authority in Egypt, a legal requirement usually considered a formality.

The remaining 38 accused in the case, including the Brotherhood's supreme guide and other senior members, will be sentenced at the next hearing on July 5.

The case is one of several ongoing mass trials of supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Under Egyptian law, those sentenced in absentia will have a new trial if they are arrested or surrender to authorities.


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PM wants Monash to be household name

THE efforts of Australian General John Monash on the Western Front in World War I should be as widely recognised as the story of Simpson and his donkey at Gallipoli, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

Mr Abbott revealed on Saturday a new memorial centre to be built in France would be named in honour of the Australian military leader, who is regarded as one of the great tacticians of World War I.

After joining world leaders at D-Day commemorations in Normandy on Friday, Mr Abbott turned his attention to the First World War as he visited the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux for the first time.

While not as famous as the Gallipoli campaign, the efforts of Australian diggers to stop German forces on the Western Front were critical to the outcome of the war.

Of the 295,000 Australians who fought there between 1916 and 1918, 46,000 never made it home and the prime minister is leading a push he believes will help improve a sense of national identity.

"No place on earth has been more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than these fields in France," Mr Abbott said.

"Australians should be as familiar with the story of the Western Front as we are with Gallipoli.

"Australians should be at least as familiar with the achievements of Monash as we are with the heroism of John Simpson Kirkpatrick (in Gallipoli)."

Sir John Monash was involved in the failed Gallipoli campaign but used his experiences to lead several significant battlefield victories, including the decisive Battle of Amiens.

Mr Abbott said he brought organisation and technology to the battlefield to "break the stalemate of trench warfare".

Attendances at the annual Anzac Day dawn service at Villers-Bretonneux have grown steadily in recent years, with the crowd this year surpassing that at Gallipoli.

Some predict it will become the nation's clear focal point of Anzac Day commemorations beyond next year's centenary in Gallipoli.

"Australians should congregate here, every April 25th, no less than at Anzac Cove," Mr Abbott said.

"And on Anzac Day four years hence, the centenary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, I'm sure they will."

Mr Abbott said it was expected the new "interpretive centre", to be built behind the Australian memorial, would open in 2018 to coincide with 100th anniversary commemorations.

The "Sir John Monash" centre will help to better explain Australia's role in the final victories of World War I and the government will put up $6.9 million for the initial planning.

Mr Abbott later followed in the footsteps of former prime ministers by visiting the Victoria School, built in Villers-Bretonneux in 1927 with money donated by school children from the Australian state.

He chatted with schoolchildren and locals in the school's courtyard, where a prominent green and gold sign hangs permanently reading: "Never Forget Australia."

Mr Abbott then visited the memorial site at nearby Pozieres, the sight of a bloody 1916 battle where 23,000 Australians were killed in the space of just six weeks.

The prime minister was expected to meet with French President Francois Hollande on Saturday night before departing Paris on Sunday for Canada and the US.


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New report spells out phone tap powers

Government tapping of people's phones is widespread around the world, a new UK report shows. Source: AAP

GOVERNMENT tapping of people's phones is widespread around the world with Australia among a long list of countries permitting access to phone networks.

But Australia rates better than some, a report compiled by one of the world's largest phone companies says.

The detailed report by UK mobile carrier Vodafone examines legislative frameworks for telecommunications interception in 29 countries where it operates.

It says this is its contribution to the global debate on telecommunications interception.

The report says Australian carriers have legislative obligations to assist law enforcement and national security agencies, including an obligation to disclose information where authorised.

Interception is authorised by warrants issued to law enforcement and security agencies - though it may occur without a warrant in specified urgent circumstances.

Of substantial concern is the revelation in Vodafone's report that in six countries, authorities can bypass all legal requirements such as warrants to directly access an operator's network.

"In those countries, Vodafone will not receive any form of demand for lawful interception access as the relevant agencies and authorities already have permanent access to customer communications via their own direct link," the report said.

Vodafone doesn't specifically say which countries.

But in a detailed appendix compiled by an international law firm, it says Albania, Egypt, Hungary, Ireland, Qatar and Turkey all have provisions allowing authorities to request unfettered access.

In two other countries, India and the UK, legal provisions are unclear.

The report doesn't spell out the extent of telecommunications interception in Australia.

But the 2012-13 annual report, required under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, says a total of 3330 interception warrants were issued, more than half to NSW police and the NSW Crime Commission.

Around two-thirds were for drug trafficking and organised crime.


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No visa info over Tamil's death: group

IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison says Australian officials have contacted the family of a Tamil asylum seeker explaining visa processes so they can travel to Australia to attend his funeral.

But a spokesman for the Tamil Refugee Council said on Saturday that no one from the Australian Immigration department has been in touch with the family in India.

Asylum seeker Leorsin Seemanpillai, 29, died last Sunday after dousing himself in petrol and setting himself alight in Geelong.

Refugee advocates say the Tamil feared being returned to Sri Lanka because he thought he faced persecution from authorities.

The government has offered to return his body to Sri Lanka or India.

But immediate family who live in a refugee camp in Tamil Nadu in southern India say they fear for their safety if the funeral is held in either country. They are seeking visas to attend the funeral in Australia.

Mr Morrison acknowledged that they face very real difficulties.

He said the department had explained to them the process of application for a short-term visitor visa to travel to Australia, including the need for travel documents.

That process was very clear and it would be up to the immigration department to assess their application.

"It's not available to the minister to instruct the department in issuing a visitor visa in circumstances like these and they will have to apply the law as it stands," he told ABC radio.

Tamil Refugee Council spokesman Aran Mylvaganam said he had spoken to Mr Seemanpillai's father on Saturday, specifically asking if anyone from the Australian Immigration department had contacted him to explain how to obtain a visa.

The only Australian officials they had heard from were the Victorian refugee assistance group AMES, which offered to pay funeral costs, and the coroner's office in Melbourne.

"Either Morrison is getting the wrong advice from his department or he is simply trying to misinform the Australian people," he said in a statement.

"Whatever is the case, it is an absolute disgrace that he won't intervene to help this family in a moment of dire need."


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One dead, one hurt in SA speed boat crash

ONE person is dead and another has been rushed to hospital after a speedboat crashed on the Murray River in South Australia.

SA Police say Saturday afternoon's accident occurred during a competitive event.

"There were two victims, one is sadly deceased," an SA police spokesman said.

"The other has got some serious burns and has been flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital."

The Adelaide Advertiser reported the victims were both male, but SA Police were unable to provide further details.

"It was a sad tragic way of ending the day's competition there," the police spokesman said.


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Alleged Sydney card skimmer charged

A man has been caught allegedly skimming money out of ATMs in Sydney's west using stolen card data. Source: AAP

A MAN has been caught allegedly skimming money out of ATMs in Sydney's west using stolen card data.

Police were contacted after the 27-year-old was seen acting suspiciously in Parramatta on Friday morning, walking from one ATM to another, allegedly making transactions with several cards.

Officers later detained and searched the man, finding 15 store cards, which are believed to have been encoded with stolen card data. He also had more than $4000 in cash on him.

The Fairfield man was charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and two other related charges.

He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Parramatta Local Court on July 16.


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Man dies after car hits pole in Victoria

A MAN has died after his car left the road and struck a power pole in the Victorian town of Warragul.

Police believe the 19-year-old Warragul man was driving west along Queen Street just before 7pm on Saturday when he lost control on a bend and collided with the pole.

He died before he could be airlifted to a city hospital.

Police are investigating reports the driver was involved in an earlier collision in Drouin and will prepare a report for the coroner.


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Roma girl Maria to stay in Greece

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 31 Mei 2014 | 23.15

A BULGARIAN Roma girl who was seized in October from a couple falsely claiming to be her parents is to stay in Greece in the care of the Smile of the Child charity.

A court in the Greek city of Larissa on Saturday terminated any parental rights of her adoptive family, and repelled an attempt by the Bulgarian Child Protection Agency to take guardianship, the ANA-MPA news agency reported.

The girl - known as Maria and now aged 5 - was discovered during an October police raid for drugs and weapons at a Roma camp near Lamia in central Greece.

Because the child was blonde, suspicions rose that she was the victim of a kidnapping, sparking international interest.

After an extensive investigation, Greek authorities traced the biological parents to a Roma camp in Bulgaria.

Maria's mother said she left her daughter in Greece, where she had worked four years ago, because she had no money to care for her.


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Iran billionaire executed over $2.8b fraud

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 24 Mei 2014 | 23.16

A BILLIONAIRE businessman at the heart of a $US2.6 billion ($A2.8 billion) state bank scam, the largest fraud case since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, has been executed, state television reports.

Authorities put Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, also known as Amir Mansour Aria, to death at Evin prison, just north of the capital, Tehran, the station reported.

The report said the execution came after Iran's Supreme Court upheld his death sentence.

The fraud involved using forged documents to get credit at one of Iran's top financial institutions, Bank Saderat, to purchase assets including state-owned companies like major steel producer Khuzestan Steel Co.

Khosravi's business empire included more than 35 companies from mineral water production to a football club and meat imports from Brazil.

According to Iranian media reports, the bank fraud began in 2007.

A total of 39 defendants were convicted in the case. Four received death sentences, two got life sentences and the rest received sentences of up to 25 years in prison.

The trials raised questions about corruption at senior levels in Iran's tightly controlled economy during the administration of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mahmoud Reza Khavari, a former head of Bank Melli, another major Iranian bank, escaped to Canada in 2011 after he resigned over the case.

He faces charges over the case in Iran and remains on the Islamic Republic's wanted list.

Khavari previously admitted that his bank partially was involved in the fraud, but has maintained his innocence.


23.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gunmen fire inside El Salvador bus, kill 6

Police in El Salvador say gunmen boarded a bus in a town near the capital killing six people. Source: AAP

POLICE in El Salvador say gunmen boarded a bus in a town near the capital and opened fired on passengers, killing six.

National police director Rigoberto Pleites said another five people were wounded during the Friday bus attack in the town of San Luis Talpa near San Salvador.

Pleites said witnesses told police the assailants were gang members dressed in uniforms similar to those issued to road maintenance workers.

He said investigators haven't confirmed they belonged to a gang.

Police Commissioner Mauricio Ramirez said there have been threats of increased violence in the country in the coming days, but he didn't provide any other details.


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Suspected drug ring busted in Canberra

Police have raided 10 north Canberra properties, uncovering what they say is a major drug syndicate. Source: AAP

A MAJOR drug ring has been busted in the national capital, with a Canberra man set to face court charged with trafficking drugs.

ACT Policing raided several north Canberra properties on Friday afternoon where they seized $200,000 worth of illicit drugs, cars and cash.

They found 728 grams of cocaine, a methylamphetamine-suspected substance, tablets suspected to be ecstasy, and steroids.

Police believe the operation cracked a major drug syndicate operating in the capital.

A 28-year-old man will appear in court on Saturday charged with drug trafficking.


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Pope set to begin Middle East pilgrimage

The Vatican has billed Pope Francis' first visit to the Middle East as a "pilgrimage of prayer". Source: AAP

POPE Francis has made an urgent plea for peace in war-torn Syria as he kicked off a three-day pilgrimage to the Middle East.

And he called for religious freedom to be upheld throughout a region ravaged by war and bloodshed, where a dwindling Christian population faces daily persecution.

After arriving to a red carpet welcome at Amman airport on Saturday he was later in the day to celebrate an afternoon mass in front of thousands of people at a stadium in the city.

The Pope's three-day tour will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories on a landmark first visit aimed at boosting ties with Muslims and Jews.

"Lasting peace for the entire region ... requires that a peaceful solution be found to the crisis in Syria, as well as a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," the Pope said at the royal palace, ahead of a meeting with Syrian refugees.

Syria's civil war, which began in 2011, is estimated to have claimed at least 162,000 lives and forced another 2.7 million people to flee to neighbouring countries, 450,000 of them Christians.

Jordan's King Abdullah II told Francis his "humanity and wisdom" could contribute to easing the crisis confronting Syrian refugees and the burden on hosts countries like Jordan.

As his white car drove through the streets towards the royal palace, well-wishers waved Jordanian and Vatican flags and held up banners welcoming him, under the watchful eye of security guards.

Later on Saturday, Francis was to head to a site on the River Jordan where many believe Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. There he will hear first-hand accounts of the suffering in Syria from some of the 600,000 refugees hosted by Jordan.

The 77-year-old pontiff also urged respect for religious freedom in a region where the Holy See called for an end to the ongoing persecution of Christians.

"Religious freedom is, in fact, a fundamental human right and I cannot fail to express my hope that it will be upheld throughout the Middle East and the entire world," he said.

Although Christians were a minority within the region, their contribution was "significant and valued," he said.

Entering Amman's main stadium on open-topped white jeep, Francis was met by raucous applause as he smiled and waved at the crowds, his white skullcap flying off in the breeze.

"This pope is special. He only wants to see the poor and the diseased. He is the protector of the helpless," said 77-year-old Sister Rachel, highlighting his dedication to the downtrodden.

Early on Sunday, the pope will make a short helicopter ride across the Jordan River to Bethlehem, where he will begin a two-day visit to the Palestinian territories and Israel.


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