• Accused associate of 'Lord of War' arms dealer Viktor Bout caught in Australia

    By Larry Neumeister and Stephen Braun, The Associated Press

    NEW YORK -- An associate of a notorious Russian arms dealer was arrested in Australia and charged with conspiring to buy planes so that weapons could be transported to the world's bloodiest conflicts, a U.S. prosecutor announced Thursday.

    Syrian-born American Richard Ammar Chichakli was arrested Wednesday at the request of U.S. authorities on charges that he conspired with Russian arms merchant Viktor Bout and others to try to buy the planes from two U.S. companies.

    Sukree Sukplang / Reuters file

    Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout speaks to the media after arriving at a Bangkok criminal court August 20, 2010, ahead of an expected appeal court verdict on whether to extradite him to the U.S.

    His arrest was first confirmed by the Australian Fairfax Media news organization, which reported Thursday that he was arrested in Melbourne after applying for a post in the government Protective Service Office, a law enforcement agency. The news service reported that he said nothing during a Thursday hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

    A lawyer for Chichakli told officials that his client had identified himself as Jehad Almustafa. Chichakli was held pending the processing of a U.S. extradition request.

    Victoria state police spokeswoman Jessica Rosewarne confirmed Chichakli was caught after applying for the government post.

    "He was identified as a person of interest through routine background checks as part of the application process," she said. "He had not been offered employment with Victoria police or started any training."

    U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, the chief federal prosecutor in New York, said Chichakli "consorted with the world's most notorious arms trafficker in the purchase of aircraft that would be used to transport weapons to some of the world's bloodiest conflict zones, in violation of international sanctions."

    Michele M. Leonhart, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said the international law enforcement community has long recognized Chichakli as a key criminal facilitator in Bout's global weapons trafficking regime.

    "His arrest means the world is safer and more secure," she said in a release.

    Merchant of Death
    Bout is a former Soviet air officer dubbed the Merchant of Death because of his 1990s-era notoriety for running a fleet of aging Soviet-era cargo planes to conflict-ridden hotspots in Africa. He also inspired the arms dealer character played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 film "Lord of War."

    Bout, convicted of conspiracy relating to the support of a Colombian terrorist organization, was sentenced in Manhattan last year to 25 years in prison but maintained he was a legitimate businessman.


    An indictment against Chichakli in U.S. District Court in Manhattan and other court documents accuse Chichakli of working as a close associate of Bout since at least the mid-1990s to assemble a fleet of cargo planes capable of shipping weapons and military equipment to various parts of the world, including Africa, South America and the Middle East.

    Prosecutors say the arms have helped fuel conflicts and support regimes in Afghanistan, Angola, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan.

    Over the years, Chichakli has weaved a colorful biography of his past but often repudiated his comments under the glare of law enforcement scrutiny.

    He has claimed to have befriended a young Osama bin Laden during college days at Riyadh University in Saudi Arabia. He also claimed a stint in the U.S. Army, replete with intelligence training and service in the first Gulf War.

    The indictment accuses Chichakli and Bout of violating sanctions by arranging to buy two Boeing aircraft from U.S. companies in 2007. It says they electronically transferred more than $1.7 million through banks in New York and into bank accounts in the U.S., though the money was blocked by the U.S. Department of the Treasury before it reached the aviation companies' accounts.

    The Treasury Department had imposed an asset freeze against Chichakli in April 2005 as part of larger financial sanctions aimed at the Bout network's dealings with the dictatorial regime of Liberian President Charles Taylor. The department called Chichakli, who once ran a small conglomerate of Texas-based businesses from a Dallas suburb, "Bout's U.S.-based chief financial officer."

    If convicted, Chichakli could face up to 20 years in prison on each of nine counts, including conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud.

    Related stories:
    Russia rages over US court's 25-year sentence on 'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout
    NY judge gives 'Merchant of Death' 25 years
    Liberia's Charles Taylor jailed for 50 years over 'heinous and brutal crimes'

    © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

  • Family escapes Australian 'tornadoes of fire' by clinging to jetty for 3 hours

    A grandfather in Tasmania recounts how he saved his five grandchildren by taking sheltering under a jetty in the sea for three hours as wildfires raged around them. ITV's Paul Davies reports.

    By Jason Cumming, Staff Writer, NBC News

    As "tornadoes of fire" roared toward their home, the Holmes family fled and then jumped into the sea, clinging to a jetty for three hours to escape wildfires that have devastated Australia.

    The blaze spread swiftly in the Tasmanian town of Dunalley, Tim Holmes said. "The next thing we knew everything was on fire, everywhere, all around us," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

    Holmes said he sent his wife Tammy and their five grandchildren -- who are aged between almost 2 and 11 --  to the jetty to seek refuge from the flames, which destroyed three homes owned by the family. "There was no other escape," he added.

    Holmes sent a text message to his daughter, Bonnie Walker,  showing her children in the water.

    "It's still quite an upsetting image," Walker told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "It's of all of my five children underneath the jetty, huddled up to neck deep sea water, which is cold. I knew that that would be a challenge to keep three non-swimmers above water and with only my mom, dad and our eldest daughter.

    Read more on this story from Britain's ITV News

    "I spent a lot of time with good friends and prayed like I never prayed before and I think those prayers have been answered."

    Holmes recalled how the fire "raged for three hours" on the shore on Friday, surrounding the family with smoke. "Everything was on fire and it was just exploding all over the place," he added.

    They managed to escape after Holmes recovered his dinghy. Walker was reunited with her children on Saturday.

    Australia's record-breaking heatwave has sent temperatures soaring, melting road tar and setting off hundreds of wildfires - as well as searing new colors onto weather maps.

    The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has added dark purple and magenta to its weather forecasting map to represent temperatures of 51 to 54 degrees Celsius (123.8 to 129.2 Fahrenheit), officials said.

    PhotoBlog: Heat, high wind create 'catastrophic' fire condition in Australia

    Temperatures on the map were previously capped at 50 degrees Celsius, represented by the color black.

    Tim Holmes / AP

    Tammy Holmes and her grandchildren take refuge under a jetty as a wildfire rages nearby in Dunalley, Australia, on Friday.

    No deaths have been reported, although around 100 people haven't been accounted for since last week when a fire destroyed around 90 homes in Dunalley, which is located east of the state capital of Hobart. On Wednesday, police spokeswoman Lisa Stingel said it's likely most of those people simply haven't checked in with officials.

    Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. Fires in February 2009 killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in Victoria state.

    ITV News is NBC News' UK partner. Reuters contributed to this report.

    Cooler temperatures are helping firefighters battle blazes across Australia but forecasters warn of hot temperatures coming this weekend. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

  • Australia's hottest day on record hampers wildfire fight

    Blazes raging across Australia have already destroyed more than 100 homes and are threatening more as dry, hot weather persists. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    Firefighters battled scores of wildfires raging across southeast Australia on Tuesday as authorities evacuated national parks and warned that record-level, blistering temperatures and high winds had led to "catastrophic" conditions in some areas.

    "We are shaping up for one of the worst fire danger days on record," New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. "You don't get conditions worse than this. We are at the catastrophic level and clearly in those areas leaving early is your safest option."

    Catastrophic threat level is the most severe rating applicable.

    Firefighters hope cooler weather sweeping up the Australian east coast late Tuesday, which dramatically dropped temperatures in a matter of hours in some coastal towns, would ease the incendiary conditions. Monday was the hottest day on record for Australia, with the average temperature across the continent reaching 104.6 degrees F., Australia's 7 News network reported.

    The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the unprecedented temperatures left weather forecasters having to add new colors - deep purple and pink - to their charts.

    No deaths had been reported, although officials in Tasmania were still trying to find about 100 residents who had been missing since a fire tore through the small town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, last week, destroying around 90 homes. On Tuesday, police said no bodies were found during preliminary checks of the ruined houses.

    Australia faces 'catastrophic' days

    Wildfires have razed 50,000 acres of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania since Friday. In New South Wales, the country's most populous state, the fires had burned through more than 64,000 acres of land.

    More than 130 fires were blazing across New South Wales, though only a few dozen houses were under threat by early evening. One fire was threatening about 30 homes near the small town of Cooma, south of the capital of Canberra. Cooma-Monaro shire mayor Dean Lynch told Australia's Sky News some residents had evacuated to the nearby town of Nimmitabel.


    Strong winds were hampering efforts to bring the fires under control. Wind gusts more than 60 mph were recorded in some parts of the state.

    PhotoBlog: Wildfires in Tasmania

    Arsonists have been responsible for some of the fires, 7 News reported. In western Sydney on Tuesday, three people were charged with deliberately starting a fire, the network said.

    All state forests and national parks were closed as a precaution and total fire bans were in place with temperatures surpassing 113 degrees F. in some areas.

    One volunteer firefighter suffered severe burns to his hands and face while fighting a grass fire near Gundaroo village, about 140 miles southwest of Sydney, on Monday. He was flown to a hospital in Sydney for treatment, and his condition had improved Tuesday, Fitzsimmons said.

    More coverage from 7 News

    Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. In February 2009, hundreds of fires across Victoria state killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

    The Associated Press, Reuters and 7 News contributed to this report; 7 News is NBC's Australian partner.

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

  • Australia faces 'catastrophic' days as wildfires rage in 5 of country's 6 states

    Rob Blakers / EPA

    Michelle Ardle was among the tourists evacuated Sunday after being trapped by forest fires in south-east Tasmania for two nights.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    CANBERRA, Australia — Australia was bracing on Monday for days of "catastrophic" fire and heat-wave conditions, with fires already burning in five states.

    Prime Minister Julia Gillard toured fire-ravaged Tasmanian townships and promised emergency aid for survivors, who told of a "fireball" that engulfed communities across the thinly populated state on Friday and Saturday.

    "The trees just exploded," local man Ashley Zanol told Australian radio, recounting a wall of flames that surrounded his truck as he carted water to assist fire crews in the hard-hit township of Murdunna, which was largely leveled by the inferno.

    Ferocious wildfires have forced hundreds of people to flee their homes in Australia's island state of Tasmania. Channel 4's Krishnan Guru-Murthy reports.

    Tasmanian police said around 100 people feared missing in bushfires had been accounted for and there had so far been no deaths as authorities combed through still-smouldering ruins of homes and vehicles, while evacuating local people and tourists.

    Bushfires were ablaze in five of Australia's six states, with 90 fires in the most populous state New South Wales, and in mountain forests around the national capital Canberra.

    On Tuesday morning, authorities were warning people living in Kybeyan valley to leave the area, where they said at least 20 homes were in the path of a blaze.

    Record heat wave
    Severe fire conditions were forecast for Tuesday, replicating those of 2009, when "Black Saturday" wildfires in Victoria state killed 173 people and caused $4.4 billion worth of damage.

    A record heat wave, which began in Western Australia on Dec. 27 and lasted eight days, was the fiercest in more than 80 years in that state.  It has spread east across the nation, making it the widest-ranging heat wave in more than a decade, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

    Chris Kidd / Pool via EPA

    Homes damaged by fire are seen from a helicopter between Dunalley and Boomer Bay, Tasmania, Australia, on Jan. 5. Hundreds of local residents and tourists took to the sea in boats to escape forest fires that burned to the waterline in Australia's island state of Tasmania.

    New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell said record-low rains have produced large fuel loads that increase the risk of fire, combined with record temperatures and high winds, Australia's 7 News reported.

    "Tomorrow [Tuesday] is not going to be just another ordinary day," he said. "Tomorrow will be perhaps the worst fire danger day this state has ever faced."

    More coverage from 7 News


    Tuesday would bring the highest "catastrophic" bushfire temperature conditions, fire officials said, warning that many blazes would likely be too fierce for fire crews to easily extinguish.

    "Any fire that burns under the predicted conditions — 40-degree (Celsius) temperatures (104 degrees F), below 10 percent humidity, winds gusting over 70 kilometers an hour (43 mph) — those conditions are by any measure horrendous," New South Wales Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said.

    PhotoBlog: Wildfires in Tasmania destroy more than 100 homes

    In the Australian capital, Canberra, hit by a firestorm in 2003 that destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said they were expecting the worst conditions in the decade since, with a fifth day of searing temperatures and strong winds.

    "With those winds it boosts up the fire danger significantly," the city's deputy fire chief Michael Joyce told local reporters.

    Blazes sparked by weekend lightning storms were already burning in forests surrounding the sprawling lake-and-bushland city, as they did 10 years earlier.

    Reuters contributed to this report. 7 News is NBC's Australian partner.

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

  • Australian trees made famous by Aboriginal artist destroyed; arson suspected

    Northern Territory Government

    The destruction of two iconic Ghost Gums painted by Albert Namatjira has saddened many Territorians, Minister for Indigenous Advancement, Alison Anderson, said today.

    By Reuters

    SYDNEY -- A pair of "ghost gum" trees in Australia's outback made famous in watercolors by Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira have been destroyed in a suspected arson attack, shortly before they were due to be placed on a national heritage register.


    Namatjira is credited with bringing ghost gums, native trees featured in Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and named for their white bark that glows in moonlight, to wider public consciousness as a symbol of Australian identity.

    Northern Territory Indigenous Advancement Minister Alison Anderson said the pair of ghost gums that frame the West MacDonnell Ranges and feature in many of the late Namatjira's works were found burned to the ground a few days ago.

    "In his watercolors (Namatjira) brought the beauty of the Central Australian landscape to the world and helped make it a symbol of Australian identity," Anderson said.

    Authorities believe the fire was likely deliberately lit.

    Susan McCulloch, author of McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper the destruction of the ghost gums was "appalling and a tragic act of cultural vandalism."

    Born in the Northern Territory in 1902, Namatjira held his first exhibition in 1938 and painted for the next two decades, earning international acclaim before his death in 1959.

    Aboriginal Dreamtime stories have been passed down through generations to recount indigenous beliefs about the creation of the world and its creatures by totemic spirits in an era known as Dreamtime.

    A pair of famous "ghost gum" trees in Australia's outback have been destroyed in a suspected arson attack. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

    Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

  • World marks 2013 with fireworks, fanfare and -- for some -- new freedoms

    Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

    People celebrate at Myanmar's first public New Year countdown celebration at the Myoma grounds in Yangon January 1, 2013.

    By NBC News and wire services

    Updated at 5:05 a.m. ET: As the clock struck midnight in each new timezone starting with in the Pacific Rim it was met with spectacular shows from Sydney to Beijing.

    In Myanmar, where citizens were holding their first public countdown, the jubilation was at least as heartfelt, even if set against a humbler backdrop. It signaled a new year, as well as a new era of expanding democracy after five decades of military rulers who discouraged or banned public gatherings.

    "We feel like we are in a different world," said Yu Thawda, a college student enjoying the festivities in Yangon, the capital.

    Not every celebration was imbued with the same degree of hopefulness.

    In Russia, Moscow's iconic Red Square was filled with spectators as fireworks exploded near the Kremlin. President Vladimir Putin gave an optimistic New Year's Eve address, making no reference to the anti-government protests that have occurred in his country in the past year.


    Russians were marking their last New Year’s Eve with unfettered access to beer. New restrictions preventing sale of suds overnight or at street kiosks go into effect Jan. 1, part of a government effort to curb alcoholism.


    Beer now considered alcohol, not food, in Russia

    "You have to stock at home. And stocking beer is more problematic than stocking vodka," brewing industry official Isaac Sheps told London’s Daily Telegraph. "It’s bulky. It’s big."

    In austerity-hit Europe, the mood was also restrained as 2012 came to a close. The coming year is projected to be a sixth straight one of recession amid Greece's worst economic crisis since World War II. In fact, the new year was starting with a 24-hour strike by subway and train workers in Athens to protest salary cuts that are part of the government's austerity measures.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel's New Year's message warned her country to prepare for difficult economic times ahead. Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, decided to cancel celebrations in light of the economic crisis.

    Slideshow: Celebrations as 2013 dawns

    Damian Shaw / EPA

    From Sydney to Siberia, revelers celebrate the arrival of a new year.

    Launch slideshow

    Celebrating New Year's Eve with a vespers service in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI said that despite all the injustice in the world, goodness prevails. In Spain, where a recession has left unemployment at a staggering 25 percent, people are hoping for a better new year.

    In London, the chimes of the clock inside the Big Ben tower counted down the final seconds of 2012 and fireworks dazzled the sky above Parliament Square. Streamers shot out of the London Eye wheel and blazing rockets launched from the banks of the River Thames.

    One night of revelries wasn't enough for some people.

    Scotland launched the annual festival known as Hogmanay on Sunday night with thousands of torchbearers marching in Edinburgh, drawing inspiration from pagan traditions. The Scotsman newspaper estimated that 7,000 people participated in the "river of fire" through the city center.

    The fete was set to last until Wednesday and draw 80,000 revelers from around the world, according to the official Hogmanay website.

    New laws ban sex with prisoners, hound-hunting of bobcats, etc.

    First across the line to 2013
    The new year’s westward march across the globe began with Samoa ushering in 2013 a full day before the clock strikes midnight in neighboring American Samoa.

    It’s a quirk of the international dateline, which Samoa moved a year ago, giving it a jump on the jubilation that erupts as the earth bids farewell to one year and welcomes another, time zone by time zone.

    The celebration started small in places like Christmas Island, an Australian territory, and Kiribati, an equator-straddling chain of islands in the Pacific, at 5 a.m. ET Monday.

    An hour later, Auckland, New Zealand, became the first major city to begin a new calendar, with fireworks shot from the Sky Tower, the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere at 1,076 feet.

    The really big parties started, though, when the new year reached Australia at 8 a.m. ET. More than a million revelers gathered in Sydney’s harbor for a massive $6.9 million pyrotechnics party hosted by pop star Kylie Minogue.

    Slideshow: New Year's traditions

    Mariana Bazo / Reuters

    We may have different calendars, customs and beliefs, but most of us mark the arrival of a new year. Take a look at the ways cultures around the world celebrate and bring good luck for the year ahead.

    Launch slideshow

    Among those watching in person was Melissa Sjostedt, of Florida, who read about Sydney’s firework spectaculars in National Geographic a decade ago.

    "Ever since that, I've always wanted to see this for real, live, in person," she told the Associated Press.

    North Korea’s fireworks went off a day after another party, marking the one-year anniversary of Kim Jong Un's ascension to supreme commander. Hong Kong was hosting its biggest bash ever with a $1.6 million fireworks display. In Japan, bells at temples rang 108 times.

    David Moir / Reuters

    Up Helly Aa vikings from the Shetland Islands march in the torchlight procession to mark the start of Hogmanay (New Year) celebrations in Edinburgh on Dec. 30.

    In India, outrage over the fatal gang-rape of a young woman tempered celebrations. 

    "The Indian army, air force and navy have decided to cancel all the parties planned to welcome the new year," a senior official told Agence France Presse. "They want to dedicate the last day of the year to the gang-rape victim."

    Ashish Gupta, 35, an accountant, said it would be too difficult to enjoy the traditional revelry.

    "This New Year is not going to be the same for me and many of my friends," he said.

    The Associated Press and NBC News' Stacy Connor contributed to this report.

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

  • Royal prank radio station to pay $525,000 to family of dead nurse

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    Ben Barboza, the husband of Jacintha Saldanha, a former nurse at King Edward VII hospital who was involved in a hoax call concerning the Duchess of Cambridge, arrives with family members at the Houses of Parliament on Monday.

    By Ian Johnston, NBC News

    LONDON — A radio station is to pay at least $525,000 to a memorial fund in the name of a nurse found dead after two DJs duped her into putting their call through to the hospital ward where Duchess Kate was being treated for an extreme form of morning sickness.

    Jacintha Saldanha was found dead in London on Friday after the prank in which Australian radio hosts Mel Greig and Michael Christian pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in the call to London’s King Edward VII’s Hospital.


    Greig and Christian spoke Monday about their distress over Saldanha’s death, saying it had left them "shattered, gutted, heartbroken."

    DJs speak out, say they're 'heartbroken' over death of nurse in royal hoax call

    Police have said the circumstances of the death are "unexplained"; an autopsy was due to be carried out Tuesday.

    Prime Minister David Cameron said what happened to Saldanha was "an absolute tragedy for the family."

    A statement posted on the website of radio station 2Day FM’s parent company, Southern Cross Austereo, said that advertising on the station would resume Dec. 13. It was suspended as news of Saldanha’s death caused widespread outrage.

    The company said that all profits made from the ads until the end of the year would be donated to "an appropriate fund that will directly benefit the family of Jacintha Saldanha."

    Prank-call radio station suspends DJs, ads; dead nurse's family 'deeply saddened'

    "A minimum contribution of $500,000 [Australian, about $525,000 U.S.] will be made. SCA today reiterates its deep regret for what has taken place in these tragic and unforeseen circumstances and offers its condolences to the family of Jacintha Saldanha," the statement added.

    The company’s chief executive, Rhys Holleran, was quoted as saying the company was "very sorry for what has happened."

    Radio station owner calls death of nurse who took royal prank call 'truly tragic'

    A statement from the hospital’s chairman, Lord Glenarthur, welcomed news that Southern Cross Media Group was "set to make a sizeable donation to the family."

    The hospital has set up the "Jacintha Saldanha Memorial Fund to benefit her husband and children at this difficult time."

    "I am pleased to announce that many donations have already been made from around the world," Lord Glenarthur said.  "I have today read that Southern Cross Media Group have pledged to make a minimum donation of $500,000 Australian Dollars to an appropriate fund.  We would certainly welcome such a donation to the Jacintha Saldanha Memorial Fund."

    The radio company has suspended Greig and Christian and scrapped their "Hot 30" program. 

    Reuters contributed to this report.

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook


  • DJs speak out, say they're 'heartbroken' over death of nurse in royal hoax call

    Still in shock that nurse Jacintha Saldhana took her life after being tricked by the Australian radio hosts' imitation of the Queen, the two DJs – whose radio show has been canceled – said they are 'gutted' and 'heartbroken.' NBC's Keir Simmons reports.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    Updated at 6:50 p.m. ET: CANBERRA, Australia -- Two Australian radio announcers who made a prank call to a British hospital treating Prince William's pregnant wife Kate broke a three-day silence Monday to speak of their distress over the death of the nurse who took their call.

    The 2DayFM Sydney-based announcers, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, said the tragedy had left them "shattered, gutted, heartbroken."

    Greig and fellow presenter and prank mastermind Christian have been in hiding since nurse Jacintha Saldanha's death and the subsequent social media outrage at their prank. Saldanha's death is being treated as unexplained while an investigation takes place.

    Greig told the “Today Tonight” program on Australia’s Channel 7 that her first thought when told of Saldanha's death was for her family.

    Prank-call radio station suspends DJs, ads; dead nurse's family 'deeply saddened'

    "Unfortunately I remember that moment very well, because I haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened," she said, amid tears and her voice quavering with emotion. "I remember my first question was 'was she a mother?'"

    "I've wanted to just reach out to them and just give them a big hug and say sorry. I hope they're OK, I really do. I hope they get through this," said a black-clad Greig when asked about Saldanha's two children, left grieving her death with their father Ben Barboza.

    Details of Kate's condition disclosed
    Saldanha, 46, was found dead in staff accommodation near London's King Edward VII hospital on Friday, three days after putting the hoax call through to a colleague who unwittingly disclosed details of Kate's morning sickness to 2DayFM's presenters.


    A recording of the call, broadcast repeatedly by the station, rapidly became an internet hit and was reprinted as a transcript in many newspapers.

    But news of Saldanha's death sparked the Internet firestorm, with vitriolic comments toward the DJs on Facebook and Twitter.

    Christian said his only wish was that Saldanha's grief-stricken family received proper support.

    "I hope that they get the love, the support, the care that they need, you know," said Christian, who like Greig struggled to talk about the tragedy.

    Radio station owner calls death of nurse who took royal prank call 'truly tragic'

    In a statement, the radio station's parent company, Southern Cross Austero, said it had suspended advertising on 2Day FM until further notice, ended the two DJs’ Hot 30 program, suspended prank calls across the company, and begun a comprehensive review of relevant company policies and practices.

    "The company does not consider that the broadcast of the segment has breached any relevant law, regulation or code. The company will fully cooperate with any investigations," the statement said.

    'Processes in place'
    Both Greig, 30, and Christian were relatively new to the station, with Greig joining in March and Christian having been in the job only a few days before the prank call after a career in regional radio.

    They said the idea for the call had come from a team meeting before the show. Greig said she did not think their prank would work.

    "We thought 100 people before us would've tried it. We thought it was such a silly idea and the accents were terrible and not for a second did we expect to speak to Kate, let alone have a conversation with anyone at the hospital. We wanted to be hung up on," she said.

    The DJs said the protocols established by the radio station’s parent company were followed before the phone call was made.

    “There are processes in place,” Christian said.

    Christian drew headlines only two weeks before the royal prank call by angering fellow passengers with a harmonica-playing stunt aboard pop star Rihanna's private jet.

    Complaints pour in
    Southern Cross Austereo has received more than 1,000 complaints from Australians over the actions of the popular presenters.

    Nurse who was duped by prank call about Duchess Kate found dead

    King Edward VII hospital in London is still reeling from being seriously punked by two radio DJ's who called and spoke to Kate's nurse. Meanwhile, the two Australians DJs apologized for their hoax. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.

    The station said it had tried to contact hospital staff five times over the recordings.

    "It is absolutely true to say that we actually did attempt to contact those people on multiple occasions," said Southern Cross Austereo chief executive Rhys Holleran.

    "No one could have reasonably foreseen what has happened. I can only say the prank call is not unusual around the world," he said.

    John Lofthouse, chief executive of King Edward VII's Hospital, on Monday night issued a statement on the death of Saldanha, calling her "an outstanding nurse and a dearly loved colleague. " He said a memorial fund has been established in her name.

    Lofthouse added:

    "I know that the family have received huge support from their local community and church.  We will be holding a memorial service for Jacintha later this week. 

    We understand that the family are distraught and need time to reflect on the assistance they require.  King Edward VII's Hospital will remain here for them whenever, wherever and however they need us."

     

    Reuters contributed to this report.

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

  • Australia radio station owner calls death of British nurse who took royal prank call 'truly tragic'

    After the death of a nurse who relayed the health of Princess Kate to Australian radio DJs, the broadcaster says it will cooperate with investigations. NBC's Annabel Roberts reports.

    By NBC News staff and news services

    British police said Sunday they have contacted Australian authorities about a possible investigation into a radio station's prank call to a U.K. hospital about the Duchess of Cambridge.

    Meanwhile, the company that owns the station promised to review its broadcast practices.


     

    The prank took a dark twist Friday with the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old mother of two, three days after she unwittingly accepted the call about the health of Prince William's pregnant wife, Kate. The death has sparked an angry backlash from those who argue the Australian DJs who carried out the hoax should be held responsible.

    The board of Southern Cross Austereo had an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss a harsh letter from the hospital that fell for the call. King Edward VII's Hospital, where the former Kate Middleton was being treated for acute morning sickness this week, condemned the "truly appalling" hoax and called the consequences "tragic beyond words."

    Max Moore-Wilton, the chairman of 2DayFM owner Southern Cross Austereo, said in a letter to the hospital's chairman Sunday that the company will cooperate with any investigation.

    He wrote:

    We are all saddened by the events of the last few days. They are truly tragic.

    It is too early to know the full details leading to this tragic event and we are anxious to review the results of an investigation that may be made available to us or made public. We can assure you that we will be fully cooperative with all investigations.

    As we have said in our own statements on the matter, the outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable.

    I can assure you we are taking immediate action and reviewing the broadcast and processes involved.

    Our Company joins with you, all at King Edwards VII's Hospital and Mrs Saldanha's family and friends in mourning their tragic loss.

    U.K.’s Metropolitan Police said Sunday it has contacted Australian authorities in connection with the investigation into Saldanha’s death. Australian police said they would cooperate. A New South Wales Police spokesman told The Telegraph: "As our policing colleagues in London continue to examine events leading up to the death of London nurse Jacintha Saldanha overnight, we will be providing them with whatever assistance is required."

    Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com

    The radio station callers impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles and received confidential details about the former Kate Middleton's medical information. The call was recorded and broadcast.

    AP

    2 Day FM radio presenters Mel Greig, left, and Michael Christian are seen In this undated supplied publicity photo.

    Police have not yet determined Saldanha's cause of death or whether it was related to the call.

    Both DJs involved apologized for the prank before Saldanha's death. Their show has been suspended indefinitely and their Twitter accounts have been taken down after they were bombarded by thousands of abusive comments.

    The station's presenters have come under attack from around the world on social media sites and were "extremely distressed," a Southern Cross Austereo spokeswoman said.

    Both were keen to speak publicly about the incident, but were in too fragile a condition to do so, the spokeswoman added.

    The station has a history of controversy, including airing a segment in which a 14-year-old girl revealed that she had been raped. It also ran a series of "Heartless Hotline" shows in which disadvantage people were offered a prize that could be taken away from them by listeners.

    The Australian Communications and Media Authority, which regulates radio broadcasting, says it received complaints from around the world and is considering whether it should launch an investigation

    Separately, Prince William on Sunday pulled out of attending the British Military Tournament, billed as "the largest display of military theatre in the world", citing Kate's illness.

    Officials from St. James's Palace have said the duchess is not yet 12 weeks pregnant. The child would be the first for her and William.

    The radio DJs who prank called the hospital where Princess Kate Middleton was being treated are facing tremendous backlash following the death of one of the nurses who spoke with them. NBC's Annabel Roberts reports.

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

  • Australia PM Julia Gillard jokes: Mayans were right, end of the world is coming

    Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard barely breaks a smile in this spoof video made for a TV program that agrees with the Mayan calendar and predicts the end of the world on December 21. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

    By Ian Johnston, NBC News

    Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned that predictions of the end of the world by ancient Mayans were correct and that the final days are coming -- in a deadpan ad for a lighthearted breakfast radio show.

    "Whether the final blow comes from flesh-eating zombies, demonic hell-beasts or the total triumph of K-Pop, if you know one thing about me, it is this: I will always fight for you to the very end," Gillard said in a message to the "dear remaining fellow Australians."

    She concluded her message by saying "Good luck to you all."

    Australia's Herald Sun newspaper contacted Gillard's office seeking further information.

    "What Australian doesn't mind a laugh from time to time? Anyway, the world's going to end tomorrow so shouldn't you be writing about that?" a spokesperson for the prime minister said.

    NASA: It's not true
    Such has been the hype about the supposed Mayan prediction for the end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012, that NASA was moved to issue a denial in a statement on its website.

    "The world will not end in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012," NASA said.

    TODAYshow.com's Dara Brown talks with author and professor Gerardo Aldana about his theory that the Mayan calendar, which many believe indicates that the world will end in 2012, is wrong.

    2012 and Maya prophecies: What were they thinking?

    The statement said the "story" started with claims by the ancient Sumerian civilization that a "supposed planet" called Nibiru was headed toward Earth.

    "This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012 and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012," NASA said.

    Maya text cites 2012 as end of calendar cycle, not end of world

    "Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012," it added. "This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar."

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

  • Giant crane bursts into flames, collapses on building in Australia

    TODAY's Natalie Morales takes a look at video showing the biggest crane in Sydney, Australia, engulfed in flames then crashing down onto a nearby building. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the ordeal.

    By Ian Johnston, NBC News

    A 210-foot crane burst into flames and its arm then crashed onto a university building in Australia Tuesday as people fled.

    Video footage showed flames engulfing the engine and cabin of the crane.


    It was the second crane collapse involving multinational construction company Lend Lease. It currently is being sued by two dentists over the collapse of a crane on a 90-story luxury apartment building in New York City during superstorm Sandy.

    The University of Technology Sydney said in a statement that the crane caught fire shortly before 10 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET).

    The university said no one was hurt with students and staff evacuating buildings in the affected areas. It added it was working with Lend Lease and the authorities "to assess the safety of the site and surrounding area."

    Fire crews quickly withdrawn
    Fire & Rescue NSW said in a statement that "a crane driver and a second worker in the cabin evacuated soon after firefighters arrived as the fire spread from the engine to engulf the cabin."

    Fire crews were "quickly withdrawn when the fire started to destabilize the crane’s structural integrity and its fly boom [the crane arm] collapsed," the statement said.

    About 200 people were evacuated from the area and a 0.6-mile exclusion zone was set up.

    On Oct. 29, during superstorm Sandy, a crane operated by Lend Lease collapsed on the One57 building, which includes a number of expensive apartments and a number of businesses.

    Earlier this month, Reuters reported that two dentists with offices near the building had filed a lawsuit against Lend Lease and other companies involved, saying they had been forced to close as the area was evacuated.

    Police have evacuated the upper floors of buildings near a luxury high-rise on West 57th St. in New York City as damaged crane dangled precariously from what is slated to be Manhattan's tallest residential tower. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports.

    Crane left dangling from partly built Manhattan tower

    The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, said Lend Lease was negligent because it failed to make sure the crane was properly secured before the storm.

    "The crane collapse and the ensuing week-long evacuation was a direct result of defendants' failure to prepare, maintain, operate, and secure the crane to withstand the winds of the widely anticipated Hurricane Sandy," the lawsuit said.

    There was no response to calls placed with Lend Lease offices in London, U.K., and New York Tuesday.

    The British trade magazine Building’s website (requires registration) quoted a Lend Lease spokesperson as saying the crane collapses in Sydney and New York were “completely unrelated.”

    "No one has been injured as a result of the incident," the spokesperson said, referring to the Sydney collapse. "Lend Lease is working closely with emergency services and relevant authorities to manage the incident."

    Reuters contributed to this report.

    More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

  • Red algae reaches Sydney shores, closes iconic beach

    William West / AFP - Getty Images

    A swimmer stops short of a red algae bloom at Sydney's Clovelly Beach on Tuesday. Clovelly and Bondi beaches were closed to swimmers.

    Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach and Clovelly Beach were closed to swimmers on Tuesday as a red algae bloom drifted close to shore, Agence France-Presse reports.

    While the red algae, known as Noctiluca scintillans or sea sparkle, has no toxic effects, people are still advised to avoid swimming in areas with discolored water because the algae, which can be high in ammonia, can cause skin irritation. 

    "It has got quite a fishy smell to it," lifeguard Bruce Hopkins told the Australian Associated Press. "It can irritate some people's skin but generally not much more than that."

    William West / AFP - Getty Images

    A boy walks along Sydney's Clovelly Beach on Tuesday.

    William West / AFP - Getty Images

    A seagull stands in a red algae bloom at Sydney's Clovelly Beach on Tuesday.

    Follow @NBCNewsPictures

    •Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

    Giant floating swarms of red algae have appeared in Sydney, Australia, forcing authorities to close some beaches. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

     

Newer postsOlder posts