www.ntnews.com.au Saturday, August 31, 2013. NT NEWS. 15 PUB: NT NE- WS- DA TE: 31-A GE: 15 C LO- R: C M Y K Freecall 1800 654 967 cdu.edu.au Exploring family law impact A CHIEF Justice widely recognised for her role in establishing the Federal Magistrates Court will deliver this year’s Austin Asche Oration, titled “The Big Picture: Responding to Challenges Arising in International Family Law”. When appointed Chief Justice of the Family Court in 2004, The Honourable Chief Justice Diana Bryant AO became the second woman to head a federal court in Australia. The Austin Asche Oration in Law and Governance will be held on Thursday, 12 September from 5pm to 7pm at the Nitmiluk Lounge Level 4, Parliament House. The event is free. RSVP to E: [email protected] or P: 8946 6554. The oration honours the contribution of The Honourable Austin Asche AC QC to the NT community. Alice plans info evening AN information evening at Alice Springs campus on 18 September will provide prospective students, friends and their families with the opportunity to explore the broad range of programs that CDU offers in the Red Centre. Central Australian Director Paul Fitzsimons said staff from vocational education, higher education and the research sector would offer information about ongoing activities at the campus. “We’ll also have a sausage sizzle, music and guided tours of our facilities,” he said. The four-hour event will start at 3pm, immediately following the annual Try-A-Skills program. Exploring women’s roles COMPLETING their studies in visual arts is just the beginning for five talented artists who have mounted an exhibition that documents the development and evolution of their artistic practices. Bachelor of Visual Arts graduates Joanne Green, Daniela Eugster, Sarah Moller, Yvette Martin and Nena Zanos have artwork in an exhibition titled “Afterlife II”. The works reflect the roles women perform as mothers, daughters, friends, partners, professionals, citizens, academics and artists. Another five women artists from the NT have works in the exhibition, which includes paintings, paper cuts, prints, sculptures and wearable art. The exhibition runs until 14 September at the Darwin Visual Arts Association Gallery, 56 Wood Street. Entry is free. Apprentices on the boil A NEW apprentice boilermaker program in the NT is training 15 apprentices. CDU Pro Vice-Chancellor VET John Hassed said the program provided apprentices with an opportunity to fast-track entry into the industry with a set of skills employers were looking for. Launched by Education Minister Peter Chandler, the program provides employers with work-ready apprentices to help minimise the impact on productivity that can be experienced during the early stages of training. The apprentices will complete the first year of their program in about 26 weeks. CDU will deliver trade-related work experience and Group Training NT has arranged a number of work placements to expand the apprentices’ work experience. On Campus with ON CAMPUS The Honourable Chief Justice Diana Bryant AO Joanne Green’s paper cut, “Rosewood 1”, is part of the Afterlife II exhibition ntnews.com.au l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l WORLD Protesters line up in Assad’s corner A cutout of US President Barack Obama stands on the footpath amid a protest in Washington against any attack on Syria NEW YORK: Hundreds of people have protested in New York’s Times Square over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime, which it be- lieves to be behind a deadly chemical attack. Supporters of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, backers of the opposition who want a US intervention, and Americans who say they can’t stomach another war all took to the iconic Manhat- tan Square. ‘‘US, NATO, hands off Syria,’’ chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, others just declaring them- selves against another war. Khaldon Makhoul, 43, a physician who moved from Syria to the US 17 years ago, held a sign reading: ‘‘Syria. Iraq. Same Lies.’’ ‘‘It is another lie and a lot of people are gonna die for noth- ing,’’ he said. ‘‘Where is the chemical weapons? Until now we didn’t find it. US soldiers will die for nothing. Where is the evidence?’’ Others, Syrians of Christ- ian origin, carrying the coun- try’s red-black-white flag, de- fended Assad and wrote off the accusations he was be- hind a deadly chemical at- tack last week as utter lies. One street down a handful of backers of the Syrian op- position carried the black and green flag chanting: ‘‘Assad is a terrorist. Assad is Hitler.’’ Occasionally as the other protesters walked past they traded angry insults, with police stationed watchfully between them. The US is still seeking an ‘‘international coalition’’ in response to Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons, despite a vote against military action by British MPs, Defence Sec- retary Chuck Hagel says. ‘‘Our approach is to con- tinue to find an international coalition that will act to- gether,’’ Mr Hagel said. He said Washington re- spected the British parlia- ment’s stance rejecting par- ticipation in any punitive strikes against Syria’s regi- me. A shock House of Com- mons vote defeated British Prime Minister David Ca- meron’s bid to win support for military intervention in Syria on Thursday. ‘‘Every nation has a re- sponsibility to make its own decisions,’’ Mr Hagel said. ‘‘We are continuing to con- sult with the British as with all of our allies. ‘‘That consultation in- cludes ways forward together on a response to this chemi- cal weapons attack in Syria.’’ Asked if there was any- thing Syria could do to pre- vent possible US military ac- tion, Mr Hagel said he could not speculate. Air NZ flight fright as it loses pressure WELLINGTON: Passengers on an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland had a scare when the plane lost pressure and rapidly descended. The oxygen masks auto- matically deployed after the gradual loss of cabin pres- sure on the Boeing 737-300, which left Wellington yester- day morning, Air New Zea- land chief flight operations and safety officer Captain David Morgan said. ‘‘The pilots immediately in- itiated a descent to 7000 feet and the cabin crew advised passengers that oxygen masks were no longer re- quired at that point.’’ The plane landed without further incident, Mr Morgan said. The plane was carrying 76 passengers and five crew. Air NZ engineers and the Transport Accident Investi- gation Commission are in- vestigating why the plane lost pressure. Air NZ had taken it out of service until the cause was discovered, TAIC chief inves- tigator Tim Burfoot said. Two investigators had ar- rived in Auckland and were looking over the plane. MP Claudette Hauiti was on the flight and tweeted: ‘‘Drama on airnz414 well- Akld depressurisation oxy- gen Masks down passengers calm crew great all is well landed safely.’’ She also said: ‘‘Although our oxygen masks didn’t drop thank goodness for laurabarnett had long arms popped the hatch.’’ Crucified over jobs ASUNCION: Eight bus drivers in Paraguay and one of their wives have under- gone crucifixion in a grue- some protest after the drivers were sacked. The protesters have had 38cm nails driven into the flesh between their middle and index fingers and into lengths of wood. They have vowed to continue their protest near the bus ter- minal at Luque, 12km out- side Asuncion, until they are given their jobs back. Each protester has been positioned next to an empty coffin, saying they would continue ‘‘to the end’’. Governor blown up KUNDUZ: A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a mo- sque in northern Afghanis- tan, killing the local district governor, with an unknown number of other casualties. ‘‘The bomber targeted Sheikh Sadruddin, the dis- trict governor of Archi, this morning in the yard of a mo- sque while he was attend- ing a prayer ceremony,’’ Sayed Sarwar Husseini, spokesman for the province of Kunduz, said yesterday. Taliban insurgents have launched a spate of attacks, with more than 30 people killed on Wednesday in sep- arate strikes.