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CANBERRA Authentic Steven Adams Jersey , Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Australians have surrendered 25,999 guns and weapons so far in the National Firearm Amnesty, a result which has been labelled a major success by Justice Minister Michael Keenan.
At a press conference in Melbourne on Friday, Keenan said he was delighted by Australia's response to the amnesty, which was introduced by the federal government on July 1, and urged Australians to make the most of the remaining three weeks to hand in unwanted and unregistered guns.
""This is a great result, and shows Australians are serious about protecting themselves, their families, and their communities,"" Keenan said on Friday.
""There are now only three weeks remaining to hand in firearms under the Amnesty, and I encourage Australians to continue to take advantage of the Amnesty period to help remove unregistered firearms from the community.
""As we know, just one firearm in the wrong hands can be deadly.""
The National Firearm Amnesty commenced nine weeks ago and was the first nationwide gun amnesty since 1996 when the John Howard Government took definitive action following the backlash from the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, when 35 people were killed by crazed gunman Martin Bryant.
The amnesty period gives Australians the opportunity to legally dispose of any unwanted or unregistered firearms at approved drop-off points throughout each state and territory.
Keenan warned that any person found in possession of an unregistered firearm beyond the three-month reprieve period would be punished.
""Outside of the amnesty period, anyone caught with an unregistered firearm could face a fine of up to 280,000 AU dollars (224,000 U.S. dollars), up to 14 years in jail, and a criminal record,"" he said on Friday.
Keenan said there had been several rare weapons given up by Australians throughout the past two months.
""Among the more unusual firearms handed in under the amnesty have been a Beaumont Adams revolver circa 1856, a WWI era Lee Enfield rifle and two WWII US M1 carbines,"" he said.
New South Wales residents have handed in more than 13,000 firearms so far, by far the most of any Australian state, while Victoria has relinquished a little over 2,000.
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By John Kwoba
NAIROBI, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Barselius Kipyego and Violah Jepchumba of Kenya will start as the favourites at the Mattoni Labem Half Marathon in the north-central Czech city on Saturday.
Kipyego, who set the race record with his 59:15 personal best last year, is one of four men in the field who have dipped under the one-hour mark for the distance.
The others are Kenyan Kenneth Keter, who clocked 59:48 last year; Lahbabi Aziz of Morocco who ran 59:25 in 2014; and another Kenyan, Solomon Kirwa Yego, who clocked 58:44 last year on the fast Ostia course.
Yego has the best time of the entrants this season at 59:50 from February's Ras Al Khaimah race where he finished fourth.
The 30-year-old impressed at the Paris Marathon two months later where he clocked a 2:07:12 lifetime best to finish fourth.
Kipyego, 24, clocked 1:00:47 in his only half marathon this year, finishing fourth in Prague in April.
Keter ran 1:01:05 in Ras Al Khaimah in February, where he finished eighth and Lahbabi 1:02:17 in Istanbul in April.
Ismail Juma of Tanzania and Kenyans Josphat Kiprop Kiptis and Josphat Kimutai Tanui, with 1:00:09, 1:00:21 and 1:00:38 bests respectively, should be in the hunt as well.
Jepchumba, 26, leads the women's field. The Kenyan is one of history's fastest women over 10km and the half marathon, with 30:05 and 1:05:22 lifetime bests to rank second and fifth over the distances all-time.
Both performances came in the same race, when she finished second to Joyciline Jepkosgei at the Prague Half Marathon on April 1.
She was nearly as fast at last weekend's Birell Prague 10km, where she clocked 30:25 to finish third behind yet another world record run by her former compatriot Jepkosgei.
Others in the hunt include Lucy Cheruiyot, the runner-up last year at 1:08:17 and Yvonne Jelagat, whose current personal best stands at 1:08:19.
Kenyans Stacy Jepkemboi Ndiwa and Lydia Rotich, who have clocked 1:10:08 and 1:10:57, could play a role as well.
Meanwhile, former two-time Olympic 5,000m champion Meseret Defar from Ethiopia will compete in the Philadelphia Half Marathon on Sept. 17.
The Ethiopian will face off against former Boston Marathon winners Caroline Rotich from Kenya and Buzunesh Deba from Ethiopia as well as top American distance runner Jordan Hasay.
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