Sydney bikie associate charged over arms

A Hells Angels associate has been charged with weapons offences after a raid in southwestern Sydney. Source: AAP

A HELLS Angels associate has been charged after police seized a stun gun, ammunition and steroids from a house at southwestern Sydney.

The items were seized by police from Strike Force Raptor as they undertook a raid at a house in Ambarvale.

Police arrested a 20-year-old man at the house and he was charged with possessing an unauthorised pistol, possessing an androgenic steroidal agent, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing ammunition.

He was refused bail and will appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

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Two-time shark victim feels he was spared

An abalone diver who survived two separate shark attacks nine years apart feels God saved his life. Source: AAP

THE abalone diver who incredibly survived a second shark attack has revealed he did not see the great white that tried to bite his head off - but instead recognised the sound of teeth on bone.

Greg Pickering, 55, was diving for abalone off a remote part of Western Australia's southern coast last month when he was attacked by a suspected great white shark.

It was the second time Mr Pickering had lived through a shark attack, after being bitten by a 1.5 metre bronze whaler while in waters near Cervantes, north of Perth, in 2004 as he was trying to help a friend.

Speaking about his ordeal for the first time, Mr Pickering told the Seven Network's Sunday Night program about the circumstances of the attack, which left him needing 10 hours of surgery on facial and other wounds.

"I heard the sound, the thrashing sound, of teeth on bone - and I remembered the sound from the last time I was bitten," Mr Pickering said.

"I thought 'that is probably a shark', but I didn't see it - I heard the attack."

The show claims Mr Pickering is now the only man in the world to be attacked by sharks in separate incidents and live to tell the tale.

And the interview will also detail how Mr Pickering used his 40-year diving experience to hold his breath and rise to the surface slowly after the attack, despite the water turning red around him from the blood pouring from his horrific injuries.

A roll of duct tape and a towel was then used to hold Mr Pickering's shredded face together, as his eight-hour journey to hospital began.

Mr Pickering told reporter Mark Ferguson how he felt he had been spared his life.

"It (the shark) suddenly stopped and let me go - so I have definitely been given another chance," Mr Pickering said.

"I do believe I have been given a second chance. God has given me a second chance there is no doubt about that."

Soon after the attack, Mr Pickering's family expressed their thanks to paramedics, surgeons, doctors and nurses who helped save his life, while Fisheries Department director-general Stuart Smith slapped a kill order on the shark.

But the order was then called off because the shark was not sighted again and was no longer considered a threat to school-holiday campers in the area.

Mr Pickering returned to the area where he was attacked, Poison Creek at Cape Arid National Park, about 180km east of Esperance, to tell his story.

*The interview with Mr Pickering will air on the Seven Network's Sunday Night at 6.30pm AEDT on Sunday November 17

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Second round of severe storms closes Schoolies

Steve Ots catches massive hailstones falling in the water of the Sunshine Coast.

ANOTHER day, another storm in the southeast. Follow all the weather action here.

7.15pm: ACCESS to the schoolies beach party has been closed temporarily while emergency services evaluate the storm threat.

Thousands of schoolies are assembling on the streets around Cavill Mall.

Gold Coast Schoolies spokesman Wayne Hickson said emergency services are keeping an eye on a developing storm front but organiser have no plans to close off the beach party at this stage.

"It would have to be cyclonic weather to stop these guys from partying," Mr Hickson said.

"At the moment the worst of the storm looks like it will go around us but we have plenty of systems in place in case we need to evacuate the beach quickly."

Messages broadcast on large television screens, SMS warnings and audio warnings are on hand to alert schoolies if required.

If the party is shut off, Red Frogs volunteers will do the rounds at hotel room parties to keep the estimated 30,0000 school leavers entertained and out of trouble.

Mr Hickson said schoolies week is off to a slow start but is sure to pick up as the night wears on.
 

6.50pm: THE Bruce Highway has been reopened at two sections following separate incidents earlier this evening.

Motorists can now use one lane of the highway after a minor car crash 40km north of Gin Gin.

Emergency services are still removing the damaged vehicle from the road.

The highway is also open near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after a tree-related incident about 3pm.

A 'very dangerous' thunderstorm on the Sunshine Coast brings hailstones the size of tennis balls.

6.30pm: THUNDERSTORMS may rain on the parade of school leavers with another round of severe weather warnings issued for southeast Queensland.

The weather bureau has warned residents near the NSW border to expect storms near the McPherson Range by 6.25pm and Springbrook and Little Nerang Dam by 6.55pm.

The storms are moving northeast and forecasters have advised locals near the Gold Coast to prepare to batten down the hatches.

Further north, similar warnings have been given to residents near Mackay, Prosperine, Moranbah, Collinsville, Hamilton Island and Sarina on the central Queensland coast.
 

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

3pm: DOUBLE Island Point, Rainbow Beach and Wide Bay are now being warned to brace for thunderstorms with the Bureau predicting impact at around 3.05pm.

At 2.35pm severe storms were detected near Beenleigh and Russell Island, they are forecast to affect Mount Cotton, Macleay Island and Victoria Point by 3.05pm.

Hail hits the water at Maroochydore and leaves huge splashes. Picture: Steve Ots

Police are advising motorists that the Bruce Highway is closed near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after trees fell onto the road.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

2.50pm: Steve Ots is visiting the Sunshine Coast from the Gold Coast and witnessed the hail storm from his twelfth storey apartment on the Maroochydore esplanade.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

"I started hearing really loud noises - like a construction site," he said. 

"When I looked in the distance I could see all this splashing up the river and I realised it was hail. 

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

A resident of Mooloolah Valley holds up a massive hailstone from a storm that sounded like explosions on the roof.

"Originally I thought someone was throwing things from the apartment above us.

"The hail was orange-sized and it looked like a war zone…it was crazy, I've never seen hail like it before."

Taking shelter on his balcony Mr Ots said the hail caused considerable damage on the ground below.

"I wonder about the damage that it must have done," he said, 

"You wouldn't want to be on the ground when these things were coming down…the speed was pretty phenomenal."

2.45pm: Double Island Point, Rainbow Beach and Wide Bay are now being warned to brace for thunderstorms with the Bureau predicting impact at around 3.05pm.

At 2.35pm severe storms were detected near Beenleigh and Russell Island, they are forecast to affect Mount Cotton, Macleay Island and Victoria Point by 3.05pm.

Police are advising motorists that the Bruce Highway is closed near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after trees fell onto the road.

2.40pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has updated weather warnings with very dangerous thunder storms detected near Maroochydore and Beenleigh, both cells are moving east.

Hail at Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Jacobs Well and Russell Island by 2:45 pm.

Thunderstorms were also located north of Noosa and at Lake Cooloola.

2pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has added to the list of southeast Queensland towns warned to brace for oncoming storms.

Dangerous storm cells have been detected on radars near Jimboomba, Logan Village, Greenbank and Conondale.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Beenleigh, Logan City, Nambour and Mapleton by 2:20 pm.

Cleveland, Manly, Wynnum and Yandina may be affected by 2:50 pm.

Massive hailstones pounded the Mooloolah Valley. Picture: Higgins Storm Chasing/Rebecca Shepperson

1.35pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has updated its storm warnings, with two storms cells centred around Maroochydore and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert.

The storms are moving towards the east to northeast.

The storms are classed as "very dangerous" and are forecast to affect Tamborine, Jimboomba, Logan Village and waters off Coolum Beach by 1:55 pm.

Beenleigh, Coomera, Hope Island and Jacobs Well will be hit by 2:25 pm.

Other severe thunderstorms were located near the NSW border and the area south of the NSW border.

They are forecast to affect the area southwest of Noosa Heads, the area west of Noosa Heads, Tewantin and Pomona by 1:55 pm.

Coolangatta, Caboolture, Noosa Heads and waters off Noosa Heads are predicted to be affected by 2:25 pm.

Residents are warned to brace for large hailstones and damaging winds.

The water funnel as seen from a dive boat off Wynnum. Picture: Josh Keen

1.15pm: Tennis ball-sized hail has fallen at Buderim as a large storm cell sweeps over the Sunshine Coast.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

The Bureau of Meteorology has reported "very dangerous thunderstorms" detected on weather radar near Maroochydore, Boonah, Caloundra and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

They are forecast to affect Beaudesert, waters off Caloundra and waters off Maroochydore by 1:25 pm and Canungra, Mount Tamborine, Tamborine and Jimboomba by 1:55 pm.

Marburg, Lowood, northern Lake Wivenhoe and Mount Kilcoy will receive falls at around 1:25 pm.

Ipswich, Crohamhurst, Maleny and Conondale will receive further falls by 1:55 pm.

12.55pm: Residents are reporting a blanket of hail, some the size of large marbles, after more than 20 minutes of solid falls.

The storm cell is moving east to northeast and are forecast to hit Maroochydore by 12.55pm.

The Bureau of Meteorology has also detected severe thunderstorms near Esk and to the west of the town.

The storms are forecast to affect Boondah, Esk and the northwest of Esk by 12.55pm, and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert, northern Wivenhoe and Toogoolawah by 1.25pm.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

Damaging winds and very large hailstones are likely.

Capricornia, parts of the Central Coast, the Whitsundays, the Central Highlands and the Coalfields districts are being warned to brace for damaging winds and large hail stones in the next two hours.

Emerald, Rockhampton, Clermont, Blackwater, Yeppoon, Baralaba, Marlborough, St Lawrence and Dysart may be affected.

Earlier, walkers on the Wynnum foreshore got a shock this morning when a large water funnel was spotted just off the coast.

Reader Janet Rough snapped a picture about 6.45am, with the odd formation dominating the skyline.

Commonly referred to as a water spout, Bureau of Meteorology Duty Forecaster Gordon Banks said the formation was more likely to be a small tornado over water.

Meet the one man weather bureau

Readers capture southeast storms

"In this instance being as it was associated with a thunderstorm it's most likely a tornado over water," he said.

"It would actually pick up water as it moved; it's hard to see if they don't have water or dirt wrapped around them."

Also spotted from the airport, if the formation is a tornado Brisbane could be on the receiving end of a weather phenomenon.

"If it was a tornado, and I suspect it was but it's hard to prove, then it's very unusual and very rare," Mr Banks said.

"Statistically we're unlikely to get another one, but if the environments produced one there remains a chance of another.

"It's just another part of the danger associated with thunderstorms and why it's always best to take cover."

Southeast Queensland's wet weather is expected to continue, with the bureau predicting significant rain over Sunday and Monday with thunderstorms also predicted.

- reporting by Caitlin Drysdale, Naomi Lim, Jacinda Tutty and Kathleen Donaghey

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Story Bridge southbound closed

MOTORISTS have been advised that a police incident has closed the southbound lanes of the Story Bridge.

Motorists have been advised that a police incident has closed the southbound lanes of the Story Bridge.

Emergency services were called to the scene in Brisbane's CBD at 7.35pm.

Motorists from the New Farm side of the city have been advised to seek an alternate route.
 

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Caritas to send $1.5m to Philippines

AN Australian Catholic aid agency will give $1.5 million to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

Caritas Australia will use the money to build shelter and provide food, clean water, sanitation, hygiene products to the hundreds of thousands whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.

"We are targeting families who have been displaced and have lost their homes due to extreme winds, heavy rain and storm surges in Typhoon Haiyan," Caritas' humanitarian emergencies group leader, Melville Fernandez said.

"The Philippines government currently estimates that more than 600,000 people are displaced, many of whom are living in open areas and thousands of homes completely destroyed."

Caritas has already assisted 340,000 people in many of the worst affected areas.

Donations can be made at www.caritas.org.au/typhoon-haiyan or by phoning 1800 024 413.

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Two-time shark victim feels he was spared

An abalone diver who survived two separate shark attacks nine years apart feels God saved his life. Source: AAP

THE abalone diver who incredibly survived a second shark attack has revealed he did not see the great white that tried to bite his head off - but instead recognised the sound of teeth on bone.

Greg Pickering, 55, was diving for abalone off a remote part of Western Australia's southern coast last month when he was attacked by a suspected great white shark.

It was the second time Mr Pickering had lived through a shark attack, after being bitten by a 1.5 metre bronze whaler while in waters near Cervantes, north of Perth, in 2004 as he was trying to help a friend.

Speaking about his ordeal for the first time, Mr Pickering told the Seven Network's Sunday Night program about the circumstances of the attack, which left him needing 10 hours of surgery on facial and other wounds.

"I heard the sound, the thrashing sound, of teeth on bone - and I remembered the sound from the last time I was bitten," Mr Pickering said.

"I thought 'that is probably a shark', but I didn't see it - I heard the attack."

The show claims Mr Pickering is now the only man in the world to be attacked by sharks in separate incidents and live to tell the tale.

And the interview will also detail how Mr Pickering used his 40-year diving experience to hold his breath and rise to the surface slowly after the attack, despite the water turning red around him from the blood pouring from his horrific injuries.

A roll of duct tape and a towel was then used to hold Mr Pickering's shredded face together, as his eight-hour journey to hospital began.

Mr Pickering told reporter Mark Ferguson how he felt he had been spared his life.

"It (the shark) suddenly stopped and let me go - so I have definitely been given another chance," Mr Pickering said.

"I do believe I have been given a second chance. God has given me a second chance there is no doubt about that."

Soon after the attack, Mr Pickering's family expressed their thanks to paramedics, surgeons, doctors and nurses who helped save his life, while Fisheries Department director-general Stuart Smith slapped a kill order on the shark.

But the order was then called off because the shark was not sighted again and was no longer considered a threat to school-holiday campers in the area.

Mr Pickering returned to the area where he was attacked, Poison Creek at Cape Arid National Park, about 180km east of Esperance, to tell his story.

*The interview with Mr Pickering will air on the Seven Network's Sunday Night at 7.30pm AEDT on Sunday November 17

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Defence launches fire inquiry

DEFENCE has launched a commission of inquiry to determine how a training exercise started a major fire in the NSW Blue Mountains.

Defence force chief General David Hurley said it would centre on the fire at the Marrangaroo Training Area near Lithgow on October 16.

A NSW Rural Fire Service investigation determined that a Defence explosives training exercise caused the State Mine Fire near Lithgow.

Retired Sydney judge John O'Meally has been appointed president of the commission of inquiry. Other members will be Brigadier Jane Spalding and Air Commodore David Steele.

Three Australian Defence Force legal officers have been appointed as counsel assisting the inquiry.

They will investigate how the fire started, conditions at the time and the adequacy of Defence orders, instructions and procedures.

Defence said the aim was to help prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

No hearing schedule has yet been announced. However, hearings will be conducted in public as far as possible, Defence said.

The State Mine Fire burned through 50,000 hectares and destroyed at least three homes.

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Decision delayed on Serb soldier

ACCUSED war criminal Dragan Vasiljkovic has won a reprieve in his fight to avoid extradition to Croatia.

But the one-time Serbian paramilitary commander is still facing a complex legal battle to avoid being sent back for questioning over alleged murders of prisoners of war in the early 1990s.

Vasiljkovic, a naturalised Australian citizen also known as Daniel Snedden, has spent much of the past seven years in prison in Australia after Croatian authorities requested his extradition in January 2006.

He has since engaged in various legal battles to avoid being returned to the country he left as a 14-year-old and to which he returned as an adult to fight in the 1990s Balkan war.

His latest bid involved challenging the Australian government's decision to allow his extradition on the grounds that the time allowed for such action had expired, that he had been denied procedural fairness on two counts and that there had been legal errors in relation to the Geneva Conventions.

Federal Court judge Jennifer Davies ruled in his favour on one of the procedural fairness questions. She said Vasiljkovic should have been allowed access to correspondence between Australia and Croatia relating to his claims he would be treated unfairly by his former enemies in Croatia.

The Australian government asked its Croatian counterparts for information on Vasiljkovic's claims, but failed to make him aware of their response.

Justice Davies rejected the other challenges.

Croatian court documents claim Vasiljkovic ordered the killing of prisoners of war and led an assault on a village in which civilians were killed.

Belgrade-born Vasiljkovic denies the allegations.

Vasiljkovic's lawyer Dan Mori said outside court the decision could mean the extradition process has to be restarted.

Justice Davies has ordered counsel for both sides to make submissions to her regarding Friday's decision by November 21 and relisted the matter for November 22.

Vasiljkovic remains in Sydney's Parklea prison.

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Arson attack is personal, says Mundine

Anthony Mundine says a suspected arson attack on his Sydney cafe has given him "fire in the belly". Source: AAP

ANTHONY Mundine has been fired up by a suspected arson attack on his Sydney cafe.

The "personal" attack has given the controversial boxer "fire in the belly" for his upcoming fight against Shane Mosley, he told the Nine Network on Thursday.

Mundine lost documents and about $1,000 of memorabilia in a suspicious fire at his Boxa Bar cafe at Hurstville, in Sydney's southwest.

Gloves and gowns from his many fights that used to hang on the cafe's walls were destroyed in the blaze that broke out in the early hours of Thursday.

"It looks to be personal, everyone knows this in my joint," Mundine told the Nine Network.

"To come and see my place blown up pretty much is shocking man."

Investigators gathered evidence and will examine CCTV as they search for the three suspected arsonists who caused more than $500,000 damage.

They are also looking for a white van seen speeding away from the Boxa Bar a minute before the fire broke out.

Mundine is currently preparing for his fight with Shane Mosley in Sydney on November 27.

The NRL player turned boxer said he wasn't "pointing the finger" but told Triple M radio that "some people" had made statements about sabotaging the event.

"I'd be naive not to be paranoid, I suppose," he told Triple M radio.

But, Mundine added, "only the all powerful, the all knowing knows that and that's God."

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Airbus parent reports higher Q3 profit

AIRBUS parent company EADS says strong demand for its commercial aircraft has helped its third-quarter profits increase by a hefty 45 per cent.

But the European jet-maker warned on Thursday that its free cash flow, a measure of cash generated by a business, would be negative 1.5 billion euros ($A2.18 billion) this year because of its investment program into lifting production and development of programs such as the A350 long-range wide body, which is supposed to enter service in the second half of next year.

Previously, the company had said its free cash flow would break even this year, compared with positive 1.5 billion euros last year.

EADS said in a statement net profit for the July-September quarter rose to 436 million euros, up from 301 million euros a year earlier.

EADS, which next year is adopting the "Airbus" name for its overall corporate identity, said its free cash flow is being squeezed as some of its government military customers cut spending amid tightened budgets, as well as unexpected additional costs tied to the A350 and other programs.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, EADS chief financial officer Harold Wilhelm said "there's still a long way to go" on the A350 with some higher costs, but that the program remains on track for entry into service late next year.

Wilhelm also said the free cash flow situation will improve before the end of this year.

EADS still expects its operating profit before one-offs, its preferred earnings gauge, to reach 3.5 billion euros this year, up from 3 billion euros in 2012.

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Diabetes is rising out of control: report

DIABETES and obesity are rising out of control in Australia and the rest of the world, new data suggests.

The global burden will surge from 382 million people to 592 million people by 2035, according to an International Diabetes Federation atlas released on Thursday.

Australia is in line with the world diabetes average of one in 10 people, but the numbers are much higher among indigenous people.

"It just keep growing," says Associate Professor Jonathan Shaw of Australia's Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.

"In Australia we are starting to see much younger people develop type 2 diabetes, particularly in the indigenous community and among immigrants of Indian and Chinese origin," Prof Shaw said.

"They will still be relatively young when they start suffering complications like kidney failure, blindness and stroke.

"It is going to become a greater burden for them and for society."

The Western Pacific, which includes Australia, China and Japan, has 138 million people with diabetes, the highest number of people with the disease in the world, according to the atlas released to mark World Diabetes Day.

China with 98 million, India with 65 million and the US with 24 million have the highest numbers of people with the disease.

"It is an emergency in slow motion," says Peter Soelberg, the managing director of Novo Nordisk Australasia, a sponsor of World Diabetes Day.

"This day should act as a wake-up call."

People need to eat fewer kilojoules and stay physically active, Prof Shaw says.

"We need to look at regulation in the same way as we have regulations for alcohol and tobacco."

Work environments that encourage people to stand up regularly are also considered essential.

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Govt pushes on with pink batts inquiry

The coalition is going ahead with plans for a royal commission into Labor's home insulation program. Source: AAP

THE coalition is pressing ahead with its plan for a royal commission into Labor's home insulation program.

Attorney-General George Brandis said cabinet had given the go-ahead for a detailed examination of the scheme, which cost four lives and caused extensive damage to property.

"This royal commission will give the families of the four young men - Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney and Marcus Wilson - who died while installing insulation the answers they have been seeking," he said in a statement.

Senator Brandis said the government would soon recommend terms of reference to the Governor-General and the appointment of an eminent lawyer as royal commissioner.

Former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd launched the $2.8 billion "pink batts" scheme in 2008 to inject cash into the economy during the global financial crisis and to achieve an environmental benefit.

It ended in 2010 in the wake of the four deaths and a succession of house fires. An inquest blamed the deaths of three of the workers on the rushed rollout.

The coalition promised a full inquiry during the election.

Senator Brandis said it would focus on the process of decisions to establish and implement the scheme, including the identification and management of risks and assessment.

It will also examine what advice, warnings or recommendations were given to or sought by the government.

The inquiry will assess whether any changes should be made to laws, practices, processes, procedures and systems.

Senator Brandis said the commission would assess all relevant matters from inception of the policy to its finalisation, including findings of coronial inquests and other inquiries.

He said the government consulted the families in developing the proposed terms of reference.

The commission will report by June 30, 2014.

A spokesman for Senator Brandis would not comment on whether Mr Rudd or former Labor environment minister Peter Garrett would be called to give evidence.

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Pell welcomes critical report

Australia's most senior Catholic has welcomed a report that questions his response to child abuse. Source: AAP

THE Catholic Church's "institutional failure" to respond appropriately to child abuse extends to its leader in Australia, Cardinal George Pell, a parliamentary inquiry reports.

But Cardinal Pell says he welcomes the Victorian inquiry's report and supports many of its recommendations.

The parliamentary inquiry into child abuse took Cardinal Pell to task in its report over his attempt to separate the church as a whole from the actions of senior religious figures it said had "minimalised and trivialised" the issue.

In a swipe at Cardinal Pell's evidence, its report said that following repeated questioning he agreed some bishops and religious superiors had covered up the issue.

"That is quite different from the whole church ... the whole church is not guilty of that," he told the inquiry.

Cardinal Pell denied claims the church had trivialised child sex abuse.

"By the standards of common decency and by today's standards, church authorities were not only slow to deal with the abuse, but sometimes did not deal with it in any appropriate way at all. This is indefensible," Cardinal Pell said.

The committee also challenged Cardinal Pell over a speech he gave in Ireland in 2011 in which he said a Supreme Court judge had advised him the sex abuse scandal "would bleed us to death" if not cleaned up.

Its report said Cardinal Pell - the archbishop of Melbourne from 1996 to 2001 - seemed to indicate the church's central aim was to safeguard its own interests.

The committee also rejected evidence of other church leaders that awareness of sexual abuse was "slow to percolate through society and the church".

"Rather than being instrumental in exposing the issue and the extent of the problem, the Catholic Church in Victoria minimalised and trivialised the problem, contributed to abuse not being disclosed and ensured the community remained uninformed," the report said.

Cardinal Pell said he supported recommendations for the creation of a government-established independent, alternative avenue for justice for victims of child abuse.

He said a recommendation for the Catholic Church to become incorporated, and therefore capable of being sued, was being examined.

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Typhoon survivors desperate for food, aid

People in typhoon-devastated areas in the Philippines are desperate for food, water and medicines. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of people jostled and begged for seats on scarce flights out of a Philippine city demolished by a super typhoon, as anger at the slow pace of aid reaching the disaster zone turned deadly.

News emerged that eight people were crushed to death on Tuesday when a huge crowd of survivors from Haiyan rushed a government rice store in Alangalang town, 17 kilometres from the devastated city of Tacloban.

"One wall of our warehouses collapsed and eight people were crushed and killed instantly" in Tuesday's incident, said Rex Estoperez, spokesman for the National Food Authority.

Five days after Haiyan - one of the strongest storms ever - ripped apart entire coastal communities, the situation in Tacloban was becoming ever more dire with essential supplies low and increasingly desperate survivors clamouring to leave.

"Everyone is panicking," Captain Emily Chang, a navy doctor, told AFP.

"They say there is no food, no water. They want to get of here," she added, saying doctors at the airport had run out of medicine, including antibiotics.

"We are examining everyone but there's little we can do until more medical supplies arrive."

The United Nations estimates 10,000 people may have died in Tacloban, the provincial capital of Leyte province where five-metre waves flattened nearly everything in their path as they swept hundreds of metres across the low-lying land.

However, Philippine President Benigno Aquino said late on Tuesday he believed that toll was "too much", adding that 2500 "is the figure we're working on", despite the rapidly-climbing toll and the bodies still littering the streets of Tacloban.

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras admitted authorities had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of deaths.

"The reason the body recovery stopped is because we ran out of body bags," he said. "But we now have 4000 bags. I am not saying the casualties are 4000. We are making sure there is an oversupply."

At Tacloban airport, AFP journalists witnessed exhausted and famished survivors pushing and shoving each other to get on one of the few flights out of the city.

"We have been here for three days and we still cannot get to fly out," said a frail Angeline Conchas, who was waiting for space on a plane with her seven-year-old daughter Rogiel Ann.

Her family were trapped on the second floor of their building as flood waters rose around them.

"We made it out, but now we may die from hunger."

The UN estimates more than 11.3 million people have been affected with 673,000 made homeless, since Haiyan smashed into the nation's central islands on Friday.

Overwhelmed and under-resourced rescue workers have been unable to provide food, water, medicines, shelter and other relief supplies to many survivors, and desperation has been building across the disaster zones.

The international relief effort is building momentum with many countries pledging help. The United States and Britain are sending warships carrying thousands of sailors to the Philippines, and US amphibious craft were also being deployed.

All were expected to arrive over the next few days. But for a shattered population already in dire straits, any delay is too long.

"People are desperate because they have nothing in Tacloban," Marco Boasso of the International Organisation for Migration said.

Hundreds of soldiers and police were patrolling the streets and manning checkpoints in Tacloban on Wednesday to try to prevent pillaging and the government said roads were now passable throughout the area, raising hope that relief might reach those in need.

"All the roads and bridges except two bridges in Region 8 are already passable," said National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council chief Eduardo del Rosario. Region 8 includes Leyte and Samar, the two hardest hit provinces.

"All our necessary relief goods, they can go to Tacloban (by road)."

President Aquino has declared a "state of national calamity", allowing the government to impose price controls and quickly release emergency funds.

Aquino's figure of up to 2500 deaths looked set to be easily surpassed. By early afternoon Wednesday the government said 2275 people were known to have died and 80 were still missing.

International aid groups said they feared what was known now was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Obviously the situation in Tacloban is appalling but we are also very concerned about outlying islands," Patrick Fuller, Red Cross spokesman in the Asia-Pacific, told AFP.

"There are a lot of them and I think it will be days, if not weeks, before we have a clear picture.

"No one is in a position to give an accurate figure. In Tacloban bodies are lying by the side of roads but those are just the ones that are visible. If you look around at the amount of wreckage caused you can see that people might have been taken out by a tidal surge."

"It's too early but (the death toll) will definitely be in the thousands.

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Packer pitches Crown resort in Sri Lanka

James Packer says Australian investment in Sri Lanka could boost its status as a global tourism hub. Source: AAP

BILLIONAIRE James Packer says Australian investment in Sri Lanka could boost its status as a global tourism hub.

Mr Packer was in Colombo on Wednesday to lobby the Sri Lankan government over his plans for a five-star resort and to address the Commonwealth Business Forum.

The forum is being held in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which Prime Minister Tony Abbott will attend on Friday.

Crown announced in mid-October it was in "detailed discussions" with the Sri Lankan government and potential partners regarding a $US450 million ($A481 million) five-star resort and casino.

The 450-room Crown Sri Lanka would be on Beira Lake in the Colombo resort district.

Mr Packer told the business forum that the previous CHOGM host, Perth, had built "targeted tourism infrastructure to lure global travellers".

"I am very happy to say, when I visit Colombo and Sri Lanka, I feel that same sense of momentum, optimism and positive energy," Mr Packer said.

Noting Sri Lanka's past decades of internal strife, Mr Packer said greater economic development would bring with it "human development" such as shelter, food and education.

Making his fifth visit to Colombo in two years, Mr Packer said the growing middle class in India and China were seeking luxury tourism.

Projects such as Crown Sri Lanka could turn the country "into a leading tourist mecca".

One recent tourism study found 80 per cent of Chinese travelling outside the country for the first time headed for a casino, Mr Packer said.

The Sri Lankan parliament and board of investment is considering whether to grant investment approvals and tax concessions for the project, which is subject to final agreement between joint venture parties.

The resort could employ up to 2500 Sri Lankans and provide hospitality training.

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Charles officially becomes a pensioner

Prince Charles, king in waiting for more than six decades, is set to celebrate his 65th birthday. Source: AAP

THE Prince of Wales is set to celebrate his 65th birthday - a milestone for the man who will one day be king.

Charles's birthday on Thursday falls on the eve of the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) he will host in Sri Lanka.

It will be one of his most significant duties to date as a future monarch as he will be deputising for the Queen on the world stage.

Charles has been heir to the throne since he was three and on Thursday will officially become a pensioner.

Like thousands of others he will be claiming his pension this year - but will be donating it to an unnamed charity which supports the elderly.

The prince is entitled to the state benefit because he paid National Insurance contributions while in the Navy in the 1970s and made voluntary contributions later.

This year, he has also experienced the joy of welcoming his first grandchild, Prince George, into world.

A king in waiting for more than 60 years, he has carried out countless royal engagements over the decades, undertaking 480 in Britain and 112 overseas in 2012 alone.

The prince is the oldest heir to the throne for almost 300 years and the longest serving heir to the throne.

Charles recently told the US magazine Time he wanted to make the most of his position.

"I've had this extraordinary feeling, for years and years, ever since I can remember really, of wanting to heal and make things better," he said.

"I feel more than anything else it's my duty to worry about everybody and their lives in this country, to try and find a way of improving things if I possibly can."

As well as being patron of more than 400 charities, he has set up The Prince's Charities, a group of not-for-profit organisations which raise over STG100 million ($A172.12 million) a year. He also founded The Prince's Trust youth charity.

The prince, who is known for his strong opinions, particularly on the environment, architecture and farming, has faced criticism in the past over his "black spider memos" to ministers - the name given to the handwritten letters he penned to government ministers expressing his views.

In July this year, the Attorney-General's decision to block public disclosure of letters Charles wrote to ministers in 2004 and 2005 was upheld by three High Court judges.

It was a defeat for the Guardian newspaper which said it had been fighting an eight-year battle to shed more light "on the way the heir to the throne seeks to influence government ministers even though he holds no elected position".

In the nineties, Charles faced turmoil in his private life, played out on a public stage when he split from Diana, Princess of Wales, and anguish when Diana - mother to sons William, now the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry - died in a car crash.

Now nearly two decades later, life is more settled for the future king who has been married to Camilla for eight years.

She was once derided as the "other woman" in Charles and Diana's relationship, but has established herself as a senior member of the royal family, attending the state opening of parliament and travelling with the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee carriage procession.

To mark his 65th birthday the prince has guest-edited a special edition of Country Life, highlighting his fears for the farming industry.

Charles expressed concerns that farming ranked as one of the least desirable careers for young people and that the average age of a British farmer is 58, and questioned why farmers have to act as a "buffer for the retailer and consumer against all the economic uncertainties of producing food".

He added: "It cannot be right that a typical hill farmer earns just STG12,600, with some surviving on as little as STG8,000 a year, whilst the big retailers and their shareholders do so much better out of the deal, having taken none of the risk."

The edition features a full-page photograph of Camilla, which editor Mark Hedges said was Charles' decision.

The Country Life editor told Daybreak that when they were going through the pages of the magazine at the end, Charles suddenly said "my darling wife".

"It was just so touching," he said. "I really realised that they have a wonderful marriage."

The royal couple are coming to the end of their nine-day tour of India which has already taken them to the shores of the River Ganges in the north, New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.

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Bob Brown's treasures go to auction

Ex-Greens leader Bob Brown is auctioning items of personal memorabilia to fund his beloved movement. Source: AAP

THE Australian Greens former leader Bob Brown is auctioning items of personal memorabilia collected during his time in public life, to help fund his beloved movement.

A catalogue of 100 pieces including photography, watercolours, cartoons, wood carvings and jewellery will go under the hammer in Hobart on November 17, with proceeds going to environmental campaigns run by the Bob Brown Foundation and the Tasmanian Greens.

Among the line-up, a bottle of French champagne gifted to Mr Brown during the Franklin River campaign in 1980.

Also available is the August 2002 dedication document in which Mr Brown was sworn in to the Senate by then governor-general Peter Hollingsworth.

There's a Canadian carved hickory walking stick, Taiwanese fork and spoon set in enamel, and Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklace with a price guide of $1200.

A full list of items can be found at http://greenart.com.au

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Two prisoners escape from Vic jail

A MANHUNT has been launched for two prisoners who have escaped from a minimum-security Victorian jail.

Police believe that Stephen Standage and Patrick Honeysett left the grounds of Dhurringile Prison, near Murchison in Victoria's north, some time after 5pm (AEDT) on Tuesday.

Police say Standage, 46, is 175cm tall with a medium build, black hair with grey flicks, brown eyes and of Aboriginal/Caucasian appearance. He has a moustache.

Honeysett, 38, is 175cm tall with a medium build, brown hair in a crew-cut style and is also of Aboriginal/Caucasian appearance. He has tattoos on his right upper arm and on his lower leg.

Investigators believe they may have discarded their prison garb and are now wearing street clothes.

Dhurringile Prison is a minimum security prison for low-risk offenders.

Police say the pair are in jail for burglary and handling stolen goods related charges and advise anyone who comes in contact with them to call triple zero.

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Asylum boat arrives at Darwin

A BOAT carrying asylum seekers has reportedly arrived at Darwin.

A spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship declined to comment, saying any details would be released at the weekly briefing by Immigration Minister Scott Morrison on Friday.

A call to the office of Mr Morrison was not returned.

Websites of both the Northern Territory News and Guardian Australia reported an unknown number of passengers had been transported to the Blaydin alternative place of detention in Darwin on Monday night.

The Guardian said the passengers were thought to be from Somalia and included children.

Under current policy, they will be transported to offshore processing centres at Nauru or Manus island.

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Qld to change anti-bikie laws again

Queensland's tough anti-bikie laws are set to be changed again after a loophole was found. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S anti-bikie laws are set to be changed again after a loophole was found allowing bikies who quit gangs to get bail.

The controversial laws call for "a person (who)is a participant" in an outlaw gang to be denied bail.

However, bikies who have quit can still be granted bail.

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie wants to change the wording to say "is or was a participant" and will put the amendment to parliament next week.

Critics say that the laws are already meeting their intended aim of dismantling gangs, so they don't need to be changed.

Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman says making a law retrospective would be unjust and contrary to the most fundamental tenet of the criminal law.

"Law changes made by parliament apply to future, not past conduct," he said in a statement.

Mr Bleijie labelled the criticism as "a storm in a teacup".

He said they would address the issues in the next sitting of parliament.

The government amended the laws last month after a typo was found that said bikies who assaulted a police officer or committed grievous bodily harm would only face a maximum sentence of one year in jail.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk supports the stronger laws against organised crime, but said the need for another change highlighted the lack of consultation and scrutiny around the new laws.

"How many more times do we have to correct mistakes made by the state's first law officer," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters.

"These are fundamental mistakes that even a first-year law student could've picked up."

The loophole did not prevent a former bikie who recently quit the Hells Angels being refused bail a second time on Tuesday.

Michael Spence, 25, was first denied bail last month following his arrest on drug trafficking charges.

He applied for bail again in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday after the loophole was revealed.

However, Justice Margaret Wilson refused bail, saying the risk of Spence offending again and the risk to public safety was unacceptable.

Another former gang member allegedly involved in the drug operation was refused bail on Monday and a third man has dropped his application for bail.

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Senator heads home after Sri Lanka run-in

AUSTRALIAN federal MP Lee Rhiannon is safely on a plane bound for Sydney after Sri Lankan authorities detained and interrogated her for hours, her office says.

The Greens senator for NSW was preparing to host a press conference with New Zealand MP Jan Logie on Sunday morning at their Colombo hotel when the pair had their passports seized by immigration officials.

Sunday was the final day of a four-day fact-finding trip to Sri Lanka ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The two MPs said they were investigating alleged human rights abuses and press freedom in the island nation.

"Abuses so serious that #SriLanka must not host #CHOGM," Senator Rhiannon wrote on her Twitter page on Sunday, shortly before the scheduled press conference.

The next message came three hours later: "Lee has asked us to pass a message on to her followers: She has had her passport confiscated by Sri Lankan Immigration Officials".

She was later released and allowed to board a flight back to Australia.

The Greens say the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Sri Lankan were both notified ahead of Senator Rhiannon's trip.

A DFAT spokeswoman was unable to confirm this, saying only: "The department is aware that Senator Rhiannon was questioned at her Colombo hotel earlier today by Sri Lankan immigration authorities.

"Senator Rhiannon did not request consular support."

Senator Rhiannon has denied claims by Sri Lankan officials that her planned press conference was in violation of her visa, telling Fairfax Media she had been advised to obtain the "special projects" class tourist visa.

The incident comes just over a week after two Australian press freedom advocates were also detained by Sri Lankan officials and accused of violating their visa conditions.

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Asia-Pacific director Jacqui Park and her deputy Jane Worthington arrived home last Saturday after two harrowing days of interrogation.

The Sri Lankan government took issue with the Australian duo participating in a press freedom event when they were in the country on tourist visas.

Senator Rhiannon is expected to touch down in Sydney at 9.15am (AEDT) on Monday.

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Man shot three times in Melbourne's west

A man shot in the chest in Melbourne's west is in hospital with life-threatening injuries. Source: AAP

A MAN who was shot three times at Deer Park in Melbourne's west is known to police.

Police were called to the suburb on Saturday night after the injured man approached a resident for help at around 11.45pm (AEDT).

The 42-year-old Richmond man was taken to The Alfred Hospital with life-threatening chest injuries, police said.

Detective Inspector Adrian Dalzotto from the armed crime taskforce says the injured man is known to police and they hope to interview him once he has had surgery.

Det Insp Dalzotto said police are unsure where the shooting occurred.

"We can't say with certainty it actually happened in this street," he told reporters.

Det Insp Dalzotto says police have no suspects yet and want anyone with information to contact them.

The man's car was found parked in the street and has been impounded for forensic examination.

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Ex-Sydney priest among Philippines dead

An Australian man, believed to be a former priest, has been killed by a typhoon in the Philippines. Source: AAP

A FORMER Sydney priest who secretly married a woman he met in the Philippines is among the hundreds killed in the typhoon that has devastated the archipelago nation.

Kevin Lee, a whistleblower on child sex abuse in the Catholic church, was defrocked last year after he went public about his 2011 marriage and admitted to having had girlfriends during his 20 years as a priest.

Mr Lee founded the Padre Pio parish in Glenmore Park, in western Sydney, but moved to the Philippines after leaving the ministry.

It's been reported he went swimming as part of a religious ritual, as Super Typhoon Haiyan lashed the Philippines with winds of around 315km/h.

On Sunday the Bishop of Parramatta, Anthony Fisher, paid tribute to the late father and husband.

"I extend my deepest sympathy to his widow Josefina and her children during this time of personal tragedy for them and devastation for the people of the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan," he said.

He also expressed his condolences to Mr Lee's parents and family in Australia and paid tribute to the work Mr Lee did for his parish.

"Last year, Kevin left his ministry as a Catholic priest in very public circumstances and was recently 'laicised' at his request," Bishop Fisher said.

"He had made a new life with Josefina and they recently celebrated the birth of a daughter.

"Difficult as was the mode of his departure, we honour the work Kevin did as the founding parish priest of Padre Pio Parish, Glenmore Park, and his ministry as a chaplain with NSW Police."

Ray King, who as a former Fairfield police commander was once a colleague of Mr Lee's and, more recently, beat him to a Liberal party pre-selection for a tilt at federal MP Chris Bowen's seat of McMahon, has described his death as a shock.

But he said it was "fairly reckless" for Mr Lee to go swimming during the storm, ABC Radio reports.

"Kevin had a choice when he went into the surf," he told the broadcaster.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed the death of a 50-year-old NSW man in the typhoon but declined to name him.

"Consular officials are providing assistance to his family," a DFAT spokesperson said.

Officials fear the death toll in the Philippines could reach 10,000 people after Haiyan tore into the eastern islands of Leyte and Samar on Friday.

The Abbott government has pledged nearly $400,000 worth of emergency aid to devastated communities and says it stands ready to do more.

DFAT says Australians concerned for the welfare of family and friends in the region should first attempt to contact them directly.

If unsuccessful, they should call DFAT's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 or +612 6261 3305.

Deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek extended "deepest sympathies" to the family and friends of the late Mr Lee.

"Our thoughts are also with other nations, including Vietnam and Laos, who authorities report remain in the path of the devastating typhoon," she said on Sunday.

"The opposition stands ready to assist the Abbott government, in any way we can, to facilitate Australia's contribution to relief efforts."

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Kelly parents: 'legal system doesn't care'

THE parents of slain teenager Thomas Kelly have lashed out at the NSW justice system, saying they feel "destroyed" by the process that ended in their son's killer being sentenced to four years jail.

The 18-year-old was killed when he suffered massive head injuries from a king hit by a drunken stranger, Kieran Loveridge, during a night out with friends in Sydney's Kings Cross last year.

Loveridge was handed a four-year sentence for the manslaughter, plus 14 months for attacks on four others who, like Mr Kelly, happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Grieving parents Ralph and Kathy Kelly told reporters immediately after the sentencing on Friday they were "horrified".

On Sunday they spoke out about their fight to have the Director of Public Prosecutions pursue a murder charge.

Loveridge, 19, pleaded guilty to the alternative charge of manslaughter, thus securing a 25 per cent discount on his sentence.

"We pleaded with them not to downgrade it," Ralph Kelly told the Nine Network.

"We've spent the whole year fighting for Thomas in a legal system that just doesn't care ... We feel destroyed."

Kathy Kelly said she did not believe Loveridge was remorseful: "The talk in the papers about him breaking down in the witness stand? I didn't see any tears."

She criticised Justice Stephen Campbell's emphasis on Loveridge's rehabilitation prospects, and said the prosecution had kept the family in the dark.

"They are nice people and I guess they're just doing their job within the realms of the law, but we have been fighting (the downgraded charge) constantly, you know, even to the point that sometimes people would refuse to email us or we'd get notification after six o'clock on a Friday night ... it was just like nobody wanted to talk to us," Mrs Kelly said.

She said there had not been a single night since her son died that she had not cried herself to sleep.

"I wake up and the first thing I think about is Thomas, and I cry, and I cry for what he's lost," she said.

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