Muse delivers epic Sydney show

British rockers Muse have thrilled Sydney fans with a spectacular sound and stage show. Source: AAP

MUSE drowned out the screams of thousands of Sydney fans with an epic sound and stage show that did everything to add to their reputation for putting on memorable concerts.

The British rockers have become almost legendary for their major light and stage shows and they didn't disappoint when they took to Sydney's Allphones Arena on Friday night.

Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme opened in spectacular fashion when a five-tier projector screen in the shape of a pyramid emerged from above the stage and slowly made its way down.

After keeping the crowd waiting for almost 10 minutes with a heart-thumping build up, the band appeared beneath the screen as it rose to take its place suspended above them as they belted out their first song, Supremacy.

During the second song, Supermassive Black Hole, the crowd in the mosh pit appear to lose itself - fans jumping and thumping their fists in time with the music.

Thousands of screams were drowned out by the guitar riffs from Hysteria, which the band opened with images of matrix-style code that spread through the plethora of small screens on stage.

And when Plug in Baby came on, the entire arena began singing the chorus in unison - even those seated were jumping up and dancing like they were in the mosh pit.

Lasers, smoke machines and pyrotechnics were all timed perfectly for dramatic effect for guitar riffs and bass drops.

A shape-shifting screen suspended on stage, and encircling the band, replaced your stock-standard stadium flat screens, projecting images of the band on stage, as well as video montages and song lyrics.

Highlights included the moment where 100 phones lit up in the nosebleed section when Bellamy emerged for a solo guitar riff.

He topped it off later by joining the crowd mid-way through Undisclosed Desires, even donning a Christmas hat given to him by a crowd member.

The gig was the last stop of Muse's tour of major Australian capital cities, and their final gig of 2013.

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Toyota to enter US settlement talks

Toyota is entering settlement talks on US lawsuits that allege sudden unintended acceleration. Source: AAP

AFTER a four-year legal battle, Toyota is entering settlement talks on nearly 400 US lawsuits that allege sudden unintended acceleration problems with its vehicles led to deaths and injuries.

Joint motions filed late on Thursday in US District Court in Santa Ana and Los Angeles County Superior Court indicated both sides would begin an "intensive settlement process" next month.

The Japanese automaker, which has recalled millions of cars since 2009 over the acceleration issue, agreed to the negotiations to make resolving the cases more efficient, spokeswoman Carly Schaffner told The Associated Press on Friday.

"We continue to stand behind the safety and quality of our vehicles," she said.

Cases that don't settle after a two-stage mediation process will go back to court for trial, said plaintiffs' co-lead counsel Mark Robinson Jr., but most of the 375 claims will likely get resolved.

"It's not practical to try all these cases," he said. "You've got two chances to get your case settled and if you're a plaintiff, at least you're not just sitting in some file in the courthouse."

The settlement negotiations come less than two months after an Oklahoma jury awarded a total of $US3 million ($A3.37 million) in damages to the injured driver of a 2005 Camry and to the family of a passenger who was killed.

The ruling was significant because Toyota had won all previous unintended acceleration cases that went to trial. It was also the first case where lawyers for plaintiffs argued that the car's electronics - in this case the software connected to the Camry's electronic throttle-control system - were the cause of the unintended acceleration.

At the time, legal experts said the Oklahoma verdict might cause Toyota to consider a broad settlement of the remaining cases. Until then, Toyota had been riding momentum from several trials where juries found it was not liable.

Robinson said lawyers for plaintiffs had been discussing a streamlined settlement process with Toyota before that verdict, but the Oklahoma case "couldn't have hurt" those talks.

Toyota has blamed drivers, stuck accelerators or floor mats that trapped the pedal for the acceleration claims that led to the big recalls of Camrys and other vehicles. The company has repeatedly denied its vehicles are flawed.

No recalls have been issued related to problems with onboard electronics. In the Oklahoma case, Toyota lawyers theorised that the driver mistakenly pumped the gas pedal instead of the brake when her Camry ran through an intersection and slammed into an embankment.

Sean Kane, president of Massachusetts-based Safety Research & Strategies, said the Oklahoma verdict likely moved Toyota to the negotiating table because it targeted electronics.

"Nobody did until that case and they got hammered - and they got hammered in a conservative venue," said Kane, who researches consumer safety in motor vehicles for plaintiff lawyers and has been closely following the Toyota litigation.

"The evidence that came out in that trial has attracted global attention that is remarkable," he said.

After the verdict, jurors told AP they believed the testimony of an expert who said he found flaws in the car's electronics. They also pointed to 50 metres of skid marks on the road as evidence the driver was desperately trying to brake.

"What makes the accelerator open? The computer," juror Vickie Potter said after the verdict.

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Severe storm warnings cancelled

ANOTHER round of severe thunderstorms pummelled southeast Queensland tonight.

8.25pm: The worst of this evening's severe thunderstorms has passed, with the weather bureau lifting its earlier warnings.

The Bureau of Meteorology said dangerous weather systems are no longer affecting southeast Queensland.

Forecasters will continue to monitor the situation and will issue further warnings if anything is detected on radars.

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Nikki Duncan said the severe thunderstorm which swept over the region earlier this evening dropped a blanket of hail over the city. Picture: Nikki Duncan

8.15pm: Christine McMillan said the hail continued to belt her Willowbank home for 15 to 20 minutes.

"I have never seen anything this intense," she said.

"I also have a picture of the storm approaching but never expected this."

"I had to move from the doorway because they were smashing on the concrete outside and chunks were flying in at me." Picture: Sharon Wheatley at Rathdowney

Ms Duncan said she was lucky to have survived the storm unscathed.

"I've never had hail like that before. It looked like a White Christmas."

"I appear to have survived without any major damage. I'm yet to check my car."
 

Christine McMillan said the hail continued to belt her Willowbank home for 15 to 20 minutes. Picture: Christine McMillan

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7.55pm: The Bureau of Meteorology have updated a severe thunderstorm warning to include areas of Brisbane CBD, Ipswich, Boonah, Beaudesert, Beenleigh, Logan City, Cleveland, Strathpine, Esk, Redcliffe and Caboolture.

7.45pm: Ipswich residents must have been dreaming of a white Christmas, with the city transformed into a winter wonderland.

Nikki Duncan said the severe thunderstorm which swept over the region earlier this evening dropped a blanket of hail over the city.

"It was very sudden and loud," she said. "The severity was unexpected."

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7.50pm: A severe thunderstorm south of the NSW border is expected to hit Queensland by 8pm.

The cell is predicted to reach the McPherson Range, Rathdowney, Numinbah Valley, Laravale, Kooralbyn and the area south of Canungra by 8.05 pm.

Beaudesert will be next in the firing line, with the storm expected to strike about 8.30pm.
 

7.30pm: Sharon Wheatley said the earlier storm battered her property near Rathdowney.

"I was watching the clouds from the doorway and saw that one hailstone drop into the yard, nothing else, just that one, so I stuck a bucket over my head and ran out and grabbed it," she said.

"Gradually a few more dropped. There was no rain at first, just large hail dropping from the sky.

"I had to move from the doorway because they were smashing on the concrete outside and chunks were flying in at me. Then they just came down solidly for maybe 10 minutes or so."

7.15pm: The weather bureau has warned that while one severe thunderstorm is skirting dangerously close to Brisbane's CBD, another one is brewing just over the NSW border.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Peter Otto said an earlier warning was still current for areas to the west of Brisbane, but the storm was unlikely to reach the city centre.

Further west, he said golf-sized hail stones have fallen on Mt Barney, with larger stones reported at Boonah.

"That storm is moving over the Ipswich area at the moment," he said.

"There is another cell south of the border that is likely to hit Rathdowney in the next half hour and it may head north after that. It's another very dangerous storm with large hail stones expected."

6.45pm: Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Rosewood, Marburg, Lake Manchester, Upper Brookfield and Fernvale by 7.20 pm and Enoggera Reservoir, Enoggera, Mount Nebo, Highvale, Samford and Albany Creek by 7.50 pm.

Other severe thunderstorms in northern NSW are forecast to affect Mount Barney, the McPherson Range, Rathdowney, Maroon Dam, Kooralbyn and Lamington National Park by 7:50 pm.

Damaging winds and large hailstones are likely, with hail larger than golf balls reported at Boonah earlier.

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6.20pm:  The Bureau of Meteorology has updated their thunderstorm warning, alerting residents that very dangerous thunderstorms were moving north.

The storms were detected on weather radar near Boonah, Aratula, Harrisville, Peak Crossing, Bundamba Lagoon and the area south of Amberley.

Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Ipswich, Redbank Plains, Amberley, Rosewood, Marburg and Lake Manchester by 6:50 pm and Lowood, Fernvale, Mount Nebo, Highvale, Samford and the D'Aguilar Ranges by 7:20 pm.

Other severe thunderstorms were located near Bonalbo(NSW). Damaging winds and large hailstones are likely.

Hail larger than golf balls was reported at Boonah at around 5:40pm.

5.20pm: The weather bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning after storms were detected over the Scenic Rim region near Mount Barney, Laravale and Kooralbyn.

The southeast Queensland warning said damaging winds and large hailstones are likely.

Forecasters from the Bureau of Meteorology said the thunderstorms were moving in a northerly direction, with Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast put on alert.

The storms are predicted to hit Beaudesert about 5.30pm.

More to come.
 

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.
 

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Mandela's remains transferred to air base

The South African military has handed over Nelson Mandela's flag-draped coffin to the ANC. Source: AAP

THE remains of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela have been transferred to Waterkloof air base for a farewell from the African National Congress.

The military handed over Mandela's flag-draped coffin to the African National Congress (ANC) at a solemn ceremony broadcast live on South African television.

The remains were to be returned to military control later on Saturday.

It will then be flown to the Eastern Cape in preparation for Mandela's funeral the following day.

Mandela's casket is expected to arrive on Saturday afternoon and to be greeted by a full military ceremony.

The late president died just over a week ago at age 95.

His body lay in state for three days this week, drawing huge crowds of South Africans who mourned his death and celebrated his successful struggle against apartheid.

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Vic pedestrian dies after being hit by car

Thirteen motorists have been killed on Victoria's roads in the first 13 days of December. Source: AAP

AN elderly pedestrian has died in hospital after being hit by a car in Melbourne's east.

Police believe the woman, 66, was crossing North Road in Brighton East when hit by a grey Toyota hatch about 9.15pm (AEDT) Thursday.

She was taken to The Alfred Hospital with life-threatening injuries and died about 2.30pm on Friday.

The driver of the car stopped and is assisting police with their inquiries.

Victoria's road toll stands at 226 compared to 271 this time last year, with 14 of the deaths occurring in the past 13 days.

Road policing command Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said on Friday afternoon the number of fatalities in such a short time was extremely concerning heading into the festive season.

"This is a horrible start to December, especially as we head into what we know is a high-risk time of the year on Victorian roads," he said.

"I don't want to see any more ungiven gifts under Christmas tree this year, however we are likely to see another 10 deaths on our roads and potentially 250 people seriously injured."

The warning comes as Victoria Police launch their Summer Stay road campaign, a two-month blitz aiming to reduce the road toll over the holiday season.

The campaign will target drink/drug driving, speeding, fatigue, driver distraction and drivers not wearing a seatbelt.

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Milat murder appeal angers victim's family

A great-nephew of Ivan Milat is appealing his 30-year jail term for the axe murder of his friend. Source: AAP

THE great-nephew of serial killer Ivan Milat wants his murder sentence halved, infuriating the family of the boy he slaughtered.

Teenage axe murderers Matthew Milat and Cohen Klein are appealing the severity of the sentences handed down last year for the murder of their friend David Auchterlonie in Belanglo State Forest in November 2010.

David was murdered on his 17th birthday.

Milat was sentenced to at least 30 years, with a maximum term of 43.

Klein was jailed for at least 22 years, with a maximum 32-year term.

Deputy senior public defender John Stratton SC, representing Milat, told the Criminal Court of Appeal that although it was a heinous crime, it "was not in the worst class" of murder.

Instead, he put forward a maximum 22-year jail term with a non-parole period of 15 years.

Mr Stratton submitted to the judges various cases where murderers had their sentences cut, and that there was little evidence of torture.

But Justice Robert Hulme said nine months after the killing, Milat wrote chilling letters that showed "unrepentant enjoyment at the prospect of callous murder".

Justice Hulme called the reduction to a 22-year sentence "bold".

Klein's barrister, Janet Manuell SC, said Milat was the "dominant" one - who found the weapon, organised to bring the victim to the forest, struck the blow and bragged about it later.

"The role of (Klein) was one of support and facilitation," Ms Manuell said.

"There was some evidence of remorse."

David's mother, Donna Locke, spoke to reporters outside court as friends unfurled an Aboriginal flag behind her with "R.I.P David Always" written on it.

"I'm disgusted and outraged and hurt, as it's ridiculous and wrong to think that we are back here today," Ms Locke said.

"David was not given a chance to appeal his death sentence.

"They deserve to be there for the rest of their lives and take their last breath in jail, and leave in a body bag to the morgue just like my son left the forest."

Ms Locke said Milat was trying to be a "copycat" of Ivan Milat and that if the pair could commit such a callous crime at such a young age, they're bound to reoffend.

The axe attack took place in the same NSW Southern Highlands forest where Ivan Milat murdered seven backpackers in the early 1990s.

Crown prosecutor Nicole Noman SC, who is opposing any reduction in the sentences, said the killing was planned, premeditated and a "thrill kill".

"Each of them performed a different ... but meaningful role to make sure this planned murder occurred," Ms Noman said.

"It was cold, it was calculated ... it was not momentary."

Ms Noman said Milat at one stage asked Klein if he could "feel the adrenaline".

After the killing, Klein mentioned to Milat that he was "going down the path of his uncle" and showed "a form of admiration", she said.

The three-judge appeal panel will make its decision at a later date.

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Coleman keen to clinch an overseas deal

Woodside Petroleum boss Peter Coleman is eager to secure a lucrative overseas LNG export deal. Source: AAP

WOODSIDE Petroleum boss Peter Coleman would love to pull off a big overseas deal and set his company up for years of strong growth.

But this week's announcement that the oil and gas giant will defer a $1.25 billion investment in Israel isn't going to get him to that point anytime soon.

The well-touted Leviathan LNG project in the Mediterranean Sea is getting increasingly complicated, as a series of regulatory delays and problems with its joint venture partners force the company to tread carefully.

Some believe Woodside should concentrate on what it knows best - delivering low cost LNG from offshore gas fields in Western Australia.

But Mr Coleman has larger growth aspirations.

This week he said Woodside would wait another two months before committing to a 30 per cent stake in the Leviathan project with US-based firm Noble Energy.

That's more than a year after he announced the project.

"We're not in it to do a deal for a deal," Mr Coleman told analysts.

"It needs to be a compelling value case given the amount of investment involved in the decision."

Some analysts have highlighted the geopolitical risks involved and questioned the viability of exporting gas from Israel which is grappling with its own gas reservation policy and tax regime.

Late last year Woodside said it planned to stump up $1.4 billion for Leviathan, a decision which was based entirely on a Tzemach advisory panel report.

The Tzemach report recommended Israel export just over half of its gas, but it sparked outrage among Israelis who want most of the gas reserved for domestic purposes.

Mr Coleman said the new Israeli government had given Woodside assurances around LNG export volumes.

Further legal challenges could create more uncertainty.

It comes as Woodside awaits the outcome of a review into Israeli tax law relating to LNG and pipeline exports which is due to be released in early February.

In addition, joint venture partners are reportedly talking about building a pipeline into Turkey.

For all of the "moving parts" involved in doing business in the Middle East, Mr Coleman remains upbeat but cautious ahead of committing shareholder funds.

"There's still an opportunity for Woodside to create significant value within the joint venture, but first and foremost we are focused on ensuring that we have a commercial outcome that delivers value to us," he says.

He has previously said the company would prefer to give money back to shareholders if a project doesn't stack up.

"We have other options that we're also pursuing and in this case we're ensuring that whatever we do, if we do enter into this joint venture, it's done in a way that's a commercially sensible outcome for all of us."

Woodside's overall estimated investment expenditure for 2013 has dropped to $US1.1 billion ($A1.21 billion) from the previous guidance of $US2.3 billion ($A2.53 billion) due to the deferral of expected expenditure on Leviathan.

Total investment expenditure in 2014 is expected to be between approximately $US2.0 billion ($A2.25 billion) and $US2.4 billion ($A2.70 billion).

It comes as Mr Coleman was this week quizzed about Woodside's stalled Sunrise project in the wake of the East Timor spy scandal, and a fortnight after Mr Coleman completed a trip to Japan where he began marketing gas from the proposed Browse floating LNG project in north Western Australia.

He would not reveal details of recent price negotiations, but indicated the company was in a strong position in Japan as the nation struggles to secure energy after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Woodside spent more than $1 billion on the controversial Browse onshore proposal near Broome but abandoned it after widespread community opposition, citing higher costs.

The risks of outlaying a similar amount will be in the front of Mr Coleman's mind next year as Woodside crunches the numbers on Leviathan, factoring in a substantially weaker Australian dollar.

Around this time the company is due to open an office in Myanmar as it continues exploring in New Zealand, Ireland and WA.

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SAfrica apologises for Mandela interpreter

The man accused of faking sign interpretation at Nelson Mandela's memorial claims he hallucinated. Source: AAP

THE South African government has formally apologised for any offence caused by the sign language interpreter it hired for Nelson Mandela's memorial, later exposed as a fake.

"We sincerely apologise to the deaf community and to all South Africans for any offence that may have been suffered," Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile said in a statement on Friday.

The country's junior minister for disabilities, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, admitted on Thursday the government had made a "mistake", but defended the interpreter.

Enraged sign language experts said that Thamsanqa Jantjie's signing in front of US President Barack Obama and other world leaders gathered at Soweto's Soccer City stadium had amounted to little more than "flapping his arms around".

Jantjie later blamed his behaviour on a schizophrenic attack.

Contacted by telephone on Friday, he refused to discuss the incident, saying he was too busy drafting an explanation to the government.

"Yesterday I explained to all the media...(and) today I am busy with the government that want my side of the story," he said.

Minister Mashatile said parliament would pass a new law early next year to regulate the profession "so that this kind of incident doesn't happen ever again."

Bogopane-Zulu said Thursday the interpreter was not fake, but may have had problems with English or was overworked and tired.

South Africa's deaf organisations, however, said this was not a one-off incident, claiming they had complained to the government about Jantjie before.

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Two die after being hit by cars in Vic

TWO people have died in hospital after being hit by cars in separate crashes in Melbourne's north.

A 29-year-old woman died in hospital on Thursday afternoon after being hit by a car on the weekend.

A passerby found her with life threatening injuries in the inner northern suburb of Thornbury about 2.50am (AEDT) on Sunday.

She was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital where she died on Thursday afternoon.

A man, 19, from Reservoir, is assisting police with their inquires.

An elderly man also died in hospital on Thursday after being hit by a car in Brunswick East last month.

Investigators believe the 82-year-old from North Fitzroy was crossing Nicholson Street near Barkly Street when he was hit by a north-bound car on the afternoon of November 8.

Victoria's road toll stands at 224 compared to 271 at this time last year.

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Batts inquiry start date announced

THE federal royal commission into Labor's home insulation program, which cost four lives and caused extensive property damage, is set to begin before Christmas.

Former 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. It ran until 2010.

The commission, which is investigating whether the then-government's practices contributed to the deaths and damage, will commence with a preliminary hearing in Brisbane on the morning of December 23.

The governor-general has appointed Mr Ian Hanger AM QC to head the inquiry.

She has also asked whether laws or practices should be altered to "prevent the recurrence of any failure identified by the inquiry".

"Four young men died while undertaking installations funded by the Home Insulation Program. There are claims of homes sustaining damage and businesses suffering financial loss," Mr Hanger said.

"This Royal Commission will investigate whether the way that the Australian government established and implemented the home insulation program contributed to these consequences."

In July, a Queensland coroner found the rushed rollout of the scheme was a significant factor in the deaths of Queensland batt installers Mitchell Sweeney, Matthew Fuller and Rueben Barnes.

In New South Wales, 19-year-old Marcus Wilson, died on his first day on the job after suffering heat stroke.

The coroner cited "inadequate" training and "lax" supervision as factors in the tragedies.

Anyone who wishes to appear before the commission as a witness must apply by 4pm (AEDT) December 18.

Further information is available at www.homeinsulationroyalcommission.gov.au

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Thai protesters cut power to PM's office

Thai protesters have cut power to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's office compound in Bangkok. Source: AAP

PROTESTERS have announced they have cut off electricity to the Thai prime minister's office compound and are demanding that police abandon the premises amid a political crisis that has dragged on for weeks.

The protesters, seeking to force the replacement of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government before a February 2 election, have threatened to force their way in if police don't leave.

Police attempts to negotiate were rebuffed, but they did not withdraw immediately.

An Associated Press photographer inside one of the buildings said electricity had been shut off to the press office. Police confirmed that power had been cut to some buildings in the compound, collectively called Government House.

Protesters also cut barbed wire placed on top of the steel fence surrounding the compound while police stationed nearby looked on.

Yingluck was not in her offices at the time and shortly afterward gave a televised address from an unidentified location in which she announced a December 15 meeting of all sections of society to try to find a solution to the crisis.

The protest leadership has demanded a meeting with senior military and police officials, a call which has so far been rejected, at least publicly. Protest leaders did meet at a hotel with business leaders in what was billed as an effort to explain their goals.

In a previous confrontation, police withdrew from the prime minister's compound to allow the demonstrators in without a fight. That withdrawal came after two days of increasingly violent standoffs. Since the latest unrest began last month that left five people dead and nearly 300 injured.

The street fighting was suspended when both sides agreed it would dishonour the occasion of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday last week.

Looking for a way out of the crisis, Yingluck dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Monday and called for early elections. Her foes, however, insist she step aside to make way for an interim appointed government, an action that cannot be taken under the country's constitution.

They claim that Thai politics is hopelessly corrupt under the influence of Yingluck's billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for the country's constitutional monarch.

To carry out reforms, they want to institute a less democratic system where the concept of one-man, one vote would no longer apply because they believe the masses are not well enough educated to choose responsible leaders. They also say the poor sell their votes.

Thaksin's supporters say he is disliked because he has shifted power away from Thailand's traditional ruling class.

Thaksin and his allies have easily won every national election since 2001, relying on the support of the rural majority and urban poor, who benefited from his populist policies. The opposition Democrat Party, which has allied itself with the protests, has not won an election since 1992.

Yingluck's ruling party won the last vote two years ago in a landslide, and is likely to be victorious in any new ballot.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban this week has been declaring that his movement has more legitimacy than the government, which he claims has acted against the constitution.

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Gaddafi's son appears in Libyan court

THE son of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi has briefly appeared before a militia-backed court in western Libya, only to have the proceedings against him adjourned until the end of February.

Since the end of Libya's 2011 civil war, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi has been held by a militia in Zintan, which has refused to hand him over for a separate trial in the capital, Tripoli - a sign of the central government's weakness.

In Tripoli, he is being tried in absentia along with 39 other Gaddafi regime figures, including notorious spymaster Abdullah al-Senoussi, for alleged crimes during Libya's conflict.

Seif al-Islam is also wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity.

The only Gaddafi son in custody, Seif al-Islam looked healthy during his brief appearance in the Zintan court. Wearing a blue prison uniform, he replied with a "no" when the judge asked him whether he had any requests.

The hearings were then adjourned until February 27 because the judge demanded that "other suspects" be brought in.

In the Zintan trial, Seif al-Islam faces charges of attempting to escape prison and insulting Libya's new flag. These charges are linked to a meeting he had in June 2012 with an ICC delegation that was accused of smuggling documents and a camera to him in his cell. The four-member team from The Hague was detained by Zintan rebels but released after the international tribunal apologised and pledged to investigate the incident.

The Zintan charges are separate from both those by the ICC, which indicted Seif al-Islam for the murder and persecution of protesters in the uprising that ultimately toppled his father's regime, and those by the Tripoli court.

Thursday's hearing was held amid tight security measures, with several masked policemen guarding Seif al-Islam inside the courtroom.

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Navy suspends three over Ballarat claims

Three sailors have been suspended over allegations of unacceptable behaviour on HMAS Ballarat. Source: AAP

THREE sailors have been suspended from duties and could face prosecution for unacceptable behaviour aboard HMAS Ballarat.

Defence force investigators boarded HMAS Ballarat in early November after a sailor made allegations of sexual assault against several members of the ship's company.

Defence issued an update on its investigations on Wednesday, saying there is a reasonable suspicion three members of HMAS Ballarat ship's company have committed serious service offences.

They have been suspended from duty.

"Similar to civilian criminal investigative processes, evidence gathered will now be referred for prosecutorial review," Defence said in its statement.

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said a separate administrative inquiry into "certain aspects" relating to the HMAS Ballarat allegations has commenced.

"This inquiry is being run ... to identify any broader procedural or cultural issues that may require further action by Navy," he said.

He reiterated that Navy did not tolerate unacceptable behaviour.

"It is inconsistent with its values and the behaviours," he said.

"Unacceptable behaviour by individuals damages our people and our effectiveness to conduct operations and achieve our mission," he said.

Defence said the director of military prosecutions may consider a range of actions against the three sailors, including laying charges and referral to the Registrar of Military Justice for consideration by a Service Tribunal, or referral for civilian prosecution.

Defence has not detailed the allegations.

But after the defence investigation was made public a former naval member claimed officers were "set upon, stripped off and had things essentially put in their bums".

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UN maintains Liberia sanctions

THE United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to maintain an arms embargo on Liberia, a travel ban on named individuals, and an asset freeze against former Liberian president Charles Taylor, his key allies and associated companies.

But a resolution adopted by the council on Tuesday asks the committee monitoring sanctions to review all those subject to the asset freeze within 90 days and determine whether they should still be subject to sanctions.

It also orders a review of all sanctions in six months "with a view to modifying or lifting all or part of the measures" depending on Liberia's progress toward disarming combatants, reforming its security sector, fully implementing a peace agreement, and maintaining stability throughout the country.

Liberia was battered by back-to-back civil wars from 1989 to 2003.

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Parliament keeps eye on post office talks

A PARLIAMENTARY committee will "keep a watching brief" on Australia Post's discussions with struggling Licensed Post Office (LPO) owners, with many fighting for survival.

In its interim report, the Senate inquiry noted there were "numerous issues" in Australia Post's relationship with post office owners.

Licensed owners have complained of having business poached by Australia Post, and of the financial viability of their agreement with the government-owned body.

"Evidence was given that many LPO operators are struggling to survive to the point where some off-site employment is undertaken to fund their operation," the report tabled in the Senate on Wednesday said.

"It is evident it has now become a fight for survival and must be considered a matter of urgency.

"To do nothing would put the future of hundreds of LPOs, principally in rural and regional areas, at risk."

The committee said it was "heartened" Australia Post was attempting to address concerns of licensed owners.

Chair of the committee, the Nationals John Williams, said the committee had agreed to keep a watching brief of the discussions.

It will release its final report by the end of March next year.

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Fire kills 16 at fruit market in China

AT least 16 people died and five were injured after a fire broke out at a wholesale fruit market in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, reports said.

The fire started early on Wednesday and spread over about 1,000 square metres of the Rongjian market in Shenzhen's Guangming district, before firefighters extinguished it 90 minutes later, local officials said.

Police were still investigating the cause of the fire and detained the manager of the market, identified only by the surname Xu, for questioning.

Many tenants of the market lived above their stalls, state media reported.

The 16 dead were from four stalls, and the youngest victim was two years old, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Zhang Xiaowei, a spokesman for the Shenzhen fire department, as saying.

The 145 firefighters initially struggled to stop the fire spreading because of low water pressure at the market, other reports said.

The area where the fire broke out opened in 2008 in buildings converted from disused factories.

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Hunger Games still on top of box office

THE Hunger Games: Catching Fire is still sparking the interest of Aussie punters, remaining at the top of the Australian box office for the third week running.

Over the weekend, the sequel, which stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Aussie Liam Hemsworth, raked in another $3.501 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia, bringing its total since its release to $28.311 million.

In second place was another sequel, the new animation Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, while two more films making their debut - Vince Vaughn's comedy Delivery Man and the science fiction Ender's Game - came in third and fourth.

They pushed Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa down from No. 2 to the No. 5 spot. It had a domino effect on Chris Hemsworth's Thor: The Dark World, biopic One Chance, the Carrie remake and Tom Hanks' Captain Phillips, which all fell three places.

Clinging onto the final rung is Sandra Bullock's sci-fi survivalist thriller Gravity, which leapfrogged Enough Said to round out the Top Ten.

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Turks arrested for Nazi salutes at camp

TWO Turkish students who posed in front of the former concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau while performing Nazi salutes are facing charges of propagating fascism, the Polish news agency PAP reported.

The two 22-year-olds posed in front of the sign - famous the world over for its inscription "Arbeit macht frei (Work makes you free)" - on Sunday, reported PAP.

They were both arrested and face charges of propagation of fascism.

The use of Nazi symbols is punishable under Polish law.

The two men study history in Hungary, according to the report.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi concentration camp the Germans built in Poland during World War II.

The majority of the at least 1.3 million inmates murdered in Auschwitz were Jewish.

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Grandfather dies in NSW farming accident

A MAN has died in southern NSW after being pinned under a grain trailer in front of his grandson.

NSW Ambulance were called to a farm at Benerembah, near Griffith, about 3:30pm (AEDT) on Monday.

A 21-year-old man met paramedics and led them to where his 87-year-old grandfather was pinned under a grain trailer.

Police have been told the man was trying to steady the trailer after it was uncoupled from a tractor, when he became trapped underneath it.

Police said the younger man tried unsuccessfully to move the trailer off his grandfather with a forklift.

The man alerted a neighbour who called emergency services.

State Emergency Service volunteers and police arrived after paramedics and say it was clear the man could not be revived.

A crime scene has been established and Work Cover have been notified.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

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US approves new hepatitis C drug

The FDA has approved a new medication for Hepatitis C but treatment looks likely to cost $US84,000. Source: AAP

HEALTH officials in the United States have approved a highly anticipated hepatitis C drug that is expected to offer a faster, more palatable cure to millions of people infected with the liver-destroying virus.

The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved the medication Sovaldi from Gilead Sciences Inc in combination with older drugs to treat the main forms of hepatitis C that affect US patients.

Current treatments for hepatitis C can take up to a year of therapy and involve weekly injections of a drug that causes flu-like side effects, an approach only cures about three out of four patients.

Sovaldi is a daily pill that in clinical trials cured roughly 90 percent of patients in just 12 weeks, when combined with the older drug cocktail.

Between 3 million and 4 million Americans are estimated to carry the blood-borne virus, though most do not even know they are infected. Others have tested positive but are waiting for more effective treatments to become available. Hepatitis C symptoms may not appear until two or three decades after infection, though the virus can cause liver failure, cirrhosis and cancer if left untreated.

Dr Donald Jensen of the University of Chicago said he's optimistic that new drugs like Sovaldi will increase treatment of the disease, which is blamed for 15,000 US deaths per year.

"I'm hoping that these new, less toxic therapies will drive more people to get tested and more primary care physicians to test their patients, knowing that the therapy is going to be more effective and easier," said Jensen, who directs the university's center for liver diseases.

Gilead said it will price the drug at $US84,000 ($A92,282.34) for one 12-week supply. Patients with a less common subtype of the disease may need to take the drug for 24 weeks, raising the cost to $168,000 for one course of treatment. Drugs already on the market run between $25,000 and $50,000 for a course of treatment.

The approval comes as the US government urges all baby boomers to get tested for the disease. People born between 1945 and 1965 are five times more likely than other age groups to have hepatitis C, with many having contracted the virus by sharing needles or having sex with an infected person in their youth.

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Vic minister slams hospital delay claim

OPPOSITION claims that sick Victorian kids are being forced to wait due to delays in building a children's hospital are wrong and hypocrisy in the extreme, the health minister says.

Baulderstone Pty Ltd will build the 230-bed Monash Children's Hospital, with construction to begin mid-next year, it was announced on Sunday.

But opposition health spokesman Gavin Jennings says the hospital should be being finished now, not being started, with the government promising to deliver it in its first term.

"Families who have been waiting for better care for their children, continue to wait," he told reporters.

"Families are waiting longer than they should have."

Health Minister David Davis said the government had promised to start building the hospital in its first term.

He said Labor's delay claims were wrong and "hypocrisy in the extreme" because they failed to build the hospital in 11 years in government.

"(Now Opposition Leader) Daniel Andrews was parliamentary secretary for health first and health minister later and he allocated not one cent to build the Monash Children's Hospital," Mr Davis told AAP.

He said the need for a dedicated children's hospital in Melbourne's southeast was first identified a decade ago.

"This is an important hospital for Melbourne's southeast, a hospital that we look forward to seeing in operation," Mr Davis said.

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Free transport urged for fire recovery

The NSW Opposition wants free weekend transport to and from the Blue Mountains to boost business. Source: AAP

THE NSW government should provide free bus and train rides to and from the Blue Mountains these holidays to help businesses recover from the October bushfires, the state opposition says.

The government needs to encourage visitors back with the message that the Blue Mountains is open for business, Opposition Leader John Robertson says.

Analysis by Blue Mountains Lithgow & Oberon Tourism and Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise estimates 200 jobs and more than $47 million in tourism revenue have been lost in the six weeks following the bushfires.

Domestic day trips alone are estimated to be down by more than 144,000.

Mr Robertson says there are dozens of bus and train services to the Blue Mountains every weekend.

"These public transport services should be free and promoted across the Sydney Trains network to encourage families and tourists to plan a trip to the mountains."

Opposition transport spokeswoman Penny Sharpe says she's written to Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian asking that Labor's proposal be implemented immediately, effective until the Australia Day long weekend.

"For a family of two adults and two children it would cost $34.80 on a Saturday to travel from Central to Springwood by train ... that's $34 better spent in a Blue Mountains small business."

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill says many visitors had been scared away by the bushfires.

"We have hundreds of thousands of hectares of world heritage listed National Park with breathtaking scenery, pristine waterways and amazing walking tracks," he said.

"We welcome any proposal that encourages visitors and their wallets to our region."

Ms Berejiklian said in a statement that the NSW government had announced funding for a campaign to encourage tourists to visit the Blue Mountains and continued to work with the community to help those impacted.

"An auction of Sydney Trains lost property items held on Saturday raised thousands of dollars that will be donated to victims of the Blue Mountains bushfire," she said.

The minister also said the government had announced residents would not be charged for water used to defend their homes during the bushfires.

Fees to replace documents such as birth certificates and driver licences had also been waived along with fees for taking bushfire waste to the tip, Ms Berejiklian said.

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Qld 30-year vision sets the bar high

Expanding children's literacy and numeracy levels is a primary target in a bold plan for Queensland. Source: AAP

AN ambitious 30-year plan for Queensland aims to have half of the state's population living outside the southeast and to narrow the gap between the wealthy and poor.

Ensuring all Queensland children have basic literacy and numeracy when they finish primary school is another key target in The Queensland Plan, released for review on Sunday.

Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Andrew Powell says the bar has been set high.

"The working draft is based on a compilation of what Queenslanders have told us they want in 30 years' time," he said in a statement.

"We don't expect everyone will agree with these preliminary targets, but we now have a great opportunity as a community to realise the future we want."

Mr Powell is urging all Queenslanders to have a look at the draft to ensure the 30-year vision reflects the aspirations of the Sunshine State.

"Test us. These targets are bold, they are different and some have never been measured in Australia before," he said.

Ensuring Queenslanders have the lowest incidence of preventable diseases in Australia and increasing the life expectancy of the state's indigenous peoples are also among the 16 primary targets outlined in the draft plan.

The final Queensland Plan is expected to be released by mid-2014.

The working draft is online and will be available for review until March 7 2014.

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Drug arrests, seizures at Vic music fest

MORE than 100 people have been arrested for drug offences at a Melbourne music festival.

Police seized drugs including ecstasy, amphetamine, cocaine, GHB and MDMA during a sniffer dog operation at the Stereosonic festival at Melbourne Showgrounds over the weekend.

They arrested 139 people, with the majority receiving drug diversions or cautions.

Ten people were charged.

Police Senior Sergeant Mark Pilkington said it was disappointing that so many people were risking their lives by taking illicit substances.

"Believe it or not, you are taking a serious risk with your health and life every time you take an illicit substance," he said.

"We will continue to work closely with event organisers to try and limit these substances at events."

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