Bandicoot fire survivor revives at Taronga

A northern brown bandicoot which survived the NSW bushfires is being treated at Taronga Zoo. Source: AAP

A TINY survivor of the NSW bushfires has staff at Taronga Zoo gushing.

The northern brown bandicoot was recently handed into the RSPCA in the Hunter Valley with severe burns to his feet.

When staff realised he needed ongoing care the furry fellow was transferred to the city.

On Monday, Taronga Wildlife Hospital staff applied bandages to all four of the bandicoot's legs from tip to toe.

Taronga Zoo's senior veterinarian Larry Vogelnest works with animals every day but even he thinks the bandicoot sure looks cute with his bandages on.

He says the bandicoot was extremely lucky to have such minor injuries because trapped animals usually die in bushfires.

"Most people think we'd be absolutely inundated with hundreds and hundreds of burnt wildlife but we don't actually tend to get that many," he told AAP.

"All that's burnt is his feet and the tip of his tail so he must have had to run over some hot coals."

It will be several weeks before the deep burns on the bandicoot's feet have healed enough for him to be released.

Until then, Mr Vogelnest says the gentle but confident bandicoot is busy showing off to his carers.

"He does show his teeth, he'll open his mouth and look ferocious but that's about where it stops," he told AAP.

"Generally the bandicoots aren't particularly aggressive ... they're lovely little animals."

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Death crash officer trial begins

A MOTHER driving her daughter to have her hair done on her 16th birthday died of multiple injuries when a police vehicle chasing a stolen car slammed into her at high speed, a court has been told.

The first class constable who was driving the police car, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has gone on trial in a Perth court charged with dangerous driving causing the death of Sharon D'Ercole.

The 50-year-old was in her Toyota Corolla, driving her daughter Lashay to a hair appointment in the Perth CBD, when her car was smashed into by the Ford Territory at the intersection in Dianella in April 2012.

Perth District Court heard the Ford had gone through two sets of red lights when it smashed into Ms D'Ercole's car, causing her horrific injuries.

The mother-of-three died less than an hour later in hospital.

Prosecutor Bernard Standish told the jury they would have to decide just one major issue - whether the constable's driving was dangerous to the public.

"The lives of Sharon D'Ercole and this officer intersected with tragic consequences," Mr Standish said.

The court heard the 28-year-old officer was trained to the highest level of pursuit driving. He had set off after the stolen Audi after police database checks indicated it had been stolen just hours before.

The car's lights and sirens were deployed as the pursuit progressed, the court was told.

The trial, which is scheduled to last three weeks, will hear from several eye witnesses, as well specialists who will estimate what speed the cars were doing when they collided.

Ms D'Ercole's daughter however, will not be giving evidence, as she was knocked unconscious in the crash and has no memory of the moments leading up to her mother's death.

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Boog and Drew evicted from Big Brother

OUSTED Big Brother intruder Alex "Boog" Roe might need to evict part of her wardrobe after family, friends and fans saw a bit more of her than necessary.

Roe and Anthony Drew were evicted from the Nine Network series on Monday night, leaving Tahan, Jade and Tim remaining in the Big Brother house on the Gold Coast ahead of Wednesday's grand finale episode.

The trio are in the running for the $250,000 first prize.

However, Roe had an embarrassing moment when her right breast appeared to slip out of her low-cut top as she bent down to meet family and friends at the side of the stage.

The Brisbane telecast, which is on an hour delay, went blurry for several seconds before Roe stood up and walked across the stage to sit down next to Big Brother host Sonia Kruger.

No mention was made of the wardrobe malfunction and the show went on as if nothing happened.

Roe told Kruger she had a fun time in the compound and did not blame the fact she was an intruder for being evicted with such a low percentage of the vote.

The 23-year-old received just 3.8 per cent of the votes cast by viewers, who elect to save housemates.

"I don't want to blame the intruder thing," Roe said during the live telecast.

"They are big characters and much stronger than me."

Boog's voting percentage was the lowest this series.

Drew received just 14.1 per cent of the votes to be saved and he was tipping Tim to win the series.

The highest voting percentages were revealed on Monday but they were not assigned names.

The housemate who finished on top of the poll received 29.6 per cent of the votes to be saved, followed by 26.5 per cent and 26 per cent.

"I think Tim is up there (the highest with 29.6 per cent)and then Jade (26.5 per cent) and Tahan," Drew told Kruger.

"They're all amazing people. They deserve it."

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No more survivors after Myanmar boat sank

FAMILY members are scouring the coastline off western Myanmar, a day after a boat carrying at least 70 Muslim Rohingya capsized, but there are no new signs of survivors, a community leader says.

Only eight people have been plucked from the waters alive.

The overloaded boat was in the Bay of Bengal and headed for Bangladesh when it sank early on Sunday, just four hours after leaving shore, said Aung Win, a Rohingya Muslim community leader.

He was speaking on Monday from Sittwe, the Rakhine state capital.

"There were many, many women and children on board," Aung Win said, as he prepared to go to the beach to check on efforts by loved ones to search for bodies.

"Some were hoping to continue on to Malaysia, Indonesia or other third countries."

Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation, has been gripped by sectarian violence in the last year.

Many of the 240 people killed and 240,000 others forced to flee their homes have been Rohingya, described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted religious minorities in the world.

Dan McNorton, a spokesman for the UN High Commission for Refugees, warned that this year's exodus of desperate people from Rakhine could be one of the biggest ever.

Around 1500 people are believed to have fled, just in the last week, he said.

The agency had received several reports of drownings and was seeking details from authorities.

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Volcanic eruption displaces 1300 villagers

ABOUT 1300 villagers living at the foot of Mount Sinabung in Sumatra have been evacuated after an eruption, the National Disaster Management Agency said.

Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Sunday four villages situated within three kilometres of the volcano were evacuated.

"Tremors are still occurring and thick black clouds are still being spewed," he said by phone.

Authorities have raised the volcano status to the second-highest level.

Mount Sinabung had been dormant for 400 years before it erupted on August 2010. There are nearly 130 active volcanoes across the Indonesian archipelago.

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Hawkesbury blaze under control

FIREFIGHTERS are expected to work through the night to mop up a bushfire that threatened about 50 properties at Lower Portland near the Hawkesbury River on Sunday afternoon.

More than 100 firefighters worked to quell the blaze, which reportedly crossed the river at one point, while six aircraft water-bombed the fire zone.

The fire was eventually brought under control around 7.30pm (AEDT) as cooler conditions had an impact.

Residents were allowed to return to their homes and no damage to property was reported.

A watch and act warning is now in place.

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LAX gunman planned to kill many agents

Los Angeles International Airport is returning to normal operations after a gunman sparked chaos. Source: AAP

THE gunman who allegedly killed a security officer at Los Angeles airport carried a note saying he planned to murder "multiple" agents, prosecutors said as they announced charges against him.

A prosecutor told how Paul Ciancia allegedly opened fire at "point-blank range" on Gerardo Hernandez, the first Transportation Security Administration agent killed since the office was created following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The dead officer's widow, meanwhile, said she was "truly devastated" by his death.

"He was a joyful person, always smiling and took pride in his duty to the American public," Ana Hernandez said.

Ciancia, who used a Smith & Wesson assault rifle and a large stock of ammunition in the attack, faces a possible death penalty on charges of murdering a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport.

The gun rampage on Friday triggered chaos at LA International Airport (LAX), disrupting more than 1500 flights. The airport only fully reopened more than 24 hours later.

Describing how the shooting started, a prosecutor said Ciancia pulled a ".223-calibre M and P-15 assault rifle out of his bag and fired multiple rounds at point-blank range" at Hernandez, 39.

The shots wounded the unarmed TSA officer but did not kill him. The 23-year-old gunman, dressed in black and wearing a bullet-proof vest, then went up a nearby escalator and came back down to "shoot the wounded officer again," US attorney Andre Birotte said.

Ciancia then proceeded further into the terminal, shooting four more people, including two other TSA officers, before being detained following a gunfight with airport police.

The alleged gunman, who remains in hospital and has not yet answered questions from investigators, carried a note in his bag indicating that "he targeted especially TSA officers," for whom he felt "anger and malice".

The handwritten note showed he "made a conscious decision to kill multiple TSA employees", said David Bowdich, the head of the FBI's Los Angeles office.

"In the note that was handwritten by the defendant, that was signed by the defendant, we found a statement where he made a conscious decision to kill multiple TSA employees," Bowdich said.

"He addressed them at one point in the letter, and stated that he wanted to 'instil fear into their traitorous (sic) minds'."

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Ciancia had a lot of ammunition when he was arrested.

During the shooting spree, which lasted less than 10 minutes, Ciancia approached a number of people cowering in the terminal and pointed his gun at them, asking if they "were TSA", according to the Los Angeles Times.

If they answered "no" he moved on, the Times reported, citing witnesses who said he cursed the TSA repeatedly.

While officials have not released details about the suspect's condition, the Times said he was hospitalised in a critical condition after being shot in the head and leg.

The FBI said Ciancia was a Los Angeles resident who was originally from the eastern state of New Jersey.

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Southern Highlands bushfire under control

A BUSHFIRE that threatened rural properties in the Southern Highlands is now under control.

An emergency warning was issued for a fire at Alpine, between the Hume Highway and the Old Hume Highway, at about 5.30pm (AEDT).

The fire was brought under control after about two hours and downgraded to a watch and act warning.

Sweltering conditions and strong winds fanned several blazes across the state on Sunday, until a cool change arrived in the late afternoon.

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Govt embarrassed over Huawei: Labor

Labor says confusion over the coalition government's stance on Huawei's NBN ban is embarrassing. Source: AAP

CONFUSION over whether or not the coalition government would back a ban on Chinese telecoms giant Huawei tendering for work on the NBN was "amateurish and somewhat embarrassing", a senior Labor MP says.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott ruled out overturning the ban this week, despite his Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Trade Minister Andrew Robb earlier indicating it could be reviewed.

The former Labor government instituted the ban based on security advice from spy agencies ASIO and the Defence Intelligence Organisation.

Matt Thistlewaite, Labor's shadow parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, said Mr Turnbull and Mr Robb were guilty of dangling a carrot in front of the Chinese telco.

"Having Tony Abbott and the Attorney General George Brandis come out and put paid to those arguments I think was a little bit amateurish and somewhat embarrassing for this government," Mr Thistlewaite told Sky News on Saturday.

"I have no argument with the approach that they've taken in terms of the outcome of the policy. The issue I have with is the comments of Andrew Robb and Malcolm Turnbull in the lead up to the decision being made."

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Furniture factory ablaze in Sydney

Fifty firefighters are battling a large blaze at a western Sydney furniture factory. Source: AAP

FIFTY firefighters are battling a large blaze at a western Sydney furniture factory.

Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) says no one is feared missing but the fire has spread into the roof of the single-storey factory on Warren Avenue, Bankstown.

The fire has been contained but crews were still working to extinguish the flames on Saturday evening.

One man has been taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation, a FRNSW spokesman told AAP.

"Firefighters have managed to protect adjoining properties," he said.

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