Bieber gives injured Vic fan private show

Pop megastar Justin Bieber has performed a secret, intimate concert for an injured Melbourne fan. Source: AAP

POP megastar Justin Bieber has performed a secret, intimate concert for a Melbourne fan whose dreams of seeing him perform were shattered, along with her spine, in a horrific car accident last month.

Friends of Melbourne teen Kate O'Neill launched a social media campaign to encourage the Canadian teen idol to visit Ms O'Neill who had saved thousands of dollars to be able to attend all of his Australian concerts.

The 19-year-old, whose Twitter account @BieberMelbourne has more than 29,000 followers, tweeted on Wednesday morning that it was the best day of her life, after she received a tweet from the official Justin Bieber account.

At the time, she had no idea of the surprise that lay ahead.

"Not even the amount of pain I am in right now can ruin this for me," Ms O'Neill wrote on Wednesday morning.

Ms O'Neill is still in hospital recovering from her injuries, which include broken ribs, a fractured spine, internal bleeding and lacerations to her kidney and liver.

"If I meet Justin I will hug him so tight IDGAF (I don't give a f**k) about my broken spike (spine) and broken ribs," she tweeted on Wednesday morning.

"I thought this was going to be the worst week of my life but Justin has made it the best! I can't believe this I am so happy!"

On Wednesday afternoon, a car transferred Ms O'Neill from hospital to a private studio where Bieber performed an impromptu acoustic set for her and 50 other fans.

After his performance, Bieber said he loved his "Beliebers" who do so much for him.

"It was so special to be able to give something back, especially to an amazing fan like Kate," Bieber said.

Then he asked Ms O'Neill to kiss him on the cheek.

Ms O'Neill was quoted in a release from Bieber's management as saying the concert had been amazing.

But it was on Twitter that she revealed her true excitement:

"AHWSJJDJEIDIEJHSJWSIYWUWOWODHJWIDIWBB BEST DAY OF MY LIFE I CANT BREATHE OMFG JUSTIN AND THE CREW ARE SO PERFECT SVSJJSDJJSJDJSDISIWJDJWJS," she wrote.

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Amphetamines link to higher HIV risk

THE growing use of amphetamine-style stimulants across Southeast Asia has increased the risk that users will contract HIV or other blood-borne viruses, a report has found.

Amphetamine-type stimulants are the second most used recreational drugs in the world, after cannabis, and the use of amphetamines continues to grow.

The study of amphetamine use in 11 countries in Southeast Asia found those who injected the drugs were more at risk of contracting a blood-borne virus.

Other users are at higher risk of contracting HIV due to higher-risk behaviour, such as unsafe sex.

The study found users of amphetamine-type stimulants faced multiple HIV risks.

"Use appears higher among groups vulnerable to HIV such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and young people," said the report, by the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) in co-operation with the Asia-Pacific Drugs and Development Issues Committee.

ANCD chairman John Herron said the report highlighted the need for governments to take action.

"The effects of amphetamine-type stimulant use on young people cannot be underestimated," Dr Herron said.

"Drug use may negatively impact on schooling and employment opportunities and contribute to risky behaviour - especially risky sexual behaviour amongst young people."

He said the rising use of amphetamines in Australia and in Southeast Asia was disturbing.

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Facebook says users connect with brands

Facebook has defended the presence of commercial brands on the popular social networking site. Source: AAP

FACEBOOK has defended the presence of commercial brands on the popular social networking site, saying users aren't "revolting" against it.

Facebook on Wednesday released a detailed breakdown of Australian user figures for 2013, showing nine million Aussies visited the site every day.

The data, from the site's 2013 Aussies on Facebook research, showed 12 million Aussies logged on to the site at least once a month.

At a media briefing in Sydney, Facebook Australia's head of measurements and insight, Helen Crossley, said 63 per cent of local users regularly "connected with brands" on the site.

She said Facebook had no problem with that.

"We want to help people connect to the brands that matter to them," Ms Crossley told reporters.

"It's actually OK for brands to be in the news feed ... We don't really see that people are revolting against that at this stage.

"We see that people are increasingly connecting with brands."

She said 69 per cent of users logged on to Facebook to stay in touch with family and friends, with 80 per cent of users accessing it via mobile phone.

The data, compiled by research firm TNS, also showed Facebook users spent 12 per cent of their total media consumption time on the site.

Thirty-three per cent of users engaged with politics on the site, while 40 per cent posted news articles and 32 per cent used it to keep up with current affairs.

Ms Crossley said users were most likely to log into the site between 2pm and 5pm, or after 8pm.

Aussies accessed the site at work, on holidays, at school and even in bed, the data showed.

In a blog post earlier this week, Facebook reportedly said it was revising the way it delivered information to its billion-plus users.

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'Little joy' in UK soldier killing: court

ONE of the two men accused of hacking to death a British soldier in broad daylight told police he had "little joy" in killing, the jury at his London trial has heard.

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Greens secure deal on debt ceiling

The Greens have secured a deal with the federal government to scrap the national debt ceiling. Source: AAP

THE Australian Greens have secured a deal with the federal government to scrap the national debt ceiling.

Leader Christine Milne has released details of the agreement, which also includes requirements for further debt reporting in the budget and other documents relating to the budget position.

As well, the government will deliver a debt statement when its borrowings increase by $50 billion.

"It's a good outcome," Senator Milne said.

The Greens' negotiations had secured a higher lever of federal government debt reporting and it could no longer use the issue "as a figleaf for budget" spending cuts.

"The Greens have always been at the heart of responsible economic management," she said.

The new arrangements are likely to be in place from the 2014/15 budget due in May.

The agreement means the government will be able to get its legislation through the Senate with Greens support.

It also signals the end of a long-running argument over initial plans by Treasurer Joe Hockey to increase the debt ceiling from $300 billion to $500 billion.

The current ceiling was due to be reached by December 12.

Labor had opposed a $200 billion rise, offering the government a $100 billion increase instead.

Mr Hockey rejected Labor's proposal, saying Australia needed a buffer in case of an emergency.

Senator Milne said the Abbott government gave the Greens most of what they asked for to secure the deal.

"Yes, pretty much," she said.

It's a victory for the coalition, which is facing hurdles on other unrelated legislation in the Senate where the Greens and Labor have the numbers if they combine.

Senator Milne did not think the revised debt legislation would go through until next week.

The debt ceiling was introduced in 2008 by the former Labor government.

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Abbott defends ADM-GrainCorp decision

Labor has stepped up its attack on the government's rejection of a foreign takeover of GrainCorp. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has defended his treasurer's call on the attempted foreign takeover of GrainCorp, telling a high-level business audience that good government is about pragmatic idealism, not perfection.

The federal opposition on Wednesday stepped up its attack on the government's rejection of the foreign takeover bid, with shadow treasurer Chris Bowen claiming Treasurer Joe Hockey blocked the deal due to political pressure and his decision would cost jobs.

"I do not see the national interest test was properly invoked in this instance," Mr Bowen told the National Press Club.

He said he would have approved the deal based on the available information.

Mr Hockey last week blocked the $3.4 billion takeover of GrainCorp by American agribusiness Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) after deciding it was contrary to the national interest.

Farm groups and the government's junior partner the National Party had campaigned heavily against the deal, which would have given ADM control of 85 per cent of Australia's east coast grain ports.

Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board examines all major foreign investment proposals and must decide if they are contrary to a loosely defined "national interest" test.

However, the treasurer of the day must make the final decision.

On Wednesday evening, Mr Abbott was in Sydney to attend a gala dinner hosted by the Business Council of Australia.

"The coalition in opposition tried to stop a government from breaking its election commitments. The current opposition is trying to stop a government from keeping its election commitments," he told the audience.

"Yes, the coalition has knocked back one - just one - foreign investment application out of more than 130 received, but I do want to stress that foreign investment applications will always be considered on their merits and approved where it is in the national interest to do so."

Alison Watkins, the Graincorp CEO who announced her resignation after the takeover bid was knocked back and is set to take up a position with Coca-Cola Amatil, was among those in the audience.

"If I may say so, only from the outside does government mostly seem a matter of choosing right from wrong," Mr Abbott said.

"On the inside, it much more often involves choosing the greater good, or the lesser evil - getting the best possible outcome, not necessarily the perfect one."

Mr Bowen - who also attended the dinner - has claimed the takeover rejection did not pass "the common sense test".

"Clearly this was a decision frankly that was taken for political reasons," he said earlier on Wednesday.

"I'm not entirely sure it was a decision that Joe Hockey didn't have foisted upon him. It's a decision which he claims to be his own. If it is his own, it is a particularly weak one."

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Asthma hampers play, sex and work: study

NEARLY a third of dads with uncontrolled asthma avoid running around with their kids, according to a study that shows the condition affects almost every aspect of adult life.

It takes a toll on dating, sexual pleasure and people's careers, according to an Asthma Australia report on the study of more than 1000 people with poor asthma control.

More than one in 10 mothers in the study avoid playtime with their children and 16 per cent of parents find it difficult to carry their child.

More than two million Australians have asthma, and the condition can be controlled with the right medication and treatment plan, says respiratory physician Dr Simon Bowler.

"There is absolutely no reason why people with asthma can't gain better control."

He said the place to start was to discuss an action plan with a GP.

Dating and socialising are a major problem, with a large proportion of people in the study saying they cannot not keep up with friends during a night out. Many say they go home early.

A third say they worry about wheezing at the theatre or movies.

One young woman said she didn't tell her boyfriend about her asthma on their first few dates. When she could not hide it any more, she pretended it wasn't important.

A third of men and about 20 per cent of women in the study say their asthma interferes with their sex life.

Asthma Australia CEO Mark Brooke says it is essential for people to ask their GP for help.

"Often simple changes like getting a treatment plan or reviewing their medication can help minimise the impact on patients' sex lives," said Dr Bowler, chair of the organisation's medical advisory committee.

More than half of the people in the AstraZeneca-sponsored study miss work every year because of their symptoms.

Almost 20 per cent take time off six times a year or more.

A large proportion say asthma has hampered their career.

Almost two thirds have had an asthma attack at work, with 40 per cent saying stress made their symptoms worse.

One senior executive said he had been embarrassed by staff who tried to keep away from him when he had an asthma cough.

Only six per cent say their colleagues are supportive and many do not feel comfortable taking medication in front of others.

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Art project elicits the profound, profane

Disgraced Thomson gave it a good whirl

PROSECUTORS allege disgraced former MP Craig Thomson enjoyed dalliance with escorts, including a hot-tub tryst.

Protection visas axed by Morrison

THE federal government will remove a protection visa for a specific class of refugees created by Labor and give the immigration minister the final say on individual cases.

Pass the Sugar: Usher is ring legend

R & B star Usher has transformed himself into the legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard for the upcoming film Hands of Stone and the resemblance is staggering.

Bloodied gun wielders

THE images are a shocking reminder of a heinous murder, committed in broad daylight in front of terrified witnesses that made the world gasp in horror.

Family flees $1m yacht after arson

A FAMILY fled their burning catamaran, while another man watched his boat sink in a suspected arson attack.

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Man attempts to lure girl in Wollongong

POLICE are appealing for information after an unknown man attempted to lure a 13-year-old girl into his car in Wollongong.

Police say a green older-model sedan with light-blue number plates pulled up beside the girl at 4pm on Wednesday when she was walking on Pioneer Road in Bellambi.

When the girl declined the offer of a lift, police say the driver reached towards her and she ran away.

Officers want to speak with a man they describe as being aged 30-40, with olive skin, a large build, and a flat nose.

Police say the man was unshaven, wearing sunglasses and a black cap with a red logo on the front on Wednesday.

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Police want help with Laverton North grab

'There are no winners': Lisa's mum

JOAN Harnum's daughter was brutally taken from her but after Simon Gittany was found guilty of her murder she said, "there are no winners in this case''.

Justice Lucy McCallum's verdict

SIMON Gittany was today found guilty of the murder of Lisa Harnum after he threw her off the 15th storey balcony of their apartment, read Justice Lucy McCallum's full verdict here.

Police will allege teen wanted to kill

EUNJI Ban was the victim of a random thrill killing, dying at the hands of a teen who had fantasised about murder since he was a child, police allege.

NRL bad boy's career in limbo after 'cab assault'

BULLDOGS recruit Reni Maitua has been suspended from all club duties after he was charged with assault following a serious late-night incident.

Maitua Bulldogs ban over 'assault'

CANTERBURY Bulldogs recruit Reni Maitua has been suspended from all club duties after he was charged with assault.

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UK detectives quiz 'slavery victims'

'There are no winners': Lisa's mum

JOAN Harnum's daughter was brutally taken from her but after Simon Gittany was found guilty of her murder she said, "there are no winners in this case''.

Justice Lucy McCallum's verdict

SIMON Gittany was today found guilty of the murder of Lisa Harnum after he threw her off the 15th storey balcony of their apartment, read Justice Lucy McCallum's full verdict here.

Police will allege teen wanted to kill

EUNJI Ban was the victim of a random thrill killing, dying at the hands of a teen who had fantasised about murder since he was a child, police allege.

NRL bad boy's career in limbo after 'cab assault'

BULLDOGS recruit Reni Maitua has been suspended from all club duties after he was charged with assault following a serious late-night incident.

Maitua Bulldogs ban over 'assault'

CANTERBURY Bulldogs recruit Reni Maitua has been suspended from all club duties after he was charged with assault.

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Indigenous smoking falls but still high

SMOKING rates among indigenous people have fallen by 10 per cent in a decade, but are still far higher than the rest of the community.

New figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show 41 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 or over smoked each day in 2012-13.

That's a significant decrease from 51 per cent in 2002.

But the smoking rate in the rest of the community was 20.4 per cent of men and 16.3 per cent of women in 2011-12.

Close the Gap co-chairs Mick Gooda and Kirstie Parker said the figures show measures to improve the health of indigenous people could work, but sustained long-term commitment was needed.

"The decline in smoking is good news but health outcomes for our communities will continue to reflect the long-term damage caused by the high level of smoking. And it will take time for the closing the gap initiatives to be reflected in health data," Mr Gooda said in a statement.

Ms Parker said improving the health of indigenous people had to remain a national priority.

"Our people are significantly more likely than other Australians to experience major health problems such as heart or circulatory disease (twice as likely), diabetes (three times more likely), and almost one-third of participants reporting psychological distress," she said.

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UK man spared jail for Venables tweet

A UK man who tweeted images purporting to be of James Bulger's killer Jon Venables as an adult has been given a 14-month suspended prison sentence.

The term was handed down at London's High Court for a flagrant contempt of court on the part of 27-year-old security guard James Baines.

Baines, who is from Liverpool and close to the Bulger family, will also have to pay STG3000 ($A5,360) in costs.

He admitted disobeying a January 2001 injunction binding on the whole world that prohibits the publication of any information purporting to identify the appearance, whereabouts, movements or new identities of Venables or Robert Thompson, who were convicted of the two-year-old's murder in November 1993.

It was made on the basis that the pair would face an acute risk of serious physical harm or death upon their release.

The case was referred by Attorney General Dominic Grieve after Baines put images purporting to identify Venables as an adult on his Twitter profile on February 14 this year - the 20th anniversary of the crime.

One image showed Venables in a school photograph as a child while below and alongside were different images of an adult male.

They were accompanied by the tweet: "Its on bbc news about the jon venables pic on twitter saying its been removed eerrm no it hasn't."

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Nigella Lawson called 'habitual criminal'

TV cook Nigella Lawson was described as a "habitual criminal" in a London court on Wednesday.

Italian sisters Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo are due to go on trial accused of using a company credit card to buy themselves designer handbags and flights while working as personal assistants to Lawson and Charles Saatchi.

But lawyers for the defendants argued today that the case should not go ahead due to the "manipulation of the court process" by the TV cook and the millionaire art dealer, who had a high-profile divorce earlier this year.

On Tuesday, Isleworth Crown Court in west London heard that Saatchi alleges that Lawson was so high on drugs that she was unaware of what she had or had not permitted the sisters to spend money on.

After hearing submissions from Anthony Metzer QC, defending Elisabetta Grillo, 41, and Karina Arden, defending Francesca, 35, Judge Robin Johnson ruled that the trial should go ahead.

"I consider, with the right rulings and the ability to monitor the process of the court during the process of the trial, a fair trial can be achieved and therefore I have refused this application," he said.

Earlier Mr Metzer argued that the case should be dropped as Mr Saatchi and Ms Lawson were at "loggerheads" and the alleged drug use damaged the TV cook's "credibility as an honest witness".

He told the court: "The defendants' case is that Nigella Lawson lied to her ex-husband about her drug use and about the expenditure that was incurred by the defendants, both expressly and implicitly, because she was fearful of Mr Saatchi's reaction if he knew about the extent of the expenditure and drug use.

"There was a culture of secrecy within Nigella Lawson's marriage."

He argued that the defendants will not receive a fair trial "as there has been a manipulation of the court process by the two main prosecution witnesses in this case".

He said that if it did go ahead, "it's a convenient forum for Mr Saatchi and Miss Lawson to rehearse disputed issues between them ... in the criminal courts where, of course, the possibility of libel is not possible".

"If Mr Saatchi is telling the truth, then Miss Lawson is a habitual criminal."

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US jobless claims drop as lay-offs slow

THE number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 10,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 316,000, a sign that workers are in less danger of being laid off.

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McCann teams 'should become one'

BRITISH and Portuguese police should join together as one team in their investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, London's Metropolitan Police Commissioner says.

Currently Scotland Yard is running its own inquiry into what happened to the little girl, who vanished while holidaying with her parents in Praia da Luz in 2007, while the Portuguese authorities have their own investigation.

The Portuguese shelved their inquiry into her disappearance in 2008, but last month said that a review had uncovered enough new information to justify reopening the case.

"One thing we'd like to see in the future is a joint investigation team which comes under the European community," Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said on Wednesday.

"It is a possibility legally, and we're working together at a political level, and at a police and judicial level, to see how we can construct that.

"There are two separate inquiries with a different focus - we've got one particular set of lines of inquiry and they have a different one. But it's important that we work together on what is clearly a common problem.

"It's a formal arrangement, it allows officers from each country to work in the other country, it gives them powers associated with that, and it's an efficient way of doing it.

"If you're not careful, you end up doing things on an ad-hoc basis, and for us it would be better to have that type of arrangement. So that's what we're trying to get agreement between the two governments and the two police services."

British police received hundreds of calls and emails after recent renewed television appeals for information in the UK, Holland and Germany.

They appealed for help trying to trace a man who was seen carrying a child towards the sea, and a number of fair-haired men who were lurking around the holiday apartments where Madeleine was staying.

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Missouri executes serial killer Franklin

JOSEPH Paul Franklin, a white supremacist who targeted blacks and Jews in a cross-country killing spree from 1977 to 1980, has been put to death in Missouri, the state's first execution in nearly three years.

Franklin, 63, was executed at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing Gerald Gordon in a sniper shooting at a suburban St Louis synagogue in 1977.

Franklin was convicted of seven other murders across the country and claimed responsibility for up to 20 overall, but the Missouri case was the only one that brought a death sentence.

Franklin also admitted to shooting and wounding civil rights leader Vernon Jordan and Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, who has been paralysed from the waist down since the attack in 1978.

Flynt had sued to stop Franklin's execution because he doesn't believe the death penalty is a deterrent.

Mike O'Connell, of the Missouri Department of Corrections, said Franklin was pronounced dead at 6.17am local time.

The execution was the first in Missouri using a single drug, pentobarbital.

Franklin's fate was sealed early on Wednesday when the US Supreme Court upheld a federal appeals court ruling that overturned two stays granted on Tuesday evening by district court judges in Missouri.

Franklin's lawyer had launched three separate appeals: One claiming his life should be spared because he is mentally ill; one claiming faulty jury instruction when he was given the death penalty; and one raising concern about Missouri's first-ever use of pentobarbital.

Franklin, a paranoid schizophrenic who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, was in his mid-20s in 1977 when he began drifting across America, robbing up to 16 banks to fund his travels.

He bombed a synagogue in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July that year.

No one was hurt, but the killings began soon after that, many of them sniper shootings.

Franklin had a particular dislike for interracial couples - several of his victims were black men and the white women with them.

He arrived in suburban St. Louis and picked out Brith Sholom Kneseth Israel synagogue from the phone book.

On October 8, 1977, a bar mitzvah ended and guests were in the parking lot when Franklin opened fire from a grassy area nearby, killing Gordon, 42.

The killings continued for three more years.

Franklin was finally caught after killing two young black men who were about to go jogging with two teenage white girls in Salt Lake City in August 1980.

Years later, in federal prison, he admitted to the St. Louis County killing and was sentenced to death in 1997.

Franklin, in the days leading up to the execution, said in several interviews that he was sorry for his crimes and was no longer a racist.

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Cafferkey killer to appeal over sentence

THE man sentenced to die in prison for killing Sarah Cafferkey and dumping her body in a bin is appealing over his life without parole sentence.

Steven James Hunter, 47, was told he would never be released when he was sentenced to go to jail for the stabbing-death of Ms Cafferkey at his Bacchus Marsh home on November 10 last year.

On Thursday, the Victorian Court of Appeal will hear an application for leave to appeal against that sentence.

The two-time killer pleaded guilty to the crime, committed 11 days after his parole ended for kidnapping and assaulting a man.

Hunter told police upon his arrest he should be locked up until he dies, though his lawyer Tim Marsh later argued he should be spared life without parole.

In September, Mr Marsh lodged an appeal with the Victorian Court of Appeal.

Ms Cafferkey, 22, was Hunter's second murder victim.

He first killed in 1986 when he stabbed work colleague Jacqueline Mathews for rejecting his sexual advances.

He then doused her body in petrol and burned it beyond recognition.

He was jailed for 16 years for her murder in 1988.

He has also been convicted of a list of other offences, including assault, escaping jail and kidnapping.

In sentencing Hunter to prison with no opportunity for parole, Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bell said the murder fell into the worst category of the worst offence in the criminal calendar.

Hunter will not appear in court on Thursday when his application is heard.

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Patel to be sentenced for fraud

FORMER Bundaberg doctor Jayant Patel is due to be sentenced on Thursday for fraudulently working as a surgeon in Queensland.

The 63-year-old pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud in the Brisbane District Court last Friday.

All criminal negligence charges against him were dropped on the same day after the state's Director of Public Prosecutions decided further trials weren't in the public interest.

Patel was extradited to Australia from his home country the US in 2008 to face allegations of killing and maiming patients while he was a director of surgery at the Bundaberg Base Hospital between 2003 and 2005.

In 2010 he faced trial charged with three counts of manslaughter and one of grievous bodily harm and was convicted on all charges.

The Indian-born surgeon was sentenced to seven years' prison but the convictions were quashed by the High Court in 2012. He was released and separate retrials were ordered.

Patel was acquitted of manslaughter in the first retrial in 2013 and in October the jury in his grievous bodily harm trial was unable to reach a verdict.

He was formally discharged from the criminal negligence charges last Friday.

At the same time he pleaded guilty to dishonestly gaining registration as a medical practitioner in Queensland in 2003 and 2004.

He also pleaded guilty to dishonestly gaining employment at Bundaberg between March 2003 and April 2005.

Patel is due to be sentenced in the District Court in Brisbane.

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Indon halts people smuggling cooperation

Indonesia's president says he is suspending cooperation with Australia on people smuggling. Source: AAP

INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he is suspending cooperation with Australia on people smuggling in the wake of recent spying revelations.

The president also said on Wednesday that he would continue to demand an official explanation from Australia about revelations that Australian spies targeted his mobile phone in 2009.

"I am still waiting," Dr Yudhoyono said on Wednesday.

The president said he would send a letter of demand to the Australian government, requesting an official apology and an explanation from Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Indonesia will also suspend all military cooperation with Australia, the president said.

Australia Defence Minister David Johnston's office said there was no official confirmation yet that Indonesia had halted defence cooperation activities.

"But it is certainly on the record that it has stopped," a spokesman said.

"We are just waiting on the details of how this is going to play out."

At a press conference at his presidential palace in Jakarta, Dr Yudhoyono likened the spying claims to cold war tactics.

It's difficult for me to understand why the (wire-tapping) was conducted," Dr Yudhoyono said.

"Now is not the era of the cold war."

Dr Yudhoyono said "coordinated military cooperation" including naval patrols would cease immediately.

"I have asked for that to be halted until everything is clear," he said.

Suspending cooperation on people smuggling will deal a big blow to Mr Abbott's asylum seeker policies.

"You are well aware that we are facing a joint problem of people smuggling that has been a problem for both Australia and Indonesia," Dr Yudhoyono said.

"Indonesia and Australia is not in the position of confronting each other or in enmity."

The president said he could not understand why Australia had chosen to spy on a "friend and not the enemy", adding that he viewed the conduct of the Australian government as an illegal action.

Dr Yudhoyono said he wanted a personal explanation, insisting comments directed at "Australia's domestic community" would not suffice.

"If Australia wants to maintain a good relationship with Indonesia in the future, there must be an official explanation," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said cooperation in the area of intelligence gathering and the sharing of information would also be halted.

"I have also asked to stop for a while joint training between Indonesian soldiers and Australians, whether army, navy or air force," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said he wanted to make it clear that cooperation on combating people smuggling would not go ahead until he received an explanation from Mr Abbott.

"It's impossible for us to continue when we're not sure that there's no tapping of Indonesian soldiers who are performing a duty for both countries," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said that for cooperation to resume, Indonesia would in the future need "some kind of protocol, code of conduct as well as guiding principles".

"I'm still hoping and I believe that Australia is also hoping, especially the hope of people from both countries, Indonesian people and Australian people, that we still can have a good relationship and cooperation after we overcome this problem."

"Australia, I know they respect Indonesia's sovereignty," he said.

"I hope we can finish this, we solve this and then we review, we make new sets of rules, new agreements and then we can take steps ahead to continue the good cooperation and relationship between the two countries."

Dr Yudhoyono said that for cooperation to resume, Indonesia would in the future need "some kind of protocol, code of conduct as well as guiding principles".

"I'm still hoping and I believe that Australia is also hoping, especially the hope of people from both countries, Indonesian people and Australian people, that we still can have a good relationship and cooperation after we overcome this problem."

"Australia, I know they respect Indonesia's sovereignty," he said.

"I hope we can finish this, we solve this and then we review, we make new sets of rules, new agreements and then we can take steps ahead to continue the good cooperation and relationship between the two countries."

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Tax office to shed 900 jobs

THE Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will shed 900 jobs over the coming nine months as it searches for budget savings, with most of the job cuts linked to government plans to abolish its controversial mining profits tax.

The ATO said said about half of the 900 jobs would be from natural attrition, and the remainder would be from voluntary redundancies from its 23,000 workers, saving about $50 million this financial year.

While the ATO said it could not say which areas would be affected, it said the abolition of the mining tax could lead to about 200 jobs cut from offices in Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.

"Our best view is that we need to move our allocations down by about $50 million between now and the end of the financial year," the ATO's Geoff Leeper told a Senate estimates hearing.

"Our objective in announcing what we've announced today was to take action which allows us to live within our budget for this financial year and to position us for the financial years that lie ahead."

The mining tax, known as the Minerals Resource Rent Tax, imposed a 30 per cent super profits tax on major iron ore and coal mine projects. Laws to abolish the tax passed through the House of Representatives on Wednesday, but faces a more difficult passage through the Senate.

The opposition and Greens have the numbers in the upper house to block the laws, which may force the government to wait until the new Senate sits from July 1, 2014.

Mr Leeper said that while the abolition of the MRRT accounted for about 200 jobs, the remainder of the cuts were due to budget efficiency restrictions imposed by the former Labor government.

Earlier this week, the government said it would review its plan to cut 12,000 public service jobs through natural attrition, due to job cuts already in train through the former government's efficiency dividends, where departments and agencies receive across the board funding cuts.

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BoE minutes show unanimity on policy

BANK of England policy makers have voted unanimously to keep monetary policy unchanged, despite growing signs that Europe's third-largest economy is on the mend.

The minutes of the November 6-7 Monetary Policy Committee, published on Wednesday, showed that the nine-member panel thought the economic recovery was gathering pace.

It grew a quarterly rate of 0.8 per cent in the third quarter, however, they voiced "uncertainties over the durability of the recovery," particularly in regard to the economic outlook in Europe.

Given that backdrop, they voted to keep the Bank's key interest rate unchanged at the record low of 0.5 per cent and not to increase the monetary stimulus.

So far STG375 billion ($A645.16 billion) has been pumped into the British economy in an attempt to keep market rates low and encourage lending.

"The UK economy remained vulnerable to disorderly adjustment in the euro area and in some emerging economies," the minutes said.

Though the 17-country eurozone has emerged from its longest-ever recession, growth is muted; in the third quarter of 2013, it grew by only 0.1 per cent from the previous three-month period.

Over the past few years, the debt crisis in the eurozone has been one of the main reasons, along with a government deficit-reduction program and high levels of private indebtedness, that's held back the economic recovery in Britain.

Despite the recent pick-up in growth, the British economy remains about 2.5 per cent smaller than the start of 2008, before it slipped into its deepest recession since World War II.

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Deere profit beats US estimates

DEERE & Co's fourth-quarter net income has risen 17 per cent as it raised prices for its farm and construction equipment.

But it is predicting a slowdown in the farm economy and smaller profits for next year.

Crop prices have been dipping after setting record highs, so farmers have less money in their pockets.

Deere says that will hurt demand next year. It predicts that equipment sales will fall three per cent next year, and its profits will also decline.

For the most recent quarter Deere earned $US806.8 million ($A857.9 million), or $US2.11 per share. That was up from $US687.6 million, or $US1.75 per share, a year earlier.

The results were well ahead of the $US1.90 per share profit expected by analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Equipment revenue fell Five per cent to $US8.62 billion, matching analyst estimates.

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Double Nobel winner Fred Sanger dies in UK

SCIENTISTS have paid tribute to biochemist Fred Sanger, described as "the father of the genomic era" and the only Briton ever to win two Nobel Prizes, after his death at the age of 95.

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Constitutional recognition 'big issue'

PROMINENT indigenous rights leader Noel Pearson sees constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians as the looming "big issue" for the nation.

And he is confident Prime Minister Tony Abbott has the conservative confidence to pursue it.

Speaking at the 2013 Gough Whitlam Oration in Sydney, Mr Pearson said there were two problems with the current constitution - non-recognition of indigenous people and racial discrimination.

The Cape York Group chair said while we should do all we can to assist disadvantaged people, it should be done on the basis of individual need, not race.

"A person is not automatically disadvantaged because he or she is indigenous," he said on Wednesday night.

"A person should be rewarded on their merits and assisted on their means.

"Race and indigenousness should be irrelevant to matters of public welfare and government assistance.

"We need to move away from indigenous non-recognition to a recognition."

On making constitutional recognition a reality, Australia needs someone in conservative territory to gain the votes, Mr Pearson said.

"I think (Mr Abbott) can carry the confidence of rural and regional Australia and the old conservative Australia," he told AAP outside the event.

The question would be finding common ground on the constitution wording, he added.

Mr Abbott has flagged a shake up of indigenous affairs and has set up an indigenous advisory council to review relevant spending.

Mr Pearson supported the review, which he expects will find some programs are not serving the people they were meant to help.

"There is a lot of waste and a lot of need that is not being addressed so I see this as an opportunity really," he said.

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Christine Campbell quits Vic parliament

Labor MP Christine Campbell has announced she will quit Victorian parliament at the next election. Source: AAP

LABOR'S member for Pascoe Vale, Christine Campbell has announced she will quit state parliament at the next election.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Ms Campbell announced her retirement after 17 years of service.

"It remains my honour to represent the Pascoe Vale electorate in the Victorian Parliament and I have decided that on 28 November, 2014 I will conclude my time as a member of parliament," Ms Campbell said.

"Until the election, my magnificent electorate officers and I will continue to give the party and electorate our total service."

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Asylum seekers safe in Indonesia

INDONESIAN authorities say a group of about 50 asylum seekers are safe, after being rescued from a boat which had run into trouble in waters south of Java as it made its way to Australia.

An official with Indonesia's national search and rescue agency Basarnas said late on Wednesday evening that all of those who had been aboard the boat, including at least five children, had been brought to shore.

"We're still gathering information about where they are all from, but all are safe," the official said.

There had been earlier reports that at least some of the asylum seekers had entered the water as a rescue operation was mounted off the coast near the district of Bayah.

It's understood the boat issued a distress call at about 11.30am local time (3.30pm AEDT) after having engine and steering problems.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison late on Wednesday confirmed the incident, but added that no Australian authorities were involved in the rescue.

"We understand the incident occurred in close proximity to the Indonesian coast and Indonesian authorities are coordinating a search and rescue response," Mr Morrison said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

"We understand there are reportedly 50 people on board the vessel and reports indicate some people have entered the water and that local fishermen are and have been assisting."

The incident on Wednesday comes less than a week after another asylum-seeker boat was the subject of a search and rescue operation, and later a stand-off between Canberra and Jakarta about where the passengers should be offloaded.

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Abbott praises political foe Rudd

Tony Abbott (pic) is convinced his former political foe Kevin Rudd will continue to serve Australia. Source: AAP

TONY Abbott is convinced that one way or another his former political foe Kevin Rudd will continue to serve Australia.

Mr Rudd stood up at the end of the 44th parliament's first full working day and announced that he was calling it a day as a politician.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott responded by saying it was a significant moment in the life of a parliament for a former prime minister to depart.

Mr Rudd had been one of the big figures in the life of this country for the best part of two decades, Mr Abbott said.

"As a political opponent, but as someone who has known the member for Griffith quite well for a long time, I salute him and I wish him and his family all the best for the future," he said.

"I express my confidence that one way or another he will continue to serve our country and his party."

Mr Abbott said it took an extraordinary person to lead such an extraordinary country.

He said Mr Rudd won an election which pitted him against John Howard, the most successful prime minister of modern Australia.

"It takes extraordinary ability, insight, guts and focus to win such a contest. He didn't just win that contest in 2007, he triumphed," he said.

"We must pay tribute to someone of such stature who was able to vanquish in fair political fight someone of at least equal stature."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Mr Rudd was a large presence across the national political stage for some time, and could leave parliament with his head held high.

Mr Shorten attributed Australia's success in winning a seat on the United Nations Security Council largely to Mr Rudd's distinction on the world stage.

He also led Labor during a difficult time, and his return to the prime ministership before the September election had improved the ALP's fortunes.

"This is a tumultuous era in Labor, and with the member for Griffith's resignation tonight, part of it comes to a close," Mr Shorten said.

"I do not believe that we will see his like again in the Australian parliament."

He also said the former prime minister shared a special relationship with the Australian people, and attained a level of "above-politics celebrity".

Mr Shorten thanked Mr Rudd's family, saying they would now get their husband and father back after years of lending him to politics.

Treasurer Joe Hockey shared the limelight on breakfast television with Mr Rudd for many years.

"I have seen the Kevin Rudd that many haven't seen, including sharing semi-nakedness with him in a river in Papua New Guinea," he said.

"I think he is in many ways the luckiest guy in Australia: he married a beautiful woman."

Mr Rudd's second deputy prime minister, Anthony Albanese, lauded his achievements - but noted the former leader wasn't perfect.

"I probably regret the fact that Kevin called me 'Albo' at that first press conference," he said.

"Now everyone calls me Albo; it used to be just my friends."

But he said Mr Rudd's leadership during the difficult time after the leadership change was extraordinary.

Leader of the House Christopher Pyne praised Mr Rudd's passion and intellect, saying he could have chosen any distinguished career but had opted instead for a life of public service.

Mr Pyne thanked Mr Rudd for his friendship, especially while his wife was going through a difficult pregnancy a number of years ago.

"The member for Griffith could not have been more supportive to me as a human being," he said.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said Mr Rudd had rallied the Labor Party to victory at the 2007 election and defeated John Howard, the most formidable conservative campaigner in Australian history.

Many believed they would not win that election, and it was no accident that they had secured victory, he added.

But he said Mr Rudd's best years were still to come.

"As a relatively young man, (he) has much to contribute to Australia and the world," he said.

"His contribution is still there to be made and for all to see."

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Gay activists seek end to criminality

Activists are using the CHOGM meeting to press for an end to the criminalisation of homosexuality. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA and New Zealand are being urged to use a meeting of Commonwealth leaders to lobby for an end to the criminalisation of homosexuality.

Homosexuality is a crime in 41 out of the 53 Commonwealth nations, including CHOGM host nation Sri Lanka.

Ahead of the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka on Friday, a new report produced by the Kaleidoscope Trust details human rights abuses against gay and lesbian people.

Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Sir Shridath Ramphal, writes in the report: "It is a reminder that for most of the countries of the Commonwealth, the desecration of our fellow citizens began in the law.

"As with the abolition of slavery, the decriminalisation of homosexuality in our time must be an act of law."

The report details first-hand examples of attempted murder, beatings and harassment.

"I have lost two teeth, had my family property invaded and car damaged by two masked men," says Caleb Orozco, a gay man from Belize.

The report recommends that all countries which criminalise same-sex activity repeal the laws in line with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

It notes that while Australia had made significant progress in getting rid of gay discrimination from the statute books, there were still some flaws including the differing age of consent, adoption and civil union laws between the states and the gay panic defence in charges of assault and murder.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and NZ leader John Key will attend CHOGM on Friday.

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Labor to target Morrison at Question Time

Labor will pressure Scott Morrison to confirm reports of an asylum seeker vessel reaching Darwin. Source: AAP

THE federal opposition will pressure Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to confirm whether or not an asylum seeker vessel has landed in Darwin undetected.

The government has so far remained tight-lipped on reports a boat carrying Somali refugees reached Australia's northern coastline on Monday.

Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles said Mr Morrison should rectify his "arrogant" treatment of the public by addressing the issue during question time in parliament on Wednesday.

"Information should be managed to the Australian people on a public interest basis. A needs-to-know basis for managing information is simply not good enough," he said.

Mr Marles said the public needed to know whether those on board were safe.

"And we need to know what the plans are for those people going forward," he said told reporters in Canberra.

"Today, in our nation's parliament, speaking to our nation, there is the opportunity to minister Morrison to answer questions fully and completely about that incident."

Mr Morrison currently limits his comments on boat arrivals to his Friday weekly briefings with the head of the government's border security operations.

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Vic govt to act swiftly on abuse report

Toddler murder-accused's 'rage'

A MAN accused of beating a toddler to death has been heard in a telephone recording raging about misplacing his bong.

Dead turtles mystery deepens

HUNDREDS of sea turtles are washing up dead on the beaches of Central America and scientists don't know why.

The Notebook you never knew

WHICH pop star almost played the role of Allie? Here are ten surprising facts about the classic tear-jerker from 2004.

Bomb shelter discovered untouched

HIDDEN in the backyard of a mid-century home is a fallout shelter. Inside, the walls are lined with cans to survive weeks underground. The chamber is almost untouched since the Atomic Age.

Accused Gittany's bail revoked

SMILING for the camera, Simon Gittany and his relatives enjoyed time together at his niece's recent birthday party.

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Sants quits Barclays role

SIR Hector Sants has resigned from his post in charge of compliance at the UK's Barclays Bank after being signed off work with stress and exhaustion.

Barclays said Sir Hector, who was on sick leave until the end of the year, stepped down after deciding he would not be able to return to work in the near term.

His departure comes less than a year after he took on the role of head of compliance, government and regulatory relations at the scandal-hit bank - a post he took on after a gruelling five years at the helm of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in the run up to and throughout the financial crisis.

"Although only with us for 10 months, he has made significant progress towards creating a world class compliance function at Barclays and in improving our relationships with regulators and governments," Antony Jenkins, group chief executive at Barclays, said.

"I know my colleagues will join me in expressing our appreciation to Hector, as well as wishing him a speedy recovery."

Sir Hector's health woes come after Lloyds Banking Group chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio also took two months off at the end of 2011 due to sleep deprivation and exhaustion.

Barclays has launched the search for a permanent replacement for Sir Hector, with Allen Meyer, head of compliance, corporate and investment banking taking on the job on an interim basis.

The bank is also looking for a chief operations and technology officer following the resignation of Shaygan Kheradpir to become chief executive of a company based in the United States.

The compliance role left by Sir Hector is seen as a crucial part of the overhaul being led by Mr Jenkins.

His appointment marked the first time the bank brought its compliance operations under the control of one person and followed its STG290 million ($A499.14 million) fine last year for attempting to manipulate the Libor interbank lending rate - a scandal that threw the bank into turmoil and claimed the scalp of its former boss Bob Diamond.

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Berlusconi drops bid to topple Italy govt

Ex-supporters of Italy's Silvio Berlusconi look likely to undermine a bid to topple the government. Source: AAP

ITALY'S Silvio Berlusconi has abandoned his bid to topple Prime Minister Enrico Letta, saying he would vote to support the government after key allies rebelled in a humiliating climb down.

"We have decided to vote for confidence, not without internal disputes," Berlusconi said on Wednesday ahead of a confidence vote in parliament called after he launched his challenge to the leadership on Saturday.

Berlusconi said he had changed his mind on Wednesday after hearing Letta's promise to lower taxes and "the need for a government that can carry out institutional reforms in Italy".

The surprise about-turn made victory for Letta's coalition a certainty and was immediately cheered by the markets, with shares in Milan jumping 1.45 per cent after the shock announcement.

The difference between rates on Italian 10-year government bonds and benchmark German ones - a measure of investor confidence - also narrowed to 253 basis points from 260 points on Tuesday.

Letta shook his head as Berlusconi was speaking and the address was followed by stunned silence.

MPs were still set to vote despite the change of heart by a man who has dominated Italian political life for much of the past two decades.

Letta earlier asked MPs to vote for him, saying Italians were tired of "blood in the arena".

"Italy runs a risk that could be a fatal risk. Seizing this moment or not depends on us, on a yes or a no," Letta said in his address to the Senate.

"This is an historic situation," he said.

Several key figures from Berlusconi's own centre-right People of Freedom party (PDL) broke ranks with the billionaire media mogul after his decision to call time on the government and pull his ministers from the cabinet on Saturday.

Letta immediately condemned the move as "crazy and irresponsible" and Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, national secretary of Berlusconi's party, reacted by saying he would be "pro-Berlusconi in a different way".

A letter doing the rounds in the Senate just before Berlusconi spoke had 23 signatures of PDL senators willing to defy their leader.

Together with votes from four rebels of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, this would have been sufficient for Letta to win a majority even without Berlusconi's support.

"Italians are crying out that they cannot take any more blood in the arena, with politicians who slit each other's throats and then nothing changes," said Letta, a 47-year-old moderate leftist.

Tensions within the coalition have spiked since Italy's top court upheld a tax fraud conviction against Berlusconi in August, which could see him ejected from the Senate later this month and barred from taking part in elections.

Analysts warn recession-hit Italy's fiscal policy targets are still at risk and the political drama could delay the 2014 budget.

The country is suffering the longest downturn since the Second World War and is struggling to meet a public deficit target of 2.9 per cent for this year - below the EU-mandated 3.0 per cent.

The jobless rate has also returned to a record high of 12.2 per cent, with youth unemployment also at its highest ever level of 40.1 per cent.

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Cotton On buys Supre

FASHION retailer Cotton On has bought the Supre fashion brand.

Supre was established in 1984 in Sydney, and has grown to sell clothing for girls and young women in 157 stores across Australia and New Zealand.

Cotton On, which owns a range of fashion brands and the Typo stationery chain, was formed in Geelong, Victoria in 1991.

Its chief executive Peter Johnson said Supre would retain its own brand under the control of Cotton On.

"The support of the Cotton On Group will take Supre to the next level, strengthening its market position, store footprint and online presence," he said.

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Greens WA Senator requests recount

GREENS West Australian Senator Scott Ludlam has formally requested a partial recount of votes after preferences pushed his seat into the hands of the fledgling Palmer United Party (PUP).

The Australian Electoral Commission is expected to complete the request within 24 hours, a spokesman for Senator Ludlam said.

A 14-vote difference between two of the micro-parties - the Shooters and Fishers Party, and Australian Christians - meant preferences went against Senator Ludlam.

The spokesman said he had not requested a full recount, "just the relevant ones".

Greens leader Christine Milne said the state would lose an intelligent, passionate and respected environmental and social justice advocate if the recount provided the same result.

"The entire party room is devastated at the thought of Scott leaving the Senate next year," she said.

"It would be particularly hard given how close the result was."

Senator Ludlam said he was disappointed with the result.

He said it appeared PUP had been elected on roughly half the vote of the Greens, and the need for electoral reform was now urgent.

"That is the sort of result our voting system throws up from time to time," Senator Ludlam told ABC radio.

"It is an elegant system being expertly gamed and manipulated.

"The whole purpose of an electoral system is to accurately as possible reflect the voting will of the Australian people. It has let us down in this instance."

He said losing his seat was sinking in and added that anyone who thought politicians did "a crap job" should "just try it".

The Australian Sports Party's Wayne Dropulich, who was in the running for a Senate seat in WA, also lost out on preference votes and has also requested a recount.

When Senator Ludlam's term expires on June 30 next year, his seat will be filled by PUP's Zhenya Wang.

Also known at Dio Wang, he's the managing director of Australasian Resources, which is majority-owned by PUP leader Clive Palmer and hasn't produced any iron ore despite operating in the Pilbara for decades.

It's the third senate seat for the newly formed party, which installed former rugby league forward Glenn Lazarus in Queensland and former soldier Jacqui Lambie in Tasmania.

The Liberal Party again has three senators in WA, incumbents David Johnston and Michaelia Cash, and newcomer Linda Reynolds, once the chief of staff to former Senator Chris Ellison.

Representing Labor is incumbent Louise Pratt - who hangs on despite being shunted to the party's second place on the ballot ticket - and Joe Bullock, the former state secretary of the Shop Assistant's Union who was placed first after a factional split.

Mr Palmer, who is facing a recount after finishing only seven votes ahead of his Liberal National Party opponent in the federal seat of Fairfax on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, described PUP's Senate results as "a tremendous achievement in our election debut".

Mr Wang said he was humbled by his surprising win.

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Microsoft hands user data to Aust govt

MICROSOFT handed Australian government agents personal information about more than a thousand users in the first half of 2013, a transparency report reveals.

Between January and June, authorities made 1219 requests for access to data relating to 1462 accounts.

Microsoft granted 1050 (86 per cent) of those requests - handing over information such as email addresses, names, locations and internet protocol (IP) addresses.

However, the company did not disclose user-generated "content data" - which includes emails, documents and photographs.

Six requests did not meet legal requirements and were rejected, while the company was unable to find the requested data in 163 cases.

The report is the second Microsoft has released on government data requests.

The first revealed the company received 2238 requests from Australian authorities last year.

Globally, 64 governments made 37,000 requests concerning 67,000 accounts. More than 70 per cent came from the US, UK, France, Germany and Turkey.

Microsoft provided information 80 per cent of the time but only one in fifty requests led the company to release sensitive "content data".

The requests usually relate to criminal investigations but some involve "imminent emergencies" such as suicide threats.

The company sought to reassure users, stating on its website that fewer than one in every 10,000 users were affected by law enforcement requests during the reporting period.

Microsoft was unable to confirm the number of active Australian users.

"We place a premium on respecting and protecting the privacy of our users," the company said in the report.

"At the same time, Microsoft recognises that law enforcement plays a critically important role in keeping our users and our technology safe and free from abuse or exploitation."

Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo! have all released similar reports in recent months.

Transparency has emerged as a sensitive issue this year in the wake of leaks by former US government contractor Edward Snowden, which revealed that nine companies had turned over user data to the US National Security Agency.

Last month, Yahoo! released its first global transparency report, which revealed it had received 704 requests from Australian agents in the first six months of 2013, regarding 799 accounts or users.

The company granted full access to "content data" in response to 11 requests - handing over information such as the content of emails, uploaded files and Yahoo address, calendar and notepad entries.

It handed over "non-content data" in response to 305 of the requests, rejected 242 and found no data in 146.

Facebook's first transparency report, released in August, reported the social networking site received 546 requests regarding 601 Australian-held accounts in the first six months of 2013.

It granted information in response to 64 per cent of the requests.

In the same month, Twitter revealed it received 58 information requests from Australian authorities in the first half of the year, compared to fewer than ten in the second half of 2012. The microblogging site responded with information in a quarter of cases.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) recently confirmed to AAP that it made requests for data from Facebook but would not disclose the number or their nature.

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Fire burning near homes in small NSW town

A firefighter was allegedly attacked while trying to put out a fire in the NSW Southern Highlands. Source: AAP

AN out-of-control bushfire is threatening homes on the edge of a small fishing village on the NSW mid-north coast.

Firefighters were working near properties at the north at Harrington, near Taree, the Rural Fire Service said on its website.

A "watch and act" alert has been issued for the fire, with burning embers falling in the township.

Fire crews are working between the uncontained blaze and homes, the RFS says.

It says Crowdy Road is closed in both directions.

Locals are being advised to be ready to put out spot fires around their properties.

Meanwhile, the RFS has downgraded a bushfire burning in Sydney's northern suburbs from "watch and act" to "advice".

The blaze in Warringah is burning in bushland behind homes in Maitland Street, Cambage Court and McBrien Place at Davidson.

The RFS says no properties are under immediate threat, with firefighters conducting backburning in the area.

About 60 fires are burning across NSW, with 25 of them uncontained.

Earlier on Wednesday, a 21-year-old RFS volunteer was suspended after being charged with lighting a series of fires.

Fire caused considerable damage to bushland in the Lake Macquarie area during August and September.

Police allege the volunteer from Rutherford lit 10 small fires during that time.

He was charged with 10 counts of knowingly causing a fire and being reckless about its spread.

The alleged arsonist was refused bail and will appear at Toronto Local Court on Wednesday.

The charge comes after two men, aged 24 and 26, were on Tuesday charged following the bashing of an RFS officer in the state's Southern Highlands.

The officer was on his way to put out a shed fire when the men allegedly attacked him at Yanderra, police said on Wednesday.

The men have both been charged, with one to appear in court on Wednesday and the other on October 29.

The RFS officer was treated for minor injuries.

RFS Inspector Ben Shepherd says it's not yet known if the blazes at Harrington and in Sydney's north were deliberately lit.

"No, once again we'll be investigating it in due course," Mr Shepherd told Fairfax Radio Network.

"We want to concentrate at this stage actually just getting the fires under control, then we'll be looking at all avenues."

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Vic bikies appear in court after raids

On this day in history - October 3

TODAY is Thursday, October 3, the 276th day of 2013. There are 89 days left in the year.

Family defends 'hero' driver of deadly crash

THE man whose tanker erupted in a fireball, killing two men, has been described as a "very good and careful" driver by his family.

Beware of the KRuddinator

KEVIN Rudd's brother is yet to contact the former prime minister since his election loss, but is sure that, like The Terminator, "he'll be back".

'Get on Friend for Clive Churchill'

GRAND final week. Pearce v Cherry-Evans. SBW v Watmough. The refs' impact. CHAT LIVE with Paul Kent, Jeff Robson, Bill Harrigan and Braith Anasta.

Police fear second drug lab fire

A SECOND possible drug lab explosion in the space of 24 hours yesterday tore through a home in Sydney's west leaving a 43-year-old male occupant in hospital in a "very serious" condition.

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Australians pay off NBN FoI request

AND you thought fibre-to-the-home was fast.

Australians are so keen for information on the National Broadband Network (NBN) that they've helped pay an expensive Freedom of Information (FoI) request for ministerial briefings in just five hours.

Delimiter editor Renai LeMay on Wednesday used funding site Pozible to raise $2072 for the briefing "blue book" that was provided to new Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull last month.

The site has since achieved above its target, with 122 supporters pledging a total of $2262 as of 10pm AEST on Wednesday night.

Mr LeMay has promised contributors he'll publish the 545-page document on his technology website when he receives it.

However, it's highly unlikely users will get the full briefing afforded to Mr Turnbull, with the Department of Communications estimating that 97.55 hours of decision-making time will go into judging what portions of the blue book will be released.

Mr LeMay also warned contributors in his funding request that the Department of Communications had given him a preliminary warning that a "significant proportion" of the briefings won't be made available.

The internet push for the ministerial briefings comes less than one month after an online petition urging the coalition to reconsider its plans to create a fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network in place of Labor's existing fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) approach garnered 263,000 online signatures.

Labor's FTTH network connects every home and business with optical fibre cables, which provides download speeds up to 1000 megabits a second (Mbps), upload speeds of 400Mbps and aimed to be completed by 2021.

The coalition campaigned for a FTTN policy, which will rely on existing copper lines, and provide most homes with download speeds of 50Mbps and upload speeds of 5Mbps by 2019.

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Heat could cause 'massive' koala decline

On this day in history - October 3

TODAY is Thursday, October 3, the 276th day of 2013. There are 89 days left in the year.

Family defends 'hero' driver of deadly crash

THE man whose tanker erupted in a fireball, killing two men, has been described as a "very good and careful" driver by his family.

Beware of the KRuddinator

KEVIN Rudd's brother is yet to contact the former prime minister since his election loss, but is sure that, like The Terminator, "he'll be back".

'Get on Friend for Clive Churchill'

GRAND final week. Pearce v Cherry-Evans. SBW v Watmough. The refs' impact. CHAT LIVE with Paul Kent, Jeff Robson, Bill Harrigan and Braith Anasta.

Police fear second drug lab fire

A SECOND possible drug lab explosion in the space of 24 hours yesterday tore through a home in Sydney's west leaving a 43-year-old male occupant in hospital in a "very serious" condition.

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Qld man dies in hospital after car crash

A MAN seriously injured in a crash on the Bruce Highway in August has died.

The 29-year-old had been in the Princess Alexandra Hospital since rolling his car at Parklands on the Sunshine Coast on the evening of August 31, police say.

The Mooloolah Valley man died from his injuries on Wednesday.

Investigators are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Earlier Wednesday, a five-year-old boy died two days after a horrific crash on the New England High west of Brisbane.

A 37-year-old local woman was also killed when a truck and a 4WD collided on the highway near Toowoomba on Monday morning.

The seriously injured boy died in the Mater Children's Hospital.

Two other children under the age of 11 remain in hospital with serious injuries.

The 35-year-old man who was driving the truck sustained minor back injuries.

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LSD guru Timothy Leary's files go public

A New York library has released a vast trove of papers belonging to LSD guru Timothy Leary. Source: AAP

A TROVE of Timothy Leary's files could shed new light on the LSD guru, his controversial research into psychedelic drugs and the emergence of the 1960s counterculture.

The New York Public Library acquired the vast archive for an undisclosed sum from the Leary estate in 2011. It is making the material available on Wednesday for the first time to scholars and the public.

Leary was fired as a psychology lecturer at Harvard and coined the phrase "turn on, tune in, drop out". He advocated the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs including LSD.

Much of the material is previously unpublished. Leary estate trustee Denis Berry says it will force a reworking of the current narratives on Leary and the counterculture.

Leary died in 1996.

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Bus and train collide in Canada

A VIA Rail passenger train and a transit bus have collided at a crossing in Canada's capital, Ottawa, reportedly causing "multiple fatalities".

Witnesses say the front end of the double-decker bus was ripped off by the impact.

Ottawa Fire spokesman Mark Messier told CP24 television there are "multiple fatalities" and a number on the bus are injured.

Messier says there were no injuries on the train.

The accident occurred just outside a suburban train station in the city's west end in the middle of the morning commute.

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John Key hails UK-NZ relationship

NEW Zealand Prime Minister John Key has praised Britain for the friendship and support it showed his country after a deadly earthquake.

Mr Key met Prime Minister David Cameron in Downing Street on Wednesday, with the rebuilding of Christchurch after 2011's natural disaster on the agenda.

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the city on February 22 leaving more than 180 people dead. UK efforts have included sending search and rescue experts and raising cash to help.

Syria and the economy were also up for discussion between the pair at Number 10.

Mr Key told Mr Cameron: "We absolutely appreciate the friendship and support that you give us to the Christchurch earthquake, our soldiers have fought together in battles in many places, most recently in Afghanistan, and like you we share the great concern about what we see taking place in Syria."

Mr Cameron had said to the Kiwi premier: "I have never taken this relationship for granted. There are all the ties of history, language and people but actually it's a relationship we should do even more to build-on because in the modern interconnected world we live in it's these sorts of relationships that can be of real benefit to both of us.

"I'm very interested to hear about the rebuilding of Christchurch, to hear about the success of your government, to talk about the Syrian crisis, what's happening in the Middle East, talk about what more we can do on the economic and other agendas - loads of things to talk about but really great to have you here."

After the earthquake in 2011 Mr Cameron raised eyebrows when he initially expressed the UK's condolences via a text message to Mr Key, whom he has known well for some time.

He went on to pen a formal letter.

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Indonesia offended by coalition policy

A MEMBER of Indonesian parliament has labelled as offensive the coalition's lack of consultation on asylum seeker policy, indicating one-sided management of people smuggling could cause a rift between the two countries.

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Merkel launches minimum wage plan

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet has agreed to introduce a minimum wage for four million workers in 12 industry branches in its last meeting before Sunday's general election.

Launching a minimum wage emerged as a key election issue, with the opposition Social Democrats calling for a national standard setting the minimum wage at 8.50 euros ($A12.22) per hour.

However, Merkel's conservative-led coalition rejected a mandatory national minimum wage and instead agreed to introduce it on a sector by sector and regional basis following negotiations between employers and employees.

"Employers and employees do not need to have politicians setting reasonable wage levels that are fair to workers and keep jobs in Germany at the same time," said Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

Germany is one of the few Western countries that does not have a minimum wage.

About 11,000 stonemasons are scheduled next month to become the first to benefit from Merkel's new minimum wage plan, which sets an hourly rate of 10.13 euros in the eastern part of the country and 11 euros in the west.

This will rise to 10.66 euros in the east and 11.25 euros in the west from May 1.

The government plans to roll out a minimum wage set at similar levels to 11 more industry branches from the start of next year.

Construction workers, painters and decorators and security service employees would be among those who benefit.

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Air France to cut 2800 jobs

On this day in history

TODAY is Thursday, September 19, the 262nd day of 2013. There are 103 days left in the year.

Hero next door stopped a rapist

A MAN who rescued his neighbour as she was being sexually assaulted during a terrifying home invasion has been hailed a hero.

How child killer died of despair

Police believe a body beneath a bridge yesterday is that of Allyson McConnell, 34, who three years ago drowned her own sons.

37 kids hurt by mystery substance

A MYSTERY substance causing "burning eyes and skin" has shut down a school in Sydney's southwest with 37 children and one teacher suffering.

Nine years jail for Tanilla's mum

THE mother of Tanilla Warrick Deaves has been sentenced to at least nine years in jail for failing to get the toddler life saving care.

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Blackberry unveils all-touch phone

BLACKBERRY has officially unveiled its new all-touch smartphone as it ramps up attempts to claw back its share of the market.

Featuring BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2, the new all-touch BlackBerry Z30 smartphone, comes with a 13cm display and the largest battery ever to be built into a BlackBerry smartphone.

It also boasts technology designed to boost connectivity in low-signal areas.

BlackBerry's announcement comes two days before Apple's new iPhone hits shelves on Friday.

Latest findings from market research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech show BlackBerry had been the third most popular operating system (OS) this time last year, but sales have tailed off - commanding just 3.5 per cent of the market share, down from 11 per cent in Britain a year ago.

Blackberry's Carlo Chiarello said the new smartphone built on the solid foundation of the BlackBerry 10 platform with features like the BlackBerry Hub, the touchscreen keyboard and industry-leading browser.

"The smartphone rounds out the BlackBerry 10 portfolio and is designed for people looking for a smartphone that excels at communications, messaging and productivity," she said.

The Z30 will be available from select carriers and retailers in the UK and Middle East from the beginning of next week, with availability being rolled out in all other regions going into the holiday season.

Queues of eager customers have already formed in readiness for Apple's new 5S device, said to be twice as fast as its predecessor, which allows users to unlock their phone with the touch of a finger.

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UN Syria report expected Monday

A REPORT by UN inspectors investigating a chemical weapons attack in Syria could be released shortly, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn says.

"According to my information, the inspectors' report will come next Monday," Asselborn told Deutschlandfunk public radio on Wednesday.

Asselborn appealed to the Security Council's five veto powers to reach a consensus on dealing with the conflict, now in its third year. Luxembourg is a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

US President Barack Obama said in an address to the nation on Tuesday that, while diplomatic initiatives related to a Russian plan to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control had produced some "encouraging signs," it was too early tell if they would work.

Obama said the US would hold off on a planned military strike to give the diplomatic efforts a chance and would give UN inspectors the opportunity to report their findings.

In a televised speech from the White House, he cited Russia's willingness to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to relinquish chemical weapons and Damascus's sudden willingness to join the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

The US has repeatedly accused Assad's regime of using chemical weapons in an attack near Damascus on August 21, which Washington says killed 1429 people. The Syrian government has denied responsibility.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called for the UN experts investigating the use of chemical weapons near Damascus to complete their work as soon as possible.

"It is now of the utmost importance that they complete their report as soon as possible, that the work going on in laboratories in Sweden and Finland and elsewhere gives us the information ... that is already established through other reports that many member states and international partners have been engaged in," she told the European Parliament in Brussels.

The European Parliament is expected to vote on a Syria resolution on Thursday.

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Abbott urged not to rush first 100 days

PRIME Minister-elect Tony Abbott should not be aiming for a long list of accomplishments in his first 100 days of power - he should instead use this period to set out his reform agenda timetable.

That's the view of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia in a report on Thursday of what it believes should be the priorities of a coalition government in its first 100 days.

The institute's chief executive Lee White believes economic success would be increased if the government takes the time to set up robust policy-making processes from the outset.

"Setting up good processes isn't glamorous," he said in a statement.

"It won't deliver an overnight win but it's important work and if they get it right it will pay huge dividends throughout their time in office."

However, the report urges that the fixation on a set timetable to return the budget to surplus must change because it inflicts further stress on sectors that are already doing it tough, which could result in a worse economic outcome.

It says the new government must provide a budget update or mid-year economic and fiscal outlook within the 100 days, given some of the big ticket items it intends to roll out, such as Mr Abbott's paid parental leave scheme.

The institute believes the government has a big opportunity to kick-start the tax reform agenda, but warns Australia will be taking a step backwards if the carbon price is repealed.

"Driving businesses to become more carbon efficient is critical for our future," it says.

It says repealing the carbon price 18 months or more after it has been implemented will have a significant impact on business.

"While a transition 'back in time' might sound simple enough in theory, in reality, there will be a broad range of potentially significant consequences that government and business haven't yet fully considered, such as the potential impact on financial reporting and profit results."

It also says some concessions linked to the mining tax should be kept, even if the tax itself is scrapped.

"We are not looking for a long list of accomplishments at the end of the first 100 days. Quite the reverse," Mr White says.

"We want the new government to set out its agenda, engage in consultation and work through a structured deliberative process of decision making before embarking on reforms."

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Asthma prevention vital for pregnant mums

PREGNANT women with asthma should continue taking their medication to prevent complications, says an Australian professor.

The problem is some fear side effects and stop doing so.

But taking medication is safer than going without, says Professor Guy Marks of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.

He's co-author of a report that says women who stop using their preventer medicines are at risk of developing pre-eclampsia, giving birth early or having an underweight baby.

If asthma is well controlled during pregnancy the prospects for the mother and child are the same as for women who do not have asthma, Prof Marks says.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting pregnant women in Australia, yet little is known about how many continue to use their preventer medication, says the paper published by the Institute of Health and Welfare.

It calls for population-level monitoring of asthmatic women and for them to have a health check in the first trimester and every four to six weeks thereafter.

Studies of pregnant women in Western Australia, Newcastle and Melbourne suggest about 12 per cent have asthma, but many women and health professionals are concerned about the side effects of medication.

Current clinical guidelines recommend continuing to take medication throughout pregnancy.

"But we really don't know how many women are sticking to the guidelines, or how well," says Prof Marks.

Better data collection would also help paint a clearer picture of who is getting care and who is missing out.

"The problems and solutions we identify along the way could also be used to help with the management of other common chronic diseases, like diabetes and epilepsy," Prof Marks says.

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Deloitte buys Aussie firms for domination

EDS: Embargoed until 0100 AEST, September 12.

BRISBANE, Sept 12 AAP - Multinational professional services giant Deloitte is buying up Australian software design companies in a bid to become the world's biggest business technology provider.

The UK private firm wants to become a $US1 billion digital player within five years, and will announce another three Australian technology acquisitions during the next six weeks.

"Because we have quite aggressive growth targets for the next couple of years, we're looking at additional acquisitions right now in the marketplace," Deloitte Digital lead partner Frank Farrall said.

Deloitte's latest acquisition, Digicon, was established by long-time friends Lola Weller and Nick Jaco in 1997 from a home office in the south-west Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket.

The Queensland government was among their early clients.

Two years after setting up, during the dial-up connection era, Digicon was advising the Brisbane Lions AFL team on the need for a catchy domain name.

"We were the ones that had a discussion with their management team at the time: 'No it shouldn't be BrisbaneLions.com.au, it should be Lions.com.au'," Ms Weller said.

"People have got to be able to remember and in those days it was foreign."

Digicon now employs 20 staff in a second-floor office in inner-city Spring Hill.

From early October, the web designers will also move into a new office on the 26th floor of Deloitte's Eagle Street offices in downtown Brisbane, as Deloitte expands its digital presence in Queensland.

But Mr Farrall insists the staff will still be allowed to wear neat casual attire instead of a suit and tie.

"You'll see a few more jeans, particularly on a Friday," he said.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu last year bought business technology group Logro in Melbourne, and acquired Australian corporate advisory firm Jackson Browne in 2011.

Its main rival PricewaterhouseCoopers is marginally the world's largest professional services firm by revenue.

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