Two ships crash off Japan

Two cargo ships have collided off Tokyo leaving five crew members injured, and another missing. Source: AAP

TWO cargo ships have collided off Tokyo leaving five Japanese crew members critically injured, and another missing.

The five sailors rescued on Friday evening from the Japanese-flagged Eifuku Maru No 18 were found in a state of cardiorespiratory arrest, the Japan Coast Guard said.

The coast guard was searching for the sixth crew member, the Kyodo News Agency reported.

The 498-tonne ship and the 2,962-tonne Jia Hui, registered in Sierra Leone, collided at about 1.25am on Friday near Izu Oshima island, 100km south of Tokyo.

The Japanese vessel, found capsized with all its crew missing, was heading for Chiba, east of Tokyo, from Nagoya, central Japan.

The 13 Chinese and Myanmar nationals that made up the Sierra Leone freighter's crew were rescued from waters nearby, Kyodo said.

The Jia Hui was on its way to Busan, South Korea, from Kawasaki, south of Tokyo.

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Two die on Vic roads in two hours

TWO women have been killed within two hours in separate Victorian crashes.

The first died after a head-on collision at Brucknell in Victoria's southwest.

Police say the woman's car collided with a van about 45km from Warrnambool, at about 3pm (AEST) on Saturday.

She died at the scene.

Police say another woman died in the Geelong suburb of Leopold, when a utility lost control and struck her car at about 5pm.

The woman, who was the only occupant in the car, died at the scene.

The deaths take Victoria's road toll to 172, compared with 197 at the same time last year.

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Asylum seekers 'abandoned' at sea

The Abbott government has been criticised for its tight-lipped stance on an asylum-seeker tragedy.

SURVIVORS from an asylum-seeker boat that sank off Indonesia claim their desperate pleas to Australian authorities for help were ignored as their vessel foundered in heavy seas.

The death toll from the tragedy was on Saturday expected to surpass 50, with 30 or so people still missing.

Indonesian authorities say that at least 21 people, including seven children, drowned when the boat, which was believed to be carrying about 80 passengers, sank on Friday off the coast of Java.

A decision on whether to resume the search would be made on Sunday morning, Indonesian officials said late Saturday.

Authorities fear for up to 70 asylum seekers still missing after their boat sank off Java.

The Australian government issued a statement on Saturday evening expressing its sympathies and saying that it would provide assistance to Indonesian authorities.

Immigration and Border Protection minister Scott Morrison said Australian authorities received a call about the vessel on Friday morning that placed the stricken boat about 25 nautical miles of Indonesia.

Mr Morrison said Rescue Coordination Centre Australia maintained co-ordination of the search and notified the Indonesian rescue agency.

An all-ships broadcast was issued by Australian authorities, but a merchant ship and a border protection aircraft were both unable to find the vessel.

The dead, wrapped in yellow bodybags, some stacked on top of each other, could be seen on Saturday, exposed to the sun and heat in an open storage room of a clinic in the village of Agrabinta, near where they had washed ashore the previous day.

Many were children.

One of the survivors, Lebanese man Hussein Khodr, had reportedly lost his pregnant wife and eight children in the disaster.

But some of the survivors say that more lives could have been saved, claiming that as many as 10 calls to Australian authorities were either eventually ignored or treated as a low priority.

"We called them and we told them we're sinking, we need anybody to help us," 28-year-old Abdullah al Qisi said, according to The Australian newspaper.

"And they were telling us 'we're coming, we're coming' and they didn't come," he said.

Initial reports suggested the boat first got into trouble about 10 hours into its journey and efforts were made to return to Indonesia before it sank.

There were also claims on Saturday that the crew had abandoned ship shortly after setting off, and that the passengers had been left to fend for themselves for five days, drifting around with no engine, before calamity finally struck on Friday.

A spokesman for the Indonesian search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, said his office was not advised of an incident involving an asylum-seeker boat until 8am local time on Friday.

He said the Australian Maritime and Safety Authority had contacted BASARNAS about the boat.

However, a police official from the district of Cianjur near where the boat sank said authorities were only alerted to the incident after bodies were discovered floating in an estuary on Friday morning.

Strong waves had limited search and rescue efforts on Saturday, although three more people were found alive, taking the number of confirmed survivors to 28.

It's the first known fatal attempted asylum-seeker crossing under the coalition government, which promised that it would stop boats reaching Australia after it won this month's federal election.

The sinking comes after another group of 44 asylum seekers were rescued by an Australian navy vessel in the Sunda Strait on Thursday.

It also emerged on Saturday that a third group of 31 asylum seekers had been rescued by an Australian navy vessel, and were set to be returned to Indonesia - the second "hand-back" in as many days.

The latest tragedy in waters between Indonesia and Australia comes amid an increase in tensions between Canberra and Jakarta over the asylum-seeker issue, and days ahead of talks in Jakarta between Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Mr Abbott and President Yudhoyno will meet on Monday, with asylum-seeker policy expected to be at the top of the agenda.

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Greek Golden Dawn leader, MPs arrested

GREEK police have arrested the leader and other top officials of the anti-immigrant Golden Dawn party on charges of forming a criminal organisation.

The arrests are an escalation of a government crackdown after a fatal stabbing allegedly committed by a supporter.

It is the first time since 1974 that a party head and sitting members of parliament have been arrested.

Police announced the arrests of 16 Golden Dawn members, including party head Nikos Michaloliakos, spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris and two other MPs.

The arrests included a local Golden Dawn leader in an Athens suburb while the rest were ordinary members.

Two police officials said an operation by the counterterrorism unit was still ongoing on Saturday morning, with a total of about 35 arrest warrants for Golden Dawn members issued.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly.

Despite the arrests, the party's MPs retain their parliamentary seats unless they are convicted of a crime.

Golden Dawn holds 18 of parliament's 300 seats, after winning nearly 7 per cent of the vote in general elections last year.

Michaloliakos had earlier threatened to pull the group's deputies out of parliament, a move that would prompt by-elections in 15 regions around the country.

"We will exhaust any means within our legal constitutional rights to defend our political honour," Michaloliakos said on Thursday.

"If the country enters a cycle of instability, it is those who demonise Golden Dawn who will be responsible, not (us)," he said.

The arrests come 11 days after the killing of anti-fascist activist rapper Pavlos Fyssas by an alleged Golden Dawn member.

Though the party has vehemently denied any role in the killing, the case has appeared to dent its appeal among Greeks and the government has worked to crack down on the party.

Golden Dawn expressed outrage at the arrests in a text message to journalists.

"We call upon everyone to support our moral and just struggle against the corrupt system! Everyone come to our offices!," it said.

A later text message called for supporters to head to police headquarters "with calm and order".

A small group of about 30 people initially gathered, standing on the footpath across the street from the building.

Golden Dawn entered the Greek parliament for the first time in May 2012, capitalising on Greece's deep financial crisis, rising crime and anti-immigrant sentiment.

The party's members and supporters have frequently been suspected of carrying out violent attacks, mainly against immigrants.

Despite its reputation for violence, the party had enjoyed growing popularity.

A government spokesman refused to comment on the details of the operation.

"Democracy can protect itself. Justice will do its job," Simos Kedikoglou told reporters.

In addition to Michaloliakos and Kasidiaris, Golden Dawn deputy, Ilias Panayiotaros, gave himself up at police headquarters, telling police they were looking for him at a wrong address.

Another MP, Yannis Lagos, has also been arrested.

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Ex-UK PM Thatcher's ashes laid to rest

The ashes of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher have been laid to rest in London. Source: AAP

BARONESS Thatcher's ashes have been laid interred in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Members of her family attended a short church service in the chapel of the central London site on Saturday before a solid oak casket containing her ashes was placed in the ground.

A headstone bearing the simple inscription "Margaret Thatcher 1925 - 2013" was being erected on top of her final resting place in the leafy hospital grounds.

Britain's first female prime minister died aged 87 on April 8.

Twelve Chelsea Pensioners dressed in their distinctive scarlet coats formed a guard of honour as her ashes were placed alongside those of her husband Sir Denis, who died in 2003.

Prayers were said by hospital chaplain the Reverend Richard Whittington as her family members comforted one another.

Among the small group of mourners was Lady Thatcher's former private secretary Lord Powell and Lord Bell, her former political adviser.

Her children each placed a single red rose alongside the casket.

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Tears as pair deny Lee Rigby murder

Two men have denied in a London court to murdering British soldier Lee Rigby in southwest London. Source: AAP

THE widow of soldier Lee Rigby broke down in tears as two men denied his murder in a London court.

Rebecca Rigby watched tearfully as Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink on Friday.

They also each denied attempting to murder a police officer on May 22, the day of Fusilier Rigby's death in Woolwich, southeast London, and conspiracy to murder a police officer on or before that day.

Both wearing red T-shirts and pale trousers, they appeared from separate rooms for Friday's hearing.

Adebowale sat in front of an HMP Belmarsh sign.

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Asylum seekers drown on way to Australia

AT least 20 people, mostly children, have drowned and scores are missing after an Australia-bound boat carrying asylum-seekers sank off Indonesia, police told AFP on Friday.

Twenty-five people were plucked to safety but about another 75 were unaccounted for after the boat, carrying people from Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen, went down off the main island of Java, police said.

Warsono, a police official in Cianjur district on Java, said that local people found the asylum seekers' bodies floating in an estuary on Friday morning.

"Local people found 20 dead bodies floating in the water, most of them are children," he said. "The number of deaths may increase."

"Local people said their boat had broken into several pieces," he added, although he did not know when the accident happened.

The official, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, added that the boat was believed to have been carrying 120 people when it went down.

He said they were asylum-seekers heading to Christmas Island.

An official with the Indonesian search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, confirmed to AAP on Friday evening that a rescue operation was ongoing, while warning that the death toll was expected to rise.

The official said early indications were that 25 people had survived, and had been taken to a school near the city of Cianjur.

"Local police are saying that 25 people have been rescued," he said.

"But the casualties might add up."

He said the search was ongoing.

Four boats had been deployed to search for survivors but the operation was postponed until Saturday morning.

The official said authorities were struggling to locate where the vessel had sunk.

BASARNAS was advised of a boat in distress at about 3pm local time on Friday, adding that the vessel had started taking on water off the coast of West Java, near the Sukabumi region, earlier in the day.

The BASARNAS official said Indonesian authorities had been alerted to the incident by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

It's believed to be the first fatal attempted asylum-seeker crossing under the coalition government, and comes after another group of 44 asylum seekers were rescued by an Australian navy vessel in the Sunda Strait on Thursday.

The group rescued on Thursday, which included four children, were offloaded at Indah Kiat port at Banten in the western part of Java at about 8am local time on Friday.

The two incidents come amid a ramping up in tensions between Canberra and Jakarta over the asylum seeker issue, and days ahead of talks in Jakarta between Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Mr Abbott and President Yudhoyno will meet on Monday with asylum seeker policy expected to be at the top of the agenda.

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US consumers boost spending 0.3 per cent

US consumers increased their spending slightly last month as their income grew at the fastest pace in six months.

The Commerce Department says consumer spending rose 0.3 per cent in August. That's up from a 0.2 per cent gain in July.

Income rose 0.4 per cent in August, the best gain since February and up from a 0.2 per cent July increase.

Private wages and salaries rose $US28.5 billion ($A30.59 billion), while government's increased $US2 billion.

Forced federal furloughs reduced government wages and salaries by $US7.3 billion.

Consumer spending drives 70 per cent of economic activity.

Many analysts forecast weaker overall growth of around two per cent in the July-September quarter, in part because of weaker consumer spending.

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William and Kate get new coat of arms

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a new coat of arms to represent them as a married couple. Source: AAP

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a new coat of arms to represent them as a married couple, Kensington Palace says.

The Conjugal Coat of Arms, shown publicly for the first time on Friday, was approved by the Queen this year and combines William's coat of arms and Kate's shield from the Middleton family coat of arms.

Designed by the College of Arms in London, conjugal arms traditionally show the separate shields of a royal husband and wife, side by side.

William's shield, on the left of the coat of arms, is his version of the Royal Coat of Arms granted to him by the Queen on his 18th birthday.

It sits alongside Kate's shield from the Middleton family coat of arms, granted to the family in 2011 ahead of her marriage.

The Conjugal Arms will be the couple's coat of arms forever, but parts of it could change as their own circumstances and roles change.

They will also keep their own coats of arms to represent themselves as individuals, Kensington Palace said.

The duchess was granted her own coat of arms by the Queen after her marriage to William in 2011. It was made by putting her father's arms next to her husband's, in what is known as an impaled coat of arms.

The left shield on the Cambridges' new conjugal coat of arms is taken from the coat of arms given to William by his grandmother on his 18th birthday and shows the various royal emblems of different parts of the United Kingdom: the three lions of England, the lion of Scotland and the harp of Ireland.

It is surrounded by a blue garter bearing the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense - Shame to those who think evil of it - which symbolises the Order of the Garter, of which he is a Knight Companion.

Kate's shield on the right shows her family arms, granted to her father Michael in March 2011 before the royal wedding.

It is divided vertically with one half blue and the other half red, and includes a gold chevron across the centre with white "cotises" either side.

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UK urged to follow Australia on cig packs

A leading cancer charity is calling on the British government to introduce plain cigarette packs. Source: AAP

A LEADING cancer charity is calling on the British government to follow Australia's lead and introduce plain cigarette packs.

The calls come after a Cancer Research UK-funded study found youngsters preferred novelty packaging from leading cigarette manufacturers to plain packs.

The research also suggests glamorous cigarette packaging tempts young people who have never smoked to take up the habit.

"The UK must follow the lead of Australia and introduce plain, standardised packs as soon as possible," said Professor Gerard Hastings, Cancer Research UK's social marketing expert at the University of Stirling.

"This research continues to build the case to protect vulnerable children from the might of the tobacco industry's marketing," he added.

The new research, published in the journal BMJ Open, examined the reactions of 1025 UK children aged 11 to 16 who had never tried smoking.

They were given three different types of cigarette packs: regular, novelty and plain, standardised packs.

Novelty packs included those with an unusual shape, colour or system of opening, while standardised packs were brown with all branding removed apart from a brand name.

Researchers found that children preferred the colourful and novelty packs from leading manufacturers.

They included Silk Cut Superslim's slim pack shape, the Marlborough Bright Leaf pack which opens at the side in the style of a Zippo lighter, and Pall Mall's bright pink pack.

Children who liked these packs were the same children who said they were more tempted to smoke, the study also found.

In contrast, plain, standardised packaging reduced the appeal of smoking to the youngsters.

"The urge the Government to introduce plain, standardised tobacco packaging to reduce the number of young people who take up smoking," said Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive.

In July, the UK Government denied claims it had caved in to the tobacco industry after it put plans to introduce plain cigarette packaging on hold.

A decision has been delayed so more time could be spent examining how similar plans were working in Australia.

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UK shops sorry for mental patient costume

TWO British supermarket chains have apologised for selling Halloween costumes that made insensitive references to mental health issues.

Mental health groups condemned retailer Asda for offering an outfit including a blood-splattered straitjacket and a meat cleaver, labelled as "mental patient fancy dress costume."

Paul Jenkins, chief executive of the charity Rethink Mental Illness, said the costume was "breathtakingly insensitive" and would add to the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Asda, which is owned by US retail giant Wal-Mart, said on Thursday it was "deeply sorry" and would be making a large donation to a mental health charity.

Tesco also apologised, for a costume consisting of an orange boiler suit emblazoned with the words "Psycho Ward."

Both stores said the costumes had been removed from sale.

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Mandela responding to treatment: Zuma

The South African president says former leader Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment at home. Source: AAP

THE South African president says former leader Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment at his home, where a team of doctors is caring for him.

Authorities have previously described Mandela's condition as critical.

The 95-year-old former president and leader of the anti-apartheid movement was discharged from a hospital on September 1, nearly three months after he was admitted for a recurring lung infection.

The South African Press Association quotes President Jacob Zuma as saying in a speech released on Wednesday that Mandela continues to respond to treatment.

The speech was prepared for delivery at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Mandela's grandson Mbuso Mandela told The New Age newspaper his grandfather was "sitting up and looking around" and had spent the Tuesday public holiday surrounded by family.

"I saw him again yesterday (Wednesday) at lunch. He is doing well," he said, adding that "we are keeping him company".

He stressed that Mandela was "much better" and not completely bed-ridden.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison during white minority rule.

He led South Africa through a delicate transition to all-race elections that propelled him to the presidency in 1994.

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Victorian thieves target service stations

UNSUSPECTING motorists are being targeted by thieves at service stations in Melbourne's northwest.

Police are investigating a number of thefts from parked cars this week in St Albans.

The offenders, who are removing valuables such as handbags and wallets, are targeting drivers as they leave their vehicles to pay for their petrol, police say.

A service station was targeted by thieves on the corner of Main Road West and Station Road on September 22 and 24.

Thieves struck again on September 23 at a service station at the corner of Kings Road and Gillespie Road. Police are appealing for witnesses.

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Shark antibody 'anti-cancer weapon'

A TYPE of antibody found only in the blood of sharks could help tackle breast cancer, scientists have said.

It is thought that the unique IgNAR antibodies could be used to prevent the growth of cancer cells and research into them could lead to the development of new drugs to fight one of the most common form of the disease.

Biologists from the University of Aberdeen have been awarded STG200,000 ($A345,660) by Scottish cancer research charity the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) to carry out a three-year study.

Their work will focus on two molecules, HER2 and HER3, found on the surface of cancer cells which, when they pair-up, are responsible for signalling cancer cells to grow and divide.

Potentially, IgNAR antibodies could be used to stop these molecules from working and sending the signal.

"IgNAR antibodies are interesting because they bind to targets, such as viruses or parasites, in a very different way to the antibodies found in humans," said Dr Helen Dooley who is from the university's School of Biological Sciences and will lead the study.

"They can do this because their attachment region is very small and so can fit into spaces that human antibodies cannot.

"We believe we can exploit the novel binding of IgNAR and use it to stop HER2 and HER3 molecules from working, and prompting cancer cells to grow and divide."

Very high levels of HER2 are found on the surface of cancer cells in women who have HER2-positive breast cancer, this affects around a quarter of women with breast cancer.

While HER2-positive breast cancer can be treated with drugs but resistance to this successful treatment is a growing problem.

"With the funding from AICR we can begin to explore the potential of IgNAR as a future treatment for breast cancer," Dooley said.

"This is only the first step in a very long process but if our hypothesis holds true we hope to develop new anti-cancer drugs based upon these unique shark antibodies."

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Human remains found on Concordia wreck

Divers searching for the last two missing victims of the Costa Concordia have found human remains. Source: AAP

SCUBA divers searching for the last two missing victims of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster have found human remains aboard the wrecked hull, Italian authorities say.

The remains "could be ascribable to the persons we are looking for," the head of Italy's Civil Protection agency, Franco Gabrielli, told the SkyTG24 news channel.

"Only DNA testing will be able to confirm it," he added.

Indicating that the analyses would be carried out "in the coming hours," Gabrielli urged caution.

"Nothing is definite, let us wait for the exams," he said.

Thirty-two of the 4229 people on board the vessel died after it ran aground off the island of Giglio on January 13, 2012.

But the bodies of Indian waiter Russel Rebello and Italian passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi were never found.

Gabrielli said it was "almost a miracle" that they could be identified 20 months after the disaster.

The search for the victims resumed on Tuesday, a week after the Concordia was righted from the half-capsized state it laid in after crashing against rocks.

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Victim named in WA desert rally crash

A MAN killed in a long-distance off-road rally in Western Australia's north west has been named as Ivan Erceg.

The moto competitor had an accident at stage one of the Australasian Safari, about 50km east of Minilya near Carnarvon, on Wednesday at 9.30am (WST).

Emergency services were quick to assist the man, who was believed to be in his early 40s, but he died at the scene.

An Australasian Safari spokeswoman said the remainder of the leg had been cancelled.

The event will resume tomorrow, she said.

The event organisers extended sympathies to Mr Erceg's family, team members and friends.

"Ivan was one of life's huge characters and was loved by the entire Safari family," they said on their Facebook page.

"He was a true competitor who loved his motorbikes and the mateship of competition. He will be sorely missed."

Police have seized the bike and a full investigation of the circumstances surrounding Mr Erceg's death has commenced.

Organisers have also arranged for a pastor and counsellors to be available at the race site.

Tributes flowed on the Australasian Safari's Facebook page.

Kevin O'Bryan wrote: "One of the most respected desert racers Australia wide."

James Arnold posted: "Condolences... R.I.P. you mad man, will be missed."

Karlie Conner wrote: "A safari legend who will be missed by all."

The WA government sponsors the Australasian Safari through Eventscorp, a division of Tourism WA.

It is an annual off-road rally for four-wheel drives, side by sides, motorbikes and quad bikes.

Considered Australia's toughest motorsport challenge, the event began on September 19 and runs until September 29.

It covers 3000km including Geraldton, the Gascoyne region, the Kennedy Ranges, Carnarvon and Kalbarri.

The extreme motorsport event attracts competitors from countries including China, France, Sweden, Britain, Thailand, South Africa, Botswana, the US, Italy and Germany.

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Council worker asked to cover up asbestos

A FORMER northwestern NSW council worker claims he was asked to cover up dumped asbestos with green waste and garbage.

Mark Sankey said he worked at landfill sites for Gwydir Shire Council from 2008 until March this year.

On numerous occasions he alleges he was asked to cover dumped asbestos with garbage, green waste, push it into walls and sometimes burn it.

"When I was first in that job I was exposed to asbestos many, many times," he told AAP on Wednesday.

"They would ask me to just push the asbestos under the garbage so people couldn't see it."

He said only two landfills in the shire were locked, allowing dumping to occur overnight.

It was only after he began receiving training on how asbestos was to be properly disposed of that he began questioning the requests.

"When I asked questions they threatened me with my job."

In March, Mr Sankey said he was made redundant after being told his skills were no longer required.

Gwydir Shire Council was not immediately available to comment on Mr Sankey's claims, which come after the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia (ADFA) accused the council of unsafe work practices and illegal dumping, which is potentially putting the residents at risk.

ADFA president Barry Robson said worried Warialda locals had reported council workers cutting asbestos cement pipes in a residential street without safety equipment or warnings.

He also said there were reports asbestos was being illegally dumped or "simply being tossed over the fence of local tips".

But Gwydir Shire Mayor John Coulton dismissed the reports as "unfair and misleading", saying safety concerns had been fully investigated.

"The council is confident that no staff member or member of the public has been endangered during the water pipe replacement program in Warialda," he said in a statement.

He also rubbished allegations workers in the small town were told to misclassify asbestos waste to minimise disposal costs.

WorkCover NSW and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) have both confirmed they were looking into the claims.

The EPA said it received a report from Gwydir Shire Council on September 19 saying the council had inadvertently deposited about 10 cubic metres of soil with bonded asbestos pipe on council-owned lands at Warialda.

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Indian floods force 15,000 to evacuate

Floods in western India have killed two people and forced 15,000 to evacuate. Source: AAP

MASSIVE flooding has forced 15,000 people to evacuate villages in the west Indian state of Gujarat, where heavy rains and swollen rivers have inundated cities and closed off roads and railway lines.

Officials say two people have died in flood-related incidents.

Schools across the districts of Bharuch, Vadodara and Surat remained closed Wednesday, while fire brigades, police and disaster response teams were working to rescue people.

People waded through thigh-deep water on the streets of the state's main city of Ahmedabad, where waterlogged cars and buses became stranded.

In the city of Vadodara, animal activists say at least four crocodiles have been recovered from roads and courtyards.

The floods followed heavy rains that caused rivers including the Vishwamitri and the Narmada to swell above levels considered safe.

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Sports cars, glamour usher in Bond novel

Author William Boyd has unveiled the new James Bond novel, Solo, in London. Source: AAP

FLANKED by vintage sports cars and glamorous flight attendants, author William Boyd has unveiled the new James Bond novel, Solo, in which he opts for a 1960s settings for 007's exploits.

Setting off from The Dorchester hotel in London on Wednesday, copies of the book were driven in a convoy of Jensen cars to London's Heathrow Airport from where they were flown to Amsterdam, Cape Town, Delhi, Edinburgh, Los Angeles and Sydney.

Boyd said the novel, adorned with a dust cover pierced through with six 'bullet holes', was the culmination of a lifelong passion for the original books about the dashing British secret agent, penned by Ian Fleming.

"I was always interested in Fleming, the man, to such an extend that I had to put him in one of my novels, in 2002, Any Human Heart," he said.

To prepare for writing the latest Bond novel, Boyd re-read all the Fleming books, "in chronological order, pen in hand, taking notes".

"I came to admire what he's done as a writer," said Boyd, who decided against donning a Bond-like dinner suit for the occasion and came in a blue suit and white shirt instead.

Solo steps away from the cinema incarnation of Bond - currently played by the muscular Daniel Craig - and portrays 007 as a veteran agent sent to single-handedly stop a civil war in the fictional West African nation of Zanzarim in 1969.

The plot also takes Bond to Washington, where he discovers a complicated web of geopolitical intrigue, and to a host of cities around the world.

Before packing his bags, Bond has - naturally - enjoyed a night at The Dorchester and the start of a potential love affair with a beautiful woman.

Boyd said the superspy's worldly ways with the opposite sex had been an eye-opener for him as a schoolboy.

"I was probably too young at the time to read these books. I remember reading From Russia With Love while I was at prep school in the north of Scotland - we used to read it to each other after lights out, it was a kind of illicit thrill."

Yet he insisted that Bond was a complex character who was not merely seeking quick flings.

"Bond wants relationships with women, not just casual sex," he said.

"I haven't set out to make Bond ultra-modern but there is no doubt that he is aware of how the world has changed around him."

Boyd is the latest big-name author to take on a Bond novel. The last two were penned by Sebastian Faulks (Devil May Care, in 2008) and Jeffery Deaver (Carte Blanche, in 2011).

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Vic man punched to head while shopping

A MAN is fighting for his life after he was punched to the head at a shopping centre in Victoria's southwest.

The 46-year-old man from Bannockburn was allegedly assaulted just after 12pm (AEST) in Belmont by another man, who fled after the confrontation.

Suffering from severe head injuries, the victim was taken to the Geelong hospital and then airlifted to The Alfred hospital with life-threatening injuries.

A 41-year-old Norlane man was arrested and is currently assisting police with their enquires.

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Juratowitch stands tall to win ANTM

Melbourne high school student Melissa Juratowitch (R) has been crowned Australia's Next Top Model. Source: AAP

MELBOURNE high school student Melissa Juratowitch has become an accidental hero after winning Australia's Next Top Model.

The 16-year-old won a public vote to claim the Fox8 series from bubbly Nyadak "Duckie" Thot and well-spoken Shanali Martin on Tuesday night at the Star Casino in Sydney.

In a winner-take-all finale, Juratowitch pocketed $20,000 cash from TRESemme, a Nissan Dualis, a modelling contract with IMG and she will also appear on the cover of Harper's Bazaar.

The year 11 student not only never set out to audition for the series, but she was also the shortest model in the competition.

Standing just 173cm, Juratowitch was about five centimetres shy of the height minimum US IMG scouts had stated (5'10") they were looking for when they held auditions earlier this year.

In fact, Juratowitch only went to the auditions as a spectator and was plucked out of the crowd by the judges who are asked her to try out despite her lack of stature.

"I went along to the auditions because I had been along with my mum to watch them every year and I was standing there and all the judges were staring at me," Juratowitch said.

"So I got up on stage and now I am here and it's insane. It's so incredible."

Juratowitch said she's mindful of her height and worked hard during the season to try and put it out of her mind.

"My height has always been an issue during his whole competition," she said.

Australia's Next Top Model started with 15 models and a dozen were eliminated throughout the series on the opinions of Alex Perry, Didier Cohen, Charlotte Dawson and host Jennifer Hawkins.

However, Tuesday's finale was decided purely by viewer votes and the three finalists used social media to try and build their fan base and their votes.

Juratowitch's plans almost came unstuck when her Facebook and Twitter accounts were hacked earlier this month and deleted, forcing her to start again.

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Pyne reveals plans for university shake-up

AXING compulsory university fees collected to support student services and scrapping Labor's targets to lift participation by disadvantaged students are part of the Coalition's plan to overhaul the higher education system.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne described the student services and amenities fee introduced by Labor as "compulsory student unionism by the backdoor" and the Coalition would abolish it.

He told Fairfax Media that the Coalition would also axe Labor's target to increase participation by those from low socio-economic backgrounds to 20 per cent by 2020.

Instead the government will make "sensible, methodical reform" to encourage those from low socio-economic backgrounds to attend university, he said.

A review of the demand-driven system is one of his top priorities for the higher education system, which could see the return of caps on university places.

He said the review would consider if the demand-driven system was impacting on the quality and reputation of the higher education system.

"It's a very important reputation to maintain and the poison that would undermine that reputation would be a diminution in quality," he said.

The former Labor government abolished caps on the number of Commonwealth-supported university places, helping almost 200,000 more students access higher education.

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Poisoned elephant death toll rises

ZIMBABWEAN authorities say at least 81 elephants have been killed for their ivory tusks by poachers using cyanide poison in water holes in a vast western national park.

Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi, in Harare on Tuesday after touring Hwange National Park, said more elephant carcasses were discovered after a first count of more than 40 earlier in the month.

Wildlife department officials said industrial cyanide, used in gold mining, was put in the park's remote water holes, killing smaller animals drinking there and vultures and other predators feeding on the dead animals.

Nine alleged poachers were arrested after rangers tracked them to a cache of ivory hidden in the park.

Zimbabwe's state media reported Tuesday that newly-appointed environment minister Saviour Kasukuwere has vowed harsher jail penalties for poachers.

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Labor leader hopefuls praise each other

Voters support Anthony Albanese (pic) over Bill Shorten as Labor leader, a new poll shows. Source: AAP

IT was all smiles and handshakes as Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten faced off at the first Labor leadership debate in Sydney.

The two men outlined their vision for Labor on Tuesday, without ever saying they were better than their opponent.

The event is part of their nationwide campaign to sway rank and file members ahead of the historic vote for Labor's leader under the party's new guidelines.

Mr Shorten started the night by plugging his platform of "Party, Policies and People".

"We cannot gift-wrap the election result. We came second. More than that only 34 in every 100 Australians put a number one next to us," he said.

"We are attacked on the left by minority parties ... we have over a million and a half Australians who have moved their vote from us to the Coalition in the recent years."

He said Labor would win back these people on ideas, positivity and fighting for those who needed a champion.

Meanwhile Mr Albanese - who is running on the slogan "Vision, Unity and Strength" - opened by heralding the reforms that had brought the rank and file to the debate.

Speaking to a packed room of young, old and in-between, Mr Albanese was met with applause when he said the process was giving ownership of the party back to their "main strength" - their members.

The former deputy leader pointed to his credentials as a member who had sat through an opposition and then worked within a difficult parliament to get legislation through.

Mr Albanese said his vision for the party would simply be based upon what people were talking about around the kitchen table, such as better education, health care, child care and job security.

Throughout the night he also pointed to the issue of sustainability, eliciting laughs when he remarked: "climate change didn't end when Tony Abbott became Prime Minister".

As the floor opened up to questions, a man received rousing applause when he asked whether both contenders were prepared to lose an election on a more humane refugee policy.

However, both men defended Labor's tough-love approach, saying they didn't want people to die at sea.

As people quizzed the contenders on a range of issues, including aged care, science and the role of women in the Labor leadership, the difference between the two men's policies were largely indistinguishable.

But Mr Shorten wanted to make it clear that Labor was no longer just about the leader.

"The era of the messiah is over. No more messiahs," Mr Shorten roared to widespread applause.

The men, both dressed in dark suits, white shirts and red ties, ended the night by talking up the attributes of each other, as well as their own.

Labor faithfuls said they hoped the leadership vote would breathe new life to the party.

"It feels like we're part of history being here tonight," Felicity Wade told AAP.

"All of a sudden we've got a stake beyond just working our guts out for the cause."

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NSW families get up to $250 power rebate

NSW families could receive up to $250 to help manage their electricity bills under this financial year's rebate, the government says.

State Energy Minister Chris Hartcher on Tuesday called on eligible families to take advantage of the energy assistance on offer.

The rebate, which will rise from $125 on 1 July 2013 to $150 by 2014, is available to households who currently receive the Commonwealth Government's Family Tax Benefit A or B.

More than 540,000 families across NSW are eligible to receive the rebate as a credit on their electricity bill, he said.

If families are also eligible to receive the NSW Government's Low Income Household Rebate, households could be saving up to $250 off their electricity bill.

"The process to apply for the rebate has never been easier with an online application form to help busy households receive the assistance measure," he said in a statement.

"The money is there, the funding for assistance is available and so I urge eligible families to submit their application for the 2013/14 financial year."

Families can apply online at www.energy.nsw.gov.au/customers/rebates or by calling the Energy Information Line on 1300 136 888.

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Kidman supports 'China Hollywood' bid

NICOLE Kidman attended a star-studded event that has seen China's richest man announce plans to spend 50 billion yuan ($A8.79 billion) to build the country's version of Hollywood in the northeastern city of Qingdao.

Wang Jianlin's red carpet event in Qingdao on Sunday underlined his outsized ambitions for China's entertainment industry. Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Travolta and Leonardo DiCaprio rubbed elbows with Chinese stars including Zhang Ziyi, Jet Li and Tony Leung at the event in Qingdao, best known for Tsingtao Brewery founded when Germany colonised the city a century ago.

Wang's success in attracting the A-list actors to his launch, held the same day as the Emmy entertainment awards show in Los Angeles, also highlights how the centre of gravity in the global film industry is shifting to the east.

The tycoon said his company, Dalian Wanda Group, will build a state-of-the-art film studio complex in a bid to dominate China's rapidly growing movie market.

The Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis's 20 studios will include a permanent underwater studio and a 10,000 square-metre stage that Wang said would be the world's biggest. The facility will also include an Imax research and development centre, cinemas and China's biggest film and celebrity wax museums. The first phase is planned to open in June 2016 and it will be fully operational by June 2017.

A yacht marina, eight hotels and a theme park will be built to attract tourists.

The company has signed a preliminary deal with "a number of global film and television giants and talent agencies" to shoot about 30 foreign films a year. It did not name the companies.

Wang also hopes to attract more than 50 Chinese production companies to make at least 100 domestic films and TV shows a year at the studios, where sets will simulate locations from Europe, the Middle East and China's Ming and Qing dynasties.

He predicted China's film market would become the world's biggest in five years, and compared it to a big cake that foreign studios would love to share.

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Former KAP candidate facing army sacking

AN Iraq War veteran and former Senate candidate is fighting attempts by the Australian Defence Force to sack him.

Bernard Gaynor is facing a "notice to show cause for termination" from Chief of the Defence Force David Hurley.

Mr Gaynor has come under fire for controversial comments on social media about Islam, women and homosexuality.

The former Katter's Australian Party Queensland Senate candidate had his preselection revoked earlier this year after saying he did not want his children taught by gay teachers.

Mr Gaynor claims he is the victim of a miscarriage of justice and breach of procedural fairness.

"If my commission is terminated, it will be because I have defended Catholic beliefs from public attack," Mr Gaynor said in a statement.

"It will be an unjust punishment that will become a badge of honour. I will proudly take it to my grave and fearlessly wear it when I face my God and Eternal King."

The Army Reserve intelligence officer and father-of-five claimed he had been cleared of wrongdoing by two military investigations but remained concerned about the fate of his career.

In a leaked minute dated August 22, General Hurley questioned Mr Gaynor's ability to uphold the values of the Australian Army.

"Your public comments demonstrate attitudes that are demeaning and demonstrate intolerance of homosexual persons, transgender persons and women and are contrary to the ... cultural change currently being undertaken within the Army," he said.

A Defence spokeswoman said General Hurley had yet to consider Mr Gaynor's response to correspondence.

"During the decision making process, Defence will not publicly discuss deliberations concerning an individual's service in the Australian Defence Force," she said in a statement.

She said Mr Gaynor would be advised of the outcomes in due course.

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Delhi gang-rape convicts set to appeal

FOUR men sentenced to death in the Delhi gang-rape case are likely to appeal, their lawyers say.

A special trial court handed down the sentences on September 13 after finding them guilty in the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old student in December.

The case was referred to the Delhi High Court for confirmation of the sentence, which on Monday directed jail authorities to produce the men before it on Tuesday.

"Production warrants have been issued, now the court will inquire whether they want to challenge the sentence," said AP Singh, the lawyer representing two of the defendants.

"My clients have decided to appeal against the sentence and that is what we will inform the court. We can file the appeal within 30 days from the date of verdict," he said.

VK Anand and Vivek Sharma, lawyers for other defendants, also confirmed they would begin appeals.

"They have retained us as lawyers, barring last minute changes. The High Court will hear arguments from the prosecution and defence before deciding on the matter," Anand said.

The appeal could take up to a year, Indian media outlets reported citing legal experts.

A death sentence can be challenged in the High Court and the Supreme Court, after which the defendant can file a mercy petition with the president.

The Delhi gang rape led to protests across the country and international outrage, prompting the government to amend laws to apply stricter punishments for rape including the death penalty if the victim died or was left in a vegetative state.

The police charged six people initially. The case against one of the accused was dropped after he was found hanged in his cell in jail during the trial. The sixth accused, a juvenile, was found guilty by a juvenile court and sent to a correctional home for three years.

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East Timor bans martial arts clubs

EAST Timor police say there will be zero tolerance against those who continue to practice a local martial art after the government banned all clubs following deadly gang violence.

At least 12 East Timorese have been killed and more than 200 injured in the past two years as a result of fighting among rival pencak silat clubs, said Armando Monteiro, National Police detective chief, on Monday.

Two were killed in neighbouring Indonesia, while other deaths and injuries have occurred as far away as England and Ireland.

He said the number of casualties is likely higher since many people are afraid to report gang activity or go to the hospital for treatment.

"Any martial arts clubs members that violate the government resolution will be dealt with under the law," Monteiro said. There will be "zero tolerance for martial arts activities in the country".

Schools and clubs for pencak silat, an adapted form of the Indonesian martial art, have a long history in East Timor, with many students in the past fighting against Indonesia's military occupation.

They also became active clandestine members in supporting guerrilla fighters and some made significant contributions toward winning the country's independence in 2002.

Later, martial arts students became rivals and began killing each other in the streets, as happened in 2006 during a violent political crisis that left dozens dead and tens of thousands displaced in the tiny half-island nation.

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Turnbull called for NBN Co board's scalps

The communications minister has asked the NBN Co board to resign, a spokesman confirmed. Source: AAP

LABOR says the "trashing" of the national broadband network has begun after Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked NBN Co board members to resign last week.

A spokesman for Mr Turnbull confirmed late on Monday night that Mr Turnbull made the request ahead of the board meeting last Friday.

He declined to confirm NBN Co chairwoman Siobhan McKenna and all but one of her board colleagues have since offered their resignations.

The spokesman told AAP there may be an announcement about new board members soon.

It is understood the matter will be considered at a meeting of the federal cabinet as early as next Tuesday.

"And so the trashing of the national broadband network has begun," Labor communications spokesman Anthony Albanese said on Monday.

The resignations may relate to Mr Turnbull's comment earlier this month that while he had no criticism of individual members "it is remarkable that there is nobody on that board who has either run or built or been responsible for building or managing a large telecommunications network".

"Given that is the core business of NBN Co, that is a singular deficiency", Mr Turnbull said.

Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten said the Abbott government would stack the NBN Co board with its "friends".

The Abbott government has flagged at least three examinations into broadband: an independent audit of NBN Co's books, a review of its commercial progress and a Productivity Commission inquiry into broadband policy.

It wants to cut down the cost and speed up the rollout by changing from a fibre-to-the-premises to a fibre-to-the-node model.

NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley, who also sits on the board, announced his retirement in July but remains in the job during the transition.

Former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski has been flagged as a possible replacement for Mr Quigley.

The NBN Co website makes no mention of the resignations, but states: "This website is currently under review, pending the introduction of new government policy."

Liberal frontbencher Mitch Fifield said the government would ensure there was "good and appropriate governance" of the NBN.

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More than 60 killed at Pakistan church

Two suicide bombers have killed at least 53 people attending a church service in Pakistan. Source: AAP

A TWIN suicide bombing has killed more than 70 people at a church service in northwest Pakistan, the attack believed to be the deadliest on Christians in the country.

The bombers struck at the end of a service at All Saints Church in Peshawar, the main town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which has borne the brunt of a bloody Islamist insurgency in recent years.

Doctor Arshad Javed of Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital said 72 people had been killed and more than 100 wounded.

Provincial health minister Shaukat Ali Yousufzai confirmed the death toll and told AFP the provincial government had announced a three-day period of mourning in the state.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the "cruel" attack, saying it violated the tenets of Islam.

Sahibzada Anees, one of Peshawar's most senior officials, told reporters the bombers struck when the service had just ended.

"Most of the wounded are in critical condition," he said.

"We are in an area which is a target of terrorism and within that area there was a special security arrangement for the church. We are in a rescue phase and once it is over we will investigate what went wrong."

Former minister for inter-faith harmony Paul Bhatti and provincial lawmaker Fredrich Azeem Ghauri both said the attack was the deadliest ever targeting Christians in Pakistan.

The small and largely impoverished Christian community suffers discrimination in the overwhelmingly Muslim-majority nation but bombings against them are extremely rare.

Schoolteacher Nazir Khan, 50, said at least 400 worshippers were greeting each other when there was a huge explosion.

"A huge blast threw me on the floor and as soon as I regained my senses, a second blast took place and I saw wounded people everywhere," he said.

An AFP reporter saw shreds of human flesh and bloodstains on the walls and floor of the church, its windows ripped apart by the blast.

Pages of a Bible were scattered near the altar and rice meals mingled with dust on the floor amid shattered benches.

Walls were gouged with ball bearings used in the explosives, he said.

Grieving relatives blocked the main Grand Trunk Road highway with bodies of the victims to protest against the killings.

Christians in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and other cities also staged demonstrations to condemn the killings and demand state protection.

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Voters cast ballots on fate of Swiss Army

FOR the third time in almost a quarter-century, neutral Switzerland is voting on a proposal to abolish mandatory service in its army.

Voters were heading to the polls on Sunday on a referendum by pacifists and left-wing parties that would do away with military conscription, despite similar proposals that were defeated in 1989 and 2001.

Surveys indicate it is likely to be defeated again, with more than two-thirds of the country still favouring mandatory service for most men between the ages of 18 to 34. Women can serve voluntarily.

The Swiss government has urged voters to retain the service - counter to what most Western European nations have done since the Cold War.

About 20,000 soldiers a year attend basic training for 18 to 21 weeks.

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Dutch royal Beatrix breaks cheekbone

PRINCESS Beatrix, the former Dutch queen, has undergone surgery after falling and breaking a cheekbone.

Beatrix, 75, was operated on Sunday morning after the fall and will remain hospitalised for a few days.

After 33 years on the throne, Beatrix was replaced as Dutch monarch on April 30 this year by her eldest son Willem-Alexander.

Following her abdication, she was named Princess Beatrix and continues to perform public duties.

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Computer mishap delays ISS supply ship

A BRAND new commercial cargo ship making its orbital debut has experienced trouble with a computer data link, and its arrival at the International Space Station has been delayed at least two days.

The rendezvous was aborted less than six hours before the scheduled arrival of Orbital Sciences Corp's Cygnus capsule, packed with 590 kilograms of food and clothes for the space station crew.

The Virginia-based company said it was working on a software repair, but it would be at least two more days until another approach is attempted.

Orbital Sciences said the two orbiting vessels established direct contact early Sunday, four days after the Cygnus' launch from Virginia. But the Cygnus rejected some of the data, which interrupted the entire rendezvous. Until then, everything had been going well.

Because this is a test flight of the Cygnus, nothing valuable or urgent is on board. If necessary, it could keep orbiting the world for weeks, even months, before pulling up at the orbiting lab.

Orbital Sciences is the second private company to launch supplies to the space station. In 2012, the California-based SpaceX began accomplishing that job for NASA.

The space agency is paying the two companies to deliver goods to the space station, in the absence of the now-retired space shuttles.

Three astronauts - an American, Italian and Russian - currently are aboard the orbiting outpost.

On Wednesday, three more crew members will be launched from Kazakhstan. Orbital Sciences will have to work around that manned flight, delaying the Cygnus further if a Tuesday hookup is not feasible.

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Australian killed in Nairobi mall attack

No Australians are believed to have been injured in the deadly mall shooting in Kenya. Source: AAP

A DUAL Australian-UK national is among the victims of the unfolding Nairobi shopping mall siege, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says.

"Advice received from the Australian High Commission in Nairobi confirms that an Australian-UK dual national was among those killed in the terrorist attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi," a DFAT spokeswoman told AAP late on Sunday.

"The Australian government deeply regrets this senseless loss of life and extends deepest sympathies to the family of the victim.

"It is not appropriate to name the individual."

Consular assistance will be extended to the family of the person killed, but no identifying details have been released.

At least 59 people were killed and 175 wounded when al-Qaeda-linked Somali militants stormed an upmarket shopping centre in the Kenyan capital, according to local officials.

Between 10 and 15 gunmen are believed to be holed up in the building with an unknown number of hostages, a full day after the carnage began.

DFAT says it's received confirmation that two Canadian nationals have been killed, including a diplomat, and the French government has advised that two of its nationals are among the victims.

One New Zealand national has been confirmed as injured.

"The situation on the ground remains fluid," DFAT's spokeswoman said.

"DFAT has received advice from several Australians who were caught up in the attack and managed to escape to safety."

Among them is Melbourne woman Sarah Williamson, who reportedly survived by huddling in a phone store.

The 23-year-old was in the mall with her father, who works for the UN, when she heard the first explosions.

"She heard the first grenade go off and said, 'What was that, dad?'," her mother Linda has told Fairfax Radio Network.

"Then he heard the guns firing and he knew exactly what it was and he said, 'We're under attack, everybody to the back of the room.'"

The Eltham woman spent six hours trapped in the store before she could run to safety.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has condemned the terrorist attack and expressed her sympathy to Kenyans and President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has lost family members in the incident.

"The thoughts of all Australians are with the victims and their families," she said in a statement.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott was briefed on the unfolding crisis earlier on Sunday.

Australians still in Kenya have been urged to avoid all public places in Nairobi for the next 24-48 hours and closely monitor local media.

People with concerns about family or friends in Kenya should try to contact them directly or if unsuccessful phone the DFAT consular emergency centre on (02) 6261 3305.

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