Drugs seized at Melbourne music festival

THIRTEEN people have been arrested for drug possession at a music festival in Melbourne's CBD.

A significant amount of MDMA, with a street value of $10,000, was confiscated by police at the Listen Out festival on Saturday.

Police also seized ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine and prescription drugs during a sniffer dog operation at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

A 28-year-old Brighton man was charged with trafficking a drug of dependence and has been bailed to appear in court at a later date.

Twelve other people received drug diversions.

Senior Sergeant Mark Pilkington said the operation aimed to stop people before they brought drugs into the event.

"It continues to concern us that, despite the dangers, young people risk their health by using illegal substances," he said.

"These drugs are extremely dangerous. They are manufactured by criminals and users have no way of knowing what they're actually ingesting or the real risks involved."

The festival, formerly known as Parklife, saw 46 people arrested last year for possessing drugs.

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Navy fireworks light up Sydney sky

Prince Harry has arrived at Sydney's Garden Island Naval Base for the International Fleet Review. Source: AAP

A DAZZLING fireworks display has closed a huge day of navy celebrations on Sydney Harbour, including a whirlwind visit by Prince Harry on his first official visit to Australia.

The harbour exploded in a kaleidoscope of colour at 7.40pm (AEST) on Saturday as fireworks launched from seven illuminated warships mesmerised thousands of onlookers on the foreshore.

The show marked the end of the biggest day of the eight-day International Fleet Review, which marks 100 years since the Royal Australian Navy fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour.

In a 30-minute extravaganza, red, gold, blue, and green crackers lit the night sky, cascaded from the Harbour bridge, and even floated on the water around a navy submarine.

The display, which used more than seven tonnes of fireworks, even featured plane-shaped fireworks specially designed for the event.

Accompanying the glittering display were huge projections on the Opera House that told the story of the RAN's 100 year history.

A soundtrack of classical, rock and high-energy electro pumped throughout the show, which also featured huge searchlights, and renditions of the Australian national anthem and the Last Post.

Keith Bowman, who camped out at Mrs Macquarie's Chair from 5am to nab a prime spot, said the show was "better than any New Year's Eve".

"The narrative that went with it was really good, really fitting, I liked the whole lot of it," the Gosford local told AAP.

Earlier, thousands jostled to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry, with the fourth-in-line to the British throne also visiting for the Fleet Review.

After being welcomed on the harbour by a 100-gun salute, Harry, dressed in a white tropical dress uniform of the British Army and a blue Army Air Corps beret, spent a few hours on board HMAS Leeuwin inspecting the warship fleet, alongside Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

The prince's appearance on the harbour coincided with a dazzling display by navy aircraft and helicopters, thrilling spectators lining the foreshore.

Back on land, Harry donned a crisp navy-coloured suit, blue tie and white shirt to make a surprise appearance at The Rocks, shaking hands and saying hello to hundreds who were hugging the barricades in an effort to see him.

From there, the prince took a boat to Kirribilli House, where he was greeted by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, his wife Margie and daughters Bridget and Frances.

They posed for official photographs and walked through the gardens before greeting a crowd that had gathered at the gates of the prime minister's Sydney residence.

"What do you think of your new neighbour?" Harry asked one of the locals, referring to the newly-elected Mr Abbott.

Inside, the prime minister reflected on the special day, joking that Prince Harry appealed to even those Australians who aren't royalists.

"Prince Harry, I regret to say not every Australian is a monarchist," he said.

"But today everyone feels like a monarchist."

The prince is due to leave Sydney for Perth on Sunday morning for the next leg of his Aussie tour.

The Fleet Review runs until October 11.

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Four hikers found in Tasmania

FOUR hikers have been found after a search and rescue was held in Tasmania's south.

The group, which included three teenagers, had been walking since Saturday morning (AEST) and became lost on the Snug Tiers track near Pelverata Falls.

A search and rescue team from Tasmania Police found the party and they were transported via helicopter.

The group is being checked by ambulance personnel but there are no injuries.

A dog was also rescued in the party.

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Vic driver stands on roof of moving car

THE driver of a car that had five passengers inside climbed out the window and stood on the roof of his moving car on a major Melbourne freeway, police allege.

Other motorists reported seeing two rear passengers dangling their legs out the windows of the vehicle about 5pm (AEST) on Saturday.

The car was travelling east between Hoddle Street and Burke Road on the Eastern Freeway.

Four men were later arrested by police at a hotel in Croydon. A 22-year-old Mooroolbark man was charged with conduct endangering life and driving in a dangerous manner.

He was bailed by police to appear at the Ringwood Magistrates Court on January 31. Officers also impounded a blue Holden sedan for 30 days.

A 23-year-old Croydon man was released pending summons while two other men, a 19-year-old Heathmont man and a 21-year-old Millgrove man, are assisting police with their enquires.

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NSW trail bike rider hits tree, dies

A TRAIL bike rider has been killed after hitting a tree south of Newcastle in NSW.

The man, 21, was riding in bushland at Freemans Waterhole when he lost control of the bike and smashed into a tree about 2.15pm (AEST) on Saturday, police say.

Police did CPR on the man, from Beresfield in Newcastle, but he died at the scene.

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Planned Qld coal ports in doubt

Plants to build two central Queensland coal ports are in doubt due to a downturn in the coal market. Source: AAP

PLANS to build two central Queensland coal ports are in doubt due to a downturn in the coal market.

However, proponents of the ports, at Dudgeon Point near Mackay and Port Alma at the mouth of the Fitzroy River near Rockhampton, say the plans will go ahead if the market recovers.

Both projects are still seeking government approvals.

North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, which is developing Dudgeon Point along with Indian coal giant Adani, says progress is continuing "but at a slower pace".

"The Environmental Impact Statement for the project is currently paused," a statement from the firm said.

"The coal market is down as is the current appetite for investment in infrastructure of this type."

Bulk Ports said they will continue finalising environmental studies as the firm doesn't want to be caught out if the market improves.

The port will have the capacity to export up to 180 million tonnes of coal each year.

Peter MacTaggart of Mitchell Ports, which is developing Port Alma, told News Corp Australia the project won't go ahead until demand increased.

"At the moment our customers are telling us that their priority is cutting costs rather than expanding, and we won't be going ahead until there's the demand for it."

Once completed, up to 22 million tonnes of coal per year would be exported from the port.

Environmental groups are calling on Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt to stop all mega-ports along the Queensland coast.

Of particular concern is the Port Alma project as it would be built on the pristine Fitzroy River Delta, the largest estuarine ecosystem feeding into the reef.

"We're calling on the Australian and Queensland governments to work together and rule out this totally unnecessary development once and for all," WWF spokesperson Richard Leck said.

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Keysar Trad to launch love poetry book

Muslim community spokesman and polygamy supporter Keysar Trad is releasing a book of love poetry. Source: AAP

OUTSPOKEN Muslim community spokesman Keysar Trad is making a foray into the literary world, releasing a book of love poems.

Mr Trad, who has previously said polygamy should be recognised, will launch his book Forays of the Heart at Glebe, in Sydney's inner-west, on Sunday.

The poems are described as "paeans of unrequited love directed at women other than his wife".

The well-known Australian Muslim said the poetry was written in a "sense of fantastical lyrical compulsion".

"I felt the need to share them so that others can benefit from these journeys," Mr Trad said.

The book is due to be launched by Liberal MP Philip Ruddock.

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GrainCorp decision due in December

The government will decide on the takeover of Australia's largest grain handler by December 17. Source: AAP

TREASURER Joe Hockey has given the new federal government more time to consider the implications of a takeover of Australia's largest grains handler, GrainCorp.

A decision on a $3.4 billion offer from US grain giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) will now be made by December 17, Mr Hockey said.

"Given the size of this transaction and the complex nature of the issues involved, I have decided to extend the statutory time period," he said.

"This will allow sufficient time for the new government to carefully consider all the relevant issues and advice from the Foreign Investment Review Board before making a decision."

The Nationals are opposed to the sale, as it would mean ADM, Cargill and Glencore would control almost 60 per cent of Australia's wheat shipments and put most of the nation's grain export infrastructure in foreign hands.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in June it would not oppose the $3.4 billion takeover.

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Doctors fined for underpaying receptionist

A SYDNEY medical practice and its directors have been fined more than $120,000 for discriminating against a receptionist because of her disability.

The Fair Work Ombudsman took legal action against the company running the centre and its directors for underpaying a young, vision-impaired worker by more than $20,000.

The Federal Circuit Court on Friday imposed a fine of $88,870 against Rocky Holdings Pty Ltd, which operates the practice in Liverpool, in Sydney's southwest.

The court also fined two directors, brothers Dr Ahmed Mohamed and Dr Ismail Mohamed, $17,410 each.

The employee was aged between 18 and 21 at the time and suffers a disability affecting her vision - retina detachment, cataracts and high pressure.

She was a patient of Dr Ismail Mohamed when he offered her work at the practice in December 2009.

She was required to do more than a month of unpaid training before being paid a flat rate of $7 to $8 an hour between 2010 and 2012.

The employee was entitled to more than $10 an hour for normal hours and more than $17 an hour for some weekend, public holiday and overtime work.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said the penalty sent a strong message to employers that discrimination in the workplace would not be tolerated.

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PR guru Clifford denies child sex charges

CELEBRITY British publicist Max Clifford says his "nightmare continues" after appearing in a London court to deny a string of historical indecent assaults.

The 70-year-old faces 11 counts relating to seven alleged female victims between 1966 and 1984.

Clifford denied all charges. Speaking outside Southwark Crown Court after the hearing, Clifford repeated that he was innocent.

"The nightmare continues, it has done since last December," he said.

"It is a nightmare for myself and everyone close to me. I am totally innocent.

"Next March (the date of Clifford's trial), as long as the truth comes out, it will be fine and I can get back to a normal life."

Clifford, famed for representing celebrities including Simon Cowell and Jade Goody, spoke only to confirm his name and to enter not-guilty pleas to the charges during the 40-minute hearing.

He was released on bail until his trial next March, which is expected to last for up to five weeks.

Clifford, who was arrested last December and charged in April, was released on conditional bail and told he must live at his home address.

Judge Anthony Leonard told Clifford that he is not allowed to contact prosecution witnesses.

"I'm OK," Clifford told reporters before heading into court for the hearing.

"Obviously I am totally innocent of these charges from seven ladies."

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Pistorius investigators visit crime scene

Forensic experts working for Oscar Pistorius have visited the house where he shot his girlfriend. Source: AAP

FORENSIC experts working for Oscar Pistorius have visited the double-amputee Olympian's upscale villa where he shot and killed his girlfriend, examining the toilet door through which the fatal shots were fired, police say.

The South African Police Service said in a statement on Thursday the specialists made prior arrangements with police to visit the athlete's house on Monday in Pretoria, where model and reality TV star Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed on February 14.

Pistorius goes on trial on March 3 accused of premeditated murder. He was given seven months to put his case together after being indicted on charges of murder and illegal possession of ammunition in August.

The visit suggests that the toilet door will form a key part of the evidence in the trial. The height of the bullet holes in the door and trajectory of the bullets fired by Pistorius could prove whether or not he was wearing his prosthetic legs.

Pistorius says he was not wearing them when he shot in fear at what he thought was a dangerous intruder, but the prosecution says the Olympic and Paralympic runner had taken the time to put them on, suggesting premeditation.

It was the second time investigators acting for Pistorius had visited the scene accompanied by the police's team, the statement said.

Police also said Pistorius' villa in the gated Silverwoods estate in the eastern suburbs of the South African capital was "no longer a crime scene and was handed back to him long ago".

The investigating officer and a police ballistics expert were present while Pistorius' forensic team carried out their work on Monday. Police said no other physical evidence was examined.

Pistorius faces a possible life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if he is convicted of murder with premeditation.

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Blaze near NSW town downgraded

AN out-of-control bushfire burning near a small town on the NSW mid-north coast has been downgraded, the Rural Fire Service says.

The scrub fire is burning in the Crowdy Bay National Park, north of the town of Harrington in the Greater Taree region.

The RFS late on Thursday night downgraded the blaze from "watch and act" to "advice".

Earlier, the blaze crossed containment lines and was burning close to properties at Coralville and Diamond Head Roads.

More than 80 firefighters and six aircraft battled the blaze through the day.

The fire has so far burned through around 3000 hectares of scrub, the RFS said on its website.

Firefighters are back-burning where they can, including at the back of some streets in the township.

About 40 holidaymakers had to be evacuated from a camping area at Diamond Head earlier on Thursday due to the blaze.

A number of roads in the area are closed.

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Rdio launches free internet radio service

DIGITAL music service Rdio is launching its free internet radio service in Australia, the US and Canada.

The launch on Thursday capitalises on Rdio's tie-up with traditional radio station owner Cumulus Media and helps it compete with digital rivals Pandora and Spotify.

For now, the app that works on Apple and Android devices won't play ads between the songs that are randomly picked based on genres, artists, songs or albums.

The company hopes nonpaying listeners will sign up for a subscription that adds features like the ability to pick and choose exact songs and albums.

On the web, Rdio's radio player will have ads that are sold by Cumulus Media Inc.

Cumulus announced it was taking a stake in Rdio parent Pulser Media last month.

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AusAid cuts threaten immunisation programs

BUDGET cuts and changes to Australia's official aid program to Asia threatens to undermine child vaccination programs in the region, a senior children's health advocate warns.

Helen Evans, deputy chief executive of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), says the recent federal government decisions to restructure the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) raises fears over future support for programs in the region.

"Australia has had for a long time a very strong investment in the region and AusAID has been a very strong supporter of the development of health services," Ms Evans said.

"It's been a very strong supporter of the GAVI Alliance that I work for because it sees the obvious value in immunisation," she told AAP.

"I'm certainly aware of the fact that the new Prime Minister (Tony Abbott) has made an announcement in terms of reducing AusAID's budget and we're waiting to see the impact of that," she said.

AusAID has played a key role in the GAVI Alliance initiatives in Indonesia under a pentavalent vaccination program to protect children against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis, and influenza.

The GAVI Alliance partners developing countries, donor governments such as Australia, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children's Fund, World Bank, the vaccine industry, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In Myanmar, AusAID had earlier this year committed more than $82 million in 2013-14 and had been set to grow the assistance to more than $100 million a year by 2015-16, prior to Australia's federal election in September that swept Mr Abbott and the coalition to power.

But Ms Evans, an Australian, says she remains hopeful the federal government would continue "to see the value (in) making an investment in these sorts of health initiatives".

But she acknowledges the challenges in delivering programs if the budget cuts to Australia's aid program are carried through.

"It would certainly make it harder if there is a reduction; yes, there's no doubt about that," she said.

The GAVI Alliance programs have supported the immunisation of about 370 million children in developing countries since its inception in 2000 amid signs of flagging support for vaccination programs and has helped prevent more than 5.5 million deaths from diseases ranging from hepatitis B to polio.

"Vaccination is perhaps the best investment a country can make in their children's health," and seen as supporting healthy development towards adulthood, Ms Evans said.

"So it's (about) poverty reduction, it's social, economic development investment."

In Laos this week, Ms Evans oversaw the launch of a new GAVI Alliance program to vaccinate girls against the human papillomavirus (HPV) to curb rising rates of cervical cancer in the country. Each year in Laos about 500 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer triggered by HPV. As many as half are expected to die from the cancer.

"This is a vaccine that's incredibly effective and can prevent about 70 per cent of the cancers," she said. Cervical cancer is now the leading killer of women globally as maternal mortality rates decline.

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Man arrested over Newcastle shooting

A MAN has been arrested for allegedly firing a gun into the air from a unit balcony at Newcastle in NSW.

Police said they were called to the unit block on Fowler Street, Hamilton South, after reports the man was firing shots into the air about 7.50pm (AEST) on Thursday.

Officers formed a perimeter around the unit block and arrested the alleged shooter, aged in his 30s, when he left the premises about 9.35pm.

Police said they found a firearm in the man's backpack as well as guns and ammunition in the unit.

The man is being interviewed at Newcastle Police Station.

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Bligh prioritised Wild Rivers: court

THE Bligh government fast-tracked the issue of Wild Rivers declarations in Cape York partly to show it was delivering on its election commitments, a former minister says.

Cape York traditional owners have launched a legal challenge against the State of Queensland over its Wild Rivers laws.

The Federal Court challenge by members of the Wik, Umpila and Lama Lama people of Cape York was first launched in 2010.

Traditional owners want the Wild Rivers declarations for the Archer, Lockhart and Stewart Rivers repealed.

They argue former natural resources minister Stephen Robertson didn't follow due process and consider all the material before him when he made the declarations.

Mr Robertson was cross examined by the traditional owners' barrister Dan O'Gorman on Tuesday over the approval process for the 2009 declarations.

The then minister signed off on them on April 1, 2009, six days after being sworn in as natural resources minister following Labor's re-election.

Mr Robertson told the court then premier Anna Bligh had wanted the matter prioritised partly because most of the work on the declarations had already been done.

"(It was) one of the matters that could be advanced to show that the government was back at work delivering on its election commitments," he told the court.

He added the declarations were always subject to his approval.

Mr Robertson told the court he'd signed off on the declarations on April 1, 2009, but agreed under cross examination he'd approved the declarations by or on March 31.

He said he had considered more than 20 public submissions, a scientific report and a departmental report on the public consultation.

The hearing continues.

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Paladin boss' pay halves

PALADIN managing Director John Borshoff had his pay packet halved to $2.5 million in the 2012/13 financial year after the uranium miner doubled its full year loss.

Mr Borshoff's pay, including bonuses, was down from $5.2 million in the previous year, Paladin's annual report shows.

Paladin Energy recently said it plans to boost production and push ahead with the partial sale of its Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia, after its annual loss doubled to $US420.9 million.

The company managed to achieve its 2012/13 production targets but it continues to slash costs due to weak global uranium prices.

Managing Director John Borshoff said forecast cost reductions for the 2012/13 year were exceeded at both mine sites, Langer Heinrich and Kayelekera mines.

"Further gains are expected for fiscal 2014," Mr Borshoff said.

A minority interest sale in Langer Heinrich offered the only opportunity in the world for a party to acquire a valuable equity-level participation in an operating uranium mining project, he said.

It was almost impossible for the mining industry to meet the projected demand over at least the next decade and a half, he said.

Chairman Rick Crabb said the Paladin board remained committed to asset sales.

"The company has moved to reduce costs throughout the organisation such as significantly deferring exploration and, unfortunately, making redundant a number of our staff," he said.

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Occupy Melbourne loses legal challenge

OCCUPY Melbourne has lost a legal battle against the City of Melbourne and Victoria Police over the protest movement's eviction from the city in 2011.

The local arm of the international Occupy movement was forcefully moved on from central Melbourne in October 2011 after members of the group were issued with infringement notices for erecting tents.

Federal Court Justice Tony North on Tuesday dismissed Occupy Melbourne's claim that City of Melbourne bylaws and the Local Government Act breached their freedom of political association and right to protest.

However, Justice North ruled that some of the infringement notices against one member, Sara Kerrison, were invalid.

Justice North ruled that the case was not representative, meaning the ruling is restricted to three of the eight notices issued against Ms Kerrison.

Outside court, lawyer for the Occupy Movement Anna Brown said the group was disappointed by some aspects of the ruling.

Ms Brown said the group would consider the verdict before deciding whether to take the case any further.

"We think this case is incredibly important, not only because it has ramifications for the Occupy Melbourne protests, but the rights of all Australians to gather and express their views," she told reporters.

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Gillard opens up on carbon pricing, sexism

Former prime minister Julia Gillard says she had difficulties explaining carbon pricing to groups. Source: AAP

IF nine out of 10 doctors said unless you underwent chemotherapy you were going to die, what would you do?

That's how former prime minister Julia Gillard tried explaining the importance of pricing carbon to individuals when it came to fighting climate change.

"We've got an overwhelming majority of scientists telling us our planet needs to do this. Are you really going to be the one who bets that the vast majority of them are wrong with something as important as the planet's future?" Ms Gillard said during a forum with Anne Summers in Melbourne on Tuesday.

"If you could get them one at a time, you could make a difference."

However, she came unstuck when faced with the task of explaining its importance to groups.

"There is this weirdness that goes around climate change science," she said.

"In groups brought together, the toxicity that can be in social media, it just got this bizarre and explosive carry on around it that I think was hard to explain and is still hard to explain."

In just her second major public appearance since being dethroned on June 26, Ms Gillard admitted she also made a political error in conceding the scheme she had introduced was a "carbon tax".

"It is an emissions trading scheme with a fixed price for the first three years, and any iteration of an emissions trading scheme basically starts with a price that someone fixes," she said.

Ms Gillard also touched on the infamous "Ditch the Witch" anti-carbon tax rally featuring Tony Abbott outside Parliament House in 2011.

She said while the crude signs at the rally did offend her, it was the benign media response to the incident that she found really amazing.

"If someone was there with a sign that said 'Ditch the black -insert bad word here-', if that happened there would be a huge outcry about how disgusting that is," she said.

"Yet when it was gender, it just didn't get that reaction and that shocked me as much as the signs themselves."

Ms Gillard also expressed frustration at the coalition having just one woman in the current cabinet, saying it was not only disheartening, but hopeless.

"Here we are having gone back, back decades in time," she said.

"What made me a little bit more optimistic than that statistic was that the reaction to it happened in the media and the community conversation for days and days."

With the majority of the questions focused on misogyny and sexism, Ms Gillard had to laugh when an 11-year-old girl asked her if she actually had any fun while serving as prime minister.

"I don't want the whole thing to sound Dickensian, like I was in some dark, satanic mill," she said.

"I wasn't. I was living at The Lodge, surrounded by wonderful people and we had a lot of laughs."

She singled out retired independent MPs Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, as well as retired Nationals whip Kay Hull, as giving her the most support from outside the Labor Party.

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Fresh unrest in Myanmar kills four

BUDDHIST mobs have attacked Muslim neighbourhoods in Myanmar's restive Rakhine state, killing at least four people just hours before a planned visit to the area by the president.

"Four people were reported dead and 50 more were injured by this evening," said a police officer in Thandwe, about 270 kilometres northwest of Yangon.

The mobs also burned down at least 100 houses and shops in villages neighbouring Thandwe city, he said on Tuesday.

"We can't get the exact number of dead and injured now," said Win Myaing, spokesman for the Rakhine state government. "We are trying to restore order," he said by phone.

Buddhist mobs started setting fire to Muslim houses and shops in five villages around Thandwe on Tuesday, and police failed to contain it because of a lack of personnel, the police officer said.

Thandwe is situated more than 100 kilometres south of Sittwe, the capital of the Rakhine state, which was the scene of bloody sectarian fighting last year that claimed at least 167 lives and left 140,000 homeless, most of them Rohingya Muslims.

Last year's violence was aimed at the Rohingya Muslim minority group, a stateless people who have been living for generations in the three northernmost townships of Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh.

Tuesday's violence appeared to be directed against Rakhine Muslims who are Myanmar citizens, sources said.

Trouble started in Thandwe on Saturday after a Buddhist taxi driver complained to police about being verbally abused by a Muslim shop owner for parking in front of his establishment.

Police took the Muslim in for questioning.

When he was released, Rakhine Buddhists became enraged and pelted the man's house with stones, according to police reports.

At least two houses were burned down in Thandwe on Sunday night, Win Myaing said.

The renewed sectarian tensions in the Rakhine state came hours before Myanmar President Thein Sein was due to arrive in the restive state for the first time since taking office in March 2011.

"President Thein Sein will arrive in Sittwe this evening and plans to meet ethnic Rakhine members of parliament tomorrow," Win Myaing said. "He may also visit the refugee camps."

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Clive Palmer's margin slims to three

Clive Palmer's lead has shrunk to just three votes in the Queensland federal seat of Fairfax. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer's lead has shrunk to just three votes in the Queensland federal seat of Fairfax.

A recount of preferences is under way in the Sunshine Coast seat after Mr Palmer finished 36 votes ahead of Liberal National Party candidate Ted O'Brien when the Australian Electoral Commission completed initial counting after the September 7 poll.

Margins less than 100 trigger a recount.

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Chopper Read admitted to hospital: manager

Crime figure and author Mark "Chopper" Read has been admitted to hospital, his manager says. Source: AAP

CRIME figure and author Mark "Chopper" Read has been admitted to hospital as his battle with liver cancer continues.

Read was admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Monday with an ongoing and serious illness, his manager Andrew Parisi said in a statement.

"Neither Mark or his family will be providing any information regarding his prognosis and would appreciate privacy in these most difficult times," he said in the statement.

Read spent more than 23 years in jail up until 1998 for crimes including armed robbery, assault and kidnapping.

He was portrayed by Eric Bana in the 2000 film Chopper, and his autobiographical books have made him Australia's best-selling true crime author.

In April 2012 he revealed that he had cancer and at the time said doctors had told him he may have weeks or up to six years left to live.

At the time he tweeted: "Looks like the big C has finally bitten".

This year Chopper has looked increasingly weak at his public appearances.

Only last week, vision from his show A Night with Chopper showed an emotional Chopper as he hugged his wife and 10-year-old son.

And in a newspaper interview earlier this month he said that he was told by doctors he would not live beyond Christmas, but was "not worried about dying".

Mr Parisi said the media would be advised of Read's condition in coming days.

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Gillard takes swipe at Rudd's takeover

Former PM Julia Gillard (R) has taken a swipe at Kevin Rudd in her first major public appearance. Source: AAP

FORMER prime minister Julia Gillard has taken a swipe at Kevin Rudd, saying a key difference in their leadership takeovers was that she spent all of her time in the lead up genuinely trying to help Labor prosper.

Speaking to Anne Summers at the Sydney Opera House on Monday, Ms Gillard made her first major public appearance since being dethroned on June 26.

When asked if her dumping was a reflection of her takeover of Mr Rudd in 2010, Ms Gillard replied it was her view that you should always ask the leader for a legitimate leadership ballot.

"To do things continuously that undermine the Labor party and the Labor government, then of course that shouldn't be done by anyone," she said.

"The key difference is every day I was deputy PM I spent all of my time doing everything I could to have the Labor government prosper."

Ms Gillard said she intentionally stayed out of the media until recently to give Labor the "gift" of silence during the recent federal election.

She said a "perfect political storm" formed following the 2010 election that ultimately led to her being dethroned by Mr Rudd.

This included being forced to hold together a minority government, the legitimacy of which was questioned daily by a hard hitting opposition.

"You had the wildcard of gender, being the first female PM, and then internal instability in the Labor party, so it all came together to create this very difficult environment," she said.

Ms Gillard also zeroed in on Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who triggered her famous misogyny speech last October.

"I thought, 'After everything I've had to see on the internet, after all the gendered abuse that I've seen in newspapers, that has been called at me across the despatch box, now of all things I've got to listen to Tony Abbott lecture me about sexism," she said.

She said while she suffered plenty of abuse from the opposition during federal parliament sessions, most of it wasn't from Mr Abbott.

"Occasionally he would get involved, but more the people behind him, so Christopher Pyne in particular," she said.

Ms Gillard declined to publicly state whether she'd prefer Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese as the new Labor leader.

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Another Sydney garage explosion

A MAN has suffered serious burns from the second garage explosion in Sydney in two days.

At 3pm (AEST) on Monday, police were called to a home on Archer Crescent at Bankstown after reports of a loud explosion in a garage.

A 43-year-old man sustained serious burns to his face and upper body.

He was taken to Liverpool Hospital and later transferred to the burns unit at Concord Hospital.

He is in a serious but stable condition.

A crime scene has been set up at the property but police are yet to identify what caused the explosion.

It comes only a day after a suspected drug lab exploded in the garage of a Barden Ridge home in Sydney's south.

Two men aged 37 and 40, who were inside at the time, suffered extensive burns.

Superintendent Julian Griffiths told reporters on Monday afternoon the 40-year-old was undergoing emergency surgery at Royal North Shore Hospital.

"His condition has been listed as critical, and best described as grave," he said.

He said the 37-year-old was also critically injured and remained in an induced coma.

Equipment suspected of being used to manufacture drugs has been found.

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We will fight scourge of smuggling: Abbott

Australia and Indonesia are resolved to fight people smuggling, prime minister Tony Abbott says. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono have had constructive discussions about fighting the "scourge" of people smuggling together.

Speaking after their meeting in Jakarta on Monday, Mr Abbott said they had frank talks and stressed his respect for the sovereignty of Australia's northern neighbour.

"We have had very cordial, constructive and collegial discussions on the issue of people smuggling," he said.

"We are resolved together united to tackle this problem and to beat it - on land and at sea, and at the borders of our countries," Mr Abbott said.

"We are determined to end this scourge which is not just an affront to our two countries, but which has so often become a humanitarian disaster in our seas between our two countries."

The meeting between the two leaders came just days after the tragic sinking of an asylum seeker boat off the coast of Indonesia, and with tensions between the two countries about how to tackle the problem.

Indonesia has raised concerns about the coalition's 'turn back the boats' policy, which Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa last week warned could violate his country's sovereignty and damage relations.

Mr Abbott said he and President Yudhoyono had held "very frank" discussions about "issues of sovereignty and about issues of people smuggling".

"People smuggling is an issue of sovereignty, especially for Australia," Mr Abbott said.

"I appreciate how seriously Indonesia has taken this issue in the past, and I look forward to working even more co-operatively with Indonesia on this issue in the future.

"But I do want to stress publicly as well as privately ... Australia's total respect for Indonesia's sovereignty, total respect for Indonesia's territorial integrity."

Mr Abbott said he acknowledged there had been mistakes in the past and he wanted a new start to the relationship, particularly in agriculture and food security.

"Never again should this country take action that jeopardises the food supply of such a friend and partner as Indonesia is," he said.

Mr Abbott also said he admired what Indonesia had done to improve the autonomy and life of people in West Papua.

"I am confident that they can have the best possible life and the best possible future as a part of an indissoluble Indonesia, as an integral part of Indonesia."

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Kings Of Leon's new album debuts at No.1

Kings of Leon have landed their third consecutive No.1 album on the ARIA chart. Source: AAP

KINGS of Leon have landed their third straight No.1 on the ARIA albums chart after their new album Mechanical Bull debuted at the top.

The Nashville rockers' sixth studio release bumps off Keith Urban's album Fuse, which drops down two spots to No.3.

Another new entry is Drake's Nothing Was the Same at No.2, which becomes his first Top 10 entry and highest charting album all in the same week.

Jason Derulo's third album Tattoos has debuted at No.5, becoming his third Top 10 album.

Jack Johnson is down three places to No.6 with From Here to Now to You, while the fourth Top 10 debut is Jessie J with Alive at No.7.

Pink's The Truth About Love has dropped two spots to No.8 and Rudimental's Home moves up five places to No.9.

Avicii's album True plummets eight places round out the Top 10.

Meanwhile Katy Perry's Roar has spent another week at No.1 on the singles chart.

The top three all hold steady this week, with Miley Cyrus at No.2 with Wrecking Ball and Redfoo at No.3 with Let's Get Ridiculous.

The big mover is John Newman with Love Me Again, which charges up four places, pushing Derulo's Talk Dirty down to No.5.

OneRepublic spends a third straight week at No.6 with Something I Need, Lana Del Rey is down a couple of places to No.7 with her Summertime Sadness and Drake climbs a place to a new peak of No.8 with Hold On, We're Going Home.

Avicii has slipped to No.9 with Wake Me Up, while Lorde is back up two places to No.10 with her EP The Love Club feat Royals.

AUSTRALIAN SINGLES CHART

1(1) Roar - Katy Perry (CAP/EMI)

2(2) Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (RCA/SME)

3(3) Let's Get Ridiculous - Redfoo (INR/UMA)

4(8) Love Me Again - John Newman (ISL/UMA)

5(4) Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo Feat. 2 Chainz (WAR)

6(6) Something I Need - OneRepublic (INR/UMA)

7(5) Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey vs Cedric Gervais (INR/UMA)

8(9) Hold on, We're Going Home - Drake Feat. Majid Jordan (UNI/UMA)

9(8) Wake Me Up - Avicii (UNI/UMA)

10(12) The Love Club Feat. Royals - Lorde (UNI/UMA)

AUSTRALIAN ALBUMS CHART

1(-) Mechanical Bull - Kings Of Leon (RCA/SME)

2(-) Nothing Was The Same - Drake (UNI/UMA)

3(1) Fuse - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

4(3) AM - Arctic Monkeys (DOM/EMI)

5(-) Tattoos - Jason Derulo (WAR)

6(3) From Here to Now to You - Jack Johnson (UNI/UMA)

7(-) Alive - Jessie J (UNI/UMA)

8(6) The Truth About Love - Pink (RCA/SME)

9(14) Home - Rudimental (WAR)

10(2) True - Avicii (UNI/UMA)

AUSTRALIAN STREAMING CHART

1(1) Roar - Katy Perry (EMI)

2(2) Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (SME)

3(3) Wake Me Up - Avicii (UMA)

4(4) The Love Club EP - Lorde (UMA)

5(6) Counting Stars - OneRepublic (UMA)

6(5) Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo Feat. 2 Chainz (WAR)

7(9) You Make Me - Avicii (UMA)

8(7) Burn - Ellie Goulding (UMA)

9(8) La La La - Naughty Boy Feat. Sam Smith (EMI)

10(10) Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Feat. T.I. & Pharrell (UMA)

AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY CHART

1(1) Fuse - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

2(2) The Very Best Of Slim Dusty - Slim Dusty (EMI)

3(-) The Buegrass Album - Alan Jackson (SME)

4(3) The Great Country Songbook - Troy Cassar-Daley & Adam Harvey (SME)

5(-) A.M - Chris Young (RCA/SME)

6(6) Red - Taylor Swift (BIG/UMA)

7(3) 40 Years Of Pride - Charley Pride (RCA/SME)6 (WAR)

8(6) A Hell Of A Career! - John Williamson (WAR)

9(7) Crash My Party - Luke Bryan (CAP/EMI)

10(8) The Story So Far - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

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Italy grapples with new Berlusconi crisis

Five cabinet ministers from former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi's party have quit the government. Source: AAP

ITALY is mired in a fresh political quagmire after Silvio Berlusconi pushed his party's ministers to quit the fragile coalition government, a move Prime Minister Enrico Letta has called a "crazy act".

All five ministers from the People of Freedom (PDL) party on Saturday took the decision to step down at Berlusconi's urging, said deputy prime minister Angelino Alfano, the number two in government who was among the resignations.

Italy newspapers put the blame for the new government crisis squarely at the ex-prime minister's feet.

"The convict has made Italy fail," read the headline in the leftist daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, alluding to Berlusconi's conviction for tax fraud.

The centre-right La Stampa and business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore decried "the madness" of the actions taken by the media mogul who has dominated Italian politics for most of the last two decades.

The flamboyant billionaire, who turns 77 on Sunday, dismissed as "unacceptable" a demand by Letta on Friday for parliament to express support for the government next week, in a bid to end a crisis that has plagued the bickering ruling coalition.

Now President Giorgio Napolitano will have to mediate to find a way out of the latest political impasse. He is expected to meet Letta on Sunday.

Letta's government was cobbled together following a two-month stand-off after an inconclusive general election in February.

The premier of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) had won the confidence of financial markets by managing to keep together the improbable right-left coalition.

Italian media on Sunday speculated that if the crisis deepens there could be a reversal in market confidence, making it harder for Italy to deal with its economic difficulties and enact needed reforms.

The revolt among Berlusconi's backers boiled over on Thursday when they first threatened to resign over the former leader's legal problems.

A Senate committee was preparing to vote on whether to eject Berlusconi from the chamber after he was sentenced to a year in prison for tax fraud, a ruling that was upheld by Italy's top court in August.

Letta on Friday told a cabinet meeting tasked with approving key measures to rein in the recession-hit country's budget deficit that no further legislation would be enacted until the political crisis was resolved.

The cabinet had convened to determine how to delay a controversial planned rise in value-added tax, but the meeting ended in disarray amid the escalating tension over Berlusconi's conviction.

As a result, the VAT hike from 21 per cent to 22 per cent will go ahead, with effect from Tuesday, as economists worry that it will dampen consumption.

In encouraging the PDL ministers to resign, Berlusconi said they should not be "complicit in the latest vexation imposed on Italians by the left".

Letta retorted: "To try to justify his crazy and irresponsible act, aimed fully at protecting his personal interests, Berlusconi is... using the VAT as an alibi."

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UK PM backs veil bans at institutions

THE state should back institutions such as schools and courthouses that require individuals to remove face-coverings worn by some Muslim women, British Prime Minister David Cameron says.

Cameron said he did not believe there should be a ban on wearing the niqab - which conceals the whole face except for the eyes - in the streets.

But he made clear he was "happy" to look at the issue of whether the state needed to do more to back up institutions which choose to implement a ban.

"We are a free country and people should be free to wear whatever clothes they like in public or in private," Cameron told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show.

"But we should support those institutions that need to put in place rules so that those institutions can work properly.

"So for instance in a school, if they want that particular dress code, I believe the government should back them. The same for courts, the same for immigration.

"I think we should back those institutions that want to have sensible policies that actually have a particular purpose."

Asked if he would respond to a judge's suggestion that there should be guidelines for the country on the wearing of the niqab in court, Cameron said: "I'm very happy to look at that.

"Obviously, in court the jury needs to be able to look at someone's face. I've sat on a jury, that's part of what you do.

"When someone is coming into the country, an immigration officer needs to see someone's face.

"In a school, it's very difficult to teach unless you can look at your pupils in the eye.

"It's a free country and I think a free country should have free and independent institutions. No plans for anything on the street, but if the government needs to do more to back up institutions, then I would be happy to look at that."

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Two men in hospital following Sydney fire

TWO men are in hospital following a fire in Sydney's southwest.

Emergency services were called to Australia Road at Barden Ridge at 8pm (AEST) on Sunday after reports a house was on fire.

A garage at the rear of a property was well-alight, police say.

Two men are being treated at Sutherland Hospital for significant injuries.

It's understood the pair drove themselves to the hospital.

The fire has been extinguished but there is extensive damage to the garage.

Police have established a crime scene.

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Siemens to cut up to 15,000 global jobs

GERMANY engineering company Siemens says it will cut up to 15,000 jobs worldwide by the end of 2014.

German news agency dpa reported on Sunday that the company wants to cut 5,000 jobs in Germany and another 10,000 jobs abroad.

A Siemens spokesman, whose name was not given, told dpa the cutbacks will not necessarily mean that all the workers will lose their jobs, since some could be transferred to other departments.

Siemens could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Munich-based company has around 370,000 employees and makes a wide range of industrial machinery, including trains, power generators and transmission equipment, and medical scanners.

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