Truck loses asbestos on NSW highway

A TRUCK has lost several tonnes of asbestos before crashing into a guardrail in Sydney's west, police say.

A Mitsubishi tipper truck was driving along the M7 at Eastern Creek on Saturday morning before the crash unfolded.

As it travelled along an off-ramp, the truck allegedly lost a load of asbestos waste, believed to be between three to five tonnes, and crashed into a cement guard rail.

Emergency services closed the off-ramp while the asbestos sheeting was hosed down and contained.

A police spokesman said whether the load of asbestos was secured or not would be part of an investigation.

Police have warned motorists about the dangers of unsecured loads leading to accidents and serious injury.

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'Chopper' Read to have Melbourne funeral

Crime figure turned author Mark "Chopper" Read will be sent off at a funeral in Melbourne next week. Source: AAP

CRIME figure turned author Mark "Chopper" Read will be sent off at a funeral in Melbourne next week.

Read, who died aged 58 on Wednesday after a battle with liver cancer, will be farewelled at a funeral in the inner Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill next Thursday.

Read spent more than 23 years in jail for crimes including armed robbery, assault and kidnapping, including trying to abduct a Victorian County Court judge at gunpoint.

He once claimed he was involved in killing 19 people and the attempted murder of 11 others.

He was famously portrayed by Eric Bana in the 2000 film Chopper.

Read was also Australia's best selling true crime author, with copies of his first book Chopper: From the Inside selling more than 300,000 copies.

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Severe fire danger forecast in Kimberley

WEST Australian authorities are warning of severe fire danger in parts of the Kimberley on Sunday with hot, dry and windy conditions expected.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a severe fire danger rating for inland parts of the Kimberley and coastal areas of the West Kimberley.

Affected shires include Broome, Derby-West Kimberley, East Pilbara next to Derby-West Kimberley Shire, the northern part of Halls Creek and the inland part of Wyndham-East Kimberley.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is urging people to be aware bushfires can threaten without warning and they should have a bushfire survival plan and kit ready.

Residents are warned to stay alert, keep updated with bushfire information and call triple-zero if they see flames.

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Beijing opposes closer EU-Taiwan ties

BEIJING has raised objections to a move by the European Parliament to build closer trade ties with Taiwan, saying it opposes the development of any official ties between the sides.

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved a resolution on EU-Taiwan trade relations, urging its executive body to begin bilateral talks over an agreement on investment protection and market access.

The Chinese government has long considered Taiwan a renegade province since the two sides split after a civil war in 1949, and insists that Taiwan is part of its domestic affairs and should be free from any foreign interference.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Saturday that Beijing does not object to non-governmental contact between the European Union and Taiwan, but that it opposes the development of any official ties.

"We hope that the EU side could bear in mind the overall interests of China-EU relations, earnestly honour its commitment to the one-China principle, deal with Taiwan-related issues with prudence and refrain from having any official contact of signing any official agreement with Taiwan," Hua said.

The EU is Taiwan's fourth-largest trade partner, and Taiwan is the EU's seventh-largest trade partner in Asia.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry has said that its government "welcomes" the resolution and is "grateful" to the European Parliament. Taiwan hopes an investment agreement would pave the way for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement in the future.

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Thrown knife strikes Sydney man in face

A NEIGHBOURHOOD dispute involving knives being thrown has left one man in hospital.

Police and NSW Ambulance were called to a house in Chester Hill about 5.25pm (AEDT) on Saturday following reports of a stabbing.

NSW Police said a man was standing on the veranda of his home when he had an argument with two neighbours.

A number of knives were thrown during the confrontation with one hitting the man in the face.

He was taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.

Police arrested two men at the scene.

The pair are being questioned at Parramatta police station.

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Wells Fargo's profit up 13 per cent

WELLS Fargo & Co. says its third-quarter profit jumped 13 per cent as a decline in revenue from mortgage lending was offset by reduced expenses and fewer soured loans.

The biggest US mortgage lender reported on Friday that its net income increased to $US5.6 billion ($A5.94 billion) in the July-September period from $US4.9 billion a year earlier.

On a per-share basis, earnings were 99 cents, beating the 97 cents forecast by Wall Street.

Third-quarter revenue dipped to $US20.5 billion from $US21.2 billion, coming in below the analysts' forecast of $US21.1 billion.

Interest rates on US mortgages rose sharply in the spring and summer, and that had an impact on Wells Fargo's mortgage business.

The San Francisco-based bank controls nearly a third of the US mortgage market.

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AEC will rob me of win: Palmer

Clive Palmer says the Australian Electoral Commission will "rig" the Fairfax recount. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer believes the Australian Electoral Commission will "rig" the Fairfax recount and deliver victory to his LNP opponent.

Mr Palmer says he's odds on to lose the contest with the LNP's Ted O'Brien, despite finishing ahead in two previous counts.

"I think in the end Ted O'Brien will win because the AEC will put him there," Mr Palmer told AAP on Friday.

"I've said that while I've been leading all along because the system is very corrupt.

"I've got great confidence in the AEC to rig the result."

Mr Palmer originally finished with 36 more votes than Mr O'Brien. His lead was whittled down to a mere seven votes after a full redistribution of preferences.

The AEC is now conducting a full recount which isn't likely to wind-up for at least another week.

While almost 55,000 of the 80,000 votes have been viewed, close to 30,000 have been challenged.

Of those, more than 15,000 have been referred to the AEC in Brisbane for a decision.

Mr Palmer said the situation was ridiculous.

"Both times I've won and now they are sending the ballots down to Brisbane to have a different AEC officer to do a different determination on them which is quite amazing," he said.

However, the mining magnate concedes the Palmer United Party is responsible for the majority of challenges which have questioned the validly of ballot papers.

Mr Palmer is also frustrated by the AEC's decision to conduct a West Australian senate recount which has put his candidate, Zhenya "Dio" Wang, at risk of losing his spot in the upper house.

He said it was "disturbing" the Electoral Commissioner had overruled a local officer's refusal of a recount, and ordered all of WA's 1.25 million above-the-line ballots to be recounted.

The AEC's Phil Diak didn't comment on Mr Palmer's claim that the commission was rigging the Fairfax result.

However, he said the decision to send thousands of ballots to Brisbane was in accordance with Commonwealth electoral law.

Mr Diak said the number of votes referred to the Australian Electoral Commission officer in Brisbane was high due to the amount of challenges, with most coming from PUP scrutineers.

The recount of the WA senate result was also in accordance with the electoral act, he said.

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NT woman found dead near playground

A woman has been found dead near a playground in Darwin's northern suburbs. Source: AAP

A WOMAN has been found dead near a playground in Darwin's northern suburbs.

Police are investigating the death of a 51-year-old woman in Nightcliff after her body was found at Sunset Park at about 6am (CST) on Friday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Lee Morgan said the death may be related to a disturbance in Sunset Park at around 11pm on Thursday night.

Police are treating the death as suspicious.

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or anyone who may have information should contact Crime Stoppers.

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Hundreds to mark Bali bombings anniversary

Friends, families and victims will flock to Coogee to remember those who died in the Bali bombings. Source: AAP

FRIENDS, families and victims will gather in Sydney's eastern suburbs to commemorate the Bali bombings' 11th anniversary.

Eighty-eight Australians were killed when bombs detonated at two popular nightclub spots in Bali's tourist hub Kuta.

Forty-three of those who died on October 12, 2002 were from NSW and 20 from Sydney's eastern suburbs, including Coogee, Maroubra, Malabar and Matraville.

A large crowd is expected to descend on Dolphin Point at Coogee on Saturday morning for the annual Bali Memorial Commemoration Ceremony.

Randwick City Council mayor Scott Nash described the annual ceremony as a special event for the local community, particularly those affected by the bombings.

"Our community has a strong condition of uniting to support each other in times of tragedy and hardship," he said in a statement.

"On this day, as we do every year, we will come together to show our support and care for the victims of the families and survivors.

"And to remember those who we lost."

The ceremony, which will include tributes from family members, performances and a minute silence, will start at 10am.

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Friend told Higgs of Nobel triumph

NOBEL Prize-winning scientist Professor Peter Higgs has revealed he first heard he won the prestigious award when a women stopped to congratulate him in the street.

Prof Higgs says a former neighbour, the widow of a judge, got out of her car in Edinburgh as he was returning from lunch and introduced herself.

"She congratulated me on the news and I said 'oh, what news?'" he told a media conference at the University of Edinburgh.

"She told me her daughter phoned from London to alert her to the fact I had got this prize.

"I heard more about it obviously when I got home and started reading the messages."

Prof Higgs was recognised by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for his work on the theory of the particle which shares his name, the Higgs boson.

The existence of the so-called "God particle", said to give matter its substance, or mass, was proved 50 years on by a team from the European nuclear research facility (Cern) in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2012.

Giving his reaction to the prize for the first time, he said: "How do I feel? Well, obviously I'm delighted and rather relieved in a sense that it's all over. It's been a long time coming."

An old friend told him he had been nominated as far back as 1980, he explained.

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RAAF looks to high-end electronic warfare

THE RAAF is developing advanced electronic warfare capabilities to play a vital role in future operations.

RAAF chief Air Marshall Geoff Brown told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) dinner in Canberra that Force Level Electronic Warfare (FLEW) would involve new Growler electronic warfare aircraft and Wedgetail surveillance and control aircraft.

It could also include proposed new P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and Triton unmanned surveillance aircraft, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and the Navy's air warfare destroyers (AWDs).

All possess significant ability to deceive, confuse or attack an enemy through electronic means.

Air Marshal Brown said these capabilities could improve current defence forces but that their real value would be to future governments.

Air Marshal Brown said FLEW could assure theatre and national operations over air, land and sea, in peace and in conflict.

"The confluence of Growler, P-8, Wedgetail, Super Hornet and JSF, Navy's Aegis-equipped AWD and Army's special force operations presents an extraordinary development for Australia. It assures relevance in operations across time," he said.

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Motoring party deal extends Palmer's reach

Clive Palmer says his alliance with the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party will bring stability. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer has warned the federal government to negotiate or face "a very cold winter" after securing a powerful four-vote bloc in the Senate through an alliance with micro-party senator-elect Ricky Muir.

The mining magnate has struck an agreement with the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party senator-elect to align with the three newly-elected Palmer United Party (PUP) senators when the new upper house convenes in July.

Thursday's announcement included a warning to government senate leader Eric Abetz to work with the new alliance or face the consequences.

"Erica - is it Erica? - will have to negotiate with our team or he won't be negotiating at all," he said.

"It'll be a very, very, very, very cold winter.

"But we hope we can bring that into a nice prosperous summer for the government and the people of Australia."

While Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he would try to work constructively with the PUP, he was quick to remind Mr Palmer of the government's mandate.

"I'm confident everyone in this parliament very well understands that the new government has a clear mandate to get certain things done," he told reporters in Brunei.

The coalition will need the votes of at least six crossbenchers to get bills past the Greens and Labor.

Mr Muir, who has kept a low profile since his shock election last month, said the voting agreement with Mr Palmer was critically important to the nation's future and would bring certainty to Australian politics.

"Together, I can do so much more than I could've achieved alone," Mr Muir told reporters in Sydney.

But political opponents are asking whether secret deals are behind the move and whether the billionaire is treating federal parliament as his personal plaything, while Mr Muir's own party is looking at ways it can dump him as senator.

The AMEP's former Victorian branch chairman Scott McDonald said party members had been betrayed by Mr Muir after he aligned with Mr Palmer without consulting them.

"I feel a bit sorry for Ricky because he's kind of been a puppet stuck in the middle of something that he doesn't understand," he said.

Members plan to meet next Wednesday and could vote to remove the party leader from the senate, Mr McDonald said.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said the public deserved to know the details of the "secret deals" that led to the deal.

"The key question here is: what backroom deal did the Motoring Enthusiast Party enter into, what are the policies they have both agreed to support?" she said.

Mr Palmer didn't reveal the terms of the agreement, saying only it would cover "certain matters" and that the two parties shared common policies.

Greens senator Scott Ludlam, who faces a recount after losing his West Australian seat by 14 votes to PUP candidate Dio Wang, was sceptical about Mr Palmer's intentions.

"Is this a plaything for a rather erratic and eccentric coal billionaire, or is it going to be serious political player?" he told ABC radio.

Mr Palmer may end up wielding significant power in Canberra without even being in parliament himself. His bid for the lower house seat in the electorate of Fairfax hinges on a recount after he beat LNP opponent Ted O'Brien by just seven votes.

Interim Labor Leader Chris Bowen labelled the deal between the PUP and Senator Muir as "unusual", and called for both men to be transparent about the arrangement.

"I think the important thing here is transparency, for Mr Palmer and Senator Muir to be very clear about what this arrangement, this deal entails, about what the process will be," Mr Bowen told ABC TV.

"Will they actually always be voting together? Will they be voting separately on some instances? Who will actually make the decisions?"

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Tassie judo club wants Putin as patron

Russia's president has been asked to become the patron of a Tasmanian judo club. Source: AAP

A JUDO club in Tasmania has written to the Kremlin to ask Vladimir Putin to be its patron.

The Ulverstone Judo Club, in the state's north, says President Putin's prowess in the sport and no-nonsense approach make him the perfect candidate.

"I often say (at the club), look, Vladimir Putin doesn't put up with crap like this," head coach Chris Palmer told AAP.

"He's got plenty of backbone, he makes a decision and away he goes."

Mr Palmer said members of the club came up with the idea when they spotted the Russian president at the world championships in Rio last month.

They wrote to him this week and are hopeful of receiving a reply.

"We've gone to the Kremlin now," Mr Palmer said.

"If we don't do any good with getting a reply ... I'll shoot it back through the European judo.

"We might be able to get something that way."

President Putin began judo as a teenager and holds a sixth 'dan' red and white belt.

He has been the president of his boyhood club in St Petersburg and co-authored a book on the sport.

Mr Palmer, who earned his fifth 'dan' black belt last weekend, said the president's appearances practising judo on TV showed he had a sound knowledge of the sport.

"You can tell straight away that he has done a bit," he said.

"We have kids one night a week, some might do two.

"In Russia you're four nights a week or bugger off."

Mr Palmer said while he admired President Putin's lack of political correctness, he didn't agree with some of his more controversial policies.

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Dead daughter and sick father found in NSW

A WOMAN has been found dead along with her seriously ill elderly father at the NSW Hunter Valley home they shared, police say.

Officers went to the Dalwood Road address, in Branxton, around 11.30am (AEDT) on Thursday after being contacted by someone unable to reach either resident for several days.

A police spokeswoman said they found the body of the 28-year-old, and also located her seriously ill father.

The man, believed to be in his 70s, was treated for dehydration at the scene before being taken to Maitland Hospital in a serious condition.

Detectives say they hope to have a clearer idea of how the woman died once they are able to speak to him.

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Malala wins EU's human rights prize

The EU has awarded a prize for freedom of thought to Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai. Source: AAP

MALALA Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenage activist nominated for Friday's Nobel Peace Prize, was awarded the prestigious Sakharov human rights prize by the European Parliament on Thursday.

To thunderous applause announcing the prize, the parliament's president Martin Schulz said "Malala bravely stands for the right of all children to be granted a fair education. This right for girls is far too commonly neglected."

The parliament's vote for Malala amid a shortlist of three nominees "acknowledges the incredible strength of this young woman," Schulz added.

The 16-year-old has become an emblem of the fight against the most radical forms of Islamism.

She was shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban on October 9 last year for speaking out against them and has gone on to become a global ambassador for the right of all children to go to school.

Her old school closed on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of her shooting.

She was taken to Britain for treatment in the wake of the attack and now goes to school in the central city of Birmingham.

Feted by world leaders and celebrities for her courage, she has addressed the UN, this week published an autobiography, and could become the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate on Friday.

In an interview with Pakistani radio station City89 FM this week she said she had not yet earned that accolade.

"There are many people who deserve the Nobel Peace Prize and I think that I still need to work a lot," she said.

There was no immediate response from Malala, currently in New York, to winning the 50,000 ($A72,134.46) Sakharov prize. It will be handed to the teenager at a ceremony in Strasbourg on November 20.

However, the Taliban said on Thursday that she has done "nothing" to earn the Nobel Prize.

"She has done nothing. The enemies of Islam are awarding her because she has left Islam and has became secular," Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

"She is getting awards because she is working against Islam. Her struggle against Islam is the main reason of getting these awards."

He repeated the TTP's threat - made numerous times in recent months - to try again to kill Malala, "even in America or the UK".

Malala first rose to prominence with a blog for the BBC Urdu service chronicling the difficulties of life under the rule of the Taliban, who controlled Swat valley from 2007 until they were kicked out by the army in 2009.

In the region in deeply conservative northwest Pakistan, women are often expected to stay at home to cook and rear children and officials say only around half of girls go to school.

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Hungarian wingsuit flyer dies during jump

A WINGSUIT flier from Hungary has died following an accident during a jump into a gorge in central China.

Chinese media said the body of Victor Kovats was recovered Wednesday from the valley floor at Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park.

The reports said Kovats apparently died from a head injury. His 700-metre jump Tuesday afternoon was part of preparations for the Second World Wingsuit Championship being held in the park from October 11 to 13.

The accident's cause wasn't immediately known. The World Wingsuit League said on its website it was reviewing events leading up to Kovats' death and would adopt appropriate changes in the future.

A wingsuit is an aerodynamic jumpsuit that allows the wearer to soar for long distances before opening a parachute.

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Japan our best Asian friend: Abbott

Prime Minister Tony Abbott (R) has invited Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to address parliament. Source: AAP

TONY Abbott has described Japan as Australia's "best friend in Asia", while also extending an invitation for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to make a historic address to the parliament.

Stressing the importance of the strategic partnership between the two nations, Mr Abbott also expressed support for Japan's determination to make an increased contribution to international peace and security.

"As far as I'm concerned, Japan is Australia's best friend in Asia and we want to keep it a very strong friendship," Mr Abbott told Mr Abe, before the talks were closed to the media.

Mr Abbott will visit Japan in the first half of next year, in what represents a recalibration of Australia's foreign policy focus, after criticism of former prime minister Kevin Rudd for his decision to visit China instead of Japan in his first major overseas trip in 2008.

It's understood Mr Abbott also expressed support for Japan making an increased contribution to international peace and security; and that the time had come for Japan to be a "normal country" operating under the same rules that other nations operate.

Mr Abbott told Mr Abe that he hoped the Japanese prime minister would visit Australia at "an early opportunity".

It would be the first state visit to Australia by a Japanese leader in 11 years.

Mr Abe told Mr Abbott he also wanted to reinvigorate the relationship.

"I myself attach importance to the relationship with your country, a country (which) shares basic values and strategic interests with Japan," Mr Abe said.

"By working hand-in-hand with you, Prime Minister Abbott, I would like to elevate our strategic partnership ... and bring this relationship to a new phase." Mr Abe's address before a joint sitting of the parliament would be the first by a Japanese prime minister, with Mr Abbott's invitation extending one previously offered to Mr Abe by former prime minister John Howard.

Mr Abe had been set to address the parliament in September 2007, but was forced to cancel his visit amid political upheaval at home.

He resigned as prime minister on September 12, 2007, the day after the address was scheduled, but was re-elected to lead Japan in December last year.

The two leaders also discussed the regional dispute over the South China Sea, military cooperation, as well as efforts to progress negotiations on a free trade agreement, which first began in 2007 when Mr Abe was in power.

The two leaders also expressed strong support for the United States' so-called pivot to Asia.

Mr Abbott, who arrived in the tiny nation of Brunei on Wednesday following the APEC summit in Bali, was also held talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday.

Mr Abbott was also expected to have formal one-on-one meetings with Korean President Park Geun-hye, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Bilateral talks with the Philippines were cancelled due to time constraints.

US President Barack Obama cancelled his attendance at the summit because of the US government shutdown.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent his foreign minister in his place despite just visiting nearby Bali for APEC.

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Italy to receive refugee funding from EU

ITALY is set to receive 30 million euros ($A43.54 million) from the European Union to help in caring for refugees, the head of the bloc's executive announced during a visit to the southern island of Lampedusa.

"We will work together with Italian authorities to alleviate the difficulties of refugees on the ground," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday.

The funds could be used "to refurbish and raise the standard" of an overcrowded migrant reception centre on the tiny island, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said.

Prime Minister Enrico Letta, who escorted EU officials to Lampedusa, said the hundreds of migrants who died in a shipwreck last week would be given a state funeral and apologised for Italy's "shortcomings" in facing the tragedy.

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Palmer to vote with motoring party

PALMER United Party senators will form a voting alliance with Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party senator Ricky Muir.

Fairfax Media reports PUP leader Clive Palmer has agreed to vote with the AMEP senator, who will represent Victoria in the Senate.

The partnership between PUP's three senators and Mr Muir is expected to be announced in Sydney on Thursday.

Mr Palmer would not confirm or deny the reports but said the agreement would be something signed "between us together that we will work together and vote together as a team".

"I am sure it will be a sign of solidarity so we have good government in Australia, predictability and certainty - that's what people want," the Queensland billionaire told the ABC.

Mr Palmer says the other figure in this partnership will remain in their own party.

"...because we believe in diversity and I am sure we will be a strong team together," he said.

A recount is under way in the seat of Fairfax, where Mr Palmer ran against LNP opponent Ted O'Brien.

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Aust baby boomer and child drownings up

BABY boomers taking up water sports in their retirement have driven up the number of Australian drownings.

And child drownings nearly doubled last year, with 10 more deaths in the under-four age bracket.

The Royal Life Saving Society's annual report says of the 291 drowning deaths last year, 114 were over-55s.

The figure is the highest in 10 years for the age group, which now accounts for more than a third of the total.

The growing number of retiring baby boomers, many of whom take up water-based hobbies, could be to blame for the increase, Royal Life Saving Society chief executive Justin Scarr said.

"We're finding our parents and grandparents are boating and fishing their way into retirement," he said.

Accidents involving watercraft were responsible for 27 drowning deaths in people over 55 years old.

Existing medical conditions, such as heart problems, as well as medications which affect balance, could pose a threat for over-55s when out on the water, he said.

Of child drownings, 81 per cent of all deaths occurred after a child was left unsupervised.

Men also continued to make up the vast majority of deaths, accounting for 82 per cent of all drownings.

Thrill-seeking behaviour and alcohol were major factors, Mr Scarr said.

"We're calling on fathers, brothers and mates to look after each other and point out silly and foolish behaviour around water," he said.

The results reverse the previous year's downward trend, which saw total deaths drop to 284.

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Delhi rapists appeal death sentences

TWO of the four men sentenced to death in the fatal Delhi gang rape have filed appeals, their lawyer has said.

A special trial court sentenced them September 13 for the attack on a 23-year-old student in December. The case was referred to the Delhi High Court for confirmation of sentence.

"I have filed a joint appeal on behalf of my clients seeking the trial court's conviction and sentencing orders be set aside," said AP Singh, lawyer for Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur on Tuesday.

He said the verdict was "bad in law as the judge did not pay heed to the facts of the case."

The appeal said that Sharma was 17 years at the time of the crime - not 20 as argued by the police - and should have been tried by a juvenile court. It also said Thakur was not present at the scene of crime, Singh said.

Lawyers representing the other two convicts, Mukesh Singh and Pawan Gupta, informed the court that they were withdrawing from the case owing to alleged interference by the clients' relatives.

The judges directed the two convicts to be produced in court Wednesday to clarify the issue.

A death sentence can be challenged in the High Court and the Supreme Court, after which the defendant may 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.

Police charged six suspects initially. The case against one was dropped after he was found hanged in his jail cell during the trial.

The sixth suspect was found guilty by a juvenile court and sent to a correctional home for three years.

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Flatback turtles emerge from Darwin sand

A TINY flipper waves over the edge of a bootprint in the Darwin sand.

Slowly, very slowly, a little head follows.

With a heave, the newborn flatback turtle propels itself over the sand and suddenly he's scuttling at speed down the beach after his brothers and sisters to the breaking waves.

Across the beach they run the gauntlet, with grasses to get tangled in, footprints to fall into, and birds keeping a hungry eye on the baby turtles.

Once they hit the water there's fish, sharks, and even dolphins waiting for a bite to eat.

Along eight kilometres of Casuarina Coastal Reserve in Darwin, flatback turtle eggs are hatching, with a helping hand from park rangers and locals alike.

"It's the only capital city in the world with marine turtles nesting on its beaches," park ranger Dean McAdam tells AAP.

"That's pretty special, and we want to make sure we preserve the integrity of that nesting. We need these people to follow the regulations we establish here, because a lot of them are designed to protect the marine turtles."

The free turtle hatching program teaches the value of biodiversity in urban environments and is immensely popular, with a waiting list of more than 1000 people.

There are only four or five flatbacks nesting at Casuarina, with 10 to 12 clutches of eggs laid in a year, of 45 to 60 eggs each.

The rangers monitor the nests and move them if necessary to a safer place on the beach away from the people and animals who share it.

Casuarina Coastal Reserve is visited by four times as many people as neighbouring Kakadu, but the rangers hope locals will learn to treat it with the same level of respect.

"People treat this like their backyard, so the work we're doing here around turtle nests doesn't always get a positive response," says Nigel Weston, district manager for Darwin's urban parks.

"If they take their dogs off lead and we explain there's reasons why we have regulations in place they ignore us, whereas in Kakadu or Litchfield they behave differently."

On the beach, adults and children alike happily hold the baby turtles, hatched just that morning, before escorting them to the Timor Sea.

The little critters demonstrate surprising agility, which will come in handy when evading predators for the next three decades before they're ready to reproduce.

"We hope that when they reach maturity a few might come back here and nest again," Mr McAdam says.

The last baby turtle reaches the surf and with one wave, it's gone.

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Compensation for Aussie terror victims

MORE than a decade after the September 11 attacks in the United States and the 2002 Bali bombing, Australian victims and their families are finally set to receive compensation.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will confirm the news on Wednesday when he visits the Bali bombing memorial site in Kuta, making good his pre-election pledge that he would address the issue within 100 days of taking office.

The victims of overseas terrorism compensation scheme was introduced by the Gillard government in 2012, but was not made retroactive, meaning those affected by the attacks in New York in 2001 and Bali in 2002 and 2005 were unable to benefit.

But Mr Abbott, who was in Bali at the time of the 2002 bombings, will announce that compensation payments will now be made available to victims and their families for terrorist attacks dating back to September 10, 2001.

This will cover the attacks on New York and Bali as well as those in London and Egypt in 2005, Mumbai in 2008 and Jakarta in 2009.

Mr Abbott was in Bali when a massive bomb in a parked van was detonated outside the Sari Club in the bustling tourist area of Kuta just after 11pm on October 12, 2002.

The explosion came just 20 seconds after a suicide bomber detonated a backpack loaded with explosives inside Paddy's Bar.

In the aftermath of the attacks, the prime minister spent many hours at Bali's Sanglah General Hospital trying to help victims.

Mr Abbott has always said his intention to address the compensation issue was personal, and not political.

The move to address the compensation issue will finally fix the "extreme injustice" for victims and their families of recent overseas terrorism, Mr Abbott will say.

The scheme, which will cost about $30 million, will benefit around 300 individuals and families.

Payments of up to $75,000 will be made available to each eligible person, or their families. Claims can be lodged from October 21.

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IMF cuts Australian forecast, warns US

AUSTRALIA'S economic growth prospects have been downgraded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due to the nation's vulnerability to slower Chinese demand for commodity exports.

The IMF has also cut its world growth forecasts and warned any failure by the United States to raise its debt ceiling could "seriously damage" the global economy.

In its World Economic Outlook released on Tuesday, the IMF forecast Australian growth of 2.5 per cent in calendar 2013, down from the three per cent prediction made in April.

The outlook was slightly better than the Reserve Bank of Australia's latest forecast of 2.25 per cent growth in 2013, but worse than trend growth of 3.25 per cent.

For 2014, the IMF sees Australian growth at 2.8 per cent, rather than 3.3 per cent.

The IMF also cuts to its China growth expectations, citing rising convictions that Australia's number one trading partner will grow more slowly over the medium term than in recent years.

China is forecast to grow by 7.6 per cent this year and 7.3 per cent next year, having averaged 10 per cent over the past decade.

"Policymakers have refrained from further stimulating growth, which is consistent with the objectives of safeguarding financial stability and moving the economy to a more balanced and sustainable growth path," the IMF said.

"In the short term, as demand shifts away from materials-intensive growth, some commodity exporters could be vulnerable."

More broadly, the IMF says global growth is in "low gear" and risks persist.

IMF economic counsellor Olivier Blanchard says, while advanced economies are gradually strengthening, emerging economies have slowed.

US growth had also been hobbled by excessive fiscal consolidation despite still strong US private demand.

"Politics is creating uncertainty ... and conflicts around increasing the debt ceiling could lead to another bout of destabilising uncertainty and lower growth," Mr Blanchard said in the report.

The damage to the US economy from a short shutdown of the US government would be limited, but a longer one could be quite harmful.

"Even more importantly, a failure to promptly raise the debt ceiling, leading to a US selective default, could seriously damage the global economy," it says.

Elsewhere, the IMF said Japan was enjoying a vigorous rebound and, while the euro area was "crawling" out of recession, activity was likely to remain tepid.

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Regulators must improve:report

REGULATORS must make more effort to understand how regulation impacts small business.

Research the Productivity Commission has found small firms feel the burden of regulation more than larger businesses because a lack of staff, time and resources means they don't always understand and fulfil their obligations.

"A regulator's culture and attitude towards business can be as important as the content of the regulation itself," Commissioner Warren Mundy said in a statement on Wednesday.

"There is still significant scope for improvement in the way regulators engage with small business."

The report proposes a suite of changes which need to be implemented by all levels of government.

These include adopting communication practices with small business that focus on "brevity, clarity and accessibility of information".

Regulators should also be resourced to do their job effectively to avoid the shifting of direct and indirect costs onto business.

The commission found that regulators with effective risk-based engagement policies and procedures were more likely to be better resourced and to have senior leadership that invests in, and fosters, a business-focused culture among their staff.

"A stronger focus on risk was found to limit unnecessary intrusion on lower-risk small businesses, free up resources to improve frontline guidance and advice services, and enable them to more effectively address higher risks to communities," it says.

Government should require regulators to report back against a set of engagement principles to insure continuous improvement in regulatory performance.

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Twitter's Evan Williams may be worth $1B

THE personal fortune of Twitter co-founder Evan Williams probably will take up 10 characters once the online communications company goes public.

Williams, who was Twitter's CEO for two years until Dick Costolo took over in 2010, owns a 12 per cent stake that makes him the company's largest shareholder.

If Twitter turns out to be worth at least $US17.60 ($A18.79) per share, the initial public offering will make Williams a billionaire at 41 years old.

Williams, a Nebraska native who now lives in San Francisco, is likely to join the billion-dollar club because an outside appraisal of Twitter completed in August valued the company at $US20.62 per share, according to IPO documents unsealed on Thursday.

At that price, Williams' 56.9 million shares would be worth nearly $US1.2 billion.

San Francisco-based Twitter Inc. hopes to raise $US1 billion an offer that's expected to be completed by Thanksgiving.

Williams owns such a large stake because Twitter was hatched within another startup called Odeo that he launched in 2005 after leaving a job at Google Inc.

He had gone to work for Google after selling his first hit product, Blogger, to Google for an undisclosed amount in 2003.

Odeo, which specialised in podcasting, never caught on and Twitter was eventually spun into Obvious Corp., another company run by Williams.

Although Williams is no longer Twitter's chief executive, he remains on the company's board of directors.

Another board member, Peter Fenton, and his venture capital firm, Benchmark Capital, own a 6.7 per cent stake in the company.

Next in line with a 4.9 per cent stake is Jack Dorsey, who came up for the idea for Twitter with Noah Glass and Biz Stone.

The stakes of Glass and Stone aren't listed in the IPO documents, meaning they don't own enough stock to trigger legal disclosures.

Glass came up with the original name "Twttr" in a reference to chirping birds.

Despite his early involvement in Twitter, Glass was never promoted as one of the company's founders along with Dorsey, Stone and Williams.

Other investors who own at least a 5 per cent stake in Twitter include private investment firm Rizvi Traverse, which backed Hugh Hefner's successful bid to take Playboy private two years ago, as well as Spark Capital, Benchmark Capital Partners and Union Square Ventures.

DST Global, a London-based investment firm founded by Russian investor Yuri Milner, is another stakeholder.

DST, which focuses its investments on internet companies, was pre-IPO investor in Facebook.

Twitter's current CEO, former improvisational comedian Dick Costolo, owns a 1.6 per cent stake in the company.

Many of Twitter's 2000 employees could become rich, too. They won't be allowed to sell their stock until February 15, at the earliest.

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Energy industry set for big changes

ENERGY chiefs anticipate a major industry shakeup in the decade ahead as more shale gas and renewable power becomes available.

Senior utilities executives from 35 countries say their business model is headed for "complete transformation or important changes" by 2030, a survey of 53 power and utility companies conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) shows.

Almost 70 per cent of companies in Asia expect some degree of transformation, with eight per cent believing business models will become "unrecognisable" by 2030.

PwC's Australian utilities leader Mark Coughlin said the industry was on the brink of radical change.

"Consumers will hold the upper hand, new fossil fuel sources such as shale will come online, renewable sources will become increasingly affordable and competition more intense than in the past," Mr Coughlin said.

New technology is enabling more consumers to generate their own power, rather than buying it from one centralised source, he said.

"This is already the case to some degree in Australia with more than one million homes now having solar cells on their roof - a trend that is accelerating globally," Mr Coughlin said.

Almost two thirds of respondents to the annual PwC Power and Utilities Survey expect technology and new supply sources to dramatically reduce dependence on oil and gas-rich countries.

The same number described their customers as "passive customers that take what they are given," but this was expected to fall below 40 per cent within the decade.

But the report said a boost in shale gas, and tight oil supplies, were looming as a major challenge to regulators and policy makers.

It also showed the overwhelming majority of energy executives are looking to cut costs and implement austerity measures to make their businesses more efficient.

In Australia, seven major gas projects worth $200 billion are currently being built across the country.

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Killer on the run from Vic police

A CONVICTED killer who beat to death a disabled pensioner is on the run from Victorian police after breaching his parole.

Wayne Leslie Norris has not been seen since he breached parole on August 22, News Corp Australia reports.

Norris has 50 prior offences and was convicted of killing disabled man Lee Bridge.

He was serving a suspended sentence and skipped bail when the killing took place in Warragul in 2005.

He served six years for the crime but was released on parole.

His other convictions include armed robbery and aggravated burglary.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Melissa Search confirmed that Norris had breached the conditions of his parole and that the parole board would handle the matter.

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Abbott talks free trade with Xi Jinping

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has told Chinese President Xi Jinping of his "fervent hope" that ties between the two nations can be strengthened.

Mr Abbott met with the Chinese leader for the first time just hours after arriving in Bali on Sunday evening ahead of the annual APEC leaders summit.

Trade was top of Mr Abbott's agenda for his meeting with one of the world's most powerful men. He wants to revitalise long-running free trade negotiations with China.

Mr Abbott told Mr Xi it was an "honour" to meet him, before saying he wanted to make two key points.

"First to say that China's strength, China's growing strength, is a benefit to the world, not a challenge," Mr Abbott said.

"Certainly we in Australia owe much of our prosperity to rapidly growing trade relations between our two countries.

"The other point I'd make Mr President is that we have a strong relationship and it's my fervent hope it will become even stronger in the months and years ahead."

Mr Xi congratulated Mr Abbott on his recent election win.

"Mr Prime Minister, I appreciate your positive attitude on growing the China-Australia relationship," the Chinese leader said through an interpreter.

"I also firmly believe that as important countries in the Asia Pacific region, China and Australia entering into closer cooperation not only serves the interests of both our countries but will also add positive energy to the region."

The prime minister is also expected to meet with the leaders of Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada and Mexico on the summit's sidelines in the coming days.

But a planned meeting with Barack Obama was cancelled after the US president decided to stay in Washington to deal with the ongoing government shutdown.

Trade is top of Mr Abbott's to do list, particularly the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which seek to establish a grand free trade area that would include Australia and 11 other Asia-Pacific nations. But there are doubts about whether the TPP talks will be able to make much progress without Mr Obama.

APEC wraps up on Tuesday, and Mr Abbott will head to the tiny sultanate of Brunei for what's known as the East Asia Summit on Wednesday.

It brings together the leaders of the 10 ASEAN South-East Asian nations, plus Australia, New Zealand, the US, Russia, China, India, Japan and South Korea.

Mr Abbott returns to Australia on Thursday.

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Moulin Rouge to dance at Cup carnival

A TROUPE of Moulin Rouge dancers will swap France for Australia during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Sixteen dancers from the Paris cabaret will perform in the La Maison G.H. Mumm marquee, in Flemington's birdcage precinct, three times each race day during cup week.

It will be the first time the Moulin Rouge has performed in Australia and the dancers will bring more than 1000kg of costumes and accessories.

The Moulin Rouge, founded in the French capital's Montmartre district in 1889, is known as the birthplace of the can-can and became the setting of Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film.

The Melbourne Cup Carnival runs from November 2 to 9, kicking off with Derby Day.

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