Seven held over UK body-in-well

SEVEN people have been arrested by UK police on suspicion of murder after a body was found in a well.

Gardeners made the grim discovery at a private house on Friday afternoon.

The body is still in the well at the property in Audley Drive, Warlingham, Surrey, and the recovery operation is expected to take some time.

Scotland Yard has confirmed that seven men have been arrested.

Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons said on Saturday: "It is a murder investigation. As far as I am concerned, when a body is found in a well it either fell in there or was placed in there, and the evidence is apparent that the body was placed in there."

Two gardeners found the body shortly before 2pm on Friday as they were doing clearing work at the large house, which stands on grounds in an affluent area.

Mr Lyons said: "The body presents a number of logistical challenges. The well is two feet (60cm) in diameter, it is seven feet deep to the water line, and the water is approximately four feet deep.

"We need a police marine diving team, with breathing apparatus, and we need to recover the body intact to preserve forensic evidence. The process of recovery is likely to take some time."

He declined to speculate on how long this might be, but it was not going to be quick.

"It is not possible to ascertain with accuracy the gender of the body but, judging by the size, it is most likely to be an adult, not a child. The person is white."

He told reporters at the scene: "It's not been there for an extended period of time, it will be a matter of weeks at the most."

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Sydney bikie associate charged over arms

A Hells Angels associate has been charged with weapons offences after a raid in southwestern Sydney. Source: AAP

A HELLS Angels associate has been charged after police seized a stun gun, ammunition and steroids from a house at southwestern Sydney.

The items were seized by police from Strike Force Raptor as they undertook a raid at a house in Ambarvale.

Police arrested a 20-year-old man at the house and he was charged with possessing an unauthorised pistol, possessing an androgenic steroidal agent, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing ammunition.

He was refused bail and will appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

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Two-time shark victim feels he was spared

An abalone diver who survived two separate shark attacks nine years apart feels God saved his life. Source: AAP

THE abalone diver who incredibly survived a second shark attack has revealed he did not see the great white that tried to bite his head off - but instead recognised the sound of teeth on bone.

Greg Pickering, 55, was diving for abalone off a remote part of Western Australia's southern coast last month when he was attacked by a suspected great white shark.

It was the second time Mr Pickering had lived through a shark attack, after being bitten by a 1.5 metre bronze whaler while in waters near Cervantes, north of Perth, in 2004 as he was trying to help a friend.

Speaking about his ordeal for the first time, Mr Pickering told the Seven Network's Sunday Night program about the circumstances of the attack, which left him needing 10 hours of surgery on facial and other wounds.

"I heard the sound, the thrashing sound, of teeth on bone - and I remembered the sound from the last time I was bitten," Mr Pickering said.

"I thought 'that is probably a shark', but I didn't see it - I heard the attack."

The show claims Mr Pickering is now the only man in the world to be attacked by sharks in separate incidents and live to tell the tale.

And the interview will also detail how Mr Pickering used his 40-year diving experience to hold his breath and rise to the surface slowly after the attack, despite the water turning red around him from the blood pouring from his horrific injuries.

A roll of duct tape and a towel was then used to hold Mr Pickering's shredded face together, as his eight-hour journey to hospital began.

Mr Pickering told reporter Mark Ferguson how he felt he had been spared his life.

"It (the shark) suddenly stopped and let me go - so I have definitely been given another chance," Mr Pickering said.

"I do believe I have been given a second chance. God has given me a second chance there is no doubt about that."

Soon after the attack, Mr Pickering's family expressed their thanks to paramedics, surgeons, doctors and nurses who helped save his life, while Fisheries Department director-general Stuart Smith slapped a kill order on the shark.

But the order was then called off because the shark was not sighted again and was no longer considered a threat to school-holiday campers in the area.

Mr Pickering returned to the area where he was attacked, Poison Creek at Cape Arid National Park, about 180km east of Esperance, to tell his story.

*The interview with Mr Pickering will air on the Seven Network's Sunday Night at 6.30pm AEDT on Sunday November 17

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Story Bridge southbound reopened

THE Story Bridge has been reopened after an earlier police incident.

Motorists have been urged to drive through the area with care.

Motorists were advised that a police incident closed the southbound lanes of the Story Bridge about 7.35pm.

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Severe storms can't dampen Schoolies

Steve Ots catches massive hailstones falling in the water of the Sunshine Coast.

ANOTHER day, another storm in the southeast. Follow all the weather action here.

10.45pm: RAIN has failed to dampen spirits on the opening night of Schoolies.

While severe thunderstorms delayed the party for about an hour, stages set on the stretch of sand at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast have been reopened.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

Schoolies organiser Mark Weyburn said the party was closed off to young revellers amid concerns of wet weather affecting electrical equipment.

"We didn't open the gates until an hour or so later than we had hoped but it didn't stop the teens from partying," Mr Weyburn said.

"The rain just amped up the crowds even more so that when the storm passed they all flooded into the party in good spirits."

Mr Weyburn said Schoolies had been well behaved this year with very few incidents.

Head Red Frog Andy Gourley said this year's crop of graduates have been well behaved so far.

Schoolies celebrate the rain

"Moving them out of the hotel rooms has been fantastic and everyone seems to be getting right into it," he said.

"The next couple of hours will get busy as we start our 'walk home' service.

"Last year we did about 6000 walk homes and some volunteers have already taken some Schoolies back to Broadbeach. Red Frogs are going to clock up the kilometres tonight."

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms
 

7.15pm: ACCESS to the schoolies beach party has been closed temporarily while emergency services evaluate the storm threat.

Thousands of schoolies are assembling on the streets around Cavill Mall.

Gold Coast Schoolies spokesman Wayne Hickson said emergency services are keeping an eye on a developing storm front but organiser have no plans to close off the beach party at this stage.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

"It would have to be cyclonic weather to stop these guys from partying," Mr Hickson said.

"At the moment the worst of the storm looks like it will go around us but we have plenty of systems in place in case we need to evacuate the beach quickly."

Messages broadcast on large television screens, SMS warnings and audio warnings are on hand to alert schoolies if required.

If the party is shut off, Red Frogs volunteers will do the rounds at hotel room parties to keep the estimated 30,0000 school leavers entertained and out of trouble.

Mr Hickson said schoolies week is off to a slow start but is sure to pick up as the night wears on.

Weather photo Saturday night at the Story Bridge with lightning clouds. Picture: Adam Armstrong

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms
 

6.50pm: THE Bruce Highway has been reopened at two sections following separate incidents earlier this evening.

Motorists can now use one lane of the highway after a minor car crash 40km north of Gin Gin.

Emergency services are still removing the damaged vehicle from the road.

The highway is also open near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after a tree-related incident about 3pm.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

Water spout forming over Moreton Bay at approximately 6.30am Saturday morning. Picture: Juliet Bates

6.30pm: THUNDERSTORMS may rain on the parade of school leavers with another round of severe weather warnings issued for southeast Queensland.

The weather bureau has warned residents near the NSW border to expect storms near the McPherson Range by 6.25pm and Springbrook and Little Nerang Dam by 6.55pm.

The storms are moving northeast and forecasters have advised locals near the Gold Coast to prepare to batten down the hatches.

Further north, similar warnings have been given to residents near Mackay, Prosperine, Moranbah, Collinsville, Hamilton Island and Sarina on the central Queensland coast.
 

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

3pm: DOUBLE Island Point, Rainbow Beach and Wide Bay are now being warned to brace for thunderstorms with the Bureau predicting impact at around 3.05pm.

At 2.35pm severe storms were detected near Beenleigh and Russell Island, they are forecast to affect Mount Cotton, Macleay Island and Victoria Point by 3.05pm.

A 'very dangerous' thunderstorm on the Sunshine Coast brings hailstones the size of tennis balls.

Police are advising motorists that the Bruce Highway is closed near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after trees fell onto the road.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

2.50pm: Steve Ots is visiting the Sunshine Coast from the Gold Coast and witnessed the hail storm from his twelfth storey apartment on the Maroochydore esplanade.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

"I started hearing really loud noises - like a construction site," he said. 

"When I looked in the distance I could see all this splashing up the river and I realised it was hail. 

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

Hail hits the water at Maroochydore and leaves huge splashes. Picture: Steve Ots

"Originally I thought someone was throwing things from the apartment above us.

"The hail was orange-sized and it looked like a war zone…it was crazy, I've never seen hail like it before."

Taking shelter on his balcony Mr Ots said the hail caused considerable damage on the ground below.

"I wonder about the damage that it must have done," he said, 

"You wouldn't want to be on the ground when these things were coming down…the speed was pretty phenomenal."

2.45pm: Double Island Point, Rainbow Beach and Wide Bay are now being warned to brace for thunderstorms with the Bureau predicting impact at around 3.05pm.

At 2.35pm severe storms were detected near Beenleigh and Russell Island, they are forecast to affect Mount Cotton, Macleay Island and Victoria Point by 3.05pm.

Police are advising motorists that the Bruce Highway is closed near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, after trees fell onto the road.

2.40pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has updated weather warnings with very dangerous thunder storms detected near Maroochydore and Beenleigh, both cells are moving east.

A resident of Mooloolah Valley holds up a massive hailstone from a storm that sounded like explosions on the roof.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Jacobs Well and Russell Island by 2:45 pm.

Thunderstorms were also located north of Noosa and at Lake Cooloola.

2pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has added to the list of southeast Queensland towns warned to brace for oncoming storms.

Dangerous storm cells have been detected on radars near Jimboomba, Logan Village, Greenbank and Conondale.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Beenleigh, Logan City, Nambour and Mapleton by 2:20 pm.

Cleveland, Manly, Wynnum and Yandina may be affected by 2:50 pm.

Hail at Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast.

1.35pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has updated its storm warnings, with two storms cells centred around Maroochydore and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert.

The storms are moving towards the east to northeast.

The storms are classed as "very dangerous" and are forecast to affect Tamborine, Jimboomba, Logan Village and waters off Coolum Beach by 1:55 pm.

Beenleigh, Coomera, Hope Island and Jacobs Well will be hit by 2:25 pm.

Other severe thunderstorms were located near the NSW border and the area south of the NSW border.

They are forecast to affect the area southwest of Noosa Heads, the area west of Noosa Heads, Tewantin and Pomona by 1:55 pm.

Coolangatta, Caboolture, Noosa Heads and waters off Noosa Heads are predicted to be affected by 2:25 pm.

Residents are warned to brace for large hailstones and damaging winds.

Massive hailstones pounded the Mooloolah Valley. Picture: Higgins Storm Chasing/Rebecca Shepperson

1.15pm: Tennis ball-sized hail has fallen at Buderim as a large storm cell sweeps over the Sunshine Coast.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

The Bureau of Meteorology has reported "very dangerous thunderstorms" detected on weather radar near Maroochydore, Boonah, Caloundra and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert.

PICTURES: Readers capture southeast storms

They are forecast to affect Beaudesert, waters off Caloundra and waters off Maroochydore by 1:25 pm and Canungra, Mount Tamborine, Tamborine and Jimboomba by 1:55 pm.

Marburg, Lowood, northern Lake Wivenhoe and Mount Kilcoy will receive falls at around 1:25 pm.

Ipswich, Crohamhurst, Maleny and Conondale will receive further falls by 1:55 pm.

12.55pm: Residents are reporting a blanket of hail, some the size of large marbles, after more than 20 minutes of solid falls.

The water funnel as seen from a dive boat off Wynnum. Picture: Josh Keen

The storm cell is moving east to northeast and are forecast to hit Maroochydore by 12.55pm.

The Bureau of Meteorology has also detected severe thunderstorms near Esk and to the west of the town.

The storms are forecast to affect Boondah, Esk and the northwest of Esk by 12.55pm, and the area between Boonah and Beaudesert, northern Wivenhoe and Toogoolawah by 1.25pm.

Got a storm pic?  MMS 0428 258 117

Damaging winds and very large hailstones are likely.

Capricornia, parts of the Central Coast, the Whitsundays, the Central Highlands and the Coalfields districts are being warned to brace for damaging winds and large hail stones in the next two hours.

Emerald, Rockhampton, Clermont, Blackwater, Yeppoon, Baralaba, Marlborough, St Lawrence and Dysart may be affected.

Earlier, walkers on the Wynnum foreshore got a shock this morning when a large water funnel was spotted just off the coast.

Reader Janet Rough snapped a picture about 6.45am, with the odd formation dominating the skyline.

Commonly referred to as a water spout, Bureau of Meteorology Duty Forecaster Gordon Banks said the formation was more likely to be a small tornado over water.

Meet the one man weather bureau

Readers capture southeast storms

"In this instance being as it was associated with a thunderstorm it's most likely a tornado over water," he said.

"It would actually pick up water as it moved; it's hard to see if they don't have water or dirt wrapped around them."

Also spotted from the airport, if the formation is a tornado Brisbane could be on the receiving end of a weather phenomenon.

"If it was a tornado, and I suspect it was but it's hard to prove, then it's very unusual and very rare," Mr Banks said.

"Statistically we're unlikely to get another one, but if the environments produced one there remains a chance of another.

"It's just another part of the danger associated with thunderstorms and why it's always best to take cover."

Southeast Queensland's wet weather is expected to continue, with the bureau predicting significant rain over Sunday and Monday with thunderstorms also predicted.

- reporting by Caitlin Drysdale, Naomi Lim, Jacinda Tutty and Kathleen Donaghey

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New poll puts Libs ahead in SA

A NEW opinion poll has put victory within the grasp of the South Australian opposition at the March state election.

The Galaxy poll published on The Advertiser website on Thursday put support for the Liberals at 54 per cent, on a two-party basis, compared to 46 per cent for the Labor government.

With a swing of 2.4 per cent to the opposition since the 2010 election, it is poised to pick up five Labor seats.

That would wipe out Labor's majority but would still leave the Liberals one seat short of forming government in their own right.

Three independent MPs would ultimately decide the outcome, though the Galaxy poll has found they also face strong challenges from Liberal candidates.

Labor currently holds 26 seats in the 47-seat House of Assembly with the Liberals on 18.

In 2010 the Liberals won the popular vote but failed to pick up a string of marginal seats the party needed to take power.

While the opposition now looks to be in a stronger position, Labor has lifted its support since a horror opinion poll in March when the government trailed the Liberals 41-59.

The latest Galaxy poll surveyed 860 people on Wednesday night.

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Six soldiers booted for demeaning women

Six soldiers have been sacked for producing and distributing inappropriate material demeaning women. Source: AAP

DEFENCE has booted out six soldiers for their part in the so-called "Jedi Council", an informal ring that shared offensive material including vision of secretly filmed sex acts.

Another seven may be sacked.

Army chief Lieutenant General David Morrison said their services had been terminated for production or distribution of highly inappropriate material demeaning women - and the message was clear.

"If you engage in misconduct, or you fail to uphold the army's standards, then you will be held to account," he said in a statement.

The "Jedi Council" scandal emerged in June when it was revealed a group of about 100 people, mostly soldiers, had been exchanging offensive material on the Defence computer system and the internet.

The group was allegedly co-founded by a former commando reservist officer who emailed video of himself having sex with a woman to associates on the network.

Up to 60 Defence personnel viewed the imagery, commenting on her appearance and performance.

Police identified several female victims of the "Jedi Council", variously referred to as "married moll number five" or "virgin moll". The group made references to gang-bangs and demands for more images.

Group members also allegedly exchanged images of women accompanied by offensive commentary, digitally altered images and images of naked women.

Of the six now discharged - ranging in rank from sergeant to major and from regular army and reserve units - NSW police are still investigating three who might face civil charges.

Another 11 have been implicated and Defence is considering whether to sack seven. The other four have faced, or will face, internal action.

General Morrison said Defence had concluded investigations into another 172 mostly army members identified as peripheral to the group's email exchanges. They too may face internal action.

"The Australian Army is overwhelmingly an organisation of 44,000 talented and professional men and women, who serve their country with pride and distinction," he said on Thursday.

"The standard of behaviour we expect of our serving members is clear."

He revealed on Thursday that 122 army members had been sacked this year.

That includes 15 officers and 35 soldiers for misconduct or unacceptable behaviour, one officer and 52 soldiers in relation to drugs and 19 soldiers for civilian offences.

"Where any serious case of misconduct or unacceptable behaviour is proven, the Chief of Army is resolved to take every step available to remove the individual responsible from the army," Defence said in a statement.

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Another $10m gift for University of WA

ANOTHER multi-millionaire has given another massive donation to the University of Western Australia, with freight magnate Greg Poche gifting $10 million for a new centre for indigenous health.

Just weeks after mining billionaire Andrew Forrest gave the university $65 million, the former founder and owner of Star Track Express has made his own major bequest to the college.

It will fund a new Poche Centre for Indigenous Health in Perth, to work alongside sister centres at Flinders University in Adelaide and the University of Sydney.

Their goal is to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander health, while advocating stronger social and emotional wellbeing.

And so the UWA Poche Centre will work together with the University's School of Indigenous Studies, their Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health and their Rural Clinical School.

Mr Poche and his wife Kay said the couple were still committed to do their best for Indigenous Australians.

"Improving the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians is one of our nation's biggest challenges and it is vital that we do everything we can," Mrs Kay said.

"Greg and I are determined that the Poche Centres will make a big difference."

The centre will also tackle children's health, disability and developmental outcomes, as well as chronic disease.

Professor Paul Johnson, vice-chancellor of the university, said a long-established strength in Aboriginal health research and education would be added to by the Poche centre.

"This will bring together the University's considerable expertise, programs and resources in Aboriginal health in a strong partnership," Professor Johnson said.

"Fostering collaborations between health professionals and Aboriginal communities is critical for successful health outcomes."

Poche has consistently been listed among the richest Australians, valued at $620 million.

It is estimated he donated more than $105 million to causes around Australia - while also recently donating the use of his palatial Sydney home to the Ten Network to film the current series of the TV show The Bachelor.

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Hospitals braced for schoolies boozefest

EDS: Not for use before 00.02am (AEDT) November 15.

By Miles Godfrey

SYDNEY, Nov 15 AAP - More than 500 schoolies will end up in hospital on the Gold Coast next week, with about 18 poisoned by drugs and a further 90 suffering alcohol-related mental or behavioural problems.

That's the stark prediction from new software developed by the CSIRO to help Queensland health bosses marshal resources during the annual end-of-term boozefest.

About 28,000 schoolies are forecast to descend on the Gold Coast from Saturday, with thousands of others heading to different Australian locations or overseas to let off steam.

In a bid to accurately gauge the health response, including staffing levels and bed vacancies, Queensland Health is using a new tool developed by Australian scientists to forecast exactly how many schoolies will need treatment.

The Patient Admission Prediction Tool (PAPT) uses historical data and inputs other things, including weather, time of day and population levels, to predict how many people will need help.

"We're using the latest data to build a model and that is used then to forecast how many people will rock up to the emergency room," said David Hansen, CEO of CSIRO's Australian E-Health Research Centre.

It's the first time PAPT has been been used for schoolies week and it paints a grim picture of what will unfold.

The CSIRO's modelling shows there will be 2700 presentations to Gold Coast Health's emergency rooms in the first week of schoolies, with around 20 per cent (540) of those students.

The modelling forecasts that about 90 people aged 17-19 will need treatment each week during schoolies for alcohol-related mental and behavioural problems.

A further 18 per week will need treatment for drug poisoning, 30 per week will need help for cuts and grazes to the head - and dozens of others will suffer cuts and grazes to other body parts, often from broken glass.

CSIRO data shows that the number schoolies needing treatment for alcohol intoxication tripled between 2011 and 2012.

Presentations related to alcohol intoxication increases by 40 times during Schoolies compared to other times of the year, CSIRO said.

"Having this information about admissions allows us to plan the staff, medical supplies and beds needed to care for those schoolies and manage waiting times for our other patients who are still arriving with other serious injuries," said Gold Coast Health's Dr James Lind.

The PAPT software may be rolled out to other hospitals, government services and business in future, Mr Hansen said.

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Activists to quiz company board at AGM

ENVIRONMENTAL activists will use proxies from shareholders to question the Lend Lease board at the company's AGM about its plans to build a coal port in Queensland.

Scientist Felicity Wishart, the Great Barrier Reef campaign manager for the Australian Maritime Conservation Society, said Lend Lease is considering whether to invest in a coal port at Abbot Point.

Building there would require dredging in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, she added.

Lend Lease would also construct "supporting rail infrastructure" under their plans.

"We're very concerned about this proposal," she told AAP.

"The reef is already under too much pressure, it's health is already fragile."

Ms Wishart and two activists from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition will attend the company's AGM in Sydney on Friday to ask questions of the board and to inform shareholders of the proposed port.

"Lend Lease has had a pretty good record in terms of commitments to sustainability," she told AAP on Thursday.

"We don't understand why then they would want to be involved in a project which... poses a great threat to the reef and additionally is about promulgating an increase in coal exports."

About 40 other activists will rally outside the AGM to highlight community concerns, Ms Wishart said.

She added that existing ports in the area are only operating at 30 per cent capacity.

"You could end up with these ports being developed, damaging the reef for no actual reason."

"It's a poor investment."

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Abbott praises political foe Rudd

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Christine Campbell quits Vic parliament

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

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

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

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

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

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Constitutional recognition 'big issue'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Gay activists seek end to criminality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Labor to target Morrison at Question Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Snowden a criminal: Richardson

DEFENCE Department secretary Dennis Richardson says fugitive US defence contractor Edward Snowden should be regarded as a common criminal, not a whistleblower.

Mr Richardson, the former head of the Australian Security intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said he became irritated every time he saw a reference to Snowden's disclosure of US intelligence information as whistleblowing.

"I thought whistleblowers revealed things that were illegal," he told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute dinner in Canberra on Tuesday.

"As far as I am concerned Snowden is probably nothing more than a garden-variety criminal."

Mr Snowden, a former US defence contractor, revealed details of secret US surveillance programs that were later published worldwide. He's currently in hiding in Russia, where he has been granted asylum for a year.

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Two prisoners escape from Vic jail

Police are searching for two prisoners who escaped from a minimum security jail in Victoria's north. Source: AAP

A MANHUNT has been launched for two prisoners who have escaped from a minimum-security Victorian jail.

Police believe that Stephen Standage and Patrick Honeysett left the grounds of Dhurringile Prison, near Murchison in Victoria's north, some time after 5pm (AEDT) on Tuesday.

Police say Standage, 46, is 175cm tall with a medium build, black hair with grey flicks, brown eyes and of Aboriginal/Caucasian appearance. He has a moustache.

Honeysett, 38, is 175cm tall with a medium build, brown hair in a crew-cut style and is also of Aboriginal/Caucasian appearance. He has tattoos on his right upper arm and on his lower leg.

Investigators believe they may have discarded their prison garb and are now wearing street clothes.

Dhurringile Prison is a minimum security prison for low-risk offenders.

Police say the pair are in jail for burglary and handling stolen goods related charges and advise anyone who comes in contact with them to call triple zero.

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Bombing shows Syrian war risks: Dreyfus

Former Labor minister Mark Dreyfus warns Australians against involvement in the Syrian conflict. Source: AAP

A SUICIDE bombing in Syria by a man thought to be Australian highlights the risk posed by Australians taking part in the conflict, a former Labor minister says.

Former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus says it is a concern that Australians were participating in a "truly dreadful" conflict where barbarities were perpetrated by all sides.

"Australians who are exposed to that kind of activity, who become radicalised, who become trained in that kind of military activity, it is of course a concern that they might bring back to Australia that kind of knowledge," he told ABC television's 730 program.

During the program a bomber, identified by the ABC as a 27-year-old man from Brisbane, is shown in an online video posted by al-Qaeda-linked group Jabhat al Nusra.

The man, his face pixelated but identified as "Abu Asma al Australi", stands on the back of an explosives laden dump truck reciting passages from the Koran, urging others to participate in jihad.

The truck is then pictured driving away and exploding in the distance.

This occurred in September. Jabhat al Nusra claimed it was driven by the man and said he died in the blast that also killed 30 Assad government soldiers.

However, the man's brother told the ABC it was not true. He said his brother was alive in Turkey, doesn't agree with the war and could not speak fluent Arabic like the man in the video.

A number of Australians have died in the Syrian conflict, all apparently fighting with rebel groups.

In its annual report, ASIO warned of an increasing number of Australian Muslims travelling to Syria to fight - with the risk they could return radicalised and with skills to mount terrorist attacks.

Mr Dreyfus said this was why he proscribed Jabhat al Nusra as a terrorist organisation earlier this year.

That prohibits Australians from joining or participating in any of its activities in Australia or overseas.

Where the government knows a person is intending to participate in the Syrian conflict, it can cancel a passport.

"But of course it's not always possible to determine in advance that someone is intending to participate. They might, for example, state their destination as Turkey," he said.

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Woman, 80, cleared of murder, not bombings

A German octogenarian has been cleared of murder charges over a fatal 1975 attack on an OPEC office. Source: AAP

A GERMAN octogenarian has been cleared of murder charges in relation to a fatal 1975 attack outside the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, but still faces jail for involvement in a series of leftist bombings during the 1970s.

Sonja Suder, 80, had originally been accused of recruiting one of the assailants in an attack that left three dead outside the offices of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

However, prosecutors had confessed during the course of the trial, which began in September 2012, that it was impossible to prove her ties to the attack.

Instead, she was found guilty in several bombings in southern Germany during the late 1970s that resulted in damage, but no injuries or death. The former radical was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Her partner, Christian Gauger, had originally been charged in the bombings, but eventually had his case separated from Suder's. It was later suspended because of his health problems.

Suder, wearing sunglasses, showed no reaction as the verdict was read. However, she did wave at supporters who had gathered in the Frankfurt courtroom.

Both Gauger and Suder have been linked to the left-wing Revolutionary Cells, a group that followed similar aims to the more violent and better-known Baader-Meinhof gang.

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5% emissions reduction possible: expert

THE government can achieve its target five per cent emissions reduction through its direct action scheme at a cost of $7-10 billion, an economist says.

Danny Price, managing director of Frontier Economics Australia, said on Tuesday the task would depend on the difficult issues of scheme penalties and baselines which the government had yet to announce.

Initially the coalition proposed a $10.5 billion direct action fund out to 2020 but has now revised that down to $2.55 billion to 2018.

Mr Price said there would certainly be funds beyond this initial four year forward estimates period, although he couldn't say just how much more would be needed.

"It will depend very much on where the government sets the baselines and the nature of the penalties that are applied, but in the order of $7-10 billion, but probably on the lower end of that range. That includes the $2.55 billion," he told ABC television.

Mr Price is one of a small group of economists who favour direct action rather than a carbon tax to reduce carbon emissions.

He said a couple of years ago the then opposition invited Frontier Economics to review costings and assess whether their proposed range of abatement measures were consistent with the literature.

"In both cases we concluded that the costs were reasonable and the level of abatement was very consistent, probably on the conservative side of the evidence available at the time," he said.

Mr Price said a carbon tax worked as a stick whereas direct action was a carrot.

But it also included penalties.

"Direct action comprises both a reward and also a penalty. So if any producer comes along and starts to emit at a much higher rate than they did before, that penalty could cut in," he said.

"Very much, the focus is on encouraging greater quantities of cleaner energy or cleaner forms of production."

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Life for brothers in Russia airport attack

THREE men have been sentenced to life in prison and a fourth to 10 years for their roles in the 2011 suicide bombing of a Moscow airport, which killed 37 people.

Bashir Khamkhoyev and brothers Islam and Ilez Yandiyev were given life sentences on Monday by a court in Krasnogorsk, a city on the north-western outskirts of Moscow. Akhmed Yevloyev, a brother of the purported bomber, was given 10 years, the court said.

The court earlier on Monday had convicted the four men on terrorism charges.

The bombing in January 2011 was carried out by a man who walked into the arrivals hall of Domodedovo International Airport, Russia's largest airport, and blew himself up. The explosion injured 172 people.

Investigators identified the bomber as Magomed Yevloyev, a native of the North Caucasus region of Ingushetia. The also have charged local Islamist insurgency leader Doku Umarov with recruiting and training Magomed Yevloyev for the attack.

The Yandiyev brothers were accused of driving Magomed Yevloyev to Domodedovo while the other defendants were found guilty of helping him in Ingushetia, the Russian Investigative Committee said.

Islam Yandiyev had asked for a pardon while the three remaining defendants denied guilt, Russian news reports said.

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Sea Shepherd seeks no-arrest guarantee

NEWLY landed Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson wants assurances he won't be handed over to Japanese authorities before considering a visit to Australia.

Mr Watson, who is in the US after 15 months on the run at sea, has been granted an Australian business visa.

But Sea Shepherd Australia chairman Bob Brown says Mr Watson isn't yet intending to use the visa.

"I don't think he's going to come here until he gets an assurance that he won't be captured by a Japanese arrest warrant," Dr Brown told reporters in Hobart.

Mr Watson is wanted by the Japanese over the militant anti-whaling campaign he led in Antarctic waters over the past decade.

He made landfall to give evidence in a civil action by Japanese whaling interests against Sea Shepherd's US arm in a Seattle court.

The action prevents him from direct involvement in the conservation group's actions in the Southern Ocean but a visit to Australia would provide a massive publicity boost as the group seeks to raise $4 million for what it is dubbing Operation Relentless.

Dr Brown said Mr Watson, who holds joint Canadian-US citizenship, felt safe in America.

"The US is very protective of its citizens and I couldn't see a US administration handing Paul Watson over to Japan," the former Greens leader said.

"There'd be a big furore in the United States if that were to happen."

Attorney-General George Brandis's office has been contacted for comment.

Dr Brown has also given evidence in Seattle, where whalers are seeking penalties for alleged breaches by Sea Shepherd US of a restraining order.

He said the case would not affect the three-ship protest planned for this summer because Sea Shepherd Australia has separated from the US arm.

"They're trying a back door way of trying to stop Sea Shepherd and they'll fail," Dr Brown said.

Japan insists its annual whaling program is legal under allowances for a scientific catch.

In a separate action, Australia is challenging the legality of the whale hunt at the International Court of Justice, with the court deliberating and a ruling expected between now and March.

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Vic woman, 91, dies in car crash

A 91-YEAR-OLD woman has died in hospital following a two-car collision in regional Victoria.

The woman was a passenger in a car which collided with a utility in Mortlake on Monday morning.

The woman, from Mortlake, was flown to The Alfred hospital where she died in the evening.

The 89-year old driver of the car, also from Mortlake, was taken to the Warrnambool hospital for treatment.

The occupants of the other vehicle, a 61-year-old Warrnambool woman and a 41-year-old Port Fairy woman were both taken to the Warrnambool hospital with minor injuries.

The woman's death takes the state's road toll to 197, compared to 241 for the same time last year.

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Iran, IAEA sign 'roadmap for co-operation'

Diplomats say a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program is close, despite clinching one in Geneva. Source: AAP

IRAN and the UN nuclear watchdog have agreed on a "roadmap for co-operation" over Tehran's controversial atomic drive, as the US accused Iran of scuttling latest efforts to end the deadlock.

The announcement of the breakthrough came on Monday during a visit to Tehran by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano. No details of the accord were immediately released.

"The joint statement that was signed today details a roadmap for cooperation that determines mutual steps to resolve remaining issues," Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said at a joint news conference with Amano, which was closed to Western media in Tehran.

Amano hailed the deal as "an important step" but added "much more must be done", in remarks were carried by the ISNA news agency.

The IAEA chief's visit is aimed at resolving technical issues linked to the IAEA's role of monitoring Iran's nuclear activities.

Broader questions of how to ensure the Islamic republic's nuclear program is not being used to mask a drive for atomic weapons are being discussed in rounds of negotiations between Iran and P5+1 powers - Britain, France, the United States, Russia and China plus Germany.

In the latest talks, a marathon session in Geneva which ended inconclusively on Sunday, hopes for a deal had soared after top diplomats rushed to join the talks.

But they faded as cracks began to appear among world powers when France raised concerns over a heavy water reactor being built at Arak.

Addressing the issue on Monday in Abu Dhabi, US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Iran of being responsible for the failure of the talks.

"The P5+1 was unified on Saturday when we presented our proposal to the Iranians... But Iran couldn't take it, at that particular moment they weren't able to accept," said Kerry, who is on a regional tour to address thorny issues such as the Middle East peace process, Iran's nuclear program and the Syrian conflict.

In the remarks he made to reporters during a visit to the United Arab Emirates capital, Kerry reassured Israel that the deal will better protect it.

"What we are doing will protect Israel more effectively," he said, as the United States and Israel were locked in an escalating war of words over the negotiations.

The P5+1 group and Iran will reconvene again in Geneva on November 20 to try to iron out differences.

The broad outline of the agreement is said to include a freeze of part or all of Tehran's nuclear program in return for the easing of sanctions.

France said Monday that world powers and Iran were close to an agreement despite the failure of the Geneva talks.

"We are not far from an agreement with the Iranians but we are not there yet," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Europe 1 radio.

Responding to criticism that Paris was behind the failure in Geneva because of its reservations about parts of the deal on the table, he retorted: "France is neither isolated nor a country that follows the herd. It is independent and works for peace."

Iran's nuclear chief Salehi said on Monday that as a gesture of goodwill, IAEA inspectors would be allowed to visit the heavy water production plant in Arak as well as the Gachin uranium mine in the south.

At least a year from being completed, the Arak reactor is a major source of concern for Western powers who fear the plutonium it will produce as a by-product could provide Iran with a second route for making fissile material for an atom bomb.

Iran has long been adamant it solely wants to produce isotopes for medical and agricultural purposes at the Arak plant.

Iran denies seeking or ever having sought nuclear weapons, and says such claims are based on faulty intelligence from agencies such as the CIA and Israel's Mossad.

The IAEA in particular wants to visit the Parchin military base, southeast of Tehran, where intelligence evidence suggests Iran may have carried out weaponisation research.

Salehi and Amano did not mention Parchin as being part of the deal they struck, although details of the agreement are yet to be publicised.

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Japan runs wind turbine near Fukushima

A FLOATING wind turbine off Japan's east coast, near the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant, has started generating power.

The turbine, equipped with 80-metre-long blades, is placed about 20 kilometres from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It will produce up to 2 megawatts of electricity, said a consortium of 10 Japanese companies and the University of Tokyo on Monday.

The consortium hopes the publicly-funded pilot project will help Fukushima become the centre of a renewable energy industry, and create jobs in the region hit by the country's worst nuclear accident in 2011.

The consortium plans to install two more 7-megawatt turbines by March 2015.

Before the Fukushima disaster, nuclear-generated electricity made up about 30 per cent of Japan's power output, but all of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors are currently offline.

The Fukushima plant suffered meltdowns at three of its six reactors after a tsunami swept through the complex in March 2011.

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Aussie cleared by Dubai court on fraud

AN Australian businessman's five-year legal nightmare in the Middle East appears over, with a Dubai court upholding his acquittal.

Marcus Lee, 44, was cleared on fraud-related charges in Dubai in May but the Dubai Public Prosecutor appealed his acquittal, dashing his and his wife Julie's hopes of returning home soon after.

But on Sunday, after more than 50 court hearings over almost five years, the Dubai Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

After the verdict, Mr Lee and Mrs Lee said the outcome was all they could ever have hoped for.

"This is the correct result and we thank the Dubai Appeal Court judges for their verdict," they said in a statement.

"We simply hope that we will now be allowed to return to our families in Australia and resume our lives after almost five years of constant anxiety, stress and hardship.

Gittany murder trials reveals his jealousy

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: With her dark eyes and stunning features, it's easy to see why Simon Gittany knew his fiancee Lisa Harnum to be a head-turning beauty.

'One punch' laws could mean 10 years

EXCLUSIVE: Brawlers who kill with a king-hit punch will face up to 10 years in jail under tough new "one punch" legislation to be introduced by the state government.

"Julie and I desperately want to be able to see our families again."

The Lees feared that the lodging of the appeal meant they were likely to be trapped in the UAE for another year.

Mr Lee said he hopes Australian officials will now lobby on his behalf to ensure no further appeals are lodged.

Mr Lee and fellow Australian businessman Matthew Joyce were arrested in January 2009 over fraud allegations brought by Gold Coast property developer Sunland, after a land deal collapsed during the global financial crisis.

They spent nine months in prison, followed by more than three-and-a-half years under effective house arrest.

The court in May this year sentenced Mr Joyce to ten years in prison and a $25 million fine. It also convicted Melbourne businessman Angus Reed in absentia.

They were found guilty of duping Sunland into giving them $12 million, but both maintain their innocence.

But the court cleared Mr Lee of wrongdoing, and even Sunland itself believed Mr Lee did nothing wrong.

Mr Lee's Brisbane-based lawyer, John Sneddon, said any further appeals would be devastating and urged Dubai authorities to allow the Lees to come home.

"They are sick, they are tired and they have lost everything they ever owned," he said.

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New trial sought for executed US 14yo

GEORGE Stinney has been dead since 1944, when as a 14-year-old black boy he became the youngest person executed in the United States in the past century, for killing two white girls. Now his supporters are taking the unheard-of step of asking for a new trial.

Stinney's case brings together two of the longest-running disputes in the American legal system - the death penalty and race.

Stinney was convicted on a shaky confession in a segregated society that wanted revenge for the beating deaths of two girls, aged 11 and 7, according to a lawsuit filed last month on Stinney's behalf in South Carolina.

He was electrocuted just 84 days after the girls were killed. Newspaper stories reported that witnesses said the straps to keep him in the electric chair didn't fit around his small frame.

The request for a new trial is largely symbolic, but Stinney's supporters say they would prefer exoneration to a pardon - which they've asked for as well.

Gittany murder trials reveals his jealousy

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: With her dark eyes and stunning features, it's easy to see why Simon Gittany knew his fiancee Lisa Harnum to be a head-turning beauty.

'One punch' laws could mean 10 years

EXCLUSIVE: Brawlers who kill with a king-hit punch will face up to 10 years in jail under tough new "one punch" legislation to be introduced by the state government.

The judge may refuse to hear the request for a new trial, since the punishment has already been carried out.

The two girls were last seen looking for wildflowers in the racially divided mill town of Alcolu. Stinney's sister, who was 7 at the time, says in her new affidavit for the lawsuit that she and her brother were letting their cow graze when the girls asked them where they could find flowers called maypops. The sister, Amie Ruffner, said her brother told them he didn't know, and the girls left.

"It was strange to see them in our area, because white people stayed on their side of Alcolu and we knew our place," Ruffner wrote.

The girls never came home. They were found the next morning in a water-filled ditch, their heads beaten with a hard object, likely a railroad spike.

The request for a new trial includes sworn statements from two of Stinney's siblings who say he was with them the entire day the girls were killed.

Notes from Stinney's confession and most other information used to convict him in a one-day trial have disappeared, along with any transcript of the proceedings. Only a few pages of cryptic, hand-written notes remain, according to the motion.

"Why was George Stinney electrocuted? The state can't produce any paperwork to justify why he was," said George Frierson, a local school board member who grew up in Stinney's hometown hearing stories about the case and decided six years ago to start studying it and pushing for exoneration.

The request for a new trial points out that at just 43 kilograms it's unlikely Stinney could have killed the girls and dragged them to the ditch.

The motion also hints at community rumours of a deathbed confession from a white man several years ago and the possibility Stinney confessed because his family was threatened.

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Kelly parents: 'legal system doesn't care'

THE parents of slain teenager Thomas Kelly have lashed out at the NSW justice system, saying they feel "destroyed" by the process that ended in their son's killer being sentenced to four years jail.

The 18-year-old was killed when he suffered massive head injuries from a king hit by a drunken stranger, Kieran Loveridge, during a night out with friends in Sydney's Kings Cross last year.

Loveridge was handed a four-year sentence for the manslaughter, plus 14 months for attacks on four others who, like Mr Kelly, happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Grieving parents Ralph and Kathy Kelly told reporters immediately after the sentencing on Friday they were "horrified".

On Sunday they spoke out about their fight to have the Director of Public Prosecutions pursue a murder charge.

Loveridge, 19, pleaded guilty to the alternative charge of manslaughter, thus securing a 25 per cent discount on his sentence.

Gittany murder trials reveals his jealousy

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: With her dark eyes and stunning features, it's easy to see why Simon Gittany knew his fiancee Lisa Harnum to be a head-turning beauty.

'One punch' laws could mean 10 years

EXCLUSIVE: Brawlers who kill with a king-hit punch will face up to 10 years in jail under tough new "one punch" legislation to be introduced by the state government.

"We pleaded with them not to downgrade it," Ralph Kelly told the Nine Network.

"We've spent the whole year fighting for Thomas in a legal system that just doesn't care ... We feel destroyed."

Kathy Kelly said she did not believe Loveridge was remorseful: "The talk in the papers about him breaking down in the witness stand? I didn't see any tears."

She criticised Justice Stephen Campbell's emphasis on Loveridge's rehabilitation prospects, and said the prosecution had kept the family in the dark.

"They are nice people and I guess they're just doing their job within the realms of the law, but we have been fighting (the downgraded charge) constantly, you know, even to the point that sometimes people would refuse to email us or we'd get notification after six o'clock on a Friday night ... it was just like nobody wanted to talk to us," Mrs Kelly said.

She said there had not been a single night since her son died that she had not cried herself to sleep.

"I wake up and the first thing I think about is Thomas, and I cry, and I cry for what he's lost," she said.

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Queen leads Remembrance events

THE Queen has honoured members of Britain's Armed Forces killed in conflict as Remembrance Sunday services took place around the UK.

The monarch laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to commemorate all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the decades since the First World War, bowing her head after paying her respects.

Senior royals, including Second World War veteran the Duke of Edinburgh, Afghanistan soldier Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge - with wife Kate watching from a nearby balcony - joined the monarch and politicians, military leaders, veterans and serving personnel in laying wreaths of poppies at the monument.

Prince Harry was laying the wreath on behalf of his father Prince Charles, who is currently abroad on an official tour of India with the Duchess of Cornwall, and was marking the occasion there.

Gittany murder trials reveals his jealousy

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: With her dark eyes and stunning features, it's easy to see why Simon Gittany knew his fiancee Lisa Harnum to be a head-turning beauty.

'One punch' laws could mean 10 years

EXCLUSIVE: Brawlers who kill with a king-hit punch will face up to 10 years in jail under tough new "one punch" legislation to be introduced by the state government.

Troops in Afghanistan were joined by Prince Andrew, who laid a wreath during a service held at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province to mark Remembrance Sunday. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond also flew to Afghanistan last night to join servicemen and women.

Millions across the UK fell silent in tribute to those lost in war, joining the crowds gathered in central London who stood in a moment of quiet contemplation as Big Ben struck 11am.

During the two-minute silence, only the distant sounds of traffic and the rustling of leaves could be heard, despite the fact that police said Whitehall was at capacity.

The beginning and end of the silence was marked with the firing of a round by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, using a 13-pounder First World War gun.

In cold but bright weather, the royals and dignitaries then laid their wreaths at the Cenotaph.

Prime Minister David Cameron was first after the royals to do so, followed by Labour leader Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Former prime ministers Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and London Mayor Boris Johnson also took part in the ceremony.

The Duchess of Cambridge was accompanied on the Foreign Office balcony by the Countess of Wessex and Vice Admiral Tim Laurence.

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Consumers warned of fake hotel reviews

CONSUMERS should be on the lookout for fake hotel reviews this holiday season, consumer group Choice says.

"The boom in hotel review sites has given rise to the practice of 'astroturfing' or the writing of fake reviews by companies to promote their own accommodation," Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said .

"Second to friends, people place their trust in reviews before editorial content, ads, marketing, and government sponsored tourism websites.

"Yet US-based Trip Advisor, the world's biggest online travel review service, has no plans to improve its verification processes."

The warning comes after reports earlier this year that the general manager of communications for Accor hotels in the Asia-Pacific region was caught posting more than 100 positive reviews on TripAdvisor, Choice said.

Gittany murder trials reveals his jealousy

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: With her dark eyes and stunning features, it's easy to see why Simon Gittany knew his fiancee Lisa Harnum to be a head-turning beauty.

'One punch' laws could mean 10 years

EXCLUSIVE: Brawlers who kill with a king-hit punch will face up to 10 years in jail under tough new "one punch" legislation to be introduced by the state government.

In the US, the New York Attorney-General recently heavily fined 19 companies that wrote fake online reviews and created fake online profiles for businesses, Choice says.

Mr Godfrey said both the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and NSW Fair Trading were looking at similar practices here.

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