NSW introduces risk-based liquor licensing

ROGUE NSW nightclubs and pubs with poor compliance records will be slugged with thousands of dollars of yearly licensing fees, the state government has announced.

Venues currently pay a small one-off application fee for a new or existing liquor licence, regardless of how long the licence remains in existence.

From July, venues will have to pay a yearly fee, which will be calculated based on a number of risk factors, such as the venue's capacity, location and operating hours.

Venues with a poor compliance history will also pay more.

The announcement has been slammed by clubs and bottle shops as being unfair but welcomed by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) which hailed it as a positive move against alcohol-fuelled violence.

State Hospitality Minister George Souris says the changes will make licensed venues safer.

"This scheme will hit bad venues where it hurts most - the hip pocket - and encourage good operators to stay on their game," Mr Souris said on Friday.

Office of Liquor, Gaming & Racing executive director Paul Newson said the plan targets "rogue licensees" with bad records and could have some venues paying up to $24,500 in fees a year.

"Do the right thing and you will pay a modest annual fee," he told reporters.

"Do the wrong thing and you will pay more."

Mr Souris stressed that three-quarters of the state's 18,400 licensees would only pay a base fee of between $100 and $500 a year.

AMA NSW president associate professor Brian Owler said the announcement was a positive move towards combating drunken violence.

"There is now a financial incentive to make sure venues do comply with the responsible service of alcohol and in reducing the number of violent incidents that occur in their premises and around them," he told AAP.

But ClubsNSW chief Anthony Ball said the industry could not understand why registered clubs were being treated the same as pubs and nightclubs under the changes.

"Venues which fail to comply with the law should be the main focus of any licensing system which aims to tackle anti-social behaviour," he said.

"Those venues deserve to be targeted, but punishing good community clubs simply doesn't make sense."

John Green, from the Australian Hotels Association, hoped the money raised from the licensing fees would go towards improving infrastructure for the late night economy, including on more transport, policing and on better lighting.

The Liquor Stores Association of NSW said the "disappointing" changes penalise responsible packaged liquor store owners "simply for having more than three stores".

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Lorde fills Cobain's shoes

NEW Zealand singer Lorde has fronted Nirvana in New York as the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The 17-year-old belted out All Apologies with the remaining band members on Thursday as they performed Kurt Cobain's music for the first time since his death 20 years ago.

Lorde, who was born two years after Cobain died in 1994, tweeted after the show: "So honoured and happy i got to help celebrate nirvana's rock and roll hall of fame induction tonight. true f****** rock stars, all, forever".

Three other female artists - Joan Jet, Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and Annie Clark from St Vincent performed with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear at Brooklyn's Barclays Centre.

Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of eligibility amid widespread speculation about whether they'd perform instrumental numbers and if not, who would step in for Cobain.

Novoselic, the band's bass player, said fans still came to him every day.

"Nirvana fans walk up to me every day and say thank you for the music," he said.

"When I hear that, I think of Kurt Cobain."

Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, hugged the two surviving band members, with whom she's had bad blood in the past.

"I just wish Kurt was here to do this," she said.

Kiss, thumbing their noses at critics who have dismissed them, them, also entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

The original four members of Kiss didn't perform because of a dispute between active original members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and retired members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. But the original four made peace and saluted each other in heartfelt induction speeches.

The theatrical quartet put on make-up, belched blood, shot fireworks out of Frehley's guitar and sang their classic anthem Rock and Roll All Nite.

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Man's death in Melbourne fire 'suspicious'

Emergency crews have found a man's body in a garage following a house fire in inner Melbourne. Source: AAP

POLICE are treating as suspicious the discovery of a man's body following an explosion and fire in his parents' garage in inner Melbourne.

Emergency crews were called to the Malvern East property about 5.30am on Friday, where the body of a 49-year-old man was found by his parents inside the garage.

Arson and explosives squad detectives have handed the investigation to the homicide squad.

Homicide Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen McIntyre said it's suspected an accelerant was used to start the fire and that the victim may have suffered injuries before the fire broke out.

Witnesses saw two people running away soon after the explosion.

"There was a report of an explosion and a bit of a fire in the rear garage at that location," Det Snr Sgt McIntyre told reporters.

"We are now treating it as a homicide inquiry because of the circumstances with people running away from the scene and the injuries.

"We have had varying reports of two males running and a report of a male and a female at the premises."

One neighbour, Rory, said the victim's parents were traumatised.

"I just heard a lot of yelling, hysterical screaming," he said.

Det Snr Sgt McIntyre said detectives are awaiting post-mortem results.

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Nicaragua earthquake leaves one dead

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake has hit Nicaragua, injuring 14 people and damaging dozens of houses. Source: AAP

A 6.2-MAGNITUDE earthquake that struck Nicaragua has killed one person, left 33 injured, and damaged more than 800 homes.

President Daniel Ortega declared a state of emergency after Thursday's quake, centred in the Pacific coast region of the Central American nation.

He said it caused significant damage and triggered panic among the population.

The fatality was a 37-year-old woman who died of a heart attack, said officials at Carlos Roberto Huembes Hospital in Managua.

Three of the injured were in serious condition.

"There are thousands of families that lost their homes or saw them seriously damaged," he said.

The quake happened at 2327 GMT (0927 AEST Friday) and its epicentre was about 20 kilometres north of the capital at a depth of 10 kilometres, said the US Geological Survey.

The Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies put the magnitude at 6.2.

The president ordered classes suspended for Friday, and added there were more than 400 aftershocks.

People ran out of their homes in panic, he said. Managua was left without power for a few hours.

The quake was also felt in El Salvador, Honduras and the north of Costa Rica.

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Ministers worried about indigenous privacy

EDUCATION ministers are grappling with the question of how to track indigenous truancy without breaching students' privacy.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced in February he would add school attendance to the "closing the gap" targets aimed at improving the lot of indigenous Australians.

The country's education ministers discussed the matter when they met on Friday.

They want to collect and publish attendance data twice a year.

Ministers acknowledged there should be simple and timely snapshots of attendance to help work towards the target.

NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli told AAP attendance was crucial to help students do well.

But it's understood some ministers are concerned about the privacy of students.

One solution could be to only identify indigenous attendance records when there are more than five in a class.

However, in small jurisdictions with few indigenous students, like the ACT, this could end up meaning no separate data is published.

AAP understands federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne encouraged his colleagues to raise the issue with their premiers and chief ministers for further discussion in the Council of Australian Governments, which set the target.

A final decision is likely to be made on how the data is collected when the ministers meet again in October.

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Greece bounces back to bond markets

BAILED-OUT Greece has returned to bond markets with a bang, ending a four-year exclusion by raising 3.0 billion euros, sending a major signal that the eurozone debt crisis is fading.

"A sum in the order of 3.0 billion euros ($A4.46 billion) will probably be raised," government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou told To Vima radio, adding that the interest rate was "below 5.0 per cent".

The bonds have a life of five years and this return to the medium-term debt market is a milestone for Greece which is in recession and suffering deeply from the effects of crisis and reforms.

Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos told reporters that the sale had been "at least eight times oversubscribed" and termed the sale "a huge success."

Reports and analysts said the operation pointed to an interest rate paid by Greece of 4.95 per cent, which would mark another success in achieving a rate below 5.0 per cent.

The sale is a big step in Greece's financial resurrection after two EU-IMF bailouts.

It was timed a day before a scheduled visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and originally designed to raise 2.5 billion euros.

Hours before the sale, a powerful car bomb exploded outside the Bank of Greece in central Athens but nobody was hurt as police had time to clear the area.

One analyst said the appetite for the Greek sale had been "jaw-dropping."

Ishaq Siddiqi, a market strategist at ETX Capital said: "The move by Greece at first to return to the bond markets appears to be opportunistic and somewhat symbolic as the country clearly wants to be able to raise its own funds."

The last issue of five-year bonds four years ago carried an interest rate of 6.1 per cent.

Athens' move was welcomed by the International Monetary Fund, which along with the European Union and the European Central Bank, has provided huge financial support for the stricken economy.

The bond issue comes against a background of sharp falls in recent months in borrowing rates for other eurozone countries hit by debt problems and on Thursday Italy borrowed for 12 months at a record low rate of 0.589 per cent.

The government condemned the car bomb attack, with state spokesman Simos Kedikoglou telling Skai Radio: "The terrorists aim to change the agenda. We will not allow that."

The vehicle, a stolen Nissan packed with 75 kilograms (165 pounds) of explosives, blew up around 2.55am as it was parked on the pavement facing a central bank building near headquarters, police said.

Internet news website Zougla and the Efymerida ton Syndakton newspaper were informed of the planned attack by telephone one hour beforehand.

Athens found itself frozen out of debt markets in 2010 after it revealed its public accounts had been falsified, and was forced to seek a bailout from the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avoid defaulting.

In return for the bailout funds, Greece has had to institute a host of deeply unpopular reforms including streamlining its bloated public sector. The measures have sparked regular strikes and protests in a country suffering a sixth straight year of recession and with a 28-per cent unemployment rate.

The announcement of the return to debt markets came on the same day as protesters launched the first anti-austerity strike of 2014, following five general strikes the previous year.

The strike shut ferry services to the country's world-famous islands, disrupted air travel and closed pharmacies and government offices.

The so-called "troika" of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the IMF first bailed out Greece in 2010 with a program worth 110 billion euros.

When that failed to stabilise the economy, they agreed on a much tougher second rescue in 2012 worth 130 billion euros, plus a private-sector debt write-off of more than 100 billion euros.

Fiscal reform under EU-IMF tutelage has brought upgrades to Greece's debt standing by ratings agencies in recent months - but Greek bonds still carry junk status.

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New signal detected in plane search

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will resume with up to 14 planes and 13 ships. Source: AAP

AN Australian aircraft involved in the hunt for Malaysia Airlines flight 370 has picked up a possible fifth signal in the search zone where previous signals consistent with the plane's black box were detected.

An RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft, which had been dropping buoys dangling microphones, detected a signal in the vicinity of the vessel Ocean Shield on Thursday afternoon.

"The acoustic data will require further analysis overnight but shows potential of being from a man-made source," retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said in a statement from the Joint Agency Coordination Centre.

Royal Australian Navy Commodore Peter Leavy said each sound-locating buoy was dangling a hydrophone listening device about 300 metres below the surface.

The naval ship Ocean Shield detected two signals on Tuesday after another two were picked up on the weekend.

Thursday's search of 57,923 square kilometres by 14 planes and 13 ships was the smallest yet in the month-long hunt.

Ocean Shield meanwhile continues to tow a special US Navy "towed pinger locator" slowly through the water hoping to find the signals again and get a fix on the location.

The black box batteries are due expire as they have about a 30-day life and the flight disappeared on March 8.

Earlier this week, Mr Houston said once the battery was declared expired, the automated underwater vessel Bluefin-21 would be deployed to relaying side-scan sonar data and images from the silty sea floor some 4.5km from the surface.

The search continues for debris on the surface of the ocean, although none of the objects found so far have had any connection with MH370, which disappeared with 239 people on board.

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Copyright allegations 'false': Dotcom

Megaupload's Kim Dotcom says claims that his website encouraged copyright infringement are false. Source: AAP

ALLEGATIONS made by six major Hollywood film studios that file-sharing website Megaupload was designed to profit from copyright infringement are "completely false", its New Zealand-based founder Kim Dotcom says.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced earlier this week that 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros had filed a lawsuit against Megaupload and its key operators - including Dotcom - in a US court.

It's alleged the now defunct website facilitated, encouraged and profited from massive copyright infringement of movies and television shows before the website was shut down by US authorities in January 2012.

MPAA global general counsel Steven Fabrizio says Megaupload was never designed to be a cloud storage website and users were rewarded for uploading popular content.

The MPAA says Megaupload users were paid based on how many times the content was downloaded by others.

But Dotcom told Radio New Zealand these allegations are "completely false".

Megaupload wouldn't allow rewards to be paid for files that were bigger than 100MB and movies and television shows that were downloaded were much larger than this, Dotcom said.

Mr Fabrizio denied that the MPAA is making an example of Dotcom and Megaupload.

"We are trying to bring some justice to a site that existed for the purpose of engaging in massive copyright infringement," he said.

Dotcom is already facing extradition to the US on charges of copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering relating to Megaupload.

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NAB severs ties with Bitcoin vendors

NAB has severed ties to digital currencies, citing an unacceptable level of risk. Source: AAP

NATIONAL Australia Bank is severing ties to digital currencies, saying they're too risky.

NAB has sent letters to business customers who primarily trade in Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies, informing them that their accounts will be closed on May 2.

The letters say an internal review concluded that ties with digital currency providers pose an unacceptable level of risk to NAB's business and reputation.

NAB has never banked or traded in digital currencies, but has provided banking services to companies who do.

Confirming the move, a spokesman said: "NAB continually reviews its risk profile and the businesses we bank, ensuring NAB's activities are in the best interest of our customers and our shareholders."

The decision follows recent moves by the Bank of Ireland and the Bank of Montreal to distance themselves from customers who trade in digital currencies.

It also comes a month after Japanese bank Mizhuo was named in US and Canadian lawsuits brought against the bankrupt Mt Gox exchange, to whom it provided banking services.

Mt Gox, the world's biggest exchange, announced in February it had been robbed of all its Bitcoins in a massive cyber attack.

One of Australia's largest Bitcoin traders, CoinJar, which uses NAB to take deposits from clients, said in a blog post it was disappointed with the decision, adding it would affect many other companies.

But co-founder Asher Tan praised the bank for providing notice, saying CoinJar had been dumped by the Commonwealth Bank last year in a much shorter timeframe.

Australian banks are generally uneasy with digital currencies and regularly shut off banking services, said Robert Masters, CEO of digital currency trader Krypto Currency Solutions.

Professor David Glance, a bitcoin expert and the director of software practice at the University of Western Australia, said NAB's move smacked of an overreaction.

"Unless they had evidence that the companies they were dealing with were actually doing something in particular, it's an odd reaction."

He said local Australian digital currency providers were far smaller than massive exchanges such as Mt. Gox and therefore posed far less risk.

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US jobless seeking aid drops to 7yr low

THE number of people seeking US unemployment benefits has dropped to the lowest level in almost seven years, falling 32,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 300,000.

The Labor Department said on Thursday that the four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, fell 4,750 to 316,250.

Fewer Americans sought benefits last week than at any point since the Great Recession began at the end of 2007. Applications are at their lowest level since May of that year.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. The decrease suggests that employers expect stronger economic growth in the coming months and are holding onto their workers.

But Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, cautioned that the drop-off might be smaller than it appears. He noted that the Easter holiday, which moves from year-to-year, might have distorted the seasonal adjustments.

"We need to see a few more weeks' numbers before we can be sure where the trend now stands," Shepherdson said in a client note. "Our core view is that claims are drifting gently downwards."

Employers added 192,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department said last week. That follows gains of 197,000 in February, as the unemployment rate stayed at 6.7 per cent for the second straight month.

Snowstorms and freezing temperatures in January and December shut down factories, kept shoppers away from stores, and reduced home buying. That cut into growth and hiring. Employers added 144,000 jobs in January and only 84,000 in December.

More jobs and higher incomes will be needed to spur better overall economic growth. For now, economists expect the bad weather contributed to weak growth of 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent at an annual rate in the January-March quarter. But as the weather improves, most analysts expect growth to rebound to near 3 per cent.

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GM to invest $449M in 2 Detroit factories

US carmaker General Motors will invest $A485.96 million in two Detroit-area factories. Source: AAP

GENERAL Motors says it's investing $US449 million ($A485.96 million) in two Detroit-area factories to build the next generation Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric car.

The company says the investment eventually will bring a second shift at the Detroit assembly plant that makes the Volt and other cars.

But it wouldn't say how many jobs would be added or when the people would be hired.

The plant now employs about 1600 on a single shift.

GM says it will invest $384 million at the assembly plant and another $65 million in a battery pack plant in nearby Brownstown Township.

The company didn't release any details on the next generation Volt.

The current version can go about 38 miles on battery power before a small gasoline generator kicks in.

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Bob Carr reveals plane, lobbyist hassles

Former foreign minister Bob Carr is set to release a new book later this month. Source: AAP

FORMER foreign minister Bob Carr likes his breakfast oats steel-cut and his Wagner opera with English subtitles.

So, his latest book - Diary of a Foreign Minister - could well be subtitled First World Problems.

But he says the book is intentionally full of self-parody and irony because it's the stuff of life - and that's "too short to be taken seriously".

However, it's not all diet regimes and complaints about business class travel.

Mr Carr also reveals a "very unhealthy level" of influence the Israeli lobby had in Canberra, saying he decided to breach cabinet confidences because the public deserved to know what went on.

NewSouth Publishing describes the book - due to hit the shelves at the end of April - as the "best picture ever published of a politician on the world stage and Australia's changing place in the world and in our region".

But it is also expected to reveal Mr Carr's multi-faceted personality - eccentric, obsessive, passionate and self-deprecating.

The faults and foibles of air travel feature heavily, according to reports.

In the book Mr Carr publishes a letter from Singapore Airlines responding to complaints he made about inflight entertainment.

"Please accept my sincere apology if any part of our First Class inflight offering fell below your expectations," the letter says.

"Specifically, I have taken note of the lack of English subtitles for the Wagner Opera Siegfried."

The former minister rails against business class travel: "No edible food. No airline pyjamas. I lie in my tailored suit."

On another flight, he blasts the airline for its "ceramic food" and seat design that "owe a lot to the trans-Atlantic slave trade".

On his diet and exercise regime, Mr Carr reveals his favoured breakfast is steel-cut organic oats and berries and two poached eggs.

Mr Carr said on Wednesday night he made no apologies for wanting to arrive on missions for Australia in the best condition possible.

"It was such an inherently unhealthy lifestyle, living on planes, subsisting on that cuisine, I thought it would have knocked about two years off my life," he told ABC TV.

But he wanted his book also to shine lights on the dark corners of politics, particularly the role of the conservative pro-Israel lobby from Melbourne.

He says its influence in then-prime minister Julia Gillard's office reached an unhealthy level.

"I found it very frustrating that we couldn't issue, for example, a routine expression of concern about the spread of Israeli settlements on the West Bank," he said on Wednesday.

The matter came to a head in arguments over Australia's position on Palestine seeking increased non-state status at the United Nations.

He thought hard about breaking cabinet confidences on this issue but said in the end the public's right to know how foreign policy was made outweighted other considerations.

The book will retail for about $50 with proceeds going to Interplast Australia and New Zealand, a not-for-profit organisation that funds and delivers reconstructive surgery on poor children in developing countries.

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More relocatable units for Vic prisons

MORE shipping container-style "relocatable units" are being rolled out to boost the capacity of Victoria's prison system.

The Victorian government has announced another 27 units will be installed by August at two correctional facilities near Geelong, a gain of 81 medium-security beds.

"Relocatable units are already providing an important, immediate boost to capacity in Victoria's corrections system, and today's announcement will build on this," Corrections Minister Edward O'Donohue said on Wednesday.

"The security and design of the units will be consistent with the standard security accommodation already at Fulham and Marngoneet prisons."

The government has previously likened the units - which each house three inmates - to mining camp accommodation and has also pointed to their use in prisons in Western Australia, South Australia and New Zealand.

Expansion plans for Victoria's Loddon Prison, announced in March, include 15 of the units.

The government says it has added 1000 prison beds since 2011 with another 2500 in the pipeline, including the 1000-bed prison under construction at Ravenhall in Melbourne's west.

However, Community and Public Sector organiser Andrew Capp said the use of relocatable units, known as "dongaS", was inadequate because the doors could be prised open.

"The government is increasing the escape risks at the prisons that use these dodgy Dongas putting officers the community and other prisoners at risk," he said.

Mr Capp said Corrections Victoria had re-classified medium-security prisoners in walled prisons to those in lower security levels so they could be shifted to the units without fences at Dhurringile, Beechworth and Langi Kal Kal, and issued with monitoring bracelets that were not reliable.

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Great Wall's SUVs to be made in Malaysia

MALAYSIA has awarded a manufacturing licence to a 2 billion ringgit ($A662.27 million) venture that will assemble fuel-efficient SUVs for China's Great Wall Motor Co Ltd.

The licence was the first issued under the country's new car policy unveiled in January, aimed at making Malaysia a regional centre for energy-efficient vehicles.

Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamad said on Wednesday Go Automobile Manufacturing will invest 2 billion ringgit over the next four years to expand its manufacturing plant in northern Kedah state. It will have a production capacity of 100,000 vehicles when ready in 2018, with 60 per cent of the output to be exported to Southeast Asian countries, he said. About 4000 jobs will be created.

"This is a very important milestone" for Malaysia's vehicle industry, he said.

Mustapa said more manufacturing licences are expected to be issued this year to bolster the auto industry.

The new car policy is the latest step in a gradual liberalisation of Malaysia's protected car market. The government previously only issued new manufacturing licences for vehicles with engine size of 1.8 litres and above to protect national car makers Proton and Perodua.

But intense competition from neighbours Thailand and Indonesia is forcing Malaysia to loosen up its policy to woo investors.

Go Automobile's plant will assemble the Haval M4 and the H6 sports utility vehicles, with petrol and diesel engines at 1.5 and 2.0 litres, said Go's chief executive, Ahmad Azam Sulaiman.

He said the vehicles will have local content of up to 85 per cent by 2018 and will be initially exported to Thailand and Cambodia.

Great Wall Motors, the 8th largest auto company in China and its biggest sport utility vehicle maker, may take a stake in the Malaysian plant in the future, Ahmad Azam said.

Roger Wang, a senior executive with Great Wall Motors, said the company's sales reached 760,000 cars last year and is targeted to rise to 890,000 this year. The company is listed on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets.

Wang said Southeast Asia, with more than 500 million people, is a significant region for Great Wall Motors, which last year exported 70,000 cars.

Great Wall currently sells two models in Malaysia through a local distributor. The company is likely to make Malaysia its Southeast Asian production base, executives said.

The government hopes its new auto policy will boost total industry production to 1.25 million vehicles and exports to 250,000 vehicles by 2020.

Last year, Malaysia's vehicle production was around 570,000 vehicles and exports were 20,000 vehicles. That was dwarfed by Thailand which makes more than two million vehicles a year and by Indonesia with annual production exceeding one million.

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Man shot in leg in Vic home invasion

A VICTORIAN man has suffered a minor gunshot wound during a home invasion.

A man and a woman were in their East Geelong home when two men, one armed with a firearm, burst in and shot at the man, police said.

The men them left the house.

The motive for the attack is unclear.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said the man, aged in his 20s, suffered a single gunshot wound to the back of his upper thigh and was taken to Geelong Hospital in a stable condition.

Geelong police are investigating.

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Nicole Appleton, Liam Gallagher divorce

NICOLE Appleton's six-year marriage to Liam Gallagher has ended on the grounds of his admitted adultery.

The couple were not at the Principal Registry of the High Court's Family Division for the brief hearing.

The 39-year-old All Saints singer and the Oasis star were the second in a "quickie divorces" list of 12 who were granted a decree nisi by District Judge Anne Aitken.

The former couple, who have a 12-year-old son, married at Old Marylebone Town Hall on St Valentine's Day in 2008 and lived in Hampstead, north London.

Among the documents made public on Tuesday was a sworn statement signed by Appleton last December in which she said that Gallagher "admitted adultery to me prior to it becoming publicised in national newspapers", adding that the woman with whom Gallagher committed adultery "now has a child" by him.

She said that she first knew about the adultery on July 17, 2013 and had not lived with Gallagher since as she found it "intolerable".

In papers acknowledging the proceedings, Gallagher replied "yes" when asked if he admitted the alleged adultery and said he did not intend to defend the case.

The marriage foundered after reports that Gallagher, 41, had fathered a daughter with an American journalist.

In the decree nisi document, the judge held that Appleton had "sufficiently proved" the contents of her petition and "is entitled to a decree of divorce, the marriage having irretrievably broken down, the facts found proved being the respondent's adultery".

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Invest in Australia, PM to tell China

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has outlined the benefits of what he says is a historic deal with Japan. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott hopes to spur free trade talks with China this week by assuring investors they're welcome to do business in Australia.

Mr Abbott will depart for China on Wednesday, where he's expected to address the Boao Forum in Hainan before taking his trade message to Shanghai and Beijing.

The prime minister formalised Australia's free trade agreement with South Korea on Tuesday, a day after concluding long-running talks with Japan on a similar deal.

He's hoping to carry that momentum into the final leg of his North Asia trip, and will challenge any perception that Australia can be a risky place to do business.

"What I'll be wanting to reassure the Chinese government is that we are genuinely open for business," he told reporters in Seoul on Tuesday.

Under the FTAs signed with Korea and Japan, investors had to accept that any proposed farm buyouts over $15 million would be automatically scrutinised.

China reportedly doesn't like this clause, but Mr Abbott said many significant Chinese bids had been approved by the federal government.

He ambitiously promised at the election to secure free trade deals with the economic powerhouses of North Asia - Japan, South Korea and China - within a year.

With Japan and Korea out of the way, trade negotiators could now redouble their efforts on China.

But the prime minister said he wanted a good deal with China and wouldn't be drawn on when he expected talks to wrap up.

"Two out of three of these deals within seven months is pretty good progress," he said.

"We will do a deal with China if and when it is clearly in both our countries best interests to do so."

Mr Abbott will wrap up his visit to Seoul with a state dinner hosted by President Park Geun-hye.

The two leaders agreed in bilateral talks on Tuesday to deepen defence ties, and could consider developing links between Australian and Korean military technology companies.

North Korea, not surprisingly, was discussed at depth. Mr Abbott said Pyongyang was a threat to regional security and should be treated as a "rogue and outlaw state".

At the dinner, Mr Abbott will unveil a photo of President Park as a young girl with her father, a former Korean leader, and her mother planting a tree at Canberra's Korean embassy on her first overseas holiday.

The image is a moving tribute to her family legacy and the bilateral relationship, as both of President Park's parents were separately assassinated in political attacks.

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Post-mortem in unexplained Geldof death

Bob Geldof says his family is "beyond pain" at the death of his daughter Peaches at the age of 25. Source: AAP

BRITISH police say they are investigating the unexplained death of media personality Peaches Geldof and will hand their findings to a coroner.

A post-mortem will be performed in the next few days on 25-year-old Geldof, who was pronounced dead by paramedics at her home in Wrotham, southeast of London, on Monday.

Kent Police said on Tuesday officers were investigating the "unexplained sudden death", but did not consider it suspicious.

Peaches Geldof was the daughter of Irish musician and Band Aid founder Bob Geldof and TV presenter Paula Yates, who died of a drug overdose in 2000. She grew up in the glare of Britain's press, which revelled in the late-night antics of her teenage years.

More recently, she married for a second time, to musician Tom Cohen, had two children and worked as a broadcaster and writer. She said her drug-taking years were behind her.

Bob Geldof said the family was "beyond pain".

"What a beautiful child. How is this possible that we will not see her again? How is that bearable? We loved her and will cherish her forever," he wrote in a statement.

Cohen said: "My beloved wife Peaches was adored by myself and her two sons Astala and Phaedra and I shall bring them up with their mother in their hearts every day. We shall love her for ever."

Peaches Geldof was just 11 years old when her mother Paula Yates, died from an accidental heroin overdose aged 41.

Yates divorced Bob Geldof in 1996 after forming a relationship with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.

Hutchence was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney, Australia, in 1997, and Yates went on to lose custody of the three daughters she had with Geldof - Peaches, Pixie and Fifi - the following year.

Bob Geldof later adopted Yates and Hutchence's daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily.

Geldof's death came as a shock to Britain's entertainment and fashion circles. She was a frequent attendee at fashion shows in London and New York, and was photographed just last week at a London show for the Tesco brand F&F.

Geldof was a prolific tweeter and the final message she sent on Sunday was a picture of her as a child with her mother, with the message "Me and my mum".

A host of celebrities including Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Ellie Goulding, Lorde, Simon Cowell and Lily Allen paid tribute.

Model Daisy Lowe posted a picture of a broken heart on Twitter.

Geldof's death was the lead story in many British newspapers on Tuesday, with several using the last photo she posted on Twitter - of her as a toddler with her mother.

Commentators noted the tragic parallels to the life and death of Yates. In The Guardian, columnist Hadley Freeman said "the shock of Geldof's death comes from the loss of a young woman - still only 25 - who many of us had followed since her birth, who seemed so close to finding the stability that had eluded her mother."

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Collombet murder suspect before Qld court

AN itinerant man extradited to Queensland following his arrest in northern NSW will face a Brisbane court accused of the bashing murder and rape of French student Sophie Louise Collombet.

The 21-year-old Griffith University business student was on her way home after a night class when attacked in south Brisbane on March 27.

Her battered and naked body was found at Kurilpa Park, at the edge of the city's busy South Bank precinct, the following morning by a jogger.

Benjamin James Milward was arrested by NSW police near a Coffs Harbour shopping centre shortly before 3pm (AEST) on Monday afternoon.

Brisbane homicide detectives were dispatched that evening, and an application for Milward's extradition to Queensland was approved by Coffs Harbour Local Court Magistrate Robert Walker on Tuesday morning.

Queensland Police said on Tuesday evening the 25-year-old had been charged with murder, rape, deprivation of liberty and robbery and would appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Milward's mother, Diane, on Tuesday visited the rotunda where Ms Collombet's body was found to pay her respects and lay flowers.

"I am heartbroken," she told News Corp Australia.

"We are all so sorry and sad and it shouldn't happen to anybody - and a beautiful girl like Sophie; she's just gorgeous, it's just wrong."

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart had earlier called Ms Collombet's father Guy Collombet to inform him of Milward's arrest.

"I spent some time on the phone with him. He was very dignified and grateful for the information," he told reporters.

A vigil in honour of Ms Collombet will be held in Brisbane's city centre on Thursday night to mark the two-week anniversary of her death.

Griffith University's Women's Association is helping organise the event.

"It was something important to organise to stand together to mourn her life and stand up against violence against women," spokeswoman Stephanie Kameric told AAP.

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Thorpe 'quite sick', says agent

Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe is reportedly being treated for a serious infection. Source: AAP

SWIMMING great Ian Thorpe is "quite sick" in a Sydney hospital after contracting two potentially deadly infections and will never swim again competitively, his agent says.

The 31-year-old five-time Olympic gold medallist contracted the bugs after undergoing a series of surgeries on his shoulder at a hospital near his home in the Swiss town of Ronco sopra Ascona.

He has returned to Sydney and is receiving treatment at an intensive care ward.

Thorpe has received a number of visitors in hospital and is said to be in good spirits, despite the apparent seriousness of his illness.

"It's serious but it's not life-threatening," Thorpe's agent James Erskine told AAP.

"He's contracted two forms of bugs in hospital.

"He's undergone two or three operations over the last two months so ... I mean bad luck.

"He's quite sick but that's the situation."

Mr Erskine rubbished reports Thorpe could lose the use of his arm because of the infections but said Thorpe would never swim again competitively.

"From a competitive point of view - he will not be swimming competitively again I don't think," Mr Erskine added.

"The shoulder operation was a major operation, he's got as many plates as Barry Sheene (the now deceased world champion motorcycle rider)."

It's understood the infection contracted by Thorpe is similar in nature to the potentially deadly Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) superbug that has swept some hospitals in Europe.

It is the latest upset in Thorpe's life.

His father revealed in February that Thorpe was battling depression.

The popular swimmer sought help in early 2014 after being found disoriented near his parents' home in southern Sydney, having taken a combination of antidepressants and medication for a shoulder injury.

Thorpe was sent for medical assessment to Bankstown Hospital and then entered a rehabilitation program.

The swimmer made an ill-fated attempt to compete at the 2012 London Olympics.

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Shot man charged for withholding info

A witness heard screams before finding a bloodied man after a double shooting in Sydney. Source: AAP

A MAN gunned down alongside his father in an inner-Sydney street has been charged with concealing information from police.

Josh Smart, 23, was shot in the back and his 59-year-old father Michael Smart was shot in the head on a Pyrmont street on Sunday night in what police believe was a targeted attack.

Michael Smart remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Both men were known to police.

On Monday afternoon, Josh Smart was released from hospital into the custody of police, who charged him with concealing a serious indictable offence.

Bail was refused and he was scheduled to appear before Sydney's Central Local Court on Tuesday.

Ashlie Lomas, who along with other witnesses rendered first aid to Michael Smart, said he was lying on the ground when she came out onto the street.

"We were just trying to get him to hold on," she said.

Police have said that it the incident was not thought to be gang related and investigators believe there was only one shooter.

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Fate of European bees better than feared

THE decline in European bee populations is not as bad as feared, the European Union's executive says, as it published a report into bee health in 17 EU member states.

"We can take some encouragement from the limited winter bee mortality in several major beekeeping countries," said EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg on Monday, adding however, that some states "show high winter bee mortality".

Bees play an important role in the pollination of crops, and a decrease in their numbers has in recent years raised economic and food supply concerns. Last year, the European Commission banned four pesticides for having harmful effects on bee populations.

The study, carried out in the winter of 2012-13, shows a clear divide between bee populations in northern and southern Europe.

Less than 10 per cent of bees - the mortality threshold considered acceptable - died during the winter in Greece, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Slovakia.

However, more than 20 per cent - the limit above which rates are deemed unacceptable - failed to survive the winter in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Britain. The highest mortality rates were recorded in Belgium, at 33.6 per cent.

Lithuania, in north-eastern Europe, bucked the trend with the lowest winter mortality rate, at just 3.5 per cent.

The study looked at almost 32,000 cultivated bee colonies between autumn 2012 and summer 2013, but did not include wild bees - such as solitary bees or bumblebees - whose situation was "more worrying," according to Borg.

"Wild bees are of course key pollinators in many environments and may be particularly vulnerable," the commissioner said.

A repeat of the study is underway in the 17 countries participating in the program - which also include Germany, France, Poland, Portugal and Latvia.

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Whistleblower got it wrong: Salvo boss

An inquiry has heard how a resident of a Salvation Army boys home received financial compensation. Source: AAP

SALVATION Army commissioner James Condon says he already had a process in train to remove an officer with a sex abuse record before a whistleblower contacted authorities.

Mr Condon, the territorial commander of the Salvation Army in NSW, Queensland and ACT, told a hearing in Sydney on Monday that his absence due to a meeting in London in early 2013 had probably contributed to a delay in removing Colin Haggar as director of a crisis shelter for women and children.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard that Mr Haggar confessed to indecently assaulting an eight-year-old girl in 1989, and was dismissed from the Salvos, but was re-admitted in 1993 and subsequently promoted.

Additional allegations were made against him in 2013.

Captain Michelle White said on Friday that concerns about Mr Haggar had been raised with Mr Condon in early 2013.

Ms White said that delays by Mr Condon in fulfilling mandatory reporting requirements prompted her to report to the NSW Ombudsman on September 4, 2013 that there was an active Salvation Army officer with a known history of child related sexual abuse.

But asked on Monday if it was only after Ms White's actions that he considered reporting Mr Haggar to the Ombudsman and the Office of the Children's Guardian, Mr Condon replied: "No, it wasn't."

He said a decision had been made to "have a fresh look at all historical cases", including those involving Haggar, in preparation for the royal commission.

"We were reporting to the ombudsman, reporting to the police ... we were in the process ... we were absolutely committed to doing the right thing."

Mr Condon said that following a meeting with Ms White, he also made phone calls, including to Mr Haggar, informing the senior Salvo that he should not have any responsibility for children at the shelter.

Mr Condon said he opposed the promotion of Mr Haggar to lieutenant colonel but it was army policy to promote a husband when a wife was taking an executive role. Mr Haggar's wife Kerry, also a lieutenant colonel, had been made secretary for business administration and a member of the Salvation Army executive.

Mr Condon told the hearing that he accompanied Mr Haggar to Parramatta police station in the early 90s to report the assault, recalling that an officer at the station told Mr Haggar that unless the victim or the family of the victim came forward, there was nothing police could do.

The commission was also told on Monday that the Salvation Army had no plans to use the defence of vicarious liability in historical cases of child abuse, unlike the Catholic Church which had argued in another matter that it could not be held vicariously responsible for historical abuse.

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Viewers riveted to The Block

Nine's The Block: Fans v Faves has topped Sunday's television ratings with 1.829 million viewers. Source: AAP

THE Block: Fans v Faves had its highest rating episode this season on a night when audience numbers were heavily compromised because My Kitchen Rules (MKR) was shelved.

The fourth-last episode of The Block: Fans v Faves attracted 1.829 million viewers to be the runaway winner on Sunday from Nine News (1.550 million) and 60 Minutes (1.372 million).

Normally, MKR would screen in direct opposition to The Block: Fans v Faves, but the Seven Network held the elimination episode over until Monday because of its AFL coverage.

That meant Seven's programming was split around the country, producing heavily diluted figures and allowing Ten's Sunday News to sneak into the top 10 with just 504,000 viewers.

Nine also had diluted figures with the final episode of Fat Tony & Co coming in 19th with 381,000 viewers after airing in only Brisbane and Sydney.

The final episode screened in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth last week, but was held back in Sydney and Brisbane because of Nine's NRL commitments.

In MKR's absence, Seven ran a special about MKR judge and chef Manu Feildel and his native France.

My France With Manu, which did not air in Melbourne or Adelaide, still attracted 813,000 viewers to be sixth overall.

Seven's British series Downton Abbey also did not air in Melbourne and Adelaide, yet was eighth with an audience of 694,000 viewers.

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Malta PM, activists blinded by poor light

MALTESE Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and 40 Labour Party activists have been hospitalised suffering acute pain in the eyes most likely cause by excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays, Times of Malta reports.

All patients, including Muscat, were present at a political event in a village tent at the weekend. Faulty light filters were the most likely cause of the eye irritation, the news portal said on Monday. Police have opened an investigation.

"I could not even open my eyes and tears were flowing like tap water," said Labour Party politician Cyrus Engerer.

Muscat, 40, left hospital on Monday. Doctors recommended that he rest for a few days.

Some of the hospitalised party activists suffered temporary blindness.

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Gold Coast drug ring busted

Police have broken up an extensive bikie drug ring operating out of Gold Coast nightclubs. Source: AAP

GOLD Coast nightclub owner Ivan Tesic has been identified by police as the alleged mastermind behind a massive interstate drug ring involving at least six bikie gangs.

They claim Tesic, who is listed as an extreme risk by national law enforcement agencies, distributed cocaine through his Surfers Paradise establishment Club Liv.

Tesic was arrested in Sydney on Friday and was expected to be extradited to Queensland to face charges under the state's anti-bikie legislation.

Bandidos sergeant-at-arms and Cleo Bachelor of the Year entrant Josh Downey, arrested at Airlie Beach, was also among those nabbed in three days of raids.

Arrests were also made in Darwin and Newcastle.

The drug ring allegedly involved dozens of bikies including associates of the Bandidos, Finks, Mongols, Rebels, Highway 61 and Lone Wolves as well as DJs and club managers.

Police say drugs were sourced from Sydney and were driven to the Glitter Strip in cars modified to hide the stashes.

A covert operation was launched 19 months ago and officers had been picking off offenders.

The investigation climaxed over the last three days when 100 police raided homes and Surfers Paradise nightclubs, arresting the alleged bosses.

"(The operation) targeted the higher level offenders that aren't normally touched by police," Detective Superintendent David Hutchinson said.

To date, 152 people have been arrested, including 37 alleged outlaw bikies and associates.

More than 15kgs of cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine were seized as well as six litres of methylamphetamine oil which could have been used to make $11 million in drugs.

The whole operation stopped $26 million worth of drugs hitting the streets.

Police will seek to retain four luxury homes and cars, including a Porsche, as well as $500,000 in cash and a watch, also worth $500,000.

"They're been living the high life at the expense of our youth and the rest of the community," Det Insp Hutchinson said.

"The may think that they are safe but we are always watching and they never know when we're going to pounce."

Anyone found guilty under Queensland's new anti-bikie legislation faces an extra 25 years mandatory jail on top of their sentence.

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Fans honour Cobain 20 years after death

TWO decades after Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain killed himself in Seattle, fans have flocked to the home where he died to pay homage to the influential rocker.

Fans came from nearby cities like Portland or faraway towns in Georgia - some sporting '90s-era grunge attire like plaid shirts - to leave handwritten notes, flowers and unopened beers to honour the musician.

Police believe Cobain, 27, killed himself on April 5, 1994, and his body was found three days later.

Cobain's Nirvana helped popularise the heavy "grunge" rock scene, along with bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Mudhoney.

Nirvana, which sold millions of albums, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Thursday.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 or follow @LifelineAust @OntheLineAus @kidshelp @beyondblue @headspace_aus @ReachOut_AUS on Twitter.

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Afghan officer shot journalists in revenge

Authorities say the Afghan police officer who shot two journalists, killing one, did so in revenge. Source: AAP

THE Afghan police officer who shot two Associated Press journalists did so in revenge for air raids by NATO forces on his village, police said Saturday.

German photographer Anja Niedringhaus and Canadian reporter Kathy Gannon were shot on Friday by a police officer in the eastern province of Khost while in their car.

Niedringhaus died on the spot and Gannon was injured.

"Naqibullah, commander of a police checkpoint, said in his confession that he shot the journalists to take revenge for the NATO air raids on his village in Ghorband valley," said Khost police official Baryalay Rawan.

The two were covering the country's presidential elections in Tanai district, on the border of Pakistan's tribal areas, and which is under the heavy sway of the Taliban.

The shooter was arrested by his colleagues.

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Queen's soldier in palace rifle drama

A Queen's Guard left his post to intervene in an altercation between a police officer a civilian. Source: AAP

A QUEEN'S Guard, wearing the distinctive red tunic and tall bearskin hat that tourists come from all over the world to see, has proved he's more than a pretty face.

The soldier left his post to intervene when a member of the public refused to stop shouting at a police officer stationed outside Buckingham Palace gates on Friday.

A photograph published in The Sun on Sunday shows the guard pointing his bayonet-fixed rifle towards the man's face while he stood next to the police officer.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police were made aware of a disturbance at the North-Centre Gate of Buckingham Palace at approximately 5.50pm on Friday, April 4.

"Officers from Royalty Protection spoke to a man and he was given words of advice and there were no arrests."

The Queen's Guard is not believed to be facing any action over the incident.

An Army spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident outside Buckingham Palace on Friday and while no one came to any harm and there were no arrests, we are very clear that the Metropolitan Police lead on Royal Security arrangements including outside the Palace itself."

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

The North-Centre Gate is now the everyday entrance to the Palace.

The Queen's Guard are a contingents of soldiers charged with guarding the Palace but carry a largely ceremonial role.

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Guinea Ebola treatment centre attacked

A medical aid team treating patients suffering from Ebola virus in Guinea were attacked. Source: AAP

A CROWD of people angry about an Ebola outbreak that has killed 86 people across Guinea have attacked a centre where people were being held in isolation.

The violence took place in the southern town of Macenta, where at least 14 people have died since the outbreak emerged last month.

The mob of people who descended upon the clinic accused Doctors Without Borders health workers of bringing Ebola to Guinea, where there had never previously been any cases.

Guinea's government swiftly condemned the attack, saying that Doctors Without Borders and other international aid groups were key to stopping the spread of Ebola.

"The international community has rapidly mobilised to help us in these difficult moments with considerable medical support and specialists on the ground at the disease's epicentre," the statement said.

"That's why the government is calling on people to stay calm and allow our partners to help us eradicate this epidemic."

There is no cure for Ebola, which causes fever and severe bleeding, and up to 90 per cent of patients die from the strain that has been detected in Guinea.

A total of 86 people have died so far from Ebola in Guinea and two other confirmed deaths have been reported in neighbouring Liberia.

Authorities in Mali are also investigating three suspected cases of Ebola, and have sent samples overseas for testing.

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