Qld police reopen murder investigation

QUEENSLAND police have reopened a 20-year-old murder investigation believing one of the suspected killers, who was thought to be dead, is still alive.

In March 1992, Ronald Henry Thomas was arrested in NSW and charged over the murder of a man and a woman at a Surfers Paradise apartment in December 1991.

Thomas was later given a double life sentence.

Police believe two people were responsible for the "premeditated attack" and issued a warrant for their second suspect, John Victor Bobak.

"For some time there was a theory Mr Bobak may be deceased, however, we believe this not to be the case," Detective Superintendent Steve Holahan of the homicide group said in a statement.

"Bobak may still be in Queensland or interstate."

The suspected murderer, who's now 63, may still be identifiable by his "fairly distinctive tattoos", Supt Holahan said.

Former Queensland police commissioner Bob Atkinson approved a $250,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of Bobak.

Police would also recommend "an appropriate indemnity from prosecution" for anyone prepared to come forward.

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Joyce's views won't be a problem: NFF

The National Farmers Federation is confident it can work well with Barnaby Joyce. Source: AAP

THE National Farmers Federation (NFF) is confident it can work well with new agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce, despite some differences of opinion around foreign investment.

Mr Joyce was handed the agriculture portfolio and promoted to the coalition cabinet by Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott on Monday.

It's another win for the high-profile Nationals MP, who quit the Senate to successfully run for the rural seat of New England before being elevated by his party to deputy leader.

But he's stepped on a few toes in his career over his views on foreign investment in Australian farmland and agriculture companies.

He was a vocal critic of the Chinese-led buyout of cotton farm Cubbie Station and the takeover of grains handler GrainCorp, and has lobbied for the Foreign Investment Review Board to be toughened up.

Last week, Mr Joyce raised concerns over a proposal to sell a million hectares of farmland to Indonesia, despite farmers largely embracing the idea.

NFF chief executive Matt Linnegar believes the proposal is in the national interest, but isn't worried about working with the incoming minister if differences in opinion arise.

"Whilst we don't expect him to change his views with the drop of a hat, he'll no doubt take a much broader view in coming into the ministry," he told AAP on Monday.

"But obviously we will want to sit down with him at some length and just walk through all of those issues and see where he's at."

The coalition has vowed to introduce a national register of foreign-owned farming land, and to apply a national interest test to all proposals worth $15 million or more, down from $248 million.

The NFF has concerns about lowering the threshold before the register is in place and the actual levels of foreign investment in agriculture are known.

Mr Linnegar believes Mr Joyce's passion for agriculture will work wonders for the industry.

"I'm sure most would agree that Barnaby will fit the bill in terms of creating a higher profile for those issues," he said.

Mr Abbott is confident Mr Joyce's farming pedigree will serve him well in his new role.

"Barnaby knows country Australia like the back of his hand," he told reporters on Monday.

The federation also welcomed the appointment of senior Liberal Andrew Robb - a former NFF boss - to the trade portfolio, and Richard Colbeck as parliamentary secretary to agriculture.

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NSW govt changing CSG to bluff people: LTG

A ROSE by any other name ... but what about a gas well?

The NSW government is trying to hoodwink communities by changing the name of the controversial coal seam gas (CGS) industry to "natural gas from coal seams," activists say.

President of the anti-CSG group Lock The Gate (LTG), Drew Hutton, says he has a document addressed to NSW resources minister Chris Hartcher recommending various bodies "refer to natural gas from coal seams in the first reference" and "where possible remove coal seam gas or CSG references."

A spokeswoman for Mr Hartcher confirmed resources ministers from across Australia had spoken about altering references to CSG "as part of a national harmonisation program across all states."

Basically, "to make sure everyone was referring to it consistently," she told AAP on Monday.

The NSW government will now use CSG's new name.

And its old name.

But, she added, "the Land and Water Commissioner and Office of the Chief Scientist are independent agencies and free to use any terminology."

She was unable to say whether there was a problem with the name "CSG" or "coal seam gas" and denied it was a "NSW conspiracy".

Mr Hutton says it will take more than a name change to end opposition to CSG.

"It's not the word that's the problem, it's the industry and the damage it causes," he said.

"If they think that avoiding the name 'coal seam gas' is going to end the opposition from the people of NSW, they will find themselves sadly disappointed."

Mr Hutton said the coal seam gas industry differs greatly to the natural gas industry and "to attempt to conflate the two is clearly an attempt at deception."

Further comment and a copy of the document are being sought from Mr Hutton.

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Palmer swipes at ex-military in AEC

BILLIONAIRE businessman and political hopeful Clive Palmer has taken a swipe at ex-military personnel as part of his suspicions involving the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

As his race for the Queensland seat of Fairfax enters the closing phases, Mr Palmer said that despite the outcome, and a stalled Federal Court injunction, he planned to pursue legal avenues probing the polling process.

"One of the things I'm concerned about in Australia is all our divisional returning officers are ex-military officers of the Australian armed forces," Mr Palmer said on ABC TV.

"I think the military shouldn't be involved in a democracy."

Mr Palmer has questioned why 760 more lower house ballot papers than Senate ballot papers were returned from a polling booth at Coolum Beach in his electorate, pointing at security lapses.

"I think our AEC officers should represent the community. We don't want a whole class of one people that have got links together," Mr Palmer said.

"What I'm saying not is that one person is in the military, I'm saying there's multiple people who have served in the military as officers, (who are) in this role."

In a statement obtained by News Corp Australia, the AEC said the Federal Court reserved judgment on Mr Palmer's injunction on Monday.

"The AEC further notes there is a proper, transparent and evidence-based process for dealing with allegations of illegal practice - through the High Court of Australia sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns," the statement said.

"This is the only way in which the Electoral Act provides for a dispute to be dealt and allows any candidate, political party or member of the public to petition the CDR to have a particular electoral result examined."

Mr Palmer said evidence was mounting to suggest vote tampering.

On Monday evening, Mr Palmer was 362 votes ahead of Liberal candidate for Fairfax Ted O'Brien with more than 89 per cent of the count complete.

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Indian kids sick from wrong medicine

AT least 57 children, all under five years of age, were taken to a hospital in eastern India after they were mistakenly given hepatitis vaccines instead of polio immunisation drops, officials say.

Authorities have ordered a probe and suspended four health workers after the incident on Sunday in Arambagh in West Bengal state.

Hepatitis B vaccine, which is normally injected, was administered orally to children at state-run clinics, causing children to start vomiting and sweat profusely.

"Fifty-seven children who were administered the wrong vaccine were admitted to a local hospital," Biswaranjan Satpathy, director of state health services said.

"They were later discharged but we are getting reports of panic-stricken parents still getting children to the hospital for checkups," he said from the state capital Kolkata.

"There is definite medical negligence as those in charge did not even check what they were administering to children," he said.

Broadcaster NDTV said a total of 114 children had been given the wrong vaccines in the region, some 80 kilometres north of Kolkata.

The hepatitis B vaccine should not cause any long-term harm to the health of the children, Apurva Ghose, director of the Kolkata-based Child Health Institute told the network.

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London mayor Johnson backs UK fracking

London Mayor Boris Johnson says wind farms are a "disease" and the UK should embrace nuclear power. Source: AAP

WIND farms are a "disease" which have blighted Britain's countryside and the country should embrace nuclear power and fracking to meet its energy needs, London Mayor Boris Johnson says.

Johnson accused the energy companies of "ruthlessly exploiting" a shortage of supply as he insisted the UK must stop "pussy-footing around" and start exploiting shale gas reserves.

The senior Tory said turning to a new generation of nuclear plants and fracking would cut energy bills and boost the economy.

Writing in The Sun on Sunday he said he was shocked by the number of wind turbines he saw on a recent drive to Scotland.

"It is a good 20 years since I last drove all the way to Scotland, and in the interim something unbelievable has been done - in our name - to our green, pleasant and precious countryside," he said.

"I mean the windmills, the turbines - whatever they are called. I mean the things that look like some hideous Venusian invasion, marching over the moors and destroying the dales; the colossal seaside toys plonked erratically across our ancient landscape; the endless parade of waving white-armed old lunatics, gesticulating feebly at each other across the fields and the glens.

"They seemed to be everywhere, and I asked myself, when were we consulted? Was there a referendum? Did someone ever warn the British people that these moaning seagull slicers were going to be erected on some of the most sensational scenery that God ever called into being?

"The answer is that no one warned us, because no one really took the decision to do it. It just sort of happened. We have contracted these mills like a disease, because of our pathetic apology for an energy policy."

Claiming that the turbines would not meet the UK's needs he blamed the last Labour administration for failing to get to grips with the issue, leaving the UK facing an energy crisis.

"It is time to take the fight to the energy companies, who have been ruthlessly exploiting their position - and the best answer is an enormous increase in supply. We can do it, and we can do it in a way that is as clean and green as any technology on earth," he said.

"First we need to grow some collective cojones and launch the nuclear energy programme that this country has too long delayed. Do you know how much of their juice the French get from their nuclear programme? Almost 80%. They are laughing at us - us, the nation that split the atom!"

He added: "Next, we must stop pussy-footing around, and get fracking. Even if we have 100s of fracking pads, they are nothing like as ugly as windmills, and they can be dismantled as soon as the gas is extracted."

Mr Johnson said shale was "clean and green" and would help the UK secure its own energy supply without relying on gas from countries such as Russia.

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Trekkers' attackers captured in PNG

FOUR men suspected in the ambush and murder of two guides leading a group of Australian trekkers in Papua New Guinea have been captured by villagers, police say.

The four were captured on Sunday morning near the town of Wau, a five-and-a-half-hour walk from the Black Cat Track in PNG's Morobe province, where local guides Kuia Kerry and Matthew Lasong were killed when they were attacked by six armed men.

Several Australians and six PNG men were injured in the attack.

Police said on Sunday one suspect was caught in the town of Salamaua while the other three were caught in Wau.

"I believe it is only a matter of time before the other two are captured and brought in," Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga said in a statement.

"Whilst I encourage the local community to continue to assist police capture the remaining attackers, I urge you not to take the law into your own hands.

"Let the law deal with them."

Mr Kulunga also confirmed reports a man was attacked and killed by relatives of one of the two murdered porters.

He said the relatives accused the man of harbouring the six criminals and attacked him.

Police intervened and flew him to the nearest health centre but he died from loss of blood.

"There will be an investigation and the persons responsible for this recent death will be arrested. No one has the right to take anyone's life," Mr Kulunga said.

Police have sent 30 additional personnel to the area to capture the remaining fugitives.

"The commitment of the villagers in helping police bring in the four suspects speaks volumes for our people's genuineness and hospitality as well," he said.

"The attack was an isolated and one-off incident and not a reflection of the generally friendly people of the Morobe Province."

Meanwhile the survivors of Tuesday's machete attack have set up a trust fund for the local porters who were injured in the ambush.

Mackay man Nick Bennett was injured when he was hit on the head with a gun.

On Sunday, he told ABC radio all the trekkers had returned home and were coming to terms with the horrific experience.

But he says while the trekkers are traumatised, their injuries are insignificant compared with what had happened to the porters, some of whom had limbs hacked off and would never walk again.

"We've set up a trust fund and we're asking people ... just to provide a few dollars into an account that we've got set up to help them get the services that they need," he said.

"We've made a commitment to ensuring that we support those porters and their families who've absolutely been devastated by this.

"We really need help and we're appealing to people to be generous. Anything - a peso, a dollar, a pound - would be helpful right now for these guys."

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Colorado floods leave hundreds missing

EMERGENCY workers involved in a massive effort to rescue stranded flood victims in Colorado, where more than 500 people are still unaccounted for, are bracing for a fresh pounding from storms.

Officials said efforts to locate those in need of help were hampered by flood damage to many mobile phone towers.

New flash floods were expected to inundate the area, which thousands were forced to evacuate.

Raging floodwaters in the city of Boulder, already confirmed to have killed at least four people, apparently claimed the life of a fifth on Saturday - a 60-year-old woman swept away in the torrent.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that the woman was "missing presumed dead", after floodwaters destroyed her house, and officials warned the toll will likely climb further.

"There might be further loss of life," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told reporters on Sunday. "It's certainly a high probability.... With an army of folks and an air show, we're hoping to reach everyone as soon as possible."

But some additional help was on the way, with President Barack Obama declaring a major disaster in Colorado and ordering federal aid to support state and local efforts.

"Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," the White House said.

And the Wyoming National Guard was helping the evacuation effort after Governor Matt Mead activated five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and 20 crew members, the state's military department said.

In the disaster zone, helicopters circled above submerged houses in a search for survivors in the western US state, with hundreds still missing.

About 350 people were unaccounted for in Larimer County alone, from where about 475 people were evacuated, according to the sheriff's office.

In neighbouring Boulder County, 231 people were unaccounted for, according to CNN, though authorities cautioned that the numbers were fluctuating.

"It is no doubt an epic event," Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway told The Denver Post. "It is a once in 500 years or 1000 years situation."

Search and rescue teams are being deployed to assess the situation and contact stranded residents.

The US National Guard provided seven helicopters to help get people out of danger.

About 1200 residents were pulled out of the Pinewood Springs area by the National Guard and Fort Carson personnel, state authorities said on Twitter.

But many others are still awaiting rescue, which authorities said could take days for some.

Impassable roads forced authorities to use a helicopter to evacuate 200 residents from Jamestown, northwest of Boulder, according to news reports.

Residents' furry friends were also stranded by the torrential rains.

"Our victims' advocates told me tonight there were almost as many pets as people getting off the evacuation helicopters today," the Larimer County Sheriff's Office tweeted.

Officials said there were widespread power outages as streets became raging rivers after the state received months' worth of rain in just a few days.

Rain began pelting the state earlier this week, in Boulder, which saw 18.3 centimetres of precipitation in about 15 hours beginning from Wednesday night, with more downpours likely over the weekend.

Pictures from helicopter cameras showed heavy rain had reduced the towns of Jamestown, Lyons and Longmont to little more than islands, with ready-to-eat meals being dropped to stranded, anxious residents below.

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Bolshoi director ready to return to work

THE artistic director of Moscow's world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet has told a Russian television station that he feels fit to return to work, eight months after an acid attack that nearly blinded him.

"I see enough now to feel comfortable," Sergei Filin, 42, who still wears sunglasses to protect his eyes after months of treatments in Aachen, Germany, said on Sunday.

Now that he's back in Moscow, he said he was prepared to return to work, just as the ballet prepares to start its new season on Monday.

Filin suffered injuries to his face, particularly his eyes, when an assailant threw acid at him on January 17. But he says his vision is now good enough to recognise what is happening on the stage. However, he says he still has multiple surgeries and long-term treatment ahead of him.

The clinic that treated Filin said he had 80 per cent vision capacity in his left eye, but that the healing process was ongoing in the right eye.

Three people have been arrested for the assault: the accused perpetrator and two alleged accomplices, one of whom is Bolshoi soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko.

Investigators said Dmitrichenko masterminded the attack. Media reports suggested the 29-year old dancer wanted to avenge his girlfriend, who had been passed over by Filin for important roles.

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LeBron James weds girlfriend in San Diego

THE Miami Heat basketball star LeBron James has married in San Diego, according to two people familiar with the details of the ceremony.

About 200 guests were present for his wedding to Savannah Brinson on Saturday, said one of the people.

James and Brinson, 27, have been together since high school and have two sons. James, 28, proposed just after midnight on January 1, 2012 in Miami Beach, flanked then by many of his teammates - just as he was again Saturday night for his wedding.

Intense security measures surrounded the wedding, and even some of the invited guests were unclear on some specific details in the days leading up to the long-awaited event that came less than three months after James and the Heat won their second straight NBA title.

Guests were ushered into the wedding areas under the cover of tents, and television footage taken by news helicopters showed that even umbrellas were used to protect the identity of those arriving. Heat owner Micky Arison, coach Erik Spoelstra and many of James's teammates including Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were on the guest list.

And while some with ties to James, such as Wade and his actress girlfriend Gabrielle Union, tweeted that they were in the San Diego area for a wedding, none released any details on Saturday night - since one of the many rules of the wedding was believed to be that no phones would be allowed.

Brinson spoke briefly with AP about the wedding last spring, saying she was both excited and nervous.

James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and the Heat will open training camp next month. In June, they outlasted the San Antonio Spurs in seven games to capture the championship.

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