Fake products may be dangerous: CHOICE

AUSTRALIAN customs last year seized more than 700,000 items of fake merchandise worth about $48.5 million, it has been revealed.

The haul was part of the $272 billion annual global trade in potentially dangerous bogus goods.

And it's not just products being ripped off.

Groups selling counterfeits "lure consumers to their sites with paid online advertising and images from a brand's most recent advertising campaign," Tom Godfrey from consumer advocacy group CHOICE says.

"Counterfeiters also fake tags, receipts and authenticity cards making it even more challenging for consumers to work out the real deal."

About two per cent of world trade is in fake goods and while imitation accessories, like shoes or handbags, aren't dangerous many others could harm people, Mr Godfrey says.

"Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics sold overseas online are unregulated with no requirement for them to be produced in sanitary conditions," he said.

"If you're lucky, counterfeit perfume will only stain your clothes, but it may cause skin allergies, burns and trigger respiratory problems."

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Jessica Mauboy adds to Deadlys haul

JESSICA Mauboy has done it again taking home two more gongs at the 19th Deadly Awards at the Sydney Opera House.

The pop sweetheart won Female Artist of the Year and Single Release of the Year for Something's Got A Hold on Me, bringing her total tally of Deadlys to nine, having triumphed in five of the past six ceremonies.

Award-winning drama Redfern Now took best Television Show of the Year at the Tuesday night ceremony while one of its stars, Luke Carroll, was awarded Male Actor of the Year.

Carroll also hosted the evening which celebrates and recognises the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the areas of music, sport, entertainment and community.

Popular film The Sapphires - which just missed last year's cut-off for nominations - won Film of the Year and its star Deborah Mailman was named Female Actor of the Year.

The Album of the Year was awarded to Archie Roach for Into the Bloodstream and the iconic singer/songwriter was also given the Lifetime Contribution Award for Healing the Stolen Generations.

Roach was also due to perform at the event, backed by a 20 piece gospel choir.

All eyes will be following the careers of the up and comers who won in the most promising categories.

Queanbeyan based group Stik n Move won the Deadly for Most Promising New Talent in Music, while it was hockey player, Mariah Williams, who was awarded Most Promising New Talent in Sport.

There were other familiar faces who won in the sports categories including Adam Goodes for AFL Player of the Year and Johnathan Thurston for NRL Player of the Year.

Goodes was also given the Ella Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sport.

A tribute to the late Dr Yunupingu, the lead singer of Yothu Yindi, was set to open the ceremony.

A special rendition of his hit song Mainstream was to be performed by his grandson Rrawun Maymurru, to honour the late singer and former Australian of the Year.

Singer Christine Anu, who is currently playing Bloody Mary in the production of South Pacific at the Sydney Opera House, is scheduled to do a double take on the night as she switches auditoriums to perform at the Deadlys.

Anu's performance of Bali Hai will make history at the Opera House, making her the first to appear in two productions at the venue on the same night.

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"Albo4Leader" campaign under way

A SOCIAL media campaign is underway backing Anthony Albanese as the next federal Labor leader, with supporters convinced he would defeat powerbroker Bill Shorten if the choice goes to party members.

A day after being launched, the "Anthony Albanese for Labor Leader" Facebook page had attracted more than 700 "likes" on Tuesday evening.

The "albo4leader" Twitter handle meanwhile was reporting a spike in "albomentum".

The group claims it isn't connected to the outgoing deputy prime minister, and understands the Sydney-based MP hasn't yet thrown his hat in the ring.

"But it's obvious he's the best candidate to unite and lead Labor!" states a message on the Facebook page, below an image depicting a young, long-haired Mr Albanese from his university days.

One of the group's co-convenors Luke Whitington, a NSW Labor Policy Forum member, said Mr Albanese was a strong parliamentary performer and the best person to return the party to federal government quickly.

Mr Albanese had always proven he'd put the party before himself and had the trust of its rank and files members, he added.

"I think that if given the chance, he'd win a vote amongst the party members overwhelmingly," Mr Whitington told AAP on Tuesday.

The group is appealing for Mr Albanese to contest the top job under new rules which give grassroots members a say.

If there are two or more candidates, the leadership for the first time will be decided in a ballot weighted 50 per cent to the caucus and 50 per cent to grassroots members of the ALP.

Party heavyweight Bill Shorten appears on track to take the federal Labor leadership at a caucus meeting in Canberra on Friday.

But the unendorsed group backing Mr Albanese has demanded there be no backroom deals, warning Labor's rank and file members will be palpable if Mr Shorten were installed without a ballot.

"I think there should be more elections, there should be more democracy, members should have more of a say," Mr Whitington said.

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Conditions ease but NSW fires might flare

HIGH temperatures and warm winds across northwest Sydney where bushfires are burning have eased, but authorities are preparing for possible flare-ups on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday a significant part of the city's northwest was under threat from bushfires that have claimed two houses and injured several firefighters.

But the temperature has since dropped from a high of 32 degrees celsius down to between 16 and 18 degrees, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP on Tuesday night.

And a gentle southerly wind change is blowing at 15 km/h, down from peak speeds of up to 80 km/h during the afternoon.

While conditions have eased, police are asking parents of the 900 children at Winmalee High School, in the Blue Mountains, to keep their kids at home on Wednesday in case the fires flare up.

The Department of Education has also been asked to close the nearby primary school.

Staff will be present at the schools to look after children whose parents can't make other arrangements, a Department of Education spokesman told AAP.

Earlier on Tuesday a house was destroyed at Winmalee and two firefighters battling the blaze there suffered minor burns, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) said.

Another home was lost at Marsden Park in Sydney's west, and a shed has been destroyed near Castlereagh, where a fire raged through about 60 hectares of dry bush.

About 300 students from St Paul's Grammar School at Castlereagh were evacuated to Penrith's Whitewater Park after an emergency warning was issued for nearby properties.

More than 2000 people were evacuated from a University of Western Sydney (UWS) campus after a power outage and the RAAF base at Richmond lost power due to a problem with an Endeavour Energy substation.

About 1000 firefighters with 350 trucks and 14 aircraft are fighting 63 bush and grass fires across the state, 31 of which are uncontained, NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell told parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

Five firefighters have been treated for smoke inhalation, he added.

Emergency Services Minister Mike Gallacher said "a significant part of northwestern Sydney" where there are "large numbers of homes" was threatened by the fires.

"These are all heavily urbanised areas," he told AAP.

Earlier on Tuesday smoke billowed over Windsor Downs Nature Reserve as water bombing helicopters and crews battled grass fires.

An RFS spokesman told AAP "it's certainly been a monster effort".

Emergency warnings remain in place for three large uncontained fires in Sydney's northwest.

The warm winds, gusting at up to 80km/h and fanning the fires are likely to ease on Tuesday evening, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP.

And firefighters are hoping the southerly change lowers temperatures.

Crews will work thorough the night and probably the next few days to try and contain the fires, the RFS spokesman said.

"But that's still dependent on the weather and how strong the southerly change that comes through (is)," he told AAP.

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Violent dog shot by police in Canberra

A DOG has been shot and injured by a police officer after it violently attacked three people in a Canberra suburb.

Police were called to Dunlop on the city's outskirts on Tuesday to reports a tan-coloured dog had set upon a group of people.

One woman was "bailed up" by the attacking dog, police said, while a man who came to her rescue was left bleeding after the animal turned on him.

A 17-year-old male also had his clothing ripped as the dog tried to bite him.

A police officer at the scene opened fire on the dog, injuring it.

The dog retreated to a nearby home where it was contained in the backyard until the owner returned home.

The dog has been taken to a vet for treatment.

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Russia, Syria want return of UN inspectors

RUSSIAN and Syrian foreign ministers on Monday strongly pushed for the return of United Nations inspectors to Syria to continue their probe into the use of chemical weapons and again warned Washington against launching an attack.

The statement comes as President Barack Obama, who blames President Bashar al-Assad for killing hundreds of his own people in a chemical attack last month, is pressing for a limited strike against the Syrian government.

It has denied launching the attack, insisting along with its ally Russia that the attack was launched by the rebels to drag the US into war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after Monday's talks with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem that UN chemical weapons experts should complete their probe and present their findings to the UN Security Council.

"We have agreed to push for the soonest return of inspectors," Lavrov said.

Al-Muallem said his government was ready to host the UN team, and insisted that Syria is ready to use all channels to convince the Americans that it wasn't behind the attack.

He added that Syria was ready for "full cooperation with Russia to remove any pretext for aggression".

Neither minister, however, offered any evidence to back their claim of rebel involvement in the chemical attack.

Lavrov said Russia will continue to promote a peaceful settlement and may try to convene a gathering of all Syrian opposition figures to join in negotiations. He added that a US attack on Syria would deal a fatal blow to peace efforts.

Lavrov wouldn't say how Russia could respond to a possible US attack on Syria, saying that "we wouldn't like to proceed from a negative scenario and would primarily take efforts to prevent a military intervention".

President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would keep providing assistance to Syria in case of US attack, but he and other Russian officials have made clear that Russia has no intention to engage in hostilities.

Lavrov also denied allegations that Russia may have sponsored a deal between the US and Syria during the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg last week, where Putin discussed the Syrian crisis with Obama.

"There won't be and there can't be any deal behind the back of the Syrian people," Lavrov said.

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NT govt dumps minister Anderson

Aboriginal MP Alison Anderson has been dumped from the Northern Territory ministry. Source: AAP

ABORIGINAL MP Alison Anderson has been dumped from the Northern Territory ministry just two days after a federal coalition government was elected.

The Member for Namatjira was in charge of four portfolios: Children and Families, Regional Development, Local Government and Women's Policy.

But now Attorney-General John Elferink is the Minister for Children and Families, Deputy Chief Minister Dave Tollner has taken over the Local Government and Regions portfolio and Bess Price is Minister for Women's Policy.

In a statement released on Monday night, Chief Minister Adam Giles said he was "keen to re-organise the ministry to reflect the government's priorities" after a year in power.

Last month he ruled out dumping Ms Anderson, saying it was "all fiction".

Tension has been bubbling for some time between them, when in March after a failed leadership bid for the Country Liberal government Ms Anderson accused Mr Giles of behaving like a "little boy".

She threatened to leave the party and take three bush members - Bess Price, Larissa Lee and Francis Xavier - with her if Mr Giles pursued the Chief Ministership, which he successfully did with the bush members' support a week later.

Ms Anderson was elected as a Labor MLA in 2005, and served as a minister until 2009, when she left the party after a disagreement with then-Chief Minister Paul Henderson.

She was an independent until 2011 when she joined the Country Liberals, and was re-elected in last year's Territory elections.

Her dispute with Mr Giles came as she supported Terry Mills, the chief minister he rolled in March.

Opposition Leader Delia Lawrie said Mr Giles had never gotten over the slight.

"There's no doubt (he's) clinging to power without the full support of his colleagues," she said in a statement.

More recently, Mr Giles clashed with Ms Anderson over the CEO position for the Department of Children and Families, which now has its fourth leader in less than a year.

Ms Anderson appointed Jenni Collard to the acting role in March, and last week backed her for the full-time role, despite the government leaking that it wanted to appoint former Country Liberals leader Jodeen Carney, which it now has.

Mr Giles did not give a reason why Ms Anderson had been pushed out of cabinet, but said: "I thank Alison Anderson for her work in Cabinet and wish her well. (She) has worked as a minister for several years across different portfolios and governments."

He flagged a wider shuffle of the ministry, with the creation of three new portfolios - North Australia Development, Community Services and a combined Department of Local Government and Regions.

"Now is the time for northern Australia to be recognised as the key player in the energy, food and economic security of the Asian region," Mr Giles said.

"In light of this, I will be taking on the important new portfolio of North Australia Development, which will allow the Territory to work more closely with the federal, West Australian and Queensland governments on issues affecting the north."

Ms Lawrie described the government as the most dysfunctional the NT had ever had, with two chief ministers, five cabinets and multiple departmental changes in one year.

"There is no doubt deep divisions remain in the CLP camp," she said.

The NT's new ministry will be sworn in on Tuesday in Darwin.

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Iranian ministers open pages on Facebook

Iran's entire Cabinet opened Facebook pages in what may be a move toward lifting internet freedom. Source: AAP

IRAN'S entire Cabinet has opened Facebook pages in what is seen as a move toward greater government openness - even though the social media site is blocked in the Islamic Republic.

The Facebook pages of 15 ministers could be viewed in Tehran through a proxy server. Newspapers on Monday hinted the move might herald the lifting of some internet barriers.

"It seems the 'key"' - Rouhani's electoral symbol in his presidential campaign - "may turn the lock of (internet) filtering," the pro-reform Shargh daily said.

With the exception of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who joined Facebook in 2009, the Cabinet members signed up this August after the inauguration of centrist- and reformist-backed President Hasan Rouhani.

Rouhani's office has also opened a page on Facebook that was "liked" by all the ministers.

Saeed Leilaz, a Tehran-based political analyst, said it was likely the start of the lifting of internet "filters," which block specific sites. "Definitely filtering on Facebook will be lifted, and we will witness the elimination of filters (on the rest of) internet," said Leilaz.

Rouhani had promised greater openness and transparency during his presidential campaign in June. The move also suggests that his administration is looking toward social media to push its policies.

Last week, Zarif told a local news website that he sent a message on Twitter saying "Happy Rosh Hashana," the Jewish new year, in what is likely a small diplomatic step toward easing the hostilities between his nation and Israel.

Iranian hard-liners see the internet as a possible corrupting force, but many Iranians use proxies to access banned sites.

Iran imposed a ban on Facebook after disputed re-election of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, when his opponents used social media to organise protests.

Earlier in 2012, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, issued a religious decree in which Facebook was considered permissible if it was not used for corrupting or bad purposes. A page that claims to be Khamenei's is generally believed to reflect his views. He has neither disowned nor claimed it, and many consider it his unofficial voice.

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Mass blackout across eastern Melbourne

A MAJOR power outage blacked out over 100 traffic signal lights and caused around 200,000 homes in Melbourne's east to lose power on Monday evening.

A United Energy spokesman said the power outage effected its customers from 5.30pm (AEST) in areas including Burwood, Cheltenham, Brighton, Mordialloc, and Clayton with power restored after 45 minutes.

The spokesman said the outage was caused by a fault with an SP Ausnet terminal station.

VicRoads director of road operations Dean Zabrieszach said over 100 traffic signals were without power.

"It started about 5.20pm and we had just about everything back to normal by 6pm," he said.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said she had not received any reports of accidents caused by the blackout.

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Mourners gather for Heaney funeral

The body of Irish poet Seamus Heaney has been taken to a Dublin church ahead of a funeral service. Source: AAP

FAMILY and friends of Nobel Laureate poet Seamus Heaney have gathered with his contemporaries and dignitaries to pay last respects to one of Ireland's literary greats.

The internationally acclaimed 74-year-old writer died unexpectedly in hospital on Friday after a short illness.

Mourners at his funeral at the Sacred Heart Church in Donnybrook, south of Dublin - near where the Northern Ireland-born poet made his home - were led by his widow Marie and children Michael, Christopher and Catherine Ann.

Irish President Michael D Higgins, himself a published poet, attended along with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and former president Mary McAleese and her husband Martin.

Heaney will be buried this evening in his native Bellaghy in Co Derry - a village that inspired so much of his work.

His lifelong friend and poetry contemporary Michael Longley was among the mourners, along with musician Paul Brady and U2 stars Bono - with his wife Ali Hewson - Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton.

Heaney has been hailed as the greatest poet Ireland has produced since William Butler Yeats.

Former US president Bill Clinton has been among those paying tribute, describing Heaney as "our finest poet of the rhythms of ordinary lives" and a "powerful voice for peace".

A hastily arranged celebration of the poet's life in Belfast's Lyric theatre on Saturday night was packed to capacity as the audience was treated to poignant recitals of his best known works.

Books of condolences are open in Derry, Belfast and Dublin.

Kenny has said it would take Heaney himself to describe the depth of loss Ireland felt over his death.

The 1995 Nobel prize-winner was born in April 1939, the eldest of nine children, on a small farm called Mossbawn near Bellaghy and his upbringing often played out in the poetry he wrote in later years.

The citation for the award praised Heaney "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past".

Chief celebrant of the Mass, Monsignor Brendan Devlin, opened the service with the remark that Heaney might have liked to have his funeral celebrated by someone with a Northern accent.

He summed up why the poet was held in such high regard by people from all walks of life.

"He could speak to the King of Sweden, an Oxford don or a south Derry neighbour with the directness of a common and shared humanity," he said.

Monsignor Devlin, a family friend, celebrated the Mass with Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Eamonn Walsh, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Michael Jackson and Mark Patrick Hederman from Glenstal Abbey.

He told the mourners that the island of Ireland felt the deprivation and the loss of Heaney.

A posy of flowers from the garden of the Heaney family home in Sandymount and a book of some of Heaney's works were offered as gifts during the service.

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