Residents flee as Qld's Dalby floods

RESIDENTS in the southeast Queensland town of Dalby are fleeing floodwaters as the expected peak of 3.2 metres could go even higher.

Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown says water from the Myall Creek started entering homes when the level reached 2.8m.

"Power has been off to some homes since 4.30pm (AEST), which is what we knew would happen when water flooded in, and residents and the travelling public are being moved to safe areas," he told AAP just before midnight on Saturday.

The peak was expected to be 3.32 metres before midnight but could go higher, Mr Brown said.

Dalby Showgrounds has become a safe area but Mr Brown said it wasn't a fully-fledged evacuation centre.

Visitors to the area had moved their caravans from camp grounds to the showgrounds.

"Residents in southeast Queensland have been given flood warnings, with people in the Lockyer Valley told to evacuate if needed.

An emergency alert was issued for the Lockyer Valley region, west of Brisbane, on Saturday night.

The Lockyer Valley regional council has advised residents to monitor the situation and evacuate themselves if necessary.

Flooding is expected for Forest Hill, Laidley, Glenore Grove and areas downstream.

An emergency flood warning has also been issued for Banana Shire Council.

"There is an imminent threat through a Grevillea Creek flood," a statement from the Department of Community Safety said at 10.30pm on Saturday.

"There is an immediate threat to life or property. Leave the area now or go to higher ground."

It's another blow to residents who experienced significant flooding on the Australia Day weekend and a severe flood two years ago.

The council is also monitoring the nearby towns of Chinchilla and Moonie which are on flood alert.

Heavy rain has also fallen in the regions around Mackay, Bundaberg and Rockhampton on the state's central coast and the Gold Coast in the southeast.

Forecasters expect about 100mm of rain to fall on Bundaberg in the next 24 hours.

The Bureau of Meteorology has advised the rain will continue in the short term and there will be heavy falls later this month.

It has issued 13 flood warnings, most of which are for the state's southeast region.

Bureau of meteorology senior hydrologist Andy Barnes said late on Saturday the impact of the floods affecting the state were relatively minor at the moment.

"It's fairly widespread flooding affecting quite a few catchments," he said.

"Although we'll see continued rain over the southeast for about the next 12 hours it won't be too intense.

"At this stage we're not expecting there to be any real worsening of the situation we've got."

Mr Barnes said moderate to heavy rain may fall on Sunday, but that that is expected further west to where most of the flood warnings have been issued.

Meanwhile the government is keeping a close eye on its dams in the southeast.

Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle says releasing water from the dams will reduce the risk of flooding.

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Pedestrian dies in Latrobe road accident

A WOMAN has died after being hit by a car while crossing a road in the Latrobe Valley in eastern Victoria.

Police said the woman was crossing the road at Morwell when she was hit by a west-bound car on Princes Drive just before 7.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

She was critically injured and taken to hospital, where she later died.

The driver of the car was taken to hospital for shock.

He is helping police with their investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

The incident takes Victoria's road toll to 41, compared to 50 at this time last year.

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End gay and lesbian discrimination: ACOSS

AS Sydney prepares for the 35th Mardi Gras parade, the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) has called on the federal government to better address legal discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

"There is no doubt there is more acceptance today and we've seen key reforms in areas such as social security, tax and superannuation," ACOSS chief executive Dr Cassandra Goldie said.

"However, the denial of the right of people to marry regardless of their sexuality, and inconsistent approaches to parental recognition and alternative gender identities amount to a denial of rights. It is discriminatory and needs to end."

Dr Goldie says it's disappointing the LGBTI community still has disproportionately high rates of negative mental health issues compared to the general population.

"We need policies which address the longstanding legislative, human rights, community and health issues that impact on the LGBTI communities," she said.

Around 10,000 performers will take part in Saturday night's Mardi Gras parade as the colourful festival commemorates 35 years in Sydney.

"Today's Mardi Gras parade will celebrate all the community activism and ongoing resilience of the LGBTI communities and all that has been achieved in the past four decades," Dr Goldie said.

"It's time for a deeper commitment and action by Australian governments to true inclusion and participation of LGBTI people."

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China executes 4 foreigners over murders

CHINA has executed four foreigners for the killing of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in an attack that highlighted drug smuggling and extortion rackets along the vital waterway and led to a major expansion of Chinese police powers in the region.

State broadcaster CCTV showed the four being led in shackles and handcuffs from their cells at a jail in southwestern Yunnan province's capital of Kunming prior to their execution by lethal injection. Their deaths were announced two hours later by the Yunnan provincial police department.

Accused ringleader Naw Kham and accomplices Hsang Kham, Yi Lai, and Zha Xiha were found guilty of the murder of the 13 Chinese sailors. The four are of Myanmar (Burma), Thai, Laotian, and unknown nationality. Two others were given a suspended death sentence and eight years in prison for involvement in the killings.

The gang was accused of ambushing two flat-bottomed Chinese cargo ships on the upper reaches of the Mekong River on October 5, 2011, in Myanmar waters infested with gangs that make their living from protection rackets and the production and smuggling of heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs. The Mekong flows south from Yunnan through the infamous Golden Triangle region, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, and provides a vital trade and transportation route between southwestern China and Southeast Asia.

The ships were recovered downriver later that day by Thai police following a gun battle with gang members, and the bodies of the 13 victims, some bound by the hands before being stabbed and shot, were fished from the river over the following days. Methamphetamine was found on the boats, leading to speculation they had been hijacked as part of a drug smuggling plot.

However, gang members later testified the killings were in retaliation for the ships refusing to pay protection money and allowing themselves to be used by Thai and Laotian soldiers in attacks on warlord bases. They said the drugs were placed on board to make it look like there had been a struggle between smugglers.

Because the killings took place on board Chinese-flagged vessels, Beijing, whose massive economy and powerful military give it considerable sway over its smaller southern neighbours, ruled the trials should take place in China.

The four were sentenced to death in November in a two-day trial, and the judgment was upheld by China's Supreme People's Court in Beijing following an automatic appeal in accordance with Chinese law.

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HMAS Yarra crew to receive unit citation

CREW members of HMAS Yarra, lost in a one-sided battle with Japanese warships, will be awarded the Unit Citation for Gallantry to right a wrong dating back to World War II.

The Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal says recommendations for recognition of extraordinary gallantry were mishandled in the Yarra case.

In light of the extraordinary gallantry, resolve and audacity of Yarra's ship's company in February and March 1942, the long-standing injustice would be remedied, the tribunal said.

The case was considered in an inquiry into retrospective awards of the Victoria Cross for 13 servicemen, including Yarra's Lieutenant Commander Robert Rankin and crewman Leading Seaman Ronald Taylor.

Both died in Yarra's final action.

Rankin, who has a Collins submarine named in his honour, was clearly gallant although not to the stringent criteria of the VC for Australia, the tribunal said. In Taylor's case there was insufficient evidence for an individual award.

But all the crew receive the unit citation for two actions aboard the 1500-tonne sloop in South-East Asia at the outbreak of WWII with Japan.

As Japanese aircraft attacked Singapore on February 5, Yarra, then commanded by Wilfred Harrington, went alongside the burning troop transport Empress of Asia, rescuing more than 1800 soldiers.

On March 4, Yarra was escorting a convoy of merchant ships to Australia when three Japanese heavy cruisers and two destroyers approached.

Cmdr Rankin ordered the convoy to scatter while the sloop held off the Japanese warships. The Yarra was struck repeatedly by enemy shells but the 151-strong crew fought on.

Of the 13 survivors, none are alive.

Four Australian ships have been named Yarra - the latest is one of the navy's Huon class minehunters.

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No VC for Simpson or 13 other diggers

THE Victoria Cross won't be awarded retrospectively to World War I digger John Simpson or a dozen others, despite calls for their gallantry to be rewarded.

The Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal has concluded no award of the VC or any other medal should be made to the 13 soldiers and sailors who were the subjects of its year-long inquiry.

The tribunal's decision, released on Friday, is supported by the federal government, after the cases were reviewed by independent experts.

"For reasons of process, for reasons of history, for reasons of fact, it is not appropriate to award retrospectively a Victoria Cross," the parliamentary secretary for defence David Feeney told AAP.

In the 454-page report, the tribunal chaired by former attorney-general's department secretary Alan Rose found it wasn't possible for Australia to recommend honours in the imperial awards system.

It is possible to make retrospective recommendations in the Australian system, which replaced imperial honours in 1991, but only if there's a clear case of maladministration or the emergence of compelling new evidence.

"Extreme practical difficulties, such as gathering reliable evidence about past actions as well as the problem of second-guessing the commanders of the time make retrospective recognition difficult and likely to damage the integrity of the Australian honours and awards system," the tribunal said.

The inquiry into the vexed issue of retrospective VC awards to long-dead servicemen, some of whose deeds occurred almost a century ago, began last April.

It considered 11 former sailors and two soldiers from three wars. Among them was Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick, known as John Simpson, famed for transporting wounded men from the Gallipoli frontline to field hospitals on his donkey.

Despite an abundance of gallantry, none of the 99 VCs awarded to Australians has ever gone to a sailor.

The tribunal concluded that contrary to some submissions, there was no British bias against Australians.

Statistically, far fewer VCs go to sailors, with only 53 of 1354 imperial VCs going to members of Britain's Royal Navy.

A number of submissions suggested awarding a VC to the Unknown Soldier in lieu of unrecognised acts of gallantry.

The tribunal disagreed, citing former prime minister Paul Keating's 1993 speech that recognised the very ordinariness of the Unknown Soldier and argued he should not stand above any of the 102,735 listed on the Australian War Memorial's Roll of Honour.

The VC is awarded for exceptional conduct.

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Draft plan for Rookwood Cemetery released

THE NSW government has released a draft plan to better manage Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney's west.

The plan involves ensuring environmental impacts are managed, heritage values are protected, and the use of burial resources is sustainable.

The operation and visual appeal of the cemetery would also be enhanced under the plan.

"This is the next step of the NSW government's most significant cemeteries reforms in over 100 years," NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson said in a statement.

Ms Hodgkinson said the plan was developed with the involvement of all the former denominational trusts at Rookwood Cemetery, the new Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust, the Catholic Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust and other stakeholders.

"I am now seeking comment on the draft plan from the broader community before it is adopted," she said.

The historic Rookwood Necropolis cemetery has been in operation since 1867 and is the largest multicultural necropolis in the southern hemisphere.

The draft management plan will be advertised for six weeks and submissions should be made by April 12.

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Gunmen kill journalist in Pakistan

UNIDENTIFIED attackers shot dead a senior local journalist in Pakistan's lawless northwestern tribal region on Wednesday, witnesses said.

Malik Mumtaz, who worked for the Geo television channel as well as English and Urdu newspapers from the same media group, was shot in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal district.

The tribal areas along the Afghan border are a haven for Islamist militants, but the Pakistani Taliban condemned the murder of Mumtaz, who was president of the local press club and had reported on the area for more than 20 years.

"Gunmen opened fire on his vehicle when he was driving back to his home and he died on the spot," a local intelligence official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

Noor Behram, the president of the Tribal Union of Journalists, confirmed the killing and announced one week of mourning.

A spokesman for Pakistani Taliban militants condemned the killing and denied any involvement by the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) faction.

"He was a good reporter and was serving tribal people, we condemn his killing and salute his services for tribal people," TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Mumtaz is survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter.

According to the press campaign group Reporters Without Borders, Pakistan was the third deadliest country for journalists last year, behind Syria and Somalia, with 10 killed in connection with their work.

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Aged facility evacuated due to Vic floods

WILD weather in country Victoria has lifted the roof off a shopping centre, left motorists stranded and led to the evacuation of an aged care facility.

The State Emergency Service (SES) has received more than 200 calls for help since midnight Tuesday (AEDT) as flooding and strong winds hit parts of the state.

About 70 of the requests were from Shepparton where five people were trapped in their vehicles due to flooding.

There were 12 calls for help at Rushworth in the state's northwest, where 25 people were evacuated from a flooded aged care facility on Wednesday night.

High winds also forced the roof off the IGA supermarket next door, SES spokesman Toby Borella said.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain for people in the northern country, north central, north east, west, central and South and East Gippsland areas.

Senior BoM forecaster Dean Stewart said heavy rain had lashed the Benalla and Shepparton areas in northeast and northern Victoria.

Shepparton received 38mm of rain between 6.30pm and 9.30pm (AEDT).

Mr Stewart said the rest of north east Victoria is likely to experience heavy rain overnight with the chance of thunderstorms.

"It's still going to rain pretty hard through parts of northeast Victoria, and places like Mount Hotham could get quite a bit more overnight," he said.

Since 9am Wednesday (AEDT), Benalla has received 76mm of rain, Mt Hotham 69mm and Mt Bulla 61mm.

AAP mi/je

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Beijing restaurant sign triggers fury

A SIGN at a Beijing restaurant barring citizens of nations involved in maritime disputes with China - along with dogs - has triggered a wave of online outrage among Vietnamese and Filipinos.

The Beijing Snacks restaurant near the Forbidden City, a popular tourist spot, has posted a sign on its door reading "This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese and dog(s)."

Photographs of the controversial sign have gone viral in Vietnamese-language forums and featured heavily in Philippine newspapers and websites on Wednesday.

Vietnam's state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper ran a story saying the sign had "ignited online fury". It claimed many Vietnamese feel this is another example of Chinese "extreme nationalism that deserves to be condemned".

"It's not patriotism, it's stupid extremism," Sy Van wrote in Vietnamese in a comment under the story, published on the paper's website.

The sign provoked thousands of posts on Vietnamese social networking sites and newspaper comment threads.

"This is teaching hate to the younger generation," Facebook user Andrea Wanderer wrote in Vietnamese. "The owner of the restaurant has obviously been brainwashed by their government," added Facebook user Chung Pham.

Filipinos greeted the photo with a mixture of fury and amusement.

"Blatant racism at Beijing Restaurant," journalist Veronica Pedrosa wrote in one widely-shared tweet, while Facebook user Rey Garcia used a comment thread on a news site to retort: "Who cares, they almost cook everything, even foetus and fingernails."

Vietnam and the Philippines are locked in a longstanding territorial row with China over islands in the South China Sea. China and Japan have a separate acrimonious dispute over islands in the East China Sea.

The sign's wording is particularly inflammatory as it recalls China's colonial era, when British-owned establishments barred Chinese from entering.

A sign supposedly reading "No Dogs and Chinese allowed" became part of Communist propaganda after it was said to have hung outside a park in Shanghai when Western powers controlled parts of China.

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