Aust troops 'kill two Afghan children'

AUSTRALIAN soldiers in southern Afghanistan shot dead two children tending cattle, local officials said on Saturday as the international coalition launched an inquiry into the incident.

Civilian casualties caused by NATO-led troops have been one of the most contentious issues in the campaign against Taliban insurgents, fuelling public anger and often triggering criticism from President Hamid Karzai.

The two children, aged seven and eight, were killed on Thursday morning as Australian soldiers fought back after a Taliban attack in southern Uruzgan province, said provincial governor Amir Mohammad Akhundzada.

"The children were killed by Australian troops, it was a mistaken incident, not a deliberate one," Akhundzada told AFP, adding that insurgents had first shot at a helicopter carrying Australian soldiers.

A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul said he was unable to confirm details.

"We are aware of the reports and we take all such reports very seriously," he said.

"An incident assessment team in Uruzgan is now there looking into it."

In a recent case of civilian deaths, on 13 February, 10 Afghan civilians, including five children, were killed by a NATO airstrike in Kunar province.

Following the attack, Karzai barred Afghan forces from seeking air support from foreign troops in a bid to curb civilian casualties.

Security responsibility for Uruzgan, a restive province where the Taliban insurgents have been holding sway, is being handed over to Afghan forces.

The bulk of Australia's 1,550 troops are based in the province, and are focused on training and mentoring Afghan soldiers ahead of the withdrawal of NATO combat troops by the end of next year.

Comment is being sought from Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

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Man charged with murdering factory worker

A MAN has been charged with murdering a factory worker in Sydney's west after handing himself into police.

The body of Lane Hargreaves, 63, was found in the yard of the factory where he worked on Links Road, Dunheved, on February 21.

A 37-year-old man who was the subject of an arrest warrant presented himself to the Windsor Police Station just after 12.30pm Saturday (AEDT).

The man was questioned and charged with murder.

He was refused bail and will appear before a court in Parramatta on Sunday.

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Thousands brave rain for Sydney Mardi Gras

FIREWORKS, glittering transvestites and a sprinkling of popstars lit up Sydney's Mardi Gras but the loudest cheers were saved for the festival's founding cast.

Ten thousand performers took part in the gay community's night of nights, with celebrations focusing on the parade's 35-year history.

The lead float at this year's "Generations of Love" parade was dedicated to the "78ers" including media personality Julie McCrossin and the "godfather of Mardi Gras" Ron Austin.

Thirty five years ago, the pair were part of a small group who took to the streets of Sydney to highlight discrimination against gay people.

On Saturday night, despite the rain and gusty winds, thousands of onlookers cheered as the performers danced, marched and cartwheeled down Oxford Street to commemorate the years of struggle for gay acceptance.

Gay members of Australia's defence force (ADF) marched in their uniforms for the first time and squadron leader Vince Chong from the Royal Australian Air Force was thrilled to be part of the event.

"It's absolutely exhilarating. This is about us being proud of the uniform, and it allows us to show how proud we are of the ADF," he said.

He said the decision to allow members to march, reflected the ADF's policy to encourage more workplace inclusion.

"It shows the priority that's been placed on diversion and inclusion in the Australian Defence Force. This is just the start of many things to come under the pathway to change. We will see more and more about generating a culture of inclusion."

Politicians were also a part of the festivities with Sydney Mayor Clover Moore, turning out with a team of supporters along with Independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich.

The ALP and the Greens were also represented while the Liberal Party also had their spot in the parade, with their float led by the opposition leader Tony Abbott's gay sister, Christine Foster.

Ms Forster said she hoped she could "one day" convince her brother to march in the parade despite the fact that he led the Coalition in a bloc "no" vote in two separate bills seeking to amend the marriage act to include same sex marriage in 2012.

"I would like to get him up Oxford Street and into Taylor Square at the head of the Mardi Gras, that would be fantastic," she said.

Ms Foster paid tribute to the 78ers, saying the festival had now changed to become a celebration of community and diversity rather than a protest.

A number of performers dressing like maverick Queensland MP Bob Katter also took part in the parade, while singer Paulini performed atop the City of Sydney's official float.

Oxford Street had a heavy police presence but there had been no early reports of serious incidents.

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Flooding prompts Lockyer Valley alert

AN emergency alert has been issued for the Lockyer Valley region, west of Brisbane, with residents told to evacuate if needed.

The Lockyer Valley regional council issued the alert on Saturday night.

The council has advised that flooding is expected for Forest Hill, Laidley, Glenore Grove and areas downstream.

Residents are being told to monitor the situation and evacuate themselves if necessary.

Earlier, the local council had been doorknocking homes at Dalby, in southern Queensland, where the Myall Creek is expected to peak at three metres on Saturday night.

Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown says water starts to enter homes when the water reaches 2.8 metres.

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.

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

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

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

"The ground is currently saturated so the rain will all run off into the Somerset and Wivenhoe Dams," he told AAP.

"We want to make certain those dams are at a precautionary level of 88 per cent as best as we possibly can."

An emergency flood warning has 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."

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Floods cut off key roads in northern NSW

A LANDSLIDE and flooding has forced the closure of part of a major highway in northern NSW.

The Gwydir Highway, a vital east-west route in northern NSW, has closed between Grafton and Glen Innes.

Motorists are being told to use the New England Highway and Bruxner Highway instead.

They are also being advised to be extremely cautious in northern NSW due to the continuing wet weather.

A number of other flooded roads have closed including:

- The Oxley Highway in both directions at O'Neills Creek in Long Flat.

- Failford Road between the Pacific Highway and The Lakes Way.

- The Gwydir Highway between Moree and Warialda.

- The Bucketts Way is closed at Gloucester Road in Burrell Creek.

- The Pacific Highway is also affected by flooding at various locations.

It is expected that heavy rain across much of NSW could cause flash flooding across the coastline this weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology had 16 flood warnings in place on Saturday night.

A severe weather warning for heavy rain has been issued for people in the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter and Northern Tablelands areas.

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Rapist on the run holed up in Melb house

A DEPRAVED Melbourne rapist on the run has been cornered by police at a house in Melbourne's north.

Police said they tracked down Antonio Loguancio, 40, to a house in Justin Avenue at Glenroy about 7pm (AEDT) after he broke a supervision order.

It is not known whether he is armed.

"We believe he's isolated, he's on his own, he's in the house," Superintendent Peter O'Neill told reporters at the scene.

"I can't confirm whether he's got guns or not.

"We're certainly not disputing it and that's something we're just going to have to monitor and see."

Supt O'Neill said police will take as long as they need to resolve the siege situation calmly and peacefully.

Dozens of neighbours gathered in the quiet street, which was almost entirely cordoned off by police.

Supt O'Neill said negotiators are communicating with Loguancio while he is holed up in the house.

He said police will make assessments on the situation every half hour.

"We'll consider what our options are as the night goes forward," he said.

"We're well resourced and we're patient."

Supt O'Neill said two people have helped police with their inquiry into Loguancio but couldn't say how they were connected to him.

Police have reassured residents that they're safe and offered them the option to leave and stay in a safe haven if they wish.

"They've all elected to stay at this stage because there's been no sense they're in immediate danger," he said.

The Special Operations Group and other police are at the scene.

Neighbour Vince, who didn't give his surname, said the situation was of concern.

"It's a bit disturbing I guess but as long as they catch him, that's the main thing," he said.

Police say Loguancio is a significant risk to the community after breaching a supervision order by assaulting his partner and then going into hiding.

He has threatened to harm himself and others after making contact with police while on the run.

Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana confirmed police had been in contact with Loguancio, who had not handed himself in.

"We've been in communication with him at various stages during the night. He is quite agitated," Mr Fontana told Fairfax Radio on Friday.

Police are urging Loguancio to give himself up, with fears he may threaten others.

"His mind is fluctuating to self-harm and threats," Mr Fontana said.

"What we're asking is, it's a plea to him, to really just surrender."

Loguancio had been released on a supervision order after being jailed for 12 years for multiple counts of rape, assault and other offences.

One of his victims had been beaten daily and threatened with death.

Detectives issued an arrest warrant for Loguancio on Tuesday for assaulting his partner in Melbourne's northeast on the weekend.

But further details of his past crimes are so horrific that a judge once refused to describe what he termed Loguancio's "barbaric and depraved offences" during his failed appeal.

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Man 'swallowed' by sinkhole under bedroom

A MAN is presumed dead after a sinkhole opened up under his bedroom in the US state of Florida and "swallowed" him.

CNN reported the incident happened overnight in Brandon, a suburb of Tampa.

Authorities called to the scene found the hole to be about 30 metres in diameter and were unable to make contact with the victim.

His 36-year-old's brother heard screams and tried in vain to pull him out.

"There is no evidence of him being alive," CNN quoted Jessica Damico, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Fire Department, as saying.

She was quoted as saying the hole was still actively developing and was not man made.

Authorities have evacuated the neighbourhood as a precautionary measure.

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Brothers 'can't accept pedophile's guilt'

Archbishop Denis Hart ignored reports that a pedophile might have been working at a college. Source: AAP

MANY Christian brothers refuse to accept that one of their ranks is guilty of the child sex crimes for which he was convicted, a Victorian inquiry has been told.

Members of the order also lack sympathy for sex abuse victims, Christian brother and researcher Dr Barry Coldrey told the parliamentary inquiry into sexual abuse within religious organisations.

Dr Coldrey said some brothers had not accepted that Robert Best, who was convicted over the abuse of 11 boys over a 20-year period, was a pedophile.

"Even at this moment there are many brothers who refuse to believe that Robert Best is guilty," he told the inquiry in Melbourne on Friday.

He said some would still visit Best in prison.

Best was in 2011 found guilty of 21 charges, including the rape of a nine-year-old disabled boy, and later pleaded guilty to a further six.

All 27 charges related to 11 boys he taught at St Alipius primary school in Ballarat, St Leo's College in Box Hill, and St Joseph's College in Geelong between 1969 and 1988.

Dr Coldrey told the inquiry that the order had little sympathy for victims of sexual abuse.

"At the moment, the mood is sullen, angry and certainly little sympathy is expressed for victims," he said.

"No one ever won an election in the Christian Brothers by expressing sympathy for victims."

Dr Coldrey said his concerns that a convicted pedophile was working at Monash University's Mannix College were ignored by senior clergy members, including Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart.

Residences at the college were rented out to non-university students for four months of the year.

"Everybody who had a say took the cover-up option," Dr Coldrey said.

"Denis (Hart) took the cover-up option."

Dr Coldrey said he was not sure if the man was still working at the college under an assumed name.

The inquiry resumes in Melbourne on Monday.

Br Brian Brandon, the executive officer for professional standards for Christian Brothers Oceania, rejected that there was little sympathy within the Christian Brothers ranks for sex abuse victims.

In a statement, Br Brandon said he met regularly with victims and Mr Coldrey was out of touch with reality and his statements were unsubstantiated.

Br Brandon said the Christian Brothers expressed care and concern for victims.

He also offered an apology on behalf of the Christian Brothers to Archbishop Denis Hart for comments made about him by Mr Coldrey, who testified that senior clergy members including Archbishop Hart, ignored concerns that a convicted pedophile was working at Monash University's Mannix College.

Archbishop Denis Hart said the allegation raised by Br Coldrey was false.

"I emphatically reject his allegation that I have been involved in a cover up of a suspected paedophile at Mannix College, Monash University or that there was any cover up," he said in a statement.

"These untrue claims unfairly malign all the hard working staff at Mannix College."

Archbishop Hart said Br Coldrey was a part-time volunteer at Mannix College for a number of years until the end of 2010.

He said while he was volunteering at Mannix College, Br Coldrey alleged there may have been a paedophile working at the college but the allegation was shown to have no substance.

He said all Mannix College staff hold a current Working With Children Check.

Archbishop Hart said he looked forward to his opportunity to appear before the inquiry.

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Berlusconi claims innocence in trial

FORMER Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi proclaimed his innocence at an appeal trial in Milan against a tax fraud conviction linked to his business empire.

"I am completely extraneous to the facts that I am accused of," the billionaire tycoon told the court.

The 76-year-old Berlusconi was convicted in October 2012 and sentenced to four years in prison and a five-year ban from holding public office.

The prison sentence was later reduced to one year and both sentences have been suspended pending his appeal trial, which was interrupted by elections in which Berlusconi led a centre-right coalition.

"Instead of getting a gold medal from the state for giving jobs to 56,000 people, I was sentenced to four years in prison," he told the court.

A verdict in the case is expected on March 23.

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Woman missing from NSW Riverina

POLICE are appealing for information to help find a woman missing in the NSW Riverina.

Colleen Judith Cooke, 59, has suffered from depression after a recent bereavement and there are concerns for her welfare, police said.

She was last seen on Wednesday morning in Galong and her family have told police it is out of character for Mrs Cooke not to be in contact.

She's described as being of caucasian appearance, 164cm tall with short, red/brown hair, a medium build and brown eyes.

Mrs Cooke is believed to be driving a white Toyota Avalon with registration plates AB24YZ.

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Spain's recession deepens

SPAIN'S economy sank deeper into recession in the fourth quarter of last year as high unemployment and biting austerity measures prompted households to slash spending, official data showed Thursday.

The eurozone's fourth largest economy shrank by 1.4 percent on an annual basis in 2012, a slightly better performance than the decline of 1.5 percent forecast by the government.

The economy shrank 0.8 percent in the final quarter of 2012 from the previous three months, after dropping 0.3 percent in the third quarter, the national statistics institute said.

The figures were slightly bleaker than preliminary data released last month by the statistics institute which saw the economy contracting by 0.7 percent in the final quarter on a quarterly basis and by 1.37 percent for the entire year.

Spain is grappling with a double-dip recession and 26 percent unemployment, having never recovered from a real estate crash in 2008.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government forecasts the economy will return to growth in the second half of 2013.

It forecasts an economic contraction of 0.5 percent in 2013 followed by an expansion of 1.2 percent in 2014, a significantly more optimistic forecast than that of most analysts and international organisations.

Activity is being cramped by his government's programme of spending cuts and tax rises, aimed at saving 150 billion euros ($194 billion) between 2012 and 2014, which have prompted mass street protests.

The Spanish economy appeared to continue its contraction in the first quarter of 2013 due to sluggish domestic demand, the Bank of Spain said Wednesday in its latest monthly economic bulletin.

The government has vowed to lower the public deficit from the equivalent of 9.4 percent of annual gross domestic product last year to 2.8 percent in 2014.

Analysts say those targets will be hard to reach in a period of declining economic activity.

Rajoy on Wednesday announced that Spain missed the budget deficit target agreed with the European Commission as the shortfall reached 6.7 percent of GDP in 2012, compared with a target of 6.3 percent.

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Pope vows 'obedience' to successor

Pope Benedict will spend his last day as pontiff, following an emotional public farewell. Source: AAP

POPE Benedict XVI on Thursday vowed "unconditional obedience" to his successor on his historic final day as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, when he will become the first pontiff to resign since the Middle Ages.

"Among you there is also the future pope to whom I promise my unconditional obedience and reverence," the pope said as he bade farewell to cardinals in the Vatican's ornate Clementine Hall.

"Let the Lord reveal the one he has chosen," said the 85-year-old pope, wearing an ermine-lined red stole over his white cassock.

"We have experienced, with faith, beautiful moments of radiant light together, as well as times with a few clouds in the sky," Benedict said, reprising a theme from his adieu to some 150,000 pilgrims in St Peter's Square on Wednesday.

The cardinals with their black cassocks and red sashes then took turns bidding farewell to the pontiff, kissing his gold papal signet ring according to time-honoured tradition.

Many doffed their berettas in a sign of deference.

Just hours remained before Benedict will make history as only the second pope to resign of his own free will in the Church's 2,000-year history.

The German pope stunned the globe when he announced on February 11 his surprise decision to step down, saying he no longer had the "strength of mind and body" to carry on in a fast-changing world.

"I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity," the pope said Wednesday.

The theologian pope - a shy academic who struggled with Vatican infighting and a raft of toxic sex abuse scandals - said his eight-year pontificate had seen "sunny days" and "stormy waters", but he added: "I never felt alone".

The Vatican has said that the moment the pope's powers officially expire at 1900 GMT (0600 Friday AEDT) the ex-pontiff will formally be known by the new title of "Roman Pontiff Emeritus" although he will still be addressed as "Your Holiness Benedict XVI".

The only other pope who resigned by choice was Celestine V, a humble hermit who stepped down in 1294 after just a few months in office out of disgust with Vatican corruption and intrigue.

Once Benedict takes up permanent residence in a former convent on a hill within the Vatican walls, the Church will find itself in the unprecedented situation of having a pope and his predecessor living within a stone's throw of each other.

Vatican analysts have suggested his sudden exit could set a precedent for ageing popes in the future, and many ordinary Catholics say a more youthful, pastoral figure could breathe new life into a Church struggling on many levels.

From Catholic reformers calling for women clergy and for an end to priestly celibacy, to growing secularism in the West and ongoing scandals uncovering sexual abuse by paedophile priests going back decades, the next pope will have a tough agenda.

French cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, one of the electors, spoke of the upcoming conclave in an interview with Italian daily Il Messaggero saying: "Our eyes will be turned on the conditions of the world, to the great challenges the Church faces."

According to Church rules, any Catholic adult male can be elected pope - but the last non-cardinal to land the top job was Urban VI in the late 14th century.

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Deadly clashes in Bangladesh

A BANGLADESH war crimes court sentenced a top Islamist opposition figure to death on Thursday, a verdict that unleashed a new wave of deadly clashes between police and protesters.

Four people were shot dead in the violence that erupted after a court in Dhaka found Delwar Hossain Sayedee, vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, guilty of eight crimes related to the 1971 liberation war with Pakistan.

Prosecutor Syed Haider Ali said Sayedee was sentenced to death by hanging after he was found guilty of eight charges including murder, arson, rape and forceful conversion of Hindus to Islam.

He is the third person to be convicted by the much-criticised domestic tribunal whose previous verdicts have also been met with outrage from Islamists who say the process is more about score settling than delivering justice.

The latest clashes brought the overall death toll to 20 since the first verdict was delivered on January 21.

Two protesters were killed in the northern town of Sirajganj and another two in Mithapukur when police opened fire during clashes with hundreds of Islamists, police officials and doctors told AFP.

"They became violent and attacked us. Police fired back," police officer Sadrul Islam of Sirajganj told AFP, adding the violence was triggered by the death penalty. "Dozens were also injured."

Emergency doctor Shariful Islam told AFP two bullet-hit people died and one was injured after clashes between police and protesters at Mithapukur.

At least five people were injured after police fired live rounds at scores of Jamaat protesters in Dhaka where round 10,000 extra police had been drafted in.

Security forces had been braced for trouble ahead of the verdict against Sayedee, who reacted to the judgment by saying it had been influenced by "atheists" and pro-government protesters who have been demanding his execution.

His lawyer Tajul Islam described the verdict as "a gross miscarriage of justice", adding that Sayedee did not live in the town where the alleged crimes took place.

"It's a case of mistaken identity. We're stunned," he told AFP.

However protesters at a central Dhaka intersection erupted in cheers as news of Sayedee's sentence filtered through. "We've been waiting for this day for the last four decades," a protester told Somoy TV.

There was no immediate reaction from Jamaat to the verdict, but the party has enforced a nationwide strike demanding a halt to the trials. The cases against eight more Jamaat leaders are still being heard.

Earlier this month the tribunal, a local court with no international oversight, sentenced Jamaat's assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Molla to life imprisonment.

While angering Jamaat supporters, that verdict also enraged secular protesters, tens of thousands of whom have since poured onto the Shahbag intersection in central Dhaka to demand the execution of Jamaat leaders.

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Kerry promises $59m in aid to Syria oppn

US Secretary of State John Kerry says the Obama administration will provide the Syrian opposition with an additional $US60 million ($A59 million) in assistance and will for the first time provide non-lethal aid like food and medical supplies to rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad.

Kerry announced the new support and the policy shift on Thursday in Rome, on the sidelines of an international conference on Syria.

European nations are also expected to signal their intention to provide fresh assistance to the opposition.

Kerry says the US decision is designed to increase the pressure on Assad to step down and pave the way for a democratic transition.

He says the aid is also intended to help the opposition govern newly liberated areas of Syria and blunt the influence of extremists.

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Myer winter collection blows into stores

WITH a gust of snowy white wool and light showers of sequins, winter arrived in Melbourne.

Myer's autumn/winter collections launch declared the sunny neon colours that dominated catwalks in spring and summer banished in favour of black, white and metallic tones.

The ready-to-wear retail show favoured sharp lines and crisp tailoring.

Almost every designer who sent models down the catwalk had leather incorporated into their winter look.

Maticevski led the charge with structured leather bodices, embellished black leather peplums and panels of sequins.

When it came to the leather creations, the palette was predominantly black, but cream, white and browns appeared too.

Feminine-shaped peplums were prominent, but they didn't dominate as they have the past two seasons.

Staples for winter fashionistas will be lace and lashings of leather.

Designer Arthur Galan said the 2013 look would be characterised by blended textures.

"There will be lots of leather mixed with woolens, leather mixed with knits, it's definitely all about black and leather," he said.

"Black and white is absolutely the key for this season."

Many of the guests, designers and models wore items to be featured on the catwalk and strutted a black carpet gauntlet before the show.

Myer ambassador Jennifer Hawkins arrived wrapped in a black and gold cylindrical Manning Cartell dress.

She predicted that as summer shifted into autumn, the colours would cool with the climate.

"It's calming down a little bit," Hawkins said.

"There's lots of embellishment around, lots of lace, I love lace; leather, lace and peplums."

The gold strip motif of her dress was repeated later in Manning Cartell's collection.

It appeared in a short shift dress, pants and a voluminous top.

Manning Cartell's catwalk offering was brief but chic.

Cherry was blended with gold and black leather for a rich, warm look.

Designer Leona Edmiston followed Hawkins down the black carpet declaring jewel colours would rule winter wardrobes.

"We're showing printed silks tonight, all different prints, lots of different shapes in intense jewel tones: deep sapphires and lovely rubies," she said.

"The peplum's still in because it is very flattering, but not from us tonight."

Edmiston's winter collection silhouette was slinkier than other designers on show, being made-up of wrap dresses, shirt dresses and caftans.

Another Myer ambassador, Rebecca Judd, said winter was more about berries, greens and lots of gold.

Dressed in a black, sheer Sass and Bide frock, she echoed leading designers Arthur Galan and Wayne Cooper in saying black leather leggings were the key piece for winter.

Designer Yeojin Bae said there would be pops of colour in her collection, but, at the moment, she was in love with cream.

"Good tailoring, lots of cream and lace and a beautiful floral print," was how she described her collection.

The majority of the style set nominated black leather leggings as the number one item for winter but their own wardrobe choices suggested capelets, and swing-coats would be popular.

Despite not appearing on the catwalk, Sass and Bide's "This is Pop" capelet - half cape and half coat - was the most popular item of the night.

It was worn by five people attending the show, including Sass and Bide designer Sarah-Jane Clarke.

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NSW ice seizure breaks records

A MULTI-AGENCY operation has led to the largest seizure of methamphetamine on record in Australia, with an estimated street value of up to $438 million.

The operation involving federal and NSW police netted 585 kilograms of the illegal drug ice.

The Joint Organised Crime Group was keeping a lid on details on Wednesday, but it did confirm the methamphetamine seizure was the largest on record and had a street value of about $438 million.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Tony Negus will join NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and officials from the NSW Crime Commission, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Australian Crime Commission to show off the haul to media in Sydney on Thursday morning.

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Firefighters contain WA blaze

RESIDENTS of Swan Valley suburbs on Perth's northeastern fringes have praised firefighters for containing a fast-moving, out-of-control blaze that burnt 150 hectares of bushland.

The cause of the fire, which began in Upper Swan, is being investigated.

Residents of the golf-course suburb The Vines were called by emergency services with a watch and act warning just after midday, advising them a fire was approaching.

Less than half an hour later, the alert had jumped to emergency level in the northern part of the suburb and residents were told they needed to act immediately to survive, but that it was too late to leave.

Many were already evacuating as water bombers refilled from the golf course lakes amid fears the wind could help push the fire west to northern Ellenbrook.

The blaze was contained by nightfall but firefighters are still working to prevent it jumping containment lines.

One residents told talkback that the growing suburbs of Ellenbrook and The Vines, home to some 20,000 people, needed more access roads and would have been a "deathtrap" if a mass emergency had been required.

While the phone alert service worked well, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services website was overloaded with people also checking for alerts for Cyclone Rusty in the Pilbara, so redirected people to its Twitter account.

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Shooter among three dead in Swiss factory

PROSECUTORS say a shooting at a wood-processing company in central Switzerland has left three people dead and seven injured, some of them seriously.

The shooting occurred shortly after 9am (1700 AEDT) at the premises of Kronospan, a company in the small town of Menznau, west of Lucerne.

"There were three dead and seven injured, some of them seriously injured," prosecutors' spokesman Simon Kopp told Swiss newspaper Blick.

He says the assailant is among the dead.

The local Neue Luzerner Zeitung newspaper cited a witness as saying that the shooter opened fire in the company canteen.

It was not immediately clear who the shooter was, what the motive might have been or whether the assailant worked for the company.

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Hunt on for undie-wearing armed robber

AN image has been released of a man who robbed a Melbourne service station with a knife in his hand and a pair of undies on his head.

The man entered the Deer Park store on February 15 about 12.30am (AEDT), demanding cash from the attendant.

The attendant handed over some money before the offender threatened a customer and stole his wallet.

No one was injured.

The offender left the store, on the corner of Ballarat Road and Robinsons Road, and was last reported seen heading north on Robinsons Road.

The man, who is of African appearance, was wearing a light blue jumper, black pants with stripes and camel coloured shoes with black laces.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers.

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Seven hurt in Sydney balcony collapse

SEVEN people have been injured when they fell up to five metres in a balcony collapse at a home on Sydney's north shore.

Police and paramedics were called to a duplex on the Pacific Highway at Lane Cove, about 10.15pm (AEDT) on Wednesday.

It's believed 10 people were on the balcony when it collapsed.

Seven people were hurt but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

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Japan will never stop whaling: minister

JAPAN'S fisheries minister says his country will never stop hunting whales, despite fierce criticism from other nations and violent clashes at sea with militant conservationists.

"I don't think there will be any kind of an end for whaling by Japan," Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told AFP on Tuesday.

Hayashi, who took the ministerial post overseeing the country's whaling programs in December, said the criticism of the practice is "a cultural attack, a kind of prejudice against Japanese culture".

There is "a long historical tradition about whaling", he told AFP in his large central Tokyo office, over which portraits of Japan's revered Emperor and Empress gazed down.

"Japan is an island nation surrounded by the sea, so taking some good protein from the ocean is very important. For food security I think it's very important.

"We have never said everybody should eat whale, but we have a long tradition and culture of whaling.

"So why don't we at least agree to disagree? We have this culture and you don't have that culture."

Unlike Norway and Iceland, which openly flout the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling agreed through the International Commission on Whaling, Japan hunts using a loophole that allows for lethal scientific research.

But it makes no secret of the fact that the mammals ultimately end up on menus.

Hayashi, a graduate of the prestigious Kennedy School at Harvard University who first entered parliament in 1995, said Japan was tired of being lectured by nations whose own culinary cultures can seem a little off-colour.

"In some countries they eat dogs, like Korea. In Australia they eat kangaroos. We don't eat those animals, but we don't stop them from doing that because we understand that's their culture," Hayashi said in fluent English.

"Whaling has long been part of traditional Japanese culture, so I just would like to say 'please understand this is our culture'."

Australia and New Zealand in particular, voice outrage over Japan's annual expeditions in the Southern Ocean, which the International Whaling Commission considers a sanctuary for the ocean giants.

The anti-whaling Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has chased the Japanese fleet off Antarctica for several years in an attempt to stop the mammals being slaughtered.

In the latest clash, on Monday, veteran anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson said the Japanese factory ship, the Nisshin Maru, rammed the Sea Shepherd's much smaller vessel, the Bob Barker.

But on its website, Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research said several Sea Shepherd boats had slammed into the Nisshin Maru as the vessel attempted to refuel from her supply tanker.

"It was five hours of intense confrontation," Watson told AFP from on board the Sea Shepherd vessel the Steve Irwin.

"We took up our positions to block their approach to the (fuel tanker) Sun Laurel and they rammed the Bob Barker twice, causing considerable damage, and then they pushed it into the side of the Sun Laurel."

Watson said the Japanese threw stun grenades and fired a water cannon at his boat and damaged another Sea Shepherd vessel, the Sam Simon, but there were no injuries to Sea Shepherd crew.

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Six charged over NT killing

FIVE men are facing murder charges in Alice Springs after a local man was found dead just north of the town.

A sixth man is accused of being an accessory after the fact, while two others are being questioned in custody about the death following the discovery of the 33-year-old victim's body last Wednesday.

Detective Sergeant Tony Henrys of the Major Crime Squad said on Tuesday night police were also "very keen" to speak with a tourist who was camped on the edge of the Stuart Highway near the site where the body was found, and who dialled triple zero just before midnight on February 18 to report a fire.

"We still have a number of avenues of inquiry to follow up, and we strongly encourage anyone with any information about this incident to contact police," Det Sergeant Henrys said.

The killing last week came just one day after a 25-year-old Aboriginal woman was found in scrubland near the Larapinta Valley town camp, on the outskirts of Alice Springs.

A man was later arrested over her death.

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NY marks 20th anniversary of WTC bombing

TUESDAY marks the 20th anniversary of the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

A midday ceremony is planned to honour the six people who died in the 1993 blast in a garage below one of the twin towers. More than 1000 people were injured.

A moment of silence will be observed at 12.18pm - the moment when a truck bomb was detonated.

Six Islamic extremists were convicted of carrying out the bombing, including mastermind Ramzi Yousef.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says the scale of the attack was the first dramatic demonstration that "terrorism is theatre and New York is the biggest stage."

The ceremony will be held at the 9/11 memorial that honours more than 2700 people who died in the 2001 attack at the World Trade Center.

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Hot air balloon crash in Egypt kills 18

A HOT air balloon flying over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor has caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field, killing at least 18 foreign tourists, officials say.

Tuesday's crash was one of the worst accidents involving tourists in Egypt and likely to push the key tourism industry deeper into recession. The casualties included French, British, Japanese nationals and nine tourists from Hong Kong, an Egyptian security official said.

Three survivors of the crash - two tourists and one Egyptian - were taken to a local hospital.

According to the security official, the balloon carrying at least 20 tourists was flying over Luxor when it caught fire, which triggered an explosion in its gas canister, then plunged at least 300m from the sky.

It crashed into a sugar cane field outside al-Dhabaa village just west of Luxor, 510km south of Cairo, said the official.

Bodies of the dead tourists were scattered across the field around the remnants of the balloon. An Associated Press reporter at the crash site counted eight bodies as they were put into body bags and taken away. The security official said all 18 bodies have been recovered.

The official said foul play has been ruled out. He also said initial reports of 19 dead were revised to 18 as confusion is common in the aftermath of such accidents.

In Hong Kong, a travel agency said nine of the tourists that were aboard the balloon were natives of the semi-autonomous Chinese city. It did not say whether all nine were killed. The information was posted on the agency's website.

In Paris, a diplomatic official said French tourists were among those involved in the accident, but would give no details on how many, or whether French citizens were among those killed.

French authorities were working with their Egyptian counterparts to clarify what happened. French media reports said two French tourists were among the dead but the official wouldn't confirm that.

Witness Christopher Michel described the crash carnage on Twitter, where he posted a series of photographs showing the balloons ahead of the flight.

"It was the balloon behind mine. I heard a loud explosion and saw smoke," he said.

Michel, who previously made a balloon excursion with an English pilot, said the Egyptian operation "didn't feel quite as professional" as that of his first voyage.

The US photographer told the BBC: "We flew over the ancient ruins. Just before landing in the cornfields, I heard an explosion and saw smoke. I think it was the balloon behind mine.

"I wasn't sure what had happened at first. It was only when we landed we heard the full extent of what happened."

"It's really, really tragic and everyone involved is in a lot of shock."

Hot air ballooning, usually at sunrise over the famed Karnak and Luxor temples as well as the Valley of the Kings, is a popular pastime for tourists visiting Luxor.

The site of the accident has seen past crashes. In 2009, 16 tourists were injured when their balloon struck a mobile phone transmission tower. A year earlier, seven tourists were injured in a similar crash.

Egypt's tourism industry has been decimated since the 18-day uprising in 2011 against autocrat leader Hosni Mubarak and the political turmoil that followed and continues to this day.

Luxor's hotels are currently about 25 per cent full in what is supposed to be the peak of the winter season.

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$A2.9m cocaine haul at Prague airport

CUSTOMS officers at Prague international airport have seized a record 31kg of cocaine hidden in the luggage of three Dutch passengers.

The haul, worth 60 million Czech kroner ($A2.94 million), "was without doubt the largest" ever at the airport, customs spokesman Jiri Bartak said on Tuesday.

Officers found 25 packets containing the drug stuffed in the cases of the two men, aged 73 and 21 years old, and of a 49-year-old woman. It was based on a first chemical analysis of the contents.

The trio had boarded the plane for Prague in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

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Hackers air Sri Lanka 'war crimes' video

HACKERS have attacked Sri Lanka's media ministry by placing a documentary about alleged war crimes during the island's ethnic conflict on its website, says an official.

The hackers identifying themselves as "H4x0r HuSsY" uploaded a link to an Australian Broadcasting Corp report on atrocities during the final stages of Sri Lanka's battle against separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

"Stop Killing Innocent Tamil Ppl! Or Get prepared 4 Attacks From Us!" read a message left on the website, media.gov.lk.

An official in the Mass Media and Information Ministry said the website had been "reclaimed" on Monday morning.

"The hackers exploited a loophole over the weekend, but we have plugged it now," the official said on condition of anonymity,

The media ministry is known to carry out unofficial censorship of news sites deemed to be anti-government by pressuring local Internet service providers to block their content.

The Sri Lanka government is braced for more criticism of its human rights record during its war against Tamil separatists at the upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The United States has given notice of a new resolution against the island which is set to be voted on during the latest session of the council.

Rights groups say up to 40,000 civilians were killed by security forces in the final months of a no-holds-barred offensive that ended in May 2009.

Sri Lanka denies causing any civilian deaths and has refused to allow an independent international probe.

Comment is being sought from Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr.

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70 evacuated in Kiama due to asbestos

ABOUT 70 locals are being evacuated from their homes after a tornado-style storm dumped asbestos and other building materials on parks, backyards and streets in Kiama on the NSW south coast.

Gale-force winds uprooted trees, stripped roofs and wiped out buildings as the storm front hit in the early hours of Sunday morning.

"Seeing the roof of the fire station missing, seeing mature trees that look like they have been through a mixmaster, seeing blue tarpaulins along a defined corridor: this is an event that you associate with a tornado going through parts of America," said NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell.

"What is clear is that it cut a path, it followed a path across the land."

More than 170 homes suffered damage of some kind and the State Emergency Services (SES) believes at least 10 homes have been completely destroyed.

Power was yet to be restored to a number of homes on Monday afternoon as emergency volunteers scrambled to put tarpaulins on homes before more rain predicted in the coming days.

After observing the devastation from a helicopter, Mr O'Farrell said cabinet was working to declare it a natural disaster zone and he hoped assistance for homeowners, businesses and farmers would be unlocked within 24 hours.

He said the damage bill was unknown at this stage.

Kiama mayor Brian Petschler told AAP that about 70 people lived in the asbestos exclusion zone created by debris from the town's leisure centre and a number of houses, including one that "blew up" on the edge of town.

They were being evacuated on Monday and were expected to be allowed to return home in two days.

"They will have to stay out of there until the area has been cleared," Mr Petschler told AAP.

"We're very concerned and we've got major problems with the leisure centre, which is largely built of asbestos materials."

He said the leisure centre, a nearby carpark and a sports field had all been closed off, as well as a number of streets in the middle of town.

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Tara McCarthy said the asbestos hadn't posed a problem while it was still wet, but there were now concerns the fibres could spread.

"Obviously we are seeing now the conditions are becoming sunnier ... and we are looking at a number of local evacuations," she told reporters.

"As soon as they commence the evacuations, then we will bring in teams to do the clean-up."

She said Kiama and the Sydney suburb of Malabar had copped the worst of the storm.

Mr Petschler said the storm hit hard and fast and it was miraculous no one had died.

"It's astounding really ... I was absolutely amazed at the ferocity of the storm," he said, adding doors and walls had been ripped off the local nursing home.

Only one woman needed treatment for an eye injury caused by flying glass.

Bruce Elder, who lives on one of Kiama's worst-hit streets, said he and his wife counted themselves "extremely lucky" after suffering only one broken window when their neighbour's balcony "decided to go for a wander".

"It was absolutely all the cliches: it started out sounding like a freight train," he told AAP.

"The best way to describe it is, take a really, really strong wind and then multiply it by 10 and you only start to get an idea of what it was like."

Late on Monday, Kiama was declared a natural disaster zone alongside 10 other areas of NSW.

In a joint statement from Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Mr O'Farrell, Kiama residents and businesses were promised help "to restore any damage caused by the severe storms and flooding and ease some of the associated burden".

A community meeting was held at the Kiama council chambers on Monday night to inform residents of what was being done about the asbestos contamination.

Emergency Operations Controller Superintendent Wayne Starling said 14 homes in Minnimurra St and two small blocks of units in Swan Place had asbestos issues.

He said those residents would be allowed to stay on Monday night but would be required to leave by 7am on Tuesday when asbestos removal would start.

"Our aim is not just to keep the community safe today but healthy in the future," Supt Starling said.

Police were patrolling the area on Monday night.

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Cyclone Rusty looms off WA coast

TROPICAL Cyclone Rusty is moving closer to the Kimberley and Pilbara coast in Western Australia, lifting the emergency level to yellow.

The category two cyclone is moving south at 6km/h after being stationary for much of the day, and is estimated to be 250km north of Port Hedland and 345km west of Broome.

The yellow alert, which indicates a possible threat to lives and homes, extends from the coastal communities of Wallal to Whim Creek in the Kimberley, to Pardoo, De Grey and Port Hedland in the Pilbara.

Tropical Cyclone Rusty is moving slowly towards the coast and is likely to take a southerly track on Monday night, when gales are expected on the coast between Wallal and Whim Creek.

On Tuesday afternoon, gales could extend west to Karratha and begin to move inland towards Marble Bar and Millstream.

Rusty is expected to further intensify into a severe tropical cyclone as it approaches the coast, but when or where it will land is unclear.

Very heavy rainfall is expected in the region over the next few days, resulting in major flooding in some areas.

Forecasters have also warned of a very dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre nears the coast.

Eleven schools have been closed until further notice.

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Horse meat found in Ikea's meatballs

HORSE meat has been detected in meat balls labelled as beef and pork imported to Czech Republic by furniture giant Ikea.

The Czech State Veterinary Administration says the one-kilogram packs of the frozen meat balls were made in Sweden to be sold in Ikea's furniture stores that also offer typical Swedish food.

A total of 760kg of the meat balls were stopped from reaching the shelves in the Czech Republic.

The authority said on Monday horse meat was also found in beef burgers imported from Poland.

Last week, the Czechs detected horse meat for the first time - in lasagne Bolognese made by frozen food processor Tavola S. A. Comigel and sold at Tesco.

Ikea has halted all sales of meatballs in Sweden after Czech authorities detected horse meat in frozen meatballs that were labelled as beef and pork.

Ikea said on its Facebook page that it won't sell or serve any meatballs at its stores in Sweden out of concern for "potential worries among our customers."

The company said its own controls had not shown any traces of horse meat.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Ikea would also stop selling meatballs in other countries.

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DSK tries to ban graphic new book

DISGRACED IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is taking legal steps to stop a controversial new book by Argentinian-born Marcela Iacub detailing their liaison, his lawyers say.

In Beauty and the Beast, due to be released on Wednesday, Iacub says she had a relationship with Strauss-Kahn from January to August 2012, in the midst of the scandal over accusations he sexually assaulted a New York hotel maid the previous year.

She doesn't name Strauss-Kahn in the book, but she told Le Nouvel Observateur magazine that it was about him, while admitting that she had mixed fiction with reality.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers said they will on Tuesday seek the seizure of the books after suing Iacub and her publisher Stock for an attack on his private life.

If that is not allowed, they will seek for every copy of the book to carry an insert, lawyers Richard Malka and Jean Veil said, without giving details on what they want it to say.

Strauss-Kahn, who has called the book an "abomination", is seeking 100,000 euros ($132,300) in damages and compensation from Iacub and Stock, and a similar amount from Le Nouvel Observateur.

Lawyers for Stock and Le Nouvel Observateur declined to comment on the suit, which will go before a Paris judge on Tuesday.

The book touches on the incident in New York and the cases in France against Strauss-Kahn, as well as his relationship with Anne Sinclair, his fabulously rich wife of 20 years who announced last July that she had split from her husband.

Iacub's new work is the latest in a long line of books, plays, TV shows and movies on the spectacular fall from grace of a man who was once tipped to become France's next president.

The Socialist politician in December agreed a financial settlement with the hotel maid whose 2011 allegation of sexual assault forced him to resign from the International Monetary Fund.

But the silver-haired 63-year-old is still being investigated in France over allegations he procured prostitutes for sex parties in Europe and in Washington.

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Four shot dead in Bangladesh protest

ISLAMISTS demanding the execution of bloggers they accuse of blasphemy clashed with police in Bangladesh for a third straight day on Sunday, and at least four protesters were killed when police opened fire.

Up to 3,000 protesters, including students from religious schools known as madrassas and supporters of the main opposition party, barricaded a highway at Singair in the central district of Manikganj, police said.

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Derryn Hinch interviews ex, Jacki Weaver

AUSTRALIAN actor Jacki Weaver has been upfront about her husband count, child abuse and her Oscar chances in an intimate interview with two-time ex-husband Derryn Hinch.

Weaver has been nominated for her supporting role alongside US actor Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook at the Academy Awards to be screened in Australia at noon (AEDT) on Monday.

It is her second Oscar nomination in three years following her role as a criminal family matriarch in Animal Kingdom.

Hinch flew to LA to interview Weaver for the Seven Network and presented her with a bunch of red roses when they met.

Weaver downplayed her chances of taking home an Oscar.

"I don't think I'm going to win but I honestly don't mind because I think it's such a tough year, everyone else in my category is so good."

She said her co-star De Niro was, if not the greatest living film actor, one of the greatest of all time.

Hinch recalled that Weaver visited him in jail when he was doing time after publicly naming a child sex offender and noted she had not revealed that she herself had been the victim of a child molester.

Weaver said she was seven or eight at the time and the molester was a friend of the family.

"My way of dealing with it was putting it at the back of my mind, pretending it hadn't happened.

"But some people don't get over it and I think they deserve all the compassion and treatment in the world," Weaver said.

On her partners, Weaver was upfront.

"I've had five weddings but if I'm really honest and if I count significant de factos ... I've had nine husbands ... which sounds appalling but when you consider I started at 18 and I'm 65 it's not so bad."

When Hinch asked Weaver to remind him why they broke up, she replied: "Because I ran off with another man ... and I'm sorry ... but he was lovely."

"He was nice, he was, wasn't he?" Hinch replied.

At the end of the interview Hinch told Weaver he was very proud of her and promised to take her out for dinner and champagne.

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Topless feminists in Berlusconi protest

THREE topless feminists have lunged at Italy's Silvio Berlusconi as he arrived at a polling station in Milan to vote in the general election.

The young women had the slogan "Basta Berlusconi" ("Enough With Berlusconi") scrawled on their backs.

They were quickly detained by police and dragged away screaming in a chaotic scene as ordinary people also queued to vote at the school on Sunday.

Police struggled to put their jackets and handcuffs on the women as they writhed in the snow.

The feminists broke through a line of journalists outside the polling station and jumped over some tables toward Berlusconi but did not reach him.

The scandal-tainted Berlusconi is leading a centre-right coalition in the election and polls indicate he will come second to the centre-left.

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Storms destroy homes as floods swamp NSW

Homes on the NSW mid-north coast have been destroyed as waters continue to rise across the state. Source: AAP

A BIG clean-up is underway after gale force winds wrecked houses, cut power and felled trees across parts of Sydney and the NSW south coast.

In the state's north around 20,000 people remain isolated by floodwaters but conditions are easing as swollen rivers disgorge their extra loads into the sea.

The State Emergency Service had received nearly 5000 calls for help from across the state by late Sunday evening.

More than 2000 were in the Sydney area where 100km/h winds resulted in an asbestos scare.

In the city's southeast, savage gusts extensively damaged the roof of the RSL club in Malabar, causing sheets of asbestos to fly onto nearby homes and roads.

A number of streets were blocked off by Fire and Rescue NSW crews on Sunday, as private contractors were tasked with cleaning up the area.

Residents were told not to panic about air contamination but to contact the NSW Environment Protection Authority if they noticed asbestos near their homes or backyards.

"There is no need for residents to be concerned that the air they breathe is contaminated," Superintendent Paul Bailey told Fairfax Media.

Elsewhere in Sydney's east, locals described wind gusts that felt like "mini tornadoes", which damaged a primary school and tore part of the roof off Fox Studios.

The SES also responded to around 400 calls on the south coast, where Kiama was the hardest hit, SES spokeswoman Becky Collings said.

"We had three homes that were completely written off, and seven others that suffered significant damage," she told AAP.

"We had a lot of trees down and roof damage."

SES spokesman Phil Campbell said severe storms in parts of western Sydney and the Illawarra on Sunday night had not resulted in too many calls for help.

He said SES crews and firefighters had been busy making temporary repairs to wind-damaged houses at Malabar, Kiama and Narellan.

Mr Campbell said the SES had performed 75 flood rescues since the low pressure system hit the state on Friday.

One of those was of seven campers rescued by helicopter on Sunday morning from their camping site beside the Clyde River near Ulladulla on the south coast after they were stranded by rising waters.

Around 20,600 people in 39 separate communities remained isolated by floodwaters on the NSW mid-north coast on Sunday night while about 4150 people were still affected by evacuation orders or warnings.

Some properties at Port Macquarie flooded on Sunday morning as the Hastings River swelled to its expected peak of 1.8 metres.

The Macleay River at Kempsey peaked at 7m on Sunday near the town's CBD, about 30 centimetres below expectations, causing some inundation but not the feared flooding of many shops and homes.

On Sunday night the main affected flood areas were downstream of Kempsey and downstream of Grafton on the Clarence.

"The flooding is easing, all the rivers have peaked past the major towns and are now moving down towards the mouths of the various rivers," Mr Campbell said.

A few people with medical issues had been moved from isolated communities which would be resupplied with essential items if required by flood boats or helicopters, he said.

Ausgrid said around 1000 homes were expected to be without power on Sunday night across Sydney's north and the Central Coast after the storms cut power to more than 20,000 homes.

Two people died in the floods including a man found in his submerged car at Mylneford, northwest of Grafton, and a 17-year-old boy swept into a drainpipe while collecting golf balls in the town of Kew, near Port Macquarie.

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Pope's last Sunday blessing draws crowd

POPE Benedict XVI has given his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St Peter's Square, and sought to reassure the faithful that he isn't abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer.

The 85-year-old Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

But while he has lately looked tired and frail, the crowd filling the cobblestone square seemed to energise him, and he spoke in a clear, strong voice, repeatedly thanking the faithful for their closeness and affection as they interrupted him, again and again, with applause and cheers. Police estimated some 100,000 people turned out.

Benedict told the crowd that God is calling him to dedicate himself "even more to prayer and meditation", which he will do in a secluded monastery being renovated for him on the grounds behind Vatican City's ancient walls.

"But this doesn't mean abandoning the church," he said, as many in the crowd looked sad at his departure from regular view. "On the contrary, if God asks me, this is because I can continue to serve it (the church) with the same dedication and the same love which I have tried to do so until now, but in a way more suitable to my age and to my strength."

The phrase "tried to" was the Pope's ad-libbed addition to his prepared text.

Benedict has one more public appearance, a Wednesday general audience in St Peter's Square.

The Pope smiled at the crowd after an aide parted the white curtain at his window, telling the people, "thank you for your affection".

Heavy rain had been forecast for Rome, and some drizzle dampened the square earlier in the morning. But when Benedict appeared, to the peal of church bells as the clock struck noon, blue sky crept through the clouds.

"We thank God for the sun he has given us," the Pope said, sounding cheerful.

As cheers continued in the crowd, the pontiff simply turned away from the window and stepped back down into apartment, which he will leave on Thursday, taking a helicopter to the Vatican summer residence in the hills outside Rome while he waits for the monastery to be ready.

A child in the crowd held up a sign on a yellow placard, written in Italian, "You are not alone, I'm with you." Other admirers held homemade signs, saying "Grazie".

No date has yet been set for the start of the conclave of cardinals, who will vote in secret to elect Benedict's successor.

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