1267 boat people arrived since PNG deal

More than 1000 asylum seekers are waiting on Christmas Island to be transferred to PNG. Source: AAP

THE number of asylum seekers arriving by boat since the government announced its hardline resettlement policy more than a week ago has climbed to 1267.

Home affairs Minister Jason Clare released two statements on Saturday evening revealing details of two more boats intercepted on Friday.

One had 94 passengers and two crew on board, while the other was carrying 123 passengers and two crew.

People on both vessels have been taken to Christmas Island for initial identity and health checks before they are transferred to Papua New Guinea.

A spokesman for Mr Clare confirmed a total of 1267 arrivals on 16 boats since the government introduced the new PNG policy on July 19.

Under the federal government's deal with PNG, people arriving by boat will be denied resettlement in Australia, taken to Manus Island for processing and if their refugee status is approved, resettled in PNG.

More than 1000 asylum seekers are already waiting on Christmas Island to be transferred to PNG.

Meanwhile, an independent investigation into riots that burnt down accommodation at the Nauru detention centre and allegations of asylum seekers being raped on Manus Island will be set up this week.

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Libyans ransack offices after killings

THOUSANDS of Libyans have protested against parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood, blamed for a wave of violence a day after a series of deadly attacks in the Libya's east.

Protesters ransacked offices of both the Brotherhood's political wing the Party of Justice and Construction (PJC) and its liberal rival the Alliance of National Forces (NFA) on Saturday.

In Benghazi, youths stormed and ransacked the building housing the PJC, after hundreds took to the streets overnight to denounce the assassination of Abdessalem al-Mesmari, an anti-Islamist lawyer who campaigned for a civil state.

The demonstrators accuse the Brotherhood of being behind killings that have targeted dozens of officers, especially in Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 armed uprising that ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

In Tripoli, hundreds of people gathered on Saturday at Martyrs' Square in the heart of the capital to demonstrate in "solidarity with Benghazi" and against the Islamist movement.

Chanting "the blood of martyrs was not shed in vain," the protesters converged on the square as they left mosques after morning prayers, an AFP correspondent reported.

About 100 youths then descended on the PJC offices in the Ben Ashur district, smashing its windows and looting furniture.

From the outset, the demonstrators chanted slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood, but they later also targeted the NFA which won July 2012 elections.

Around 100 protesters converged on the alliance's offices in the Hay al-Andalus neighbourhood of Tripoli, invading the premises and throwing documents out of windows.

"We want all political parties to be dissolved," said one protester, Ahmed Trabelsi.

"They're the cause of all our problems. First we need a constitution, then laws regulating political life before parties can begin operating," he said.

The PJC and NFA are accused of manipulating the militias left over from the revolution that toppled Gaddafi in a country still awash with weaponry not in state hands.

NFA leader Mahmud Jibril was an economic adviser to the Gaddafi regime in its final years, before joining the revolution in 2011 and briefly serving as premier.

The NFA has 39 out of the 80 seats reserved for political parties in the 200-seat General National Congress, the country's highest political authority, while the PJC has 17.

The remaining 120 seats are held by independents.

Mesmari was shot dead as he left a mosque in Benghazi on Friday as an army and a police officer were also killed in separate attacks in Libya's restive second city, a security official said.

The prominent activist was among the first Libyans who launched the 2011 uprising. He helped found the political wing of the rebel movement that later overthrew Gaddafi's regime.

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Syrian forces make gains in Homs

REGIME forces backed by Hezbollah now control half of the Khaldiyeh district of Homs after ousting rebels in fierce fighting in the central Syrian city, a watchdog says.

"Loyalist forces backed by fighters from Hezbollah have advanced over the last 24 hours and now control 50 per cent of Khaldiyeh," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

Its chief, Rami Abdel Rahman, said "there was continuous heavy mortar and artillery fire" and the rebel district was still being pounded.

He said rebels were putting up "fierce resistance" amid "very intense clashes".

Militant network the Syrian Revolution General Commission also reported heavy fighting in the district that has been besieged by regime forces for more than a year.

"Khaldiyeh is being targeted by an uninterrupted heavy bombardment, and on the ground there is fierce fighting between Free Syrian Army fighters and regime forces backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah trying to take the district," an SRGC statement said.

It and the observatory both said the Old City district of Homs - dubbed the "capital of the revolution" against President Bashar al-Assad - was being pummelled too.

The latest regime offensive on besieged rebel-held neighbourhoods of Homs is now in its fourth week.

Government forces are seeking to secure another victory like the one in Qusayr near the border with Lebanon in June, when Hezbollah was key in retaking the strategic town.

Hezbollah, the most powerful military force in Lebanon and a staunch ally of the Assad regime in Syria, has had its military wing blacklisted by the European Union as a terrorist group.

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Funeral for Tunisian opposition leader

Tunisia has marked a day of mourning after gunmen killed a leading opposition figure. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of Tunisians have taken to the streets for the funeral of an assassinated opposition leader, as tensions soar after anti-government protests.

Draped in the red and white Tunisian flag, Mohamed Brahmi's coffin was saluted by soldiers as the cortege left his home in the Tunis neighbourhood of Ariana for El-Jellaz cemetery on Saturday.

Emotions were high as supporters of Brahmi, who included members of his family, lifted the coffin to their shoulders before carrying it away under armed escort.

A military helicopter overflew the capital as a sea of flags fluttered among the crowd waiting for the funeral procession along Mohamed V Avenue, an AFP correspondent reported.

"For our soul, with our blood, we will avenge the martyr," the crowd shouted in unison.

Brahmi, 58, was shot dead outside his home on Thursday with the same weapon used to gun down fellow opposition politician Chokri Belaid in February, Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou said.

He will be buried next to the grave of Belaid, in line with a wish he had expressed before his death.

Brahmi's state funeral was being held in the absence of any representatives of the government led by the Islamist Ennahda party.

Hours before the funeral got under way, a bomb exploded near a police post in the port of Tunis on Saturday, damaging a police jeep, the interior ministry said.

A resident said the blast, the first known attack of its kind against a military vehicle in Tunisia, slightly wounded a policeman and caused panic among some residents of La Goulette district.

The ministry said nobody was hurt.

The bombing comes a day after a general strike and an anti-government demonstration during which one person was killed.

Brahmi was an MP with the leftist and nationalist Popular Movement, but on July 7 quit the party he founded, saying it had been infiltrated by Islamists.

His widow Mbarka told AFP he would be buried next to Belaid, the leftist politician assassinated in February whose funeral was attended by tens of thousands and turned into an anti-Ennahda protest.

The families of both men have accused Ennahda of being implicated in the deaths, but the authorities said on Friday the investigation pointed to extremists with links to al-Qaeda.

The powerful General Union of Tunisian Labour, or UGTT, called Friday's general strike in protest at "terrorism, violence and murders", while national airline Tunisair and some European carriers cancelled flights to Tunis.

The state prosecutor's office said an autopsy found Brahmi had been hit by 14 bullets.

Balkis Brahmi, 19, one of Brahmi's five children, told AFP her father had been killed by two men in black on a motorbike.

"At around midday, we heard gunfire and my father crying with pain. We rushed out - my brother, mother and I - to find his body riddled with bullets at the wheel of his car parked in front of the house," she said.

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Hague condemns Egypt's use of force

BRITISH Foreign Secretary William Hague has condemned the use of force against protesters during deadly clashes in Cairo and accused Egyptian security forces of using live rounds.

Hague also called on Egyptian authorities to either release or charge all political leaders detained since the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi on July 3. Morsi himself remains in detention.

"I am deeply concerned by recent events in Egypt, and condemn the use of force against protesters which has led to the loss of lives," Hague said in a statement released by the Foreign Office.

"I call on the Egyptian authorities to respect the right of peaceful protest, to cease the use of violence against protesters, including live fire, and to hold to account those responsible."

Egypt's police chief on Saturday denied security forces had used live rounds against protesters.

Hague called on "all sides to refrain from violence" and said it was "time for dialogue, not confrontation."

"I also call on the Egyptian authorities to release political leaders detained following the events of 3 July, or charge them in accordance with the law. Such charges must be free from any suspicion that they are politically motivated," Hague said.

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Scepticism at Thai vows to clean up Phuket

AUSTRALIAN officials have cautiously welcomed authorities' vows to crack down on criminality on the Thai resort island of Phuket amid growing diplomatic pressure to stem extortion and corruption.

A high-level meeting was led by the Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pharisisak, along with the Justice Ministry's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and local police and tourism officials.

DSI chief Tarit Pengdith told local media the DSI was threatening to "put out of business" any Thai or foreign nationals undermining the island resort's reputation.

Tarit said Thailand's anti-money laundering laws would be invoked against those groups engaged in extortion or other criminal activities.

"And that means they will see their assets impounded. They will go broke. It is not just an arrest and a petty fine," he said.

The DSI plans to put in place a joint task force within the fortnight to direct efforts in stamping out the criminal activities.

He pointed to illegal taxi activities as well as gangs of foreigners, including Chinese, Koreans and Russians operating tourism-related businesses.

But besides transport issues, foreign diplomats have also pointed to safety and jet ski scams where operators extort money from tourists, accusing them of damaging the craft.

Australian officials estimate that on any month there is an average of 30,000 Australians visiting Phuket.

Larry Cunningham, Australia's honorary consul in Phuket, says he is cautiously optimistic over the new initiatives after earlier calls for reform were overlooked.

"We've got high hopes. Let me say this, we've had our hopes dashed on more than one occasion before," Mr Cunningham told AAP.

"These guys promise a lot. The amount of pressure now that's coming hopefully will see some change because previously it had been left to Phuket to do; and Phuket will not heal itself," he said.

Australians have been increasingly reporting problems during their visits to Phuket.

The island resort was under the spotlight in June last year when Perth travel agent, Michelle Smith, was fatally stabbed during a bag snatch and grab. Two Thai men were later sentenced to life imprisonment.

Australian travellers are already warned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smart Traveller to "exercise a high degree of caution" in Thailand.

The advisory also warns over the hiring of motorcycle or jet skis as well as restrictions applying including Australian insurance cover.

Australian travellers continue to report harassment and threats of violence by jet ski operators on beaches across Thailand, and particularly in Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

But Cunningham says the advice is too often ignored by travellers.

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UK warship rescues lost racing pigeon

A RACING pigeon which got lost at sea is to be reunited with her owner after she was saved 483km out in the Atlantic by the crew of a British frigate.

The exhausted bird was wrongly named Paul by crew members when she landed on the deck of HMS Somerset a week ago.

Since then she has been fed and watered, and received much attention from the 185 men and women on board.

Leading Seaman William Hughes, an ex-pigeon fancier, caught the bird, checked it over and discovered that it was in fact female.

He said: "It was a stroke of luck that Paul found Somerset.

"She will certainly have a few sea stories to tell her fellow pigeons.

Lieutenant Mark Gilbert, the ship's flight commander, said: "The Royal Navy is used to saving life at sea and providing assistance to those in need. Caring for a lost pigeon seems like a natural extension to our versatile capability."

The bird's ID ring allowed the crew to track down owner Gil Hartshorn, 75, from Redcar, Cleveland, who said she had been released for a cross-Channel race from France.

Hartshorn, a retired welder, will be reunited with the pigeon next week when Leading Seaman Hughes goes on leave in the Midlands.

Paul regained her strength by eating breakfast cereal and staying in a makeshift coop alongside a Merlin helicopter in the frigate's hangar.

Hartshorn said the bird will be retired from racing, adding: "I'd be too worried she would land on the next Royal Navy warship and I'd never see her again - the Navy have done such a good job of looking after her."

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Gary Tweddle search scaled back

NSW Police confirmed that the search for a man missing in the Blue Mountains has been scaled back. Source: AAP

THE search for Gary Tweddle, lost in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney for 10 days, has been scaled back, with his father acknowledging it's now likely to be a recovery operation.

NSW Police confirmed on Friday that rescue workers were still looking for the 23-year-old but that the search had been scaled back.

This comes after officers door-knocked every house within a 1400 square kilometre area around Leura, where he was last seen.

Blue Mountains Mayor Daniel Myles said the community was hoping the young man was safe and sound.

"I cannot understand how he could have gone missing if he was near a main road," Mr Myles told AAP.

"If he is out there in the bush, he may be having great difficulty with these very cold temperatures."

Along Watkins Road in Leura, near the five-star Fairmont Resort where Mr Tweddle was staying, the mood is sombre. Electricity posts are plastered with posters featuring his image and asking if anyone has seen him.

Mr Tweddle went missing from a work conference at the resort in the early hours of last Tuesday.

He had called colleagues about midnight to tell them he was lost in bushland but could see a light up a hill.

"Over the past 10 days more than 1000 people have searched, co-ordinated and supported the efforts to locate and return Gary safely," Mr Tweddle's father David said in his Facebook post on Thursday night.

"Most of these people are volunteers with lives and jobs, yet they did 10 days on the bounce.

"A massive thankyou to them, their families and their employers. What can I say? Amazing."

But David Tweddle also acknowledged the efforts to find his son have moved from a search and rescue to a recovery operation.

The situation is very different to the 2009 rescue of British backpacker Jamie Neale, who survived 12 days in the same mountains after becoming lost during a bushwalk, he said.

"Gary was not prepared with resources a bushwalker may have, plus the terrain is different," Mr Tweddle said in his post.

Assistant Commissioner Denis Clifford said police will continue to search for Mr Tweddle as a missing person.

"The search and investigation concerning Mr Tweddle's disappearance last week will continue in the coming days," he said.

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Spain train driver detained over crash

The driver of a train that derailed in Spain is being questioned after admitting to speeding. Source: AAP

SPANISH police have announced they have formally detained the driver of a fast-moving train that flew off the tracks, killing at least 78 people, saying he was suspected of "recklessness".

"He has been detained since 8.00pm (on Thursday). He is accused of crimes related to the accident," Jaime Iglesias, the police chief in the northwestern region of Galicia where the accident happened, told reporters, on Friday.

Asked at a news conference in Santiago de Compostela why the driver was being detained, Iglesias said: "For recklessness."

A Spanish judge on Thursday ordered police to question the hospitalised driver following reports he was going twice the speed limit when the train derailed on a sharp bend on Wednesday evening just outside the pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela.

The driver - identified by local media as 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo - has since been under police surveillance in hospital while being treated for light injuries sustained in the accident.

He has not yet been charged with a crime and police are still waiting to question him.

The driver, while trapped inside his cab immediately after the accident, told railway officials by radio that the train had taken the curve at 190km/h, unidentified investigation sources told leading daily El Pais.

The speed limit on that section of track is 80km/h.

The grey-haired driver, pictured in the media with blood covering the left side of his face after the crash, has been with Spanish state railway Renfe for 30 years and has 13 years' experience as a driver, the rail firm said.

The train's data recording "black box" and other documents were passed over to the judge in charge of the investigation on Thursday.

Attention has so far centred on Garzon Amo, one of two drivers on the train, after media reports described him as a speed freak who once gleefully posted a picture on his Facebook page of a train speedometer showing it was travelling at 200km/h.

Below the photo he wrote the caption: "I am on the edge, I can't go faster or else I will be fined."

His Facebook page has since been taken down, but Spanish newspapers quoted another of his posts as saying: "What fun it would be to race the Guardia Civil (police) and pass them, causing their radar to blow up hehehe. What a huge fine that would be for Renfe."

The El Pais newspaper, citing sources close to the investigation, said the driver stated immediately after the crash that he had been travelling at 190km/h on a curve with a speed limit of 80km/h.

"I am going at 190! I hope no one died because it will weigh on my conscience," he reportedly told supervisors over the radio while trapped inside the cab after the eight-carriage train flew off the tracks on a curve at 8.42pm.

Dramatic video footage from a security camera showed the fast-moving train, which was travelling from Madrid to the port of Ferrol, slamming into a concrete wall at the side of the track as the engine overturned.

On Friday, the paper reported the driver was unable to brake in time.

"The railway warning systems detected that Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, the driver of the Alvia train that departed Madrid, was travelling at 190 kilometres an hour when it should not exceed 80," El Pais wrote.

"The driver acknowledged that the alarm went off in the control panel and he tried to brake but was not able to avert the tragedy," the newspaper added.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a native of the city, declared three days of national mourning after visiting the scene of the accident.

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Broadcaster's sex abuse sentence doubled

Disgraced broadcaster Stuart Hall has had his 15-month prison sentence for sex offences doubled. Source: AAP

DISGRACED veteran broadcaster Stuart Hall has had his 15-month prison sentence for sex offences doubled by judges in Britain's Court of Appeal.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, Lady Justice Rafferty and Justice Macur, sitting in London, ruled that the original 15 months was "inadequate" and should be upped to 30 months.

Hall, 83, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, who admitted 14 counts of indecent assault against girls as young as nine between 1967 and 1987, kept his head bowed as he listened to proceedings via video link from prison and showed no reaction as the decision was announced.

The case was referred to the court by Attorney-General Dominic Grieve, who argued that Hall's sentence was "unduly lenient" as it failed to adequately reflect the gravity of his offending and the "public concern" about such crimes.

Former It's A Knockout presenter Hall was sentenced to the 15 months at Preston Crown Court.

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Abbott lands in Tassie classroom

OPPOSITION leader Tony Abbott has been forced to defend his approach to school reforms after a Q&A with Tasmanian voters turned into a virtual classroom.

Around a third of the questions asked at the Launceston session came from teachers keen to know the fate of what were previously known as the Gonski reforms.

Mr Abbott repeated his mantra that no school would be worse off under a coalition government but expressed serious concerns about funding the renamed Better Schools Plan.

Tasmanians, teachers or not, are keen to know the fate of the extra $380 million the state recently signed up to.

"We think that there is a rather more sophisticated way forward than simply more money," Mr Abbott told the audience of around 100 in the marginal seat of Bass.

"More money is important but a lot of money has been thrown at schools over the last few years and if you look at the academic results, the international comparisons, our performance if anything has gone backwards."

Mr Abbott said $6.5 billion was needed annually to "do Gonski properly".

"I just don't know where that money is going to come from," he said.

NSW is the only Liberal state to have signed onto the reforms, which were the baby of former prime minister Julia Gillard.

Speculation has Victoria close to becoming the second coalition state to sign on but Mr Abbott is not committing to the scheme if that occurs.

"Let's wait and see what Gonski turns out to be," he said.

"At the moment there are four or five Gonskis."

A measured performance from Mr Abbott over an hour of questioning didn't stop him pointing out that more than one teacher had not not done their homework.

One accused him of remaining a climate sceptic, which he dismissed, while another said she had read about his plans for spending cuts.

"I think you've been reading the wrong material," Mr Abbott said.

Little was revealed personally, although Mr Abbott lamented the number of his daughters' parent/teacher nights and sport he had missed by being a politician.

The session did include a spirited defence of politicians - even Greens - who Mr Abbott said in the main acted in good faith and were "patriots" despite the parties' "enormous disagreements".

The forum completed northern Tasmania's day of heavyweight political battle after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd earlier visited Launceston and Devonport.

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Govt keeps mum on budget cuts

The government is not revealing budget cuts ahead of Treasurer Chris Bowen's economic statement. Source: AAP

THE federal government has refused to come clean on what areas of the budget could face the chop as Treasurer Chris Bowen puts together an economic statement ahead of the looming election.

Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury said the government's expenditure review committee was looking at a "range of options" to pay for its asylum seeker resettlement plan in Papua New Guinea.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said there were suggestions the government was planning to abolish its school kids bonus - the cash payment of up to $820 to parents to help pay for school related expenses, to help fund the resettlement program.

There's also speculation the government may consider further changes to superannuation arrangements, he said.

"The Labor party is made up from A to Z of hypocrites," Mr Hockey told reporters in Sydney.

"You cannot run a budget and you cannot run an economy like this."

But Finance Minister Penny Wong said the school kids bonus is a "very important policy area".

"But I am certainly not going to be drawn ahead of the economic statement on ruling things in, or ruling things out," she told reporters in Melbourne.

Instead she launched a stinging attack on her opposition counterpart Andrew Robb.

He's questioned the relevance of Australia's top level triple-A credit rating because Lehman Brothers had the same when it succumbed to the global financial crisis in 2008.

She accused the shadow finance minister of warning investors off Australia.

"It's irresponsible, dishonest, it's damaging to confidence," she said.

Australia is one of only eight countries in the world with a triple-A rating from all three global agencies - Standard & Poor's, Fitch Ratings and Moody's Investors Service.

However, Mr Hockey believes the triple-A rating is important because since the GFC it has become more closely linked to the standing of financial institutions and directly affects the cost of borrowing.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said Australia's rating was due to the sustained reforms of the former Howard government and those of the Bob Hawke and Paul Keating governments.

He says it owes nothing to the spending spree of the current government.

He labelled Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Australia's "world champion, gold medal fiscal vandal".

"We cannot have a strong economy without strong and profitable private businesses and that means getting taxes down, getting regulation down and means having a government that lives within its means," he told reporters in Brisbane.

He told a small business conference he would install people with small business experience on the Board of Taxation, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Fair Work Commission.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson said Mr Abbott had offered a practical solution to one problem.

"It's a good plan," he said in a statement.

But he said issues such as red tape reduction, simplifying tax compliance, making it easier to employ and building better infrastructure also have to be acted upon.

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Spanish train crash kills 78, injures 140

Officials in Spain say 60 people have died in a train derailment in the country's northwest. Source: AAP

A TRAIN has hurtled off the tracks in northwest Spain, killing at least 78 passengers and injuring more than 140, with the driver reportedly going at twice the speed limit.

Carriages piled into each other and overturned in the smash late on Wednesday, smoke billowing from the wreckage, as bodies were laid out under blankets along the tracks in the country's deadliest rail disaster in more than 40 years.

Several media outlets said the train was speeding at the time of the accident, but a spokesman for state railway company Renfe said it was too soon to say what caused the accident.

"There is an investigation under way and we have to wait. We will know what the speed is very soon when we consult the train's black box," a Renfe spokesman said.

The driver became trapped in one of the carriages and he told railway officials by radio that he took the bend at 190km/h in an urban zone with a speed limit of 80km/h, daily El Pais reported.

"I was going at 190! I hope no one died because it will weigh on my conscience," he said, according to the online edition of the newspaper which cited unidentified investigation sources.

The accident happened at 8.42pm on Wednesday (0442 AEST Thursday) as the train carrying 218 passengers and four staff was about to enter Santiago de Compostela station in the northwestern region of Galicia.

The train derailed on a stretch of high-speed track about four kilometres from the train station in the city, the destination of the famous El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage which has been followed by Christians since the Middle Ages.

The train was the Alvia model which is able to adapt between high-speed and normal tracks.

It had left Madrid and was heading for the ship-building coastal town of Ferrol as the Galicia region was preparing celebrations in honour of its patron saint James.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a native of Santiago de Compostela, arrived at the scene of the accident before visiting victims in hospital later on Thursday.

Rajoy declared three days of national mourning.

Spain's King Juan Carlos and Crown Prince Felipe called off their public engagements out of respect for the victims.

Several witnesses spoke of a loud explosion at the time of the accident.

"I was at home and I heard something like a clap of thunder, It was very loud and there was lots of smoke," said 62-year-old Maria Teresa Ramos, who lived just metres from where the accident happened.

"It's a disaster, people are crying out. Nobody has ever seen anything like this," she added.

Rescue workers recovered 73 bodies from the train's wreckage and five more victims died later in hospital, a spokesman for the Galicia high court said.

A total of 143 people were said to have various injuries.

It marks the worst rail accident in Spain since 77 people were killed in 1972 in a derailment in Andalusia in the south.

Renfe said the train had no technical problems and had just passed an inspection.

Renfe said the train had no technical problems and had just passed an inspection on the morning of the accident.

"To put it in another way, the maintenance record and control of the train was perfect," Renfe head Julio Gomez-Pomar Rodriguez told Cadena Cope radio.

The cause was unknown, Renfe said.

"There is an investigation underway and we have to wait. We will know what the speed is very soon when we consult the train's black box," a Renfe

spokesman said.

Francisco Otero, 39, who was inside his parents' home just beside the section of the track where the accident happened, said he "heard a huge bang".

"The first thing I saw was the body of a woman. I had never seen a corpse before. But above all what caught my attention was that there was a lot of silence, some smoke and a small fire," he told AFP.

"My neighbours tried to pull out people who were trapped inside the carriages with the help of pickaxes and sledgehammers and they eventually got them out with a hand saw. It was unreal."

Emergency services workers in red jackets tended to injured passengers lying on a patch of grass as ambulance sirens wailed in the background.

"There are bodies laying on the railway track. It's a Dante-esque scene," Alberto Nunez Feijoo, president of the regional government, told news radio Cadena Ser.

Pope Francis called for prayers for the victims.

The town hall of Santiago de Compostela called off concerts and firework displays that had been planned as part of the festivities in honour of its patron saint.

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Gunmen kill 14 truck drivers in Iraq

DOZENS of Sunni militants set up a roadblock on a highway north of Baghdad, stopped trucks, checked IDs and then summarily executed 14 Shi'ite drivers, officials say.

The attack early on Thursday was reminiscent of the darkest days of the Sunni-Shi'ite sectarian bloodshed in Iraq in 2006-07, when thousands of people were killed due to their religious affiliation or forced to abandon their homes under threat of death.

Lingering tensions between Sunnis and Shi'ites have been inflamed by persistent violence in Iraq and the civil war in neighbouring Syria, and there are growing fears that Iraq is slipping back toward all-out sectarian conflict.

Two local officials said some 150 militants carried out a coordinated operation during the night that included the highway killings, in the area of Sulaiman Bek, a town north of Baghdad.

The militants began by attacking the town itself with mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons late on Wednesday.

That attack drew security forces away from the highway connecting Baghdad with north Iraq, after which a group of around 40 militants broke off and set up the checkpoint.

They only maintained it for about half an hour but were able to stop dozens of truck drivers, killing 14 execution-style who were Shi'ites.

"These criminals belong to what is called the Islamic State of Iraq, and they targeted Shi'ite drivers and left the Sunnis," local official Shalal Abdul Baban told AFP, referring to an Al-Qaeda front group.

"It was killing by ID," he said.

Iraqi identification cards list a person's name and place of birth, from which their religious affiliation can be surmised.

The entire operation including the attack on the town, in which at least one person was wounded, lasted for about three hours, after which the militants withdrew.

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European stocks slide in early trade

EUROPEAN stock markets have slid following a weak performance by Wall Street overnight, which pushed down also on Asian share prices, analysts say.

London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares on Thursday dropped 0.90 per cent to stand at 6,561.16 points in midday deals and despite official data showing that Britain's economic recovery was improving.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 shed 0.91 per cent to 8,302.60 points, with investors shrugging off news of another rise in Germany business confidence.

The CAC 40 in Paris fell 0.68 per cent to 3,935.77 points compared with Wednesday's close.

"It might be unfair to blame the current negativity on Wall Street, but the longer US markets dithered ahead of new highs the greater the likelihood that the bears would take the chance to push major indices lower," said Chris Beauchamp, market analyst at traders IG.

The sell-off was fuelled by US housing data that raised concerns about the Federal Reserve's stimulus program, analysts said.

The euro eased to $US1.3198 from $US1.3199 in New York late on Wednesday and the US dollar fell to Y99.74 from Y100.26. Sterling was mixed versus the greenback and European single currency.

On the London Bullion Market, the price of gold slid to $US1,315.66 an ounce from $US1,335 on Wednesday.

The main data out of Europe on Thursday revealed that Britain's economic recovery accelerated in the second quarter.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.6 per cent in the three months to the end of June compared with an output gain of 0.3 per cent in the first three months of the year, the Office for National Statistics said.

This was the first time since 2011 that Britain had achieved back-to-back quarterly increases.

Meanwhile all main sectors of the economy - agriculture, construction, industrial production and services - expanded together for the first time for almost three years.

"UK GDP estimates for Q2 arrived in line with market expectations this morning, inspiring limited reaction from equity traders preoccupied with a mixed bag of earnings announcements," said Matt Basi, head of UK Sales trading at CMC Markets.

The telecoms sector was meanwhile in focus as Orange and BT both reported falling profits.

Shares in French telecom group Orange shed 4.65 per cent to 7.39 euros after it said that net profit had fallen by 38 per cent to 1.2 billion euros ($A1.74 billion) in the first half of the year.

In London, British telecoms company BT slid 2.34 per cent to 334 pence.

BT, which recently entered the market for the broadcasting of live television sport, announced on Thursday a drop in quarterly profits.

It said that profit before tax dropped 16 per cent to STG449 million ($A754.94 million) in the its first quarter, or three months to June 30, compared with the outcome a year earlier.

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Rowling unhappy alter ego was revealed

Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling says she was unhappy her identity as Robert Galbraith was exposed. Source: AAP

AUTHOR J.K. Rowling has revealed she had offers from two television firms to bring the crime novel she wrote under a pseudonym to the screen even before she was "outed".

The Harry Potter creator was exposed last week after publishing a detective tale, The Cuckoo's Calling, under the name of Robert Galbraith earlier this year.

Her unmasking left her angered, particularly when it emerged that her cover was blown by a senior figure at a legal firm which has represented her in the past.

Rowling has now pointed out the book was already gathering interest for adaptations and had sold a respectable number of copies. But she said it was becoming "increasingly complicated" to keep the charade going.

She said: "At the point I was 'outed', Robert had sold 8500 English language copies across all formats (hardback, eBook, library and audiobook) and received two offers from television production companies.

"The situation was becoming increasingly complicated, largely because Robert was doing rather better than we had expected him to but we all still hoped to keep the secret a little longer.

"Yet Robert's success during his first three months as a published writer (discounting sales made after I was found out) actually compares favourably with JK Rowling's success over the equivalent period of her career."

Rowling reiterated that her exposure was not part of a clever marketing campaign to boost sales and she had gone to great lengths to continue under the guise.

Writing on a website set up for Galbraith, she said: "If anyone had seen the labyrinthine plans I laid to conceal my identity - or indeed my expression when I realised that the game was up - they would realise how little I wanted to be discovered.

"I hoped to keep the secret as long as possible. I'm grateful for all the feedback from publishers and readers and for some great reviews. Being Robert Galbraith has been all about the work, which is my favourite part of being a writer."

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European stocks rise on EU growth hopes

EUROPEAN stock markets have climbed thanks to upbeat eurozone data and company earnings, though gains were capped by more disappointing Chinese economic data, analysts say.

London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares on Wednesday rose 0.56 per cent to stand at 6,634.60 points approaching midday in the British capital.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 gained 0.59 per cent to 8,363.60 points and in the Paris the CAC 40 won 0.75 per cent to 3,952.48 compared with Tuesday's closing values.

In foreign exchange, the European single currency rose to $US1.3240 from $US1.3224 in New York late on Tuesday. The US dollar increased to Y100.06 from Y99.43.

On the London Bullion Market, the price of gold climbed to $US1,340.89 an ounce from $US1,333.50 on Tuesday.

"The biggest news today is that Europe is finally showing signs of growth," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at Forex.com trading group.

"Perhaps the most interesting development in the eurozone is the pick-up in France. While it's good news that there are signs of stabilisation in Spain and even Italy of late, France has been the weakest link for some time."

Private business across the eurozone returned to growth in July for the first time in 18 months, a key survey indicated on Wednesday, possibly signalling an end to recession, analysts said.

The Markit Eurozone Composite Purchasing Managers Index logged 50.4 points, above the 50-mark signalling growth, and a bigger-than-expected rise according to analysts after posting 48.7 points in June.

In company activity, shares in EasyJet soared 7.61 per cent to 437.72 pence after the British no-frills airline said revenues jumped in the group's third quarter on rising passenger numbers and fares.

Revenue climbed 10.5 per cent to STG1.142 billion ($A1.90 billion) in the three months to the end of June compared with a year earlier, the airline said in a statement.

Passenger numbers grew 2.6 per cent to 16.4 million and seat capacity by 3.6 per cent.

EasyJet added that it expected profit before tax for the 12 months to the end of September of between STG450 million and STG480 million, up from STG317 million in 2011/12.

Asian stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday as data showing that Chinese manufacturing activity shrank further in July added to mounting concerns about the world's second biggest economy.

Tokyo slipped 0.32 per cent, Shanghai was down 0.52 per cent and Hong Kong added 0.24 per cent.

HSBC's preliminary Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) of Chinese manufacturing activity fell to 47.7 in July - an 11-month low - from a final reading of 48.2 in June.

A figure above 50 points to growth while anything below shows a contraction.

"Weaker Chinese numbers ... were quickly pushed out of the way by eurozone PMIs that give the smallest hint that, just maybe, things aren't quite as bad," said IG sales trader Yusuf Heusen.

"Particularly heartening was a welcome return to form by the German economy, which saw its august manufacturing sector move back into expansion territory."

On Wall Street, the Dow gained 0.14 per cent on Tuesday, setting yet another record high points level, but the S&P 500 gave up 0.19 per cent and the Nasdaq slid 0.59 per cent.

US shares were hit by a mixed bag of corporate earnings, although a surprisingly downbeat US manufacturing report reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve would hold off winding down its stimulus anytime soon, traders said.

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Egypt army chief calls for rallies

Clashes in Egypt have left 10 people dead as pressure grows to release Mohamed Morsi from detention. Source: AAP

EGYPT'S army chief has called for mass rallies to back a crackdown on "terrorism and violence", in comments quickly slammed as a "threat" by a senior Islamist who vowed to continue protests.

With tensions already running high following the army's ouster of president Mohamed Morsi on July 3, the call by General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday for protests raises the prospect of further violent showdowns between the pro- and anti-Morsi camps.

"Next Friday, all honourable Egyptians must take to the street to give me a mandate and command to end terrorism and violence," said Sisi, wearing dark sunglasses as he took to the podium to address a graduation ceremony of military cadets near Alexandria.

The general said that before he announced Morsi's ouster, he had warned the Islamist president he must either resign or hold a referendum.

Huge crowds of Egyptians protested against Morsi on June 30, after just a single turbulent year of his presidency.

Presidential aides "told me if there is any problem there will be lots of violence because of armed groups, to scare me," Sisi said.

Senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam al-Erian in a statement on his Facebook page said Morsi loyalists would not be intimidated by the army chief's call for mass rallies.

"Your threat will not prevent millions from continuously protesting," Erian said, referring to demonstrations by Morsi's supporters which have continued non-stop since the Islamist leader was pushed aside by Sisi.

Nearly 170 people have died in political unrest in Egypt since the end of June, according to an AFP tally, many of them in clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents.

Sisi's address came just hours after blast in front of a police station in Mansura in the Nile Delta, which Mohamed Sultan, head of the emergency services, told AFP left "28 wounded and one dead".

The interior ministry said in a statement that a conscript was killed in the blast.

The Islamist Anti-Coup Alliance, which has been pressing demonstrations calling for Morsi's return, said on Wednesday that it "strenuously condemns the criminal bombing that hit Mansura city".

It added that it "adheres to peacefulness of protests and denounces all acts of violence that contradict this principle".

Clashes between supporters and opponents of Morsi, have killed at least 13 people across Egypt since Monday.

Faced with the deadly clashes, interim president Adly Mansour appealed in a speech delivered for a "new page in the book of the history of the nation, without rancour, hatred and confrontation".

Presidential spokesman Ahmed Al-Muslimani also decried the violence.

"Egypt is not a second Syria and anyone who pushes in that direction is a traitor," he said.

But Morsi's detention, and subsequent arrests of senior Brotherhood leaders, have hardened his supporters against dealing with the new regime.

His daughter Shaimaa Mohamed Morsi told reporters on Monday that the family would sue army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and also take legal action outside Egypt.

Senior aides held with the president have asked their families for prison clothes, signalling possible charges, relatives said.

Khaled El-Qazzaz, the former president's secretary for foreign relations, and top adviser Essam El-Haddad made the request in telephone conversations last Friday, asking for white clothes, their relatives told AFP.

Prisoners awaiting trials or verdicts in Egypt wear white clothes, which may be provided by family members.

In addition to clashes between rival protests on streets across the country, Egypt's caretaker government is facing a low-level insurgency in the Sinai.

Militants in the restive peninsula have launched almost daily attacks on police and army checkpoints since July 3, killing 20 security services personnel and 10 civilians.

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Man goes on rampage over one child policy

A MAN in China has killed two government employees who told him they couldn't register his fourth child because he didn't pay a penalty for breaking China's family planning laws.

Footage of police trying to subdue the man outside a family planning office in southern China's Guangxi region while he still brandished a machete was widely available on Chinese news websites and shared on social media on Wednesday.

The incident this week is one of a string of grievances against symbols of authority in China that have turned violent in recent months. It also illustrates how disliked China's family planning limits are, more than 30 years after their introduction limited most urban couples to one child and rural families to two.

A family planning official said on Wednesday that a man and a woman at the office died in the attack and four other workers were injured, including a woman who had her right hand cut off.

On Saturday, a motorcycle taxi driver detonated a homemade bomb at Beijing's main airport after eight years of frustration trying to seek compensation for an attack by city guards that left him paralysed and in debt, according to his brother.

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Russia gives Snowden pass to leave airport

Russian media are reporting US fugitive Edward Snowden will be allowed to leave Moscow airport. Source: AAP

RUSSIA'S migration service has provided fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden with a document that allows him to leave the Moscow airport transit zone where he has been holed up for the past month, the RIA Novosti news agency says.

The document confirms that his application for asylum is being considered, but allows Snowden to cross the Russian border so long as border guards do not object, it said on Wednesday.

The Interfax news agency said Snowden could leave the airport in the "next hours".

The Interfax news agency added that the document was initially given to the lawyer helping him, Anatoly Kucherena, who was now on his way to Sheremetyevo airport and about to arrive.

"The American is currently getting ready to leave. He is being provided with new clothes," Interfax said.

RIA Novosti cited a source within the Russian border guards service as saying he would be allowed to leave the airport as soon as he presents the document.

Snowden earlier this month applied for asylum, a process that could take up to three months. Kucherena has said he may even apply for Russian citizenship.

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UBS settles US mortgage lawsuit

SWISS banking giant UBS says it has settled a lawsuit linked to US subprime housing mortgages which sparked the 2008 global financial crisis.

The bank did not specify how much the settlement amounted to, but said it has set aside 865 million Swiss francs ($A1.01 billion),in the second quarter to meet litigation costs including the case.

"The full cost of the settlement is covered by litigation provisions established by UBS during the second quarter of 2013 and in prior periods," Switzerland's biggest bank said.

UBS and 17 other financial institutions were sued by the US Federal Housing Finance Agency in September 2011 for violating federal securities laws when selling residential mortgage-backed securities to government-backed lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The agency accused the 18 firms of misleading Fannie and Freddie about the credit-worthiness of the assets.

"UBS has reached an agreement in principle with the Federal Housing Finance Agency," UBS said.

The bank added that the deal, which still requires a final go-ahead from the different parties, would settle claims connected to the securities between 2004 and 2007.

Despite setting aside massive provisions, the bank, which is due to announce its second quarter results on July 30, said it would post a net profit of around 690 million francs for the three months ending June.

That is a jump of 62.5 per cent from a year ago and a stark improvement over the first quarter, when net profit slid 4.5 per cent. In the fourth quarter of 2012, UBS posted a loss of 1.9-billion francs.

The bank said its operating profit before tax would reach about 1.02 billion francs, an increase of 7.3 per cent over the second quarter in 2012.

Analysts hailed the better-than-expected results and the settlement of the mortgage securities suit, with Panagiotis Spiliopoulos of Vontobel predicting "juicy dividend payouts in the years to come".

Following the announcements, the bank's stocks jumped 3.4 per cent to 18.21 francs in midday trading, outperforming the Swiss stock exchange's main index, which gained just 0.12 per cent.

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Plain packs reduces allure of cigs: study

SCIENTISTS say they have evidence that plain packaging for cigarettes diminishes the appeal of smoking, as anti-tobacco campaigners suggest.

European countries are considering whether to follow Australia, which last year became the first country in the world to sell cigarettes in plain packets.

Cigarettes are now sold in identical olive-brown packets bearing the same typeface, in addition to health warnings.

Researchers questioned 536 smokers in Victoria during the transition phase, when both branded and plain-pack products were on sale.

Nearly three-quarters of those interviewed were smoking from plain packets, and the others from branded packets.

Plain-pack smokers were 66 per cent likelier to think their cigarettes were of poorer quality compared with a year earlier, and were 70 per cent likelier to say they found them less satisfying.

They were also 81 per cent likelier to have thought about quitting at least once a day during the previous week and to rate quitting as a higher priority in their lives compared to smokers using brand packs.

The study, published on BMJ Open by the British Medical Journal, did not follow up these smokers, to see what they thought or did after the transition period.

But, it says, the "early indication" is that drab packaging takes the gloss off cigarette brands.

"Plain packaging is associated with lower smoking appeal, more support for the policy and more urgency to quit among adult smokers," it says.

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Assault on Iraq jails kills 41

MILITANTS attacked two Iraqi prisons in a bid to free inmates, sparking all-night clashes in which at least 41 people were killed, officials have said.

The coordinated attacks on Taji prison, north of Baghdad, and the Abu Ghraib facility, west of the Iraqi capital, were launched on Sunday night and raged for around 10 hours, officials said.

A police colonel said seven inmates escaped from Abu Ghraib during the clashes but were later arrested, while jihadists claimed on the internet that thousands of prisoners were freed.

Officials said at least 20 members of the security forces were killed and 40 wounded in the attacks.

Justice ministry spokesman said that 21 inmates were killed and 25 wounded during rioting at the prisons, without specifying whether they were bystanders or taking part in the fighting.

It was not immediately clear how many of the militants who attacked the prison were killed, wounded or captured.

The attacks were launched at around 9:30 pm (1830 GMT) on Sunday when the gunmen fired mortar rounds at the prisons.

Four car bombs were detonated near the entrances to the jails, while three suicide bombers attacked Taji prison, said the police colonel.

Five roadside bombs also exploded near the prison in Taji.

Fighting continued throughout the night as the military deployed aircraft and sent in reinforcements around the two facilities.

The situation was eventually brought under control on Monday morning, according to the colonel.

"The security forces in the Baghdad Operations Command, with the assistance of military aircraft, managed to foil an armed attack launched by unknown gunmen against the ... two prisons of Taji and Abu Ghraib," the interior ministry said in a statement late on Sunday night.

"The security forces forced the attackers to flee, and these forces are still pursuing the terrorist forces and exerting full control over the two regions."

But comments posted on social networking websites, including some Twitter accounts apparently operated by jihadists, said thousands of prisoners had escaped.

The attacks on the prisons came a year after Al-Qaeda's Iraqi front group announced it would target the Iraqi justice system.

Abu Ghraib became notorious after photographs showing Iraqi detainees being humiliated and abused by their US guards were published in 2004.

It also served as a torture centre under executed dictator Saddam Hussein's ousted regime.

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Hasbro 2nd quarter income falls

HASBRO'S second-quarter net income fell 16 per cent, hurt by cautious consumer spending and a steep drop in sales of boys' toys.

Toy industry sales have been in a slight decline all year, stung by a video game industry slump, shoppers' curtailed spending and increased demand for electronic gadgets like smartphones and tablets.

Separately, the nation's second biggest toy maker announced on Monday that it is expanding its merchandising relationship with The Walt Disney Co. for properties including Marvel and Star Wars.

For the period ended June 30, Hasbro Inc. earned $US36.5 million ($A40 million), or 28 cents per share. That compares with $US43.4 million, or 33 cents per share, a year earlier.

Removing pension-related charges of 1 cent per share, earnings were 29 cents per share.

Analysts expected earnings of 34 cents per share.

Revenue for the Pawtucket, company fell 6 per cent to $US766.3 million from $811.5 million, missing Wall Street's $US800.6 million estimate.

Sales were weak not only in the US and Canada, where a 4 per cent decline was reported, but overseas as well, which posted a 6 per cent drop.

Sales of boys' toys declined 35 per cent against tough year-ago comparisons that got a boost from merchandise tied to movies. While Nerf sales rose, sales of other brands, such as Marvel and Beyblade, weakened.

Sales of girls' toys jumped 43 per cent in the current quarter, driven by sales of My Little Pony and Furby. Board game sales climbed 19 per cent, with sales of Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering both climbing. Sales of other games, such as Twister and Jenga, also increased.

Sales for the preschool category rose 4 per cent, benefiting from strong sales of Play-Doh, Playskool Heroes, Transformers Rescue Bots and Sesame Street products.

Last week rival Mattel Inc.'s second-quarter net income fell, hurt by ongoing softness in Barbie sales and a write-down on the Polly Pocket line.

Looking toward its future, Hasbro is taking steps to extend and expand its relationship with Disney. An amendment pertaining to the Marvel properties extends Hasbro's global rights for Marvel characters such as Iron Man and Spider-Man for two more years, through 2020. Hasbro's rights for the Star Wars franchise also run through 2020.

Hasbro will guarantee an additional $US80 million in royalties to Disney in regards to Marvel-related products, contingent on additional Marvel movie releases. Hasbro will also pay up to $US225 million guaranteed payments to Disney to include the next three Star Wars films and the release of other possible Star Wars-related entertainment, which was not accounted for under the prior agreement between the companies.

Hasbro shares closed at $US45.38 in trading That was near the upper end of their 52-week range of $US33.34 to $US48.97.

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Nazi-themed cafe in Indonesia closes

THE owner of a Nazi-themed cafe in central Indonesia has decided to permanently close down amid intense pressure from home and abroad.

Henry Mulyana, who ran the Soldatenkaffee in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung, met with local authorities on Monday who asked that he change the name and theme of his cafe. Mulyana said he is considering his options, but will not reopen the Soldatenkaffee cafe.

The cafe had operated since 2011, but recent media reports about its Nazi-related memorabilia, including a red wall with a portrait of Adolf Hitler and a flag with a swastika symbol, have prompted angry responses from foreigners and Indonesians.

Mulyana had insisted that he was not pro-Nazi but that he was instead using the decorations to attract customers.

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Philippe ascends throne of divided Belgium

Belgium's King Albert II has officially abdicated in a solemn ceremony at the royal palace. Source: AAP

PHILIPPE has ascended the throne of Belgium as its seventh king amid National Day celebrations marked by hopes the fragile nation can remain united.

"I swear to abide by the constitution and the laws of the Belgian people," Philippe, 53, and dressed in full military uniform, said on Sunday in the country's three languages - French, Flemish and German.

"I am aware of the responsibilities weighing on my shoulders," he added, after the abdication of his father Albert II after 20 years at the helm of the linguistically-split country at the heart of Europe.

Albert, 79, abdicated in favour of his eldest son at a solemn ceremony in the royal palace's chandelier-laden throne room after saying he felt too old and too fragile to continue to reign.

In his last speech, Albert reiterated a call to the country's leaders "to work tirelessly in favour of Belgium's cohesion".

His voice breaking with emotion, Albert turned to his wife of 54 years, Queen Paola, to say: "As for the queen who constantly supported me in my task I would simply like to tell her 'thank you'.

"A big kiss", he added as she shed a tear and the audience of political leaders and other dignitaries broke into a long round of applause.

Under sunny skies and a light summer breeze, flags fluttered across Brussels as the day of pageantry began with a thanksgiving mass in the cathedral and crowds lined outside shouted "Long Live the King".

The medieval cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula was packed with Belgian government and other dignitaries, but there were no foreign guests in attendance.

But worries persist that the shy and often awkward prince Philippe may lack the political skills of his father to maintain unity in a nation deeply divided between its Flemish and French-speaking halves.

Mathilde, an outgoing 40-year-old who will be Belgium's first home-grown queen, is seen as his best asset in the couple's campaign to win the hearts of their 11.5 million people.

"Philippe, you have the heart and the intelligence to serve our country very well," Albert said in his abdication speech. "You and your dear wife Mathilde have all our confidence."

The monarchy more often than not is viewed as a rare symbol of Belgium's unity - along with its iconic fries and the national football team.

In the last decades, severe tensions across the linguistic divide have seen it morph progressively into a federal state that devolves increasing powers to its language-based regions.

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Protest over Qld school closures

People have rallied outside the LNP state conference to protest against the closure of schools. Source: AAP

STUDENTS, parents, teachers and unionists have protested outside the Liberal National Party state conference in Brisbane over the possible closure of eight schools.

Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek says community consultation ends in July and a decision will be made in August.

"It's a calm process and we want a mature conversation," he said.

"Union-led hysteria is not going to make any difference to our deliberations."

Mr Langbroek says concerns about the possible closures need to be balanced against the building of 10 others, which is being done in partnership with the private sector.

He also attacked Labor for closing 139 schools over 20 years.

About 150 people took part in Sunday's protest, organised by the Parents and Teachers' Association, on the last day of the LNP state conference.

Queensland Teachers' Union president Kevin Bates says the difference between Labor's closures and the LNP's is the consultation process.

He says there is community angst this time round because they have only been given eight weeks to comment, compared to a two-year process under Labor.

"They failed to consult with anybody - these schools learnt about their fate on an announcement in the 6pm news," Mr Bates said.

"By keeping secrets and sneaking it out through the media, they cause this sort of response from the community."

Fortitude Valley State School, Old Yarranlea State School, Toowoomba South State School, Stuart State School, Wyreema State School, Nyanda State High School, Charlton State School and Everton Park State High School are being considered for closure.

Mr Langbroek has said others could be considered for closure next year and in coming years.

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Oppn drowned out by 'celebrity' Kev

Joe Hockey complains that coalition policy announcements have been drowned out by "celebrity" Rudd. Source: AAP

SHADOW treasurer Joe Hockey has complained that coalition policy announcements have been drowned out by "celebrity" Kevin Rudd.

Mr Hockey again referred to the prime minister as "Kevin Kardashian" and said sooner or later people would see through him.

He insisted the coalition had big plans for Australia and its pitch was far broader than just abolishing the carbon tax and stopping the boats.

"We've been making announcements every day for our plans for Australia's future, but they've been drowned out by the celebrity Kevin Rudd," he told the Ten Network Bolt Report program.

Mr Hockey said Mr Rudd was all smoke and mirrors.

He said Australia could end up paying social security and Medicare benefits to asylum seekers for the rest of their lives under the PNG solution.

The carbon price was also set to rise to $38 a tonne under Mr Rudd's move to an emissions trading scheme, he said.

But climate change minister Mark Butler said it was Opposition Leader Tony Abbott who predicted Australians would have to pay $100 for a roast dinner and that some towns would be wiped off the map under the carbon tax.

"The time has come for the opposition to get off the political posturing," he told Sky News.

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Abu Qatada denied bail in Jordan

Abu Qatada's lawyer says a military court has rejected a bail application by the Islamist cleric. Source: AAP

A MILITARY court has rejected a bail application by Islamist cleric Abu Qatada, who faces terror charges in Jordan following his deportation from Britain, his lawyer says.

"The state security court today refused to release Abu Qatada on bail," Taysir Diab said on Sunday.

"The court gave no reason for its decision. I will meet with Abu Qatada on Wednesday to look into the issue and decide future steps."

Abu Qatada, 53, was charged on July 7 with "conspiracy to carry out terrorist acts", just hours after his deportation from Britain. He pleaded not guilty.

The next day, Diab asked the military tribunal to release on bail the Palestinian-born preacher.

He is currently in the Muwaqqar prison, a maximum security facility that houses more than 1000 inmates, most of them Islamists convicted of terror offences.

Abu Qatada was condemned to death in absentia in 1999 for conspiracy to carry out terror attacks, including on the American school in Amman.

But the sentence was immediately commuted to life imprisonment with hard labour.

In 2000, he was sentenced in his absence to 15 years for plotting to attack tourists in Jordan during millennium celebrations.

Britain's expulsion of Abu Qatada came after Amman and London last month ratified a treaty guaranteeing that evidence obtained by torture would not be used in his retrial.

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Japan PM Abe's coalition wins upper house

The coalition of Japan's PM Shinzo Abe won a resounding victory in upper house elections. Source: AAP

THE coalition of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a resounding victory in upper house elections, broadcasters' exit polls showed.

The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner New Komeito claimed at least 71 of the 121 seats that were being contested, NHK projected, handing them control over both chambers of parliament.

Citing its own polling and interviews with voters, the state broadcaster said the governing coalition could have won as many as 80 of the seats that were up for grabs.

There are 242 seats in the upper house, half of which are elected every three years on six-year terms.

Other television stations predicted a similar margin of victory.

The projected win means Abe will face few legislative obstacles in his drive to push through painful economic reforms, including liberalising trade and raising consumption tax to begin slowing the growth of Japan's runaway national debt.

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