Shorten dismisses dire Labor poll

Bill Shorten says the federal election will be decided by voters, not opinion polls or newspapers. Source: AAP

FEDERAL Education Minister Bill Shorten says the election will be decided by Australian voters, not opinion polls or newspapers.

Mr Shorten brushed off Saturday's Fairfax-Nielson poll, which after preferences gives the coalition a six-point lead over Labor - 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

"This election will not be decided by newspapers or by opinion polls, it'll be decided by the will of 15 million people voting," he told reporters at a Queensland Teachers Union meeting in Brisbane.

Mr Shorten also made a speech to delegates where he praised teachers and talked up the benefits of Labor's Better Schools plan, saying it was ironic that a lot of Australians would be lining up to vote in school halls built by the Labor government.

"These are good projects and we should never let be taken away from us some elements of the conservative media or those ignorant, book-burning, anti-education rabble who seek to become the government of Australia - the coalition," Mr Shorten told the crowd, which responded with a booming "here, here".

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Factory ablaze in southeast Melbourne

FIRE crews are responding to a large factory fire in Melbourne's southeast.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade crews were called to the brick and metal premises just after 7pm (AEST) on Saturday to find flames going through the roof.

About 13 fire truck crews are tackling the blaze.

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Flood kills 76 in northeast China city

A RIVER flood triggered by torrential rains has killed 76 people in a northeast Chinese city, state media says.

The official Xinhua News Agency said a memorial service was held on Saturday in the city of Fushun for the victims.

It said another 88 people remained missing as of Friday.

It quoted Fushun mayor Luan Qingwei as saying the flood was the worst in decades for the city, where a river cuts through the downtown area.

A statement by Fushun's municipal government has declared Saturday as a city-wide day of condolence and that all public entertainment activities should be halted for the day.

Fushun, located in a mountainous area, has been hit hard by floods ravaging China's northeastern provinces.

Dozens more have been reported killed by floods elsewhere in the region.

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Search on for NT crocodile victim

NORTHERN Territory police are searching for a man who is believed to have been snatched by a crocodile.

Senior Sergeant Peter Lindfield says police received reports about 4pm (CST) on Saturday that the 24-year-old had been attacked by a crocodile while he swam at Mary River, about 110km from Darwin.

"Officers from the Water Police Section and Territory Response Group are currently at the scene of the attack and are searching for the man and the crocodile," Sergeant Lindfield said in a statement.

An employee at the Mary River Wilderness Retreat says the man and a friend had ignored warnings not to go in the water.

"Two local boys decided to go swimming, we tell people to stay away from the water, they obviously went against this (and) a man was taken," Erin Bayard told News Corp Australia.

"We say to everybody it's full of crocs.

"It's one of the most populated rivers in the Territory, every couple of kilometres there is a large croc."

A police spokeswoman told AAP that officers and wildlife rangers would search through the night.

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Three dead after North Sea chopper crash

Three people are dead and a fourth is missing after a helicopter went down off the Shetland Islands. Source: AAP

THREE people have been confirmed dead after a helicopter transporting employees between oil rigs in the North Sea ditched, Scottish police say, while a fourth is still missing.

"Following the incident off the coast of Shetland during Friday 23 August, Police Scotland can confirm that the bodies of three people have now been recovered and a fourth person remains unaccounted for," said a statement.

Scottish coastguard had previously reported that three of the 18 people on board - including two crew and 16 passengers - were missing.

Fourteen other people were rescued.

The Super Puma helicopter was travelling from the Borgsten Dolphin platform to Sumburgh airport on Shetland when it came down two miles (three kilometres) west of its destination at approximately 6:20 pm (1720 GMT).

Jim Nicholson, rescue coordinator with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), said there appeared "to have been a catastrophic loss of power which meant the helicopter suddenly dropped into the sea without any opportunity to make a controlled landing".

"It's fortunate there were not more casualties in a helicopter crash of this kind," he said.

No one had yet been able to search the helicopter itself, Nicholson said, adding that it was possible that a body could be recovered inside. Once the helicopter was recovered, it could be searched, he added.

Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister, said: "It is still too early to know what caused this terrible tragedy, but a full investigation by the relevant authorities is already under way."

Amanda Smith, the mother of one of the rescued people, Sam Smith, told Britain's Sky News that her son described how the helicopter "seemed to lose power and there was no time to brace - they just dropped into the sea".

"He was by the window so he was able to escape that way as it rolled over," she said.

"He said he had come off better than a lot of people, were his words. It doesn't seem real."

Nine of the rescued passengers were helicoptered to Shetland's main town of Lerwick with one taken off the aircraft on a stretcher, the BBC reported.

The search and rescue operation involving RNLI, the army, police and coastguards then continued through the night to try to find the missing.

CHC, the aircraft's operator, said it was flying for oil company Total.

It is the latest in a series of incidents involving helicopters in the North Sea.

In May, all 14 people on board a Super Puma helicopter were rescued after it ditched off the coast of Aberdeen.

Another helicopter ditched in the North Sea last October, but all 19 people on board survived.

Sixteen men died when a Super Puma helicopter plunged into the sea after its gearbox failed as it was flying from BP's Miller platform to Aberdeen in April 2009.

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PetroChina 1H profit rises

STATE-OWNED PetroChina's half-year profit rose to nearly $US11 billion ($A12.31 billion) as Asia's biggest oil producer increased output of crude and natural gas.

The company said on Thursday its results were also helped by smaller losses at its refining and chemicals business after China reformed price controls so domestic fuel prices would more closely follow international prices.

PetroChina said January-June profit rose 5.6 per cent from a year earlier to 65.5 billion yuan ($A11.98 billion).

Revenue rose 5.2 per cent to 1.1 trillion yuan.

Beijing-based PetroChina said crude output grew 2.6 per cent to 464.2 million barrels.

Natural gas production rose 8.1 per cent to 1.4 trillion cubic feet.

Chairman Zhou Jiping said in the second half there may be "some difficulties for the rebound of the domestic economy" while the global outlook is "highly uncertain".

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Rowdy audience dominates Swan's debate

A rowdy crowd dominated Wayne Swan's (L) first candidates's debate of the campaign in Brisbane. Source: AAP

A ROWDY crowd dominated former treasurer Wayne Swan's first candidates's debate of the campaign.

Liberal National Party (LNP) stalwarts and rusted-on Labor supporters constantly interjected during a lively debate between Mr Swan and LNP opponent Rod McGarvie.

They scoffed at Mr Swan's claims about the growing economy and booed Mr McGarvie when he spoke of the need to rein in spiralling government debt.

Neither candidate delivered a knockout blow, but the pair were certainly more exciting than their leaders.

Mr Swan became unstuck when asked if could guarantee no cuts to services under Labor, saying "I can guarantee all our plans already costed".

There were also howls when Mr McGarvie suggested that because of Labor's marine parks "Asian fishing boats can come in there (the Coral Sea) and rape and pillage".

But Mr McGarvie pulled out the big guns on Mr Swan when he read quotes he'd made about Prime Minister Kevin Rudd when he was still a backbencher.

The moderator then asked Mr Swan if he was comfortable serving under Mr Rudd.

"I'm happy to serve," he replied.

"Under Rudd," asked the moderator, some partisan members of the crowd joining in.

"I'm doing it now," a seemingly annoyed Mr Swan said, to cheers of other audience members.

Mr McGarvie then stumbled when he said the government needed to run healthcare more efficiently, like a business.

"We don't live in a business, we live in a society," Mr Swan replied, to wild cheers from the obvious parts of the room.

But overall both candidates carried themselves well, despite almost constant audience interjections.

Mr Swan seemed very confident, while relative newbie Mr McGarvie held his ground impressively.

"I really enjoyed that debate, it was terrific," Mr Swan told reporters afterwards.

Mr McGarvie thought his first candidates' debate had been enjoyable.

"It was an interesting time, it was my first time to do something like that," he said.

There was no clear winner, but many in the crowd had made up their minds about who they would vote for before they arrived anyway.

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Malaysia govt can appeal Allah case: court

MALAYSIA'S government has won the right to appeal a court ruling allowing the country's non-Muslim minority to use the word "Allah" to refer to God.

Appeal hearings are scheduled to start on September 10 to resolve the politically sensitive dispute that triggered attacks on Malaysian churches and other places of worship more than three years ago.

"Allah" is the Arabic word for God and is commonly used in the Malay language to refer to God.

The government, however, insists "Allah" is an Islamic word and that its use by others would confuse Muslims.

Roman Catholic representatives say the government's curb on their use of "Allah" is unreasonable because Christians who speak the Malay language had long also used the word to refer to God in their Bibles, literature and songs before authorities sought to enforce the ban in recent years.

A nearly 6-year-old court dispute over the issue stems from efforts by the newspaper of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia to use "Allah" in its Malay-language publication.

Malaysia's Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that the government has the right to challenge a 2009 verdict by a lower court that permitted the newspaper to use "Allah".

That earlier verdict sparked a string of arson attacks and vandalism at 11 churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer rooms.

The government's ban remains in effect because of a stay order on the verdict until the appeals process is completed.

Judge Abu Samah Nordin said on Thursday that the dispute "is still a live issue," overruling church officials' contention that an appeal would be unjustified.

More than 100 Muslim activists gathered outside the court, with some shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is greatest," after the ruling.

The Reverend Lawrence Andrew, editor of the Catholic newspaper, The Herald, voiced disappointment but said his team would accept the ruling and argue its case next month.

The ban has become a symbol of grievances in Malaysia among Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities, who sometimes complain that their constitutional right to practice religion freely is undermined.

The government denies any discrimination.

Other disputes over the past decade include the demolition of temples illegally built on state-owned land.

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Detaining of refugees 'inhumane': UN

AUSTRALIA has been accused of almost 150 violations of international law by a United Nations committee for its "inhumane" indefinite detention of 46 refugees.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has called for the mainly Tamil refugees to be freed and labelled their detention "cruel, inhumane and degrading".

The complaint was lodged three years ago by Professor Ben Saul from the University of Sydney's Centre for International Law.

He says the findings are embarrassing and will damage Australia's international reputation.

"We frequently criticise the human rights performance of other countries and yet we don't have our house in order," Professor Saul told AAP on Thursday.

The detainees were given refugee status, but were deemed a security threat and held in detention for at least two and a half years.

They say they've been unable to challenge the legality of their detention in Australian courts.

The UN body said their detention was arbitrary and broke the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Australia has 180 days to respond to the findings.

The federal government told the committee releasing classified details would compromise the assessment system and national security.

However it did explain the refugees posed one or more of three specific risks.

These were the threat of fomenting violence in Australia, providing a safe haven for organisations to prepare attacks against their homeland's government, and of raising funds in Australia for foreign terrorists.

Prof Saul is hopeful the findings will be enough to shift the government's position on indefinite detention.

"I think now it's really beyond doubt that these are very serious and numerous violations of international law," he said.

Amnesty International said Australia's policy of indefinite detention of refugees had become "an international embarrassment" and a stain on its legal system.

Meanwhile, the immigration department on Thursday released a three-minute subtitled video of asylum seekers on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island warning others not to take boat journeys to Australia.

Their faces are blurred out but their voices are clear as they describe their ordeals.

"Please, I'm asking people, it's a big mistake, please don't take this journey," one man says.

Another man describes how people smugglers promised him $10,000 on arrival in Australia.

He said they took him and other refugees to a small hut in a jungle.

There they were locked up with no proper food or water, and had to go to the toilet in plastic bags.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the men interviewed were offered no incentive and were not prompted or told what to say.

Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young described the video as "hostage-style".

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Gambaro tells forum she's for gay marriage

Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro says she'll vote for gay marriage if allowed a conscience vote. Source: AAP

THE Liberal MP representing Queensland's most marginal federal seat has declared she would vote for gay marriage if the coalition allowed a conscience vote.

Teresa Gambaro has previously stated she would push Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to allow a conscience vote on the matter after the election.

The shadow parliamentary secretary has, however, previously declined to say whether or not she personally supported gay marriage.

But on Thursday night, the MP who holds Brisbane by a narrow 1.1 per cent margin, told a candidates' forum in her electorate she would vote in favour of marriage equality if given the choice.

"Should I be privileged to represent the people of Brisbane and be re-elected to the seat, my conscience vote would be in favour of same-sex marriage," she said to loud applause.

Ms Gambaro said people should be free to love who they want, regardless of their gender.

"I've made this decision because of my personal journey speaking to people, touched by the issue, as I've been door knocking right around the electorate," she said.

"Who people choose to love is not a decision for government.

"People should be free to love who they want, free of discrimination, bias and prejudice."

Ms Gambaro told the forum that marriage equality had been used as a political wedge, and said her vote against a gay marriage motion last year fulfilled a 2010 election promise.

"I believe it accurately reflected the majority view of the electorate of Brisbane at the time," she said.

"I'm on the record as saying that I'm not going to be bullied into taking one position or another and believe in representing people properly and not using this for political purposes."

Her position in favour of marriage equality comes as Australian Marriage Equality distributes leaflets in her inner-city seat pointing out how she hadn't declared a position.

Ms Gambaro has joined fellow federal Liberal MPs Malcolm Turnbull, Wyatt Roy and Kelly O'Dwyer in backing same sex marriage.

She said she had previously supported conscience votes for euthanasia and the abortion drug RU486.

Labor's candidate for Brisbane, Fiona McNamara, who supports gay marriage, questioned whether Ms Gambaro would cross the floor if the coalition didn't change its position to allow a conscience vote.

"I welcome Ms Gambaro's statement that she would vote for a conscience vote," she told AAP after the forum.

"Will she cross the floor if the LNP doesn't allow a conscience vote?"

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Rudd, Abbott in frank election debate

KEVIN Rudd and Tony Abbott had a frank exchange at the second leaders' debate, as the prime minister turned up the heat on the costing of the coalition's paid parental leave scheme.

The opposition leader was narrowly voted the winner by the 105-member audience of undecided voters - 37 to 35, with 33 still undecided - at Brisbane's Broncos Leagues Club on Wednesday night.

But he caused a stir when Mr Rudd wouldn't give up an attack on the coalition's $5.5 billion a year plan to give working women six months paid parental leave capped at $75,000.

"Will this guy ever shut up?" said Mr Abbott, attracting laughter from the audience.

The Liberal leader later said Mr Rudd had deliberately set out to be feisty and confrontational, but admitted he too was a little "keyed up" before the people's forum.

Mr Rudd used the debate to probe his opponent on plans to cut health funding and how the coalition would pay for the parental leave scheme.

Mr Abbott said the independent Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) had signed off on the funding - which includes a 1.5 per cent levy on more than 3000 companies, the scrapping of Labor's scheme and "consequential adjustments".

Pushed for detail, Mr Abbott said "about a half" of the annual price tag would come from the business levy.

"So it will mean cuts for the other half, which is $2.5 billion worth of cuts to jobs, health and education," Mr Rudd said. The PBO analysis hasn't been publicly released.

The prime minister asked Mr Abbott whether he would commit to the $20 billion health and hospitals deal with the states.

"Of course there will not be cuts to the hospitals," Mr Abbott said.

Labor campaign spokeswoman Penny Wong believed Mr Abbott's performance showed the "real" opposition leader.

"The unscripted, negative, aggressive man who would be prime minister," Senator Wong said.

Asked what his version of the Howard-era Work Choices industrial relations policy would be called, Mr Abbott revived his 2010 pledge that the hardline policy was "dead, buried and cremated".

Mr Rudd said the coalition had yet to give a "convincing reply" to questions about the protection of penalty rates and overtime.

But Mr Abbott did commit the coalition to saying where it stood on Labor's bank levy before the September 7 election.

While he didn't like it, there was a "serious budgetary position" to consider.

Both leaders were asked about the low quality of candidates contesting the federal election.

Mr Rudd said there had been a problem with the "lowness of parliamentary standards".

Mr Abbott admitted a couple of his own candidates had "not exactly covered themselves in glory so far in this campaign".

"But I am confident that people can grow, develop and mature," he said.

Mr Abbott said this forum had been more lively than the previous election debate.

"It's 'People 1 - Journos nil' perhaps," he said.

Mr Rudd is expected to visit Geelong on Thursday to meet with car industry workers and talk about disability care.

Mr Abbott will start his day in Brisbane.

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Goward grilled in NSW parliament

NSW Community Services Minister Pru Goward has come under sustained opposition fire amid the continued fallout over conflicting child protection worker numbers.

The minister told a budget estimates hearing last week she wasn't aware of a draft Ernst & Young report that found only 1797 caseworkers on the government's books.

Ms Goward had consistently claimed there were about 2000.

On Tuesday, she was forced to admit the draft report had been sent to her office multiple times, and was even tabled at a meeting she attended last month, but that she hadn't read it.

But minutes of the July meeting have emerged, which include four separate references to the Ernst & Young report.

Opposition Leader John Robertson says the suggestion that Ms Goward could have missed every mention defies belief.

"This minister's position is completely untenable," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"This minister is either lying, incompetent or absolutely negligent when it comes to her responsibility of protecting the most vulnerable children in our community from being put in harm's way."

Ms Goward was unbowed during parliamentary question time on Wednesday afternoon, as Labor MPs used every question to grill her over her handling of the matter.

"I have always said I'm committed to transparency. I'm rock solid on the reforms this government is delivering to improve the child protection system," Ms Goward shot at the opposition.

Ms Goward said Labor's repeated calls for her resignation and claims that she misled parliament amounted to a "grubby personal attack".

Premier Barry O'Farrell on Tuesday declared his continued support for the minister.

Opposition family and community services spokeswoman Linda Burney said at least 25 caseworker positions were also unfilled on the state's North Coast.

"Leaving more than 25 caseworker positions unfilled in one of the most needy regions is a disaster for children's welfare on the North Coast of NSW," Mr Burney said in a statement on Wednesday night.

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33 killed in bus accident in Malaysia

A passenger bus has plunged into a deep ravine in Malaysia, killing at least 33 people. Source: AAP

A PASSENGER bus has plunged into a deep ravine while travelling downhill near a Malaysian highland resort, killing 33 people, an official said.

Sixteen people survived the accident, which occurred on a winding slope in central Genting Highlands, a popular destination that houses Malaysia's sole casino on Wednesday, said fire department official Azizan Ismail.

The bus, which fell about 60 metres into the ravine, was carrying mostly Malaysians and several tourists believed to be from the Middle East, Azizan said.

He said one body had been recovered from the bus, with 32 more bodies remaining inside the vehicle.

The cause of the accident was not known. The bus driver was among those believed killed, Azizan said.

More than 200 firefighters, police and medical officers used ropes and cranes to reach the bus, which had been heading to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's main city.

The cause of the accident was not known. The bus driver was among those killed, Azizan said.

Genting Highlands attracts thousands of domestic visitors and foreign tourists from Singapore, China and other countries every week. Serious accidents are rare on the relatively well-maintained roads leading to the area's main resorts.

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Facebook unveils global net access plan

Facebook has announced a partnership aimed at connecting four billion people still not online. Source: AAP

FACEBOOK and other technology giants have launched an initiative designed to give the whole world access to the internet.

The project is entitled Internet.org and its goal is to extend internet access to five billion people by cutting the cost of smart phone-based internet services in developing countries.

"Everything Facebook has done has been about giving all people around the world the power to connect," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday.

"There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy," he said, adding that the project aimed to make it easier and cheaper to connecting to the web.

The other partners in the project are Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, Qualcomm, MediaTek and Opera, while Twitter and LinkedIn are also due to sign up.

Today some 2.7 billion people, just over a third of the world's population, had access to the internet, and the number of new users was growing only slowly each year, a statement said.

"The goal of Internet.org is to make internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected, and to bring the same opportunities to everyone that the connected third of the world has today," the statement said.

The seven founding partners are going to develop joint projects, share knowledge and mobilise governments and industry to bring the world online.

Specifically, they want to simplify mobile apps to make them more efficient and improve telephone components and networks so they perform better while consuming less energy.

They also want to develop lower-cost, higher-quality smartphones and partnerships to more broadly deploy internet access in underserved communities.

Zuckerberg insisted in an interview with CNN that the project was not simply aimed at generating more customers.

"If we were just focused on making money, the first billion people we've connected have way more money than the rest of the next six billion combined. It's not fair but it's the way that it is," he said.

The partnership emulates one launched by Facebook in 2011 called Open Compute Project, which also aims to improve the materials used in call centres and make them less energy-hungry.

That project was originally met with scepticism but has gradually won over the major players in the computer industry.

The new thrust comes at a key time for tech groups. Mature markets are saturated and have little potential for significant growth, while poor regions like Africa, Latin America and some parts of Asia are pools of potential new customers.

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Turkey bans NSW MPs from Gallipoli service

Turkey has warned that some NSW MPs will be denied visas to attend the Gallipoli service. Source: AAP

TURKEY warns some NSW MPs won't not be welcome at the Gallipoli service after state parliament officially recognised the Ottoman genocide of the Armenians earlier in the year.

The NSW legislative council in May passed a motion calling for the official recognition of the Assyrian, Armenian and Greek genocides.

Turkey strongly condemned the move and said the motion was not compatible with historic facts.

"Although the solid friendly relations existing between the peoples of Turkey and Australia will not deteriorate because of this unilateral decision ... its negative repercussions are nonetheless inevitable," Turkey's foreign ministry said in May, which ABC television reported on Wednesday.

The proponents of such initiatives would "doubtlessly be deprived of the hospitality and friendship that we will never withhold from the people of Australia", the ministry warned.

"These persons who try to damage the spirit of Canakkale/Gallipoli will also not have their place in the Canakkale ceremonies where we commemorate together our sons lying side by side in our soil," it said.

Turkish consul-general Gulseren Celik was asked whether the statement meant that Premier Barry O'Farrell and other NSW MPs would be denied visas to attend the Gallipoli service.

"Yes," she told ABC television.

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86 Muslim Rohingya escape from Thai detent

POLICE say 86 Muslim Rohingya asylum seekers from Myanmar detained in southern Thailand for illegally entering the country have escaped from a crowded immigration detention centre.

Police Colonel Kan Thammakasem says the men used blades to cut the cell's bars and ropes made of clothes to escape from the immigration building in Sadao district in Songkhla province early on Tuesday.

He says police are hunting for the men in nearby woods.

More than 1700 asylum seekers from Myanmar's beleaguered Rohingya minority are being held in various Thai detention centres after arriving by boat earlier this year.

Hundreds of the Rohingya staged a protest last month in Songkhla against crowded conditions.

About 30 of them made a similar escape from a police jail cell earlier this month.

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Blue Jasmine may become gold for Blanchett

PLAYING Jasmine in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine could put Cate Blanchett in the same frame as Diane Keaton's Annie Hall or Mia Farrow's Hannah in Hannah and Her Sisters.

Braving the chill in Sydney to walk the red carpet for the film, Blanchett says agreeing to play the role was a no-brainer.

In fact, she confirms, she didn't even need to read the script.

"I think most people do that when they hear Woody Allen wants to work with them," Blanchett says.

However, she soon realised the script, telling the story of New York socialite Jasmine, who flees to the home of her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in San Francisco when her marriage breaks down was "fantastic" to say the least.

"Apart from being a great filmmaker and auteur, he's an incredible dramatist," she says.

Blanchett says having the chance to play the neurotic Jasmine, who is coping with the destruction of her life by ingesting a cocktail of anti-depressants, was immensely appealing.

"The part was, as they say, the chance to swing the cat, so I hope I 'swang' the cat."

The role is already gaining Oscar buzz for Blanchett, who has already won a golden statuette in 2005 for her role in The Aviator.

Despite the fact that Allen's films have proven Oscar-worthy for actresses, racking up five so far, she says that's not why actors agree to work with the legendary director.

"I don't think that anyone enters into an exchange with Woody thinking about that as an outcome," she says.

"I think along with those actresses he's created a number of iconic, strange, weird and wonderful women that have been on celluloid."

Blanchett acknowledges Jasmine is one of those female roles and is quick to say Allen, who's currently working with Australian actress Jacki Weaver, wouldn't have to ask twice if he had another one on offer.

"Yeah, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

* Blue Jasmine opens in Australian cinemas on September 12.

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Actor Lee Thompson Young found dead at 29

AMERICAN television actor Lee Thompson Young has been found dead at the age of 29.

Young's manager, Jonathan Baruch, says Young took his own life.

The actor started his career as a teenager in the TV series The Famous Jett Jackson and was co-starring in the series Rizzoli & Isles.

Los Angeles police say Young was found dead in North Hollywood on Monday.

Officer Sally Madera says police were sent to the home to check on him because Young failed to show up for filming.

The officers notified a supervisor after finding Young's body, and the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and pronounced him dead at the scene, the police spokeswoman said.

She had no details on the cause of death.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

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Asylum boat tragedy leaves up to five dead

UP to five asylum seekers are believed to have drowned after a boat carrying more than 100 people sank north of Christmas Island.

Australian authorities called off search and rescue operations on Tuesday night after rescuing 106 people, Customs and Border Protection says.

"The suspension follows confirmation from on-scene crews and interviews with survivors that all survivors have been recovered," Customs said in a statement.

Information from survivors suggested that up to five people remained unaccounted for, but they may have gone down with the boat.

After an extensive search for survivors and bodies, none were sighted.

"It is therefore believed any people unaccounted for have gone down with part of the vessel," Customs said.

The 106 survivors are being transferred to Christmas Island for health and security checks.

They will all eventually be sent to Papua New Guinea or Nauru and could be resettled in those nations if found to be genuine refugees.

Meanwhile, federal Labor's hardline resettlement plan is facing its first legal challenge.

Sydney lawyer Adrian Joel, who represents a would-be refugee on PNG's Manus Island, lodged a challenge in the Federal Court on Monday. It's believed the case will eventually be heard by the High Court.

Mr Joel is expected to argue that PNG is not a suitable destination for asylum seekers.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd dismissed suggestions the policy may go the same way as the Gillard government's Malaysia people swap deal, which was struck out by the High Court in 2011.

"We have exactly the right policy message on this and exactly the right administration to back it up," Mr Rudd told reporters in Brisbane.

The latest boat tragedy comes as Immigration Minister Tony Burke and Foreign Minister Bob Carr attended a regional anti-people smuggling conference in Indonesia on Tuesday.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott warned against Senator Carr and Mr Burke signing up to any agreement that may come from the talks due to the fact that the government was in "caretaker mode" ahead of the election next month.

A legal challenge being mounted by PNG's opposition against the asylum seeker plan also picked up steam on Tuesday, with lawyers applying to add Manus detainee and asylum seeker Rawed Reza to the list of challengers to the controversial scheme.

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Musharraf indicted over Bhutto's murder

AN anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has indicted former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on charges of conspiracy to murder late opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, officials say.

It was the first time that any of the four generals who have ruled Pakistan have been indicted.

A formal trial could begin any time. If convicted, Musharraf could face a maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment, a prosecution lawyer said.

Musharraf pleaded not guilty when the judge in Rawalpindi city, near the capital Islamabad, read out the charge sheet against him on Tuesday.

The former strongman, under house arrest at his farmhouse in Islamabad for more than three months, was taken to the court under tight security.

There had been some doubt whether police would produce him in the court because of death threats from Islamist militants.

Taliban insurgents had said in recent weeks that they would send suicide bombers to kill Musharraf.

The expected indictment was temporarily postponed at an August 6 hearing because police did not take Musharraf to court after a specific threat.

Defence lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri said his client would fight the charges.

Bhutto, who was twice elected prime minister, was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack in December 2007.

There are concerns that the trial could widen mistrust between the civilian government and the powerful military.

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Legal blow for massive Browse gas hub

WA's premier says he will not give up on his plan for a massive gas hub in the Kimberley. Source: AAP

DEFIANT West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has attempted to shrug off the embarrassing legal defeat which places even more doubt around the proposed multi-billion dollar gas hub in the Kimberley.

Mr Barnett's dream of a massive onshore gas hub at James Price Point was dealt yet another blow on Monday, when WA's Chief Justice Wayne Martin ruled the environmental approval for the project was unlawful.

The proposed scheme was already in limbo, after energy giant Woodside announced earlier this year it would instead consider processing Browse Basin gas on a vessel stationed far offshore.

On Monday, Justice Martin gave the government another major headache, handing down damning verdicts on its environmental approval process.

Mr Barnett described the ruling as "regrettable" - and signalled the government would fight on.

"The decision relates to the process ... he did not in any way question the environmental conditions or approvals themselves," Mr Barnett said.

"All the environmental evidence and surveys and research has been done over many, many years. I am confident that still stands.

"It is now simply up to the state government to resubmit the environmental evidence and the recommendations on conditions attached to the use of James Price Point. That is, in all likelihood, what we will do."

The Wilderness Society, and Goolarabooloo elder Richard Hunter, had argued conflicts of interest in the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) assessment process resulted in just one EPA board member - chairman Paul Vogel - making the final decision.

They also said the state's then-environment minister Bill Marmion had erred by granting his approval despite the conflicts. Chief Justice Martin agreed with both arguments.

"The minister's statement that the Browse LNG Precinct proposal could be implemented subject to conditions was not a valid exercise of the powers conferred upon the minister," the judgment said.

Peter Robertson of The Wilderness Society says the onshore project is now "dead and buried".

"Premier Colin Barnett must face facts, drop this unhealthy obsession," Mr Robertson said.

He also called on both Mr Vogel and Mr Marmion to resign, which Mr Barnett dismissed.

Mr Hunter said the ruling was also a vindication for the land's traditional owners.

"Our people are strong - we won't be bullied into a corner by the government," Mr Hunter said.

After Woodside dumped plans for a liquefied natural gas processing facility at James Price Point in April, the WA government went ahead with acquiring the land, saying it wanted to keep the area available for future projects.

Asked why the WA government would not simply abandon its bid, Mr Barnett said: "I don't give up".

It is open to the WA government to appeal against the ruling, but the Wilderness Society warned it would then cross-appeal.

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Kogan 'muscled' out by telco heavies

Budget retailer Kogan Mobile says it has been "muscled out" of the industry by "telco heavyweights". Source: AAP

BUDGET mobile phone retailer Kogan Mobile says it has been "muscled out" of the industry by "telco heavyweights".

Telstra announced on Monday it will terminate Kogan customers' 3G network access some time in the next 30 days, essentially killing the company.

The move was prompted when ispONE, who supplied Kogan with 3G services purchased wholesale from Telstra, entered voluntary administration on Monday, severing their contracts.

Kogan and Telstra were not able to negotiate a direct supply agreement, unlike supermarket ALDI, who were likewise serviced by ispONE.

Kogan said it had made "numerous and concerted" efforts to convince Telstra to continue servicing its customers.

"We're devastated," the company wrote on its website.

It claimed to have been the victim of a power play by established telcos upset with Kogan stealing their customers.

"When over 100,000 people took their services to Kogan Mobile, in such a short space of time, it attracted a lot of attention.

"Frustratingly, it appears like the telco heavyweights may be determined to take their former customers back ... by force."

Telstra said existing Kogan customers would be moved to a temporary seven-day plan at some stage over the next month, after which their service will be cut off.

They will not be able to top up their credit but Kogan will offer pro-rata refunds to any customers with credit remaining when their service is terminated.

Customers will be able to transfer their phone number to another provider at any time over the next 180 days, Kogan said.

Optus has already pounced on the imminent exodus of customers, offering free additional data and call time to people who bring their number over.

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Rudd turns to health, spending cuts

Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott are accusing each other of negative politics half way into the campaign. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has warned the coalition would scrap GP super clinics and Medicare Local centres, as he fended off claims of running a negative scare campaign.

Heading into the third week of the campaign, Labor is stepping up efforts to persuade voters a coalition government would be a risk to jobs and services because it would have to cut public spending to fund its election promises.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, however, said Labor was plumbing new depths in its attacks on the coalition by making "a whole series of absolutely outlandish and false claims".

Mr Rudd took his campaign to northern NSW on Monday to launch a $50 million plan for stroke patient support.

Speaking at a Medicare Local centre, the prime minister said the coalition would shut down the facilities run by local clinicians and community leaders and sack 3000 frontline health workers.

"Mr Abbott hasn't really thought through the real impact of his cuts on real peoples' lives," Mr Rudd said.

Labor has backed up the attack with campaign advertisements showing workers standing in spotlights which are then switched off.

"This is not about negativity, it's about accountability," Mr Rudd said of the ads.

The coalition has yet to announce its health policy, but Mr Abbott said last Friday he wanted community control of public hospitals, and medical research funding would be quarantined.

Mr Abbott did not intend to cut health spending, but would be spending "money more wisely".

The opposition leader was in western Sydney on Monday to formally announce his small business and law and order policies.

"The current government in losing control of our borders, has not just failed to stop the boats but has failed to stop the guns as well," Mr Abbott said.

The crime policy includes a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for importing illegal firearms, $100 million for Customs and local gang squads and $50 million for CCTV cameras in communities.

During a visit to supporters in Liverpool, he incorrectly referred to Labor as the "former government", before quickly correcting himself.

Treasurer Chris Bowen stood by Mr Rudd's argument that the coalition cuts would drive the economy into recession.

"We've seen it in other countries when you cut and when you embark on an austerity program, then you see an impact on economic activity," Mr Bowen said.

The latest Newspoll puts the coalition ahead of Labor 54-46 on a two-party basis and Mr Abbott just two points behind Mr Rudd as preferred prime minister.

But, in a sign of hope for the government, an Essential poll has Labor and the coalition at 50-50, after a two-point drop in the primary vote for minor parties and independents.

Labor star candidate Peter Beattie, who is standing in the Queensland seat of Forde, took an optimistic view of the polls, saying Labor can stabilise and rebuild as the campaign to September 7 continues.

"Incumbent governments always go backwards in the first 10 or 11 days," the former premier said.

The opposition's health spokesman Peter Dutton dismissed as "totally false" Mr Rudd's suggestion that all Medicare Local programs would be scrapped and that 3000 frontline health staff would be sacked under an Abbott government.

The coalition continued to provide "in-principle" support for Medicare Locals and wanted to ensure that funding for patient services wasn't being diverted to administrative services, he said in a statement.

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Hong Kong stocks close 0.24% lower

HONG Kong shares ended 0.24 per cent lower on Monday following losses on Wall Street last week, while investors bet the US Federal Reserve will soon start winding down its stimulus program.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 54.11 points to 22,463.70 on turnover of HK$44.31 billion (US$5.72 billion).

Market players have been intensely speculating about when the United States will begin tapering its massive $US85 billion a month bond-buying program, which has flooded markets with cash.

The Fed is due to release the minutes of its latest policy meeting on Wednesday and until then, analysts say, trade will likely remain cautious.

Steven Leung, head of institutional sales at UOB Kay Hian, told Dow Jones Newswires trade in Hong Kong would be "quite sluggish" until dealers are given clues about when a tapering might begin.

Property shares meanwhile slumped in Hong Kong after official data released Sunday showed Chinese home prices continued to rise at a steady clip.

Prices rose an average 6.7 per cent year-on-year in July, up from 6.1 per cent in June, according to calculations by The Wall Street Journal.

The data gave fresh fuel to worries that China will seek to slow the rise in prices with official curbs on the market.

Shares of residential-property builder Country Garden fell 2.6 per cent to HK$4.91 while Agile Property shares declined 2.8 per cent to HK$8.36.

Chinese shares closed up 0.83 per cent, reversing earlier losses and helped by selective buying of banking shares, dealers said.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 17.15 points to 2,085.60 on turnover of 81.5 billion yuan ($US13.3 billion).

The market fell earlier in the day on Monday after a trading error by a securities firm last week triggered fears of tighter control over brokerages.

"Heavyweight banking stocks were higher on cheap valuations and that helped stabilise the market," Zheshang Securities analyst Zhang Yanbing told AFP.

China Minsheng Banking jumped 4.0 per cent to 9.38 yuan while Industrial Bank rose 3.43 per cent to 10.56 yuan.

internet security-related shares gained after China's stock regulator said it was investigating Everbright Securities for a trading glitch that briefly sent the Shanghai index up more than five per cent on Friday.

Software developer China National Software & Service surged by its 10 per cent daily limit to 27.20 yuan while Shanghai Baosight Software jumped 7.69 per cent to 29.12 yuan.

Brokerages ended lower, with Southwest Securities losing 3.84 per cent to 9.01 yuan and China Merchants Securities dropping 3.23 per cent to 11.07 yuan.

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Hosni Mubarak may be freed in Egypt

An Egyptian court has ordered Hosni Mubarak to be freed pending his trial on corruption charges. Source: AAP

EGYPTIAN judiciary officials say former President Hosni Mubarak could be freed from custody this week.

They say a court on Monday ordered his release in a corruption case that alleged he and his two sons embezzled funds for presidential palaces.

Mubarak has been ordered released in two other court cases against him - the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that toppled him and another in case, on illegal earnings.

Mubarak is on retrial for the protesters' killing but cannot be held in custody anymore because of a two-year limit pending a final verdict.

He is also facing trial for alleged acceptance of presents from state newspapers but has already repaid their value.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to media.

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Top China official Liu faces bribes probe

China's former top economic policymaker Liu Tienan has been placed under judicial investigation. Source: AAP

CHINA'S former top economic policymaker Liu Tienan has been placed under judicial investigation for suspected bribe taking, state media reports say.

"The Supreme People's Procuratorate has decided to open an investigation into the case of Liu," Xinhua news agency said.

The announcement came after China's ruling Communist Party earlier this month expelled Liu, once the deputy director of the influential National Development and Reform Commission, as leaders wage a high-profile campaign against corruption.

On August 8, Xinhua, citing the party's anti-corruption watchdog, said Liu "took advantage of his position to seek profits for others" and was "morally degenerate".

"Both Liu and his family accepted huge amounts of bribes," it added.

Liu lost both his party and government posts.

Expulsion from the party is normally a precursor to criminal prosecution for Chinese officials and on Sunday the official news agency said an investigation into Liu was "underway".

President Xi Jinping took office in March vowing to root out corrupt officials ranging from high-ranking "tigers" to low-level "flies", and warning that the problem could destroy the party.

In early July the former railways minister Liu Zhijun was given a suspended death sentence for huge bribery.

Also last month Bo Xilai - until last year one of China's 25 most powerful politicians - was indicted for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

Xinhua reported on Sunday that Bo would go on trial on Thursday.

A series of low-level officials have come under investigation as well, often after ordinary Chinese exposed their often-salacious alleged scandals online.

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German opposition decries Merkel 'cuts'

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel's struggling rival in next month's general election has attempted to revive his campaign by attacking her euro policy at his biggest rally to date.

Peer Steinbrueck, candidate for the main opposition Social Democrats (SPD), said Merkel was hurting both Germans and the citizens of the ailing eurozone countries with an unwavering focus on enforcing budgetary rigour rather than spurring growth.

"Cuts, cuts, only cuts - that is not going to get the (eurozone) countries out of trouble," said Steinbrueck, who served as finance minister under Merkel during her first 2005-2009 term in a "grand coalition".

Blasting a yawning wealth gap in Europe's top economy, he also called for an across-the-board minimum wage in Germany, which has done without one until now.

"It's not only fairer but also makes sense economically because it creates spending power," Steinbrueck said, in a full-throated, 40-minute speech that was frequently interrupted by applause.

"Freedom, justice, solidarity - those are the values I want to promote as chancellor."

Steinbrueck, 66, was speaking at a celebration of the SPD's 150th birthday at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate running throughout the weekend, where the party said up to 300,000 people had gathered on Saturday alone.

But he is the clear underdog in the September 22 vote, as a new poll on Sunday showed.

Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats have 40-per cent support, according to the survey for Bild am Sonntag newspaper, while the SPD scored just 24 per cent - one point above its record-low result in the 2009 election.

Merkel's pro-business coalition partners, the Free Democrats, tallied six per cent, potentially giving the allies another ruling majority with five weeks to go until election day.

The race has proved lacklustre so far, with Merkel only returning from a two-week holiday in the Alps last week.

The Tagesspiegel recently printed a political cartoon showing Steinbrueck exhausting himself with shadow boxing while Merkel snoozed in an easy chair.

Meanwhile Steinbrueck has stumbled into a series of gaffes that have led even senior Social Democrats to question his strategy.

He has complained that the chancellor's salary is too low, suggested that Merkel owes her success to being a woman and recently questioned her "passion for Europe" because she grew up in the former communist east.

"(Many Social Democrats) are talking about what's gone wrong during the campaign, as if they're already anticipating the discussion that will come after the election - who's responsible for the bad outcome," political scientist Jens Walther of Duesseldorf University in western Germany said.

Merkel, for her part, never mentions her opponent by name in public, but said in a recent interview that the SPD's plans to hike income taxes on the wealthy would be economic "poison".

She got another boost last week when data showed that the eurozone economy had emerged from an 18-month recession, appearing to back up her claim that her austerity drive to battle the debt crisis is panning out.

Merkel, who is widely seen as a foregone conclusion to remain chancellor, said on Saturday she could well imagine a rerun of a grand coalition if her alliance with the FDP failed to muster a majority.

"I led a grand coalition once so I wouldn't be credible at all if I ruled one out," she told the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Steinbrueck has said he would not take part in another grand coalition and the prospect of a second link-up with Merkel fills the party with dread.

Those in the crowd in Berlin said that Steinbrueck had touched on issues that mattered to them such as growing economic inequality.

"I was moved by the speech. He touted basic values - it would be great if he could put them in action," said Christine Rieger, a pensioner from Duesseldorf.

But she admitted it would be an uphill battle.

"They won't manage to beat Merkel, she's too strong," she said, adding that she, like about a quarter of Germans, wanted another grand coalition.

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Spanish fishermen protest in Gibraltar

DOZENS of Spanish fishing boats have sailed to Gibraltar to demand that the British outpost remove 70 concrete blocks it has dropped in their fishing grounds.

British naval and Gibraltar police patrols blocked the 38 Spanish boats from entering disputed waters around the concrete reef, which has sparked an angry diplomatic row between London and Madrid.

In the midst of the spat, Britain's helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious visited a Spanish port on Sunday and a frigate was scheduled to dock in Gibraltar on Monday as part of a pre-planned naval exercise.

The Spanish fishermen from the nearby ports of La Linea de la Concepcion and Algeciras set sail on calm waters across the narrow strait, accompanied by a half dozen Spanish police patrols.

The Spanish fleet approached a cordon set up by a total of 14 British naval and Gibraltar vessels, manoeuvring in close quarters but then turning back with no incident reported beyond an exchange of insults.

About 500 people watched the one-hour protest from the shores of Gibraltar, many waving Gibraltar and British flags.

Spanish spectators gathered in the port of La Linea de la Concepcion, some with Spanish flags and T-shirts reading "Gibraltar Is Spanish".

"We just want to send a message to Gibraltar," said Leoncio Fernandez, the head of the La Linea fishermen's guild. "All we want is to fish where we have always fished."

Gibraltar police said their main concern was safety. "When you're working at sea in such close quarters, it can be very dangerous," a police spokesman said.

The Gibraltar government says the reef will regenerate marine life and that the few Spanish fishermen who raked there for shellfish did so illegally under Gibraltar law.

Spanish fishermen, however, say the concrete blocks - dropped into the sea last month without consultation - have cut them off from rich fishing grounds and lowered their already meagre incomes.

Britain accuses Spain of retaliating over the reef by imposing excessive customs checks at the border to Gibraltar, leading to daily hours-long queues of cars.

British Prime Minister David Cameron described the checks as "politically motivated" and has pressed the European Union to send observers to the border as soon as possible.

It is the latest in a string of diplomatic rows over the self-governing British overseas territory, which measures just 6.8 square kilometres and is home to about 30,000 people.

Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in perpetuity in 1713 but has long argued that it should be returned to Spanish sovereignty.

London says it will not do so against the wishes of Gibraltarians, who are staunchly pro-British.

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Pakistan govt orders stay of executions

Outgoing President Asif Ali Zardari has called for a temporary stay of all executions in Pakistan. Source: AAP

PAKISTANI authorities have ordered a temporary stay of executions following objections from the president and rights groups, days before they were due to resume after a five-year moratorium.

The new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in June scrapped the moratorium on the death penalty in a bid to crack down on criminals and militants in the violence-torn country.

But on Sunday the government announced that executions, which had been scheduled to begin this week, would be stayed temporarily following objections from outgoing President Asif Ali Zardari.

The stay would last until Zardari returns from abroad to discuss the matter with Sharif, a statement said.

"In due deference to the wish of the president, it has been desired that all executions of death sentences may be held in abeyance till the discussion takes place," it said.

Zardari steps down on September 8, to be replaced by businessman Mamnoon Hussain, a close Sharif ally who was elected in July.

Pakistan had intended to hang two convicted killers from banned sectarian outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) this Wednesday or Thursday in the southern town of Sukkur, in Sindh province, officials had said.

Other prisoners on death row had also expected to be executed this week.

On Friday, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists called on Pakistan to commute all existing death sentences and abolish the death penalty once and for all.

Under Pakistan's previous government no one except a soldier convicted by court martial was put to death since 2008.

Pakistani Taliban militants, who have been waging a domestic insurgency since 2007, have said they will consider the executions of any of its prisoners a declaration of war.

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Liberals fail to put Greens last

The Liberals have failed to live up to its promise to put the Greens last on all how-to-vote cards. Source: AAP

THE Liberal party has failed to live up to its promise to put the Australian Greens last on all how-to-vote cards.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott promised to ensure the Greens would receive no preferences from the coalition at the federal election and challenged Labor to do the same.

But the Australian Electoral Commission website shows many coalition group voting tickets for the Senate - which are used to distribute preferences for voters who cast their Senate ballot above the line - do not put the Greens last.

In South Australia, the Liberals put the Socialist Equality Party last.

In NSW, the Greens come third-last behind Australia First and One Nation.

In Victoria, the Liberals will preference the Greens ahead of two independents, the Socialist Equality Party, the Pirate Party and the Citizens Electoral Council.

In Queensland, the Greens will be preferenced just ahead of One Nation and in the Northern Territory the last party on the ticket is Rise Up Australia.

The Liberals will preference the Greens last only in the ACT and Tasmania. Group voting ticket information was not available for Western Australia.

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