Greens retain seat of Melbourne

AUSTRALIAN Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt has retained the lower house seat of Melbourne.

Mr Bandt claimed victory minutes after Labor's candidate Cath Bowtell conceded defeat.

"It looks like we have won the seat of Melbourne," Mr Bandt told the Ten Network.

Mr Bandt had earlier predicted the result would go down to a handful of votes but he leads the two-party preferred count 55.4 per cent to 44.6, with about half the primary vote counted.

He credited a strong people power campaign for giving him a second term in parliament and the Greens retaining their only lower house seat.

"This is a win for people power but more than that this is a win for refugees.

"This is a vote that says we are sick of the race to the bottom. Politics and elections should be about the best in us not pandering to the worst in us."

He said the clear message from the result was that elections should not be about who can beat up on refugees the most.

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Swan says he'll be returned in Lilley

FORMER treasurer Wayne Swan says he'll keep his seat, but has refused to say who should lead the Labor party in opposition.

Mr Swan says Labor's policies saved Labor from further losses, particularly in Queensland.

When asked about the Labor leadership going forward, he said he wasn't about to talk about internal matters when that's what had cost the party so dearly at this election.

"We've been punished for those divisions," he told the Seven Network.

He said Labor must conduct a mature election post-mortem.

"In this election campaign and in the last few years there has been too much concentration on divisions and not enough on the policy way forward," he said.

Mr Swan wouldn't be drawn on whether the party was right to dispose of Julia Gillard.

"I'm not going to get involved in that sort of debate. We've had too much of that over the last three years and we have to move on.

"We've got to be mature in our analysis of what went right and what went wrong."

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Beattie won't give up on Forde

Labor's Peter Beattie says he has no regrets about returning to politics despite a looming defeat. Source: AAP

FORMER Queensland premier Peter Beattie says he's still in with a chance in the seat of Forde.

Mr Beattie seemed to have given up early in the count, but says things have narrowed and the result in the seat south of Brisbane won't be known on Saturday night.

Mr Beattie was parachuted into the seat in a bid to wrest it from Liberal National Party incumbent Bert van Manen, who holds it with a 1.6 per cent margin.

With 43.7 per cent of the votes counted, Mr van Manen was leading Mr Beattie 53.3 per cent to 46.6 per cent, after preferences.

Mr Beattie says the result will come down to 8500 pre-polls.

"Only when we know the pre-poll results will we know whether we'll win or not," he told reporters.

"I'm disappointed Palmer has given his preferences to the Liberals. Had they not, I would have won.

"The odds are against us, but who knows? Whether we win or lose the Labor party has held its head up high in Forde."

Earlier in the day, a confident Mr van Manen told reporters Labor attacks on his business career would make a win on Saturday even more joyful.

"Considering some of the things they've done in the last few days, it'll be very sweet, put it that way," he said.

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Abbott to govern with 30-seat majority

THE federal Liberal-National coalition is likely to govern with a majority of at least 30 seats after a swing of just over three per cent against Labor.

The ALP has become the first two-term federal government to be thrown out of office since Gough Whitlam's regime in 1975.

Tony Abbott's coalition is on track to pick up 90 seats, with Labor holding 57, in the 150-seat parliament, but it won't have a majority in the Senate.

By 9.30pm (AEST), the coalition was ahead in 8 seats and Labor was ahead in 54, with 10 not yet determined.

The other MPs will be Australian Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt, independent Bob Katter who will hold his north Queensland seat of Kennedy, and Andrew Wilkie who's been returned in his Tasmania seat of Denison.

Labor's worst result was in Tasmania, where it suffered a 10 per cent swing and will hold only one of its four seats.

Concerted campaigning in western Sydney appears to have paid off for Labor, with the NSW statewide swing against it down to three per cent.

Despite concerns about a voter backlash in Mr Rudd's home state of Queensland, six Labor seats were likely holds and two were in doubt.

A swing of almost five per cent in Victoria reversed all the gains made in the 2010 election.

In Western Australia and South Australia, Labor suffered a swing of just over five per cent.

One of the biggest surprises of election night was the Palmer United Party.

It picked up 5.7 per cent of the primary vote nationally and appeared on track to put former rugby league star Glenn Lazarus into the Senate for Queensland.

Of the 40 Senate spots up for grabs, the coalition was on track to win 20, with Labor holding 14 and six going to crossbenchers.

Former treasurer Chris Bowen, who held his western Sydney seat of McMahon, said there were still "strong building blocks" in place for Labor to fight back.

"Compared to what we may have faced six or 12 months ago, it's a result which I think will stand us in good stead for the next three years," Mr Bowen said.

Mr Bowen declined to say whether he would run for the Labor leadership.

Liberal Joe Hockey, who will replace Mr Bowen as treasurer, said it had been the worst result for Labor since 1910.

"Our duty to the nation is to be a formidable government led by a formidable prime minister," Mr Hockey said.

"We will deliver a strong economy, and we will get rid of the carbon tax, the mining tax, we will stop the boats."

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke said bringing Mr Rudd back as prime minister and dumping Julia Gillard in June clearly had improved the party's vote, but the infighting had been fatal.

"My view on all of this is the instability that we've seen - and all of us including me have been part of it - must end," Mr Burke said.

He called on Labor to defend its legacy.

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Labor set to lose three seats in Vic

LABOR is likely to lose at least three seats in Victoria and has failed to regain the prized seat of Melbourne from the Greens.

The Liberal Party is well ahead in the seats of Corangamite, Deakin and La Trobe with significant portions of the vote counted.

In McEwen, Labor leads the two-party preferred vote by a little over one per cent.

Labor had hoped it would gain the seat of Melbourne, but Greens MP Adam Bandt has retained the seat with a two-party preferred vote of nearly 56 per cent.

Mr Bandt said it was a win for the people and the refugees.

"There's lots of people who think that there's a better way," Mr Bandt said.

"The real opposition and the real alternative to Tony Abbott's agenda is going to be led by the people of Melbourne in the House of Representatives."

There were significant swings recorded against Labor in several other Labor seats including Bendigo and Ballarat, but the ALP retained the seats.

Former Speaker Anna Burke looks to have held on to her seat of Chisholm, leading by about four per cent on the two-party preferred vote.

In the country Victorian seat of Indi, Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella is facing a tough challenge to retain her seat.

With 50 per cent of the vote counted Ms Mirabella had won 43.4 per cent of the vote compared with independent Cathy McGowan's 32.9 per cent.

Labor has recorded about 11.2 per cent of the vote and the Greens about 3.7 per cent.

The majority of preferences from Labor and the Greens are expected to flow to Ms McGowan.

In the seat of Mallee, the Nationals were battling it out with their coalition counterparts the Liberals, but it appears the Nationals have retained the seat.

The Nationals recorded more than 41.2 per cent of the primary vote, compared to the Liberals' 24.65 per cent.

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Morcombe accused's trial set for February

The trial of the man accused of murdering schoolboy Daniel Morcombe will begin next February. Source: AAP

THE trial of the man accused of murdering Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe will begin next February.

Lawyers for Brett Peter Cowan, 43, appeared in court in Brisbane on Thursday where Supreme Court Justice Roslyn Atkinson confirmed his trial will begin on February 10.

The trial is expected to take six weeks.

Potential jurors could be questioned in an attempt to eliminate any who may be prejudiced by pre-trial publicity.

The strategy was used during jury selection in the trial of former Bundaberg surgeon Jayant Patel.

Justice Atkinson told Cowan's defence barrister Angus Edwards she'd like him to consider doing the same, to which he replied he was considering it.

Mr Edwards sought an extension of time to prepare documents ahead of a pre-trial hearing set to begin on November 6.

Eighteen witnesses had been expected to appear during the week-long hearing, but Mr Edwards said the number of witnesses had since been cut by about a half.

The barrister said he intended to submit evidence of pre-trial publicity to the court in relation to an application to have the trial stopped.

He said if that application was not granted it was unlikely the defence would make another.

Justice Atkinson requested arrangements be made during next year's trial for a room in the building to be made available to Daniel Morcombe's family.

The trial should also be streamed into a separate court for members of the public to allow access, she said.

Daniel was 13 when he went missing while waiting for a bus on the Sunshine Coast in December 2003.

Cowan was committed in February to stand trial for his abduction and murder.

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Versace Macau hotel will fit local culture

Italian fashion house Versace says its Macau hotel will be tweaked to appeal to Chinese culture. Source: AAP

ITALIAN fashion house Versace and Macau casino company SJM say the Versace-themed hotel they're planning for the Asian gambling city will be tweaked to appeal to the local Chinese market and open in 2017

Versace chief executive Gian Giacomo Ferraris said on Thursday that the five-star Palazzo Versace hotel would retain the company's "neoclassical style". But he added, "Clearly there'll be some finetuning with the local culture."

He declined to give more details, saying designer Donatella Versace would be responsible for the design

Versace and SJM Holdings signed a deal last month to build the hotel at SJM's Cotai resort in Macau. The city is a semiautonomous Chinese region that's the world's most lucrative gambling market.

SJM officials said the hotel would open in 2017 and is expected to cost about $HK2.5 billion ($A353.24 million).

The project gives Versace a new way to raise its profile with mainland Chinese, who account for two-thirds of Macau's visitors. It also gives SJM a big-name brand to help keep up with rivals who have a head start on expanding.

Macau raked in $US38 billion ($A41.69 billion) in gambling revenue last year, about six times the amount on the Las Vegas Strip.

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UK rider jailed for assault on ex-jockey

ONE of the Queen's horse riders has been jailed after attacking an ex-jockey in a jealous rage.

Jonathan Nolan, 32, who is a work rider for royal trainer Sir Michael Stoute, battered former jockey-turned-PR director John Maxse after confronting him in Newmarket, Suffolk.

When police arrived, Nolan was so covered in Maxse's blood that they thought he had himself been the victim of a serious assault.

On Thursday, Judge Rupert Overbury jailed him for four years at Ipswich Crown Court, after he admitted grievous bodily harm with intent.

He said: "You carried out a vicious, sustained and unprovoked attack.

"Simply by using your hands and feet you left Mr Maxse looking like the victim of a road traffic accident."

The court heard that Nolan had objected to Maxse's friendship with his ex-girlfriend, Genevieve Hippisley.

Hippisley, the mother of Nolan's three-year-old daughter, watched helplessly as the five-minute attack took place at her home in Corsican Pine Close at 11.30pm on July 21.

One police officer said Maxse's injuries were the most shocking he had seen.

Prosecutor Richard Kelly told the court that Nolan and Hippisley, 26, had broken up after a long relationship.

Earlier on the day of the attack, she sent him a text message saying: "I have tried not to hurt you but you and me are over now."

The prosecutor described how Nolan arrived at his ex-girlfriend's home that night and found Maxse sitting on the sofa.

He attacked the 5ft 6in Maxse who stood little chance against Nolan, who is 6ft 1in and athletically built.

Nolan kicked Maxse several times as he lay on the floor then chased him on to the pavement outside where he continued the attack.

The victim was left with a broken nose, fractured eye socket and fractured cheekbone.

Maxse, former PR director at the Jockey Club and the British Horseracing Authority, was photographed with a black eye and cuts and bruises to his face following the incident.

The 45-year-old former jockey, who works as a communications consultant for Qatar Racing and is a work rider for Michael Bell, said on Twitter that he was left looking like film character Rocky Balboa.

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Abbott proud of best-ever policy package

Tony Abbott wants his proposed commission of audit to run its eye over every part of government. Source: AAP

THE coalition's policy war chest is the best ever taken to an Australian election by an opposition, Tony Abbott reckons.

But there's still scepticism about the party's costings released two days before voters hit the polls.

Hours after shadow treasurer Joe Hockey's policy costing announcement revealed a coalition government would deliver $6 billion to the budget bottom line by 2016/17, plus pay down $16 billion of national debt, Mr Abbott was heralding the efforts of his team.

"No opposition has ever gone to an election with a more carefully, comprehensively and thoroughly prepared set of policies," the opposition leader told reporters on the outskirts of Melbourne on Thursday night.

He said almost 800 pages of coalition policy has been closely scrutinised by three public finance experts, and in many cases, also the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO).

But he refused to publish the working papers behind the figures, saying no political party ever does so.

And he defended those key policies that haven't been processed by the PBO, saying "some policies inevitably were finalised late in the day".

"I am happy to submit myself and to submit our work to the judgment of the Australian people," he said.

He was quizzed about projected savings, including the $1.1 billion stemming from stopping asylum seeker vessels.

Coalition calculations assumed that by the end of 2014 the number of people arriving by boat would return to "the long-term average" but Mr Abbott did not say what that was.

He said it would drop further to 50 people per month or less by the end of 2016.

"We think we can do better than that," Mr Abbott said, adding that they would stop the boats.

"But for the purposes of our costings document and we've been very conservative," he said.

Mr Abbott was asked about his controversial paid parental leave scheme and how the coalition had calculated future receipts on the 1.5 per cent levy imposed on big business to pay for the plan.

"These are issues to do with the ramp up, they're quite technical," Mr Abbott said, insisting the scheme is fully costed and fully funded and has faced the scrutiny of the PBO.

Mr Hockey admitted the coalition's projected $6 billion surplus in 2016/17 was not hugely different to Labor's $4.2 billion figure for the same year, as shown in the pre-election economic and fiscal outlook.

But the shadow treasurer insists coalition spending will drive growth in the economy.

"We're turning the direction around from Labor, which is increasing debt and deficit, to ourselves who are starting to pay it off," Mr Hockey told ABC TV.

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Skaf rapist paroled, brothers face court

THE brothers of Skaf gang rapist Mohammed Sanoussi have been charged over a bashing on the same day he was granted parole.

The news comes after the NSW government revealed it would considering appealing against the parole because "some new and relevant information" was not available at the parole hearing.

The parole authority granted Sanoussi parole under strict conditions on Thursday, including a ban on him associating with the Brothers For Life gang.

Police opposed parole, alleging that members of Brothers 4 Life had been meeting at Sanoussi's family home and his family's had links to the gang.

In court, Judge Terence Christie conceded it appeared Sanoussi's two brothers were members of the gang.

It is believed his two brothers were arrested on Wednesday, along with a cousin and another man.

Police confirmed Ahmed Sanoussi, 30, and Mahmoud Sanoussi, 28, both believed to be his brothers, were charged with bashing a cleaner at Revesby in Sydney's southwest.

Muhammad Sanoussi, 29, believed to be his cousin and another man, 31-year-old Ar'med Bre'aery were also charged.

The men also intimidated a police officer who came to help the man.

Three of the men were given conditional bail in court on Thursday except Mahmoud Sanoussi who is behind bars.

The father of a Skaf gang rape victim is furious that one of the rapists will be released on parole, saying he should rot in jail.

"Let them rot, who cares," he told the Nine Network.

"They don't pay the price.

Sanoussi was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the August 2000 gang rapes of young girls in isolated locations in Sydney's west.

He was 16 at the time of the horrific attacks involving 14 men, led by brothers Bilal and Mohammed Skaf.

Outside court, Sanoussi's lawyer Ruth Layton told reporters she was confident her client would not go back to jail.

"He is utterly changed since the teenager who committed that offence," she said.

The authority had rejected three previous parole applications from Sanoussi.

Judge Christie said Sanoussi's prison performance had been satisfactory and he'd completed programs to address his behaviour.

The judge told the court the parole board was "anxious to ensure he obeys every condition of the parole", of which there are 30 strict conditions.

If the parole remains, he will walk from jail within the next month after serving 13 years.

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Condolences pour in for Tweddle's family

FRIENDS and supporters of Gary Tweddle have offered their condolences to his family after his body was formally identified.

The 23-year-old went missing from a work conference at the Fairmont Resort at Leura, west of Sydney, in the early hours of July 16.

Police revealed on Wednesday night that a body found earlier this week in the area was that of Mr Tweddle.

As the news broke, some of the 4724 people who were part of the Facebook community page "Have you seen Gary Tweddle" offered their condolences online.

Kristy Ratkun wrote: "So not the outcome anyone was hoping for my thoughts are with Gary's family and friends."

Victoria Rose wrote: "may he rest in peace."

Margitta Olup wrote: "He really was blessed and deserved the best in his life, and surely made the most of what it afforded him. He's touched many peoples' lives and will never be forgotten."

"The community of the Blue Mountains send their thoughts of healing and consolation to Gary's family and friends," said Jo Truman.

His family and partner Anika Haigh are yet to make any public statements.

But Ms Haigh took to her Facebook page on Tuesday, before his body was formally identified, to say: "Your time of hide & seek needs to end now though please. Time to come home where you belong. I love you."

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Aust Lexus among worldwide car recall

MORE than 2000 Lexus vehicles will be recalled in Australia as part of a major global recall of Toyotas due to a fault that could cause them to stop mid-journey.

The Japanese auto giant recalled 370,000 vehicles worldwide on Thursday, around 170,000 of them because bolts pinning a valve control system inside the engine could become lose.

In Australia the recall is for two models, with about 2500 vehicles affected.

They are Lexus IS350s built between April 2010 and July 2011 and Lexus RX400Hs built between June 2006 and December 2008.

About 1750 RX400Hs are affected with the possibility of its hybrid system overheating while driving, resulting in damage that may cause the vehicle to stop, a Toyota spokeswoman said.

She said the fault typically occurred when towing or driving with a heavy load.

The spokeswoman also urged owners to avoid rapid acceleration.

About 750 Lexus IS350's are involved in the recall due to bolts that may loosen resulting in an engine rattle.

The spokeswoman said in a worst case scenario the vehicles may stall while driving.

No accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of either issue.

Affected owners will be contacted in coming weeks and repairs will be completed free of charge.

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Dominic Bird acquitted of drugs charges

A Malaysian court has acquitted Australian man Dominic Bird of drug-trafficking charges. Source: AAP

PERTH man Dominic Bird has walked free after a court in Malaysia acquitted him of drug-trafficking charges that carry a mandatory death penalty.

The 34-year-old, originally from the southern Perth suburb of Success, was over the moon following the Wednesday verdict.

"I couldn't be more ecstatic that I'm out of the handcuffs and back to my normal life," he said.

"I can't wait to get back home to Australia and see my family, and see my friends and spend some time with them."

He said he had spoken to his sister in Australia by phone: "All she could say was 'oh my God, oh my God, oh my God'. I think she was crying."

He said he had not spoken to his father yet because his phone was switched off.

Asked what he would do on Wednesday night, Mr Bird replied, "I'll probably eat some junk food and have a drink.

"I've still got to get my arse out of the country."

However, Mr Bird's freedom was short-lived. He was taken into custody by the immigration department because his visa had expired.

Officials said it was merely a technicality and the issue of his visa and passport would be sorted out within the next few days. He would then be free to return to Australia.

In delivering the ruling, Kuala Lumpur High Court's Justice Kamardin Hashim found the prosecution failed to prove its case and the defence raised reasonable doubt.

Mr Bird's lawyer, Muhammed Shafee Abdullah, earlier told the court his client should be acquitted because he was the victim of a "deep-seeded vendetta" on the part of the undercover police officer who had arrested him.

Mr Bird was taken into custody in Kuala Lumpur on March 1 last year, accused of supplying an undercover policeman with 167 grams of methamphetamine.

Inspector Luther Nurjib, the prosecution's star witness, was last week found guilty of contempt of court, for which he was fined RM2000 ($A665), after it emerged he had threatened and attempted to bribe a witness in the case.

Mr Shafee told the court Mr Bird had been "set up" by Insp Nurjib, repeating allegations made earlier in the trial that the detective had a history of shaking down drug dealers to finance a lavish lifestyle.

It has also been alleged Insp Nurjib supplied a smaller five gram sample of methamphetamine, which the police officer claims he obtained from Mr Bird, to another dealer.

It's alleged the police officer had also borrowed so-called "flash money" to purchase the sample of drugs.

"He is a drug trafficker through and through," Mr Shafee said of Insp Nurjib.

"He is a common criminal dressed in a police uniform," he said, adding that Insp Nurjib's entire testimony should be disregarded as his credibility had been destroyed.

Insp Nurjib has since been moved from the narcotics division of the Dang Wangi district police headquarters, and could face further charges.

The prosecution has not decided whether it will appeal the verdict.

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UK soldier 'fired at twitching bodies'

A BRITISH soldier fired a volley of bullets into the "twitching" bodies of Iraqis after a firefight, a public inquiry has heard.

Former army private Duncan Aston told the Al-Sweady Inquiry he also saw a fellow private stamp on the head of a dead Iraqi, and other comrades punch and kick a detainee.

But he did not report the incidents, because he did not want to "grass" on his friends, he said.

The Al-Sweady Inquiry is examining allegations that British troops mistreated and unlawfully killed Iraqi detainees after the Battle of Danny Boy in southern Iraq in May 2004.

The inquiry on Wednesday heard that an "angry" sergeant emptied a magazine into the bodies of Iraqis during the battle of Danny Boy on May 14, 2004.

Aston, who was serving with the 2nd Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (2PWRR), said his platoon sergeant demanded his weapon from him then opened fire on the bodies.

Aston, who had since left the army, also described seeing a fellow private stamp on the body of a dead Iraqi, and other comrades kick a detainee while he was held in a derelict building on the battlefield.

It is claimed that 20 or more Iraqis were unlawfully killed at Camp Abu Naji (CAN) near Majar-al-Kabir on May 14 and 15 2004, and detainees were ill-treated there and later at Shaibah Logistics Base.

But the Ministry of Defence has denied the allegations, saying bodies handed back to Iraqis had died on the battlefield and been taken back to CAN.

Aston, whose nickname was "Trigger", told the inquiry he was sent from nearby Camp Condor after a "rover group" was ambushed as it travelled to CAN.

In a witness statement to the inquiry, he described how, after a firefight with Iraqi insurgents, he was collecting weapons from dead gunmen in a ditch when he noticed two were "twitching".

He said the men appeared to be "somewhere between life and death" but looked past the point of first aid.

Aston recalled his platoon sergeant, Paul Kelly approach the ditch "looking very angry" and try to fire at one of the twitching men, but his weapon did not work.

"He then threw his rifle to the ground and said words to the effect of 'give me your weapon'."

"He put a full magazine of bullets into both bodies that had been twitching but he also fired into the bodies of the other dead gunmen in the ditch."

Sgt Kelly gave the gun back, and the incident was not mentioned between them again, he said.

Earlier this week, Colonel Adam Griffiths said he had not heard anything about detainees being mistreated, and dismissed claims that bodies had been mutilated as "baseless rumours".

Sergeant James Gadsby, who helped unload the Iraqi bodies that were taken back to CAN, said he did not see any injuries on them that did not look like they had been sustained on the battlefield.

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Another man charged over Sydney brawl

A SECOND man has been charged over a brawl in which an off-duty police officer and his friends were set upon when they went to the aid of a man who was being attacked in Sydney's south.

The officer and his three friends were sitting in a Cronulla restaurant about 10.30pm (AEST) on August 31 when a 19-year-old man ran in, asking for help.

The man, who was bleeding from the head, told patrons that his friend was being attacked.

The off-duty officer and his friends went out into the street to help, but were set upon by a group of up to 20 males and assaulted, police say.

Local police, the riot squad and Polair were at the scene soon after.

Police arrested an 18-year-old man on Tuesday and charged him with affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He will appear in Sutherland Local Court on September 26.

Detectives arrested another 18-year-old on Wednesday afternoon.

The San Souci man was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray and robbery.

He's been bailed to appear at Sutherland Local Court on October 3.

Police said the 19-year-old man and his friend were taken to hospital with head wounds and the injured police officer was treated at the scene for a laceration to his chin.

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Coronation Street actor denies sex charges

BRITISH television actor Michael Le Vell has appeared in court accused of raping a young girl.

The actor stood in the dock at Manchester Crown Court on Monday as the charges were read out to him before the start of his trial.

Le Vell, 48, who plays car mechanic Kevin Webster in Coronation Street, is facing 12 charges in all - five counts of rape, three of indecent assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

A slightly different indictment, or list of charges, had been drawn up after a previous hearing, when Le Vell pleaded not guilty to 19 charges.

Before the trial began the new indictment had to be put to Le Vell.

The actor, who is charged under his real name of Michael Turner, was asked to stand in the dock. He shook his head and repeated "not guilty" in a strong voice twelve times to each charge.

The charges span a period of nine years.

The first count alleges touching and digital penetration. Le Vell is also accused of making the child touch him indecently and of raping her.

There are further charges of digital penetration and sexual touching and further counts of vaginal and oral rape.

Le Vell's arrival at court was met by a large group of photographers, TV crews and reporters. Inside there were more than 20 reporters crammed into the press benches in court Three.

The actor, who was with his legal team and a minder, said "Good morning" to the media as he arrived at court.

Le Vell is one of British TV's most famous faces after playing Kevin Webster for the past 30 years.

ITV has said he will not be appearing in any further episodes of the soap pending the outcome of legal proceedings.

His trial before Judge Michael Henshell is scheduled to last around two weeks.

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Syrian war between unsavoury sides: Abbott

Kevin Rudd says Tony Abbott's "baddies versus baddies" comment raises questions about his judgement. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott says Syria's civil war involves "two pretty much equally unsavoury sides" and Australia should be cautious of making a bad situation worse.

Mr Abbott says elements of the Syrian rebel forces are "highly influenced by al-Qaeda" but the Bashar al-Assad regime's use of chemical weapons against its own people is an "unspeakable abomination".

"That's why I say frankly it's a civil war between two pretty much equally unsavoury sides," he told ABC Television's 730 on Monday.

"We've got to be very careful dealing in a powder keg like the Middle East that we don't take action, well-intentioned action, which could end up making a bad situation worse."

Mr Abbott said it was unlikely Australia would be called on to provide military advice or technology to the Syrian rebel forces because Australia doesn't have the capacity needed for the type of intervention the United States is considering.

Earlier on Monday Mr Abbott came under fire from Labor for his weekend description of the Syrian conflict as "baddies versus baddies".

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters in Gladstone on Monday the situation involving the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons against civilians was not a trivial matter.

"Mr Abbott ... trivialises what is a major foreign policy, international relations and national security question," he said.

"The last time I used the term 'goodies and baddies' was when I was playing cowboys and indians in the backyard.

"I think I stopped doing that about the age of 10."

Mr Abbott said British Prime Minister David Cameron and former US president Bill Clinton had used similar language on Syria.

He said using occasional colloquialisms was appropriate in explaining complex situations to the public.

Mr Abbott also said it was unlikely Australia would take in Syrian asylum seekers.

He said people fleeing the conflict could go to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey or Iraq first.

"Almost certainly if people were fleeing the Syrian conflict, they would not be coming to Australia as a country of first asylum," Mr Abbott said.

"Any person fleeing Syria landing up in Australia would be in much the same position as the Hazaras and others who are coming by boat."

The coalition policy is that asylum seekers arriving by boat will be processed offshore.

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Man 'deliberately hit' by car in NSW

A FATHER has suffered head injuries after being hit by a car on the NSW Central Coast in what police say was a deliberate attack.

The 37-year-old was walking with his wife, two children and family dog in Woy Woy on Monday afternoon when he exchanged words with a driver of a passing hatchback.

The driver then allegedly turned around, deliberately drove into him and drove away, police said.

The father was treated for head injuries before being taken to Gosford Hospital.

Police are now looking for a silver Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback which is likely to have a damaged bonnet and windscreen.

Investigators have been told there were up to three people in the hatchback and that it may have been displaying a P-plate.

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Germany tries man, 92, for Nazi war crimes

GERMANY has put a 92-year-old former member of the Nazi Waffen SS on trial on charges that he executed a Dutch resistance fighter in 1944.

Dutch-born Siert Bruins, who is now German, volunteered for the SS after the Nazis conquered The Netherlands in 1941. Bruins served as a member of the Sicherheitspolizei, or Security Police, in a unit looking for resistance fighters and Jews.

No pleas are made in the German legal system and Bruins made no statement on Monday about the accusations against him. His lawyer said Bruins would answer questions during the trial but not about the charges.

"Our tactic will definitely be to keep silent with regard to the charges," lawyer Klaus-Peter Kniffka said earlier.

Despite his advanced age, Bruins was found medically fit to stand trial, though Kniffka said the stress of the proceedings against him has weakened him.

Bruins, who already served time in prison in the 1980s for his role in the slaying of two Dutch Jews, is accused of killing resistance fighter Aldert Klaas Dijkema in September 1944 in the town of Appingedam, near the German border in the northern Netherlands.

If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence.

Dijkema, whose sister has joined the trial as a co-plaintiff, which is allowed under German law, was apprehended by the Nazis on September 9, 1944, on suspicion he was involved in the Dutch resistance.

According to prosecutors, Bruins and alleged accomplice August Neuhaeuser, who has since died, drove Dijkema a short time later to an isolated industrial area where they stopped and told him to "go take a leak."

As he walked away from the car, they fired at least four shots into him, including into the back of his head, killing him instantly, according to the indictment.

Bruins and Neuhaeuser reported that Dijkema was shot while trying to escape.

Because of Bruins' age, daily trial sessions are limited to three hours.

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Mourners gather for Heaney funeral

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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