Ash grounds flights to Darwin, Bali

A massive ash cloud from an Indonesian volcano may disrupt aviation in parts of Australia. Source: AAP

DARWIN remains cut off to all air services until Sunday, and flights from Australia to Bali are now affected, as three separate ash plumes billow from an Indonesian volcano.

The Sangeang Api volcano off the Indonesian island of Sumbawa is now erupting continuously after an initial blast on Friday afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin said on Friday.

Darwin International Airport was closed to all inbound and outbound flights on Saturday, while Bali's airspace is now also affected.

The major plume affecting Australian aviation is sweeping southeast over the west side of the Northern Territory as far south as Alice Springs.

The plume that is affecting Darwin would be around for the next 18 hours to 24 hours, said Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre assistant manager Cyndee Seals.

"It is starting to pull more westerly and it may move a little bit more to the north," she told AAP.

"We can see it right down to the Kimberley."

A second plume, hovering north of Darwin between 9.5km and 16km in the air, may cause problems for flights between Australia and Malaysia and Singapore..

A third, lower-level plume is drifting west from the volcano and is within 100km of Bali.

"The volcano is still erupting as it has done for most of the day, but not as violently as initially erupted but there is a steady plume," VAAC spokesman Tim Birch said.

Virgin Australia spokeswoman Jacqui Abbott confirmed two Saturday afternoon flights to Denpasar - one from Adelaide and on from Melbourne - have now been cancelled.

Qantas Group spokeswoman Kira Reed said Jetstar has cancelled an Adelaide-Denpasar flight that went via Darwin, and all its services to and from Darwin remain grounded.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said it may be days before flights through northern Australia return to normal.

"Depending on wind and other weather conditions, the ash has the potential to affect flights to and from other airports, including Brisbane, during coming days. This is currently being fully assessed," he said.

"Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for further information."

Airservices Australia has begun diverting international flights around the ash cloud.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority says volcanic ash can affect all aircraft with piston or jet engines at all flight levels.

Fine particles of pulverised rock consisting mainly of silica contained in volcanic ash clouds can be highly abrasive and damage aircraft engines, structures and windows.

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Relatives seek new Malaysia plane search

THEIR hopes raised and dashed, relatives of passengers on a missing Malaysia Airlines plane want a new plan to find it after the search was suspended following a new setback.

The 84-year-old mother of Australian passenger Rod Burrows no longer expects to live to see the mystery of Flight 370 solved.

"I doubt it will be in my lifetime," Irene Burrows said on Friday from her home in Biloela in Australia's northeast.

"All I just want is a bit of plane. It's all I want to know - where they are."

Tempers flared on Thursday after the joint centre set up to oversee the search for the jetliner that vanished March 8 said a robot submarine had found no trace of it in a section of the southern Indian Ocean where acoustic signals, or "pings," were detected.

Investigators have concluded that the area where the signals were detected is not the final resting place of the plane.

The search for the plane and the 239 people on board will be suspended for two months while more powerful sonar equipment is brought in, according to the Australia-based Joint Agency Coordination Center.

"Now they say the pings are not from the plane. It's March 8 all over again and I don't like March 8 at all," said an emotional Jacquita Gonzales, whose husband Patrick Gomes was the flight supervisor.

"We are on a roller coaster ride and we have just hit bottom again," she said.

Gonzales said sometimes she is an "emotional wreck" thinking about the fate of her beloved husband but wills herself to be strong. Their 29th wedding anniversary is on Sunday.

"Please find the plane, find my husband and all our loved ones," she said.

Authorities believe the plane, bound from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, turned sharply and flew to the southern Indian Ocean.

Yet not a single piece of the missing Boeing 777 has been found.

The Malaysian official in charge of the search, Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, visited Beijing this week, and relatives asked to meet him but got no reply, said Steve Wang, whose mother was on the plane.

"Something very disappointing has been announced and we want to know what his plan is," Wang said.

This week, the Malaysian government gave in to pressure from families of passengers and released 45 pages of satellite data it used to determine that the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

"It feels like we have been fooled by the authorities. We are now back to square one. I expect them to keep searching. There can't be any closure until we find something," said Lee Khim Fatt, whose wife Christine Foong was a stewardess on the plane.

Lee said he cannot believe that such a big plane can't be detected by satellites and modern technology.

"If satellites can capture the image of a small car with its number plate, why is there no satellite image of this big bird, the 777? Are they hiding something from us?" Lee said.

China renewed diplomatic pressure on the Malaysian government on Thursday in a meeting between Premier Li Keqiang and visiting Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Beijing has tried to placate Chinese relatives of missing passengers by pressing their case with Malaysia while trying to avoid damage to relations with an important trading partner.

"We expect Malaysia to take the leading and coordinating role, come up with a new search plan for the jet at an early date, and take the investigation seriously," Li told Najib, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

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Sydney teen critical as party gatecrashed

A teen is in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed at a party in Sydney's inner west. Source: AAP

IT was meant to be a small gathering of friends for a 14-year-old girl's birthday.

But the get-together at a house in Five Dock, in Sydney's inner west, turned into a violent brawl after gatecrashers showed up.

Now a teenage boy is fighting for his life in hospital after being stabbed several times at the out-of-control party on Friday night.

Another is facing criminal charges.

Police were called to the home on Charles Street and found two injured teenagers in the backyard.

A 17-year-old boy was stabbed in the chest and in his side and is in hospital in a critical but stable condition.

On Saturday a 16-year-old, who also sustained minor head injuries during the brawl, was charged with assault and affray. He was released on bail and is expected to appear at a children's court on June 20.

Another teenager, 17, was allegedly hit in the head with a bottle and was also taken to hospital. He was discharged on Saturday.

It is understood a 14-year-old girl, who was staying at the dual-level brick home with her grandparents, was having friends over for her birthday.

Her grandmother told AAP she allowed the girl to have half a dozen people over but the gathering was gatecrashed.

She said she was coming home from the Blue Mountains when she received a call from her daughter telling her the party had escalated.

"I went straight to Burwood police station," she said on Saturday morning.

It is understood most of the party-goers were from Concord High School.

The granddaughter is now with her father and on her way to Canberra, the woman, who did not want to be named, said.

Burwood police Inspector Michael Penfold said officers faced chaotic scenes when they arrived on Friday night.

He said there was at least one adult home.

Surrounding residents of the usually quiet suburban street heard bottles smashing and people screaming.

Jay Nam looked out her window to see young people on the street yelling at each other.

"Some of the residents came out and tried to get them away from the street," she said.

Next-door neighbour Ed White said the party-goers were about 15 or 16 years old.

"They were really young," he said.

"There was just lights flashing, sirens and cops up and down the street."

Insp Penfold had a warning for parents planning a party for their children.

"One of the main issues is make sure only invited guests attend and adequate security provisions beforehand," he said.

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One dead and six injured in NSW crash

A MAN is dead and six people, including two children, have been injured in a head-on collision at Coffs Harbour on NSW's north coast.

The 58-year-old was killed when a Nissan Pulsar and Ford Falcon collided on Hogbin Drive just before 1pm on Saturday, police say.

The man, a rear passenger in the Falcon, was taken to Coffs Harbour Health Campus but died a short time later.

The driver of the Pulsar - a 31-year-old woman - was taken to hospital with leg and wrist injuries.

Among her passengers, a nine-year-old girl and five-year-old boy were also hospitalised with serious injuries.

The 59-year-old female driver of the Falcon suffered multiple fractures to her arms and legs.

And a 19-year-old man, a passenger in the Falcon, was taken to hospital with internal injuries.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is underway with police urging witnesses to come forward.

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Man found on outback Qld cattle station

A CATTLE station worker has been found after disappearing late Friday in outback Queensland.

Police found the man on the cattle station he worked on near Julia Creek in the state's northwest on Saturday morning.

The 52-year-old had last been seen on Friday afternoon working with a grader on the isolated property on Old Normanton Road, about 97km north of Julia Creek - the largest nearby town.

However, police say other station staff found the grader unoccupied when they went looking for him after he failed to return.

The man was suffering from exposure and taken to Julia Creek for treatment.

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Teacher acquitted of SA woman's murder

A TEACHER has been found not guilty of the 1991 murder of a young mother who was bashed so severely that no blood was left in her dumped body.

Timo Heikki Pasanen, 43, has pleaded not guilty in the South Australian Supreme Court to murdering Yasmin Sinodinos, 26, between December 14 and 18 in 1991.

He told the jury he had sex with her, but could not recall any other details because it was so long ago.

The jury retired on Friday afternoon and returned a not guilty verdict a few hours later.

Prosecutor Sandi McDonald SC said Mr Pasanen was a university student at the time, while Ms Sindonios was a drug-addicted single mother.

"They existed in different worlds but somehow, tragically, in the hours leading up to her death their paths crossed," she said.

Mr Pasanen's DNA was matched to DNA taken from semen found in the body which was found dumped under garden rubbish on the side of a fire track in Adelaide's northeast.

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WA shoplifter jailed over guard attack

A PERTH woman who shoplifted lollies and chips, and then ran over an undercover security guard who confronted her has been jailed for three years.

Narissa Marie Gidgup was with two children when she stole confectionery and cosmetics worth a total of $60 from a Coles supermarket last July.

Gidgup was confronted by a female covert security guard dressed in casual clothes and a male security guard when she sprayed the male guard in the face with deodorant and then tried to flee in a car.

She attempted to run both guards over, but her car got stuck on a bollard, so she turned it around and sped towards the female guard, striking her head-on, the Perth District Court heard on Friday.

The guard was carried onto the bonnet and became trapped under the vehicle as Gidgup drove over her.

Gidgup reversed the car, crashing into a pole and then the car stalled as she tried to flee.

The male guard grabbed the keys from the ignition, but Gidgup then charged at him, the court heard.

He punched her in the face and attempted to grab her cardigan to stop her from leaving, but it was pulled off in the struggle.

Gidgup then removed other garments and spat in his face until police arrived.

The female guard suffered injuries to her legs, hip, ribs and back.

In sentencing, Judge Ronald Birmingham said it was lucky her injuries were not more serious.

Judge Birmingham rejected claims Gidgup was stealing because she was "desperately hungry" for food, saying it was "sly deliberate stealing".

"There was preparation, forethought and certainly persistence in your offending conduct," he said.

Judge Birmingham also noted Gidgup's mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, and lengthy criminal record.

He said she had little remorse and was likely to reoffend.

Gidgup's sentenced was backdated to March 2013 and must serve 18 months behind bars before being eligible for parole.

She will also be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver's licence for two years, to begin upon her release from prison.

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Diver dies in search of South Korean ferry

A DIVER has died during the search for people still missing inside a sunken South Korean ferry.

It's the second such death among divers mobilised since the ferry sank on April 16, leaving more than 300 people dead or missing.

Government task force spokesman Ko Myung-seok says the diver fell unconscious when he was pulled to the surface by fellow divers on Friday.

The diver received CPR and was taken to a hospital on a helicopter but was declared dead there. The exact cause wasn't known.

Ko says the diver was cutting open parts of the ship exterior to make searches easier.

Since the sinking, 288 bodies have been recovered but 16 people are still missing. No new body has been retrieved since May 21.

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Vic agencies unprepared for scale of fire

A VICTORIAN coalmine fire was so big it took agencies responsible for firefighters' health time to adjust to the scale of their task, the state's fire chief says.

Fire Service Commissioner Craig Lapsley has dubbed health monitoring at the Hazelwood mine fire a success but said the response would have to be better at future fires.

The monitoring system was based on previous, smaller fires and agencies improved over the 45 days the fire burned, Mr Lapsley said.

"We had to be agile in the way that we did it," Mr Lapsley told an inquiry into the blaze on Friday.

"The system of work needs to be embedded to ensure that we can deal with not only 30 or 40 firefighters, but the shifts of 200, 300, 400 if it was to happen again."

Fourteen firefighters were hospitalised with carbon monoxide poisoning while battling the blaze.

The inquiry heard the monitoring project was the largest of its kind in the world, with 7000 people being assessed for the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning and 23 WorkCover claims filed.

"I'd say (it was) a very successful operation," Mr Lapsley said.

The inquiry heard the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning at mine fires was known following a 2006 fire, but when the blaze started on February 9 the Country Fire Authority was yet to implement a 2010 draft operating procedure.

Mr Lapsley said it should have been signed off and published earlier.

He was also pressed on why firefighters were not given breathing apparatuses after it was agreed they should be compulsory when entering the mine.

Mr Lapsley said protocols were set around the use of breathing apparatuses in consultation with firefighters who did their own "dynamic risk assessment".

"It was found to be totally impractical to actually wear a breathing apparatus all the time," Mr Lapsley said.

He was also questioned on the possibility of the fire starting within the mine, which he said he could not rule out but was unlikely.

"The probability of having a fire start within the mine from some vehicle movement, mechanical device or other things, you couldn't actually take away," Mr Lapsley said, adding there was no evidence of fires starting from any way other than ember attacks.

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Sydney ferry staff take industrial action

Sydney ferry workers will not collect ferry tickets as part of industrial action across the weekend. Source: AAP

SYDNEY ferry workers have decided to take industrial action this weekend but it will hurt the NSW government rather than ferrygoers.

The Maritime Union of Australia has told its workers not to collect ferry tickets after 6pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the latest salvo in a wages dispute with Harbour City Ferries.

"The workers will still be there to get people on and off the boat," said MUA Sydney assistant secretary Paul Garrett with massive crowds expected in the city for the popular Vivid Festival this weekend.

"We want Harbour City to come and make fair proposals."

Mr Garrett said workers were being asked to take a pay rise that was below inflation while some were being offered work at $500 per week less than before.

Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said she was dismayed by the decision which followed months of negotiations between Harbour City and the unions.

"I am disappointed that both the Maritime Union of Australia and the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers have chosen to take industrial action this weekend, during the popular Vivid Festival," she said in a statement.

"I'm dismayed that the unions would choose to sabotage the Vivid Festival and disrupt the journeys of so many people, including families."

Harbour City Ferries chief executive Steffen Faurby said his organisation would try to minimise disruptions.

"We will continue negotiations, but our main priority is making sure our customers are not inconvenienced," he said.

Mr Faurby said extra services were being run during Vivid.

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State Of Origin tops 2.4 million viewers

More than 2.4 million viewers tuned in to watch Wednesday's State of Origin opener. Source: AAP

NSW'S State Of Origin victory over Queensland was watched by more than 2.4 million viewers, with about half of the audience living in Sydney.

Game one of the series filled the first three spots on OzTAM's overnight ratings because the Nine Network breaks down the coverage into three segments.

The match (2.487 million) was number one in the ratings followed by the pre-match coverage (1.714 million) and the post-game segment (1.348 million) was third.

Of the 2.487 million viewers who tuned in to watch the Blues win at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, 1.288 million lived in Sydney.

There were 747,000 viewers in Brisbane, 426,000 in Melbourne and 86,000 in Adelaide. The game was not screened in Perth.

It was a solid ratings figure for State Of Origin, but well short of the record.

Nine says Game Three in 2012, watched by 2.626 million viewers, was the biggest audience ever for a State of Origin match since official ratings began.

State Of Origin's dominance in the ratings took its toll on a few shows.

Network Ten's reality cooking series MasterChef and its quality drama Offspring were shunted out of the top 10.

MasterChef was 11th with 779,000 viewers and Offspring was a spot further back with 766,000 viewers.

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NBN chief denies role in US disaster

THE executive appointed to run the national broadband network will "vigorously defend" the actions he took while boss of an American gas company before two of its pipelines exploded and killed nine people.

Bill Morrow was appointed as chief executive of NBN Co by the Abbott government in December after stints at major overseas infrastructure companies.

One was at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in the US, where he was chief operating officer in 2006 and chief executive a year later, before leaving in August 2008.

Four months later, a man was killed and five others were injured in Rancho Cordova after a PG&E pipeline explosion was triggered by a teenager lighting a cigarette.

Two years after that, another pipeline exploded in San Bruno, killing eight people, injuring 58 and destroying 38 homes.

Investigations found safety faults with both pipelines. Hundreds of millions of dollars in fines, compensation and restitution have been paid by the company.

Mr Morrow is named in an unsettled consolidated shareholder lawsuit along with 21 other PG&E executives. The company stands accused of putting profits and bonuses before safety.

The suit was filed by PG&E shareholders, who are seeking the return of "lucrative executive compensation packages allegedly approved by senior management at the same time safety budgets were being slashed".

Mr Morrow told a Senate estimates hearing into NBN Co on Thursday he would "continue to vigorously defend the proceedings".

"When the legal process runs its course, it will confirm that my fellow directors, officers and I acted with care, in good faith, and in the best interests of PG&E at all times," he said.

Mr Morrow brought up the issue with the board of NBN Co and the government before his appointment.

He said parties named in the suit included almost every person who was a director or senior officer at PG&E between 1995 and 2013.

"As the matters are still before the US courts, I am unable to comment any further, other than to make one final important point.

"I regard safety as paramount."

Labor senator Stephen Conroy spent the next hour unsuccessfully attempting to extract more information from Mr Morrow.

Committee chairman and Nationals senator John Williams ruled Mr Morrow could decline to comment further because parliamentary privilege would not extend to US courts.

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Experienced drivers' test struggle

MOST experienced motorists might struggle to pass the driving test if they had to take it now, according to a survey.

A total of 50 experienced drivers took a test in an experiment organised by car insurance company Direct Line, with more than three quarters of them failing.

Those who failed recorded an average of three serious or dangerous faults, with one participant committing 10 major faults.

Just one major fault, or more than 15 minor faults, can fail a candidate. In the mock test, the experienced drivers who failed committed an average of 16 minor faults, with one driver recording as many as 42.

One motorist drove at 65km/h in a 50km/h zone, and another failed to see the kerb when doing a three-point turn. One driver even failed to spot a pedestrian by not properly checking his blind spot, forcing the pedestrian to move back onto the footpath.

The vast majority of drivers were awarded minor faults for a lack of concentration behind the wheel and a lack of control over the vehicle, most commonly using the wrong gear and failing to check their mirrors. One driver received 14 minor points for misuse of gears.

Direct Line said complacent driving and a lack of concentration at the wheel could be caused by an over-reliance on in-car driving aids, such as parking sensors or blind spot monitors.

Further research by Direct Line among 4000 UK adults revealed that 68 per cent of UK drivers rely on driving aids behind the wheel, with almost half (48 per cent) of motorists stating that they use a sat nav.

Direct Line's motor director Rob Miles said: "While drivers gain experience with age, it's easy to pick up bad habits that could be potentially dangerous and put other road users at risk.

"Driving aids are becoming increasingly common, and when used correctly, can result in a safer, more-comfortable driving experience.

"However, it's important that drivers don't rely too heavily on these aids, as it can be to the detriment of both their overall ability and concentration on the road ahead."

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Cash to Vic athletes to Commonwealth Games

The Victorian government has granted $450,000 to help athletes travel to the Glasgow Games. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S Commonwealth Games team has received a $450,000 boost from the Victorian government to help them to travel to Scotland for the Games.

Premier Denis Napthine and Sports Minister Damian Drum announced the grant on Thursday, with the money going to the Victorian Commonwealth Games Association to assist Victorian athletes with travel costs.

"We expect that Victoria will once again punch above its weight. We expect that while we are only 25 per cent of the Australian population, over 30 per cent of the selected teams will be Victorians," Dr Napthine said.

"That's a great tribute to the skill of Victoria and also our grassroots sports, our VIS (Victorian Institute of Sport), and our coaches and our sports system.

"We wish all the athletes well, and our $450,000 will help our athletes as they go for gold in Glasgow."

The Commonwealth Games begins in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 23.

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Buffett's older sister called in to help

Warren Buffett's older sister is helping to ensure the billionaire's fortune goes to just causes. Source: AAP

WHEN Warren Buffett announced in 2006 that he would give away his billions, he was flooded with individual requests for help that still flow in today.

Instead of tossing the letters aside, Buffett packages them up and sends them to his big sister Doris. With the help of seven women, her Sunshine Lady Foundation scrutinises each request to find people who have come upon bad luck through no fault of their own.

"She just believes that a lot of people got short straws in life, and she wants to help them," Warren Buffett said.

It's rare for philanthropists to respond to individual requests, said Northeastern University professor Rebecca Riccio, who teaches philanthropy and interviewed the siblings last year. Buffett, 83, and his 86-year-old sister worked out the unusual arrangement because neither wanted to disregard the requests, but Buffett also wanted to focus on running Berkshire Hathaway.

"I think Warren and Doris do not have it in them to ignore those letters," Riccio said.

Warren Buffett sent his sister $5 million initially to cover the cost of responding to his letters and promised more money if she needed it. The siblings didn't want to say exactly how much Doris has given to the letter writers so far.

Many of the requests are simple: A man who needed a new glass eye. The grandmother who wanted a tombstone for the three children she lost. A disabled woman who needed a car to visit her daughter and grandchildren.

"These are decent people who just didn't have the breaks somebody else did," Doris Buffett said.

She said her drive to help people developed during the Great Depression, when she saw people struggling with such basic needs as hunger and shelter. That desire grew as she faced her own disappointments, including four divorces and the loss of a $12 million fortune in the stock market crash of 1987.

Doris Buffett started the Sunshine Lady Foundation in 1996 after inheriting money. Through it, she has also given away $150 million of her own money, focusing primarily on larger programs such as scholarships for domestic violence victims, college education for prison inmates and efforts to help people with mental illnesses.

Riccio says Doris Buffett's personal connections to recipients and her willingness to provide so many small gifts sets her apart.

"She cares about people, not about the prestige or the perception of her as a philanthropist," Riccio said.

Doris Buffett focuses her foundation's main giving on the communities where she lives: Fredericksburg, Virginia; Wilmington and Beaufort, North Carolina, and Rockport, Maine. But she doesn't confine her gifts to those places.

Steven Lewicki spent 15 years in prison for a string of bank robberies, but during that time earned his associate's degree thanks to a college program inside Maine State Prison funded by Doris Buffett's foundation.

When he was freed, Lewicki finished his bachelor's degree at the University of Maine at Augusta and got a job with a group that advocates for prisoners.

"I feel an obligation to Doris," Lewicki said. "I feel an obligation to honour her philanthropy and her integrity and her guidance and all of that."

Doris Buffett's main goal is to provide one-time aid and, whenever possible, connect people with other forms of help. But she knows there are limits to what she can do.

"I can't change somebody's life, but I can make it possible for them to do so," she said.

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Ice addict thief spared extra jail time

A HOMELESS ice addict who went on a $20,000 spending spree across Sydney using credit cards stolen from mailboxes has been spared extra time in prison.

Kayla Hemmings, 25, received a minimum sentence of 18 months at the NSW District Court on Tuesday for deliberately lighting a fire at the historic Sydney pub, the Lansdowne Hotel, which caused $2 million damage.

Magistrate Eve Wynhausen said she took Tuesday's punishment into account at Central Local Court on Wednesday when she sentenced Hemmings to concurrent sentences, the longest a nine-month jail term, for a string of offences including credit card theft.

Ms Wynhausen said Hemmings had shown remorse for the two-week spending binge in October 2013, which was funded by bank cards stolen from mailboxes on Sydney's north shore.

By the time Hemmings was charged on October 31, 2013, her spending included 48 separate transactions on a credit card totalling just under $5000 and using a David Jones store card to buy two Apple Mac Pro laptops worth more than $5000.

Hemmings' counsel, Mary Underwood, told the court at her sentencing on Wednesday that her client had been using the drug ice at the time and under the influence of her boyfriend.

"I am not excusing her actions, but she did not have a serious criminal record ... until she was in a relationship with someone that amplified this behaviour," Ms Underwood said.

The lawyer said Hemmings was introduced to amphetamines as a teenager by her mother.

"Unfortunately, she's had a number of converging events," Ms Underwood said.

"There's been abuse, physical and sexual, she got pregnant and was abandoned, she was introduced to ice and got mixed up with domestic violence."

Ms Wynhausen said Hemmings' offending had cost the community tens of thousands of dollars.

"I hope that once she is released from custody, she gets her life in order," she said.

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Elder's 'stolen wages' claim dismissed

AN Aboriginal elder's claim for wages he says were stolen by the state has been thrown out of court due to a lack of evidence.

Conrad Yeatman, 74, was seeking $35,000 for wages he said were never paid to him when he worked as a carpenter and labourer in north Queensland in the 1950s.

Under the Aboriginals Preservation and Protection Act 1939 part of his wages were placed in the trust of the superintendent of the Yarrabah mission where he lived.

Mr Yeatman's District Court claim said that while some of his earnings were paid out when he became exempt from the law in 1958, 70 pounds that he earned working on a station was never recovered.

However, Justice David Andrews granted a state bid to put the case on hold permanently after exhaustive searches found almost no financial documentation, and that potential witnesses were dead.

"The defendants have effectively no evidence whatsoever to test these claims," the judge said.

Justice Andrews said it wasn't disputed that Mr Yeatman's savings had been managed by the superintendent but the money could have been withdrawn on his behalf for food or other reasons.

There was some evidence money had been spent on the indigenous teen for clothes, medical expenses and trips.

"I don't accept Mr Yeatman is capable of giving a useful account of the number and amounts of payments made for and on his behalf," the judge said.

Mr Yeatman, whose claim was seen as a test case and was backed by the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU), must also pay the state's legal costs.

His lawyer Charles Massy said it was an immensely disappointing outcome and the team was considering an appeal.

In 2002, former premier Peter Beattie acknowledged that as much as $500 million may have been stolen from Aborigines' wages.

Mr Beattie offered $55 million in compensation, and a reparation scheme subsequently paid out about $35 million to 7000 applicants.

Mr Yeatman was offered the maximum $7,000 reparation but knocked it back as inadequate.

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Row over green reforms derails debate

A STRAIGHTFORWARD proposal to change the way fees are managed under national environment law has been sidetracked by a lengthy debate about the Abbott government's green credentials.

The non-controversial bill allows for cost recovery for environmental impact assessments, and on Wednesday cleared the first hurdle of parliament with bipartisan support.

But Labor's environment spokesman Mark Butler used the occasion to move an amendment condemning the government's plan to create a "one-stop-shop" for environmental approvals.

"In eight short months... this government has shown itself to have scant regard indeed for its responsibilities to protect and nurture Australia's environment," Mr Butler told the chamber.

Critics claim the proposal will erode environmental protections by handing federal powers to the states but the government argues it will deliver faster approvals and reduce regulatory duplication.

The amendment failed, and Environment Minister Greg Hunt pushed the bill through in a vote.

He said almost all state governments - Liberal and Labor - strongly supported the reforms on the table.

"The only people opposed to this reform are the current members of the federal opposition," he said.

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HK man charged over undeclared $A300,000

A HONG Kong national has been charged after attempting to leave Australia with $300,000 in undeclared cash he had stashed in his luggage.

The 31-year-old man was picked up at Melbourne's International Airport after customs officers found the money on Tuesday.

The officers also retrieved the man's customs declaration, which confirmed he had not declared he was exporting excess currency.

Federal police stopped the man leaving Australia on a Hong Kong-bound flight.

After his arrest, he faced charges of money-laundering and dealing with money suspected of being the proceeds of crime.

He is expected to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court at a later date.

Victorian regional commander Graham Krisohos of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service said there was no limit to the amount of currency that could be brought in or out of Australia.

However, "if you have more than $10,000 of currency, you must declare it to a Customs and Border Protection officer before you enter or leave the country", Mr Krisohos said.

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Model Schiffer's UK home hit by fire

PARTS of supermodel Claudia Schiffer's English home have been damaged in a blaze.

Up to 50 firefighters were called to the mansion at Coldham Hall in Lawshall, Suffolk, on Monday.

The star has lived at the 16th century property with her husband, film producer Matthew Vaughn, since 2002. They have three children.

A number of outbuildings and stables, including a clock tower, were damaged in the fire which took crews more than two hours to extinguish, Suffolk Fire Service said.

It is understood eight fire crews managed to prevent the flames spreading to the Grade I-listed hall.

The hall is set in 16 hectares, and the couple reportedly paid STG5 million ($A9.1 million) for it.

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Letter bid to block Vic child abuse bill

ANTI-VIOLENCE groups want three Nationals MPs to block new Victorian laws that they fear will turn women who fail to report child sexual abuse into criminals.

Opponents say they broadly support the child protection bill's aim but one clause risks criminalising women who fail to report child abuse in their family out of fear for their own safety.

With the Legislative Council set to debate the bill this week, leaders from nine organisations have jointly written to the three National MLCs - Danny O'Brien, David O'Brien and Minister for Sport, Recreation and Veterans' Affairs Damian Drum - asking them to vote it down.

Dr Chris Atmore of the Federation of Community Legal Centres said the bill ignores previous research and best practice in the field of domestic violence.

"We hope that at least one Nationals MP will vote based on the evidence and not political expediency," she told AAP.

"We have had very little in the way of a response to our concerns from government MPs but in contrast we have had a fair amount of discussion with the opposition and the Greens, who are concerned about reducing domestic violence but seem to understand our concerns with (the) clause."

A spokesperson for the Nationals said a bi-partisan committee had strongly recommended that all adults have a duty to tell police about child sexual abuse.

"The legislation makes clear that a person does not commit an offence if they have a reasonable fear for their own or someone else's safety and if it is reasonable for them not to inform police in the circumstances of family violence they face."

Labor and the Greens hold 19 seats in the 40-seat Legislative Council and are likely to vote against the bill.

The Liberals have 18 seats and their coalition partner the Nationals hold three seats.

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Man, 21, burned in Sydney gas fireball

A GAS-FUELLED fireball in a busy northern Sydney shopping plaza has left a man with serious burns.

The 21-year-old was rushed to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital with burns to his lower body after a gas main caught alight about 1pm (AEST) on Monday at the front of a shop in Lane Cove.

He was reported to be in a stable condition.

The local primary school was locked down and about 150 people were moved to safety as firefighters monitored the fire.

They decided not to put the fire out, opting instead to ask the gas company to shut the gas down - which it did an hour later.

"It's actually safer to allow the gas to burn," Superintendent Ian Krimmer told AAP.

"If you put the fire out, you create a bigger problem because the gas leak could go to other areas and cause explosions in other locations."

As the gas was being shut off, six fire crews were protecting buildings, while police kept Longueville Road closed to all traffic.

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Modern Family wedding lifts Ten's ratings

The first battle round of The Voice was the No.1 show on Sunday night with 1.865 million viewers. Source: AAP

NETWORK Ten will be showering Modern Family with confetti after Mitch and Cam's same-sex wedding performed well in the ratings on Sunday, despite being against The Voice and House Rules.

The second half of Mitch and Cam's wedding on Modern Family was ninth on OzTAM's overnight ratings with 808,000 viewers.

The first part of the double episode was 12th with 699,000 viewers.

The US sitcom was in direct competition against the Nine Network's singing series The Voice and Seven Network's reality renovation program House Rules.

The first battle round of The Voice was the No.1 show with 1.865 million viewers, and House Rules was fourth with 1.264 million.

The Voice has won the ratings every night it has screened this season.

Separating the The Voice and House Rules on Sunday were Seven News (1.390 million) and 60 Minutes (1.289 million) which were second and third respectively.

Ten's reality cooking MasterChef also held up well against The Voice to be seventh with 948,000 viewers.

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Gold output off to a slippery start

Gold production in Western Australia's goldfields region has got off to a weak start for the year. Source: AAP

GOLD production in Western Australia's goldfields region has got off to a weak start for the year, with wet weather wreaking havoc at several mines.

Output dropped seven per cent to 68 tonnes between the March and December quarters as intense storm systems dumped rain on large areas of the state, Melbourne-based gold mining consultants Surbiton Associates said in a report.

On an annual basis, the amount of gold produced was up eight per cent.

During the March quarter, the Regis Resources Duketon Gold Project, near Laverton, was badly affected as 4.7 million tonnes of water flooded the Garden Well open pit to a depth of 45 metres.

Meanwhile, Norton Gold Fields' Paddington operations near Kalgoorlie reported 278 millimetres of rain during the quarter - more than double the region's average annual rainfall.

Surbiton Associates director Sandra Close said gold production was often affected by rain early in the year, as tropical cyclones sweep in from the Timor Sea.

"Wet weather forced many mines to cut ore production and restrict ore haulage in the March quarter," Dr Close said.

"This meant they had to rely on lower-grade, stockpiled material part of the time to keep their treatment plants running near capacity."

She said the grade of ore fell by around six per cent overall.

Despite the fall in output, some new capacity helped boost production as the Tropicana project reached full capacity and the new Mungari treatment plant near Kalgoorlie was commissioned.

US mining giant Newmont's two WA operations - Boddington mine and the Kalgoorlie Superpit joint venture - produced the most gold, followed by Newcrest's Cadia East/Ridgeway operation in NSW and its Telfer mine in central WA.

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Labor senator 'spied on', committee hears

Labor senator John Faulkner may have been spied on in parliament house, a hearing has been told. Source: AAP

A PARLIAMENTARY official may have wrongfully accessed security camera footage of another official talking to veteran Labor senator John Faulkner.

Senior officers in the Department of Parliamentary Services accessed nine minutes of security camera footage while investigating a code of conduct case against an employee.

Department secretary Carol Mills has told a Senate estimates hearing the footage was properly released under guidelines which allowed its use in cases where it was needed to "provide evidence upon which to take criminal and civil proceedings".

However Ms Mills told the hearing on Monday that while the footage, which had been sought by human resources officers, was being examined, there may have been an "inadvertent breach of the statement of purpose".

She said the part of the footage in question involved a person "doing other activities in the building other than that for which the CCTV footage was released".

While she declined to say what those activities were, Senator Faulkner asked whether the footage involved someone giving information to him.

"It may do," Ms Mills said.

Senator Faulkner said it was a "serious issue of parliamentary privilege" and he would seek an investigation.

"That a senator in this parliament is being spied on as they go about the proper conduct of their duties - no one in this place is ever going to accept that," he said.

The committee went into a private session to discuss the issue further.

In 2011 Senator Faulkner led an inquiry into the DPS, which he described as "the worst administered government department" he had ever come across.

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Taliban frees 24 Afghan hostages

TALIBAN militants have released 24 hostages who were seized in northeastern Afghanistan last week, an official says.

Taliban fighters captured Yamgan, a remote mountainous district in Badakhshan province on Wednesday, and took 40 policemen hostage.

Police recaptured the area on Friday.

"Tribal elders negotiated with Taliban and freed 24 hostages, most of who are policemen, but held three senior ranked officials," said Nawid Frotan, the governor spokesman for Badakhshan province.

Earlier, Fazluddin Ayyar, the provincial police chief said that 15 policemen were freed in Friday's operation.

Frotan said that the three senior ranked officials were a district police chief, a district prison chief and a member of the secret service.

The Taliban have launched their spring offensive, targeting Afghan and NATO troops, and government employees.

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'Callous' NSW thieves take surf rescue 4WD

SURF lifesavers in a small NSW town fear lives could be put at risk after "callous" thieves made off with their club's 4WD rescue vehicle.

Surf Life Saving's far south coast director Andrew Edmunds says thieves broke into the Batemans Bay Surf Life Saving club on Saturday night and took the 4WD.

Mr Edmunds told AAP the loss of the vehicle - which is used to tow rescue boats onto the beach and assist with launching them in emergencies and also to transport injured beachgoers - is a major blow to the community.

He said the thieves would have known precisely what they were doing.

"It's got 'Surf Rescue' written all over it," Mr Edmunds said on Sunday afternoon.

"I honestly have no understanding why someone would do something so callous."

He said the $20,000 replacement cost for the vehicle is a "huge" amount of money for the 12,000-strong town of Batemans Bay and could take years to raise.

Patrol season starts up again in September, but even in winter, lifesavers "can get called out any day of the week".

"It's a horrible thing to have happened to a local club and I just hope that it's not a local, and I hope lives aren't put at risk as a result of this," he said.

"It's a big blow. We'll still respond (to calls for help) and we'll still do our best but it's a major setback."

Anyone with information can contact Batemans Bay police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Gunmen kill 6 police officers in Pakistan

GUNMEN have stormed a tribal police post in southwestern Pakistan, killing six police officers and wounding three, authorities say.

The attack took place in Wadh area of Baluchistan province's Khuzdar district, where insurgents have launched previous attacks, said Baroz Khan, a senior government official.

Officers manning the post returned fire and pushed the gunmen back toward nearby mountains, Khan said. Reinforcements from the paramilitary Frontier Corps later reached the post, some 300 kilometres south of Quetta, the provincial capital, he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on Baluch nationalist groups who have claimed responsibility for such attacks in the past.

For over a decade, Baluchistan has been the scene of a low-intensity insurgency by some nationalist groups demanding autonomy or a greater share from mineral and gas resources being extracted from the impoverished province. It is also believed to be home to many Afghan Taliban members.

Residents say a crackdown has sparked disappearances in Baluchistan blamed on security forces. They say the disappearances swelled in the mid-2000s, when Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government cracked down on insurgents there.

Two years ago, the Voice for Baluch Missing Persons organisation handed the United Nations a list of 12,000 names they said belonged to people missing in the conflict.

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Belgians vote, brace for new stalemate

Belgians have begun casting their vote for a new national parliament. Source: AAP

BELGIANS are casting their vote Sunday for a new national parliament, amid fears that a fresh political stalemate may be in the making for the fissured country.

The last federal elections in 2010 left Belgium without a government for a world-record 541 days, because of a rift between the Dutch-speaking Flanders region and French-speaking Wallonia.

"The formation of a government could prove difficult after the elections this time too," Julie Cantalou of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom liberal think tank predicted, pointing to expectations that the nationalist N-VA party will emerge victorious.

The conservative party - the largest in Flanders - would like to eventually see Belgium break up along its linguistic lines.

It came in first nationally during the 2010 elections, but was then locked out from the government negotiations after its hardline leader, Bart De Wever, outright rejected proposed reforms.

In the end, Socialist leader Elio Di Rupo managed to form a six-party coalition government that did not include the N-VA.

Whether the Flemish nationalists could be shut out of new coalition talks is questionable, analysts say. The Socialists - the largest party in Wallonia - may have to end up sitting at the negotiating table with the diametrically opposed N-VA.

"With around a third of Flemish votes, the N-VA is an almost indispensable interlocutor for coalition talks," Cantalou noted.

A renewed stalemate could come at an economic cost for Belgium.

During the 2010-11 political crisis, for instance, the country saw the interest rates on its debt rise to challenging levels.

A new deadlock or a quarrelling coalition could be "a significant barrier to resolving Belgium's deteriorating competitiveness," Michael Pearce of the Capital Economics research group warned.

The national elections will also be the first real test for Belgium's King Philippe, who took over the throne from his father last July.

The monarch will play a role by tasking leading politicians to form a government or appointing mediators.

The vote takes place under the pall of a deadly shooting on Saturday at the Jewish Museum of Belgium, in which three people were killed by an unknown individual who fired a gun into the building before fleeing the scene. The motives were initially unclear.

Belgians will also be casting ballots on Sunday for the country's regional legislatures and for a new European Parliament.

The last polls close at 4pm (1400 GMT), with results expected in the evening.

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UK deputy PM facing Lib Dem calls to quit

THE leadership of British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has been questioned by some of his own MPs as Liberal Democrat candidates joined voices urging him to quit over dismal election results.

The Deputy Prime Minister has insisted he is staying despite the party losing more than 250 councillors in local elections and anticipating another rout when European election results emerge later.

Southport MP John Pugh suggested that a dozen of his Commons colleagues had expressed doubts to him over whether Clegg should continue at the head of the party.

An internal "post-mortem" of the poor night at the polls - in which the party was almost or entirely wiped out in some former strongholds - "has to include a truly open, mature and balanced look at our whole strategy, including the leadership issue", the Southport MP told the Sunday Times.

"Although I admire enormously Nick's bravery, it does not follow that because the captain should go down with the ship that the ship has to go down with the captain."

Fellow Lib Dem MP Adrian Sanders, who represents Torbay, said: "The problem is the messenger, very few people say it's the message."

Clegg has conceded that the strongly pro-EU party could lose all 11 of its MEPS when results are declared later on Sunday and even the most optimistic polls suggest only a handful will survive.

As the scale of the losses became clear, Clegg said he would "absolutely not" resign, and insisted the Lib Dems were still succeeding where they focused on their achievements in coalition.

He blamed a wider "anti-politics mood" but his party has suffered in opinion polls, with ratings at consistently low levels since joining the Conservative-led coalition.

Two would-be MPs are among more than 600 people who have signed up to the online LibDems4Change campaign which has published an open letter calling on Clegg to step down.

Jackie Porter, who is set to fight the Conservative-held target seat of Winchester in next May's general election, said the party was "not going forward with a clear strategy".

The county councillor said the party's achievements were overshadowed because Clegg "allowed himself to be portrayed as just another pea out of the same pod" as Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband.

To win back support, the party needed to demonstrate it was different, she said.

If Clegg refuses to quit, a leadership contest would be triggered if 75 local party associations formally demanded one, or if a majority of the parliamentary party approved a no-confidence motion.

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