'Foreign' gunmen shoot Kenya mall shoppers

Gunmen have opened fire inside an upmarket mall in Kenya's capital of Nairobi. Source: AAP

GUNMEN who attacked a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi were speaking in a foreign language and were seen executing a number of shoppers, an eyewitness says.

"They were not speaking Swahili. They spoke something that seemed like Arabic or Somali, but I'm not sure as I don't speak those languages," the witness, who only wanted to give his first name, Jay, said after fleeing the mall.

"I saw people being executed after being asked to say something," he said, adding he had seen 11 dead bodies inside the mall.

Masked gunmen stormed the upmarket mall on Saturday and sprayed gunfire on shoppers and staff, killing at least six, before holing themselves up in the complex with hostages.

Police were going shop-to-shop to evacuate terrified people from the Westgate, which is popular with wealthy Kenyans and expatriates and generally packed on weekends.

The attackers sprayed gunfire inside the four-storey mall, causing a huge panic before police units moved in to secure the compound's exits and the situation evolved into a standoff.

"They have seven hostages, confirmed," a police officer said at the scene as security forces were trying to secure a multi-screen cinema complex.

A reporter saw at least 20 people rescued from a toy shop on one of the upper floors of the mall.

Dozens of wounded, some of them bleeding children, were stretchered away from the mall.

A shop manager who managed to escape said at one point "it seemed that the shooters had taken control of all the mall".

Shocked people could be seen running away from the Westgate centre clutching children while others crawled along walls to avoid stray bullets.

"The gunmen tried to fire at my head but missed. At least 50 people were shot. There are definitely many casualties," mall employee Sudjar Singh said.

"I saw a young boy carried out on a shopping cart, it looked like he was about 5 or 6. It looked like he was gone, he was not moving or making any noise."

Vehicles riddled with bullet holes were left abandoned in front of the mall as police instructed residents of the Westlands neighbourhood to stay away.

"Our officers are on the ground carrying out an evacuation of those inside as they search for the attackers who are said to be inside," Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said.

"We have managed to evacuate some people to safety. We urge Kenyans to avoid the area as we pursue the thugs," Kenya's interior ministry said on Twitter.

The Westgate mall, which opened in 2007, has restaurants, cafes, banks, a large supermarket and a cinema that attract thousands of people every day and have made it a Nairobi landmark.

It is popular with the large expatriate community living in the residential neighbourhoods around it, including with foreign staff from the United Nations, which has its third largest global centre nearby.

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New Sea World addition too cute to 'bear'

HE'S so cute he melts women's hearts and even grown men can't bear it.

Meet Henry - an adorable 19-week-old polar bear who is about to make a big splash at Sea World on the Gold Coast.

Staff at the theme park have fallen in love with Henry and he's sure to capture the hearts of hundreds when making his public debut on Saturday.

"Even the males who don't have an emotional bone in their body go 'oooh aaah'," Sea World's Director of Marine Sciences Trevor Long told AAP.

"Some staff members have been brought to tears when they see Henry.

"He is very cute and it is so special that people on the Gold Coast can look at a polar bear because there aren't many zoos in the world which have one."

Mr Long says Henry will captivate crowds as he explores his new exhibit 'Polar Pre-School' which he inhabits with his mother Liya.

However, those wanting to catch a glimpse of the cub should be prepared to fit in with his schedule.

"He plays for about 40 minutes, gets tired, goes for a sleep and then comes out again," Mr Long said.

Mr Long says Henry is about the size of a grown samoyed dog with the energy of a four-year-old child charged up on red cordial.

"He's about 12kg to 15kg," he said.

"He's very adventurous. Being a male he's very inquisitive and wants to learn new things."

Henry's cuteness also won't last forever as he is expected weigh between 550kg and 600kg once fully grown.

Sea World built its polar bear exhibit in 2000 with the aim of breeding the vulnerable species.

The first and last polar bear successfully bred in Australia was born in Adelaide in 1985.

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Economy-wide spending bounced in August

ECONOMY-WIDE spending bounced in August and is expected to rise further now that the federal election is out of the way.

Sales increased by 3.0 per cent last month, seasonally adjusted, after dropping by 1.9 per cent in July, according to the Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator.

But in trend terms, spending rose by 0.3 per cent, its slowest growth rate in 11 months.

CBA describes the seasonally-adjusted measure as being more volatile.

CommSec chief economist Craig James said the index, which tracks spending by business and government as well as consumers, should be viewed in the context of the positive signs being seen in the economy.

"Although the latest figures show consumers are still wary about opening their wallets, the broader economic climate gives few reasons for people to be glum," Mr James said.

"Consumer confidence is up post-election, while both interest rates and unemployment remain at historically-low levels.

"We expect to see a pick-up in spending over the medium term now that the federal election is behind us."

According to the figures, the amusement and entertainment sector had the strongest sales, up 6.5 per cent in trend terms.

The biggest falls were seen in utilities, but the weather could be to blame for that, said CBA local business banking general manager Adam Bennett.

"Some of those industries that have experienced a decline in sales, such as utilities, have been impacted by anomalies such as the unusually warm winter, rather than any long-term trends," he said.

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Nantrepreneurs take the lead in business

FORGET knitting and pie-baking - Aussie grandmas are going into business.

Australian women aged over 65 have been starting their own businesses at a rate higher than any other age group over the last decade, with nantrepreneurs setting up 18,500 businesses in the last 10 years, according to the annual Bankwest Business Trends Report.

Over the last year, the number of over-65 female business owners jumped by 15.1 per cent, compared to one per cent growth by men in the same age bracket.

Bankwest business banking general manager Sinead Taylor said the figures showed older Australian women were looking for ways to boost their retirement incomes.

Over-65 women were primarily starting businesses in the 'other services' category, such as hairdressing, photography and gardening, she said.

"This trend can be attributed to a variety of factors like lifetime personal goals and people pursuing new interests," Ms Taylor said.

"There's also the impact of the global financial crisis on retirement nest eggs, forcing some retirees to supplement their superannuation by starting their own businesses.

"Age is certainly no barrier to entrepreneurialism."

Overall, the number of Australians running their own business declined by four per cent in the year to May.

The only other age group to see an increase in business self-starters in the past year were the under-25s, with 2.5 per cent of workers in that age bracket owning their own business.

Ms Taylor said challenging economic conditions were driving entrepreneurs to seek the security of being an employee rather than an employer.

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UK mother accused of starving boy, 4

THE mummified corpse of a four-year-old boy was found in a cot in his mother's bedroom almost two years after he starved to death, a British jury has been told.

Hamzah Khan's body was still dressed in a baby-gro when police made the "dreadful discovery" at his house in Bradford, West Yorkshire, a court heard.

Details of how Hamzah's body was found in September 2011 were outlined when his mother Amanda Hutton went on trial at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday.

Hutton, 43, denies her son's manslaughter.

Prosecutor Paul Greaney QC told the jury that Hamzah died when he was four-and-a-half years old on December 15, 2009.

But the barrister said his remains were found 21 months later in clothing intended for a baby aged six to nine months.

He said these clothes fitted him because his growth had been stunted after being malnourished over a lengthy period and that state of affairs resulted in his death.

"In short, he starved to death," Greaney said.

Hamzah's body was found after police community support officer Jodie Worsley spoke to Hutton and became concerned about the smell coming from her house.

The prosecutor said Hutton was an abuser of alcohol and cannabis.

The jury was also told that Hutton ordered pizza within hours of her son's death and continued to claim child benefit for him.

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Qld man dies in hospital after car crash

A MAN seriously injured in a crash on the Bruce Highway in August has died.

The 29-year-old had been in the Princess Alexandra Hospital since rolling his car at Parklands on the Sunshine Coast on the evening of August 31, police say.

The Mooloolah Valley man died from his injuries on Wednesday.

Investigators are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Earlier Wednesday, a five-year-old boy died two days after a horrific crash on the New England High west of Brisbane.

A 37-year-old local woman was also killed when a truck and a 4WD collided on the highway near Toowoomba on Monday morning.

The seriously injured boy died in the Mater Children's Hospital.

Two other children under the age of 11 remain in hospital with serious injuries.

The 35-year-old man who was driving the truck sustained minor back injuries.

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LSD guru Timothy Leary's files go public

A New York library has released a vast trove of papers belonging to LSD guru Timothy Leary. Source: AAP

A TROVE of Timothy Leary's files could shed new light on the LSD guru, his controversial research into psychedelic drugs and the emergence of the 1960s counterculture.

The New York Public Library acquired the vast archive for an undisclosed sum from the Leary estate in 2011. It is making the material available on Wednesday for the first time to scholars and the public.

Leary was fired as a psychology lecturer at Harvard and coined the phrase "turn on, tune in, drop out". He advocated the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs including LSD.

Much of the material is previously unpublished. Leary estate trustee Denis Berry says it will force a reworking of the current narratives on Leary and the counterculture.

Leary died in 1996.

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Bus and train collide in Canada

A VIA Rail passenger train and a transit bus have collided at a crossing in Canada's capital, Ottawa, reportedly causing "multiple fatalities".

Witnesses say the front end of the double-decker bus was ripped off by the impact.

Ottawa Fire spokesman Mark Messier told CP24 television there are "multiple fatalities" and a number on the bus are injured.

Messier says there were no injuries on the train.

The accident occurred just outside a suburban train station in the city's west end in the middle of the morning commute.

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Exercise keeps the brain healthy: research

PEOPLE who do regular physical activity have healthier brains and reduce their risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a report released to mark dementia awareness week.

Apart from overall health benefits, physical activity significantly improves brain health, says Dr Maree Farrow, co-author of a paper released by Alzheimer's Australia and Fitness Australia.

"About half of Alzheimer's disease cases are potentially attributable to risk factors you can change," says Dr Farrow, whose paper is based on recent Australian and international research.

A study by US researchers shows that around 13 per cent of Alzheimer's disease cases are attributable to physical inactivity.

And Australian research shows a small increase in the number of physically active people could have a dramatic impact on the number of dementia cases.

It is normal for the brain to shrink a little as people age, says Dr Farrow. But this is reduced in people who engage in regular physical activity.

"Whatever your stage of life, being fit and healthy matters," Dr Farrow says.

"We can't yet cure dementia but we can reduce our risk by simply becoming more physically active," says Fitness Australia CEO Lauretta Stace.

"This can be as easy as going for a regular walk."

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Chief scientist unfazed by cabinet lineup

AUSTRALIA'S chief scientist Professor Ian Chubb has played down concerns about the incoming coalition government's failure to appoint a dedicated federal science minister.

The move by prime minister-elect Tony Abbott, which will see some areas of science come under the industry portfolio, has drawn community and Labor criticism and even sparked outcry from within the Liberal Party.

But Prof Chubb said supporting the future of science was about more than a ministerial title.

"If you look at the federal budget, science is spread over 14 portfolios already, so putting another one in there doesn't really make a huge amount of difference," Prof Chubb told ABC TV.

He said Australia needed to adopt a strategic approach to science which he hoped would involve a number of federal ministers and portfolios, with the support of the prime minister.

"The real benefit is when you have a senior minister with influence and a bit of power, who's passionate about science and whether they carry the title or not is a separate issue," Prof Chubb said.

The chief scientist's response was less passionate than that of Western Australian Liberal Dennis Jensen, who said "science is in crisis" and needed expert decision-making at a federal government level.

"We've got a minister for sport, for God's sake, but we don't have a minister for science," he told ABC TV, taking a swipe at the decision of his own party.

Acting Labor leader Chris Bowen said the omission of a federal science minister, who has been in place since the 1930s, showed the "botched" coalition cabinet line-up.

Prof Chubb - who is also a member of the Climate Change Authority, due to be scrapped by the incoming government - admitted there had been value in a dedicated science minister, but said a "whole of government" approach was the way forward.

On the topic of climate change, he said Australia should not ignore the evidence, describing as "silly" people who dismissed it as a myth.

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Push for big booze clubs to pay more fees

BOOZE-SERVING venues in NSW should pay much higher licence fees more frequently to help pay for the cost of alcohol abuse, health and community groups say.

Alcohol abuse costs the NSW government $1.029 billion annually but only $1.09 million is collected from licensees, the NSW/ACT Alcohol Policy Alliance (NAAPA) said.

It argues in favour of annual "risk-based licence" fees, substantially higher than the one-off $5000 application fee paid by some large establishments.

A hotel licence costs $2000 but an additional application fee is charged for extending trade beyond midnight.

The highest fee, though, for a late-trading authorisation is $3000, which allows premises to keep the grog flowing between 2am until 5am.

Venues should be charged according to their capacity and opening hours, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, chief Michael Thorn said.

Under the NAAPA scheme, for example, the Sydney CBD mega-club The Ivy would have to pay $25,184 per year, the Penrith Panthers Leagues Club would pay $16,790 while the Coogee Bay Hotel would pay $20,387, each year for their licences.

"Liquor licenses should never have been granted in perpetuity," Mr Thorn said.

"The paltry one-off application fee that licensees are currently paying is not enough. An annual fee would return both equity and accountability to a system severely lacking in both."

In its submission to the statutory review of the NSW Liquor Act 2007 and the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007, the NAAPA also advocates earlier closing times, late-night lock-outs and the abolition of 24-hour licences.

"Studies have shown that assaults occur most frequently at licensed premises after midnight," the submission states.

"Standard closing times for all on-licence premises across NSW from Monday to Saturday should be midnight, with extended trading venues limited to 3am and lock-outs no later than 1am."

The NAAPA also wants small bars - those that have patronage limits of 60 - to be governed by "the same rules and regulations as other licence types".

"One quarter of the total costs of alcohol abuse to the NSW community are criminal justice costs," the NAAPA submission says.

"The modest one-off licensing application fees currently paid by NSW liquor licensees do not even come close to recovering these substantial costs."

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Council to make big difference: Mundine

THE coalition government's planned Indigenous Advisory Council will make a difference to the quality of Aboriginal life in as little as five years, says incoming chairman Warren Mundine.

The former ALP president was scathing of high spending in the area which he said had proven ineffective.

"You've got half a million indigenous people in Australia. There's only about a couple of hundred thousand of them who need support and help, and we're spending $25 billion on it on an annual basis," Mr Mundine told ABC TV on Monday.

"That just doesn't make sense to me. I'm a businessman and if I ran a business like that I'd probably go bankrupt very quickly."

Prime minister-elect Tony Abbott has promised to set up the council within a week of being sworn in to the top job on Wednesday.

The council will firstly review current indigenous spending and make recommendations to government, before being responsible for overseeing change.

After airing his frustration at the lack of progress under a Labor government, Mr Mundine is confident the coalition plan will make a difference.

"We're focusing on an area that has been lacking in this whole area of Aboriginal affairs and that is, if you're going to create jobs, that is not through government funding, that is through economic activity."

He said it was essential to work with the private sector to create job opportunities and match education and training, while on another level boost Aboriginal childhood education.

"Through that process I predict within about five to seven years you'll make a massive difference," Mr Mundine said.

The council boss said he had also spoken with incoming treasurer Joe Hockey about the coalition's proposed $42 million cuts to indigenous legal services.

"He is pulling back on that," Mr Mundine said of Mr Hockey.

Asked if it meant the cuts would not go ahead, Mr Mundine said: "No, I don't think it will be cut."

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DIY renovators admit taking asbestos risks

HOME renovators are risking death by not protecting themselves from asbestos, according to an article in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia.

Research based on a NSW questionnaire shows around six in ten DIY renovators have been exposed to asbestos, but fewer than 15 per cent say they regularly use protection.

A high proportion of home renovators say other family members, including children, have been exposed as well.

Just under a third say they use protection occasionally.

Asbestos can lead to deadly malignant mesothelioma many years after exposure, and the article says Australia has one of the highest rates of the cancer in the world.

Asbestos has been banned in Australia since the 1970s, but all homes built before the mid-1980s are potentially risky.

The researchers, led by Associate Professor Deborah Yates from St Vincents Hospital in Sydney, acknowledge there is a lack of clarity about how much exposure is dangerous.

"Whether exposure during home renovation will result in disease in the future remains to be seen. However, this entirely preventable exposure needs to be addressed," they write.

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