Chinese economy facing some risks

FALLING property prices in China and unregulated borrowing will have to be monitored closely to make sure it is not a risk to the world's second largest economy, the RBA says.

RBA governor Glenn Stevens says the Chinese economy is going along okay despite some volatility in monthly economic data.

"The real issue is the financial part of the economy," he said.Mr Stevens is confident that as the Chinese government deregulates the banking sector, there will be less shadow banking.Shadow banking is when some lending institution operate outside of the regulated banking system.Mr Steven acknowledged that property prices in China were falling, which could be a risk to its economy."I cannot really say with any accuracy at all just how this will unfold," he said in Brisbane."This is an issue that authorities have been alert to for quite a some time."

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Vic healthcare staff protections broadened

The VIC government says it will broaden new laws designed to curb attacks on healthcare workers. Source: AAP

NEW laws designed to curb assaults on Victorian healthcare workers will be broadened to include more professions, and house calls.

LEGISLATION will be introduced to parliament this week to create two new offences - for assaulting a registered healthcare practitioner in a hospital, or anywhere they are providing care to a patient.

Health Minister David Davis said it would build on law changes earlier this year, which set out tougher penalties for assaults on doctors or staff in hospitals or healthcare facilities."The Victorian coalition government is already demonstrating it is committed to improving safety and security in our hospital and healthcare services, and will not tolerate violence against hospital staff and healthcare practitioners," Mr Davis said in a statement on Wednesday."Our new legislation further extends this commitment to all registered healthcare practitioners going about their normal duties including GPs, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists and psychologists."The new offences will also extend the protection to healthcare practitioners during house calls.People who attack a healthcare professional in Victoria will face up to six months in jail - double the penalty for a common assault.

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British PM breaks holiday over beheading

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has broken off his holiday for talks on the threat posed by ISIL jihadists following the "shocking and depraved" apparent beheading of US journalist James Foley.

CAMERON was returning to his Downing Street office in London to discuss the situation in Iraq and Syria as experts worked on trying to identify the executioner in the beheading video, who spoke with a British accent.

"If true, the murder of James Foley is shocking and depraved. I will today chair meetings on the situation in Iraq/Syria," Cameron said on Twitter.The video posted on Tuesday on the internet showed a masked militant beheading a man resembling Foley, who has been missing since he was seized in Syria in November 2012.Downing Street said in a statement on Wednesday that Cameron would meet with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and other senior officials "to discuss the situation in Iraq and Syria and the threat posed by ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS, also Islamic State) terrorists".Wednesday was to have been the second day of the prime minister's break in Cornwall, southwest England.Hammond voiced his "absolute horror" at the apparent beheading, which he said is "just is one more example in a catalogue of brutality by this organisation", referring to ISIL.He said "atrocities" carried out by ISIL as it has seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria were driving the international community's efforts to support Iraqis and Kurds in pushing back against the "evil organisation".He also said the apparent attack showed the security threat posed by European extremists fighting with IS if they attempted to return home.The masked executioner in the video speaks English with a British accent."On the face of it, it appears to have been a British person. We'll have to do some more analysis to make quite certain that that is the case," Hammond said.Around 400 Britons are believed to have gone to Syria over the past two years.British extremists are among the "most vicious and vociferous fighters" in the ISIL ranks, said Shiraz Maher, an expert on jihadism.Maher, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College London, said they had been operating as suicide bombers and executioners."Foreign fighters going out to Syria are not going out there to be backseat riders. They are going out to be full participants in the war, to be at the forefront of the conflict," he said.He said he and his colleagues were "fairly satisfied that it's a Brit" in the video "due to the colloquialisms" used, as well the accent."We have a database of several hundred fighters in Syria and myself and my colleagues are frantically looking through it to try to pin him down," he added.France on Wednesday lashed out at the apparent execution of Foley, labelling it a "barbaric" and "disgusting" act."This is a barbaric act that plays on fear," government spokesman Stephane Le Foll told reporters after Francois Hollande convened his first cabinet meeting after the summer break.In a statement Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that if confirmed, the "disgusting assassination would show the true face of this 'Caliphate of Barbarism'."It merits the firmest condemnation from the international community and strengthens our determination to fight against the 'Islamic State' in accordance with Resolution 2170 of the UN Security Council" that condemns the activity of ISIL.Fabius added his condolences to the flood of messages of support. "In such a sad moment, our thoughts go to the relatives of the journalist - a great professional, acclaimed by all in France - and in particular to his mother Diane Foley, whom we hosted last April," the minister said."More than ever, France is committed to the right of journalists to work safely. There can be no impunity for those that carried out these barbaric acts."Thousands of people have already posted messages of condolence on the Facebook site Free James Foley.

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Heineken reports sales, profit drop

HEINEKEN NV, the Amsterdam-based brewer, has reported first half earnings showing a small drop in both revenues and profits - but says its underlying performance was good.

NET profit was 631 million euros ($A946.45 million), from 639 million euros in the same period a year ago.

Sales were down 1.4 per cent to 1.2 billion euros, which Heineken, the largest brewer by sales within Europe, said was due to the strong euro.Stripping out currency and acquisition effects, Heineken said its sales prices were up 1.5 per cent, and sales volumes rose 3.9 per cent.Chief Executive Jean-Franois van Boxmeer said on Wednesday the company's operations grew on a like-for-like basis in almost all regions in the first half but warned that growth in underlying profit and revenues would "moderate" in the second half.Meanwhile Danish brewer Carlsberg says uncertainty in its eastern European and vast Russian market continued to weigh on its financial performance during the second-quarter of the year.Carlsberg said on Wednesday net profit grew slightly to 2.2 billion kroner ($A42.63 million), up from 2.1 billion for the same period a year ago, on a modest revenue increase to 19.2 billion kroner for the three-month period ending June 30 against 19.06 billion kroner.The group said its eastern European markets are "increasingly challenging and uncertain", and expects them to deteriorate further in the second part of 2014 especially with consumption declines in Russia and Ukraine.Carlsberg's full-year net profit was expected "to decline by mid- to high-single-digit percentages".

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Qld bikies can fill out 'resignation' form

QUEENSLAND bikies and their associates can fill out a form to declare they are no longer part of an outlaw group.

THE Queensland Police Service website has a questionnaire asking people to describe the steps they have taken to "disassociate".

The form asks participants to circle yes or no boxes to indicate if they have returned or destroyed their club colours, if they have a club tattoo, and whether it's been removed.They are also asked to declare if they are an office holder, general member or associate of a bikie chapter.New laws are coming into effect from July 1 banning bikies from working as used car sellers, security guards, locksmiths, tow truck drivers, bookmakers, pawn brokers, tattoo artists and bar workers.More than a dozen lines on the form are set aside so people can describe their future intentions with an outlaw group and the steps their organisation has taken to disassociate from them.A declaration section asks participants to give an undertaking to provide documents to the police within 10 business days.Earlier this month, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie announced the government would delay a controversial plan to ban people with bikie links from working in the building industry.This means plumbers and electricians with suspected bikie links won't be banned from having a trades licence until July 2015, after a federal royal commission into unions.But new licensing requirements will apply to other industries under the Tattoo Parlours Act 2013.Bikies can call a police hotline for help on filling out the form, which is subject to the Information Privacy Act.The Queensland police website promises that applications to disown bike membership would be assessed "in a timely manner".But participants are advised that delaying a response to a letter could jeopardise their ability to hold an industry licence.The form has to be witnessed by another signature.Queensland police say two people have filled out the form to distance themselves from a bikie group since they were posted online on June 10.

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Senator breaks into song during farewell

Senator Ursula Stephens has burst into song during her valedictory speech. Source: AAP

LEAVING parliament may be a blessing in disguise for Labor Senator Ursula Stephens, who looks prepped to shine on another stage - in showbiz.

THE Irish-born Australian stopped short of doing a jig during her valedictory speech in the Senate on Tuesday, instead providing the house with a shaky duck analogy, a famous Australian poem and a wee Irish melody.

After tipping her glass to the Irish ambassador, Senator Stephens burst into song to bid farewell to her colleagues."For all the comrades e'er I had, they would wish me one more day to stay," she reverberated clearly across the chamber.A little less clear was the duck analogy which the senator used to back into her message about caring for the 51 million people displaced around the world.The story goes: Canberra traffic was banked up on Senator Stephens' way to work recently because a duck had been injured and another duck had stayed by its side."And I thought to myself, yes, even a duck looks after its mate," she said.That was followed by the senator reciting Dame Mary Gilmore's Nationality poem which famously declares "this loaf is my son's bread"."We must find a way to feed our own son and also look after our fellow human beings in need."Leader of the opposition in the senate, Penny Wong, congratulated Senator Stephens on her 12-year term and said ending in song was a nice touch.

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Tax, security info at cyber attack risk

TAX and social security records and national security information remains vulnerable to cyber attacks, a new report shows.

AN auditor-general review of seven major government agencies found that none complied with the required cyber security measures which were due to be in place by mid-2014.

The agencies included the Australian Tax Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Customs, Australian Financial Security Authority, the Department of Human Services and IP Australia.The agencies hold a wide range of personal, national security and economic information.The report said that in 2012 there were more than 1790 security incidents against Australian government agencies, of which 685 were considered serious.While the audited agencies had put in place internal security safeguards to protect their information "the selected agencies had not yet achieved full compliance with the top four mitigation strategies" mandated by the government in 2013.And none was on track to meet the mid-2014 compliance date.The agencies were found to have a "reasonable" level of protection from breaches from internal sources, but "vulnerabilities remain against attacks from external sources to agency systems"."In essence, agency processes and practices have not been sufficiently responsive to the ever-present and ever-changing risks that government systems are exposed to," the report concluded.The four strategies agencies have been asked to put in place include protections against malicious programs, security "patching" of applications, devices and operating systems and keeping administrative privileges to a small group of users.

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Bishop restates support for Fiji election

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has been updated on Fiji's progress towards its first democratic elections in nearly a decade.

FIJI has promised to hold elections on September 17, the first since the country's leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power in a military coup in 2006.

Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth in 2009 after Commodore Bainimarama failed to meet a deadline to return it to democracy.But the federal government is keen to normalise Australia's frosty ties with Fiji, and started by lifting travel bans on senior military and government figures in March.Ms Bishop on Tuesday met her Fijian counterpart Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, where she emphasised Australia's "strong support" for the electoral process.Australia has accepted in-principle an invitation from Fiji to co-lead an international observer group to oversee the election, and is finalising the terms of reference for the mission.The two foreign leaders also discussed preparatory work to re-establish defence ties between the two nations.It's illegal under Australian law to sell weapons to Fiji or provide military advice.

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Vic 'palm reader' jailed for assaults

A VICTORIAN man who used an offer to read women's palms as a ruse to sexually assault them while travelling on a train has been jailed for at least 10 months.

AJAY Chopra, 41, had pleaded guilty to all five charges relating to the assaults on five women over a three month period in 2011.

The Bendigo man targeted young women who were travelling alone on the Melbourne to Bendigo V/Line train, with each crime starting with an offer to tell their fortune."All of this was a ruse and what you were attempting to do was either to put their hand in your crotch area, or put your hand in their crotch area," Victorian County Court Judge Gerard Mullaly said.Jailing Chopra for 21 months, Judge Mullaly said his actions were shameful and dishonourable."The fact they were conducted on public transport adds to the unfortunate sense of fear that women have that public transport is not safe," he said."This fear is corrosive and impacts on women's rights to go about their lives freely."Prosecutor Neil Hutton said once Chopra had hold of a woman's hands he would resist any efforts by them to pull away.In one case, he held his hand under a woman's dress. In another, he held his victim's hand against his penis."She could feel the man's erect penis on the back of her hand," Mr Hutton said."This activity happened for most of the trip to Bendigo, where he got off the train."He turned and said `have a nice life` as he did so."Another incident was cut short - with Chopra moving to a different carriage - after the woman managed to make a mobile phone call.Defence lawyer Mark Hird tendered to the court character references which he said showed Chopra was a gentle person and the incidents were completely out of character.He said his client had entered an early plea of guilty to all charges - three counts of indecent assault, and two counts of attempted indecent assault."They are clearly quite serious offences ... and it is conceded they were carried out in circumstances of coercion," Mr Hird said.Chopra, who was supported in the court by his wife, was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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Salvos sorry for abuse 'greatest failure'

The Salvation Army will again give evidence at the child sex abuse royal commission in Sydney. Source: AAP

THE Salvation Army says it is profoundly sorry for the abuse suffered by children in its care, and events revealed by the royal commission into child sexual abuse represent the greatest failure in its history.

HOWEVER, the organisation maintains sexual abuse was not widespread after the commission heard evidence of more than 100 cases of children suffering horrendous abuse in homes run by the Salvation Army in Queensland and NSW in the 1960s and 1970s.

As the royal commission moved to finalise its investigation into the church on Monday, counsel for the Salvation Army, Kate Eastman, challenged a statement from counsel assisting the commission that sexual abuse was "widespread" at boys' homes it ran.In an apology to survivors, Ms Eastman read a statement from the Salvation Army saying the organisation was "profoundly sorry for failing to care for you as you deserved, for the neglect, hurt, abuse and deprivation of human rights that all children are entitled to".Ms Eastman said the church "acknowledges that this is the greatest failure in its history in Australia".She said that in the 113 years from 1883 to 1996, the Salvation Army had 17,831 children in its care across four homes in NSW and Queensland and there had been 157 claims of abuse from children in that time.She said 115 of those children were from boys' homes and of 23 perpetrators identified, 19 were Salvation Army officers."We don't for one moment seek to diminish or oversimplify or justify by historical circumstances but we do submit that the total number of claims against the total number of children reflects a relatively small number of children reporting sexual abuse during their time at the home," Ms Eastman said.Counsel assisting the commission Simeon Beckett said the number of children abused in Salvation Army homes would never be known because many had not come forward or had not been able to speak out.The commission heard evidence from survivors of extreme sexual and physical abuse meted out by Salvation Army workers at homes in Indooroopilly and Riverview in Queensland, and Bexley and Goulburn in NSW.Hearings held in January and February heard evidence that the Salvation Army failed to investigate complaints that its staff were abusing boys and did not refer matters to police.Boys who did report abuse to officials were punished and many did not report abuse for fear they would not be believed and would suffer further punishment.Ms Eastman also revealed the Salvation Army has dismissed an officer accused of abusing children in the 1970s.John McIver was suspended by the Salvation Army in February after allegations he sexually abused two boys in a NSW home in the 1960s and 1970s, and whipped a boy with a strap and dislocated his arm during a beating at a home in Queensland in 1975.On Monday the commission heard McIver had been dismissed from the organisation in June and matters had been referred to police.The commission will now prepare its report into the events that occurred at Salvation Army homes in the 1960s and 1970s, and into separate events of alleged abuse that have occurred since 1993.

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Labor, coalition in cost of living battle

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will personally reintroduce a bill to axe the carbon tax. Source: AAP

LABOR and the coalition have traded blows over cost-of-living pressures as the government reintroduced its carbon tax repeal bills.

THE government is adamant the repeal will improve the cost of living for average families by $550 a year and drive down electricity bills.

But Labor has seized on new economic modelling which shows budget changes to welfare and seniors payments will erode family budgets by thousands of dollars each year.Prime Minister Tony Abbott intends to have the carbon tax repeal bills passed through the lower house this week, in time for a special four-day sitting of the new Senate from July 7.The government is quietly confident of securing six out of eight crossbench votes, including three Palmer United Party senators, to pass its legislation.PUP leader Clive Palmer will outline at a media conference in Canberra on Wednesday night what it will take for his senators to back the bills."He will be fully transparent on Wednesday," his spokesman told AAP.Mr Palmer also has concerns about pension cuts and the Medicare co-payment which he says will cost pensioners $2500 a year.Environment Minister Greg Hunt on Monday seized on statements by energy retailers AGL, Origin and Energy Australia that prices would come down once the carbon tax was abolished."AGL today confirmed that price reductions will flow through to residential and small business customers if the carbon repeal legislation is passed by the federal parliament," the company said, adding the cuts would start from July 1 regardless of when the laws passed.Mr Hunt said all six new senators had gone to an election promising to get rid of the carbon tax."All of the signs are that they will fulfil their commitment," he said.Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in parliament referred to new modelling showing a couple on a single income of $65,000 with two children would be $1700 worse off in 2014/15 and short-changed by $6300 in 2017/18."Why should Australian families have to pay for the prime minister's dishonesty?" he asked Mr Abbott in parliament.Mr Abbott told parliament Labor's family payments were unaffordable, but the government was still providing a generous system while getting the budget back under control.Meanwhile, defeated Labor leadership contender Anthony Albanese rejected reports he has been privately critical of Mr Shorten's handling of strategy, policy, communications and internal party reform."Bill has done a good job of holding the government to account," Mr Albanese said.Mr Albanese later told parliament the media reports were "absurd, wrong, without any attribution, unprofessional and contradicted by cursory examination of the facts and recent history".

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Peter Greste jailed for 7 years in Egypt

Tony Abbott has lobbied Egypt's new president for the release of journalist Peter Greste (pic). Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN journalist Peter Greste and his Al Jazeera colleagues accused of aiding the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood have been jailed for seven years in Egypt.

GRESTE and two other reporters working for Qatar-based Al-Jazeera English were among 20 defendants in a trial that has triggered international outrage amid fears of growing media restrictions in Egypt.

Since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, the authorities have been incensed by the Qatari network's coverage of their deadly crackdown on his supporters.They consider Al Jazeera as the voice of Qatar, and accuse Doha of backing Morsi's Brotherhood.Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and producer Baher Mohamed were tried with 17 others on charges of "spreading false news" and having Brotherhood links.The three have already been detained for nearly six months, along with six others.Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he spoke to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi over the weekend."I assured him - as a former journalist myself - that Peter Greste would have been reporting the Muslim Brotherhood, not supporting the Muslim Brotherhood," Mr Abbott earlier told the Seven Network on Monday.Mr Abbott said the president understood Australia's position."I made my point. I made it as clearly as I could," he saidThe talks between the two leaders follow similar lobbying by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who spoke with her recently appointed Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri over the weekend.In Canberra, parliamentarians made a bipartisan plea for Greste's release.Greste's two brothers were in court for Monday's ruling.Al Jazeera says only nine of the 20 defendants are on its staff, including two foreign reporters who are abroad.A Dutch journalist, who is not working with the channel, is also among the defendants.Sixteen are Egyptians accused of belonging to the Brotherhood, which the military-installed government designated a "terrorist organisation" in December.The four foreigners are also alleged to have collaborated with and assisted their Egyptian co-defendants by providing media material, as well as editing and broadcasting it.Prosecutors demanded the maximum penalty for all defendants.The 16 Egyptians could be jailed for 25 years, while the foreigners could get 15 years, their lawyers say.A Greste family spokesperson said an appeal would be considered."A number of contingencies have been put in place because we had to consider this option," Heidi Ross told the ABC."I'm not really at liberty to discuss them, they need to be gone through privately by the family."Different things have different implications for Peter."It's going to take a couple of days of sitting down and going through again all of the stuff for real this time, rather than just speculating and then to decide which tactic to take."An appeal is certainly on that list."

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Refugee drowns in Nauru

A REFUGEE who was resettled in Nauru after being sent to the Australian immigration detention centre there has drowned along with a Nauruan citizen who attempted a rescue.

IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement on Sunday evening he had been informed of the two deaths and extended his sympathies to the families and friends of both.

"We understand from initial reports that the first deceased person was a private resident of Nauru, on a Nauruan refugee visa, and was accidentally drowned," the minister said.He said the person was not a resident at the offshore processing centre.A spokesman for the minister confirmed to AAP that the refugee had been in the centre before being resettled in the Nauruan community.Mr Morrison said it was understood that a Nauruan citizen also died after attempting to rescue the first person.He said another Nauruan citizen was receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the attempted rescue."This is a matter for the government of Nauru as it pertains to an incident involving a resident and citizens of their own country that occurred within their jurisdiction," the minister said.He said Nauruan police were investigating the matter, which would become the subject of a coronial inquiry.

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Another Tamil man sets himself on fire

ANOTHER Tamil man has set himself alight, the latest in a spate of self-immolation cases involving asylum seekers who fear being sent back to Sri Lanka.

THE 40-year-old man splashed himself with petrol and ignited it, but his housemates intervened and managed to put out the fire.

It happened late on Friday at a home in the Melbourne suburb of Noble Park, according to a statement from the Tamil Refugee Council.There were similar incidents in May, when Leo Seemanpillai burned to death outside his Geelong home, and also in April when a Sydney-based Tamil man also set himself alight but survived with burns to 75 per cent of his body.In the latest case, the man suffered burns to his legs and was taken by ambulance to Dandenong Hospital."We are very lucky on this occasion that the man's housemates were aware of what he was planning to do otherwise we may have had another death on our hands," council spokesperson Sri Samy said."I have had seven young men tell me in the past few weeks that they are thinking of doing this."They are fearful of being sent back to Sri Lanka and say they would prefer to die here than be sent back to torture, which is what the Australian government is doing to many Tamil asylum seekers."The man involved in this latest case came to Australia by boat in 2012, and he was on a bridging visa awaiting assessment of his asylum claim.He fled Sri Lanka, leaving his wife and daughter behind, after security police broke his legs.The council said last week he had learned his brother, held in a Sri Lankan prison for four years, had disappeared and was feared dead.The man feared the same fate if returned to Sri Lanka."The previous Labor government, and the current Coalition government, have sent back more than 1000 Tamil asylum-seekers under an enhanced screening process," Mrs Samy also said."That does not allow time for proper assessment of asylum claims."She called on Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to alleviate fear among Tamil asylum seekers by granting protection to genuine refugees.* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

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Hendra virus kills NSW horse

Hendra virus has killed a horse in northern NSW, causing authorities to quarantine a property. Source: AAP

HENDRA virus has killed a horse in northern NSW, causing authorities to quarantine a property as they run tests on its stablemates and the five people who handled the animal.

IT'S the first case of Hendra discovered in NSW this year.

"The 31-year-old stockhorse gelding died overnight on Thursday after being found in a dam earlier that day and receiving treatment from a private veterinarian for very low body temperature," NSW deputy chief vet Therese Wright said in a statement."Three people who handled the horse plus the veterinarian and an assistant are being assessed and monitored by NSW Health."In recent weeks no horses have moved off the property, west of Murwillumbah, and there are no dogs or cats about, Ms Wright added.The paddock where the horse was kept "has regular flying fox activity," she said.Horses are believed to contract the Hendra virus from feed contaminated by urine, saliva or birthing fluids from flying foxes."Do not place feed and water under trees and cover feed and water containers with a shelter so they cannot be contaminated from above," Ms Wright said.Hendra virus was found in four horses and a dog across four separate mid-north coast properties last year."Winter is the season when horses have been infected with Hendra in NSW in the past so now is the time to get a vaccine booster for your horse," Ms Wright said.In Queensland four people have been killed by Hendra virus since 1994.And in December councils across the state were given permission to trim trees and use smoke, lights and loud noises to drive flying fox colonies away from urban areas without needing a permit."If a horse becomes sick, owners should contact their veterinarian immediately," Ms Wright warned.

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Royals defend apartment spending

Renovations of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's apartment will cost UK taxpayers STG4 million. Source: AAP

THE British royal family has defended spending a seven-figure sum refurbishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Kensington Palace apartment.

THE taxpayer will foot the bill for extensive work on the property, including installing a new roof, overhauling the electrics and carrying out significant plumbing works.

A royal spokesman said repairs and refurbishments - reported to cost in the region of STG4 million ($A7.30 million), though this figure was not confirmed by the royal household - would also see a "significant amount of internal building" to "return the residence to function as a living space".William and Kate's Kensington Palace apartment was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was the home of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. Margaret remained there after their divorce and lived there until her death in 2002.The living space was last refurbished in 1963."This is the Duke and Duchess's one and only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come," a royal spokesman said."We also had to take into account the fact that Kensington Palace is a scheduled ancient monument, and all elements of the refurbishment had to be agreed with English Heritage. Often this meant ensuring a high standard of work in line with the historical significance of the Christopher Wren building."He said William and Kate "paid privately" for all the internal furnishings, including carpets and curtains. They were also at pains to ensure that the specification is not extravagant."As with any other part of the estate, it was the royal household (TRH) who were responsible for the refurbishment of the residence - where they could in the course of the procurement process, TRH helped to bear down on cost," he added."The household oversaw the planning, tendering and project management of the refurbishment and were responsible for the budget and spend."

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SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q fired on

A gunman has fired on an SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q after a concert in Colorado. Source: AAP

A GUNMAN with a rifle fired on an SUV carrying rapper ScHoolboy Q after a concert at the popular Red Rocks outdoor amphitheatre near Denver but he wasn't hurt.

THREE other people suffered non-life threatening injuries during the attack late on Thursday in a parking lot at Red Rocks.

Investigators speaking Friday did not release a possible motive for the shooting and said they do not know if ScHoolboy Q was targeted. No arrests have been made."We have a lot to learn," said Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.ScHoolboy Q, whose birth name is Quincy Matthew Hanley, is from Los Angeles. His most recent album, "Oxymoron," debuted at No. 1 earlier this year and reflects his life as a father and former gang member.He and Kendrick Lamar, who was nominated for seven Grammys this year, are members of Black Hippy.ScHoolboy Q said on Twitter Friday that he was OK."im str8...... dont trip," he wrote.Ray Alba, a representative for ScHoolboy Q, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.The rapper and at least four other people were in a white SUV that was fired on at the venue in the foothills west of Denver, authorities said.They drove themselves to a Denver intersection about 24 kilometres away, apparently in search of a hospital, before being stopped by Denver police and taken for medical attention, Kelley said.ScHoolboy Q and another uninjured person were briefly handcuffed while police assessed the situation, but no one in the vehicle was arrested. Kelley said ScHoolboy Q was not a suspect in the shooting.Nas and Flying Lotus also performed at the concert that benefited three groups, including the Gang Rescue and Support Project of Denver."We want to know what's going on so we can help out in any way," said Cisco Gallardo, director of the gang rescue group."There could have been (a) prior beef, prior problems."About 4500 people attended the concert at the amphitheatre, which seats as many as 9525 people.Promoters said the gang rescue group got five per cent of the profits. Two other groups also got five per cent each: Preserve the Rocks, which helps preserve the Red Rocks venue, and Helping Our People Excel, a Denver-area charity with a food pantry and other services.

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Thai govt to mediate in Aussie's case

THAILAND'S foreign ministry is pressing for a mediated settlement in a bid to end a legal conflict between the Royal Thai Navy and an Australian journalist who faces a possible lengthy jail term over defamation charges.

ALAN Morison, originally from Melbourne, and Thai reporter Chutima Sidasathian face jail terms of up to seven years on the charges of criminal defamation and breaches of the Computer Crimes Act.

The charges came after Morison, editor of the online English language news service, PhuketWan, in July last year republished excerpts of a Thomson Reuters report alleging the involvement of Thai navy personnel in the trafficking of ethnic Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.The navy later launched a case against Morison and Chutima, but only recently began legal proceedings against Thomson Reuters and its reporters, who were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.Morison and Chutima made brief court appearances last month, but no pleas were entered. Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 18, 2015.But a senior Thai foreign ministry official, Songsak Saicheu, director-general of the Americas Department, says the ministry is working closely with the Thai navy and the Australian embassy in a bid to settle the matter out of court.Mr Songsak told reporters the four-way consultations would include the navy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Australian embassy, and Morison."So the navy is ready to consider any possibility that if anything can be settled out of court, of both parties are satisfied with the conversation, with the deal, together it can be possible," Songsak said.Thailand's National Human Rights Commission had also taken steps to mediate between the journalists and the navy. But talks previously scheduled for May 23 were scuttled a day after the Thai military staged a coup d'etat.The foreign ministry's stance comes as Thailand is under pressure from the US over its rights and human trafficking performance in recent years, and faces a possible downgrade with the release of the State Department's 2014 "Trafficking in Persons" report.Morison welcomed the Thai ministry's intervention in the case."Any possibility of an outcome at which we could all walk away content would be excellent," Morison told AAP."It would be great. If the (Thai) foreign ministry is working behind the scenes and taken note of what's been said in Washington that would be fantastic. That's really good news," he said.The Thai National Human Rights Commission has rescheduled a mediation meeting of the parties for July 7.

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WA Police charge former hostel warden

CHILD abuse squad detectives have charged a 69-year-old West Australian man, who is currently in prison, with two additional charges relating to historic child sex offences.

POLICE allege the offences occurred between 1975 and 1988 when the offender was a warden at a regional WA hostel.

He is expected to appear in the Katanning Magistrates Court on July 15.

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Proudest mum sees top five graduate

SHE just had to be the proudest mother in the country.

FIVE of her own graduating on the same day, and they were five of the smartest, happiest and furriest graduates you will ever see.

Overjoyed mum Olwyn watched on as her top five; Rosie, Richie, Riley, Robbie and Ruby all graduated with flying colours as fully fledged Guide Dogs at the organisation's base in Glossodia in western Sydney on Friday.There wasn't a mortar board in sight, but plenty of tasty treats, sloppy licks and maybe a celebratory bark or two for some of the cleverest canines in the country.Make no mistake, after six months of extensive training, these gorgeous Labradors are the best of the best and with a bright, rewarding future ahead of them you couldn't stop mum's tail from wagging.It costs $30,000 to train up each dog and after graduation at 18 months of age, they are paired up with a suitable handler,There are 250 working guide dogs in NSW and 40 blind or vision impaired people waiting for a dog which makes Olwyn, a 'prize bitch' in any vernacular, even more valuable."Olywn has always been easy going and very calm, she is a great mother and she always keeps her pups under control," explains owner Sally Gorman."Maybe that is why the pups are so successful. We are extremely proud of her and her dogs."It is the perfect combination of having a dog and doing some good for us."Puppy Raisers, families who help prepare a puppy for its potential career as a guide dog, are almost as important as the dogs themselves."It's a good way to help out," says Rebecca Smith, 21, whose looked after Riley before his rise to a Guide Dog and whose current charge the sleepy-eyed Wayne is the eighth puppy her and her family have raised.The puppies join families at two months and stay for around a year."We had another dog and we felt like it needed some company and wanted to see how it would work out and it has obviously worked out really well."It is rewarding and a lot of fun that is why we continue to stay involved."Rebecca looks on as graduation photos are taken, and taken and taken.The bond between puppy raiser and puppy after a year obviously becomes a strong one. So how hard is it to give them back?"I remember the first one, me and mum got a bit teary, but as much as it is hard to say goodbye you know it is going to a good home, going to someone who needs it," Rebecca says.

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PM not concerned about ministers' safety

PM Tony Abbott says he's not concerned about the safety of his ministers during public protests. Source: AAP

THE government isn't concerned about the safety of its members, despite reports four ministers have had their security detail beefed-up, the prime minister says.

"VERY, very occasionally" some security would be required, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday, adding that people had the right to express their views and protest.

"Very, very rarely there are protests, occasionally those protests get ugly," he told reporters in Sydney.His comments come as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was targeted by feisty protesters as she opened the C20 conference at the University of Melbourne on Friday morning."It shouldn't happen, I don't think it is a very Australian thing to do, to try prevent someone from speaking, to prevent someone from visiting some place where their duty calls them," Mr Abbott said.Protests, he said, should always be conducted in a "fair and respectful manner"."But it seems a few people did go over the top," he said, after a man was arrested for lunging at the car that Ms Bishop was travelling in.Treasurer Joe Hockey, Ms Bishop, Education Minister Christopher Pyne and Assistant Defence Minister Stuart Robert have been assigned extra protection from the Australian Federal Police, Fairfax reports.

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Labor, coalition fight for rural affection

IF you believe Labor, they are the party for farmers and rural Australia.

IF you believe the government, that's a complete joke.

Parliament took a country tone on Thursday when Labor's agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon brought on debate about the budget's impact on regional Australia.He was concerned about the fuel excise hike's impact on rural residents, which he says will go down as the Abbott government's "worst broken promise".Mr Fitzgibbon is behind Labor's new "country caucus" made up of regional MPs and senators who will influence party policy on rural issues.Labor has long been a champion of the bush, given it was partly born out of the shearing sheds of rural Queensland, Mr Fitzgibbon told AAP."Country Labor has been successful in NSW and it can be successful nationally," he said in a statement.But the coalition is having none of that.Liberal MP Dan Tehan derided Mr Fitzgibbon's topic for debate, given it came just after its country caucus was publicly announced."That's why we have this (debate) here today," he said."What an absolute joke."Mr Tehan said the country caucus came too late."You all should be ashamed of yourself, starting in the year 2014 a regional caucus and coming in here telling us who should stand up for regional and rural Australia."Nationals deputy leader Barnaby Joyce joined in the derision.If there was a friend for regional Australia, it was clear which side of the chamber they would find them in, he said.

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Ferry fraudster Smith 'had no choice'

A FORMER Sydney Ferries boss who racked up more than $200,000 on the company credit card says he felt he had no choice because he couldn't tell his emotionally fragile wife how desperate the family's financial situation had become.

FORMER naval admiral Geoffrey Smith on Thursday told his sentencing hearing he was hired to help turn the troubled transport company around in August 2006.

By early 2009, allegations of rorting had surfaced and he was brought up before the corruption watchdog.He has now pleaded guilty to one charge of cheating or defrauding the company he directed.Smith said two fatal crashes on Sydney Harbour in 2007 ushered in a five-month inquiry and intense scrutiny.On the home front, his wife - who had previously been hospitalised and subjected to electroconvulsive therapy in a battle with depression - was diagnosed with cancer."I'm deeply ashamed," Smith told the Sydney District Court."I've let down a lot of people and I've done something contrary to all the values I've lived my whole life."He said he always intended to reimburse Sydney Ferries for his personal expenses, and with a crippling monthly mortgage of $11,000 and medical bills stacking up, Smith says he knew he needed to sell his home in leafy northern Sydney.But he couldn't tell his wife.They'd been married for 26 of his navy years and moved 32 times."She never asked for anything except that when the time came for me to retire we would buy a house and settle down and have a semi-normal life," Smith said."I was intensely worried that if I spoke to her about selling the house it would have a profound impact on her."When he eventually spoke to his wife about the "parlous" state of the family books, the global financial crisis was in full swing, and the house's value had dropped from an estimated $2.2 million to $1.86m - too little to settle Smith's debts.But Crown prosecutor Sara Bowers said Smith was spending Sydney Ferries' money on extravagances including a family trip to New Zealand, jewellery, a new swimming pool and two BMWs, including one for his "bedridden" wife."Not the necessities of life, are they," she said."I didn't think I had a choice," Smith said.Smith says he still wants to pay the missing money back using earnings from his retail job at hardware chain Bunnings and his superannuation.Judge Michael Finnane has indicated he intends to sentence Smith to two years, but that this may be served in the community under an intensive correction order, rather than in jail.The hearing resumes in August.

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Carr dishes up conundrum for NSW govt

EIGHT years after ending his reign over NSW, Bob Carr is still giving the state Liberals a headache.

THIS time, he's forced Premier Mike Baird to reconvene a "slimmed-down" joint sitting of parliament.

The procedure is so the former premier and foreign minister can be excused from the Senate and return to private life.Mr Baird was left with a conundrum after Mr Carr decided to retire from federal politics despite winning his Senate seat last year.The premier received legal advice that Mr Carr's resignation wasn't constitutional and a joint sitting of the NSW parliament was needed to replace him.But the problem was parliament was on Thursday preparing to close its doors for its winter recess and not planning to sit again until August, well after the July 1 date of the new Senate term.The premier eventually decided to hold a very short joint sitting session in July, which would only last a few minutes, to sort the issue out.Once that happens, Labor's Deb O'Neill will formally replace Mr Carr in the Senate.

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Psychiatric drugs soar among Aussie kids

ADHD medication-use in Australia has jumped 35 per cent in a four-year period. Source: AAP

THE use of powerful psychiatric drugs is soaring among Australian children as young as 10, research shows.

THE number of prescriptions for antipsychotic drugs jumped 49 per cent among 10 to 14 year olds over a four-year period, according to a study of government subsidised prescriptions.

The number of prescriptions for antidepressants increased by more than a third in that age group, according to figures for 2009 to 2012 published in the latest issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.Among people of all age groups, the study shows a 26 per cent increase in ADHD medication, a 23 per cent increase in antipsychotics and a 16 per cent increase in antidepressants.There has been a 35 per cent jump in the use of the ADHD medication Ritalin.Part of the reason for this is an increase in the number of teenagers and adults using the medication.The study shows ADHD medication increased 71 per cent for 20 to 24 year olds and 37 per cent for people aged 25 and older.The rise was 26 per cent for children aged three to nine, 15 per cent for 10 to 14 year olds, 33 per cent for 15 to 19 year olds.Research leader Professor Iain McGregor called for a discussion about whether the benefits of medication outweigh the hazards, particularly in children and in those suffering mild to moderate distress."We need to have a national debate about what is driving this phenomenon."Why are we so reliant on meds for our mental wellbeing?"Clinical Psychologist Andrew Fuller described the study as "massively" concerning, but not surprising."We seem to have a growing proportion of young people showing signs of vulnerability in terms of mental health issues.Some of the prescriptions could be partly because of the agitation of the patient or their parent, or anxiety of the doctor who wants to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, he says."Often the medication is seen as the solution. ADHD medication is highly prescribed, but sadly very rarely given together with other forms of treatment."For depression, talk therapy is very powerful. So is exercise or meditation techniques."These could be used on their own or together with medication, he says. But they take longer than medication to kick in.

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Complaints about data fees on the rise

MORE mobile users are complaining of being hit with up to thousands of dollars in fees for exceeding data limits.

THE Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman says overall mobile and network complaints dropped by almost a fifth in the first three months of the year, compared to early 2013.

But while complaints about faults such as slow data speeds dropped 67 per cent, disputes over excess data charges rose by nearly a third.Ombudsman Simon Cohen says mobile plan customers have been shocked to discover huge charges for exceeding their data cap."Commonly we are seeing consumers come to us with complaints in the hundreds to thousands of dollars," he told AAP."It might be the case where the consumer has a low cost service but the amount charged for excessive data use is at a very high rate, and as a result the charge they received is many times the regular monthly bill they were expecting."Many consumers felt the charges weren't properly explained to them from the beginning, and that they couldn't get the telecommunications provider to properly hear their complaint."A great deal of clarity of how customers are being charged is critical to reducing problems down the track," Mr Cohen said."Many Australians have finely balanced budgets and they don't have the flexibility to have significant variations in charges for basic utilities like mobile phones."One in three internet disputes were over billing issues, with many complaints related to faulty services or late connections.The ombudsman received 36,256 new complaints in the three months to the end of March.

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'Smart glasses' hope for blind

BRITISH-DESIGNED "smart glasses" that provide a new set of eyes for the visually impaired are being tested in public for the first time.

THE devices, which use a pair of video cameras to enhance residual vision, have the potential to transform the lives of thousands of registered blind people in the UK.

The glasses are being trialled by 30 visually impaired volunteers at testing venues in Oxford and Cambridge.Dr Stephen Hicks, of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford University, who led development of the glasses, said: "The idea of the smart glasses is to give people with poor vision an aid that boosts their awareness of what's around them - allowing greater freedom, independence and confidence to get about, and a much improved quality of life."We eventually want to have a product that will look like a regular pair of glasses and cost no more than a few hundred pounds - about the same as a smart phone."The device consists of a pair of video cameras mounted in a headset, a pocket-sized computer processor, and software that projects images of close-by objects onto displays in the see-through eye pieces.The software interprets nearby surroundings to make important objects such as kerbs, tables, chairs or groups of people stand out more clearly.In some cases, details such as facial features can become easier to see.Of the more than 300,000 severely sight impaired people in the UK, it is believed about a third could benefit from the technology.Twenty volunteers with a range of eye conditions and levels of vision took part in preliminary tests of an earlier version of the glasses conducted last year by the Oxford team.The new trials are being conducted with support from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

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Liberia links seven more deaths to Ebola

A HEALTH official says seven people believed to have the Ebola virus have died in recent days in the Liberian capital, in the first reported deaths in Monrovia.

DEPUTY Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said on Tuesday that brings to 16 the number of people believed to have died from the virus in the West African country since the outbreak began.

The deaths are worrying because no new cases had been confirmed in Liberia in more than two months.The outbreak appears to have begun in neighbouring Guinea and has also spread to Sierra Leone. In all, the World Health Organisation says nearly 250 people have died of the virus, which causes severe bleeding and high fever.

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D-day trip veteran marks 90th birthday

A WAR veteran who turned up in Normandy after he was reported missing from his care home in England says he is overwhelmed by the number of cards and gifts he has received for his 90th birthday.

BERNARD Jordan, whose birthday is on Monday, made headlines around the world when he disappeared from The Pines care home in Hove, East Sussex, embarking on a cross-channel trip for the 70th anniversary of D-Day wearing his war medals underneath his grey mac.

But the former Royal Navy officer decided his birthday should be more low-key and is celebrating it quietly with friends and his wife Irene, a spokesman for the veteran said.The Candy Girls, who met Mr Jordan on his way to France, will also be singing to him, the spokesman said.The former mayor of Hove said he wanted to thank everyone for their good wishes after being inundated with at least 2500 birthday cards from around the world following his Normandy adventure."I just can't believe it. It's quite overwhelming to be honest," Jordan said."I want to thank everyone who sent me a card or a gift. Sadly I can't thank everyone in person so I hope they get this message."I'm just one man and I'm nothing special. Anyone would think I'd defeated Hitler on my own."There were a lot of other people on the beaches of Normandy that day, this lovely attention is for them really, not me."Jordan's disappearance on June 5 sparked a police search and his whereabouts was only uncovered when a younger veteran from Brighton phoned later that night to say he had met the veteran on a coach on the way to France, and that they were safe and well in a hotel in Ouistreham.

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Nicole Kidman for top Shanghai honour

Nicole Kidman is to be honoured at the Shanghai International Film Festival in China. Source: AAP

NICOLE Kidman is to be honoured with an outstanding contribution award at the Shanghai International Film Festival in China.

HUGH Grant and John Woo will present the Australian actress with her latest accolade at the opening ceremony on Saturday, while artist Qin Yi will honour actor and director Jiang Wen with the Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Film Award.

Kidman will be hoping the festival will be a better experience than her visit to Cannes last month, when her new film Grace of Monaco was savaged by critics.Kirsten Dunst, John Cusack, Hayden Christensen, Jackie Chan, Tony Leung, Li Bingbing and Korean superstar Rain are expected to attend the opening gala, according to The Hollywood Reporter.The film festival will open with a restored version of 1964 movie Two Stage Sisters and close with Transformers: Age of Extinction.A jury led by actress Gong Li will decide the winner of the Golden Goblet from the 15 films in competition.

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Get out of Iraq now, warns Bishop

Australia ready to help with humanitarian crisis in Iraq, but no troops envisaged says Julie Bishop. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIANS have been told to leave Iraq immediately by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who has described the escalating crisis as deeply disturbing.

INSURGENTS from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have taken a swathe of mostly Sunni Arab territory in northern Iraq in an offensive that has brought fighting to within 80km of Baghdad.

The worsening crisis prompted Ms Bishop to urge Australians to leave "immediately".

"The airport in Baghdad is still open. Commercial flights are still operating out of Baghdad," she told the Ten Network. 

"But if Australians must stay in Iraq, they must ensure that their personal circumstances and their security is absolutely safe." 

The Australian embassy in Baghdad would be "very constrained" in the support it could provide, she said. 

On Saturday US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered an aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf as President Barack Obama considers possible military options, after he ruled out sending troops into Iraq. 

Speaking to reporters in Houston, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he would wait to see how the US responds to the situation before developing an Australian response. 

Ms Bishop said the US would take the lead when it came to any military action. 

"I didn't envisage a circumstance where we would be sending in troops," she said. 

"But we certainly stand ready to support the humanitarian crisis should a request be made." 

She defended the 2003 military intervention in the country, which she supported as a member of the Howard Government. 

"I thought Saddam Hussein was one of the worst dictators on the planet at that time. His removal was a good thing," she said. 

Greens leader Christine Milne said following the US into Iraq was not going to "fix" the violence in the country. 

"We do not want to follow the United States blindly as John Howard did (in 2003)," Senator Milne told ABC Television. 

"Clearly it didn't work last time in Iraq and it won't work this time." 

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Afghan bomb kills 11 amid vote fraud claim

Afghans have braved threats of violence and searing heat to vote in the presidential elections. Source: AAP

A ROADSIDE bomb killed 11 people including five election workers in northern Afghanistan, officials said Sunday, as a prolonged vote count began after the presidential run-off election.

ELECTION officials were sifting through fraud complaints from both candidates, and analysts said the lengthy count could be the trickiest phase in the country's first democratic transfer of power.

More than 50 people were killed on polling day Saturday by militant attacks, including the 11 whose bus was hit by a roadside bomb in Samangan province and five members of one family who died when a Taliban rocket hit a house near a polling station.Eleven voters in the western province of Herat had their fingers - which were dipped in ink to register their ballot - cut off by insurgents, Deputy Interior Minister Ayoub Salangi said.But despite the Taliban attacks, Saturday's election drew a high turnout of about seven million voters in a contest between former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani.The White House praised voters' courage and called the elections "a significant step forward on Afghanistan's democratic path".The US, along with the UN, also urged the two candidates not to trade unproven fraud allegations, but both Abdullah and Ghani raised the issue immediately after polls closed."It is win or lose now," said Kate Clark, director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network."The voting is only one phase of the election, and there is still a lot that could change. Being a good loser doesn't gain you much here."If it is close and fraud looks to have been a lot, and either candidate wants to really make a fuss, then we could be in for months of wrangling."The 2009 election, when outgoing President Hamid Karzai retained power, was marred by massive fraud that shook the US-led international effort to develop Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.A credible election and smooth handover of power would be a major achievement for Afghanistan's backers after 13 years of hugely costly military and civilian assistance.All foreign combat troops are due to withdraw by the end of this year."Allegations of fraud need to be addressed," US ambassador James Cunningham said after polls closed on Saturday."But the candidates and their supporters should refrain from premature judgments and from criticism that is not supported with clear evidence."The preliminary result is due on July 2, before the complaints period begins, and the final result is scheduled for July 22."We have urged the candidates to act as statesmen, future presidents, rather than people simply in a competition with each other," said Nicholas Haysom, the deputy chief of the UN mission.Reflecting international fears of a contested result, he said candidates must "exercise patience" as the count got underway.The Electoral Complaints Commission said it had registered about 275 complaints by Sunday morning."There were violation cases where the supporters of the presidential candidates forced voters to vote for a certain candidate," said spokesman Mohammad Nader Mohsini."Supporters were also offering money for voters to vote for a certain candidate."He said allegations had also been raised of interference by election officials and the security forces.

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Kiska inaugurated as Slovakia president

POLITICAL newcomer Andrej Kiska has been inaugurated as Slovakia's new president.

THE successful 51-year-old businessman-turned-philanthropist was elected to the largely ceremonial post in March, handing an embarrassing defeat to major rival, leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Taking the presidential oath on Sunday at an extraordinary session of parliament, Kiska became Slovakia's fourth president since the country gained independence after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993.He succeeds Ivan Gasparovic, the only president since independence to win two five-year terms.Kiska was until recently a relative unknown in Slovakia and attracted voters fed up with corruption and politics-as-usual to beat Fico.As prime minister, Fico remains Slovakia's most powerful politician but will have to deal with a president who is more critical than Gasparovic was.

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Syria TV says 30 killed in blast near Iraq

A BOMB attack targeting a weapons bazaar in eastern Syria close to the Iraqi border has killed 30 "terrorists", state television reports.

"A big explosion hits a terrorist arms market in Mayadeen, killing 30 terrorists and wounding dozens of others," the television reported on Saturday.

Just 80km from the Iraqi border, the town is under the control of rebel groups, including al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate the Al-Nusra Front, that have been fighting the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.ISIL is the same cross-border group which has spearheaded an offensive in neighbouring Iraq this week that has seen militants sweep down from second city Mosul towards Baghdad.A rebel spokesman from Deir Ezzor province contested the television's report, and told AFP the blast was a car bomb planted by ISIL that killed at least 15 civilians in a street market."Light weapons are sold nearby, but the targeted area was a street market and those killed were civilians," spokesman Omar Abu Leyla said.ISIL's fighters in Syria have been under attack by rival rebels since the start of the year.They have been driven out of much of northwestern Syria, but retain control of the city of Raqa up the Euphrates Valley from Deir Ezzor.They have tried repeatedly to extend their area of control to the Iraqi border to unite their forces in the two countries.

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Israel says Palestinians kidnapped teens

Israeli security forces are combing the West Bank in search of three missing teenagers. Source: AAP

THREE Israeli teenagers, one of them also a US citizen, have been kidnapped in the occupied West Bank, presumably by Palestinians, the army says.

THE three, all students at a Jewish seminary, went missing late on Thursday while hitchhiking between Bethlehem and Hebron.

"We believe that they have indeed been kidnapped by presumed Palestinians," a senior officer told journalists on Saturday, without giving further details.He said the search was being carried out in co-ordination with security forces from the Palestinian Authority, and that "tens of Palestinians" had been arrested in the process.He added that substantial reinforcements had been brought in, including special forces and an airborne brigade, to participate in the search around Hebron, in the southern West Bank.Asked if it was thought they had been kidnapped to hold as hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, he said the army was studying all scenarios.Military radio, quoting other officers, said without elaborating "certain progress" had been made in the search.

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Vic union rejects sabotage claim

The CFMEU has rejected claims a fire at a Grocon building site in Melbourne was an act of sabotage. Source: AAP

THE CFMEU has rejected a claim of sabotage over a deliberately lit fire at a Grocon building site in Melbourne, saying it is a matter for police.

GROCON is claiming the fire at its Collins Street office block development on Friday is part of a string of sabotage incidents and it will refer it to police.

"This is yet another criminal act of sabotage carried out by people with no respect for the law, workplace safety or human life," Grocon spokesman Dan Blyde told News Ltd.The CFMEU released a statement on Saturday, saying any suspicious circumstances surrounding the blaze should be handled by authorities."The implication made by Grocon, as reported in the Herald Sun that this fire has been lit as some kind of industrial tool, is completely rejected by the CFMEU," union national construction secretary Dave Noonan said."It should be backed up by hard evidence or it should be withdrawn."Mr Noonan says the union condemns arson because it endangers lives and anyone behind such acts shouldn't be working in the industry."While it is no secret that the union is critical of Grocon's safety record there would never be any circumstances under which the CFMEU would sanction arson or sabotage as an industrial weapon," he said.

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Snow falls in Vic alpine peaks

Snow has begun falling on Victoria's alpine peaks after a slow start to the season. Source: AAP

AFTER a slow start to the season, snow has finally begun falling on Victoria's alpine peaks.

AT Mt Hotham, 3cm of snow had fallen since Saturday morning with more of the white stuff forecast through until Tuesday.

Snow is expected in Victoria's alpine peaks on Saturday and Sunday, at 1500m above sea level."We're not expecting a huge amount," Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Terry Ryan said."The days haven't been terribly cold as yet. We need the rainfall to get snow, of course, and we're getting a bit of rainfall."News the winter wonderland had arrived had snowfield operators rejoicing, while the weather bureau conceded it appears to be a warmer than average winter."There's another front on Monday with snow coming down to 1300m so it looks a bit more promising," Mr Ryan said."There's always hope we'll get some colder air through and the season can get going properly towards the end of June and early July.

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Egypt asks YouTube to remove assault video

EGYPT is asking YouTube to remove a video of a woman being sexually assaulted in Tahrir Square during a rally supporting the country's newly-elected president.

PRESIDENTIAL spokesman Ehab Badawy said in a statement late on Thursday that the Egyptian Embassy in Washington made the request to YouTube, which is owned by Google Inc.

Officials with YouTube could not be immediately reached Friday.Badawy said the woman attacked asked President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a visit he made to her hospital to have the video taken down.Sexual harassment has long been a problem in Egypt, but assaults have increased dramatically both in frequency and ferocity in the three years since the ouster of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

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Ignition switch problem forces GM recall

GENERAL Motors is recalling more cars for problems with ignition switches.

GM is recalling nearly 512,000 Chevrolet Camaro muscle cars from the 2010 to 2014 model years.

A driver's knee can bump the key and knock the switch out of the "run" position, causing an engine stall.That knocks out power steering and brakes and could cause drivers to lose control.GM says it knows of three crashes and four minor injuries from the problem.GM says the Camaro switches met its specifications - unlike the switches at the centre of a recall of 2.6 million small cars.That problem has caused more than 50 crashes and at least 13 deaths.The Camaro key is concealed in the Fob like a switchblade, and GM said it would be replaced with a straight design.

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Abbott lays wreath at war cemetery

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, as his government drops the idea of creating a national war cemetery in Canberra to commemorate the Anzac centenary in 2015.

THE tomb is in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Mr Abbott on Friday viewed the elaborate changing of the Army soldier guard ceremony at the tomb, before laying the wreath."It's fitting that I should lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here," Mr Abbott told reporters."I should pay tribute to the Americans who have fought for their country because many of them have been fighting for our country."He said Americans, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Britons had all made sacrifices over the past century.The cemetery is the final resting place of more than 400,000 active-duty service members, veterans and their families.Mr Abbott raised the idea of creating a similar cemetery in Australia in 2013 at Legacy's national conference in Brisbane, describing it as "Australians' Arlington".The concept would involve interring significant ex-soldiers.But it is understood the concept has now been ditched after feedback from the veterans' community.The prime minister, who will host the G20 summit in November, also on Friday discussed financial and economic issues with US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen.Mr Abbott will receive a military welcome when he visits the Pentagon for talks with Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey.He will then head to Houston, where he will deliver a speech to the Asia Society. Liquefied natural gas is also likely to be discussed during Mr Abbott's visit, with the biggest project occupying the minds of LNG industry figures being the Panama Canal expansion.It will allow massive Post-Panamax ships to take American LNG to the booming markets of Asia to compete against the Australian product.

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Abbott to press Obama for TPP

AUSTRALIA will seek American support to wrap up talks on an Asia-Pacific free trade zone when Prime Minister Tony Abbott meets with US President Barack Obama.

MR Abbott was due to meet with Mr Obama at the White House at noon on Thursday (0200 AEST), on the second-last leg of his North American visit.

Australian trade officials are quietly confident the Trans-Pacific Partnership - a 12-nation agreement to boost trade in the region - can be concluded by the end of 2015, given that 80 per cent of it has been agreed.In the meeting, in which Mr Abbott will present the president with a hand-made surfboard bearing the presidential seal, he will emphasise Australia's commitment to the alliance as well as boosting trade and investment.The US is Australia's number one source of investment, number one destination for investment abroad and its third largest two-way trading partnerCountries involved in the TPP represent a trading area of almost 800 million people with GDP worth over $27 trillion.A White House spokesman said the TPP would be on the agenda, as well as Australia's leadership of the G20, Afghanistan, and the rotation of US Marines through Darwin.Security and stability of the Asia-Pacific, Syria, Russia's actions in Ukraine and North Korea would also be discussed.Mr Abbott spent his first day in Washington DC in a round of meetings made more hectic by chaos in the Republican Party.The party was dealing with the fallout from Eric Cantor's loss of preselection in Virginia and his stepping down as House majority leader - the second most powerful position in his party.Mr Abbott held four meetings, the first of which was with House Speaker John Boehner who said Republicans broadly supported the TPP.The second meeting involved senior Democratic Party leadership.Foreign relations committee members were keen to pursue how Australia reached its free trade agreement with Japan.A fourth meeting involved about 10 senators from both parties who were interested in China and Australia's intelligence services.Some of the senators expressed regret about the scandal caused by the Edward Snowden security document leaks.It is understood he told the senators - as well as senior national security chiefs he met with later - that countries involved in the so-called "five eyes" intelligence partnership should never apologise for doing what is needed to protect allies and the national interest.Mr Abbott also met with International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde.The prime minister will tell a business breakfast in Washington that Australia has managed to be a good friend to China while also a strong ally of the US.

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Rik Mayall post-mortem inconclusive

A post-mortem examination may shed light on how British comic Rik Mayall died at the age of 56. Source: AAP

A POST-MORTEM into the death of British comic Rik Mayall has proved inconclusive, West London Coroner's Court says.

MORE tests will now be carried out in an attempt to determine how the 56-year-old star died.

Mayall, who shot to fame playing poetry-writing anarchist Rick in The Young Ones, was found dead at his London home on Monday.Police say the death is not believed to be suspicious.Mayall's career, which also included roles such as Lord Flashheart in Blackadder and the conniving Conservative MP Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman, stretched back to the start of the alternative comedy scene.Fans of the star have launched a campaign to send his failed football song, Noble England, into the charts in his memory.The track, which he recorded for the 2010 World Cup when it failed to chart, jumped 27 places overnight according to data from the Official Charts Company and is now just outside the top 10 at number 11.Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot said: "Rik Mayall's death this week was a shock to a whole generation of comedy fans - and their reaction in pushing his 2010 single is a reflection of how much he was loved.Mayall, who leaves wife Barbara and three children, Rosie, Sidney and Bonnie, survived an almost-fatal quad bike accident in 1998 which left him in a coma for several days.

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'Knock-about bloke' Qld's top judge

TIM Carmody is criticised for being inexperienced and too close to the government to be Queensland's top judge, but has stared down the naysayers.

HE was promoted from chief magistrate to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on Thursday, despite never serving in the court.

Attorney-general Jarrod Bleijie had a similar meteoric rise when appointed the state's top law officer after serving as an articled clerk and solicitor.Judge Carmody, QC, who was recruited as chief magistrate from the bar nine months ago, said he couldn't ignore the criticisms and acknowledged it was something the community would be worried about.He vowed to be a fiercely independent leader."If my views happen to coincide with the government's views that's pure coincidence," he said."There will be many times when I disagree with the government's position."In the end it (the criticism) was wrong. I can do this job, I will do this job, and I shouldn't not do this job because someone else says I shouldn't."Premier Campbell Newman described Mr Carmody as a self-made man and knock-about bloke, who once lived in housing commission in Inala, west of Brisbane."We need somebody who has a fine legal mind, who Queenslanders can relate to, who gets where they are coming from," Mr Newman said."He got to this day the hard way, through the sweat of his brow."He'll inspire Queenslanders because they will see they can do as he has done."But most of all we need a leader, to lead the entire legal system for the next decade and beyond."Several lawyers, including former Crown Solicitor Walter Sofronoff QC and former Supreme Court judge Richard Chesterman QC, have raised concerns about Judge Carmody's inexperience, lack of peer support and perceived closeness to the government, especially over anti-bikie legislation.Tony Fitzgerald said the appointment of Judge Carmody, who served as the counsel assisting his 1980s corruption inquiry, could damage public perception of the courts."People whose ambition exceeds their ability aren't all that unusual," he told AAP on Thursday."However, it's deeply troubling that the megalomaniacs currently holding power in Queensland are prepared to damage even fundamental institutions like the Supreme Court and cast doubt on fundamental principles like the independence of the judiciary."After serving on the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption, Judge Carmody became special prosecutor of official corruption arising from the landmark inquiry.From 1998 to 2002 he was Queensland's Crime Commissioner and was appointed a Judge of the Family Court in 2003, before returning to private practice in 2008.Before his appointment as District Court Judge and Chief Magistrate in September 2013, he served as Chairman of the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry.He'll replace Supreme Court chief justice Paul de Jersey, who becomes Governor next month.

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US-China relations vital for world: Abbott

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says the US-China relationship is the most vital for the world's future.

MR Abbott told a US Chamber of Commerce breakfast in Washington DC on Thursday that Australia had balanced being a good friend to China while also being the strongest possible ally of the US.

He said Australian prime ministers and ministers had been able to manage relations with China while at the same time doing such things as meeting with the Dalai Lama, visiting Taiwan, and protesting against China's unilateral declaration of an air defence identification zone over territory that Japan administers.Mr Abbott encouraged Americans to admire the success of China in its economic expansion which had delivered the "greatest and the quickest advance in human welfare of all time"."The relationship between America and China is worth all the effort that both countries are putting into it because no relationship is more vital for the world's future," Mr Abbott said.He said the rise of China was "not without its deep complications for regional stability"."But, so far, it has undeniably and indisputably been good for the world."Mr Abbott has been asked in a series of meetings with US congressional leadership how Australia achieved its recent Japan and Korea free trade agreements."I suspect regional 'mateship' was at least a subliminal factor in reaching our FTA with Japan and Korea," he said.Mr Abbott will later meet with US President Barack Obama at the White House.

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Abbott visits New York high tech college

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott is ending a two-day visit to New York at a school touted by US President Barack Obama in last year's State of the Union speech.

Pathways in Technology Early College High School operates within the Paul Robeson High School for Business and Technology in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York.

It's unique in that it operates in partnership with computer giant IBM and a university.

Students graduate with a high school diploma and an associate's degree, earning it the nickname of America's first "hollege" (high school and two years of college).

Unlike other US colleges, the associate degree comes at no financial cost to the student.

"I believe this is an innovative and valuable education model for us to consider in Australia," Mr Abbott said.

After four years at P-TECH, students may finish their undergraduate studies at City Tech or another institution, or they may be able to move directly into a career in IT.

The Abbott government is facing a battle at home to convince the Senate to endorse the deregulation of university fees and roll out student loans to the TAFE sector.

Mr Abbott will next head to Washington DC where he'll meet with congressional leaders.

He will hold talks on security and investment with Mr Obama on Thursday (Washington time).

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Flight 370 families seek information

ABOUT two dozen relatives of Chinese passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight have demanded more information at a Beijing building that houses the airline's regional office, more than three months after the plane disappeared en route to the city.

Under the tight watch of at least a dozen Chinese police and several building employees, the relatives were kept from entering the office building.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is thought to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board, but a seabed search has found no trace of the plane.

"Please give us the truth and tell us the right way to find our beloved ones," said Dai Shuqin, whose sister was on the plane with her husband, daughter, son-in-law and grandchild.

"It has been extremely hard for us, and we can't take it anymore."

The relatives have long criticised Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian government for not being more forthcoming with information.

They say they have been demanding the flight data of the plane, an analysis of its possible tracks and video footage of the passengers boarding the plane.

They say their goal is to account for the whereabouts of the plane and the people it was carrying.

Some relatives say they are in touch with lawyers, but that it's too early to discuss compensation until the plane is located.

"We do not care about compensation, but please let us know more information," said Zhang Qian, her tears falling as she spoke of her missing husband, Wang Houbin, 28.

"We've gone from days of wearing down jackets to now, summer, and we are still waiting."

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Abbott lays wreath at 9/11 memorial in NYC

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has laid a wreath at the National September 11 Memorial in New York. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has honoured the memory of Australians who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks with a visit to the memorial in New York.

Ten Australians were among the 2983 victims of the attacks.

Mr Abbott laid a wreath at the National September 11 Memorial in New York on Tuesday morning (New York time).

The wreath was placed at the foot of the "survivor tree" - a Callery pear tree found in the ruins of the World Trade Centre towers and replanted.

The names of every person who died in the 2001 attacks and 1993 bombing of the World Trade Centre are inscribed into bronze panels edging the 4000 square metre memorial pools.

Mr Abbott inspected the plaques of all 10 Aussie victims.

About 13 million people have visited the memorial since it opened at the original WTC site in 2011.

The memorial features in its centre the largest man-made waterfalls in North America.

The prime minister was joined by ambassador Kim Beazley and New York Port Authority chair Pat Foye.

Mr Abbott will ring the bell to start the market day at the New York Stock Exchange.

He also has a number of meetings in the Big Apple, including one with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"This is an extremely sombre place," Mr Abbott told reporters.

"It's really quite overwhelming to be in this place on the spot where some 2900 people were killed, including 10 Australians, in one of the most horrific events in world history."

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Barnett flags WA penalty rate changes

THE West Australian premier is seeking to allow small businesses access to the same employment conditions as larger companies to establish fairer penalty rates throughout the week.

Colin Barnett said larger employers, such as Coles and Woolworths, often negotiated enterprise agreements with unions to compensate lower weekend and night penalty rates with higher hourly rates during the week.

The premier said WA's small businesses were disadvantaged by award structures and he had spoken briefly to Attorney-General Michael Mischin about remedying the situation.

"There are certainly some legal difficulties but to me that's not a reason for not trying to provide something more fairer to small business and also fairer to the employees," Mr Barnett said.

"Why should you see that people perhaps on a second job on the weekend or students working part-time over a weekend get dramatically higher rates than people whose whole career and support in terms of their employment is working in the retail industry or the hotel sector or the entertainment sector?

"There should be penalty rates for weekend and night work but they shouldn't be so far above the normal weekly hourly rate so it's unfair to most people working in those industries."

Mr Barnett said large and medium-sized corporate entities came under federal relations law but unincorporated small businesses were a state responsibility.

"That's the typical shop you would see in a shopping mall or street shopping environment perhaps employing just two or three people," he said.

"I think that they are the ones that are stuck with an award that stipulates higher penalty rates than Coles and Woolworths or other stores would pay."

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Trapped man may stay in German cave longer

Rescuers are working to retrieve a man stuck deep underground inside a cave in the German Alps. Source: AAP

RESCUERS say they aim to extract a researcher trapped with a serious injury in Germany's deepest and longest cave by the end of the week.

The Bavarian mountain search and rescue service said a Swiss team expected to reach the 52-year-old cave explorer, who is lying injured at a depth of around 1000 metres, later on Tuesday.

He is to be gradually lifted back to daylight by way of five bivouac stations that are being set up in the Alpine cave Riesending on the Austrian border over the next three to five days, German news agency DPA reported.

The researcher was exploring the cave with two other people early on Sunday when he suffered head and chest injuries from falling rocks.

A 42-year-old member of the expedition climbed out of the cave on his own to get help and it took a team of four first responders 12 hours to reach the stricken man Monday.

A team building the bivouac stations set up a telephone line at a depth of 400 metres to facilitate the operation.

A total of around 200 helpers have deployed from across the region to assist in the operation.

"The conditions are extremely narrow. The rescue won't be easy," doctor Christoph Specht told rolling news channel NTV.

"There are only a few people in Germany who know how to handle such a rescue."

The labyrinth-like Riesending cave, which has only been explored by researchers since 2002, is more than 19 kilometres long and up to 1148 metres deep.

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Tests show gift painting is Rembrandt

SCIENTIFIC tests have confirmed that a painting donated to Britain's National Trust by a wealthy supporter is a Rembrandt self-portrait worth tens of millions of pounds, the heritage body says.

The portrait of the artist, wearing a cap with a white feather, was long thought to be the work of one of Rembrandt's pupils and was credited as in the "style of" the 17th-century Dutch master.

But last year Ernst van de Wetering, the world's leading Rembrandt expert, declared it genuine. The National Trust on Tuesday said tests on the paint, the signature and the wooden panel all confirm the authenticity of the portrait, which was painted in 1635, when Rembrandt was 29.

Cambridge University experts analysed the cell structure of the wooden panel the portrait is painted on - poplar or willow, a type Rembrandt favoured - and used X-rays to reveal changes to the composition over time, also typical of the artist. The pigments, including blue mineral azurite and blue cobalt, also were consistent with those used by Rembrandt.

"The varnish was so yellow that it was difficult to see how beautifully the portrait had been painted," said David Taylor, paintings and sculpture curator at the National Trust.

"Now you can really see all the flesh tones and other colours, as well as the way in which the paint has been handled - it's now much easier to appreciate it as a Rembrandt."

The painting was given to the trust in 2010 by the estate of Edna, Lady Samuel of Wych Cross, whose property-developer husband was a major collector of Dutch and Flemish art. It hangs in Buckland Abbey in southwest England, the former home of 16th-century seafarer Francis Drake.

The painting has been valued at as much as STG30 million ($A54.76 million) - but the trust, whose mandate is to safeguard Britain's heritage, is not allowed to sell it.

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Baden-Clay murder trial starts today

Gerard Baden-Clay in court. Illustration: Jonathan Bentley. Source: Supplied

BRISBANE real estate agent Gerard Baden-Clay will stand trial today for the murder of his wife.

More than 70 witnesses are due to be called to give evidence in a case expected to go for four weeks.

Baden-Clay has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Allison and interfering with the mother-of-three's corpse.

He reported her missing from the couple's Brookfield home on Friday April 20, 2012, and she was found dead 10 days later under Kholo Creek bridge at Anstead.

Potential jurors will be asked three questions: If they have ever expressed an opinion about Baden-Clay's guilt or innocence; if they or relatives lived in the area at the time; and if they attended a fundraiser or donated to any fund set up in connection to the case.

Baden-Clay, 43, is represented by barrister Michael Byrne QC, and solicitor Peter Shields.

Follow The Courier-Mail for rolling coverage of the case.

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Driver charged in crash that hurt Morgan

ACTOR and comedian Tracy Morgan has been critically injured after a tractor-trailer rammed into his chauffeured limousine bus, setting off a chain-reaction crash that left one member of his entourage dead and two others seriously hurt.

A truck driver from Georgia was charged with death by auto in connection to the crash, prosecutors said.

Middlesex County prosecutors said 35-year-old Kevin Roper also faces four counts of assault by auto. His bail was set at $US50,000 ($A54,100), and he was expected to turn himself in later on Saturday.

Morgan, the former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock cast member, was returning from a stand-up comedy show in Delaware when his Mercedes limo bus carrying seven people overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike near Cranbury Township at about 1am on Saturday, state police Sergeant 1st Class Greg Williams said.

James McNair, 62, of Peekskill, New York, a passenger in the limo bus, died at the scene, Williams said. Morgan, 45, and Jeffrey Millea, 36, of Shelton, Connecticut, were flown from the accident scene to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, where they were in critical condition, hospital spokesman Peter Haigney said.

A fourth passenger, comedian Ardie Fuqua Junior, was also in critical condition, while a fifth passenger, comic Harris Stanton, was treated and released, Haigney said.

Two others in the limo were unhurt, including the driver.

Morgan remains in the intensive care unit at the hospital.

"His family is now with him and he is receiving excellent care," spokesman Lewis Kay said in a statement.

"We don't anticipate much of a change in his condition today but will provide a further update once more information becomes available."

Williams said the tractor-trailer driver apparently failed to notice slow traffic ahead and swerved at the last minute in a vain attempt to avoid a crash.

But it smashed into the back of the limo, prompting a chain-reaction crash with a second tractor-trailer, an SUV and two cars.

Morgan performed comedy standup on Friday night at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. His appearance at the Fillmore Charlotte in North Carolina on Saturday night was cancelled.

Morgan, a New York City native, joined SNL in 1996 and was on the sketch-comedy program for seven years before leaving to star in The Tracy Morgan Show in 2003. That show lasted just one season.

In 2006, Morgan found a long-running role on NBC's hit show 30 Rock and received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for 30 Rock in 2009.

Morgan grew up fatherless, one of five siblings in Brooklyn, where he helped raise and support the family.

He once called his gift for being funny "a defence mechanism" for his miserable circumstances. As a teen, he started doing comedy on the streets to supplement the family's welfare income.

In recent years, he has struggled with alcoholism and drunken driving arrests. He had a successful kidney transplant in late 2010.

Morgan has three grown sons by a previous marriage and a daughter, Maven Sonae, born last July to his fiancee, Megan Wollover.

His films include Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, The Longest Yard, First Sunday, Rio and Why Stop Now.

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'Super computer' passes Turing Test in UK

A "SUPER computer" has duped humans into thinking it was a 13-year-old boy to become the first machine to pass the "iconic" Turing Test, experts say.

Five machines were tested at the Royal Society in central London to see if they could fool people into thinking they were humans during text-based conversations.

The test was devised in 1950 by computer science pioneer and World War II code breaker Alan Turing, who said that if a machine was indistinguishable from a human, then it was "thinking".

No computer had ever previously passed the Turing Test, which requires 30 per cent of human interrogators to be duped during a series of five-minute keyboard conversations, organisers from the University of Reading said.

But "Eugene Goostman", a computer program developed to simulate a 13-year-old boy, managed to convince 33 per cent of the judges that it was human, the university said.

Professor Kevin Warwick, from the University of Reading, said: "In the field of artificial intelligence there is no more iconic and controversial milestone than the Turing Test.

"It is fitting that such an important landmark has been reached at the Royal Society in London, the home of British science and the scene of many great advances in human understanding over the centuries. This milestone will go down in history as one of the most exciting."

The successful machine was created by Russian-born Vladimir Veselov, who lives in the United States, and Ukrainian Eugene Demchenko who lives in Russia.

Veselov said: "It's a remarkable achievement for us and we hope it boosts interest in artificial intelligence and chatbots."

Prof Warwick said there had been previous claims that the test was passed in similar competitions around the world.

"A true Turing Test does not set the questions or topics prior to the conversations," he said.

"We are therefore proud to declare that Alan Turing's test was passed for the first time."

Prof Warwick said having a computer with such artificial intelligence had "implications for society" and would serve as a "wake-up call to cybercrime".

The event on Saturday was poignant as it took place on the 60th anniversary of the death of Turing, who laid the foundations of modern computing.

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