NYC mulls radical storm protection plan

FEDERAL officials looking to better protect New York and New Jersey from disasters like Superstorm Sandy are examining a plan to create a string of islands off the coast.

The proposal by New Jersey's Stevens Institute of Technology and two architectural firms would pump sand onto hard bases to form a chain of islands designed to blunt the force of storm surges like the ones that caused billions of dollars damage in 2012.

The Blue Dunes proposal would cost an estimated $US10 billion ($A10.83 billion) to $US12 billion.

The islands would reach from central Long Island to the southern tip of Long Beach Island.

The proposal is part of the Rebuild By Design competition staged by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to look for bold new ideas in storm protection.

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Pell promises compo for Vic abuse victims

Cardinal George Pell (C) has promised to review compensation for Melbourne church abuse victims. Source: AAP

CARDINAL George Pell has promised to review compensation payments for Melbourne church abuse victims and has conceded it may cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cardinal Pell met with Anthony and Chrissie Foster, whose two daughters were abused by a priest in Melbourne and told them a cap on payments would be eliminated.

He also told them during the meeting, which took place on Thursday after Cardinal Pell completed his evidence to the royal commission into child sexual abuse, the church would review all existing payments.

"I stated that we needed to see the Melbourne cap eliminated, revisiting all the existing claims and in line with civil limits," Mr Foster told ABC TV.

"I also said to him that this will cost the Catholic Church in Melbourne several hundred million dollars.

"His response was he nodded and said 'yes'."

Francis Sullivan from Catholic Church Truth, Justice and Healing Council, who was at the meeting said Cardinal Pell gave a commitment that he would speak with the Archbishop of Melbourne.

Nicky Davis from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the commitment was a good first step and hopes it is not an empty promise.

"George Pell is making an honest man of himself at last," she said in a statement.

"What has been agreed to so far is a first step, but what makes this different is it is not a vague promise or deceitful claim. We are talking about concrete action that will help hundreds of our most vulnerable."

"It is vital George Pell not offer survivors another devastating blow by betraying our hopes and going back on promises made to the Fosters."

Ms Davis said the commitment did not remove the need for an independent body to ensure survivors receive access to justice and fair compensation.

The Fosters' two daughters were raped by a priest at primary school.

One of them took her own life and the other was hit by a car while binge drinking and now requires 24-hour care for permanent disabilities.

* 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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Objects found in new MH370 search area

The search for a missing Malaysia Airlines flight has resumed with weather conditions improving. Source: AAP

OBJECTS sighted by a New Zealand military plane in the Indian Ocean appear to have justified re-focusing efforts more than a thousand kilometres from the original search area for missing flight MH370.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweeted on Friday that the RNZAF Orion would supply pictures of the objects as soon as it landed at RAAF Base Pearce, north of Perth.

The sighting will need to be confirmed by ship, which is not expected to reach the area until Saturday.

New radar data analysis prompted authorities to re-focus the six-nation search 1100km to the northeast of its original location, and some 1850km west of Perth, following updated advice from the international investigation team in Malaysia.

The previous focus was in an area 2500km southwest of the West Australian capital.

"Continuing analysis indicates that the plane was travelling faster than was previously estimated, resulting in increased fuel usage, reducing the possible distance it travelled south into the Indian Ocean," Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan said on Friday.

"This is our best estimate of the area in which the aircraft is likely to have crashed into the ocean."

He said the search area could change again as new information emerged.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority emergency response manager John Young said all search planes and ships had been moved to the new zone, which was "now our best place to go".

"We have moved on from those search areas to the newest credible lead," Mr Young said, adding however, that the decision to shift focus was not based on a new theory but a refining of the original analysis used to plot the location of the aircraft's possible resting place.

"The analysis is in fact the same form as we started with," he said.

"I don't count the original work a waste of time."

Mr Young also stressed, however, that he would not use the term "debris field" in relation to various objects spotted by satellite.

The new location will also allow search planes to spend more time on the scene. Previously, they only had one to two hours before having to return to RAAF Base Pearce.

Mr Young said weather conditions in the new search area were also more favourable.

The new area is shallower, with water depths ranging from 2000 to 4000 metres.

Any wreckage found would be handed over to Malaysian authorities.

The new "credible lead" on a possible crash site, almost three weeks to the day since the plane carrying 239 people disappeared on March 8, also came with a warning from Malaysia Airlines of the effect on the families of rumours and speculation about the flight's fate.

"Whilst we understand that there will inevitably be speculation during this period, we do ask people to bear in mind the effect this has on the families of all those on board," the airline's group chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said.

"Their anguish and distress increases with each passing day, with each fresh rumour, and with each false or misleading report."

Mr Yahya said preparations were underway for family members of passengers and crew to be taken to Perth, should physical wreckage be found.

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Qld police try to identify dead woman

POLICE are working through the night to investigate the suspicious death of a young woman whose body was found in a busy south Brisbane Park.

Earlier on Friday police were searching for a murder weapon and speaking to witnesses, Detective Acting Inspector Tod Reid told reporters.

The victim hasn't been identified, but police said she was possibly aged in her teens to early 20s, about 165cm tall with a slim build, olive complexion and dark hair and was wearing a silver bracelet on her right wrist.

Her body was found in a rotunda at Kurilpa Park on Friday by a man on his morning walk.

Police want to review CCTV footage from surrounding buildings and have asked for any witnesses in the area during the past day to come forward.

The body was still in the rotunda late on Friday morning as homicide squad officers, local detectives and forensic specialists scoured the scene, which had been partly affected by bad weather.

"Weather's always a factor in these sort of incidents and fortunately the rotunda has managed to secure some of the scene for us," Inspector Reid said.

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Greste's family hail PM's intervention

THE parents of jailed Australian journalist Peter Greste say Prime Minister Tony Abbott's direct appeal for his release will undoubtably help the case.

Mr Abbott rang interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour on Thursday night, three months after the Al Jazeera journalist and two colleagues were detained for allegedly spreading false news and supporting the black-listed Muslim Brotherhood.

Greste's parents didn't realise Mr Abbott was going to intervene, but thanked him.

"We're thrilled, delighted," his father Juris said.

"I have high hopes but modest expectations.

"We don't expect to be greeting Peter next week. It would be nice."

The Grestes held back from any criticism of how long it took Mr Abbott to reach out.

"We have come to realise that timing is important, and we respect other people's over the appropriate timing in these things," Juris said.

The prime minister raised the detention with Mr Mansour, noting that Greste had only been doing his job as a journalist and had no intention of damaging Egypt's interests.

He sought the president's assistance in securing Greste's release and having his case resolved as soon as possible.

In response the president noted that he had written to Greste's parents promising he would be subject to a fair and just legal process.

The president assured them that Greste would receive all necessary support and legal assistance and said he hoped the case would be resolved as soon as possible.

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Thai police seize heroin bound for Aust

THAI police says they have seized 147 kilograms of heroin they believe was destined for Australia.

They claim the street value of the seized drugs would have been three billion baht ($A105 million).

Thai deputy police chief Major General Somyot Pumpanmuang said on Wednesday that two men - a Thai and a Malaysian - were arrested on trafficking charges when police seized the heroin in the Andaman Sea port city of Ranong.

He said the Tuesday night seizure came after Australian police tipped off their Thai counterparts about the haul.

The drugs were wrapped in 420 packets that were to be hidden in frozen seafood containers.

Somyot said police believed the heroin originated in Myanmar and had been smuggled across Thailand's northern border.

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Rod Stewart's rare Lamborghini up for sale

A RARE Lamborghini once owned by rocker Rod Stewart is being sold for nearly STG1 million ($A1.81 million) in the UK.

The singer bought the two-door Lamborghini Miura P400S brand new in 1971, when it did 0-60 miles per hour (96.5 km/h) in 6.7 seconds with a top speed of 275 km/h - the fastest road car of its kind in the world at the time.

The pristine four-litre blue sports car with silver trim has recently undergone a STG100,000 restoration and is being sold on AutoTrader for STG899,999.

It is one of only 338 produced between December 1968 and March 1971.

One was owned by Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis also had one, which he crashed in October 1972 after reportedly taking cocaine, breaking both ankles.

The Miura garnered worldwide appeal when it featured in the opening sequence of Michael Caine classic The Italian Job in 1969.

Stewart owned his for five years until 1976, when it was sold to a private buyer.

An AutoTrader spokesman said: "An old classic like this is rarely seen on the market now and particularly in such good condition for its age; all the love and attention has clearly kept it performing. This is a great investment if you do have 900k in your account."

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Ethiopia to pass anti-gay bill

ETHIOPIA is set to pass a bill that puts homosexuality on a list of offences considered "non-pardonable" under the country's amnesty law, a measure that continues a trend of anti-gay legislation across Africa.

The bill, endorsed last week by Ethiopia's cabinet, is widely expected to pass when MPs put it to a vote next week.

Homosexuality is criminalised in 38 African countries, about 70 per cent of the continent, according to Amnesty International. Uganda and Nigeria have recently strengthened criminal penalties against homosexuals.

In Ethiopia, same-sex acts are illegal and punishable by up to 15 years in prison. A 25-year jail term is also prescribed for anyone convicted of infecting another person with HIV during same-sex acts.

Ethiopia's president often pardons thousands of prisoners during the Ethiopian New Year. If the bill becomes law, the president will lose his power to pardon prisoners who faced charges ranging from homosexuality to terrorism.

Tiruneh Zena, the head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, said a presidential pardon was a privilege and not a right, the reason be believes the bill is not harmful to the lives of homosexuals.

"I won't say the proposed law is not a cause of concern but I don't think the law will affect the LGBT community in a serious way," he said.

Homosexuality is largely a taboo subject in Ethiopia, ignored even by known rights groups.

Zenebu Tadesse, Ethiopia's minister for women, children, and youth affairs, was criticised on social media last month for a Twitter post that appeared to slam Uganda for enacting a severe anti-gay law.

Shortly after the tweet was published, Zenebu's Twitter account was deleted. She later said the tweet was the work of unidentified hackers, and that she does not hold the views it expressed.

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No make-up selfies raise millions

WOMEN posting "selfies" without make-up online have helped a leading cancer charity raise more than STG8 million ($A14.53 million).

The craze has seen soaring numbers of women posting pictures of themselves wearing no make-up on social media sites and nominating their friends to do the same.

Cancer Research UK, which did not start the campaign, said the #nomakeupselfie trend had resulted in an "unprecedented increase" in donations.

But it has emerged that some people intending to donate to the charity sent their cash to UNICEF in error, while others had mistakenly enquired about adopting a polar bear with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Cancer Research UK and UNICEF use the same text number for donations but those texting the keyword "DONATE" rather than "BEAT" found their money sent to the UN agency.

Mike Flynn, director of individual giving at UNICEF UK, said there had been a "genuine mix-up" and it was working with Cancer Research UK to transfer STG18,625 ($A33,823.66) which was donated by mistake.

He said: "UNICEF UK is not responsible for this error, however we've been working hard to find a resolution to the situation for those affected.

"We contacted Cancer Research UK as soon as we became aware of what was happening. UNICEF UK and Cancer Research UK have agreed that these donations will be received in full by Cancer Research UK.

"We are now working closely with all parties involved to ensure that this doesn't happen again in the future."

The WWF confirmed that it too had accidentally received text messages due to the wrong keyword.

Those texting the word "BEAR" instead of "BEAT" meant they had enquired about adopting a polar bear through the charity.

The WWF said no money was taken from people who had sent the texts.

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Aust, Indon police 'must work on trust'

AUSTRALIAN police feel the bilateral hiatus with Indonesia has created hesitation in a once remarkable relationship forged by the Bali bombings, according to a report.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) interviewed Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Indonesian National Police (POLRI) officers for a special report on the partnership.

The rift between Jakarta and Canberra following last year's spy scandal led Indonesia to suspend police cooperation in some areas, including people smuggling and cybercrime.

Both nations' foreign ministers are set to resume talks this week on a plan to restore bilateral ties - something unlikely to take effect until after Indonesia's presidential elections later this year.

ASPI says the police relationship can't resume as if nothing happened.

Both forces should therefore use this time to think about what they want their cooperation to deliver in the future.

Following the spy revelations, the report says, POLRI officers had to check their communications equipment to ensure it hadn't been compromised by other nations, including Australia.

ASPI believes a close and productive relationship will return, provided there's an effort made to close any trust deficit that has emerged.

"All the AFP and POLRI officers interviewed for this project think the current tension has not damaged (people-to-people relationships)," it says.

"Although some note that the ambiguous situation has made some Indonesian officials hesitant to engage their Australian counterparts."

The report suggests workshops for future AFP and POLRI leaders, and inviting POLRI officers to support the AFP during November's G20 meeting.

In the past, the AFP-POLRI relationship has brought significant benefits to both countries, most notably in terrorism.

After the 2002 Bali bombings, officers lived together, shared information openly, and convicted more than 30 terrorists.

Australia posted its first police liaison officer to Jakarta in 1977. Today there are around 30 AFP officers working in Indonesia.

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Commuter train derails in Chicago

AN eight-car Chicago commuter train has ploughed across a platform and scaled an escalator at an underground station at O'Hare airport, injuring 32 people.

No one suffered life-threatening injuries in the Blue Line derailment, Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago said during a Monday morning briefing.

Chicago Transit Authority investigators along with the city fire department and police were reviewing security footage and interviewing the driver and other CTA workers to pin down the cause of the accident.

Steele said crews were working to remove the train and fix the escalator and aren't sure when the station will reopen.

The train appeared to have been going too fast as it approached the end-of-line station and didn't stop at a bumping post - a metal shock absorber at the end of the tracks.

"The train actually climbed over the last stop, jumped up on the footpath and then went up the stairs and escalator," Santiago said.

"Apparently (it) was travelling at a rate of speed that clearly was higher than a normal train would be," Steele said.

It wasn't clear how many people were on board at the time but the accident happened during what is "typically among our lowest ridership time," Steele said.

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Brave Aussies recognised in 2014 awards

A SYDNEY store manager who risked his life to protect a colleague and customers has been recognised with one of 47 bravery awards bestowed by Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

Andrew MacDonald, from Padstow, will receive the Star of Courage for protecting customers and a staff member at his Bonnyrigg store from armed men in 2010.

The awards, announced on Monday, will be presented at a later date.

"Today's announcement of national bravery awards recognises the heroic actions of those amongst us who have placed the safety and lives of others before their own," Ms Bryce said in a statement.

"We are privileged to have such role models in our society, and it is an honour to be able to recognise their acts of selfless bravery and thank them publicly for their brave actions."

Mr MacDonald was the only person this year awarded the Star of Courage, Australia's second highest bravery award, for "acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril".

The Padstow resident garnered the award for protecting his co-worker and customers from three violent assailants, despite being threatened with a gun and shot at.

Fourteen people, including 13 men and one women, were awarded the Bravery Medal this year for acts including rescuing others from a shark attack, vicious dogs and house fires, and protecting people from armed attacks.

They include a Victorian man, Damian Hall, who rescued a woman and a baby from a dog attack after he saw the pit bull attacking the infant in a pram.

On seeing the attack, Mr Hall jumped out of his car, grabbed a wrench, and rushed to the pair's aid, hitting the dog so that the woman and baby could get to safety.

He then came to the aid of another woman who was being mauled by the dog, and he later had to be treated for bite wounds sustained in the incident.

Charles Kable, who died trying to save a girl who was swept out to sea at a NSW beach, will also be honoured.

Mr Kable was swimming at Patonga Beach when he and number of children visiting from overseas got caught in a strong tide and were swept out about 150 metres from shore.

Mr Kable grabbed hold of one girl and held her above the water until he fell under the water and lost consciousness.

The girl was rescued, but Mr Kable couldn't be revived.

This year's awards also includes 22 Commendation for Brave Conduct and 10 Group Bravery Citations.

Nominations are considered by the Australian Bravery Decorations Council.

Just five Cross of Valour awards and 142 Star of Courage awards have been given out since the Australian Bravery Awards were established 1975.

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Avalanche kills two skiers at Sochi resort

AN avalanche has killed two skiers at the Russian mountain resort used for the Sochi Olympics the day after it opened to the public.

Six skiers were on the middle section of Labirint run when the avalanche struck, Roza Khutor said in a statement on Sunday.

The snow buried two women, and rescuers who dug them out were unable to save them, it said, while the four other skiers escaped unharmed.

The Kuban regional branch of state Rossiya television, citing witnesses, reported earlier that three people had been killed in the avalanche.

Roza Khutor was the site of the Alpine skiing competitions during the Winter Games in February and the Paralympics that followed.

The resort re-opened to the public on Saturday.

The resort said it was clearing the snow from the run and trying to determine the cause of the avalanche.

The Roza Khutor management also expressed its condolences to the family and friends of the two skiers who died.

A map of the mountain shows the Labirint run located at the far edge of the resort and labelled black, the most difficult of four categories.

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Three killed by gunmen in Kenyan church

THREE people have died and at least 10 have been wounded after gunmen opened fire in a church outside Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa.

The three gunmen opened fire inside the Joyland Church in a Mombasa suburb of Likoni, killing two people, Kenyan officials said on Sunday, while a nurse at a nearby hospital reported a third person had died while being treated.

Kenya has suffered dozens of small attacks, many on churches, over the last several years. Muslim-Christian tensions on Kenya's coast are high.

Sunday's shooting comes about a week after police on the coast intercepted a car packed with explosives police believe were to be used for an attack.

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Bravery award for shark attack rescuer

A MAN who dived into open water to rescue a shark attack victim on the NSW mid north coast has been awarded one of the nation's highest bravery awards.

Rowan Cutbush was parasailing with two friends at Jimmies Beach, near Port Stephens, when one of them fell off a wakeboard into the water.

The woman was then attacked by a shark, suffering injuries to her arm, neck and face.

On seeing the attack, Mr Cutbush dived off his vessel and swam around 20 metres through "bloodied water" to reach the victim.

Mr Cutbush then held onto the woman until the pair was pulled back to the vessel with a rope.

With a mate, Mr Cutbush assisted the woman out of the water then treated her severely lacerated arm, before driving the vessel at high speed back to ambulance officers at a nearby jetty.

The woman received treatment for lacerations sustained in the attack.

Mr Cutbush was awarded one of 14 Aussies to this year win a Bravery Medal from Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

The Bravery Medal is awarded for acts of "bravery in hazardous circumstances".

It is the third highest Australian Bravery Decoration behind the Star of Courage and the Cross of Valour.

Ms Bryce said the 2014 national bravery awards recognised "the heroic actions of those amongst us who have placed the safety and lives of others before their own".

"We are privileged to have such role models in our society, and it is an honour to be able to recognise their acts of selfless bravery and thank them publicly for their brave actions," she said in a statement.

There were 47 Australians awarded national bravery decorations this year.

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