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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Canada, US to help northern Aust: Robb

CANADIAN and US investors could be the key to opening up development in northern Australia, Trade Minister Andrew Robb says.

A discussion paper on northern Australia's future will be released by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss at an event in Townsville on Tuesday.

The green paper will be the first stage in the development of a long-term policy for the region, fulfilling a coalition election promise.

Mr Robb, who is in Canada with a 20-member business delegation, told AAP that pension funds in North America - which were already involved in a billions of dollars of Australian infrastructure projects - were looking for new opportunities.

"These pension funds could end up in agribusiness investments through the supply chain," he said.

"It makes a lot of sense because they are long-term investments."

He said opening up northern parts of WA, the NT and Queensland would also require rail, airports and ports linked to the major new agricultural projects.

The growth in Asia's middle class - from about 600 million to three billion people over the next three decades - would drive demand for specialist crops, horticulture and sugar.

"These sorts of ventures across the north, in what is currently just cattle country, are in prospect for the first time ever because of the size and sophistication of the market that is emerging," Mr Robb said.

"We would never be able to supply all of these people, so we ought to aim for the high end."

The minister said Australia's capital markets were not deep enough to fund this development and take the long-risks associated with it.

"That is why I am on my bike all over the world."

The government will also on Tuesday release a feasibility study into a baseload power station in the Pentland area west of Townsville.

The study, involving Guildford Coal Ltd and Mackay Sugar Ltd, was initiated in April 2013 by the Labor government.

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Pope begins Middle East prayer summit

VATICAN officials insist no political agenda is lurking behind Pope Francis' invitation to the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to pray for peace together in the Vatican gardens, and no concrete initiatives are expected.

But Sunday's unusual summit - with Jewish, Christian and Muslim prayers intoned in the shadow of St Peter's Basilica - could take on great significance on the ground.

And it will certainly enhance Francis' reputation as a leader unhindered by diplomatic and theological protocol who is willing to take risks for the sake of peace.

The prayer was organised in the two weeks since Francis first made the surprise invitation from the biblical city of Bethlehem. On Sunday, he asked the crowd attending his weekly noon blessing to join in with their own prayers as well.

As Palestinian flags fluttered in the breeze, Francis pressed the importance of "surprise" in the Catholic Church, saying a church that doesn't have the ability to surprise with its message of love is "weak, sick and dying and needs CPR".

Francis showed himself a master of improvisation and surprise during his trip to the Middle East, stopping to pray at the Israeli security barrier surrounding Bethlehem and then, at Israel's request, changing his busy itinerary to pray at a memorial to Jews killed in suicide bombings and other attacks.

But it was his invitation to Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - two men who signed the Oslo peace accords in 1993 - to come to "my home" to pray for peace that captured imaginations and led to Sunday's common call for peace on a patch of lawn inside the Vatican walls.

"Peace is a gift of God, but requires our efforts. Let us be people of peace in prayer and deed," Francis tweeted on the eve of the summit.

"Prayer is all-powerful. Let us use it to bring peace to the Middle East and peace to the world."

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