A SEVERE thunderstorm warning has been cancelled for Alice Springs.
The wild weather was forecast to hit Alice Springs in the Northern Territory at about 6pm (CST) on Saturday, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning of flash flooding.
But the warning has since been cancelled with thunderstorms on the radar having weakened, the bureau said.
Jennifer Lopez toned down her concert in Indonesia, dressing modestly and leaving out sexy moves. Source: AAP
JENNIFER Lopez has wowed thousands of fans in Indonesia, but they didn't see as much of her as concertgoers in other countries - the American pop star had toned down both her sexy outfits and her dance moves during her show in the world's most populous Muslim country, promoters say.
Lopez's Dance Again World Tour was performed in the country's capital, Jakarta, on Friday in line with promises Lopez made to make her show more appropriate for the audience, said Chairi Ibrahim from Dyandra Entertainment, the concert promoter.
"JLo was very cooperative ... she respected our culture," Ibrahim said, adding that Lopez's managers also asked whether she could perform her usual sexy dance moves, but were told that "making love" moves were not appropriate for Indonesia.
"Yes, she dressed modestly ... she's still sexy, attractive and tantalising, though," said Ira Wibowo, an Indonesian actress who was among more than 7000 fans at the concert.
Another fan, Doddy Adityawarman, was a bit disappointed with the changes.
"She should appear just the way she is," he said, "Many local artists dress even much sexy, much worse."
Lopez changed several times during her 90-minute concert along with several dancers, who also dressed modestly without revealing their chests or cleavage.
Most Muslims in Indonesia, a secular country of 240 million people, are moderate. But a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years.
They have pushed through controversial laws - including an anti-pornography bill - and have been known to attack anything perceived as blasphemous, from transvestites and bars to "deviant" religious sects.
Lady Gaga was forced to cancel her sold-out show in Indonesia in May following threats by Islamic hardliners, who called her a "devil worshipper".
Lopez will also perform in Muslim-majority Malaysia on Sunday.
"Thank you Jakarta for an amazing night," the 43-year-old diva tweeted to her 13 million followers on Saturday.
BUSINESSES affected by a fire that hit the Telstra exchange in southwestern Victoria will be able to claim compensation.
An estimated 60,000 customers' internet and phone services were affected following the fire at the Warrnambool exchange in southwestern Victoria on November 22.
Business customers affected by the outage will be able to claim compensation, with a call centre, online claim forms and visitations to affected areas set up, Telstra said in a statement.
Telstra had restored all mobile services and repaired 92 per cent of landline services by Saturday, the company said.
About 50 per cent of internet services were back on line as technicians worked to individually recable remaining landline services through the Warrnambool exchange.
More than 50 technicians are on site carrying out repairs.
BRITAIN'S newspapers have praised senior judge Brian Leveson's report into media ethics, but warned its recommendation to introduce new laws could "suffocate the free press".
Leveson, who led an eight-month inquiry sparked by the phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid, said on Friday there should be an independent self-regulatory body, underpinned by legislation.
But Fleet Street mostly backed Prime Minister David Cameron's response, which indicated he would oppose any state regulation of the press.
"We agree with Lord Justice Leveson: a free press is one of the safeguards of our democracy," said the Daily Telegraph's editorial.
"Where we part company with the learned judge ... is in his belief that either of these two bulwarks of British liberty would be served by a regulatory body for newspapers that is underpinned by legislation."
The centre-right broadsheet, which has long voiced opposition to new press laws, said Leveson's insistence that his recommendations did not amount to statutory regulation was "either sophistry or naivety".
"What is to stop MPs amending it now and in the future so that it no longer resembles the benign legislative vehicle envisaged by the judge?" it asked.
Cameron commissioned the inquiry in July 2011 in the wake of a Guardian report alleging that the News of the World hacked the voicemails of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
The Guardian praised the 2000-page report's "detail and clarity", but gave only conditional backing to proposals for a statutory framework.
"Clearly ... the drafting of the Leveson statute requires great care, real deliberation and cross-party support to avoid endless amendments and additions that move it from light touch to something more sinister," said its editorial.
But it called on Cameron to "think carefully before dismissing significant parts" of the report.
Centre-left publication The Independent said there was "only one flaw in Lord Justice Leveson's epic verdict - but it's a crucial flaw.
"Mr Cameron is right: legislation would be unnecessary, complex and slow," it concluded.
The prime minister faces a parliamentary row as both opposition leader Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, leader of junior coalition partners the Liberal Democrats, support new laws.
The Murdoch-owned The Times backed Cameron's stance taken despite Leveson's proposal of legislation "that was politically hard to resist".
"Sir Brian described the proposal as 'essential', hinting that to demur would be a rejection of his entire scheme. Mr Cameron did not accept this, and he was right not to," argued its leading article.
"Mr Cameron appreciated that in addition to being unnecessary, the proposed law would pose huge practical difficulties and breach the vital principle that parliament should not take responsibility for the regulation of a free press," it added.
Leading business title the Financial Times called the report "a damning indictment of the culture and practices of the newspaper industry", but stopped short of calling for state-backed regulation.
"Redressing the balance is primarily a task for the industry rather than the politicians," said its editorial. "In this respect, David Cameron's reaction to the report deserves commendation.
"He is right to warn of the risks of statutory intervention in newspapers. The government must take care not to suffocate the free press by trying to sanitise it".
The centre-right Daily Mail and Murdoch tabloid The Sun - sister paper of the News of the World - both celebrated Cameron's statement as a victory for freedom of speech.
Aung San Suu Kyi is urging for talks to end protests over a military-backed copper mine in Myanmar. Source: AAP
OPPOSITION leader Aung San Suu Kyi has publicly criticised the forcible crackdown on protesters at a mine in northwestern Myanmar (Burma) and says the public need an explanation of the violence that injured dozens, including Buddhist monks.
At the same time, she indicated in her speech to villagers on Friday that the protesters may have to accept a compromise for the sake of national honour.
Now serving in parliament after years as a political prisoner of the long-ruling junta, Suu Kyi received a hero's welcome in the town of Monywa, where residents were rattled by the government's biggest crackdown on demonstrations since reformist President Thein Sein took office last year.
She was scheduled to visit the area before the crackdown to hear the protesters' grievances and said she would try to negotiate or mediate in the conflict over the mine, which protesters say is causing environmental and social problems.
Speaking to a crowd of more than 10,000, Suu Kyi made the point she did not want confrontation but said people had the right to ask why the authorities cracked down so harshly on the non-violent protesters."I want to ask, 'What was their purpose of doing this?' Frankly, there's no need to act like this," she said, and people in the crowd shouted back: "Right!"
"I'm not saying this to agitate people," she continued. "I never persuade people by agitating. I explain to people so that they can decide by thinking."
Activists and Buddhist monks who contend the Letpadaung copper mine is causing environmental and social problems had occupied the mine for 11 days before police used water cannons, tear gas and smoke bombs to break up the protest early on Thursday.
Weapons that protesters described as flare guns caused severe burns to protesters and set shelters ablaze. A nurse at a Monywa hospital said 27 monks and one other person were admitted there to be treated for burns.
Suu Kyi visited with injured protesters on Thursday, as well as meeting with mining company officials and local activists. She was to meet security officials on Friday.
She has taken a soft line on the conflict over the project, noting that many people asked her to help stop the project at once, but saying she did not know details of the original contract and a parliamentary investigating committee had yet to do its work.
Suu Kyi went on to suggest that Myanmar should honour the contracts establishing the project, especially since they involved a neighbouring country. The mine is a joint venture between a military-controlled holding company and a Chinese mining company.
She said the deals were done under the previous military regime without taking into account the wishes of the people, and "We are suffering as a result of these," but that Myanmar should honour its commitments nonetheless.
She said that even in some cases where the people's interest was not taken into account, the agreement should be followed "so that the country's image will not be hurt."
"You can't decide that you can't keep the promise that you didn't give," she said.
The government's position is similar, with senior officials publicly stating that the protesters' demands to stop operating the mine risked scaring off foreign investment in Myanmar's long-neglected economy.
Although she is head of the parliamentary opposition, Suu Kyi has usually counselled moderation in problematic issues.
THE Gold Coast MP who quit the Liberal National Party this week has savaged Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, predicting the downfall of his leadership team.
Alex Douglas, the member for Gaven, has also forecast the rise of a new conservative party in Queensland.
Dr Douglas was among three MPs who quit the party this week.
"I think this current leadership team will be expunged and will go," he told the ABC's 7.30 Queensland program on Friday.
"Ultimately there will be some sort of structural realignment and we will resume normality of democracy here in Queensland," he said.
"The premier does not believe in teamwork.
"The premier talks about teamwork; he does not practise it."
Dr Douglas said Mr Newman thinks loyalty has to be written down and pledged, and people have to be "terrified into it".
"You earn loyalty, you earn respect and you set good examples," he said.
He said he might join a new party which mining magnate Clive Palmer, another newly divorced LNP member, is considering establishing.
But Dr Douglas said he would also consider creating a party of his own, based on LNP values.
Acting Premier Jeff Seeney dismissed Dr Douglas's attack as "absurd".
Mr Newman flew out of Brisbane on Friday with a business delegation on a trade mission to India.
OPERATORS of a massive barge that ran aground on the West Australian coastline say they will concentrate on securing the vessel before investigating why it was allowed to sail in a massive storm.
The 90-metre barge, loaded with 1800 tonnes of construction equipment including heavy vehicles, aerosol paint cans, 1000 litres of diesel and 1000 litres of hydraulic fluid, ran aground 3km northwest of the Cervantes town jetty.
Operated by Perth-based Offshore Marine Services Alliance, the company said they had not confirmed who had authorised the ship to sail as a brutal storm battered WA on Wednesday.
The company said they would be investigating the circumstances in the coming days.
The WA Department of Transport's Oil Spill Response Co-ordination unit is monitoring the barge, which was under contract to oil and gas giant Chevron.
The barge was en route to Barrow Island from Perth when its tug's main tow line broke on Wednesday night, the department said.
An emergency connection was established in the wild weather conditions and a tow back to shore was started. The new connection broke early on Thursday morning and the barge ran aground.
Meanwhile, emergency services and Western Power worked all day to clean up the carnage caused by the unseasonably high winds.
Investigations continue into the death of 48-year-old man at the Waroona Dam caravan park, also known as the Lake Navarino Forest Resort, near Waroona, some 108km south of Perth, when a large tree fell on his caravan about 3.20am (WST) on Thursday.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said a mini excavator was used to remove the tree from the caravan, but the man was declared dead at the scene.
The Department of Education said Avonvale Primary School in Northam would remain closed after significant roof damage to the library block.
Deputy director general of Schools David Axworthy said safety first was the watchword when reopening classrooms.
"I do not take any risk with student and staff safety. We regret any disruption that school closures may cause, but I am sure parents would agree in taking the safest option where needed," Mr Axworthy said.
Western Power was still working to restore power to just over 6800 customers on Thursday afternoon.
IF you wanted to make a statement - fuchsia was the key.
Strutting along the black carpet at the ARIA awards in Sydney it was impossible to ignore singer Ricki-Lee Coulter and DJ Havana Brown in their sexy, hot pink outfits.
Brown, nominated for Best Dance Release, designed her figure-hugging backless dress that featured a deep plunging neckline and a sky-high split that revealed a very tanned leg.
The ever-slimmer Coulter was equally as bright in a mini Thakoon dress that had soft flowing sleeves.
Meanwhile, down in Canberra Julia Gillard chose a bright pink suit for the year's last heated day of parliament.
Quirky New Zealander Kimbra stole a page from Bjork's infamous swan dress, in a flamingo pink feather creation by up-and-coming Aussie designer Anna Langdon, with exaggerated shoulderpads that seemed to defy gravity.
As she made her entrance at the Sydney Entertainment Centre for the music industry's night of nights, Kimbra told AAP that she was very happy to be at the ARIAs.
"It's a beautiful way to finish the year celebrating with everyone and I'm excited about acknowledging that."
Looking equally as vivid was candy-haired Voice contestant Sarah DeBono who chose an electric yellow strapless Rachel Gilbert dress with a heavily-sequinned bodice.
Taking a more subtle line, Jessica Mauboy looked sophisticated and elegant in a slinky gold floor-length embroidered gown.
But US country music superstar and sweetheart Taylor Swift was the belle of the ball in her long soft-flowing latte-coloured dress. With lace inserts down the side it showed a sexy side to the 22-year-old, who is performing at the ARIAs.
Missy Higgins kept with her edgy look with a geometric and panelled An Ode to No One dress in white, gold and blue.
Gotye's partner Tash Parker wore a long, flowing, floral number, while Sarah Blasko stuck to rock star black.
Also keeping with the rock'n'roll theme was presenter Ruby Rose in a funky, short bright yellow Romance Was Born creation teamed with high tangerine heels.
Lanie Lane chose a Lisa Ho kimono-inspired creation made especially for the night. Lane, who is considered a leading light in fashion, is up for Best Female Artist.
Meanwhile the newest X Factor winner Samantha Jade went for Sydney-based fashion designer Daniela-Stephanie Puglisi to design her dress.
Also glamming up for the awards in sexy revealing frocks were Rhiannon Fish and Erin McNaught in an Emilio Pucci dress.
VICTORIANS have sweltered through the hottest November day in more than a century with the temperature soaring above 45C in some parts.
Many rushed to beaches in a bid to cool down. But it wasn't all fun in the sun, with grass fires breaking out in Victoria's northwest.
In Melbourne, the mercury crept towards 40C, with a high of 39.2C recorded at 6pm.
The state's hotspot was Mildura, where a maximum of 45.5C was recorded. That beat the state's previous November record of 45C, which dated back to 1905 in Mildura.
The biggest grass fire was near Baringhup, close to Maryborough, which spread over 200 hectares after starting about 3pm (AEDT) before being contained.
The Country Fire Authority also dealt with a blaze at Lillicur, 8km west of Talbot, which burned 20 hectares of grass and bush.
There were also grass fires in Edenhope, one near Avenel which caused smoke that disrupted traffic on the Hume Freeway, a plantation fire at Dartmoor and a four-hectare fire at Murtoa.
A CFA spokeswoman warned dry lightning could hit in the west of the state on Thursday evening, which could cause further problems.
Total fire bans are in place in the Mallee and Wimmera districts, with farmers, particularly in the state's northwest, warned of extreme fire risk.
Ambulance Victoria said it had dealt with 25 reports of heat-related illness by 4pm and an additional eight cases where children had been locked in cars, including a three-year-old and a two-year-old in Greensborough.
That was despite peak motoring body RACV warned motorists never to leave children or animals inside cars.
CitiPower customers in Melbourne's CBD and inner suburbs were hit by power outages, with 2500 homes losing power at some point on Thursday.
Some 1300 Powercor customers in central and western Victoria, and Melbourne's western suburbs, also experienced outages during the day.
In St Kilda East, a driver suffered minor injuries when a power pole exploded, causing his windscreen to shatter but authorities aren't sure if the incident was heatwave-related.
It was an uncomfortable journey home for some Melbourne workers.
Commuters faced delays on a number of Metro train lines because of issues unrelated to the heat, after balloons floated into overhead cables near busy Southern Cross Station and a signal problem at Caulfield.
Stormfront over Arana Hills. Picture: Reader supplied. Source: Supplied
THE worst of a brewing thunderstorm has missed Brisbane this evening.
It has been reported that Ipswich was the hardest hit by this evening's thunderstorms, receiving about 25mm of rain within 50 minutes.
No severe storm warnings were issued, but more than 800 homes were without power after lines came down in the storm.
Power lines were brought down near the Bromelton substation on Sandy Creek Road, with Energex reporting more than 1000 homes were without power.
An Energex spokeswoman said safety checks were taking place and it was hoped that customers would have their power restored in an hour or two.
Nearby in Jimboomba, 50 homes were without power after a tree fell onto mains lines. No one was hurt.
The thunderstorm raced through the southwest suburbs earlier this afternoon, just hitting Brisbane and now moving further north.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster David Grant said the storm's centre had narrowly missed Brisbane.
"As is has progressed to the city it has weakened," Mr Grant said.
"Now it looks like the main activity is focusing on the west near Toowoomab and Wivenhoe and Esk."
He said it would continue to rain in the suburbs tonight but no hail was expected.
Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued to the Northwest and parts of the Gulf Country, Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders and Channel Country Forecast Districts.
Locals have been warned of damaging winds and heavy rainfall that could lead to flashflooding to hit tonight.
Earlier, Bureau forecasters said the thunderstorms would produce gusty winds and heavy rain, but be nothing like the super cell the city experienced ten days ago, and did not require a warning.
"We do have thunderstorms brewing around the southeast producing heavy rainfall and gusty winds, however, we don't have a warning out for the moment," BOM forecaster David Grant said.
"We're keeping an eye on it."
He said although the storm was expected to produce gusty winds of 75km/h, it was a "completely different" system to the super cell that blasted its way through Brisbane and its surrounding suburbs on November 17 and 18.
"It is unstable but at the moment it's completely different. The other weekend was a really good setup."
Mr Grant said the thunderstorm would start to develop in the next hour or so and would persist into the night.
Clouds over Brisbane's CBD on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Darren England. Source: The Courier-Mail
LNP MP Alex Douglas claims he was pushed out of his role as chairman of the ethics committee. Source: AAP
IT has come down to the word of Queensland Premier Campbell Newman against that of the former head of his ethics committee.
Outspoken LNP MP Alex Douglas was dumped by his own party as the chair of the legal affairs committee on Wednesday after suggesting there was something sinister about his ousting as chair of the ethics committee and deputy chair of the parliamentary crime and misconduct committee a day earlier.
Dr Douglas said at no stage did he ask to be removed from the ethics committee role, despite Mr Newman telling parliament he had.
Dr Douglas said Mr Newman hadn't corrected the record because of his "ego" but warned if he didn't he'd ask the ethics committee to investigate if the premier knowingly misled parliament.
Dr Douglas has also asked for Leader of the House Ray Stevens to retract accusations Dr Douglas was loose with the truth and had insisted he was happy with the changes to his role.
"Unless he produces an unqualified, total, public retraction ... I will (sue for defamation)," he told AAP.
Dr Douglas said Mr Newman had delivered swift retribution for speaking out and he and other backbenchers were over it.
"I think privately people want to see an end of a culture of bullying and intimidation and trying to force people, this idea that they can freely speak out, it's not true," he said.
Dr Douglas also wants an investigation into his removal and who was behind it.
He accused Mr Newman of tampering with the ethics committee, but wouldn't elaborate if it was because it is investigating transport's director general Michael Caltabiano.
Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queenslanders would decide for themselves if there'd been a government conspiracy.
"Why now, all of a sudden, has the chair been removed," she told reporters.
"There is something rotten in the state of Queensland."
Mr Newman said Dr Douglas had assured him - in a meeting with witnesses on Tuesday - that he was happy with the changes.
The premier said it was right that the MP had been stripped of his committee roles.
"If you don't have the integrity to tell the truth about a meeting with the leader of your party ... then perhaps you shouldn't be doing that job," the premier said.
But he denied he was gagging dissent.
There could be more internal strife for the Newman government on Thursday.
LNP member for Yeerongpilly Carl Judge will decide if he'll become the second MP to leave the party, unhappy with how much influence backbenchers have.
Veteran rural MP Ray Hopper defected from the LNP on the weekend, to join Katter's Australian Party.
Dr Douglas wants to remain an LNP member and be reinstated to ethics committee chair.
British MPs are urging PM David Cameron to reject statutory regulation of the press. Source: AAP
BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron faces fresh demands to reject statutory regulation of newspapers as he prepares to take delivery of the Leveson report.
More than 80 politicians from all three main parties have signed a letter warning the Prime Minister that accepting such a recommendation would undermine free speech.
The intervention highlights the deep divisions on the key issue, after a group of 42 Tory MPs urged tough new laws to keep newspapers in check.
Mr Cameron will receive his copy of Lord Justice Leveson's conclusions this lunchtime on Wednesday, a day ahead of the official publication.
The premier, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have all indicated they will support the judge's recommendations as long as they are "proportionate".
But, with his own MPs and Cabinet badly split, there is speculation that Mr Cameron could offer Parliament a free vote.
The letter to the Daily Telegraph and Guardian was organised by Labour former home secretary David Blunkett and Tory backbencher Conor Burns.
Conservatives make up the overwhelming majority of the signatories, including "big beasts" Liam Fox and David Davis, as well as media select committee chairman John Whittingdale and 1922 committee chairman Graham Brady.
Labour's Kate Hoey and Frank Field, and Lib Dem John Hemming also backed the letter.
"As parliamentarians, we believe in free speech and are opposed to the imposition of any form of statutory control even if it is dressed up as underpinning," they argued.
"No form of statutory regulation of the press would be possible without the imposition of state licensing - abolished in Britain in 1695.
"State licensing is inimical to any idea of press freedom and would radically alter the balance of our unwritten constitution."
The letter insisted almost all the problems raised before Lord Justice Leveson concerned illegal activity, suggesting a failure of law enforcement.
It cautioned that statutory regulation could be counterproductive, giving chaotic online forums such as Twitter further advantages over "properly moderated and edited print journalism".
However, the politicians stressed that the "status quo is not an option", and endorsed senior newspaper industry figures' proposals for a stronger regulator that could impose million-pound fines.
"We cannot countenance newspapers behaving as some have in the past. The solution is not new laws but a profound restructuring of the self-regulatory system," the letter added.
Rebels holding the town of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo ignored a deadline to withdraw. Source: AAP
REBELS in the Democratic Republic of Congo have ignored a deadline to leave the key eastern city of Goma, defiantly patrolling its streets despite threats to dislodge them.
The M23 rebels, army mutineers whose campaign has sown fears of wider conflict in the chronically unstable region rich in minerals, were still out in force in Goma early on Tuesday.
Regional leaders had told rebels to pull out by Monday night and the DR Congo's army chief, General Francois Olenga, had threatened to remove them by force.
"We are holding our positions, we are waiting," Olenga, who had travelled to within 20 kilometres of rebel positions in the east to inspect his troops, told AFP on Tuesday.
At a summit Saturday in Uganda's capital Kampala, regional heads of state gave the rebels 48 hours to withdraw to at least 20 kilometres outside Goma, and also called on the DR Congo government to take steps to resolve the rebels' "legitimate grievances".
But the rebels have refused to withdraw before holding direct talks with the government, which has in turn refused to negotiate without a withdrawal.
The M23 was founded by former fighters in an ethnic-Tutsi rebel group whose members were integrated into the regular army under a 2009 peace deal they claim was never fully implemented.
They mutinied in April and seized Goma last week in a rapid advance that the army proved unable to stop despite getting backing from United Nations peacekeepers who deployed attack helicopters in a bid to hold back the M23.
The United Nations last week issued a damning report accusing Rwanda, and to a lesser extent Uganda, of backing the rebels, who it says have murdered, raped and kidnapped civilians in their sweep across the east.
Both countries deny the allegations.
WA Premier Colin Barnett says the federal government's Asian Century White Paper is flawed. Source: AAP
WEST Australian Premier Colin Barnett has labelled the federal government's Asian Century White Paper "underwhelming", describing it as lacking in analysis and objectivity.
Mr Barnett told delegates at the In the Zone conference in Perth that half of the report involved recycled press releases and was heavily flawed.
"Productivity was talked about but the elephant in the room was industrial relations, which was totally ignored," he said.
"Structural change in Australia was largely omitted. WA's increasing dominance was not there.
"The report tends to downplay mining - 'here we go again, boom and bust'.
"Much of what is counted as manufacturing is actually moderate transformations of raw materials."
The premier said the focus on the services sector had also been overstated.
While services growth was important, it was also transferable, Mr Barnett said.
"We should not lose sight of the fact that services trade is still less than 20 per cent of global trade," he said.
Two "big hiccups" in recent years had been the Mining Resources Rent Tax and the cessation of live cattle exports to Asia, which damaged Australia's international reputation, Mr Barnett said.
He said Singapore had the potential to become a professional services hub for the Asian region despite the White Paper pointing to Darwin as the gateway to Asia.
However, Mr Barnett said the White Paper had provided a good snapshot of Asian growth, highlighting the urbanisation of city states like Shanghai, food security, environment and the increasing amount of foreign exchange reserves held by Asian countries.
In the Zone, held at the University of Western Australia, is a meeting of national and international leaders from the business, government and academic sectors.
More Japanese people support the country's controversial whale hunt than oppose it, a survey shows. Source: AAP
MORE Japanese people support the country's controversial whale hunt than oppose it, a survey carried out on behalf of animal rights activists shows.
Of 1200 people questioned for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), 26.8 per cent said the country should continue its hunt against 18.5 per cent who opposed it. The remainder expressed no opinion.
Japan hunts whales using a loophole in a global moratorium. It kills the mammals for "scientific research" even though the meat is later sold openly in shops and restaurants.
Tokyo says the whale hunt is deeply embedded in Japanese culture and wants to resume commercial whaling.
Environmentalists routinely condemn the hunt and maintain it does not have the support of Japanese people.
In a press release on Tuesday, IFAW tried to put a positive gloss on the survey, which questioned people aged 15 to 79 nationwide over a 13-day period in October.
"The good people of Japan are taking whale meat off the menu," said Patrick Ramage, director of IFAW's global whale program, citing the 88.8 per cent of respondents who said they had not bought whale meat in the past year.
The survey did not provide results for how many people had actually consumed the meat over the period.
Japan's Fisheries Agency is to sell whale meat by mail order, the Mainichi Shimbun reported earlier this month. It said the move is aimed at boosting consumption after demand fell as prices rose.
IFAW opposes all commercial and scientific whaling and advocates whale-watching programs that it says generate around $US2.1 billion ($A2.02 billion) annually for coastal communities.
Japan's whaling fleet is expected to set sail for the Southern Ocean around Antarctica in the next few weeks.
Tokyo will not disclose the exact date of the departure, citing fears of attacks by militant conservationist group Sea Shepherd which habitually pursues the ships.
FUTURE Australian soldiers could have to prove their fitness by route marching in full kit and carrying 22kg jerry cans full of water, rather than running and doing push-ups and sit-ups.
The proposed new defence Physical Employment Standards Assessments are the culmination of a long program of research by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation aimed at determining standards of fitness required for a particular job.
Under reforms now under way, women will be able to serve in frontline combat units if they can meet the physical standard.
DSTO scientist Dan Billing, who's headed the research project, said on Monday the current Army Basic Fitness Assessment standard specified a 2.4km run plus push-ups and sit-ups, adjusted according to age and gender.
"They are good tests of physical capacity. But they don't necessarily assess someone's capability to do the job," he said.
Mr Billing said the proposed new basic test, demonstrated at the defence headquarters in Canberra on Monday, gives a better indication of whether a soldier is actually able to perform a range of tasks likely to be encountered in service life.
It starts with a 55 minute, five-kilometre march, wearing protective equipment and carrying weapons. Soldiers must then carry two 22-kilogram jerry cans for 150 metres, which mirrors the effort it takes to carry a casualty on a stretcher.
Soldiers must also demonstrate the basic tactical skill of fire and movement by running six metres, kneeling and lying prone in a firing position and repeating that 12 times.
Finally, there's a requirement to lift a 25kg weight a distance of 1.5 metres - comparable to lifting store onto a truck or moving sandbags in a disaster relief operation.
The basic requirement for an infantry soldier is more stringent and proposed tests for special forces will be tougher still.
Mr Billing said the requirements aren't designed to exclude people.
"We have seen really clear evidence that if people are given the exposure and the necessary conditioning and training, they improve radically and very quickly," he said.
"We have actually implemented the tests at recruit training centres. Both males and females have passed the test at the end of recruit training. These are people who have been in the army for 12 weeks."
The latest Bond film Skyfall has taken $12.304 million in its opening weekend in Australia. Source: AAP
THE latest Bond instalment has shaken the Australian Box Office, pulling in a massive $12.304 million in its opening weekend.
Skyfall, the 23rd in the James Bond series, which stars Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem as a very convincing baddie, and a string of beautiful Bond girls, has clearly not lost favour with Australian audiences.
Losing a bit of bite, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 managed to make $4.489 million at the weekend, which takes its total to $20.309 million after just two weeks at the cinemas, according to figures released by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
Ben Affleck's thriller Argo has been pushed to No.3.
Although its figure this week of $421,563 looks rather insignificant compared with the top two films, the true story about efforts to smuggle Americans out of Iran during the hostage drama of 1979 has already attracted more than $9 million at Australian cinemas.
The new film The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which stars Emma Watson, proves she's got a big career ahead after leaving Hermione Granger back at Hogwarts.
The film, about three misfit teenagers and based on the book of the same name, finished at No.5 in its opening week with $175,754.
French film The Intouchables continues to attract good audiences and sits at No.4 after five weeks.
A WA parliamentary committee found that firefighters are struggling with a lack of basic equipment. Source: AAP
WESTERN Australia's firefighters are battling dud radios, a lack of basic equipment and budget cuts, despite a succession of devastating bushfires in the past three years, a parliamentary committee has concluded.
Toodyay in 2009, the Perth Hills in 2010 and Margaret River last year suffered huge property losses after devastating fires swept through an increasingly dry and dangerous WA landscape.
And with one Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) firefighter already having been killed in a fire in Albany last month, committee chairman Tony O'Gorman said that despite claims of better preparedness there were still major flaws in the state's firefighting capability.
"The government has given extra money to the department (of Fire and Emergency Services) but have then taken a whole heap of that money back," Mr O'Gorman said.
"We think that actually does affect frontline services."
Ahead of what is tipped to be another nightmare bushfire season in 2012, the state government has admitted a combination of a heavy fuel load, a dry winter and expected unhelpful weather threaten more major bushfires.
The committee tasked with investigating WA'S fire readiness concluded that firefighters were being exposed to danger because of a reliance on ancient UHF radios.
One firefighter gave evidence that he now carried five different radios in his cab to talk to different people, and digital radios sometimes failed as soon as pumps left suburban fire stations.
"The WA Emergency Radio Network (WAERN) seems to have significantly degraded performance in the bushfire environment," a committee statement said.
"Incredibly ... its performance is affected by both smoke and water vapour, and witnesses (said) they revert to using their older UHF radios.
"Digital upgrades had been deferred due to budgetary constraints."
The committee also concluded that volunteer firefighters were still waiting for more training and basic equipment, including fire blankets.
It called on Minister for Emergency Services Troy Buswell to institute a database of potential hotspots around the state by the 2013-14 bushfire season and to ensure future post-fire analyses were out within eight weeks of the event.
The committee said a solid policy was needed for how victims of future major natural disasters, such as bushfires, would be compensated.
It called for a review of the ability of that state's insurers to assess losses more quickly.
"The evidence from witnesses highlighted that there has been ad hoc assistance provided by the government for victims of different bushfires over the past three years," the committee said.
Mr Buswell said WA was better prepared for this year's bushfire season than it was last year, but noted this season would be a challenge.
"We are, I think, better prepared than we were last year. We'll be better prepared next year," he said.
"You'd never say we're as prepared as we ever can be because the nature of fire and the nature of response to fire is that you'll always find things that you can do better."
Mr Buswell said the government was still "flat out" responding to other bushfire reports.
There should not be an artificial timeline on post-event analysis, he said.
"We had, what I think, was a well-considered response," Mr Buswell said.
"Where there are learnings to be made we'll accept those learnings, but we're not going to just rush the report out because a parliamentary committee decides that's what they think is appropriate."
Egypt's top judges have denounced President Mohamed Morsi for granting himself sweeping new powers. Source: AAP
PROMINENT Egyptian democracy advocate Mohammed ElBaradei has warned of increasing turmoil that could lead to the military stepping in unless Islamist President Mohammed Morsi rescinds his new, near absolute powers.
Egypt's liberal and secular forces - long divided, weakened and uncertain amid the rise of Islamist parties to power - are seeking to rally themselves in response to the decrees issued this week by Morsi.
The president granted himself sweeping powers to "protect the revolution" and made himself immune to judicial oversight.
The judiciary, which was the main target of Morsi's edicts, pushed back on Saturday.
The country's highest body of judges, the Supreme Judicial Council, called his decrees an "unprecedented assault."
Courts in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria announced a work suspension until the decrees are lifted.
Outside the high court building in Cairo, several hundred demonstrators rallied against Morsi, chanting, "Leave! Leave!" echoing the slogan used against former leader Hosni Mubarak in last year's uprising that ousted him.
Police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of young men who were shooting flares outside the court.
The edicts issued on Wednesday have galvanised anger brewing against Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, from which he hails, ever since he took office in June as Egypt's first freely elected president.
Critics accuse the Brotherhood - which has dominated elections the past year - and other Islamists of monopolising power and doing little to bring real reform or address Egypt's mounting economic and security woes.
Opposition groups have called for new nationwide rallies on Tuesday - and the Muslim Brotherhood has called for rallies supporting Morsi the same day, setting the stage for new violence.
Morsi supporters counter that the edicts were necessary to prevent the courts, which already dissolved the elected lower house of parliament, from further holding up moves to stability by disbanding the assembly writing the new constitution, as judges were considering doing.
Like parliament was, the assembly is dominated by Islamists.
Morsi accuses Mubarak loyalists in the judiciary of seeking to thwart the revolution's goals and barred the judiciary from disbanding the constitutional assembly or parliament's upper house.
In an interview with a handful of journalists, including The Associated Press, Nobel Peace laureate ElBaradei raised alarm over the impact of Morsi's rulings, saying he had become "a new pharaoh."
"There is a good deal of anger, chaos, confusion. Violence is spreading to many places and state authority is starting to erode slowly," he said.
"We hope that we can manage to do a smooth transition without plunging the country into a cycle of violence. But I don't see this happening without Mr Morsi rescinding all of this."
Speaking of Egypt's powerful military, ElBaradei said, "I am sure they are as worried as everyone else. You cannot exclude that the army will intervene to restore law and order" if the situation gets out of hand.
But anti-Morsi factions are chronically divided, with revolutionary youth activists, new liberal political parties that have struggled to build a public base and figures from the Mubarak era, all of whom distrust each other.
The judiciary is also an uncomfortable cause for some to back, since it includes many Mubarak appointees who even Morsi opponents criticise as too tied to the old regime.
Opponents say the edicts gave Morsi near dictatorial powers, neutering the judiciary when he already holds both executive and legislative powers.
A WOMAN is fighting for her life after a two-car crash in Brisbane's north this afternoon.
It is believed two cars crashed in the southbound lanes of Gympie Road at Aspley about 12.30pm before being pushed into a northbound lane, into the path of a third vehicle.
The woman was rushed to the Royal Brisbane Hospital in a serious condition.
Another driver was taken to the hospital with less serious injuries.
The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating.
A person is in custody after a threat has been made against a mosque in Sydney's south. Source: AAP
TWO suspected Muslim extremists have been arrested at a mosque in Sydney's south after threats were allegedly made against worshippers.
Police say two men are in custody after an operation at the mosque in Arncliffe, in Sydney's south, on Sunday afternoon.
They said one man was removed from the mosque around 1.15pm by "members of the congregation" before being arrested by police stationed outside.
Another man was arrested outside the mosque, police told AAP.
They did not specify the nature of the arrests.
A witness at the mosque who does not want to be named, said he saw members of the congregation drag a man wearing Islamic clothing from the building around 1.00pm (AEDT).
The witness said worshippers hauled the man out of the mosque and took him "down the street", before police arrived and apprehended him.
He said the man appeared to be an Anglo-Saxon Australian and said he thought he may have been a Wahabi extremist.
Jamal Daoud of the Social Justice Network said he was contacted by a member of the Muslim community who said two Wahabi extremists had threatened Shia Muslims gathered to observe the day of Ashura at the Masjid Fatima Al Zahrah mosque.
"We have information that two men were arrested when they attempted attacking masses of Shia Muslims remembering the Ashura in Arncliffe," Mr Daoud said.
He said the action came after calls for violence against Shia were made on Facebook on Saturday.
Mr Daoud said worshippers at the mosque called police when they became suspicious of attempts by the two men to use their mobile phones.
Police said both arrested men had been taken to St George Police Station where they were assisting with inquiries.
They said the men were not aligned with any particular religious group and may have mental health issues.
