Israel designs hi-tech fin to save turtle

A BADLY injured sea turtle's prospects are looking up - thanks to a new prosthetic fin designed by an Israeli team and modelled on the wings of a US fighter jet.

The green sea turtle, named "Hofesh," the Hebrew word for "freedom," was caught in a fishing net off Israel's Mediterranean coast in early 2009.

With his two left flippers badly wounded, rescuers had to amputate, leaving him with a pair of stumps that made it difficult to swim.

Yaniv Levy, director of Israel's Sea Turtle Rescue Centre, said on Saturday Hofesh was initially fitted with a diver's fin but it provided little relief and he bumped into things as he tried to swim.

Shlomi Gez, an industrial design student at Jerusalem's Hadassah College, read about the animal on the internet and wanted to help.

He designed a prosthetic based on a fish's dorsal fin. The contraption provided some improvement but Hofesh still had trouble breathing and rising to the surface.

Then, inspired by the design of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-22 Raptor warplane, Gez designed a new prosthetic with two fins.

The device, somewhat resembling the aircraft's wings, was strapped onto Hofesh's back on Thursday, allowing him to move easily around his tank.

"I discovered it worked better than one fin on the back," Gez explained.

"With two fins, he keeps relatively balanced, even above the water."

Levy said Hofesh will never be able to return to the wild.

But he shares a tank with a blind female turtle named Tsurit, and researchers are optimistic the pair will mate, potentially adding to the local population of the endangered green sea turtles.

He said it is difficult to say exactly how old the two turtles are but they are estimated to be between 20 and 25 and approaching the age of sexual maturity.

"We have great plans for this guy," Levy said.

"They will never go back to the wild but their offspring will be released the minute they hatch and go immediately into the sea and live normally in the wild," he added.

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Cabbie car-jacked in NSW Hunter region

Last updated: May 17, 2014

A TAXI driver had his nose broken during a terrifying ordeal in which he was beaten up, robbed, kidnapped and car-jacked by a drunken passenger in NSW's Hunter region.

Woman not told she had cancer

Kay Dibben A WOMAN who was not told for seven months a biopsy revealed she had breast cancer is suing the State Government after being told she will die from the disease.

What $7 means to one Aussie family

TO JOE Hockey, the $7 fee to visit a doctor, introduced in the Budget, is just "two middies of beer". But for this Melbourne mum it is nappies or fuel, and she can't afford both.

Rampaging Eels spoil Benji's return

BENJI Marshall endured a miserable return to the NRL as red-hot Parramatta blew away St George Illawarra 36-0 on Saturday.

MasterChef's biggest loser

NICK Doyle believes he _or any of his fellow MasterChef competitors _ could wipe the kitchen floor with the contestants on rival series My Kitchen Rules.

Live: Tigers in narrow lead at break

LIVE BLOG: The Tigers lead the Sharks in a tight encounter, next the Cowboys host the Roosters, earlier the Eels thrashed the Dragons.

Bridesmaids dish the dirt on brides from hell

"BRIDE'S day, bride's way." If you've heard these words, run now. These are the real-life horror stories from the spoiled princesses working the red carpet, sorry, church aisle.

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Oprah helps Barbara Walters say goodbye

Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton have surprised Barbara Walters as she taped her final edition of The View.

OPRAH Winfrey and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have surprised Barbara Walters as the legendary American newswoman taped her final edition of The View to end a five-decade career on television.

Actor Michael Douglas, a longtime friend and frequent subject for Walters' interviews, also dropped by for the tribute.

Looking smart in a cream-coloured blazer and a black skirt, the 84-year-old Walters was presiding over a studio audience of friends, colleagues and fans on hand to witness a bit of history.

Although she will retain a behind-the-scenes role as executive producer of the talk show she created 17 years ago, she is ending her daily on-air involvement, while limiting her appearances to the occasional story or interview.

Oprah has helped journalist Barbara Walters tape her final edition of the View and retire from TV.

"I can't believe this day has come, and I can't believe it's for real," Clinton told Walters, who began her career in 1962.

Typically, Walters couldn't let Clinton get away without fielding the question on so many minds: Is she running for president in 2016?

"I am running," smiled Clinton. "Around the park."

A bit later, Douglas brought the subject up again with Walters.

"If Hillary runs," he said, "I bet you'd be a great vice president."

Some of the best moments happened during commercial breaks, never to be seen by viewers. Then audience members could snap photos and interact with Walters and her co-panellists (Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy).

The audience erupted at the sight of Winfrey, who told Walters, "You're the reason I wanted to be in television."

"You shattered the glass ceiling for so many women," said Winfrey, who then brought on a startling parade of them, some two dozen prominent on-air women including Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Robin Roberts, Gayle King, Connie Chung and Joan Lunden.

"You are my legacy," Walters, visibly moved, said to them as they crowded around her onstage.

The hour had its comic twist: In a pre-taped segment, Walters (who, after all, has interviewed everybody else) lobbed some questions at herself, in the person of former Saturday Night Live cast member Cheri Oteri doing a spot-on Walters imitation.

Walters brought the hour to a close with a heartfelt statement looking back with amazement on her career.

But a more telling moment took place during a break, as the throng of women she had paved the way for posed with her for a group portrait.

"I have to remember this on the bad days," Walters said quietly, "because this is the best."

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Frankie Valli wins decision on insurance

Last updated: May 16, 2014

SORTING through the aftermath of music legend Frankie Valli's messy divorce, the California Supreme Court sang a tune that suggests that in some cases big girls may have to cry a little when it comes to splitting the spoils of marriage.

Updated Late Mail: Leilua breaks down

BENJI Marshall will debut for the Dragons, but Joey Leilua suffered a potentially serious hamstring injury at training.

Fonda v Jolie: who wore it better?

Angelina Jolie and Jane Fonda both have a love for couture designer Elie Saab, they've been spotted wearing the same couture gown at red carpet events this year.

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Buffett discloses new Verizon investment

Warren Buffett's company has disclosed a new investment of 11 mil shares in Verizon Communications. Source: AAP

WARREN Buffett's company has disclosed a new investment of 11 million shares in Verizon Communications, and an increase in its stakes in Wal-Mart and IBM.

Berkshire Hathaway on Thursday revealed the changes to its $US106 billion ($A114.69 billion) portfolio in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that show what the company owned at the end of March.

The Verizon investment was the only new one disclosed.

Berkshire bought 8.6 million Wal-Mart Stores shares to increase its investment in the retail giant to 58 million shares. Buffett has said in the past that he regretted not buying more Wal-Mart stock earlier when he was building Berkshire's stake in the company.

Berkshire also bumped up its IBM investment to 68.4 million shares by buying 233,100 shares in the quarter.

Many investors watch the quarterly filings closely because they like to copy moves Buffett makes because of his successful record.

Berkshire officials don't routinely comment on the Omaha-based company's stock moves beyond what they are legally required to disclose. Officials at the company Buffett leads as chairman and CEO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Most of the latest changes were likely made by Berkshire's two other investment managers, who each manage about $7 billion, because they were relatively small compared to Buffett's typical investments. But the Wal-Mart and IBM moves were likely his because of the size of those investments.

Berkshire increased its investment in MasterCard to a shade more than 4 million shares from its previous 405,000 shares.

Buffett's company sold some of its shares in General Motors. The car maker is dealing with recalls of several models, but Berkshire still held 30 million shares in March, down from 40 million in December.

Several of the changes revealed on Thursday were related to television entertainment:

- Berkshire boosted its stake in Liberty Global PLC - the cable company led by John Malone - to 14.7 million shares from 2.9 million at the end of 2013.

- Berkshire sold 2 million of its DirecTV shares but kept 34.5 million shares.

- And Berkshire reduced its investment in Starz to 1.9 million shares from 4.5 million shares.

Besides investments, Berkshire owns more than 80 subsidiaries in a variety of industries, including insurance, utilities, railroads, retail and manufacturing.

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Bikie gang bashed Sydney man to death

Rebels bikie gang members are alleged to have bashed a young man to death in Sydney's inner city. Source: AAP

A BIKIE gang was ordered to bash a young Sydney man to death, with police alluding to a drugs dispute as the motive for the killing.

Nikola Srbin, 18, was stalked and beaten by up to nine men in Redfern on May 16 last year and detectives have marked the anniversary of the attack by releasing the image of a second key suspect.

Mr Srbin, from Fairfield, died three weeks after being repeatedly punched and kicked by the mob on George Street.

A 48-year-old man has already been charged with his murder. He remains behind bars and will appear in court on June 6.

Detective Superintendent Luke Freudenstein said on Friday most of the attackers were Rebels bikies, and released a computer-generated picture of a second suspect called 'Moe' or 'Michael'.

The breakthrough came after police raided a Rebels clubhouse at Burwood, in western Sydney, on May 9 and collected evidence relating to the bashing.

"We don't want the public to approach this person, we believe he's very dangerous," Det Supt Freudenstein told reporters in Sydney.

"I'm not going to speak about the motive but we do have a significant problem with drugs in the area."

It's understood the bikies were ordered to attack Mr Srbin after he spent a large part of the day in Redfern.

Police believe 'Moe' or 'Michael' frequents the Burwood area.

He is described as being of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, in his mid-20s and about 187cm tall, with an athletic build and a shaved head.

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The NT must cash in on its good fortune

THE Northern Territory is Australia's land of plenty and its good fortune can not be taken for granted or squandered, says Treasurer Dave Tollner.

His second budget, worth $6 billion, is short on dramatic cuts, instead making many small nips across government in an attempt to reduce the $723 million deficit to $39 million - or perhaps even bring the budget back to surplus - by 2017-18.

The government is keen to position the Territory as the driver of development in northern Australia, pointing to its large gas reserves and capacity to meet the growing global demand for food.

The Territory economy is outpacing the national economy's growth due to private investment in the INPEX Ichthys LNG project, mine expansions and oilfield developments, and economic growth is expected to reach six per cent next year.

But this budget doesn't offer indigenous people much, said Palmer United Party member Alison Anderson.

Most money for the bush is rolled up in national partnership agreements, rather than being funded by the NT, she said.

"They talk about economic development but there's no inclusiveness of indigenous economic development in their plan for the future of the north", she told AAP.

"It sends the message that they don't care about the bush," she said.

But Mr Tollner rejected this: "If we are ever going to realise the dream of a developed north Australia, we cannot just focus on (urban) areas."

The Territory is fundamentally driven by products from the bush such as tourism, mining, agriculture, and gas exploration, he said, and money was being funnelled into roads and infrastructure, and into regional and remote schools.

"We need to diversify the economy; we're trying to get rid of the boom and bust cycle," he said.

But the high cost of living is still an obstacle, said Opposition Leader Delia Lawrie.

"There's too much pain on Territorians right now," she said.

With taxation revenue expected to increase by $83 million to $568.6 million next year, Ms Lawrie said the current administration "is the highest-taxing government in the Territory's history".

Mr Tollner said his budget was a "miracle" for being able to save with so many small efficiency measures, and no jobs or services were cut, save through natural attrition.

Education spending grew from $845 million to $871 million in "the most family-friendly budget ever handed down in the NT", he said.

Infrastructure spending was down $11 million to $1.14 billion, with $224 for housing and $378 million for roads and national highways.

Health received the biggest slice - $1.35 billion - with $22.8 million to upgrade the overstretched Royal Darwin Hospital, and $28 million to expand the mandatory rehabilitation program for problem drinkers.

The $723 million fiscal deficit is almost double what was forecast last year owing to the late completion of the $521 million Darwin prison.

The delayed project is also partially behind the rise in net debt to $4.1 billion, up from $3.4 billion in last year's estimate.

It is expected to reach $4.16 billion by 2017-18, which is lower than expected.

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Garrett accepts responsibility for scheme

Former minister Peter Garrett is set to be grilled about Labor's botched home insulation program. Source: AAP

FORMER environment minister Peter Garrett has accepted "ultimate responsibility" for Labor's botched home insulation program but insists others should share the blame.

Four installers lost their lives under the Rudd government scheme in 2009 and 2010, and Mr Garrett told a royal commission on Tuesday that, although he visited a similar New Zealand scheme in 2007, he hadn't been briefed on fatalities there because his priority had been to speak about whaling.

The commission is investigating what advice Labor received and whether the deaths of Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney and Marcus Wilson could have been avoided.

Mr Sweeney's brother, Justin, said Mr Garrett should have halted the program after the first death.

"One death is enough, not four," he said outside the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

The program was terminated on February 19, 2010.

In his statement to the inquiry, Mr Garrett said he was ultimately responsible for the scheme, although then senator Mark Arbib oversaw elements of the government's $42 billion stimulus package.

Mr Arbib has already told the inquiry his sole responsibility was to sell the program, while former prime minister Kevin Rudd is expected to defend his role on Wednesday afternoon.

"I was responsible for the rollout of the HIP (home insulation program) and bore ultimate responsibility for its implementation," Mr Garrett wrote.

But under cross-examination by counsel assisting Keith Wilson, Mr Garrett said everyone involved had responsibility to minimise risks.

"We share responsibilities with those other institutions that equally have them, such as state regulatory bodies, employers, ultimately employees as well."

Mr Garrett said risk was reduced through various measures, including a national register of installers and audit and compliance guidelines.

He said that while he acted on all safety advice he received, his trust in that advice waned after Mr Fuller became the first person to die under the scheme.

"Over time, I interrogated the advice more thoroughly and I did reach a point where I wasn't trustful of all of the advice that I received," he said.

Mr Fuller was electrocuted when he put a metal staple through an electrical cable while installing foil insulation on October 14, 2009.

Mr Garrett said he didn't immediately ban foil because he wanted to understand the full circumstances surrounding Mr Fuller's death, given the divergent views in the industry about the product.

He banned metal staples from the program on November 2, 2009.

Foil wasn't banned until February 9, 2010, five days after Mr Sweeney's death.

Mr Sweeney was also using metal staples to secure foil insulation when he was killed.

It was the same practice linked to the deaths of three New Zealand installers in 2007.

But Mr Garrett says he only became fully aware of those deaths "very recently".

"Actually, not until such time as the commission started examining this matter (in mid-March)," he said.

Mr Garrett said the New Zealand electrocutions were only briefly raised after Mr Fuller's death, but added he should have been told earlier.

Mr Garrett will resume his evidence on Wednesday.

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Teacher charged over NSW mine protest

A QUEENSLAND school teacher faces a possible jail term after chaining himself to an excavator and disrupting work at the NSW Maules Creek mine.

Simon Wells, 55, became the 159th person to be arrested this year at the Leard State Forest in the state's north, following a series of protests aimed at halting development of three open-cut coal mines.

Mr Wells, from the Sunshine Coast, locked himself onto the excavator at Whitehaven Coal's $767 million Maules Creek mine before dawn on Monday and unfurled a banner reading "coalruption".

He was arrested several hours later and charged with entering inclosed land, remaining on inclosed land and interfering with a mine, the latter of which carries a maximum seven-year prison sentence.

Mr Wells was released on bail and is due to appear at Narrabri Local Court in a fortnight.

He said the development of the mines, which involve the clearance of wildlife habitats, was "damaging environmentally, economically and socially."

"It became clear to me that it was time I did something concrete as a citizen and also as the parent of a teenager," he told AAP.

"I've been involved in environmental activism for over 30 years and I decided I would finally take the step of doing some civil disobedience and risking arrest."

Aside from the Whitehaven project, Japanese firm Idemitsu is developing the neighbouring Boggabri mine and Idemitsu and Whitehaven have a joint venture mine also nearby.

The Leard State Alliance is calling for a judicial inquiry into approval of the Maules Creek mine, which has been under development for five months.

The call for a judicial inquiry follows allegations at NSW's Independent Commission Against Corruption on May 5 that two Aston Coal directors and their wives gave donations to the NSW National Party in 2011.

Aston Coal was a subsidiary of Nathan Tinkler's Aston Resources, the company that initially developed Maules Creek mine, and the donations were allegedly not disclosed in a development application for the mine.

Aston Resources merged with Whitehaven Coal in 2012 and Mr Tinkler sold his stake in Whitehaven Coal in mid-2013.

A Whitehaven Coal spokesman strongly rejected the suggestion that the company had been implicated in any wrongdoing at the ICAC.

"Opponents of Maules Creek freely claim the moral high ground but shamelessly resort to lies and misrepresentation in pushing their radical agenda on the rest of us," the spokesman said.

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Arbib blames Garrett for pink batts

Holden and Ford lose $820M

HOLDEN has announced its biggest ever financial loss — $553.8 million for 2013 — and Ford has reported its second-worst year in the red: $267 million.

Too cute! Twins born holding hands

THESE twin girls who shared the same amniotic sac couldn't bear to be separated when they were born, arriving grasping each others' hands.

No pay freeze for state MPs

PREMIER Campbell Newman has ruled out requesting a pay freeze for state politicians as federal MPs face the Budget squeeze.

Twins' Block winnings in limbo

A LUXURY Albert Park apartment designed by the twins on reality TV show The Block has been seized by federal police as possible proceeds of crime.

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Victorian baby's murder 'inexplicable'

Prosecutors say the savage murder of a baby by a Victorian burglar demands a life sentence. Source: AAP

IT was an evil and ferocious killing of an 10-month-old baby boy with no explanation.

Harley Hicks used a homemade baton made of copper wire wrapped in tape to bludgeon Zayden Veal-Whitting more than 30 times about the face and head during a burglary spree in Bendigo in June 2012.

Zayden's murder will haunt his mother, 24-year-old Casey Veal, forever.

"Zayden was my mini-me, full of my physical appearance. Just catching my own reflection can destroy my day in seconds if I'm not strong enough," Ms Veal said.

"Just the simplest moment can destroy my heart and mind."

Ms Veal found Zayden covered in blood in his cot.

"Some days I am scared to close my eyes to relive that experience again."

She says she is a shadow of her former self.

Zayden's older brother, five-year-old Xavier, has also been shattered.

"His grief has consumed my daily life," Ms Veal said in a victim impact statement.

"I constantly worry about his thoughts and sometimes what he has to express.

"For his age, he has lived through more than most adults - without a large voice and a large vocabulary."

Prosecutor Michelle Williams SC said no one would ever know what sparked the attack, but said perhaps baby Zayden stirred.

"We consider what he did was an extreme, extreme way to respond to any thought of self-preservation, to react in such a violent way," she said on Monday.

"It is an evil killing without any rational explanation."

Prosecutors want Hicks, 21, jailed for life but with a minimum term.

Ms Williams compared the case to other child killers like Robert Farquharson, who drowned his three boys in a car on Father's Day 2005.

Farquharson is serving a life term with a minimum non-parole period of 33 years.

"This is different, in some ways maybe worse, because this was a cold, calculated killing of a baby in a vacuum," she told the Victorian Supreme Court, sitting in Bendigo.

Defence barrister David Gallowes said Hicks used the drug ice before the murder.

"Perhaps it goes some way to explain the inexplicable," he said.

He urged the judge to consider other sentencing options, citing Hicks' troubled childhood, drug and alcohol use, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anti-social personality disorder and youth.

"There is some prospect of rehabilitation even if the prognosis is poor," Mr Gallowes said.

But Justice Stephen Kaye said he was concerned Hicks carried the baton intending to use it "if necessary".

"You couldn't argue the proposition that this case falls squarely into the most serious cases of murder," Justice Kaye said.

Ms Williams said Hicks had an extensive criminal record, with nine court appearances before his murder trial dating back to 2007 for crimes including wilful damage, thefts and burglaries, and had breached almost all orders made against him.

The last, a community corrections order for a 2011 armed robbery, was made two months before Zayden's murder.

Hicks, of North Bendigo, will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.

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Qld police name pair in abduction case

Police say 3 men and a woman who abducted Queensland toddler Bella Goulding are known to her family. Source: AAP

POLICE have publicly named two people they want to question in relation to the abduction of a two-year-old girl from her father's house southwest of Brisbane.

Bella Rose Goulding was taken from a house at Willowbank, near Ipswich, on Saturday night and police say her abductors are known to the family.

Queensland police believe Lisa Maree Carroll, 21, and Michael Kenneth Winning, 42, may be able to assist their investigation but have not said how they are related to Bella.

Acting Inspector Alison Jewell said three men and a woman abducted the toddler from the home, where she was temporarily staying.

"We believe that Bella is in the company of people who are known to the family," Inspector Jewell told reporters outside Yamanto police station.

"However, we still hold concerns for her safety."

The 8pm abduction occurred on Sancroft Street, which is near a park and the Cunningham Highway.

The girl's father Steven declined to speak publicly on Sunday.

Witnesses saw the abductors in a white Holden Commodore and a silver Mitsubishi sedan.

Bella is described as Caucasian with blue eyes and blonde, curly hair. She was last seen wearing a Dora The Explorer t-shirt and grey leggings.

Insp Jewell said there weren't any specific child safety issues but declined to say if her mother was among the people who abducted the girl or with whom she lived permanently.

"We are consistently getting information from the public and we're following all those leads," she said.

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Buswell light rail report light on insight

Ex-WA treasurer Troy Buswell's report on his taxpayer-funded trip to Europe has few fresh insights. Source: AAP

FORMER West Australian treasurer Troy Buswell's light rail report from a taxpayer-funded trip across Europe is so paltry it could have been compiled in his office, the state opposition says.

Mr Buswell came away from the trip to Europe and China with six key findings about light rail as he planned a network for Perth.

Mr Buswell, now a backbencher after quitting cabinet following a car crash controversy in March, visited Switzerland, Germany and France in August and September last year to study light rail systems.

Before making the trip, Mr Buswell had said non-essential government travel would be temporarily banned and instructed the public service to tighten its belt amid spiralling state debt.

And in December, the state government shelved its MAX light rail project due to WA's ailing finances.

A 20-page report since submitted by Mr Buswell on the trip contained six insights about light rail, with the fact it could be a "very effective, embedded and highly valued component" of a public transport system split over two bullet points.

Mr Buswell also used two bullet points to report that trams could operate effectively in confined urban settings at sensible speeds and with clear community awareness of the operation.

His other points were that right of way for light rail in congested parts of a city was important and that a tram system could be delivered effectively via a public-private partnership, particularly in a greenfields environment.

Opposition transport spokesman Ken Travers said Mr Buswell could have compiled the light rail report from his Perth office and saved taxpayers money.

In China, Mr Buswell met with state-owned conglomerate CITIC and Industrial Bank of China about investment opportunities including Perth Stadium and the long-awaited Oakajee port.

And with his then-fisheries minister hat on, he also held several meetings about artificial reefs, shark barriers and seafood trade.

The total cost of the trip is expected to be tabled in parliament in coming weeks.

On his return to parliament as the Member for Vasse last week, Mr Buswell told reporters it was "entirely appropriate" for ministers to travel for work.

Mr Travers said on Sunday Mr Buswell's report, which used swathes of general information from websites, was light on insights.

"I don't think there was anything in that report that added value to what we do," he told AAP.

He believed Mr Buswell already knew funding for the MAX project was questionable before he got on the plane.

While Mr Buswell provided a brief report to parliament one month after the trip, the full report took eight months to be tabled, said Mr Travers, who admitted he'd once returned a late travel report too.

He expected more than $20,000 had been spent on the light rail trip.

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Puffing Hockey silent on cigar tax

Last updated: May 11, 2014

JOE Hockey probably hoped he had got away without being questioned about having that sly cigar with his finance minister.

Ugly Brumbies have eye on title

PAT McCabe admits the Brumbies' kick-heavy tactics used to defeat the Sharks were ugly but says they could also secure a Super Rugby title.

Single Brynne hates playing games

SOCIALITE Brynne Edelsten says she hates being single because men play too many games and that she is "the worst at being single and needs to learn the rules before my next date".

Bulldogs run riot over sorry Dragons

THE Bulldogs have taught the Dragons a Mother's Day lesson, winning 38-6 at ANZ Stadium to become the NRL's outright leaders.

Mummy tribes: Which one are you?

WHILE their stroller choice, coffee order and position on leggings-as-pants may divide them, the new breed of mummy tribes are united by two things.

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