Facebook hunt for parrot pinchers

Social media is being used to track down thieves who stole a wooden parrot from a tiki bar in Perth.

The Hula Bula Bar in the CBD has posted CCTV footage of a group who stole a wooden parrot from their tiki bar. Source: PerthNow

SOCIAL media detectives are being called on to track down thieves who stole a wooden parrot from a tiki bar in Perth.

The outraged owners of the Hula Bula Bar in Victoria Avenue have used their Facebook page to post images of the group, and video of the alleged theft.

CCTV shows four men and a woman laughing as the parrot is ripped away from a bamboo beam.

Pete Long from the Hula Bula Bar said permanent damage was done to the bar, and he wanted help to catch the offenders.

"This group spent half an hour watching out for staff so they could violently pry a wooden parrot statue off a bamboo beam in our back room," he said.

"They caused permanent damage to our custom built bar and stole an irreplaceable decorative parrot.

"If you are one of these people, please return my parrot and pay for repairs, and you might get served in a Perth bar again ... maybe.''

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Two charged over death in Katherine

TWO men have been charged with manslaughter after a 30-year-old died following a fight in the Northern Territory town of Katherine.

The two men, aged 24 and 25, were charged on Friday in relation to the death and were bailed to appear before the Katherine Magistrates Court on Thursday next week.

The NT News reported the dead man was father of six, Styles King.

He was asked to leave a bar in the town because he was drunk but began arguing with bouncers and an altercation occurred, the newspaper said.

Ambulance staff on Thursday said the man suffered a heart attack and died after being rushed to hospital.

Police have asked for any witnesses to the incident to come forward.

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Man charged over Sydney siege

A man is led away by police after the siege / Pic: Cameron Richardson Source: The Daily Telegraph

Police prepare to enter the unit complex / Pic: Cameron Richardson Source: The Daily Telegraph

Police arrest a man in Surry Hills, Sydney, after a dramatic siege.

A MAN who reportedly threatened another man with a gun during a siege in inner Sydney has been charged, police said yesterday.

Armed police, in helmets and bulletproof vests, and negotiators were called to a housing commission block on the corner of Devonshire and Clisdell Sts, Surry Hills, where it was feared a man was holed up with a gun about 4.30pm on Wednesday.

The area was cordoned off and residents - including a woman and her two young children in a neighbouring unit - were evacuated from the block as a tense, two-hour stand-off began.

One resident said he had stepped out of his unit, saw an armed officer, and was told to "run".

Drinkers in a hotel across the street were ordered to stay away from the windows during the siege.

Tactical police later escorted a negotiator into the building before the shirtless man was eventually arrested about 6pm.

He was taken to The Rocks police station for questioning and was later charged with common assault.

He was released on conditional bail to appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on April 18.

Police said that investigations were continuing and further charges could be laid.

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Howard was wrong on Iraq - Crean

Simon Crean said it was a mistake for Australia to join the war in Iraq. Picture: John Feder Source: News Limited

FORMER Labor leader Simon Crean says it was a mistake to join the war in Iraq, because it diverted Australia's attentions away from Afghanistan.

Speaking this morning Simon Crean - who was key to last week's leadership showdown between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard - gave a reflective look upon the Iraq War, ten years on from when it first started.

It's been ten years since the invasion of Iraq. Defence Minister Stephen Smith on the lessons learned in his portfolio. Meet The Press, Ep05, Seg 2

Mr Crean said joining the US in their efforts against Saddam Hussien made Australia "a target".

He said prime minister John Howard "simply did what the Americans asked him to do" without fully thinking through the consequences.

"My view is the decision was wrong," Mr Crean told ABC News 24.

"The weapons of mass destruction weren’t found and I think the people who justified that on that basis ought to explain."

John Howard: Iraq, the war, and how we got it wrong

Mr Crean said more could have been done in Afghanistan if Australia wasn’t distracted in Iraq.

"I think they've got more explaining to do because that diverted our attention from Afghanistan, and look at the mess that is there now," he said.

"So we committed resources based on a fallacy that took all the effort into Iraq away from Afghanistan and we have been paying a huge price ever since."

Mr Crean was Labor leader at the time Australia joined the war in Iraq and was vocal in his opposition to the plan to deploy troops at the time.

The eight-year war ended in 2011 with Australia committing around 2000 troops in total. Australian forces began withdrawing in 2008 after the election of the Rudd government.

This week Defence Minister Stephen Smith gave a clearer time frame on the withdrawal of Australia’s troops from Afghanistan.

Mr Smith said around 1000 of the 1550-strong force would be out of the country by December this year.

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WestConnex on road by 2015

Roads Minister Duncan Gay / Pic: John Fotiadis Source: The Sunday Telegraph

HIGH-LEVEL talks into the design of the $61.8 billion WestConnex are aimed at work beginning by 2015.

Roads Minister Duncan Gay has begun consulting with 25 councils.

"We've shown them what the new flows will look like at a key intersection, King Georges Rd and the M5 East, where WestConnex plans will see two extra lanes in each direction," Mr Gay said yesterday.

He said four international consortiums and the Sydney Motorways Project Office were developing options for the Parramatta Rd, Airport Access Link and Inner West Tunnel sections.

Mr Gay said the project office's business case, to be delivered midyear, would demonstrate in more detail how the 33km WestConnex would proceed.

Committee for Sydney chief executive Dr Tim Williams said the WestConnex could relieve choked Parramatta Rd.

"At the moment, it is a traffic jam and a bunch of garages," he said. "There could be a significant number of homes built where people want to live. "It's an opportunity to create new high density, high quality neighbourhoods - as long as it is not another bad Sydney tunnel. If it is just a tunnel without renewal it would be a failure."

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Charged Jurrah locked up for Easter

Liam Jurrah pictured during a break in his court proceedings in Alice Springs earlier this month. Picture: Justin Brierty Source: adelaidenow

TROUBLED footballer Liam Jurrah will spend the Easter weekend in custody after being charged with four counts of assault in Alice Springs.

The charges come after the footballer's arrest in Alice Springs when three women were allegedly assaulted at a 24-hour store in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Jurrah, 24, and another man, 32, were arrested.

Without naming Jurrah, Senior Sergeant Darrell Kerr from Alice Springs confirmed that two men arrested over the incident at the store had been charged on Thursday night.

He said a bail application was heard before a magistrate in an over-the-phone hearing today and was refused.

"Police opposed bail due to the seriousness of the charges," said Snr Sgt Kerr.

The news means Jurrah will be locked up over Easter until the court resumes sitting on Tuesday.

Last week he walked free from the Alice Springs Supreme Court after being acquitted of attacking his cousin with a machete.

Twice this week he has failed to appear in court in South Australia, where he faces separate charges of aggravated assault and drink driving.

Jurrah made his AFL debut in 2009 and played 36 games for Melbourne.

The club delisted him at the end of last season but he has since signed on to play for the Alice Springs South Kangaroos Football Club.

His grandmother, Cecily Granites, said she did not understand why Jurrah had ended up in custody.

"He went over to the 24-hour shop on Gap Road and bought something to eat, like a sandwich," she said.

"There was a group of (people that) saw Liam going in and when he came out there was a couple of people standing there and they started talking to him in a really angry way."

Ms Granites said she received a phone call about 4am saying Jurrah was in trouble and that he was in police custody.

Superintendent Brent Warren said police attended the incident after 3am and identified three women who allegedly had been assaulted.

"Police subsequently arrested two men, aged 24 and 32, in relation to the alleged incident," he said.

In Adelaide yesterday, Magistrate David McLeod said a warrant for Jurrah's arrest would lie on the file after he failed to appear in Elizabeth Magistrates Court to answer a charge of aggravated assault.

Jurrah's lawyer told the court her client had stayed in Alice Springs for his grandfather's funeral, but Mr McLeod said he wanted corroboration the funeral was taking place.

The hearing proceeded without Jurrah, but prosecutors said the charge against him was likely to be withdrawn because the alleged victim had signed a form saying she did not wish to proceed.

Defence lawyer Joanna Caracoussis told the court Jurrah's grandfather died late last year and the funeral was scheduled for last week but had been postponed.

The funeral had been planned for last Thursday - the day a jury returned its not guilty verdict in Jurrah's case of alleged assault against cousin Basil Jurrah.

The matter was adjourned to May.

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Prominent Aussie performer arrested

BBC presenter Sir Jimmy Savile. Source: AP

A PROMINENT Australian entertainer has been arrested by Scotland Yard detectives in London on suspicion of sexual offences.

Metropolitan Police confirmed officers have arrested an 82-year-old man living in Berkshire.

He was arrested by detectives involved in Operation Yewtree - which is investigating the Jimmy Savile child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the UK.

He was released about 11.30pm UK time after being questioned by detectives. His present location is unknown.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was bailed to a date in May, pending further inquiries.

The arrested man previously attended Lewisham police station, in South East London, by appointment on November 29 last year.

Officers had obtained a warrant to search his Berkshire home five days earlier.

Operation Yewtree was former in the wake of revelations the now deceased television host and radio DJ Savile,  sexually abused and assaulted more than 400 people, mostly children, over five decades in hospitals, schools and BBC's London studios.

It is believed the arrest of the 82-year-old is not directly related to Savile's acts but other alleged sexual offences that had come to light during the overall investigation.

The man is one of 11 people arrested so far.

Following the death of Savile in October 2011, hundreds of sex abuse allegations emerged .

Last month a London Metropolitan Police report said Savile had abused adults and children across the UK over more than five decades. The NSPCC said Savile, who was 84 when he died, had been one of the most prolific sex offenders in its 129-year history.

Operation Yewtree was set up in the wake of the Savile scandal. It has three strands:

1) Looking specifically at Savile's actions;

2) Investigating allegations against "Savile and others"; and

3) Relating to alleged complaints against other people not connected to the Savile investigation

Today's arrest is related to looking at complaints against people not connected to Savile.

High-profile names which have arisen in connection with the investigation are PR consultant Max Clifford, comedian Freddie Starr, DJ Dave Lee Travis and comedian Jim Davidson - who have all denied any wrongdoing.

Gary Glitter, 69, whose real name is Paul Gadd, who was also arrested, has not yet made a statement.

Earlier this week, police said a former BBC producer Wilfred De'Ath who was arrested as part of Yewtree would face no further charges. He was arrested last year over an allegation of indecent assault on a girl in the 60s.

He is the first suspect held under Operation Yewtree that the UK Crown Prosecution Service acted on.

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Police trade crime gang intelligence

FOUR high-ranking Lebanese cops have been recruited by NSW police to provide an insight into how Middle Eastern crime gangs operate.

In a unique exchange, the officers are investigating Sydney's ethnic and migrant communities to construct a type of "family tree" to assist in fighting organised crime.

Deputy Police Commissioner Nick Kaldas said: "We need to be more culturally aware of the community we're dealing with and their sensitivities and their aspirations. We're learning a great deal from listening to these (Lebanese) officers talk about how they see things."

The group arrived in Sydney on March 6 and are expected to stay for three months.

While technology and forensic techniques were high on a list of priorities the Lebanese officers were keen to cover, they have also made efforts to establish a network with community groups in Sydney.

"We will exchange a whole lot of information about technology and operational issues," Mr Kaldas said. "They have got a list, as we do, of issues they want to cover while they're here."

He said the four officers had already spent time with the head of the NSW police Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad and were expected to spend "quite a deal of time in southwest Sydney".

He said police were not investigating any specific ongoing cases but confirmed officers would "talk about operational issues while they are here".

"I think the migrant community, the Arabic community, the Middle Eastern community are happy and pleased to see NSW police engaging with officers from the Middle East and being committed to that dialogue," he said.

Delegation leader Lt Col Rony Ghanem said the group hoped to have "an exchange of information, an exchange of operational procedures, and a dialogue with the communities that we will engage with while we are here".

The exchange program originated in a series of meetings between the head of Lebanon's police force, Major General Ashraf Rifi, Dept Com Kaldas, and NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione during Lebanese President Michel Suleiman's visit to Australia in April last year.

Mr Kaldas is well-known in Lebanon, being called in to head an investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, killed along with 21 others when a massive car bomb exploded next to his convoy as it passed through a crowded waterfront area.

While Mr Kaldas said he did not believe there were any fugitives currently hiding from police in either Australia or Lebanon, the operation would assist officers in tracking down criminals who flee back to the old country to avoid prosecution, such as Saleh Jamal, who used a false passport to flee Australia after being charged over a shoot-out.

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Sydney Games golden girl dies

Soraya Jimenez pictured during the Sydney Olympics at which she won a gold medal. Jimenez has died of a heart attack, aged 35. Source: AFP

Soraya Jimenez pictured during the Sydney Olympics at which she won a gold medal. Jimenez has died of a heart attack, aged 35. Source: AFP

SYDNEY Olympics weightlifting gold medallist Soraya Jimenez of Mexico has died of a heart attack at 35.

Jimenez's victory at the 2000 Games was the first time a Mexican woman won an Olympic gold medal.

The Mexican Olympic Committee said the 35-year-old Jimenez was at home when she died.

"Soraya was the first Mexican athlete to win a gold medal during the debut of female weightlifting at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000,'' the committee said in a statement.

Several Mexican officials expressed their condolences on Twitter, including President Enrique Pena Nieto and Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera.

"I regret the death of Mexican athlete and Olympic medallist Soraya Jimenez. My condolences to her family,'' Pena Nieto wrote.

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Disgust over wheelchair v luggage scandal

Ms Paywee was in tears when she was told the news. Source: news.com.au

• Good news for disabled gran after airline shocker 
• They told her to choose between her wheelchair... 
• And a load of clothes for her impoverished family
• Follow this reporter on Twitter

THE Federal Government said it was "disgusting" that a disabled grandmother was forced to choose between her wheelchair or clothing for her children when boarding a plane this month, and will demand an explanation from the airliner involved.

Sarah Paywee was flying from Perth to Bangkok with Thai Airways, and then Kenya Airways from Bangkok to Liberia. It is alleged she was told by a Thai Airways clerk that under Kenya Airways rules passengers were only permitted a baggage allowance of 40kg, and if a passenger did not appear confined to their wheelchair it counted as part of their baggage allowance.

Ms Paywee, who can barely walk without her wheelchair, was reduced to tears at Perth International Airport when she was allegedly forced to discard her gifts at the Thai Airways check-in. The clerk allegedly told her the wheelchair exceeded her baggage allowance.

The new federal parliamentary secretary for disabilities appointed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the Cabinet reshuffle this week, Amanda Rishworth, said she found news.com.au's report disturbing.

"I will be asking Thai Airways for an explanation," Ms Rishworth said. "This is a serious barrier for people with a disability."

"It's not luggage. That's the important point. I think it's quite frankly disgusting."

Ms Paywee fled to Australia after her husband was murdered by assailants and she was violently assaulted. She believed her children had been killed during the war, but later discovered that they had survived.

"An expression of love she had waited 20 years to experience"... Sarah Paywee and her friend and supporter Michelle Mattys.

She was determined to save the money to one day return to her family, who live in one of the poorest countries in the world, and wanted to bring gifts of clothing they desperately needed. She was forced to leave the gifts behind as she could not afford the $700 excess baggage fee.

Thai Airways has launched an investigation into all aspects of the incident and Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graham Innes said the airlines' rules were not on.

He also said the Government's track record with this issue had been disappointing since Bill Shorten was parliamentary secretary in this area from 2007 to 2011.

The Government set up the Accessible Airlines Working Group to deal with these problems in 2008. A spokeswoman for Transport and Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese said the group allowed people to have a detailed discussion about ways to improve access to aviation for people with disabilities.

Mr Innes resigned from the working group in February. He wrote in an open letter to Mr Albanese that the group had achieved little significance in the past three to four years.

"This is partly due to a lack of preparedness by airlines and airport operators to accept the gaps in the current provision of access, and take any significant action to improve in these areas," he said.

The new parliamentary secretary for disabilities, Amanda Rishworth, with Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Picture: Kelly Barnes

"It is mainly due to the government's lack of preparedness to regulate for, or actively encourage improvement in, areas where access is lacking. There has been much talking at the group, but little else."

Ms Rishworth said she would work with Mr Albanese to discourage airlines from putting these disability barriers in place.

She said there had been a number of high profile incidences and she would like airlines to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to airlines. "They really should be doing something about this," she said.

Email this reporter or follow him on Twitter @drpiotrowski

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Drug company's $2.5m gravy train

GSK's medical gravy train revealed which involves doctors. Picture: Thinkstock/Commstock Source: Supplied

THE world's second biggest drug company GlaxoSmithKline spent $2.5 million funding overseas trips, speaking fees and donations for doctors last year.

The insight into the medical gravy train comes as the Australian Medical Association warns doctors reputations could be compromised if drug companies push ahead with plans to name the individual doctors who receive money from big pharma.

Australian Medical Association president Dr Steve Hambleton says while it is inevitable medicine companies will reveal the amount they pay individual doctors "it matters how we do it so reputations are not disturbed".

"Our primary concern is that patients remain confident doctors are working in their best interests and not someone elses," he said.

The size of the GSK medical gravy train increased by $300,000 in 2012 compared to  2011 when the company spent $2.2 million on doctors.

The company spent almost $800,000 sending doctors to domestic and overseas medical conferences, another $890,000 on consultancy and speaking fees to doctors who worked on the company's advisory boards or gave speeches at medical conferences.

A further $843,000 was spent sponsoring or in donations to hospitals or medical groups nominated by doctors who refused to take personal financial benefit from drug company fees.

The figures show spending on trips to medical conferences rose by $511,000 in 2012 and speaking fees increased by $517,000 while donations to hospitals fell by $750,000 compared to 2011. GSK wants to take its disclosure further by revealing the names of individual doctors who receive the money.

"We fully support greater transparency around payments and I am working with the Medicines Australia Transparency Working Group chartered with finding a solution to individual payment disclosure," GSK general manager Geoff McDonald says.

For several years medicine companies have been required by the industry's Code of Conduct to publish information about the $70-80 million a year they spend on around 36,000 educational events for doctors each year.

Many of these functions include meals in top restaurants or five star hotels  where drug companies spruik their medicines.

From January this year all major pharmaceutical companies were required to begin tallying up how much in aggregate they pay doctors for working on advisory boards, attending medical conferences and giving speeches.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission wants companies to start revealing how much they pay individual doctors within two years.

Drug companies will begin discussions about how to do this in June.

A former drug firm saleswoman Petra Helesic revealed in 2011 individual doctors could earn up to $10,000 a year in speakers' fees and had first-class airfares and five-star hotel bills paid for when they attended overseas medical conferences.

Ms Helesic, who was employed by four major drug firms in the past decade, said she had "never had a key opinion leader come back from an international conference and say I will not back up your drug".

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Serial killer Birnie to remain in WA jail

WEST Australian rial killer Catherine Birnie has again been denied parole.

The Prisoners Review Board began the review in January and the final decision was made this week by Attorney-General Michael Mischin.

"The attorney-general has accepted a recommendation from the Prisoners Review Board that Catherine Birnie not be released on parole," a spokeswoman said.

Under law, Birnie's life sentence is reviewed every three years, so her next statutory review will be in 2016.

Former Attorney-General Christian Porter, who last year left state politics for a tilt at the federal arena, in March 2010 decided Birnie would not be placed on parole or put into a re-socialisation program.

WA's attorney-general in 2007, Jim McGinty, said Birnie should never be freed from jail.

Birnie and her late partner David Birnie raped, stabbed, strangled and clubbed to death four victims in their Willagee house, in Perth's southern suburbs, in 1986.

They were caught only when a fifth intended victim escaped after they abducted her at knifepoint.

The pair were handed strict-security life sentences for the murders.

David Birnie hanged himself in his protective custody Casuarina Prison cell in 2005. She wasn't allowed to attend his funeral.

A 2007 review of Birnie, who is serving her sentence at Bandyup Women's Prison on Perth's north-eastern outskirts, found she was at low risk of reoffending but her release was rejected because of the extreme nature of her crimes.

Birnie, now 62, left her husband and six children in 1985 to live with David Birnie.

She did not marry him but took his surname.

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It's the good life in Ku-ring-gai

They love it there ... Justin and Sue Mavin and children, left to right, Courtney, 8, Lachlan, 14, and Harrison, 11 / Pic: Adam Ward Source: The Daily Telegraph

THE leafy locale of Ku-ring-gai has topped a list of the state's most livable suburbs.

According to new Census data that will provide bragging rights for some suburbs and plenty of humble pie for others, the local government area in Sydney's north had been dubbed the most advantaged.

In the third tranche of data to emerge from the 2011 Census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has released the socio-economic indexes for areas across the country - a suburb-by-suburb league table.

The data ranks areas according to their advantage or disadvantage in terms of people's access to material and social resources and their ability to participate in society.

The ABS said the data was valuable for governments, businesses and communities for determining what areas needed additional funding for improved services, identifying potential commercial opportunities or researching the relationship between health and education outcomes and the socio-economic conditions.

For the first time, the data is freely available for anyone to download and navigate using Google Earth.

Analytical services branch director Dr Phillip Gould said the data could be used to compare the relative socio-economic characteristics of areas at a given point in time.

"It's important to remember that indexes are assigned to geographic areas, not to individuals," he said.

"For example, it's possible for a relatively advantaged person to reside in an area which may have a low score on some or all of the indexes.

"It's also not uncommon to see a local government area that has pockets of advantage and disadvantage."

Ben Price Estate Agents managing director Ben Price said people were starting to ignore old stereotypes and reputations of suburbs when it came to looking for a new home and instead placed more emphasis on infrastructure such as public transport, schools and hospitals. However, he said reputations were "absolutely" still a consideration for many.

"There's still people out there who prefer to rent for a long period of time rather than getting a toe in the real estate water at Mt Druitt," he said.

NSW LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA:

MOST ADVANTAGED:

1. Ku-ring-gai

2. Mosman

3. Lane Cove

4. Wollahra

5. The Hills Shire

MOST DISADVANTAGED:

1. Brewarrina

2. Central Darling

3. Walgett

4. Kempsey

5. Fairfield

GREATER SYDNEY SUBURBS:

MOST ADVANTAGED:

1. St Ives

2. West Pennant Hills

3. Wahroonga/Warrawee

4. Pymble

5. Lindfield-Roseville

MOST DISADVANTAGED:

1. Ashcroft/Busby/Miller

2. Bidwill/Hebersham/Emerton

3. Lethbridge Park/Tregear

4. Cabramatta/Lansvale

5. Fairfield

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Manhunt on for NSW Police armourer

Alan James Cumberland, 38, is an armourer with the NSW Police Force and is being sought following a search warrant conducted at his home in the Tuggerah Lakes region. Picture: Police Media Source: Supplied

A STATEWIDE search is underway for a NSW Police employee for allegedly taking weaponry from a police armoury and other serious firearms offences.

Alan James Cumberland, 38, is an armourer with the NSW Police Force. He is being sought following a search of his home in the Tuggerah Lakes area yesterday afternoon.

At the property, police located large numbers of firearms, some suspected of being misappropriated, as well as firearms parts, ammunition of various calibres, machining equipment and prohibited weapons.

"He's been misappropriating weapons and weapons parts from the facility," a police spokesperson told AAP.

The search warrant, which is ongoing, was one of four conducted by the Firearms and Organised Crime Squad yesterday as part of an investigation into organised crime.

A machine gun, ammunition and cash were seized at a property at Bonnells Bay, and a silencer was located at a property at Lalor Park. Two men have already been charged in relation to those seizures.

Police are asking for anyone with information about Mr Cumberland’s whereabouts to contact them. They believe Mr Cumberland might have access to firearms – a registered rifle and rifle receiver remain unaccounted for.

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Man arrested in Savile sex probe

AN 82-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of sexual offences by officers from Operation Yewtree, London's Metropolitan Police say.

The Berkshire-based 82-year-old is one of 11 people arrested so far as part of investigations into alleged offending by former disc jockey Jimmy Savile and "others".

A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was bailed to a date in May, pending further inquiries.

The BBC reported this arrest is under a part of Operation Yewtree looking at complaints against people not connected to Savile.

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Iran, Nth Korea, Syria stop arms treaty

A replica of a camouflage military-style helicopter stands on a rooftop across Manhattan's skyline and the United Nations headquarters (Center L) during a campaign by Control Arms Coalition activists, in New York, March 27, 2013. The activists set the replica to call for a strong arms treaty, as over 190 nations were concluding a diplomatic conference at the UN on drafting an Arms Trade Treaty. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand Source: AFP

IRAN, North Korea and Syria have held up agreement on the first global treaty on the $US80 billion ($A76.97 billion) a year conventional arms trade.

The three states twice blocked moves to adopt a treaty by consensus at the end of 10 days of arduous talks at the UN headquarters.

Kenya announced that a coalition of countries from around the world would now take the treaty straight to the 193-member UN General Assembly next week for approval. It can be passed with a two thirds majority which is virtually assured.

The move by Iran, North Korea and Syria, all facing sanctions or international reprobation for their weapons programs or trading, caused widespread anger at the conference.

"This is not a failure, today is success deferred and deferred by not very long,'' said Britain's chief negotiator Jo Adamson.

"A good strong treaty has been blocked by the DPRK (North Korea), the Islamic Republic of Iran and Syria but most people in the world want regulation and those are the voices that need to be heard.''

The Amnesty International rights group called the blocking move "deeply cynical''.

All of the major arms producer - the United States, Russia, Germany, France, China and Britain - were ready to agree the treaty for which negotiations started in 2006.

The first major arms accord since the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty would cover tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, as well as small arms and light arms.

It would aim to force countries to set up national controls on arms exports. They would also have to assess whether a weapon could be used for genocide, war crimes or by terrorists or organised crime gangs before it is sold.

Conference president Peter Woolcott of Australia had been about to bring the gavel down on an accord when Iranian, North Korean and Syrian ambassadors raised objections.

After an hour of closed talks, a second attempt brought the same result.

"The inherent right of states to self-defence, to defend against aggression and preserve its territorial integrity is not addressed,'' Iran's UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told the conference.

North Korea's deputy UN ambassador Ri Tong-Il called the proposed treaty a "risky draft which can be politically manipulated'' and railed against arms embargos his country faces over its nuclear weapons tests.

Syria's UN ambassador Bashar Jaafari said the treaty should be more explicit on supplying arms to "terrorists'' and "non-state groups'' and that Syria would not be part of "an artificial consensus.''

Dozens of countries made it clear to the three that they were isolated.

UN leader Ban Ki-Moon was "deeply disappointed'' that the treaty was not agreed, said a UN spokeswoman.

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New free vaccine to immunise kids

Tanya Plibersek announces that the new measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine will be available for free for infants at 18 months of age from 1 July 2013. Picture of Emma Furno with baby Lou, who is about to be immunised. Picture: Ross Schultz Source: News Limited

AUSSIE kids will have to endure one less needle to be fully vaccinated with a new combination jab for measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox to be provided free from July.

And parents are being advised they can vaccinate their children when they are as young as six week old, two weeks earlier than previously recommended, if they fear an infectious outbreak.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek announced the new combination vaccine as she released the latest immunisation handbook which also "strongly recommends" parents give children aged under 5 years an annual flu vaccination.

From July the government will fund a new combination vaccine which includes protection from measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and chicken pox in the one injection to be administered at 18 months of age.

Currently children receive only a chicken pox vaccination at this age. Children who receive this jab will no longer need an MMR vaccine at four years.

This means they will receive just one needle for whooping cough, diptheria and tetanus when they turn four instead of the current two injections.

"The new combination vaccine protects against four common childhood illnesses in a single vaccine, reducing the number of vaccinations for children," Minister for Health, Tanya Plibersek, said.

"It means one needle rather than two. Although the immunisation handbook calls for children aged under five to receive an annual flu vaccination this is not funded by the government unless the child has a medical condition.

The handbook also  recommends pregnant women who have not had a whooping cough vaccine in the past five years receive one in the third trimester of their pregnancy or shortly after birth to protect their baby.

Launching the handbook today, the Minister for Health, Tanya Plibersek, said: "It is vital that parents and parents-to-be are fully informed when making decisions about immunisation for their children and themselves.

Some of Australia's top medicine experts warned last year that  vaccination rates were dropping as a result of campaigns by the anti-immunisation lobby exposing children to deadly infections like whooping cough and measles.

Emma Furno says the new combination vaccine will be a relief for mothers who get stressed when their babies experience the pain of an injections.

"It's much better, less stress for me and stress for him and less crying.

"It's good because it's less jabs for him, because obviously they do get quite upset when they get that shot, so the less jabs the better."

Ms Furno whose son Lou yesterday received his 12 month vaccinations said she was more hesitant to vaccinate her first child, daughter Mabel, 3, initially put off by potential side effect.

"I had my first daughter vaccinated and it's the right thing to do, I think, in this society.

"I looked into not vaccinating, but then I thought that if one person doesn't vaccinate then it upsets the whole thing and it falls apart."

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Jail term for cop shooting appealed

Killed in the line of duty ... Constable William Crews Source: The Daily Telegraph

PROSECUTORS will appeal the seven-year sentence given to Philip Nguyen over the death of trainee detective William "Bill" Crews.

NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith yesterday said he has been informed by the DPP Lloyd Babb SC that they "have decided to appeal against the sentence handed down to Philip Nguyen".

The 57-year-old was sentenced to at least seven years behind bars, but with time already spent in custody he would be eligible for release in September 2017.

He pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Constable Crews, who was killed by a bullet to his neck during a police raid of a Bankstown garage in September 2010.

The gunshot that killed the promising 26-year-old officer came from his colleague's gun, but the court ruled Nguyen had been responsible for the death by beginning a shoot-out with police.

In sentencing him to a maximum of 9 1/2 years in jail, Justice Elizabeth Fullerton said "although he didn't fire the shot which killed him, he caused his death".

Mr Smith and Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said after Nguyen's sentencing earlier this month they hoped the DPP would appeal.

Constable Crews' father Kel said it did not seem "appropriate". "He has given his life in the line of duty, we have been sentenced to life ... "

The matter will go to the Court of Criminal Appeal.

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Qld toddler injured after boat capsizes

A TODDLER has been left with head injuries after a boat capsized on the Gold Coast.

A Department of Community Safety spokeswoman says paramedics were called out to the incident at Surfers Paradise about 12.30pm (AEST) on Friday.

When they arrived, they treated the injured 18-month-old tot and a 60-year-old man with a cut to his leg.

Both were taken to Gold Coast hospital.

A third patient was assessed but did not require treatment.

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Charged Jurrah locked up for Easter

Liam Jurrah pictured during a break in his court proceedings in Alice Springs earlier this month. Picture: Justin Brierty Source: adelaidenow

TROUBLED footballer Liam Jurrah will spend the Easter weekend in custody after being charged with four counts of assault in Alice Springs.

The charges come after the footballer's arrest in Alice Springs when three women were allegedly assaulted at a 24-hour store in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Jurrah, 24, and another man, 32, were arrested.

Without naming Jurrah, Senior Sergeant Darrell Kerr from Alice Springs confirmed that two men arrested over the incident at the store had been charged on Thursday night.

He said a bail application was heard before a magistrate in an over-the-phone hearing today and was refused.

"Police opposed bail due to the seriousness of the charges," said Snr Sgt Kerr.

The news means Jurrah will be locked up over Easter until the court resumes sitting on Tuesday.

Last week he walked free from the Alice Springs Supreme Court after being acquitted of attacking his cousin with a machete.

Twice this week he has failed to appear in court in South Australia, where he faces separate charges of aggravated assault and drink driving.

Jurrah made his AFL debut in 2009 and played 36 games for Melbourne.

The club delisted him at the end of last season but he has since signed on to play for the Alice Springs South Kangaroos Football Club.

His grandmother, Cecily Granites, said she did not understand why Jurrah had ended up in custody.

"He went over to the 24-hour shop on Gap Road and bought something to eat, like a sandwich," she said.

"There was a group of (people that) saw Liam going in and when he came out there was a couple of people standing there and they started talking to him in a really angry way."

Ms Granites said she received a phone call about 4am saying Jurrah was in trouble and that he was in police custody.

Superintendent Brent Warren said police attended the incident after 3am and identified three women who allegedly had been assaulted.

"Police subsequently arrested two men, aged 24 and 32, in relation to the alleged incident," he said.

In Adelaide yesterday, Magistrate David McLeod said a warrant for Jurrah's arrest would lie on the file after he failed to appear in Elizabeth Magistrates Court to answer a charge of aggravated assault.

Jurrah's lawyer told the court her client had stayed in Alice Springs for his grandfather's funeral, but Mr McLeod said he wanted corroboration the funeral was taking place.

The hearing proceeded without Jurrah, but prosecutors said the charge against him was likely to be withdrawn because the alleged victim had signed a form saying she did not wish to proceed.

Defence lawyer Joanna Caracoussis told the court Jurrah's grandfather died late last year and the funeral was scheduled for last week but had been postponed.

The funeral had been planned for last Thursday - the day a jury returned its not guilty verdict in Jurrah's case of alleged assault against cousin Basil Jurrah.

The matter was adjourned to May.

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Tax fraud 'should serve hard time'

Timothy Pratten arrives at the Supreme Court / Pic: John Grainger Source: The Daily Telegraph

PROSECUTORS have asked for the maximum sentence for a millionaire tax fraudster who evaded up to $5 million in tax by squirreling away his assets in a tropical tax haven.

In the Supreme Court yesterday, Crown Prosecutor Michael Wigney, SC, asked that Tim Pratten be given "a significant custodial sentence" - similar to that given to Pratten's Vanuatu accountant Robert Agius.

"(Pratten's) conduct in this matter is close to the worst-case category, and calls for a penalty close to the maximum provided by law," according to written submissions by the Crown Prosecutor.

The maximum sentence is 10 years. Agius was last year given a head sentence of nine years and a non-parole period of 7 1/2 years.

Pratten, who ran an aircraft and marine insurance business in North Sydney, was arrested by police in September 2010.

In June last year a jury found him guilty of seven counts of tax fraud, but Pratten still refuses to admit he committed a crime.

Mr Wigney told the court Pratten had shown no contrition or remorse, and had shown he is willing to tell "direct and repeated lies in futherance of the fraud".

When authorities were closing in on the pair, but before their arrest, Agius and Pratten were caught on phone taps discussing plans to create a paper trail to make it appear that Pratten's luxury lifestyle was financed by legitimate loans from Vanuatu, which would be legal, the court heard.

In reality, Pratten was receiving cash from companies and trusts he controlled that were registered in the tax-haven of Vanuatu.

He used the cash to buy himself status symbols and toys he used in Sydney, while telling the Australian Tax Office he only earned $75,000 a year - and had no assets except for a car.

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Cyprus banks to return to normal hours

Cypriots have stayed calm as banks reopened with strict controls, after a nearly two-week lockdown.

Fewer customers than expected queue for service in a Laiki Bank branch as the country's banks re-open following 12 days of closure on March 28, 2013 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Captial controls are limiting withdrawals to EUR 300 per day and the Cyprus stock exchange remains closed. (Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

MPs in Cyprus have voted against a proposed EU bailout plan plunging the euro zone into more confusion and uncertainty. Sonia Legg reports

BANKS in Cyprus were set to return to normal trading hours later today after a relatively calm six-hour opening that saw the launch of strict capital controls to save the bailed-out island from a bank run.

The measures, which include a daily withdrawal limit of 300 euros ($385), a ban on cashing cheques and a 1,000-euro ceiling on money being taken abroad by travellers, took effect yesterday as banks opened their doors for the first time in nearly two weeks.

The strict controls - the first of their kind in the eurozone - are aimed at curbing the fallout over Cyprus's 10-billion-euro rescue by the "troika'' of the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Cypriots largely stayed calm during yesterday's restricted banking hours, and President Nicos Anastasiades thanked the Mediterranean nation's people for their "maturity'' after they queued patiently for limited cash.

But the country will remain under global scrutiny as the latest litmus test for the viability of the eurozone.

Tokyo stocks were flat at the break today, slipping 0.04 percent, or 4.52 points to 12,331.44, after the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 hit new highs yesterday. The euro also recovered against the dollar.

Cyprus's rescue package, agreed on Monday, is the first to impose a levy on bank deposits over a certain amount, and Cyprus is the first bailed-out eurozone nation to impose curbs on the movement of money.

Queues of people were waiting when bank doors opened yesterday for the first time since March 16, but the lines had vanished when they closed six hours later and security guards at most branches had little to do.

A number of customers were even making deposits.

Unemployed electrician Philippos Philippou entered his bank - a branch of Laiki, which will be wound up under the terms of the bailout - fretting that it would be a "very bad day'' with ``swearing and a lot of anger''.

But he came out smiling.

"There is confidence; everything was fine,'' he told AFP.

Officials earlier said the capital controls were needed to prevent further damage to the fragile economy, which relies on a banking sector bloated with Russian money.

But after the banks reopened, Anastasiades, who was elected only one month ago, gave "sincere thanks and deep appreciation'' to Cypriots for not panicking at a "critical time''.

A presidential aide said Anastasiades had decided to cut his own salary by 25 percent, while cabinet members would take a 20 percent reduction.

The cabinet has also appointed three ex-supreme court judges to probe the meltdown, presidential undersecretary Constantinos Petrides said.

The threat of years of hardship has sparked protests.

Last night more than 100 members of the right-wing nationalist ELAM party demonstrated in central Nicosia against the bailout measures, chanting slogans such as "Troika, out!'' and "This island is Greek!''

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said yesterday the restrictions could be lifted within a month if things continue to go well.

However, he warned that a forecast in December that GDP would contract by 3.2 percent in 2013, would "definitely be much higher than this''.

Cyprus must raise 5.8 billion euros to qualify for the full 10-billion-euro loan.

Depositors with more than 100,000 euros in the top two banks - Bank of Cyprus (BoC) and Laiki or "Popular Bank'' - face losing much of their money.

Laiki will effectively be wound up and absorbed by the bigger bank.

Fitch Ratings agency downgraded Bank of Cyprus and Laiki's mortgage-covered bonds from B+ to B yesterday, citing uncertainty surrounding the recapitalisation terms of BoC and the transfer of Laiki's cover assets and liabilities to it.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 hit new highs Thursday, closing out a record quarter for Wall Street.

The contrast with Europe has led some analysts to speak of a "decoupling'' of the US and EU.

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Swoop on Abu Sayyaf links to hostage

Australian former soldier Warren Rodwell thanks Philippine officials, friends and family for their help in his release after being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants for 15 months. Jessica Gray reports.

Australian hostage Warren Rodwell / Pic: AFP PHOTO/NOEL CELIS Source: AFP

FILIPINO police are preparing to swoop on key Abu Sayyaf terrorists after they were identified as being involved in the kidnapping of Warren Rodwell.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo told News Limited that they were already chasing solid leads on the case.

"We will find them. We will arrest,'' Chief Supt Cerbo said.

The net is believed to be closing in on Puruji Indama the man who leads the group that negotiated the $94,000 ransom paid by Mr Rodwell's family for his release.

"Mr Rodwell made mention of involvement of some Abu Sayaff personalities including him (Puruji Indama)," he said.

``At this point we are collecting evidence and establishing a basis to support our case to bring criminal charges against these people involved."

Chief Supt Cerbo said Mr Rodwell would undergo further debriefing by Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) detectives next week as his health improved.

Mr Rodwell was ambushed by terrorists posing as policemen in late 2011 from his seaside house on the Zamboanga peninsula.

After 15-months at gunpoint and under constant threat of beheading, Mr Rodwell a former soldier was released last weekend.

After local criticism surrounding ransom payment to terrorists, PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima yesterday flagged a new law that could potentially prohibit financial transactions to free hostages.

Mr Purisima said people involved in Mr Rodwell's ransom payment, including Basilan Vice Governor Al-Rasheed Sakkalahul, could not be held liable.

"The policy of the government is no ransom policy. But there's no law yet that provides if you help a kidnap victim pay ransom, you will be liable, maybe there is a need for some revision in the law," Mr Purisima said.

Mr Sakalahul yesterday denied accusations that he had skimmed some of Mr Rodwell's ransom money.

"My conscience is clear and I can't stomach to feed my family out from bad earnings. I think is about time for the families of the kidnap victims which I also helped previously come out in the open and speak for the truth,'' he told reporters.

He said the negotiations were initiated by Mr Rodwell's wife Miraflor Gutang and he only helped to ensure she was not duped by the kidnappers.

"I have not even touched the money," he said.

In a separate operation earlier in the week, PNP and military officers yesterday swooped on an Abu Sayyaf member known as "Muner" in Zamboanga City.

Local police said "Muner" was a member of the Abu Sayyaf group responsible for conducting bombings and assassination missions.

A gaunt and emaciated Mr Rodwell is recovering at an undisclosed location in Manila with support of embassy officials and his siblings Denise and Wayne.

The 54-year-old is expected to fly back to Australia within weeks.

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Manhunt underway for NSW Police employee

A STATEWIDE manhunt has been launched for a NSW Police civilian employee wanted for allegedly taking weaponry from a police armoury.

The 38-year-old man worked in the armoury and was under investigation for serious firearms offences, a police spokesman told AAP on Friday.

"He's been misappropriating weapons and weapons parts from the facility," he said.

A number of weapons were found at the man's home on Thursday during a police search but the man had not been seen since, the spokesman said.

The spokesman said the wanted man was from the Tuggerah Lake area on the NSW Central Coast.

He said the matter was related to another case in which a father and son were charged on Thursday after a machine gun, a silencer and $20,000 in cash were seized in police raids south of Newcastle and in western Sydney.

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Vic Good Friday appeal targets $16m

Victorians are being asked to dig deep for sick children as part of the annual Good Friday Appeal. Source: AAP

TENS of thousands of people, including Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, are doing their bit to try to reach the Good Friday Appeal's target of $16 million.

Victorians raised a record breaking $15,820,640.78 for the Royal Children's Hospital by midnight on Good Friday last year.

Good Friday Appeal executive director Deborah Hallmark said organisers would be happy with any result but were hoping Victorians could help break the record again this year and reach $16 million.

By 3pm (AEDT) on Friday, $4,561,138.14 had been raised.

Ms Hallmark said the 82-year-old appeal had become iconic because of the way the Royal Children's Hospital touched everyone's lives.

The community effort had been incredible, she said.

"Sometimes it's exhausting just thinking about how much energy people put into it," she said.

"The phones have run hot and people have fundraised in all sorts of crazy ways.

"Everyone is touched by this charity."

Fundraising events are taking place across the state while more than 100,000 volunteers are shaking collection tins on street corners.

Dr Napthine managed to raise $27,000 in just 30 seconds after reading an advertisement for Chemist Warehouse on radio, while fishermen in the Murray River town of Swan Hill are holding a fishing competition to raise funds.

The Rosstown Hotel in Carnegie is doing its bit by trying to set a record for the most chicken parmas served in one day, with all proceeds to be donated to the appeal.

Dr Napthine urged Victorians to dig deep for the hospital that has supported Victoria's sick and injured kids for more than a century.

"It's a great institution and it needs our support," he said.

The appeal has received more than $245 million since it began in 1931.

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Crucifix march through Sydney CBD

HE was bloodied, bruised and posing for happy snaps.

Dressed in filthy rags and a crown of thorns, "Jesus" was mobbed by curious children in the Sydney CBD on Good Friday.

It was a brief light moment before a slow march through the city's streets, in a ceremony that Christian community group Wesley Mission has performed every Easter for the past half-century.

Hundreds of Sydneysiders watched as David Carnell, playing Jesus, was sentenced to death and knelt to lift a heavy wooden cross at Martin Place.

The "persecutioners'" jeers rang out as the procession began wending its way down the usually bustling shopping strip along Pitt Street and through the mall.

Wesley Mission superintendent Dr Keith Garner said he hoped the event, now in its 54th year, would help make the religious significance of Good Friday more accessible to the public.

"We've always made a point at Easter of the importance of the Christian faith going out from church buildings into the streets," he said told AAP.

"It's an opportunity for us to recognise that this didn't just happen in history ... it's a story of pain and suffering, and there's plenty of that going on in our world today."

The journey of the cross ended with a special Good Friday service.

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