Australian Disney worker killed

A Young Australian Mahmoud Arabi who was working at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida (pictured), has been killed in a hit-and-run accident. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank) Source: AP

• Mahmoud Arabi worked at Disney World Resort
• He was hit by a car crossing against a green light
• Walt Disney's Donald Duck in race row

A YOUNG Australian man living his dream of working for Disney in Florida has been killed by a hit-and-run driver.

Mahmoud Arabi, 22, was dressed in his Walt Disney World Resort uniform at an Orlando intersection early on Monday morning when a car hit him.

"The victim was crossing with two other people and unfortunately they were crossing against the light,'' Sergeant Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol told AAP.

The car went across on a green light but failed to stop after the accident.

Arabi, believed to be from Melbourne, was in a critical condition and taken to an Orlando hospital.

He died yesterday not long after his mother arrived from Australia to be by his side.

The Disney college exchange program attracts young students from around the world, allowing them to get on-the-job experience at the entertainment conglomerate's theme parks, including Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Sgt Montes said it was believed the car's side mirror struck Arabi.

The mirror was found at the crash scene and from its serial number it was identified as being from a green Ford.

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Labor's media bills killed off

Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy admits its been a challenge to get support from the crossbenchers for his controversial media reform bills. Picture: Kym Smith Source: News Limited

The government's plan for a public interest media advocate to oversee press standards appears set to fail.

THE federal government has dumped the final four media reform bills after it failed to get the backing of enough cross bench MPs to save them.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy stood by his promise last week to shelve the legislation if he could not get backing by today.

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"If it can't be agreed on by the end of this week then ... we will not proceed with the bills and we will move on,'' Senator Conroy said today before the bills were withdrawn.

The dumped bills covered controversial proposals for a body to oversee the policing of news media by the Press Council which powers to withdraw privacy exemptions from council members should it not safeguard consumer rights. It would have also looked at diversity of media.

The Government could not get a deal on the appointment of a Public Interest Media Advocate -- either as a single person or a panel.

The final hope was a cumbersome mechanism suggested by cross bench MP Bob Katter with a three-person commission selected by a 12-member community and industry panel.

The Government did get passage of two of the six reform bills. The successful legislation covered a cut in fees charged to TV networks and a package affecting the charters of the ABC and SBS.

Independent MP Rob Oakeshott put out a statement this morning asking for an extra five weeks to consider the bills and the amendments put forward by other crossbench MPs.

 The Senate has already passed the first two bills - the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Convergence Review and Other Measures) Bill 2013 and the Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2013 - with both backed by the government and opposition.

These set Australian contents quotas on commercial TV, limit the number of commercial networks to three and allow a 50 per cent reduction in licence fees.

But Opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne said the coalition regarded the outcome of the media reforms as a vote of confidence in the prime minister.

"If the government loses that vote, we expect them to call an election," he told reporters.

Labor backbencher Rob Mitchell denied it would be embarrassing for the government if the bills did not pass, saying in a hung parliament it had managed to clear more than 400 pieces of legislation.

"There's bound to be one in a hung parliament that's probably not going to get there. That's just life; you just move onto the next one," he said.

-with wires

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Killed after brawl with a gangster

Gunned down ... Naser Ghaderi. Source: The Daily Telegraph

WHEN Naser Ghaderi stepped in to help a mate in an argument nearly eight years ago, he had no idea the man he confronted was allegedly a key player in one of Sydney's most violent gangs.

A few weeks after the fight at a Persian New Year's Eve party, Mr Ghaderi, 25, and his friend Keyvan Ghajaloo, 24, were killed in a drive-by shooting in The Rocks.

No one has been charged with the 2005 murders but yesterday it was revealed that police have linked the deaths to a notorious gang responsible for a string of shootings starting in 2002.

Detective Sergeant David Chambers told Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon yesterday, at an inquest into the deaths, that police believed Mr Ghaderi's opponent was Ahmed Alfadly, a founding figure in Assyrian drug gang Dlasthr - "The Last Hour".

Sgt Chambers said Alfadly was at the event to recruit new gang members when he began arguing with a friend of Mr Ghaderi who, as the "unofficial leader" of his group, became involved in the fight.

"Unfortunately for Ghaderi, he was unaware of Alfadly's criminal connections and his preparedness to solve disputes with the use of a firearm," he said.

The two men were separated, but a few weeks later Alfadly tracked down Mr Ghaderi and his friends on Hickson Rd in The Rocks, the inquest heard.

"Are you the boys from the Persian party?" he allegedly said from behind the wheel of a VW Bora.

The front-seat passenger then opened fire. Shots were fired from either the car's back seat or a trailing BMW.

Alfadly left for Kuwait five days after the shooting and has never returned.

Sgt Chambers said police had tried several strategies - including phone taps and cultivating Alfadly's associates as potential informants - but the Director of Public Prosecutions didn't believe there was enough evidence for a murder charge and extradition order.

He said two other Dlasthr members, Raymon Youmaran and Danny Hurmz, had been identified as possible participants in the killings. At the time of the shooting, Youmaran had been in hiding for more than three years after shooting dead Dimitri Debaz in 2002.

Youmaran was later jailed for at least 13 years for the crime, while both he and Hurmz were named as "persons of interest" at a 2011 inquest into the death of Ramon Khananyah, shot at Fairfield's Babylon Cafe in October 2005.

Mr MacMahon said the evidence against the key police suspects was "cogent" - but not strong enough for a jury to convict them. He referred the case back to the homicide squad.

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Dozens killed in Congo plane crash

A file picture of Congolese policemen standing on the runway at the airport in Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

DOZENS of people have been killed after a plane crashed into a residential area of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in bad weather, police say.

The aircraft, a Fokker belonging to the local CAA company, was coming from the central mining town of Lodja and went down just before landing at Goma airport, police sources said.

The accident took place during heavy rainfall.

Aircraft accidents are frequent in the vast DR Congo, where many planes are old and airports lack modern equipment.

All of the country's roughly 50 airlines are on the blacklist of the European Union, which has banned them from its airspace.

In February 2012, a close aide to President Joseph Kabila was killed when his plane overshot the runway at Bukavu airport in the country's east.

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Volunteer firefighter killed in blaze

A VOLUNTEER fire fighter has been killed after a bushfire in Quindanning, 160km south-east of Perth.

A spokesman for the Shire of Williams confirmed the man, who lived in Quindanning, died today while mopping up from the blaze adjacent to Fletcher Road, Quindanning.

Police believe the man in his 60s was killed when a tree branch fell on him.

He was taken Narrogin Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Worksafe has been advised.

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Two men killed in separate car accidents

A man has died after he was hit by a car in the NSW Hunter Valley, police say. Source: AAP

A MAN has died after he was hit by a car in the NSW Hunter Valley.

Police said a 36-year-old man's body was found on Lovedale Road in Lovedale about 10pm (AEDT) on Friday.

It was believed the man was hit by a car while walking along the road.

Police were searching for the driver of the car, who they said did not stop to assist the man.

Earlier Friday evening, a man died when his car collided with a semi-trailer near Lismore.

The southbound semi-trailer hit a Toyota Camry and a Honda Civic on the Lismore-Bangalow Road in Bexhill about 8.30pm on Friday, police said.

The 59-year-old Honda driver died at the scene.

Two German men in the Toyota, 31 and 27, were not injured.

Inquiries into the crash were continuing.

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Family fears daughter killed in blast

A huge fire has injured 14 people after a car crashed into a gas main in Kansas, USA. Courtesy: Fox News.

A GAS explosion that sparked a massive, block-engulfing blaze in an upscale Kansas City shopping district injured 14 people, a city official said, adding that it is believed that an accident involving a utility contractor may have caused the blast.

Firefighters have contained the fire ignited by a huge gas explosion on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning Australia time) which ''critically injured'' bystanders.

An official says 14 people have been confirmed as injured in the massive gas explosion.

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Kansas City Manager Troy Schulte said officials don't yet know if anyone was killed in the explosion, which destroyed a restaurant.

A car crashed into a gas main sparking the massive blaze in the upscale Kansas City shopping district. Picture: AP/KCTV

Authorities also are still trying to determine the full cause of the blast.

Mr Schulte said they do know there was a gas leak followed by an explosion.

 At this point, he said authorities believe it may have stemmed from an accident involving a utility contractor.

Earlier police spokeswoman Rhonda Flores said it appeared that a car crashed into a gas main near JJ's just after 6pm.

Firefighters battle a massive fire at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Picture: AP/KCTV

The area was also undergoing construction work.

A JJ's worker said the restaurant was being renovated at the time.

The restaurant is reported to have been "levelled".

Flores said an initial call for three ambulances had been increased to 10.

The large fire in down-town Kansas City where a car is believed to have struck a gas line. Picture: KSHB.com

Flores said the car crash appeared to have been accidental.

Police Sgt Tony Sanders said said the manager of JJ's restaurant, which was destroyed in the blaze, was unable to account for three people, but it was unclear whether they were caught in the blaze or had left earlier.

KMBC 9's Micheal Mahoney spoke to someone who said he was a regular at the restaurant and said firefighters and representatives from Missouri Gas Energy were checking for the source of a gas odor before the explosion.

A small group of customers who were in the restaurant were advised to leave.

The large fire in down-town Kansas City where a car is believed to have struck a gas line. Picture: KSHB.com

He said five to 10 employees stayed behind after the customers left, but it wasn't clear if they were still inside at the time of the explosion.

Video showed dozens of firefighters and other emergency responders battling the massive blaze that appeared to have engulfed an entire block, with flames burning through the roofs.

Footage showed flames shooting out of the Country Club Plaza.

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Black smoke swirled in the air and debris littered surrounding streets.

The smell of gas was very strong near the area long after the suspected explosion.

Witnesses described smelling gas before they heard the explosion and saw debris being flung up to 50m into the air.

"I actually sped up to get out of this area because it made me nervous about what the smell was and what would happen," she said.

The large fire in down-town Kansas City where a car is believed to have struck a gas line. Picture: KSHB.com

The University of Kansas Hospital was treating five people injured in the blast, said spokesman Bob Hallinan.

He said one person was in critical condition, two were in serious condition and two others were expected to be released.

He said all the injuries were traumatic, such as broken bones, rather than burns or smoke inhalation.

Kerry O'Connor, a spokeswoman for St Luke's Hospital, which is near the scene of the fire, said several patients were sent to the hospital.

The large fire in down-town Kansas City where a car is believed to have struck a gas line. Picture: KSHB.com

She said they haven't been assessed yet but ''they appear to be critical at this time.''

Extra staff have been called up.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James urged people on Twitter to stay away from the area so firefighters can do their work.

Firefighters warned of further explosions.

While the surrounding fires have reportedly been contained, the ruptured gas main continues to burn.

J.J.'s Restaurant has issued the following statement on its Facebook page: "Please keep our friends and families in your hearts and prayers. At this time we are still trying to assess the situation and make sure our coworkers and customers are safe."

Jim Ligon, a bartender who has worked at JJ's restaurant for five years, wasn't working at the time but said he started getting texts and calls from co-workers minutes after the explosion.

He said the incident happened during the peak of weekday happy hour, when there is typically anywhere from 15 to 45 people in the bar area as well as three to five tables of diners at the restaurant.

''JJ's has a small staff, a family feel,'' said Ligon, 45, of Kansas City, Missouri.

''You see the same 100 people all the time - a bar and restaurant for regulars. We're just really hoping we come out of it.''

The shopping area was established in 1922 by J.C. Nichols.

Based on the architecture of Seville, Spain, it includes retail, restaurants, apartments and offices.

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