President Obama meets Malala

US President Barack Obama (R) has met in Washington with Pakistani advocate Malala Yousafzai. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama has met with 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai, an advocate for girls' education and the target of a Taliban assassination attempt who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Obama met with Malala on Friday, the same day the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Pakistani teen had been considered a front-runner for the prize and was in Washington to speak at two events.

The teen said in a statement after the meeting that she was honoured to meet with the president, who is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

"I thanked President Obama for the United States' work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees. I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact," she said.

She called for greater cooperation between the governments of the United States and Pakistan.

The White House said in a statement that Malala met with the president and first lady in the Oval Office where the president signed a proclamation to mark Friday as the International Day of the Girl.

The proclamation says in part that "on every continent, there are girls who will go on to change the world in ways we can only imagine, if only we allow them the freedom to dream."

Malala was shot in the head in October 2012 while she was going home from school. She was flown to a hospital in Britain, where she now lives. Her memoir "I am Malala" was published on Tuesday.

On Friday she spoke at a World Bank event and was scheduled to speak at a book event at the Sidwell Friends School, which Obama's daughters attend.

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Military joins police raids on Vic bikies

Victorian Police called in the army to help raid a property linked to the Hells Angels bikie gang. Source: AAP

THE military has become involved in the latest Victorian police raid on a Hells Angels bikie gang property.

Police said on Saturday morning they were seizing a large prime mover from Craigieburn in Melbourne's north and Australian Defence Force personnel were assisting in the raid.

Police believe parts of the prime mover are stolen.

Earlier this week authorities seized guns, ammunition, drugs and $50,000 cash and arrested 13 people as part of a crackdown on the Hells Angels.

More than 700 police, including federal and customs officers, were involved in the raids on Thursday morning.

Police had hoped to find a high-powered AK-47 and a M1 carbine assault rifle used in recent drive-by shootings by Hells Angels members at rival clubhouses, but they were unsuccessful in locating the weapons.

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Bali victims remembered 11 years on

The 88 Australians who died in the first Bali bombings 11 years ago have been remembered in Sydney. Source: AAP

LITTLE children clambered around the Bali bombing memorial in Sydney on Saturday, knocking the flowers laid by the friends and family of those killed.

One boy asked his new playmate, "Which one is yours?"

And she, a girl no older than seven, pointed to one of the names of the dead and said "He was my uncle".

They were not yet born when the bombs exploded at Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club on October 12, 2002, but they have grown up in the shadow of the attacks.

Eighty-eight Australians were among the 202 people killed in the attacks on Bali's tourist hub Kuta, and 43 of the dead were from NSW alone.

"The Bali bombing was our September 11," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a message read out to the hundreds who gathered at Coogee to mark the 11th anniversary of the blasts.

Randwick mayor Scott Nash said 20 of the dead came from Sydney's eastern suburbs, from Bondi to Malabar, and few locals had not been touched in some way by the attacks.

"The beautiful people that we lost were sons, mothers, fathers, daughters and friends," he said.

"Tough times often bring out the very best in humanity and we can see that today, as we see it each year."

Waves crashed and tourists frolicked on the beach below as mourners gathered at the Dolphins Point headland observed a moment's silence.

Among them was Kristie McKeon, who was just 12 when her mother, big sister and several family friends were killed in the bombings.

She and her father were injured but escaped with their lives.

"It was our last night in Bali," the 23-year-old recalled.

"I remember the bomb going off, being on the floor and trapped under the roof, escaping in panic through a hole and then reaching the back wall and being hoisted over as the fire grew."

The graphic designer said she had been forced to grow up without the two most important women in her life to guide her.

They will not be here to watch her marry next year.

"Family is something I lost, but something I look forward to finding again," she said.

"My only wish is that my mum and sister were here to be a part of it.

"I will never forget.

"I will always remember."

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ALP leadership contest drawing to a close

Mark Latham believes Anthony Albanese (pic) will emerge the victor of the Labor leadership contest. Source: AAP

LABOR has called it historic, democratic and energising, but in less than a day the month-long leadership contest between Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten will be just one thing - over.

Both the party caucus and rank-and-file members have cast their vote for the next parliamentary leader, with ballots now closed and counting underway before Sunday's announcement.

ALP members and supporters will be the first to know the result when party headquarters sends out an email at about 2pm.

Under reforms introduced by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, caucus and members are given a 50-50 say in determining who will lead the fight against the Abbott government from opposition.

Mr Shorten is believed to have won the caucus vote and is "quietly confident" grassroots members will back him, while Mr Albanese will be hoping his popularity among the rank-and-file gets him over the line.

After a month of friendly debates and largely similar campaigns, both potential leaders laid low on Saturday ahead of learning their fate.

But former Labor leader Mark Latham had no qualms offering his tips, saying he believed Mr Albanese would prevail.

"I voted for Bill Shorten in the ballot and I'm hopeful he might win tomorrow, but on the balance, probably Anthony Albanese will get the job," he told the Seven Network on Saturday.

"The important thing is for Labor to get behind one leader who will be there at the next election."

Sunday's victor will be the party's seventh leader in four years, but it's hoped the new leadership process will stabilise Labor and end the revolving door of leadership.

Mr Latham said the process was designed to put the "sub-factional warlords" who control Labor's caucus out of business.

Shadow parliamentary secretary Matt Thistlethwaite, who backed Mr Shorten, said the caucus vote had been genuinely open and free of factional interference.

He didn't know who would emerge the victor, but said that was the "great beauty" of the new-look process.

"What we now can say is the Labor Party has a much more democratic, transparent and accountable system for electing our leader," he told Sky News on Saturday.

"I think overall it's been a win for the Labor Party."

About 30,000 of the party's 43,000 members are believed to have voted under the new rules, which senior Labor figures credit with renewed interest in the party in the wake of their election defeat.

ALP president Jenny McAllister said the leadership contest had been "incredibly energising".

"In the process we've also had about 4500 people make inquiries about how to join," she told the Seven network.

"People like to see us talking in positive ways about what we could contribute to the Australian public rather than tearing ourselves apart."

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More Victorians set for cancer diagnosis

VICTORIA'S cancer burden is set to skyrocket by 53 per cent over the next 15 years, but people diagnosed will have a much better chance at survival, the Cancer Council says.

Due largely to Victoria's ageing population, 44,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer annually by 2027, up from 29,387 in 2012.

However those diagnosed will have a brighter outlook with the Cancer Council projecting mortality rates to continue falling by one per cent annually.

Between 2007-2011, two in three Victorians with cancer - or 66 per cent - survived five years after diagnosis, increasing from 47 per cent 20 years ago.

Cancer Council Victoria CEO Todd Harper said research had driven a lot of the improvements in cancer detection and survival and the positives of preventative programs were shown in the results.

"The investment in research has enhanced our prevention, our early detection, our treatment of cancer and particularly the number of survivors," Mr Harper said on Friday.

"The other area I think we've been very successful is our efforts in prevention over many years, around smoking, around melanoma, all of those things are driving reductions in some of our most common cancers."

The success of screening program PapScreen has been largely attributed with a 45 per cent decline of cervix cancer in Victoria, with the state's incidence rate now among the lowest in the world.

With Victoria's cancer incidence rates growing, Health Minister David Davis said the state government was adequately prepared to handle the growing number of people requiring treatment.

Victorian Cancer Registry data released on Friday shows an average of 80 Victorians are diagnosed with cancer every day.

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Foul play ruled out in US hospital death

INVESTIGATORS have ruled out foul play in the disappearance and death of a San Francisco woman whose body was found in the stairwell of a hospital where she was a patient, a family spokesman says.

While the coroner hasn't established a cause or time of Lynne Spalding's death, investigators don't think the 57-year-old native of England was the victim of an attack, family spokesman David Perry told reporters at the hospital on Thursday.

Spalding's body was found on Tuesday in a fire exit stairwell at San Francisco General Hospital, 17 days after she went missing. She was admitted to the city-owned hospital with an infection on September 19 and reported missing from her room two days later.

Meanwhile, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced on Thursday he was hiring an independent consultant to investigate the hospital's security and patient safety protocols.

"This should not have happened, we all agree," Lee told reporters at a hospital news conference. "And we want to prevent it from ever happening again."

The investigation is separate from the probe into Spalding's death being done by the San Francisco police and from the internal investigation of hospital security measures by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.

"A thorough independent review is required, and we will do that," Lee said. "I will say this: The city is responsible for what happened here."

Lee, who was director of public works and city administrator for San Francisco before he was elected mayor, said that on Thursday he visited the floor where Spalding had been staying, both to comfort hospital staff members and to get a sense of the layout.

Lee said the hallway that runs from Spalding's room to the fire exit stairway passes elevators, a hallway leading to another wing and a number of doors. The area right by the door to the stairwell "seems a little bit isolated. You could turn the corner and nobody would see."

He said he opened the door to the stairwell and an alarm went off as it was supposed to, but that it may have been hard to hear elsewhere on the busy floor.

Perry, the family spokesman, said Spalding's family welcomes the mayor's promise of a thorough investigation.

"At this point, the real issue is not the reason she was in the hospital but how a search by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department failed to find her," Perry said. "Obviously a more thorough search should have been done if a woman's body was here for 17 days."

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Sydney city bank robbed on closing

A SYDNEY city bank has been robbed in broad daylight.

NSW Police say two men held up the Bendigo Bank branch on Harris St at Pyrmont around 5pm (AEDT).

One was armed with a sledgehammer and they made off with a small amount of cash, police say.

A man whose daughter was a witness told Fairfax Radio a car was driving erratically down Harris St before the men got out and went into the bank.

"Next thing they drive up onto the footpath, they back up so the car was ready to get away," he said.

"I think it was three people raced into the bank ... they were only in there for about 30 seconds and they came out and screamed off into the car and nearly knocked over a couple of pedestrians and a cyclist."

Police say a dark blue Subaru WRX was last seen heading south on Harris Street.

No one was injured during the robbery.

The hold-up comes weeks after a Porsche Cayenne ram-raided a CBD bank in the middle of the day.

Three masked men crashed the luxury 4WD into an ATM outside a Westpac bank on Kent Street just before midday on September 13, causing the outer wall to collapse.

Armed with sledgehammers, the bandits then entered the bank through the opening and took money from the tellers.

They escaped in a blue Subaru sedan that was waiting outside with a getaway driver.

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US woman sues Fed over Goldman Sachs

A FORMER employee has sued the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, saying she was wrongfully terminated because she refused to change the results of her investigation into the banking firm Goldman Sachs.

Carmen Segarra filed her federal lawsuit against the New York Fed on Thursday in Manhattan.

Segarra's lawsuit says the New York Fed interfered with her examination of Goldman Sachs' legal and compliance divisions and directed her to change her findings. She says she refused and was fired three days later, in May 2012.

The firing caused her career in banking to be "irreparably damaged," says her lawsuit, which seeks her reinstatement to her position as senior bank examiner, back pay, compensation for lost benefits, compensatory damages, lawyer's fees and other expenses.

Segarra's finding led to the New York Fed's Legal and Compliance risk team to approve downgrading Goldman's annual rating pertaining to policies and procedures, the lawsuit said.

It's not clear if the approval led to an actual rate change, but the lawsuit said two Fed officials, named as defendants in the lawsuit, were concerned that a downgrade would hurt the Wall Street bank financially.

A spokesman for the New York Fed declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit but said its personnel decisions "are based exclusively on individual job performance and are subject to thorough review."

"We categorically reject any suggestions to the contrary," spokesman Jack Gutt said.

Goldman Sachs said it had no knowledge of internal Fed discussions "nor the matters raised by Ms Segarra."

"Goldman Sachs has a comprehensive approach to addressing conflicts through firmwide and divisional policies and infrastructure," Goldman Sachs spokesman Michael DuVally said.

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Qld plan could force people to the regions

BRISBANE Oct 10 AAP - Half of Queensland's population and half of its public servants should live outside the southeast if the state is serious about regionalisation, Premier Campbell Newman says.

Mr Newman says changing Queensland's population dynamic will likely be a major objective in the state's comprehensive 30-year plan.

"It stands to reason that government must reflect that by having services out in the regions," Mr Newman told reporters at the Queensland Plan summit in Brisbane.

"If that's decided on, then I'm happy to say the government should commit to a long-term plan to actually have half of the public service outside southeast Queensland."

Mr Newman anticipates there will be about 200,000 Queensland public servants by 2043.

"That would mean you would have to have well and truly 100,000 people (government employees) outside southeast Queensland," he said.

Projections show Queensland's total population will increase to 7.8 million by 2043.

This means the population of regional Queensland will have to grow from 1.7 million to about 4 million over the next 30 years, Mr Newman said.

"We then have to craft policy and incentives right across the state to encourage that to occur," Mr Newman said.

He said tax breaks weren't necessarily the answer and local governments would have to work with the state to create jobs.

Delegates at the summit were also keen to see the capacity of the Bruce Highway increased.

Mr Newman said they wanted a four-lane highway from Brisbane to Cairns, with the section between the capital and the Sunshine Coast doubled to eight lanes.

Increasing life expectancy by 10 years in Queensland and improving older people's participation in the community are also likely to be among the targets in the blueprint.

The Queensland Plan will cover the economy, the environment, population growth, health, transport, communications and a range of other policy areas.

The plan is being shaped by 680 delegates who have travelled to Brisbane for the summit.

They have developed 39 goals, which will be reduced to 10.

Targets which don't make the top 10 will still be captured in the plan, Mr Newman said.

The blueprint is set to be drafted this year before being put to parliament in 2014.

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Sydney gets its third hottest October day

The RFS is warning of potentially 'catastrophic' bushfire conditions as temperatures soar. Source: AAP

SYDNEY has fallen short of recording its hottest ever October day but emergency services were still busy around the state.

The temperature in Sydney reached 37.3C just after 3pm (AEDT) on Thursday for the city's third hottest October day since records began 154 years ago.

Temperatures had been forecast to reach an October-record 39C.

The hottest temperature in NSW was recorded at Wilcannia in the northwest, where it reached 42C.

NSW Ambulance responded to 20 heat-related cases including two people who passed out and suffered heat exposure after walking.

Gusty winds coupled with hot conditions created extreme fire danger for southern parts of the state, including Sydney, the Hunter and Illawarra and Shoalhaven, and forced a total fire ban in most of NSW.

There were thousands of fire fighters and volunteers crews on stand-by, along with 80 rural fire service aircraft.

RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said fire crews were dealing with as many as 60 blazes at a time across the state, including 30 that were uncontained.

But only a handful of fires reached the "watch and act" fire alert level.

"I think we have a lot of fire fighters and community ... that would be very pleased with the results this afternoon," he told AAP.

"To be where we are at this time of the day is a wonderful result."

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Julie Evans said a southerly change was making its way up NSW and temperatures would start to drop overnight.

By 6pm, the change had hit Merimbula on the south coast where the temperature dropped from 33 degrees to 19 degrees in 30 minutes, Ms Evans said.

The bureau said some temperature records were likely broken on Thursday, but it would not be clear until Friday.

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Abbott warns of South China Sea risks

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says there's still a risk of conflict between China and its neighbours. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has warned there's still a risk of conflict between China and its neighbours in the South China Sea, one of Australia's major trading routes.

China's festering territorial disputes with Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei were once again a key focus of the East Asia Summit, which brings together 18 regional nations.

Mr Abbott joined with other leaders in calling for a clear code of conduct to help ensure no conflict erupts over the oil and gas-rich waters.

He says that would be a disaster not only for the countries directly involved but also the wider region, including Australia.

"Almost 60 per cent of our trade goes through the South China Sea, so strategic stability is very important," Mr Abbott said on Thursday at his second international summit since becoming prime minister.

He warns the risk of conflict has not entirely receded.

"There's some risk, no doubt about that. But I think it's a risk that's reducing because of the kind of work that is happening at a conference such as this."

Mr Abbott's comments came after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in which he expressed support for Abe's plan to amend Japan's pacifist constitution so it can build a bigger military - something China opposes, and has the potential to increase tensions in the region.

"As time goes by, and as Japan puts the wounds and the scars of World War II increasingly behind it, and other countries put the wounds and the scars of World War II behind them, Japan is going to play a more important part and, dare I say it, a more normal part in the life of the world," he said.

"And that's encouraging. Japan's a democracy, it's been a stable democracy for 60-odd years now."

Mr Abbott left Brunei on Thursday after five days of international talks. He earlier attended the APEC trade talks in Bali.

Mr Abbott confirmed he also wants free trade deals with Japan and South Korea sealed in the same ambitious 12-month timeframe he's attached to the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement.

"If you don't set some kind of a target you don't have the incentive to get things done," he said, adding the other leaders were "receptive" to his timetable.

He admitted he did not raise human rights concerns in his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, nor the issue of Japanese whaling during his meeting with Mr Abe.

But China knows how Australia feels about the rule of law, Mr Abbott said.

"We will say our piece when there are major human rights abuses taking place but, generally speaking, it's not the job of the Australian prime minister to stand up and give lectures to the wider world."

Mr Abbott's due back in Canberra on Friday.

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Vic bikie raids don't find military rifles

Police have raided every Hells Angels property in Victoria, including clubhouses and private homes. Source: AAP

POLICE are yet to recover two high-powered assault weapons used in recent drive-by shootings despite raiding Hells Angels clubhouses and homes across Victoria.

Guns, ammunition, drugs and cash were seized and 13 people arrested when more than 700 police, including federal and customs officers swooped on Thursday morning.

All of those arrested have significant roles within the Hells Angels and include office bearers, police say.

They include Hells Angels sergeant at arms Peter Hewat, 58, who faces 13 charges after $47,000 in cash and weapons were allegedly seized from his Craigieburn business and Mickleham home.

So much ammunition was uncovered at one clubhouse a trailer was needed to remove it.

The raids were the largest operation targeting a single bikie gang in Victorian history.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay is concerned they haven't found the military weapons - a high-powered AK-47 and a M1 carbine assault rifle - which were used in a number of recent drive-by shootings by Hells Angels members at rival clubhouses in Hallam, Dandenong and Clayton South.

He has vowed to track them down and put pressure on the gang.

"We haven't recovered those firearms so we will continue our operation, we will continue our work until we get those guns," he said.

"It is totally unacceptable that criminals have access to these firearms and we'll continue to push and push very hard until we have those firearms in our possession."

Police say the operation is ongoing and they will continue to target bikie gangs.

Mr Lay is also said he was ready to use new anti-fortification laws that came into effect last Sunday.

"We're preparing some affidavits now for a number of premises, we'll progress that matter to court definitely in the next little while and that will see another lot of action by Victoria Police to enforce those laws," he said.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Steve Fontana said they had not met any resistance from club members in the "high-risk operation".

"We've been working on this for a while, we're extremely concerned about these weapons, we're extremely concerned about the intel we've got about the tensions and the intentions of these clubs and so we thought it necessary to make a pretty strong stance here," he said.

Mr Fontana said Victoria Police was starting to work more closely with interstate and national counterparts.

"Victoria's not the only jurisdiction (affected by bikie gangs) and we're getting fed up with it and we're going to take them on," he said.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh rejected suggestions that such a large operation was unnecessary given what police found.

She said the indiscriminate use of firearms over the last fortnight was unacceptable and a swift and serious response was required.

Hewat was denied bail in an out-of-sessions court hearing on Thursday night after a police search of his home and towing business.

Hewat, who described the charges as "junk" when they were read to him during the hearing, will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

A 27-year-old Campbellfield man was charged with possessing a drug of dependence and has appeared in court.

Police said further people were expected to be charged.

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Chopper Read died a taxpayer: manager

Crime figure Mark "Chopper" Read has died following a battle with liver cancer, his manager says. Source: AAP

ONCE a feared criminal, Mark "Chopper" Read spent almost half his life in jail but died a man who lived a quiet family life and paid his taxes, his manager says.

The best-selling crime author, 58, died on Wednesday after a battle with liver cancer.

"I am deeply saddened to confirm the death of Mark Brandon Read, known widely throughout Australia and the world as 'Chopper'," his manager Andrew Parisi said.

Read spent more than 23 years in jail for crimes including armed robbery, assault and kidnapping, including trying to abduct a County Court judge at gunpoint.

He claimed he was involved in killing 19 people and the attempted murder of 11 others.

Read announced he had terminal liver cancer in April 2012, tweeting: "Looks like the big C has finally bitten."

Doctors gave him at the very least only six weeks to live.

He made his last public appearance a fortnight ago in front of a sold-out audience at Melbourne's Athenaeum Theatre.

He wished to be remembered as someone who spun a great yarn and made people laugh, Mr Parisi said.

"Despite his failing health, he delighted the audience with his skills as a raconteur and storyteller," he said.

Read's death is a tragic loss for his wife Margaret Cassar and his sons, Roy and Charlie, Mr Parisi said.

For more than 15 years he had lived a quiet life with Margaret in Collingwood.

"He worked as a writer, painter and public speaker, paid his taxes and took care of his family," Mr Parisi said.

"At the time of his death, we ask that people reflect on how Mark was able to overcome his past and, after more than 23 years in prison, find a way to re-enter 'normal' society.

"It is as a husband, father and friend that Mark will be missed most deeply."

Read was last freed from prison in 1998, after serving six years for inflicting grievous bodily harm on a bikie by shooting him in the chest.

He claimed to have been stabbed seven times, shot once, run over by a car, and gouged to the head with a claw hammer.

He had a fellow inmate cut his ears off while in prison, which he said was part of a plan to avoid an ambush at Pentridge's H division.

His books, beginning in 1991 with Chopper: From the Inside - which sold more than 300,000 copies alone - made him Australia's best selling true crime author.

Read was immortalised in the movie Chopper, starring Eric Bana.

The owner of the inner Melbourne pub where Read was a regular last saw him a fortnight ago.

"He just looked yellow, as sick as I've seen him for some time," publican Glen McGee from Collingwood's Leinster Arms told AAP.

Mr McGee said Read was the pub's first customer when it opened 12 years ago.

"I remember it well and that's as sick as I've seen him.

"He hasn't drunk alcohol for nearly four years now because of his liver complaint.

"People took him as Chopper Read, he was just Mark to us."

Read's family has requested privacy.

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Monster truck driver charged

THE driver of a monster truck that careened into a crowd of spectators, killing nine, has been charged with manslaughter.

Chihuahua state prosecutors read the charges against Francisco Velazquez Samaniego during a hearing on Tuesday in which they also listed the names and injuries of the people killed.

"He didn't meet the age and health requirements needed to be part of the show," prosecutor Gerardo Carbajal said. He didn't say what those requirements are.

Velazquez Samaniego, 51, appeared before a judge wearing a neck brace as another person died at a hospital, raising the death toll from Saturday's incident to nine. At least 80 people were hurt during the monster truck exhibition in the northern city of Chihuahua.

Velazquez Samaniego said in court that his helmet came off as the truck bounced over old cars and he lost consciousness when his head hit metal bars inside the cabin.

"I was driving to one side and then I turned around and drove to the other side, my helmet came off and I hit my head and lost consciousness," he said. "I wasn't conscious when the truck fell" on the people.

Organisers of the event have said hundreds of people gathered without permission in the pit area of a makeshift arena in a park.

Veteran monster truck show organisers said spectators should never have been standing that close to the arena floor unprotected, regardless of the trajectory of the truck. They said properly organised shows take place in an arena with a safety zone separating spectators from the trucks, which the Chihuahua city show lacked.

Authorities have made no other arrests in the case.

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Morrison warns detainees of tough policy

IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison has informed asylum seekers on Nauru they were told a bunch of lies by people smugglers and should tell their family and friends not to believe the same things.

In his first official trip to the island nation as minister, Mr Morrison visited all three immigration detention centres.

He spoke to asylum seekers in the camps with the help of an interpreter.

"People smugglers told you lies and you should tell your friends and families not to believe those lies because you will not get what you came for," he said, according to a statement from the Nauruan government.

Mr Morrison also explained the government's tough policy not to resettle any refugees arriving by boat in Australia, and to prosecute anyone found helping to arrange these voyages.

Nauru's Minister for Justice and Border Control David Adeang, Australian High Commissioner Bruce Cowled and Australia immigration officials accompanied Mr Morrison.

The delegation also inspected construction work, met with local government officials and members of the Nauruan opposition.

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Man dies in NSW diving accident

A MAN has died following a diving accident at Tathra on the NSW far south coast.

Surf Life Saving Far South Coast duty officer Andrew Edmunds says emergency services were called to the Bega River Mouth at 4.30pm (AEDT) on Wednesday on reports of a diving accident.

He said a group of five divers got into trouble, but three of them managed to get to shore safely.

Police, marine rescue and lifesavers launched a search for the other two.

One man made it out of the water safely, sustaining minor cuts on the rocks.

A second man was found by police and surf lifesavers, Mr Edmunds said.

He was winched into the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter, which landed at a nearby oval.

Officers performed CPR on the man for more than an hour but he couldn't be revived.

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US showdown laced with dangerous unknowns

Republican John Boehner says he may not allow Congress to raise the US government's borrowing limit. Source: AAP

SURELY, America's bickering politicians are not so crazed by partisan fervour that they would let the still recovering economy plunge into the catastrophic unknown of the country's first-ever debt default?

Or are they?

Congress has sometimes been reluctant to lift the US statutory borrowing limit - as it must do again by October 17 - and only done so after a close vote. But it has never caused a major incident.

But this routine duty has, in recent years, become another battleground in the bitter fight between President Barack Obama and his Republican foes in the House of Representatives.

So far, the horrific potential consequences of not raising the debt ceiling - leaving Uncle Sam with no cash to pay his bills, triggering a likely US recession and possible global economic contagion - have forced debt hawk conservatives to go along.

But in shutdown Washington, with Obama and Republicans deadlocked, conventional wisdom is being tested as never before.

The administration accuses the Republican Tea Party faction of "playing with fire" over its demand that Obama make concessions - for example delaying his health care law - in return for the raising of the current $US16.7 trillion debt ceiling.

With America just nine days away from the start of a possible default on its obligations, Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner are dug in deep.

Relations between America's two most powerful politicians are so laced with distrust that neither seems inclined to give the other a face-saving way out.

Obama stood firm Monday, ruling out any talks on budget issues, health care or anything else, until Boehner reopens the federal government, now shuttered for a week over a budget impasse, and raises the debt ceiling.

"What we're not willing to do is to create a permanent pattern in which, unless you get your way the government's shut down or America defaults," he said.

"That's not how we do business in this country, and we're not going to start now."

Boehner hardened his own line, spinning comments by White House aide Gene Sperling to claim the president preferred default to dialogue.

"A senior White House official said that the president would rather default than sit down and negotiate. Really?" Boehner said.

With both sides ripping chunks from each other, the situation seems ripe for miscalculation.

Some Republicans seem set on the notion that Obama, decried by some Democrats as quick to climb down in first term standoffs, will blink, rather than see his legacy sullied by a new recession.

But this time seems to be different. The president, who will never face voters again, is flexing a-devil-may-care streak.

Will he give way?

No way, say White House aides, privately insisting Boehner will get no off-ramp.

The creeping sense of danger from this deeply personal standoff has not yet been widely recognised outside Washington.

But one key player is alarmed. China, which leads the list of nations invested deep in the supposed safety of US Treasury Bonds, cleared its throat on Monday.

"The clock is ticking," said Chinese vice finance minister Zhu Guangyao.

Tim Pawlenty, briefly a Republican presidential candidate, who now heads the Financial Services Roundtable, told CNN the potential remained for potentially "cataclysmic" circumstances.

"They are so dug in, there's a chance they could stumble into default. We don't want that," he said.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has also seen enough.

"(Debt ceiling brinkmanship) ought to be banned as a weapon," he told Fortune Magazine. "It should be like nuclear bombs, basically too horrible to use."

Democrats may be comforting themselves that Republicans will take more of a hit from a continued government shutdown and even a default than they will.

Thirty-eight per cent of Americans in a Pew Research Poll Monday said Republicans were to blame for the government shutdown, while 30 per cent blamed the Obama administration.

Asked on ABC News Sunday whether the economy was headed for default, Boehner replied: "That's the path we are on."

The depth of Boehner's plight is revealed by the fact that some Republicans believe a debt default is not even a bad outcome - though it would involve not paying already accrued US debt, rather than cutting spending to mitigate future borrowing.

"I think, personally, it would bring stability to the world markets," since they would be assured that the United States had moved decisively to curb its debt, Florida freshman Republican congressman Ted Yoho was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

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Cop shooting haunts family two years on

The gunman who murdered Gold Coast detective Damian Leeding has received a life sentence. Source: AAP

MORE than two years after Gold Coast detective Damian Leeding, 35, was gunned down, his shattered family is still coming to terms with his death.

The detective's killer Phillip Graeme Abell was on Tuesday handed a life sentence, with a minimum of 20 years without parole.

It was cold comfort for his victim's grieving family, who wept in the Brisbane Supreme Court as they told of the unbearable pain Abell's actions have caused.

Abell, 41, shot Detective Senior Constable Leeding in the head with a sawn-off shotgun after he and an accomplice were disturbed as they held up the Pacific Pines Tavern in May 2011.

The detective's mother and two sisters are haunted by memories of that night.

"I can still picture so clearly Damo lying on the bed, tubes and drains coming out of his head and his body... blood leaking from every imaginable hole," sister Chantelle told the court in a breaking voice as she read from her victim impact statement.

Mother Julie Waters described how for three days she'd prayed at her son's bedside for his survival, despite knowing that no one could recover from the terrible wound.

"Those images will remain with me forever," she said.

Nightmares, anxiety and post-traumatic stress dogged the family, straining relationships as each struggled to cope.

Chantelle told the court she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and hospitalised after turning to alcohol and drugs.

Sister Hayley, who has named her newborn son Damian, was in the UK when the tragedy unfolded and never had the chance to say goodbye.

"My life has been turned upside down by his passing... may you now rest in peace," she said.

Outside court Ms Waters said she was grateful for the sentence but it wouldn't bring her son back.

The detective's widow and mother of his two children, Sonya Leeding, was too distraught to attend the hearing but police say she appreciated the sentence given to Abell.

Tavern staff who were terrorised during the armed robbery spoke of suffering nightmares, guilt and even losing the will to live.

Abell and accomplice Donna Lee McAvoy were last month found guilty of murdering Sen Const Leeding.

The court heard Abell had previously been jailed for two armed robberies in the 1990s and had threatened three people in a home invasion in 2010 using the same shotgun.

Supreme Court Justice James Douglas said Abell had shown no remorse for gunning down an officer in the line of duty.

"Your killing of a brave young police officer acting in the course of his duty has grievously affected his young family, his colleagues and the wider community," Justice Douglas told Abell.

The convicted killer showed no emotion when his sentence was handed down.

He will be 58 before he is eligible for parole in May 2031, having already served about two-and-a-half years' in prison since his arrest.

McAvoy, 39, and getaway driver Benjamin Ernest Power, 39, are to be sentenced at a later date.

Power has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

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Qld Premier unapologetic over bikie laws

The Queensland government says a proposed ban on bikies riding in groups is aimed at criminal gangs. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND premier Campbell Newman says some inconvenience to citizens is necessary in the state's battle against motorcycle gangs.

Mr Newman's government is drafting several pieces of legislation aimed at eliminating criminal gangs from Queensland.

Among laws being proposed is a ban on criminal bikie gang members from riding in groups of three or more.

The proposed law has drawn criticism from recreational motorcyclists, who claim they will have their hobby disrupted by police.

Mr Newman was unapologetic on Tuesday, saying the community would understand some disruption to their lives if it meant ridding the state of criminal gangs.

"There may be people who are apprehended by police initially to check whether they are members of a criminal gang," he told reporters.

"The price of dealing with this is a bit of inconvenience ... the alternative is completely unthinkable.

"We cannot have scenes like we saw four years ago at Sydney airport where a bloke was bashed to death."

Mr Newman said he'd spoken about the issue with the prime minister as well as the NSW and Victorian state premiers. He also said Attorney-General Jarrod Bleije would present Queensland's solution to his state counterparts at a meeting next week.

"We'll be putting on the table the measures that we're taking," he said.

Mr Newman was speaking alongside Treasurer Tim Nicholls and Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey at the launch of a $15 million advertising campaign featuring the Gold Coast's theme parks.

He said the new campaign hadn't been constructed in response to last month's brawl involving bikies at Broadbeach and was about promoting the Gold Coast as a family holiday destination to potential tourists in the southern states and New Zealand.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart says police now have the resources to deal with bikie gangs once and for all.

"I think for the first time ever we have the opportunity to actually make a huge difference and get these people out of Queensland," he told ABC Radio after the meeting.

Motorcycle Riders Association of Queensland president Chris Mearns had earlier branded the draft laws ridiculous.

He said Queensland's 500 social rider groups, and 160,000 law abiding riders, shouldn't have to suffer under the crackdown.

"A considerable number of these regularly go for rides with their group and friends and should not be subjected to such unwarranted interference," he said.

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Two more Qld bikies arrested over brawl

Queensland police have arrested three more Bandidos in an ongoing crackdown on criminal bikie gangs. Source: AAP

ANOTHER two bikies have been arrested over a brawl which sparked a police crackdown on Queensland motorcycle gangs.

One of them is a 25-year-old Beaudesert man, back behind bars after a return to prison warrant was issued when he was charged over his involvement in the brawl outside a Broadbeach restaurant.

Police also arrested a 25-year-old man from Bethania, near Logan, for rioting. He will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on October 23.

Earlier on Tuesday, three Brisbane men were charged with rioting over the September 27 brawl.

Another three men, all allegedly linked to the Bandidos, were also arrested.

One more man, 20-year-old Andrew Smith, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday to face drugs charges, but his case was adjourned until Wednesday.

Another 20-year-old man who was arrested alongside Smith is due to face drugs charges on October 22.

About 30 people have now been charged in relation to the brawl, most of them Bandidos.

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Mercedes has record sales in September

Stuttgart-based carmaker Daimler AG says it sold a record number of Mercedes-Benz in September. Source: AAP

DAIMLER AG's luxury brand Mercedes-Benz sold a record number of cars in September.

The Stuttgart-based carmaker said it sold 142,994 vehicles during September, up 15.9 per cent on the same month a year before.

It credited new versions of its E-Class and S-Class sedans, as well as increased sales of its smaller models such as the A-, B- and CLA-Class. Compacts increased sales as a group by 68.3 per cent in the first nine months of the year.

September sales rose 6.7 per cent in the US, the brand's biggest single market, and 21.2 per cent in China. Sales at home in Germany rose only 1.5 however.

Mercedes-Benz also increased sales 14.2 per cent in Europe, where car sales have generally lagged because of recession and sky-high unemployment in several countries.

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Body in SA river thought to be missing man

A man's body found along the Murray River in South Australia is believed to be a missing boater. Source: AAP

A MAN'S body found along the Murray River in South Australia is believed to be a missing boater.

Steven Marafioti, 35, and his friend Dave Brent were tipped into the water last Wednesday when their aluminium boat flipped in high winds near Paringa.

Mr Brent managed to swim to shore in a life jacket, but Mr Marafioti could not be found and has been missing for five days.

Police say a body was located in the water on Monday morning not far from the capsized boat and is believed to be Mr Marafioti.

The two men were on a boating and camping trip.

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Beer-swilling WA pig meets tragic end

A feral pig that made headlines for stealing beer from tourists in WA has been found dead. Source: AAP

A BEER-SWILLING feral pig that made headlines for stealing six packs from tourists in Western Australia has met a tragic end.

Main Roads in the region confirmed on Monday the wild pig had been found dead after being hit by a truck near Port Hedland.

The pig, dubbed "Swino" by locals, had been hunted for weeks after raiding campsites at the De Grey River rest area in the South Hedland region last month.

"We had hoped he could become our mascot, so it is a sad end for him," Fionna Findley of Main Roads said.

"It is a very common occurrence for feral animals to get hit and killed by vehicles, but we are all a bit upset."

The pig was said to have drunk as many as 18 cans of beer in one session, before sticking his snout in bin bags to find late-night snacks left by tourists.

Witnesses even reported seeing the porcine predator picking a fight with a cow.

Officers had been trying to locate the animal, who had kept his snout clean since his booze-up a month ago.

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Abbott, Harper differ on Sri Lanka

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says he has no intention of following Canada's leader in boycotting next month's Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka because of human rights concerns.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement on Monday, shortly before he met with Mr Abbott in Bali, confirming his boycott of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Mr Harper and Mr Abbott are on the Indonesian holiday island for the annual APEC leaders summit.

The two countries have a lot in common but they certainly don't see eye to eye on the CHOGM, due to start in Colombo on November 10.

Mr Harper said he'd hoped Sri Lanka would seize the opportunity presented by its selection as host to improve human rights conditions and move toward reconciliation and accountability after the country's long-running and bloody civil war against Tamil separatists, which ended in 2009.

"Unfortunately, this has not been the case," Mr Harper said.

"Canada is deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka. The absence of accountability for the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian standards during and after the civil war is unacceptable."

Mr Harper says he remains concerned about reports of intimidation and incarceration of political leaders and journalists, the harassment of minorities, disappearances, and even allegations of extrajudicial killings.

"Canada believes that if the Commonwealth is to remain relevant it must stand in defence of the basic principles of freedom, democracy, and respect for human dignity, which are the very foundation upon which the Commonwealth was built," he said.

"It is clear that the Sri Lankan government has failed to uphold the Commonwealth's core values, which are cherished by Canadians."

Mr Abbott said Mr Harper's decision was a matter for him.

"But certainly I intend to attend CHOGM and will do my best to make a constructive contribution to the deliberations there," he told reporters.

The prime minister said the Commonwealth is an important forum and amongst Australia's oldest international associations.

"You do not make new friends by rubbishing your old friends or abandoning your old friends," he said.

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APEC leaders seeks ways to foster growth

Indonesia's President wants Asian business and political leaders to further help emerging economies. Source: AAP

INDONESIA'S President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is urging Asian business and political leaders to do more to counter the economic headwinds confronting developing countries by dismantling barriers to trade and investment.

Yudhoyono told a regional summit that as advanced economies are speeding up after a gradual recovery from the global recession, emerging economies are slowing, dogged in some cases by trade deficits, capital flight and weakening currencies.

"The advanced economies are experiencing recovery and showing faster growth while emerging economies ... are facing a slowdown," he said at the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum held amid tight security on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

"APEC is in the ideal position to help the recovery of the global economy," said Yudhoyono, emphasising the importance of preventing protectionism and opening markets further to maximise prosperity.

His comments were consistent with a draft of the APEC leaders' declaration, seen by The Associated Press, which is set to be released at the end of the summit. It says the region faces the backdrop of a fragile and uneven global economic recovery and should guard against pressures to raise trade barriers.

Reductions in tariffs over the past 25 years have yielded nearly $59 billion in savings for businesses, said Yudhoyono, whose own country is struggling not to lose gains that have made the world's largest Muslim country a rising economic power in the region.

Yudhoyono said Indonesia's recent troubles with a weakening currency and inflation were transient.

"We are convinced this is a short-term challenge. Indonesia will remain a land of opportunity and growth," he said.

Singaporean prime minister Hsien Loong said that Asia is pressing ahead with reforms as the US, China and Japan - the world's No. 1, 2 and 3 economies - grapple with their own internal issues.

The APEC summit offers Indonesia a chance to showcase its own progress and possibly attract foreign investment it needs to help modernise its roads, ports, and other infrastructure.

"As the chief sales person of Indonesia incorporated, let me urge you to take advantage of our opportunities," Yudhoyono said, pointing to a potential $1.8 trillion in business prospects in a wide array of businesses.

With the US bogged down in a congressional stalemate over the national budget, forcing President Barack Obama to call off his own attendance at the APEC summit, smaller economies in Asia are watching closely to see how the biggest economies fare.

The 21 economies in APEC, which range from tiny Brunei to giant China, are hoping to reach agreement on at least some reforms that might help break a logjam in world trade talks ahead of a WTO meeting in Bali in December.

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Paramedics praise Sydney crowds

NSW Ambulance has urged event-goers to keep up the stellar behaviour during navy fleet review. Source: AAP

ONE person was hospitalised for intoxication, another fell overboard and more than 30 were treated by paramedics.

But with a million people descending on Sydney Harbour on Saturday, NSW Ambulance have called it a crowd success.

Now they are just asking event-goers to keep up the stellar behaviour.

Paramedics treated 38 people and transported 17 to hospital during Saturday's Fleet Review festivities, Chief Superintendent Joel Bardsley said on Sunday.

Among those hospitalised was a man, aged about 50, who fell from a moored vessel at Rose Bay and was later rescued by NSW Water Police.

Chief Supt Bardsley said most of the treatments involved slips, trips and falls, particularly during the evening fireworks.

"With one million people moving from one spot to another, people are going to have mishaps," he said in a statement.

"When you have as many people in the city as we did, and 38 people being the only number of event-related incidents, you can certainly say the crowds were there for all the right reasons and behaved themselves," he said.

Chief Supt Bardsley asked people to continue with the same safe approach on Sunday, as thousands land at Sydney Olympic Park for the NRL Grand Final, two One Direction concerts and the EB Games Expo.

With temperatures heading into the 30s, he urged everyone to bring plenty of water.

"Bring your sunscreen and your floppy hat, look after each other and behave so that everyone can have a good day," he said.

An extra 250 paramedic shifts, 36 senior supervisors and 30 extra triple zero (000) call takers have been rostered on in preparation for the long-weekend's festivities.

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Tiger attacks worker at US animal park

A US animal park worker has suffered severe damage to her arm after a tiger clawed her. Source: AAP

A WORKER has suffered severe damage to her left arm after she stuck it in a tiger enclosure at a US animal park and couldn't withdraw it before the animal clawed her.

Owner of the central Oklahoma park Joe Schreibvogel said the attack occurred about 10am on Saturday and the woman was in surgery several hours later.

He said doctors are trying to save her arm.

Schreibvogel, owner of the Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park in Wynnewood, said the arm was still attached and the young woman was conscious and able to talk and move her fingers when she was airlifted to an Oklahoma City hospital.

He didn't release the woman's name because her family hadn't been notified of the incident.

Schreibvogel said the worker violated protocol by sticking her arm into the cage.

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Sydney Water rejects beach pollution claim

Some of Sydney's prime swimming spots have had their water quality ratings downgraded. Source: AAP

POLLUTION on Sydney's beaches is not due to job cuts or untreated waste water being pumped into the ocean, Sydney Water says.

The latest State of the Beaches report released on Sunday found that the water quality at formerly top-ranking beaches has dropped over the past year.

While 81 per cent of swimming locations reviewed across the state achieved very good or good gradings, only eight Sydney beaches are rated as very good - down from 15 last year.

The NSW opposition blamed the drop in water quality on job and budget cuts at Sydney Water.

It also pointed to a record number of bypasses at waste-water treatment plants.

"We are returning to the bad old days when it was unsafe to swim on the beaches due to overflows," opposition water spokesman Walt Secord said in a statement.

"The O'Farrell government cannot blame rain as NSW has experienced its warmest January to September period on record. NSW has had its mildest winter in more than 150 years."

But Sydney Water rejected the comments, saying they were untrue.

"The Beachwatch 2013 Report released today shows that 37 out of 38 ocean beaches in Sydney were graded as good or very good, despite a wet summer in 2012/13, which is an outstanding result," Sydney Water said in a statement.

According to the report, among the best swimming spots in Sydney are Palm Beach, Whale Beach and Avalon on the Northern Beaches.

But neighbouring beaches Dee Why, South Curl Curl and Mona Vale have all been downgraded from the very good rating they secured last year to good.

The report states while Dee Why is suitable for swimming most of the time the water is susceptible to pollution from several sources of faecal contamination, including stormwater.

South Curl Curl and Mona Vale are also susceptible to pollution following rainfall.

Boat Harbour near Cronulla was rated poor this year for the first time.

The report linked major rainfall events over the last couple of years as a major driver of pollution to recreational waters.

Six ocean beaches impacted by contamination - including discharge from lagoons and estuaries - were graded as poor including Killick Beach at Crescent Head and Terrigal Beach on the Central Coast.

NSW Services Minister Andrew Constance said any suggestion that raw sewage was being pumped onto Sydney beaches was "an outrageous lie".

He described the city's beaches as some of the cleanest in the world.

"During rain events wastewater undergoes wet weather treatment, in which 90 per cent of the treatment processes are completed," Mr Constance said in a statement.

He rejected Labor's job cut claims, but did say Sydney Water's ageing workforce meant staff numbers were decreasing significantly through natural attrition.

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