Bloom, Kerr split comes amid Romeo role

Actor Orlando Bloom and Australian model Miranda Kerr have reportedly split. Source: AAP

THE marriage of actor Orlando Bloom and Australian model Miranda Kerr has ended - even as Bloom tackles one of the most romantic roles in history, Romeo.

Publicist Robin Baum released a joint statement on Friday that said Kerr and Bloom - "have been amicably separated for the past few months" and "recently decided to formalise their separation" after six years together.

The 36-year-old actor, who starred in The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean films, and the 30-year-old supermodel were married in 2010.

They have a two-and-a-half-year-old son, Flynn.

Bloom is making his Broadway debut as Romeo in director David Leveaux's revival of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet opposite Condola Rashad, who has back-to-back Tony Award nominations for Stick Fly and The Trip to Bountiful.

Reviews have been mostly negative and the show has struggled at the box office.

Kerr, a top Victoria's Secret model who originates from Gunnedah, NSW, first met Bloom backstage at a lingerie fashion show in New York in 2006.

In an interview in September, Bloom said he was excited to be making his American stage debut and taking his career on a new course.

He said he was planning to join the Royal Shakespeare Company after college but director Peter Jackson whisked him to New Zealand for The Lord of the Rings and then he was off on a movie career - Black Hawk Down, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Elizabethtown and Kingdom of Heaven.

"I feel like this is what I was supposed to be doing or at least part of what I was supposed to be doing. I found myself doing movies - which were wonderful and amazing and I love - I've got a collection of movies at home that my son is going to absolutely drool over when he's the right age," he said.

"But for Orlando and for the actor in me, this process is so rewarding and I just feel like I'm going to be a different actor after this.

"I already feel like a different actor."

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United Airlines fined for delays

United Airlines will pay more than $US1 million in fines for stranding passengers. Source: AAP

UNITED Airlines will pay more than $US1 million ($A1.04 million) in fines for stranding passengers on 13 planes for more than three hours on the tarmac during a stormy day last year at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, federal officials announced.

The $US1.1 million fine is the largest levied against an airline since 2010, when new rules took effect that bar airlines from stranding passengers on the tarmac for longer than three hours without giving them the opportunity to leave the plane, according to the US Department of Transportation.

The delays involved 13 United and United Express planes on July 13, 2012, a day when severe thunderstorms and lightning had caused several ramp closures and disrupted the movement of aircraft at O'Hare, the nation's second largest airport. Toilets weren't working on two of those planes.

"It is unacceptable for passengers to be stranded in planes on the tarmac for hours on end," US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement on Friday.

"We will continue to require airlines to adopt workable plans to protect passengers from lengthy tarmac delays and carry out these plans when necessary."

The airline exceeded the three-hour limit by as much as an hour and 17 minutes, and didn't contact airport personnel or other airlines for help, according to the department.

The airline was "committed to complying with the tarmac regulations and we continue to improve or procedures while maintaining the safety of our customers and co-workers," United spokeswoman Mary Ryan said.

United will pay the government $US475,000, while $US185,000 will be used to compensate affected passengers, including those who were delayed on the tarmac for less than three hours. The airline will also use $US440,000 to acquire and maintain a surveillance system to monitor the location of each of its planes on the airfield.

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Another month of fixes for Obamacare

THE end of November. That's when the Obama administration now says the new, trouble-plagued website for uninsured Americans to get health care coverage will be working well.

After a week of intensive diagnostics, the administration acknowledged on Friday the site has dozens of complex problems and tapped a private company to oversee fixes.

Jeffrey Zients, a management consultant brought in by the White House to assess the situation, told reporters his review found dozens of issues across the entire system.

It will take a lot of work, but Zients declared that HealthCare.gov is fixable. He stopped short of saying problems will completely vanish.

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Fire bans declared for three SA districts

TOTAL fire bans have been declared for three South Australian districts, with conditions expected to be extreme in the state's northwest.

Bans have been declared for the Northwest Pastoral, West Coast and Eastern Eyre Peninsula districts for Sunday, with very hazardous fire whether conditions predicted, the CFS says.

Conditions are expected to be worst in the Northwest Pastoral district, which includes Coober Pedy, where an extreme rating has been forecast.

A windy top of 37C is forecast for Coober Pedy on Sunday.

A severe rating has been declared for the West Coast district, which includes the town of Ceduna and the Eastern Eyre Peninsula which includes Whyalla.

The total fire ban does not include Adelaide which is expecting a top of only 25C with a chance of rain.

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Former Bronco awaits bail decision

A FORMER Brisbane Bronco NRL player turned accused outlaw motorcycle gang member will find out shortly whether Queensland's strict new bikie laws apply to him.

Michael Spence, 25, faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday charged with trafficking ice following a major drugs bust this week.

The court heard Spence was sergeant-at-arms of the Hells Angels' Brisbane chapter but severed ties with the club earlier this month to avoid a state crackdown on bikies.

Police allege he and former Hells Angels patched members Bruno and Nuno Da Silva sold $2.5 million in ice between June 2012 and October this year.

Prosecutors say although the trio quit the Hells Angels they still worked as a criminal organisation to sell drugs.

Under new laws that make it harder for bikies to be granted bail, the onus is on members of criminal organisations to prove they should not be locked up.

The laws passed parliament on October 16 and police say Spence continued to sell ice until October 19.

Spence's lawyer Jeff Hunter argued police have no direct evidence the former footballer sold drugs at all and their case was weak and circumstantial.

Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody is due to make a decision at 4.30pm (AEST).

The Da Silva brothers' bail applications are expected to be heard next week.

Earlier an alleged associate of the gang was granted bail on condition he pay a $25,000 surety.

Spence's bail application heard the former footballer's taxable income for 2012 was $10,651, yet in 2013 he bought a $14,000 ring for his girlfriend.

"It's a lot of money to pay for a ring for a person who appears to have no secure income," police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Patterson said.

He said surveillance showed Spence counting $4000 in $100 notes following a drug deal, while on another occasion he received a large amount of cash from the Da Silvas.

The prosecutor said police were still sorting through material from the investigation, including more than 4000 telephone intercepts involving the trio and associates.

He tendered a photo of a poster from the Hells Angels clubhouse detailing the sergeant-at-arms' "job description", which included to "maintain order at club meetings" and run the "overall security" of the chapter.

"(Mr Hunter) hasn't put any evidence to the court to show cause (that if) this defendant is released he wouldn't continue to offend or be a threat to other persons," Sgt Patterson said.

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Terowie bones person murdered: police

A PARTIAL skeleton police say belongs to someone violently murdered has been found in a plastic tub in a house in South Australia.

The remains were found in the Terowie home, north of Adelaide, on Thursday after officers went there on a routine firearms search.

Detective Superintendent Des Bray said an initial examination of the bones indicated foul play.

"While the cause of death is unknown at this stage, we believe the person met a violent death," he said.

A 25-year-old man who was living at the home has been charged with failing to report a death and is expected to appear in the Port Pirie Magistrates Court on Friday.

The bones were not concealed in any way and have been brought to Adelaide to be examined by an anthropologist and forensic scientists.

It is hoped they will be able to determine the sex and age of the person and how long ago they died.

That information will then be used to give detectives a starting point for checking missing persons' files.

It's believed the bones were buried at some time but officers don't know where.

Investigations will centre initially on the backyard of the Terowie home to determine if that was the location.

Police say the home was purchased five years ago by the current owner.

The previous owner has since died and much of their property remains at the site.

Christopher Scott was later refused bail and remanded in custody to appear again in court in November.

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Sydney school kids welcome Princess Mary

Crown Princess Mary and her husband Prince Frederik dropped in for a visit to a Sydney school. Source: AAP

IF she's a princess, where's her crown?

That was the question on the minds of some children at a Sydney school who nonetheless gave Crown Princess Mary an enthusiastic welcome when she dropped by for a visit.

The Australian-born royal and her husband Crown Prince Frederik are in Australia to help mark the Opera House's 40th birthday.

They were greeted by about 35 pre-school children at Five Dock Public School as they entered the school grounds on Friday afternoon.

The youngsters were wearing cardboard crowns, which they made earlier in the day, and were waving Danish and Australian flags.

Teacher's aid Maria Iacono said a few of the children were wondering why Mary was wearing a simple black dress and not the typical royal attire.

"They were a little bit disappointed she wasn't wearing her dress and her crown," she said.

"They're all asking 'where is she?' because she's got no crown."

The royal couple toured the school library and posed for pictures with NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell and three recipients of the premier's reading challenge.

They then sat down with a number of students and chatted about reading and school.

Pakistani-born Maria Asif, who's in year six, described meeting Prince Frederik as a "once in a lifetime experience".

"He asked us questions about the books we were reading and helped us with our reading," she said. "He's really kind."

The two read Let's Count Goats! by Australian authors Mem Fox and Jan Thomas.

Mr O'Farrell joked with the couple that he was still getting used to dealing with celebrities and royals, after being asked to step aside from photo opportunities by the travelling Danish photographers.

He said he's been impressed with how down to earth the two have been.

"For all the pomp and circumstance that's around them and all the attention they get, they seem to me two very relaxed and well settled individuals," the premier told AAP.

After an hour-long stay, Mary and Frederik received a spirited farewell by about 100 school kids and their parents as they headed for their seven-car entourage.

A gala concert and official reception will be held in honour of the Danish royals at the Opera House on Sunday night.

The royal couple, who first met in a Sydney pub during the 2000 Olympic Games, last visited Australia in 2011.

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'Bushfire-burnout' warning as crisis eases

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell (2L) says he will be discussing the State Mine fire with PM Tony Abbott. Source: AAP

LEADERS have praised the legions of firefighters and residents who stared down NSW's 10-day bushfire crisis that is only now easing.

But amid the camaraderie and consolation there were concerns about bushfire burnout setting in - a full month out from summer.

"It's just terrifying that we're sitting here in spring and we've had all these hot fires," Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill told AAP on Friday.

"There's still a lot of unburned bush and we've got the height of summer to come."

His community has been hardest hit by the bushfire crisis that began last week.

More than 200 local families have lost their homes and all three of the blazes burning at a watch and act level on Friday were in the mountains west of Sydney.

At Springwood in the mountains, what had been the most destructive fire in the state was being controlled after burning more than 3,300 hectares and.

Fires at Mount York and the State Mine Fire in Lithgow, started by an army explosives exercise, were also being brought under control.

Firefighters were patrolling and mopping up at Gateshead in the Lake Macquarie area where a fire had threatened homes at Dudley and Redhead, the RFS said.

More than 800 firefighters remained on the state's firegrounds on Friday and just over 50 fires continued to burn, but many interstate and metropolitan firefighters have begun the long drive home.

Governor-General Quentin Bryce toured the charred lower Blue Mountains suburbs of Winmalee and Springwood.

"Thank you for what you've done," she said, speaking not only to locals but to the 2000-odd firefighters from across the country who joined in the effort to save lives and homes in NSW.

Tributes flowed on Friday for pilot David Black, who died when his aircraft crashed while fighting a fire at Wirritin in Budawang National Park, west of Ulladulla.

His was the second life lost in the fires. A 63-year-old man died defending his Central Coast home last Thursday.

Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said there was a sense of hiatus at the Rural Fire Service (RFS) headquarters, but dangerous fire weather could hit within days and dozens of fires continued to burn across the state.

"The fact is it's going to take weeks, not days, to get containment on all these fires," he told AAP.

"People do get fatigued - particularly when it's warning after warning going out to the same communities."

No one should be under any illusion that the dire scenarios predicted for Wednesday - like the fear that major fires could merge to form a super fire spanning the Blue Mountains - were over-hyped, he said.

Firefighters had worked "way beyond" the hours they would ordinarily be allowed to put in, forgoing sleep to run risky back-burning operations around the mountains in a bid to avoid catastrophe.

"I genuinely did fear that we were going to lose people in that fire," Mr Rogers said.

"The community tends to view the fact that we didn't have mayhem and destruction by saying, 'Oh, well it didn't happen'.

"Well it didn't happen because a lot of people worked hard to stop it happening."

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Unilever hit by emerging markets slowdown

UNILEVER PLC, the maker of ice cream, soaps, deodorants and laundry detergents, says its "underlying" third quarter sales grew by 3.2 per cent on a combination of price hikes and higher volumes.

In a trading update on Thursday, it said growth had slowed in developing countries as consumers there lost purchasing power due to weak currencies. It added that markets in industrial countries "have not recovered and remain flat to down."

Unilever said that reported revenues fell 6.5 per cent to 12.5 billion euros ($A18.04 billion) due to the strong euro.

The consumer goods giant said personal care products such as Dove soap and Vaseline performed most strongly. Its refreshments arm - which makes Lipton tea and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, among others - suffered from weakness in southern Europe.

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Ericsson Q3 net profit jumps on strong mar

SWEDISH wireless equipment company Ericsson AB says its net profit increased by 34 per cent in the third quarter as a better business mix boosted its margins.

Ericsson said net profit for the period was 2.92 billion Swedish kronor ($US458 million), compared with 2.18 billion kronor a year earlier.

Sales in the quarter dropped by 3 per cent to 52.98 billion kronor from 54.55 billion in the third quarter 2012, weighed down by negative currency exchange effects and lower sales in North East Asia and India.

Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg said the macroeconomic climate had stabilised in many markets and the "long-term fundamentals in the industry remain attractive."

However, he added "uncertainty still remains in certain parts of the world."

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Shares outlook bright - Nomura strategist

THE outlook for shares may be better than many people think, according to an investment strategist with one of the world's biggest banks.

Kevin Gaynor, global head of asset allocation strategy at Japanese banking behemoth Nomura, thinks the global share market - along with the major economies - is heading for what he calls "The Great Normalisation".

"I think the landscape's changing quite materially, and I don't think it's fully embedded into expectations."

He said the shift was evident in the US and the UK, which were the source of the global financial crisis.

"I think there's growing evidence that the factors that gave us this weak trend growth rate for the past four years are starting to ebb.

"The investment psychology that we've had, the expectations formation process, and indeed the asset allocations we've ended up with are appropriate for the last four years and, being human, we've extrapolated and probably taken them too far.

"I think we're starting to move towards a quite different scenario," he said at the briefing in Sydney on Thursday.

He said funds managers had been focusing on tactical asset allocation, trying to pick when the share market moved below the trend and when it moved above trend.

But they were losing sight of the trend itself, which in normal business cycle conditions is responsible for 90 per cent of returns relative to safe assets.

Many big investors have become preoccupied with so-called "risk-on, risk-off" tactics in response to shifts in market sentiment as every time a recovery seemed to be on the way it would be dashed.

But this is changing.

The global crisis not only caused a "nasty cyclical contraction", he said, it also depressed the trend in growth.

For three and a half years, "every economist and equity analyst" repeatedly predicted a recovery to pre-crisis growth rates, only to be disappointed as the slow trend persisted.

But the underlying trend is starting to pick up.

The trend, the underlying pace of growth in the United States and the UK is returning to levels that look a bit like pre-crisis, Mr Gaynor said.

Forecasters were now as guilty of excessive pessimism as they were of being overly optimistic earlier.

"No one in their right mind wants to come out with a very bullish US growth forecast for next year, having done it for the last four years and been wrong."

He also said equity analysts had not adjusted their forecasts for corporate earnings upward in response to "positive data surprises" that in the past have led to a brighter earnings outlook.

A normalisation of monetary policy in the developed world would mean an upward drift in interest rates, which would usually result in lower share valuations from analysis using discounted earnings models.

But the improved economic outlook and the incorporation of a more positive earnings outlook into valuations would "swamp" the effect of higher interest rates and push prices higher, he said.

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Defence apologises for massive fire

The acting Defence chief has apologised over the NSW bushfire caused by an army explosives exercise. Source: AAP

THE defence department has apologised for starting the biggest blaze in the NSW bushfire crisis but some Blue Mountains residents don't think "sorry" goes far enough.

Acting Chief of Defence, Air Marshall Mark Binskin on Thursday offered an apology over the massive State Mine Fire that has destroyed three homes and burned through nearly 50,000 hectares of land west of Sydney.

The bushfire continues to rage at emergency level between Lithgow and the Blue Mountains more than a week after it was sparked by explosives training on army land at Marangaroo on October 16.

Blue Mountains resident Erin Cater said no one should criticise the army, but she said it would be fair for people who lost their homes to receive more than an apology.

"I don't reckon that's enough honestly ... they should offer the people some compensation," she said.

Paul Andrews, another local, said the incident had created "incredible anxiety" but he said it was good the army was being transparent.

Air Marshall Binskin said a small fire that started during a routine training exercise was responsible for the blaze.

"I do apologise, because it has been identified that this fire was the start of this mine fire," he told reporters at Rural Fire Service headquarters in Sydney on Thursday.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said the apology was a positive gesture.

"I think this is a really open sign and I think it's a sign that defence is going to work close with the RFS ... so that we can find out what happened and take steps to stop it happening again," he said.

While Air Marshall Binskin said Defence was "not shying from our responsibilities", he stopped short of offering compensation.

Deputy Fire Commissioner Rob Rogers said it wasn't known exactly what went wrong.

"When fires start, where there's human intervention, there's carelessness and then there's just simply accidents happening," he said at Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains.

"I think it would be prejudging to suggest there was any sort of negligence."

Air Marshall Binskin said the decision to go ahead with the training exercise was made on a day of light winds and 23 degree-temperatures.

"The fire (danger) was on the lower end of the scale and there was not a fire ban," he said.

Defence personnel acted quickly after an explosion started a small fire but were hampered by the live ordnance around them.

RFS crews arrived within half an hour, Air Marshall Binskin said.

"It was considered too dangerous to go onto the particular site where the fire had started to burn, so they waited till it cleared that area and then started to fight it," he told reporters.

"This was not deliberately starting a fire, this was an accident as part of a training activity on a day there wasn't a fire ban."

Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said he didn't know how many hours the fire burned before the RFS was able to work on it.

"The fire occurred on a live firing range ... you can't send firefighters or fire trucks into a live firing range," he said.

"Nor can you put aircraft above or into close proximity to assist in water bombing."

Air Marshall Binskin said the force's in-house investigation into could prompt changes to training procedures around Australia.

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Plane missing after leaving NSW for Vic

A SEARCH is under way for a missing light plane that left coastal NSW bound for Victoria.

The single engine Cessna took off from Moruya on the far south coast of NSW at 8.15am (AEDT) on Wednesday.

The plane, carrying only the pilot, was due to land at Mangalore Airport, about two hours north of Melbourne, at 11am but never arrived.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokesman Sam Cardwell said five aircraft, including three helicopters and two planes, are involved in a search.

"They'll be searching until last light and there's the possibility our plane will continue to search at night," he said.

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Mental health bill goes to WA parliament

A MENTAL health bill has been introduced to the West Australian parliament that will provide stricter rules for the use of electro-convulsive therapy and allow Aboriginal elders to be involved in treating indigenous patients.

Mental Health Minister Helen Morton said the proposed legislation included input from more than 1300 people in the community and sector.

It would halve regular review periods for adult involuntary patients, which would occur every three months, while child involuntary patients would be reviewed at monthly intervals, she said.

Stricter controls for the use of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) will also be introduced as part of the bill, including banning its use on children under the age of 14.

In an earlier draft, the government considered an age limit of 12 years, but received backlash over the idea.

The current legislation does not place any lower age limits for ECT.

Also responding to community feedback, Ms Morton said sterilisation would not be an available treatment.

She said it was also important that the bill allowed for traditional healers and elders to be involved in the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing mental illness.

Ms Morton said the bill would increase carer involvement in the treatment of mentally ill people.

It is expected that the changes will begin about one year after the bill is passed by parliament.

The Youth Affairs Council of WA (YACWA) made a submission during the consultation process and said it was still concerned that the bill allowed for ECT to be used on children.

"Clinicians should be required to ensure parents and guardians have all the available information relating to the use of ECT and its potential side effects, prior to making a decision on behalf of a minor," YACWA chief executive Craig Comrie said.

"We also believe that young people should be actively involved in the decision-making process."

He said ECT should be considered as a last resort after all other treatment options were exhausted.

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Man pleads guilty to $13m WA drug haul

A MAN who took part in a massive drug haul involving 35kg of methamphetamine hidden in ceramic tiles has pleaded guilty to drug importation and trafficking.

Chung Yin Tam, 22, was one of five people arrested after police intercepted the drugs at Fremantle Port in January.

The drugs were imported from China and police said they had a street value of about $13 million.

Tam pleaded guilty in the Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on Wednesday to one count each of illegally importing the drugs and trafficking it.

He will be sentenced in the Supreme Court in December.

His four co-accused are due back in court next month.

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Irish await DNA results on child

IRISH authorities are awaiting DNA results on a child they removed from a Roma family in Dublin, as the couple she lived with insisted she was theirs amid comparisons with an abduction case in Greece.

The child was removed from the family's home southwest of the capital on Monday and taken into the care of the Health Service Executive, police and a charity said.

Police took action after concerns that the seven-year-old girl, who has blonde hair and blue eyes, did not look like her parents and they could not prove her identity, according to media reports.

But Gabby Muntean, a support worker who has been in regular contact with the family, told the Irish Times newspaper the family was insisting the child was theirs.

"They are very upset. They have told me the child is 100 per cent theirs and have offered blood tests and DNA tests to prove this," she said.

"Now, they just want their daughter back. It is hard to see any reason why this happened, other than the reports from Greece."

The case emerged after a Roma couple in Greece were charged on Monday with abducting a blonde girl found in their care.

According to media reports, the couple in Ireland produced a birth certificate and a passport for their daughter but the documents failed to satisfy police.

The girl's sister told the Irish Independent newspaper that she was a member of the family who had lived with them since her birth in 2006.

"I don't know why she was taken," the 21-year-old said, adding that her sister "was crying and very scared, she was choking".

She said the family had come from Romania in 2001 but had lived in Tallaght, southwest Dublin, since 2009.

"My little brother also has blonde hair and blue eyes," the young woman added.

DNA tests are expected to reveal whether the girl is related to her parents, with results expected as swiftly as Wednesday afternoon.

Due to strong child protection laws in Ireland, authorities are unable to publicly reveal details on individual cases and neither the child nor her family can be named.

Pavee Point, a charity which campaigns for Irish Traveller and Roma rights, confirmed to AFP that a Roma family was involved but warned against jumping to any conclusions.

Roma communities around the world are in the spotlight after the discovery of the girl in Greece, known as Maria and dubbed the "blonde angel" by local media.

DNA tests revealed the child, believed to be five or six years old, was not related to the couple who claimed to be her parents, a 39-year-old Roma man and his 40-year-old wife.

The couple are being held in pre-trial detention but deny the charge of abduction, saying she was voluntarily handed over by her Bulgarian Roma mother who could not care for her.

The case has prompted thousands of calls from parents of missing children from around the world.

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Dutch turns to tribunal to free Arctic 30

The Netherlands has asked an international tribunal to free Greenpeace activists jailed in Russia. Source: AAP

THE Netherlands has asked an international tribunal to order Russia to release a Greenpeace protest ship and the activists who were on board.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said on Monday the government made the request to the Hamburg, Germany-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

A group of 28 Greenpeace activists and two journalists have been held since their ship, the Arctic Sunrise was seized by the Russian coastguard after a protest near a Gazprom-owned oil rig on September 18.

The activists are being held in the northern Russian city of Murmansk. They have been charged with piracy, an offence that carries a 15-year sentence in Russia.

Timmermans said the request was a procedural step in an arbitration case the Dutch launched two weeks ago seeking to free the activists and their ship, which sails under the Dutch flag.

He told reporters in Luxembourg "it will come as no surprise to the Russian Federation" that the Dutch have now asked for the tribunal to order the release pending a final decision in the case.

In a statement, Greenpeace International welcomed the Dutch initiative and called on other governments whose nationals are among the detained activists "to step up their work to ensure the immediate release of the detainees".

The tribunal the Dutch are turning to adjudicates in disputes arising from interpretation and application of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The wife of the Arctic Sunrise's captain said on Monday that she had spoken with her husband for the first time since the ship was seized last month .

Maggy Willcox, of Norwalk, Connecticut, told The Hour of Norwalk newspaper that she spoke briefly with her husband, Peter Willcox, on Monday morning.

"He sounds strong and positive and he said the people around him were treating him well," she said.

Maggy Willcox said during the three- to four-minute call, her husband reported doing push-ups and yoga in his prison cell.

"He's a vegetarian. He said he's been straining meat out of everything, so he's lost weight, which he's pleased about," she said.

She said he sounded so upbeat, it "put a little starch in our own backbone".

Timmermans said it would likely take about a month for the international tribunal to reach a decision on the request.

"That's what we're pinning our hopes on at this point," Maggy Willcox said.

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Iraq veteran's SpongeBob gravestone banned

US officials have removed a war veteran's SpongeBob SquarePants headstone, deeming it inappropriate. Source: AAP

AN Iraq war veteran's towering SpongeBob SquarePants headstone has been removed from her grave because officials at an historic Cincinnati cemetery have deemed it inappropriate for their traditional grounds.

The headstone of Kimberly Walker, 28, was made in the likeness of her favourite cartoon character and erected at Spring Grove Cemetery on October 10, almost eight months after she was found murdered in a Colorado hotel room.

Despite getting the cemetery's prior approval of the headstone's design - a smiling SpongeBob in an Army uniform, with Walker's name and rank - her family said on Monday that cemetery staff called them the day after it was installed to say it would have to come down.

The 2.1-metre headstone, along with a near-exact duplicate erected for Walker's living twin sister, have been removed and will not be allowed back up, cemetery President Gary Freytag said on Monday.

"We've decided that they aren't appropriate for our historic cemetery and they can't be displayed here," Freytag said, adding that the employee who approved the headstones made an inexplicable error in judgment, given the cemetery's traditional, stately appearance.

He said the cemetery was at fault and staff would meet with Walker's family on Tuesday to try to find a solution, which could include a more traditional gravestone bearing a small likeness of SpongeBob.

Freytag said Spring Grove was prepared to reimburse the family for each headstone, which cost a combined $US26,000 ($A26,990), and pay for new ones.

"I feel terrible that it got to this point but I'm hoping we can come out at the other end of the tunnel with a solution," he said.

Walker was an Army corporal assigned to the 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion and served two year-long tours of Iraq in 2006 and 2010 as a petroleum supply specialist.

She was found dead in a Colorado Springs hotel room on Valentine's Day this year, strangled and beaten to death. Her boyfriend, an army sergeant stationed nearby, was arrested and charged with her killing.

Walker's twin sister Kara, a US Navy information technician stationed in Italy, said the family was beyond distraught.

She said a lot of thought had gone into the gravestones, which she said were chosen because her sister loved SpongeBob, even outfitting her entire bedroom with the cartoon character's decorations.

"My sister served our country and most people try to accommodate veterans and try to take care of them," she said.

"For them not to accommodate and respect what my sister sacrificed, not only for my family, but for everyone else in this country, really bothers me."

She said the only way the cemetery could make it up to the family would be to put the headstones back.

"We want what we paid for and what I know my sister would have wanted."

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Vic premier heartened by talks with Toyota

VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine says he is heartened by talks with Toyota executives about its Melbourne manufacturing plant.

A week after Toyota announced it would axe 100 jobs at its Altona plant, Dr Napthine has met with executives at the company's Japan headquarters.

"I'm heartened by the discussions, I'm heartened by Toyota's understanding of their history in Melbourne and Victoria and their ongoing commitment," Dr Napthine said from Japan on Tuesday.

In return, the car manufacturer has asked for more government assistance to keep the plant viable.

"We'll look to work with them in a productive way, with the federal government, in terms of their future," Dr Napthine said.

The company announced last week it would call for voluntary redundancies at its Altona plant, where it currently employs about 2500 people, with the jobs to go by the end of November.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Debt ceiling lifted as audit announced

TREASURER Joe Hockey will ask parliament to lift the cap on borrowings to $500 billion to give the federal government room to cope with global economic uncertainty.

The federal cabinet decision comes as Mr Hockey announced that Business Council of Australia president Tony Shepherd will head a wide-ranging commission of audit to ensure spending is controlled and the debt ceiling is not breached.

The audit, which mirrors that undertaken by John Howard after he won the 1996 election, will look for ways the government can save money, remove duplication and raise extra revenue to balance the books.

Mr Hockey said he's been advised the existing debt limit of $300 billion would be reached on December 12 and was projected to exceed $400 billion by 2015/16.

"We need to move quickly to deal with this, particularly in the wake of what has been revealed in the United States in recent times," Mr Hockey said.

"This is a significant issue and we need to put it beyond any doubt so we do not have to revisit this issue again."

The government wants a buffer between $40 billion and $60 billion for "unanticipated events".

Mr Hockey said the commission of audit would help fix the "legacy of a bad Labor government".

Assisting Mr Shepherd will be former Howard government minister Amanda Vanstone, NSW prices watchdog chairman Peter Boxall, former Treasury secretary Tony Cole and former trade official Robert Fisher.

The commission will report on its initial work by January and finalise its report by the end of March.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the previous Labor government had boosted government spending by $120 billion over the six years from 2007/08 - a real increase of more than four per cent a year.

The audit will look at whether the states, local councils, charities or the private sector can take on some of the roles now played by the commonwealth.

It will also examine the use of new technology to streamline services, privatising assets, new charges for services, merging agencies and the wide-ranging "anything that is reasonably necessary or desirable to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government generally".

Senator Cormann said the only asset the government currently intended to sell was Medibank Private, with details released soon.

The commission is to find savings equal to one per cent of gross domestic product before 2023/24 and its findings will be adopted in the 2014/15 budget.

Opposition finance spokesman Tony Burke said the government was already breaking election promises.

"They have a commission which is aimed at cuts which will go all the way across all areas - areas we were told were immune are not immune," Mr Burke said.

"And the party that said they were all about turning around debt has now asked for permission to go to half a trillion dollars."

He said Labor would want to see updated budget projections before voting but would deal with the debt ceiling legislation "responsibly".

Public sector union boss Nadine Flood said such audits were a "shopping list for razor gangs".

Business Council chief Jennifer Westacott said the community should welcome the review as an act of a responsible government.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indian death toll from toxic liquor 42

ANOTHER 10 people have died in hospitals after drinking toxic bootleg liquor in northern India, raising the death toll to 42 in the past three days.

District Magistrate Neena Sharma says another 40 people are being treated in hospitals in Uttar Pradesh state.

Police arrested 32 people for illegally brewing and selling the toxic drink to the villagers, who were celebrating the Hindu "Dussehra" festival in Azamgarh district last week, Sharma said on Sunday.

The region is 300 kilometres southeast of Lucknow, the state capital.

Deaths from drinking illegally brewed alcohol are common in India because the poor cannot afford licenced liquor.

Illicit liquor is often spiked with chemicals such as pesticides to increase potency.

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Man arrested after woman's death in NSW

A MAN has been arrested after a woman with stab wounds died in a home northwest of Sydney.

The 40-year-old woman was found with multiple stab wounds at a home in Hobartville near Richmond around 3.20pm (AEDT) on Sunday, police said.

She died at the scene.

A 41-year-old man was arrested at the house and is assisting with inquiries at Windsor Police Station.

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Vic fire fighters in NSW to be replaced

VICTORIA'S contingent of fire fighters battling the NSW blaze will be replaced by a fresh crew.

Victoria's fire services commissioner Craig Lapsley says a 120-strong replacement crew will leave Victoria for NSW on Monday.

The crew will replace the fire fighting team Victoria sent last week and will begin work from Tuesday to Thursday helping the NSW effort.

The contingent includes 100 Country Fire Authority (CFA) fire fighters and 20 incident management experts from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), CFA, Department of Environment and Primary Industries and Parks Victoria.

Mr Lapsley says NSW authorities will inform Victoria on Monday whether further assistance is needed.

"This week in NSW there's a critical couple of days," he said.

"Tuesday and Wednesday is the real critical fire weather. There could be a chance NSW could ask for more."

The contingent of Victorian crews has been drawn from northern and central Victoria.

South Australia sent a crew of 51 and Tasmania a team of 20 staff.

A Tasmania Fire Service spokesman said crews would be deployed for six days until Thursday, but could not comment on whether further crews would be replaced.

A SA Metropolitan Fire Service spokesman said a request had been received from NSW for more troops and it would send another six replacing 12 coming home on Tuesday.

He said he was unable to comment on the team of 40 from the SA Country Fire Service, who could not be contacted.

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NSW premier declares state of emergency

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has declared a state of emergency as bushfire conditions worsen. Source: AAP

A STATE of emergency has been declared across NSW, as firefighters prepare themselves for deteriorating weather being forecast throughout the state.

Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons wrote to Premier Barry O'Farrell on Sunday requesting he declare a state of emergency.

Mr O'Farrell, who has since signed the order, said there were concerns weather conditions would deteriorate significantly over the next few days.

"There is potential for a significant and widespread danger to life and property across the State," Mr O'Farrell said in a statement.

"This is not an action taken lightly by either the Commissioner, the Minister or myself, but it's important the Rural Fire Service and other emergency services have the powers and the resources they need to combat this threat.

"We are planning for the worst but hoping for the best," he said.

The declaration triggers a range of measures, including allowing emergency services to direct the public to evacuate or to order power and gas supplies be shut off.

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