NT govt backs plan to save Gove refinery

THE Northern Territory Cabinet has voted to back a gas plan it hopes will be enough to keep an alumina refinery open and save the outback town of Nhulunbuy.

After returning to Darwin on Saturday following a trip to Canberra and Europe, NT Chief Minister Terry Mills took a proposal to his cabinet on Monday that may secure the future of the Gove alumina refinery.

"The Northern Territory government has agreed to release enough gas to keep the Gove aluminium refinery open for the next 10 years," the government said after the meeting.

"Today's decision is subject to a commitment from Rio Tinto assuring the ongoing operation of the Gove alumina refinery, and from Eni confirming details of their guarantee to supply gas to Power and Water Corporation until 2026," it said.

The refinery, run by Rio Tinto Ltd subsidiary Pacific Aluminium, has been making a loss of about $US30 million ($A29.2 million) per month, and an internal review recommended mothballing it.

Such a move could economically devastate the satellite town of Nhulunbuy that services the refinery and bauxite mine, and force many of its 3800 residents to leave.

"I would be wanting a statement from Rio as to what their intent is regarding the operation of the refinery," Mr Mills told reporters.

Pacific Aluminium has said that if the plant was converted to gas from diesel and the NT unconditionally guaranteed 10 years' supply, it would keep the refinery open.

But allocating enough gas to run the refinery could eventually spell shortages for the rest of the Territory, and until now the government has been unwilling to promise Rio Tinto the gas it wants.

Under the new plan the government has dropped earlier demands that any deal to supply the gas to Gove first must involve securing replacement supplies of gas.

Mr Mills reaffirmed his desire to have the NT's gas infrastructure built to link with the eastern seaboard's gas grid.

"Once you have a gas pipeline in place you then have access from others who are exploring in the region to butt into that pipeline," Mr Mills said.

He said the new deal involved challenges and opportunities for the NT.

"There are probably lots of reasons why you wouldn't make such a decision that we have taken today," he said.

"We will make available the gas that is required to keep the Pacific Aluminium operation going," he said.

Mr Mills said the government's decision to go ahead with the plan was good for the people of Nhulunbuy.

"It should provide them with the assurance and certainty they have been seeking," he said.

Chairman of the East Arnhem Futures Alliance, Klaus Helms, said the announcement was great news.

"I am elated with the work the chief minister of the Northern Territory has done," Mr Helms said.

"Word is spreading very rapidly around town to the people, so it is tremendous," he said.

Mr Helms said he doubted Rio Tinto would turn down the proposal.

"They could have stopped this any way along the line if they weren't going to make a deal," he said.

Dave Suter from the Nhulunbuy Chamber of Commerce and Industry also praised the outcome.

"We are really keen for Rio Tinto to agree to the conditions, which is what we want to have happen now," he said.

Mr Suter said the next big question would be what would happen during the two years or so before the gas arrives in the town.

"We are not out of the woods completely," Mr Suter said.

Pacific Aluminium later said Rio Tinto would consider the NT government's proposal.

"Converting the refinery to competitively priced gas is essential to secure its long-term viability," the company said.

Pacific Aluminium chief executive Sandeep Biswas said his company had been working with the Northern Territory government, the federal government and gas suppliers for more than 12 months to try to get gas to Gove.

"Rio Tinto will give full consideration to the Northern Territory government's important gas supply proposal," Mr Biswas said.

In a statement NT Opposition leader Delia Lawrie and the Labor MP for Nhulunbuy Lynne Walker said Mr Mills had backflipped by agreeing to provide gas to Gove.

"Terry Mills has finally grasped what everyone has been telling him for months," Ms Lawrie said.

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Fresh blast in Mali city after battles

Malian soldiers and Islamic extremists have engaged in combat in a surprise attack in Gao. Source: AAP

AN explosion shook the largest city in northern Mali, hours after Islamist gunmen battled French and Malian troops following two straight days of suicide bombings.

Malian troops said the blast appeared to have been in the north of Gao, possibly near the checkpoint at its northern entrance which was the target of suicide attacks Friday and Saturday.

The latest incident early on Monday came a month into the French campaign to chase Islamist fighters out of the north of the country where they had imposed a brutal form of Sharia law for 10 months.

Sunday's attack by Islamist gunmen on territory reclaimed by French-led forces was the first large-scale urban guerrilla assault of the conflict.

It started early in the afternoon when Malian soldiers clashed with Islamists in the city centre, near an empty police station which the rebels had used as their base until being driven from the city last month.

Residents ran for cover as Kalashnikov bullets and 14.5-millimetre rounds pierced the air.

One witness said that after a fierce gunbattle, French troops had intervened. He reported seeing one body, which he thought was probably a civilian caught in the crossfire.

Rocket-propelled grenade explosions and fire from heavy machine guns and light weapons resounded late into the afternoon before dying down in the evening, when a power cut plunged the city into darkness.

French and Malian forces conducted joint patrols, warning residents that snipers could be hidden in the city, as a French Tiger attack helicopter circled overhead.

Colonel Mamadou Sanake of the Malian army said the rebels had infiltrated the city by motorcycle and via the Niger river, which passes near the governor's offices where some of the fighting took place.

One security source said several dozen insurgents had been involved in Sunday's fighting and Sanake said many of them had been killed.

MUJAO, one of the Al-Qaeda-linked groups that seized control of northern Mali for 10 months in the wake of a military coup in March 2012, claimed the attack and a suicide bombing on Saturday, its second in two days.

"The combat will continue until victory, thanks to God's protection," said spokesman Abou Walid Sahraoui. "The mujahideen are in the city of Gao and will remain there."

A French-led force on the ground, backed by French air power, has over the past month driven the Islamists from the cities that were once their strongholds into the desert wilderness.

But MUJAO has vowed to continue fighting French and government troops, using suicide attacks, land mines and raids such as the one on Sunday.

The latest violence underlined the threat of a drawn-out insurgency as France tries to map a strategy to exit its former colony.

France is anxious to hand over its military operation to UN peacekeepers, and last week announced it would begin bringing its troops home in March.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told France on Sunday that it was reaping in Mali what it had sown in Libya by arming rebels who were fighting then-dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Mali imploded after last year's coup.

The soldiers who revolted blamed the government for the army's humiliation at the hands of north African Tuareg fighters, who have long complained of being marginalised by Bamako.

Many of those Tuareg rebels had fought alongside Gadhafi's forces in Libya and brought back weapons from that conflict.

With the capital in disarray after the coup, Al-Qaeda-linked fighters hijacked the Tuareg rebellion and took control of the north.

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Cruelty to Australian sheep being assessed

THE federal government says it is assessing claims Australian sheep are being mistreated and brutally slaughtered at a livestock market in Kuwait.

Animals Australia says the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has taken too long to respond to the allegations.

The animal welfare group, which was instrumental in exposing cruelty towards Australian cattle in Indonesia in 2011, first reported serious breaches of the federal government's Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) at Kuwait's Al Rai market in August, and followed up with a second formal complaint last week.

On Monday, DAFF said it was assessing information provided by Animals Australia.

"Should DAFF determine there is a basis to the allegations, it will proceed with a full investigation," the department said.

DAFF said it was investigating a similar complaint received in August 2012.

"As with any investigation, it will take as long as needed to ensure all information is thoroughly examined and a regulatory response is made proportionate to the findings.

"Findings will be made public once this investigation is complete."

Animals Australia campaign director Lyn White said that since August, thousands of merinos had been sent to the Al Rai market, where they were not only being slaughtered without being stunned, but were also being handled and transported inhumanely.

Many of the sheep were being kept in outdoor pens with no access to shade, food or water, while those indoors were in complete darkness.

"We were shocked to see that the number of merchants selling Australian sheep at this cruel market has only increased," Ms White said.

"The only notable change since the previous complaint in 2012 is that Australian sheep are now having their ear tags ripped out in what we can only assume is a deliberate attempt to rort the system."

Separately on Monday, the WA Farmers Federation said it wanted the state government's assistance to streamline the ESCAS process and make its implementation cheaper for farmers.

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Katter renews bid to halt CSG drilling

Crossbench MP Bob Katter has renewed calls for a two-year pause on drilling for coal seam gas. Source: AAP

BOB Katter wants federal parliament to put a two-year pause on drilling for coal seam gas and impose $200,000 fines for those who break the ban.

The crossbench MP introduced legislation to parliament on Monday to put a moratorium on aquifer drilling for coal seam gas.

It's his second attempt to stop the practice, after his previous bid was voted down by the major parties last year.

His bill would make it an offence to search for or extract coal seam gas if it results in drilling through or into an aquifer.

Mr Katter warned there were potentially catastrophic consequences for the cattle and sheep industries if drilling contaminated underground water sources.

"We want every landholder to ask their local federal politicians why they did not vote for a moratorium last year," he said.

Debate on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Moratorium on Aquifer Drilling Connected with Coal Seam Gas Extraction) Bill 2013 was adjourned.

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McGowan flip-flops on carbon tax: Barnett

DESPITE West Australian Labor leader Mark McGowan finally admitting he does not support the carbon tax, the premier says he continues to "flip-flop" on all his opinions.

Premier Colin Barnett had long been calling on Mr McGowan to state whether he supported the tax or not but the opposition leader had refused to comment because it was a federal issue.

Mr McGowan finally revealed on Saturday that he did not support the tax.

The premier told reporters on Sunday that Mr McGowan had given him the impression that his silence meant he did support the tax and was now changing his mind.

"He's like that on all issues," Mr Barnett said.

"He sits on the fence and he changes his mind, flip-flop all the time."

Mr Barnett said the Labor leader had been sitting on the fence for more than two years.

"Now in an election campaign suddenly he doesn't support the carbon tax?" he said.

"I mean it's just not credible ... it's too late."

However, a spokesman for Mr McGowan said there was no backflip on his opinion about the carbon tax - he simply had not stated his opinion until now.

"It is an inconvenient truth for the premier but the fact is that Mark McGowan doesn't support the carbon tax," he said.

Political analyst Peter Kennedy said Mark McGowan had timed his announcement well.

"I think it'll enhance his position with the WA public because Mr Barnett's tried to say that WA Labor would dance to Federal Labor's tune and this is an indication from Mr McGowan that that's not the case," he told the ABC.

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Aussie kids online about two hours a day

HOW long do your children spend in front of a computer every day?

According to research from Telstra, Aussie kids aged between 10 and 17 are online for an average two hours a day - among the highest internet usage rates in the world.

Telstra's general manager of digital inclusion, Jill Riseley, says with so many children now online it is important for parents to teach them how to be good "digital citizens".

Ms Riseley says the latest research shows the major concerns for parents of children using the internet are protecting personal information, exposure to inappropriate content and cyber-bullying.

"We found that three quarters of parents have rules for their children's internet use with access to certain websites, use of certain apps or games and limits on the amount of online time spent each day all being regulated in some way," Ms Riseley said.

"While these rules will help protect children from inappropriate content and create a balance between participating online and being active during the day, these days online safety is more than just using security software and passwords, it involves the actual ethics of being online and respect for others."

Ms Riseley says the best way for parents to teach their children respect for others and protect them against cyber-bullying is to find out what they do on social media sites and be involved in their online world.

It is also important to remind children that saying things online is the same as saying things in real life.

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Two Qld councils to vote on reform

RESIDENTS of two former council areas in far north Queensland will vote to secede from their current councils next month.

The Queensland Electoral Commission announced on Sunday that residents of the former Douglas and Mareeba council areas will vote on March 6 to reform those councils.

If successful, residents of the former Douglas Council will leave the Cairns Regional Council and residents of the former Mareeba Council will leave the Tablelands Regional Council.

The Labor government forced 157 councils to amalgamate into 73 in 2008 to save money.

Queensland Local Government Minister David Crisafulli said in December last year the boundaries commissioner recommended that four councils wishing to scrap the mergers should each go to a referendum.

He said locals of the former Noosa, Livingstone, Mareeba and Douglas would need to weigh up whether it would be worth the costs.

Costs would include the wages of new mayors, councillors, and staff, IT equipment and conducting the referendum.

Mr Crisafulli rated the likelihood of Mareeba Council reforming and achieving a sustainable future as unlikely and Douglas Council as highly unlikely.

Residents of the former Noosa and Livingstone councils will vote at a later date.

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Four wounded in New Orleans shooting

FOUR people have been shot on a crowded street in New Orleans as revellers partied amid the countdown to Mardi Gras, sending people running.

Two males and two females were wounded on Bourbon Street just before 9.30pm local time, New Orleans police spokesman Frank Robertson told The Associated Press.

He said one male was in a critical condition and was undergoing surgery, while the other three were in stable conditions. He did not release their ages.

Robertson says detectives are trying to identify a suspect and determine a motive for Saturday night's attack.

"They're just piecing together what happened," he added.

The streets were crawling with bar-hopping patrons taking in the last weekend before Fat Tuesday, the enormous party that sweeps New Orleans each year with parades, gaudy floats and costumed merrymakers.

The iconic French Quarter street is home to strip clubs, watering holes and second-floor balconies lined by people who throw beads to revellers below each Mardi Gras season. The street often gets so jam-packed that officers have to control the crowds on horseback.

Patrick Clay, 21, an LSU student, told The Times-Picayune he was standing on the corner of Bourbon Street when suddenly he saw a crowd running and people screaming that there was a shooting.

"Everyone immediately started running and the cops immediately started running towards where people were running from," Clay said.

"I was with a group of about seven people and at that point we all just kind of grasped hands and made our way through the crowd as soon as possible."

Parades rolled all day on Saturday but none on Bourbon Street because the streets are too narrow. One of the biggest Mardi Gras parades, the Krewe of Endymion, rolled down Canal Street and just skirted Bourbon Street a few hours before the shooting. Typically, once the parades end, partygoers head to the French Quarter.

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US cannibalism trial upsets jury pool

The trial has begun for officer Gilberto Valle, who is charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Source: AAP

SOME prospective jurors in the conspiracy trial of a police officer accused of plotting to kill and eat women say they are so disturbed at a judge's description of the case, they cannot be fair.

"I am shaking just writing," one potential juror wrote on Friday.

"I feel physically ill," said another.

"Already sick to stomach," said a third.

"As a woman, it literally makes my skin crawl," said one more, who wrote that two photographs and a cartoon of women being abused were "extremely offensive" and "any further evidence along these lines will only make me angry".

It was the first day of trial for officer Gilberto Valle, who is charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and with unauthorised access to a federal database.

The four possible jurors were among 29 dismissed from a group of 90 who filled out a questionnaire, along with another person who said the evidence "would give me nightmares".

Some written responses were read aloud by US District Judge Paul G Gardephe as lawyers argued which would-be jurors should be brought back on Monday for oral questions.

The judge had addressed them from a lectern about the charges at the start of the day to emphasise the importance of the 10 questions they were answering.

Many jurors were upset at an exhibit attached to the questionnaires that included staged internet colour photographs of a nude woman hogtied on a roasting tray with an apple in her mouth and another naked woman tied horizontally to a pole over an open fire. A cartoon of a bound naked woman boiling in a glass pot also was included.

The judge had warned the potential jurors the trial would feature emails and instant messages in which Valle discussed in great detail the kidnapping, raping, torturing, murdering and cannibalising of certain women.

He said the defence would argue that Valle's communications "were all sexual fantasy and imaginary role-play and that he never intended to kidnap, rape, torture, murder or eat any woman".

Many of Valle's communications occurred on fetish websites on which people discuss, view and post images and videos of deviant conduct, including necrophilia, sexual asphyxiation, genital mutilation, rape fantasies, bondage and various forms of sadomasochism, the judge said.

"You will likely see images from these websites similar to the images attached ... to this questionnaire," he said.

Valle, 28, has been jailed without bail since his arrest. Prosecutors say he conspired with three others to kidnap eight "specific and identified women".

A New Jersey man charged in the case will be tried separately.

Opening statements in Valle's trial are set for February 25.

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Diver dies off Sydney's northern beaches

A CLOSE-KNIT scuba diving community is in mourning after the death of one of its members during a "technical dive" off Sydney's northern beaches.

The 41-year-old man was pulled unconscious from the water at 8.30am (AEDT) on Saturday after getting into difficulty at a depth of about 60 metres at a wreck off Barrenjoey Headland.

He was put on board a Broken Bay Water Police vessel, where he was treated by a doctor and paramedic who were lowered from a rescue helicopter.

However, the man could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sergeant Malcolm Jeffs, from the Police Diving Unit, says the man was with a group of seven other technical divers, who were devastated by the accident.

"The technical diving community is fairly close. I'm not sure how well they knew the person, but it's a very upsetting situation for all those involved," Sergeant Jeffs told reporters.

He said the group had been offered counselling services and were still being interviewed by police.

Technical diving uses mixed gas combinations, which vary according to the depth of descent.

Sergeant Jeffs said the man's diving buddy conveyed him to the surface immediately after noticing he was in difficulty.

"Treatment appears to have been given as fast as possible. There's no indication that there was any delay in treatment or response to his situation."

Sergeant Jeffs said the police investigation was still in its infancy so it was not immediately clear what had caused the accident.

"We don't know whether it was equipment failure or some condition with him, so that's all part of the investigation that will be prepared and passed onto the coroner."

The man's family is yet to be informed of the tragedy, he said.

One of the divers that tried to help the man developed symptoms of decompression illness and was flown to the Prince of Wales Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

The man's diving gear has been seized for scientific examination.

Investigations are continuing and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

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