Italian serial killer captured in France

A serial killer who was granted leave from prison in Italy has been recaptured in France. Source: AAP

ITALY'S justice minister says a serial killer who failed to return to prison after a two-day good-behaviour pass has been recaptured in France.

Annamaria Cancellieri announced the news on Friday just hours after she had briefed parliament on the embarrassing escape of Bartolomeo Gagliano, who has a lengthy rap sheet and was serving a nine-year sentence for theft when he went missing earlier this week.

A justice ministry official said Gagliano was captured in Menton, France, just across the border from Italy on the Mediterranean coast.

He had been due back at Genoa's Marassi prison on December 17 after going to visit his elderly mother in nearby Savona.

Savona is about 125 kilometres from Menton along the coast.

At some point between Savona and Genoa, Gagliano allegedly carried out a carjacking and then drove off in the car, launching an international manhunt as questions swirled about how prison officials could have let out a serial killer with known psychiatric problems.

On Friday, Cancellieri disputed prison officials' claims that they didn't know of Gagliano's criminal or psychiatric background, saying they had his full record.

The record, which started in 1981, includes convictions for multiple homicides, kidnapping, sexual violence and other crimes that he served time for in psychiatric hospitals.

Marassi's prison director, Salvatore Mazzeo, has said that as far as the prison was concerned, Gagliano was merely a thief serving time for a 2006 robbery conviction and was due to be released in 2015.

Cancellieri noted prison records said he had been well-behaved and his recent psychiatric evaluations found him to be lucid, calm and collaborative.

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Homicide cops investigate Rosebud body

A WOMAN'S body has been discovered in a home on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

The body was found at a property on William Crescent, Rosebud West, about 1.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Homicide Squad detectives were en route to the scene on Saturday evening and the circumstances surrounding the death were being investigated.

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Gay couples wed in Utah after ruling

A US judge has struck down Utah's same-sex marriage ban in a decision that marks a drastic shift towards gay marriage in a conservative state where the Mormon church has long been against it.

Friday's decision set off an immediate frenzy as the clerk in the state's most populous county began issuing marriage licences to dozens of gay couples while state officials took steps to appeal the ruling and halt the process.

Cheers erupted as the mayor of Salt Lake City led one of the state's first gay wedding ceremonies in an office building about three miles from the headquarters of the Mormon church.

Deputy Salt Lake County Clerk Dahnelle Burton-Lee said the district attorney authorised her office to begin issuing licences to same-sex couples but she couldn't immediately say how many had been issued.

Just hours earlier, US District Judge Robert Shelby issued a 53-page ruling saying the constitutional amendment Utah voters approved in 2004 violates gay and lesbian couples' rights to due process and equal protection under the 14th Amendment. Shelby said the state failed to show that allowing same-sex marriages would affect opposite-sex marriages in any way.

"In the absence of such evidence, the State's unsupported fears and speculations are insufficient to justify the State's refusal to dignify the family relationships of its gay and lesbian citizens," Shelby wrote.

The decision drew a swift and angry reaction from Utah leaders, including Republican Governor Gary Herbert.

"I am very disappointed an activist federal judge is attempting to override the will of the people of Utah. I am working with my legal counsel and the acting attorney general to determine the best course to defend traditional marriage within the borders of Utah," Herbert said.

Late on Friday, the state filed both a notice of appeal of the ruling and a request for an emergency stay that would stop marriage licences from being issued to same-sex couples. It's unknown when the judge will make a decision on whether to grant the stay.

If the ruling stands, Utah would become the 18th state to allow gay marriages, said Jon Davidson, director of Lambda Legal, which pursues litigation on LGBT issues nationwide. That's up from six before the US Supreme Court last year struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The District of Columbia also allows same-sex marriage.

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Khodorkovsky starts life as a free man

Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky has arrived in Germany after being freed from a Russian prison. Source: AAP

RUSSIA'S most famous prisoner, Kremlin critic and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has begun life as a free man in Germany after his surprise pardon by President Vladimir Putin.

After spending more than 10 years behind bars, Russia's former richest man was quietly escorted from his prison in northwestern Russia on Friday and boarded a plane to Berlin in an operation worked out behind the scenes with the German government.

The lightning speed of his release led some observers to suggest that Khodorkovsky might have flown into forced exile but Putin's spokesman dismissed such suggestions.

"He is free to return to Russia. Absolutely," Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. He declined however to say whether any conditions were attached to his release or whether he would be free to participate in politics.

Putin had stunned Russia on Thursday by saying his fierce critic had asked for clemency on humanitarian grounds as his mother was ill.

"Guided by humanitarian principles," the Russian strongman signed a pardon decree on Friday.

In his first remarks since his release, Khodorkovsky said in a statement on Friday he did ask Putin for a pardon but his request did not amount to an admission of guilt and thanked Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Germany's foreign minister from 1974-1992, for helping negotiate his release.

"I am very much looking forward to the minute when I will be able to embrace my loved ones," the father of four said, without specifying his future plans.

Khodorkovsky's 79-year-old mother Marina, who has cancer, was expected to fly out to Berlin, where she had undergone treatment before, to see her son.

The Russian opposition magazine The New Times, for which Khodorkovsky wrote a column about his prison life, said the former tycoon called the editorial office to express gratitude for support.

"The most important today is Freedom, Freedom, Freedom," the magazine quoted him as saying.

"A lot lies ahead, the release of those hostages who still remained in prison, first and foremost Platon Lebedev," he said, referring to his jailed business partner.

Genscher said he was unaware if Khodorkovsky planned to remain in Germany: "I think that he wants to take a deep breath and wait to take his family in his arms tomorrow."

Interviewed on CNN television, Khodorkovsky's son Pavel, said he was in a state of "happy shock" following his father's release, adding that they had spoken on the phone.

"He's doing very well, sounds certainly very good and very happy."

Pavel said he "didn't think" his father would seek political asylum in Germany.

Khodorkovsky's release coincided with an amnesty for prisoners convicted of non-violent crimes that is expected to free the two jailed members of Pussy Riot band, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, just as the Kremlin readies to host the Winter Olympics in February.

Thirty foreign and Russian Greenpeace activists including an Australian man, arrested on hooliganism charges after their protest against Arctic oil drilling, are also expected to escape prosecution.

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Vic cyclist dies after alleged hit-run

A CYCLIST has died after an alleged hit-and-run collision a kilometre from his Melbourne home.

Brighton East man Julian Paul, 53, was cycling home on November 26 when he was hit from behind by a car, leaving him with severe spine and brain injuries.

He died in The Alfred hospital on Wednesday night, police said on Friday.

A 31-year-old Moorabbin woman was charged a few days after the incident with failing to stop after an accident and failing to render assistance.

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Hockey calls for disaster inquiry

The federal coalition wants the Productivity Commission to investigate spending on disasters. Source: AAP

THE federal coalition wants the Productivity Commission to look at how much the nation spends on disasters and how to help communities recover in a sustainable way.

Treasurer Joe Hockey says most existing disaster funding models are weighted towards response and recovery, with a focus on immediate humanitarian and economic relief and restoration of infrastructure to its previous standard - instead of longer-term resilience.

He has asked the commission to examine the full scope of national expenditure on disasters and the effectiveness of current mitigation support arrangements, which help prevent similar events from affecting communities the same way in the future.

"Further, the commission will be asked the best ways to reduce the impact of natural disasters on communities and how they recover in a sustainable way," Mr Hockey said in a statement on Friday.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten said cutting support for bushfire victims is wrong.

"But that's exactly what the Abbott government has done in the Blue Mountains," he told AAP.

"My concern is this review will become another excuse for the government to make savage cuts."

The Insurance Council of Australia said it was a positive step towards improving community resilience and it looks forward to helping the inquiry.

"Though disaster response and recovery are an essential component of government relief efforts, the insurance industry believes mitigation infrastructure has long-term benefits for exposed communities and the taxpayer," the council said in a statement.

Deloitte Access Economics estimates the total economic cost of natural disasters in 2012 was more than $6 billion.

In the last five years, natural disasters around the country have claimed more than 200 lives and devastated hundreds of thousands of Australians.

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Flatback turtle trackers want Qld station

Researchers want a permanent station in Queensland to monitor populations of Flatback turtles. Source: AAP

FLATBACK turtle trackers want to set up Australia's first permanent research station to assess how they are affected by large coastal developments.

The pale olive green-grey turtles are one of only seven sea turtle species in the world, and only nest in northern Australia.

While they are listed as vulnerable in Queensland, Western Australia and nationally, there is not enough data for an international listing.

Environmental organisation Wild Mob and The Queensland Trust for Nature are three years into a study of populations off the Queensland coast.

The research will help determine if developments, such as a large-scale dredging project for the gas export industry at Curtis Island off Gladstone, is affecting turtle numbers.

The turtles that nest on Avoid Island, which sits offshore between Gladstone and Mackay, are considered a control population because the refuge is far enough away from port developments to the north and south not to be affected.

Researchers will then be able to compare the health of populations closer to major development sites, with what's happening on Avoid Island.

About 30 per cent of the flatback turtles that lay their eggs on Australia's east coast do so on Avoid Island, which was bought by the trust in 2006.

The trust hopes to start a university program on the island during nesting seasons and raise enough funds to establish a permanent research station.

At present, there are no dedicated research stations to provide ongoing studies into Australia's only endemic sea turtle.

World renowned turtle tracker Dr Nancy Fitzsimmons led a half a dozen volunteers monitoring the December nesting season on Avoid Island.

Like previous years, more than 70 turtles laid eggs and, by February, it is hoped up to 7000 turtles will hatch.

Dr Fitzsimmons says it's too early to tell if port developments are having an impact.

"If we don't do these sorts of studies, we have no idea what's happening with the population," Dr Fitzsimmons says.

"There's a lot of international interest in the flatback turtles in Australia, and people come to Australia specifically to see these turtles because they aren't found anywhere else."

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Australians to spend $3bn over weekend

Australians are expected to spend $3 billion on Christmas shopping this weekend. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIANS are expected to spend more than $3 billion across the country as they rush to get their last-minute Christmas gifts in.

The latest projections from the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA), released on Friday, predict people will spend an average of around $130 each this weekend.

In good news for retailers, almost 90 per cent of the $3 billion expected to be spent over the weekend will be dropped at bricks and mortar stores.

Just over $300 million is predicted to be spent online.

The big spend is a 5.4 per cent increase from the same time last year, ANRA CEO Margy Osmond said.

People in NSW, Victoria and Queensland will be responsible for 75 per cent of the spending surge, with those in the ACT, Northern Territory and Tasmania seemingly having had their Christmas shopping wrapped up.

"Santa's retail helpers will be working around the clock this weekend in an effort to ensure all the Santa lists around the country are filled," Ms Osmond said.

Australians will be taking advantage of extended trading hours to finish off their shopping, she said.

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Sea ice trip reopens Mawson's Huts route

TWO Australian explorers have made it over dangerous sea ice to Mawson's Huts in Antarctica, which have been inaccessible for several years.

Conservator Ian Godfrey and heritage carpenter Jon Tucker navigated 70km of sea ice on an amphibious vehicle to reach the huts.

Their visit was part of a privately funded expedition of nearly 30 scientists and others to commemorate the centenary of Douglas Mawson's exploration of the Cape Denison area.

The Mawson's Huts Foundation says this is the first time it has attempted such an ambitious and potentially hazardous crossing of the ice.

It was a joint operation between the foundation and the Australian Antarctic Division.

The huts on Cape Denison have been inaccessible for many years because an iceberg about the size of the ACT blocked the entrance to the bay.

Dr Godfrey said the trip across the sea ice was the journey of a lifetime.

"Mawson's Huts seem to be in good condition but we may only have a day here so we're doing all the essentials such as changing data loggers and assessing the condition of the building structure," he said.

He was hopeful the success of this mission meant the Mawson's Huts Foundation could resume annual visits.

Expedition manager Rob Easther said several of the scientists had planned to also make the full journey to the huts to conduct many of the experiments carried out there by Mawson's 1911-14 Australasian Antarctic expedition.

However, weather conditions mean it's likely the modern expedition team will have to leave the area sooner than hoped.

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Boy critical after 'horror' Sydney crash

A young boy is in a critical condition after a crash involving a cement truck in Sydney's southwest. Source: AAP

A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy is in a critical condition after being thrown from a van in a "horror crash" involving a cement truck in Sydney's southwest.

Police said the Toyota Tarago was stopped in a breakdown lane on the Hume Highway just before noon (AEDT) on Thursday when the cement truck crashed into its rear.

The boy, who was sitting in a rear booster seat, was thrown some 10 metres from the van by the force of the crash and suffered head, chest and pelvic injuries and leg fractures, CareFlight said.

The green van was left a mangled and crushed wreck.

Describing it as a horror crash, CareFlight said one of its trauma doctors performed emergency roadside surgery on the boy.

The six-year-old was then placed in an induced coma before being flown by helicopter to Westmead Children's Hospital in a critical condition.

His 13-year-old sister, who was sitting in the front passenger seat of the van, sustained minor injuries including cuts and abrasions and was also taken to Westmead.

Their mother, standing outside the van at the time of the crash, suffered suspected pelvic injuries and was taken to Westmead Hospital for treatment, police said.

The driver of the cement truck and his passenger were trapped in their vehicle before being freed by emergency services and taken to hospital.

The truck driver, believed to be in his 30s, is undergoing mandatory blood and urine tests.

Southbound lanes of the motorway have been re-opened.

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