A man is in custody after shots were reportedly fired in a Tasmanian street. Source: AAP
A MAN is in custody after shots were reportedly fired in a Tasmanian street.
Police received calls from the public reporting several shots being fired in the street by a man in Swansea on Tasmania's east coast, just before 5pm (AEDT).
Investigations are continuing.
A man has plunged to his death in a skydiving incident in Victoria's northeast. Source: AAP
A US citizen has plunged to his death in a skydiving incident in Victoria's northeast.
The man, 33, had a parachute malfunction and fell a considerable distance in Drysdale Road, Euroa, about 12.30pm (AEDT), an Ambulance Victoria spokesman said.
The man was in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived and they tried to resuscitate him but he died at the scene.
Police said the man was a US citizen and they are in the process of notifying his family.
They will prepare a report for the coroner.
The Australian Skydiving Association has been notified.
British rockers Muse have thrilled Sydney fans with a spectacular sound and stage show. Source: AAP
MUSE drowned out the screams of thousands of Sydney fans with an epic sound and stage show that did everything to add to their reputation for putting on memorable concerts.
The British rockers have become almost legendary for their major light and stage shows and they didn't disappoint when they took to Sydney's Allphones Arena on Friday night.
Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme opened in spectacular fashion when a five-tier projector screen in the shape of a pyramid emerged from above the stage and slowly made its way down.
After keeping the crowd waiting for almost 10 minutes with a heart-thumping build up, the band appeared beneath the screen as it rose to take its place suspended above them as they belted out their first song, Supremacy.
During the second song, Supermassive Black Hole, the crowd in the mosh pit appear to lose itself - fans jumping and thumping their fists in time with the music.
Thousands of screams were drowned out by the guitar riffs from Hysteria, which the band opened with images of matrix-style code that spread through the plethora of small screens on stage.
And when Plug in Baby came on, the entire arena began singing the chorus in unison - even those seated were jumping up and dancing like they were in the mosh pit.
Lasers, smoke machines and pyrotechnics were all timed perfectly for dramatic effect for guitar riffs and bass drops.
A shape-shifting screen suspended on stage, and encircling the band, replaced your stock-standard stadium flat screens, projecting images of the band on stage, as well as video montages and song lyrics.
Highlights included the moment where 100 phones lit up in the nosebleed section when Bellamy emerged for a solo guitar riff.
He topped it off later by joining the crowd mid-way through Undisclosed Desires, even donning a Christmas hat given to him by a crowd member.
The gig was the last stop of Muse's tour of major Australian capital cities, and their final gig of 2013.
Toyota is entering settlement talks on US lawsuits that allege sudden unintended acceleration. Source: AAP
AFTER a four-year legal battle, Toyota is entering settlement talks on nearly 400 US lawsuits that allege sudden unintended acceleration problems with its vehicles led to deaths and injuries.
Joint motions filed late on Thursday in US District Court in Santa Ana and Los Angeles County Superior Court indicated both sides would begin an "intensive settlement process" next month.
The Japanese automaker, which has recalled millions of cars since 2009 over the acceleration issue, agreed to the negotiations to make resolving the cases more efficient, spokeswoman Carly Schaffner told The Associated Press on Friday.
"We continue to stand behind the safety and quality of our vehicles," she said.
Cases that don't settle after a two-stage mediation process will go back to court for trial, said plaintiffs' co-lead counsel Mark Robinson Jr., but most of the 375 claims will likely get resolved.
"It's not practical to try all these cases," he said. "You've got two chances to get your case settled and if you're a plaintiff, at least you're not just sitting in some file in the courthouse."
The settlement negotiations come less than two months after an Oklahoma jury awarded a total of $US3 million ($A3.37 million) in damages to the injured driver of a 2005 Camry and to the family of a passenger who was killed.
The ruling was significant because Toyota had won all previous unintended acceleration cases that went to trial. It was also the first case where lawyers for plaintiffs argued that the car's electronics - in this case the software connected to the Camry's electronic throttle-control system - were the cause of the unintended acceleration.
At the time, legal experts said the Oklahoma verdict might cause Toyota to consider a broad settlement of the remaining cases. Until then, Toyota had been riding momentum from several trials where juries found it was not liable.
Robinson said lawyers for plaintiffs had been discussing a streamlined settlement process with Toyota before that verdict, but the Oklahoma case "couldn't have hurt" those talks.
Toyota has blamed drivers, stuck accelerators or floor mats that trapped the pedal for the acceleration claims that led to the big recalls of Camrys and other vehicles. The company has repeatedly denied its vehicles are flawed.
No recalls have been issued related to problems with onboard electronics. In the Oklahoma case, Toyota lawyers theorised that the driver mistakenly pumped the gas pedal instead of the brake when her Camry ran through an intersection and slammed into an embankment.
Sean Kane, president of Massachusetts-based Safety Research & Strategies, said the Oklahoma verdict likely moved Toyota to the negotiating table because it targeted electronics.
"Nobody did until that case and they got hammered - and they got hammered in a conservative venue," said Kane, who researches consumer safety in motor vehicles for plaintiff lawyers and has been closely following the Toyota litigation.
"The evidence that came out in that trial has attracted global attention that is remarkable," he said.
After the verdict, jurors told AP they believed the testimony of an expert who said he found flaws in the car's electronics. They also pointed to 50 metres of skid marks on the road as evidence the driver was desperately trying to brake.
"What makes the accelerator open? The computer," juror Vickie Potter said after the verdict.
ANOTHER round of severe thunderstorms pummelled southeast Queensland tonight.
8.25pm: The worst of this evening's severe thunderstorms has passed, with the weather bureau lifting its earlier warnings.
The Bureau of Meteorology said dangerous weather systems are no longer affecting southeast Queensland.
Forecasters will continue to monitor the situation and will issue further warnings if anything is detected on radars.
Nikki Duncan said the severe thunderstorm which swept over the region earlier this evening dropped a blanket of hail over the city. Picture: Nikki Duncan
8.15pm: Christine McMillan said the hail continued to belt her Willowbank home for 15 to 20 minutes.
"I have never seen anything this intense," she said.
"I also have a picture of the storm approaching but never expected this."
"I had to move from the doorway because they were smashing on the concrete outside and chunks were flying in at me." Picture: Sharon Wheatley at Rathdowney
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7.55pm: The Bureau of Meteorology have updated a severe thunderstorm warning to include areas of Brisbane CBD, Ipswich, Boonah, Beaudesert, Beenleigh, Logan City, Cleveland, Strathpine, Esk, Redcliffe and Caboolture.
7.45pm: Ipswich residents must have been dreaming of a white Christmas, with the city transformed into a winter wonderland.
Christine McMillan said the hail continued to belt her Willowbank home for 15 to 20 minutes. Picture: Christine McMillan
Nikki Duncan said the severe thunderstorm which swept over the region earlier this evening dropped a blanket of hail over the city.
"It was very sudden and loud," she said. "The severity was unexpected."
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7.50pm: A severe thunderstorm south of the NSW border is expected to hit Queensland by 8pm.
The cell is predicted to reach the McPherson Range, Rathdowney, Numinbah Valley, Laravale, Kooralbyn and the area south of Canungra by 8.05 pm.
Beaudesert will be next in the firing line, with the storm expected to strike about 8.30pm.
7.30pm: Sharon Wheatley said the earlier storm battered her property near Rathdowney.
"I was watching the clouds from the doorway and saw that one hailstone drop into the yard, nothing else, just that one, so I stuck a bucket over my head and ran out and grabbed it," she said.
"Gradually a few more dropped. There was no rain at first, just large hail dropping from the sky.
"I had to move from the doorway because they were smashing on the concrete outside and chunks were flying in at me. Then they just came down solidly for maybe 10 minutes or so."
7.15pm: The weather bureau has warned that while one severe thunderstorm is skirting dangerously close to Brisbane's CBD, another one is brewing just over the NSW border.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Peter Otto said an earlier warning was still current for areas to the west of Brisbane, but the storm was unlikely to reach the city centre.
Further west, he said golf-sized hail stones have fallen on Mt Barney, with larger stones reported at Boonah.
"That storm is moving over the Ipswich area at the moment," he said.
"There is another cell south of the border that is likely to hit Rathdowney in the next half hour and it may head north after that. It's another very dangerous storm with large hail stones expected."
6.45pm: Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Rosewood, Marburg, Lake Manchester, Upper Brookfield and Fernvale by 7.20 pm and Enoggera Reservoir, Enoggera, Mount Nebo, Highvale, Samford and Albany Creek by 7.50 pm.
Other severe thunderstorms in northern NSW are forecast to affect Mount Barney, the McPherson Range, Rathdowney, Maroon Dam, Kooralbyn and Lamington National Park by 7:50 pm.
Damaging winds and large hailstones are likely, with hail larger than golf balls reported at Boonah earlier.
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6.20pm: The Bureau of Meteorology has updated their thunderstorm warning, alerting residents that very dangerous thunderstorms were moving north.
The storms were detected on weather radar near Boonah, Aratula, Harrisville, Peak Crossing, Bundamba Lagoon and the area south of Amberley.
Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Ipswich, Redbank Plains, Amberley, Rosewood, Marburg and Lake Manchester by 6:50 pm and Lowood, Fernvale, Mount Nebo, Highvale, Samford and the D'Aguilar Ranges by 7:20 pm.
Other severe thunderstorms were located near Bonalbo(NSW). Damaging winds and large hailstones are likely.
Hail larger than golf balls was reported at Boonah at around 5:40pm.
5.20pm: The weather bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning after storms were detected over the Scenic Rim region near Mount Barney, Laravale and Kooralbyn.
The southeast Queensland warning said damaging winds and large hailstones are likely.
Forecasters from the Bureau of Meteorology said the thunderstorms were moving in a northerly direction, with Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast put on alert.
The storms are predicted to hit Beaudesert about 5.30pm.
More to come.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.
An outbreak of a group A streptococcus bacteria in Brisbane has been linked to two patient deaths. Source: AAP
QUEENSLAND'S chief health officer is confident a Brisbane hospital grappling with a group A streptococcus bacterial outbreak, linked to two patient deaths, has the situation under control.
The deaths of two elderly patients at Greenslopes Private Hospital's rehabilitation centre have been linked to the bacteria outbreak.
Two other elderly patients at the rehabilitation centre have tested positive to the bacteria but are responding well to antibiotics.
The centre's admissions have been suspended as all patients and staff are tested.
Queensland Health said the main hospital building was not at risk because the rehabilitation unit was a separate facility.
Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young says the hospital has met all the public health guidelines for such an outbreak.
"All patients and staff currently in the unit are being tested and monitored for signs of the infection," Dr Young said.
"I understand all patients discharged from the unit since November 29 are being contacted by the hospital and given information about the symptoms to look out for."
Two men, aged 91 and 95, died at the hospital in the past week. One had pneumonia, the other a bloodstream infection.
They were later found to have the streptococcus bacteria in their bloodstreams.
Dr Young said she was notified of the deaths on Thursday, which is within the mandatory notification period.
Often the bacteria is found in the throat and on the skin and can cause minor symptoms such as a sore throat.
But in rare cases it can invade the bloodstream or the lungs and cause life-threatening illnesses, typically in people with compromised health, such as the elderly.
A legionnaires' disease outbreak was at the private Wesley Hospital this year.
Linked to the hospital's water system, that outbreak led to the death of a cancer patient in his 60s. Another patient was put in intensive care.
The Wesley was effectively shut down for about a fortnight and hospitals throughout the state were tested for the bacteria.
Tens of thousands of South Africans have lined up to view the body of Nelson Mandela in Pretoria. Source: AAP
ANXIOUS South Africans have queued through the night for the chance to say a final farewell to Nelson Mandela before his body is moved to his rural, boyhood home for burial.
Friday was the last opportunity to view the open-top casket with the body of South Africa's first black president, lying in state in the grounds of the palatial Union Buildings - the seat of government in Pretoria.
The response to the three-days of public viewing has been overwhelming, and two hours after people began filing past the coffin Friday, the government warned that the backlog was already too large to be accommodated.
Many had camped out overnight to ensure an early spot, with 50,000 standing in line waiting for buses to take them to the viewing venue.
"We urge people to please NOT make their way to the park and ride facilities," the government information service said in a written statement.
Nosiswe Maduna and her 14-year-old daughter were among thousands turned away Thursday after travelling 220 kilometres from Senekal in Free State Province and lining up for hours under a hot sun.
"It was my daughter who said we should sleep here and try again, because she didn't want to go back without seeing him," Maduna said.
They spent the night in the open at a petrol station and began queuing at 3am so as not to be disappointed again.
Mandela's body is scheduled to be taken to Waterkloof air force base early Saturday morning, for the two hour flight to his boyhood home of Qunu.
On Sunday, some 5,000 people, including foreign dignitaries and senior political figures, are expected to participate in a formal, two-hour ceremony beginning at 8am (1600 AEDT).
But the actual burial will be a strictly private affair, barred to both the general public and the media, government spokeswoman Phumla Williams told AFP.
"The family has indicated they want to make the burial a family matter," Williams said.
"They don't want it to be televised. They don't want people to see when the body is taken down," she added.
Around 3,000 members of the media have already descended on Qunu where a special stage and marquee have been erected for the invited guests.
The funeral will be held according to traditional Xhosa rites overseen by male members of Mandela's clan.
The slaughtering of an animal - a ritual performed through various milestones of a person's life - will form a crucial part of the event.
"A funeral is an intricate ceremony that involves communicating with the ancestors and allowing the spirit of the departed person to rest," said Chief Jonginyaniso Mtirara of the Thembu clan that Mandela hails from.
"The spilling of animal blood is a very important part of the burial process," he said.
During the ceremony, South Africa's first black president will be referred to as Dalibhunga - the name given to him at the age of 16 after undergoing the initiation to adulthood.
Although Mandela never publicly declared his religious denomination, his family comes from a Methodist background.
A Canadian newspaper reporter is suing Toronto mayor Rob Ford after insinuating he is a pedophile. Source: AAP
THE controversial mayor of the Canadian city of Toronto is being sued by a newspaper reporter after he suggested the journalist is a pedophile.
In a TV interview, Rob Ford accused Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale of taking pictures of children. Ford said he didn't "want to say that word but you start thinking what this guy is all about."
The day after the interview aired, Ford told reporters that he stands by his words. "I stand by every word I said."
Ford's insinuation was related to an instance when Dale was close to the mayor's house in May 2012, investigating a plot of public land adjacent to Ford's home that the mayor wanted to buy.
Dale has said he was writing a story about the plot so he went to take a look at it when the mayor emerged from his home to confront him. Dale said the mayor's two children were nowhere in sight, nor were any children in sight.
Dale said he decided to take action after Ford repeated the accusations on a radio show on Thursday, saying again that Dale was taking photos outside of his house.
Dale said Ford added this: "When you've got young kids, that freaked me right out.
"This isn't quite as egregious as the (first) comment he made, but it brought renewed attention to his malicious and defamatory insinuation ... that I have some sort of predatory interest in young children - that I am a pedophile. I can't tolerate it. I won't tolerate it," wrote Dale in his article.
Dale said the libel notice asks Ford to immediately retract the false insinuation that I am a pedophile and all of his false statements about my conduct on May 2, 2012. Dale said he is also suing Vision TV, which twice broadcast Ford's first remarks. Dale asks that Ford and Vision owner ZoomerMedia apologise immediately "publicly, abjectly, unreservedly and completely."
Allegations about Ford smoking crack surfaced in May when two reporters for the Toronto Star and one from the website Gawker said they saw a video of Ford appearing to smoke from a crack pipe, but they did not obtain a copy. Ford vilified the Star, accusing the paper of trying to take him down.
He admitted last month to smoking crack "in a drunken stupor."
Thirteen motorists have been killed on Victoria's roads in the first 13 days of December. Source: AAP
AN elderly pedestrian has died in hospital after being hit by a car in Melbourne's east.
Police believe the woman, 66, was crossing North Road in Brighton East when hit by a grey Toyota hatch about 9.15pm (AEDT) Thursday.
She was taken to The Alfred Hospital with life-threatening injuries and died about 2.30pm on Friday.
The driver of the car stopped and is assisting police with their inquiries.
Victoria's road toll stands at 226 compared to 271 this time last year, with 14 of the deaths occurring in the past 13 days.
Road policing command Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said on Friday afternoon the number of fatalities in such a short time was extremely concerning heading into the festive season.
"This is a horrible start to December, especially as we head into what we know is a high-risk time of the year on Victorian roads," he said.
"I don't want to see any more ungiven gifts under Christmas tree this year, however we are likely to see another 10 deaths on our roads and potentially 250 people seriously injured."
The warning comes as Victoria Police launch their Summer Stay road campaign, a two-month blitz aiming to reduce the road toll over the holiday season.
The campaign will target drink/drug driving, speeding, fatigue, driver distraction and drivers not wearing a seatbelt.
A great-nephew of Ivan Milat is appealing his 30-year jail term for the axe murder of his friend. Source: AAP
THE great-nephew of serial killer Ivan Milat wants his murder sentence halved, infuriating the family of the boy he slaughtered.
Teenage axe murderers Matthew Milat and Cohen Klein are appealing the severity of the sentences handed down last year for the murder of their friend David Auchterlonie in Belanglo State Forest in November 2010.
David was murdered on his 17th birthday.
Milat was sentenced to at least 30 years, with a maximum term of 43.
Klein was jailed for at least 22 years, with a maximum 32-year term.
Deputy senior public defender John Stratton SC, representing Milat, told the Criminal Court of Appeal that although it was a heinous crime, it "was not in the worst class" of murder.
Instead, he put forward a maximum 22-year jail term with a non-parole period of 15 years.
Mr Stratton submitted to the judges various cases where murderers had their sentences cut, and that there was little evidence of torture.
But Justice Robert Hulme said nine months after the killing, Milat wrote chilling letters that showed "unrepentant enjoyment at the prospect of callous murder".
Justice Hulme called the reduction to a 22-year sentence "bold".
Klein's barrister, Janet Manuell SC, said Milat was the "dominant" one - who found the weapon, organised to bring the victim to the forest, struck the blow and bragged about it later.
"The role of (Klein) was one of support and facilitation," Ms Manuell said.
"There was some evidence of remorse."
David's mother, Donna Locke, spoke to reporters outside court as friends unfurled an Aboriginal flag behind her with "R.I.P David Always" written on it.
"I'm disgusted and outraged and hurt, as it's ridiculous and wrong to think that we are back here today," Ms Locke said.
"David was not given a chance to appeal his death sentence.
"They deserve to be there for the rest of their lives and take their last breath in jail, and leave in a body bag to the morgue just like my son left the forest."
Ms Locke said Milat was trying to be a "copycat" of Ivan Milat and that if the pair could commit such a callous crime at such a young age, they're bound to reoffend.
The axe attack took place in the same NSW Southern Highlands forest where Ivan Milat murdered seven backpackers in the early 1990s.
Crown prosecutor Nicole Noman SC, who is opposing any reduction in the sentences, said the killing was planned, premeditated and a "thrill kill".
"Each of them performed a different ... but meaningful role to make sure this planned murder occurred," Ms Noman said.
"It was cold, it was calculated ... it was not momentary."
Ms Noman said Milat at one stage asked Klein if he could "feel the adrenaline".
After the killing, Klein mentioned to Milat that he was "going down the path of his uncle" and showed "a form of admiration", she said.
The three-judge appeal panel will make its decision at a later date.
Labor's Martin Foley (pic) and Wade Noonan have been elected to the Victorian shadow cabinet. Source: AAP
THE Victorian Labor party has elected two new members to its shadow cabinet.
Albert Park MP Martin Foley and Williamstown MP Wade Noonan were elected during a meeting of the state parliamentary Labor Party on Thursday afternoon.
"I look forward to both Martin and Wade playing an important role in the shadow cabinet as we prepare for the 2014 state election," Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said in a statement.
The move follows resignations from several Labor MPs who have announced they won't contest the election, including high-profile former government ministers Justin Madden and John Lenders.
Portfolios will be announced in due course, Mr Andrews said.
JAPAN'S Cabinet has approved billions of dollars of stimulus spending in a supplementary budget meant to perk up a faltering economic recovery and cushion the impact of a sales tax rise next April.
The Y5.5 trillion ($A59.49 billion) in fresh stimulus approved on Thursday is aimed at creating at least 250,000 jobs and is heavily weighted toward construction projects. It also includes Y600 billion ($A6.5 billion) in payments to home buyers and one-time payments of Y10,000 ($A108) per child to low and middle-income families.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised the extra stimulus to counter a 3 percentage point increase in sales tax to eight per cent in April.
Parliamentary approval of the stimulus in early 2014 is expected since Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partners hold majorities in both houses.
Japan's economy, the world's third-largest, emerged from recession in late 2012, growing at a brisk 4.3 per cent pace in the first quarter of the year. However, the pace of expansion slowed to 1.1 per cent in the third quarter as corporate investment remained sluggish and exports were sapped by lacklustre growth in emerging economies.
So far, the biggest driver for the recovery has been hefty government spending, which is also the type of spending the tax rise is aimed at making up for.
The economy may get a boost in coming months as consumers speed up major purchases to beat the sales tax rise. But the government has forecast a short-term contraction in the economy after the higher tax takes effect. Another increase in the sales tax, of 2 points, is expected in 2015.
Abe appears to have forced Japan out of its deflationary rut with a growth strategy centred on pumping trillions of dollars into the economy through public spending and aggressive monetary easing by the central bank.
The flood of money has helped weaken the Japanese yen, boosting corporate profits in yen terms and making exports of some Japanese manufacturers more cost competitive. It is also helping to spark inflation, thanks to rising costs for a wide range of imported commodities, from crude oil to soybeans to computer parts.
The supplementary budget approved Thursday, along with local government spending on public works and grants for lending to small enterprises, is meant to put another Y18.6 trillion ($A201.19 billion) into the economy. Abe says this will add a full percentage point to Japan's gross domestic product.
The spending does not involve any new public debt since much of the money to be used was left over from previous, unspent budgetary allocations. The rest comes from taxes and other government revenues.
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has kicked off parliament's annual valedictory speeches, marking 2013 as the year Australian troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan.
Following a tribute to retiring clerk of the House of Representatives Bernard Wright, Mr Abbott praised the service of Australian troops after almost a decade in the Afghan province of Uruzgan.
"Our troops have done a magnificent job, but they've paid a high price," he said.
"We hope that the years of service and sacrifice will be honoured by a province and a country that respects the values that we tried to bring to that province."
He said the nation had also endured floods in Queensland and fires in NSW.
"But so often in this country, nature at its worst brings out Australians at their best," he said.
He noted the change of government in September and promised it would be for the better.
"I am determined to ensure that it is a very long time indeed before this country has three prime ministers in one year," he said.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten acknowledged the thousands of Holden workers who will soon be out of a job following the announcement that the company will cease manufacturing in Australia.
"We will continue to stand up for their futures every day," Mr Shorten said.
He too noted the devastation of natural disasters across the country, which began with the Tasmanian bushfires earlier in the year.
"The worst in over 30 years, through one of the state's harshest heatwaves," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss described the past year as "long and somewhat tumultuous" while his Labor counterpart Tanya Plibersek said it had certainly been curious.
"I don't think history will look kindly on the last parliament," Mr Truss said.
"It was raucous and I don't think it reflected well on the process of our democracy."
Ms Plibersek said people watching the nightly news would have thought the past year was almost entirely one of conflict but parliament had achieved things.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott will host his first COAG meeting in Canberra on Friday. Source: AAP
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott will use his first meeting with state premiers and chief ministers to start the groundwork for delivering the coalition's paid parental leave scheme.
Mr Abbott will host his first Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on Friday.
The coalition promised at the election to roll out a scheme to pay mothers who give birth after July 2015 up to half their annual salary for 26 weeks, capped at a salary of $150,000 a year.
COAG will discuss how the plan, costing $5.5 billion a year, will fit in with existing state public sector parental leave schemes.
Mr Abbott said during the election campaign there would be no extra cost to state governments and the national scheme would be an improvement to existing state schemes.
However, he said he wanted to have an "adult discussion" with the premiers about its details.
The scheme is to be paid for by a levy on Australia's largest businesses.
COAG will also discuss ways to fast-track and fund major infrastructure and boost jobs in manufacturing.
The manufacturing talks had been scheduled well before the announcement of Holden ceasing car production from 2017, but is now expected to take greater prominence.
Mr Abbott will talk to the premiers about his plans for a white paper on reform of federal-state relations.
The prime minister said in a speech when he was opposition leader that COAG had become "a talk shop, not a decision-making process" and the roles of the federal, state and territory governments needed to be better defined.
PROTESTERS have announced they have cut off electricity to the Thai prime minister's office compound and are demanding that police abandon the premises amid a political crisis that has dragged on for weeks.
The protesters, seeking to force the replacement of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government before a February 2 election, have threatened to force their way in if police don't leave.
Police attempts to negotiate were rebuffed, but they did not withdraw immediately.
An Associated Press photographer inside one of the buildings said electricity had been shut off to the press office. Police confirmed that power had been cut to some buildings in the compound, collectively called Government House.
Protesters also cut barbed wire placed on top of the steel fence surrounding the compound while police stationed nearby looked on.
Yingluck was not in her offices at the time and shortly afterward gave a televised address from an unidentified location in which she announced a December 15 meeting of all sections of society to try to find a solution to the crisis.
The protest leadership has demanded a meeting with senior military and police officials, a call which has so far been rejected, at least publicly. Protest leaders did meet at a hotel with business leaders in what was billed as an effort to explain their goals.
In a previous confrontation, police withdrew from the prime minister's compound to allow the demonstrators in without a fight. That withdrawal came after two days of increasingly violent standoffs. Since the latest unrest began last month that left five people dead and nearly 300 injured.
The street fighting was suspended when both sides agreed it would dishonour the occasion of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday last week.
Looking for a way out of the crisis, Yingluck dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Monday and called for early elections. Her foes, however, insist she step aside to make way for an interim appointed government, an action that cannot be taken under the country's constitution.
They claim that Thai politics is hopelessly corrupt under the influence of Yingluck's billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for the country's constitutional monarch.
To carry out reforms, they want to institute a less democratic system where the concept of one-man, one vote would no longer apply because they believe the masses are not well enough educated to choose responsible leaders. They also say the poor sell their votes.
Thaksin's supporters say he is disliked because he has shifted power away from Thailand's traditional ruling class.
Thaksin and his allies have easily won every national election since 2001, relying on the support of the rural majority and urban poor, who benefited from his populist policies. The opposition Democrat Party, which has allied itself with the protests, has not won an election since 1992.
Yingluck's ruling party won the last vote two years ago in a landslide, and is likely to be victorious in any new ballot.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban this week has been declaring that his movement has more legitimacy than the government, which he claims has acted against the constitution.
The PM has issued new ministerial standards outlining the ethical expectations for his frontbench. Source: AAP
FEDERAL ministers can't employ their own wives or husbands or those of any other ministers without first asking Prime Minister Tony Abbott under a revamped code of conduct.
The statement of ministerial standards was issued on Wednesday, two and a half months after the ministry was sworn in.
It states ministers cannot directly employ their partners or close family members.
Nor can family be employed in the minister's department if the position is subject to ministerial or cabinet approval.
They can work for other ministers - but only if Mr Abbott agrees.
Frontbenchers are also warned resources given to them at public expense should not be used wastefully or extravagantly.
They must be "scrupulous in ensuring the legitimacy and accuracy of any claim for entitlement to ministerial, parliamentary or travel allowance".
This caution comes after expenses scandals in which several new ministers and Mr Abbott had to repay travel allowances they had claimed for attending events including weddings and sporting competitions.
Under the code of conduct, ministers have to stand aside if charged with a criminal offence, although picking up a traffic fine doesn't count.
They must resign if convicted of a crime or if the prime minister decides they've failed to comply with the standards.
GENERAL Motors blamed a "perfect storm", but Labor threw responsibility squarely at the federal government for Holden's decision to stop making vehicles in Australia.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott called it a "sad, bad day" for Australian manufacturing and pledged a strategic response to help workers affected by Holden's decision to stop making cars in Australia from 2017.
The government will in coming days release a "considered package" of measures to rebuild confidence in the long-term future of manufacturing and the regions of Adelaide and Melbourne where Holden operates, he told parliament.
"I don't want to pretend to the parliament that this is anything other than a dark day for Australian manufacturing," Mr Abbott said.
But there had been hard times before and Australian industrial centres had come through, he urged.
"It is not the time to play politics, it's not the time to indulge in the blame game, it's not the time to peddle false hope," he said.
But Opposition leader Bill Shorten didn't hold back in blaming the government for losing a high stakes game of poker.
"A major company who has been building motor cars in this country since after the Second World War has effectively been goaded to give up on this country," he told parliament.
The opposition was "appalled" by the government's handling of the crisis.
Something had changed between Holden and the government in 24 hours, Mr Shorten said.
"They were told by the federal government of Australia, who were elected to govern for all, that there would be no more support, no more investment, and I believe, that Holden were pushed," he said.
Mr Shorten called on Mr Abbott to urgently deal with the mess and chaos that has occurred while both leaders were in South Africa for Nelson Mandela's memorial service.
"We understand that structural change happens in the Australian economy, what we don't understand is when the Australian government tries to sabotage its own industry," Mr Shorten said, prompting Treasurer Joe Hockey to storm out of the parliament.
Earlier, parliament erupted during question time with Labor blaming the Abbott government for the loss of the 2900 jobs in Victoria and South Australia by 2017, while Mr Hockey angrily rejected Labor's "confected anger".
An emotional Acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek later castigated the coalition for withdrawing $500 million of car industry support and not properly engaging with Holden's US owner General Motors since it won the September election.
"It was Joseph Benedict Chifley who watched the first car roll off the production line at Fishermans Bend and it will be Joseph Benedict Hockey who sees the last car roll off the production line," she told reporters.
She said Mr Hockey has got his way after "goading and daring" Holden to withdraw from Australia.
Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss rejected the claims, saying he had been told by Holden the government's actions had little influence on GM's decision.
Mr Hockey said GM was right when it cited a "perfect storm" of "the sustained strength of the Australian dollar, high cost of production, small domestic market and arguably the most competitive and fragmented auto market in the world".
But he did add the former Labor government's carbon tax, its now scrapped plan to alter the fringe benefits tax arrangements on cars and high labour costs to the mix.
FROM carefree campervanner to Canberra crusader: it was a holiday around Australia that inspired Liberal Luke Howarth, federal member for Petrie, to have a crack at politics.
In his first speech to parliament on Wednesday, Mr Howarth said it wasn't until he travelled the nation with his wife and three boys in a campervan that he realised he could make a difference.
"In WA as we headed north into cattle country, we saw for ourselves the devastation of the knee-jerk decision by the previous Labor government to ban live exports without any consultation," he said.
"Families' incomes were destroyed overnight."
He said it was a similar story heading south from Darwin.
"We passed road trains, with huge signs written across the back, saying 'No carbon tax - call an election now'.
"It was at this point that I decided to run, and by winning, knew that I'd help the coalition win government."
Having been a small business owner, Mr Howarth said he was appalled at the turnaround for businesses just three years after the Howard government left office.
He was just as disappointed in what was happening to the nation's borders.
"A strong border protection policy, the Pacific Solution that had proven to work, was overturned by Labor without any thought of the consequences," he said.
Mr Howarth's Liberal colleague, Member for Barton Nickolas Varvaris, told the parliament he took a completely different road to federal politics.
He said he'd been a councillor of the Kogarah City Council since 1999 and was elected mayor six years ago.
In his maiden speech, Mr Varvaris revealed that his local region had just six Liberal councillors representing the community across all three levels of government when he first entered politics 14 years ago.
"This has progressively shifted to two Liberal federal members, two Liberal state members, and 16 Liberal councillors," he said.
"This is a remarkable transformation for the liberal Party and is clearly linked to the local representatives acting on behalf of the diverse community."
A WOMAN who wants to marry in a Church of Scientology chapel has won a battle in the UK's highest court.
Scientologist Louisa Hodkin took her fight to the Supreme Court after a High Court judge ruled that services run by Scientologists were not "acts of worship".
Five Supreme Court justices analysed the case at a hearing in London in July and ruled in her favour today, announcing that the Scientology church was a "place of meeting for religious worship".
Hodkin wants to marry fiance Alessandro Calcioli in a Church of Scientology chapel in central London.
She took legal action after the registrar general of births, deaths and marriages refused to register the London Church Chapel for the solemnisation of marriages because it was not a place for "religious worship".
The Supreme Court justices said religion should not be confined to faiths involving a "supreme deity".
They said the Church of Scientology held religious services, therefore its church was a "place of meeting for religious worship".
The justices unanimously allowed Hodkin's appeal against the High Court ruling.
In 1970 the Church of Scientology launched a similar case.
Then the Court of Appeal ruled that Scientology did not involve religious worship because there was no "veneration of God or of a Supreme Being".
FORMER attorney-general Mark Dreyfus, retired Liberal backbencher Judi Moylan and Labor's Melissa Parke have been honoured with awards for integrity in politics at a ceremony in Canberra.
The three were chosen from a field of 16 federal parliamentarians, with the awards recognising honesty, civility, independence and courage in politics.
Mr Dreyfus was presented the Button award for frontbenchers, named after longtime Labor senator and minister John Button, who was noted for his honesty and candour.
Ms Moylan and Ms Parke were awarded the Missen Award for backbenchers, in honour of the famously independent-minded Liberal senator Alan Missen, who voted against his own party 41 times.
The awards, for work in the previous parliament, were presented by transparency group the Accountability Roundtable.
Chair of the Roundtable Tim Smith QC praised Mr Dreyfus for his "outstanding commitment to serve the public interest", citing as achievements his central role in the passage of whistleblower protections and changes to the sexual discrimination act.
The former Labor government minister said he was proud to receive the Button reward, named after someone who had been a great figure in his life, someone he knew well and who had encouraged him to enter federal politics.
"I feel supported in all of the work that I've done, and it's good to have the work acknowledged," Mr Dreyfus said.
Ms Moylan, who retired at the September election and had her own reputation for crossing the floor, was honoured for, among many things, her advocacy of the rights of asylum seekers.
"In the 43rd parliament she ... sought to hold the government to account and to change policies of both government and opposition in a number of areas," Mr Smith said.
"In particular, she continued her attempts to depoliticise and change the policies of the government and the opposition in relation to asylum seekers."
Fremantle MP Ms Parke was honoured for her work on human rights and international relations, and for her role as chair of a federal committee overseeing the transparency of law enforcement bodies such as the Australian Federal Police and Customs.
"Her contribution to debate and deliberations on policy within and outside parliament on significant world and domestic matters at times challenged the government's position and administration of policy," Mr Smith said.
"Matters have included the treatment of asylum seekers, the rights of children, minorities and indigenous people, and issues of people trafficking, gene patents, animal welfare and the death penalty."
NZ Prime Minister John Key is only allowed to take one other person into Nelson Mandela's funeral. Source: AAP
NEW Zealand Prime Minister John Key's delegation at Nelson Mandela's funeral has hit a snag - there are five of them and only two can go into the stadium where the service is being held.
Mr Key was told of the restriction just after arriving in Johannesburg, One News reports.
Its correspondent reports Mr Key decided Labour leader David Cunliffe should go in with him.
The other three - Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples, former prime minister Jim Bolger and former foreign minister Sir Don McKinnon - would have to wait outside.
Shortage of space in the VIP area means most official delegations have had to trim their numbers.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie says Labor is betraying problem gamblers by agreeing to repeal reforms. Source: AAP
THE major parties have been accused of selling out problem gamblers after Labor agreed to help the federal government repeal the first national poker machine reform laws.
Anti-gambling campaigner and Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie described the move as a "shocking betrayal" of the Australian community.
"Both parties don't give a toss about problem gamblers and are beholden to their pokies industry political donors," Mr Wilkie said.
"The Labor party is weak and uncaring, and no better than the Liberals, when it comes to gambling reform."
Last year, the federal parliament passed watered-down measures aimed at curbing problem gambling after two years of vocal opposition from the clubs lobby.
The coalition is now seeking to repeal the legislation including ATM withdrawal limits at clubs and an ACT trial of mandatory precommitment technology.
Mandatory precommitment technology requires gamblers to nominate the amount of money they are prepared to lose on high-loss machines, which can chew through $1200 an hour.
The Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 is in the Senate after passing the lower house.
A spokesman for Labor frontbencher Claire Moore told AAP the opposition had offered qualified support for the government's bill, which also has several other miscellaneous changes to community and welfare programs.
The spokesman said Labor wanted to amend the bill to ensure that pokies venues carrying out voluntary precommitment technology trials can be connected to statewide schemes.
Problem gambling counsellor Kate Roberts told a Senate hearing on Monday that repealing the laws would put their efforts back 15 years.
Gary Hatcliffe told the hearing about struggling with his gambling addiction for 25 years.
He said it would have made a difference if ATMs not been readily available in pokies venues and he had been forced to leave clubs to take out money, thus getting out of the "zone".
Shares in Qantas have hit their lowest level ever as investors continue to desert the company. Source: AAP
QANTAS shares have hit a record low as investors continue to desert the company because of its financial woes.
Qantas shares were worth 96.5 cents at the close of trade on Tuesday, below the previous all-time low of 97 cents recorded in June 2012.
The shares dropped three cents on Tuesday, their fourth straight day of losses since the airline said it would make a $300 million loss in the six months to December 31.
The company's market value has fallen by $527 million in that time, to $2.12 billion.
It was worth $4.17 billion less than nine months ago.
Ratings agency Standard and Poor's lowered Qantas' credit rating as a result of its profit warning, which will increase the airlines' costs of funding and leasing expensive aircraft.
Qantas will cut at least 1,000 jobs as part of plans to make huge savings in the coming years, and is in talks with the federal government about possible changes to rules on foreign investment in the local aviation industry.
YOUNG people in NSW will struggle to buy property with state government cuts to the first home buyers grants effectively locking them out of the market, the state opposition says.
Monthly loan figures for October, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, show about seven per cent of loans taken to buy property were from first home buyers, shadow treasurer Michael Daley said.
In October 2010, the figure was around 17 per cent, he added.
"The disappointing figures follow (Premier) Barry O'Farrell's decision to dump the $7000 First Home Owner Grant and end stamp duty exemptions worth up to $17,990 for first home buyers purchasing existing homes," Mr Daley said.
"Instead, the government's New Home Grant Scheme has paid 9802 grants to property investors and existing home owners buying a second property - further putting first home buyers out of the market."
Under the changes, taxpayer's money is "assisting property speculators", Mr Daley said.
Comment is being sought from the government.
A Queensland man accused of murdering his wife was afraid she would kill him so he pushed her. Source: AAP
SEX and money motivated Klaus Andres to murder his wife, prosecutors have claimed, but the Queensland man says her death was an accident.
The 70-year-old has pleaded guilty to interfering with Li Ping Cao's corpse by dissolving her body in a wheelie bin of acid, but denies intentionally killing her.
He claims his wife twice stabbed him with a fork during an argument at the couple's Cairns home on October 30, 2011, so he pushed her, causing her to fall and die.
Andres says he then dissolved her body in acid because he panicked and thought he would be blamed for her death.
On Tuesday, Principal Crown Prosecutor Nigel Rees summed up his case by telling the court Andres killed his wife so his Thai mistress could move into his house.
He also said Andres wanted to get rid of his wife because a divorce would be costly.
"His motives are sex and money," he said.
Mr Rees directed the jury to an email Andres sent to his mistress overseas in the two months prior to his wife's death in which he said he had a "problem" that he needed to fix quickly.
In one email Andres said: "But I must be careful not to make a fatal mistake to make it more difficult for us."
He said if Ms Cao's death was an accident then Andres wouldn't have dissolved her body in acid.
Mr Rees disputed Andres' claim that he panicked after he accidentally caused his wife's death.
He pointed to the fact Andres admits walking along the Cairns esplanade where he ate an ice cream before returning home on October 31, 2011, and pouring acid on his wife's body.
"These are not actions of a panicked man, but of a calculated man," Mr Rees said.
Mr Rees described Andres as an "unmitigated liar" whose evidence couldn't be trusted because he lied to police and his family, saying Ms Cao had left him.
He said a doctor who examined Andres soon after his wife's death said wounds on his hand were unlikely to have been caused by a fork.
Defence lawyer Tony Glynn told the jury not to focus on whether they thought Andres was a good person, but whether the evidence proved he intended to kill his wife.
He said Andres lied to police and his family because he panicked and feared he would be blamed for her death.
Mr Glynn said there was a "lack of premeditation" as Andres bought the acid after his wife's death and also used her credit card to make the purchase.
"You simply don't do something like that if it was planned," he said.
"The death was an accident as it wasn't foreseeable by any ordinary person."
He said Andres had offered his wife $50,000 to divorce him which proves he didn't kill her to avoid a costly divorce.
Mr Glynn said emails Andres sent to his mistress prove he intended to legally divorce his wife and that he had accepted this would take 12 months.
He said a specialist forensic pathologist who gave evidence couldn't rule out that the wounds on Andres' hand were caused by a fork.
The jury will begin deliberations on Wednesday.
THE names of two men killed when they fell more than 20 metres down a mine shaft in western Tasmania have been released.
Queenstown men Craig Nigel Gleeson, 45, and Alistair Michael Lucas, 25, fell while doing maintenance work in a shaft at the Mt Lyell copper mine on Monday morning.
Tasmania Police said the second body had been recovered from underground and both would be taken to Hobart on Monday night.
The men fell between 20 and 35 metres, one man was brought to the surface but died on the way to hospital.
The other man died at the scene.
All operations at the mine were suspended until Tuesday morning, Copper Mines of Tasmania general manager Scot Clyde said.
"Our deepest sympathies are with the families of the two workers, their immediate work mates and also our other site employees who will be saddened by this tragic accident," Mr Clyde said in a statement.
The deaths are a blow to Queenstown, a remote mining community with a population of around 2000 people best known for its moonscape-like scarring from previous copper smelting.
The town last year commemorated the 100th anniversary of the North Mount Lyell mine disaster, one of Australia's worst, which killed 42 workers.
"It still has resonance and this will have resonance," Inspector Matthew Richman told AAP.
It was still unclear what had caused the fall, Insp Richman said.
"The coroner, Workplace Standards and police investigators are underground at the moment examining what happened," he said.
Tasmanian Minerals Council chief executive Terry Long said the deaths were the first in the state's mines since Larry Knight was killed in a rock fall that trapped two other miners in the Beaconsfield gold mine on Anzac Day 2006.
Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings offered her condolences.
"This is terrible news and our heartfelt sympathy goes to all those affected by this tragedy," Ms Giddings said in a statement.
"When people go to work we expect them to come home safely and our thoughts are with their loved ones at this time."
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union state secretary John Short said it was a devastating day for the workers' families and the community.
"This is a close-knit community, and this is truly devastating news," he said.
Copper Mines of Tasmania is a subsidiary of Indian company Vedanta.
A PROPOSAL for extra CCTV cameras in Sydney's busiest nightspots is set to become a reality after the City of Sydney Council endorsed the plan.
At a council meeting on Monday night, council unanimously carried the proposal to install the 10 new cameras in Surry Hills, the CBD and Kings Cross.
The push for extra security follows the one-punch death of teenager Thomas Kelly.
Mr Kelly died after he was king hit in Kings Cross in July 2012.
After the CCTV plan gained the rubber stamp, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement the new cameras would bring the total number in council's city network to 97.
"Our entire CCTV network is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we work closely with the NSW Police Force, regularly providing video footage and intelligence," she said.
Recently Ms Moore took a swipe at the state government, which she claimed was responsible for law and order.
She said council had stepped in to fund CCTV because no one else had.
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said on Sunday co-operation between the state and city council had seen a reduction in violence in Kings Cross following Mr Kelly's death.
PAPUA New Guinea's Defence Force Chief will have his term temporarily extended until a successor is found, prime minister Peter O'Neill says.
Brigadier General Francis Agwi made history during PNG's 2011-2012 political impasse by frequently denying high level political requests to declare martial law.
He refused to involve the armed forces in the 10 month, high-stakes battle between the Supreme court-backed former prime minister Sir Michael Somare and parliament-backed Mr O'Neill.
He was also briefly taken captive by a group of soldiers during a military mutiny sparked by supporters of Sir Michael.
"Agwi has shown professionalism and dedication in his years of service to the military and country," Mr O'Neill said in a statement on Monday.
"He led by example in maintaining stability in the force and I would like to thank him on behalf of the people of PNG for a job well done."
General Agwi's term as commander would have expired at midnight on Monday.
Mr O'Neill said the process to select the general's successor is underway.
A COMMUTER train has collided with a truck hauling petrol in Indonesia's capital, killing at least seven people and sending a fireball of orange flames and black smoke shooting skyward.
The collision in southern Jakarta on Monday killed the train engineer, a technician and at least five others, said Jakarta police spokesman Col. Rikwanto, who uses one name like many Indonesians. More than 70 people were injured, according to Budi Satriyo, chief of Suyoto Hospital.
"The engineer attempted to brake, but then a fuel truck ran onto the railway tracks and the brakes could not stop it from hitting the truck. It exploded and bounced off," said Imron, a passenger who escaped from a vehicle nearby. "It happened so fast!"
The burned-out passenger car was seen lying on its side while plumes of black smoke billowed from parts of the engulfed train. It was headed to central Jakarta when it hit the truck carrying 24,000 litres of petrol just before noon.
About 500 passengers were aboard the train's eight cars, and all train signals were working at the time of the crash, said train company spokesman Sukendar Mulya.
The driver survived and was being treated at a hospital.
Two train cars derailed, including a women-only car, as hundreds of panicked passengers ran away, many screaming and crying. Rescuers pulled out three bodies pinned under the wreckage, said Sukarno, a firefighter. The cause of the accident is being investigated.
"My position was near the door, but I could not move because I was ... trampled by other passengers," said Veronica, a commuter from the derailed women-only car, who uses only one name. "We managed to escape after people from outside broke the windows. I saw many victims with burns on their legs, hands and stomachs."
She said that the carriage quickly filled with thick smoke, making it difficult to breathe.
A QUEENSLAND man accused of murdering his wife says he accidentally killed her and then dissolved her body in acid to cover it up, a court has heard.
Klaus Andres, 70, is on trial at the Supreme Court in Cairns for the murder of Li Ping Cao, 42, on October 30, 2011, at the couple's Cairns home.
Andres has pleaded guilty to interfering with his wife's corpse - dissolving her body in a wheelie bin of acid - but says her death was an accident.
On Monday, Andres told the court the pair had been arguing about money and their relationship on October 30, 2011, when his wife stabbed his hand twice with a table fork.
He pushed her "not with excessive force" in the chest and she fell onto the kitchen tiles, he says.
"I said: 'Get up, do you need my help? But there was no response," he said.
Andres says his wife wasn't breathing and he couldn't find a pulse.
He says he was in shock and went to dial 000, but put down the phone when he realised he might be blamed for her death.
"I just thought: 'she's dead, no one can help her," he said.
"I was afraid of going through all of this that I'm going through now (the trial)."
He then lay on his bed and spent a sleepless night in the house with his dead wife.
When he saw her body in the morning he thought: "Why has this happened to Li Ping? It's not fair".
He then dumped her body in a wheelie bin and left it in the backyard.
Andres says later that day he bought 20 litres of hydrochloric acid and poured it into the wheelie bin.
He says he used the acid after he remembered a story he saw about the method on either SBS's Dateline or ABC's Foreign Correspondent - he doesn't recall which.
He dumped his wife's clothes and told friends and family she had left him after they had an argument.
Two days later he bought more acid and poured this into the wheelie bin.
Andres also admits "completely" lying to police during their investigation.
"I had to use one lie and then I had to use two lies to cover the first," he told the court.
Andres says that on the night his wife died she accused him of using her for cleaning, cooking and sex.
He told the court the couple had been unhappy for sometime.
Andres said he paid for nearly all of the household expenses, encouraged her to make friends in Cairns and helped her to get a driver's licence.
He admitted to having an affair with a Thai woman in the months leading up to his wife's death and said he wanted the woman to move to Australia.
Prosecutors have argued Andres' actions before and after his wife's death prove he murdered her.
Andres, who moved to Australia from Germany in 1982, married Ms Cao, who is from China, in 2006.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
OPPOSITION claims that sick Victorian kids are being forced to wait due to delays in building a children's hospital are wrong and hypocrisy in the extreme, the health minister says.
Baulderstone Pty Ltd will build the 230-bed Monash Children's Hospital, with construction to begin mid-next year, it was announced on Sunday.
But opposition health spokesman Gavin Jennings says the hospital should be being finished now, not being started, with the government promising to deliver it in its first term.
"Families who have been waiting for better care for their children, continue to wait," he told reporters.
"Families are waiting longer than they should have."
Health Minister David Davis said the government had promised to start building the hospital in its first term.
He said Labor's delay claims were wrong and "hypocrisy in the extreme" because they failed to build the hospital in 11 years in government.
"(Now Opposition Leader) Daniel Andrews was parliamentary secretary for health first and health minister later and he allocated not one cent to build the Monash Children's Hospital," Mr Davis told AAP.
He said the need for a dedicated children's hospital in Melbourne's southeast was first identified a decade ago.
"This is an important hospital for Melbourne's southeast, a hospital that we look forward to seeing in operation," Mr Davis said.
US doctors say gene therapy can be used to transform patients' blood cells that can fight cancer. Source: AAP
IN one of the biggest advances against leukaemia and other blood cancers in many years, doctors are reporting unprecedented success by using gene therapy to transform patients' blood cells into soldiers that seek and destroy cancer.
A few patients with one type of leukaemia were given this one-time, experimental therapy several years ago and some remain cancer-free today. Now, at least six research groups have treated more than 120 patients with many types of blood and bone marrow cancers, with stunning results.
"It's really exciting," said Dr Janis Abkowitz, blood diseases chief at the University of Washington in Seattle and president of the American Society of Hematology. "You can take a cell that belongs to a patient and engineer it to be an attack cell."
In one study, all five adults and 19 of 22 children with acute lymphocytic leukaemia, or ALL, had a complete remission, meaning no cancer could be found after treatment, although a few have relapsed since then.
These were gravely ill patients out of options. Some had tried multiple bone marrow transplants and up to 10 types of chemotherapy or other treatments.
Cancer was so advanced in eight-year-old Emily Whitehead of Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, that doctors said her major organs would fail within days. She was the first child given the gene therapy and shows no sign of cancer today, nearly two years later.
Results on other patients with myeloma, lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, or CLL, will be reported at the hematology group's conference that starts on Saturday in New Orleans.
Doctors say this has the potential to become the first gene therapy approved in the United States and the first for cancer worldwide. Only one gene therapy is approved in Europe, for a rare metabolic disease.
The treatment involves filtering patients' blood to remove millions of white blood cells called T-cells, altering them in the lab to contain a gene that targets cancer, and returning them to the patient in infusions over three days.
"What we are giving essentially is a living drug" - permanently altered cells that multiply in the body into an army to fight the cancer, said Dr David Porter, a University of Pennsylvania scientist who led one study.
Several drug and biotech companies are developing these therapies. Penn has patented its method and licensed it to Switzerland-based Novartis AG. The company is building a research centre on the Penn campus in Philadelphia and plans a clinical trial next year that could lead to federal approval of the treatment as soon as 2016.
Talking with the researchers, "there is a sense of making history ... a sense of doing something very unique," said Herv Hoppenot, president of Novartis Oncology, the division leading the work.
MP Josh Frydenberg says there are limits to the support the federal government can give car makers. Source: AAP
FEDERAL coalition coffers cannot be used as an ATM for struggling car companies like Holden, one coalition MP says.
Liberal Mr Frydenberg, who is a parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, says the role of government is to create an environment where businesses can prosper.
"But it's not to be there as the banker for free enterprise," he told Sky News on Sunday.
"We cannot use the taxpayer as an ATM for the car industry."
Mr Frydenberg repeated government calls for Holden to declare the fate of its Australian manufacturing operations, with speculation that it has already decided to close by 2016.
Holden officials will provide some details about where the company is heading at a Productivity Commission inquiry hearing in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Mr Frydenberg says the government hopes the car maker will stay in Australia, but there are "certainly limits" to the amount of support it can provide.
"We have $1 billion committed to 2015 in the automotive transformation scheme," he said.
"That money is available to the sector."
Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says Holden is too important for the government to let it "walk away" from Australia.
He said the car industry around the world involved huge amounts of government intervention: "You have to accept that reality".
"If we do want a car industry, then we need to recognise that we're dealing with a global situation in which governments intervene to support their car industry," Mr Bowen told Sky News.
"If Australia's going to have one, we have to play on the same field."
He said it would be "very difficult" for Toyota to maintain its local operations if Holden left.
Earlier this year Ford announced it would end manufacturing in Australia in 2016.
The NSW Opposition wants free weekend transport to and from the Blue Mountains to boost business. Source: AAP
THE NSW government should provide free bus and train rides to and from the Blue Mountains these holidays to help businesses recover from the October bushfires, the state opposition says.
The government needs to encourage visitors back with the message that the Blue Mountains is open for business, Opposition Leader John Robertson says.
Analysis by Blue Mountains Lithgow & Oberon Tourism and Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise estimates 200 jobs and more than $47 million in tourism revenue have been lost in the six weeks following the bushfires.
Domestic day trips alone are estimated to be down by more than 144,000.
Mr Robertson says there are dozens of bus and train services to the Blue Mountains every weekend.
"These public transport services should be free and promoted across the Sydney Trains network to encourage families and tourists to plan a trip to the mountains."
Opposition transport spokeswoman Penny Sharpe says she's written to Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian asking that Labor's proposal be implemented immediately, effective until the Australia Day long weekend.
"For a family of two adults and two children it would cost $34.80 on a Saturday to travel from Central to Springwood by train ... that's $34 better spent in a Blue Mountains small business."
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill says many visitors had been scared away by the bushfires.
"We have hundreds of thousands of hectares of world heritage listed National Park with breathtaking scenery, pristine waterways and amazing walking tracks," he said.
"We welcome any proposal that encourages visitors and their wallets to our region."
Ms Berejiklian said in a statement that the NSW government had announced funding for a campaign to encourage tourists to visit the Blue Mountains and continued to work with the community to help those impacted.
"An auction of Sydney Trains lost property items held on Saturday raised thousands of dollars that will be donated to victims of the Blue Mountains bushfire," she said.
The minister also said the government had announced residents would not be charged for water used to defend their homes during the bushfires.
Fees to replace documents such as birth certificates and driver licences had also been waived along with fees for taking bushfire waste to the tip, Ms Berejiklian said.
Expanding children's literacy and numeracy levels is a primary target in a bold plan for Queensland. Source: AAP
AN ambitious 30-year plan for Queensland aims to have half of the state's population living outside the southeast and to narrow the gap between the wealthy and poor.
Ensuring all Queensland children have basic literacy and numeracy when they finish primary school is another key target in The Queensland Plan, released for review on Sunday.
Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Andrew Powell says the bar has been set high.
"The working draft is based on a compilation of what Queenslanders have told us they want in 30 years' time," he said in a statement.
"We don't expect everyone will agree with these preliminary targets, but we now have a great opportunity as a community to realise the future we want."
Mr Powell is urging all Queenslanders to have a look at the draft to ensure the 30-year vision reflects the aspirations of the Sunshine State.
"Test us. These targets are bold, they are different and some have never been measured in Australia before," he said.
Ensuring Queenslanders have the lowest incidence of preventable diseases in Australia and increasing the life expectancy of the state's indigenous peoples are also among the 16 primary targets outlined in the draft plan.
The final Queensland Plan is expected to be released by mid-2014.
The working draft is online and will be available for review until March 7 2014.
