Lightning breaks finger off Rio's Christ

Lightning broke a finger off the already-damaged right hand of Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue. Source: AAP

LIGHTNING has broken a finger off the right hand of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

Father Omar, rector of the shrine that holds the statue, told the Globo radio station that lightning frequently strikes the 30-metre-high statue, a symbol of Rio that overlooks the Brazilian city from the peak of the 700-metre Corcovado mountain.

Its right hand had been damaged sometime ago, but the finger finally broke off in a storm late Thursday.

"They say lightning does not strike the same spot twice. But with the Christ it does," the priest said on Friday.

A lightning rod and other equipment are in place "to protect the image," but they do not always do the trick, he said.

Father Omar noted that people who work at the site are usually warned in advance by city officials about electrical storms so they can ensure the safety of the thousands of visitors at the site on top of Corcovado mountain.

"I have already endured the situation of being at the Christ at a time of rain and a lot of lightning, and it is scary. But we have a plan to quickly take all visitors away from there," the priest said.

The statue is set to be refurbished next month, so this and other damage are set to be fixed.

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Order out to arrest PNG opposition leader

Orders have been issued for the arrest of PNG's opposition leader over police threat allegations. Source: AAP

ORDERS have been issued for the arrest of Papua New Guinea's opposition leader amid allegations he threatened the nation's police commissioner.

The country's top cop, Tom Kulunga, on Saturday ordered the arrest of Belden Namah on allegations the former deputy prime minister threatened him in a letter.

In the letter Mr Namah allegedly demanded Mr Kulunga reinstate four policemen who were suspended after a warrant was issued for the arrest of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

"Failure to accede to my request will result in me taking unprecedented measure to have you arrested and charged under Section 128 of the Criminal Code," Mr Namah is alleged to have said in a letter to Mr Kulunga on Friday.

Mr Kulunga said the statement amounted to a threat.

"I will not allow the actions of an impatient, irrational and erratic man to threaten peace and stability within the country. He will be arrested forthwith for threatening," Mr Kulunga said in a statement.

"We are fed up with the tantrums of the Opposition Leader who is acting like an impatient, insensitive and thoughtless child.

"He does not respect the rule of law nor does he respect the systems and processes in place."

AAP understands Mr Namah is at his residence near Parliament House in Port Moresby.

Mr Kulunga said the matter of the suspended officers was due to be heard by a court on Monday.

"And yet he has seen fit to write to me and threaten to arrest me over this matter," Mr Kulunga said.

"The Opposition Leader thinks he can take on the roles and responsibilities of everyone.

"Here he is a complainant, an investigator, a prosecutor and now he wants to be the judge also."

Mr Namah was PNG's deputy prime minister until he split with Mr O'Neill just before the 2012 election.

As deputy prime minister, Mr Namah once stormed the Supreme Court and demanded the arrest of the nation's Chief Justice.

More recently, the former military officer demanded the arrest of Mr O'Neill on allegations he ordered illegal payments of state money to controversial law firm Paul Paraka lawyers.

Mr O'Neill repeatedly denied the allegations and has called Mr Namah a nuisance.

Last week he ordered police to investigate Mr Namah and the four police officers, after a court issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr O'Neill, his treasurer Don Polye and Finance Minister James Marape.

The country's anti-corruption watchdog, Taskforce Sweep, says its investigations have not turned up enough evidence to charge the prime minister.

Mr O'Neill controls a coalition government of more than 90 MPs out of 111.

Mr Namah leads an opposition of about five MPs.

Comment has been sought from Mr Namah.

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Tandy co-accused to face court

A SECOND man will join disgraced rugby league player Ryan Tandy in court after being charged with detaining a man on the Central Coast.

Tandy was arrested in Terrigal on Thursday and appeared in Gosford Local Court on Friday after being held in custody overnight.

It is alleged the former Bulldogs prop, along with two others, detained a man over a drug debt.

On Saturday police said a 37-year-old man had been arrested on Friday, following the incident on Thursday.

He has also been charged with detaining a person with intent to obtain advantage.

Detectives also executed a search warrant at a home in Picketts Valley where they allegedly found cash, drugs and electronic control devices.

The 37-year-old and Tandy are due to front Gosford Local Court on Monday.

Police inquiries are continuing.

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US model jailed for league star's death

US model Cara Cameron will spend four years in prison over rugby league player Gary Mara's death. Source: AAP

JULIANNE Mara stood up in the Los Angeles courtroom and looked across at Cara Cameron, the California model who minutes later would be sentenced to four years' prison.

Ms Mara wept as she spoke about husband Gary Mara, a former Balmain rugby league winger and the father of their nine-year-old daughter Olivia - and three other girls from a previous marriage.

"Because of this horrific accident you have taken away our world, our provider, our king," Ms Mara, through tears, told Cameron, 28.

The Maras' and Cameron's lives collided in the Los Angeles seaside suburb of Santa Monica on August 21, 2012.

The Maras had flown from Sydney to the US for a holiday, which doubled as a 10-year wedding anniversary and Mr Mara's 50th birthday celebration.

They were crossing an intersection against the "do not walk" signal when Cameron, with a blood/alcohol level of 0.11, marijuana in her system and wearing just one contact lens, sped through.

She was travelling at 43 miles per hour (70km/h) in a 30 (48km/h) zone.

Her car struck Mr Mara and Olivia.

Olivia was thrown in the air and landed on her back.

Mr Mara's body was crushed and he was left crumpled on the road coughing up blood and fighting to stay alive.

He died in hospital the next day while Olivia's injuries were minor.

"Kissing my dead husband goodbye on a hospital table was the hardest, saddest day of my life, knowing I would never hear his voice, feel his touch, smell his scent ever again in his lifetime," Ms Mara said.

"Watching our daughter taking her father's hands and placing them on her cheeks was simply heartbreaking."

Cameron, who until Friday's sentencing, had not shown a sliver of remorse in court appearances, told Ms Mara she wished she was the person who died.

Cameron has a drink-driving history, with a conviction in 2007.

She was only allowed back on the roads in 2011.

Prosecutors originally charged her with murder, but in a plea deal she agreed last month to plead no contest to a charge of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, serve four years in prison and pay the Maras $US100,000.

"I wished that it had been me instead," Cameron told Ms Mara.

"I wished we could switch places.

"That is not what God decided."

The most harrowing period of the sentencing came when Ms Mara read a letter to Cameron penned by Olivia, who opted not to attend the court.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt or kill my Dad, but you have made people heartbroken," Olivia wrote in her letter.

"You have made me a worried person. You have also hurt my Mum's feelings, her heart and mine. I feel exactly the same way. I always think about it. My Mum asks 'Are you OK?'. I say 'yes', but I'm actually not. It made me keep my feelings in and not out.

"Before I hated you so, so, so bad but now I kind of got over it but I still hate you. I hope you will be a much better person after jail. Don't drink drive, don't go on drugs and don't do anything that can kill another person.

"I hope you learn your lesson."

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Conditions ease as SA sees property loss

TWELVE homes have been lost in South Australia as thousands of hectares lay scorched across the state.

But easing weather conditions have enabled firefighters to gain the upper hand on a large blaze in the Eden Valley on Saturday night.

Residents of the small town of Truro were issued an emergency warning on Saturday afternoon, as the large fire made a run towards the Sturt Highway.

The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) warned that the blaze, which has burnt through more than 22,500 hectares since Friday, was putting lives and homes at risk.

But by about 8pm (CST) the CFS had downgraded the alert to a watch and act.

However, the CFS said weather conditions were erratic, so people should remain vigilant.

The downgrade came after about 160 firefighters were supported by nine aircraft at the fire throughout Saturday, a CFS spokesman told AAP.

The fire was one of five out-of-control blazes in the state.

Also of concern was a fire at Bangor in the southern Flinders Ranges, where the CFS said conditions were continually changing.

A watch and act alert was issued in the afternoon, with residents urged not to return to the area until advised.

But the CFS spokesman said crews had experienced a "pretty reasonable day", with milder conditions allowing firefighters to get the better of some blazes.

"We have had a day where we have been able to consolidate a lot of fires and nothing new has kicked off."

Five homes have been lost in the Bangor blaze, with two destroyed in the Billiat park region and five lost in Eden Valley.

However, the CFS said the number could increase as damage assessment crews were deployed.

There has been substantial stock losses.

Premier Jay Weatherill said it would be an achievement if the state came through the fires without loss of life or substantial property loss.

For those who have been affected, disaster relief assistance would be made available.

"For those people who have lost their homes and other property including livestock, this will be devastating," Mr Weatherill said in a statement on Saturday.

"We will respond to each and every one of those families to make sure that they have the support they need to be able to cope with the losses that they've suffered."

CFS assistant chief officer Rob Sandford said while firefighters had gained the upper hand, he called on people to remain on alert.

"Anywhere where we have had a fire in the last seven days, people need to be vigilant because whilst the threat may have reduced with the cooler temperatures, the wind is still reasonably strong and gusty," he told the ABC.

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Brisbane heritage buildings gone to dogs

THREE heritage buildings in Brisbane's CBD have gone to the dogs.

But only temporarily.

A developer has been given the green light to demolish the historic brick buildings and replace them with a temporary dog park.

While the buildings aren't heritage-listed, two are more than 100 years old.

The development approval has outraged Brisbane Heritage, the group that started an online campaign in a bid to save the Margaret Street architecture.

"It's a dog of an idea," Brisbane Heritage spokesman John Macdonald told AAP.

"We're not against the development of the site, but want to see the buildings integrated into any future plans.

"They could easily be incredible, beautiful buildings."

Millionaire mogul Sam Chong and his son Paul lodged the demolition application with Brisbane City Council in mid-December.

The application attracted 122 submissions and a 1300-signature petition, while over 900 emails were sent to the Lord Mayor in protest.

But the campaign to prevent 100 years of history from becoming a dog park was short-lived.

Brisbane City Council this week approved the demolition, but says the green pocket isn't a "dog park" despite it including a water basin and refuse bin for canines.

The development that will eventually replace the dog park is a work in progress.

Architect Noel Robinson says plans are being developed for a 300-room five star hotel and about 500 apartments over 60 levels.

His firm says the buildings must be removed as they're laden with asbestos and homeless people are risking their lives by trespassing on the site.

But Mr Macdonald says campaigners will keep fighting to save them.

"We are not giving up," he said.

"We will now focus on the developers to hopefully get them to change their mind."

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Arsonists light Vic urban fringe fires

ARSONISTS have deliberately sparked 12 fires in Victoria as soaring temperatures and strong winds create the most dangerous fire conditions since Black Saturday.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said police believe 12 of the 68 fires burning across the state were deliberately lit.

Most of those fires were sparked on the urban fringes of Melbourne, including three grass fires in Epping, in the city's north.

Detectives are now investigating those fires.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine said it was a disgraceful act for anyone to deliberately start a blaze on a day of high fire danger.

"There are no words that can be used to describe the lowlife that would light fires in these situations," he told reporters.

"They are putting lives at risk."

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Indonesia 'deplores' border breaches

Asylum seekers say they were given a boat by Australian authorities to return to Indonesia. Source: AAP

INDONESIA has demanded the Abbott government immediately suspend its policy of turning asylum seeker boats back after the Australian navy breached its territorial waters.

The Indonesian government say it deplores the breaches and its navy will also ramp up patrols in areas where the incidents occurred in what appears a serious decline in already fractured relations.

A stern warning from Indonesia, contained in a statement issued on Friday afternoon, came after Immigration Minister Scott Morrison confirmed Australian navy vessels had entered Indonesian waters without permission while conducting border protection operations.

"The government of Indonesia deplores and rejects the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity by the Australian vessels," the statement read.

"The government of Indonesia underlines that any of such violation of whatever basis constitutes a serious matter in bilateral relations of the two countries.

"Indonesia therefore demands that such violation will not recur in the future.

"The government of Indonesia has the right to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with international laws and the charter of the United Nations.

"Indonesia demands that such operation conducted by the Australian government that led to this incident to be suspended until formal clarification is received and assurances of no recurrence of such incidents has been provided."

"While we take note such assurance that Australia fully respects Indonesia's territorial sovereignty, Indonesia rejects the so-called 'turn back boats' policy and ... any unilateral action which risks the recurrence of similar incidents in the future."

The statement, which was released by the office of Indonesia's Co-ordinating Minister for Politics, Security and Law, also demanded a more detailed explanation as to how Australian navy vessels had strayed into Indonesian waters.

The statement came after a spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono earlier suggested Indonesia was dissatisfied with Australia's response to the incidents.

Teuku Faizasyah, the president's spokesman on foreign affairs, confirmed to AAP that Dr Yudhoyono had been briefed on reports of the territorial incursions.

He said Dr Yudhoyono had also been made aware of Australia's "expression of regret" in relation to the incidents.

Despite the government repeatedly promising to respect Indonesia's territorial sovereignty, Mr Morrison on Friday admitted to a number of incursions by Australian vessels during Operation Sovereign Borders.

It is unclear whether the navy ships were turning back asylum seeker boats when they entered Indonesian waters.

"This was done unintentionally and without knowledge or sanction by the Australian government," Mr Morrison said.

"The Australian government takes our shared commitment with Indonesia to mutually respect the sovereignty of each nation very, very seriously."

An Indonesian spokesman warned the latest incident was likely to put further strain on relations between Jakarta and Canberra, already at their lowest point in more than a decade in the wake of last year's spying row.

"If they entered Indonesian waters like that, this will only worsen the situation and the relationship between Indonesia and Australia," Agus Barnas said.

A rapprochement between the countries following Jakarta's decision late last year to freeze co-operation with Australia in the wake of the spying row is now in serious jeopardy.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop apologised to her Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa on Thursday, while Mr Morrison said a more formal apology will be provided to the Indonesian government via the Australian embassy in Indonesia.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the government needs to stop blaming the navy and take responsibility for its own border protection policy.

"These service men and women do an extremely tough job under very difficult circumstances and they shouldn't be blamed for the failings of the Abbott government and its policies," Mr Shorten said.

Mr Morrison could not be contacted for comment on the Indonesian government's statement.

The Australian embassy's deputy head of mission in Jakarta David Engel visited the Indonesian Foreign Ministry late on Friday afternoon where he delivered a formal apology to the Indonesian government.

Mr Engel described the meeting as "constructive" and "cordial".

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Woman dead as Vic fires intensify

A BUSHFIRE that has claimed a woman's life is creating its own weather as it rages through a popular Victorian tourist region.

The Grampians blaze is one of 70 fires burning across Victoria, after the state suffered through a four-day heatwave and some of the worst fire conditions since Black Saturday.

The woman was found dead at her Roses Gap property, at the northeastern edge of the Grampians National Park, on Friday morning.

Tourists and most residents of Halls Gap and surrounding areas left the area on Friday after an evacuation notice was issued.

Halls Gap still faces a serious threat from the fire, which was bearing down on the town on Friday evening, pushed by 80-100km/h winds.

The Grampians complex has grown to 21,000 hectares in size and has created a 12km-wide convection column, generating its own weather and lightning strikes and sparking smaller spotfires.

Rohan McDonald, owner of the Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park, said a massive plume of smoke that resembled an atomic bomb was visible in the town.

He said his 100 campsites and 20 cabins had evacuated.

"They all started leaving last night when they saw the big red glow on top of the mountain," he told AAP.

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said the fire risk would continue at the weekend.

"There will be pressure on those fires for some hours, extending into Saturday," he told reporters.

Mr Lapsley said Friday was only the beginning of a serious bushfire season.

"We're only at the start of what is a significant fire period," he said.

"Today is one of those days that certainly will be marked in the history of Victoria for the types of fires and the conditions that have led up to it."

The Grampians fire has caused building damage at the Troopers Creek Tavern and the Happy Wanderers Holiday Resort at Wartook while the CFA says the town of Heathvale has also been affected.

Mr Lapsley said the southwesterly change had brought with it strong winds, making the fire potentially lethal.

"There is a fair chance of losing property and even, if people are caught in the wrong space, a life could be lost," he said.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine said the woman's death was a timely reminder about the importance of listening to bushfire warnings.

"This should be a very, very salient lesson to everybody that when you're told to leave, when you're told that there is a huge risk to your life and property, then your life is worth saving by leaving early," he said.

Fires have burnt through more than 40,000 hectares in the Mallee region and are expected to continue through the weekend.

In East Gippsland, in the eastern corner of the state, a series of 25 fires sparked by lightning were merging to create a single, massive bushfire which authorities warned could grow to half a million hectares in size.

Emergency Services Minister Kim Wells said the focus of firefighting efforts would be to protect crucial electricity transmission assets in the area.

While most of the state was cooled by the southwesterly change, conditions in the state's northeast will still be extremely hot on Saturday, with the temperature forecast to reach 40C at Wangaratta and 42C at Wodonga.

A total fire ban has been declared for the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North East, East Gippsland and West and South Gippsland fire districts on Saturday.

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Bikie charged over Sydney home invasion

Police have charged a member of the Bandidos over a home invasion and assault in Sydney's west. Source: AAP

A HIGH-RANKING member of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang has been charged over a home invasion and assault in Sydney's west.

Police say that on November 14 last year two men forced entry to a home at Werrington Downs and threatened and detained a 41-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter until the woman's son returned home.

They allegedly demanded money from the son before assaulting him with a spanner.

The 25-year-old man was taken to Nepean Hospital for treatment and police were alerted.

Following police inquiries officers on Thursday executed a search warrant at a home in Quakers Hill and arrested a 28-year-old man.

He was charged with aggravated break and enter, aggravated detain for advantage, demand money with menace and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The man, an alleged high-ranking member of the Bandidos OMCG, was refused bail to appear at Blacktown Local Court on Friday.

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DOC hopeful stranded whales will escape

THE Department of Conservation (DOC) hopes a dozen stranded pilot whales will swim to safety after 40 volunteers attempted to refloat the animals on Tuesday night.

Thirteen whales were stranded near the base of Farewell Spit on the northern tip of the South Island on Tuesday morning.

All but one survived the day thanks to 40 volunteers, many from Project Jonah, who kept the whales cool, wet and shielded from the sun.

DOC and the volunteers managed to float the whales in the high tide on Tuesday night, but the light dimmed before they had a chance to bring the whales together as a pod, Takaka ranger Greg Napp told NZ Newswire.

The whales were spread out over 100 metres, but bringing them together would allow them to communicate and swim out together, he said.

But he remained hopeful the whales, which were floating, would get out to sea.

"They could well swim off tonight and hopefully they will," he said.

If they stayed near the shore, they were likely to be stranded again, he said.

Mr Napp said the whales had been in various states of distress while stranded.

DOC was alerted to a pod of about 60 whales close to the shore off Taupata Point about 8am on Tuesday.

DOC staff lost sight of the other 50 or so pilot whales in the pod, which were still at sea.

Rangers will look for more stranded whales at first light on Wednesday.

Pilot whales regularly become stranded on Farewell Spit and last Monday 39 were stranded near the base. All died naturally or were euthanised.

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Temps hit mid 40s

Fire and health services are on high alert as southern Australia enter day two of a heatwave. Source: AAP

IT'S so hot in southeast Australia, even the bitumen in Tasmania is melting.

As the bottom end of the country withers in the heat, South Australia's heatwave is challenging records dating back more than 70 years and Melbourne is facing its longest run of 40 degree days since 1908.

The South Australian town of Keith recorded the highest temperature in the country on Tuesday with 47.2C as Adelaide sweltered through 45C, one degree short of its all time high set on January 12, 1939.

The heatwave which ignited destructive fires in Perth on the weekend has moved across the country and will give Adelaide five consecutive days above 40C, its third longest hot spell.

Wednesday is expected to get to 45C and the record could be broken on Thursday with a forecast of 46C before a cool change to 40C on Friday, plummeting to 20 on the weekend.

In Victoria, Charlton and Longerenong were two towns to reach 46C on Tuesday, while Avalon hit 45.8 and other towns sweated with no power and grassfires burned as the mercury hit 40 in all nine of the Bureau of Meteorology's forecast districts.

Melbourne, which reached 42.8, is now set to endure four days in a row above 40 after the bureau upgraded Wednesday's forecast to 41.

It'll be the first time the city has endured such a heatwave since 1908, when there was a five-day streak above 40C, Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Stuart Coombs said.

"It would go down as the second longest run of 40s since records started in 1835 in Melbourne," he said.

"There will be very little relief during the overnight periods and that's going to make this a very arduous spell of weather for people to get through."

Several fires flared across SA and Victoria on Tuesday but the run of heat is expected to produce extreme fire conditions by the end of the week.

Paramedics dealt with 35 cases of heat exhaustion or heat stroke across Victoria by late afternoon.

In normally cool Tasmania, police had reports of melting bitumen as temperatures were about 18 degrees above the average across the state, hitting 40C in Melton Mowbray and Bushy Park, while Strahan reached its second equal highest temperature of 38.

Hobart went over the 30C mark and will get up to 36 on Friday.

Launceston reached 34.6 on Tuesday and is forecast to hit 38 on Wednesday, remaining in the mid-30s for the rest of the working week.

While most of NSW escaped the worst of the heat, Swan Hill and Mildura both hit 45.2C, while Deniliquin reached 44.3C.

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Plot change for US version of Broadchurch

FOX'S entertainment chairman says a remake of the British police drama Broadchurch for US viewers will be faithful to the original, to a point.

Network executive Kevin Reilly said on Monday that the Fox series, titled Gracepoint, will be 10 episodes instead of the eight for Broadchurch. It will also feature a different lead actress and a twist in the ending.

Gracepoint goes into production within a few weeks. It will star the British show's male lead, David Tennant, as a troubled police detective. But Olivia Coleman, who played a dowdy small-town detective and family woman, won't be opposite him again.

Instead, Anna Gunn of Breaking Bad, has been cast in the Fox remake.

Broadchurch was shown in Australia on the ABC in 2013.

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Missing man feared daughter's relocation

Water police have joined the search for Greg Hutchings and daughter Eeva Dorendahl(pic). Source: AAP

A NSW man may be missing with his four-year-old daughter after discovering his former partner might have been planning to move to Finland with the child.

Greg Hutchings and his daughter Eeva Dorendahl, 4, were last seen on Pottsville Road at Pottsville in northern NSW on Saturday.

Mr Hutchings had arranged to meet his former partner, Eeva's mother, in Pottsville around midday but he never showed.

Mr Hutchings' family have since revealed the 35-year-old may have been concerned Eeva was going to go overseas.

His sister, Sheri Hutchings, said the discovery of a Finnish passport was possibly the catalyst.

"Greg has lived and loved that little girl with the lightest of love and would never compromise her safety," she wrote on her Facebook page.

"He has been concerned that Eeva's mum might relocate them to Finland without Greg's knowledge.

"His discovery of a secret Finnish passport for Eeva has probably been the catalyst for his hesitation in returning Eeva to her mum."

Ms Hutchings said she had complete trust Eeva was safe, happy and very well cared for.

Police would not comment on whether a passport was a motive for the disappearance.

Emergency services, including jet skis and a police helicopter, continued the search for Mr Hutchings and Eeva around Pottsville on Tuesday.

Crews scoured waterways and beaches but could not find the missing pair.

Tweed Police Inspector Gary Cowan said the pair had camped in the area before.

"It's an area where the dad and daughter have been camping before so if they have gone to ground for whatever reason, they've probably got food and water there," he told the ABC on Tuesday.

The search is expected to continue throughout the night and into Wednesday.

It has been reported Eeva was due to return home to the Sunshine Coast with her mother after staying with Mr Hutchings in Pottsville.

Mr Hutchings is of Caucasian appearance, about 175cm tall, with short brown curly hair and of a thin build.

Police say he was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, grey trousers and carrying a black backpack.

Eeva is also of Caucasian appearance, with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

She was last seen wearing an oversized blue and white-coloured shirt and multicoloured board shorts.

Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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NSW cyclist dies following crash

A FEMALE cyclist has died four days after a crash south of Sydney.

Emergency services were called to McKell Avenue at Waterfall on Saturday morning after reports a cyclist and a car had collided.

Officers found a 35-year-old woman with serious injuries.

Police were told the woman was riding along the road when she collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction.

Police say the woman died in hospital on Tuesday.

Inquiries into the crash are continuing, police say.

A 23-year-old man died late on Monday night when his car ran off the road and hit a tree late at Salamander Bay near Port Stephens.

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Ex-teen star David Cassidy arrested in LA

Seventies actor David Cassidy was arrested in southern California on suspicion of drunken driving. Source: AAP

SEVENTIES heartthrob David Cassidy has been arrested in southern California on suspicion of drunken driving.

The California Highway Patrol says the 63-year-old Cassidy was pulled over on Friday night near Los Angeles International Airport after an officer spotted him making an illegal right turn against a red light.

He was arrested after the officer smelled alcohol in the rental car.

The Sheriff's Inmate Information Center says Cassidy was released on Saturday morning on $US15,000 ($A16,917) bail and is scheduled to appear in court on February 5.

Cassidy appeared in TV's The Partridge Family from 1970-1974 and was a recording star and teen idol.

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UK army cuts jobs but wants recruits

The British government is to have further army redundancies to reduce the organisation's size. Source: AAP

THE British government is to have another round of army redundancies as it continues to reduce the organisation's size.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed there are more cuts on the way though the numbers involved are unclear.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper says it had been told that the army would cut around 3000 jobs this year, but a government source said the figure under discussion was lower.

The regular army is being cut from 102,000 to 82,000 over a number of years while the newly renamed Army Reserve - formerly the Territorial Army - is being expanded from 19,000 to 30,000.

The newspaper said the latest losses are planned as the final wave of job cuts that will see the army lose the 20,000 posts by 2020. Thousands of jobs have already gone in the past three years.

The cuts come despite the army starting a recruitment campaign for both regular troops and reservists after saying it was struggling to attract applicants.

Mr Hammond said a television advertising campaign would "dispel forever the myth that somehow the army isn't recruiting".

Mr Hammond added that 2013 "was not a good year for recruitment".

The new campaign will introduce a simpler online application form, a more streamlined medical clearance process and an army fitness app.

The cuts will be announced next week, the newspaper said.

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One dead, widespread destruction in Tonga

Category-five Tropical Cyclone Ian has left one person dead after it ripped through Tonga. Source: AAP

THE most powerful cyclone ever to slam into the South Pacific tourist destination of Tonga has destroyed villages, flattened trees and left at least one person dead.

Up to 70 per cent of houses and buildings in the central Ha'apai islands group - which is home to about 8000 people and bore the brunt of Cyclone Ian - were damaged or destroyed.

The Tongan government on Sunday declared a state of emergency in the Ha'apai region after it was pounded by winds in excess of 200 kilometres an hour, which whipped up mountainous seas around coastal villages.

Although initial reports when the cyclone hit on Saturday said there had only been minor damage, the full extent of the destruction began to emerge when communications were partially restored a day later.

"Seventy per cent of houses (on Ha'apai) are damaged or blown away, and the rest of the 30 per cent are affected by water," Tongan military commander Satisi Vunipola told reporters.

Residents on Ha'apai's main island of Lifuka were reported to have huddled in churches for shelter as houses were destroyed in the furious cyclone.

Ian Wilson, a New Zealand emergency management official, said Lifuka was in the direct path of the cyclone.

"Whatever was on the island has been damaged, whether it's buildings, crops, roading or infrastructure, it's all been damaged," said Mr Wilson, warning that it remained difficult to get a detailed picture of the destruction.

"There is no communication. We did have a satellite phone but that also died. It is serious. The eye of the storm went right across the top of the island."

Ian was downgraded to a category four cyclone on Saturday morning, but increased in intensity later in the day to be restored to the most severe rating of category five as it hit Ha'apai, knocking out contact with outlying islands.

Ian is the first category-five cyclone to belt into Tonga and Ha'apai governor Tu'i Ha'angana said he could see from one side of the island to the other - "that's how devastated it is".

The head of the Tonga Red Cross, Sione Taumoefolau, said he had been informed of one death in Ha'apai but did not have further details as communication remained sketchy.

He said staff in the region told him by satellite phone that Lifuka was devastated.

The Red Cross established a policy last year of maintaining containers of relief supplies on most islands, and Mr Taumoefolau said they were able to provide immediate assistance.

Tupou Ahomee Faupula, from Tonga's mobile phone provider Digicel, said his field officer in Ha'apai reported widespread devastation.

"He told us that this was the worst ever damage from a cyclone. Most houses are flattened, roofs are off, trees and power lines are down."

The Tonga navy has sent two patrol boats to Ha'apai, and the Matangi Tonga news website reported the government was considering a request for overseas aid.

New Zealand offered immediate assistance of NZ$50,000 ($41,500) and an Air Force Orion was sent Sunday to begin an immediate aerial surveillance of the devastated areas.

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Two dead after explosion in car in Austria

Police say two men have died after a hand grenade apparently exploded in their car in Austria. Source: AAP

POLICE say two men have died after a hand grenade apparently exploded in their car in the Austrian capital.

Officers found the men in a Bulgarian-registered car in Vienna's Ottakring district early on Saturday after a passer-by reported hearing shots or an explosion.

One man in the car was already dead and the other died at the scene.

Police were working to identify the men, believed to be around 50, and piece together what happened.

The Austria Press Agency reported that evidence points to a hand grenade having exploded and quoted police spokesman Thomas Keiblinger as saying officials "have no indications that it was thrown into the car".

No other weapons were found.

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Four rebels killed in India bomb attack

At least four militants have been killed after a crude bomb was launched in India's northeast. Source: AAP

AT least four militants have been killed in a clash with security forces in India's northeastern state of Meghalaya.

The clash occurred late on Saturday after a group of insurgents lobbed a crude bomb at a petrol station in the West Garo Hills. There were no casualties in the explosion but two vehicles were damaged.

District police chief Mukesh Singh told IANS news agency that four rebels died, while police did not suffer any casualties.

A cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered.

The rebels allegedly belonged to a splinter group of the Achik National Volunteers Council that is fighting for a separate state for the Garo tribe.

North-eastern India is home to many diverse ethnic groups. It has been plagued by rebellions over the past several decades.

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