Drugs seized at Melbourne music festival

THIRTEEN people have been arrested for drug possession at a music festival in Melbourne's CBD.

A significant amount of MDMA, with a street value of $10,000, was confiscated by police at the Listen Out festival on Saturday.

Police also seized ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine and prescription drugs during a sniffer dog operation at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

A 28-year-old Brighton man was charged with trafficking a drug of dependence and has been bailed to appear in court at a later date.

Twelve other people received drug diversions.

Senior Sergeant Mark Pilkington said the operation aimed to stop people before they brought drugs into the event.

"It continues to concern us that, despite the dangers, young people risk their health by using illegal substances," he said.

"These drugs are extremely dangerous. They are manufactured by criminals and users have no way of knowing what they're actually ingesting or the real risks involved."

The festival, formerly known as Parklife, saw 46 people arrested last year for possessing drugs.

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Navy fireworks light up Sydney sky

Prince Harry has arrived at Sydney's Garden Island Naval Base for the International Fleet Review. Source: AAP

A DAZZLING fireworks display has closed a huge day of navy celebrations on Sydney Harbour, including a whirlwind visit by Prince Harry on his first official visit to Australia.

The harbour exploded in a kaleidoscope of colour at 7.40pm (AEST) on Saturday as fireworks launched from seven illuminated warships mesmerised thousands of onlookers on the foreshore.

The show marked the end of the biggest day of the eight-day International Fleet Review, which marks 100 years since the Royal Australian Navy fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour.

In a 30-minute extravaganza, red, gold, blue, and green crackers lit the night sky, cascaded from the Harbour bridge, and even floated on the water around a navy submarine.

The display, which used more than seven tonnes of fireworks, even featured plane-shaped fireworks specially designed for the event.

Accompanying the glittering display were huge projections on the Opera House that told the story of the RAN's 100 year history.

A soundtrack of classical, rock and high-energy electro pumped throughout the show, which also featured huge searchlights, and renditions of the Australian national anthem and the Last Post.

Keith Bowman, who camped out at Mrs Macquarie's Chair from 5am to nab a prime spot, said the show was "better than any New Year's Eve".

"The narrative that went with it was really good, really fitting, I liked the whole lot of it," the Gosford local told AAP.

Earlier, thousands jostled to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry, with the fourth-in-line to the British throne also visiting for the Fleet Review.

After being welcomed on the harbour by a 100-gun salute, Harry, dressed in a white tropical dress uniform of the British Army and a blue Army Air Corps beret, spent a few hours on board HMAS Leeuwin inspecting the warship fleet, alongside Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

The prince's appearance on the harbour coincided with a dazzling display by navy aircraft and helicopters, thrilling spectators lining the foreshore.

Back on land, Harry donned a crisp navy-coloured suit, blue tie and white shirt to make a surprise appearance at The Rocks, shaking hands and saying hello to hundreds who were hugging the barricades in an effort to see him.

From there, the prince took a boat to Kirribilli House, where he was greeted by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, his wife Margie and daughters Bridget and Frances.

They posed for official photographs and walked through the gardens before greeting a crowd that had gathered at the gates of the prime minister's Sydney residence.

"What do you think of your new neighbour?" Harry asked one of the locals, referring to the newly-elected Mr Abbott.

Inside, the prime minister reflected on the special day, joking that Prince Harry appealed to even those Australians who aren't royalists.

"Prince Harry, I regret to say not every Australian is a monarchist," he said.

"But today everyone feels like a monarchist."

The prince is due to leave Sydney for Perth on Sunday morning for the next leg of his Aussie tour.

The Fleet Review runs until October 11.

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Four hikers found in Tasmania

FOUR hikers have been found after a search and rescue was held in Tasmania's south.

The group, which included three teenagers, had been walking since Saturday morning (AEST) and became lost on the Snug Tiers track near Pelverata Falls.

A search and rescue team from Tasmania Police found the party and they were transported via helicopter.

The group is being checked by ambulance personnel but there are no injuries.

A dog was also rescued in the party.

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Vic driver stands on roof of moving car

THE driver of a car that had five passengers inside climbed out the window and stood on the roof of his moving car on a major Melbourne freeway, police allege.

Other motorists reported seeing two rear passengers dangling their legs out the windows of the vehicle about 5pm (AEST) on Saturday.

The car was travelling east between Hoddle Street and Burke Road on the Eastern Freeway.

Four men were later arrested by police at a hotel in Croydon. A 22-year-old Mooroolbark man was charged with conduct endangering life and driving in a dangerous manner.

He was bailed by police to appear at the Ringwood Magistrates Court on January 31. Officers also impounded a blue Holden sedan for 30 days.

A 23-year-old Croydon man was released pending summons while two other men, a 19-year-old Heathmont man and a 21-year-old Millgrove man, are assisting police with their enquires.

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NSW trail bike rider hits tree, dies

A TRAIL bike rider has been killed after hitting a tree south of Newcastle in NSW.

The man, 21, was riding in bushland at Freemans Waterhole when he lost control of the bike and smashed into a tree about 2.15pm (AEST) on Saturday, police say.

Police did CPR on the man, from Beresfield in Newcastle, but he died at the scene.

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Obama expects borrowing limit increase

US President Barack Obama says he doesn't expect Congress to breach the deadline to increase the nation's borrowing limit.

He says he's willing to negotiate changes to his signature health care law and to find ways to reduce spending, but stresses he will not bargain until after Congress reopens the government and passes a new debt ceiling.

Obama says there's a majority of lawmakers in the House who would vote to end the partial government shutdown and raise the credit limit without conditions.

The president spoke during an interview with The Associated Press.

The government is expected to hits its $16.7 trillion debt ceiling in mid-October. Failure to raise it could lead to a first-ever default. Republicans want cuts in federal benefit programs and future deficits in exchange for their votes.

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Pistorius investigators visit crime scene

Forensic experts working for Oscar Pistorius have visited the house where he shot his girlfriend. Source: AAP

FORENSIC experts working for Oscar Pistorius have visited the double-amputee Olympian's upscale villa where he shot and killed his girlfriend, examining the toilet door through which the fatal shots were fired, police say.

The South African Police Service said in a statement on Thursday the specialists made prior arrangements with police to visit the athlete's house on Monday in Pretoria, where model and reality TV star Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed on February 14.

Pistorius goes on trial on March 3 accused of premeditated murder. He was given seven months to put his case together after being indicted on charges of murder and illegal possession of ammunition in August.

The visit suggests that the toilet door will form a key part of the evidence in the trial. The height of the bullet holes in the door and trajectory of the bullets fired by Pistorius could prove whether or not he was wearing his prosthetic legs.

Pistorius says he was not wearing them when he shot in fear at what he thought was a dangerous intruder, but the prosecution says the Olympic and Paralympic runner had taken the time to put them on, suggesting premeditation.

It was the second time investigators acting for Pistorius had visited the scene accompanied by the police's team, the statement said.

Police also said Pistorius' villa in the gated Silverwoods estate in the eastern suburbs of the South African capital was "no longer a crime scene and was handed back to him long ago".

The investigating officer and a police ballistics expert were present while Pistorius' forensic team carried out their work on Monday. Police said no other physical evidence was examined.

Pistorius faces a possible life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if he is convicted of murder with premeditation.

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Blaze near NSW town downgraded

AN out-of-control bushfire burning near a small town on the NSW mid-north coast has been downgraded, the Rural Fire Service says.

The scrub fire is burning in the Crowdy Bay National Park, north of the town of Harrington in the Greater Taree region.

The RFS late on Thursday night downgraded the blaze from "watch and act" to "advice".

Earlier, the blaze crossed containment lines and was burning close to properties at Coralville and Diamond Head Roads.

More than 80 firefighters and six aircraft battled the blaze through the day.

The fire has so far burned through around 3000 hectares of scrub, the RFS said on its website.

Firefighters are back-burning where they can, including at the back of some streets in the township.

About 40 holidaymakers had to be evacuated from a camping area at Diamond Head earlier on Thursday due to the blaze.

A number of roads in the area are closed.

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Rdio launches free internet radio service

DIGITAL music service Rdio is launching its free internet radio service in Australia, the US and Canada.

The launch on Thursday capitalises on Rdio's tie-up with traditional radio station owner Cumulus Media and helps it compete with digital rivals Pandora and Spotify.

For now, the app that works on Apple and Android devices won't play ads between the songs that are randomly picked based on genres, artists, songs or albums.

The company hopes nonpaying listeners will sign up for a subscription that adds features like the ability to pick and choose exact songs and albums.

On the web, Rdio's radio player will have ads that are sold by Cumulus Media Inc.

Cumulus announced it was taking a stake in Rdio parent Pulser Media last month.

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AusAid cuts threaten immunisation programs

BUDGET cuts and changes to Australia's official aid program to Asia threatens to undermine child vaccination programs in the region, a senior children's health advocate warns.

Helen Evans, deputy chief executive of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), says the recent federal government decisions to restructure the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) raises fears over future support for programs in the region.

"Australia has had for a long time a very strong investment in the region and AusAID has been a very strong supporter of the development of health services," Ms Evans said.

"It's been a very strong supporter of the GAVI Alliance that I work for because it sees the obvious value in immunisation," she told AAP.

"I'm certainly aware of the fact that the new Prime Minister (Tony Abbott) has made an announcement in terms of reducing AusAID's budget and we're waiting to see the impact of that," she said.

AusAID has played a key role in the GAVI Alliance initiatives in Indonesia under a pentavalent vaccination program to protect children against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis, and influenza.

The GAVI Alliance partners developing countries, donor governments such as Australia, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children's Fund, World Bank, the vaccine industry, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In Myanmar, AusAID had earlier this year committed more than $82 million in 2013-14 and had been set to grow the assistance to more than $100 million a year by 2015-16, prior to Australia's federal election in September that swept Mr Abbott and the coalition to power.

But Ms Evans, an Australian, says she remains hopeful the federal government would continue "to see the value (in) making an investment in these sorts of health initiatives".

But she acknowledges the challenges in delivering programs if the budget cuts to Australia's aid program are carried through.

"It would certainly make it harder if there is a reduction; yes, there's no doubt about that," she said.

The GAVI Alliance programs have supported the immunisation of about 370 million children in developing countries since its inception in 2000 amid signs of flagging support for vaccination programs and has helped prevent more than 5.5 million deaths from diseases ranging from hepatitis B to polio.

"Vaccination is perhaps the best investment a country can make in their children's health," and seen as supporting healthy development towards adulthood, Ms Evans said.

"So it's (about) poverty reduction, it's social, economic development investment."

In Laos this week, Ms Evans oversaw the launch of a new GAVI Alliance program to vaccinate girls against the human papillomavirus (HPV) to curb rising rates of cervical cancer in the country. Each year in Laos about 500 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer triggered by HPV. As many as half are expected to die from the cancer.

"This is a vaccine that's incredibly effective and can prevent about 70 per cent of the cancers," she said. Cervical cancer is now the leading killer of women globally as maternal mortality rates decline.

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Man arrested over Newcastle shooting

A MAN has been arrested for allegedly firing a gun into the air from a unit balcony at Newcastle in NSW.

Police said they were called to the unit block on Fowler Street, Hamilton South, after reports the man was firing shots into the air about 7.50pm (AEST) on Thursday.

Officers formed a perimeter around the unit block and arrested the alleged shooter, aged in his 30s, when he left the premises about 9.35pm.

Police said they found a firearm in the man's backpack as well as guns and ammunition in the unit.

The man is being interviewed at Newcastle Police Station.

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Church attempted to conceal crimes, FoI

THE Catholic Church believed it had an understanding with the NSW police in 2003 that allowed them to conceal evidence against pedophile priests, a freedom of information (FoI) document reveals.

The file, accessed through FoI laws by NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge and obtained by ABC's Lateline, documents the Catholic Church's attempt to co-opt NSW police to strike into the illegal agreement.

"Church authorities shall make available the report of an assessment and any other matter relevant to the accused's account of events only if required to do so by court order," the unsigned draft memorandum read.

Catholic Commission for Employment Relations executive director Michael McDonald wrote to the NSW child protection squad on June 18, 2003 seeking confirmation the memorandum of understanding (MOU) was still in place.

In response, Kim McKay from the child protection squad advised no agreement ever existed.

"The arrangements proposed by the draft MOU appear to be in direct conflict with the explicit legislative requirement of section 316 of the Crime Act," he wrote in August 20, 2003.

It's unclear how long the church had been acting according the draft MOU.

Michael Salmon, who was the Catholic Church's point of contact for police at the time, provided a statement to Lateline confirming the church had operated under the unsigned agreement.

"The church assumed it was operational, we were practicing the provisions of the MOU and dealing with the police under those provisions," he said.

"We had an understanding from police it was approved."

Mr Shoebridge says it's unclear how many cases were dealt with by the church under this assumption.

"It's likely that hundreds, if not more than that, cases were processed through this MOU," he told ABC.

"Processed in a way that didn't protect victims, didn't assist the police in prosecuting for crimes, but protected the good name of the church."

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Gillard opens up on carbon pricing, sexism

Former prime minister Julia Gillard says she had difficulties explaining carbon pricing to groups. Source: AAP

IF nine out of 10 doctors said unless you underwent chemotherapy you were going to die, what would you do?

That's how former prime minister Julia Gillard tried explaining the importance of pricing carbon to individuals when it came to fighting climate change.

"We've got an overwhelming majority of scientists telling us our planet needs to do this. Are you really going to be the one who bets that the vast majority of them are wrong with something as important as the planet's future?" Ms Gillard said during a forum with Anne Summers in Melbourne on Tuesday.

"If you could get them one at a time, you could make a difference."

However, she came unstuck when faced with the task of explaining its importance to groups.

"There is this weirdness that goes around climate change science," she said.

"In groups brought together, the toxicity that can be in social media, it just got this bizarre and explosive carry on around it that I think was hard to explain and is still hard to explain."

In just her second major public appearance since being dethroned on June 26, Ms Gillard admitted she also made a political error in conceding the scheme she had introduced was a "carbon tax".

"It is an emissions trading scheme with a fixed price for the first three years, and any iteration of an emissions trading scheme basically starts with a price that someone fixes," she said.

Ms Gillard also touched on the infamous "Ditch the Witch" anti-carbon tax rally featuring Tony Abbott outside Parliament House in 2011.

She said while the crude signs at the rally did offend her, it was the benign media response to the incident that she found really amazing.

"If someone was there with a sign that said 'Ditch the black -insert bad word here-', if that happened there would be a huge outcry about how disgusting that is," she said.

"Yet when it was gender, it just didn't get that reaction and that shocked me as much as the signs themselves."

Ms Gillard also expressed frustration at the coalition having just one woman in the current cabinet, saying it was not only disheartening, but hopeless.

"Here we are having gone back, back decades in time," she said.

"What made me a little bit more optimistic than that statistic was that the reaction to it happened in the media and the community conversation for days and days."

With the majority of the questions focused on misogyny and sexism, Ms Gillard had to laugh when an 11-year-old girl asked her if she actually had any fun while serving as prime minister.

"I don't want the whole thing to sound Dickensian, like I was in some dark, satanic mill," she said.

"I wasn't. I was living at The Lodge, surrounded by wonderful people and we had a lot of laughs."

She singled out retired independent MPs Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, as well as retired Nationals whip Kay Hull, as giving her the most support from outside the Labor Party.

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Fresh unrest in Myanmar kills four

BUDDHIST mobs have attacked Muslim neighbourhoods in Myanmar's restive Rakhine state, killing at least four people just hours before a planned visit to the area by the president.

"Four people were reported dead and 50 more were injured by this evening," said a police officer in Thandwe, about 270 kilometres northwest of Yangon.

The mobs also burned down at least 100 houses and shops in villages neighbouring Thandwe city, he said on Tuesday.

"We can't get the exact number of dead and injured now," said Win Myaing, spokesman for the Rakhine state government. "We are trying to restore order," he said by phone.

Buddhist mobs started setting fire to Muslim houses and shops in five villages around Thandwe on Tuesday, and police failed to contain it because of a lack of personnel, the police officer said.

Thandwe is situated more than 100 kilometres south of Sittwe, the capital of the Rakhine state, which was the scene of bloody sectarian fighting last year that claimed at least 167 lives and left 140,000 homeless, most of them Rohingya Muslims.

Last year's violence was aimed at the Rohingya Muslim minority group, a stateless people who have been living for generations in the three northernmost townships of Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh.

Tuesday's violence appeared to be directed against Rakhine Muslims who are Myanmar citizens, sources said.

Trouble started in Thandwe on Saturday after a Buddhist taxi driver complained to police about being verbally abused by a Muslim shop owner for parking in front of his establishment.

Police took the Muslim in for questioning.

When he was released, Rakhine Buddhists became enraged and pelted the man's house with stones, according to police reports.

At least two houses were burned down in Thandwe on Sunday night, Win Myaing said.

The renewed sectarian tensions in the Rakhine state came hours before Myanmar President Thein Sein was due to arrive in the restive state for the first time since taking office in March 2011.

"President Thein Sein will arrive in Sittwe this evening and plans to meet ethnic Rakhine members of parliament tomorrow," Win Myaing said. "He may also visit the refugee camps."

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Campbell Soup sells European simple meals

CAMPBELL Soup is selling its European simple meals business to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for 400 million euros ($A583 million).

The deal includes Campbell's national brands of soups, sauces and simple meals, including Liebig and Royco in France, Erasco in Germany, Bl Band in Sweden and Devos Lemmens and Royco in Belgium.

It also includes four plants in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. The transaction doesn't include the Kelsen Group.

Campbell said in August that it was in final and exclusive talks with CVC about the potential sale of the European simple meals business.

Campbell said on Tuesday that it plans to use the sale's proceeds to pay down debt and for other general corporate purposes.

The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

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Former Democrats leader dies aged 71

THE children of former Democrats leader Janet Powell have paid tribute to the legacy their mother left behind for woman aspiring towards a career in politics.

Ms Powell, 71, died on Monday night after fighting cancer for a year.

She represented Victoria from 1986 to 1992 as a Democrat before becoming an independent senator until she lost office in 1993.

She initially filled a casual vacancy after party founder Don Chipp left the Senate, then won a seat the following year.

Daughter Emma Powell, who also spoke on behalf of her siblings Nick and Alex, said despite the heavy demands of public life, Ms Powell was an exceptional mother.

"We are all so proud of her, her contribution to the community and the example she set for girls and other women in public life," she said.

"The knowledge that our beloved mother left such a wonderful legacy to us and the community gives us some comfort at this incredibly sad time."

Ms Powell led the Democrats from 1990-1991.

She stood down following internal party ructions stemming from moves to potentially merge the party with the Greens, and her relationship with fellow Democrat senator Sid Spindler.

She was born in Nhill in western Victoria in 1942 and was a school teacher before entering parliament.

In 2012, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to politics and community work with the YWCA.

She joined the Australian Greens in 2004.

Greens leader Christine Milne paid tribute to her friend as a pioneer and role model for women in politics.

Former Democrats leader Natasha Stott Despoja said Ms Powell had been a "trailblazer."

"A woman not to be forgotten," she said.

Former Victorian premier Joan Kirner said Ms Powell broke new ground for women in politics.

Former Greens leader Bob Brown said Australia has lost a champion of progressive politics.

"Janet led the Democrats in the greening of Australian politics," he said.

"We have lost a friend, but her spirit and ideals move onwards in Australian affairs."

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Winds batter NSW and Vic, man dies on roof

A SYDNEY man has been apparently electrocuted and roofs have been ripped from houses as high winds lash NSW and Victoria.

NSW Police found a 31-year-old man injured on the roof of a Bexley property about 3.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the man, but he died at the scene.

Police said initial inquiries suggest electricity may have played a part.

The strongest winds in the state were recorded at Thredbo where a gust clocked in at 135 km/h.

However, winds of up to 140 km/h have battered Victoria bringing down powerlines and trees.

Electricity companies are battling tough weather conditions as they continue to restore power to almost 19,000 properties throughout the state.

More than 150,000 homes and businesses experiencing outages early on Tuesday.

Thousands of homes and businesses throughout NSW were also hit by power blackouts.

The State Emergency Services (SES) in NSW and Victoria have received a flood of calls as a result of the wild weather.

Since 8am, the NSW SES has responded to 700 jobs, most of which are for roof damage and fallen trees.

The Central Coast is one of the worst hit areas and a home in Long Jetty had its roof ripped off.

SES spokeswoman Danielle Wearne said the roof damaged other homes and ended up in the middle of a road.

A roof was also ripped off a home at Avalon on the Northern Beaches and at a mosque on the Central Coast.

The SES said a large tree had come down on a house on NSW's south coast and another tree had partially blocked the Princes Highway at Batemans Bay.

SES Victoria were called to about 3500 jobs on Monday night and Tuesday.

Altona, Frankston and Wyndham were among the worst hit areas in greater Melbourne, SES spokesman Toby Borella said.

"Fairly widespread, lots of trees down, lots of traffic hazards, lots of building damage as well, as a result of these damaging winds," he told AAP.

A severe weather warning for damaging winds is still in place for southeastern NSW and the ACT.

However, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Chris Webb said winds had already eased.

"The winds have already eased pretty significantly but the back edge of the front is still going through with the possibility of wind gusts in the next one or two hours but it will ease off in the evening," he said.

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Obama to speak on US shutdown

US President Barack Obama is getting ready to address the American people as the federal government moves ahead with a partial shutdown and new health insurance exchanges are launching under his health care law.

The White House says Obama will deliver a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House at 12.25pm EDT (2.35am on Wednesday AEST).

He also plans to meet in the Oval Office with a group of citizens who are participating in the new health care program.

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Kings Of Leon's new album debuts at No.1

Kings of Leon have landed their third consecutive No.1 album on the ARIA chart. Source: AAP

KINGS of Leon have landed their third straight No.1 on the ARIA albums chart after their new album Mechanical Bull debuted at the top.

The Nashville rockers' sixth studio release bumps off Keith Urban's album Fuse, which drops down two spots to No.3.

Another new entry is Drake's Nothing Was the Same at No.2, which becomes his first Top 10 entry and highest charting album all in the same week.

Jason Derulo's third album Tattoos has debuted at No.5, becoming his third Top 10 album.

Jack Johnson is down three places to No.6 with From Here to Now to You, while the fourth Top 10 debut is Jessie J with Alive at No.7.

Pink's The Truth About Love has dropped two spots to No.8 and Rudimental's Home moves up five places to No.9.

Avicii's album True plummets eight places round out the Top 10.

Meanwhile Katy Perry's Roar has spent another week at No.1 on the singles chart.

The top three all hold steady this week, with Miley Cyrus at No.2 with Wrecking Ball and Redfoo at No.3 with Let's Get Ridiculous.

The big mover is John Newman with Love Me Again, which charges up four places, pushing Derulo's Talk Dirty down to No.5.

OneRepublic spends a third straight week at No.6 with Something I Need, Lana Del Rey is down a couple of places to No.7 with her Summertime Sadness and Drake climbs a place to a new peak of No.8 with Hold On, We're Going Home.

Avicii has slipped to No.9 with Wake Me Up, while Lorde is back up two places to No.10 with her EP The Love Club feat Royals.

AUSTRALIAN SINGLES CHART

1(1) Roar - Katy Perry (CAP/EMI)

2(2) Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (RCA/SME)

3(3) Let's Get Ridiculous - Redfoo (INR/UMA)

4(8) Love Me Again - John Newman (ISL/UMA)

5(4) Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo Feat. 2 Chainz (WAR)

6(6) Something I Need - OneRepublic (INR/UMA)

7(5) Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey vs Cedric Gervais (INR/UMA)

8(9) Hold on, We're Going Home - Drake Feat. Majid Jordan (UNI/UMA)

9(8) Wake Me Up - Avicii (UNI/UMA)

10(12) The Love Club Feat. Royals - Lorde (UNI/UMA)

AUSTRALIAN ALBUMS CHART

1(-) Mechanical Bull - Kings Of Leon (RCA/SME)

2(-) Nothing Was The Same - Drake (UNI/UMA)

3(1) Fuse - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

4(3) AM - Arctic Monkeys (DOM/EMI)

5(-) Tattoos - Jason Derulo (WAR)

6(3) From Here to Now to You - Jack Johnson (UNI/UMA)

7(-) Alive - Jessie J (UNI/UMA)

8(6) The Truth About Love - Pink (RCA/SME)

9(14) Home - Rudimental (WAR)

10(2) True - Avicii (UNI/UMA)

AUSTRALIAN STREAMING CHART

1(1) Roar - Katy Perry (EMI)

2(2) Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (SME)

3(3) Wake Me Up - Avicii (UMA)

4(4) The Love Club EP - Lorde (UMA)

5(6) Counting Stars - OneRepublic (UMA)

6(5) Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo Feat. 2 Chainz (WAR)

7(9) You Make Me - Avicii (UMA)

8(7) Burn - Ellie Goulding (UMA)

9(8) La La La - Naughty Boy Feat. Sam Smith (EMI)

10(10) Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Feat. T.I. & Pharrell (UMA)

AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY CHART

1(1) Fuse - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

2(2) The Very Best Of Slim Dusty - Slim Dusty (EMI)

3(-) The Buegrass Album - Alan Jackson (SME)

4(3) The Great Country Songbook - Troy Cassar-Daley & Adam Harvey (SME)

5(-) A.M - Chris Young (RCA/SME)

6(6) Red - Taylor Swift (BIG/UMA)

7(3) 40 Years Of Pride - Charley Pride (RCA/SME)6 (WAR)

8(6) A Hell Of A Career! - John Williamson (WAR)

9(7) Crash My Party - Luke Bryan (CAP/EMI)

10(8) The Story So Far - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

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Italy grapples with new Berlusconi crisis

Five cabinet ministers from former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi's party have quit the government. Source: AAP

ITALY is mired in a fresh political quagmire after Silvio Berlusconi pushed his party's ministers to quit the fragile coalition government, a move Prime Minister Enrico Letta has called a "crazy act".

All five ministers from the People of Freedom (PDL) party on Saturday took the decision to step down at Berlusconi's urging, said deputy prime minister Angelino Alfano, the number two in government who was among the resignations.

Italy newspapers put the blame for the new government crisis squarely at the ex-prime minister's feet.

"The convict has made Italy fail," read the headline in the leftist daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, alluding to Berlusconi's conviction for tax fraud.

The centre-right La Stampa and business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore decried "the madness" of the actions taken by the media mogul who has dominated Italian politics for most of the last two decades.

The flamboyant billionaire, who turns 77 on Sunday, dismissed as "unacceptable" a demand by Letta on Friday for parliament to express support for the government next week, in a bid to end a crisis that has plagued the bickering ruling coalition.

Now President Giorgio Napolitano will have to mediate to find a way out of the latest political impasse. He is expected to meet Letta on Sunday.

Letta's government was cobbled together following a two-month stand-off after an inconclusive general election in February.

The premier of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) had won the confidence of financial markets by managing to keep together the improbable right-left coalition.

Italian media on Sunday speculated that if the crisis deepens there could be a reversal in market confidence, making it harder for Italy to deal with its economic difficulties and enact needed reforms.

The revolt among Berlusconi's backers boiled over on Thursday when they first threatened to resign over the former leader's legal problems.

A Senate committee was preparing to vote on whether to eject Berlusconi from the chamber after he was sentenced to a year in prison for tax fraud, a ruling that was upheld by Italy's top court in August.

Letta on Friday told a cabinet meeting tasked with approving key measures to rein in the recession-hit country's budget deficit that no further legislation would be enacted until the political crisis was resolved.

The cabinet had convened to determine how to delay a controversial planned rise in value-added tax, but the meeting ended in disarray amid the escalating tension over Berlusconi's conviction.

As a result, the VAT hike from 21 per cent to 22 per cent will go ahead, with effect from Tuesday, as economists worry that it will dampen consumption.

In encouraging the PDL ministers to resign, Berlusconi said they should not be "complicit in the latest vexation imposed on Italians by the left".

Letta retorted: "To try to justify his crazy and irresponsible act, aimed fully at protecting his personal interests, Berlusconi is... using the VAT as an alibi."

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UK PM backs veil bans at institutions

THE state should back institutions such as schools and courthouses that require individuals to remove face-coverings worn by some Muslim women, British Prime Minister David Cameron says.

Cameron said he did not believe there should be a ban on wearing the niqab - which conceals the whole face except for the eyes - in the streets.

But he made clear he was "happy" to look at the issue of whether the state needed to do more to back up institutions which choose to implement a ban.

"We are a free country and people should be free to wear whatever clothes they like in public or in private," Cameron told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show.

"But we should support those institutions that need to put in place rules so that those institutions can work properly.

"So for instance in a school, if they want that particular dress code, I believe the government should back them. The same for courts, the same for immigration.

"I think we should back those institutions that want to have sensible policies that actually have a particular purpose."

Asked if he would respond to a judge's suggestion that there should be guidelines for the country on the wearing of the niqab in court, Cameron said: "I'm very happy to look at that.

"Obviously, in court the jury needs to be able to look at someone's face. I've sat on a jury, that's part of what you do.

"When someone is coming into the country, an immigration officer needs to see someone's face.

"In a school, it's very difficult to teach unless you can look at your pupils in the eye.

"It's a free country and I think a free country should have free and independent institutions. No plans for anything on the street, but if the government needs to do more to back up institutions, then I would be happy to look at that."

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Two men in hospital following Sydney fire

TWO men are in hospital following a fire in Sydney's southwest.

Emergency services were called to Australia Road at Barden Ridge at 8pm (AEST) on Sunday after reports a house was on fire.

A garage at the rear of a property was well-alight, police say.

Two men are being treated at Sutherland Hospital for significant injuries.

It's understood the pair drove themselves to the hospital.

The fire has been extinguished but there is extensive damage to the garage.

Police have established a crime scene.

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Siemens to cut up to 15,000 global jobs

GERMANY engineering company Siemens says it will cut up to 15,000 jobs worldwide by the end of 2014.

German news agency dpa reported on Sunday that the company wants to cut 5,000 jobs in Germany and another 10,000 jobs abroad.

A Siemens spokesman, whose name was not given, told dpa the cutbacks will not necessarily mean that all the workers will lose their jobs, since some could be transferred to other departments.

Siemens could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Munich-based company has around 370,000 employees and makes a wide range of industrial machinery, including trains, power generators and transmission equipment, and medical scanners.

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More Greenpeace activists jailed in Russia

A COURT in Russia has sent six more Greenpeace activists to jail for two months and showed no sign that the remaining two activists would be treated any differently for a protest at a drilling platform in Arctic waters.

Twenty other activists and two journalists were ordered jailed for two months during a marathon court session on Thursday that stretched late into night, but the court ruled to hold the remaining eight only until new hearings could be held on Sunday.

No charges have been brought against any of the activists, who are citizens of 18 countries, including Russia.

Among them is Australian man Colin Russell and a British resident of Sydney, Alexandra Harris.

Russian prosecutors are considering whether to charge them with piracy, and the activists are being held pending the investigation.

The Russian Coast Guard disrupted an attempt on September 18 by two of the activists to scale a platform owned by Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom to call attention to the environmental risks of drilling in Arctic waters.

The next day, the Coast Guard seized Greenpeace's ship, the Arctic Sunrise, and towed it to Murmansk with the crew and activists aboard.

Those ordered jailed on Sunday include Dima Litvinov, Greenpeace International spokesman, who has dual US and Swedish citizenship; Finnish activist Sini Saarela, who was one of the two who tried to scale the platform; British activist Frank Hewetson; two Dutch citizens and a Ukrainian cook.

Hewetson's partner Nina Gold described the custody of the long-term activist as "wildly disproportionate and unjust".

"I would ask the Russian authorities to reconsider this unwarranted and harsh decision," she said in a statement issued by Greenpeace.

"His children and I are very concerned for him but know that he will be cheered by the support of millions of people worldwide which is bringing the destruction of the Arctic to international attention."

Greenpeace Russia campaign director Ivan Blokov has described the seizure of the ship as "the most aggressive and hostile act" against the environmental organisation since French government agents bombed the Rainbow Warrior ship in 1985, killing one man.

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